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Starting February 1st ALL new Exiern pages will post ONLY to Exiern.com and Our Patreon. Please read and support us there!
Swords, Sorcery, And Then Some!
Howdy, New Readers! Thanks for reading Exiern!
Written by Scott T. Hicken with art by Antipus, the comic updates Mondays. Please check out the Archive to enjoy the earlier adventures of Typh and Peonie!
Exiern contains mature themes and is best for readers 18+.
So it appears that the moral of the story is that Typh had an opportunity to think about and become who he/she is supposed to be and given the choice Tyhp returned to life as Tiffany.
Tiff turns into what they see themself as. Tiff got increasingly “bimbo-fied” during a previous story arc when she attempted to throw herself into what she thought of as true feminity. Her appearance has always been in flux… so it’s curious to see what will happen from here.
So, if Tiffany has turned back to Typhan-Knee that kind of kills the story premise. Also, I think he’d lose his mount. Unicorns have a thing for maidens.
Lots of stories shed their original hook once they have their feet beneath them and a world to explore. As for the unicorn, it liked him fine before the curse & if not there are other mounts.
@Chaucer59: not maidens, virgins. There was a previous story arc establishing why Typh was capable of riding a unicorn as opposed to Peonie riding everybody else.
Looking at the previous page… I wonder if this is what Typhan-Knee/Tiffanee’s grandmother looked like when she was young. The straight nose with a strong bridge, heavy dark brows and slightly narrow lips. The hair is almost identical.
Though Typh does now seem to have a much heavier jaw and less pronounced cheekbones, so could be male. Can’t really see enough of the chest to be sure – could just be rather small-breasted and heavily armoured.
Not gone for a barbarian-northern-warrior look, that’s for sure 🙂
I think Tiff realized she is more of a woman inside. I think he/she hated who she/he was as a man.
When she fights against the different parts of who she is the curse punishes her, like with the bimbo clothes and the lock of hair. It is her self loathing powered by the curse. When he try’s to be a man the woman in her punishes him. When she try’s to be a woman the man makes her into a feeble dainty woman. Only when she is in balance is she the kick a!s Barbarian queen.
That’s my take on this any ways.
Small chin, big boobs, even the long forelock, all fade.
And I believe that the spell relaxed its grip on her because for a moment, her grief caused her to care more for someone else than herself. That, and her grandmother’s words to find herself, “man or woman”.
It’ll be over by the time she leaves, in the next strip or two. But for that moment, the struggle to define herself in terms of her sex was stilled, and spell stilled along with it.
@Jake – This opinion of mine is going to be unpopular, but, so be it. Quite honestly, I’m done with the gender conflict part of Exiern. When Typhan-Knee told the Shaman way back, “What if I decide that I’m not broken,” followed by the introduction to Melody Tanner as “your grand-daughter,” it felt like this was acceptance who the character was and was ready to move forward from being conflicted.
There would still be ramifications, of course. The regrowing hair, the inability to be androgynous, whatever. Curses are odd. But I hoping the internal conflict was finally, finally over, and then world could move on.
And by that I mean, I’m invested in the setting of Exiern enough at this point that I’m not reading it for the gender issue. The setting has enough characters, enough plots, and enough interesting ideas that I’m reading it more for those things now than for the gender conflict.
I was happy that the character appeared to be accept being female and was at peace with that. That interpretation of the content appears at this point to be proven wrong, (though I accept that, too, is an interpretation and may be incorrect), and it looks like the gender issue is both not resolved and now back at the fore.
So. Disappointed is all, unpopular as that might be.
@Ashnod — agree with you on all points. Been enjoying the story before the whole identity crisis started. I never thought it was necessary and I thought how it was handled was a cop out. Nevertheless, I respect what @ScottHicken has done with the comic. I know that the reason I read it now is more than the art I originally got into it before.
Personally find this to be the problem with gender swap stories in which the character actually wants to change back. There is never any real plot advancement. Tons of false leads that never go anywhere, and the audience always knows it’s not going to go anywhere. In order for the plot to advance the character either has to accept never changing back (which still kind of destroys the premise as it’s not much different than simply having a female protagonist), or they have to change back regardless of the original story premise.
This genderswap story doesn’t lend itself well to decade long webcomics.
