2.2.5
on June 12, 2024
at 3:00 am
that can’t be right, Erin got an A in “putting his feelings in the Feelings Box where they can’t affect his judgment or decision-making”
Aurora
A fantasy webcomic. Updates M-W-F.
that can’t be right, Erin got an A in “putting his feelings in the Feelings Box where they can’t affect his judgment or decision-making”
Dainix ponders on Erin’s state of mind
Kendal gives him an explanation in kind
How so fast? It’s absurd. You have mad skills, and morning person power.
Thanks a lot!
Though regarding the morning person part: I’ve got time zone advantage. It posts around noon for me, and since I’m on summer break it’s not a problem to be on time.
To me it says “posted at 3:00 AM”. Is that adjusted for time zones? I sure hope so.
Yes, it says 3am for everyone. It’s 9 am for me in Britain.
It is 3 am for me sadly, I get no time zone advantage .-.
2 to 3 pm in india
4 pm in Australia (on the West Coast, anyway)
12 at night in California :/
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: what are we, some kind of ragtag crew of misfits?
Image source: convince
“for mobile readers”
also for computer readers who forgot about the alt-text until they saw this message and now don’t need to go back to look
Tumblr text: the chain of command is more of what we’d call a suggestion
THANK YOU
Twitter Text: Dainix pulls out his little five-man-band chart and starts scribbling furiously
I’ve had this one mostly ready to go for a while now, but I couldn’t think of the right way to say Dainix’s expression in Panel 8. So… here you go. I think I did it pretty well(Paragraph 11).
“I’m not sure I like this,” Dainix says as he and Kendal start to carry the box they’re holding down the stairs into the cargo hold.
“Have you ever been on a ship before?” Kendal asks.
“No,” Dainix responds, “And that might be part of it, but…” he hesitates. “This is an untested, magical vehicle. Half of us are injured, and none of us know how to handle the sea. Any of those would be good enough reasons to slow down and find another way to Helm.”
“Erin doesn’t want to slow down.”
“That’s just it,” Dainix says as they place the box down. “I don’t mind following a dangerous plan, but I don’t like how Erin is pretending it’s safe.”
“He’s afraid,” Kendal responds. “For a very good reason.”
“I know.” After a moment, Dainix continues, “But I don’t think HE knows. Erin’s not just trying to convince us, he’s trying to convince himself that his fear is rational. He’s found reasons to dismiss or ignore everything we’ve said about this. He’s not listening to us.”
“Oh. He’s always like that.”
“Huh?”
“It’s hard to explain things to him, so I usually just do them and he figures it out later.”
Dainix pauses with a frown, struggling to fit this idea into what he’s seen of the gang so far. “Wait. Does Erin only THINK he’s in charge?”
“Nobody’s in charge,” Kendal says, dusting off his hands.
“Okay,” Dainix says, putting a hand to his forehead. “Everything makes a little more sense now.”
“Nobody is in charge, we are a democracy and we just bounce our single brain cell around. Whoever has it at the moment is the one in charge but that changes from one moment to another.”
The one with the Braincell is very rarely the one making the decision.
To be fair, they have four Brain Cells: Erin hogs two of them but neither are good at Common Sense; Ali has one permanently but that one is dedicated to being the team Medic/Doctor/Healer; and the fourth is the one that’s actually good with Common Sense but bounces between Kendall, Ali, and Falst with an occasional fly-by through Erin’s head when he has to do something about V.D. but never staying long enough for him to think it through. Hopefully Dainix and Tess add at least another Brain Cell good with Common Sense.
Hahahahhahahahahahahaaaaaa
*gasps for air*
I think Dainix would add two braincells dedicated to being the Fighter, that mostly bounce between him and Kendal and Falst, and rarely Tess because really Tess’s only strategy is “Is it punchable? Then I’ll punch it. With my lightning.”
Great now I want to add some joke about “It’s not punchable? Then I’ll punch it anyway.”
Hmm okay actually I think the two Dainix contributes would be one Common Sense and one Fighter. And maybe Tess would add a Fighter one in there.
ALL HAIL the keeper of the sacred braincell!
