2.2.27
on August 2, 2024
at 3:00 am
I always thought the Star Trek actors must’ve had so much fun flinging themselves around the set whenever the ship took a hit
Aurora
A fantasy webcomic. Updates M-W-F.
I always thought the Star Trek actors must’ve had so much fun flinging themselves around the set whenever the ship took a hit
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: now that the cast is all in one place I’m really starting to understand why animes do those cut-in reaction shots all the time
Image source: silence
Tumblr text: this is fine! see you on monday!
Twitter text: 👀
Kendal is holding his wound:(
Everyone goes flying, Falst hanging on to the wheel to stop from rolling across the deck. Erin glances around wildly as he is lifted through the air, desperately watching everyone.
Dainix skidding across the deck, his arm out towards Alinua, who is flying towards him.
Tess falling from the mast.
Falst shouting, spinning the wheel in a desperate attempt to take them out of the storm.
Kendal flying across the deck, face twisted in pain, arm wrapped around his bandages.
His eyes narrow in determination.
Oh… my… gosh…
this page…
Erin please don’t hurt yourself
Those eyes in the final panel look like they have an idea. Also since when are Erin’s pupils blue?
Erin’s pupils change colour depending on the magic he’s channelling.
Not the pupils, it’s the eyeshine that changes according to element.
Since always.
Addendum: it’s because of Red’s art style.
I read this more as “Oh crap, what have I done?!” But I guess we’ll know on Monday!
Those are definitely Eyebrows of Determination, and his arm has moved to be in front of his face in the last half-second. This is the look of “the worst outcome of Crazy Backup Plan would at this moment not be much worse than doing absolutely nothing, so Crazy Backup Plan it is!”
I read it as a think fast or we’re screwed kind of look.
(Falst’s bug-eyed “oops” is hilarious.)
I think its determination, and he’ll hold the boat again like he did with Tarren in 2.1.29.
Erin’s eyes have always been blue. I think the confusion is that, when he’s possessed by VD, it turns his eyes yellow.
Because he’s been sippin that Water of Life, aint it obvious?
The ship needs some kind of “low battery” alarm whenever the propulsion system is about to run out of juice.
Good notes to give Tarren.
All hell breaks loose as waves batter the ship
The floofs tumble around, see Erin’s grasp slip
The metal sip shudders, they tumble across the deck,
Alinua, Dainix and Kendal slide.
Falst fights with the wheel to right the ship,
Erin falls over the side.
Fantastic job, Falst!
Now everyone’s thrown about!
That’s some sick airtime!
Lol poor Erin is gonna get a complex about this
Void dragon in three.
Two.
One.
I don’t think Erins exhausted enough yet, but he’s getting close (and I have a theory that the void dragon isn’t letting him sleep).
I think it’s gonna happen after this mess, when Erin inevitably passes out from overexerting himself. But I live for the dragon drama so I’d LOVE to be wrong.
My first thought was: “ERIN’S GOING OVERBOARD!?!” but if he gets chucked off the ship then that’s pretty good incentive for Voidy to come out to play- also new problem/idea is, what happens if someone else touches his tattoos? Can they force channel his magic? Does that by extension mean that other magic can force channel his? Does that ALSO mean that being underwater would SET OFF ALL HIS MAGIC!?!
That was a long tangent but I honestly think he’s going over and possibly out- OOO WAIT who’s going to save him from the water? I think most people are in agreement that Tess would just sink so who’s going in- Kendal? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
There’s really no incentive for the Void Dragon to take over in this moment, except to take control of the situation. There’s no opportunity to escape or gain any advantage, and Erin’s already made clear that keeping everyone alive is in their best interest. Perhaps VD could employ more magic at once, but I rather think Erin is going to keep pulling out tricks to keep things afloat FOR NOW.
That does bring up something interesting though. If Erin DOES end up passing out, and VD DOES take control, he’d actually have to work WITH the heroes. Probably. Maybe? Idk, it probably won’t HAPPEN, but it’s an interesting thought.
I’d enjoy the character drama that would result from the Void Dragon becoming an ally out of necessity. Would definitely make things interesting down the road if it saves their lives right now.
Stress STress STRess STREss STRESs STRESS-
And tess is going to plummet through the deck when she hits the ground. IF someone catches her (without a magic cushion), then we are looking at some other injuries and a damaged deck.
In the 6th panal, it looks like Falst is reaching for the lacrima, wonder if hes gonna try and carve something on it
He’s probably trying to turn off the magic wind speed boost
Awesome paneling.
I dislike how the Fire Pirate has had nothing to actually contribute after the Storm God fight, and there’s no reason he was accepted to join, when he’s been a constant burden to the group that causes filler chapters just by his mere existence. Why haven’t any slaves or orphan children along the way been taken to this journey too? Our characters seem to love to accommodate a specific useless travel partner and slow their travel for him for no real reason.
My point was that we can have cool characters that don’t join the party. Especially when the author can’t find a way to keep the story moving with them around.
Hopefully this next arc the water primordial personification will be better handled than Fire Pirate. I’m still enamored by Frieren introducing a new useful party member with a fun personality, relationships and design, and then just letting him leave despite him having good reasons not to. Peak writing.
People already explained to you why that wasn’t filler, please lern some reading comprehension.
Learn*
I’m calling everything where plot stops filler, that’s what it means most times. Like that side quest of falling into the caves few chapters back. Compare that entire thing with the Storm God fight: It was important for plot, motivated new actions from protagonists and antagonists and had great theming. The cave thing was just a filler B plot for the actually interesting things happening on the surface.