Just wanted to log my appreciation for the kind words said of my storytelling, and let people know that I hear the other points being said. I think you’ll like the direction of things once this “castle story line” – it, like the last one, is more character driven than action driven – transitions to the next arc.
@Kobold: ” In order for the plot to advance the character either has to accept never changing back (which still kind of destroys the premise as it’s not much different than simply having a female protagonist), or they have to change back”
Nod-nod. This is my problem with these kinds of stories too. However, I think it often arises from not taking their own premise seriously and completely. The effects of the swap–almost always male to female–center around surface anatomy, dealing with unwanted male attention, and maybe some hormonal irritations. Nobody seems to take the social roles seriously, much less the biological roles they’re based on. Nobody says, OK, I’ve been on both sides now, experienced the advantages and disadvantages of each, and I’ve decided I want to be [i]thus[/i].”
Instead, the comic degenerates into a joke-of-the-day strip with a spunky female who takes no sass, or a female racer/adventurer who takes no sass. Never do we get the former male who decides that, “Hey, maybe being a devoted wife and mother for this guy might be, I dunno, kinda fulfilling?”
I follow Exiern because of the gender swap; I have little patience for swashbuckling female adventures who are the match of any man and take no sass. Exiern seems to be more than that, and to take the roles more seriously than is the norm–although, yeah, I wish Typh wouldn’t fight so hard against being female.
It’s a close thing, though. Way, way too many strong female leads out there. I mean, jeez, when even Thor is female, a Line Has Been Crossed, dammit.
Having Read Exiern I find one thing lacking from the story. Unlike most Gender swap Stories There’s No Stated lesson Typhan-Knee Needed to learn to break the curse. Usually The cursed is told or at least given a hint when the curse would or could end. then they sometimes are given a choice. but either way the are sometime changed for the better
that’s because the “Curse” started out as just magic when some dick messed up and cast a spell to make Typh have no well….. now Typh is the play thing of the Higher Powers, there is no lessen to be learned just keep the “HP’s” Amused if not get punished in a way the HP’s find amusing, just wait till the HP’s find someone new to torment then find away to undo the orignal magic and that will likely happen when the comic has run it’s course, perhaps with a short epilog a few months after the ofichial wrap up.
Ashnod, your opinion is at least partly popular with me.
I’m a transwoman who clicked on Exiern way back when probably at random (the sidebar ads on other sites were not enticing to me, consisting mainly of “Look, Peonie has boobs!”) I kept reading because it was damn funny; the line, “I pray the answer to that question is Not Often,” still cracks me up. Later it became neither funny nor particularly sensical, and I drifted away. Now, the writing seems to better reflect the characters than it did during that middle period, has enough humor to remind me of why I began reading, and adds depth that was missing during its early phase. (Gonna just add here that yes, for a transperson who hasn’t accepted it, even a highly unrealistic TG story can be a big lure, and at the time I had not accepted it.)
That last part can be attributed in-universe to Typhan-Knee basically “dropping the act.” This is an important concept to transpeople. Dissociative Disorder is a common symptom among us, where one emotionally disconnects from a painful life and lets it pass by like an observer in someone else’s body (this is sort of a low-grade “multiple personality” thing.) When we accept being trans, that self-sabotaging emotional defense starts breaking down… and so do we. We experience more self-reflectiveness, mood swings that we aren’t equipped to deal with, and… I would call it a greater sense of context surrounding our lives inside and outside. There are also brutal, ongoing slaps in the face from Reality regarding the dissonance between what we are and who we are. The comic reflects all of these things now to some degree, which is far more alluring than a TG fantasy.
Now, the “end goal” of a transwoman is usually not to be a transwoman, but to be a woman. While it’s not attainable for most, it’s still vital to strive, to make the journey itself into the goal. From that perspective, seeing mental and emotional progress on the part of the protagonist, *even when it’s steps backwards or in the “wrong” direction* is engaging.
Related to that, a TG story that isn’t erotica (nothing wrong with that!) should not be about the transformation; it should be about how the transformation affects the character. That means the event itself is almost trivial compared to what’s going in their lives before and after. Ultimately, it should probably not be any bigger a deal in most story arcs than any other character’s orientation or gender. In a good, long-term series, being transgendered adds some complications here and there, but the story is not ABOUT being transgendered. Exiern seems to be heading that way, and I completely approve.
