The cracks are scars. And I’m sure the glow is just a really, really bad sunburn. (It would have to be bad to affect the guy onboard with the most melanin.)
Zoom in on his hand. You can see the cracks. He’s cluching at the nexus. Someone speculated He’s deeply wounded by falsts remarks. Also, I speculate they had a talk, where dainix found out hust how emotionally unavailable falst is.
I’m sorry if I’m being really insensitive but how did Falst hurt Dainix? I think I missed something 🙁
Also I feel like part of the glowing could be because of the water spirits/merfolk (maybe the fire demon is their opposite?)
Not to worry, it was easily missed. Two pages back, Fast said, “I’m not dumb enough to trust someone with my life,” or something along those lines, with the speech bubble overlaid on a close-up shot of Dainix’s face. Thus, we the comment section have inferred that Falst must have accidentally touched a nerve.
During Erin and Falst’s conversation two pages ago Falst said that “I’m not dumb enough to trust anyone with my life”, which Dainix overheard and seemed pretty hurt by considering the whole robot/spider/cave crawler/glorp arc
Alternately, I’d like to point out that we’ve never had a moment to see completely shirtless Dainix in extremely dim lighting. The glowing could possibly be part of his condition. I hope so, because I am utterly astonished that Falst’s remark passed with nothing more than a reaction shot from Dainix!
Tess is sitting on the starboard outrigger, while they’re running before their magical wind on a starboard tack. Unbeknownst to Erin, she’s actually making the boat go faster by moving the sail’s center of force and the boat’s center of gravity closer together. At least, that’s how it would work with a standard modern fore-and-aft sail. They will need to use less weather helm on the rudder, which will create less water drag, which translates into more speed.
If Erin wants to keep Tess inside the caprail, he needs to find a way to offset the magical wind without changing the point of sail… or to convince Tess that her immense weight is not making a worthwhile difference.
Personally, although Tess looks cute and hilarious sacked out on the caprail in panel 2, I’d be more concerned about her sleeping like that, than about her riding the outrigger while fully awake. Although it’s possible she could just lightning herself back on board…
This is a fantastic montage, this is <3 All the shinies, all the feeling of time passing and the world being big
and also I love Tess.
Heck, even this montage gives a bit of character-building and story progression. This comic is <3 And on a related note, poor Dainix. Possibly, both seasick and a little lovesick…
I feel like Dainix is going to be the slow one to have actual strong feelings. And that’s if Red doesn’t wake up one day and decide to make us cry with some HEARTBREAK 😁
Oh, Kendal’s happy, peaceful face. He’s decided to live a little and enjoy his life, and here he is surrounded by aurora on the open ocean. He’s off to a roaring start.
And the curious nature of their transport has piqued some curiosity. I think I see Alinua’s mermaids around the bend.
Their voyage continues across the wide waters,
‘Til below the night sky’s aurora
The metal-hulled ship meets merfolk eyes,
Bright rune-rings seen from afar.
His notebooks are probably enchanted, probably with Stone, so they can only flip when Erin intends them to. A useful security measure, if Falst weren’t a rogue and therefore had Use Magic Device
I’m sorry, but the idea of Erin enchanting his books and/or other stuff he travels with so that it doesn’t blow in the wind kills me. It’s completely in character, but something about that is so funny to me.
I love how Kendal is just sitting serenely, looking like he’s having the time of his life. On the other end of the spectrum, poor Dainix. Definitely not feeling so hot :/ (actually based on the third to last panel, uh, Crucible powers accidentally stirring in his sleep?) I also like how Tess is just finding every perch imaginable and clearly cannot sit still. :3
There are plenty of myths about benevolent sea creatures! Like, that one about the ones that sit on rocks and sing to sailors to… right… Ok, but then there was that really big one that sat under the rocks of a strait and would reach out to… huh… well, maybe the Greeks were just unlucky. There’s always the big ol’ Norse squiddy one that rises from the deep to… umm… Alright, well there was this guy from Rhode Island who wrote stories about this tall guy who lived at the bottom of the ocean, let’s see, what’d they say about him… oh dear…
Guys I don’t think that last panel is good news.
