Comic 819 -- A Question of Trust

Trust is a complicated issue...

It's a well-understood issue with the English language that the word "love" is a definitional nightmare. The word covers so many experiences and complex emotional states that, in desperation, we sometimes resort to ancient Greek in order to try to bring a little bit more clarity.

"Trust," to me, is equally fraught. Especially when someone says "Do you trust me?" Or, even worse, the more defensive, "Don't you trust me?"

For example: "Don't you trust me to do the taxes?" (I chose this honor of the month.)

This would generally delivered a way to mean: "Don't you think I'm honest enough?" But one can completely trust someone's honesty while, at the same time, knowing they are terrible at math. The "No" answer might be off-putting in the latter case, or hurtful in the former, but unless one goes out of one's way to add more context, the word "trust" can't bear the load of the question.

In a way, asking Sharon "Do you not trust your sister?" is far more complex than "Do you not love your sister?" would be. 

The Curmen sisters are dealing with it all the best they can.

Comic 818 -- Too Many Ifs

 Sharon has conflicting goals...

Sometimes, it's a pain when your sister is a living lie detector.

Comic 817 -- The Solution Was in Front of Us

 It's one of those "a-ha!" moments...

Or perhaps it's one of those "If I knew back then what I know now" moments. Still, how much will this new idea change the sisters' plans? Tune in next time to find out...

December, December, December

Not the easiest month to plan out. Generally I can get a comic done while doing all the traveling and stuff that happens this month, provided there are no major glitches.

This time, there was a pretty major glitch. Technical issues that were not solvable on the road. Damn.

So, no comic this time around. I hope to have something up by the next due date on Jan. 31st. 

Happy New Year, everyone!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Oblique Adventures is Live!

 

Candi and I are very excited to announce the launch of our new startup enterprise: Oblique Adventures!

We're creating adventures, homebrew creatures, and all sorts of other resources table-top roleplayers everywhere. Our focus thus far has been to come up with products compatible with Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (5e), but we are confident that much of what we offer will be easy to translate into other game systems. 

The very first offering we've got for you is a free gift to celebrate our official launch:

"The Bugblatter Beast" draws from the fantastical mythology of the late, great Douglas Adams and his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. In this scenario, your adventurers will come face-to-face with the cosmic menace known as the ravenous Bugblatter Beast. Even powerful heroes will find this horrendous creature difficult to overcome in a straight fight... but don't panic! The adventure provides many options (all inspired by Hitchhiker lore) for using the Bugblatter's phenomenal stupidity to give you a fighting chance.

Included in this adventure are stats for new items such as the Babel Fish, the +1 Towel of Hitchhiking, and the Wand of M'arvin. You'll also find a new feat called the Knack of Flying.

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We've got a lot of plans, hopes, and dreams for Oblique Adventures. And you'll find a link to the Oblique Patreon page on our site. Oblique Adventures is how we hope to keep the lights on. If you're a long-time fan of Thunderstruck and want to support the comic, this is the best way to do it.

Comic 816 -- Not a Messiah

 This is huge?

Not a long installment, but the implications of what Gail and Sharon are talking about are pretty important in the overall scheme of things.

Been very busy this month with Oblique Adventures. We've got a few technicalities to hammer out, but I'm confident we can show you something cool soon.

Comic 815 -- I Finally Know What I Am

 Returning to the present, and our protagonists...

Phew! Back on track here.

No Comic for September

Argh! Setting up a new business is hard. We're close now to having some stuff to show you. It's coming together, but it just takes time.

Thunderstruck got shuffled down the priority list in September, alas. I didn't like my draft of the next comic, and then I didn't find enough breathing space to figure out a different approach. Wish me luck in October!

Comic 814 -- Jude's Story, Part 12

 Part 12? What a chatterbox that Jude is!

Still, it's a story that's been lurking around at the heart of Thunderstruck, waiting to be told. And now, I think it's about time for everyone else's stories to get moving again. 

Long-time readers might still have some questions, of course. I may have the answers ready to deploy when they become relevant, but I am always happy to hear your questions, observations, and thoughts in the comments.

Comic 813 -- Jude's Story, Part 11

 The delays are getting shorter!

This time, the primary cause of delay was that we have fires in our area. We weren't evacuated or anything, but the smoke... blech. Turns out I'm pretty sensitive to air quality, and when it hits a number like 239 (above 50 is unsafe, if you aren't familiar with the scale), it kind of flattens me.

Think I was a canary in a former life.

Anyway, more backstory from the end of the world. Next up: Jude's silver coins.