Comic for Monday, December 15th 2008

[John_and_Yoko]

[quote="MadMann135"]

[Yakamaru]

Though the entire story does not mean that he doesn't have to tell the more intresting details.
"I was ordered to kill Natani before my trial. [snip, snip] I couldn't kill my friend... I tried to kill myself and that is when Natani stopped me." No gender mentioned and no secrets told.

"Snip, snip"?

Yeah, or more commonly known as "Sniff, sniff"..

You can use both, but "Sniff" is more used.

[Cupil]

(Edit: Cut out first sentence, wasn't comfortable with how it was worded) The ride's not over yet, so we're yet to see the long-term consequences. What's there to stop a quicky summary page basically stating: 'and then she forgave him, and they were friends again, as if this whole ordeal never happened except that so-and-so got a new power/girl/whatever' I guess it would just be a standard trait of the short lived Keidran to let bygones be bygones, but I really don't want a repeat of the Natani situation. Natani's forgiveness was understandable, since she recited how she probably would have done the same, that maybe she actually listened to what Keith told her.

I know I'm sort of jumping on an old horse, but I'm willing to bet that Flora is also having selective memory of what Keith just told everyone.
I guess I'm just being vindictive towards Flora again, but I really want to see this insecure spite build up in her. Have it linger, and get her into trouble at some point.

Although, to turn it around a bit. . . It is upsetting that the story only picked up on the final part of Keith's explanation. The reason being is that we, the audience, have no idea how he worded it. What if he spent the entire retelling wallowing in his own self pity? I remember that in the previous page that readers were juggling around how Flora would react to his excuses, or if whether or not he would even try to pass 'em off as such. We don't know how he told the story, let alone how much of it he decided to tell them.

Ever seen a situation where a person was caught doing something bad and they had to confess? If they're caught immediately, and/or reasonably upset at the time of being confronted their hurried confession can sound. . . WELL, kind of whiny. It would be fair to assume that Keith may have been constantly sprinkling in "I never wanted this to happen, Flora" or "All I wanted was to go home" or "I'm so sorry" Such words, while they maybe good intentioned don't actually 'undo' any of the damage that has been caused.

Darn it! I didn't want to criticize Keith, he just lost his one chance at home, and got punched in the nose.

Although it sort of feels like Keith's darker side is that while he's caring and empathetic towards others' blights. If not guided or something will pathetically spend years wallowing in his own self-pity, in worst cases dragging others down with him like how his agonizing over the "kill Natani" order almost fell through. (It can also be argued that Keith's early marriage proposal to Laura at around 13-14 was some Freudian attempt to fill in the emotional void after his mother's death and banishment.) He kept mulling about with the "Oh no, what will I dooo!?" As if the answer was going to magically happen by him through a brainfart. Keith is an even tempered fellow and more sensitive then he lets on, but it feels like some things would have actually went his way if he wasn't such passive doormat.

Hmm, maybe that's where the 'best friend' part of Flora's rant comes in, since Trace and Natani are the only ones I've seen Keith put his foot down against.

Edit: W-wait, what did I just do right here?

[C_Death]

What the-- character development?! Blasphemy!!

I was kind of surprised with this one. The only real problem I had was that Flora goes from punching Keith in the face, to having a nearly passive conversation a panel later. *KerPUNCH!* "Listen, I know you kinda aren't a fan of this, but hey, it's like... you know?" O.o?

That, and the punch panel lacks really any sort of motion. Blur Flora's fist of doom! Right now it looks like it's all posing, ;c

Well it would seem that Natani has stepped between Keith and Flora, or else Flora would probably be needing to be restrained from further beatings upon Keith. She's clearly pissed off, though I agree for what she just found out, that she would be totally jumping on Keith to rip his head off.

[Schrodinger]

Although it sort of feels like Keith's darker side is that while he's caring and empathetic towards others' blights. If not guided or something will pathetically spend years wallowing in his own self-pity, in worst cases dragging others down with him like how his agonizing over the "kill Natani" order almost fell through. (It can also be argued that Keith's early marriage proposal to Laura at around 13-14 was some Freudian attempt to fill in the emotional void after his mother's death and banishment.) He kept mulling about with the "Oh no, what will I dooo!?" As if the answer was going to magically happen by him through a brainfart. Keith is an even tempered fellow and more sensitive then he lets on, but it feels like some things would have actually went his way if he wasn't such passive doormat.

Don't think of these things so lightly..... There are people all around you who may be consumed by sorrow and self-pity; suffering in silence and you would be none the wiser. Trust me, I know.

