on November 12, 2022
at 12:00 am
are ya helpin
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Archive for fps-rehab
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on December 24, 2022
at 12:00 am
tragic
UPDATE:
Just as a heads-up, I’m taking a two week break for the holidays. After next week’s Apocalypse Child page, there won’t be a page up for either project until January 21st. The last page for this episode will go up at that time. See you then! Happy holidays!
on January 21, 2023
at 12:00 am
Meeting FPS.
ANNOUNCEMENT
We’ve reached the end of Amulet of Bolli part 1, and so it’s time to talk about Tora Steals Things’ future!
Where is Tora Steals Things going from here?
Amulet of Bolli part 2 will start Feb 4th in a new format: illustrated prose!
So no more comics?
Yes! I’m sure that’ll be disappointing to some of you–comics are fun! This change wasn’t made lightly however.
I won’t bore y’all with the details but the reality is that TST just got way too big for what it is: there’s at least 18 stories left in it and at the rate I’m producing it, I could be at this for another two decades at least! Being a fan work, TST is also pretty heavily dependant on an already defined audience–it doesn’t have a lot of room for growth.
In other words, as a project, TST is far too much work for what it is. My choices were either to end it entirely or continue it in a format that’s easier for me to create regularly.
This means more story in each update!
The real benefit to this change of format is that a story that would take a year to deliver in comic form can be delivered in a few months instead. I’m going to be playing this by ear–we may not get through all the 18 stories that are left, but at the every least we’ll get the conclusion to Amulet of Bolli.
What happens once Tora Steals Things is done?
I’m not done with Tora as a character, frankly. I love TST but I don’t truly believe it was the work that showed off his character best. There’s always been another project for him (codename SG) but as I’m trying to launch Apocalypse Child properly by the end of this year, it may be on the back burner for awhile.
Honestly I won’t lie, I’m personally very excited about this change!
This will free up some of my time for other projects. A lot of that will likely go into Apocalypse Child (as there are many ambitious aspects to it right now) but I imagine I’ll be able to use that time towards SG or other projects as well.
I will of course, keep you all updated as we move forward!
on April 15, 2023
at 12:02 am
CLICK HERE FOR START OF TODAY’S UPDATE
The tired thief turned the corner and found their rendezvous point: a little cafe called Iron Kettle. Rarely busy with the best black tea latte in the city, and run by a lovely old charr who knew how to mind their business—he couldn’t think of a better place to meet. He swung upon the rickety metal door and scanned the interior.
There was only one patron inside: an irritatingly chipper looking FPS sitting at a table with a warm drink and a smile as bright as the sun threatening the horizon outside. The overwhelming glow of his demeanour was enough to blind Tora. Wasn’t this guy up as late as he was? How the fuck did he look so alive at this hour?!
As he thought though, FPS didn’t seem to recognize him, at least not immediately. The tree of a sylvari squinted in thought, watching as Tora walked up to the counter, got that damned best black tea latte in the city, and made his way over to their table. It felt like the realization only truly set in the moment Tora sat down across from him.
“Miss Bandi?”
Still calling me Miss… He didn’t have the energy to respond—too damn early—so he nodded instead, stirring his drink as he waited for it to cool. Should’ve had coffee before I came here, he thought despondently. He didn’t even like coffee, he just wanted caffeine. The latte would have some of course, but he wasn’t sure it’d be enough.
FPS watched him carefully, clearly thinking through what he was seeing. Did he figure out Tora wasn’t whatever his drunk master taught him a girl was? Was he disappointed now that he wasn’t done up half as pretty? Whatever, man, you said you’d help and I’m too tired to play the sexy vixen for you. Just deal with it.
“Miss Bandi,” FPS said delicately, “are you perhaps…”
Tora paused his stirring. Did the guy actually figure it out? Did he realize—
“…as stunning in your casual wear as you are when dressed for a night on the town?!”
Tora nearly knocked his drink over.
This tree is something else!
“Sure, yeah, okay,” Tora responded stiffly. He didn’t know how to register that. It was flattering to hear, he supposed, but it was also just… a lot. He couldn’t decide whether FPS’s relentless infatuation would make their job easier or harder.
That overly confident smile was back on FPS’s face. “Oh my, are you embarrassed?”
There wasn’t enough caffeine in Tora’s sap to entertain that shit.
“Alright, FPS. Let’s exchange notes, shall we?” He said with a cool grin. The tree wilted a little at his tone. He almost felt bad about it.
on April 15, 2023
at 12:04 am
CLICK HERE FOR START OF TODAY’S UPDATE
They set to work. Tora pulled out the folder Dwag gave him and shared what he found out. He had to stop when he revealed who Bolli was.
“Was your sister an asura?” FPS asked, confused.
Tora stopped a moment. “…My sister?”