Tess is choosing the most dangerous places to sleep/be and I love that for her, meanwhile dainix is painfully relatable right now and I feel so bad for him
Kendal, I’m glad you’re resting and maybe-sleeping, but isn’t your butt aching from sitting in the same position for hours?
Nice bit of calm before the figurative and/or literal storm we’re all anticipating; most of the gang, particularly Kendal, seem relaxed now and either resting or working through the journey. Falst may have gone below deck because he didn’t like being exposed, but I think his presence is good for Dainix, if only to raise the alarm in case something happens.
Dainix’s body isn’t just just glowing, it’s cracking; something is wrong, and it may not be seasickness. Hmm, it reminds me of an episode of X-Men: Evolution where Magma, a fire/lava mutant, becomes very sick after being separated from the land. I know Red likes that show, and I wonder if something similar, like being deprived of ambient fire energy, is happening here. Will they have to stop and venture onto an island somewhere to treat him?
That or the stress of the voyage is causing him to go crucible involuntarily; seasickness, Falst’s comments, and a confined prison-like quarters could do that.
Oh hey, the elemental auroras, we haven’t seen those since (checks archive) … huh, was it really all the way back in chapter 4? I mean, they were on the cover for chapter 12, but I’m not sure if they were in the comic. I wonder, is it normal for the auroras to be chaotic in where they are shining, do they shine more prominently in some areas and not others, or has the disappearance of the storm thrown the system out of whack?
Are those two Merfolk/Sekrai a fun tease at the end for us wanting water folk, or are they a sign of things to come? Every chance these two are just interested in this new, fast, shiny boat that just zoomed by and wanted a better look, since they can’t hope to catch up to it. Or maybe the water folk might take an interest in the gang, for better or worse, and interact with them when they stop.
Prediction for next week: An uneventful night passes, ensuring they travel quite far from Argist; too far to be able to turn around and get help. Maybe Dainix’s condition worsens and they may be forced to alter their plans, opening the opportunities to delays and shenanigans.
Oh, I didn’t think about Dainix being confined below deck, that’s probably not a comfortable feeling for him…though he might be feeling too crappy to really focus. I did wonder if being surrounded by so much water might be affecting him because of his affinity for soulfire. We know his soul is closed to the elements, but I don’t think that precludes water elemental corruption.
merfolk showing up ahead of the bow: ???
merfolk showing up in the wake: …come to think of it, what WOULD the long-term consequences of wave/current-suppressing magic be in a marine ecosystem? are Our Heroes leaving a trail behind them of magical pollution? might get the locals all riled up.
Ah yes, the common scenes of any good montage: the introductory wide angle shot, naps, reading, one person feeling so seasick they had to take their shirt off, boat maintenance, shared meals, stopping your electric-charged metal sister from falling into the ocean and zapping all the fish, gay angst, contentedly sitting under the night sky, and foreshadowing right at the end!
Falst staying close to Dainix and keeping an eye on him while he’s going through The Agonies (stomach hurt)… my guy may be terrible at admitting it but he does care…
My train of thought reading this page:
Oh Tess looks so bored, also she definitely copied that pose from Falst to see whether it was as comfortable as it looked
Aw we got the two sibs being sibs, the two friends normalizing platonic physical affection and the two angsty gays being angsty gays. Don’t y’all love people loving each other and all it’s diverse forms?
omg this page is so good it conveys so much without needing to use words!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the little character moments, I especially love Tess napping on the side of the boat like a cat and climbing around on the outside of the ship and Erin trying to stop her, and Falst staying by Dainix in concern while Dainix seems to be having a real time of it due to both seasickness and what Falst said. And the paneling is so good! The triangular Kendal panels in the middle that gradually narrow as he becomes more and more relaxed!
Kendel are you sleeping or just sitting with your eyes closed. You know you should be sleeping.
Also, little Tess draped over the railing and Erin freaking out about her riding the side-thingys. And Falst just continuingly looking at Dainyx, I love them so much.
