Comic 1200 - The End (Part 5)

Posted on 6th Nov 2019, 2:28 AM in The End
The End (Part 5)

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Author Notes:

Morgenstern 6th Nov 2019, 2:28 AM edit delete
Morgenstern
WARNING: THIS IS THE LAST PAGE OF BLOOD IS MINE. If you haven't read the comic yet, then spoilers are below. I strongly recommend starting from the beginning before catching up to this final part. To everyone that has read this far: thank you. Thank you for reading, thank you for sticking with me through everything, and thank you for making it worth doing. You've all built a community that will outlive this story and helped me do something bigger than I ever imagined. You also changed my life in the most physical, tangible and significant way I can imagine.



I'll see you guys on Discord and in my next comic, I'm definitely not done yet.


























































































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"Wow," Cam finally blurts out. "That's crazy, big lady."

"Right?," replies Michelle. "This all happened in like, three months. Feels like years at this point."

"So what about you?," Cam asks. "What are YOU gonna do?"

"Leave," Michelle says simply. "I said my goodbyes and I bought a motorcycle. I'm gettin' the hell outta this city and I ain't lookin' back. Not for a while. You're, uh... the last person I was gonna hit up. So." She gives a small shrug and a weak smile. "Seeya. It was nice meetin' ya, Cam. Wish it coulda been on nicer terms."

There's a brief silence between them before Michelle turns and starts to walk away.






"Wait."



Michelle stops.

Cam's face tightens.


"I... I know. I know about tube cops, Michelle.

I... I know what happens to tube cops."

Cam pauses, almost choking on the words. She takes a breath. "I'm not going to let you just... drive off somewhere to die. Not...



Not by yourself. Take me with you."



Michelle turns back around to face Cam... but there's no hint of sadness in her expression. She smiles again, wider, to Cam's mild confusion.

"I ain't gonna die," Michelle says bluntly. "I mean, not like that I'm not. Finch checked, and my uh... what the hell's he call it? My rational cellular degeneration's stopped. Caius, too. All the dumb tube cop stuff that's s'posed to kill us, it ain't happenin'. In fact..." Michelle throws her arms wide in an enormous shrug, grinning wider. "I ain't even aging. None of us are, not in any way that matters. We can't feel Blondie, but... wherever she is...

wherever she is, she's still lookin' out for us."


Cam swallows dryly, trying to talk herself back from the tears she was fighting. "So you're going to go look for her, then."

"Nah," Michelle replies nonchalantly, further confusing Cam. "There's a genius, a wizard, and all kinds o' other people smarter than me workin' on that already. I know I ain't just gonna like... drive out somewhere and find her in the woods or whatever. I figure she'll be back when she's good and ready. Blondie got me to have hope again... gave me the life I couldn't have. She let me be a real person. If I wasted it chasin' her... well, I'd be wastin' it. I really don't know where I'm goin', but... I told her, when this was all over, I wanted to leave. I wanna be anywhere but here. I wanna see the world, pet some cute birds, maybe start a family or somethin'. I dunno. People stuff. I was made to fight. ...I ain't gotta do that anymore if I don't wanna. Blondie..."

Michelle pauses.

The smile almost breaks. Almost.

"Mine made that possible, and I'm not gonna let it be for nothin'. She's gonna be alright. I... I'm gonna be alright. Livin' my own life. Wherever I want. I'll see her again someday, if anyone can find me it'll be her."

"Can..." Restraining a storm of emotions, Cam takes another breath, another thought... and gives a smile of her own. Nervous... but sure. "Can I still come with you?"

"Sure, I guess," replies Michelle. "You sure you're cool just like... quittin' your job like that, though? Leavin' all this behind?"

"Oh, yeah," Cam says with a more confident raise of her eyebrows. "This place sucks. I kept hoping in all the craziness maybe someone would explode my boss but it never panned out. Is that crazy?"

"Nah." Michelle manages to keep her grin from widening. "I feel that. People might start thinkin' I got a thing for nurses, though."

"I mean..." Cam's own smile eases into something more akin to a smirk. "Do you? It would help."

"Help what?"

"Nothing.

Don't worry about it, big lady. Where're we headed first? You gotta have a direction at least, right?"

