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FutonForensic
Nov 11, 2012


No, I understand where you're coming from. I see a lot of stuff that wants to emulate that Tolkein feel of all these details that surface in the main story, but I felt that in LoTR that stuff was easier to understand contextually. Here it's just "What is this? Better crack open the Similarion!"

I mean, in context these things work as being alien and mysterious, so not sure why there needs to be a reference like that. In fact I don't know anything, this comic has messed me up. No more late night reading!

FutonForensic fucked around with this message at 08:34 on Feb 4, 2013

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Hallgerd
Dec 10, 2011
I don't think it was particularly intended or anything, people just started asking details about the setting and the author answered them. There's some stuff she won't answer, and I think anything significant would come out in the narrative anyway. So I can completely understand leaving it alone, I do agree that it spoils some of the mystery and can mess with how the narrative is delivered.

WAMPA_STOMPA
Oct 21, 2010
I got into this comic and read all the archives. I came here to read the thread, saw the formspring link, and scrolled allllll the way to the bottom. I was hoping for more cool worldbuilding but at least half of the questions were related to whether the author's roleplaying characters were circumcised and how gay, exactly, they are. So I think I'll stick with the comic.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe
Yeah, there's a reason I don't really delve into the Formspring myself. The wiki is a nice happy medium--it's actually not very well fleshed out at all, which is probably a good thing because it provides a few general background details without getting into crazy minutiae and getting sidetracked about characters and settings that are not relevant to Unsounded.

There is definitely something to be said for just discovering the world through the comic, though. The little details really are wonderful and it's great just exploring things through subtle hints here and there, at least until loving Matty stops the action for like two pages or something to explain some bullshit that you probably already knew most of god Matty why couldn't you have been stricken mute instead of blind

SlothfulCobra
Mar 27, 2011

Goatmask posted:

Yeah ok, hadn't realised that existed. Haven't really checked it out yet, but not sure I really want to. What I want to read is a narrative, a story. I'm not really interested in reading an encyclopedia containing an in depth guide to how everything fits together or the author answering questions on what hasn't been answered yet in the text. Not that in this case these answers seem necessary to read the story, and look at me asking you guys about things I don't understand, but I guess I feel the story should be one of discovery and exist on its own, not where everything is laid out for us.

I kinda do want to read worldbuilding stuff like that, but that's more because I'm just crazy like that. :unsmigghh:

Azran
Sep 3, 2012

And what should one do to be remembered?

Gabriel Pope posted:

There is definitely something to be said for just discovering the world through the comic, though. The little details really are wonderful and it's great just exploring things through subtle hints here and there, at least until loving Matty stops the action for like two pages or something to explain some bullshit that you probably already knew most of god Matty why couldn't you have been stricken mute instead of blind

Even though I read the whole comic already, I'm trying to remember which chapters had the worst exposition sections. Maybe the part where Duane explains some battle to Sette while she's on his shoulders? :v:

Fruits of the sea
Dec 1, 2010

I didn't actually realize that Unsounded had a lot of exposition until somebody mentioned it in the webcomics thread. Turns out I'd just been skipping over most of the explanations (bad habit from reading waaay too many fantasy novels in high school). The story still makes sense for the most part, so I don't think browsing the wiki or formspring is mandatory.

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
I didn't read Unsounded for a very long time because I have a low tolerance for clumsy exposition and cutesy children and the webcomics thread made it sound like it was plagued with both, but I'm reading it now and loving it. :3: Not that those criticisms aren't valid, but I'd recommend it to anyone at this point even if they don't think they'll like it.

The Moon
Jun 8, 2006
In Space
Regarding the most recent update.

I was hoping this character wouldn't show up. They seem very out of place with the rest of the cast. His general look and behavior is very modern/rockstar-esque in a setting that is very fantasy.

That and from what I can gather from the website and deviant art this character is psychopathic, incredibly violent and potentially a rapist.

I don't know how I'll feel about the comic going forward if he retains these traits in this particular story and is featured prominently and as a protagonist. I mean even Quigley, who's morals have been questionable thus far is in no way a monster and has some redeeming qualities.

TheFuzzyLumpkin
Sep 15, 2003

But you are a person, and I can't say I'm awfully fond of that.
There's already a raping, murdering pedophile in the comic. He's called Starfish, maybe you missed him.

This seems like jumping the gun on Murkoph by quite a bit. I sincerely doubt Glass would consider him a protagonist in any sense of the word - he's a foil for Duane, since they're similarly situated. But assuming that she wants the reader to root for him is a huge jump.

