XTIN: The Dragon's Dreamworld (NSFW)

[JeremyRay]

Hey when i read you stuff i got these songs in mind check them out :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM89MhLtPJo <-------- mypollux
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agXxGL_-QeQ<------- Downthesun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEOPyD6ye8Q&ob=av2e <-----Dagoba
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S97oUM_fjs8 <-------Eths
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-enU...eature=related <--------Kells feat Candice of Eths
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anbrb2u9GYI&ob=av2e <--------------------- Mudvayne Happy!?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJojO8gNunI <-------In Flames
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS_u70jaNXE <---------36 Crazyfist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2ZRy71vivk <------------Gazette
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emb2LG3o1hk <------Graveworm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sFY7...eature=related <---------Black Bomb A.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Qugtp90NU <----------------The Cumshots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3H6GpbCexM <------------Betray my Secrets.

It's metal, but there's a lot of positive energy going on. It's like you're winning, or at least have a chance.

A Troubled Resting Place is what I recommend reading XTIN too. The first track especially invokes a barbaric world where you know you'd better keep your head down because whoever runs the place has a full dungeon of torture victims.

Decay, Alex - I've been at it for a long time too. Why oh why did comics have to crash in the 90's?

[JeremyRay]

Hey, this guy's in the wrong movie -



I'm excited about Prometheus but this guy has me worried! He'd better have the other half of his head!

On IMDB they're saying this is a new alien species, and they don't like seeing such a human looking species in the Alien universe. I agree. Please Ridley, don't let this be what a living Space Jockey looks like when he's not grown onto his chair!

On another topic, I found this to be noteworthy -

"Transgender Soccer Player Leads American Samoa Team To First-Ever Win"

http://bit.ly/vCU3bH

This is the first time I've seen a biological male, with no intention of transitioning to female that I'm aware of, referred to as "transgender."

I can understand the logic of expanding the definition of "female" to include people with biologically female brains, born in male bodies. I've seen it mentioned that this is a medically recognized condition. I'd classify myself as very ignorant on the subject, but it seems possible.

I'm not sure expanding the definition of transgender to include Fa'afafine, on the other hand, makes sense. What is female about Fa'afafine? According to Wikipedia, they are biological males who are perceived to be "effiminate" as children, and so are raised to perform traditional, conservative female roles.

Wait a minute - wouldn't accepting Fa'afafine as a legitimate idea, mean accepting the idea of "proper" social roles for women and men? If the woman can be in the office and the man can be in the kitchen, how can there be Fa'afafine?

Another thing to consider- wouldn't expanding transgender to include Fa'afafine, alter the definition of female so that it becomes a state of mind? And if so, doesn't that put us back to associating sex with specific mental or emotional traits? I was born as a male, in body and mind, but if I should feel dainty and delicate, would I be a woman? Because women are supposed to be dainty and delicate?

It will be curious to see if how much traction the idea of Fa'afafine gains. There is a movement to get away from the idea of two sexes, and redefine sex as a specturm with absolute male and absolute female on each end, so perhaps Fa' afafine could be adopted.

[maniacmatt]

Definitely not my thing genre wise, but hot damn, your artwork is beautiful. Awesome work.

[JeremyRay]

A little late but this one needed more time to cook. And it still needs more time, some of the writing feels clunky. I may make a few changes in the future, since this is one of the more critical pages.

Anyway, I hope you found my explanation for the naguil to be more cool than midichlorians. How can you not love powers based on space dragon sex?

There is more to it, Rau isn't using radio in the Yuga period, but this is essentially how the body naguil works.

maniacmatt - I get that a lot.

The next book won't be as heavy.

[JeremyRay]

[Scurlogg_Hawkk]

It's metal, but there's a lot of positive energy going on. It's like you're winning, or at least have a chance.

A Troubled Resting Place is what I recommend reading XTIN too. The first track especially invokes a barbaric world where you know you'd better keep your head down because whoever runs the place has a full dungeon of torture victims.

Decay, Alex - I've been at it for a long time too. Why oh why did comics have to crash in the 90's?

Yes mate you are right about this maybe the next time i pick song i will try to find the ones with the more brutal vibe to it .


Happy new year's eve mate . I hope u bring us more of this wonderfull creepy ,crazy, insane world of yours .


Peace .

[JeremyRay]

The art load was light, but writing Professor Rau is challenging.

According to Wikipedia, the question of how life began is still up in the air. Rau doesn't exactly know either, he's just making his best guess.

I've been giving more thought to where to go with this, once TDDW is done. I reread the comic again last night (it takes a long time now!), and the beginning feels amateurish compared to chapters 3 and 4. Having so little dialogue hurts it. I feel like the next book will be much better. It won't be as horrific, it'll have people who are much more normal. But, years ago I saw Warren Ellis commenting on Red, and he said something to the effect that there was no reason to do comics without going to film. I've got a better idea how little print comics make now, and I have to agree with Mr. Ellis. TDDW was designed for easy low budget film making. The next one probably won't be. I think I want to take a break between comics and try to get at least the first page of TDDW made, and see what kind of response it generates. Instead of updating again this week, I'm going to finish the graphics on Concept and Film. Then I'll mix updating this site with updating C&F. Rau's dragon form could stand to be improved, for starters.

Any thoughts?

Scurlogg_Hawkk - I tend to tune out most of the tracks on "A Trouble Resting Place." The first track, "The Simorgh Sleeps on Velvet Tongues," fits XTIN the best. I've got a short track written by a professional sound designer which fits it best of all, but it's not long enough to read the comic too.

[Scurlogg_Hawkk]

Mate ,i have this question for you .Is Xtin your confort zone ? What kinda genres you will never do no matter the paychecks ?

