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[PA Comic] Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - The Tithe, Part Six

GethGeth LegionPerseus VeilRegistered User, Moderator, Penny Arcade Staff, Vanilla Staff vanilla
edited September 2013 in The Penny Arcade Hub
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Posts

  • miaAusamiaAusa GOD Gamer Of Daters ValhallaRegistered User regular
    She seems to be becoming the great Queen Yggdrasil of the forest, it's so full of emotions it's quite a moment for her, I can't wait to see what comes next it keeps on getting better and better <3<3<3, makes me wish it was already Friday : D

  • GoslingGosling Looking Up Soccer In Mongolia Right Now, Probably Watertown, WIRegistered User regular
    I'm not sure she has any ideas about queenhood, miaAusa. Hanna's look in the last panel is the look of 'I genuinely don't even begin to know what in the world is going on anymore'.

    I have a new soccer blog The Minnow Tank. Reading it psychically kicks Sepp Blatter in the bean bag.
  • miaAusamiaAusa GOD Gamer Of Daters ValhallaRegistered User regular
  • AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    Anyone else notice that the buds are forming a crown? I don't think they were doing that in earlier pages, but I'll have to check.

    He/Him | "We who believe in freedom cannot rest." - Dr. Johnetta Cole, 7/22/2024
  • ThanatosiaThanatosia Registered User regular
    Athenor wrote: »
    Anyone else notice that the buds are forming a crown? I don't think they were doing that in earlier pages, but I'll have to check.
    With the exception of Strip 1 (where there was only 1 bud), and Strip 3 Panel 4 (where there are a few extra buds out of line with the circular crown formation), they have.

  • WearingGlassesWearingGlasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    edited September 2013
    I really really hope he doesn't snap her neck next strip... but it's the way he holds her face that gives that kind of impression.

    WearingGlasses on
  • KageraKagera Imitating the worst people. Since 2004Registered User regular
    Last panel:
    "I...I need an adult?"
    "I am an adult."

    My neck, my back, my FUPA and my crack.
  • TAFKAPTAFKAP Warrior-Jumper Registered User regular
    I get the impression that attempting to harm a daughter-of-the-forest while in the forest is a very bad idea.

  • davidhbrowndavidhbrown Registered User regular
    Throughout the last few strips, I've been wondering whether the parents get clued in to what happened to their kid. Maybe this is normal/expected in that town (a tithe paid in children?), but in our world, we'd be all Amber Alert when she wasn't in her bed in the morning!

  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    7th panel

    "What the fuck... are you even talking about, man?! I got goddamn flowers budding from my scalp!"

    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    I really really hope he doesn't snap her neck next strip... but it's the way he holds her face that gives that kind of impression.

    No?

    Everything he says gives the impression that he holds the Daughters in high regard. I doubt he would say all that stuff attempting to comfort her, and then kill her.

    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • Fleur de AlysFleur de Alys Biohacker Registered User regular
    Wow.

    Feeling pretty bad about my comments on the last strip right now. This is ace.

    Triptycho: A card-and-dice tabletop indie RPG currently in development and playtesting
  • Daddy Two-CoatsDaddy Two-Coats Registered User regular
    Is there a wiki somewhere for all the Lookouts/Thornwatch/Eyrewood stuff? I've read every strip in this series several times and I still have no idea what is going on.

  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    It's a scary experience that's part of growing up, and being scared by it isn't shameful.

    She's literally flowering.

  • AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    Yeah, it's a really nice puberty metaphor all around.

    And I think I agree with @davidhbrown - I've been looking for what the Tithe is, and some form of payment to the forest fits.

    He/Him | "We who believe in freedom cannot rest." - Dr. Johnetta Cole, 7/22/2024
  • DeserterKalakDeserterKalak Registered User regular
    edited September 2013
    The Sauce wrote: »
    Wow.

    Feeling pretty bad about my comments on the last strip right now. This is ace.

