Winter tea time

Time for some illustrations! Two more on Patreon:

Next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/intermission-ii-61229787
Next next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/61530805

I hope you guys are doing okay and you stay safe. Japan has embraced Omikron, and for the first time we had 50k cases in the country. I’m vaccinated and everything, but it’s terrifying how quickly the virus has spread when everyone is still wearing masks, even on the street. I don’t know what to even wait for anymore. I want to go to Poland in May, but will it be fine then? Will I be able to come back to Japan afterward? It’s terrifying how quickly everything changes and how various travel restrictions can make one’s life miserable. And what does it even change, if Omikron is here already anyway? I’m not sure anymore.

Anyway, I’m still reading the Six of Crows and also some articles/books about creative writing. I never really read any writing theory except for Sanderson’s lectures (if that counts) so I’m filling in those gaps. And I gotta say, some of the things I’ve been doing intuitively, or conclusions I arrived to after trying and failing multiple times, those books explain quite nicely. So I’ll probably keep reading some of them for a while longer. It seems useful. Not just “write more and you’ll get better; practice makes perfect” but an actual analysis of what makes a good plot and why. Hopefully I’ll be able to put the newfound knowledge to use haha.

And for Replay, there will be 3 more illustrations and we’ll start the fourth chapter! Very exciting! I hope you guys will continue reading and supporting me with your encouragement and enthusiasm! This comic wouldn’t have gone this far without you 🙂 Thank you!

19 comments on “Winter tea time”

  1. Refugnic Reply

    Awww, that’s cute.
    Now, if Filip were a different kind of man, I’d expect him to be stalking in the background, eyeing them enviously…oh wait, that’s what Ada would do if it was Rob in that picture, isn’t it? 😀

    In winters time on snowy day,
    two lost ones can be found.
    Found cookies, blankets and a way,
    enjoying the frozen ground.

    Water, fire, have some tea,
    be cozy, happy, free.
    On peaceful day, under a tree,
    no need for them to flee.

    So take your time, take all you want,
    and relish in your snuggles,
    This time’s a gift by Nina’s aunt,
    a break from all your struggles.

    And once night falls, who knows, can’t tell,
    what else there will be done.
    For once the darkness’ curtains fell,
    it hides both cries and fun.

  2. Alex Reply

    Okay, Japan embracing Omikron despite wearing masks and despite being a high-tech country is quite the surprise for me. I understand when 3rd world countries give up because they just don’t have the infrastructure, but Japan? Kuso. I want to visit Japan again at some point in the future as well, but I’m not risking having to waste 2 weeks of my holidays in quarantine or something like that.

    • HKMaly Reply

      I wasn’t aware Spain or Portugal is 3rd world country either. Omicron is just SO contagious no country is able to control it the moment it gets foothold, apparently. So, the countries either officially give up, or keep trying without real effect.

      • Alex Reply

        I never said that anyone who gives up besides Japan is a 3rd world country. I’m just saying that I understand it in case of actual official 3rd world countries.

        Also I disagree on the “no real effect” thing, because the more the government does and the more willing the people are to follow the advice, the lower the numbers get. “Flatten the curve” is still an important thing to do.

  3. Nandan Reply

    Omicron is super contagious, but much less dangerous. Not much more than a common cold… So it’ll rip across the world quickly and do what the so called vaccines (actually experimental gene therapy injections) could not do: create lasting “herd immunity”. Then it’ll slowly stop circulating since most people will be immune, and become one more seasonal disease no more concerning than the ones we already know, the colds and flues and gastro etc…
    It’s high time governments stop with all those insane measures like confinements, curfews, quarantines, passes, social distancing and useless masks everywhere and experimental jabs. All that stuff is doing a lot more harm than good.

    • NotImportant Reply

      I wish I could agree, but I know about too many people who died because of it – mostly because they didn’t even try to go to the hospital until it was way too late.
      My whole life I haven’t heard about anyone dying (in my social circles or family) because of a common cold. And somehow, this time it’s different.

    • HKMaly Reply

      The reason the “herd immunity” is not working is same why it’s not working for common cold or flu. Unfortunately, Omicron is still more deadly than flu, not speaking about common cold. Also, it has high rate of long-term sideefects. (And note that all or almost all of those sidefects you may get from vaccine are caused by the spike protein itself so you get even HEAVIER version of those if you catch covid.)

      Still, soon there will be vaccine of traditional type. It won’t create herd immunity either, but presumably all those antivaxers get it and finally will be protected, right?

      (And no, catching covid won’t create long-term immunity either. It gives probably about the same immunity you get from vaccine, just with more risk.)

    • Sideways for the Count Reply

      It is considerably more dangerous than the common cold, and the low rate of serious illness is almost entirely among the already vaccinated. (On the other hand the rate of pediatric hospitalizations and deaths is considerably higher this time even if it’s still lower than the general population.) For those who weren’t vaccinated it’s slightly less deadly than previous versions, but the real problem is as with the previous versions in that the long term effects can be devastating. A friend of mine in France caught the first wave early in 2020 and was having a lot of issues with exhaustion and neurological issues through most of 2020 and caught Omicron a couple weeks ago despite previously getting the original and being vaccinated. She was less sick and is recovering faster this time, but it’s not a common cold by any stretch of the imagination.

      All of my close friends and coworkers are vaccinated and boosted and several still caught Omicron, but they have mostly recovered after a couple weeks. i’ve been lucky in that very few people i’m close to have died from it, but i know people who’ve lost several of their friends and relatives. Speaking of, multiple people i know have children who caught it this time after making it through the previous variants unscathed. On the plus side cases are declining rapidly locally, but then we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the US.