*double blink* what’s a brain cell?
getting flashbacks to all the times we’ve made fun of Erin for being a wittle baby man who’s totally in control of the situation in question and “why are you asking me why I made this decision, you’re being mean and bullying me, stop it I don’t like it!”
honestly hilarious how upfront Kendal is about how much he’s just gone “a’ight” and just did his own thing anyway.
Actual, out-loud laughter
Dainix complains about Erin’s claims
To Kendal as they carry a load.
The Elemental Magus denies even to himself
The feelings that drive their road.
“He’s trying to convince himself that his fear
Is rational,” Dainix continues.
“He’s not listening to us.” And Kendal replies,
“Oh. He’s always like that.”
Wait. Does Erin only THINK he’s in charge?” Says Dainix.
Kendal explains, “Nobody’s in charge.”
“Okay. Everything makes a little more sense now,”
Says Dainix, his relief large.
Love the page!
Only recently got up to date, first time catching a page on the release 🙂
Congratulations!
Congrats! Unfortunately for me, that’s kind of inpossible if I want to get a decent amount of sleep 🙁
Yeaaahhhhhhh, mine comes out at 3am. So unless I somehow stay up that late doing homework or wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep due to a thunderstorm or something, nope!
Happy Shavuot!
Given how these things go, it’s probably the ethical choice to take a ship that DOESN’T have a bunch of other people on it.
But then you don’t have a Red Shirt to feed to the Shoggoths to show and not tell how big of a threat they are!
And have Kendal wrestling shogoths while screaming about no-one dying for him? That’ll slow the team down further. Plus hurt their ears.
I absolutely love that Dainix legit thought Erin was somehow in charge of this mess hahaha. It makes perfect sense for the character and what he knows, but realizing how skewed his perspective is due to Erin’s infinite confidence is so funny
Dainix finally realising Falst was serious about being the tactical one (he was thrown off for a while by Falst doing distinctly untactical things, not realising catboy is in the Braincell Timeshare scheme)
Dainix: … That “Treatise on Soulfire” book better be worth it.
Dainix would be the one to pick up on all the dangers of this trip, wouldn’t he? Bringing up several practical and valid concerns about the trip, only for Erin to practically not listen must be frustrating. I wonder how much of their all-nighter consisted of long back-and-forth arguments between the two while Alinua tried her best not to get involved.
So, the confused maths Dainix wasn’t to do with how the ship works, but how this team dynamic functions? … Honestly, fair. Dainix is used to working with superpowered teammates in the Ravvan, but not with such a poorly defined, and at times chaotic, squad organisation and chain of command. I fear Dainix’s frustrations will only grow as the journey goes on.
Still, he does understand why Erin is the way he is, and while staying is no longer an option, he may still be able to convince Erin to take a different way around Helm. Hopefully a compromise or understanding can be reached on this, or else this ship of fools will have a much tougher time at sea.
Oh! Maybe “Ship of Fools” can be the name of the vessel.
It does make sense, but:
1. Is too on the nose;
2. Erin would never.
It’s name is Sof. Erin thinks it stands for Seafaring observation facility…
LOL! you made me snort iced tea out of my nose. I hope you are happy. […heck I’d be happy ^_^] ‘Seafaring Observation Facility’ is adorkable.
Another thing I just noticed art wise are the panel separation line angles; while Kendal and Dainix are moving with the crate they have a diagonal slant to them, but when they stop they go vertically. The one between panels 4 and 5 is even in a transitionary stage. Simple but neat technique to imply movement and lack thereof, and can even make the last few panels look more comedic (as has already been used a few times this chapter).
oh hey is that confused math Dainix
I too saw the emote before the comic page.
The question is, would he have been happier living in ignorance? XD
Sure, it makes sense now, but now he has more to worry about!
I love this page so much
Dainix’s reaction reminds me so much of the way I think about things with my autism
I’ve had the expression in the last panel so many times
“Wait. Does Erin only THINK he’s in charge?” Welcome to the Floof Squad, Dainix, you are officially part of the group now.
