I wonder if Zuzu is okay with Caliban being here and messing around… finding Kendal would sugggest he could also sense our dear Ignan god. And as Gleicann pointed out, messing with another god’s business is a severe transgression. Interested to see where this leads
@Rai626: You are allowed to mess with your own champion, I think. I guess there is difference in rules for “location” gods infringing on another location god’s location and “wandering” abstract gods doing some wandering.
Rai, I mean, even though gods interfering in one another’s business is a transgression, if Zuurith acknowledges that Caliban interfered, and is a god, then that means he admits the charges against Dainix are false. As wasn’t he arrested for being godless? And if his god is here and talking to him, and is acknowledged as being such that it’d be a transgression for him to do so… then he’s not godless and wasn’t breaking the law. And also Zuurith is interfering with Caliban’s business by holding his champion prisoner, so… can’t really do much without admitting he’s in the wrong, right?
What an exit. Caliban will be lucky if no one sees them leave. I wonder if we’ll get a scene change, and the assumption they got away before the guard looked up again, or if Red will actually give Caliban consequences for far-too-casual shapeshifting? I’m going with the former but you never know… it would be really funny, tbh.
I understand Caliban’s here to keep an eye on and motivate Dainix, but one thing that’s been bugging me. We see her as the guard that delivers a lot of critical moments, like the original pairing of Kendal & Dainix together, and until now I had been assuming stuff like that was mostly behind the Arenamaster’s back. It definitely seemed like the kind of thing Caliban would make up an excuse for on the spot & pair them off in a jail cell to bond. But we saw no confused response from the Arenamaster, and today a the lack of response from the other guard outside his door- so this was a meeting the Arenamaster did plan, and Caliban seemed to be mostly just verbally prodding Dainix this time. So. Why bother becoming a guard at all? Was the verbal prodding really that important? I was so sure Caliban was rearranging events behind the scenes.
@Rai626 I dont know if you mean Zuko or Zuurith, and I find it hilarious that if stretched, it could technically apply to either.
Come to think of it, how does Zuurith feel about this god messing around in *his* arena prison? He’s all worked up about Kendal even being in the city, but this god is walking around impersonating his guards!
Or can he not sense an actual god in his domain, as opposed to Kendal?
… Yeah, it’s no wonder the guards need to enlist the help of the hunters if that one is any indication.
Caliban is really showing off their trickster persona, as well as their penchant for amazing faces. They didn’t need to drop cover just as that guard looked the other way but knew they could get away with it.
I know a bunch of us were concerned last page about Cali taunting Dainix it if he’s truly lost as much agency as it seems it might just be necessary. Even might harken back to Dainix’s speech about his teacher saying that anger can be used as a weapon-
Wait a minute. We never got a definite answer as to who that teacher was. Could Caliban be his teacher?
So his fear is losing control; adds more fuel to the “Dainix is the demon” theory. And it gives me an idea for how the hypothetical Dainix Vs. Kendal fight will go:
After both of them find out about the fight, while Dainix will despair over fighting an innocent person Kendal will turn it around and say it’s an opportunity for him. All this time he’s been training but always holding back; he’s gained plenty of melee knowledge but his higher powers, assuming he has them, are still the same. However Kendal is probably fast enough, strong enough and tough enough to take Dainix at 100% so this is a great opportunity for Dainix to train his higher powers without having to worry.
Kendal may have also sussed out that Caliban is pulling some strings and decides the best bet for both of them is to play along.
The exchange between Dainix and Caliban was super interesting. I get the feeling Caliban is right about Dainix’s true motivation, which makes me wonder: how powerful is he when he doesn’t hold back? I get the feeling that, sometime in this chapter, we’re going to know.
@Rai626
I’m wondering that too. Counting Ali, we currently have three (four? I don’t know if the Void Dragon is a god or not) gods and one god’s vessel here, all of which are slowly coming conflict due to Zuzu. This is going to be interesting.
i know that they’re (they are ‘they’, right?) emotionally manipulating Dainix, but i do love Caliban. AND the guards. Red is giving us the light comedy i need in my life
panel 1:
cliban speaks in riddles and i love it
panel 2:
further “Are you tired of being nice? Don’t you just want to go ape sh*t?” – (evil tree)
panel 3:
i take this as further proof that danix is the demon that tore up his village
panel 4&5:
perfect reaction meme
panel 6:
you’ll need it
panel 7:
hint hint wink wink
panel 8:
the click is the same color as caliban’s eye glow; does that mean he locked the door behind him with magic.
panel 9:
caliban x random guard or caliban x danix; the shipping wars start now
panel 10:
KABOOM
In the last panel, it really looks like she’s just smiling with joy as she bursts into flames.
