3.13

Getting up in some faces 8D

There is a big blue button right there, you might have noticed it. This month you can click on it daily to see sketches, WIPs and other stupid/fun things. You can also collect letters to unscramble the word that will hook you up with the secret wallpaper for Chapter 3. First letter, along with my very first drawing of Soli from 10 years ago, is posted up there now, so go take a look :)

Gonna try for another page this week… see you later!

77 Comments

  • ampquot

    Those fingers! :D Characters in this chapter are so much more cartoony than those in chapter 2.

  • Blunderbuss

    I am loving the lighting in these latest comics. LOVING THEM SO MUCH.

    And that original picture of Soli … wow. Um, wow. I really gotta wonder how Soli changed from Anime Catgirl to Gunslinging Illiterate Badass.

  • Carol

    Hey, you invented the Na’vi!

    I like the Soli, much, much better. :)

  • jmaccabeus

    Guess he should have made some copies.

    And as for the vote picture, in the words of _The Princess Bride_: “Dear god what is that thing”? :p

  • Weiser

    Plunder boy makes a good point lately.

  • Tazzy

    D:

    I am trying to vote but I can’t! I get an error page. There is a contact page linked in the error page, but when I click that I get the same thing. The same thing happens for other webcomics I try to vote for!

    Is the whole TWC site down or is this a vendetta against me

    • Emma D

      I’m getting that too D:

    • Enchiladas

      I have the same thing too!

  • speearr

    I’m getting the error page too @TWC.

    Anyway, you’re making me feel really sympathetic for the old guy…

  • kittengrl39

    … I have to say I’m siding with Gramps on this one. I don’t care if Soli is the protagonist of this chapter or not, you do NOT mess with books. Not on my watch.

    • meh.aloe

      I agree completely… But protagonists in this comic aren’t always nice people, as the last chapter proved. :P

      • Well...

        I thought chapter 2 was the introduction of the antagonist.

  • I have to agree with Soli’s point, though; If only one copy of a book exists, you don’t loan it out (especially to crazy old men in the middle of nowhere), at least not until you have made a copy.

    (TWC is still down as of 10:15 CST; I guess there are so many Meek fans that we broke the site!)

    ;)

  • StephenM3

    I’m getting the picture that this is NOT a “crazy old man living in the middle of nowhere,” but rather a researcher who lives here for a specific purpose. He’s probably doing studies that have to do with the giant broadcasting tower next to his shack, which possible require this sort of isolation. The royal library would have lent him those books because he is the sort of person who needs, and writes, those books. Cutting-edge research and whatnot. Soli’s setting back the progress of technology by a decade. Fun!

  • Red Leaves

    Wow. Soli is a real jerk. I would have at least told the old fellow:

    “Look, sorry, but I need these books in my quest for vengeance. However, once my need for them is at an end, I’ll have them mailed back to you/to the Royal Library at the first opportunity.” Or something along those lines.

    I mean, if there are broadcast towers, I am sure that this is a modern-enough world that a reliable courier service exists in one form or another. Perhaps a Caris or Pasori equivalent of Western Union?

    • Pneumonica

      Given the degree of literacy skills possessed by the pair, I’m pretty sure they don’t need the books at all. They might just be out here earning a dime. When you’re on an epic quest for revenge, a hired gun is a pretty good back-up calling.

      • I thought the same

        If they were on a quest for revenge, they would be brooding and obsessive. These two don’t take things too seriously. The first scene shows that they don’t want the book for themselves therefore it’s probably a service for someone else for monetary gain.

        • Red Leaves

          Well, at the point that Soli stuck her gun in the face of a defenseless elderly man, I certainly thought she was being serious. While her sidekick seems to be a rather fun-loving, snot-nosed kid, she on the other hand has a cold hardness to her. Just because she does not appear to be an angst-ridden girl, and listening to the Caris-equivalent of Nine-Inch-Nails does not mean she couldn’t be a stone-cold killer when the chips are down.

          • That's true

            I never said she wasn’t a killer. She could very well be. Being a thief, she lacks a moral compass which is demonstrated through breaking and entering and robbery. But her motivation is definitely not one for vengeance. When a person plans and obsess about killing someone for revenge it permeates through their entire waking existence. That person can’t move forward until that hatred is quelled. Soli appears collected enough to make jokes.

      • Red Leaves

        I wouldn’t be so sure, because the two seem to be semi-literate, not totally illiterate, and Soli can definitely read and right, albeit at a fifth-grade level.

        Further, if they are book thieves, why steal books out in the middle of nowhere? I mean, sure they may be rare, but who on Earth are they going to fence the books to? I cannot imagine there being such a high demand for books in the wasteland that they would make a great deal of money selling them.

        Heck, in the middle of a desert, they would probably make far more money disassembling the broadcast tower and selling it for parts, or hocking the old fellow’s telescope.

        • Pneumonica

          That’s why I’m figuring they’re hired by someone. Making ends meet by doing odd jobs.