I just want to point out that Tess is sleeping like a cat on a metal surface fully exposed to the hot afternoon summer sun. That is hot! On the flip side, I wonder if when they were kids Erin’s tongue ever got stuck to her arm or something when it was winter, which would be absolutely hilarious to me.
I love how Kendal still looks at food with mildly amused bewilderment. Because he’s not used to really needing it. Also, the panels that show Kendal get smaller and smaller in the middle of the sections. Is this the graphic equivalent to a zooming out? It gives the impression of a camera zooming back and up, away from him. Beautiful.
Kendall and dainix are both sea sick, dainix is glowing, either from bad dreams or something is triggering him, and sirens have taken notice of the boat. What could go wrong?
Is Erin channeling freehand or am I just confused? Does he have to touch his tattoos to charge lacrimas?
Overall, this page is beautiful. There is a lot of good characterization and it is portrayed wonderfully. The only character who isn’t acting like he normally does is Dainix, which could be because of the seasickness and/or Falst’s comment.
I don’t think sealing tattoos need contact for the entire process of casting. The seal is meant to block ambient elemental energy from being siphoned into the mage’s soul. They don’t keep energy thats already there from being casted. Once the energy is drawn in, the sealed mave no longer needs to touch the tatto and can cast freely.
I like how Kendal is the center of panels two through ten in time and space for the rest of the page, showing that he is the central hub through which his friends story get shown and Red shows great restraint by NOT adding phrase “Time passes” which I have seen other comics use. A master touch on Red’s part I believe!.
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: we’re gonna need a montage~
Image source: sailing
Tumblr text: the chill downtime gets chiller
Tumblr Text: the chill downtime gets chiller
Twitter text: And scene?
Sometimes I feel bad that the collars in this comic don’t get the attention that they clearly deserve.
Dainix is glowing… is that a good thing?
Also, merpeople, yay!
Dainix is evolving into a glowstick, nothing out of the ordinary
If you look closely, you can see he’s cracking again. Falst must have hurt him even more than I thought.
That, or the nausea is really getting to him
Oh… ooooh…
I’m sure it’s a coincidence that the cracks are over his heart!
The cracks are scars. And I’m sure the glow is just a really, really bad sunburn. (It would have to be bad to affect the guy onboard with the most melanin.)
Zoom in on his hand. You can see the cracks. He’s cluching at the nexus. Someone speculated He’s deeply wounded by falsts remarks. Also, I speculate they had a talk, where dainix found out hust how emotionally unavailable falst is.
I feel like Red would not put a talk that important off screen. Also, Dainox seems the type to let emotional wounds fester without talking about it
I’m sorry if I’m being really insensitive but how did Falst hurt Dainix? I think I missed something 🙁
Also I feel like part of the glowing could be because of the water spirits/merfolk (maybe the fire demon is their opposite?)
Not to worry, it was easily missed. Two pages back, Fast said, “I’m not dumb enough to trust someone with my life,” or something along those lines, with the speech bubble overlaid on a close-up shot of Dainix’s face. Thus, we the comment section have inferred that Falst must have accidentally touched a nerve.
During Erin and Falst’s conversation two pages ago Falst said that “I’m not dumb enough to trust anyone with my life”, which Dainix overheard and seemed pretty hurt by considering the whole robot/spider/cave crawler/glorp arc
Awww oh dear 😭 I had forgotten about that, poor Dainix 🙁
Red has made it her mission for Alinua to meet a mermaid, so by gum, she’s going to meet a mermaid!
Oh fudge. Is Dainix gonna cause the inevitable misfortune at sea by accidentally bursting into flames? I dearly hope not, cause he’d feel terrible.
Alternately, I’d like to point out that we’ve never had a moment to see completely shirtless Dainix in extremely dim lighting. The glowing could possibly be part of his condition. I hope so, because I am utterly astonished that Falst’s remark passed with nothing more than a reaction shot from Dainix!
aww dainix and falst in the fourth and eight panels!
and TESS! Panel 2!
Wait where’s Alinua gone in panel 9?
