Annotated 7-2
(Foreshadow foreshadow foreshadow, re: Frigg)
Phil did his level best to inject that Syr’gg guest strip straight into the canon with the second paragraph here, but I don’t really buy it. Not because I think it couldn’t happen, but because I can’t believe Syr’Nj wouldn’t behave differently toward Frigg and Byron after it did. The experience would leave Syr’Nj filled with questions, and if there’s one thing Syr’Nj never ever does, it’s let her questions go unanswered. Syr testing her own sexuality could’ve been an amusing subplot, but if there’s no ripples in the water, then that stone didn’t fall.
Phil instructed Erica to cut off the bottom paragraphs of text whenever was visually convenient, as they contained less crucial information for the reader and the cut-off effect helps the pages feel like they have their own reality. Original text endings read: “We checked high and low but had no luck. Hopefully they will return of their own accord and we will not have to burn down any additional religious institutions… It is difficult. I am surrounded by people who have every reason to be wary of my every move, and yet they are not. Why?”
Here’s what Gravedust had to say about Frigg and Bandit in our old “Relationships” outline document (which, again, we composed before even outlining the first chapter). As you’ll see, we (mostly Phil) had some ideas about Frigg’s true power right from the start, but Gravedust 1.0 is more condescending to Bandit than he’d end up becoming:
Frigg – She is an unstoppable force of chaos and destruction, but she seems to have a decent heart. I can’t sense any serious malice within her, but her short temper and intense strength is still something to be wary of. Although she is a Crusader, she does not wield her divine magic. Is she even aware of the true power she has? Or is she cut off from access until she gets on the correct path of righteousness? I may never know. For now, it is enough that she is a team player, and protects us.
Bandit – I do not trust thieves, on basic principle. Fortunately I have no valuables or vulnerable objects which she can make off with. But I have yet to see her steal from comrades. I can tell she wants very badly to be accepted by us. Perhaps I can convince her to be more… noble.
Yeah, the 1.0 text doesn’t feel like Gravedust. He’s righteous, and at this point somewhat narrow-minded, but he’s not really a self-righteous sort. Or if he is, it’s not the sort of thing he’d write about.
I like that he is self-righteous, but not obviously so. A lifetime of Mysticing (or whatever) has taught him good habits on how to get along, not share his perhaps reflexive judgements, and not assume that he is entirely correct or without fault.
It makes that when these sort of things do pop up and get discussed, it’s much more real. You have to know him awhile before you get to see how this informs his behavior, like with the ‘pal’ conversation already shown, and the much later library incident with Rachel and Bryon again.
It’s not so much he has a bad character trait he can’t control fully, like with Friggs irreverance, or Bryon’s beserking, or Best’s everything, but there is a subtle issue of degrees and amounts that he sometimes misjudges, but is otherwise competent and wise and humble enough that he’s able to cover up this fault through the rest of his strengths.
It’s a pretty subtle trait, and one that I enjoyed greatly seeing in this story. His realitivly fast friendship with bandit shows that it is a trait he can overcome in many situations without much prompting and prodding, but one where he still needs a little help from his friends.
I could almost see the guest strip being canon. But I don’t think it would blend well with the “Mental Health Day” short story that appears many chapters later. At the very least, as Frigg is chasing her up the tree, Syr’Nj would probably reflect on their previous encounter.
Apparently by that drawing of her, the dwarven word for Frigg is ‘Frisk’.
First Skyrim, now this? What other games did Guilded Age foresee? Let’s find out!
This wouldn’t jibe well with that Frigg-is-afraid-of-skeletons guest strip, though.
And thusly, the “morning after” guest strip was canonized. :D