I commissioned @nordickies to draw Ian and Jean-Baptiste, and they did such a wonderful job of it!! Look how soft their hair is, look at Jean-Baptiste's flirty smirk, look at Ian's stern yet loving look. Ugh, stop it, they're so beautiful!!
A bunad is a Norwegian folk costume made popular in the 19th century. It has different designs depending on which region you're from, and sometimes it looks different if you're married versus unmarried.
Nobody actually comes from Svalbard, though many people work there, some for many, many years. In 1978, Elsa Knutsen from Vesterålen designed the Svalbard bunad for anyone who has resided on Svalbard through all four seasons.
I didn't do much today, but I managed to get this thing done at the very least. It's Ian and Svanhild! They're very close, but you'll never find them calling each other friends. While Ian goes to Roland for most of his troubles, when shit really hits the fan he goes to find Svanhild, who is never happy to see him pop up but will do her utmost to help anyway, all while complaining about it.
It's the very basic outlines, very very rough, inconsistencies and all. You can totally tell that I started out putting more details into the sketches but then I went "fuck it" and drew, like, four lines per panel. It's how I usually work, anyway.
We're in 1928, and Bouvet Island has been declared Norwegian. Ozzie and Anker go to pick up its representative person, who they only know exist because of a British sealer's report from 1825. Jean-Baptiste doesn't appear visible to people unless he acknowledges them, but can still be noticed by sound or leaving foot prints (or, in this case, hand prints).
Both Jean-Baptiste and Anker have different hair here than they do in the line-up picture, and Jean-Baptiste also has a beard.
It's also worth noting that Ozzie and Anker speak Norwegian, and Jean-Baptiste speaks French. Normally I add little flags to indicate the language spoken, but this is just the sketch. One notable exception is the last panel, where Ozzie says, "Stop it!" in French.
Here we go! The final iteration, with shading and highlights. Very simple colouring because if you know me you know I don't like working with colours. I just don't know them very well.
I don't remember all their exact heights, but Ozzie is 150cm and Roland is 210cm.
Now, using these individual drawings, I'm hoping I can get some character sheets up! With names, nicknames, ages, languages spoken, when they became Norwegian (if applicable), special abilities, relations, as well as smaller doodles with various details (piercings, jewellry, scars, etc.). A little bit of history as well. I'm predicting that Ian's and Jean-Baptiste's character sheets will be the most fleshed out ones, simply because the main story is about them.
Anker (left) and Ozzie (right) are watching Ian and Jean-Baptiste bicker.
Ozzie is not having a good time, because he's been approached for help and he fully intends to help them out, but they keep getting distracted by petty bickering. He's simply stunned by their rudeness.
Anker, however, is having a blast, finally getting some distraction from his monotonous day-to-day life.
So the plan was that I would finish these out-of-context single panels from the comics I've written, but I've reached the point where I'm about to go from drawing with a mouse to drawing with a tablet. I'm going away for Christmas on Monday, and I will not be able to finish all of these with a mouse before then, and I intend to start over once I get the tablet.
So, uhhh, here! Have all 30 out-of-context panels in all their finished and unfinished glories.
Ian and Jean-Baptiste meet:
Roland has finally convinced Ian to go to an after-work party with all the other non-humans, after Ian has been avoiding them for nearly a century. Upon arriving, he notices a strange feeling pulling him towards someone he's never seen before, and he freaks out. "What is this? Who are you? What is this bond?" Jean-Baptiste just stares at him, dumbstruck, because unbeknownst to Ian, Jean-Baptiste doesn't understand a lick of English. Roland steps out from the party house and tries to calm Ian down, but Ian demands to know who "this twink" is.
Ian is stunned when Jean-Baptiste speaks Norwegian with a thick French accent, and he promptly switches to speaking Norwegian as well. Roland admits that he doesn't know what "this bond" is, and is too drunk to handle it right now, and that they'll deal with it in the morning. Ian then turns to Jean-Baptiste to ask him more questions, but Jean-Baptiste is, like, "yeah, no, I'm going home, I'm not talking to you." Ian is left standing alone, more confused than ever.
