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yuuagoMore interesting developments! We learn a little more about Reynir, and Sigrun and Emil have some great teamwork moments, aaaand some other characters make an appearance. :D ... Actually, a ton of stuff happens in this chapter, and it's hard to pin just a few things down.
I've now officially run out of comic, as chapter 8 is only a few pages in. So I think that what I'll do for the future is try to keep up with the daily updates, and then at the end of the chapter, do a readthrough of it. Because I do actually enjoy doing these entries a lot - they're a great way to get all of my tl;dr thoughts down, and comment on particular character moments that I like, and specific parts of the art that I think look awesome, and so on. Anyway, onward!
The monster in this chapter is a Beast, which is neat because we haven't focused much on those yet. In this particular case, it's a former dog. It's less scary than it is... sad. Poor thing. Though there are some, er, moments.
Reynir spends a lot of this chapter trying to figure out ways to be useful (and failing). Poor kid, I don't blame him for wanting to help, but he just gets in the way. But then...! SECRET MAGIC, YES. Well, it was pretty clearly foreshadowed that he would have some kind of mage ability, but since the details were hidden, it was kind of up in the air as to the nature of it. So, he could potentially be useful in the future...! Problem is, he isn't useful yet.
Onni shows up again! I'm rather glad for it, because I'm interested in the Tuuri-Lalli-Onni family dynamic; it's something I'm really curious about. The moments between him and Lalli in this chapter are great, and I'm so glad that we got to see that.
Anyway, let's talk specifics.
Chapter header is beautiful as always. Ooh, how ominous and mysterious. I only notice just now that the beast-dog has a collar on... ;3; It really is very creepy, though, even when it isn't in monster-form. Yeek.
"We can't be sure where he's stuck his head last night" Laughing at Mikkel's "You don't know where he's BEEN" attitude but, I suppose he's right, you can't be too careful. Even if it means you end up treating Lalli like a cat that's been running around all night getting into who-knows-what. ...Anyway. Sigrun doesn't like reading? Well, I didn't foresee the subject coming up, but I'm not terribly surprised. She, um, doesn't seem like the type. Oh, I wonder how she would feel about hearing stories told to her, though! (Or perhaps she'd prefer to be the one doing the telling...)
I love everything going on in the top row. Emil's attempt at being reassuring and friendly (even if he knows Lalli has zero idea of what he's saying), Sigrun's enthusiasm and Emil's... not-quite-enthusiastic response... From the looks of it, he's still a little shaken from the previous salvage mission. Pfff. Gird your loins, boy! You've got a job to do.
I have a feeling that Mikkel deliberately wrapped Reynir up like that so that it'd be a pain in the ass to wiggle out of it. Stay put, you. If he can't get out, then he can't get into trouble. Or can he?
Holy shit this page is absolutely gorgeous. All those delicious decayed city details! And Sigrun and Emil right in the middle of it, ahhh. Those two...! Overall, it looks like they're developing a very mentor-mentee relationship, I suppose one could say, and I really like that. It's not quite what I would call a friendship, and that makes sense due to the differences in experience and age and so on. But it sure is cool - it's the kind of thing I always like to see.
Emil's clueless face really makes this page for me. 8T PFFF. Also... "pretty guy" eeeheheehee I'll just sit here and laugh a moment, ahem. Oh, Sigrun. (But, still. ≖‿≖ ) Silly stuff aside, I love Emil's lingering cautiousness, and Sigrun's... clever demonstration of how that building is complete crap. She doesn't beat around the bush. Speaking of which, though, the subject of "crap buildings" reminds me of a nonfiction book I once read, Alan Weiseman's The World Without Us, which took a detailed look at how the physical remnants of human society would weather if humans suddenly disappeared. A lot of modern buildings simply aren't built to last - they're little more than clapboard. Get a bit of moisture in, and FWUMP. Mush. Now, I don't know if the author has read that book, but maybe they have. ... As for me, it might be useful for me to read it again if I plan to do any worldbuilding in fic; judging by what I remember of it, it could be rather useful.
