Vash: look if you don’t start doing your job I’ll just have to MOVE IN WITH YOU! WE CAN HAVE MOVIE NIGHTS AND PLAY MONOPOLY AND IF I GET HUNGRY I CAN JUST RAID YOUR FRIDGE-
Zuurith: Bye, Vash, I’m going to go feed refugees or whatever are you happy now?
Vash: works every time.
“That will not be necessary,” Zuurith intones.
“collect your people and leave my city.”
“Gladly. Right after I_” he spins to look at Tynan,
“-uh” Tahraim kneels by the storm-god smiling happily.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” the smith-god says,
“Just cleaning up a bit.”
“Don’t worry! You’ll change back when you calm down or get tired!”
He yells to Dainix, with blazing flames lit.
So, if I’m counting right, there are currently 5 gods(Vash, zuurith, Tynan, Tahraim, and the shapeshifting fire god), 2 primordial vessels(Alinua-Life, Walter), and 1 whatever-the-heck-Dainix-is in a single city. No wonder it’s in ruins now.
So we’re just going to let the murderous tyrant go? No stopping his gladiatorial death matches or reversing his campaign of genocidal enslavement? Cool, coolcoolcoolcool. I love following the Good Guys(TM).
@Sandeon
Well, I doubt anyone’s gonna thank zuurith or Tynan, and while Tahraim seems cool, I think he’s the sort of god that makes you facepalm after getting his help. So probably, ‘thank god’ refers to Vash.
Zuurith: You want your freedom? Take it; that’s what I’m counting on. I used to want you dead, but now I only want you gone.
Look at Erin in the first two panels, concern followed by relief that this is finally the end of today’s episode of “Wheel of Diplomatic Incidents”. I wouldn’t rule out a bonus round when the gang least expects it though.
Ok, I did not see this coming; Dainix dealing with Tynan, Erin, maybe Zuurith, but not Tahraim. Then again I can see why he might step in; Tynan is a unique storm god that’s already shown he’s willing to change and try new things. Maybe Tahraim sees some potential in him to change and be better. At least this means the whole gang can relax together now.
I feel a little uneasy about Tahraim’s wording here. “I Don’t think you have the time”, “you should probably go”. Does he mean that as in they should leave Zuurith while they can? Or does he mean Vash must go back and put Kendal back in control or else something might happen to them? Does he know of any health risks because of Vash’s starfire form or thinks the Collector might notice something?
Tahraim fills a role so far that I love in media. A character that has plans, or his own agenda, is fairly personable but we know next to nothing about them.
On another note, and perhaps not warranted, but does anyone else feel worried about the enigmatic smith god “taking care” of Tynan? I wouldn’t want a sentient magic storm sword showing up down the line to take revenge on the floof squad…
So if Vash doesn’t care when Zuurith tries to kill him/his instrument, and if he doesn’t care when Zuurith succeeds in killing other people via bloodsport / forced labor, what does he care about? The Collector doing this stuff? Because she happened to kill *his* people? Would he have cared even a single iota if she’d targeted some other city? We’re really getting a glimpse into how myopic and self-centered the gods of this universe are. (Or at least Vash)
OG Ryan – I don’t disagree with you about us getting a glimpse into the rough sides of the gods (or at least Vash) but I’m curious where you’re getting that Vash doesn’t care about this other stuff? I believe the bloodsport and forced labor and general imprisonment was one of the reasons Kendal gave for why Vash didn’t get on with Zuurith (and he couldn’t have intervened while he was still a city due to being his own city and also god rules presumably, and just last page he DID threaten to intervene now that he could), and if you’re saying he doesn’t care about Zuurith trying to kill him/Kendal because of the Dainix bloodsport event it’s worth noting that I’m pretty sure he’s only able to intervene now because Kendal stabbed himself? I might be wrong but that’s what I got from the deus ex machina explanation a few pages back.