The morning after:
Ian and Jean-Baptiste have been called in to Osvald's office to discuss whatever the fuck that whole thing was. Jean-Baptiste says that he's not too keen on having a mysterious bond to someone as aggressive and loud as Ian, and Ian replies that he's not thrilled by the idea of being linked to a Frenchman. Jean-Baptiste, confused, asks him what he's got against the French. Ian tries to explain "playful hatred" between people of certain nations, "like the English and the Irish, and the English and the Scots". He says, "Surely you're aware of this, being French?" Jean-Baptiste admits that he's never been to France, that he just speaks the language, and says, "but after how you acted yesterday, I think I can learn to hate you. If that's what you want. I'm just being 'playful'."
At the office:
Roland, who is Ian's boss, shows up as well, and the three of them enter Osvald's office, where his assistant Anker is also present. Anker presents possible evidence of why Ian and Jean-Baptiste might have this strange bond, and it seems compelling. Osvald asks them what the bond feels like, and Jean-Baptiste mentions that it feels kind of magnetic in a way, and Anker suggests, "like an attraction?", to which both Ian and Jean-Baptiste react with disgust, as the very idea of being attracted to the other one is preposterous. Ian says he's got standards, to which Jean-Baptiste takes offence, and the two of them bicker and glare at one another. Osvald turns to Roland and asks him when Ian started acting like a brat, and Roland admits that Ian has actually been like that a long time.
They're planning to travel:
The hypothetical evidence of Ian's and Jean-Baptiste's bond makes them think there are more non-humans like them who are share this bond, though they are not on Norwegian soil. Osvald suggests meeting the non-human on Saint Helena, and Jean-Baptiste asks if they can fast travel, but since Saint Helena isn't a Norwegian territory, they can't do so. Technically, Osvald adds, they could fast-travel to Jean-Baptiste's island and then go by boat, but it'd take too long, so they're going to go by plane. Ian quips that Jean-Baptiste probably doesn't even have boats stationed on his island, and Jean-Baptiste stammers, before stating, "We don't use boats to get to my island..."
Roland tells Ian to behave, and Osvald tries to get back on topic, saying, "We're gonna get you plane tickets to Jonestown as soon as possible." Roland, Ian, and Jean-Baptiste stare at Osvald in horror, until Anker leans in and tells Osvald, "The actual town is called Jamestown. Jonestown is a place where almost a thousand people were massacred." Osvald, for whatever reason, says, "Oh, my bad. We're getting to tickets to Jonestown, not Jamestown." This goes back and forth for a bit, while the other three just stare in stunned silence.
Osvald reassures them that Anker will get them the plane tickets they need, because he clearly can't remember which is the correct one.
On the airplane:
Jean-Baptiste, having spent most of his life on a remote island with nothing but open space, gets uncomfortable indoors, and the smaller the space the worse he feels. Add the fact that he can't get out of the airplane while it's in mid-air, and you've got a stressed out little man. He insists he will be fine as long as he gets to sit in the aisle seat... which is on Ian's ticket. He asks if they can swap seats, because he will actually kill someone if he's forced to sit in the middle seat.
Ian, being a prick, tells him to sit the fuck down in the middle seat, and Jean-Baptiste is so stunned by Ian's lack of understanding that he resolves the problem by sitting on Ian until Ian gives up his seat.
Meeting Julia:
They land on Saint Helena and they meet Julia. Ian shakes her hand, and is surprised to discover that the bond strengthens in intensity upon physical contact. She doesn't speak Norwegian, so she and Ian converse in English, with Ian translating for Jean-Baptiste.
Julia talks about what she knows:
She lists a few others she knows that also share this bond with them, whom she's met in the past. She knows of some others who theoretically should have this bond, but she's never met them. Ian asks her if she speaks French, to which she says, "No, but it's sweet that you want your friend to be included." Ian snorts, and says that they're not friends. When she asks why, he says that Jean-Baptiste sat on him. Amused, Julia asks why, and Ian says that he didn't want to change seats with him. She tells him that that's a dick move.
She tells Ian that Jean-Baptiste has good reason to not like confined spaces, what with what his life has been like. Ian admits that he never considered that, and Julia says, "I have a feeling you don't consider a lot of things."
So what does the bond do?
Julia tells Ian that two people with the bond can easily locate one another, provided they're not too far apart. She hasn't checked what the distance limit is, but they could be several kilometres apart and still be able to tell where the other is. Ian asks if there's something else she's noticed that the bond can do, and she thinks about it for a moment before cheekily saying, "Sleeping with someone with the bond feels amazing." She asks a blushing Ian if he wants to try it with her, and he nervously tells her that he's gay. She asks if he thinks Jean-Baptiste would be up for it, and Jean-Baptiste perks up, having heard his name. Ian responds thusly.
