Wondering what happens if the elixir/venom on the blade that stabbed Arachne binds her soul to her body. If her body is destroyed she would be destroyed, but if it is healed does she come back?
My heart … my heart doesn’t feel very well right now. Doesn’t feel like it’s going to get much better for a long time.
Damn. All my black hearts for you ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Who’d a thunk I’d be offering up a prayer for Lewie to make an appearance?
Guess I’ll just hold out hope, for the moment, that this is more a beginning of her story rather than the end. If anybody could go into the Afterlife and give Ranna a case of indigestion, Arachne would have one of my big bets.
Hm.
Arachne dead.
Lucas & Cadugan, er, stoned.
Have you ever done a Reader’s Poll, to determine who are the most popular characters?
Because I think you’ve hit at least two top-ten finishers now.
t!
Not thrilled with this comment in retrospect. Let me elaborate:
1. You are to be commended for daring to have even the most beloved characters experience logical consequences of the dangerous lives they lead.
2. A poll would be fun.
t!
I think I understood what you meant! 🙂 Thank you for that, though. I think a poll would be fun, too. I do things like that in the forum though and almost nobody posts there anymore. Could try it though.
This is Game of Thrones all over again. Take your time familiarizing us with a character, show us her lovability, make us identify with or at least feel strongly tied to her, then kill her off in some indignous way to crush us.
As stated many times, I’ve never watched an episode of Game of Thrones in my life. You might find that other stories have character deaths in them, though.
Plot armour only works while the plot requires you to survive, once a plot point where you either have to die or no longer relevant to the plot does it turn into tissue paper in a hurricane.
It’s not so bad. First of all I get a lot more positive feedback than negative. And the negative feedback is helpful. Another thing I keep in mind though is that many readers react to the immediacy of a strip without seeing it in perspective.
For example: I do a strip where a character dies, people react as though I’m wiping out all the main characters. I do a strip where a goddess takes over a smallish region (Ranna now has control of Elegrost, bits of the Goblin Lands and a few cities in the desert) and people react as though she’s taken over the whole world.
I do a few bare boob shots and I’m writing porn. A vampire shows up for a bit of a comic and it’s a gothic horror blood bath. As soon as the next thing comes along the previous pigeon hole is forgotten.
Then there’s the context of the story issue where I can know where a plot is going but readers don’t and they assume things based on what they know (or think they know). So people got [understandably] upset when I had Clover getting caught and recaught by Arachne and put in the Drow prison. They didn’t know she was going to become Queen. And when she kept getting her heart broken by King Eric. When Lucas spurned Cadugan’s original advance. When Karak won the Crown Tourney.
When I see people react either way it’s good. It means that 1)They’re reading and trying to predict where the story is going. 2)That they’re in some way emotionally engaged.
I think the best thing is when the story has somehow made someone uncomfortable but they keep reading anyway. I try to make sure that ultimately everything works out to a satisfying conclusion. I’m not always right [I wish I’d done a few things differently with Jone] but I hope I do.
I stand by what I said: You deserve better. You’re making an effort, putting a lot of work (and talent!) into something that emotionally engages your audience. That audience has a responsibility to treat the material intelligently. Firing off a reactionary, knee-jerk response is a failure of that responsibility. Also, you’ve spent three THOUSAND strips demonstrating that you know what you’re doing; you’ve earned some trust.
That said, my comment was mostly directed at those who are unwilling or unable (probably the latter, owing to a lifetime of the former) to address your work on its own terms. At best it’s meaningless and puerile, and at worst – although you may have been forced to become inured to it – it’s insulting.
Full disclosure: I’m not just saying all this for your benefit. I would LOVE to have an intelligent discussion on this site about the craft of storytelling, but aside from T-Chall and maybe one or two possibles, it really doesn’t look like anyone is interested/capable.
not that i’m stoked on the authorial decision but let’s be fair here, if this was really a GoT move then 99% of the original characters would be long dead and this would have ended years ago.
