SPOILER ALERT – This is 100% PURE PREQUEL UPDATE SPOILER post. If you haven’t read it yet, don’t dare continue. Besides it wouldn’t make much sense to you.  I’ll stick a bunch of blank space and a little unrelated rant on my bad luck first before I get into it too much though.

here so you can go there:
http://prequeladventure.com

I just realized this post is List-Heavy. Owell.

That feel when you:

1. Record over an hour’s worth of narration for multiple chapters to get as much done as possible while you have the time.
2. Miss the best Prequel update ever. (well, I didn’t really miss it. Just didn’t see it till I was done recording.)
3. Go hoarse.
4. Stay up waaay too late.
5. Load up the recording and you had the mic too close and it’s full of breath pops.
6. Realize that it would be faster to re-record than try and fix them all.

Yes. That was me. Well, you live and you learn – and one of the things you learn is “Don’t put the microphone so friggin’ close”! (Or use a windscreen).

So… Good morning! Is this the best day evar? Why yes. Yes it is. Because the update is the best update evar. Why is it the best update evar you ask? Good thing you did so, because that’s what I want to talk about and Comments just won’t do it justice – plus I get to pontificate here without much chance of anyone refuting me.

First, the ‘best’ updates previously IMHO were:
1. Telekenesis Learned: http://www.prequeladventure.com/2014/07/katia-extrapolate/
Because Katia just achieved something she never thought she could do. And Aggy helped.

2. Second Fuckup: http://www.prequeladventure.com/2011/04/304/
Because it’s such a relatable situation. She knows better. All the voices in her head tell her no. But she’s hurting that bad.

Getting through dinner with the countess ranks high. Naked rained on Katia’s night in the chapel is up there. Gaius’ meeting with Vaermina. Imp murderboss. But I’d still say the above are the best. Till now. Because, at least in the arc since Sigrid has been involved, this is the climax. Now finally we know why Sigrid is such an asshole. We really know WHY.

Self-charmed. And it makes sense with the nondescript Sigrid that is seen in Oblivion. She’s no longer self-charmed. Totally didn’t see that coming, and it is the most perfect resolution to this arc I could have imagined. Coming up with that was pure genius in storytelling, even if it took years to get here.

As for the future, this COULD be the peak of the comic, but I see another villian on the horizon – faceless CairnCorp. But here’s some things that probably won’t happen. Sigrid won’t become bestest buddies with Katia, and she won’t share her gold with her. Katia’s character can’t win TOO much. We’ve still not figured out the nightmares either. But hey, one down it looks like! Woohoo!

Now, here’s some other reasons this is #1 Prequel update of all time. (Sorry Infiltrate. You didn’t even make the list, though you were fun as hell. But as for story progression, not so much.)

1. Multiple artists and styles.
I’m not sure that would work for most updates, but IMHO it really works here.
2. The countdown timer. Gives a sense of urgency. Hell I think I tried to read through it faster because of that. Something psycological going on there.
3. The back-and-forth betweein Katia and Sigrid is both funny and clever. When I finished, I had some questions, but after thinking about it, they don’t matter. Like the “Don’t Attack Me” footstomp. How? Doesn’t matter, it’s cool as hell.
4. That Dispel animation sequence. I both didn’t understand it, and yet understood it perfectly. Which is what any story involving magic damn well better do. You’ll never understand it, but it better have rules that make at least vague sense! Plus the smoothness is just… special.
5. Sigrid redeemable at the end. I have ALWAYS loathed the concept of villains who are evil for evil’s sake. There has to be some reason. Sigrid was never exactly evil – she just loaded up on charm spells so much she charmed herself.

Okay, now… frame breakdown! I’m not going to embarass myself by trying to guess who did which frames because I’d inevitably be wrong and feel… douchey.

#1 – Classic Kaz with the background. Love the glitchiness.  Can’t really quite make out what backgroud Katia is saying there, but I get the gist. Internal conflict.

#2 – Timer started. And that makes sense. Surely eating a bunch of imp gall can’t keep your charisma that high for long. 12 seconds sounds just about right.

#3 – First introduction of what I call Elmer Fudd Katia design. It’s okay. I like Elmer Fudd Katia. She’s cute. Also later on the style really plays off well against Evil Sigrid. And nice to see a Red Herring. Looks like that sword will serve no useful purpose. For now anyway.

