Yay, Dainix isn’t a murdery hell blazing fire demon anymore. On the outside at least.
I would say something more constructive, but honestly this comic has destroyed my sleep schedule too much for me to put in any effort
Guilt is purple? … Well, I guess we are in Zuurith; everything is purple here.
Kendal continues to leave big impressions on everyone he meets. The guilt Dainix feels, or as of this page felt, when he accepted the fight against Kendal almost tore him apart, figuratively and literally.
Just as well Tynan interrupted the fight when he did; any longer and Dainix may have burnt out totally, any sooner and he may not have reached this stage, physically and emotionally, where Tahraim could help him. I hope Dainix does turn out to be the deciding factor against Tynan, if only for the irony.
Fire’s higher ability is transmutation and no one would know that better than Tahraim. Dainix is no longer that person anymore, but is he now the weapon Caliban asked for?
Prediction for next week: If we’re changing scene, to either Kendal fighting a losing battle against Tynan or the Ruunasers about to make their move. If we’re staying here, a small, cryptic explanation from Tahraim that maybe ends with him giving Dainix a shiny weapon.
Ah man, I really needed this page. This is seems like a /really/ great way to turn guilt into healthier feelings of responsibility- ones that actually promote self-improvement in the way we tell ourselves guilt will. Seriously, thank you.
Tahraim holding Dainix’s fire hand (and Dainix’s horrified) reaction to that is a really nice detail as well.
Sometimes an aspect of you that you’re in poor control of leads to you hurting others. It could be anything- anger issues, repeatedly missing deadlines, poor communication, leaning on others more than they can take… regardless, people may be able to put up with it in the short term, but in the long term they’ll become worn down and you’ll become increasingly guilty and doubtful of people’s assurances that they’re fine.
Dainix is terrified of what he could do to people when his fire overtakes him, and guilty about what he’s already done. If Kendal was sitting here instead, burned and exhausted, would Dainix be able to accept comfort from him or would he just feel worse? Instead, in steps Tahraim: someone capable of going right up to the worst parts of him without being burned. Someone who can take him directly by his burning hand and say “You’re not a monster for being like this. You don’t have to suppress anything around me. These feelings are part of you, but if you make peace with them they don’t have to control you.”
This is what therapists are for! Letting you unpack and process your feelings without any fear of hurting someone else’s or being judged. They can’t fix your issues overnight, but they give you the space and directions you need to start working on it yourself. The page description jokes about this being an alternative, but Tahraim’s being a therapist in the best way.
@evil tree i don’t see tahraim giving Dainix a weapon directly. either he’ll give Dainix the materials for a weapon, like he did with Vash, or something equally cryptic, or helping Dainix control his soulfire was the weapon he is giving him.
OR, and this is a much more troubling possibility, one that would make a lot of people like Tahraim less, i think, is that Tahraim isn’t giving Dainix a weapon at all. Dainix IS the Weapon, and Tahraim is forging him for Caliban.
back in 1-12-9, Caliban asked if Tahraim could help them, and Tahraim responded that: “I can give YOU YOUR weapon in time, but if i intervene now IT will never become what YOU need IT to be.” i’m afraid that Tahraim is talking directly to Caliban and referring to Dainix as ‘it’, which is quite dehumanising. but the fact that he called Kendal “the divine blade” in the last panel i think reinforces this idea that Tahraim sees Kendal and Dainix both as objects and weapons to be used by their respective gods, rather than the free-thinking individuals that they are. this is exactly what Dainix shared with Kendal back in the cell and, being more cynical of the gods than Kendal, i think he was right, but Kendal doesn’t realise it yet because he’s still very young in terms of his independent existence
Voonha:
The part of the story of Vash banishing Tynan that was not remembered was the steep payment Vash had to pay for both the the character building exercise and the Kendal the Sword made out of Vash’s arm.
Nice little detail: Dainix’s transformation both started and ended with his left hand.
This, to me, begs a question: how did Tahraim know that this process would reverse the transformation? My guess is that he spends a lot of time researching about all kinds of fire, including soulfire. He’d know how it could be produced and which emotions produce it in demons, so he could infer a process of reversing its effects by having the affected person grapple with those emotions. Or perhaps: Dainix isn’t the first demon to ever have been able to get their transformation under control, it’s just that his village didn’t know that.
I don’t think Tahraim views mortals as objects so much as he views EVERYONE as an object. He views the entire world, and everything in it, through the eyes of smithing. So he interprets people, motivations, enemies, allies, and even his clients as raw materials to be forged and shaped. Think about how he treated Vash when Vash asked him for a weapon.
