Happy Thursday, folks! :D

Okay, this one's drawing together a LOT of threads so I'll point them out for convenience, since I'm sure readers must have forgotten some (if not all) of these:

- 'Speedcaster' is first seen on this page.
- The page right after it sheds a little more light on 'True Imperia'. The A/N on this page tracks a lot of the relevant points in relation to it.
- In terms of why Briar was involved, this page hints on why.
- The historical tension between Imperia and Clandest is spoken of in the story of King Titus and the Dancer but tl;dr - Clandest used to be Imperian soil.
- As to what a 'dark disc' is, it's been mentioned just once in passing on this page...

Hopefully that should help illustrate a lot of what's happening on this page - I know there's a ton going on! Whew.

As a side-note, Mizu - the lovely creator of the fun and adorable Visual Diary of My Life - drew a response comic to this silly joke WIP from the last page, and... just... just read it XD Shipping has gone a whole new level with this and I'm just cracking up XDDD Thank you so much Mizu <333

Another shout-out to the interactive horror/adventure Blood is Mine, because one shout-out doesn't feel like enough. XD; It's such a fun story, and it updates every day, believe it or not. Please check it out if you haven't already! (Note the swearing/violence tags, though!) I'm a little behind on showcasing fanart (besides Mizu's XD), updating Patreon things and doing the other stuff I said I'd do; I apologise, and I'll try to get on it eventually. Just know that the pages are getting really labour-intensive so I'm pouring more time into paging than usual!

Alrighty, that's it from my end. Thanks loads for reading SF!! ;v;* I'll see you guys on Monday! <3 mjkj 17th Aug 2017, 6:03 PM edit delete reply So, Rose-brother Speedcaster is under the influence of something or somebody...

Uh-oh - is that (the equivalent of) a bomb...? =O

So, briar is also involved - I wonder what that defender is going to do about his son...

Laifen: Thorn of ice, pierce my foes that stand before

*lol* great one, Mizu <3 (*lol* Nemi, you really fluster Kylie there... =P ...and poor Cain is heartbroken, and jinny... *lol* <3 <3 <3)

Scia 17th Aug 2017, 10:37 PM edit delete reply
I think it'd be more accurate to say that Speedcaster is being manipulated. Even if he believes in the cause (which I think he might not), I don't think he wants to be involved this way.

Ophelia says a dark disc involves "a bloody battle between the summon and the mage." I've been assuming that "bloody" is literal and not being used just as slang. So I'm guessing it's something like subjugating a powerful demon, and as the two struggle for dominance, there's a physical/magical toll on each of them.

The poor kid seems terrified, and I think it's over using the dark disc. He might be the timid kind, but I think it's a clue of just how awful dark discs are.
rufiangel 21st Aug 2017, 3:52 PM edit delete reply @Scia: I'd say that's a pretty good read, Scia! ;D

It'll turn up in-comic eventually but yeah, one thing to note is that Fatal Rose losing to Kylie caused him to freak out a whole lot more for a particular reason... @mjkj: It's certainly going to bring quite a bit of impact! As for Sir Bradley and his son, they have some things they need to sort out, for sure. >_>
MST3KFan 17th Aug 2017, 6:13 PM edit delete reply Somebody's got them crazy eyes! O_o

Something tells me everyone might want to take cover here.
rufiangel 21st Aug 2017, 3:53 PM edit delete reply I'd say that something is a pretty good instinct, MST3K... :'D
Matt Knab 17th Aug 2017, 6:40 PM edit delete reply Eep, I get a "suicide bomber" vibe from this guy. :( That's a fairly apt vibe I'd say, Matt ;3;
Crestlinger 17th Aug 2017, 9:58 PM edit delete reply
When you remember your lines, but fudge the delivery.

Said disc is a Gate spell for one demon or a legion or has a singularity purpose. Either way it had quite the seal placed on it as indicated by the discarded wire and gem in the last panel.

