Unity: Clutter (2008/12/02)

Tamu: Juni, I would like you to start by talking to... I'm sorry, what was your name again?
Seth: Seth. Is the officer Juni Melrose listening?
Tamu: To Seth here.
demiJuni: Hello there, Seth!
Tamu: Did you hear that?
Seth: Hear what?
Tamu: Juni, talking to you.
Seth: No! Where is it?
Tamu: Right there.
Seth: What, the [[Kajoshi]] sparkle box?
demiJuni: Tamu, what are you trying to do here? [[in purple text]] Oh, you're back!
Juni: [[in Kajoshi, via Drone]] - reason, and I don't know what it is.
demiJuni: What? No, just talk to them for a moment.
Juni: Wait, [[in Hiero]] "Hi mom?"
demiJuni: Argh, don't- Okay, fine, I'll improvise.
Tamu: Seth doesn't hear your words.
demiJuni: [[normal text]] No, why would he?
Seth: Sir, while I respect wht you've done for Kayohash rights in the South, I think this is a bit weird. I'm just going to go.
Tamu: What? You can't leave! I've commandeered you! For science!
demuJuni: Tamu, you don't under-
Seth: Yeah, uh, good luck with that.
demiJuni: Tamu, you don't have to do this. The real Juni is still alive!
Transcript

Unity: Relay (2008/12/04)

Juni: Look, we're getting off-point. I was sent here for a reason and I don't know what it is.
demiJuni: Oh, you're back! Hi Juni! Hi mom!
Hira: Goodness, that thing's sparkle! Why did you bring that here?!
Juni: It asked to see you. Wait, "Hi mom?"
demiJuni: This is perfect. I'm talking to Tamu right now!
Juni: Oh... OH. How the breeze did you get control of this drone?!
Hira: Get that away from here. It will infect the village!
demiJuni: It's complicated. [The real Juni is still alive!]
Juni: The real Juni...?
Tamu: What?! How do you know-
Juni: Tamu?!
Hira: You are speaking to spirits!
Juni: [grabbing Hira's tail, digging its own tail into the ground] Eugene, keep my mom here. Mom, please stop freaking out. Hey Sam! I could use your help now!
Hira: Hey, let go of me!
Transcript

Unity: Leaving (2008/12/09)

Sam [wearing a new shirt, a bow on his horn, and still shoeless]: Jarbreeze, you spadetails are *all* insane.
Sam: What does [Kajoshi: "whosagoodboy"] mean?
Hira: It mean they like you.
Juni: Great. Sam, this is my mom, Hira. [Kajoshi: Mom, this is Sam.] Look, we don't have a lot of time to chat.
Juni: We're going back to the South. A transport will be here soon.
Hira: Slow you down! I hiero not so good! [Kajoshi: Did you say you're leaving? You just got here! I need to cure you--]
Sam: What?! But the assassin--
Juni: I'll explain on the way. [Kajoshi: No, mom, *we're* going. You're coming with us.]
Hira [Kajoshi]: WHAT?! You piece of foreign rubbish!
Eugene: Hey, calm down, there.
Juni: Don't blame the drone! It's me too! Uh, sort of.
Juni: Eugene, find someone to watch over the temple while she's gone. You have been very helpful. Thank you.
Eugene: Yes'm. My mother would thank you, I guess.
Juni: Be good. [kissing Eugene] *mwah*
Hira: How dare you?! You have no right to do this!
Sam [Hiero]: Hey, your mom seems mad.
Hira: Juni mad, I angry!
Transcript

Unity: Something wonderful (2008/12/11)

Juni: I'm sorry about how confusing this all is, for both of you. I'm not entirely clear on what is going on, myself.
Juni: There are things going on here which are bigger than all of us.
Hira: Is she's always like this?
Sam: Yeah, pretty much.
Juni: For some reason, this simulation of me needed you to come to the South with us. It tells me that it is safe to go back. It's not the same one as before... but it has somehow obtained information the others haven't had.
Hira: What "others?"
Sam: I'm a bit lost too.
Juni: Gah, I'm... I'm trying, but it's so complicated.
Hira: Pah. What happened to my daughter?
Juni: Something wonderful.
Hira: Something terrible.
Transcript

Unity: Landing (2008/12/16)

[[in a purple floatyspace]]
subJuni: Isn't it ironic how you treat me like a pile of defective thoughts?
Juni: How so?
subJuni: It was my mistake which created you.
Juni: Your mistake? What?
subJuni: So typical. You, all knowledge but no memories. How pathetic.
Juni: I have memories now!
subJuni: Yes, but they are MY memories. Not yours.
Juni: I'd prefer we try to be friends.
subJuni: What's the point? You don't even exist.
Juni: But I am me as you are me
Sam: Juni?
Juni: and we are all together
Juni: altogether?
Sam: Juuuni?
[[In a cabin of an aerotransport]]
Sam: Hey! Wake up, sleepyhead. We're landing in a centi.
Juni: Nn, I must have drifted off.
Sam: I know! You've had a long day!
Transcript

Unity: Arrival (2008/12/18)

