PF Episode 6 (Page 49)

[Jairus]

*looks over new page*

Next page:
"Just kidding! Hugs all around! Make love, not war!"

Anyway... looking forward to next week.

For some reason, when Yak said "throw the switch," I heard it in the same tone of voice that one guy says "pull the string!" in. Whoever he is. Aside from an impression by Freakazoid and an appearance in a Nostalgia Critic review (Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, for the record), I really have no idea who he is.

[AmigaDragon]

I think Jakob can think of reasons to keep the prototype around. "If we run into trouble with your body, it could be beneficial if he were still available."

If anyone can get hold of a 3DS mesh or something of a VT100 (or 101,102,103,180) I would be extremely grateful as it will suddenly make my life much easier.  I had to build the keyboard up from this:
http://vt100.net/docs/vt100-ug/figure3-2.html
...carefully redrawing it all for copyright reasons and then trying to turn it into a 3/4 view of a keyboard.

I have a functioning VT100 somewhere around here, though it may be buried in a pile of computers, monitors and whatnot. I don't know when I could find it to dig it out for photos, or how much that would help. I'll start looking a bit today when I'm out (2 feet of snow makes it a bit harder to get out to storage sheds). I also have a newer model, I think maybe VT220.

[Tapewolf]

I have a functioning VT100 somewhere around here, though it may be buried in a pile of computers, monitors and whatnot. I don't know when I could find it to dig it out for photos, or how much that would help. I'll start looking a bit today when I'm out (2 feet of snow makes it a bit harder to get out to storage sheds). I also have a newer model, I think maybe VT220.

The VT220 is easier to do since it more-or-less resembles a monitor and a PC keyboard.  The VT1xx series is somewhat less conventional.

If you can dig yours out, that really would be useful if you can photograph it from a variety of angles.  I'd also be interested to see a screenshot of the display itself, since I'm not entirely sure what the font is like.

[Amber Williams]

I meant to mention I thought Turnsky's rendition was spiffy. If I ever get out of my own financial bwargh, I totally need to get me some Turnsky art.

[Tapewolf]

I meant to mention I thought Turnsky's rendition was spiffy. If I ever get out of my own financial bwargh, I totally need to get me some Turnsky art.

While it won't exactly help him pay the bills, I'd be very surprised if he said 'no' to an art-trade with you...

**EDIT**
Oh, fun fact - originally Daryil in that picture was holding a machine-gun since the main reference I've been using was taken from the dream sequence, and everyone draws him with the guns.
When I mentioned my regret at not specifying "And no machine-gun", he very kindly re-drew the hands (it's all done in Illustrator, by the way).  This is the reason for his unusual pose - he was originally being blown backwards by the recoil or something.

[AmigaDragon]

The VT220 is easier to do since it more-or-less resembles a monitor and a PC keyboard.  The VT1xx series is somewhat less conventional.

If you can dig yours out, that really would be useful if you can photograph it from a variety of angles.  I'd also be interested to see a screenshot of the display itself, since I'm not entirely sure what the font is like.

Somehow I've misplaced my camera since before New Years but once I find it again, I'll get at this. I did find the units, and it won't be to hard to dig them out. I'll do both of them.
As for the font, I'm thinking it was a basic TTY font or whatever that's commonly available. If I drag it in out of the cold, I'll fire it up and get some text for you too. I believe it was green, but I could be wrong and it's white or amber.

If you're interested, I could also get you a couple pictures of an older floor-standing paper-output teletype. It's even for sale where I work.

----------------
Now playing on Winamp: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 23 "Prussian" (Classical Minnesota Public Radio)
via FoxyTunes

[Tapewolf]

Somehow I've misplaced my camera since before New Years but once I find it again, I'll get at this. I did find the units, and it won't be to hard to dig them out. I'll do both of them.
As for the font, I'm thinking it was a basic TTY font or whatever that's commonly available. If I drag it in out of the cold, I'll fire it up and get some text for you too. I believe it was green, but I could be wrong and it's white or amber.

The precise colour doesn't matter quite so much... they did come in a variety.

If you're interested, I could also get you a couple pictures of an older floor-standing paper-output teletype. It's even for sale where I work.

Heh.  I'd be interested to see it, but I doubt even Ashley would be masochistic enough to want to use one.

[Turnsky]

I meant to mention I thought Turnsky's rendition was spiffy. If I ever get out of my own financial bwargh, I totally need to get me some Turnsky art.

that reminds me, i gotta finish that pic of Abel i was working on. 

[Tapewolf]

that reminds me, i gotta finish that pic of Abel i was working on. 

The spotless one?

[Turnsky]

that reminds me, i gotta finish that pic of Abel i was working on. 

The spotless one?

yah, gotta add the spots, color, and all that lovely stuff.

[Tapewolf]

Just a quick note - it's actually Christmas day for the Russian Orthodox Church.  I knew it was in January, but I couldn't find out when.  Actually I thought it came later in the month.

Anyway, that means Ren's kind of tied up and the comic will probably be a day or so late.
Merry Christmas, Ren...

[Ren Gaulen]

Thanks, Tape. I'm sorry for the inevitable delay..

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

No worries.

Family and RL come first. Everyone with sense knows that.

[Tapewolf]

Okay, Page 46 is live.  It's actually 2/3 complete - the last two panels are fake and will be replaced when the real artwork is finished.  The dialogue will be the same, of course.

[Amber Williams]

Excellent! A tour!  This must mean they are about to actually visit the women's side of the facility.

