05/02/2011 [DMFA #1215] - Attack of the Fifty Foot Whatever

[RandomMetaphysics]

A city. She destroyed a city?
...Holy crap
Pardon me while I go to my bunker, it seems to be in need of quite a few upgrades.

Also, hope you all got the reference I made in the title there

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

Hey, but at least she's regretful about it.

[VAE]

It's easy and fun to be regretful after achieving semi-godlike power.

[Madd the Sane]

Probably a dragon city.
Or had a good population of dragons.
Or had a dragon in it.
You can never tell with the egotistical types.

[VAE]

Probably a dragon city.
Or had a good population of dragons.
Or had a dragon in it.
You can never tell with the egotistical types.

Heh... in the end it turned out to be some resident named Francis Drake.
But , it was worth the souls i guess

[techmaster-glitch]

Oh Dan. Still the master of open mouth/insert foot.

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

Also to be mentioned is how absolutely beautiful the shines are in this.
Cyra totally looks about to break into tears, Daniel looks like an absolute doll in those first two panels (s'cute!) and the last panel is absolute win.  Abel's face ... love the look of it, but I'm not sure it totally fits the feel of the panel.

[Nino]

Oh wow, her look in panel 2... the emotional sorrow is palpable.

On the subject of the rant, I've always thought the same thing about how there's this group of artists who are just super good at the technical skill involved in art and this perception that you either have talent or you don't. I can understand the feeling of just being in awe over the technical skill some artists have, especially at an early age.

But nobody else does art that looks like DMFA. And plus, most artists don't double as writers. This is why I think a lot of webcomics with great art are just terrible, because the artists just don't know how to pace a plot or write interesting and believable dialogue. But DMFA has all these things. My roommate and I both read DMFA back in college and we'd talk about it all the time - how complicated the plot is, how amazing the art was and yet still be improving all the time, how the characters were fun and fleshed-out. I think a lot of people who do read the comic get just such an impact from it that makes it so different from most webcomics out there, and on a more general level, most art out there. And the style is just so amazing - it just looks so definitely different from anything any other artist does.

*shrug* Amber is my favorite artist and one of my heros :) I'd definitely be one of those people she mentions being super nervous to meet her. I fell in love with her style the first page of DMFA I came across (the full page one where Jyrras admits to Abel about his feelings for Dan). It's just so special and unique and it makes me sad to know the artist herself doesn't feel that way. I can't imagine how someone could make pictures like that and not get up every day and look at their work and feel like the most awesome person ever.

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

haw. I knew something was up with her eyes, but didn't really notice...
They're green now   We always knew they were so seeing them really didn't mean much... until we realize that just moments ago they were glowing, white, ... and bigger than her entire head is now.

But nobody else does art that looks like DMFA. *snip* how amazing the art was and yet still be improving all the time, *snip* And the style is just so amazing - it just looks so definitely different from anything any other artist does.

In all honesty, if I didn't know better... I might not think that the woman who drew DMFA in 2005 and the woman who draws DMFA now are the same artist if I were simply shown two comparative strips. The evolution has been fantastic. Because while one might say that the artwork is improving, I think that evolving fits better, because it was always fantastic.

I can't imagine how someone could make pictures like that and not get up every day and look at their work and feel like the most awesome person ever.

"A work of art (even cartoon art) is never really finished; it is abandoned." - Brooke McEldowney March 31, 2005  -- 2005-03-31

[Nino]

I can't imagine how someone could make pictures like that and not get up every day and look at their work and feel like the most awesome person ever.

"A work of art (even cartoon art) is never really finished; it is abandoned." - Brooke McEldowney March 31, 2005  -- 2005-03-31

This may be true, but it doesn't mean you can't be proud of the art that you've done. I've definitely been proud of some of the pieces I've done so my point was just that I can't imagine Amber not being exceptionally proud of her art, as a whole. Especially considering she can crank so much of it out. I guess it seems slow to her but the fact that she can even make more than one update a week with that amount of quality impresses me a lot.

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

I think that Amber probably does appreciate her work, but just as anybody else; only sees where there is room for improvement in their own work.

Worst come to worst, we just have to keep reminding her of how awesome she is.

[KarlOmega1]

Well...Looks like Dan is definitely disturbed by the blunt fact that his Grandmother obliterated an entire city...I would be too if I found out an ancestor of mine wiped out some civilization.

[Feather Dancer]

We artists are nitpicky, we're NEVER good enough and too busy stick waving at the new kids coming along doing awesome art. Tis how the world spins.