And immediately becomes embarrassed, realising how he reacted. Jean-Baptiste asks him what's going on, and Ian refuses to translate. Julia is smirking, and tells Ian to translate, which he does, reluctantly. Jean-Baptiste is intrigued, but turns on Ian, saying, "You just said 'no' on my behalf, did you? What if I want to sleep with her? Who do you think you are?"
Ian is angry and embarrassed, full of whirling emotions that he's not sure what even are. Jean-Baptiste scoffs at him and then turns to Julia.
Jean-Baptiste kisses her, and the bond strengthens. Jean-Baptiste is awestruck, and Julia is, like, "right?" But she glances at Ian, who is staring at them with what can only be described as a green expression.
Julia has realised what neither of these idiots have, and thinks it's best to call it off. Jean-Baptiste asks her if she's okay, and she reassures him that she's fine (Ian translates). Before Jean-Baptiste and Ian leave, Julia gives Ian a big smile and tells him, "You two should sleep together and try it. It's great!" And Ian is, like, "All right, whatever, we're leaving, bye."
The flight home:
At the airport, waiting for the plane home, Jean-Baptiste is staring at his plane ticket. Ian looks over and sees that once again Jean-Baptiste has been assigned the middle seat and Ian has been assigned the aisle seat. He says, "I actually prefer the middle seat. Would you like to swap?" Super happy about this, Jean-Baptiste offers him a smile, and pauses a moment before responding in English, "Zhank you." Ian looks surprised, before responding in an equally heavily accented French, "No praw-blem."
Returning home:
Roland, Osvald, and Anker welcome them home and would like to know what they found out. Ian tells them what Julia told him, and Jean-Baptiste adds that physical contact makes the bond feel stronger, "more intense, somehow." Roland, for whatever reason, is very intrigued by this, and wants to see a demonstration.
Ian shakes hands with Jean-Baptiste, and accidentally lets slip a soft moan. He immediately slaps his other hand over his mouth, and blushes furiously while Roland is doubled over with laughter.
Gotta be on friendly terms:
Roland asks Ian if he and Jean-Baptiste got any closer while travelling, and they clearly didn't. Roland and Osvald both agree that they can't have the two of them running around bickering, "lest we appear unprofessional. I'm not saying you need to be best friends, but we need you to be on friendly terms." Unsure on how to do that, Jean-Baptiste asks what they should do, and Osvald suggests watching a movie together, grabbing a coffee, dining at a restaurant, and going for a walk. Both Ian and Jean-Baptiste look uncomfortable. Roland pipes up and suggests that the two of them give each other a tour of their islands. Ian says, "His island is uninhabited; what's there to show?", to which Roland says, "That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about! You can't imagine why his island is remarkable, but to Jean-Baptiste it's his whole life." Jean-Baptiste looks away, uncomfortable with revealing his vulnerabilities to someone like Ian. Roland insists they do it. Ian and Jean-Baptiste reluctantly agree, and say in unison: "But I'm not happy about it."
They glance at one another, both with a hint of humour in their eyes but refusing to laugh, so they look away instead.
Anker is having a blast, whispering to Osvald, "Oh, I just know they're going to end up in bed together." Osvald remarks, "You say that about everyone!", to which Anker says, "Have I ever been wrong?"
Getting dressed for the cold weather:
Jean-Baptiste is wrapping up in warm clothes while Ian doesn't. Jean-Baptiste asks him about it, and Ian says, "I don't need to wear warm clothes on my island, I don't feel the cold there." Jean-Baptiste says that they're headed to his island next, where Ian will certainly feel the cold.
They bicker about it for a bit, until Ian looks him up and down in his warm clothes and says, "You look like a kindergartener on an excusion", to which Jean-Baptiste replies, "Oh, please, I look good in everything I wear."
Fast-travel:
Since Jean-Baptiste has never been to Ian's island before, Ian must take the lead in fast-travel (teleportation), and they have to hug each other tight. Jean-Baptiste groans in annoyance, and Ian says, "I know, but if I lose my grip on you mid-transportation, I don't know what might happen. You might straight up vanish and die, and then Boss will be on my ass." Jean-Baptiste quips, "I bet you like him on your ass."
