The creator is really busy with vet school
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The creator is really busy with vet school
That is indeed the case. Having recently finished graduate school myself, I can attest that such things are large time consumers - particularly when you're just starting out and getting used to everything. I would estimate that the earliest we can expect a new strip is probably summer break - spring, if we're lucky.
CoffeeIncluded still regularly posts on the forums, so it's safe to say this hasn't been forgotten about.
Thanks guys. I'm really sorry, but Athedia's right. Vet school is amazing but also amazingly difficult and I'm studying for a musculoskeletal exam tomorrow morning right now, actually. Add to it the fact that when you walk away from something for a while it can be hard to get back into that mindset again and...yeah.
To make it up to you all, some time tonight I'll post my musings on Laria and the oddly morally tricky question of their royalty.
EDIT: ok, here it is.
I wanted to explore the question of deception for a greater good with Laria. You know the trope where a false ruler takes power and ****s everything up until the true king returns and assumes his rightful place on the throne? That's the public story of the Larian Civil War (not Revolution; that's important) that took place about a century or so ago. The truth is the exact opposite.
Riley's red hair is important, and why he was so worried about the day one of his descendants has brown hair. The royal line of Laria is supposed to have red hair. They were blessed by Salblaze, and their flaming red hair is a physical mark of this blessing. It's therefore also a physical manifestation of their birthright.
At least, that was the case with the old line of kings, before they inbred themselves into incompetency, insanity, and extinction. The tendency of their advisors and servants to cater to the rulers' every whim that only got worse over time didn't help either. Elroy Ashblade shouldn't have been King--Gilbert Stonesight was the more competent man, which is why their grandchildren Riley and Mark are King and right-Hand man. Both were trained for the role. But Elroy Ashblade just happened to have, by complete genetic coincidence, fiery red hair.
To quickly end the civil war and restore stability to a country that was rapidly falling apart, they killed the last of the legitimate royal family, passed Elroy off as a distant relative who had also suffered like the citizens of Laria, and had him assume the throne with Gilbert as his advisor and arguably true power. And their descendants have lived this deception ever since.
Was it the right thing to do?
It resulted in less bloodshed and a much more competent ruler, at the tine and for the future. I don't see a problem there.
Was it necessary to keep the illusion up this long? Is it still needed? I don't know, what are the risks? If people in a country are generally happy, they might be pissed to hear about such a deception, but are unlikely to actually start a revolution against the regime, as people's own lives and comfort are usually more important to them that the heritage of the ruler, and I doubt the majority would risk their own safety and livelihood for such a reason. If the ruler's been good, what's to complain? Perhaps the good times mean the gods approved?
If there's other trouble and discontent in the nation though, it's the perfect excuse for a revolt.
I think the Ashblades were justified in their actions, but I also think that revealing the truth at this time would be a disaster. Few of the citizenry would care, but those who did would use it to discredit them. Think about this; what major act did Riley's father enact, which is pissing of a lot of followers of Astrid? The Edict of Toleration. The Ashblades passed a law which states that Plaavans get to live and work just like humans, elves, dwarves, etc. A lot of members of Astrid's faith, especially the more militant ones, hate that law. If the Ashblades are revealed to not, in fact, be descended from Salblaze, the religious extremists, including their neighbors in Kago, will use it to discredit them and their laws, accusing them of betraying Astrid and countless other crimes besides. So yes, most of the people probably won't care, but the ones who will care are powerful religious leaders who are no doubt already looking for an excuse to discredit the king and his new laws.
Even though this is a spoof of Order of the Stick, I sometimes felt like it was a little too similar. Otherwise, I thought it was great. It focused a little too much on romance for my personal tastes, but I still thought it had good characters. The only other concern I had is that I wasn't invested in the world. Regions like "Kago" and "Tobeem" are frequently mentioned, yet I have not the slightest clue where the are, and no explanation is provided until later on. I suppose it was the same with Order of the Stick but in Order of the Stick the world wasn't as important, and was explained as quickly as it came into the story. Unless the setting of Murphy's Law is a published setting or I'm missing something, that is a small flaw. Otherwise, great job! In the newer strips there were a few typos and other errors, but besides that I didn't find any. I love the art style, and in the newer strips I actually find it equal to the current Order of the Stick art style. Sorry if I seem to be using Order of the Stick as too much of a guideline, but since your webcomic is based off of it I thought it was appropriate. I thoroughly enjoyed most parts of the webcomic, and since (I assume) you were using more limited resources such as PhotoBucket and Imgur, I think you did amazing and that Murphy's Law is an amazing webcomic. ;)
So, does flaming red hair actually reflect Salblaze's blessing? Is Salblaze's blessing fake? Or Salblaze's blessing is real, just that at some point other disadvantages (such as those caused by inbreeding) outweigh the advantages of Salblaze's blessing?
No blatantly unoriginal bucket of water?:smallfrown:
I enjoyed these. I hope more is coming.
Well, the spring semester should be ending relatively soon. We'll see how things pick up after then.
She is done with her finals on Tuesday, but also has a research grant over the summer. I can say for certain she hasn't forgotten the comic though so don't worry.
I didn't know about the research grant; congrats on that if you pass through here, Coffee. I definitely do know she hasn't forgotten about this, though.
I think that's what it was. She mentioned it about a month ago to me, so my memory isn't perfect.
Yep, my last final is tomorrow morning and I got my summer research grant too! Thank you! I should have some more free time though, thankfully.
I'm rereading this comic and am at page 92. How are people identifying Lloyd as a paladin of kago?
Assuming you mean the Drow woman... just keep reading.
No I'm talking about everything before then, for example how tinder seems to recognize him and others I can't remember.
Presumably it would be in the way that he's dressed. Paladins and other holy men tend to dress in a certain manner that can be identified with the relevant knowledge.
As far as i'm aware at least, all (or at least most) Paladins are from Kago. So it's not that they are identifying him as a Paladin of Kago, it's that they see he is a Paladin, and automatically jump to the conclusion that he must be from Kago as a result. It'd be a pretty safe bet if most human paladins in the world were in fact Kago.
It's also his ethnicity and (though it's not visible in comic format) his accent.
Ah, you grace us with your presence once again! Any idea on when we might see new comics? Perhaps as a christmas present? :smallbiggrin:
I enjoy the comic, hope to see some more soon!
So this isn't dead? YES!
Also, I wonder if thread necromancy isn't a problem. I guess not, seeing as this is your comic.
She isn't dead and the two campaigns she is currently running are at their end stages. However she is entering her 3rd year of vet school which is a... rather stressful time. Don't worry, she knows about her story.
This is a pretty long-running institution, and Coffee's a pretty long-standing member of the boards, so I think this thread is given a bit more leeway in regards to resurrection compared to others.
Thank you, and yes Athedia is right. I haven't even been able to read for pleasure the past few months because of how busy I am. I promise, one way or another, you will know how this all ends.
Thank you, though. I really do appreciate it. And I do have something in mind...