What “actually interesting things happening on the surface”? Clearly none of the ones that actually happened (Erin-Tess conversation about the void Dragon, Erin’s conversation directly with the void dragon, Kendal’s dream sequence, etc.), because those would make it quite clear to you why you’re wrong about Dainix and explain in detail why they all agreed to take him with them.
And how can you judge the cave arc, when you also didn’t even read how it started? Think hard. Whose fault was it that Falst and Dainix fell into the cave? Whose fault was it really? Who followed Dainix, that was going to quickly scout out the area, something plenty of people had done before him? Who started a shouting match with Dainix, loud enough to activate a damaged automaton nearby? Who was recognised by that automaton as in need of rescue? Who didn’t listen to Dainix’ command to stay behind him, thus getting caught by the automaton and dragged to the cave entrance? Who was that? Was it Dainix? Was it Dainix’ fault all of these things happened?
You just seem to irrationally hate Dainix and make things up about the comic that never happened as an exuse to hate him.
No idea why you think nothing happened in the caves. Did you miss the complete change in the characters’ dynamic? And that’s impacted the main plot here since Falst is so angry partially because of Dainix’s condition.
All of this goes to say, it’s okay if you don’t like the comic. Personally I love it and it’s definitely one of the best things I’ve read, but not everyone has to share that opinion! However, if you don’t like the comic, you don’t need to be rude about it and post ignorant and unconstructive criticism in the comments! If it’s not really your jam anymore, take a break or stop reading it altogether:)
“The cave section of the cave arc was a completely separate B-plot that stopped the plot. That’s what I called filler, not the other stuff happening on the surface.”
It’s still not filler, it didn’t stop the plot any more than the surface stuff did, and it wasn’t even completely separate – it still tied in to the other stories pretty well. The last few chapters of the last arc were character-focused, so we got character moments. I really don’t see what’s so hard to understand about this?
“Also, I don’t agree that Fire Pirate saved Catboy’s life. Fire Pirate is why they were in the cave in the first place. He didn’t save Catboy’s life as much as prevented himself from having accidentally caused it.”
Uh, Falst is why they were in the cave in the first place if anything. His shouting is what attracted the robot’s attention. Though I think assigning blame on the situation in general is silly.
Also, have you considered using the characters’ names? I get it if you think it’s some kinda quirky thing to do, but it doesn’t read that way.
“Also, if Red doesn’t want to read comments, that’s completely valid. But then she wouldn’t also see any of us praising her work, which bums me out.”
You’re hardly praising her work, bro. Other than her paneling. You’re criticising it more than anything.
Not to be rude here, but did you even read the comic?
It’s pretty dang obvious why they agreed to take Dainix with them (the “fire pirate”, incase you don’t know what his name is)
Damn, this would be a bad take even if you were talking about party composition for a TTRPG session, in which “usefulness” is more of a concern.
He joined because it makes sense for the characters to extend a helping hand to him, their objectives align (soul shaping monks may help some or all of them) and they are uniquely equipped to deal with Dainix’s situation. Or can you seriously imagine Kendal and Erin leaving him behind to sort things out by himself after learning the specifics?
Dainix was not contracted as a mercenary or bodyguard, it just so happen that he is also competent, knowledgeable and crafty.
Also, calling a chapter of a webcomic “filler” just because you particularly don’t like the characters that were focused on is an incredibly shitty attitude.
And, Dainix is also there because he can fight the void dragon.
Yes. I can see that happening: Because that’s what happened off-screen when they left the Storm God’s city, that had a lot of troubled inmates and newly made orphans most likely.
I like the Fire Pirate, he’s a fun character. But having him specifically in the group feels exactly the same as having the boat engineer or the young library assistant as mainstays in the group. Some characters are just better off as side characters. Him getting sidelined every chance he gets and only existing as a character in purely filler scenes isn’t making him seem that important of a main character.
“Filler” as a word comes from filling in between two major parts of the story. It’s usually done for pacing or to have character-focused moments. Not bad on it’s own, but if something is purely filler and nothing else, that’s kind of boring. The cave filler was just kind of outrageous in how it completely sidelined any plot so we can watch two men stuck in a hot cave together, or something. Dungeon busting is kind of a beach episode of web comics.
I think we have very different definitions of filler. It’s not a bad thing, just an observation.
I feel like what you’re missing is that this comic has never been driven by needing to get the plot happening as efficiently as possible, it comes across to me at least that Red is most interested in exploring character dynamics and relationships. Sure, you could technically label anything that doesn’t move the central plot forward as “filler”, but I don’t think that’s ever been the kind of story Red’s trying to write. Dainix is with the group because they both have things to offer each other (the squad: a plan to get to the soulshaper monks who might be able to help him, and Dainix: an powerhouse with experience as part of a fighting team who is capable of standing against the void dragon), and because these characters care about people and saw an opportunity to help this person who just threw himself into a fight against Tynan alongside total strangers.
Also we’re still in the middle of this scene and don’t know yet whether these events might actually lead to something that will help the characters in furthering their main goal. Even if they don’t find anything concrete, characters’ relationships with each other are going to be tested and altered by this in a way that will probably affect the overall arc of the story! I’m just not really sure what you’re expecting from this story that has never been solely plot-driven and always puts character interactions and dynamics front and center, that’s what Red seems to enjoy and what most of the audience is here for. It’s fine if that’s not your preferred type of story but like, that’s the kind of story this is and that isn’t bad writing?
