Pride SCN5

Pride SCN5 is a fantasy / adventure and webcomic series written and drawn by [|Great Lakes] resident Liimlsan Astale-ae Faolhain

Pride SCN5
Pride SCN5 is a webcomic created by Liimlsan Astale-ae Faolhain.

It follows the adventures of Clare Jamissen and the Pride SCN5 in the Leaf Realm.

History
The pride started as an idea to do 'A Clockwork Orange with Werewolves.' The werewolf thing came about after reading Victor Pelevin's A Werewolf Problem in Central Russia. The original concept was to have humans who could shapeshift into quadruped wolves. It went through several incarnations, involving drugs that changed shape, magic charms, numerous character changes, and a change from an inner city to a forest in the human world to another dimension entirely called the Leaf Realm. Also, over the course of things, the concept of Weres, Anths, Furs, and Humans finally took shape, replacing the idea of quarduped werewolves.

Scott was the first developed, under the name Doug, followed in by sketch of Tallie. Clare Jamissen was done third, given her distinctive eyebrows in an attempt to make the character recognizable in multiple forms. (At this point, all the characters were wolves. It has been noted that the species additions were already a slapdash attempt, with Clare, Tallie, and Scott remaining wolves simply because he had already made numerous drawings of them as wolves. The fact that all the foxes were female was a coincidence.)

The similarity in eyebrows between Clare and the character in Dusker78's VixenTF (http://www.transfur.com/Gallery/ViewSequence.aspx?Sequence=6963) has literally raised eyebrows. Liimlsan Denies that it was copied blatantly but says that dusker78s mix of 3d and cartoonishism with realism was a big influence, as was the 'Rocky Mountain Lion' story arc of Sandusky.

The Characters of Scott, Andy, and Chase were similar to Soren, Gylfie, and Twilight from Guardians of Gahoole (which Liimlsan was a big fan of before the legend of the guardians movie), but as liimlsan says "The gas they feed from is my own, the characters are my own, these characters were the spark that lit the burner and determined color of the flame," showing his never ending talent for a dumb remark that sounds a lot smarter than anything Glenn Back put out. (zing!)

There are numerous pains involved with this series, notably the fact that the only legible format for his insanely teeny writing is in a resolution too big for the comic to upload. In an effort to curb this, he occasionally writes a transcript in the description.

He has described himself as 'horribly incompetent with computers' and wishes to let anyone reading this know not to be put off by an occasional missed update or botched scan.

Universe

 * The story follows a band of adventurers known as the Pride SCN5 who journey through the leaf realm, with the goal of protecting the 'Triadate,' a trio of mysterious objects that cause strange events to happen. There are multiple magic objects known as Objects that occur naturally. The ones shown have a bad habit of changing form, but it is known that one of the objects in the triadate can transform the shape of the user and one of the other objects can cause random coincidences to abound around the vicinity of the object. These 'Prides' are really nothing new in this universe, as one side effect of the objects is to compel anths to protect the objects, and carry them around seminomadically. These objects, through constant traveling, are necessary through travel to mend the disruptions between the leaf realm and the Arach Plane. The prides need no incentive to continue, as most feel that this life is the most fun they've ever had, or as Scott puts it, "Life to the fullest of awesomeness and win."


 * The Leaf realm is a long forestlike community with multiple limestone formations creating skylines. Its description is somewhat akin to 'a combination of Edo-era japan and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan minus at least five feet of snow.' Things like an economy are odd, because they have enough charity and subsistence farming not to need a strong government. The closest thing to Il Duce is the invisible hand.


 * The Arach Plane is a realm wherein for pleasure, various spider demons consume organic things. If allowed to escape, they will shatter the leaf realm and basically eat everything. Yeah...not awesome, but hey.


 * Other realms are mentioned, such as the Crystal Realm (which is occasionally tapped into by leaf realm portalists for raw materials), inhospitable to sustained life, the Ultrarealm and w0n, two realms 'higher' than the leaf realm that have no access to other realms (ultrarealm, unlike w0n, is aware of the existence of other realms), Zoavibe, where life exists as music, and our own realm, referred to as 'the Long realm.'