It makes sense, he is not just a master smith, he is a god of smithing.
“Let it all out, let it all out…
You dont have to think your heart is made of steel.
Let it all out, let it all out
Come away now, from your own doubt..
Like a flower of hope thats growing in a field,
you will heal…”
I loved that song, even frequently listened to a dubbed version in youtube, loved the lyrics.
look guys, the steam is gone too, Dainix has cooled down, physically, and, baring future troubles, emotionally too, it looks like.
@evil tree and veggiesnake, the possibility that Tahraim sees them that way worries me a little bit, and could (probably will) lead to an arc about that. Wait, maybe that’s something we could look forward to? Dainix’s experience is most certainly closer to Kendal’s than anybody else on the floof squad, and this could spur some character development in that field. anyway, hope everyone here has a wonderful day.
To be fair, it could also be that somewhere down the line someone got the idea that a smith god that moonlights as a therapist and likes giving roundabout advice should always speak in metaphors, and now Tahraim’s stuck like that because after the Vash/Tynan incident the idea got into the general populace and influenced him.
That being said, your collective theory here has some weight, and considering that the fires of the forge produce tools and weapons equally and with little regard for their ultimate fates (after all, a smith and their wares can serve both sides of a conflict), it would not surprise me at all if Tahraim turns out to be one of the more morally grey gods.
wait i’m confused. was never an actual demon? cause dainix was talking about needing to kill a demon. was he refering to himself as the demon? does this mean that my fire lizard is the demon crack theory has no chance of being true?
I love how we get to see a different facet of Tahriam’s personality here. Before with Caliban, he was just vague and cryptic, and sort of detatched, but here he’s all in and involved.
Listen, we need, at minimum, 1 new protagonist from Zuurith, and I get that Dainix is like the obvious choice, but please, I want to see Shrike again! She’s so snarky and sarcastic and I feel like her and Falst would have really good banter
Therapy is expensive, but you can read Dainix’s character arc of beginning to overcome his self-hatred for free.
p.s. i’d ask, but at this point it looks like none of us here in the comments section is entirely mentally healthy *hugs*
While people can ship whom ever they choose, Tahraim seems (to me) to be treating Dainix like a patient (soul forging indeed!). I find English’s definition of love is very imprecise”I like the ancient Greeks divide of love into ‘Philoa’ love of don’t respond back ( loving cards or money or other things like that) ‘Eros’ love and ‘Agape’ love of something greater _(relegion, natioin group). I think Kendal and Aliuna have more Agape love since they share a common experience and after Aliuna’s connection to the Life spirit awoke in her and she wanted become more like Kendal brave kind and helpful.
Now will he help Kendal out?
I wish I had something more insightful today but I just love both of them so much
Wait, guilt is purple and Zuurith is predominantly purple, with a hint of gold?
Does that mean that he is guilt-tripping citizens into behaving according to his laws?
Tahraim is acting like like a kindly (grand)parent or a kindergarten teacher here 🙂
Well done, you got your stuff figured out. Now go and punch a cloud my dude.
*”Let it all out” from Full Metal Alchemist brotherhood starts playing. All is good with the world.*
Zuurith: And my work here is done.
Kendal: But you didn’t do anything!
Zuurith: *fades away*
Okay so this is definitely Tahraim himself, hes literally and figuratively forging Dainix into a better person.
Where can i have this soulfire? Does it help from playing Omori?
Working through his guilt.
Purple fire is pretty.
Now the flames are gone.
Yay, Dainix isn’t a murdery hell blazing fire demon anymore. On the outside at least.
I would say something more constructive, but honestly this comic has destroyed my sleep schedule too much for me to put in any effort
I am going to cry about Dainix now
TL;DR: The fire claw was cool while it lasted, but the therapy is better for him and the plot as a whole.
“My work here is done”
“by the way, that will be $2,638 dollars”
Oh, I just noticed that Dainix’s cracked/fire text officially went away after he let all his anger out a couple pages ago
Therapy any% speedrun
i would read an entire comic about dainix going to therapy tbh
Dude that fire is GORGEOUS!! Also, I had a realization. I found OSP through a friend, whom is now no longer my friend and I thoroughly hate.
I wonder if he’s following this comic to.
HECK YOU NATHAN YOU SON OF A BUTCHER!!!!
Guilt is purple? … Well, I guess we are in Zuurith; everything is purple here.
Kendal continues to leave big impressions on everyone he meets. The guilt Dainix feels, or as of this page felt, when he accepted the fight against Kendal almost tore him apart, figuratively and literally.