As some commenters have already noted, other popular comics with a strong TG focus, while some of them have excellent drama and writing, seem to have missed the boat there and are trapped in stasis. I’d love to be pointed at any that show strong character development, though.
@coyotenose Check out “she !s me”. And no the ! isn’t a typo. Probably the most serious gender switch comic I’ve ever come across. Think it may have been discontinued though partway through act 3 though. Last strip I can find was in late 2012. What’s there is pretty good though, and rather depressing.
Actually, the world of Exiern, doesn’t take social roles so strictly as it would seem. There are many examples, even “feminine” ones, exerting a degree of will and decision, regardless of status and power. What I like of this show is how portrays women (within the premises of the story). This grandma here, is a wonderful example. I also liked the barbarian grandma of many chapters before, with all her wile and naugths… even her downfall. Women can be so much more than aspiring replicas to male attitude. As someone said before, women have a power all of its own. A quiet, unsurmising one, and yet powerful like a sea current in the ocean. In relation to Tiff, I’d say the curse has outlived its true reason in the plot, or at least some of its effects (in fact, transforming clothes was like an ” extension” of the curse, with no apparent reason). The MC has shown temperance and acceptation of being in female form (with some reservations), but to make the curse push him\her around to really think about his issue, “molding” him even in his psique… I think it’s somehow a forced clamp on the character. It’s innecesary, and its purpose could be achieved using another means. A golden rule: never make a plot device self-evident. And it’s starting to grate into the readers, to an extent. Just my thoughts on the matter, methinks.
What if she a Near Miss that Tiff saved her as the Process Started ? And now a Dormant Mingalow or a Mingalow with all its demonic power invested in keeping her hidden?Even from her self..
If I was a clever Demon I would keep my Daughter Hair Host as Human as possible.. Long Rhein Princess Mingalow… Of course if a Succubus was in her the behavior of the host would be Affect… Except with Poney who could tell?
Remember when Dragon hid in her bosom? What if it was examining her for taint? And a heart Beat? Remember it took Faden a whole month to control her when others were mastered in 2 hours..
People keep talking about a curse, but i think Typhan-Knee was enchanted. Remember that the source of all this is a white magic spell on overdrive. Curses are usually black magic or witchcraft.
Enchantments have a tendency to react quite violently with other magic and they tend to be permanent. That might be why it so hard to get rid of and so undefined, yet oddly ‘helpful’ at times.
@Xenau curse is in the the eye of the beholder.. Typhan-Knee was a bad guy in lot ways still is. A lot readers miss it but this is the Theme of Exiern.
Getting confused because there judging books by there cover..
Very first story Faden screwed literally by reading a book with wrong cover.
Pretty blond hero a evil son of a evil warlord, changed into a prettier woman still evil but now we think she good bc of white armor..
She gotten better but people still judge everyone (readers included) by what Characters look like.
Denver arguably the most powerful Character thought of week because he a nerd..
Competent but Evil King in White Armor…(he a good king as in good at his job but still Evil)
A Virgin Princess who a happy bimbo.
Niel who I suspects a Flesh Golem..
The New Norator Villain a innocent boy persecuted. A villain that REALLY dose deserve his revenge…
Faden Charming Guy.. Evil Wizard..
All Books Judged By there Covers…
In a World of Lies a White Magic Enchantment would be a curse.
Or… maybe the curse is… not to be what you believe yourself to be. It has nothing to do with being the “wrong” gender. He may have been homosexual but that doesn’t mean gender-confused. So, assume he had no trouble seeing himself as a man and, along comes the curse… *POOF* he’s a woman. He takes (and reasonably so) a LOOOOONG time accepting that (“..I’m not broken.” and “…I’m your grand-daughter.” taken as great examples of acceptance). As it finally sinks in that she HAS found herself, along comes the curse and *POOF*…
Hm, perhaps you’re quite right JoeBitz, but still, I don’t like much those ” unexpected consecuences” of this enchantment/curse. But it’s what keeps moving the plot around Tiff. So I don’t have a right to complain, really…
@TotallyAnon. P-Cups Hime is obviously NOT a virgin, but when did it say have to be a virgin to ride uni? Wasn’t it, had to be pure and noble? Drowemeos and Chemiclord did not clearly define struggle of orientation just struggle of gender identity; and although Tiff isn’t necessarily pure of heart, she does act nobly and heroically in the Homeric sense i.e. Achilles, Odysseus, Herakles were all brutal killers and women-beaters but are still considered Greek heroes. Lets face it, if Typh had NOT been “outed” could have followed that trajectory. As Tiff, she still has those tendencies but they have been tempered greatly by being around her companions and making peace with her remaining family. She is after all still a Pyro-Berserker. Main point, virgin is arguably irrelevant methinks.