[Cupil]

Although it sort of feels like Keith's darker side is that while he's caring and empathetic towards others' blights. If not guided or something will pathetically spend years wallowing in his own self-pity, in worst cases dragging others down with him like how his agonizing over the "kill Natani" order almost fell through. (It can also be argued that Keith's early marriage proposal to Laura at around 13-14 was some Freudian attempt to fill in the emotional void after his mother's death and banishment.) He kept mulling about with the "Oh no, what will I dooo!?" As if the answer was going to magically happen by him through a brainfart. Keith is an even tempered fellow and more sensitive then he lets on, but it feels like some things would have actually went his way if he wasn't such passive doormat.

Don't think of these things so lightly..... There are people all around you who may be consumed by sorrow and self-pity; suffering in silence and you would be none the wiser. Trust me, I know.

Emphasis on 'darker side' it's one side of it. I know full well that such situations are more complicated than they appear.

I'm sorry if I gave off this impression that I felt Keith's tendency towards depression(or depression in general) was something to be taken lightly.

[Schrodinger]

It's a sensitive topic with me.

[Cupil]

It's a sensitive topic with me.

I see, I know that I was probably gonna spark something negative with what I say eventually. Again, I apologize.
Since Keith's actions and thoughts are put out in the open, it's sort of hard for me to see it entirely in sympathetic light. (That and the fact that he isn't real) He isn't completely crippled by his sorrow, he doesn't linger in bed for hours, doesn't stare listlessly at nothing, ignore things that used to be enjoyable. I won't pretend I'm an expert on the subject, sorrow can't be muddled into this big pile with feeling mopey and soul-crushing grief listed as the same thing. (which they aren't)
--------------------

I was just trying to express that Keith ought to be more proactive, he's shown several times throughout the comic that he can be pretty strong. But it feels like he'd be quicker to go follow someone else (Basitin instinct?) or play the 'victim' card. Maybe it was because of all the build up, but I felt myself growing frustrated at his apparent inability to just look for some kind of solution to that cataclysmic order. Is it a reflection that despite the cold exterior that he's still sort of that scared little boy that stumbled upon his mother's corpse? That despite how resourceful being on the outside has made him, he can't (or I believe won't) let himself progress unless there's an "order" to fulfill? When the happy life with Laura fell through it seemed like he may have either spent the next 6 or so years lingering around the border, or beelining for his 'impossible' task. When he finally got his prize the majority of his trip was making sure he didn't lose sight of his 'get home' ticket to butting heads with the Keidran that could put that in danger.

I guess Keith's main problem is that like many other people who experience traumatic events, and don't get any professional help for it. (Thanks for dumping him on a raft into the open ocean guys ) Will have a habit of linking bad things with other bad things, the cynicism and distrust gets nurtured and hope for recovery gets more and more stunted. There was so many back and forth arguments based around why Keith should or shouldn't be loyal to the people that have casted him out. But it's undeniable that he linked the island with 'good things'. Romanticized it, because barring from his travel buddies, I'm pretty sure that the large majority of his time away was agonizing. Complication comes in that Keith doesn't realize that the group may have been a 'new beginning' for him, just like with Laura. But after being burned on Laura and possibly pushed away everywhere else on the mainland he closed his eyes on such an opportunity. . . All that mattered was going home no matter what, and look where he is now. *sigh*

Sort of tragic now that I put it that way to myself. I never really took the tragic character angle of Keith that seriously up until this (not so) introspective look at his character. Mainly because I preferred the definition of the archetype where the tragedy is the result of a tragic flaw by the character, not "look at all this bad stuff that's happening to my character(s) please feel bad for him/her/them."

Edit: I hope I didn't phrase anything wrong.
If this was off-topic---Sorry-So Sorry *bows*

[EB from G]

What the-- character development?! Blasphemy!!

Don't worry, FastChapter. I'm sure we'll get back to the boob jokes as soon as possible.

I hope so. Or maybe some more ice cream puns...

[kryss]

Wow, so much happened here. So much to talk about!

First: One thing we need to be careful about is to realize who knows what about whom. While Keith probably shared everything that happened today, he probably didn't share all those painful stories leading up to it. If I remember correctly, only Natani knows everything he's shared about his past. Few others would fully recognize the stress he's under right now. So to you people who are upset at Flora being too mad - remember that she doesn't /know/.

Second: To those who are upset at Flora not being mad enough - she smacked him down, he's on the ground, and she's standing over him yelling at him. She doesn't want to believe that he betrayed them, he doesn't /act/ like he's betraying them, and she's confused and trying to figure out what's going on.

Third: To those surprised that Flora can fight... As I recall from early on, Flora's been established as a major element of the Tiger tribe. (Princess?) Also as one of their tough warriors. She just rarely has had occasion to use it.

Fourth: The Helmet. What's wrong with the helmet? It's an open-face helmet that protects from blows from the side, back, or top. In exactly which way is it supposed to protect from someone punching you in the nose through the open face?

