Welcome back to the Atlas, friends.
This is part two of my graphic fable, Taona. A cute little story of a Triceratops who lived on a peninsula 66 million years ago. Through this lil’ dino friend, I will be exploring the theme of deep time — how, no matter what time you live in, we can all feel connected.
The Story so far
Chapter Directory: 1, 2,
You are here 👆
Taona has woken up to the all-encompassing sound of the monsoon rains. While it sometimes bothers him, he often finds that the subdued nature of the forest and his preference for the dry and warmth of his little cave lead him to reflect on things he might normally gloss over, finding perfection in even the littlest details.
As with all things, though, the weather changes, and the rain slowly begins to ease…
Taona noticed that the drips in his puddle were slowly easing off, their splashes less pronounced, the ripples less aggressive. He looked upwards through the canopies to the sky above, trying to sense the quality of the light. To hear whether anyone was stirring from their nests?
Indeed, the sky had changed, and it felt unusual despite the lighter skies and the quieter background pitter-patter. His ears twitched, trying to pick out sounds, but unusually there were very few to be heard. The sense of the world holding its breath had not abated like the wet weather, and he was desperately curious to find out why.
Carefully so as not to disturb the quiet, Taona picked himself up and ventured out into the jungle. He had in mind to visit the nearby brook, a popular drinking spot, and a sure place to discover whether this feeling of stillness was a warning sign or just sleepiness on the part of the rest of the creatures. His mind drifted momentarily to his old herd, but, shuddering, he pushed the thought down and began his trudge down the valley side.
This story is a labour of love, combining my passion for art with my obsession with the themes that connect us across time. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this format.
Do you sometimes get that feeling when you can’t quite place why, but you sense that change is in the air?
Tell me more in the comments 🦖😀
Bonus Content:
This story has been an ongoing project for a while, and though it may seem like it is just beginning, I have already written the full story. Images, however, take far longer to do, and so I am perhaps only about 1/20th completed. In order to stay true to my original intention, I often go back to the story that inspired it all. The Bhagavad Gita, a story of Prince Arjuna and his loyal aid, the hidden god Krishna. If you know, you know.
In the meantime, you might wonder about the process of how I get to these finished images. Sometimes a page can start from the loosest of sketches. As long as you know what is happening when you plot and plan, it doesn’t matter how it looks; all that matters is that you get the story out onto that page.
Who is Taona running from? Where is he running to? I guess you will just have to stick around and find out.
Tell me about your art process. Do you start scruffy, or are your drawings quite clean to begin with?
The Strings of Us, which is my main serial here on Substack, is a crowdfunded universe. If you are enjoying the free content from my atlas, you can help fund the professional editing, cover art, and final publication of the book by joining the Cartographer’s Guild and subscribing, or dropping a tip in my Ko-fi jar below.
Every £1 contributed earns you 10 Treasury Points on our public Leaderboard. As we reach our funding milestones, our top point-holders will unlock exclusive, non-financial rewards. This includes securing your place in the premium “Community Edition” print run, immortalising your name and creative decisions directly within the physical text, alongside access to our digital TTRPG lore expansions.
Subscribe below to ensure you never miss a chapter. Step into the Cartographer’s Guild with a paid subscription to unlock the Director’s Commentaries, access the Atlas Vault, and help forge this universe alongside us.
If you cannot contribute financially today, the best way you can help the atlas unfold is by hitting the Like button and restacking this post with a comment on what you enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy; I love critique too).
Lots of love to you all 🥰
Graeme
Why are these chapters SO SHORT 😭😭 give us more cozy Dino stories pleeeaasse