@TotallyAnon If I recall correctly, the reason the unicorn accepts Typh is because her female self has not known man. Yet. And his male self never could get it on with a woman either because of preferences.
@Ashnod: Except Typhan-Knee didn’t stop wanting to have his male body again and his still thinks of himself as male. In some ways, he’s currently a transman.
He even tells Denver that he still wants his male body back before Denver left.
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Oh my…someone’s figuring things out.
Whoah. The Curse let Typh be male? That’s HUGE!
Masculine-looking female perhaps?
Ugh. No. Just…No.
I don’t think so – the chest armor changed as well.
I like the stray lock of hair shrinking until it moves back with the rest of the hair.
So it appears that the moral of the story is that Typh had an opportunity to think about and become who he/she is supposed to be and given the choice Tyhp returned to life as Tiffany.
Wait, FemTiff turned into ManTyph? o_O
And then turned back?
So, Tiff can change form when she chooses?
Maybe Tiff turns into Typh when she cries
@Ashnod: What’s the problem, it is his true self.
Tiff turns into what they see themself as. Tiff got increasingly “bimbo-fied” during a previous story arc when she attempted to throw herself into what she thought of as true feminity. Her appearance has always been in flux… so it’s curious to see what will happen from here.
So, if Tiffany has turned back to Typhan-Knee that kind of kills the story premise. Also, I think he’d lose his mount. Unicorns have a thing for maidens.
Lots of stories shed their original hook once they have their feet beneath them and a world to explore. As for the unicorn, it liked him fine before the curse & if not there are other mounts.
@Chaucer59: not maidens, virgins. There was a previous story arc establishing why Typh was capable of riding a unicorn as opposed to Peonie riding everybody else.
Looking at the previous page… I wonder if this is what Typhan-Knee/Tiffanee’s grandmother looked like when she was young. The straight nose with a strong bridge, heavy dark brows and slightly narrow lips. The hair is almost identical.
Though Typh does now seem to have a much heavier jaw and less pronounced cheekbones, so could be male. Can’t really see enough of the chest to be sure – could just be rather small-breasted and heavily armoured.
Not gone for a barbarian-northern-warrior look, that’s for sure 🙂
How dashing. Although his original shape was rougher than that.
He/She still has doubts.
Honestly the art style has changed so much, this probably was what Tyh’s orginal story looked at this point in the art evolution.
I’m confused…
I can’t tell if Typh became a masculine looking female or a bishōnen male? I guess I will have to wait til next update for clarification.
I think Tiff realized she is more of a woman inside. I think he/she hated who she/he was as a man.
When she fights against the different parts of who she is the curse punishes her, like with the bimbo clothes and the lock of hair. It is her self loathing powered by the curse. When he try’s to be a man the woman in her punishes him. When she try’s to be a woman the man makes her into a feeble dainty woman. Only when she is in balance is she the kick a!s Barbarian queen.
That’s my take on this any ways.
Tiff definitely looks male there.
Small chin, big boobs, even the long forelock, all fade.
And I believe that the spell relaxed its grip on her because for a moment, her grief caused her to care more for someone else than herself. That, and her grandmother’s words to find herself, “man or woman”.
It’ll be over by the time she leaves, in the next strip or two. But for that moment, the struggle to define herself in terms of her sex was stilled, and spell stilled along with it.
@Jake – This opinion of mine is going to be unpopular, but, so be it. Quite honestly, I’m done with the gender conflict part of Exiern. When Typhan-Knee told the Shaman way back, “What if I decide that I’m not broken,” followed by the introduction to Melody Tanner as “your grand-daughter,” it felt like this was acceptance who the character was and was ready to move forward from being conflicted.