          Also, @Red Leaves: I think she wasn’t so much “sticking it in his face” as “waving it around casually”. She’s being really laid back about the hostage situation.

          • Red Leaves

            Well, in the comic a couple panels back, Soli did literally jam her gun into the old guy’s nose.

            I guess it makes sense that she might be hired by someone; probably a major bibliophile. I’ll grant you that Soli doesn’t seem to be the bookish-type of woman, and probably wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble to find these rare volumes if they were not integral to some part of her plan.

    • I am loving this discussion… I’ll let the story speak for itself, but in the meantime these are some good ideas XD

  • Felix

    ….TWC is broken for me, too. D:

  • Marbles

    The Big Blue Button™ is misbehavin’. :c Must’ve fallen victim to the avalanche of Meek fans.

    Also, two comics in a row = MAJOR happiness! How do you crank out pages like these at such a pace?! (Like, when real life isn’t being problematic :p)

    • Haha, the TWC site is down! Hopefully it’ll be back up again soon.

      And this page had a lot of text/ not much drawn detail, so it went faster… I’m also getting more excited since the action is coming, so that also helps my resolve XD

      • Marbles

        Welp, it’s working now and I have to say… The letter I? I am intrigued!

        Also Catwoman. o.o Anyone else reminded of those cat girls off Escaflowne?

  • Neo

    Yeah, TWC is down, but I saw the incentive last night I think. The old version of Soli .. :P

  • Pneumonica

    Much as I disagree with Soli, I do think a couple bodyguards would be in order.

    Or is a mobster going to charge in the door with a gun about now? XD

  • Saria

    Soli looks a tad different now

    • Juuust a little bit

      • nomad

        eh, i don’t see it ;)

  • I think this guy would be especially freaked out if he saw what she did with her own notes just a short while ago. XD

  • Mia

    More X’D

  • Did you intend for that to be “Granpa”? Or… could it possibly be a typo?

    Anyway, agreeing hardcore on the lighting praise. I can’t get enough of your art ahhh :)

  • A catgirl? Are you sure they’re the same character? xD

    I love the third panel. It has a definite hot and dusty feel to it, which is awesome.

    • :C It’s so embarrassing, ahaha.. you can see where she got the face tats though, and the long blonde hair…

    • amadre

      hey, hey, you never know. Soli’s never taken off her boots yet in front of us; she may still have some heel-spikes.

      (p.s. Dearest alexds1 if heel-spikes are in her future I will be both horrified and exultant)

  • forgotten cake

    Gramps reminds me of this one actor, I don’t know his name and can’t seem to remember any movies he was in… He had kind of a nasally voice. Or maybe I’m just crazy. But I imagine old dude with the same voice as that actor. xD

    Anyway, if there’s ever a Meek movie, it’d be awesome to have that guy play this guy. You know, if the actor even exists. …

    • Pneumonica

      Do you mean Gabby Hayes? He fits the description, but he’s also been dead for forty years.

      • Syhkane

        Wallace Shawn seems to be more like it.

    • For me...

      Gramps reminds me of Happosai from Ranma 1/2. I don’t think it was intentional and that most old people tend to look like this.

  • Martini

    I actually feel really sorry for the old man! I wanna give him a hug :(

  • Aside

    Perhaps this has been said before, but what good is that face mask when Soli has that blue tattoo under her eye? In fact, the face mask makes her even more memorable for later identification simply because it leaves her most distinctive facial feature one of the few of those that remain visible, letting any observers fixate on it.

    It makes me wonder if this will be a plot point later, or if Soli will blissfully and ignorantly avoid any possible related trouble out of sheer luck.

    • Red Leaves

      Perhaps the eye mark is very common from the part of Caris she is from.

  • Meirnon

    That vote incentive was purrrtty furtastic. :P

    Middle school drawings or something?

    • I wish :C Junior year in highschool.

  • Flamma Man

    A cat girl? Hahaha, I guess we all have to start somewhere, right?

    Also-HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, THE COMIC IS ALREADY IN THE TOP FIVE!

    @ Aside

    I chalked it up to them being in the desert and wearing them for some slight protection from the sun and the occasional sand storms.

    Also, the tattoo isn’t that noticeable, it just looks like a blue line under her eye.

    At least it doesn’t bug me all that much.

  • FIFI

    I am SO glad Soli has developed into the person she is today. XDD

  • wandering-dreamer

    Woooooooohhhooooo, so Soli originally looked like Umi from Magic Knight Rayearth with some Navi thrown in? It’s a nice drawing anyway but man, it’s so different!

  • Kass

    I’m so sorry for you. XDD
    At least my protagonist is the far less shameful “I played Knights of the Old Republic one summer and it was the best game in existence so I started drawing OCs.”

  • Red Leaves

    @ That’s true

    Well, Soli’s bio in the Cast page says, and I quote:

    “Soli Areni has got a job to do, and that job is to kill her ex-boyfriend. With help from her talented 12-year-old side- kick, she might be able to gather enough resources to find the bastard and finish him off once and for all.”