I find it kind of heartwarming that the others KNOW Erin is being reckless, but they’re playing along because it’s the only way to keep him together. I’m certain it’ll come back to bite them later, but it’s sweet nonetheless.
Also, I love that transition from light to dark as they enter the hold!
Makes sense that Dainix would be so confused, being used to structured groups like the Ravvan are. And now he’s thrown into the chaotic mess that is the Floof Squad. It’s certainly going to take some adjusting.
Erin’s good at looking at things from a top-down perspective, but he has no experience (and doesn’t think he needs any) of working on a team. Dainix is accustomed to teamwork, but I don’t know if he has any experience being a leader. I sense some tension once they’re crammed into the boat (love the proposed name SoF, by the by), but they could be quite the powerful pair, if they live that long.
…And Kendal does what Kendal wants XD
“Everything makes a little more sense now” hits so hard, actually made me laugh out loud.
Loving Dainix’s addition to the party as the grounded, practical member of the ensemble. Also deeply ironic that he will probably be the default “straight man” of the party in most interactions, as the term does not fit him at all even though the role does.
Let’s see here. Kendal and Alinua are after the Collector and have no idea how to handle her, so they’re following the first person they found who might have one and are grinding xp so they’re not hilariously underleveled when they do finally decide to confront her. (seriously, this is giving major “The Final Boss is over there, so I’m going over here” vibes)
Erin said he could help, but he also wants to get a handle on Walter so he’s going to places he thinks can help with that objective.
Falst is the introvert they adopted and started dragging along.
Tess just wants to have fun and figures following her brother around and trying to keep him out of trouble should be exciting.
Dainix is looking for new meaning in life and wants to keep an eye on Known Threat Walter.
Yeah, the only reason why Erin could be considered the “leader” is because he’s the one walking at the front of the crowd and none of the others are inclined to be bossy.
This is a pretty good summary of most of their objectives, but you left out two very important things:
1) Dainix is actually MAINLY going with them to get a handle on his Demon, using roughly the same resources Erin wants to use to get a handle on Walter
2) Falst likes hanging around people who are nice, give him food and stuff, and aren’t horribly racist. Those are in kind of short supply in this world (as far as he knows), so the Floof Squad doesn’t exactly have to try very hard to drag him along with them.
Hey people!!!!!
Good mood and good luck to everyone!!!!!
Pfffft. Welcome to the chaos, Dainix.
Erin thinking he’s in charge while everyone else is like “nope” seems like a recipe for more conflict while they’re all packed on this small, contained vessel in the middle of the open ocean, trying to keep it pointed in the right direction, sharing supplies and chores…
I never thought Erin was in charge, but it took a minute for Kendal’s point about doing things to sink in. I had to sit down and think about when exactly Kendal handled a situation or did something for Erin to figure out later, but, uh…
– Saved him (tag teaming with Alinua) from the Void Dragon going haywire after he stopped the Storm
– Saved Erin (again, with Alinua) after he knocked himself unconscious in the caves
– Went off on his own to talk to Falst in the Beast arc (also kept Alinua in the dark, in this case). Afterward, invited Falst to tag along.
– Went along with Erin’s decision to visit Zuurith, did not tell him about Zuurith’s feud with Vash (also didn’t tell Falst… but told Alinua) and simply tried to stay out of sight, then chilled in prison to protect his friends from backlash. We all know how that one turned out.
– At the end of zombie dungeon arc, Kendal and Tess teamed up to jump in and rescue the others when Erin had expected Tess to stay back with Kendal–because according to Tess, “Like Mom always says, there’s nothing stupider than leaving Erin unsupervised” hahaha oohhh man…
Kendal really does just do things. Huh. That is, in fact, exactly how he handles Erin–and in some cases, his other friends. Though I do wonder if he ought to try a little harder to explain things instead of just doing them, sometimes.
Probably some subconscious influence left over from Vash, given the whole genius loci/protector of his people thing. It’s very easy to forget sometimes that Kendal probably doesn’t think the same way other people do–and by that, I mean some of his thoughts probably run in a similar pattern to Vash’s, who again, would have a very different perspective given his nature.