Oho, what did she find? That's... not quite what it is, Emil, but good try. It makes me wonder, though, would any place have the tech to run CDs/DVDs? Like I've mentioned in a previous post, the technology in this story is more advanced than I had originally expected, but there are some places where it falls short. But, if there is something out there that can run these discs - and there very well might be - then it's probably in Reykjavík.
This page is simply gorgeous. That boat! That background! AHH more pretty dreamworld shenanigans, yes, I am ready for this. And then more prettiness (and a hint of creepiness). Oh man, I wish that a dialogueless/panelless version of that main panel existed; it's so fucking beautiful. And then more dialogueless prettiness, ahh.
Aha, Lalli finally appears! Well, sort of (323, 324, 325, 326). Needless to say, Lalli isn't pleased, but I certainly can't blame him. Pretty cool magic, though. He doesn't seem to realize that Reynir isn't stepping into his dream intentionally - I wonder if he would be less abrupt if he did know that. ... Probably not. He and Reynir are getting off to a pretty bad start, and I don't really foresee their relations improving any time soon.
Aaand Onni makes an appearance! And he's not happy to see this stranger, bit of communication fail going on there. Quite a re-introduction. I like how forceful he is, though (even if it's at Reynir's expense); he comes off pretty tough here, and I like it. OH I love how he's so worried about Tuuri though. "Is she okay? Is she homesick?" What a caring older brother. <3 <3 Though we only have these kind of hints about their relations, it seems like he and Tuuri get along really well. It's very sweet.
The top panel is lovely and I must confess, I was hoping for a heartfelt hug there, what with the way Onni and Lalli were running toward each other like that. But - I guess neither of them is really the huggy sort. And the shoulder pat and "I am glad to see you" says so much, anyway. The scenes where Lalli speaks feel really odd to me; he's so quiet ordinarily, so it's strange - and very interesting! - to see his personality come out from another, different angle. Especially when it's in what I would call a professional context, like this. And ahh, Onni's thankfulness and Reynir's enthusiasm at helping with it... I appreciate so much about those two panels.
As far as Lalli and Onni go (332, 333, 334) I like the combined familial/mentor dynamic they have, at least what we've seen so far. Onni tells him what to do, but he isn't forceful about it. The impression that I get is that they're very comfortable with each other. And ahhh - "Have you made any friends yet?" "Maybe. Kind of. One." Lalli considers Emil a friend! I'm so glad! <3 <3 Earlier, it's kind of up in the air - Emil is obviously friendly toward Lalli, but sometimes it's really hard to judge how Lalli feels about that, because his responses are hard to read, though obviously he would be a lot more standoffish if he didn't accept the gestures at all. It's nice to have confirmation that Lalli at least feels there could be the potential for something there. ... Though the language barrier is a huge problem.
Now, that scene with the dog beast (337, 338, 339) Emil's reaction, I just - "Sorry! I'm sorry! I told you not to move! I'm so sorry!" Christ, I just want to scoop that kid up and hug him. He has those moments where he's kind of a jerk, and I like that, but then he also has moments where he's like this, and I love that too.
Holy shit WHAT that thing is TERRIFYING like jfc I just ugh.... Oh but this is interesting, apparently sunlight has some kind of effect. This was implied/referred to previously, but it's nice to have a direct example of that.
While I like seeing Sigrun with a cat on her head, the context and the particular cat's condition leave me feeling a little weepy. Sob. (I hope that there will be a point some time in the future where she has a cat for a hat and it is perfectly okay, thank YOU very much) And EMIL oh no, poor guy. BUT WAIT, there's one left! So, I guess this is our newest cast member. :D
Ahh, Mikkel springing into action! And... then... cats. A very "I'm a doctor, not a vet!" moment. Emil is taking it hard and while I sympathize, well... He's clearly got a lot to learn. Sigrun seems a bit too sharp with regards to all this, but Emil's too soft, I think. It's understandable, but - you'll have to learn from this, buddy. Also, I love how Tuuri is translating for/explaining things to Reynir (and also Sigrun having to translate Mikkel for Emil!) Moments like that, where they all have to get around for the communication barrier, really interest me. I love to see how they handle it. And I'm really curious as to whether friendship will develop between Reynir and Tuuri in the future. They're both kind of awkward, kind of shy, kind of non-confrontational (Tuuri's awkward attempt to get him out of her hair earlier in the chapter in the chapter is a pretty good example of this) It might be that they're too similar, but on the other hand, I think they're both willing to try.