[Tapewolf]

Excellent! A tour!  This must mean they are about to actually visit the women's side of the facility.

I'm sure that can be arranged, though we are going to take a detour in the next chapter.
Actually I'm surprised you didn't comment about Jakob hugging Azrael in panel 6.  Though I guess it doesn't show as much at this scale.

[Amber Williams]

Now now, you did say Jakob was a ladies man, and I am anything but a follower of canon.

Besides, I know better than to get distracted by some platonic friendship of ambigous nature when I can focus on my DaryilxJoshua fanart!   

[Tapewolf]

I stand corrected 

[Jairus]

Bwaahaahahaha!!! Awesome! Totally awesome! Joshua's expression is perfect too. Great job on setting this one up.

Looks like we've got a pair of heterosexual life partners on our hands though.

The tour sounds lovely.

Besides, I know better than to get distracted by some platonic friendship of ambigous nature when I can focus on my DaryilxJoshua fanart!  

Ooh! I look forward to this!

[Ren Gaulen]

Besides, I know better than to get distracted by some platonic friendship of ambigous nature when I can focus on my DaryilxJoshua fanart!   

Ooh! I look forward to this!

Seconded!

[Tapewolf]

Bwaahaahahaha!!! Awesome! Totally awesome! Joshua's expression is perfect too. Great job on setting this one up.

Thanks.  To be honest, it worked better on paper than it did visually - it was more obvious that the new android was Azrael, because you got to see him.  I then had to play it as if Azrael was actually evil.
That and Ren may have gone slightly overboard with some of Jakob's evil expressions...  It's fun how Josh still laps it up, though it makes me start to question the fact that he's one of the top agents at Starfire.

Looks like we've got a pair of heterosexual life partners on our hands though.

No, I will not look at TvTropes at 1:45AM... it'll be 7 o'clock when I finish 
Maybe in the morning.  Either way, Azrael was actually Jakob's mentor (Memo to self: Azrael cast page) following his graduation from SAIA.
When he was murdered, Jakob went spare and spent the next three hundred years trying to either bring him back, or avenge his death.  This era forms the bulk of Jakob's Dark Past(tm), which was gradually exaggerated into the fairy-tales that kept Joshua awake at night when he was a puppy (Trousers made from Being hides, eating hundreds of thousands of souls, etc).

So, uh, anyway.  Azrael was something of a father-figure to Jakob, and they haven't seen each other for more than 500 years.  So he's actually being rather subdued about it - probably on Joshua's account.

The tour sounds lovely.

It will have to wait, though.  There's two more pages of chapter 6 to go, and chapter 7 is mostly catching up with Niall, so we're looking at around 12 pages if my estimate is correct.

[Pagan]

Phew. I was wondering if Azzie had lost a few screws from being dead for so long.
The third and fourth panels are truly priceless.

[Tapewolf]

For those who are wondering, the first time Joshua listens in at the lab (page 32), Azrael is a little impatient, but otherwise everything is straight.  Jakob, being telepathic, obviously picks up on Josh's change of attitude and realises that they've been overheard.  When he's sure Josh isn't around he communicates with Azrael again and tells him this.
By the second time Josh overhears them (page 39) they've started play-acting in order to wind him up, and maybe get him to be a little more sceptical in future.  I wasn't sure if the "Now you're overdoing it" comment would set off too many alarm bells, but whatever.

Also, I forgot to mention - next week's strip has the guest-art in it.

**EDIT**
Thanks also to Amiga Dragon for the VT100 photos.  If anyone knows of someone who takes commissions of 3D objects, a 3DS or COB file of the thing would be dead useful.  Actually I may know someone at work...

[GabrielsThoughts]

 

[Sofox]

Ha ha ha ha.

Honestly, that strip took me completely by surprise. I'd actually started reading some more of your "Chronicles" work so I noticed various gears weren't quite meshing, but the suddenness the turnaround, completely unexpected. And there's nothing more funny then seeing a guy being completely taken for a fool, being duped hook, line and sinker and suddenly being let in just when his mind is most taut. Just so much laughing to be had at his expense.
Great work, loved it.

[Tapewolf]

Honestly, that strip took me completely by surprise. I'd actually started reading some more of your "Chronicles" work so I noticed various gears weren't quite meshing, but the suddenness the turnaround, completely unexpected.

Thanks.  Chapter 6 had good reviews when the original series ran - honestly, it's the main reason I've been so religious about the 'no spoilers' thing.  In fact, I was in a bit of a panic after that... I was all "Aaah!  How can I follow that up?!", which is one of the reasons chapter 7 is slower - I did something completely different while I worked out where things went on from there.  It starts slowly and again, peaks around chapter 12.

[Tapewolf]

Oh, I forgot to mention - Azrael's profile is now up in the cast pages if anyone's interested.
I also need to do ones for Ashley and possibly Johan Cross at some stage.

**EDIT**

Ashley is up as well.  As usual, corrections are welcome.

[Zedd]

Such a growing cast you have

[Tapewolf]

Such a growing cast you have

It'll grow further too before too long.  In fact, one of the new guys is in there already, just not linked in.

[Tapewolf]

We're going to be late.  No sign of Ren at all today, so I'm not even sure how late we're going to be.  I should be able to fake the upcoming strip if need be, but I'd hoped it wouldn't be necessary.

I'm thinking we should probably take a break for a week when chapter 6 ends to give us a bit of catch-up time and take some of the pressure off Ren.