nnnot what I was expecting at ALL, frankly. Now BOTH of them have dragged the other away from some kind of horrible flashback situation this day!
At any rate, this renders my theorizing on the last page nicely moot for the time being: Crucible flame transformations DEFINITELY don’t magically heal the feels!
…so, uh, guys? That goop arm is sporting exposed bone. In case you wanted more nightmares.
You are right. It has bones. WHY DOES IT HAVE BONES!!! Though this would strengthen the theory of the goop just being a whole lot of beings fused together by some kind of energy excess from the broken lacrima circle I am not sure, whether I like it. Correction: I do NOT like this.
I am not quite sure now that you ask, but I thought that there may have been more lacrimas, one per element, and that, combined, they were keeping some kind of very powerflu energy (voidhammer or the dead dragon?) contained. Then somehow, a cave crawler got to the room and accidentally might have broken the machanism, leading to the energy breaking free and mutating everything that entered the room beyond recognition, fusing various beings together into the goop which is currently scaring the crap out of all of us. I am kind of unsure by now though, since I can not explain the origin of Dainix’s flashback with this theory. Do you have any thoughts on our dear oozes origin?
Okay, gonna go through the middle panel. Whatever the glory did, it’s triggering a lot of flashbacks in Dainix.
Going clockwise from top right:
* We see an obsidian ghoul making a shish kebab out of Drann, one of Dainix’s Ravvan crew.
* Bottom right corner, the server has been speculating that this is Dainix when he was little. There was an ask in which Red said that Dainix once almost drowned as a kid.
* At the bottom, we see Dainix’s POV of killing the cave crawler the previous chapter.
* Next, chains, maybe because of Shrike or just general Zuurith symbolism of his time in prison.
* Bottom left, we see the tentacle limb of the Ancient drone that attacked him and Falst.
* Above that, we see Kendal patting out his shoulder as the two fought in the Arena.
* And finally, at the very top, conspicuously framing Dainix’s head is what I think is a stylized memory of him getting his eye slashed out by an obsidian ghoul, which triggered his first Crucible transformation.
Oooh, great work!
I think between Drann and drowning as a kid (as in, center right) is one of Dainix’ fire form hands/claws. Similarly, the hand by his head could also be his own instead of an obsidian ghoul, but that would then mean there’s no sign of getting his eye cut out, which would seem a bit weird…
Oh! So that’s where Alinua’s old grey eyes went!
The slime has eyes, it’s arms have a solid basis (even if it’s just bone), and has some degree of mental powers. Makes me torn between it being an alchemical accident caused by the faulty dais, or an actual creature in this world we don’t know about.
Not the same level as Alinua’s full page of life scrying, but there are still plenty of details in the second panel. I had to guess, I’d say these are flashbacks from Dainix rather than the beings comprising the slime; the attack by the automaton on the bottom right, holding a spear against a crawler on bottom centre-right, and maybe those chains and arrows on bottom centre-left are when he was captured close to Zuurith. Now, is this a deliberate attack by the monster, or its way of finding out information?
In any case, that episode has shaken Dainix, looking at panel 3. If he doesn’t snap out of it, Falst is going to have to lug him around while evading the monster that may or may not use what it just learnt from Dainix to its advantage.
*Party member fails Knowledge check.
“It seems like we have a big slime monster variant here. I’ll prep my fireball to clear the way, easy peasy”
*It is barely effective. DM grins.
“Well, well, well, under further inspection, you find that the weird eyes, limbs and organs materializing on the surface of this formless ooze are characteristic of another little critter. A Shoggoth just touched you, roll your Will saves.”
1. I’m glad he’s not blind or something.
2. That’s bone. That’s bone right there. What fun.
3. Um… WHAT
4. What kind of goop monster like low-key gives traumatic backstory visions? Assuming that’s what that is? Also things that give traumatic backstory visions should be glowy, not goopy. That’s just not how it works.
Yeesh. I don’t know what that thing is, but it certainly knows how to stun its prey. I wonder if that’s a quality of the ooze itself, or if it’s because it went after Dainix’s good eye?
And speaking of, if that’s his eye in the first panel and not one of the horror’s, I’m betting there’s going to be repercussions from the contact. Hopefully this thing doesn’t have virus-like tendencies…
Also, that’s a couple of arm bones right there. I don’t think I like that.
Though gotta say, the boys out here really testing the “I’m specifically trying to avoid shipping until anything is canon out of respect for the creator’s ace identity” concept for me. Damn I’m weak for characters trying their best to keep each other out of danger while being annoyed with one another.
I absolutely love the scratchy lines and the chromatic aberration in the second panel– absolutely gorgeous, also that eye is terrifying. 10/10. I love/hate this creature more with every update.