“The Storm God’s City?” You mean Zuurith, the city that the storm god was attacking? How on Earth could you get them mixed up? You’re really out here trying to criticise a comic you can barely remember the details of?
“The Storm God’s City?” You mean Zuurith, the city that the storm god was attacking? You’re really out here trying to criticise a comic you can barely remember the details of?
They were pretty explicit about it being partly because he can handle the void dragon and people like that are rare enough that they want to keep them on hand. Also he he bonded with the characters and has something to gain from there end goal. If you were going to question someone sticking with the party by your logic it should be falst.
ah yes, because when i think fillar i think the huge revelation of a different elemental magic which is massive insight into the void dragon. your reading comprehension really is second to everyone.
You know, if you’re this disappointed by the comic you can… Just stop reading it. You can stop. You can stop checking on it on Mon/weds/Fri. There are SO SO SO many more webcomics out there, I’m positive you’ll be able to find a comic you like more than aurora out there!
I’m sure everyone else is going to politely explain why you’re so incorrect, so can I just say: Maybe Fuck Off?
You are being obnoxious, condescending, and extremely rude, and I think you know it. If you don’t like this comic, then leave. Or keep commenting in this fashion, I’m sure you’ll be blocked eventually.
Dainix (who is not a pirate; he’s literally from a desert) has a name and a very good reason to be with the group. And this “filler plot” you keep referring to was rich in character development, as well as providing tension to an otherwise VERY slow narrative sequence. If you had your way, maybe we could have had a whole chapter about Kendal being asleep and literally nothing else. Not very engaging for any audience, I think you’ll agree. So the Dungeons sub-plot served to explore characters’ dynamics (Dainix & Falst, Alinua & Tess), demonstrate characters’ abilities and weaknesses (Dainix’ Crucible form uses up oxygen and triggers explosive gas while Falst is really good at spellcarving but might have Light Magic too and Erin can’t use his magic without touching his tattoos), AND gave us insight and foreshadowing of multiple characters’ backstories (Falst, Dainix, Erin, Alinua) all while providing a high-tension foil to Kendal’s introspective dreamscape sequence.
You’re so wrong. And you know why because we’ve already told you. And if you were as good at media analysis as you clearly think you are, you would have known all this in the first place when you actually read the comic (which I’m not sure you have at this point).
“Dainix doesn’t do anything for the progression of the plot!” Says the guy that ignores the chapters he did do something in as filler and then blames him for all the travel problems even though his fire thing only started AFTER they went into a dangerous storm with no plan or backup.
Dainix:
1) Befriended Kendal while they were cellmates.
2) Meaningfully assisted in the battle against Tynan.
3) Is a potential check on the void dragon.
4) Has reason to go the same place the rest of the party is already going.
You ask why the group invited Dainix along. A better question might be, why wouldn’t they?
I’m just going to repeat myself ad nauseam:
1) If you don’t like it, backbutton and draw your own.
2) If you do like it, but just don’t have the social skills to interact in the community: lurk. Figure out what this community is about.
Repetition #2.
Alright, so I tried to approach your criticisms previously, and it doesn’t seem like the comment went through, so I’m just going to address the ones here for today.
“I dislike how the Fire Pirate has had nothing to actually contribute after the Storm God fight”
Nothing? Pretty handy fire powers literally unheard of outside of his own people, experience working in an actual team when everyone else is used to operating alone, a wide array of weapons, equipment, and experience planning for all manner of dangerous threats… in the previous chapters, we literally see him preparing things like flash bombs for situations where they may potentially be acquired, and giving advice on how to fight automatons that none of the others have experience fighting.
Are you for real, dude?
“and there’s no reason he was accepted to join,”
Erin has outright stated that he keeps him around as a deterrent for the Void Dragon. Which is another thing he contributes, by the way. Did you read anything after the Tynan fight? It kinda seems like you didn’t. In fact, a lot of your “criticisms” read like you’ve barely read the comic at all. Half the things you complain about (e.g., with the last panel on the last page) make no sense if you’ve actually been paying attention.
“when he’s been a constant burden to the group that causes filler chapters just by his mere existence.”
The “B-plot” you spoke of wasn’t a filler chapter; it had plenty of its own reveals and character moments, including the revelation of the backstories of two of the main cast. Especially important given that one of them wouldn’t have opened up about it otherwise. Maybe you didn’t find it all that interesting, but it didn’t stop the plot; it (and the things that went down alongside it) accelerated the plot and sowed the seeds for future development. That by definition makes it not a filler chapter.
He’s also not a burden to the group, but I already explained that part.
“He’s completely useless in travel and is more like an obstacle, like a baby or puppy. Kept just for pity, too.”
This is incredibly demeaning, uncalled for, and also just flat-out wrong. again, Erin has stated why he “kept” Dainix, although the squad also just being nice is definitely a factor in that as well. He also may not be all that handy in sea travel, but we don’t know how he’d handle other forms of travel? If they were trekking through a desert, he’d be at the helm.
“My point was that we can have cool characters that don’t join the party.”
Shrike, Trusk, Theia, Tarren, Kreia (that cloudchild girl from the earlier chapters), etc. We have plenty.
It’s also Red’s right to have as many cool characters in her party as she wants. It’s a fantasy superhero story, that’s kinda the point.
“Especially when the author can’t find a way to keep the story moving with them around.”
Except yes she can. And she does. Dainix wasn’t even the catalyst for this segment of the story?
“Hopefully this next arc the water primordial personification will be better handled than Fire Pirate.”
There will be no water primordial personification. Red has gone on record saying that there will only be seven protagonists, and the seventh won’t fit that bill.