"Well..." Michelle reaches up, lightly scratching at the back of her head as she turns. Cam begins to follow her toward the elevator.




Michelle's face lights up as an idea finally hits her. She points at Cam and smiles. "I do got this library book we were supposed to return..."









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Comments:

Caterya Ness 6th Nov 2019, 3:00 AM edit delete reply
thank you for the journey
Caterya Ness 6th Nov 2019, 3:00 AM edit delete reply
thank you for the journey
FlockPack 6th Nov 2019, 3:03 AM edit delete reply
I'm going to cry, I love this, this is amazing.
Thank YOU, Morgenstern, for this amazing journey.
I hope you love whatever you're doing next.
<3 Best of luck hun.
Macheman7 6th Nov 2019, 3:08 AM edit delete reply
Macheman7
Goodnight, sweet goddess. Drink deep of many dreams.

Thank you for this wonderful story Morgenstern. I appreciate you. I've been along since the beginning, though I've been quiet.
I'll see you on Discord.
Kumondo 6th Nov 2019, 3:42 AM edit delete reply
Kumondo
I want to write a good handful of rather poetic paragraphs pretaining to present feelings. I don't know how poetic it'll be, probably just rambling cause it's like, 2 am in my world, but whatever. I'm already missing Blood is Mine; this two-and-a-half year long tale. I loved the humor, I loved the lore, the ups and downs on the emotional roller-coaster, the characters, the setting, the stakes, the style. I'm already nostalgic for what was, and the ink (and tears) are yet to dry.

This is the end of an era, shaking the world with it's soft conclusion, or at least my world, and making way for a new era: whatever Morgenstern has in store next. And yet many will never even know that this existed.

But, it's meaningful to us. Those immediately present and reading this the night of posting, to those who've been following for months or years to see this point, and those who have just now finished this for the first time in the years to come, long after the dust has settled. I am glad to have read BiM, and I'm proud to be a part of this community.

If this were a short speech at a banquet or something, this is the part where the toast would come in. A toast to a story well told. A toast to an adventure shared and to adventures to come. A toast to an unforgettable cast. A toast to Morgenstern, the man of the hour and the architect behind it all. Well done.
Limrix 6th Nov 2019, 8:02 AM edit delete reply
Limrix
+<3
Anotherdamntimeclone 6th Nov 2019, 6:50 AM edit delete reply
Anotherdamntimeclone
Hooooooo boy that was great, I'm happy everything turned out okay in the end. Thanks for a fun story, I'm gonna miss it.
pkrankow 6th Nov 2019, 8:05 AM edit delete reply
pkrankow
This is the best of the last pages. It feels like a complete scene.

Calling the last 4 pages an "outline dump" is rude. Sorry to be rude.

I would love to see this cleaned and polished into a novel format.

I look forward to more of your work.
DDPS Wiahle 6th Nov 2019, 8:50 AM edit delete reply
This was an amazing story, thank you!
Eternity 6th Nov 2019, 9:57 AM edit delete reply
This... this has been such an incredible story. Thank you so much for letting us experience it!!
Guest 6th Nov 2019, 11:30 AM edit delete reply
"I kept hoping in all the craziness maybe someone would explode my boss but it never panned out."

Does Cam have any idea what Michelle did to her old boss?
zophah 6th Nov 2019, 12:08 PM edit delete reply
Mine never did get around to telling Michelle her attraction.
zophah 6th Nov 2019, 12:10 PM edit delete reply
stupid load times tripled my post, and I can't delete the extras because I never made an account.
Patrick 6th Nov 2019, 2:14 PM edit delete reply
So long my friend, it's been a wonderful journey.
PurpleKetchup 6th Nov 2019, 2:29 PM edit delete reply
Thanks for the awesome story, MM. See you later!
Tobias23 6th Nov 2019, 4:40 PM edit delete reply
Haha, amazing! I like it, and it's nice to see BiM to the end, even if it's an abrupt ending. Following up on my last comment … I was wrong, Nilpenter and Thale would have been a challange for sure.