I like the idea that she’s just thinking ‘I love this part of my job.’
Caliban be like “Dude I’ve literally known you since you were born”
I wonder if their nudging is going to push Dainix into doing what Caliban wants him to, whatever that is. I’m guessing that Caliban thinks so, since they have abandoned their disguise or at least retired it until they need it again.
I predict that on Friday we’re going to get to see Dainix talking to the Arena-man and either finding more about Dainix’s career as a gladiator and his relationship with the Arena-man or the upcoming Dainix V. Kendal fight.
I think anyone who’s worked a job where you’re on your feet for hours at a time agrees that panel where the other guard touches his foot is such a mood
Friendly reminder to everyone that Caliban uses “they” pronouns.
Random guard (internally, singing): “Working nine to five, what a way to make a living…”
Evil Tree:
Kendal: “I’m willing to let you go all out on me, since you can’t, you know… disintegrate me.”
I can’t tell which scenario I’d like more: the one you proposed, or the one where Kendal and Dainix absolutely refuse to fight each other. The refusal would be great because it would solidify their budding friendship and it would be a massive middle finger to the arenamaster, but the honest duel would be great because Kendal (and us by extension) would learn what Dainix is truly capable of. Shit, between Dainix and now Tess, I’m just eager to see this plot section continue!
Plus, on a somewhat unrelated note, I’m interested in the demonic Dainix theory. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a major character with anomalous, volatile magical abilities… though it raises a rather unfortunate moral conundrum that’s dependent on the mechanisms of the ability: should Dainix be held responsible for injuring/killing anyone during demonic outbursts? (I’m actually hoping this theory is false, because I would hate for it to turn out that Dainix killed innocent people, even unintentionally.)
@TheUnknownGame:
Yeah the refusal option would be good too and maybe in the theorised fight against Tynan he could go all out instead.
Well Dainix’s demon exposition didn’t mention deaths, he even said they were lucky they survived, and only implied his eye was lost.
But still the demon Dainix could still be false; maybe the losing control part Caliban is alluding to something else. Maybe Dainix’s story about getting captured by bandits and then guards isn’t quite true. Maybe the demon was a separate person that somehow transferred to Dainix after it burnt out and he’s staying away from home to protect them ala Alinua.
no way! you mean to tell me that the wise warrior that comes from a far-off land to be imprisoned and forced to fight in a gladiator ring and has a no-kill policy is actually mysterious? /s
no way! you mean to tell me that the wise warrior that comes from a far-off land to be imprisoned and forced to fight in a gladiator ring and has a no-kill policy is actually mysterious? /s
very lovely! we get some Superpowered Evil Side angst
Does Dainix actually dislike losing? Is he secretly a masochist? Will Caliban’s underhanded encouragement delivered in the form of mocking finally crack through Dainix’s thick skull? Is everyone finally drawing the same conclusion I did in my first cliffhanger back on page 13-20? Will the wise be rewarded with a single Temptations cat treat appearing under their chairs?
Congratulations to TheUnknownGame for correctly guessing the Magistrate of Windcrest’s race, and another congrats to everyone who guessed C on last week’s trivia! Now that we know that it was Caliban that led Dainix into this room, that, for some, begs the question… What’s in the room?
A. The Arenamaster, just as Caliban said?
B. Some means of escape?
C. An entirely different dangerous prisoner (potentially that elephant Ferin he fought earlier)
D. Kendal, and Caliban led Dainix around the entire mountain just to talk smack to him
@veggiesnake: Yes, Caliban is agender, and identifies as they, so they take on both male and female incarnations, thus you wouldn’t be blamed for getting confused.