    For what it's worth, I for one did get the point you were making, and it was a worthy thing to be concerned over. I just wasn't worried about the implications for women in literature because I knew this was coming; more so when Jerry commented that the Daughters know about the Thornwatch and how to summon them, but aren't privvy to the same aggressive propaganda telling them why they shouldn't do it.

    If every girl in Hanna's position has the necessary time and knowledge to call on the Thornwatch, and the Thornwatch are actually willing and able to intervene, then the only plant-ladies that exist must be from the girls that freak out so much that they don't call on the Thornwatch until it's too late, or the ones that for whatever reason don't freak out at all about the flower buds growing out of their skull.

    But no. She gets a curt "sorry, out of our jurisdiction, nothing we can do" and some words of dubious comfort, and that's all they have for her.

    DeserterKalak on
  • Chris FOMChris FOM Registered User regular
    Yet another winner. The writing here is particularly good, although the characters in the 4th panel followed by the hands in the 5th are yet another knock-out for Gabe.

  • OrphaneOrphane rivers of red that run to seaRegistered User regular
    shh no tears

    only dreams now

  • Adam CasalinoAdam Casalino New York (in my heart)Registered User regular
    Wow. This was pretty great.

    I had said the dude with the staff was my favorite, I think I've been vindicated.

  • trickcyclisttrickcyclist Registered User regular
    Chaps; the Tithe is my favourite thing you have ever done. And I rate most everything else you have produced highly indeed.
    The way the story and art come together is magical.
    I would love to see you do a major project around the Eyrewood trio - please say it will be so, pretty please?

  • metaphistmetaphist FLRegistered User regular
    Great stuff. About how many strips can we expect? I know Tycho mentioned he really wanted us to see the one for Friday, but we goin past that? Don't think anyone would complain at this rate.

    as-siggy-blank-left.jpg
  • Twenty SidedTwenty Sided Registered User regular
    Kagera wrote: »
    Last panel:
    "I...I need an adult?"
    "I am an adult."

    I got more of a sense of bewilderment.
    Kind of like, "What's this guy on about?"

  • JaecpJaecp Registered User regular
    That last panel or two creeps me out, it just sounds... I dunno... rapey

  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    why does every episode of this run elicit some creep going "hurr now this person wants to bang the girl"

  • johncarterofmarsjohncarterofmars Registered User new member
    This comic is horrifying. a little girl goes for a walk in the woods. she tries asking for help and is betrayed because of the whacked out ideology of the people shes asking for help. she clearly wants to go home but the assholes she thinks she can trust think they know better and try to confuse her with their mystical crap.

  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    edited September 2013
    There are plants growing out of her head.

    This is not the Thornwatch refusing to help her because of their 'ideology' or 'mystical crap,' there is actual mystical stuff going on they have no control over.

    Did you miss the voice that called her to her 'walk in the woods' in the middle of the night? Did you miss the forest nymph she met? Did you miss the plants growing out of her head?

    In previous Lookouts comics the titular group sent little boys out into the woods to get killed by basilisks for no apparent reason, if you want to talk about horrifying stuff done for ideology.

    Gaslight on
  • OrphaneOrphane rivers of red that run to seaRegistered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    There are plants growing out of her head.

    This is not the Thornwatch refusing to help her because of their 'ideology' or 'mystical crap,' there is actual mystical stuff going on they have no control over.

    Did you miss the voice that called her to her 'walk in the woods' in the middle of the night? Did you miss the forest nymph she met? Did you miss the plants growing out of her head?

    In previous Lookouts comics the titular group sent little boys out into the woods to get killed by basilisks for no apparent reason, if you want to talk about horrifying stuff done for ideology.

    Disclaimer: I haven't read the Cryptozoic Lookouts comics or any other stuff that is accessible outside of PA comics and their newsposts regarding the universe of the Eyrewood, so this is merely my conjecture based on what I've seen in the comic series (Lookouts, Thornwatch intro, and now the Tithe).