But Mine … she basically turned into god in absentia now, didn't she? This might be a weird metaphor to explore: Ancient blood god from space kills capitalism and takes its place as benevolent mother of all creation and life. Hm …

In any case, thanks for the ride, for a ride it has been :)
Blue_Elite 6th Nov 2019, 4:45 PM edit delete reply
Beautiful, even in the truncated version. Even pressed as you are currently in life, you still make a great author.

I'd just like to say this was a great "first" attempt. I completely agree the story was getting too huge in tandem with the limited means of reviewing and referencing past material (I had 2 Word Pads of notes and reference pages just to try and keep up). I think wrapping up this story and starting fresh will be a good way to go.
Be sure to update when your next project goes live.



I did want to throw out, however, I personally had one last twist I was going to suggest into the story. I was going to wait for an event where Mine would be "lost" and the group would have to figure out a way to either reconnect with Mine OR get access to her blood powers without her.
Then I'd point out that Mine's mom died of sickness; likely a slow and grueling process. Add to that that she was reclusive due to the nature of her being and wouldn't seek medical aid, she likely died in Mine's house.
The suggestion would be to see if Mine's mom's ghost was still in the house, capture it (or something less "forceful"), and then use the Bunker ghost machine (Odin? Too lazy to check) to essentially bring Mine's mom back as a full ghost.
Just thought I'd share.
sequel 6th Nov 2019, 11:07 PM edit delete reply
Wake up
Sulferon 7th Nov 2019, 3:17 AM edit delete reply
I'm so sad now.
Guest 7th Nov 2019, 4:40 AM edit delete reply
Bob Newhart sits up in bed and tells his wife, I just had the craziest dream...


Crap I’m old.
WalkerOfSorrow 7th Nov 2019, 9:11 AM edit delete reply
This has been one hell of a wild ride. In the grand scheme of things, I caught up with this webcomic about halfway into its run. It inspired me to find out more about Quests as a format, and even start two myself. Be well, Morgenstern, and I'll be keeping an eye out for anything else you do.
Memo 7th Nov 2019, 12:27 PM edit delete reply
Memo
Love this ending!
Vanya 7th Nov 2019, 2:30 PM edit delete reply
Slainte
NightOfEternity 7th Nov 2019, 3:20 PM edit delete reply
If a book gets printed, please let us know!
And I mean Meat world book, not just a digital one!
GoldenAstronaut 8th Nov 2019, 6:23 PM edit delete reply
I barely show any outward emotion but, I am literally crying inside. This has been an amazing emotional journey for many of us and seeing it finally come to and end... I am just so sad. Even though I wasn't able to comment until I got to the page where you stopped for a long time, I still loved thinking of choices to make, ideas to put into motion. I loved it all, every last thing. I would really like for a physical book to be made, just for a record of this to last a long time so we don't forget it. Good luck on life and whatever project or path you go for next. Have a great time.
T41 8th Nov 2019, 7:19 PM edit delete reply
Stopped aging, eh? Might kinda suck for Ges if Mac ain't getting any older but she still is.
TheFaceless96 9th Nov 2019, 12:45 PM edit delete reply
Thank you for this. I'm sad to see it go but I'm glad it had closure. I wish you luck in future endeavors.
Chaostraveler 9th Nov 2019, 4:51 PM edit delete reply
I'm, I'm a-gonna go over here and cry a bit, okay?

In all seriousness, thanks for the wild ride Morgenstern. Can't wait to see what you get up to next. Also, you could revive Blood is Drawn later on if you ever felt like condensing things down/retconning things a bit. Not gonna lie, I'm probably going to binge read this again yearly because I loved the story so much.

Take care everyone, and see you on the other side.
AgentKuga 9th Nov 2019, 9:51 PM edit delete reply
AgentKuga
I haven't posted very often on this comic (or any comic) but I have been here since the beginning, and thank you for everything.

I am also not a very good writer, and I read this and cringe.
Aston Whiteman 10th Nov 2019, 12:14 AM edit delete reply
I hope finally finishing it helps you with any issues you have.

Always healthy to move forward.

Thanks for your effort. My rude comments were meant to make you take action.

Bye now!
Ryebread 10th Nov 2019, 12:58 AM edit delete reply
Can't remember how I started, but I remember reading "Blood is Mine" in a binge a year back, and have been thoroughly engrossed since, regularly watching for your updates up to today.