Probably in bed. She needs a lot more sleep than Kendall
Looks like she woke up in panel 6, so I assume she’s off trying to figure out a way to heal seasickness
seems like it, and thank goodness because we all know Dainix needs it xD
For gods sake Tess, GET BACK IN THE BOAT BEFORE YOU SINK TO THE OCEAN FLOOR!!!
-Erin, probably
I love Tess with all my heart and soul.
Tess is sitting on the starboard outrigger, while they’re running before their magical wind on a starboard tack. Unbeknownst to Erin, she’s actually making the boat go faster by moving the sail’s center of force and the boat’s center of gravity closer together. At least, that’s how it would work with a standard modern fore-and-aft sail. They will need to use less weather helm on the rudder, which will create less water drag, which translates into more speed.
If Erin wants to keep Tess inside the caprail, he needs to find a way to offset the magical wind without changing the point of sail… or to convince Tess that her immense weight is not making a worthwhile difference.
Personally, although Tess looks cute and hilarious sacked out on the caprail in panel 2, I’d be more concerned about her sleeping like that, than about her riding the outrigger while fully awake. Although it’s possible she could just lightning herself back on board…
Absolutely gorgeous page. Hopefully Dainix doesn’t barf on the cat.
I have been in Dainix’s exact position many times in my life and frankly, I would also be channeling soulfire if I could
Same TwT
My boy is Going Through It….
For mobile users-
Alt text: we’re gonna need a montage~
Auroras in Aurora, yay.
ooh
This is a fantastic montage, this is <3 All the shinies, all the feeling of time passing and the world being big
and also I love Tess.
Heck, even this montage gives a bit of character-building and story progression. This comic is <3 And on a related note, poor Dainix. Possibly, both seasick and a little lovesick…
I feel like Dainix is going to be the slow one to have actual strong feelings. And that’s if Red doesn’t wake up one day and decide to make us cry with some HEARTBREAK 😁
Kendal looks so calm I love him aaaa
I think he might also be sea sick. He’s not just chilling, he has moved at all.
ooh i really like the composition with kendal in the middle like that and it zooming out. thats so good.
Oh, Kendal’s happy, peaceful face. He’s decided to live a little and enjoy his life, and here he is surrounded by aurora on the open ocean. He’s off to a roaring start.
And the curious nature of their transport has piqued some curiosity. I think I see Alinua’s mermaids around the bend.
Their voyage continues across the wide waters,
‘Til below the night sky’s aurora
The metal-hulled ship meets merfolk eyes,
Bright rune-rings seen from afar.
I thought my comment had posted a while ago, but no apparently. We try again:
The day passes calmly around Kendal, seated
At night the merfolk are with a lightshow greeted
Mer-people? Sea-elves?
Sea-humans. The Elves tend to stay out of the water if they can help it
Depends. If they’re a younger race, then they’re Merfolk, if they’re water adapted humans, then they’re Sekrai.
Holy shit the PANEL DESIGN
also i wouldn’t want to be kendel when he stands up after sitting for so long :3
ERIN, HOW CAN YOU BARE TO WRITE IN YOUR NOTEBOOKS WHEN ITS WINDY OUTSIDE
THE PAGES SHOULD BE FLUTTERING LIKE CRAZY
Also, frickin love how cozy and nice this montage is
His notebooks are probably enchanted, probably with Stone, so they can only flip when Erin intends them to. A useful security measure, if Falst weren’t a rogue and therefore had Use Magic Device
I’m sorry, but the idea of Erin enchanting his books and/or other stuff he travels with so that it doesn’t blow in the wind kills me. It’s completely in character, but something about that is so funny to me.
I love how Kendal is just sitting serenely, looking like he’s having the time of his life. On the other end of the spectrum, poor Dainix. Definitely not feeling so hot :/ (actually based on the third to last panel, uh, Crucible powers accidentally stirring in his sleep?) I also like how Tess is just finding every perch imaginable and clearly cannot sit still. :3
Mermaids!
I would say Dainix is definitely feeling hot, a bit too hot even.
