Latest Page Discussions/Comic Update Chitchat

[Róisín]

Yeah, no wonder Onni is....as he is.

[Grade E cat]

Well, Onni is just as closely related to Saku as Lalli is.

While I'm here, I'd like to point out that Saku was Ensi's father, so chances are that he was a either a "carrier" of the allele that make people immune when they have two copies, or outright immune (the latter option is the one I find the most hilarious). On the other hand, I do have that headcanon according to which "carriers" are the ones who turn into trolls and the full-on non-immunes are the ones who die.

Also, totally a Kalma myself. I need to blow my nose if I tear up even just a little (and I'm Onni-grade trigger happy in that domain) or if I leave/enter a heated building if it's less than ~13°C (55°F) outside.

[thorny]

Anybody else wonder whether portions of that info page are a reaction to current reasons to object to people sneezing/dripping in public?

[wavewright62]

Anybody else wonder whether portions of that info page are a reaction to current reasons to object to people sneezing/dripping in public?

XD I think Minna came up with the creatures ages ago, as she writes her story well ahead of drawing it, BUT I agree that her droll commentary is likely a reaction!

[Purple Wyrm]

I have a headcanon that Mikkel penned his memoirs after these expeditions, but skewed somewhat to cast himself in a more favourable light and liberally laced with 'true stories,' while ignoring the role of magework.  This memoir became the prevailing reference document for histories of the events. 

Spoiler: shameless self promotion irrelevant to the thread • show

I've made fanworks extrapolating artworks produced in the future, based on these memoirs.  Copenhagen has been resettled and is flush enough with cash to indulge in rediscovering cultural forms.
There is an opera,
and a version of the Nutcracker ballet.

Jumping back a bit (I'm just catching up with this thread) this was a major influence on the Museum Guide I put together for the advent calendar - particularly the idea that the Danish view of the expedition might not quite match up with the reality

[wavewright62]

Gosh, cows bedecked with flowers are the very picture of gentle peaceful summer, aren't they?  Seriously, I've been a Minnion long enough to give the herd the side-eye, waiting for them to become a deadly threat.

Have we ever considered whether horseflies and such are a vector for the Rash?  Minna confirmed that mosquitoes are not, but I'm thinking about horseflies gouging at your skin. Their saliva may not be able to transmit the Rash, but what about them infesting the herd of beast cows, then plaguing (literally) Reynir's poor neck with their icky feet trampling all over the spot they've just gouged?

[Mebediel]

Have we ever considered whether horseflies and such are a vector for the Rash?  Minna confirmed that mosquitoes are not, but I'm thinking about horseflies gouging at your skin. Their saliva may not be able to transmit the Rash, but what about them infesting the herd of beast cows, then plaguing (literally) Reynir's poor neck with their icky feet trampling all over the spot they've just gouged?

That's an unpleasant possibility. I guess if they haven't bitten any of the beast cows (since trolls = toxic, and consuming trolls seems to = death), then their feet seem like a pretty likely vector...although if Reynir's skin is unbroken, then would they be able to infect him? Also, should he be washing his neck, then? Hygiene doesn't seem like an extremely possible thing at the moment.

[Vulpes]

[...]
Have we ever considered whether horseflies and such are a vector for the Rash?  Minna confirmed that mosquitoes are not, but I'm thinking about horseflies gouging at your skin. Their saliva may not be able to transmit the Rash, but what about them infesting the herd of beast cows, then plaguing (literally) Reynir's poor neck with their icky feet trampling all over the spot they've just gouged?

Eugh, that is an unsettling possibility. I think Meb makes a good point, the flies probably wouldn't want to bite anything trollified. And if they're not biting them, I imagine they wouldn't be crawling around on them, either.

Is the troll itself infective? That is, if a fly were to walk on a troll and then on a non-immune with a deep enough cut, could they actually transmit the disease? Or is it only from internal fluids of whatever sort, in which case unless the troll is... uh... leaking, it's unlikely a visiting fly would pick anything up?

I'm voting for flies avoiding trolls... I was going to write "like the plague" but that's a bit redundant, isn't it?

[wavewright62]

Gross stuff about flies etc under the cut:

Spoiler: show

Chthulhund had 'worms' in her eyes, but they could just as easily have been maggots. 
Flies are immune to the Rash and other such diseases, and in fact often thrive on decay.  Most beasts have lots of spots 'leaky' enough for a fly's taste, and let's face it, they ain't picky about what they liquify.  Also, trolls make ideal candidates for blowflies looking for hosts for laying their eggs, moist, meaty(ish) and who probably are unlikely to take measures to repel them or kill the eggs. 
Horseflies tend to take out small chunks of flesh (at least, some species do, I used to suffer in Michigan), therefore effecting a break in Reynir's skin suitable for pathogens to enter. 

[thegreyarea]

Wave, you're right, it's really gross! I'll stay with Vulpes and imagine that insects avoid anything infected by the rash (and the ones in Chthulhund's eyes were a kind of rash specific worm that lives just in rash beasts). After all if insects were to be vectors for the disease it would be almost impossible for any community to survive outside islands.

[Róisín]

Minna has in the past said that they are not vectors in the sense that mosquitoes are, but whether that applies to open wounds and dirty feet, as for horseflies, I cannot say.

[JoB]

(and the ones in Chthulhund's eyes were a kind of rash specific worm that lives just in rash beasts)

[decides that "The Book of JoB" shall actually be about the lifeforms that have evolved into the ecological niche of Rash-infested mammal bodies - remember, those are taken out of the hands of the usual parasites and detritivores - and their special adaptations therefor]
[orders half a dozen of the really paranoid hazmat suits to do the research with]

[thegreyarea]

[decides that "The Book of JoB" shall actually be about the lifeforms that have evolved into the ecological niche of Rash-infested mammal bodies - remember, those are taken out of the hands of the usual parasites and detritivores - and their special adaptations therefor]
[orders half a dozen of the really paranoid hazmat suits to do the research with]

That's a nice... humm, maybe not the best word to describe it. Let's say fascinating theme, but how the Known World would live in Y95 without the technological aspects that made "the book" so famous? Maybe we should change the title to "JoB's Encyclopedia" and the other eleven volumes would be in the other bookshelf*
Since Rash creatures have a peculiar talent to dig things (like a train metallic roof), maybe it's better to play extra safe and order one of those robots used to manipulate explosives at distance...

* please note that no irony was used in this post.

[Vulpes]

Ah, I'd forgotten Chthulhund's eyes... hm. I tend to agree with grey, seems to me that if things like deer flies and blow flies were effective vectors, nobody would have survived beyond year 5, certainly not anyone without immunity, and it'd be a massive problem for everyone if people kept getting infected by flies. You just can't avoid them! And black flies - those take a surprising chunk out of you considering their size, and I'm sure they're as abundant in northern Europe as they are in Canada. See https://youtu.be/f389hIxZAOc.

[thorny]

I like how Kitty is the first to take advantage of rain shelter.