There would still be ramifications, of course. The regrowing hair, the inability to be androgynous, whatever. Curses are odd. But I hoping the internal conflict was finally, finally over, and then world could move on.
And by that I mean, I’m invested in the setting of Exiern enough at this point that I’m not reading it for the gender issue. The setting has enough characters, enough plots, and enough interesting ideas that I’m reading it more for those things now than for the gender conflict.
I was happy that the character appeared to be accept being female and was at peace with that. That interpretation of the content appears at this point to be proven wrong, (though I accept that, too, is an interpretation and may be incorrect), and it looks like the gender issue is both not resolved and now back at the fore.
So. Disappointed is all, unpopular as that might be.
Well, something happens, ’cause in the present she is, well, she again.
@Ashnod — agree with you on all points. Been enjoying the story before the whole identity crisis started. I never thought it was necessary and I thought how it was handled was a cop out. Nevertheless, I respect what @ScottHicken has done with the comic. I know that the reason I read it now is more than the art I originally got into it before.
Personally find this to be the problem with gender swap stories in which the character actually wants to change back. There is never any real plot advancement. Tons of false leads that never go anywhere, and the audience always knows it’s not going to go anywhere. In order for the plot to advance the character either has to accept never changing back (which still kind of destroys the premise as it’s not much different than simply having a female protagonist), or they have to change back regardless of the original story premise.
This genderswap story doesn’t lend itself well to decade long webcomics.
Just wanted to log my appreciation for the kind words said of my storytelling, and let people know that I hear the other points being said. I think you’ll like the direction of things once this “castle story line” – it, like the last one, is more character driven than action driven – transitions to the next arc.
I noticed when I google I get as a Tag The Epic of a Gender-Swapped Barbarian, Instead of The Epic of a Transgender Barbarian..
Wondering if this means Typh going to start gender swapping?
That to say back forth doctor jekyll Hyde style.
Scott: there is nothing wrong with character driven stories, not everything has to be action Action ACTION!!
Ahh!! She’s changing!
@Kobold: ” In order for the plot to advance the character either has to accept never changing back (which still kind of destroys the premise as it’s not much different than simply having a female protagonist), or they have to change back”
Nod-nod. This is my problem with these kinds of stories too. However, I think it often arises from not taking their own premise seriously and completely. The effects of the swap–almost always male to female–center around surface anatomy, dealing with unwanted male attention, and maybe some hormonal irritations. Nobody seems to take the social roles seriously, much less the biological roles they’re based on. Nobody says, OK, I’ve been on both sides now, experienced the advantages and disadvantages of each, and I’ve decided I want to be [i]thus[/i].”
Instead, the comic degenerates into a joke-of-the-day strip with a spunky female who takes no sass, or a female racer/adventurer who takes no sass. Never do we get the former male who decides that, “Hey, maybe being a devoted wife and mother for this guy might be, I dunno, kinda fulfilling?”
Here’s a thing I wrote once, sketching out the kind of story I’d like to see.
I follow Exiern because of the gender swap; I have little patience for swashbuckling female adventures who are the match of any man and take no sass. Exiern seems to be more than that, and to take the roles more seriously than is the norm–although, yeah, I wish Typh wouldn’t fight so hard against being female.
It’s a close thing, though. Way, way too many strong female leads out there. I mean, jeez, when even Thor is female, a Line Has Been Crossed, dammit.
Having Read Exiern I find one thing lacking from the story. Unlike most Gender swap Stories There’s No Stated lesson Typhan-Knee Needed to learn to break the curse. Usually The cursed is told or at least given a hint when the curse would or could end. then they sometimes are given a choice. but either way the are sometime changed for the better
that’s because the “Curse” started out as just magic when some dick messed up and cast a spell to make Typh have no well….. now Typh is the play thing of the Higher Powers, there is no lessen to be learned just keep the “HP’s” Amused if not get punished in a way the HP’s find amusing, just wait till the HP’s find someone new to torment then find away to undo the orignal magic and that will likely happen when the comic has run it’s course, perhaps with a short epilog a few months after the ofichial wrap up.
Ashnod, your opinion is at least partly popular with me.