The “would he care if someone else’s city was targeted” question I think Red answered on tumblr but I understand if you don’t count that as evidence of Vash’s character since it’s not in the comic.
@Birb – So Vash is clearly based on Superman, he has the whole invincible god amongst men thing, and Superman never cares when people try to kill him because he has impenetrable plot armor: Anyone who tries to merc him is -at most- an annoyance. Same here with Vash, Zuurith trying to have him or his aspect killed is just Tuesday. But if he actually cared about the lives being ground under by the Gladiatorial Arena and the prison labor camps, Vash would kill or (if gods can’t actually die) at least permanently imprison Zuurith just like he’s apparently planning to do with Tynan. There is no moral distinction between Tynan killing thousands with his floods and Zuurith killing thousands with his monstrous judicial system.
But Vash doesn’t treat the two the same at all. Instead of subduing and capturing Zuurith, he’s simply sending him on his way with a “don’t make me come back here again” tut-tut warning, with absolutely no enforcement mechanisms in place to prevent Zuurith from IMMEDIATELY re-establishing The Mountain and The Arena. He is absolutely all bark and no bite.
@OG Ryan
Based on the way he worded that threat, I think it was more than a “tut tut”. Also, though in theory Vash could easily destroy Zuurith, Remember how god killing seems to require destroying their source of power, especially for city gods. Which, besides the fact that they would cause a lot of death, is something Vash probably doesn’t want to relive. Also, it wouldn’t surprise me if Zuurith has a slightly more active role he engages in, similar to the burial right. Who knows, though. Even if we’re working under the assumption that Zuurith is weak enough that you wouldn’t need to destroy the city to exile him, he’s still tied to it, so you would have to destroy Zuurith anyway just so he’s able to leave.
Besides that, I feel like from a narrative stance people wouldn’t entirely like a … city destroying superpowered being traveling with the gang when they’re already against one. Also, to be honest, we’ve been fighting Tynan for like months, real time, and I’m starting to get tired. We need some chill time in between high stakes battles.
On the other hand, that could just be me projecting what I want onto the story, but I think it makes sense.
First two panels: Erin’s face softens significantly upon Zuurith’s response, but Falst’s scowling frown barely diminishes, and he’s still ready to swipe with his unbroken arm. Just goes to show how big of a difference there is between the two, that Erin is surprised by this diplomatic politeness, while Falst is thinking, “That was unexpected, but I still don’t trust you one iota, f*ckbag.”
Tahraim: “Don’t worry! You’ll change back when you calm down or get tired!”
Dainix: “þ:æ±~k ¥ø\«”
Tahraim: “Anytime!”
Evil Tree:
Vash returns a few decades down the line to find the peak transformed from a garden-variety prison to an enormous testing facility. Prisoners are the test subjects, Zuurith now sounds suspiciously similar to Cave Johnson, and Vash’s vengeful arrival incites Portal 3.
Anyone know how to pronounce Tahraim? I’ve been pronouncing it like ‘Terrain’ but with an m, but that doesn’t feel right.
(Also, @The Bookwyrm, happy birthday? I think?)
So I’m gonna make a prediction here: I’m pretty sure Vash’s freedom is going to be cut a lot shorter than he seems to be expecting, either because the Collector notices his absence and takes active steps to correct it or because whatever mystical process is allowing him to pilot Kendal can only be sustained for so long before the Collector’s bindings override it. Both Kendal’s status as an autonomous character and the whole “Vash imprisoned by Collector” thing are pretty central to the narrative, too central to be sidelined at this stage in my opinion.
But this brief escape WOULD up the stakes. The floof squad could very well be on the Collector’s radar now. This might include (or lead to) her learning about the Void Dragon, as well as Alinua’s interesting relationship with Life, which might complicate her master plan . She’ll likely be significantly strengthening her bindings on Vash, which might complicate future repetition of this event or even future dream communion. And on the side of the protagonists, Kendal will have to deal even more urgently with questions about his purpose, bodily autonomy, and willingness to sacrifice himself, as will his friends.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if the answer to the question “where was Kendal’s soul during this?” turns out to be “stuck in the Collector’s soul cage thingy, getting angrily interrogated”. I doubt Vash would’ve made such a swap deliberately, but it could have been something automatic. Though on the other hand, we already have several examples of characters having their bodies taken over by external forces and still having their own souls/personalities present but just “along for the ride”, so it could easily be that instead.