You. Did. Not. Just.
Oh, COME ON! You cannot possibly MEAN that! Sorry for capslocking, but now I’m pissed! Arachne’s the best!
You brought Glon back, you let Owen stick around as a ghost, you brought Charlotte back, you brought frickin’ Jone the lunatic back! You sure will us give back Arachne, won’t you? Well, until then, you’re officially in my bad-books, sir!
In hindsight and with a couple years more emotional maturity (I hope), I’m really unhappy I wrote this comment. It was extremely rude and presumptuous, and I’m sorry.
You may not like it, but this is what peak (storytelling) performance looks like. Well done, Rich! To quote the comment by t! above "You are to be commended for daring to have even the most beloved characters experience logical consequences of the dangerous lives they lead."
Prediction: we will later find out that some of the words are missing (inaudible) – possibly communicated by the ……… With the missing words inserted the message gains a totally different meaning.
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She died as she lived: Surrounded by idiots.
This is so true. You win this round of comments, well done.
That’s as funny as it is sad.
You…did not just kill Arachne!
*Flips table*
Wondering what happens if the elixir/venom on the blade that stabbed Arachne binds her soul to her body. If her body is destroyed she would be destroyed, but if it is healed does she come back?
For those who forgot what led up to this: #2913 – http://yafgc.net/comic/2913-final-confrontation/
Long time no see her, so I needed to go back to check what happened before. Not good, not good at all.
My heart … my heart doesn’t feel very well right now. Doesn’t feel like it’s going to get much better for a long time.
Damn. All my black hearts for you ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Who’d a thunk I’d be offering up a prayer for Lewie to make an appearance?
Guess I’ll just hold out hope, for the moment, that this is more a beginning of her story rather than the end. If anybody could go into the Afterlife and give Ranna a case of indigestion, Arachne would have one of my big bets.
But, there is another. What’s become of Jone?
There was I thinking that the death of an icon only happened when you click ’empty trashcan’ 😀
…not happy right now. 🙁
OH NO YOU DIDN’T!!!
Say waaaaaat?! O_O
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hm.
Arachne dead.
Lucas & Cadugan, er, stoned.
Have you ever done a Reader’s Poll, to determine who are the most popular characters?
Because I think you’ve hit at least two top-ten finishers now.
t!
Not thrilled with this comment in retrospect. Let me elaborate:
1. You are to be commended for daring to have even the most beloved characters experience logical consequences of the dangerous lives they lead.
2. A poll would be fun.
t!
I think I understood what you meant! 🙂 Thank you for that, though. I think a poll would be fun, too. I do things like that in the forum though and almost nobody posts there anymore. Could try it though.
There’s still a possibility that she can become undead. A different Arachne, but still Arachne.
With soul bound to body, my guess is that she can’t die so long as her body still has a physical existance; sort of like a Litch
… she’s definitely been better… 😐
NOOOO! Not Arachne!
"With my last breath, I curse Zoidberg!"
This is Game of Thrones all over again. Take your time familiarizing us with a character, show us her lovability, make us identify with or at least feel strongly tied to her, then kill her off in some indignous way to crush us.
As stated many times, I’ve never watched an episode of Game of Thrones in my life. You might find that other stories have character deaths in them, though.
Dresden Files to name one, Harry Dresden himself gets killed in one of them…
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a massacre of characters.
Aw, not Arachne 🙁
What´s up? Watching too much Game of Thrones lately? o.O
Never watched an episode in my life. I’m fairly certain Game of Thrones isn’t the first and only fantasy story to kill off a character.
Yeah…Poor ‘ol Uncle Ben was a good example of an actual *permanent* character death. That’s what set Peter Parker on the life of a vigilante.
Was about to make a Game of Thrones comment, but I see several people beat me to it.
Like everyone else, I was distracted by all that wonderfully, comparatively lighthearted misdirection leading away from this.
Which of course, set me up for the gut punch.
Most. Potent. Confusion. Spell. Ever. 😀
Well played. Bring on the grimdark–I’m ready for this.