Kudos and thanks to the commenters who dissected all those visual flashback details I couldn’t pick out. But also, wow, yup, thaaaat’s some psychic damage right there
Okay, based on the position of the eye relative to hair and the shape of the corners of the eye, isn’t this Dainix’s right eye? The one that got removed?
ah crap, of all the bets i was placing psychic damage was not one of them.
gotta say tho now I’m really worried about the prospect of this thing breaking through the hole Erin and Alinua make because ha ha, i do’nt know if they’re gonna be able to stop it before it potentially gets to their unconscious friend in time because this thing has a lot of trauma to throw them around with
I was SO afraid that creature was gonna acid-nom Dainyx’s head the moment the hand clapped against his face, not sure if this fate is better but at least Dainyx is alive. No damage done that can’t be solved with sufficient therapy! 😀
Okay, I do not even know
There’s eyes, there’s screams and creepy glow
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: it’s time for everyone’s favorite game, “find the tragic backstory!”
Image source: eye
For anyone not on Tumblr:
Tumblr text: ooh pretty colors
oh no oh no oh no oh no
That looks… somewhat painful and traumatic.
Absoflippinlutely gorgeous art, AGAIN, and conveying the message perfectly well.
Ouch. Ouchie ouch.
Definitely LSD
That’s probably fine.
nnnot what I was expecting at ALL, frankly. Now BOTH of them have dragged the other away from some kind of horrible flashback situation this day!
At any rate, this renders my theorizing on the last page nicely moot for the time being: Crucible flame transformations DEFINITELY don’t magically heal the feels!
…so, uh, guys? That goop arm is sporting exposed bone. In case you wanted more nightmares.
OH THAT’S BAD. THAT’S REALLY BAD. THAT’S QUITE POSSIBLY THE WORST
You are right. It has bones. WHY DOES IT HAVE BONES!!! Though this would strengthen the theory of the goop just being a whole lot of beings fused together by some kind of energy excess from the broken lacrima circle I am not sure, whether I like it. Correction: I do NOT like this.
What did you think the stone lacrima was for?
Maybe it was used to contain whatever the blob was and once it came out, it ate all the cave crawlers
I am not quite sure now that you ask, but I thought that there may have been more lacrimas, one per element, and that, combined, they were keeping some kind of very powerflu energy (voidhammer or the dead dragon?) contained. Then somehow, a cave crawler got to the room and accidentally might have broken the machanism, leading to the energy breaking free and mutating everything that entered the room beyond recognition, fusing various beings together into the goop which is currently scaring the crap out of all of us. I am kind of unsure by now though, since I can not explain the origin of Dainix’s flashback with this theory. Do you have any thoughts on our dear oozes origin?
It let him go? WHAT?
taking a break from the crushing and inescapable weight of past traumas to admire dainix’s abs tbh
How artsy of you @A! (smile)
Oh boy, my favorite kind of monster, the one that does psychological torment
Also how the heck does this thing somehow keep becoming more nightmarish every time the comic is updated?
Found it…
Baby hands, bottom left. My bet is on Caliban’s shenaniganery
So, good news: it doesn’t appear to be caustic. Bad news: it has an evil eye that seems to have cursed Dainix with unspecified mental anguish.
Oh, wait… those are all flashbacks from Dainix’s life. It’s hard to tell due to the limited colors and the fact that I’m tired.
HWÆT
Okay, gonna go through the middle panel. Whatever the glory did, it’s triggering a lot of flashbacks in Dainix.
Going clockwise from top right:
* We see an obsidian ghoul making a shish kebab out of Drann, one of Dainix’s Ravvan crew.
* Bottom right corner, the server has been speculating that this is Dainix when he was little. There was an ask in which Red said that Dainix once almost drowned as a kid.
* At the bottom, we see Dainix’s POV of killing the cave crawler the previous chapter.
* Next, chains, maybe because of Shrike or just general Zuurith symbolism of his time in prison.
* Bottom left, we see the tentacle limb of the Ancient drone that attacked him and Falst.
* Above that, we see Kendal patting out his shoulder as the two fought in the Arena.
* And finally, at the very top, conspicuously framing Dainix’s head is what I think is a stylized memory of him getting his eye slashed out by an obsidian ghoul, which triggered his first Crucible transformation.
Oooh, great work!
I think between Drann and drowning as a kid (as in, center right) is one of Dainix’ fire form hands/claws. Similarly, the hand by his head could also be his own instead of an obsidian ghoul, but that would then mean there’s no sign of getting his eye cut out, which would seem a bit weird…
Thanks @Mat!
Oh! So that’s where Alinua’s old grey eyes went!
The slime has eyes, it’s arms have a solid basis (even if it’s just bone), and has some degree of mental powers. Makes me torn between it being an alchemical accident caused by the faulty dais, or an actual creature in this world we don’t know about.