I wonder if Kendal has realized this–that he’s basically built himself a very small “city” to look after, however inadvertantly. Like parent like offspring I guess–this could lead to some very interesting character analysis further in the story…
Skye, yeah, good points. I don’t know how self-aware Kendal is of the way he’s kind of adopting people (Erin, Falst), although he definitely sees himself as fundamentally different from most mortals, based on
– his conversation with Falst about people’s perception of him before Falst joined the party
– how he told Alinua that the rest of the group wasn’t equipped to deal with god business in the Zuurith chapters (but clearly Kendal thought he alone was equipped)
– how he did not believe he needed to sleep and recover, though I’m pretty sure he would have known that mortals ordinarily need that
I think where his understanding lags most is in where they’re similar and how he ought to regard them more as peers instead of people to look after and sacrifice himself for. (I just realized, Argist’s view of Kendal mirrors how Kendal seemed to view his friends pre-Tynan fight. It’s ironic. Kendal thought he alone in the group should deal with the god business. Now he’s been told god business is not his responsibility, though my bets are on him ignoring that, hah.) Maybe he’ll be better about the self-sacrifice thing, at least, after Arc 1 and his dream sequence character development…
I’ve gotten on a rambly tangent. In any case, I like your theory about him subconsciously assembling a little “city.” Also, I have a strong mental image of Kendal trying to gather up his friends like stray kittens now Cx
You’re totally right about Kendal choosing a community to safeguard. It’s been said that Vash’s incarnated fighting style emphasizes making himself a target to draw fire off of his citizens and that Kendal, using Vash’s memories of fighting, has adopted the same style. The major issue is that Vash’s incarnation is merely an extension of himself whereas Kendal’s body is all he has.
I entirely forgot that in the grand scheme of things Dainix has been here less than a week. Now I’m trying to wrap my head around what he must have thought of the group dynamic this whole time.
Between how he’s analyzing Erin now and false before, I think Dainx would made a good therapist
Well he therapied HIMSELF for years back in Zuurith, so it makes sense that skill would extend to others
I loved Dainix’s face in the last panel. As an Autistic person who’s had that kind of moment many times, it was very relatable.
What do you think was a recent moment like that? my mos profound one was people not meaning what they say/hearing a different version of what others said. that realization was wild.
Between Danix’s moments here and most of Kendal’s development, highly relatable.
Usually my friends explaining to me various internet things, like memes or trends. I don’t really interact with any social media so people will just randomly start using new slang that makes no sense and I’ll have no idea what they’re saying. Every time someone explains those things to me, it’s like everything makes sense.
I think that the floof squad has some communication issues. Agreeing with what Squirrel said, Kendal does do things without telling or explaining to the rest of the team, though Alinua is also guilty of doing that a few times. Erin is too full of himself to tell the others when he needs help or is unsure; he just flexes his magic skills and hopes the problem goes away. Dainix and Falst also had that miscommunication bit a while back, but I wouldn’t completely count that as a problem because it only happened once.
With this considered, I propose that, when our heroes screw up, we revoke their floof privileges and refer to them as the “oof squad”. I also agree with Evil Tree and youngstormlord about the name of the ship.
PFFFFT the comedic timing of this page was immaculate
Also, my train of thought during this page led me to imagine that the Collector will somehow acquire a boat of her own and they’ll have an epic battle of the boats. Unlikely as it is, wouldn’t it be fun?
I like how as Kendel explains the real dynamics of Floof Squad as they wind down to the hold, a twisted path to a dark place and Dainix’s relief and seeing the real light 0f the power dynamic of the team. So Dainix’s ‘enlightenment’ come at the bottom of a twisted path in the dark what irony for just a straight forward serious explanation from the socially youngest member of the crew. Brava Red!
TL;DR: “Boss is not in a good state of mind”
“I know. He’s not the boss for a reason.”
“Your commanding officer is COMPLETELY unsuited for his post!”
“He’s not actually our commanding officer, and that suits him perfectly.”
ok actually just the whole last few chapters are very good. love it when the character dynamics thicken and the science sciences
I only just found this comic and I’m loving it!
Welcome to the fandom! Glad to have you here!
McDonald’s????