    Yeah, it seems like the Thornwatch views what is happening to Hanna as the natural order of things - while you can perhaps delay the call, the forest chooses who it will and there is no turning back once it has happened. Is it wrong to us, that a girl is scared and confused about what's happening to her and the people she has turned to in desperation only have "well, deal with it" (although perhaps in kinder tones) to say? Probably. I would guess that in the Eyrewood, though, the people have the preconception that while they may sometimes be at odds with the forest and its inhabitants, the Daughters are a deeply integrated part of the wood and it's only natural to see some confusion or inner conflict as a girl comes to terms with her "calling".

  • pmackeypmackey Registered User new member
    ... she clearly wants to go home...

    She can't go back to her old life anymore than a woman can go back to being a girl.

    The point that the Thornwatch are making is that she *is* home: she's a "Daughter of the Eyrewood in the heart of the forest".

  • youngobiyoungobi Registered User new member
    Hey, remember when you guys used to do comics about video games and actually show up at the San Diego Comic Con? Seems like you've forgotten you roots.

  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    youngobi wrote: »
    Hey, remember when you guys used to do comics about video games and actually show up at the San Diego Comic Con? Seems like you've forgotten you roots.

    pffff

    it's been two weeks

  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    youngobi wrote: »
    Hey, remember when you guys used to do comics about video games and actually show up at the San Diego Comic Con? Seems like you've forgotten you roots.
    lol bro this comic's all about roots and plants and shit what u smokin

  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    youngobi wrote: »
    Hey, remember when you guys used to do comics about video games and actually show up at the San Diego Comic Con? Seems like you've forgotten you roots.

    on the contrary, people have been bitching about the comic since the beginning, so

    seems like we're right on track

  • kismesisterkismesister Mu Bellevue, WARegistered User regular
    It's not outright stated in the Lookouts comic, but it's heavily implied that you can't just stop the process of becoming a Daughter of the Eyrewood.

    (Major spoilers for issue six!)
    In issue six it's revealed that the hooded Lookout, Eli, is actually Elith, a little girl and Daughter of the Eyrewood. She's Samson's niece and her parents and uncle had agreed that trying to hide her as a little boy is the best way to avoid her fate.
    Unlike Hanna, Elith did not run into the woods in the middle of the night, and her parents had been clipping the flowers from her hair in an attempt to hide what she's become (it hurts, and they always grow back). After a while a very old Hag of the Eyrewood comes to the village in the middle of the night and tries to take her into the Eyrewood by force.

    There is literally nothing they can do to help her, and I think the Greenheart is kind of like a druid (?) and probably sees her connection to the forest as a blessing, or something to be celebrated.

  • QuestionQuestion Registered User regular
    Can someone please explain what this series is about?

    I have no idea.

    I mean the art is nice. But i dont see what this has to do with gaming. Is this based off a fantasy RPG or something? I mean it appears to be a comic....PA is a web comic at least....but i'm not seeing the punch line or the comedy factor. I don't get the message the comic is trying to send at all. It feels very random.

    The news post for part 1 doesn't help much either.

    "This fills out the middle part of the Lookouts as a setting, with Thornwatch being the third. "

    ??? What are looksout? Thornwatch? Is this a WOW reference? There are no hyper links or anything for these terms. Are we just supposed to know what these refer to?

    I look at some of the older comics and most are pretty clear what they are talking about. Like this one : http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/i-pnZkpTF/0/950x10000/i-pnZkpTF-950x10000.jpg. Its a splinter cell comic. Its obvious. There's a joke and a punch line. I don't get what this series is about, it just looks like a girl hallucinating voices, playing in a forest and some aragorn look alikes pretending to be all deep and mysterious.

