O Sarilho

I don’t know how to convey my feelings about it exactly – and in a community where it seems to be worse and worse to make statements about your likes and dislikes, I feel like I must add this preliminary note for you to understand those feelings of mine: I am not a fan of DnD inspired stories. They are prone to falling to the same narrative shortcomings and often feel quite uninspired. I obviously do not intend to say that they are not entertaining to those who like them, but it just isn’t the case for me, and I’ve read way too many stories of a genre I don’t like to feel like I can say it out loud.

That being said, Court of Roses is a DnD-inspired story that hits differently. Because it doesn’t read like you’re being told about someone else’s inspiring roleplay, but instead like it’s something that was built from the ground up with the purpose of being a comic story, and therefore doesn’t need to spend narrative time explaining mechanics or ensuring each turn gets narrated. Because while DnD is certainly an inspiration here, this story is not following anyone’s campaign, and the setting has been modified sufficiently to be new and inspiring.

And now, for the important stuff.

Court of Roses is a murder-mystery!! In which all the main characters are BARDS! There is so much love and passion for music in this world, and the comedic timing of everything just hits so well. The characters are quite distinct and have amazing chemistry, and their struggles all come together quite nicely to form a coherent story. And a very heart-warming one too, as our main character Merlow, a jolly bard who wants nothing but to love and be loved and find a troupe that helps him heal his wounds, meets several other artists at a music festival and is unexpectedly tasked with helping solving a murder that takes place during said festival. It’s a really heart-warming story that focuses on the characters’ journeys and takes its time to explore their relationships, which absolutely develop at different paces in a quite charming way. All of this while being clever, cute, original and unbelievably funny. And while it does take its time to explore the background stories of the different members of the crew, this is not the kind of comic in which background stories work as a replacement for personality: by the time you become familiar with their pasts, every character is already perfectly defined and lovable in their own right. And I personally think of that as good writing.

If you like DnD-inspired stories, you’re gonna love this one: if anything, for the boldness of having a party in which everyone is a bard. And if you’re a stuck-up like me who doesn’t like certain things, there’s something for you too in Court of Roses. It’s a very nicely told story about love, self-acceptance and grief and music. Give it a try, you may end up liking it too.