Now in the interest of science indeed, WAS there a dragon in it? Or was it just mass tactial nukage to level up in one fell swoop? Kinda like FMA giant circle of doom.

[Tapewolf]

Poor Dan, just as he was starting to get the feel of being 'Cubi.

Given the recent poll it can be presumed that he will still be representing Cyra, or at least attending the meeting in some capacity.  I can't imagine he's as happy about it as before, though...

And yes, even if the city had nothing to do with dragons whatsoever, Cyra's approach to ascension can still be viewed as an appalling PR move for the 'Cubi race.  (An appalling move in general, frankly)


EDIT: I hope she finally told him that the dragons wanted to kill all members of Cyra clan, including him.

EDIT EDIT: I am assuming that she destroyed the city to harvest souls for ascension.  This may of course be me jumping to conclusions.

EDIT-3: Another possibility is that Cyra's ascension accidentally destroyed the city as a byproduct.

[FairWage22]

Separate tangents:

The affinity may be coming into play here as well.  Dan may have just had a tri-wing's worth of guilt and self-loathing pain (compounded over centuries of self-contemplation) dumped on him in addition to the shock/realization of what had happened. 

And... he kind of brought it on himself if that's the case with his encouragement.

Picture a little kid wanting to eat a whole box of ice cream.   One way to approach this is to say "No." Which is sort of the 'vibe' I was getting from the whole conversation ie, "You can't handle all the truth yet, kiddo, let me do at least one decent thing and try to protect you from how I really feel" 

Another way is to say "You really don't want to do that, but I'm not going to stop you.  Go right ahead, but don't whine later if your belly hurts."  And this would be the "Alright.  I've been trying to protect you but if you are a big enough boy here you go.  I'm sorry."

Would I as a person be a bit... angry if a conversation with a grandparent indicated some form of genocide?  Oh heck yeah.  I think my anger would be more towards said grandparent if they tried to candy-coat it and less towards the grandparent if they laid it all out.

[Mao]

EDIT EDIT: I am assuming that she destroyed the city to harvest souls for ascension.  This may of course be me jumping to conclusions.

Since we don't know if she's one of the two or three that didn't do any soul thievery to ascend, this feels like a pretty big jump to me.  All we know about her ascension is that it ticked people off and that it is often considered the lynch-pin of the dragon-cubi war.  Even that is vague because it's stated that's it's considered it, but based on what?  Idle speculation based on what one group sees from some possible coincidences?  We all know you can't really base opinions on those things.

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

Kinda like FMA giant circle of doom.

I thought I remembered something along those lines...

EDIT-3: Another possibility is that Cyra's ascension accidentally destroyed the city as a byproduct.

Like... she suddenly got huge, then tripped and fell, squashing it under her butt?

[Tapewolf]

Since we don't know if she's one of the two or three that didn't do any soul thievery to ascend, this feels like a pretty big jump to me.

Well, we know that she has a pain affinity, and that Amber has said it became more and more difficult to ascend over the last decamilennium or so.
In view of that, I would be astonished if she did it non-violently.  But yeah, stranger things have happened.

[MT Hazard]

It seems for every good thing Dan gets out of being cubi a few more bad things pop up, a mother who is thought of as the ultimate evil, a possible future is adventurer killing, unstable emotions, outliving many of his freinds and a mass murder for a grandmother.

I do wonder what his days in SAIA are going to be like, a former adventurer, a son of the torture professor and clan member that the clan that started a devastating war. There will be awkward moments.

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

Since we don't know if she's one of the two or three that didn't do any soul thievery to ascend, this feels like a pretty big jump to me.

Well, we know that she has a pain affinity, and that Amber has said it became more and more difficult to ascend over the last decamilennium or so.
In view of that, I would be astonished if she did it non-violently.  But yeah, stranger things have happened.

The dead don't feel pain.


While soul-thievery may not have necessarily been the case, one can do many a thing to cause pain.
Destroying a city for instance; if you don't kill everybody in the destruction, there will be quite a bit of pain about, particularly with no access to healers.  She could have just sat idly by waiting until she had absorbed enough energy to ascend.

I do wonder what his days in SAIA are going to be like, a former adventurer, a son of the torture professor and clan member that the clan that started a devastating war. There will be awkward moments.

Most in attendance wouldn't even have been born yet.

[nevwyn]

Well...Looks like Dan is definitely disturbed by the blunt fact that his Grandmother obliterated an entire city...I would be too if I found out an ancestor of mine wiped out some civilization.

