Author: Madeline Crane

Fantasy writer, tabletop gamer, wearer of hats.

Song of the Week

Vas, “Amrita”

Good morning! Or afternoon, I guess.

I am writing to you from within a cloud of wildfire smoke today, so I hope you are well and staying safe.

Two more pages of Last Watch Before Dawn this week. This chapter should conclude on Tuesday of next week, and then we’re on to the last one! The end of this volume is in sight!

After this volume is edited and published, I want to start the second volume and a new book. I don’t know how that will work with my schedule, but I plan to figure it out. We’ll talk about the new book soon; I want to get your opinions, so please overcome your fear of answering poll questions and leaving comments. I’m nice, I promise.

A couple petitions:

Via Amnesty International: Get ICE out of our communities and Help stop the bloodshed in Sudan

Via The Workers Circle: Protect over 350,000 Haitian refugees from deportation

That’s all I have for you today. I love you, please take care, and stop by again soon.

Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 68

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More fun with shadows!

These next couple of pages will be pretty low-key, as we’re winding down this chapter and getting ready for the last one, in which we’ll meet the other two members of the squad and have a big fight scene.

On another note: it would be very easy, I think, for the relationship between Resunotek and Ichiro to remain very one-sided, because of how they met and who Resunotek is as a person. Ichiro also doesn’t really know how to take care of people outside of sort of survival basics, but I wanted to show at this juncture that he has the impulse to return some of the care he’s been receiving, even if he can’t do much about it now.

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Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 67

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Here is a pattern that repeats.

Resunotek: Do you need medical attention?
Ichiro: I am able to continue physical exertion.
Resunotek: That’s not what I asked.

I might need to cut one or more iterations of this if it gets too repetitive.

In the meantime, onward and forward!

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Song of the Week

Stormclouds, “Cassilda’s Song” (from The King in Yellow)

Today’s post is late because I had a family event to attend, but here it is! Also, my car is working. There’s some brief nudity in the video as it goes through the artist’s tarot deck, just so you know. This is my favorite version of Cassilda’s Song, and one of the few human-made versions to be found on the internet.

New comic pages this week! I think we’re five away from the end of this chapter.

Here are all of the petitions I’ve collected to free Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya from Israeli detention. He has been tortured and believes himself to be close to death:

MPower Action

Amnesty International

US Campaign for Palestinian Rights

Institute for Middle East Understanding

That’s what I’ve got for you today. I love you; take care of yourselves.

Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 66

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Find someone who looks at you the way Resunotek looks at weird bugs.

There’s a little voice in Ichiro’s head that says, “Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to look strong all the time? To enjoy looking at weird bugs? To let someone take care of you?”

He’s doing his best not to listen to it.

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Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 65

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We’re moving on!

This page includes a larger-than-average bug with lots of legs, if that’s something that bothers you.

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Song of the Week

Buckethead, Azam Ali, and Serj Tankian, “Coma”

Good morning!

Well, it happened: the battery in my tablet pen finally died. I sent my husband on a quest for AAAA batteries, which I wasn’t aware existed until owning this pen. They’re very tiny.

So, now that I have those, I’ll have a new page of Last Watch Before Dawn for you tomorrow and Friday. Our protagonists are on the move!

A couple of petitions:

Via Native Organizers Alliance: protect Two-Spirit and trans people, immigrants, bodily and Tribal sovereignty, and organizations receiving federal funding

Via Daily Kos: Close cruel detention centers

Via Demand Progress: Reject $3.3 billion in taxpayer funding for Israel’s military

That’s all for today. Take care of yourselves, and have an excellent week.

Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 64

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I forgot how much fun shadows are.

Our protagonists will be moving on next page, promise. In the meantime, there’s a brief description of imperialist violence as they get ready. In this setting, some people live a very long time, and others don’t. Some memories linger.

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Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 63

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This page and the next one were originally one rather crowded page. I decided to split it up to give these thoughts some more room.

To that end, I also didn’t put in any backgrounds to speak of on this page. If it ends up being too empty or too confusing, I will add some in on the next draft.

Full page below:

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Song of the Week

MAREWREW, “Sonkayno”

Good morning! More Ainu music for today.

I am so sad to have missed the Chicago Pride Book Fest. My car stopped working on the way out of Milwaukee, and despite trying very hard (we got a jump from roadside assistance, but it didn’t help), we ended up having to head home. Fortunately, it managed to make it there (at like 35 miles an hour, max), so we didn’t get stranded. I’m taking it in to the dealership today.

If the newsletter is something that interests you, it’s going to go out at noon tomorrow (Central time). You can put your email in the box at this link. Be sure to check your inbox right after for a confirmation. This edition has garden and cat pictures, plus a bunch of Brooke’s new paintings.

New pages of Last Watch Before Dawn this week. This coming month will finish up Chapter Four, and then we’re on to the last one!

A couple of petitions:

Via Native Organizers Alliance: Save the Equal Access Rule

Via Action Collective: Drop the 30-year charges against ICE protestors

Via All Out: Stop deporting LGBT+ people into danger

That’s all for now. I love you, take care, and have an excellent week.