I’m a transwoman who clicked on Exiern way back when probably at random (the sidebar ads on other sites were not enticing to me, consisting mainly of “Look, Peonie has boobs!”) I kept reading because it was damn funny; the line, “I pray the answer to that question is Not Often,” still cracks me up. Later it became neither funny nor particularly sensical, and I drifted away. Now, the writing seems to better reflect the characters than it did during that middle period, has enough humor to remind me of why I began reading, and adds depth that was missing during its early phase. (Gonna just add here that yes, for a transperson who hasn’t accepted it, even a highly unrealistic TG story can be a big lure, and at the time I had not accepted it.)
That last part can be attributed in-universe to Typhan-Knee basically “dropping the act.” This is an important concept to transpeople. Dissociative Disorder is a common symptom among us, where one emotionally disconnects from a painful life and lets it pass by like an observer in someone else’s body (this is sort of a low-grade “multiple personality” thing.) When we accept being trans, that self-sabotaging emotional defense starts breaking down… and so do we. We experience more self-reflectiveness, mood swings that we aren’t equipped to deal with, and… I would call it a greater sense of context surrounding our lives inside and outside. There are also brutal, ongoing slaps in the face from Reality regarding the dissonance between what we are and who we are. The comic reflects all of these things now to some degree, which is far more alluring than a TG fantasy.
Now, the “end goal” of a transwoman is usually not to be a transwoman, but to be a woman. While it’s not attainable for most, it’s still vital to strive, to make the journey itself into the goal. From that perspective, seeing mental and emotional progress on the part of the protagonist, *even when it’s steps backwards or in the “wrong” direction* is engaging.
Related to that, a TG story that isn’t erotica (nothing wrong with that!) should not be about the transformation; it should be about how the transformation affects the character. That means the event itself is almost trivial compared to what’s going in their lives before and after. Ultimately, it should probably not be any bigger a deal in most story arcs than any other character’s orientation or gender. In a good, long-term series, being transgendered adds some complications here and there, but the story is not ABOUT being transgendered. Exiern seems to be heading that way, and I completely approve.
As some commenters have already noted, other popular comics with a strong TG focus, while some of them have excellent drama and writing, seem to have missed the boat there and are trapped in stasis. I’d love to be pointed at any that show strong character development, though.
@coyotenose Check out “she !s me”. And no the ! isn’t a typo. Probably the most serious gender switch comic I’ve ever come across. Think it may have been discontinued though partway through act 3 though. Last strip I can find was in late 2012. What’s there is pretty good though, and rather depressing.
Actually, the world of Exiern, doesn’t take social roles so strictly as it would seem. There are many examples, even “feminine” ones, exerting a degree of will and decision, regardless of status and power. What I like of this show is how portrays women (within the premises of the story). This grandma here, is a wonderful example. I also liked the barbarian grandma of many chapters before, with all her wile and naugths… even her downfall. Women can be so much more than aspiring replicas to male attitude. As someone said before, women have a power all of its own. A quiet, unsurmising one, and yet powerful like a sea current in the ocean. In relation to Tiff, I’d say the curse has outlived its true reason in the plot, or at least some of its effects (in fact, transforming clothes was like an ” extension” of the curse, with no apparent reason). The MC has shown temperance and acceptation of being in female form (with some reservations), but to make the curse push him\her around to really think about his issue, “molding” him even in his psique… I think it’s somehow a forced clamp on the character. It’s innecesary, and its purpose could be achieved using another means. A golden rule: never make a plot device self-evident. And it’s starting to grate into the readers, to an extent. Just my thoughts on the matter, methinks.
Completely unrelated I think I just figured out the Princess Mingalow thing..
Faden Was going to sacrifice her to Elder Gods..But dose that Mean kill?
A Mingalow a person that In desperation bonds with a Beyonder a Demon(elder god) in a bargain.
She was locked in the dark for months no human contact in a windowless Dungeon in solitary confinement…
And she hears in her head the word Mingalow..
http://www.exiern.com/2010/08/18/exiern-2010-08-05-web/
What if she a Near Miss that Tiff saved her as the Process Started ? And now a Dormant Mingalow or a Mingalow with all its demonic power invested in keeping her hidden?Even from her self..
If I was a clever Demon I would keep my Daughter Hair Host as Human as possible.. Long Rhein Princess Mingalow… Of course if a Succubus was in her the behavior of the host would be Affect… Except with Poney who could tell?