I know this is going very off topic from what the rest of these comments are about, but:
Seven protagonists? I didn’t know that(I mean I don’t go on social media at all, really, except for YouTube which doesn’t really count, so makes sense). I wonder… maybe the Paladin’s Champion could be the seventh protagonist? That would be very interesting. If they convince Champion that Erin can keep Voidy under control, he might still want to hang around to keep an eye on him and assist in any getting-rid-of-VD things that happen(especially if he appears soon, as Erin has probably gotten the attention of everyone within a 5-mile radius from the newest page). All in all, it would be a very interesting dynamic.
(No idea why it says this is a duplicate, hopefully this gets published)
Awesome paneling.
I dislike how the Fire Pirate has had nothing to actually contribute after the Storm God fight, and there’s no reason he was accepted to join, when he’s been a constant burden to the group that causes filler chapters just by his mere existence. He’s completely useless in travel and is more like an obstacle, like a baby or puppy. Kept just for pity, too.
My point was that we can have cool characters that don’t join the party. Especially when the author can’t find a way to keep the story moving with them around.
Hopefully this next arc the water primordial personification will be better handled than Fire Pirate. I’m still enamored by Frieren introducing a new useful party member with a fun personality, relationships and design, and then just letting him leave despite him having good reasons not to. Peak writing!
… *sigh* Right, I’ll try to explain the issues with your commentary one more time. After that, I’ll just assume you’re a troll or that nothing I say will get through to you, and I’ll stop wasting my time accordingly.
Regarding yesterday’s follow-up comment: I don’t know where this idea of expecting things from the author comes from, but you’re incorrect. You have no right to expect or demand things of anyone sharing their art for free, and it’s rude to do so. You can complain or discuss in places you don’t expect the author to see or engage, but it’s rude and insensible to tell her what to do with her own work. She has zero reason to listen to you or think your opinion is of any value. You have zero logical reasons to think your critique is of any value to her when she hasn’t requested that feedback. Thinking otherwise is an indication of both entitlement and arrogance.
At least you’re not addressing her directly this time, but your so-called “critique” remains unnecessarily abrasive and poorly thought out. You’re also complaining in a public forum with people who, for the most part, think the webcomic is still good and are enjoying it, so yeah, you should expect considerable annoyance and disagreement if you try to dump on the comic here.
Dainix helped during the Tynan fight, using his flames, saving Falst when he was thrown back by the explosion, and standing up to Voidy. He and Falst were constantly saving each other in the dungeon arc. (I already explained why that wasn’t filler and how it was moving the story forward.) It has been less than two chapters since then, so he hasn’t had much opportunity to show his strengths, but there’s already been foreshadowing of Dainix’s potential contributions: his ability to think about the team and raise tactical concerns (such as needing to make preparations), his explanation of how to take down giant automatons, his interpersonal skills as shown in his ability to connect to the guarded and prickly Falst, and the Void Dragon’s inability to destroy him while he’s in Crucible. And of course the party let him join. They’re kind. That’s one of their core traits, and it’s one that gives the webcomic lightness and heart and makes it enjoyable for me and many others.
From a writing perspective, when characters present obstacles or difficulties, that can drive the plot in different directions and create challenges that reveal things about the other characters. Dainix is the one with military experience, used to working in highly coordinated groups, and yet, he’s the one who’s downed here, feeling very poorly and in no position to help the group coordinate right now. Consequentially, the weaknesses in each others’ communication and teamwork is showing, and this situation is escalating quickly. I bet there will be some interesting storytelling here about overcoming those weaknesses.
Red obviously knows how to keep cool characters from joining up when she wants to. She didn’t add Tarren to the party. But evidently she wanted Dainix there, and I think she has good reasons for adding him that will grow more apparent as the story progresses. Some of them are already apparent. He can, for example, get through Falst’s defenses and get some interesting information and character development from Falst onto the page for us.
Anyway. That’s the limits of what I have patience to explain. I’m going to carry on with my life, and I hope you carry on with yours. I’m enjoying the latest pages immensely. I’m glad you have (apparently?) enjoyed the comic as well, even if your comments and opinions about its recent quality are weird.
That’s a fucking essay.
But also, agreed. This kind of criticism being aimed at a long form webcomic irks me, particularly because it barelly gives the author enough time. In-universe, Dainix is still a newcomer to the party and Red is obviously doing her due dilligency by fleshing out the character and showing his dynamic with the rest of the group. It’s been months irl, but that is just how long form webcomics go, this shit is hard.
The cave section of the cave arc was a completely separate B-plot that stopped the plot. That’s what I called filler, not the other stuff happening on the surface.
Also, I don’t agree that Fire Pirate saved Catboy’s life. Fire Pirate is why they were in the cave in the first place. He didn’t save Catboy’s life as much as prevented himself from having accidentally caused it.
Also, if Red doesn’t want to read comments, that’s completely valid. But then she wouldn’t also see any of us praising her work, which bums me out.
Other than that, I agree.
Repeat after me: It. Was. Not. Dainix’. Fault.
Read the comic you’re trying to criticize. None of what you’re talking about even happened.
WordPress registered it as a duplicate because it was a duplicate. It takes a while for the cache to synch and show you the full comment section, including the comments you just posted. Oh, and it’s moderated. Personally, by Red. Try this again, you’ll probably get blocked.
I remember Red saying on Tumblr that she just approves someone’s first comment. After that the system takes care of it.
Yeah, it just showed that my first post was a duplicate, but posted it anyway.