Sorry for the long rant bellow. Skip if desired.
I disagree with OG Ryan view that Vash threat to Zuurith is ‘all bark and no bite’ Vash CANNOT imprison Zuurith while Zuurith’s city stands and Vash seems to care about people on an individual basis rather than Zuurith who sees people as units in his city to perfect, in my opinion. Vash is unwilling to destroy ordinary people (perhaps reinforced by his own experience with the Collector). But given his unique circumstances Vash CAN make good on his promise to be a royal (or godly) pain in Zuurith’s arse if up the Arena starts up again. Such as arranging prison breaks, stopping guards bringing new prisoners or breaking said prison and Arena. These action would irritate Zuurith but NOT stop the city from functioning, So Vash is making the threat he Can follow through on.
This is why Zuurith is so threatened about Vash moving in to his domain:
When any of the other gods have ever shared an apartment with him, it has ended with either said god or Vash leaving in a huff and coming back two days later for their stuff, having finished sulking and actually decided to do something about the situation.
The reason for THAT is that Vash probably lists all the stuff he’s already doing for them whenever they ask him to do something. He can also probably count those on one hand. Also he probably leaves his laundry hanging off the lampshade.
…It’s scary how much one of my own characters is like Tahraim. I know there’s probably a character archetype to blame, but the personality resemblance is still uncanny.
To Evil Tree:
Yeah, the wording on that is fairly ominous, isn’t it? Guess we’ll find out Friday what that means. On an unrelated note, has anyone seen June lately…?
To OG Ryan:
I don’t think it’s that Vash doesn’t care–remembwe how he reacted when Kendal was at risk of discovery by the Collector during their psychic dream–it’s just that he literally cannot do anything to help. The same goes for the people of Zuurith. In regards to Kendal, remember that he is bound, and that this is the first time he has to amy extent been free–and Kendal had to figure out what to do, he couldn’t just tell him (though whether due to shielding him from the Collector or some sort of Interference Law is unclear). In regards to Zuurith, he simply didn’t have the ability–the gods here seem to function much like genius locii–Vash has authority over and can influence what happens in his territory, but he’s tied to said domain, and can’t affect the development of other cities–and even if he could, that would be a major breach of territorial boundaries.Plus Red mentioned that a god’s consciousness is pretty diffuse when they’re not incarnated–you’ve gotta keep that in mind, too.
Echoing the various rebuttals to OG Ryan’s claims, I would also posit that idk how much Vash really needs to do at this point to give Zuurith a massive headache. Zuurith seems pretty intent on acting like nothing happened, but in a matter of hours, his people saw A. Their god get reduced to a pile of sand by Tynan, B. Some random elf lady tear apart their giant mountain prison with a third of the city in it using a *tree*, C. Their Arenamaster get casually one-shot by his own champion, and D. Tynan getting gradually beat up by literally everybody except for Zuurith. I’d argue that would cause a lot of people to start reevaluating Zuurith’s regime on their own.
Zuurith’s power ultimately comes from his people’s willingness to follow his rules for the sake of their own security and the entertainment provided by those who don’t comply in the Arena. Now that Arena has a big person-shaped hole in it, the Peak has been torn in half, and I’d wager a good chunk of everyone in it has probably booked it for the hills by now, with no one especially inclined to go after them. The people have seen firsthand that their god *couldn’t* protect them, that the system he built actually became an active hindrance to their survival the moment things started getting hairy, and that he had to get bailed out by another city god who’s supposed to be dead.
