Well now…what is the Bata Neart is up to something here? Áine can see something in Ashling that no-one else has noticed so far. More next week 😀
We’re now closing in on the Christmas break. Bata Neart will be taking a 2 week break at the end of the month. Next week’s page will be the last before the break.
Right now I’m trying to build a larger than usual buffer for Bata Neart and Back Office so that the comics can keep running with a as little disruption as I can manage, while I become a father for the first time. As you can imagine (or already know), that can be a very major life event 😀 There will another break during March which is when the baby is due. I’ll try to keep that break short too.
Hmmm, so it seems Ashling is the reincarnation of Áine’s mentor? Or is Neart just giving Áine that impression so they will try to get along?
Congratulations on your impending Fatherhood, Rawr. 😀
Ooooo…I so want to tell you how it *really* is…but it’ll ruin the entire plot for you 🙂 You are close…but you are not correct…
Thank you for your kind wishes too! I’m a little concerned about the time I’ll have available for comic work afterwards, but I have been a part-time parent for the past 6 years and still managed it…so I think I’ll probably be able to handle both 🙂
Direct lineal descendant, perhaps?
And, yeah, best wishes for a safe and easy birth, that all will go well afterward, and that you’ll be able to get some sleep 🙂
Congratulations, Rawr! That’s wonderful news.
All I have to say to Ashling is, “Did you know that you have a Vorlon inside of you? Well, a piece of one.”
Man, I hope B5 hasn’t become too obscure at this point. It’s far too good of a show to be forgotten.
Azrael, my suspicion is that Aine’s muinteoir is the female battle mage from the first chapter. Whom I’m not inclined to think highly of considering that she apparently used cauldron born in a war of conquest.
@Delta: Thank you Delta. That is my hope afterward. It is also why I’m building up the buffer, since I fully expect to be to obliterated to draw after it! (Or I end up with massive insomnia…and get lots done :D)
@Kessy: Thank you Kessy! Oooo…the Vorlon reference…I wasn’t big into Babylon 5, but enjoyed what I watched and I think I know the reference. You are close….(but still no dice…sorry).
You are however spot-on with your suspicion that Áine’s muinteoir was indeed the war-mage. Don’t judge her too harshly though (just yet), her involvement in that war has a bit of a story behind it. That all will come much later in the story, when we learn more about Áine herself.
Well, if I’m following correctly, Muinteoir died in that battle, but her spirit (or at least a part of it) was still linked to the Bata Neart and was still there when Ashling, err, dropped in on them. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) Muinteoir healed Ashling and became attached to her. She was responsible for the dreams that led Ashling on this little expedition, and the Bata Neart is now showing Aine that Muinteoir is hitching a ride with Ashling. Do I have it right?
BTW, Rawr, I have a present for you on my DA page. http://kessy-athena.deviantart.com/art/The-Bata-Neart-Files-500088657 I hope you like it. ^_^
@Kessy: Circle gets the square! You are right. I wasn’t going to confirm this, on account of spoilers, but you are right Kessy. The War Priestess’ soul was still attached to the Bata Neart, and now it’s attached to Ashling. Áine can see this too thanks to her own magical training (more on that in later chapters), and will start to be less hostile towards the girls.
I noticed ‘The Bata Neart Files’ on my DA stream before I cam over here. Is awesome! You’ve nailed the characters perfectly. Thank you so much!!! 😀
Yeah, spoilers for anyone who hasn’t figured it out yet is why I tried to be subtle about it previously. The Vorlon reference was about Muinteoir being attached to Ashling. But once you confirmed that Muinteoir and the War Priestess are the same person, I think the rest of this much follows. Although I have some other suspicions that I think I’ll keep to myself for now. 😉
Incidentally, one of the things that kind of strikes me about this story is that the way Ashling and Aoife have been experiencing the spirit realm so far seems pretty true to life. Well, aside from, you know, blowing up the poor guy’s car and stuff. But that kind of thing sort of goes with the genre these days.
No worries either way I think this particular plot element is something that I would be revealing though the narrative of the next few chapters anyway. So not a massive spoiler, given that I have much larger reveals that I’m saving for later on.
Thank you for comment on how the girl’s experiences have been true to life. I’m trying my best to stay on the sweet-side of ‘How would a teenager *actually* deal with this’ whenever I write the plot and lines for my characters. I go a little outlandish from time-to-time for the fun of it, but I like the idea the girls being relatable ‘ordinary’ people who are trying figure out their lot in life. I suppose this is me trying to make the comic a ‘slice of life’ story while still keeping it magical and adventurous. Than again, maybe not 🙂
Well, in my experience, the way people react to something from the spirit realm invading their lives varies a lot. A lot of people will run away from it as fast as they can. I had a couple of close friends in college who disappeared and I never heard from them again when the weirdness factor got too high for them. Some people will convince themselves that it’s all just a figment of their imagination and ignore it. Some people decide that they’re dealing with angels and/or devils, and turn to Christianity.
For people who embrace the spirit realm, there’s often a sense of wonder and discovery. Sort of like if you suddenly have a talent for a musical instrument that you’d never been able to play before. And you can have a sense of spiraling revelation, like you’re solving a hard puzzle and you can feel that you’re getting closer and closer to the end. There isn’t actually any big revelation at the end though, it just sort of gradually becomes normal and everyday. This can all be pretty scary, too. For a lot of people having to accommodate the spirit realm in their worldview is pretty difficult. There can also be a sense of loss of control, like the old rules you used to live your life by have suddenly been repealed and you haven’t figured out what the new rules are.
I guessing that’s why you like Aoife then, given that she approaches ghosts with wonder instead of fear 🙂
I gotta say, I’m liking this story so far. And this new character is intriguing.
I’m really glad you are enjoying yourself, and thank you for reading through the whole archive so far! 😀
I’m also hoping that you’ll like Áine. She’s going to be around for the rest of the comic, and I hope everyone likes her in the end.