Comic for February 29th, 2012

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Niara
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#61 Post by Niara »

To Movie, **shrugs** I disagree.

I'm not sayingthat he's deeply attahed tot hem, or anythign like that; just that he is, contrary to what a lot of people who seem to detest him think, a thinking, feeling human being, who, in this instnace, appreciates and enjoys their presence, and is unwilling to put an end to that for money... Not denying htat he holds a genuine fear that they would rebel if allowed to, but I get the impression would would disagree ovr a discussion of exctly what motivates that fear.

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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#62 Post by Lowell »

If Eric inspires such friendship with his slaves, why did he immediately suspect Evals as the vandal that caused the fire? Why not any of the acquaintances that have been traveling on his ship? The answer is simple; because he believes that without the control spells, his slaves would immediately rebel, sabotage, or escape at the soonest possible convenience. If he truly treated his slaves as friends, equals, or even pets, he'd have no reason to fear such a thing. And Eric talks the talk when it comes to how evil he believes his control spells to be, but when you get right down to it the only reason he doesn't have one on Kat is because she's a favorite of his (that, or he doesn't think he needs one...).

So no, Eric's refusal to sell his slaves does not stem from some deep emotional attachment. At best, he simply doesn't want to give up two very competent sailors (two people running an entire ship? That's pretty darn impressive). At worst, he doesn't want to relenquish his control over two living beings he's dominated for years now. Notice he asks Evals, "Did you set fire to my ship?" The "my" is in bold and signifies force behind the word, and there's a reason for such emphases. He's not mad because he thinks Evals tried to kill everyone on board, he's angry because he thinks Evals dared to defy him and attempted to destroy his ship and kill him.

In short, he might treat his slaves decently, but only because he can both afford to do so and it satisfies his need to exert control over everything. If Eric were to refuse to sell Mike and Evals despite a hefty amount of money offered, it would be to satisfy his megalomania. And the reason he's so determined to find out for sure if Evals started the fire is because he's scared-no, terrified of his slaves turning on him and loosing control.
Couldn't have said it better myself except for one small detail. I believe that Eric didn't put the control spell on Kat not just because she was his favorite or his pet, but also because he knows she has something that the other collared slaves doesn't - loyalty/love, which was most likely brought about from the fact that Eric was probably the only human who were kind to her. He probably knew that this would ensure that she would never betray him.

I know that this explaination might make him look like a manipulative b*****d like Light Yagami from Death Note but I think that's the major reason why Kat doesn't have any control spells, considering how quick he was to suspect his keidran slaves.

In any case, all we have to do now is to wait until next week's page for Eric to make himself look like bigger douche when he interrogates or accuses Mike next via control spell. And then that might be part where Trace, Flora, Kat or someone else on the ship to directly intervene and slap some humanity and sense in him. Worst case scenario, Kat might be disillusioned about Eric's true character about his prejudice against Keidrans and in effect starts to think whether Eric sees her in similar way as Keidrans and slaves.

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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#63 Post by Hoot »

I bet, this is a hypothetical (sp?) situation*, that there is going to be a fight. The only thing is who vs. :eric:. My money, again this is a hypothetical (sp?) situation*, says it is going to be :flora: vs. :eric:.

* I don't mean to place an actual "bet". (e.g.: ) To wager actual money. Sorry, but I want to make sure my point gets across.
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#64 Post by Moviedude18.0 »

Niara wrote:To Movie, **shrugs** I disagree.

I'm not sayingthat he's deeply attahed tot hem, or anythign like that; just that he is, contrary to what a lot of people who seem to detest him think, a thinking, feeling human being, who, in this instnace, appreciates and enjoys their presence, and is unwilling to put an end to that for money... Not denying htat he holds a genuine fear that they would rebel if allowed to, but I get the impression would would disagree ovr a discussion of exctly what motivates that fear.
That's all well and good to disagree with me, but your disagreement would be more valid if you actually backed it up with logical counters to the points I presented. As it stands, you more or less completely ignored what I said, shrugged, and said "whatever" as if my points had no validity in comparison to the truth of your infallible opinion. C'mon man, at least try to prove me wrong!

And yes, Eric is a thinking, feeling human being. In fact, he's probably one of the most realistically human characters of the cast. All the more reason why he's more likely to be self-centered and greedy than caring and compasionate. Why yes, I do subscribe to the idea that Humans are [censored]. Unless you want to put up with a lot of heartache and headache, I suggest you do the same. :wink:
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IAMZID
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#65 Post by IAMZID »

i love you tom, no homo. i am pleased with the cliffhanger :mrgreen:
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#66 Post by PhycoKrusk »

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, although Movie's done a wonderful job illustrating the point that Eric doesn't see his slaves as friends or even pets already. The fact is, he doesn't even see them as living beings, and the easiest way to know this is in the words he chooses.

For instance, when debating whether or not to subject another living being to torture to gain information, the usual justification is that it's the "only way to know for sure." Putting the collar on Evals is, for Eric, the "simplest way to know for sure." At best, Eric sees Evals as a tool, something to be used to achieve an end. But there's also another implication, and that is that subjecting Evals to something that will "kill [him] on the inside" is the simplest way to get what he wants.

And if literally robbing something of its free will is only "the simplest way," where does Eric draw the line? How far is "too far?" The answer is, of course, to the point where Evals can't perform his duties anymore. That is where Eric draws the line. Can Evals perform his duties without his toes? If the answer is "yes," you can bet Eric wouldn't be above removing a couple of them if it served his means. After all, for him, how would it be different than overclocking his computer with improper cooling? Sure, it may cause damage over the long term, but it'll do what he wants it to.