Now what kind of a spell would Madou have to cast to make that fan art canon? (Because you know He would if anyone.) He definitely didn't quite say those lines the way he was meant to :'D

I'm happy you noticed the wire and gem seal! It's always a relief when the art manages to express something I didn't put into quite so many words. :')

As for what kind of spell Madou would have to cast, in that case... I don't want to know XDDD
Digi5 18th Aug 2017, 1:26 AM edit delete reply It was nice to re-read the "King Titus and the Dancer" story again. I'm thankful you took the time and effort to create links to relevant past pages!

Haha, that response comic by Mizu! XD

Blood is Mine is addicting. 8) You were right when you said it was engrossing! It took me a few pages to get into it, because I'm not into those "You wake up in a room"-type games, but I quickly got immersed in this story. By the time I realized I needed to take a break, half the day had gone by! ^^' ...Also, the fanart you did for it has inspired me to do another fanart for Serpamia Flare! :) Aww, thank you Digi! ;v;* I'm happy you found the link-backs useful! I'm happy to provide them. <3

(Mizu-rin's comic is great XD <3)

Now that you mention it, I think I was also a bit wary of that particular beginning, too. Once I got into it though, I was super into it! XD;; I'm glad you enjoyed the recommendation <3

I'm not sure which fanart you're referring to specifically, but if it inspired you to do SF fanart that's hugely delight-inducing XDD thank you, dear!! <3
megados 18th Aug 2017, 7:39 AM edit delete reply
Speedcaster seems very nervous, and possibly has a good idea what danger is in play here with this dark disc.
rufiangel 21st Aug 2017, 3:54 PM edit delete reply Good read, megados. -v- Speedcaster's definitely nervous and aware of what's about to happen... ;v;
DLKmusic 18th Aug 2017, 7:57 AM edit delete reply Ok, Jarvi, Pay up!!! I wanna spend my winnings BEFORE that Dark Disc kills us all!

What is it with mages in your world, Rufi? are ALL of them Batsh... err (Family friendly, dlk, family friendly) ...a cross between Gonzo and Daffy Duck? Ahahahaha XD welp, if it's all gonna go to heck in a bit, just run! :P

And heyyy XD; to be fair I haven't introduced that many mages, but they're not all cray-cray. Lenna certainly has her head on straight, as do Balzac and Ellis XD
CiciEnixa 18th Aug 2017, 12:49 PM edit delete reply If there was ever a scene that perfectly shows the fantasy equivalent to a radical group bent on wiping an entire city off a map for a "great cause", I think this would be that scene. Every speech bubble from Speedcaster I was muttering these little curse gasps. And this is just fiction but I knew things were getting pretty real, it just strikes all those chords, especially Speedcaster's own fear.

Despite it being a really bad thing, I would really like to see the summon for this Dark Disc. Will it be a scary fairy or something... bigger?

(Briar what have you dooone D:)

You did this page a little too frighteningly well, Rufi, just saying XD At least for me.

Lighter side note 1: Is the red piercing on his lip like Cain's earring? Could Cain have totally gotten a lip ring? XD
Lighter side note 2: I love that response strip, Mizu XDDD <3 ;v;*** Thank you Cici, I'm really really pleased to read your thoughts on this page! It's good to know that it feels real (though of course, I wish in this world we live in, we didn't have this sort of stuff really happening u_u) and I am relieved to know the dialogue works.

(I have a feeling you might like the summon, though we'll see XD)

In response to your question, yes, Cain could have totally gotten a lip ring XD
KAM 18th Aug 2017, 2:07 PM edit delete reply Duh duh duhhhhhhhhh! :-) Dramatic Gopher!
Jarvi 18th Aug 2017, 7:51 PM edit delete reply That's some nervous terrorist there :o He's definitely a 10 on the nervous scale :'D
Seabiscuit 19th Aug 2017, 8:10 AM edit delete reply S-something like a suicide bomber? D: D:
rufiangel 21st Aug 2017, 3:55 PM edit delete reply I think it's a fair comparison u_u
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