Madrox
Jan 31, 2001

Does whatever
a multiple can.
So is this a character from another of her comics? I've only read Unsounded...

Onean
Feb 11, 2010

Maiden in white...
You are not one of us.
Murkoph is a character from a short comic on her DeviantArt.

History is a FAT COCK rammin' ya from BEHIND.
THUMP! POW! BROKEN NOSE!
He has SHARKS FOR HANDS! He doesn't need a name!

Edit: There's also one other bit:
Murkoph meets Bastion 1 2 3

Onean fucked around with this message at 10:43 on Feb 6, 2013

Fabricated
Apr 9, 2007

Living the Dream

Madrox posted:

So is this a character from another of her comics? I've only read Unsounded...

uhhh I think this guy is like her favorite character which is kinda bumming me out since he seems to be the "Superpowered expression of Man's Id" cliche which is a cliche I loving despise and am bored with. I'm kinda hoping he doesn't gently caress the comic up being an overpowered silly cannibal rapist thing that dominates every scene he's in.

SlothfulCobra
Mar 27, 2011

Are you sure that's the same guy? I don't really see much resemblance. Especially since that one hand he should be missing.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

SlothfulCobra posted:

Are you sure that's the same guy? I don't really see much resemblance. Especially since that one hand he should be missing.

From the bits of the Formspring I've glanced at, I gather that a lot of things that show up in Unsounded are things she came up with elsewhere that were adapted to fit the setting and story. So he's almost certainly based on the same guy even if she's not directly translating his entire "canon" into Unsounded.

Either way I'm really hoping he's just here as more window dressing for Sette in Wonderland, but I'm not holding my breath :/

Hallgerd
Dec 10, 2011
I don't really want to bum anyone out because I feel pretty much the same about this character and I don't want to just be around posting Formspring answers (partially because I agree about its impact on the comic; partially because I haven't followed it in quite a while; partially because that's lame) but I did recall an answer about this guy. How true it's gonna be is maybe iffy because a lot probably changes in the transition from Ashley's head into the comic. I do remember that the attempted precursor to Unsounded, called I think 'Tanners', focused on Murkoph.

And yeah I looked up that and found this which I guess isn't the best of signs.

I get the same author's favourite character impression about Murkoph but it bothers me less because I'm not a great fan of Sette or Duane either, honestly. The draw of Unsounded for me tends to be the more ancillary cast, the great art and the crazy detailed fantasy world.

Hallgerd fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Feb 6, 2013

The Moon
Jun 8, 2006
In Space

TheFuzzyLumpkin posted:

There's already a raping, murdering pedophile in the comic. He's called Starfish, maybe you missed him.

This seems like jumping the gun on Murkoph by quite a bit. I sincerely doubt Glass would consider him a protagonist in any sense of the word - he's a foil for Duane, since they're similarly situated. But assuming that she wants the reader to root for him is a huge jump.

No Starfish makes my skin crawl, but he is definitely a villain and hopefully he'll get what's coming to him.

Like Fabricated said, this is one of her favorite characters, and oldest along with Sette. He may be different though, considering this story has been a reboot of a lot of her characters.

Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed the comic, and you're right, Murkoph has only been on one page and I don't know where she's going with this at all. I will give her the benefit of the doubt, she's done a great job so far.

Nanomashoes
Aug 18, 2012

I just figured he was the guy in the art example from the first page.
Can we keep the DeviantArt/Formspring info out of the thread, or at least spoiler it or something? I really enjoy the comic itself, but prefer to have it speak for itself. Here we have an intro to a cool looking guy that's (possibly) been foreshadowed and probably has a connection to Duane, and already the thread is discussing how he's a terrible person based on some sketches and a short story the artist has done on some other website.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

The Moon posted:

No Starfish makes my skin crawl, but he is definitely a villain and hopefully he'll get what's coming to him.

The trend is certainly promising, since the rest of the Red Berry Boys have been suffering progressively more horrible fates. Bett was knocked out and captured by the peaceguard, Ephsephin got sliced up and bludgeoned to death, Turas wound up painting the walls of Duane's room. (Cutter is still at large, so he doesn't count.)

TheFuzzyLumpkin
Sep 15, 2003

But you are a person, and I can't say I'm awfully fond of that.

Madrox posted:

So is this a character from another of her comics? I've only read Unsounded...

The whole Unsounded comic is very roughly based on a freeform roleplaying game she ran for several years. Duane and Sette were side characters in it, Bastion was a main character, and I believe Murkoph was recurring.