@Ekinmmak, @ThengaMudiyan, @Alekay, @I have a squirrel named Floofy, and to everyone who’s confused on Caliban’s existence/when they showed up/why theyre here:
They’re the god of the Ignans (Dainix’s race); Dainix is their champion and needs to figure out autonomy before something (likely the Tynan fight) happens; they’ve been masquerading as a guard since ~ 1.13.3 when we see someone manifesting from a blaze of fire in the bottom panel. In 1.13.4, we see them coming to deliver the news that Dainix & Kendal are cellmates; and on 1.13.20 we see official confirmation that Caliban is posing as a guard, complete with their godly speech bubble & very much glowing eyes. So far, they’ve been the ones to deliver all the plot-relevant news to Kendal & Dainix, and possibly have been orchestrating stuff behind the scenes. Identifiable by utmost sass, floofy red/orange hair, glowing orange eyes, and when the comments section says so (lol).
Some of this info is in the Characters page & some of it is implied in Dainx’s backstory when he & Kendal talked & some of it is implied in the Caliban- Tahraim conversation at the start of chapter 12 where Tahraim explains more lore on the Vash-Tynan fight. There might be more on Twitter but I dont look there for lore.
On the possibility of Dainix being a demon:
I dont think he’s the demon that ripped through his village bc he said it burned out & died at the end (and it’s host died far before that. He could have been repossessed by the demon if it’s not dead after all, but idk). He could very well be a new demon who’s trying to figure out how to diffuse it before it erupts, and either way is definitely similar to how Alinua started (although actually, he’s closer to Erin in that he’s avoiding it if possible, uses a tiny bit when backed into a corner, is trying to learn more about it and might be taming it in the meantime). If he’s not a demon, he certainly has some form of a superpowered evil side/uncontrollable power he’s wrestling with. He’s definitely being used as a weapon (see Kendal & Dainix’s initial conversations where they were talking about that), and this possibly has connections to how he’s Caliban’s champion, Caliban asking for a weapon for him, Tahraim’s saying he needs to forge himself & find his own path so he has the capability of “doing the impossible”, and Tynan’s imminent rise. I think Caliban wants Dainix to fight Tynan. I dont know if that would work well, since Tynan’s a storm and those tend to be far stronger than fire in the first place… but actually, if Kendal joined him, they might have a good chance of beating him, and that will be FUN to watch. Depending on the nature of the power & how much control he has over it, Dainix might also be holding back out of fear of hurting the people who came to watch him in the Arena. If he is a demon, he’s afraid of both dying (hosts of demons disintegrate when the demon finally runs loose, remember) and the amount of damage he’ll do in the process. One of these things burned his village to the ground, and while Zuurith might have better protections, there are a lot more people to hurt here.
Dang, I wrote an entire manifesto today. Why cant homework be this easy?
That exit! I love Caliban so much. The look they had right before laughing was interesting, though, like they were genuinely hurt, even though Dainix didn’t know it was really them. I wonder why. Maybe they’re hiding something under their carefree trickster persona.
DragonMaster66:
Because homework is almost never about anything you’re passionate about.
Regarding Dainix hiding/avoiding his powers, another possibility popped into my head: what if he’s got fire corruption? Erin mentioned way back in his debut monologue that elemental corruption can become chronic in some cases, and it can get worse over time. Fire corruption specifically affects temperature regulation (which might explain why he goes shirtless literally all the time, he gets hot way too easily) and emotional regulation (this one’s a bit harder to justify, since he’s so outwardly calm most of the time; perhaps his teacher taught him the means to control his emotions, with that talk about giving emotions a direction). This would be why he avoids using hefty amounts of fire magic, despite being a fire mage; he could be trying to prevent his condition from worsening, and as a bonus, it lets his opponents in the arena underestimate him (like when he sneakily burned off the elephant ferin’s bident).
According to the tumblr, “Caliban is a people-god who’s technically present wherever their people are, so it might be more accurate to say that Zuurith knows Caliban might be around, but doesn’t know they’re physically there”*.
Also, the character page has been updated to include pronouns, and Caliban’s are he/him, she/her, and they/them.
To All: Caliban is not bursting into flame, it’s merely a flame-based transition of form. Others might shift with misty effects, but you know, fire god
I actually have evidence for the “Dainix Is The Monster” theory! In the Character Deaths trope talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa_Ttaj4o40) at around 6:38, Falst gets slammed. If I’m correct, very lovely easter egg.