Ian immediately takes a step back and stares at Jean-Baptiste with wide eyes. "Why did you say that? What do you know?" Jean-Baptiste is confused as all hell. Ian adds, "Was that a joke about my sexuality?", to which Jean-Baptiste goes, "What?! No! Why would I...? No!" Still unconvinced, Ian says nothing. Jean-Baptiste becomes serious and says, "I promise, I would never make fun of someone for being gay, not even you." Ian reluctantly accepts this, saying, "Fine, I just don't like it when straight guys make jokes like that." Jean-Baptiste says, "I'm not straight, I'm bisexual. I'm just as queer as you are.
Ian says, "Oh... Well... That does make me feel more comfortable, actually." Jean-Baptiste says, Glad you got your issues sorted. Let's go." They hug tight and teleport away.
On Ian's island:
Arriving on Ian's island, Ian immediately heads to one of the buildings there, where he has free access. He removes his warm clothes before leaving the building again, now just in a t-shirt and jeans. Jean-Baptiste says, "What's the point of removing your outerwear? Why can't you just wear it?" Ian replies, "It's easier to move around without all those layers. Plus I get to show off my pecs. What's your problem?" and walks off. Jean-Baptiste says, "As good a reason as any, I suppose..." and follows him
The first attraction:
Ian is looking for something, and finally sees it: arctic foxes.
Jean-Baptiste is absolutely smitten. He wants to see them up close, and Ian says, "I can see them up close, what with this being my island and all. They don't react to me. I don't know if they'll react to you, though." Jean-Baptiste gives him the ol' puppy-dog eyes and asks, "Can we try?" Ian smiles a little, uncertain as to why he's smiling. He agrees, and they both get to pet some wild arctic foxes.
The second attraction:
Jean-Baptiste asks Ian if he's got other animals on his island, and Ian says, "Lots and lots of birds." He then smiles brightly as he sees something in the distance, and says, "Every now and then I also get polar bears." He makes his way towards the polar bear as Jean-Baptiste stands there gaping, just watching Ian and the polar bear.
Lots of practice:
After seeing the polar bear, they sit and talk for a bit. Jean-Baptiste brings up the quip he made about Ian and Roland, and Ian unsuccessfully pretends to not know what he's talking about. He looks absolutely mortified as he asks Jean-Baptiste not to tell anyone. Jean-Baptiste promises, then asks if there are any romantic feelings between Ian and Roland, which Ian says there isn't, "if anything, Roland feels weird about it, what with him being my boss." Jean-Baptiste asks how it happened, and Ian doesn't want to explain. He asks Jean-Baptiste if he's ever slept with any of the others, to which Jean-Baptiste says he's only ever slept with humans. "Lots of them. Possibly in the hundreds. Just a whole lot of one-night-stands. Men, women, other... Didn't matter, I slept with everyone." While he's talking, Ian looks more and more uncomfortable, which Jean-Baptiste notices, and decides to be a dick about it.
"Turns out I'm really good at it."
"That's nice..."
"I got a lot of practice from sleeping with so many people."
"Sure..."
Jean-Baptiste cracks up with laughter, and Ian sheepishly laughs at himself for his outburst.
First languages:
Each non-human has a first language, which in Ian's and Jean-Baptiste's case is the language of the first human to discover their islands. Don't ask questions, just go with it.
Jean-Baptiste thinks it's weird that Ian's island must've been discovered by the English, what with the island being so far north. Surely it wasn't actually discovered by the English? Ian admits that no, although his go-to language is English, his first language is actually Icelandic, albeit a little old-fashioned. Jean-Baptiste gets frustrated: "It's annoying enough that you speak Norwegian with a northern dialect without an accent! Now you're telling me that your perfect English isn't even your first language? You speak three languages fluently?!" Ian goes, "Welllllll..." and Jean-Baptiste looks like he's about to kill someone. Ian says that his island had a lot of Dutch people visiting in the 1600s, so he speaks Dutch as well. "Fluently, of course."
"That is so annoying! You're annoying!!"
"I can't help it if I'm impressive!"
"And you're so smug about it!"
The whalers:
Jean-Baptiste asks about the Dutch visitors. Ian tells about the whaling operation that killed over a thousand bowhead whales on his island. He admits that he's an animal lover, and that he tried so hard to make them stop, but they wouldn't listen to him.
Jean-Baptiste gives him a hug, saying, "I'm really sorry." Ian thanks him.