The people can’t exactly throw off their god as long as they remain in his city, but they can certainly heckle him. Of course, it would probably take a long while for the feedback from his people’s discontent to actually provoke change in Zuurith, if it could even do so to begin with (I seem to recall Red answering a question along those lines, but can’t find it atm), but regardless, I would be very surprised to find the status quo seamlessly restored in Zuurith after this incident.
To all these people complaining about how hypocritical and “selfish” Vash is for not helping the people of Zuurith, gods are very limited. They form around the needs and perceptions of their people. They also can’t go past their domains. Vash being able to act freely is a new development. Not only can he probably not kill Zuurith permanently, how much damage would that do is anyone’s guess. Plus, violence doesn’t have to be the first solution. Also, jumping straight to a coup would only bring the other gods down on the good guys. In short, Vash is not used to being free. He is still picking his battles wisely.
IDK why… My mind keeps thinking Kendel & Vash aren’t so different… to the point where I Think they ARE the same person…
If you’ve split into 2 (or more) Parts; [My answers]
Are you still, YOU? [Yes]
Are You Every Part? [Yes]
Are There Some Parts more You than others? [No]
Are There Parts That Can’t be You? [No]
Are You Trying to Combine to be whole? [Kendel Has shown it to be His Purpose]
Are You OK? [No]
It wasn’t just Vash that May Seek a Purpose again… Kendel may have Achieved His Faster than Expected.
@OG Ryan – unfortunately there is in fact a strong moral difference between Zuurith and Tynan. It isn’t nearly as simple as you make it out to be.
“There is no moral distinction between Tynan killing thousands with his floods and Zuurith killing thousands with his monstrous judicial system.”
Tynan derives his power from the fear of those he’s about to kill. Tynan’s murder is done with the goal of terrorism and genocide. Tynan’s rampage serves no function other than that it is the will of Tynan.
Zuurith on the other hand, derives it’s power from the worship of the people living in Zuurith. When Zuurith kills people, it is with the express purpose of maintaining order and safety for the rest of his worshippers.
We may not like Zuurith or what they do, but it’s not up for us to decide, it’s the people of Zuurith who’s collective will incarnates Zuurith and enable them to enforce such laws. Like it or not, the people of Zuurith have a good like Zuurith because that’s what they desire most. What right do we have as a group of people, to tell other groups of people that their collective will is wrong and terrible, due to our own collective will? It couldn’t be done.
Tynan by contrast is just a monster, an abberation the entire would would simply be better off without. No one will mourn for Tynan.
…Question.
Do we KNOW that’s Vash, versus a Kendal acting like Vash?
It’s annoying because this could genuinely be one or the other, and presumably, the starfire cloaking him says Vash but I’m thinking about that sword-stabbing thing Kendal did and if he used that to tap into the star Fire easier versus calling in Vash…
Or he just did that to help him figure out the fire thing, and then is mostly just acting.
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: thank god, a color that isn’t blue
Image source: go
I feel like I just got sideswiped with a Car.
This dude is all about forging potential…I have a fervent interest.
Gotta love Tahraim just handing out useful advice randomly
Vash: look if you don’t start doing your job I’ll just have to MOVE IN WITH YOU! WE CAN HAVE MOVIE NIGHTS AND PLAY MONOPOLY AND IF I GET HUNGRY I CAN JUST RAID YOUR FRIDGE-
Zuurith: Bye, Vash, I’m going to go feed refugees or whatever are you happy now?
Vash: works every time.
Is this some sort of god convention because GOD IT’S GETTING CROWDED HERE
it’s always so funny to read the comments of this webcomic bc it’s like:
user103
*in-depth examination and dissection of the themes and parallels drawn by [page]*
user46
*haiku*
user90
get wrecked
user2
*an entire ballad describing [page] in immaculate detail*
user21
*fucking murders you with the funniest incorrect quote/meme you’ve ever read, partially because you’re reading this at 1 in the morning*
“That will not be necessary,” Zuurith intones.