So I’m not sure if anyone else has brought this up, but….
-Caliban’s first appearance involved mocking a trope that is commonly poorly done (i.e. why can’t you just TELL me how to do the big important thing???)
-In that appearance, they also dropped cryptic but engaging clues to worldbuilding that foreshadowed Dainix’s appearance
-Since then, they have been a non-stop bundle of snark
-Their primary interactions with characters have been gentle nudges & manipulation to make sure the plot stays on the rails (e.g. setting up Dainix to join the party, preventing a prison break arc)
-Their color scheme is primarily orange/red and they have great hair
@Svata I’m not too well versed in Zuurith law, so I’m not sure how much being godless mattered in his arrest (it clearly did matter, but was it his only “crime”?). And Zuzu won’t necessarily have to acknowledge Caliban as a god, because they’re still trying to get Dainix to kill a bunch of guards here. Probably still illegal. But good point, it would need an awful amount of mental gymnastics to ignore Caliban’s god status.
@dooomninja Not really, I mean, what is Zuzu doing? Dainix apparently fought some bandits too close to the city, which was somehow illegal, and got arrested. Caliban sent Dainix there, it’s almost their fault for doing that. Zuzu did nothing wrong (except making ridiculous laws).
@Averias OOOhh, that makes a lot of sense, thank you
@Sig: holy frick, youre right, that IS falst. I think the guy ripping him to shreds is another ferin though; they have a tail & claws (and furry legs I think?). It could be Dainix if he’s got a transformative ability but I dont think so. It does match Dainix’s color scheme pretty well though. Maybe if the arena arc goes on longer, this is Falst’s opponent?
I also dont like the implications of Falst getting beaten up in a character deaths video.
@TheUnknownGame: I thought a fire mage could always cleanse themselves of fire corruption? And it was only a serious problem if you left it unchecked, or if you aquired a different type of corruption you couldnt cleanse… Its possible that Dainix is a weird anomoly who doesnt have the ability to cleanse himself of his own magic’s corruption, and in that case the theory could work.
@Hermit Thrush: Its a distinct possibility. My current theory is that it’s Tess, who’s way badass and ALSO a huge bundle of confident snark. Also, she’s been trying to warn people about Tynan since she showed up, and seems more meta-aware of the plot. I think both could fit, tbh, and either way I love th epoetic justice of the aelf-insert being more aware of the plot/trying to nudge it along than other characters.
The way he bursts into falls on the last panel is so cool
The way he bursts into flames in the last panel is so cool
Well, they certainly
Know how to make an exit
Bursting into flames
I wonder if Zuzu is okay with Caliban being here and messing around… finding Kendal would sugggest he could also sense our dear Ignan god. And as Gleicann pointed out, messing with another god’s business is a severe transgression. Interested to see where this leads
I really like the framing on the last five panels
Also is it just the perspective of the fifth panel or are Caliban’s eyes glowier?
This is probably fine
Oh so that’s why
Now that I think about it, we should have noticed the glowy orange eyes in the last panel
@Rai626: You are allowed to mess with your own champion, I think. I guess there is difference in rules for “location” gods infringing on another location god’s location and “wandering” abstract gods doing some wandering.
Nothing to see here, just some guy bursting into flames.
Rai, I mean, even though gods interfering in one another’s business is a transgression, if Zuurith acknowledges that Caliban interfered, and is a god, then that means he admits the charges against Dainix are false. As wasn’t he arrested for being godless? And if his god is here and talking to him, and is acknowledged as being such that it’d be a transgression for him to do so… then he’s not godless and wasn’t breaking the law. And also Zuurith is interfering with Caliban’s business by holding his champion prisoner, so… can’t really do much without admitting he’s in the wrong, right?
Well, now I’m trying to figure out who that is and if they’ve appeared earlier before.
What an exit. Caliban will be lucky if no one sees them leave. I wonder if we’ll get a scene change, and the assumption they got away before the guard looked up again, or if Red will actually give Caliban consequences for far-too-casual shapeshifting? I’m going with the former but you never know… it would be really funny, tbh.