In the RP Duane was a ghost who ended up being devoured by the lich-king that lived underneath Hanghorse in Sharteshane so I think people who are already making decisions that Murkoph is a bad addition to the cast are jumping the gun a tiiiiiny little bit. Those linked comics were based on the RP, which also had a lot of Planescape rules in effect and included travel to modern Earth. The comic is VERY loosely based on it.

Also, as a creative person myself, I can definitively say that favorite character =|= protagonist. Villains are by nature more fun to write than someone you expect the reader to sympathize with. They have fewer boundaries on their behaviors, they're more pro-active, they're just generally good times to work with. I doubt Murkoph being Glass's favorite character indicates she's expecting her readers to consider him a protagonist.

Roger Explosion
Jan 26, 2006

THAT'S SPECTACULAR.
I'd love to see this chapter animated or in live-action. Everything is just so bright and over-saturated and it would probably have a very loud-chaotic soundtrack to it. That, combined with the deeply unnerving horror elements would just make the whole sequence even more tiring.

I get that impression from this chapter in general; that for Sette, it's just such an assault on the psyche and senses that can barely even be kept at bay by this small, dark respite. Trying to exist in whatever this is must be exhausting.

Nuns with Guns
Jul 23, 2010

It's fine.
Don't worry about it.

TheFuzzyLumpkin posted:

The whole Unsounded comic is very roughly based on a freeform roleplaying game she ran for several years. Duane and Sette were side characters in it, Bastion was a main character, and I believe Murkoph was recurring.

In the RP Duane was a ghost who ended up being devoured by the lich-king that lived underneath Hanghorse in Sharteshane so I think people who are already making decisions that Murkoph is a bad addition to the cast are jumping the gun a tiiiiiny little bit. Those linked comics were based on the RP, which also had a lot of Planescape rules in effect and included travel to modern Earth. The comic is VERY loosely based on it.

Also, as a creative person myself, I can definitively say that favorite character =|= protagonist. Villains are by nature more fun to write than someone you expect the reader to sympathize with. They have fewer boundaries on their behaviors, they're more pro-active, they're just generally good times to work with. I doubt Murkoph being Glass's favorite character indicates she's expecting her readers to consider him a protagonist.

Wow. Wow between all the stuff on her DA and your sperging about it here Unsounded seems more like a dumping ground for all her favorite OCs than anything. I always assumed the story would smooth out once Sette and Duane had some room to breathe, but honestly I don't see that happening now with a new sexy man OC of hers being introduced every chapter or so.

Also, that stuff in the middle about the nature of Duane brushes uncomfortably close to being a spoiler, in my opinion. I agree with whoever said that supplementary material or historical stuff should be under spoilers for people who don't want to read about Cope's "answer to a sexy lich" and other things.

Azran
Sep 3, 2012

And what should one do to be remembered?
New page is up. :stare: It was actually the Khert, after all.

PleasingFungus
Oct 10, 2012
idiot asshole bitch who should fuck off

Nuns with Guns posted:

Wow. Wow between all the stuff on her DA and your sperging about it here Unsounded seems more like a dumping ground for all her favorite OCs than anything. I always assumed the story would smooth out once Sette and Duane had some room to breathe, but honestly I don't see that happening now with a new sexy man OC of hers being introduced every chapter or so.

Also, that stuff in the middle about the nature of Duane brushes uncomfortably close to being a spoiler, in my opinion. I agree with whoever said that supplementary material or historical stuff should be under spoilers for people who don't want to read about Cope's "answer to a sexy lich" and other things.

Lumpkin's whole argument is that the comic isn't following the course as the RP; that is, there's no reason to think that Duane is a ghost/sexy-lich.

Also, just got my kickstarter survey asking what character I want on my book! Pretty psyched to see that coming soon. (Apparently the $25 tier and below have already shipped?)

Nuns with Guns
Jul 23, 2010

It's fine.
Don't worry about it.

PleasingFungus posted:

Lumpkin's whole argument is that the comic isn't following the course as the RP; that is, there's no reason to think that Duane is a ghost/sexy-lich.

Duane isn't the ghost/sexy lich, this is. I'm direct quoting here there, but I didn't want to link to more background material. Considering that every other character from that RP that she's taken the time to give detailed digital paintings to has shown up in the comic so far, I'd be comfortable betting a large sum that the lich shows up sooner or later. My point wasn't that it's going to follow the RP. I'm concerned with the introduction of more pet characters of hers when the story hasn't really given the ones she already added time to breathe.