[JeremyRay]

Scurlogg_Hawkk - If I started making a list, there's a lot of things I wouldn't be involved with. Anything meant to spread hate - I've got swastikas in my comic but they're not Nazi swastikas. I wouldn't draw anything intentionally meant to harm or degrade Jews, or others.

I don't personally have a problem with the porno but it might cause me difficulty in real life if I became known for drawing it.

I haven't decided whether I would draw the Prophet Mohammed or not yet. The only reason I'd want to draw him is because some dudes think they can tell me not to.

[Scurlogg_Hawkk]

I saw the swastika when i read you work but if you are not looking for it you can't see it .About the porno many old comic-book creator had done pron for a money but they have used monikers

[JeremyRay]

125 pages!

I planned to update Concept & Film today, but I've messed up the new hard drive and/or Linux install. I set up an overnight Terragen 2 render and habitually turned off my UPS's, leaving the laptop on battery power. I don't understand why running the battery down turned out to be such a big deal, but now the new Linux install is too slow to do anything with. At least the battery charged back up. For a while it didn't look like it was going to. I'll probably be able to figure out what's wrong the new Linux install, but at the moment I've got no idea. I got tired of messing with it this morning, put the old hard drive back in and drew this page. Sometimes you need an easy win.

Jake Estrada wrote a positive review of XTIN @ ComicBookClash -

http://bit.ly/ypsygT

It's weird seeing XTIN on the same page as the X-Men and Batwoman (if you go to the front page of the blog and catch it before it scrolls off). There are a few corrections that need to be made (like my name) but I'm very pleased to get such a great review. I figured XTIN was more likely to end up on the bad webcomics wiki.

A few pages back I wrote that a possible explanation for transgenderism is that the brain was formed with a different sexual orientation than the body. While apparently that is the position/opinion of some transgendered people, there are others who object to it -

http://bit.ly/xtba3R

I'm not out to offend or be hurtful to anyone who isn't causing me a problem. I think this question of identity is really interesting. If Stephen Beatty doesn't believe there's a biological reason why he is male, why is he male? Where does it come from?

Eventually technology will make it possible for us all to be immortal shapeshifters - but will we be allowed to be immortal shapeshifters? What degree of body modification will society allow? How much of your self-perceived identity can you compel others to accept, and act around? I see this as a question the trans community is on the bleeding edge of.

Scurlogg_Hawkk - Too many social tools these days. The only way you could stay anonymous is if your work was so bad no one cared.

[jerisum1]

I stumbled across XTIN because of a link on another webcomic and proceeded to read it with increasing disgust and horror. I kept reading in hopes that it would make sense and/or develop into something I would enjoy rather than just more gore. While I applaud the artist's skill, despite that this subject matter and story doesn't appeal to me and left me rather revolted (and wondering what sort of nightmares the artist must have to produce this story) I don't understand why this story had to be told. Excuse my presumption for questioning why the artist chose to exercise his talents in this manner but other than for gross-out purposes, why write and draw this? I, personally, found it not only grotesque but depressing as it is without hope of any sort of uplifting conclusion, no chance of a hero to wipe out the dragons and stop the slaughter, although what the dragon could do that was worse than what Sima did is beyond me! So that leaves me asking what was/is the point? All of these pages but no emotional payoff for me as a reader in having a turning point to the story...just more gore. Understood, the artist/writer doesn't have to please me, only himself (or herself) and I commend anyone for working so hard to produce something and putting it online; clearly it takes a lot of commitment and hard work to have done so. It just seems such a great talent could be used in a manner that would draw me in, not gross me out! Still, individual preferences etc. Good luck and sweet dreams...and I mean that sincerely! :)

(I am a middle-aged woman, and I usually prefer webcomics such as Sinfest, Girl Genius, Looking For Group, Least I Could Do, KODT, Liberty Meadows, Nodwick/PS238, Order of the Stick, and books by Terry Pratchett, Simon Green, Jasper Fforde, Christopher Moore, just to name a few.)

[Scurlogg_Hawkk]

I think he has some wicked plan in he's head.

[JeremyRay]

jerisum1 - Here's a couple examples of the kind of reality nightmares I have -





These are from photographer James Nactwey's book "Inferno" (More about James Nachtwey here Link). It's filled covered to cover with corpses dead and living, and living people who have been driven insane by the third world.

Where were the super heros for these guys? Who saved the day for those skeletons? It didn't happen. Forces existed which were too big for them to fight. They suffered and died, with little understanding of what was happening to them, and less chance of fighting it.

The people and the hero characters in XTIN (Sina III and High Priestess Avatea) don't stand a chance, and get wiped out. They sacrifice hard to save the people, but they don't understand what's going on. The heroic actions they make are made in an irrelevant direction. They don't understand, it's beyond their comprehension.

Sina IV is, for a while, the main bad guy in the story, but she was made to be what she is. Along with hundreds of thousands or millions of other Queens just like her, any of which could take her place and be just as bad.

Sina IV is the product of a system, which eventually kills her too. The dragons are worse because they are the living incarnation of that system. They are the reason why, given form. What makes this a horror story, besides the blood and gore, is that they can't be killed, and if they could be, the existance of humanity descends from their existance. If a hero came along who could kill them, they'd be committing suicide, killing humanity, and all life everywhere. My thinking ATM is that the dragons can't be defeated, although the next books (TDDW is just a long prologue), if they happen, will probably be about trying. I'm not sure I can beat the system back enough to get them made however.

[Scurlogg_Hawkk]

Mate i was wondering will you ever do a color page or the pages are strictly black and white