I understand Caliban’s here to keep an eye on and motivate Dainix, but one thing that’s been bugging me. We see her as the guard that delivers a lot of critical moments, like the original pairing of Kendal & Dainix together, and until now I had been assuming stuff like that was mostly behind the Arenamaster’s back. It definitely seemed like the kind of thing Caliban would make up an excuse for on the spot & pair them off in a jail cell to bond. But we saw no confused response from the Arenamaster, and today a the lack of response from the other guard outside his door- so this was a meeting the Arenamaster did plan, and Caliban seemed to be mostly just verbally prodding Dainix this time. So. Why bother becoming a guard at all? Was the verbal prodding really that important? I was so sure Caliban was rearranging events behind the scenes.
@Rai626 I dont know if you mean Zuko or Zuurith, and I find it hilarious that if stretched, it could technically apply to either.
Also, panel 2 Caliban kinda looks like Red.
Come to think of it, how does Zuurith feel about this god messing around in *his* arena prison? He’s all worked up about Kendal even being in the city, but this god is walking around impersonating his guards!
Or can he not sense an actual god in his domain, as opposed to Kendal?
*casually bursts into fire* Finally, time for my break.
What is going on with that guard? Shapeshifter? The blacksmith god and his assistant?
… Yeah, it’s no wonder the guards need to enlist the help of the hunters if that one is any indication.
Caliban is really showing off their trickster persona, as well as their penchant for amazing faces. They didn’t need to drop cover just as that guard looked the other way but knew they could get away with it.
I know a bunch of us were concerned last page about Cali taunting Dainix it if he’s truly lost as much agency as it seems it might just be necessary. Even might harken back to Dainix’s speech about his teacher saying that anger can be used as a weapon-
Wait a minute. We never got a definite answer as to who that teacher was. Could Caliban be his teacher?
So his fear is losing control; adds more fuel to the “Dainix is the demon” theory. And it gives me an idea for how the hypothetical Dainix Vs. Kendal fight will go:
After both of them find out about the fight, while Dainix will despair over fighting an innocent person Kendal will turn it around and say it’s an opportunity for him. All this time he’s been training but always holding back; he’s gained plenty of melee knowledge but his higher powers, assuming he has them, are still the same. However Kendal is probably fast enough, strong enough and tough enough to take Dainix at 100% so this is a great opportunity for Dainix to train his higher powers without having to worry.
Kendal may have also sussed out that Caliban is pulling some strings and decides the best bet for both of them is to play along.
tfw you get a callout post from a god in disguise
The exchange between Dainix and Caliban was super interesting. I get the feeling Caliban is right about Dainix’s true motivation, which makes me wonder: how powerful is he when he doesn’t hold back? I get the feeling that, sometime in this chapter, we’re going to know.
@Rai626
I’m wondering that too. Counting Ali, we currently have three (four? I don’t know if the Void Dragon is a god or not) gods and one god’s vessel here, all of which are slowly coming conflict due to Zuzu. This is going to be interesting.
@rai626 but it could be argued that Zuurith is messing with Caliban’s just as much as they are his
I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WEIRD ABOUT HIM.
Woah, I just realized Caliban probably arranged for Kendal to be in the same cell as him.
i know that they’re (they are ‘they’, right?) emotionally manipulating Dainix, but i do love Caliban. AND the guards. Red is giving us the light comedy i need in my life
Just in case any of us were still unsure if that was Caliban
God Caliban really just does their own thing don’t they?
God I love them.
my thoughts on each individual panel
panel 1:
cliban speaks in riddles and i love it
panel 2:
further “Are you tired of being nice? Don’t you just want to go ape sh*t?” – (evil tree)
panel 3:
i take this as further proof that danix is the demon that tore up his village
panel 4&5:
perfect reaction meme
panel 6:
you’ll need it
panel 7:
hint hint wink wink
panel 8:
the click is the same color as caliban’s eye glow; does that mean he locked the door behind him with magic.
panel 9:
caliban x random guard or caliban x danix; the shipping wars start now
panel 10:
KABOOM
Wait, how is Danlix Claban’s champion?
And how did I miss all this stuff that everyone else is discussing??
I’m confused. 🙁
Love reading the last panel out of context and seeing Caliban burst into flames and the other guards just goes ‘lucky.’
In the last panel, it really looks like she’s just smiling with joy as she bursts into flames.