“The necklace was your long dead sister’s wasn’t it?”
Oh fuck is that what I told him? “Uh…” He tried to think fast but blanked. “…Yes. Yes, she was. Found family, y’know?”
Tora rubbed his temples, trying to think. If this was the lie he was going with, it’d get complicated real fast if they talked to anyone who knew Bolli personally.
“I um… met them much later in life though,” he continued carefully. “Didn’t er… meet any of their old crew or anythin’.”
Was that enough cover? This lie was getting lazy and thin real fast. At this point he wasn’t sure what would be easier going forward: telling the truth or keeping up the lie. Lies were best for short term solutions and he wasn’t sure how short term FPS was going to be.
FPS bought it up though, or simply didn’t care to question it. He nodded sagely and let Tora share the rest of his findings with the list of crew members.
When he’d finished, he looked up to see that the eccentric fool he’d met the night prior had vanished, replaced by an eerily similar sylvari with the face of a wizened adventurer. Said adventurer studied Tora with a deep unsettling consideration—the kind that said they were suspicious of him. Who could blame him? Normal people don’t really have access to the kind of information Tora found, do they? And who would go this far for some trinket of a dead relative?
Cold sweat formed on the back of Tora’s neck as he began to realize his mistake.
Then he blinked and the stranger was gone.
The eccentric fool, as boisterous and chipper as before, returned. Tora frowned.
Had he imagined that? There wasn’t time to question it—it was FPS’s turn to share
his findings.
on April 29, 2023
at 1:13 am
For his part, FPS talked to his own associates (that he suspiciously didn’t feel inclined to name) and presented several interesting documents. They were letters handed off to the leader of the Blood Drakes, each one requesting a new item for them to steal. Damn, how did he get his hands on those? It was a good find.
Whoever wrote them was smart though, cautiously refusing to give a return address, and using a vague codename: Mr. R. Even their chosen place of transaction didn’t hep much. They always made their transactions with the gang in the same place: just outside the gates of Lion’s Arch. Useless information now—the amulet would’ve likely moved from that point last night to Mother knows where.
The letters were handwritten on average paper you’d find in an office so no lead there. If they had something to compare the handwriting to… but all they had was Tora’s contact list. There wasn’t much they could do with the letters just yet.
They moved onto the contact list.
“These are the folks we should chat up first,” he pointed to a separate list Dwag made for him: the ones whose families were robbed.
“The ones who were robbed? But isn’t that a waste? We know they don’t have it.”
“Exactly, which means they’re the safest to ask questions of. Find out the history of this Meridian ship crew. See if there’s any long held family grudges against Bolli or anything like that. We should talk to the norn and asura first.”
on April 29, 2023
at 1:18 am
If they talked to the longer lived races, they’d have a higher chance of meeting someone who knew Bolli personally.
FPS agreed.
They packed up their things, tossed out their drinks, FPS gave the charr barista a compliment that nearly got him mauled, and Tora swiped a few napkins and creamers on their way out the door—mostly out of habit.
*
They had four people to talk to: Garan Ripshield, Eira Gunnarson, Yugoro Arata, and Ghell. Eira was obviously norn, so they started there, and then moved to Ghell the asura, Garan the charr, and finally Yugoro the human. It took them the rest of the morning, locating and interviewing each for whatever information they had to give.
They were all eager to talk about what had been stolen from them, and were interested to learn why they’d been targeted, but as suspected, only the norn and the asura recalled who Bolli was at all. Even then, they’d turned out to be too young to have known Bolli personally—only having heard of them through their parents and grandparents. On one hand, this made investigations harder, on the other though, at least Tora didn’t have to worry about being called out on the “Bolli was my long dead sister” thing. He didn’t even intend to bring it up, frankly, but FPS brought it up. Every. Single. Time.
He’d had to beg the plant to stop mentioning it, which naturally FPS didn’t understand.
“But surely, they’ll be more willing to talk if they know its a matter of the heart! She was important to you!” He protested.
“Maybe I just don’t want to talk matters of the heart with everyone, okay?!”
FPS paused at that, considering Tora’s words with what looked like an exaggerated seriousness.
“Oh, of course,” FPS said solemnly. “It’s sensitive to talk about, I understand.”
Tora wasn’t really sure he did.
*
They took a break for lunch after their first set of interviews to discuss what they’d learned, grabbing sandwiches off a street vendor and wandering about deserted back alleys. In the end they hadn’t gleaned much. Those who knew something of Bolli didn’t have much to say about her relations on The Meridian. If there were crew mates who had grudges, they didn’t know anything, and they sure didn’t know of any legacy Bolli left behind.