Never commented until now, but I wanted to break that silence and thank you for the immense story you've brought to the internet, and for having the strength to bring it to a satisfying conclusion. Looking forward to what you have planned for the future as well!
Cyrene DuVent 11th Nov 2019, 12:03 AM edit delete reply
Thank you
That doesn't really say it all, but I don't know what else to say. I never commented on the plot, but this comic still gave me a sense of being part of something greater than myself, and that was magical.
So thank you
Crestlinger 11th Nov 2019, 1:56 AM edit delete reply
Thus lives were saved and fates rewritten. Both in this tale and Because of it. Fare thee well on future endeavors and know that this one was 1200 pages of an awesome roller coaster and (this loop) is Closed with "...
w h e n y o u a r e

d o n e w i t h t h e b o o k

y o u w i l l r e t u r n i t."
Swagner 14th Nov 2019, 1:27 AM edit delete reply
Damn, dude. That was crazy.
Morgenstern 14th Nov 2019, 8:02 PM edit delete reply
Morgenstern
Just adding a note here at the bottom that I have started on a new interactive comic.
PurpleKetchup 15th Nov 2019, 2:13 PM edit delete reply
Awesome, thanks for the heads-up !
Me 17th Nov 2019, 10:31 PM edit delete reply
The story was amazing, thank you for giving it an ending
Guest 4th Dec 2019, 1:49 AM edit delete reply
I'm too teary to write anything prosaic here, but you made something amazing here Morg. I doubt I'll ever forget this comic, and the ways of thinking that I've gained from it. You have, and continue to gift us with your writing.
Bruudwin 11th Dec 2019, 3:58 PM edit delete reply
Now I plan on going back through the whole thing and reading everyones comments! Definitely missed out on when animals got named, or a joke was made but dismissed.

Thanks again Morgenstern! Now a tab is closed in our lives. As well as a new one opening in our lives, with your new CYOA!!! http://mda.thecomicseries.com/comics/first
Pacifist Weird Child 2nd Sep 2020, 4:12 PM edit delete reply
Thank you, I started reading from beginning to end a while ago. I wish you could have finished it, but it is an amazing story. I loved it.
Cuttlefish 24th Oct 2020, 7:18 PM edit delete reply
Kia ora Morgenstern - Thank you for finishing BIM, and for the wonderful journey. I fell off near the end due to life on my end, but the joy I got from stuff like my suggestion of taking out the Carpenter-bot with the NIL ritual leading to NILCarpenter etc was always incredible. The open crowd format and your fantastic writing was always a joy and I'll look forward to catching up on your new project (and maybe hopping back into the Discord!). Thanks again for the journey.
poggers 17th Dec 2020, 3:57 PM edit delete reply
i just came back to this after so long and im on the verge of tears, i wish this series could have gone on forever
smilr 2nd Mar 2021, 3:39 PM edit delete reply
I was checking through my old list of webcomics and found a link to here from Mushroom Go.

I became hooked immediately, and binged through the archives over the next several days. Sad I missed this while it was interactive. VERY glad to have the opportunity to experience it anyway.

Epic. Truly Epic.

Thank you Morgenstern.
PretenseAndPoison 14th Apr 2021, 6:44 PM edit delete reply
Wow. I had my internet unexpectedly cut off as my own life took a sudden, drastic series of hard lefts/rights myself- I'm amazed at just how /close/ I was to getting to see the ending of this live.

It was one heck of a ride, even though I never really commented very often (Late arrival, busy life), and I'm a couple... wow, a couple YEARS late to the ending. This is going to stick with me for a while, and I hope that your tumult has calmed and these past years have led you to a better place.

Time for me to check the new comic linked here.
Cyrene DuVent 19th Oct 2023, 4:02 PM edit delete reply
Just reread all of bim in like 4 days. It may not have been a good idea (I have a midterm in two hours and am running on a total 14 hours of sleep over the past three nights) but I cannot bring myself to regret it. Seeing this world blossom out of a one shot horror through the pure humanity that ended up being the greatest strength of the characters themselves is still nothing short of magical, and the endless creativity of both the readers and Morg is incredible (even when it’s making me question the rules of reality at 4am. I was… very very tired). Anyway. Midterm