Remember when Dragon hid in her bosom? What if it was examining her for taint? And a heart Beat? Remember it took Faden a whole month to control her when others were mastered in 2 hours..
People keep talking about a curse, but i think Typhan-Knee was enchanted. Remember that the source of all this is a white magic spell on overdrive. Curses are usually black magic or witchcraft.
Enchantments have a tendency to react quite violently with other magic and they tend to be permanent. That might be why it so hard to get rid of and so undefined, yet oddly ‘helpful’ at times.
Here: http://www.exiern.com/2009/11/05/confused-and-distracted/
seemes to point at the thing being an enchantment and not a curse.
@Xenau: It is a nice theory and I had similar thoughts until this page. http://www.exiern.com/2011/06/13/thats-to-be-expected/ Which confirms it is indeed a curse.
@Xenau curse is in the the eye of the beholder.. Typhan-Knee was a bad guy in lot ways still is. A lot readers miss it but this is the Theme of Exiern.
Getting confused because there judging books by there cover..
Very first story Faden screwed literally by reading a book with wrong cover.
Pretty blond hero a evil son of a evil warlord, changed into a prettier woman still evil but now we think she good bc of white armor..
She gotten better but people still judge everyone (readers included) by what Characters look like.
Denver arguably the most powerful Character thought of week because he a nerd..
Competent but Evil King in White Armor…(he a good king as in good at his job but still Evil)
A Virgin Princess who a happy bimbo.
Niel who I suspects a Flesh Golem..
The New Norator Villain a innocent boy persecuted. A villain that REALLY dose deserve his revenge…
Faden Charming Guy.. Evil Wizard..
All Books Judged By there Covers…
In a World of Lies a White Magic Enchantment would be a curse.
Not sure what is going on, almost looks like Tiff is searching within herself for who He/She Really is/wants to be.
This could be depicting mental viewpoint or actual physical transformation, cant tell from what is shown.
Or… maybe the curse is… not to be what you believe yourself to be. It has nothing to do with being the “wrong” gender. He may have been homosexual but that doesn’t mean gender-confused. So, assume he had no trouble seeing himself as a man and, along comes the curse… *POOF* he’s a woman. He takes (and reasonably so) a LOOOOONG time accepting that (“..I’m not broken.” and “…I’m your grand-daughter.” taken as great examples of acceptance). As it finally sinks in that she HAS found herself, along comes the curse and *POOF*…
Hm, perhaps you’re quite right JoeBitz, but still, I don’t like much those ” unexpected consecuences” of this enchantment/curse. But it’s what keeps moving the plot around Tiff. So I don’t have a right to complain, really…
@Jonathan Wint. Deep, man. On a lighter note, “Denver, the world’s strongest nerd.
@Jonathan Wint. Princess P-Cups is definitely NOT a virgin. The unicorn can testify to this.
@TotallyAnon. P-Cups Hime is obviously NOT a virgin, but when did it say have to be a virgin to ride uni? Wasn’t it, had to be pure and noble? Drowemeos and Chemiclord did not clearly define struggle of orientation just struggle of gender identity; and although Tiff isn’t necessarily pure of heart, she does act nobly and heroically in the Homeric sense i.e. Achilles, Odysseus, Herakles were all brutal killers and women-beaters but are still considered Greek heroes. Lets face it, if Typh had NOT been “outed” could have followed that trajectory. As Tiff, she still has those tendencies but they have been tempered greatly by being around her companions and making peace with her remaining family. She is after all still a Pyro-Berserker. Main point, virgin is arguably irrelevant methinks.
@TotallyAnon If I recall correctly, the reason the unicorn accepts Typh is because her female self has not known man. Yet. And his male self never could get it on with a woman either because of preferences.
@David, a maiden IS a virgin.
@Jonathan wit Typhan-Knee stopped being a bad guy a long time Go.
@Ashnod: Except Typhan-Knee didn’t stop wanting to have his male body again and his still thinks of himself as male. In some ways, he’s currently a transman.
He even tells Denver that he still wants his male body back before Denver left.
@50srefuge : Sorry, but Jane Foster has been great as Thor.
How the comic ends;
Typhan-Knee becomes the greatest Futa ever known,
with the seductive ability to switch between genders.