There are plenty of myths about benevolent sea creatures! Like, that one about the ones that sit on rocks and sing to sailors to… right… Ok, but then there was that really big one that sat under the rocks of a strait and would reach out to… huh… well, maybe the Greeks were just unlucky. There’s always the big ol’ Norse squiddy one that rises from the deep to… umm… Alright, well there was this guy from Rhode Island who wrote stories about this tall guy who lived at the bottom of the ocean, let’s see, what’d they say about him… oh dear…
Guys I don’t think that last panel is good news.
Awwww, poor Dainix. I feel so bad for him after last page…
Also, the mermaids! I’m super excited to see the gang take a trip underwater 😀
Tess is choosing the most dangerous places to sleep/be and I love that for her, meanwhile dainix is painfully relatable right now and I feel so bad for him
Wait, mermaids?
Kendal, I’m glad you’re resting and maybe-sleeping, but isn’t your butt aching from sitting in the same position for hours?
Nice bit of calm before the figurative and/or literal storm we’re all anticipating; most of the gang, particularly Kendal, seem relaxed now and either resting or working through the journey. Falst may have gone below deck because he didn’t like being exposed, but I think his presence is good for Dainix, if only to raise the alarm in case something happens.
Dainix’s body isn’t just just glowing, it’s cracking; something is wrong, and it may not be seasickness. Hmm, it reminds me of an episode of X-Men: Evolution where Magma, a fire/lava mutant, becomes very sick after being separated from the land. I know Red likes that show, and I wonder if something similar, like being deprived of ambient fire energy, is happening here. Will they have to stop and venture onto an island somewhere to treat him?
That or the stress of the voyage is causing him to go crucible involuntarily; seasickness, Falst’s comments, and a confined prison-like quarters could do that.
Oh hey, the elemental auroras, we haven’t seen those since (checks archive) … huh, was it really all the way back in chapter 4? I mean, they were on the cover for chapter 12, but I’m not sure if they were in the comic. I wonder, is it normal for the auroras to be chaotic in where they are shining, do they shine more prominently in some areas and not others, or has the disappearance of the storm thrown the system out of whack?
Are those two Merfolk/Sekrai a fun tease at the end for us wanting water folk, or are they a sign of things to come? Every chance these two are just interested in this new, fast, shiny boat that just zoomed by and wanted a better look, since they can’t hope to catch up to it. Or maybe the water folk might take an interest in the gang, for better or worse, and interact with them when they stop.
Prediction for next week: An uneventful night passes, ensuring they travel quite far from Argist; too far to be able to turn around and get help. Maybe Dainix’s condition worsens and they may be forced to alter their plans, opening the opportunities to delays and shenanigans.
Oh, I didn’t think about Dainix being confined below deck, that’s probably not a comfortable feeling for him…though he might be feeling too crappy to really focus. I did wonder if being surrounded by so much water might be affecting him because of his affinity for soulfire. We know his soul is closed to the elements, but I don’t think that precludes water elemental corruption.
merfolk showing up ahead of the bow: ???
merfolk showing up in the wake: …come to think of it, what WOULD the long-term consequences of wave/current-suppressing magic be in a marine ecosystem? are Our Heroes leaving a trail behind them of magical pollution? might get the locals all riled up.
is danix crying?
And omg I love the mermaids!
SCREAMINGG I LOVE THIS PAGEEEE SO MUCHH GOOD GOD
I’m guessing we’ll now cut to the antagonist wagon?
Antagonist wagon XD I love that phrase so much
Ah yes, the common scenes of any good montage: the introductory wide angle shot, naps, reading, one person feeling so seasick they had to take their shirt off, boat maintenance, shared meals, stopping your electric-charged metal sister from falling into the ocean and zapping all the fish, gay angst, contentedly sitting under the night sky, and foreshadowing right at the end!
Good, I’m not the only one who caught the look on Falst’s face as he stares at sleeping Dainix. Dude’s crushing.
Falst staying close to Dainix and keeping an eye on him while he’s going through The Agonies (stomach hurt)… my guy may be terrible at admitting it but he does care…
Can the [almost certainly obligate carnivore] mer-folk be trusted?