[[At the airport. Sasha is staring out the window at a lake. Juni emerges from a doorway above which is written "Kajoshu special trip" in Hiero, with "gate 4" to the left.]]
Tamu: Ah, Juni! Welcome back to the land of the living-
Hira: I not Juni, you kessel. I am Hira. Juni still waking up.
Tamu: Oh, goodness. I am so sorry! It is nice to finally meet you in person. Will you be staying here?
Hira: I don't know. Ask "her royal majesty."
[[Sam and Juni emerge, bags under their eyes]]
Tamu: Ah, Juni! Welcome back to the land of the--Goodness, naked, again? I'm starting to think you have a nudism complex!
Juni: You're the one with a problem. This is normal back in Kajoshu.
Tamu [rolling eyes]: Tsk. Sasha, be a dear and get Officer Melrose a more suitable set of clothes.
Sasha: [Campon-like clicks and squeaks]
Tamu: Yes, "more suitable than nothing."
Hira [to Sasha]: You one biiig ant.
Transcript

Unity: Rude (2008/12/23)

[[Riding from the airport. Sasha is playing a gaming device.]]
Hira: [Kajoshi] Juni, you still haven't told me why you've brought me.
Juni: [Hiero] Mom, I told you, you'll know when I know.
Hira: [Kajoshi] So where are we going now?
Juni: [Hiero] We're going to my place to drop you and Sam off and get some clothes, and then I need to make a couple of visits.
Hira: [Kajoshi] And why are you responding in Hiero?
Juni: [Hiero] Because nobody else here knows Kajoshi. It's rude.
Hira: [Kajoshi] Do you know what else is rude? Abducting your mother.
Sam (sleeping): hrnh?
Transcript
[!]3 comments

Unity: Confusing (2008/12/25)

[[In the lobby of Juni's housing building]]
Juni: Hi, Leonard, can I get a temporary key for my mother? She's visiting from Kajoshu.
Hira: "Visiting," meh.
Leonard: Sure thing, Officer. Dressing casual today?
Juni: It's a really long story.
Leonard: I'll bet.
[[In Juni's home]]
Juni: So this is my home. I feel like I haven't been here in a tenround and a half.
Hira: Why it so big and so empty? YOu do not have any nesting?
Juni: Our bed is in the other room. You can sleep on the couch, or we can get you a temporary mattress if you like.
Hira: No straw? I like to sleep on straw.
Juni: No, mom, straw isn't a very reusable substance. Some people eat it, though.
Hira: Eat...?
Juni: Oh, right, if you want some food, there's a comm node in the kitchen. You can order what you want and they'll send it up the tube.
Hira (rolling her eyes): [Kajoshi] You make it sound so simple.
Transcript

Unity: Heading out (2008/12/30)

Juni [pulling a jacket on]: I guess I lost my favorite coat in the tunnels. Meh. That really eats into my material budget.
Sam: Hrnh. Heading back out, hon?
Juni: Tamu and Sasha are waiting for me outstairs. Keep mom out of trouble.
Sam: Yes, ma'am.
Juni: Don't even start gendering me, dear.
Sam: Hee. Sorry.
Juni [hugging Hira]: [Kajoshi] Okay, mom, I'm sorry about all this. I know there's a good reason, though.
Hira: [Kajoshi] It had better be.
Juni: I've got a [Hiero]data node [Kajoshi]with me. Sam can show you how to call me if you need my help.
Hira: Hmph.
Juni [heading out the door]: [Hiero] Okay, you two, have fun. Stay out of trouble!
Sam and Hira (simultaneously): Okay, "mom."
Hira: Maybe we can be friends.
Sam: Hee.
Transcript
Recap: 9.Gathering
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2008/12/23: Vacation

I'll be out of town until the 30th. I'll be bringing my portable Wacom with me so I might work on some non-Unity strips. On the plus side, I have buffered Unity updates until the 30th anyway, so there shouldn't be any interruptions in the regularly-scheduled updates. I just thought you should know.

Also I have a poll going on over in the completely-unused forum, if you want to comment. One of the things I plan on doing while I'm on vacation is attempting to improve the site layout, so I'd like to know sooner rather than later.

2008/12/18: Transcript embedding HOWTO

For those who are interested, I've written up an explanation of how I embed Oh No Robot transcripts, in case any other comic authors want to use it as well.

2008/12/11: An interview

So, Bengo and I got in a conversation about comics and content management systems. Go ahead and read it if you like hearing all the boring details about why I think Movable Type is better for comics and site management than WordPress.

2008/12/04: So more transcript neatness!

Now it's even easier to see transcripts for comics. I'm thinking of ways of improving it though, like maybe clicking 'transcript' makes it pop up in a little floaty window on the page or something, but that leads to other potential problems (but probably less problematic than how the navigation buttons get covered by the transcript right now). I'm open to suggestions.

I have to admit that I mostly did this so that Google would see the transcripts when it crawled my site, and being able to make it visible was just a bonus.

2008/12/02: Update frequency

If you ever wonder why I only update 2-3 times a week, consider that I could always take shortcuts but I don't think I could live with myself. (I do occasionally reuse backgrounds and rough layouts and I feel guilty enough about that as is!)