Nuns with Guns fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Feb 13, 2013

PleasingFungus
Oct 10, 2012
idiot asshole bitch who should fuck off

Nuns with Guns posted:

Duane isn't the ghost/sexy lich, this is. I'm direct quoting here there, but I didn't want to link to more background material. Considering that every other character from that RP that she's taken the time to give detailed digital paintings to has shown up in the comic so far, I'd be comfortable betting a large sum that the lich shows up sooner or later. My point wasn't that it's going to follow the RP. I'm concerned with the introduction of more pet characters of hers when the story hasn't really given the ones she already added time to breathe.

Huh. That's... really a thing.

And it's looking like Murkoph is coming along - he just got named, after all. So...

Well, I'll weep for the comic's total ruination once it happens. No hurry!

Roger Explosion
Jan 26, 2006

THAT'S SPECTACULAR.
gently caress all y'all, Elizabeth Murkoph is rad.

Fabricated
Apr 9, 2007

Living the Dream
New page is up; yeah I totally trust this guy who just fondly remembered what sounds like rape, let's let him loose!

Pyradox
Oct 23, 2012

...some kind of monster, I think.

Well there's no way Sette will be that dumb, I mean - she knows that her amulet letting her command Duane is the only reason why she's safe from him in the first place, right? Besides Duane's good nature that is.

I mean, she can't possibly be considering letting him oh who am I kidding of course she'll do it because there's no way the artist's favourite character gets relegated to a one-off cameo. This goes double for a character who loves to monologue about philosophy, but has not yet monologued about philosophy.

Takezio
Nov 7, 2011
I know it's a little thing, but I like how there was a callback to when Duane actually introduced himself:

http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch02/ch02_14.html

On that note, I've realized that he hasn't said a drat word for 2 chapters now (I know, zombie, but the fact remains), which is really weird in retrospect.

Hallgerd
Dec 10, 2011

Takezio posted:

I know it's a little thing, but I like how there was a callback to when Duane actually introduced himself:

I figure that's probably not insignificant? Murkoph has just said the khert collects memories and Sette stepped in here through Duane's shadow. We also got a little spiel about the khert being for dead things. Maybe Murkoph's been watching them since that point, or Duane's some kind of prison for him, or something.

Could just be a more narrative link though.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Pyradox posted:

Well there's no way Sette will be that dumb, I mean - she knows that her amulet letting her command Duane is the only reason why she's safe from him in the first place, right? Besides Duane's good nature that is.

Sette actually is kind of dumb, and it's a noticeable character trait that she's supremely convinced of her powers of manipulation. I'm not entirely thrilled about this development, but it's wholly in character for her reaction on meeting a new guy to be "okay how can I use this sucker."

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
Jesus Christ is he licking her

:gonk:

Ruptured Yakety Sax
Jun 8, 2012

ARE YOU AN ANGEL, BIRD??
Well, I dunno, I think this most recent update may have crossed a line for me. I really don't want to spend anymore time with this character.

Tollymain
Jul 9, 2010

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
:stonk:


I really hope this guy is not going to be given a positive treatment :ohdear:

Sette cut off that hand (his or yours I don't care) and run you dumb little fucker

Azran
Sep 3, 2012

And what should one do to be remembered?
Haha, what the hell. I seriously expect Sette to stab him in the face next chapter, because if she doesn't :wtc:.

Whitenoise Poster
Mar 26, 2010

The guys whole gimmick seems to be "immortal rapist" it's half the lines he gets in the comic and he was apparently literally trapped by his past victims to stop him since he's immortal and now seems to be trying to add Sette to that list.

At least Starfish was relatively subtle about his whole child rape thing. But with him this new guy and the jokes between Sette and Duan its practically the main theme of the comic. It's kinda creepy and it's starting to put me off the comic.

Pyradox
Oct 23, 2012

...some kind of monster, I think.

...And to think I was worried about him monologuing her to death.

Azran posted:

Haha, what the hell. I seriously expect Sette to stab him in the face next chapter, because if she doesn't :wtc:.

Bad news: She just tried slicing his face off but apparently her dagger is useless here.

Oneiros
Jan 12, 2007



Sette, didn't your Da tell you not to free strange men being held captive in the afterlife by the shades of all the women he's killed? :gonk:

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Tollymain
Jul 9, 2010

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

Pyradox posted:

Bad news: She just tried slicing his face off but apparently her dagger is useless here.

Well, it was useless on his prison but he's definitely bleeding. He just doesn't seem to care :stare:

Why does this comic have to be simultaneously pretty as hell and creepy as gently caress :gonk:

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