Just as well Tynan interrupted the fight when he did; any longer and Dainix may have burnt out totally, any sooner and he may not have reached this stage, physically and emotionally, where Tahraim could help him. I hope Dainix does turn out to be the deciding factor against Tynan, if only for the irony.
Fire’s higher ability is transmutation and no one would know that better than Tahraim. Dainix is no longer that person anymore, but is he now the weapon Caliban asked for?
Prediction for next week: If we’re changing scene, to either Kendal fighting a losing battle against Tynan or the Ruunasers about to make their move. If we’re staying here, a small, cryptic explanation from Tahraim that maybe ends with him giving Dainix a shiny weapon.
Ah man, I really needed this page. This is seems like a /really/ great way to turn guilt into healthier feelings of responsibility- ones that actually promote self-improvement in the way we tell ourselves guilt will. Seriously, thank you.
i’m literally crying right now what the heck
Tahraim holding Dainix’s fire hand (and Dainix’s horrified) reaction to that is a really nice detail as well.
Sometimes an aspect of you that you’re in poor control of leads to you hurting others. It could be anything- anger issues, repeatedly missing deadlines, poor communication, leaning on others more than they can take… regardless, people may be able to put up with it in the short term, but in the long term they’ll become worn down and you’ll become increasingly guilty and doubtful of people’s assurances that they’re fine.
Dainix is terrified of what he could do to people when his fire overtakes him, and guilty about what he’s already done. If Kendal was sitting here instead, burned and exhausted, would Dainix be able to accept comfort from him or would he just feel worse? Instead, in steps Tahraim: someone capable of going right up to the worst parts of him without being burned. Someone who can take him directly by his burning hand and say “You’re not a monster for being like this. You don’t have to suppress anything around me. These feelings are part of you, but if you make peace with them they don’t have to control you.”
This is what therapists are for! Letting you unpack and process your feelings without any fear of hurting someone else’s or being judged. They can’t fix your issues overnight, but they give you the space and directions you need to start working on it yourself. The page description jokes about this being an alternative, but Tahraim’s being a therapist in the best way.
@evil tree i don’t see tahraim giving Dainix a weapon directly. either he’ll give Dainix the materials for a weapon, like he did with Vash, or something equally cryptic, or helping Dainix control his soulfire was the weapon he is giving him.
OR, and this is a much more troubling possibility, one that would make a lot of people like Tahraim less, i think, is that Tahraim isn’t giving Dainix a weapon at all. Dainix IS the Weapon, and Tahraim is forging him for Caliban.
back in 1-12-9, Caliban asked if Tahraim could help them, and Tahraim responded that: “I can give YOU YOUR weapon in time, but if i intervene now IT will never become what YOU need IT to be.” i’m afraid that Tahraim is talking directly to Caliban and referring to Dainix as ‘it’, which is quite dehumanising. but the fact that he called Kendal “the divine blade” in the last panel i think reinforces this idea that Tahraim sees Kendal and Dainix both as objects and weapons to be used by their respective gods, rather than the free-thinking individuals that they are. this is exactly what Dainix shared with Kendal back in the cell and, being more cynical of the gods than Kendal, i think he was right, but Kendal doesn’t realise it yet because he’s still very young in terms of his independent existence
I just want to know if that healed his eye or not.
@youngstormlord I didn’t recall what song it was, and you made me listen to it. Thanks!
@evil tree actually rereading your comment, i realise that i was just sort of repeating what you said. guess i got carried away
Tahraim: Smith god, part-time cryptic, part-time therapist, full-time emergency flashlight
Therapy God
Voonha:
The part of the story of Vash banishing Tynan that was not remembered was the steep payment Vash had to pay for both the the character building exercise and the Kendal the Sword made out of Vash’s arm.
Okay: god of smiths being also the god of direct-model therapy? Never saw that before, and yet it kinda works. Bravo, Red.
Therapy arc, anyone?
can I do this too?
Nice little detail: Dainix’s transformation both started and ended with his left hand.
This, to me, begs a question: how did Tahraim know that this process would reverse the transformation? My guess is that he spends a lot of time researching about all kinds of fire, including soulfire. He’d know how it could be produced and which emotions produce it in demons, so he could infer a process of reversing its effects by having the affected person grapple with those emotions. Or perhaps: Dainix isn’t the first demon to ever have been able to get their transformation under control, it’s just that his village didn’t know that.
@veggiesnake
I don’t think Tahraim views mortals as objects so much as he views EVERYONE as an object. He views the entire world, and everything in it, through the eyes of smithing. So he interprets people, motivations, enemies, allies, and even his clients as raw materials to be forged and shaped. Think about how he treated Vash when Vash asked him for a weapon.