I like the idea that she’s just thinking ‘I love this part of my job.’
Caliban be like “Dude I’ve literally known you since you were born”
I wonder if their nudging is going to push Dainix into doing what Caliban wants him to, whatever that is. I’m guessing that Caliban thinks so, since they have abandoned their disguise or at least retired it until they need it again.
I predict that on Friday we’re going to get to see Dainix talking to the Arena-man and either finding more about Dainix’s career as a gladiator and his relationship with the Arena-man or the upcoming Dainix V. Kendal fight.
I think anyone who’s worked a job where you’re on your feet for hours at a time agrees that panel where the other guard touches his foot is such a mood
alt text: good thing these helmets completely block our peripheral vision, am I right, fellow innocuous guard?
Friendly reminder to everyone that Caliban uses “they” pronouns.
Random guard (internally, singing): “Working nine to five, what a way to make a living…”
Evil Tree:
Kendal: “I’m willing to let you go all out on me, since you can’t, you know… disintegrate me.”
I can’t tell which scenario I’d like more: the one you proposed, or the one where Kendal and Dainix absolutely refuse to fight each other. The refusal would be great because it would solidify their budding friendship and it would be a massive middle finger to the arenamaster, but the honest duel would be great because Kendal (and us by extension) would learn what Dainix is truly capable of. Shit, between Dainix and now Tess, I’m just eager to see this plot section continue!
Plus, on a somewhat unrelated note, I’m interested in the demonic Dainix theory. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a major character with anomalous, volatile magical abilities… though it raises a rather unfortunate moral conundrum that’s dependent on the mechanisms of the ability: should Dainix be held responsible for injuring/killing anyone during demonic outbursts? (I’m actually hoping this theory is false, because I would hate for it to turn out that Dainix killed innocent people, even unintentionally.)
@TheUnknownGame:
Yeah the refusal option would be good too and maybe in the theorised fight against Tynan he could go all out instead.
Well Dainix’s demon exposition didn’t mention deaths, he even said they were lucky they survived, and only implied his eye was lost.
But still the demon Dainix could still be false; maybe the losing control part Caliban is alluding to something else. Maybe Dainix’s story about getting captured by bandits and then guards isn’t quite true. Maybe the demon was a separate person that somehow transferred to Dainix after it burnt out and he’s staying away from home to protect them ala Alinua.
“Bro you have GOT to stop catching fire, the ventilation in here is terrible.”
no way! you mean to tell me that the wise warrior that comes from a far-off land to be imprisoned and forced to fight in a gladiator ring and has a no-kill policy is actually mysterious? /s
no way! you mean to tell me that the wise warrior that comes from a far-off land to be imprisoned and forced to fight in a gladiator ring and has a no-kill policy is actually mysterious? /s
very lovely! we get some Superpowered Evil Side angst
To dragon master 66: I think caliban has a nose though
Does Dainix actually dislike losing? Is he secretly a masochist? Will Caliban’s underhanded encouragement delivered in the form of mocking finally crack through Dainix’s thick skull? Is everyone finally drawing the same conclusion I did in my first cliffhanger back on page 13-20? Will the wise be rewarded with a single Temptations cat treat appearing under their chairs?
Tune in This Week to Find Out!
Congratulations to TheUnknownGame for correctly guessing the Magistrate of Windcrest’s race, and another congrats to everyone who guessed C on last week’s trivia! Now that we know that it was Caliban that led Dainix into this room, that, for some, begs the question…
What’s in the room?
A. The Arenamaster, just as Caliban said?
B. Some means of escape?
C. An entirely different dangerous prisoner (potentially that elephant Ferin he fought earlier)
D. Kendal, and Caliban led Dainix around the entire mountain just to talk smack to him
@veggiesnake: Yes, Caliban is agender, and identifies as they, so they take on both male and female incarnations, thus you wouldn’t be blamed for getting confused.
Bro I wish I could make my clothes burst into flame to get them off, that would be so rad.