Also, being blocked isn’t really a threat
I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with what you’ve said here, that’s your opinion, but there’s definitely something wrong with how you decided to say it. There was a much nicer way of critiquing dainix’s presence in the team, starting by just calling him his name. If you want anybody to listen to what you have to say about Aurora, you have to at least act like you respect the thing you want to critique. I think others have done a good job of providing counterpoints to what you’ve said, so I’m going to leave this here. Have a good day!
I am all for Red telling her story, her way. I came to read her story, drawn her unique way with her ideas, done with intelligence, creativity and studious nature. That she is showing it free of charge and allows comments I find outstandingly brave artistically. I am happy to see what she does with it as long as I can and she is willing to show off. (Apologist’s apology is showing what many already agree with)
I commented more in-depth on yesterday’s post of yours, but I’ll reiterate what I said at the end of my reply. I won’t tell you what you can and can’t post here. That’s the beauty of an open comment section; you can say anything you want. However, this is a positive space for people who enjoy the comic and have nice things to say about it. Just be aware that if you deride the comic in this space, this is the reaction you’ll get.
What is the point of posting negative commentary at all? It’s not going to make any difference to the story and it doesn’t make any difference to you. Would you rather complain to people who don’t agree with you, or would you rather take a step back and not get so caught up in the little things? Drink some water. Watch your favorite show. Make yourself a snack. Do an activity you enjoy. There are so many better things you could do with your time.
No perceived hate comment should ever ruin your enjoyment of entertainment.
And I meant perceived. I like this comic, that’s why I’ve read this far. Humans aren’t good at liking good things, they like things that are kind of weird, sometimes even bad. Me included. Just because I like it, doesn’t mean it’s good. And because I like it, I talk about even the things I find bad.
So yeah, you really should take your advice. We all like the comic.
Sorry, but you only seem to be posting comments along the lines of “this comic sucks ass, the writer has no clue what she’s doing, and everyone here is a bunch of whiners for defending them both”. “Awesome paneling, also every aspect of the content of this comic is pointless” does not sound like the kind of thing someone who likes the comic would say. So you have to at least be able to understand why everyone here believes you hate everything about it, no?
What do you believe is the plot of the comic? The party moving toward saving Vash? Because in that case, they shouldn’t be wasting time going to the soulshaper monks at all, no? Is Erin getting the Void Dragon under control important enough for you to include it? Why is the Void Dragon even here? Are you not annoyed that the party will be confronting the junior archivist? That’s a completely pointless antagonist, no? So what exactly are the parts of the plot that matter to you? If Erin’s conflict with the void dragon, and the light dragon and her minions coming after him, are valid parts of the plot, then why is “angsty lancer lashes out at perceived rival, but then learns to trust him with his life and also we find out about his backstory” not a valid part of the plot?
Falst is extremely suspicious of everything. This is a strength that the character brings to the team, as we saw in Zuurith when the group was escaping Shrike – but it also makes it extremely unbelievable that he would just trust Dainix and work together with him after knowing him for two hours. So if Red is working toward a situation where these two are going to have to risk their lives for each other big time, that trust needs to be built up somehow – and in Falst’s case, the only way we’ve ever seen him decide to trust people was through seeing them stick up for him. So the cave arch was necessary to get Falst to trust Dainix.
As for Dainix’s presence to begin with, maybe we should be willing to trust that if Red had Dainix join the Floof Squad, she has something she wants to do with him – that his presence here has a point, even if we will only be able to see that point later. The fact that she created a whole arch just to make sure it wouldn’t be unbelievable to have Falst care about his survival later is proof that Red has a plan for Dainix. After all, you’re not complaining about Tess being here after the fight with Tynan is over. Is her bonding with Alinua important to the plot in your eyes? Is it good enough that she’s only here to give some cryptic hints at Erin’s backstory?
On a side note, your refusal to ever use these characters’ names comes across as extremely derogatory. You can keep doing that if you like – not like I can stop you – but it’s another thing that contributes to people believing that you whole-heartedly hate this whole comic. Just letting you know.
It really doesn’t help that he keeps calling Dainix “Fire Pirate” when the poor boy likely hadn’t even seen water he can’t stand in before arriving at the Port City. I’m starting to think this guy is just a troll or something.
It’s funny to me that you consider Dainix useless now that Tynan has been dealt with and the party has left Zuurith; that he’s being kept around as little more than a morality pet. I recently joined a DnD campaign being run by a good friend of mine, and my wizard/sorcerer didn’t land a single blow in his first combat session–nor has he managed many other “useful” things, compared to the blood-hunter, the artificer, or the two party-members run by the DM; in fact, the entire reason he is with the party is because they were charged to keep him out of trouble after his magic went wrong and hurt a powerful NPC by accident. Does that mean he has no place, other than as a potential problem for the party to deal with? Or is it because my DM, who tries to make sure every player gets a moment for their character to shine, hasn’t gotten to the point in their story where my wizard/sorcerer gets to have his moment?
There is a process to storytelling–to making sure that each thread of a work, each character, is brought to their fullest potential, and a satisfying conclusion–even if that conclusion may not be satisfying to the reader. And when the work is in a format that allows its audience to interact with it before it is finished, this process may not always seem to make sense.