 * In the realm are five species - Wolves, Foxes, Coyotes, Huskies, and a canid species referred to as Lynxes. Aside from the occasional human, there are people who regularly cross between the human and leaf realms, though they are not shown. The people who can shift between human and animal (Anth, as in Anthro, or Fur) without feeling the negative side effects of shapeshifting are known as weres. Strangely, most weres need a Whisprock to shift, and Scott (who can shift by himself) is in a minority.


 * A Whisprock is a rock with a unique composition of minerals that amplifies magic energy. These can be duplicated by having a trained person paint on a normal rock certain patterns that mirror the mineral composition. By using these a wild range of tasks can be performed, everything from Impact storage to Cooking heat to Full-body Shapeshifting. Seriously, those things kick ass.


 * In many states in the leaf realm, the Novus Homo is gaining force. The Homo is a group of homophobic rightwingers who believe in fiscal corporatism and restoration of national pride. Plus, they blame the Foxes race for everything wrong with the economy and a threat to pure lupine blood that they claim is superior. So, yeah. It's Nazi Germany.


 * Also a danger is the Genesis manifesti, a lesser organization that seeks control over all of the kingdoms. They kidnap pups after disasters and brainwash them in the Genesis Compound (recently to expand like a franchise) through 'Faircirblinkn,' in which whisprocks mimicking fairy circles are set up so that pups trapped within them lose sense of self. They are extraordinarily powerful due to their abundant resources, and the Novus Homo's militant branch, the Lapinus Prima, have attempted to take over the genesis.


 * So yeah. The right wing racist fascists atempting to gain the resources of a major power that brainwashes its populace but has never been defeated because of its potent resources? And the nazis are wolves? In soviet Russia, wolves are the nazis! What a country!


 * Both of these are being manipulated by Calder for reasons undivulged, that possibly involves mass slaughter and death.

Plot
In the beginning, the Pride SCN5, at this point consisting Janet, Andrea, Scott, Chase, and Ric, requires new recruits, and they persuade six people to come to a rented house for the ceremony. After various character setups, it is made known that they are intended to perform the ceremony with the Pride to turn into Weres to assist the pride.

When the dust is left standing, two anonymous people have not passed and have remained in human form, and the new recruits are Fighter Wolf Clare Jamissen, Mystic Wolvulpe Tallie Strongblood, Archer fox Elissa Eaglan, and Fighter Husky Lee Cardivox.

Various events come up that should not be divulged by spoilers.

Characters

 * Clare Jamissen is a young Wolf Fighter, recruited by the pride. Her standard outfit is a fringe vest and bandolier/belt combo with which she holds Dragonfly; on occasion she wears fringed jean cutoffs. She is a noted bisexual (kinsey 2), not really caring about societal mores. She is known for her headstrongness, but frankly is one of the most rational people in the group, remaining in control of her berzerker rages.

In battle, she has extraordinary prowess and has been a tomboy since youth, always remaining anxious regarding her lack of normal femininity. She was friends with Tallie in middle school. Later in the series, she bonds with the weapon "Dragonfly", a sword with a handle as long as the blade that she wields to deadly effect.


 * Tallie Strongblood is a secondary main character. a Wolvulpe mystic recruited by the pride. Her standard outfit is a ring-collared leather jacket and short cutoffs. She is known for her spiritual side compounded by reckless hedonism when it suits her. She is a noted bisexual lesbian (kinsey 4), and like most of the girls in the series, neither submits to stereotypes and T&A showoffs, nor fits into a standard 'virgin/whore' archetype.


 * Scott Keaton is a Coleader of the pride, a young wolf. His past is secretive, but it is known that he lost family in a fire, was 'rescued' by Genesis compound troops, and was brought to the compound, where together with Andy he escaped. He is really quite competent, but has low self-interest except in his relationship with Andrea. He also folds rather easily, and is half of a long running UST between him and Tallie. He currently is not complaining about the sex-for-favors triangle between him, Jan, and Andy.