    You might be right, and it might not be vengeance-related at all. However, I assumed the reason she’s out to kill her ex is out of revenge. Maybe she’s a hired assassin who is a total sociopath, and will track down and kill anyone as long as the price is right. Perhaps her ex-boyfriend just came up on the bounty list, and she said “sorry, old darling. It’s nothing personal. Just business.” On the other hand, if that were true, and were she that cold-hearted, she probably would have killed the old guy without a second’s hesitation.

  • StephenM3

    I have a feeling that the mysterious ex-boyfriend in her character description is actually someone very notable to the larger plot. Which means that her motivation for hunting him down might have more to do with who he is and what he’s doing, than personal revenge or straight business.

    It’s not too far of a stretch to imagine Soli as a sort of anti-hero vigilante character, or at the very least someone hired to take out a genuinely bad guy, who she also happened to have dated once.

  • Fleece

    I love how likeable that old man is. And why before these pages came out were everyone so sure that Soli is some noble emphatic hero?? O_o Seriously, we had no evidence on that (besides the sole fact that she´s the protagonist (just like Luca, who, you know…<_< )).

    • Red Leaves

      Indeed. I am rather looking forward to getting back to Angora. At least she has the mark of the truly heroic about her, and is also rather likable (even if she acts rather borderline with her florakinesis). Not that I mind :).

      Luca, while he is a compelling character, is compelling in the same way that Ivan The Terrible, or King Edward the Longshanks were compelling figures. And as much as they were good family men (both men loved their wives immensely), and as interesting as they were, they were still bloodthirsty killers.

  • wandering-dreamer

    Erm, I looked at the picture for day two but I don’t see any letters (well, other than the writing) on it, am I doing something wrong?

    • No, there isn’t a letter for every day XD Otherwise it’d be a pretty long word.

      • Raptorbane

        Or perhaps a sentence |D Lack of a letter could be a space!

        I see your elaborate ruse.

      • wandering-dreamer

        Ahhhh, I hadn’t even thought of that. XD

  • BentKatana

    Oh damn, I am lovin’ Soli! Too bad I missed the “cat girl” Soli, hopefully someday I’ll see it, lol. Horray for collecting letters and general Meekery! :3

  • fox-orian

    I believe those are the smallest irises and pupils in the comic to date.

    • Yeah they are. I’m trying to make his eyes as bulgy as possible O_O

  • caris

    lolol at the old soli.
    Sigh. :)
    I’ve missed your vote incentives. Always my favorite vote incentives of the many comics I follow. Welcome back (if only temporarily).

    • Thank you XD And as always, your name/ username is very fitting for this comic!

  • Soli is a dick :C

  • Lokin

    Omg,what an awesome armor…xD

    I like how much of a sadist Soli is…or is she?Well,that’s what she appears to me anyway~~

    And I hope I didn’t missed any letter,cause I haven’t been here for a while…hur hurr~~~

  • Emma D

    I don’t see any letters on the vote page D:
    I really want that wallpaper :( Can someone tell me where on the page they are please?

    • They show up every other day, since the word isn’t a dozen letters long :B If you’ve been voting since the start of the month you should already have some.

      • Emma D

        Oh, I started on the second so I must of missed one.
        I’ll see if I can piece together the word from what I can find then.
        Thankyou for the help~!

  • ampquot

    I just noticed… The old guy is tied up, but that’s pretty ineffective bondage, leaving his forearms and hands free like that.

  • Oh man are you doin QnA for the incentives now?
    I want to know when Rana is going to tell her dad we eloped :C

  • Marion

    Oh Soli, Soli, Soli…. We already saw that you have no respect for the written word and a damn near illiterate, but you’re revealing yourself as a vulgar yobbo, here.

    If you’re going to rob a scientist of his life’s work, please have the courtesy to appreciate its value.

    I can’t stand ignorant people and I don’t care how ‘cool’ or ‘misunderstood’ they are. A yobbo is a yobbo.

  • Maria

    I love this comic. Every time there’s a new update it makes my day. The way the expressions and characteristics is made is simply hilarious! The characters make me smile and laugh time after time, and the colouring. Oh my! It’s so professional!
    – I have one question though, and don’t make a fuss about it or anything. I love Soli, it’s an amazing character! But I’m so horribly confused by the comments where Soli is often represented as a HE, but I thought it was a SHE. It’s not to offend you! OF COURSE NOT! It’s just, I kinda want to be sure, since I’m so confused by it.
    So… Is Soli a guy or a girl? :)

    Love the comic, and will keep on reading!

    • Soli is a girl :) She just happens to have a long-ish face, and doesn’t dress very provocatively (but given her line of “work” I guess that’s understandable)

  • blix

    D:_> I’m not fanarting you, you brat.

  • SotiCoto

    When I thought they were just robbing generic resources from the guy, I was pretty much all behind the endeavour.

    But the very thought of them destroying original research on a whim is bringing me very close to hating these characters. There can be no forgiveness for setting back the cause of science.

  • AFritzFan

    I really don’t like Soli

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