“collect your people and leave my city.”
“Gladly. Right after I_” he spins to look at Tynan,
“-uh” Tahraim kneels by the storm-god smiling happily.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” the smith-god says,
“Just cleaning up a bit.”
“Don’t worry! You’ll change back when you calm down or get tired!”
He yells to Dainix, with blazing flames lit.
So, if I’m counting right, there are currently 5 gods(Vash, zuurith, Tynan, Tahraim, and the shapeshifting fire god), 2 primordial vessels(Alinua-Life, Walter), and 1 whatever-the-heck-Dainix-is in a single city. No wonder it’s in ruins now.
So we’re just going to let the murderous tyrant go? No stopping his gladiatorial death matches or reversing his campaign of genocidal enslavement? Cool, coolcoolcoolcool. I love following the Good Guys(TM).
“Thank god” which god? You’ve got four of them in this page alone!
@Sandeon
Well, I doubt anyone’s gonna thank zuurith or Tynan, and while Tahraim seems cool, I think he’s the sort of god that makes you facepalm after getting his help. So probably, ‘thank god’ refers to Vash.
I wish to one day be as chill and casual as Tahraim
Zuurith: You want your freedom? Take it; that’s what I’m counting on. I used to want you dead, but now I only want you gone.
Look at Erin in the first two panels, concern followed by relief that this is finally the end of today’s episode of “Wheel of Diplomatic Incidents”. I wouldn’t rule out a bonus round when the gang least expects it though.
Ok, I did not see this coming; Dainix dealing with Tynan, Erin, maybe Zuurith, but not Tahraim. Then again I can see why he might step in; Tynan is a unique storm god that’s already shown he’s willing to change and try new things. Maybe Tahraim sees some potential in him to change and be better. At least this means the whole gang can relax together now.
I feel a little uneasy about Tahraim’s wording here. “I Don’t think you have the time”, “you should probably go”. Does he mean that as in they should leave Zuurith while they can? Or does he mean Vash must go back and put Kendal back in control or else something might happen to them? Does he know of any health risks because of Vash’s starfire form or thinks the Collector might notice something?
Tahraim fills a role so far that I love in media. A character that has plans, or his own agenda, is fairly personable but we know next to nothing about them.
Interested to see if/when we return to Zuurith in the future if Zuzu keeps his promise and what that looks like…
i like tahraim, he is the funny guy of the gods
On another note, and perhaps not warranted, but does anyone else feel worried about the enigmatic smith god “taking care” of Tynan? I wouldn’t want a sentient magic storm sword showing up down the line to take revenge on the floof squad…
For Vash, meeting Tahraim is like a general meeting his plumber in the middle of active warzone.
Tahraim, never change <3
Also, Vash's eyebrowgame is STRONG!
So if Vash doesn’t care when Zuurith tries to kill him/his instrument, and if he doesn’t care when Zuurith succeeds in killing other people via bloodsport / forced labor, what does he care about? The Collector doing this stuff? Because she happened to kill *his* people? Would he have cared even a single iota if she’d targeted some other city? We’re really getting a glimpse into how myopic and self-centered the gods of this universe are. (Or at least Vash)
OG Ryan – I don’t disagree with you about us getting a glimpse into the rough sides of the gods (or at least Vash) but I’m curious where you’re getting that Vash doesn’t care about this other stuff? I believe the bloodsport and forced labor and general imprisonment was one of the reasons Kendal gave for why Vash didn’t get on with Zuurith (and he couldn’t have intervened while he was still a city due to being his own city and also god rules presumably, and just last page he DID threaten to intervene now that he could), and if you’re saying he doesn’t care about Zuurith trying to kill him/Kendal because of the Dainix bloodsport event it’s worth noting that I’m pretty sure he’s only able to intervene now because Kendal stabbed himself? I might be wrong but that’s what I got from the deus ex machina explanation a few pages back.