Going to Jean-Baptiste's island:
Ian asks what to expect on Jean-Baptiste's island. Jean-Baptiste says, "lots of glaciers, lots of birds, and also seals." Ian says, "Oh, my god, I love seals." They fast-travel, looking far more comfortable with hugging one another than the first time they fast-travelled together.
Arriving on Jean-Baptiste's island:
Jean-Baptiste takes his warm hat off, letting his wild hair flow free. He tells Ian that he also has penguins, to which Ian says, "Now you're just bragging."
After seeing some animals, Jean-Baptiste tells about his life on his island. The day he came to be, the experience of knowing a language without having actually learned it, and having been alone for centuries. "Imagine living in solitude for nearly two hundred years, and then you get picked up by strangers who teach you how to interact with society. (...) So I may not speak Norwegian without an accent... but I bet you never would have guessed that I only recently learned how to socialise." Ian smiles sheepishly, and admits that he never would have guessed. He also apologises for making fun of his accent earlier, saying, "I'm sorry for getting on your ass about your accent." Jean-Baptiste grins, saying, "I bet you'd like to be on my ass." Ian laughs.
Retrieving the hat:
After the long discussion about Jean-Baptiste's origins, Ian's warm hat suddenly flies off and into the ocean. Jean-Baptiste gives Ian his own warm hat, but doesn't really want to leave the other hat just floating there. Hatching a terrible idea that might bite him in the ass later, he undresses right there while Ian watches, slack-jawed. Jean-Baptiste hands his clothes to Ian and tells him to keep them dry, before jumping into the ocean and swimming to get the hat. He returns with the hat, soaking wet, and sheepishly says, "I, uh... I got your hat. It's... it's wet."
Ian can't get a word out for a few moments, before he shoves Jean-Baptiste's clothes at him, saying, "Here are your clothes! Wow, this has been fun! I think it's time to go home! Don't you think? Thanks for showing me around! Lovely place you've got here! Loved the seals! And the penguins! Thanks for getting my hat!" and promptly walks away.
Jean-Baptiste smiles solemnly to himself and mutters, "I hope I'm not going to regret this..." as he gets dressed.
Back home:
They fast-travel home, both dressed, though Jean-Baptiste's hair is dripping. Ian avoids eye contact, while Jean-Baptiste tries to talk to him. "I'll see you around? Now that I'm off my island, the freezing cold water is actually affecting me... I need to take a hot shower."
Jean-Baptiste fast-travels away, presumably to his house, leaving Ian standing. Ian mutters to himself, "I need a cold shower..."
Reporting to Roland:
When Ian goes to see Roland, Roland wants to know everything. He loves gossip. When Ian recounts what he and Jean-Baptiste did, he avoids eye contact and stammers, which Roland picks up on, and demands to know what actually happened. Ian tells about the hat incident, and Roland is loving it. He teasingly says, "Did he smile sweetly at you when he returned with your hat?" and sticks his tongue out between his teeth while Ian glares at him. "Did it make you feel things inside?" "Shut up, it doesn't mean anything." Roland throws a pillow at Ian, saying, "Of course it means something, you fucking idiot!"
Ian tries to insist it doesn't mean anything, while Roland is like, "he got naked in front of you! ("He still had his underwear on!" "Oh, my god, whatever!") You argued a total of one time! And how many times did he smile at you? What did he say when you parted ways?" Ian repeats what Jean-Baptiste said.
Roland says, "Do you think there's a reason he told you he needed a shower? Could it be that he wants you to think about him taking a shower? He also said 'see you around'! He hopes to see you again! Obviously! Fucking hell!"
Ian suddenly blushes, and Roland grins.
"Are you thinking about him taking a shower?"
"Shut your fucking mouth."
Later that night:
Echoes of Jean-Baptiste's voice saying "I need a hot shower" ring in Ian's ears as he tries to sleep. Images of Jean-Baptiste in the shower invade his mind.
He takes matters into his own hands, let's just put it that way.
---
I believe that's only half of what I've written so far. They meet up again, and Jean-Baptiste is very flirty, and Ian is so uncertain about everything. He's got his issues he needs sorted, and Jean-Baptiste isn't free from internal problems either. Roland gets caught up in the middle of it, and it pisses him off. Things get sad, then they get good, and then they get really good, and then suddenly things get absolutely awful. I'm not even entirely sure how they're gonna get un-awful again.
But they will. These two motherfuckers were destined to become forever-boyfriends from the second I created them in 2009.
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