We also have had cases of “cool characters” not joining the party–consider Theia, the junior archivist who for a long time was known to the readers by the fan-given name June. Many were hoping she would join the Floof Squad; instead she partnered with Shrike (also considered cool, despite being an antagonist) and Trusk. Consider also the Paladin who seems to serve as Erin’s opposite number, currently known by the fan-name Michael–a cool character who will no doubt become another antagonist. The Collector herself? Another cool character, despite being blatantly evil. The story moves even without these character present in the party–their influence still felt. Obviously so, in the case of the Collector, whose actions drive the plot. In Michael’s case, the ripples have yet to reach the party. And Theia? We shall see…
You mentioned in a previous post that one should consider it rude to not expect anything from an author. My question is, does that make it less rude to hold an author to an unrealistic expectation? A work is created as much, if not more, for the author–we don’t sit down to write the story other people want to read, after all. We write the story we want to tell, because we enjoy the act of storytelling. Perhaps keep this in mind–is it fair to expect things from Aurora that will not happen, because they are not part of the story that Red is telling, that she has chosen to share with us, even though she didn’t have to?
(And while I know tone can be difficult to place in text, on the internet, I am not upset by your comments or replies. This is, simply, the way I write when I am involved in debate.)
what happened here
Falst’s face!
Maybe after this little boatride is over, they’ll overthink their nonchalant “nobody’s in charge” attitude. Might not have been a good idea.
Ohhh my goodness this is absolutely a recipe for someone falling overboard. I am very concerned. Erin looks like he’s a mix of upset, alarmed, and determined and prepping to cast… maybe he’ll be able to cast an area of effect and reintroduce some stability? But it may be too little, too late. I guess we’ll find out next week!
The portrayal of action/motion as the characters get thrown about and the general chaos and instability on the ship is so good. I love this.
I- I think Erin fell overboard…
TFW you realise you’re in another “accidental” Friday cliffhanger.
Once again I find myself revisiting Red’s great SFX tumblr post (https://comicaurora.tumblr.com/post/716433848600264704/its-been-way-too-long-since-ive-sent-an-ask), specifically the last part for situations where it’s best to use no SFX at all. The lack of sound from the waves, wind, people falling and hurting give this page a slow, frame-by-frame feel; makes the chaos and hurt in this short space of time hit all the harder.
On the art side of things, I like the motion blur in the first panel to show the shock of losing the water calming spell; juxtaposing what looks to be another line layer on the finished product is surprisingly effective at communicating it.
All the small details in the panel 3 cluster are great too: Dainix reaching out, to steady himself or catch Alinua?; Kendal in pain clutching his injury, the sudden shock making it flare up? Falst in shock, looking towards Dainix and Ali, trying to steady the ship. All of this, plus Alinua and Tess falling, are seen in Erin’s eyes as the final panel stretches over all of them.
I do like how they’re no one clear person responsible for this breakdown. Was it Erin’s fault for choosing this route and believing they could handle the dangers? Was it Falst’s fault for breaking lines to steer the ship away while distracting Erin at the worst possible time? Does some blame lie in Dainix for not coming clean about his crucible cracking before they entered the storm? There’s no one party to pin the blame on, and I fear when they get a moment of peace, the blame game against each other (and a fair bit of secretly blaming themselves) might get ugly.
Oh to be Erin, to see all his careful preparation for going into the storm collapse so quickly in front of him. He promised them all he could keep them safe, and while not all of them believed in him, they went along anyway. Now he sees his friends and family one wave away from being thrown overboard and all the doubts, and self-doubts, bubbling up. Still, he looks determined to do something about it.
Prediction for next week: Erin pulls a similar trick as he did in 2-1-29 where he holds the sea by his own power to steady the ship, perhaps even holding it all the way past the storm if he can’t recharge the lacrima in that state. In that respite the rest of the team get to work and resume sailing and comforting Dainix.
However, if Erin does hold the ocean still until they exit the storm, that could put him under serious strain and maybe put him out of commission in the next chapter. That could be troublesome since they’re heading into a city, and would need his connections.
The third panel is basically pointless; It shows exactly what we saw on the 2 panels before it. But it’s shattering, each friend being thrown around in their own shattered sub-panels, so it’s not just showing us what is going on, it’s showing how Elemental Magus feels about it. Such a cool touch.
Okay, so is it “basically pointless” or is it “a cool touch”?
I just think that you a very strange and dismissive way of approaching the comic. If you are going to discuss how effective something is at conveying an emotion like Erin’s panic, then don’t open by saying it’s basically pointless/redundant/meaningless/bad.
What’s with the nicknames? Call him Erin.
One can assume that the insistence on nicknames is being used to promote engagement, just like their strangely dismissive tone. Prolly best *not* to feed the trolls, y’all.
I meant that the panel is redundant visually. Such cool paneling.
This comment is a contradiction. A panel cannot be ‘cool’ and ‘redundant visually’ at the same time.
I also have strong opinions about your so called “””critiques”””. The only reason I haven’t posted them is because everyone else has already provided counter arguments much better than I could. In some cases multiple times.
This page is AMAZING. I love how Falst and Erin have been getting big moments that feel very in-character for them. That’s one of the things I love about this comic. Characters fell alive. They can say or do things that probably aren’t good ideas, but they make sense for that character, given backstory, past actions, and recent development.
This chapter has been awesome in general, especially the downtime pages, but this is an excellent way to throw relaxation out the window, make some tension between characters, and get back to plot advancement.
Also, I noticed this, but it might just be how the panels are laid out: Dainix seems to be reaching towards Falst, and Falst seems to be looking back at him.
Looks more like Dainix is reaching for Alinua, or maybe Kendal? Falst is on the stern deck, so he’s a good distance away.
Still on the “Hit Falst with a Squeaky Hammer” line.