The “would he care if someone else’s city was targeted” question I think Red answered on tumblr but I understand if you don’t count that as evidence of Vash’s character since it’s not in the comic.
@Birb – So Vash is clearly based on Superman, he has the whole invincible god amongst men thing, and Superman never cares when people try to kill him because he has impenetrable plot armor: Anyone who tries to merc him is -at most- an annoyance. Same here with Vash, Zuurith trying to have him or his aspect killed is just Tuesday. But if he actually cared about the lives being ground under by the Gladiatorial Arena and the prison labor camps, Vash would kill or (if gods can’t actually die) at least permanently imprison Zuurith just like he’s apparently planning to do with Tynan. There is no moral distinction between Tynan killing thousands with his floods and Zuurith killing thousands with his monstrous judicial system.
But Vash doesn’t treat the two the same at all. Instead of subduing and capturing Zuurith, he’s simply sending him on his way with a “don’t make me come back here again” tut-tut warning, with absolutely no enforcement mechanisms in place to prevent Zuurith from IMMEDIATELY re-establishing The Mountain and The Arena. He is absolutely all bark and no bite.
@OG Ryan
Based on the way he worded that threat, I think it was more than a “tut tut”. Also, though in theory Vash could easily destroy Zuurith, Remember how god killing seems to require destroying their source of power, especially for city gods. Which, besides the fact that they would cause a lot of death, is something Vash probably doesn’t want to relive. Also, it wouldn’t surprise me if Zuurith has a slightly more active role he engages in, similar to the burial right. Who knows, though. Even if we’re working under the assumption that Zuurith is weak enough that you wouldn’t need to destroy the city to exile him, he’s still tied to it, so you would have to destroy Zuurith anyway just so he’s able to leave.
Besides that, I feel like from a narrative stance people wouldn’t entirely like a … city destroying superpowered being traveling with the gang when they’re already against one. Also, to be honest, we’ve been fighting Tynan for like months, real time, and I’m starting to get tired. We need some chill time in between high stakes battles.
On the other hand, that could just be me projecting what I want onto the story, but I think it makes sense.
The mortals are over there just watching this procession of gods lmao
There once was a god of the smithy
Whose advice was always pithy.
He showed up unannounced
After Tynan was trounced
And took charge of him in a jiffy.
First two panels: Erin’s face softens significantly upon Zuurith’s response, but Falst’s scowling frown barely diminishes, and he’s still ready to swipe with his unbroken arm. Just goes to show how big of a difference there is between the two, that Erin is surprised by this diplomatic politeness, while Falst is thinking, “That was unexpected, but I still don’t trust you one iota, f*ckbag.”
Tahraim: “Don’t worry! You’ll change back when you calm down or get tired!”
Dainix: “þ:æ±~k ¥ø\«”
Tahraim: “Anytime!”
Evil Tree:
Vash returns a few decades down the line to find the peak transformed from a garden-variety prison to an enormous testing facility. Prisoners are the test subjects, Zuurith now sounds suspiciously similar to Cave Johnson, and Vash’s vengeful arrival incites Portal 3.
Sometimes the only way to get through to someone is getting their sworn rival to call them an idiot.
I think Tahraim might be my favorite character.
And I got to see him on my birthday.
Anyone know how to pronounce Tahraim? I’ve been pronouncing it like ‘Terrain’ but with an m, but that doesn’t feel right.
(Also, @The Bookwyrm, happy birthday? I think?)
Tahraim is the best character in this story.
So I’m gonna make a prediction here: I’m pretty sure Vash’s freedom is going to be cut a lot shorter than he seems to be expecting, either because the Collector notices his absence and takes active steps to correct it or because whatever mystical process is allowing him to pilot Kendal can only be sustained for so long before the Collector’s bindings override it. Both Kendal’s status as an autonomous character and the whole “Vash imprisoned by Collector” thing are pretty central to the narrative, too central to be sidelined at this stage in my opinion.