@Ekinmmak, @ThengaMudiyan, @Alekay, @I have a squirrel named Floofy, and to everyone who’s confused on Caliban’s existence/when they showed up/why theyre here:
They’re the god of the Ignans (Dainix’s race); Dainix is their champion and needs to figure out autonomy before something (likely the Tynan fight) happens; they’ve been masquerading as a guard since ~ 1.13.3 when we see someone manifesting from a blaze of fire in the bottom panel. In 1.13.4, we see them coming to deliver the news that Dainix & Kendal are cellmates; and on 1.13.20 we see official confirmation that Caliban is posing as a guard, complete with their godly speech bubble & very much glowing eyes. So far, they’ve been the ones to deliver all the plot-relevant news to Kendal & Dainix, and possibly have been orchestrating stuff behind the scenes. Identifiable by utmost sass, floofy red/orange hair, glowing orange eyes, and when the comments section says so (lol).
Some of this info is in the Characters page & some of it is implied in Dainx’s backstory when he & Kendal talked & some of it is implied in the Caliban- Tahraim conversation at the start of chapter 12 where Tahraim explains more lore on the Vash-Tynan fight. There might be more on Twitter but I dont look there for lore.
On the possibility of Dainix being a demon:
I dont think he’s the demon that ripped through his village bc he said it burned out & died at the end (and it’s host died far before that. He could have been repossessed by the demon if it’s not dead after all, but idk). He could very well be a new demon who’s trying to figure out how to diffuse it before it erupts, and either way is definitely similar to how Alinua started (although actually, he’s closer to Erin in that he’s avoiding it if possible, uses a tiny bit when backed into a corner, is trying to learn more about it and might be taming it in the meantime). If he’s not a demon, he certainly has some form of a superpowered evil side/uncontrollable power he’s wrestling with. He’s definitely being used as a weapon (see Kendal & Dainix’s initial conversations where they were talking about that), and this possibly has connections to how he’s Caliban’s champion, Caliban asking for a weapon for him, Tahraim’s saying he needs to forge himself & find his own path so he has the capability of “doing the impossible”, and Tynan’s imminent rise. I think Caliban wants Dainix to fight Tynan. I dont know if that would work well, since Tynan’s a storm and those tend to be far stronger than fire in the first place… but actually, if Kendal joined him, they might have a good chance of beating him, and that will be FUN to watch. Depending on the nature of the power & how much control he has over it, Dainix might also be holding back out of fear of hurting the people who came to watch him in the Arena. If he is a demon, he’s afraid of both dying (hosts of demons disintegrate when the demon finally runs loose, remember) and the amount of damage he’ll do in the process. One of these things burned his village to the ground, and while Zuurith might have better protections, there are a lot more people to hurt here.
Dang, I wrote an entire manifesto today. Why cant homework be this easy?
“Exit stage left”? Didn’t he walk off to the right?
@Ophidiophile Stage directions are for the actors on stage, therefore stage left would be the guard’s and Caliban’s left, which is our right 🙂
@Ophidophile Stage directions are used for the actors on stage. Therefore, stage left would be the guard’s and Caliban’s left, which is our right. 🙂
I love how “prison riot” is 1000% Caliban’s jam. Just trying to goad Dainix into throwing off the kiddie gloves and going ape shit.
That exit! I love Caliban so much. The look they had right before laughing was interesting, though, like they were genuinely hurt, even though Dainix didn’t know it was really them. I wonder why. Maybe they’re hiding something under their carefree trickster persona.
“Wait, does something smell like burning? Screwit, I’m not being paid enough to turn my head.”
@Humanoid Clay
I’m betting A, tho there is the possibility it’s B.
But most likely A
@DragonMaster66. Thank you!!!
I think in the character descriptions it says that Caliban uses all pronouns
DragonMaster66:
Because homework is almost never about anything you’re passionate about.
Regarding Dainix hiding/avoiding his powers, another possibility popped into my head: what if he’s got fire corruption? Erin mentioned way back in his debut monologue that elemental corruption can become chronic in some cases, and it can get worse over time. Fire corruption specifically affects temperature regulation (which might explain why he goes shirtless literally all the time, he gets hot way too easily) and emotional regulation (this one’s a bit harder to justify, since he’s so outwardly calm most of the time; perhaps his teacher taught him the means to control his emotions, with that talk about giving emotions a direction). This would be why he avoids using hefty amounts of fire magic, despite being a fire mage; he could be trying to prevent his condition from worsening, and as a bonus, it lets his opponents in the arena underestimate him (like when he sneakily burned off the elephant ferin’s bident).