  • GoslingGosling Looking Up Soccer In Mongolia Right Now, Probably Watertown, WIRegistered User regular
    metaphist wrote: »
    Great stuff. About how many strips can we expect? I know Tycho mentioned he really wanted us to see the one for Friday, but we goin past that? Don't think anyone would complain at this rate.

    Word from Mike, if I recall correctly, was that while in prior side projects they've always felt obligated to not spend too long on the side project because they felt they were taking the main strip away from us by doing that (you saw that with Sand), in this instance they'll be taking as long as they feel they need to take to do the story properly. They look to have built up a week's worth of lead time, and I figure when they have things wrapped up on their end, they'll give us a heads-up. By the end, I'm sure we'll get what's going on, but for now we're learning right along with Hanna.

    I have a new soccer blog The Minnow Tank. Reading it psychically kicks Sepp Blatter in the bean bag.
  • luckysharmluckysharm Registered User regular
    edited September 2013
    Question wrote: »
    Can someone please explain what this series is about?

    I have no idea.

    I mean the art is nice. But i dont see what this has to do with gaming. Is this based off a fantasy RPG or something? I mean it appears to be a comic....PA is a web comic at least....but i'm not seeing the punch line or the comedy factor. I don't get the message the comic is trying to send at all. It feels very random.

    The news post for part 1 doesn't help much either.

    "This fills out the middle part of the Lookouts as a setting, with Thornwatch being the third. "

    ??? What are looksout? Thornwatch? Is this a WOW reference? There are no hyper links or anything for these terms. Are we just supposed to know what these refer to?

    I look at some of the older comics and most are pretty clear what they are talking about. Like this one : http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/i-pnZkpTF/0/950x10000/i-pnZkpTF-950x10000.jpg. Its a splinter cell comic. Its obvious. There's a joke and a punch line. I don't get what this series is about, it just looks like a girl hallucinating voices, playing in a forest and some aragorn look alikes pretending to be all deep and mysterious.

    Um, are you new here? They don't always write about video games. They depict stories like these from time to time. Remember Sand? Automata? Jim Darkmagic? Cardboard Tube Samurai? I don't understand the confusion here. I'm guessing you weren't here for the other two Lookouts comics that took over the main updates years ago.

    Personally, I hope they'll take as long as they need to for this particular storyline. It's always disappointing to see a project get rushed.

    luckysharm on
  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    youngobi wrote: »
    Hey, remember when you guys used to do comics about video games and actually show up at the San Diego Comic Con? Seems like you've forgotten you roots.

    Thank you.

    I've been waiting to use that bro? button properly.

  • QuestionQuestion Registered User regular
    luckysharm wrote: »
    Question wrote: »
    Can someone please explain what this series is about?

    I have no idea.

    I mean the art is nice. But i dont see what this has to do with gaming. Is this based off a fantasy RPG or something? I mean it appears to be a comic....PA is a web comic at least....but i'm not seeing the punch line or the comedy factor. I don't get the message the comic is trying to send at all. It feels very random.

    The news post for part 1 doesn't help much either.

    "This fills out the middle part of the Lookouts as a setting, with Thornwatch being the third. "

    ??? What are looksout? Thornwatch? Is this a WOW reference? There are no hyper links or anything for these terms. Are we just supposed to know what these refer to?

    I look at some of the older comics and most are pretty clear what they are talking about. Like this one : http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/i-pnZkpTF/0/950x10000/i-pnZkpTF-950x10000.jpg. Its a splinter cell comic. Its obvious. There's a joke and a punch line. I don't get what this series is about, it just looks like a girl hallucinating voices, playing in a forest and some aragorn look alikes pretending to be all deep and mysterious.

    Um, are you new here? They don't always write about video games. They depict stories like these from time to time. Remember Sand? Automata? Jim Darkmagic? Cardboard Tube Samurai? I don't understand the confusion here. I'm guessing you weren't here for the other two Lookouts comics that took over the main updates years ago.

    Personally, I hope they'll take as long as they need to for this particular storyline. It's always disappointing to see a project get rushed.