#4 – Ah yes, the fabled Writing With A Foot Stomp. The lineless style has been seen before but it’s still effective for the coolness factor.

#5 – More Elmer Fudd Katia. The design works well to show desperation tough.

#6 – Sigrid still at full confidence level. This one looks like standard Kaz style.

#7 – Badass Katia style. Good to see it introduced so when she goes full badass later it’s not too jarring.  And the word says “PAP” by the way. “PAP”. Just in case you thought it said something else.

#8 – Katia Fail. Well, we can’t expect her every idea to be a winner.

#9 – Badass Katia, though not sure how she told Bones to do that, but obviously there’s some connection between them, evidenced by the sight thing, so close enough. I think I looked at this at least 5 times before I figured out “No Pen” though. I kept wanting to read “No Bien”

#10 – Humans love corn. There’s always some freshly cooked corn within easy reach that you can nibble on when you need it.

#11 – Now this one is the one that bothered me for a while. How is Katia “saying” No fancy enchanted clothes? I asked someone else and he was thinking eyebrow morse code. But now I think it’s simpler than that. Her expression is just saying “take your clothes off”.  I mean, compared to random corn and footstomp writing, that’s certainly reasonable! Also return of Elmer Fudd Katia.

#12 – If there was any doubt on how she is able to see, there is no longer.

#14 – (13 blank) – and the payof for Elmer Fudd Katia. Compare poor innocent Katia here, her charm run out and now totally vulnerable after all she’s done with…

#15 – The most badass Sigrid ever. Though they’re obviously Convenient Censorship, SLEEP fire letters are still best at conveying raw power. This is Galadriel’s Temptation level. Elmer Fudd Katia is doomed.

#16  – Switch to Sleepy Katia, but the style is still badass Katia. Obviously fighting the command but losing.

#18 – (17 blank). Awake again. Sigrid never said she had to STAY asleep. I figure she was out for a millisecond, to comply. Or it may be that Sigrid’s power wasn’t that strong anymore due to:

#19 – Note the text mentions “spell resistance” too. That’s important, because Katia blew the friggin head off a certain Imp Murderboss. She could do the same to Sigrid now. And that’s clear in the next frame.

#20 – Badass Katia realizing she could kill Sigrid outright. And she looks like she’s ready to do it too. Before…

#21 – The Katia style we know returns. The implication is that she’s fighting against the charm that Sigrid already mentioned, but I also like to think something in her said that Sigrid isn’t an Imp Murderboss, and Katia’s not a murderer. Good time to return to the Katia style we know too. She isn’t THAT Badass.

#22 – Katia realizes she can do something finally. The voices actually have ideas she can use.

#23 – Badass Katia is about to do something major. She’s confident. She can do this.

#24 – I’d love to analyze this one frame-by-frame. I have to assume this is Kaz’ work. The animation here is unbelievably smooth. This is a friggin 3 pages of text in a story summarized in a 9 second animation. I had to watch it a few times to catch everything that happened there. Bones and Tumblespider are gone. Not quite sure why Bones would be gone, but doesn’t matter. Magic is Dispelled. By the tail. I feel like I want to see the animation without the blue magic lines over the top. How is Katia holding onto the cage there? But again, not really important. Most Activated Katia Evar. Culmination of the culmination. Katia In Charge, if only for a second.

#30 – Remember round-head Katia? She’s BAACK. Perfect expression as usual. Stunned confusion. “What?”. Nekked Sigrid is nekked. Well yeah. But more importantly she’s not fighting anymore. She looks like she’s done.

#31 – Katia looks at Sigrid as if to say. “Yeah. After all that I’m still locked in this cage. What are you gonna do?” Sigrid looking away realizing something…

#32 – Redeemable Sigrid FTW.

There are certain things that are too obvious to even bother submitting a command for.  Someone WILL tell Katia to take Sigrid’s clothes and charms. They’re right there. Because some people will think we’re still fighting Sigrid. But those people are wrong. Katia should pick up the clothes and charms and hand them back to Sigrid. Who really shouldn’t put them back on if she realizes what has happened.

Although, I would dearly love to see what Katia looks like in Sigrid’s clothes.

Just once.

I’d been hoping for a change of outfit – but with Kaz’ new Hoodie of Grey Tomorrow, I’m afraid Katia is stuck in that thing for a while yet. 🙂