Ummmm did the guy with METAL BONES just go OVERBOARD!!!!!????!?!??!?!!
No. I elaborate further down, but we’d see the handrail under him i panel 3 rather than the deck if that were the case.
Erin in this last arc is literally Zapp Brannigan from futurama Captaining the Space-Titantic, looking at a map with a straight line from point A to point B, crossing it out and drawing a zigg-zagg path around some asteroids, and saying to himself “Now there’s a route with some chest hair on it!”
when both Kendall AND Tess are part of the people falling, you know things are series.
… Why does it look like Falst and Dainix are looking at each other?
My color-blind ahh trying to figure out what color Erin’s eyes are so I know if he’s channeling water or VOID ;-; (ps thanks comments you helped lmao)
But yeah my prediction for the next few pages are that Erin is going to try to channel water to “save everyone”, but ol voidy is going to slip in and corrupt that shit immediately. After all, what better chance to go full avatar mode than when all the pesky immune main characters are being tossed into the ocean or getting rained on by water, lightning, and flaming rocks? (also omg the ship is soo getting struck by lightning, like cmon its literally the only object above water level for miiiiles and literally made almost entirely of METAL for gods sake smh.
I think he can only take control when near a cave or when Erin is knocked out
To be fair, Voidy can’t let Erin die either, so he might step in to try and keep things together, or he might leave Erin to it. But I don’t see him making a break for the Caves or trying to off anyone right now, especially since Erin had a strongly-worded talk with him a few chapters ago about how they both need the Squad alive for their own protection.
Easy Prediction:
Erin is going to pull off some dramatic power stunt here, and it will work.
*BUT*
It will have consequences. There will be a price to pay of some sort.
you mess with the bloosh
you gte the sploosh
(this comment is for one specific person. you’re welcome)
There once was a ship on the sea
Which was now the size of a flea
Being tossed by the waves
Without lacrima saves
And the crew cannot upright be.
*Slaps guitar strings* There once was a ship that put to sea …
(I’m sorry, I saw the limerick and couldn’t help myself. Good poem as always, though!)
Does EVERYONE know that song?? XD
I know like the whole thing because we sang part of it at a pirate-themed school play.
Three thoughts:
First, those aren’t raindrops around Erin, they’re bubbles. He’s overboard and underwater.
Second, nobody else seems to have noticed / mentioned the panel at lower-left, showing one of Erin’s tattoos. Not lit up. I’m guessing the implication is that his hand has been knocked away from it, but I’m not sure quite what to make of it, since he should be able to put his hand right back on? Unless, of course, there turns out to be some reason he can’t…
Third, I think we may be getting closer to finding out whether the line about soulfire being able to burn at the bottom of the ocean was a throwaway line or foreshadowing. Of course, Red rarely does throwaway lines…
I really don’t think those are bubbles. If Erin had fallen overboard, Red would surely have shown us; it’s too important a movement to skip. Also, those ‘bubbles’ are the exact same shape and colour as Red’s raindrops, just without motion blur, to emphasise a slow-motion effect. Red would surely draw bubbles differently to raindrops.
Second, none of Erin’s tattoos were lit when we last saw them, in Panel 2, and the areas we can see are for Stone and Life, not the most abundant elements in this situation. I think he’s just crossed his arms over his chest in preparation for a dramatic flair of power.
Third, yes. Unless that was all one hell of a red herring.
Agreed, these aren’t bubbles. I’ll add that the quality of the light underwater would be different. I think these bubble are leftover from when Erin had a rain shield over the ship. In panel two we see round bubbles just like them around Erin where the rain shield he had been holding has shattered.
Yeah. A while after posting it, I came to a similar conclusion, mostly because it seemed highly unlikely that we wouldn’t have gotten a big splash.
As for the lower-left panel, as I said I’m not sure what to make of it… but getting its own mini-shot seems like it is meant to be significant somehow.
Y’know, I thought they would encounter pirates first before the crew pulls a Gilligan’s Island; but I guess we should’ve guessed it due to the ship being unnamed. (Yes, I’m aware they haven’t wrecked yet. But I am doubting Erin can save the ship.)
Side note: in one of Red’s posts she mentioned that she was researching proper sailing terms for this arc, but we got this new vessel. Interesting.
Second side note: Tahraim mentioned he saw that soulfire can still burn at the bottom of the ocean. There was a lot of talks to see if Kendal could survive the bottom of the ocean. There was a lot of flags about being at the bottom of the ocean. I think there might be a slim chance that Kendal and Dainix will be at the bottom of the ocean.
TESS FELL GUYS ik everyone’s thrown around rn but remember where everyone is? I think Erin’s underwater and she’s gonna join him. Hope she can float with all that metal skin…
Erin isn’t underwater. Red would show us something that important. Also, he can see rain, and there’s no rain underwater.
I don’t think he is, since we see him falling away from the railing and toward the deck. Mid-air perhaps, but definitely still on the ship. Same goes for Kendal (saw someone speculating about that further up), if he’d gone overboard we’d see the handrail in the shot of him mid-air. Besides, both instances would require a bit more attention and/or drama, I believe?
Anyways, Tess might be falling into the sea, but probably not. Judging by the angle of the mast relative to the raindrops, she’ll probably land on the deck. That’s still going to hurt a lot, but she won’t drown (at least, not right now).
oh, received, on another look it doesn’t really look like he’s under (surely his expression would be different if he was, anyway!)
Regardless, for Tess’s sake, I hope she lands on the deck– and not through it…
TL;DR: This is why you should always fasten your seatbelt.