Welcome to Aurora, may I take your order?
Man, you have to feel for Erin sometimes. He keeps trying to seem put together but everyone knows he’s a bundle of neuroses and pretty much everyone except Tess seems to consider him a pompous idiot to be humored at best.
Which is *not* going to be helped by the fact that this trip IS absolutely 100% going to end badly because the flags are redder than the writer’s namesake, and Erin IS 200% not going to be able to keep shit under control and need Alinua and Kendal to save the day again.
“if I’M making snap decisions without informing my companions so they can prepare for the fallout of this decision, and YOU’RE making snap decisions without informing my companions so they can prepare for the fallout of this decisions, then WHOSE keeping us alive?”
As president of the “Erin isn’t stupid, he’s just being screwed over by the plot” club, I will welcome Dainix taking control. He honestly seems the most put together, best mediator, most understanding person, although the fact that his Crucible form takes him out of commission with regards to giving orders makes that an issue. Everyone (except MAYBE Alinua) else just acts as if they have the best idea and don’t really wait to second guess that conclusion. Honestly the group needs a damn team building arc.
I think it’s seeming more and more likely that this will be that team-building arc. The squad is all put together (at least mostly, I’ve heard there’s a planned seventh member, but who knows when they’ll join), and they’re going to be together in a confined space on a long voyage that has basically zero chance of going well. If that’s not a good environment for some good old-fashioned high-stakes teamwork, I don’t know what is.
That would be Alinua, mostly.
“We’re an autonomous collective.”
It all makes perfect sense when you realize that this is thrown together by insane people and nobody’s actually steering this mess.
I LAUGHED SO HARD AT THIS
The chain of command for this group is more of an amorphous blob.
The Glort is in charge?
I didn’t think anyone thought he was in charge
“Someone always comes up with a good idea eventually, so I just tank until it happens”.
embrace the chaos, Dainix
Binged the second arc up till now. gotta wait for red to restock a decent stockpile for me to binge again
Sorry I’m late. Here’s your once a page person to zoom in on. Kendal in panel 2 looks adorable for no particular reason.
This reminded me how new Dainix is to their ragtag crew. “Wait. So who is in charge?”
Everyone: “Well….”
“We don’t have a leader.”
– The Leader
Dainix what the hell are you talking about he literally answered all of your questions and provided logical solutions to all of the concerns you and Alinua brought up
Example Of Hubris: I’M INVINCIBLE AND NOTHING CAN GO WRONG
Example Of Not Hubris: Things can go wrong but here are some logical solutions to your concerns
Alinua’s Concern:everyone needs rest and time to heal – with alinuas and my healing capabilities everyone could be healed fairly quickly before and after shit goes south. And besides no one needs to work on the magic ship so people can get proper rest
Dainix’s concerns:we should do research on helm before we sail there – I already know pretty much everything you could want to know about helm and the world at large because I’m a huge nerd and that was literally my entire life for several years, (Literally A University Student)
Before he singlehandedly destroyed the biggest and most powerful storm in the world by himself.
Alinua’s Concern: “We’ll be sailing into storms? ”
Yes and as tess literally just said “it’s already bad. but if we wait to long. it’ll be that much worse”:2.1.34. plus I literally destroyed the biggest and most powerful storm in the world by myself so we’ll probably be fine.
And finally we’re all incredibly powerful and experienced warriors so even if there is a problem we’ll probably be able to deal with it
destroyed the biggest and most powerful storm in the world by himself
Poor Danix, he thought this group had silly things like a COMMANDER or COMAND STRUCTURE.
Since Kendal has confirmed that there is no leader, and lancers are defined by their relationship to the leader, I would like to suggest that everyone is either a heart, a smart guy, or a powerhouse.
-Kendal and Alinua are hearts because they’re the most openly compassionate of the group.
-Erin and Falst are smart guys with Erin as the encyclopedia and Falst as the street smart guy.
-Tess and Dainix are powerhouses because their combat techniques are simple and effective. Punch stuff with lightning and breathe fire.
If anyone disagrees with this, please tell me why so I can learn. I’m not used to analyzing literature with anyone outside of my immediate family.