It makes sense, he is not just a master smith, he is a god of smithing.
@Darth Fëanor I wish I could acswnsqkqacwhqaghv
@youngstormlord
“Let it all out, let it all out…
You dont have to think your heart is made of steel.
Let it all out, let it all out
Come away now, from your own doubt..
Like a flower of hope thats growing in a field,
you will heal…”
I loved that song, even frequently listened to a dubbed version in youtube, loved the lyrics.
Dainix’s story is sounding personal in a way that I’m feeling uncomfortable with. And its definitely not because of the Berserk vibes.
Talk about character developement – thats why I love this webcomic 😀
DAINIX AND TAHRAIM MY BELOVEDS
look guys, the steam is gone too, Dainix has cooled down, physically, and, baring future troubles, emotionally too, it looks like.
@evil tree and veggiesnake, the possibility that Tahraim sees them that way worries me a little bit, and could (probably will) lead to an arc about that. Wait, maybe that’s something we could look forward to? Dainix’s experience is most certainly closer to Kendal’s than anybody else on the floof squad, and this could spur some character development in that field. anyway, hope everyone here has a wonderful day.
Tahraim is the best, just a great character!
alt text: guilt is purple, who knew
The cover of this chapter would suggest that this will be an action-packed romp throughout.
We spent four of the last nine pages in an impromptu therapy session.
I love this comic.
that’s a whole lotta hand holding, Red. I’m sorry but now I’m shipping these two
To veggiesnake, JACK:
To be fair, it could also be that somewhere down the line someone got the idea that a smith god that moonlights as a therapist and likes giving roundabout advice should always speak in metaphors, and now Tahraim’s stuck like that because after the Vash/Tynan incident the idea got into the general populace and influenced him.
That being said, your collective theory here has some weight, and considering that the fires of the forge produce tools and weapons equally and with little regard for their ultimate fates (after all, a smith and their wares can serve both sides of a conflict), it would not surprise me at all if Tahraim turns out to be one of the more morally grey gods.
Me, completely ignoring all the character development on this page: oh, so THAT’s how Dainix transitioned!
wait i’m confused. was never an actual demon? cause dainix was talking about needing to kill a demon. was he refering to himself as the demon? does this mean that my fire lizard is the demon crack theory has no chance of being true?
Tahraim is just super cool. I like how we’re seeing more facets of his personality, instead of just his cryptic side.
I love how we get to see a different facet of Tahriam’s personality here. Before with Caliban, he was just vague and cryptic, and sort of detatched, but here he’s all in and involved.
Oops, did not see the first one, so I thought it didn’t go through lol…sorry for the double post
I know everybody is obsessing over the purple fire, and it is amazing, but this background art, with sparks and embers flying around is just gorgeous
Listen, we need, at minimum, 1 new protagonist from Zuurith, and I get that Dainix is like the obvious choice, but please, I want to see Shrike again! She’s so snarky and sarcastic and I feel like her and Falst would have really good banter
Absolutely love the effects and lighting on this one. also your composition is outstanding!
Therapy is expensive, but you can read Dainix’s character arc of beginning to overcome his self-hatred for free.
p.s. i’d ask, but at this point it looks like none of us here in the comments section is entirely mentally healthy *hugs*
now I wonder why they didn’t just send Tahrahim over to help Dainnix out with his little fire problem with a nice therapy session before.
@Serifstones. Nope, we’re all mentally I’ll and but are there for each other whenever we’ve got problems.
Anyone notice how fiery gladiator’s speech bubbles are getting less and less distorted as the therapy session goes on and he cools off?
To SerifStones:
Honestly, is anyone these days?
(Though I suppose it also depends on what parameters one is using to define ‘mentally healthy’…)
@ImuyanMangoCat
Gotta heat up the blade before you hammer it I guess. Tahraim’s just here to cool it evenly.
Bluefire:
I noticed, but I figured it was easily noticeable enough that I didn’t bother pointing it out. I’m glad someone did, though.
While people can ship whom ever they choose, Tahraim seems (to me) to be treating Dainix like a patient (soul forging indeed!). I find English’s definition of love is very imprecise”I like the ancient Greeks divide of love into ‘Philoa’ love of don’t respond back ( loving cards or money or other things like that) ‘Eros’ love and ‘Agape’ love of something greater _(relegion, natioin group). I think Kendal and Aliuna have more Agape love since they share a common experience and after Aliuna’s connection to the Life spirit awoke in her and she wanted become more like Kendal brave kind and helpful.
If he just burned away all the excess catharsis fire, why are there still sparks in the air?
Pity it isn’t that easy.