Fifth: Keith and Trace, best friends. WOW. I never thought about this, but she's right. They are. Mainly in the sense that they don't /have/ any other friends. That's actually kinda sad - Keith has been revealed to be more or less a loner, and as far as Flora knows, still hates Keidran for the most part. (Natani, his 'bath buddy', being the obvious exception, but bath buddies don't qualify under determining 'best friend') So naturally his best friend in the group would be Trace. Trace, of course, doesn't have any friends that he can remember... so his best friend is Keith.

Sixth: Keith hates Keidran. Yes, remember, folks? One of Keith's major personality points earlier in the series was how much he hates Keidran? He was trying to get Trace to kill or dump Flora for the longest time. "Absolute evil!' he declared, right as she was chasing a butterfly. He's changed a bit, sure, that's character development, but Flora hasn't fully realized how much he's changed, because he hasn't talked about it - I'm not sure he's even realized it.

Seventh: Poor Keith. He's under so much stress in his life. Every single thing he valued is being systematically destroyed - by his own doing - and the only thing he's got going for him, Natani, he doesn't even begin to understand. He's pretty much hitting a nervous breakdown, which, to my way of looking at it, is bringing him back to the last point in his life he was under this much stress... right after his parents died. After all, his entire life since then has been pretty much 'on pause'. The only chance he had of breaking out of that cycle was Laura, and she betrayed him... so he went right back to being 'on pause' and waiting to go back to how things used to be.

But they never will be. And he's finally having to deal with that. It'll never be the same again.

[SpoiltCheese]

Seventh: Poor Keith. He's under so much stress in his life. Every single thing he valued is being systematically destroyed - by his own doing - and the only thing he's got going for him, Natani, he doesn't even begin to understand.

It's more painful when you think about the fact that there are no psychiatrists on Basitin Island whatsoever. No wonder Flora punched him, she thought he was doing it on purpose. Then again, the universe seems to hate him.

On the flip side, if after so many years outside the Island, and Keith was exposed to the liberal ways of the Keidran ways (he did love Laura, proxy for his family or no), and chose to hate the Keidran wholesale because one betrayed him,he probably had it coming. Never mind that Bastian way was the only way he knew, the fact he could love a Keidran proved that he was the master of his own fate. Unfortunately, he chose to revoke his own fate, opting to betray trace just so he could be accepted back to his own life. Little wonder it eventually backfired on him.
Yer I went a little mad with the tropes

So IMO, Final Score:
Natani +3. For listening to the whole story, being understanding, and epic teleportation foresight.
Flora +1. For delivering the wake-up call.
Eric +0.5. For headfire of win.
Trace +0. Because he's out cold.
Keith -1. Ouch indeed.

[Wynni]

..erm, have you EVER tried to break some habit ingrained into you from earliest childhood? Until you have, and had to deal with the yo-yo, quit knocking on Keith.

*bundles Keith up, and protectively shields him*

Keith not only tried to break that habit and find a life outside Basitin Island, but had it backfire on him in the worst way with Laura. No wonder he jumped at the chance Trace presented, and saw Flora as just another backstabbing Keidran.

Yet despite that, Keith has come through for the party more times than I care to count, up to and including helping Flora out of tight spots, and so all these folks trying to jump on Keith while he's down can just back off.

[Cupil]

I hope my darker side analysis isn't being interpreted as "bashing on Keith". It was just some wandering thoughts I wanted to put down like other such things. I know some of it is critical towards him, but it's sort of like how sometimes 'good things' will have a darker interpretation to them.(you know no "one side") Kind of like how you may have some criticisms of your closest associates but lack the courage to be upfront about them. The negative may be there, but it's not like the positive doesn't stop existing.

Sorry, if it came off as mean-spirited or anything.

So any predictions on how they're going to go about the rescue? Bit of a setback that Natani has only one stone left, and they'll probably have to walk through the town. There's no telling whether or not the fire has caused a panic or if everyone is strongly obeying curfew and staying put.

I'm hoping that the "Walk to the Tower" will be all badass like the "Walk to Arlong Park" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pX5QNsBSfI (Shown at around 2:40)

[Alibi]

I seem to recall Keith buying a whole bag of stones. Nat only used a handful to make a mana necklace but that would mean that the rest are still in the bag somewhere on the ship.

I'm thinking that it will be mainly Keith doing the rescue. He might be able to sway Alaric to his cause and somehow legally overthrow Alabaster for being crazy... but then the problem is that Alaric ordered him to kill of Nat but he didn't follow through... he could at that point use the whole "my mate is immune" law but I doubt it would work.

I figure Nat will probably go with Keith since she can use magic while everyone else stays at the ship to get ready to leave in a hurry as soon as Trace is recovered.

But yeah... Keith had the punch coming to him, if not more, from Flora. The resulting tears are those of shame and remorse... poor Keith

[VolkswagenFox]

I seem to recall Keith buying a whole bag of stones. Nat only used a handful to make a mana necklace but that would mean that the rest are still in the bag somewhere on the ship.

Natani left the bag in the inn.