But this brief escape WOULD up the stakes. The floof squad could very well be on the Collector’s radar now. This might include (or lead to) her learning about the Void Dragon, as well as Alinua’s interesting relationship with Life, which might complicate her master plan . She’ll likely be significantly strengthening her bindings on Vash, which might complicate future repetition of this event or even future dream communion. And on the side of the protagonists, Kendal will have to deal even more urgently with questions about his purpose, bodily autonomy, and willingness to sacrifice himself, as will his friends.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if the answer to the question “where was Kendal’s soul during this?” turns out to be “stuck in the Collector’s soul cage thingy, getting angrily interrogated”. I doubt Vash would’ve made such a swap deliberately, but it could have been something automatic. Though on the other hand, we already have several examples of characters having their bodies taken over by external forces and still having their own souls/personalities present but just “along for the ride”, so it could easily be that instead.
Sorry for the long rant bellow. Skip if desired.
I disagree with OG Ryan view that Vash threat to Zuurith is ‘all bark and no bite’ Vash CANNOT imprison Zuurith while Zuurith’s city stands and Vash seems to care about people on an individual basis rather than Zuurith who sees people as units in his city to perfect, in my opinion. Vash is unwilling to destroy ordinary people (perhaps reinforced by his own experience with the Collector). But given his unique circumstances Vash CAN make good on his promise to be a royal (or godly) pain in Zuurith’s arse if up the Arena starts up again. Such as arranging prison breaks, stopping guards bringing new prisoners or breaking said prison and Arena. These action would irritate Zuurith but NOT stop the city from functioning, So Vash is making the threat he Can follow through on.
This is why Zuurith is so threatened about Vash moving in to his domain:
When any of the other gods have ever shared an apartment with him, it has ended with either said god or Vash leaving in a huff and coming back two days later for their stuff, having finished sulking and actually decided to do something about the situation.
The reason for THAT is that Vash probably lists all the stuff he’s already doing for them whenever they ask him to do something. He can also probably count those on one hand. Also he probably leaves his laundry hanging off the lampshade.
…It’s scary how much one of my own characters is like Tahraim. I know there’s probably a character archetype to blame, but the personality resemblance is still uncanny.
To Evil Tree:
Yeah, the wording on that is fairly ominous, isn’t it? Guess we’ll find out Friday what that means. On an unrelated note, has anyone seen June lately…?
To OG Ryan:
I don’t think it’s that Vash doesn’t care–remembwe how he reacted when Kendal was at risk of discovery by the Collector during their psychic dream–it’s just that he literally cannot do anything to help. The same goes for the people of Zuurith. In regards to Kendal, remember that he is bound, and that this is the first time he has to amy extent been free–and Kendal had to figure out what to do, he couldn’t just tell him (though whether due to shielding him from the Collector or some sort of Interference Law is unclear). In regards to Zuurith, he simply didn’t have the ability–the gods here seem to function much like genius locii–Vash has authority over and can influence what happens in his territory, but he’s tied to said domain, and can’t affect the development of other cities–and even if he could, that would be a major breach of territorial boundaries.Plus Red mentioned that a god’s consciousness is pretty diffuse when they’re not incarnated–you’ve gotta keep that in mind, too.
Echoing the various rebuttals to OG Ryan’s claims, I would also posit that idk how much Vash really needs to do at this point to give Zuurith a massive headache. Zuurith seems pretty intent on acting like nothing happened, but in a matter of hours, his people saw A. Their god get reduced to a pile of sand by Tynan, B. Some random elf lady tear apart their giant mountain prison with a third of the city in it using a *tree*, C. Their Arenamaster get casually one-shot by his own champion, and D. Tynan getting gradually beat up by literally everybody except for Zuurith. I’d argue that would cause a lot of people to start reevaluating Zuurith’s regime on their own.
