Distillum is a webcomic series created by Sarah "Pickles" Dill. While the page
is down and Pickles has left deviantArt, she hasn't taken all the pages with her - at least the first chapters are still there.
For as long as he can remember, Rob Gallo has always had a strange ability to find lost things, a "kind of clairvoyance" as the narrator, Rob's roommate Jamie Cris, points out.
One night, when Jamie drags Rob out to the bar, they bump into a young woman (or rather, she bumps into them) on their way there. When leaving, they see the woman's purse on the ground, and, finding her in a bind, save her life.
Sometime later, they meet something really odd, which is quickly dispelled by Sidney, a mysterious woman with a bad temper, currently showing very clearly, because Kavitha should have died that night, and saving her has royally messed up the timestream. Which is why Sidney recruits the trio to help her fix the time anomalies that continue to crop up.
This webcomic provides examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: There's Jamie, Rob, Sydney and Kavitha. Justified by the great American melting pot - Kavitha is of Indian descent.
- Art Evolution: The art from chapter 1 is quite a bit different than the art in chapter 4.
- All There in the Manual: Extra facts about the characters, such as birthdays, are mostly found either on Pickles' deviantART or in the Cast page on her website.
- Anti-Hero: Sidney is rude, abrasive and seems to have some skeletons in her closet. She is responsible for policing the anomalies and does it with zeal, hence the "hero" part.
- Big Brother Instinct: Any time anyone (Sidney included) enters Rob's personal space, they have to go through Jamie. He's almost as protective towards Kavitha, though.
- Butch Lesbian: Rough-and-tough Sidney states in chapter 4 that she's "not into dudes". The memories that leak from her imply a failed sapphic dalliance with someone named "Erin".
- Crash-Into Hello: Kavitha first meets Jamie and Rob when some not-so-random person in the crowd pushes her right into them.
- Cats Are Magic: They can tell the anomalies and act disturbed.Sidney: Maybe your kitty-cat doesn't like you anymore?
- Clock Roaches: The anomalies are time stream's reaction to a disturbance in the flow, i.e. Kavitha's non-death.
- Damsel in Distress: Kavitha, when kidnapped in chapter 1 by mysterious thugs. The boys saving her is what sets the plot in motion.
- Deadpan Snarker: Oh, Jamie. Sidney, too.
- Differently Powered Individuals: The Distillum, represented in the story by Rob and Sidney. They are powerful psychometrists and experience some sort of a peek into each other's memories while touching. Distillum may also have precognition, but this always bites them in the rear. In general, their powers deal with time - they can sense its flow and sometimes even interact with things future or past.
- Disappeared Dad: Implied in the Touch Telepathy moment for Rob.
- Diving Save: When the attempt to lead Kavitha out of the shed goes south and the thugs reach for guns, Rob pulls her out of the way of the bullet.
- Face Palm: Sidney, upon learning that Rob and Jamie saved Kavitha's life. Rose just looks aside uncomfortably.
- Good Is Not Nice: Saving the world is a responsible job. No place for incompetents, as Sidney is quick to demonstrate by not beating around the bush. Ever. Especially not around Kavitha, who (as far as Sidney's concerned) should be dead.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Jamie and Rob are practically brothers.
- I See Dead People: Part of Distillum power set is seeing "echoes" of people who had had strong experiences in the place an anomaly arose.
- Invisible to Normals: Both Rob and Kavitha hear the anomaly in chapter 2, but Jamie doesn't. He's concerned about it.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sidney, at least according to her grandmother, although towards everybody else (especially Kavitha) she's more of a straight-out jerk.
- Masquerade: According to Sidney, the Distillum have been around for a long time, but in early first century A.D. people started fearing them, necessitating both Masquerade and intermarrying with muggles that diluted their blood (weakening the powers) and introduced it to the general populace, causing Distillum to be born in un-Distillum families every now and then.
- Mentor in Sour Armor: Sidney is cynical, snarky, never beats around the bush and honestly tells Rob there's little she can teach him and he has to learn on the job. But she does seem to care about their task, at least, and standing Rob in an ice-cold stream was the only way she knew to make him understand the Distillum concept of time.
- Ms. Exposition: Sidney, by virtue of being the only member of the group who actually knows what's going on and has any sort of experience handling anomalies. And she doesn't suffer noobs gladly.
- My Card: When signing off after their first meeting, Sidney gives the gang her grandmother's card. They live together, so the address is the same anyway.
- Mysterious Employer: The thugs who kidnapped Kavitha have explicitly been paid, and later on an unnamed individual appears observing the group and commenting that Rob is learning fast. He's on the phone, talking with someone he calls his brother, hinting at a deeper conspiracy.
- The Narrator: Jamie.
- The Nicknamer: Sidney never calls anyone by their real name. Jamie, for instance, has been called "blondie" and "cowboy", Rob "you", and she refers to Kavitha scornfully as "the anomaly" on a few occasions. Likewise, her grandmother (Rose) is called Mamee, even in the tags.
- One-Word Title
- Paper Talisman: Used by the Distillum to dispel anomalies. Sidney has an entire shed pretty much wallpapered with these.
- Playing Drunk: Jamie distracts the thugs guarding Kavitha, so Rob can get her out, by standing by the window and pretending to be a very loud, very amusing drunkard.
- Psychometry: Rob has been using his to find Jamie's misplaced keys. Now, as an apprentice Distillum, he seems more sensitive to moods that surround the anomalies than Sidney is.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni:
- The boys: Jamie, a friendly fun guy, is reddish, while Rob, a decided introvert, is Blue.
- The girls: Sidney is a textbook choleric Red: short-tempered, task-oriented, bossy, hard-working jerkass and The Cynic; while Kavitha is a mellow, friendly and nurturing young woman (who nevertheless won't be bullied around). Her being a Damsel in Distress had a direct bearing on the plot.
- Sherlock Scan: Mamee deduces Rob plays either guitar or cello by the look of his fingers and neck. He's suitably impressed.
- Shout-Out: In the fake ending, we have Ten and the TARDIS, Bill & Ted, Marty McFly, and a Stargate. Sidney was not amused.
- While undergoing her Training from Hell in chapter 4, Jamie irritably informs Sidney that she's not Mr. Miyagi.
- Stress Vomit: In the aftermatch of rescuing Kavitha and running from the thugs, Rob throws up.
- Sword and Sorcerer: Distillum tend to have Pamvani, or bodyguards/assistants, giving them the Glacier and Glass Cannon sort of dynamic. Jamie's growing into the role rapidly.
- Supernatural Martial Arts: Sidney teaches one to the protagonists, although this may be just a way to instill discipline.Sidney: That's what tai-chi is derived from.
- The Team Normal: Jamie. Sid's training is giving him an edge, though.
- Timey-Wimey Ball: Well, now it is. Because the boys have played heroes and rescued Kavitha when she was supposed to die, which broke reality (a bit). Good Job Breaking It Hero !
- Welcomed to the Masquerade: Sidney isn't happy about it, but she does explain to Rob he's a Distillum, what the Distillum are and pretty much takes him in as her apprentice.
- Winds Are Ghosts: Gusts of wind (sometimes strong enough to make Rob fall, even though no one else even feels them) are associated with anomalies.
