Nothin' personal, o' course ...

[Matt]

Interesting update! In saying, "All these years ... I never could. Always wanted to though", I wonder if Tychia was hinting that she wasn't fully doing things of her own free will and had contemplated suicide ... or is she saying that she wanted to end Claudius the same way he just ended her? This is not the ending for Tychia I would have anticipated.

I can't help but feel some regret that we (perhaps) aren't going to learn more about our favorite bad-girl fairie - except through what Claude learns from others. We'll have to see if Tychia has more to do with our story (either first or second hand). :-)

Beautifully drawn update too!

Matt

[Ceridwen]

Well, she never struck me as someone who would have problems sending Claude to meet his maker if she had to. Seems to me more like she actually meant that she never had it in her to stab herself though apparently she's been wanting to for a long time. She hasn't really known about Claudius long enough to call it 'all these years'. Least she hasn't tried to snuff him for long enough to refer to that period in such terms. Besides, I think it becomes way more interesting if you interpret it the other way since it does imply a far less sinister side to her and what appears to have been a long-lasting wish for a freedom she hasn't had.

And I'm with Matt on the art there. Beautiful! :D

[Francisco]

I suspect you're right on motivation but that wouldn't have broken the curse.

As to the timing, we don't know how many lives she meddled in (and how many times Claudius has been reincarnated). From the name I suspect it stems from Roman times but we don't know for sure.

[Two_Corgis]

We do know. This is Claude's tenth (and last) life. And he first died in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings.

[Francisco]

The fact that she still exists in spirit form means that she could still be part of the story.

[Sarah]

I agree with Ceridwen; I think there was slightly more than just hate and lust in this relationship. I mean, Claudius has been one of the few constants in Tychia's life on Earth over the past four hundred years, so I imagine it would be hard for her to off him - especially if he was a form of entertainment for her! Seriously, though, when she hasn't been hopping mad at him she has treated him in an almost jokey fashion, giving the general impression that she wants to kill him to further her own goals, not because of anything he's done to her in person.

And of course, this creates more intrigue about Tychia that may or may not be answered. How free was she in this matter? Did she really in her heart of hearts want to kill Claudius? Where is her spirit going now? Will she pop up at odd times to give advice, like Hopkirk?

Come on, she'd look good in a white suit...

[Marie]

Woah, great page ! Very beautiful and surprising !
I think she means that she never could actually kill Claudius, because suicide does'nt seem to be able to end the curse.
I loooove the last sentence. And now, we understand the chapter's title. ^^

I'm a bit sad there will be a hiatus, but this page is a great moment to pause. Quite the end of something, isn't it ?

[Matt]

Perhaps there is something to the "All these years ... I never could." idea if you consider that, at the beginning of this story, it was Brimaz she had wielding the spear to stab Claudius, not her. So, if Claudius is correct and the ONLY way for the curse to be broken was for him to die by HER her hand, or her by his ... then Brimaz doing her dirty work in the first chapter wouldn't have broken the curse and Claudius (I suppose) would have "returned" once again.

If one looks at it that way, assuming (since he's not 100% fairie) his body didn't dissipate jedi-style, she would have been free to then drag Claudius' body to Deimos (knowing all the while he'll reincarnate so she can snog him later), claim she did it herself, and achieve what she was after. Further, perhaps our Tychia had some true feelings for Claudius beyond lust, but couldn't express them because she was being driven by this curse (whatever it ends up being). Dunno.

Again ... pure speculation. :-) I was wrong on the whole "Claude just severed Tychia, he didn't kill her." idea ... so I'm sure I'm off here too.

Matt

[Barb Jacobs]

Hee...I always love it when a page inspires conversation and speculation- really didn't expect it with this page! ^_^

Thanks everyone for the nice comments on the art- I wasnt' very happy with it when it was done, but that's because of what I saw in my mind- it was much cooler. Ah, well!

What happens from here, well, I guess you shall just need to continue on with the story children.

Thanks so much!

~B