5th pentacle of Mars

And here’s the spell! Because we gotta know all the details about the magic! I decided to include the spells in the comic in a more graphic way, I hope you enjoy this page! I added the spell in the spellbook as well, but this has much more notes~

Next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/page-iii-77-hd-49896220
Next next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/50173477

Last week I told you that I’m done editing my novel, and this week I’m done with Historia’s backgrounds! I still have sprites and CGs to finish, but it’s a nice milestone so I feel accomplished haha. Those who follow Historia’s Patreon will get the final ones in the update sometime this week. And I already started brainstorming the next story… I was actually thinking about it for a while now but never tried to put the plot together or fill in the blanks. Now I moved to making notes and figuring out plot points. Normally, I don’t outline much. It’s too much work. But I want to try doing it this time around and see how it will affect my writing. We’ll find out~

By the way, I’m glad you guys are interested in the novel! I’ll be querying the literary agents sometime soon but if that doesn’t work out I’ll publish an ebook. I’ll keep you posted of course! Once it’s out, I’ll be spamming you with it for months 😉

And! Four more days and I’ll be taking 2 weeks off to take a break from coding and work on my writing instead. It will be Golden Week in Japan, a bunch of holidays grouped together, so I filled in the blanks and ended up with 2 weeks of holidays. Most people I know don’t want to take time off during the pandemic just to sit at home but I don’t have a problem with that hehe… I’m planning to rent an airbnb near the coast, take my writing and sketchbooks and live the dream for two weeks. If the next page is late, I’m either having too much fun or got lost while traveling!

17 comments on “5th pentacle of Mars”

JW April 18, 2021 Reply

“Not sure what it does yet (apart from making Laura glow red)”

Now I want to see a glow-in-the-dark Laura.

I guess, in a pinch, if you need a light, it might come in handy.
Sabreur April 18, 2021 Reply

I love these notes. They just scream “engineer”, only about magic instead of machines.
- HKMaly April 18, 2021 Reply
  
  After all, “Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science!”, as Agatha Heterodyne said.
  - Just_IDD April 19, 2021 Reply
    
    And that is just a reverse wording of either Arthur C. Clarke or Poul Anderson, probably Clarke.
    - Misty Jean April 22, 2021 Reply
      
      It’s Called Campbell’s Law, so I would guess Joe Campbell
      - Dieſelmaus December 15, 2021
        
        The third Clarke’s law, actually.
TheMasterMicah April 18, 2021 Reply

So this a juilia’s journal? also NI the color is so nice and warn is contrasts so well with the dull neutral color of the destroyed city
- Rycan April 19, 2021 Reply
  
  My guess was that the journal belonged to Filip – remember, he dumped his girlfriend for this stuff.
  - Refugnic April 19, 2021 Reply
    
    I second this notion.
    Couldn’t have been Ada’s for two reasons: The handwriting is too neat (and, as has been established, Ada has a terrible handwriting) plus, Ada is actually mentioned in the notes in terms of third person.
    
    Plus, Julia wouldn’t go ‘running around, asking people about this kind of stuff’, since she’d likely already know a thing or two about these things.
    
    The tidbit about ‘(sorta) works on Laura, but not the chicken’ is also interesting, especially since the notes proclaim ‘the demons will obey thee’.
    First off: What would Filip have Laura do, that he’d cast a spell like that on her? 😀
    
    Joking aside, I am assuming that this refers to ‘affecting/controlling the flow of magic’, as has been illustrated by Ada on an earlier page, at least that appears to be the common denominator.
    
    After all, Laura has magic potential, but is not a demon (opinions on that may differ), whereas the demon from earlier is composed of magic or at least magic is ‘the driving force’ behind the demons.
    As for the chicken…well, hard to check whether it’s a lack of virginity or the lack of ‘higher thought’, but seeing how the chicken does not glow, it is somewhat safe to assume, that it has no magic potential.
    
    What I’d really like to know is…what would Kasper say to his little sister having been turned into a ‘glow in the dark’ stick? 😀
    - JW April 19, 2021 Reply
      
      What I’d really like to know is…what would Kasper say to his little sister having been turned into a ‘glow in the dark’ stick? 😀
      
      I think he’d be glad for the temporary safety against being snuck upon.
    - TheMasterMicah April 20, 2021 Reply
      
      I think your right
    - Rycan April 20, 2021 Reply
      
      I think Laura started glowing red because she was the one casting the spell (with the chicken presumably being the target). It would make sense – she’s able to cast spells, is old enough to understand what’s going on, and doesn’t have a grudge against Filip that prevents collaboration.
Refugnic April 19, 2021 Reply

And thus I say, heed my command!
stay still and do as I demand!
Hey Filip, do you feel alright?
And say, did you and Nina fight?

This isn’t right, where’d I go wrong?!
or maybe it’s her will, too strong?
Well it says ‘demon’ here, but still,
I did believe, she’d fit the bill.

Hey don’t ignore me! So what’s this?
I’ve heard that you two shared no kiss.
For three days now, maybe more.
So what’s the dirt, what do this for?

Oh pipe down, it’s no big deal,
We just broke up…You what?!…don’t squeal.
Your voice, so high, it hurts my ears!
Are you stupid?! She’s in tears!

Tried to off herself, I hear!
I had to go, to disappear.
For what?! This silly, reddish glow?!
Please understand, magic must flow.

Alright, now sit, you’re going nowhere,
until I know how did you dare?
To hurt the best thing in your life!
Why didn’t you just take a knife?!

No, lil’ girl, please understand,
I need this power in my hand.
To protect her, keep her safe.
You are a fool! A tool! A chafe!
someone April 19, 2021 Reply

So apparently the etymology of “pentacle” isn’t the same as “pentagram” — instead, it’s the same as “pendant”, as in an amulet or talisman worn attached to a necklace.

To anyone who wonders why the Pentacles of Mars are not pentacles in the modern sense. The association between pentacles and pentagrams dates to back to the 1909 Rider-Waite tarot deck…
- JW April 19, 2021 Reply
  
  Pentacle and pendant don’t seem particularly related, according to etymology online.
  
  https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=pentacle
  
  from Medieval Latin pentaculum “pentagram,” a hybrid coined from Greek pente “five” (from PIE root *penkwe- “five”) + Latin -culum, diminutive (or instrumental) suffix.
  
  https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=pendant
  
  from Anglo-French pendaunt (c. 1300), Old French pendant (13c.), noun uses of the present-participle adjective from pendre “to hang,” from Latin pendere “to hang,”
  - JW April 19, 2021 Reply
    
    Oh, wait, the first one does mention as a similar (but not etymologically related) word “pentacol” from French. So that might have been plausibly mistranslated to pentacle by people.
Klorix Camp dweller November 9, 2021 Reply

Heh, seems I skipped this before. I like how these are Filips notes (probably).