Edit: Actually, that’s not quite true. I only *think* I’m ready for it. Doubtless Rich has countless ways prepared to make my head spin.
I forgot Ranna killed Arachne. Seriously, I always thought she had plot armour. Guess I was wrong.
Plot armour only works while the plot requires you to survive, once a plot point where you either have to die or no longer relevant to the plot does it turn into tissue paper in a hurricane.
God, Rich, some of these comments.
For what you’re doing here, you deserve so much better than that.
t!
It’s not so bad. First of all I get a lot more positive feedback than negative. And the negative feedback is helpful. Another thing I keep in mind though is that many readers react to the immediacy of a strip without seeing it in perspective.
For example: I do a strip where a character dies, people react as though I’m wiping out all the main characters. I do a strip where a goddess takes over a smallish region (Ranna now has control of Elegrost, bits of the Goblin Lands and a few cities in the desert) and people react as though she’s taken over the whole world.
I do a few bare boob shots and I’m writing porn. A vampire shows up for a bit of a comic and it’s a gothic horror blood bath. As soon as the next thing comes along the previous pigeon hole is forgotten.
Then there’s the context of the story issue where I can know where a plot is going but readers don’t and they assume things based on what they know (or think they know). So people got [understandably] upset when I had Clover getting caught and recaught by Arachne and put in the Drow prison. They didn’t know she was going to become Queen. And when she kept getting her heart broken by King Eric. When Lucas spurned Cadugan’s original advance. When Karak won the Crown Tourney.
When I see people react either way it’s good. It means that 1)They’re reading and trying to predict where the story is going. 2)That they’re in some way emotionally engaged.
I think the best thing is when the story has somehow made someone uncomfortable but they keep reading anyway. I try to make sure that ultimately everything works out to a satisfying conclusion. I’m not always right [I wish I’d done a few things differently with Jone] but I hope I do.
I stand by what I said: You deserve better. You’re making an effort, putting a lot of work (and talent!) into something that emotionally engages your audience. That audience has a responsibility to treat the material intelligently. Firing off a reactionary, knee-jerk response is a failure of that responsibility. Also, you’ve spent three THOUSAND strips demonstrating that you know what you’re doing; you’ve earned some trust.
That said, my comment was mostly directed at those who are unwilling or unable (probably the latter, owing to a lifetime of the former) to address your work on its own terms. At best it’s meaningless and puerile, and at worst – although you may have been forced to become inured to it – it’s insulting.
Full disclosure: I’m not just saying all this for your benefit. I would LOVE to have an intelligent discussion on this site about the craft of storytelling, but aside from T-Chall and maybe one or two possibles, it really doesn’t look like anyone is interested/capable.
t!
not that i’m stoked on the authorial decision but let’s be fair here, if this was really a GoT move then 99% of the original characters would be long dead and this would have ended years ago.
Aw, maaaaaann! Not Arachne!
She was an evil bitch! Reminds me of Tammany.
I typed Ranma not Tammany. Damned autocorrect!
You. Did. Not. Just.
Oh, COME ON! You cannot possibly MEAN that! Sorry for capslocking, but now I’m pissed! Arachne’s the best!
You brought Glon back, you let Owen stick around as a ghost, you brought Charlotte back, you brought frickin’ Jone the lunatic back! You sure will us give back Arachne, won’t you? Well, until then, you’re officially in my bad-books, sir!
In hindsight and with a couple years more emotional maturity (I hope), I’m really unhappy I wrote this comment. It was extremely rude and presumptuous, and I’m sorry.
You may not like it, but this is what peak (storytelling) performance looks like. Well done, Rich! To quote the comment by t! above "You are to be commended for daring to have even the most beloved characters experience logical consequences of the dangerous lives they lead."
Last two panels; very creepy.
Prediction: we will later find out that some of the words are missing (inaudible) – possibly communicated by the ……… With the missing words inserted the message gains a totally different meaning.