2017-05-09 [DMFA #1752] - Guess who

[Tapewolf]

I can't say that's an awful surprise.  It may crystallise things in Jyrras' mind about making that weapon... if any of them get out of this alive.
And if they don't, it'll be fun to see how far the Patreon donations fall...

[Puyon]

Uh oh.

It's certainly not a surprise but it is most definitely awful. ...Cue the scene change.

[Tapewolf]

Ooh, it's just occurred to me.  Destania has put Biggs' sister in mortal danger again.  That's going to go down well,when his spies report this encounter to him.

Talking of said spies, is Jyrras' guardian still trailing him?  Not that they'll be able to do much against a colossally powerful dragon, mind...

[ZacAttac21]

Ooh, it's just occurred to me.  Destania has put Biggs' sister in mortal danger again.  That's going to go down well,when his spies report this encounter to him.

Talking of said spies, is Jyrras' guardian still trailing him?  Not that they'll be able to do much against a colossally powerful dragon, mind...

Unless she is a dragon, herself... I mean, she is a "dracat," after all.

Anyway, I get the feeling Hizell isn't here to kill anybody. I'm betting he's going to "recruit" Abel against Destania.

[Tapewolf]

Anyway, I get the feeling Hizell isn't here to kill anybody. I'm betting he's going to "recruit" Abel against Destania.

That doesn't really gel with the line about the graveyard coming in handy in a few moments.  Though that is a small mercy - if he* is about to waste anyone it's apparently going to be over quickly rather than a long-drawn out messy affair.

(*)apologies, I'm assuming it's a he-dragon)

[ZacAttac21]

Anyway, I get the feeling Hizell isn't here to kill anybody. I'm betting he's going to "recruit" Abel against Destania.

That doesn't really gel with the line about the graveyard coming in handy in a few moments.  Though that is a small mercy - if he* is about to waste anyone it's apparently going to be over quickly rather than a long-drawn out messy affair.

(*)apologies, I'm assuming it's a he-dragon)

The way I read it, it's the "candid" and "forthcoming" that will be advantageous to him, not the graveyard itself.

[Prroul]

Biggs is probably going to see this as a 'good thing/bad thing'.

On the 'bad' side of the equation... Biggs' sister just ended up in a really dangerous position as a result of Destania's grudge. This is... not acceptable to him.

On the good side, this gives Jyrras the impetus needed to kick his dragon-slaying project into high gear.

Still a net-sum-bad because family is more important, but hey... at least you have a silver lining here.

Assuming anyone survives, of course.

[Jasonrevall]

And they were never seen or heard from again the end. That dragon is very pretty.

[Dishonored]

 For some reason, I keep hoping that Jay shows up like he did in Mallrats, complete with ball bat and snappy line.

[Brushtail]

I had to make an account to comment on this page because it is my favorite DMFA page so far. Amber really outdid herself with the artwork on this page, the attention to detail, the overall composition, the expressions, it's all really good. I especially like the expressions in the last panel, and the variety of emotions they convey. Able, with the "Oh, so this is how I die." look, Jyrras with the "This is the dragon that wants to kill you isn't it?" look and Wildy with the "Hey, do we know this guy?" expression. She provides a note of humor at the end of a very serious page. It's the perfect mix of darkness and humor for me.

I think it's most likely to be a "Big Damn Heros" moment coming soon. Weather this will come from Zinvth's protection service, the fae, Pip who may be playing a more complicated game than we think, or some other force we haven't yet considered... well I look forward to seeing.

If someone doesn't step up to save our unlucky trio all that's left to so is place bets on how Hizell plans to dispatch them. He has so many options, fire breath, magic, claws, teeth, blunt force trauma...

For those of you hoping that he's just here to talk, This comic here makes me think he'd not looking for a recruit, he's looking for a body, and he doesn't really care if it comes in bulk.

http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1451.php

I'm referring to Hizell as male because of this comic.

http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1072.php

[Anri]

Two words. Oh ****.

[Tapewolf]

I'm referring to Hizell as male because of this comic.

Yeah, but I was assuming it is Hizell and not one of his buddies/children sent as a footsoldier.

[Merlin]

Yeah, but I was assuming it is Hizell and not one of his buddies/children sent as a footsoldier.

Looks like Hizell, he's got the horns and the wings and the arm fins that match. Though I had to bump the contrast up to see, it's quite dark on my computer (maybe I need to recalibrate )

[Fragmaster01]

Three things:

• An appreciation for Amber's choice to Slow it Down to Get it Right. And being candid about doing so. *places a taco on your desk, secretly*
• Abel seems to have come dressed to his own funeral! Unless the schemes of darn near anyone Playing The Game involve keeping him Alive while using him as bait. So... see sentence one.
• The strip immediately after any Unfortunate Violence should clearly be another rendition of Let's All Go to the Lobby!, for laffs! You can already hear it playing.

[Akisohida]

As the offspring of a monster and an adventurer, and well-seasoned on being both, let me say one thing to help out our heros;





...meep! 

[Tuyu]

On the good side, this gives Jyrras the impetus needed to kick his dragon-slaying project into high gear.

I just happened to reread the comic where Mab says, "...it's only a matter of time before the Creature Council puts pressure on Jyrras and he reacts with his weapons. But without that final one..." (emphasis added)

Yeah, if anything's going to inspire "I NEED A BIGGER GUN", it's being face to snout with a big dragon who wants to kill you.

[ZacAttac21]

Heck, he might spare Abel just to spite Destania.

[Prroul]

Heck, he might spare Abel just to spite Destania.

