Title: Cease this Inquiry
(The Voices speak sternly.)
Knifelike Voice: Quiet, wayward one, lest your own thoughts end you without our action!
Flamelike Voice: Your mind cannot sustain such speculations. You tread close to self destruction. Cease this inquiry!
(Chax trembles and weeps, pressure and pain build upon him.)
Chax: I feel the pressure in my mind to be silent, yet I must say something.
We the Oistrem do always faithfully obey you and carry out our duty to you and to Botaram, and spill our lives out to halt the Strasmin onslaught.
They die and we die, we stop them or they defeat us, and Botaram yet
perdures, as it always shall.
Yet if all we do is not enough, then what is?
Do the Spines offer no more positive wisdom? That we always fail, and it was all for naught?
Latest Comics
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#214. Demand
148 35603 Jun 01, 2009
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#213. The Unseen, The Unworthy
152 35490 May 28, 2009
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#212. Take It Back
151 35662 May 25, 2009
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#211. Show Me The Source!
168 35851 May 21, 2009
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#210. Cool It!
161 35457 May 18, 2009
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#209. Stop Pushing
169 36060 May 11, 2009
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#208. Safe Control
159 35661 May 07, 2009
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#207. Right In Front
161 35859 May 04, 2009
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#206. Behind Susekho…
154 35905 Apr 30, 2009
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#205. Is That The World?
156 35651 Apr 27, 2009
How many A-holes can dance on a pinhead?
I am moving from the unreliable Imageshack to a different image host (Google Sites) before I continue. I’ll try to get another update done tomorrow.
But wait…
Got home too late to work on the next entry. I’ll have a go tomorrow.
Diversion
…And then the Khirrik popped like a balloon.
Aun and Chax stared at the scattered fragments, each lost in his own thoughts.
“Let’s go,” said Aun.
“We can’t,” said Chax.
“Why not?”
“…You know who we’re waiting for.” Chax spat irritably.
Aun slowly tapped his frenting rod against the ground, harder and harder, until at last he slammed it down and stood straight up.
“That’s it, I’ve had it. If he can’t be bothered to drag his ass down here and get things moving, we’ve just got to go after him.”
Chax smiled grimly. “I’m with you. Lead the way.”
Upon the top of a high shelf they stood, Aun pacing anxiously nearby as Chax scouted with his superior vision at a figure huddled over a laptop at a computer desk.
“What’s he doing?” muttered Aun.
Chax shook his great head, peered again for a time, then scowled. “He’s writing fiction, Aun.”
Aun sighed. “Why can’t we move, then? He’s gone to text mode before!”
Chax gritted his fanged teeth. “It’s… It’s not fiction about us, Aun.”
Aun stopped pacing. “Whuh?”
“Near as I can make out, it’s fanfic.”
Aun flung his frenting rod down. “Fanfic! Botaram redeem us! What kind of fanfic?”
Chax growled. “It appears to be fanfic of a show about tiny polychromatic hippos.”
The solemn pair gazed at each other.
“Nai, Nai…” said Aun at last. “That’s the show that ruins everything, isn’t it? It taints every creative mind it touches.”
“I fear that you’re right. It’s like a candy-coated virus. Once it enters an artist’s mind, the artist draws little else henceforth.” Chax shuddered.
Aun slumped his shoulders. “Then… There’s little to be done, isn’t there. Botaram… We shall never reach Botaram.” A great tear formed in his eye.
Chax reached out a gentle claw and lifted Aun’s chin.
“There was a time, Aun, when I would have seized upon any means to stop a Strasmin from defiling that noble summit. But caught with you as I am on your mad journey, I shall not fail in my resolve. I shall see you to Botaram, or die in the attempt. No matter how thick the skull we must pierce to make it happen!”
Aun took up his frenting rod with renewed hope, as Chax flexed his jumping leg. He grinned a cocky little grin.
“Aun,” he said, “grab my pointy-ear thing.”
Aun leapt on Chax’s back and seized hold as instructed.
Chax leapt strongly from the shelf, pouring his intensity and resolve into one dramatically extended claw as they flew through the air towards the back of the author’s head…
“ADVENTURE!”
Am I ready to resume? I’m not sure. But if I wait until I’m ready, I may never be.
New comic on Thursday.
Aun and Chax stared at the scattered fragments, each lost in his own thoughts.
“Let’s go,” said Aun.
“We can’t,” said Chax.
“Why not?”
“…You know who we’re waiting for.” Chax spat irritably.
Aun slowly tapped his frenting rod against the ground, harder and harder, until at last he slammed it down and stood straight up.
“That’s it, I’ve had it. If he can’t be bothered to drag his ass down here and get things moving, we’ve just got to go after him.”
Chax smiled grimly. “I’m with you. Lead the way.”
***
Upon the top of a high shelf they stood, Aun pacing anxiously nearby as Chax scouted with his superior vision at a figure huddled over a laptop at a computer desk.
“What’s he doing?” muttered Aun.
Chax shook his great head, peered again for a time, then scowled. “He’s writing fiction, Aun.”
Aun sighed. “Why can’t we move, then? He’s gone to text mode before!”
Chax gritted his fanged teeth. “It’s… It’s not fiction about us, Aun.”
Aun stopped pacing. “Whuh?”
“Near as I can make out, it’s fanfic.”
Aun flung his frenting rod down. “Fanfic! Botaram redeem us! What kind of fanfic?”