Not the same level as Alinua’s full page of life scrying, but there are still plenty of details in the second panel. I had to guess, I’d say these are flashbacks from Dainix rather than the beings comprising the slime; the attack by the automaton on the bottom right, holding a spear against a crawler on bottom centre-right, and maybe those chains and arrows on bottom centre-left are when he was captured close to Zuurith. Now, is this a deliberate attack by the monster, or its way of finding out information?
In any case, that episode has shaken Dainix, looking at panel 3. If he doesn’t snap out of it, Falst is going to have to lug him around while evading the monster that may or may not use what it just learnt from Dainix to its advantage.
Does that mean we will see more buddy- carrying some time soon?
I STAND BY WHAT I SAID
bURN it
preferably with fire
oop that’s a bone
So, how many times a second does this thing reach out? Current top score is 113.
*Party member fails Knowledge check.
“It seems like we have a big slime monster variant here. I’ll prep my fireball to clear the way, easy peasy”
*It is barely effective. DM grins.
“Well, well, well, under further inspection, you find that the weird eyes, limbs and organs materializing on the surface of this formless ooze are characteristic of another little critter. A Shoggoth just touched you, roll your Will saves.”
Well, we know Dainix DEFINITELY failed his will save and took psychic damage; let’s hope there’s no worse consequences to whatever that thing did
1. I’m glad he’s not blind or something.
2. That’s bone. That’s bone right there. What fun.
3. Um… WHAT
4. What kind of goop monster like low-key gives traumatic backstory visions? Assuming that’s what that is? Also things that give traumatic backstory visions should be glowy, not goopy. That’s just not how it works.
so about those goop bones, that rune message about a contaminant, and whatever’s going on here…
thing it’s safe to call this an amalgamate moment?
Yeesh. I don’t know what that thing is, but it certainly knows how to stun its prey. I wonder if that’s a quality of the ooze itself, or if it’s because it went after Dainix’s good eye?
And speaking of, if that’s his eye in the first panel and not one of the horror’s, I’m betting there’s going to be repercussions from the contact. Hopefully this thing doesn’t have virus-like tendencies…
Also, that’s a couple of arm bones right there. I don’t think I like that.
Oh. Oh nooo.
Though gotta say, the boys out here really testing the “I’m specifically trying to avoid shipping until anything is canon out of respect for the creator’s ace identity” concept for me. Damn I’m weak for characters trying their best to keep each other out of danger while being annoyed with one another.
I ship Crustables and Tessalinua because I think that they are the most likely ships to become canon, just a thought.
Is this what psychic damage looks like?
yes and I’m glad he’s not a wizard
I absolutely love the scratchy lines and the chromatic aberration in the second panel– absolutely gorgeous, also that eye is terrifying. 10/10. I love/hate this creature more with every update.
Its hard to tell whats going on, but I think it just shared its back story with him.
There once was a creature of goo
That assaulted Dainix with a slew
Of memories past,
Holding him fast,
But Falst managed to break through.
With the eyes I’m starting to think that this is the gloom hands from tears of the kingdom’s goopy cousin. In other words, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
So, that was about 80 Psychic damage, huh?
Why do goop have bone in it?
Kudos and thanks to the commenters who dissected all those visual flashback details I couldn’t pick out. But also, wow, yup, thaaaat’s some psychic damage right there
^^^^^
WHAT IS THAAAAAAAAAAAAT
Omg yes I want some possession
What getting gripped by a goop hand does to a mf
Ah, yes. Telepathy, as I suspected. No one ever said telepathy had to be nice.
Okay, based on the position of the eye relative to hair and the shape of the corners of the eye, isn’t this Dainix’s right eye? The one that got removed?
P.O.V: You get SCOTLAND FOREVER’d.
ah crap, of all the bets i was placing psychic damage was not one of them.
gotta say tho now I’m really worried about the prospect of this thing breaking through the hole Erin and Alinua make because ha ha, i do’nt know if they’re gonna be able to stop it before it potentially gets to their unconscious friend in time because this thing has a lot of trauma to throw them around with
The nano machines replaced his eye patch eye.
nO
Ahhh So that’s what psychic damage looks like…
No! Bad eyeball! Drop it!
I was SO afraid that creature was gonna acid-nom Dainyx’s head the moment the hand clapped against his face, not sure if this fate is better but at least Dainyx is alive. No damage done that can’t be solved with sufficient therapy! 😀
TL;DR: Gooey mass used psychological damage! It’s super effective!
BONE????
Holy Potato!!!!
I see chains and a claw thing and feet and what looks like someone holding a bandage to an arm wound.
MYSTERIOUS COLOURS UNLIKE ANY SEEN ON EARTH