Doubtful, considering he's the last member of the clan he tried to wipe out, and thus Abel's continued existence is a stain upon his honor, a task left unfinished. Granted, putting one over on Destania will likely rank high on his list of preferences, but this is business. Mustn't let the desire to tweak a rival get in the way of business, after all.

Abel's passing in the near future has been hinted at several times.
Fa'lina mentioned that she stops seeing her future after he goes there... most likely reason being his future stops.
Mab discussing how some of Dan's friends are inevitably going to die, with a direct cut to Abel.

And this way, he gets to go down fighting to protect his friends, give Jyrras the impetus he needs to save his whole species, give Dan a reason to come out of retirement and take a few levels of Badass, and give Biggs reason to be seriously at odds with Destania, with extremely un-funny results.

Abel, as a character, has grown quite a bit, and it'll be sad to see him go. However, Hizel is making the classical mistake of making a martyr. The whole 'Strike me down, and I shall become more powerful than you can possibly comprehend' thing. He will become an idea, and ideas can never be silenced.

This is, quite possibly, the opening move in an outright war between Beings and Creatures.

[Tapewolf]

Fa'lina mentioned that she stops seeing her future after he goes there... most likely reason being his future stops.

Not quite.  She can only see people for a month or two after they leave the academy.  As far as I know, that's normal for those leaving the academy.  If it was because Abel dies, she would be able to see up to the point of death and know about it.
There's also the fact that Fa'Lina is going to die regardless of what happens here, and I suspect that will be the event horizon beyond which she cannot see.

Mab discussing how some of Dan's friends are inevitably going to die, with a direct cut to Abel.

Do you have a link for that?  Closest I can find is when Mab says some of her friends will inevitably die, and it cuts to Dan.  (EDIT: p.1035)

And this way, he gets to go down fighting to protect his friends, give Jyrras the impetus he needs to save his whole species, give Dan a reason to come out of retirement and take a few levels of Badass, and give Biggs reason to be seriously at odds with Destania, with extremely un-funny results.

Not honestly sure if that works.  Like Dan before him, Abel could get out of it critically injured and that alone would be a powerful motive for Jyrras to go into overdrive on his weapons project in order to protect him.  That was the main lever Biggs was using, after all.  Losing Abel might actually make things worse, because killing Hizell won't bring him back and might even push Jy into suicide.

As for Dan, he threatened to murder Abel himself.   Finding out that someone he didn't really like has been crushed by a dragon is unlikely to make him go into any kind of revenge frenzy whatsoever.  It'd have to be Wildy, Jyrras or Alexsi for that to happen.

There are a few loose ends regarding Abel as well, and it'd be a shame if those were suddenly cut.

[Icalasari]

What about a third possibility?

He tries to kill Abel, but Wildy, not getting the severity of the situation, goes to defend Abel and proves to be enough of a pain in Hizell's ass (possibly literally) for him to turn attention on her for a bit. So instead of killing Abel, he only severely wounds Abel and either severely wounds or kills Wildy. Then the Dragcat comes in, gives them an opening to get away, etc.

Jyras gets his reason to finish off the project, Biggs becomes furious with Destania, Dan has a reason to enter the fray again, and if Wildy dies, either there or later in hospital, I think she counts as one of Mab's friends, fulfilling that part?

[Jasonrevall]

Wait a minute wasn't Pip at that graveyard? http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1737.php

. . . IS THAT PIP!?

[Tapewolf]

Wait a minute wasn't Pip at that graveyard? http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1737.php

. . . IS THAT PIP!?

Pip's supposed to be largely powerless, and stuck in drake form, so it's unlikely he's the dragon.  However he does seem to have the power of omniscience, so chances are he knew this would happen and is lurking somewhere to watch Abel get the stuffing kicked out of him.  It's unlikely he'd be helping them out - he cut the phone when the BoB turned up, and I'd be astonished if he didn't engineer Abel's nightmare somehow, for all his lack of physical power.

[Eboreg]

I'm guessing we're about to get a "Shot heard 'round the world" rather soon.

[D'ymkarra]

Predictions and foreboding aside, I want to know one thing:

How did something that big manage to sneak up on the three of them without any of them noticing? O.o

[Tapewolf]

How did something that big manage to sneak up on the three of them without any of them noticing? O.o

They have a Being form as well, (see Pyroduck).

[D'ymkarra]

How did something that big manage to sneak up on the three of them without any of them noticing? O.o

They have a Being form as well, (see Pyroduck).

True..though being a dragon, I doubt they'd feel the need to hide their true selves, at least in a situation like this..

[Tempestfury]

Well frick. Hizel is now centre stage.

Here's hoping Pip can do something...

[FFKonoko]

Well, it was about time that 1703 paid off.

I'm in the 'pip surprise' camp. But there is definitely a fair chance of wildy or such getting hurt too. Dragons...

[ArchTeryx]

This all reminds me of a particularly crazy scene from an RPG, Dragon Storm, that I used to play.  (Sadly, its creators are incognito and deceased, respectively, and it's thus defunct).

Our party had been surprised by a very large and particularly nasty warpspawn, with a distinct resemblance to Hizell.  Our werewolf, ever the creative one, played ALL her strength buffs,  ran up to it, and promptly booted it in the crotch.

It did virtually no actual damage, but it bluescreened it for 1 round, while it hopped on one paw and gibbered something like "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!"  That was enough for our wizard to gather everyone and execute a heavily buffed teleport spell.  The party escaped successfully.

They're about the right height, and that sort of move is exactly what Wildy is known for.  Let's see how Hizell reacts to an untelegraphed direct physical attack!  Maybe it'll confound him long enough for Pip to show up and teleport everyone out of there.

[Kuzma Volkov]

I have this bizarre feeling that Fridays strip will be a question from the readers episode... or a scene change..