Food for thought.
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#67 Post by unsteddyPhoenix »

PhycoKrusk wrote:For instance, when debating whether or not to subject another living being to torture to gain information, the usual justification is that it's the "only way to know for sure." Putting the collar on Evals is, for Eric, the "simplest way to know for sure." At best, Eric sees Evals as a tool, something to be used to achieve an end.
Um, i'm probably missing something but...what's the alternative to putting the collar on Evals? Besides letting him run free to potentially start more fires?
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#68 Post by Akira110 »

unsteddyPhoenix wrote:
PhycoKrusk wrote:For instance, when debating whether or not to subject another living being to torture to gain information, the usual justification is that it's the "only way to know for sure." Putting the collar on Evals is, for Eric, the "simplest way to know for sure." At best, Eric sees Evals as a tool, something to be used to achieve an end.
Um, i'm probably missing something but...what's the alternative to putting the collar on Evals? Besides letting him run free to potentially start more fires?


Back in those days the punishment for attempted mutiny was death, but as I've said before, Eric lives in his own little world, cut off from the rest of the world.
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#69 Post by JC the Supreme Tiger »

Leafstripe wrote:Perhaps... The glazed eyes are used for lack of expression? Boredom or dullness, or otherwise flat expressions, can use the glazed eyes to show the thought process behind them. The recent pages have been filled with fervor and excitement, however, which could call for detailed eyes. Eyes are, as we know, the window to the soul. Evals soul is captured once again and his expression turned back into a dull almost nothingness, and this is reflected in his eyes? That's my best guess.
I think the eyes may just show when they are under the influence of the control spells, as :evals: only has expressive eyes when :eric: is not around, or aren't doing some task assigned by him.
templar99 wrote:Evals was found sleeping in a life boat.
Reminds me of the cruise ship captain, in the life boat before everyone else. Even if Evals didn't start the fire, he'd likely still be in trouble for not helping put out the fire.
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#70 Post by Shadow3750 »

Hmm, the answer Evals would give will most certainly manipulate the current situation/problem, perhaps even leading them to the barrel dweller or maybe causing a fight?
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#71 Post by Tiennos »

PhycoKrusk wrote:I haven't seen it mentioned yet, although Movie's done a wonderful job illustrating the point that Eric doesn't see his slaves as friends or even pets already. The fact is, he doesn't even see them as living beings, and the easiest way to know this is in the words he chooses.

For instance, when debating whether or not to subject another living being to torture to gain information, the usual justification is that it's the "only way to know for sure." Putting the collar on Evals is, for Eric, the "simplest way to know for sure." At best, Eric sees Evals as a tool, something to be used to achieve an end. But there's also another implication, and that is that subjecting Evals to something that will "kill [him] on the inside" is the simplest way to get what he wants.
I really think that's it. We never saw much interaction between Eric and his slaves until recently and from what he said, it seemed that he cared about them more than just as his property.

But the events on the ship show how he really sees them : to him they're just animals to be used for work (and pleasure for some :wink:), and it looks like he thinks of Evals as a wild one that can't be left without restraints. Even for Kat, I guess he just sees her as a pet more than a friend or servant.

This makes me think that he will never agree to let the guys free, at least as long as they're on the ship in the case he finally agrees to sell them... Which leaves only one option : mutiny ! (and I'm rooting for it :grin:)
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#72 Post by unsteddyPhoenix »

Akira110 wrote:
unsteddyPhoenix wrote:
PhycoKrusk wrote:For instance, when debating whether or not to subject another living being to torture to gain information, the usual justification is that it's the "only way to know for sure." Putting the collar on Evals is, for Eric, the "simplest way to know for sure." At best, Eric sees Evals as a tool, something to be used to achieve an end.
Um, i'm probably missing something but...what's the alternative to putting the collar on Evals? Besides letting him run free to potentially start more fires?


Back in those days the punishment for attempted mutiny was death, but as I've said before, Eric lives in his own little world, cut off from the rest of the world.
Lol, somehow I don't think that was the option PhycoKrusk was referring too. :P
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#73 Post by NickR23 »

To jump back to the subject of control spells for a bit, has anyone considered that there may be different types of spells that can be put on these collars, or different collars altogether? I have a feeling that this glowing red collar is a bit more sinister than the ones we've see on the slaves previously, whether they can be 'programmed' with different spells or Eric has multiple collars for different needs stashed away.
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#74 Post by TheJ »

Akira110 wrote:
unsteddyPhoenix wrote:
PhycoKrusk wrote:For instance, when debating whether or not to subject another living being to torture to gain information, the usual justification is that it's the "only way to know for sure." Putting the collar on Evals is, for Eric, the "simplest way to know for sure." At best, Eric sees Evals as a tool, something to be used to achieve an end.
Um, i'm probably missing something but...what's the alternative to putting the collar on Evals? Besides letting him run free to potentially start more fires?


Back in those days the punishment for attempted mutiny was death, but as I've said before, Eric lives in his own little world, cut off from the rest of the world.
Well, considering Evals, he would probably chose death over slavery.
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Re: Comic for February 29th, 2012

#75 Post by RedDwarfIV »

In my opinion, having Evals say 'yes' on the technicality of a pan fire would probably be an uninteresting diversion that couldn't last more than two sketches, and would only prolong his having to have his arms held up in an awkward position. I think Tom will either go straight for having him say "no", or he will go ahead with your idea and I will be a little disappointed for a week before we get back to what is relavent to the story.

Alternatively, Tom could pull something really unexpected out of the hat.

Or maybe the Barrell Dweller sabotages the ship again while Evals is clearly standing right in front of Eric with the control spell enabled, proving Eric wrong before Evals has to say anything.
If every cloud had a silver lining, there would be a lot more plane crashes.
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