According to the tumblr, “Caliban is a people-god who’s technically present wherever their people are, so it might be more accurate to say that Zuurith knows Caliban might be around, but doesn’t know they’re physically there”*.
Also, the character page has been updated to include pronouns, and Caliban’s are he/him, she/her, and they/them.
*https://comicaurora.tumblr.com/post/663877974669541376/also-is-zuurith-aware-of-calibans-presence-in
Nothing like a lil’ bit of divine mind meddling to unsettle you! Try it today!
I apologize for being late… Again. Man I’m slow.
The dynamic between Dainix and Caliban has the same energy as Telemachus and Mentor/Athena in the Odyssey and I’m 100% here for it!
this is good
this is something I relate to
To All: Caliban is not bursting into flame, it’s merely a flame-based transition of form. Others might shift with misty effects, but you know, fire god
Oh. So thats why her eyes were glowing. And it also explains the ‘Ha!’.
Dang that effect in the last panel looks cool!
I actually have evidence for the “Dainix Is The Monster” theory! In the Character Deaths trope talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa_Ttaj4o40) at around 6:38, Falst gets slammed. If I’m correct, very lovely easter egg.
You know, meddling this much in the man’s affairs is not going to help him feel any less controlled by you.
So I’m not sure if anyone else has brought this up, but….
-Caliban’s first appearance involved mocking a trope that is commonly poorly done (i.e. why can’t you just TELL me how to do the big important thing???)
-In that appearance, they also dropped cryptic but engaging clues to worldbuilding that foreshadowed Dainix’s appearance
-Since then, they have been a non-stop bundle of snark
-Their primary interactions with characters have been gentle nudges & manipulation to make sure the plot stays on the rails (e.g. setting up Dainix to join the party, preventing a prison break arc)
-Their color scheme is primarily orange/red and they have great hair
….Did we find Red’s self-insert?
@Svata I’m not too well versed in Zuurith law, so I’m not sure how much being godless mattered in his arrest (it clearly did matter, but was it his only “crime”?). And Zuzu won’t necessarily have to acknowledge Caliban as a god, because they’re still trying to get Dainix to kill a bunch of guards here. Probably still illegal. But good point, it would need an awful amount of mental gymnastics to ignore Caliban’s god status.
@dooomninja Not really, I mean, what is Zuzu doing? Dainix apparently fought some bandits too close to the city, which was somehow illegal, and got arrested. Caliban sent Dainix there, it’s almost their fault for doing that. Zuzu did nothing wrong (except making ridiculous laws).
@Averias OOOhh, that makes a lot of sense, thank you
@Sig: holy frick, youre right, that IS falst. I think the guy ripping him to shreds is another ferin though; they have a tail & claws (and furry legs I think?). It could be Dainix if he’s got a transformative ability but I dont think so. It does match Dainix’s color scheme pretty well though. Maybe if the arena arc goes on longer, this is Falst’s opponent?
I also dont like the implications of Falst getting beaten up in a character deaths video.
@TheUnknownGame: I thought a fire mage could always cleanse themselves of fire corruption? And it was only a serious problem if you left it unchecked, or if you aquired a different type of corruption you couldnt cleanse… Its possible that Dainix is a weird anomoly who doesnt have the ability to cleanse himself of his own magic’s corruption, and in that case the theory could work.
@Hermit Thrush: Its a distinct possibility. My current theory is that it’s Tess, who’s way badass and ALSO a huge bundle of confident snark. Also, she’s been trying to warn people about Tynan since she showed up, and seems more meta-aware of the plot. I think both could fit, tbh, and either way I love th epoetic justice of the aelf-insert being more aware of the plot/trying to nudge it along than other characters.
Just thought of a REALLY interesting/hard question that I’m gonna ask in when the next page drops… >:D
The new page isn’t loading!
OOOOOOOoOoOoooOOoOoOooh!
HAhaha, bro it was HIM!, comedy gold
WELP. TIME TO RE-READ THE LAST FEW PAGES TO READ INTO CALIBAN’S WORDS A BIT MORE.
HELL YEAH
I love Caliban
hey we’ve seen him before
But, but… that’s stage right. And possibly via the spirit world.