 * Andrea "Andy" Vanderveen is a fox mystic with quite a way with throwing knives. She is cold, calculating, and very bipolar, with her moods changing from outright rage to a meek shyness in the name of the pride to an energetic and aloof bitch who can wrap the men around her finger; but in general she is very repressed, having only actually cried thrice in her life. She was raised as a 'good' girl in a Jewish family, was kidnapped at age 14 when Genesis troops caught her fleeing from a pogrom. She seemed to be an ideal brainwashee, but had a traumatic rape that shook her out of the brainwashing and caused her to force a tough exterior onto the world. At the beginning she is quite detached and withdrawn, retreating into the portals of the magic-boosting "watcher's realm" to observe. She is a spearhead of the "virgin archetype". Cold and calculating but power-addicted, she constantly vies for Scott's attention because she senses that if he approves, she can rule the pride.


 * Janet Rahman is an enigmatic Vixen portalist with sketchy ties to the Pride. She grew up human, unlike most of the founders, and being the hot blonde cheerleader stereotype had negative experiences with being treated like a sex object (she has an undying hatred of brunettes that she says are 'respected for their mind'). She is very defensive of herself and utterly shameless. She is the epitome of the "whore archetype", the irony being that she has really the same if not better persona than Andy. She is ruthless in using her sex appeal not as a tool for pleasure but as a means to an end and a way to influence anyone. Constantly vying with Andy for Scott's approval for a position of power. Not a famous fighter (she can fight like a mofo but no one really can tell), but an excellent strategist and portalist and good with her claws. Her relationship to Clare and Ric changes like the wind.


 * Chase Roth is a lynx-like species of lupine referred to as 'lynx'. After being stereotypically orphaned as a toddler, he spent most of his childhood in the woods on the run from various patrols. The circumstances surrounding his orphanage are notably murky. He is extremely afraid of being gay, and is the most masculine and bodybuilder of the group. He is actually not gay, his sexuality is technically seme bi, but can best be described as less 'anything that moves' and more 'anything with a hole in it.' He has a long running UST with Eliss, but after the 'hot lesbian girlfriend' incident, seems to be self-alienated from the pride.


 * Ricardo 'Ric' Alvarez is a pothead coyote with an endless barrage of stoner thought. He struggles with perfectionism, neuroses, and chronic insomnia, and was diagnosed with Asberger's Syndrome as a child. Ever since, he has found people to be stressful and turned to weed for inspiration. He is actually a well-talented craftsman, who could probably make a small living woodcarving. His on-off open relationship with Clare is a topic of much reader debate.


 * Elissa 'Eliss' Eaglan is a mysterious marksman vixen; notable as the only open lesbian in the pride. She regards Chase as a loud macho jerk and resists all attempts at chastizing him. Somehow, occupies both the 'party girl' archetype and the 'mysterious stranger' archetype. Was inducted at the same time as Clare and Tallie, but seems to know more than she should. Why does the pride keep her around? Because she can hit anything with an arrow within 5 miles. Seriously. She good at it. (Liimlsan mentions that she was actually a portmanteau of several one-shot characters, and so views her as the most mysterious because he didnt plan anything out for her beforehand.


 * Lee Cardivox is a mysterious Husky Metalhead Fighter with an eye toward Chase as 'buds.' He was actually a boy scout and is the most likely to survive if left in the woods for any period of time. Andy finds him 'fascinating,' in her own words, and tries to decipher him in her head...so yeah. Mostly there for people to react off of. (He thinks Iron Maiden is better than Motorhead.)


 * Calder is a mysterious wolf/coyote hybrid (albino) who has a mysterious past of a lonely rich kid in the human world. He is subtly manipulating the Novus Homo and the Genesis manifesti to rip apart the world and leave it ripe for an invasion from the Arach Plane. He has a prediliction for military jackets, velvet vests, powdered wigs with ponytails (its really his actual hair), and little lace cravats. Seriously. That's what he wears. Why is my only comment his fashion sense? Because we know Nothing ELSE about him! His plan is an utter mystery in every way except for the anime typicalness.