I love that this page is basically a reverse-reaction shot, where Erin is watching how the situation is affecting everyone else (at least partly because they’re all too busy to react to, or even realize, that he’s just gone overboard)
Also, gentle reminder not to feed trolls, especially if they’re making up excuses to hate on a character who just so happens to be trans
Oh fudgenuts. The quiet part. Out loud.
Again, he’s not overboard. The bow of the ship is behind him; we’re effectively looking down the full length of the ship, which is why the railing disappears behind him. He’s in the middle of the deck, he’s just been jostled by the storm like everyone else. If he had gone overboard then there would have been a shot of him hitting the railing and tumbling over.
just read this entire comic in a couple days and I love it. Definitely knew Erin was going to get pitched off the ship as soon as he said not to let that happen lmao, rip. Hopefully the ocean folk will be there to help… or perhaps that air bubble chekhov’s gun? 😀
Whoops, didn’t mean to reply to this comment specifically (I did originally because I saw all the hate from the troll on Dainix, and your comment reminded me that he’s trans, which I had entirely forgotten but seems extremely relevant (especially wrt to current world events))
So you’re saying the false, thin veneer of control over the local environment shattered and now the chaos of reality has stormed back in?
Wild, who could’ve seen that coming?
Sudden shock of stormy seas, our crew
Is strewn. There is no cease, askew
Life’s Chosen, Fairblade fall. Ignan through
Embers reaches. Falst tries to
Negotiate waves which crash. Shaken loose
Caste-metal loses mast. All views
Erin, problems past engineer of this deluge.
This is a bit of a crack theory, but I think erin might slmehow break his water tattoo, so that he can channel his full power wothout needing a hand for it. This will then of course add an additional clock to reaching the monks, and an additional bit of interedt in the tattoos themseves for the rest if the group.
This is a bit of a crack theory, but I think erin might somehow break his water tattoo, so that he can channel his full power wothout needing a hand for it. This will then of course add an additional clock to reaching the monks, and an additional bit of interedt in the tattoos themseves for the rest if the group.
I find this an interesting prediction. I also remember a moment where Crucible-Dainix burned the tattoos off one of Erin’s arms while he was being controlled by VD (during the Tynan fight) and VD was extremely quick to use Life to restore them, which I interpreted at the time as him being unable to use those elements without the tattoos… So I’m a bit confused as to how they work right now.
Thought of this after posting my previous reaction, but this could also mean that Red telling us about the sealing tattoos and Tarren’s water corruption would have been foreshadowing. Erin said his soul channels are more powerful than normal… So how quickly would he start needing crutches?
I’m wondering this too. I think we’re going to learn a lot about the limits of Erin’s power and the repercussions for pushing those limits very soon…
that looks fun
called it Erin’s in for a real hubris check
“What do we have to do to keep the ship running?”
“Don’t hit any rocks or pitch me overboard.”
Dammit, Falst, you had *one* job.
(I really can’t tell for certain if Erin has gone over or simply lost his balance, but he was awfully close to side…)
The panelling is SO COOL on this page. My money is on Erin silencing the wind and waves like he did before…but I think it’s going to cost him this time. And I’m assuming ‘holding that all the way to Helm’ is very much *not* an option. At least, not without some price to pay…
Ohhh my goodness I completely forgot that Erin said that.
I personally don’t think he’s overboard or underwater yet, based on the similarity of the bubbles to the raindrops and the fact that he looked like he was floating over the deck in that earlier panel that showed his lost footing. But either way, hopefully we’ll find out tomorrow morning!
Agreed on the paneling! And I’d put my money down with yours, except I think he’s going to try to handle the lightning and fire too in addition to the waves and wind, all at once… And I think trying to use several types of magic, in large quantities, could overstrain his soul channels. My understanding is that the purpose of the sealing tattoos is to prevent unintentional magic channeling or overchanneling. It follows logically that if a magus deliberately throws all those channels wide open, they expose themselves to the risk for damage and corruption that the sealing tattoos are meant to prevent.
Another possibility that I just thought of is that trying to channel several types at once may make the magic… clash, somehow? Inside of him? Some elements are not compatible, I think? And maybe that’s (part of) why he needed the sealing tattoos in the first place, if he was super susceptible to all kinds of ambient magic and the different types of ambient magic didn’t play nicely together in his system…
I don’t know, though! It’ll be interesting to find out.
I really like your phrasing of “throw[ing] all those channels wide open”. I’d been thinking of them like turning locks, but if you throw the doors wide open with reckless abandon…the thought is rather scary, given what we’ve learned about his ability to channel.
I read through this section from just before Kendal fell asleep–and things went sideways in minutes.
Storm appeared. Seemed well in hand, according to Erin. (Others nervous.)
Kendal points out Rakhn’s volcanic rock. Altercation — the sails — then the lacrima out in quick succession. When is the next update? Two hours? Too far away!
It has probably been said by now (and I tried to type this days ago but the tab closed), But it feels very much Like Erin is in the middle of being pitched overboard. Most of the things in 2-2-9 feel like they’re being paid off here. granted they have not hit a rock yet -thanks to Falst- many rocks are about to and would have hit them.
Between Erin’s usual guilt complex of having to fix everything, the recent blow to his ego, yet another plan of his falling apart at the seams (this time very much because of things he could have avoided), and the desperate state of his situation, I see Erin concentrating too much on too many things to notice that he is pitched overboard, or possibly to not care as much about being thrown offof teh ship as he does preventing it from getting smashed to splinters or smithereens.