There once was a ship on the sea
Where four people are happy to be.
But the two down below
Each have a sad glow,
And the merfolk just want repartee.
anyone else concerned about volcanic storm activity? those auroras look to be fire and water.
My train of thought reading this page:
Oh Tess looks so bored, also she definitely copied that pose from Falst to see whether it was as comfortable as it looked
Awww, Dainix, buddy, Falst go check on him please
MERFOLK MERFOLK MERFOLK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Aw we got the two sibs being sibs, the two friends normalizing platonic physical affection and the two angsty gays being angsty gays. Don’t y’all love people loving each other and all it’s diverse forms?
Falst is clearly eating all of his meals in there. I hope he’s sleeping but I kind of suspect he might not be…
Tess is giving me life in these panels…and giving Erin palpitations, lol. She’s like a cat XD
Beautiful montage, but poor Dainix is not having a good time of it.
Hey, Alinua, look! Mermaids!
It suddenly occurs to me that Tess would probably sink like a rock if she fell overboard.
damn boi he SICCK
Awww! Falst trying to be aloof but keeping an eye on Dainix from the threshold because he isn’t feeling well!
Love the unique panel layout for this page. Very nice Red
I don’t think Dainix’s hamock is gonna survive the emotional episode…
omg this page is so good it conveys so much without needing to use words!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the little character moments, I especially love Tess napping on the side of the boat like a cat and climbing around on the outside of the ship and Erin trying to stop her, and Falst staying by Dainix in concern while Dainix seems to be having a real time of it due to both seasickness and what Falst said. And the paneling is so good! The triangular Kendal panels in the middle that gradually narrow as he becomes more and more relaxed!
TL;DR: Ship montage!
Kendel are you sleeping or just sitting with your eyes closed. You know you should be sleeping.
Also, little Tess draped over the railing and Erin freaking out about her riding the side-thingys. And Falst just continuingly looking at Dainyx, I love them so much.
I just want to point out that Tess is sleeping like a cat on a metal surface fully exposed to the hot afternoon summer sun. That is hot! On the flip side, I wonder if when they were kids Erin’s tongue ever got stuck to her arm or something when it was winter, which would be absolutely hilarious to me.
Oh yeah, that was s hilarious
I love how Kendal still looks at food with mildly amused bewilderment. Because he’s not used to really needing it. Also, the panels that show Kendal get smaller and smaller in the middle of the sections. Is this the graphic equivalent to a zooming out? It gives the impression of a camera zooming back and up, away from him. Beautiful.
Omg Kendal in that one panel—
technically that could be talking about any of the panels he’s in but still!
Kendall and dainix are both sea sick, dainix is glowing, either from bad dreams or something is triggering him, and sirens have taken notice of the boat. What could go wrong?
Judging from Kendal’s expressions, he’s actually quite happy and not seasick at all. Dainix definitely is, though.
I’m certain they’ll encounter trouble, but I don’t think those merfolk(?) are hostile.
Is Erin channeling freehand or am I just confused? Does he have to touch his tattoos to charge lacrimas?
Overall, this page is beautiful. There is a lot of good characterization and it is portrayed wonderfully. The only character who isn’t acting like he normally does is Dainix, which could be because of the seasickness and/or Falst’s comment.
I don’t think sealing tattoos need contact for the entire process of casting. The seal is meant to block ambient elemental energy from being siphoned into the mage’s soul. They don’t keep energy thats already there from being casted. Once the energy is drawn in, the sealed mave no longer needs to touch the tatto and can cast freely.
The magic circle in panel one is wonderfully ephemeral if hard to see with my weak eyes.
I like how Kendal is the center of panels two through ten in time and space for the rest of the page, showing that he is the central hub through which his friends story get shown and Red shows great restraint by NOT adding phrase “Time passes” which I have seen other comics use. A master touch on Red’s part I believe!.
Small detail but I like that Vash is consistently in the V-shaped framing.
HA! GAAAAAEEEEE!