    • JW Reply

      actually experimental gene therapy injections

      It’s neither gene therapy, nor experimental. It has been tested just as much as any vaccine would have, before it was approved to be used for everyone. They were just able to do things faster, because there was support to do so, and not the usual financial uncertainties. Usually you don’t start phase two and three testing before phase one tells you it makes financial sense to do so, and you don’t start building factories before you know you have something to sell. But governments have been wiling to throw money at the problem, so it made financial sense to do things in parallel.

      Spreading disinformation like this, intentionally or unintentionally is costing lives. Please stop.

      • Gonnhirrin Reply

        They didn’t develop the mRNA vaccines quickly they have been working on this system since 1987, but the COVID-19 version was in production rapidly for the reasons you mentioned

      • Nandan Reply

        _experimental_
        Yes, they are. Phase 3 isn’t finished, and the mRNA vaccines are still under a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA). One condition being that “the medicine fulfils an unmet medical need”, which is why they had to 1. declare unsafe and ban from use various drugs widely and safely used for many decades (HCQ and Ivermectin among them were shown to be effective), and 2. forbid doctors from treating patients, which would have shown that treatment was possible. HCQ for instance was banned in France the day after a study was published in the prestigious Lancet journal, accusing this drug to be ineffective and dangerous. Shortly thereafter, that study was shown to be a fraudulent fabrication and retracted by the Lancet… but the deed was done and HCQ remained banned to this day, despite there being now plenty of studies showing that it and other drugs can treat COVID (see https://c19early.com). Why? Because of financial interests. If you want to know why governments move one way or another, follow the money! If you think that Pfizer and the other big pharmaceutical firms are law-abiding and have your best interest at heart, have a look at the fines they’ve had to pay: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_pharmaceutical_settlements.

        _gene therapy injections_
        Depends on your definition of “gene therapy”. In any case, these injections do insert foreign genetic material into your cells, which gets them to produce a foreign protein. Not just any random one either, it’s the so-called spike protein, which happens to be the most toxic part of the virus, potentially triggering a whole slew of neurological, cardiovascular, immunologic and other disorders. Considering the number of side effects increasingly reported (google “acute post-vaccination myocarditis” for more info), including over 21K post-vaccine deaths world-wide according to VAERS, these injections are _vastly_ less safe than traditional vaccines.

        _governments have been wiling to throw money at the problem_
        Sure I know the common idea that “time is money”, but if you had a way to convert money into time, you’d be the richest man on earth. No, that you could shorten Phase 3 (clinical research) evaluation of a drug or vaccine by throwing money at it is a ridiculous idea to any (uncorrupted) scientist worth their salt. To evaluate mid- and long-term side effects, you need a mid- and long-term, which means at the very least a year of observation. Traditional vaccines are developed and tested over 10 years, not just a few months.

        Another condition for the mRNA injection’s CMA was that “the benefit-risk balance of the medicine is positive”. The CMA was approved based on the manufacturer’s own studies, for which they have yet to reveal the underlying data. Should we trust big pharma companies when they say “It’s safe”, just because they tell us so? Well… I’m not the only one doubting the truth of their word. See https://odysee.com/@kristall.klar:2/The-Pfizer-Inoculations-Do-More-Harm-Than-Good:f
        Today, all evidence shows that those injections don’t prevent infection, don’t prevent transmission, and only barely prevent severe forms and deaths from COVID. For younger and healthy people, the risks are much, much higher than the benefits.

        You believe I spread disinformation? I believe you just parrot the industry-controlled mass media, which are actually the main source of misinformation. I know it’s very uncomfortable for many people to learn that their governments don’t have their best interests at heart, but at some point you gotta wake up.

        • Noyb Reply

          rushing out any kind of medicine or treatment should be regarded with EXTREME skepticism.

    • Gonnhirrin Reply

      Omicron has a disturbing side effect, Multisystem inflammatory syndrome. this can show up weeks after recovery even from asymptomatic infections and lead to multiple organ failures, even in children. This syndrome has had slow diagnosis problems and can be fatal before they find out whats wrong and treat it. Do you even know what gene therapy is? Gene therapy requires a mechanism to write to the cells dna using an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. this is a part of retroviruses like herpes and hiv but not a part of a coronavirus and definitely not part of the COVID19 immunizations. The jabs are some mRNA that tells the ribosomes how to make the spike protein and a delivery system Johnson and Johnson uses an adenovirus, Pfizer/Biontech uses a shell made of tiny aprticles of fat and cholesterol. The cell doesn’t recognize this protien and puts it out to draw the immune system’s attention leading to an immune response, a headstart on fighting the virus and lesser symptoms.

  4. Crestlinger Reply

    When the world ends good company, tea, and a warm fire will become the most valued thing ever.

    Yeah this stuff is scary for how fast it spreads. Here it was exactly One rugby team that went up to Ontario at a hotspot and brought it back to the Whole of Nova Scotia. I blame the lack of global closure of airports. Until that happens we’re going to run through the greek alphabet and have to switch through the values of pi next. Oh wait ‘pi’ Is the next on the letters list!

  5. Luchs Reply

    I finally got around to playing Historia and enjoyed it a lot. I loved chapter 1 and read it all in one sitting. I was a bit disappointed when I realized that chapter 2 is the same story from another perspective. I guess I still had hope that there would be way to fix the mess, given that the serpent can rewrite history. But after the somewhat slow start, chapter 2 got very exciting. Great work!

    One thing I was wondering: In the epilogue in chapter 1, Michelle was found wearing her full uniform, even though she ditched the shirt in the end of chapter 2. Is that a mistake, or is there more going on here? I assume her waking up in the forest is just a dream?

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