Zuurith’s power ultimately comes from his people’s willingness to follow his rules for the sake of their own security and the entertainment provided by those who don’t comply in the Arena. Now that Arena has a big person-shaped hole in it, the Peak has been torn in half, and I’d wager a good chunk of everyone in it has probably booked it for the hills by now, with no one especially inclined to go after them. The people have seen firsthand that their god *couldn’t* protect them, that the system he built actually became an active hindrance to their survival the moment things started getting hairy, and that he had to get bailed out by another city god who’s supposed to be dead.
The people can’t exactly throw off their god as long as they remain in his city, but they can certainly heckle him. Of course, it would probably take a long while for the feedback from his people’s discontent to actually provoke change in Zuurith, if it could even do so to begin with (I seem to recall Red answering a question along those lines, but can’t find it atm), but regardless, I would be very surprised to find the status quo seamlessly restored in Zuurith after this incident.
To all these people complaining about how hypocritical and “selfish” Vash is for not helping the people of Zuurith, gods are very limited. They form around the needs and perceptions of their people. They also can’t go past their domains. Vash being able to act freely is a new development. Not only can he probably not kill Zuurith permanently, how much damage would that do is anyone’s guess. Plus, violence doesn’t have to be the first solution. Also, jumping straight to a coup would only bring the other gods down on the good guys. In short, Vash is not used to being free. He is still picking his battles wisely.
I love Tahraim :3
Also harmless_spider hit the nail on the head god damn, lmao
I guess the question now is: Do they leave with one additional group member, or two?
IDK why… My mind keeps thinking Kendel & Vash aren’t so different… to the point where I Think they ARE the same person…
If you’ve split into 2 (or more) Parts; [My answers]
Are you still, YOU? [Yes]
Are You Every Part? [Yes]
Are There Some Parts more You than others? [No]
Are There Parts That Can’t be You? [No]
Are You Trying to Combine to be whole? [Kendel Has shown it to be His Purpose]
Are You OK? [No]
It wasn’t just Vash that May Seek a Purpose again… Kendel may have Achieved His Faster than Expected.
“I’m the god of the forge. But I took a psychology degree on the side.”
TL;DR: three gods in one day, in one place. Whew!
Time for some godly wisdom AND some godly delegation.
Edit: make that four, one isn’t quite dead enough to not count.
harmless_spider: hey what about me?
yay, Tahraim! ay, no! tell us the story! please!!
@Geebi, your local idiot: I’ve been pronouncing it like “tie-raim” so like rain but with an M
alright then loving this clean wrap up
@OG Ryan – unfortunately there is in fact a strong moral difference between Zuurith and Tynan. It isn’t nearly as simple as you make it out to be.
“There is no moral distinction between Tynan killing thousands with his floods and Zuurith killing thousands with his monstrous judicial system.”
Tynan derives his power from the fear of those he’s about to kill. Tynan’s murder is done with the goal of terrorism and genocide. Tynan’s rampage serves no function other than that it is the will of Tynan.
Zuurith on the other hand, derives it’s power from the worship of the people living in Zuurith. When Zuurith kills people, it is with the express purpose of maintaining order and safety for the rest of his worshippers.
We may not like Zuurith or what they do, but it’s not up for us to decide, it’s the people of Zuurith who’s collective will incarnates Zuurith and enable them to enforce such laws. Like it or not, the people of Zuurith have a good like Zuurith because that’s what they desire most. What right do we have as a group of people, to tell other groups of people that their collective will is wrong and terrible, due to our own collective will? It couldn’t be done.
Tynan by contrast is just a monster, an abberation the entire would would simply be better off without. No one will mourn for Tynan.
Tahraim, we you stop crouching for five minutes!? Stand for Twins’ sake!
…Question.
Do we KNOW that’s Vash, versus a Kendal acting like Vash?
It’s annoying because this could genuinely be one or the other, and presumably, the starfire cloaking him says Vash but I’m thinking about that sword-stabbing thing Kendal did and if he used that to tap into the star Fire easier versus calling in Vash…
Or he just did that to help him figure out the fire thing, and then is mostly just acting.