Page 328

by Aria on June 9, 2016 at 4:55 AM

Chapter: Mile High Engage

+16

A sense of unyielding folds gently around your heart.

caribouchat

So, ready to go and see what’s left of Hazard? And whether Eisse finished doing her hair?
- Aria
  
  Really, Eisse’s hairstyle is what the rest of this arc has been building up to.
ryu hayabusa

So she gave him an elevator key? Damnit why can’t this be a less complicated key with a physical body? (jk I like the idea)
- caribouchat
  
  He worked for Hazard, so he must have had one already.
- Charidan
  
  Yeah, she didn’t give him a key, more like a fire blessing. The details of said blessing remaining tantalizingly unexplained. 😀
Wereael

I like Phin’s dialogue this page.
- Aria
  
  Thank you! I like it too, Philosophical Phin is fun to write when she decides to shows up.
caribouchat

Two questions: was the kiss really necessary or does Ellie have a crush on Roy and added it for pleasure? And, will we someday see people through Phineas eyes, with their ‘lights’?
- Aria
  
  Despite the fact that their entity seems to be vicious by our standards, Blazing Guardians’ magic is about as far on the nice side of the spectrum as you can get. Some magic, especially magic being done TO something outside of the caster, is more potent if it’s transferred by some sort of physical contact. This can technically be anything but “kind” magic is amplified by a “kind” gesture, and kisses by themselves are special because they involve the lips. Words are powerful and a person’s voice is an extension of their spirit, so the place it passes through frequently is fairly spiritually charged already in most cases. A kiss can significantly increase the potency of a spell!
  
  Also, though, Ellie probably just thinks smooches are cute.
  
  And yes, we will! Soon hopefully!
  - caribouchat
    
    Ah! Great explanation! Thanks.
    Is that why Ulrich isn’t a ‘suitable candidate’? For lack of kindness?
    - Aria
      
      WELL while I’m linking pages anyway:
      
      Ulrich’s spiritual side is extremely underdeveloped! It’s hinted at a few times but most notably so far here and here. We’ve also determined that whatever spirituality he does have is somehow linked to his voice, and as far as we know he mostly uses it for Not Nice stuff. So it stands to reason that holy magic wouldn’t mix well with him. like trying to plant a flower in a pile of dried up wood chips
Amaaré

If Ellie’s going to go along, why does she need to transfer some of her magic to Roy? Surely as the same magic from the same source it should react just as badly to Phin and Ulrich when it’s coming off Roy instead?
- Aria
  
  This spell is like if you handed somebody a wireless router, sort of? Roy is basically holding an emitter and producing a low level protective field in a close radius around himself. Phin and Ulrich are only suffering from leftover effects of tain magic, they’re not actually carrying any with them, so they can hang out in the range of Ellie’s. It’s just that either of them could actually hold the source without their lingering bad vibes interfering with it.
  
  Ellie isn’t going along! She can’t get close to the tower because of Hazard’s opposing magic. Otherwise she could have just flown them all there herself and bypassed the elevator completely.
  - Amaaré
    
    Ah thanks I forgot that. LIke Caribou I was throws off by the “we”.
    - Aria
      
      hmmMMM using “we” is a personal habit, I didn’t think about it. I might go in and change it haha. I appreciate the input!
      - caribouchat
        
        Do as you like of course, but “we” also fits imho, even if she doesn’t go.
Elkian

“Not very stable” aka “it dropped us into a lake on the way to starshadow hell”.

Also, I love that Phineas is nowhere near as doofy as she seems, but her sincerity and emotional awareness combine to throw people off, either to make them more comfortable or by default. (Come to think of it, she was talking about practicing being reassuring… maybe because she knows people tend to get spooked by Commanders?)

And I love that she’s aware of Ulrich’s roughness and flaws and likes him despite -or because of!– them.

In a lot of ways she gives me Monkey D. Luffy vibes, but with an understanding of consequences and an extra brain cell or two. The fact that characters having flaws they need to address is persistent through the comic elevates it further, too. Love it here. <3
everentropy

I love that he’s kneeling like he’s just been knighted