Are you kidding? That would rock! Provided of course that at least a few generations have passed since then, don't want to have to deal with angry survivors.

"Dad, I have to do a family tree for school can you help me?" "Sure son lets get the family records." ... "This is your great great grandfather the destoyer of the City of Toronto." "Wow dad thats cool, it sure beats mum's great grandmother the inventor of self cooking pizza."


Actually you know what pizza pops that cooked themselves would be kinda awesome.

[VAE]

EDIT EDIT: I am assuming that she destroyed the city to harvest souls for ascension.  This may of course be me jumping to conclusions.

Since we don't know if she's one of the two or three that didn't do any soul thievery to ascend, this feels like a pretty big jump to me.  All we know about her ascension is that it ticked people off and that it is often considered the lynch-pin of the dragon-cubi war.  Even that is vague because it's stated that's it's considered it, but based on what?  Idle speculation based on what one group sees from some possible coincidences?  We all know you can't really base opinions on those things.

True, though... to show how the coincidence looks... it's kinda like someone walking with a big bag of cash and saying that he aided in the robbing of a bank. While it's possible he snatched the cash from an armoured transport, and while he was chased by the police and security, someone robbed  a bank using it as distraction.... it's much more likely the cash comes from the bank.

[Sunblink]

Oh dear.

I wasn't expecting that. Nice going, Cyra.

Although that makes me wonder, is the city Cyra destroyed the one that Kria was talking about? It'd explain why so many people are terrified of Cubi.

[MT Hazard]

I do wonder what his days in SAIA are going to be like, a former adventurer, a son of the torture professor and clan member that the clan that started a devastating war. There will be awkward moments.

Most in attendance wouldn't even have been born yet.

Someone will know of Cyra and the war, though stories, maybe from their clan leader or parents and there will defiantly be stories of the teacher of torture. It only takes one person to know, imagine gossip in a school full of cubi.

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

Maybe this will simply make him instantly cool then?

[MT Hazard]

powerful clan: cool
son of a teacher: not cool
still have a living clan leader: cool
said clan leader nearly doomed cubi kind: not cool
former adventurer and killer of creatures: not cool

[Mao]

EDIT EDIT: I am assuming that she destroyed the city to harvest souls for ascension.  This may of course be me jumping to conclusions.

Since we don't know if she's one of the two or three that didn't do any soul thievery to ascend, this feels like a pretty big jump to me.  All we know about her ascension is that it ticked people off and that it is often considered the lynch-pin of the dragon-cubi war.  Even that is vague because it's stated that's it's considered it, but based on what?  Idle speculation based on what one group sees from some possible coincidences?  We all know you can't really base opinions on those things.

True, though... to show how the coincidence looks... it's kinda like someone walking with a big bag of cash and saying that he aided in the robbing of a bank. While it's possible he snatched the cash from an armoured transport, and while he was chased by the police and security, someone robbed  a bank using it as distraction.... it's much more likely the cash comes from the bank.

That's... a pretty weak argument.  It's possible that they have the cash legit too, and that the police and security are in error.  That's just as possible.  I understand that you're saying "It's often the most obvious and simple choice." but that doesn't always hold.  That's why we have things like judicial systems.  Jumping to conclusions and just taking things at face value is a complete gamble and just as likely wrong as it is right.  Gather the facts rather and work from there.  It may still be the case that you will never 100% know the truth, but I'd rather make an informed guess with as much evidence as I can find than just take the first 'truth' that seems convenient or suits my interests.

[Ryy Lazurus]

Poor Dan, I really think he was delighted to meet his grandmother. She clearly has love for him, and respected him enough to tell him the honest truth about her past. Her sorrow was painful to read, just as Dan's kindness to her shows what good man he is.

Of course the revelation of what she did, crossed with Dan's own morality......

I think it'll be a long time before he speaks to her again. And his acceptance of his cubi nature has taken a massive blow.

I hope he will accept his heritage, and because I can see him hoping to atone for his clan's mistakes; i.e becoming a hero again.

[Jasonrevall]

It all makes sense now. Cyra was trying to create a philosophers stone to ascend and didn't know the price! So does that make Dan an Alphonse or an Edward?

XD I'm sorry I couldn't help it.

[Techcubi]

powerful clan: cool
son of a teacher: not cool
still have a living clan leader: cool
said clan leader nearly doomed cubi kind: not cool
former adventurer and killer of creatures: not cool

Are you sure the second and fifth wouldn't be cool? Besides, there's Taun and Owona. Also, while he may killed other creatures, let's not forget Cubi being the 'no-no' for Dan.