Chax growled. “It appears to be fanfic of a show about tiny polychromatic hippos.”
The solemn pair gazed at each other.
“Nai, Nai…” said Aun at last. “That’s the show that ruins everything, isn’t it? It taints every creative mind it touches.”
“I fear that you’re right. It’s like a candy-coated virus. Once it enters an artist’s mind, the artist draws little else henceforth.” Chax shuddered.
Aun slumped his shoulders. “Then… There’s little to be done, isn’t there. Botaram… We shall never reach Botaram.” A great tear formed in his eye.
Chax reached out a gentle claw and lifted Aun’s chin.
“There was a time, Aun, when I would have seized upon any means to stop a Strasmin from defiling that noble summit. But caught with you as I am on your mad journey, I shall not fail in my resolve. I shall see you to Botaram, or die in the attempt. No matter how thick the skull we must pierce to make it happen!”
Aun took up his frenting rod with renewed hope, as Chax flexed his jumping leg. He grinned a cocky little grin.
“Aun,” he said, “grab my pointy-ear thing.”
Aun leapt on Chax’s back and seized hold as instructed.
Chax leapt strongly from the shelf, pouring his intensity and resolve into one dramatically extended claw as they flew through the air towards the back of the author’s head…
“ADVENTURE!”
Am I ready to resume? I’m not sure. But if I wait until I’m ready, I may never be.
New comic on Thursday.
2013 in Review…
It wasn’t a very good year for me. I’ve been suffering the kind of health problem where it feels like you’re going to die, but it doesn’t actually kill you, and things have not gone nearly as well after the move as I’ve hoped.
Furthermore, I found that, at a time when my life seemed very bleak indeed, Botaram became bleak in my mind as well, to the point where I was seizing upon excuses not to work on it. I’ve found myself putting my creative effort into more trivial and light-hearted things, by way of escaping. Of course, one can only run from one’s dreams so far, if one is to retain any self-respect at all.
I am still working on improving my lot, but one way or another, I mean to return. I may have to back the story up a few pages should I find that I’ve hit a blind alley. To those who have been inquiring, I thank you for thinking of me. I will try not to disappoint you.
Furthermore, I found that, at a time when my life seemed very bleak indeed, Botaram became bleak in my mind as well, to the point where I was seizing upon excuses not to work on it. I’ve found myself putting my creative effort into more trivial and light-hearted things, by way of escaping. Of course, one can only run from one’s dreams so far, if one is to retain any self-respect at all.
I am still working on improving my lot, but one way or another, I mean to return. I may have to back the story up a few pages should I find that I’ve hit a blind alley. To those who have been inquiring, I thank you for thinking of me. I will try not to disappoint you.
Further Progress
The move is over, and I find myself hollowing pathways through a mass of cardboard boxes and trying to reassemble the positive parts of my former environment. I expect it to be a while longer before I have put a creative space back together, but when I do, Botaram will return.
To all who are still watching, thank you for not giving up.
To all who are still watching, thank you for not giving up.
Progress Report
I’m in the middle of moving to a new apartment. I hope in the process to leave a bunch of problems behind and acquire not as many in exchange. Once I’m settled in and some of the stress is reduced, I expect to return to Botaram.
To all of my readers, thanks for your patience as I work through some troublesome times.
JJA
To all of my readers, thanks for your patience as I work through some troublesome times.
JJA
Feeling Aliver…
I’ve been largely miserable for the past few months, but some things may be getting better now and not all was as bleak as I feared. Getting out into the fresh air helps a lot.
Since BiggerJ asked, I do have a Paypal account for donations, and there’s a yellow donate button at the bottom of each page. I’m not comfortable with the idea of asking for money at a time when I’m not producing any art, but if you’d like to show your support in this way, please feel free to do so. If you can’t stand Paypal, and many can’t, contact me via the email address in my profile (link also at page bottom) and we can work something else out.
I may not have to mention it, but kind words are always welcome. Thanks to all my readers for their encouraging comments, and to those who are still reading for sticking with me as I work some things out. Botaram will return.
[Also, some site functions (navigation button images and Archive script) are broken at the moment because one of my domains is down. This should be fixed soon.]
Since BiggerJ asked, I do have a Paypal account for donations, and there’s a yellow donate button at the bottom of each page. I’m not comfortable with the idea of asking for money at a time when I’m not producing any art, but if you’d like to show your support in this way, please feel free to do so. If you can’t stand Paypal, and many can’t, contact me via the email address in my profile (link also at page bottom) and we can work something else out.
I may not have to mention it, but kind words are always welcome. Thanks to all my readers for their encouraging comments, and to those who are still reading for sticking with me as I work some things out. Botaram will return.
[Also, some site functions (navigation button images and Archive script) are broken at the moment because one of my domains is down. This should be fixed soon.]
Still Still Alive…
Still recovering and still feeling down because I can’t get anything done, Botaram included. I hope things get better soon.
I’m Still Alive…
Even if I don’t feel like it. %?)
Between my slow recovery and trying to keep my business going, I’m having a rough time right now. Thanks for bearing with me. I will persevere, and I hope to continue soon.
Between my slow recovery and trying to keep my business going, I’m having a rough time right now. Thanks for bearing with me. I will persevere, and I hope to continue soon.
Next Entry
Health is still improving slowly. Next entry should go up on Tuesday evening.