“But she makes a mean apple pie!” FPS offered.
on April 29, 2023
at 1:20 am
CLICK HERE FOR THE START OF TODAY’S UPDATE
Yes, both the norn and the asura mentioned the apple pie among other equally useless information. He was starting to wonder if the info Dwag had got him was a bunch of dead ends after all.
“We still have the rest of the people on your list to talk to,” FPS pointed out with undying optimism. “The ones who weren’t robbed?”
He was right, but there was a lot of them. Six of them at least. Tora sighed and pulled out the folder again to look over who was left. They’d have to be smart about this. If they chose the right contact they wouldn’t need to talk to all of them.
“Norn and asura first, right?” FPS asked.
Tora nodded.
*
…They talked to all of them.
“Pretty sure my late mother worked with her. I don’t know much about her though. Oh! She was real good in the kitchen, does that help?” said the norn.
“My old man claimed her apple pie was the best but I’ve never had it,” huffed an asura.
“I think my grand sire mentioned something about her having a mean left hook?” mentioned a charr.
“Granny worked with her. She used to send us cookies,” said a human.
“Really good apple pie. Never got the recipe.”
“She fought a minotaur that was after my grandpa!”
“Just the best baker. Mom sings praises about her apple pie.”
“Mean left hook.”
“Father’s been trying to reproduce her apple pie for years.”
“Owes my Ma twenty gold.”
“That apple pie though?”
And finally…
“Yeah, I remember Bolli. Used to work together.”
It was the last person on their list, Rhin Noelle—an old male asura. The sight of him was startling, Tora thought they’d talked to all the asuras. Noelle wasn’t really—asura didn’t usually do the last name thing, he was pretty sure. Noelle was a very human name.
Peering over Rhin, he spotted a framed painting on the wall—a recreation of a wedding between what looked like a younger Rhin and a young human lady.
Ah.
on May 13, 2023
at 12:00 am
“Heard about you from Ghell. Said you might be coming around. You’re Bandi… Bolli’s… brother?” Rhin raised an eyebrow at him.
“Sister,” FPS corrected. Rhin frowned, confused.
“Sibling,” Tora corrected again in a panic.
“Awfully young to be her… sibling, aren’t you?”
“Yes well, sylvari don’t really age so—”
“And she’s never mentioned you to me.”
“They met late in life!” FPS piped in, helpful and eager.
“Oh?” Both Rhin’s eyebrows went up at that.
“Y-Yes. Found family, you see.” Tora tried desperately.
Rhin gave him a long considered look. Tora could feel cold droplets form on the back of his neck. FPS opened his mouth to say something and Tora swiftly slapped a hand over it. Now was not the time to say something stupid.
The old asura squinted.
Sniffed.
Finally shrugged.
“Well, if anyone knows what it’s like to have unorthodox relationships, I suppose it’s me,” he sighed. “So? What are you after then?”
The thief’s shoulders sunk with relief.
on May 13, 2023
at 12:02 am
“Just uh, wanting to learn more about her now that she’s… y’know. Like her old crew on the Meridian and all that.”
The old asura nodded, ushered them in, had them sit on a grey and frayed sofa in a tiny living room. “Not much to tell. She was our ship’s main engineer. And our best cook… How did you say you met her again?”
“Work,” Tora answered and immediately regretted.
“Work…? I thought she retired after her days on the Meridian.”
“Oh no, she was! Retired, absolutely.” Tora agreed hastily. “I was the one working. Working for her. You know, work.”
“You worked for her.” The asura sounded skeptic.
“Yep.”
“…Doing?”
“I uh… walked her dog…s.”
There was a pause. An ugly long pause as both FPS and Rhin scrutinized him. He felt like he was going to shrink to the size of an ant under their gaze. He didn’t even know if Bolli had dogs!
Then Rhin laughed. “Oh! Yes, of course. Her dogs. You should’ve just said so earlier!”
Oh thank the Pale Tree!
“Always so fond of her pups, that Bolli,” Rhin chuckled.
“Wow Miss Bandi, I didn’t know you worked with dogs!” FPS added, helpful as always.
“Yes, well,” Tora tried through a false smile. “You never asked…”
“I kinda figured you were more a cat person—”
“Right! Okay! So, uh, didn’t actually work with her. Worked for her. Walked her dogs. But Rhin, you said you worked with her?” They needed to get back on track.
“Hm? Oh! Yes. I worked with her on the engine,” he answered. “She was a genius with everything she touched, you ask me.”
This was already more than what anyone else had given them so far. No one mentioned her being an engineer.
“A genius? Did… everyone feel that way?” He needed to try some angle to get them talking about relationships on the ship without raising suspicions. After all, the Mr. R from the letters written to the Drakes could very easily be a Mr. Rhin.
“Were any of the others perhaps…” FPS leaned in then, dramatic and secretive. “jealous of her?”
He was going to throw that artless plant out a window.