    I read through the archive and saw a lot of other comics that i dont understand. The cardboard tube samurai one felt like it was mocking megatokyo or just weaboos in general though.

    I have no idea what these comics are supposed to mean. Or were they drawn/written under the influence of substantial amounts of alcohol? They don't make any sense to me, it's like coming into a movie half way and theres these bunch of characters doing SOMETHING....but you have no idea who they are, what they are doing or why they are doing it.

  • abotkinabotkin Registered User regular
    edited September 2013
    Question wrote: »
    luckysharm wrote: »
    Question wrote: »
    Can someone please explain what this series is about?

    I have no idea.

    I mean the art is nice. But i dont see what this has to do with gaming. Is this based off a fantasy RPG or something? I mean it appears to be a comic....PA is a web comic at least....but i'm not seeing the punch line or the comedy factor. I don't get the message the comic is trying to send at all. It feels very random.

    The news post for part 1 doesn't help much either.

    "This fills out the middle part of the Lookouts as a setting, with Thornwatch being the third. "

    ??? What are looksout? Thornwatch? Is this a WOW reference? There are no hyper links or anything for these terms. Are we just supposed to know what these refer to?

    I look at some of the older comics and most are pretty clear what they are talking about. Like this one : http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/i-pnZkpTF/0/950x10000/i-pnZkpTF-950x10000.jpg. Its a splinter cell comic. Its obvious. There's a joke and a punch line. I don't get what this series is about, it just looks like a girl hallucinating voices, playing in a forest and some aragorn look alikes pretending to be all deep and mysterious.

    Um, are you new here? They don't always write about video games. They depict stories like these from time to time. Remember Sand? Automata? Jim Darkmagic? Cardboard Tube Samurai? I don't understand the confusion here. I'm guessing you weren't here for the other two Lookouts comics that took over the main updates years ago.

    Personally, I hope they'll take as long as they need to for this particular storyline. It's always disappointing to see a project get rushed.

    I read through the archive and saw a lot of other comics that i dont understand. The cardboard tube samurai one felt like it was mocking megatokyo or just weaboos in general though.

    I have no idea what these comics are supposed to mean. Or were they drawn/written under the influence of substantial amounts of alcohol? They don't make any sense to me, it's like coming into a movie half way and theres these bunch of characters doing SOMETHING....but you have no idea who they are, what they are doing or why they are doing it.

    So... there is a news page associated with nearly all of the archive (the very beginning doesn't have it because they didn't keep archives of the news posts when they first started out). So if you don't understand a comic when you're going through the archive, there's a handy newspost available for you to read to get some context.

    In this instance, this series is a continued exploration of the world of the Lookouts, a fantasy setting dreamed up by Gabe and Tycho. Here is a link to the original concept comic and you can click the newspost link from there to get a little additional context.

    http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/06/10

    And because I already found them with the handy search function of the archive, here's the next comic in that series, done by a guest artist: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/7/1

    And the first comic in the series after that: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/04/26

    And here is the first of the three comics introducing the Thornwatch: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2012/10/17

    Enjoy, and be bewildered no more!

    abotkin on
    steam_sig.png
  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    Gosling wrote: »
    metaphist wrote: »
    Great stuff. About how many strips can we expect? I know Tycho mentioned he really wanted us to see the one for Friday, but we goin past that? Don't think anyone would complain at this rate.

    Word from Mike, if I recall correctly, was that while in prior side projects they've always felt obligated to not spend too long on the side project because they felt they were taking the main strip away from us by doing that (you saw that with Sand), in this instance they'll be taking as long as they feel they need to take to do the story properly. They look to have built up a week's worth of lead time, and I figure when they have things wrapped up on their end, they'll give us a heads-up. By the end, I'm sure we'll get what's going on, but for now we're learning right along with Hanna.

    I thought they said somewhere this one was a 10 parter.

    steam_sig.png
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