And when the dog returns (357, 358, 359, 360, 361) I like how Emil takes charge there. This is, essentially, his problem, and it looks to me as though he feels it's something he should take responsibility for. Not that he caused it or led it there, but he saw it from the beginning, and it's his to deal with. I love the gentle way he talks to it ("Don't run away now"), even apologizing after he takes care of it. ("I'm sorry! I'll bury you tomorrow. I promise.") It's... sweet and sad, even while the scene is pretty creepy.
The chapter ends on a downer note, but even with the lack of burial, I think Emil got some closure, at least.
I've started to read the next chapter, but as I mentioned above, I'm going to try to keep up with it daily, and then do a re-read when it's at the end. Not sure how this will actually pan out, but we'll have to see. I'm usually terrible at keeping up with things like daily comics, which is why I took so long to give in to reading this one. But for SSSS, I think it will be worth it.
And now that I'm caught up, I'll be able to start poking around the fannish perimeters! I'm very excited. :D Though who knows what I will find.
I've now officially run out of comic, as chapter 8 is only a few pages in. So I think that what I'll do for the future is try to keep up with the daily updates, and then at the end of the chapter, do a readthrough of it. Because I do actually enjoy doing these entries a lot - they're a great way to get all of my tl;dr thoughts down, and comment on particular character moments that I like, and specific parts of the art that I think look awesome, and so on. Anyway, onward!
The monster in this chapter is a Beast, which is neat because we haven't focused much on those yet. In this particular case, it's a former dog. It's less scary than it is... sad. Poor thing. Though there are some, er, moments.
Reynir spends a lot of this chapter trying to figure out ways to be useful (and failing). Poor kid, I don't blame him for wanting to help, but he just gets in the way. But then...! SECRET MAGIC, YES. Well, it was pretty clearly foreshadowed that he would have some kind of mage ability, but since the details were hidden, it was kind of up in the air as to the nature of it. So, he could potentially be useful in the future...! Problem is, he isn't useful yet.
Onni shows up again! I'm rather glad for it, because I'm interested in the Tuuri-Lalli-Onni family dynamic; it's something I'm really curious about. The moments between him and Lalli in this chapter are great, and I'm so glad that we got to see that.
Anyway, let's talk specifics.
Chapter header is beautiful as always. Ooh, how ominous and mysterious. I only notice just now that the beast-dog has a collar on... ;3; It really is very creepy, though, even when it isn't in monster-form. Yeek.
"We can't be sure where he's stuck his head last night" Laughing at Mikkel's "You don't know where he's BEEN" attitude but, I suppose he's right, you can't be too careful. Even if it means you end up treating Lalli like a cat that's been running around all night getting into who-knows-what. ...Anyway. Sigrun doesn't like reading? Well, I didn't foresee the subject coming up, but I'm not terribly surprised. She, um, doesn't seem like the type. Oh, I wonder how she would feel about hearing stories told to her, though! (Or perhaps she'd prefer to be the one doing the telling...)
I love everything going on in the top row. Emil's attempt at being reassuring and friendly (even if he knows Lalli has zero idea of what he's saying), Sigrun's enthusiasm and Emil's... not-quite-enthusiastic response... From the looks of it, he's still a little shaken from the previous salvage mission. Pfff. Gird your loins, boy! You've got a job to do.
I have a feeling that Mikkel deliberately wrapped Reynir up like that so that it'd be a pain in the ass to wiggle out of it. Stay put, you. If he can't get out, then he can't get into trouble. Or can he?
Holy shit this page is absolutely gorgeous. All those delicious decayed city details! And Sigrun and Emil right in the middle of it, ahhh. Those two...! Overall, it looks like they're developing a very mentor-mentee relationship, I suppose one could say, and I really like that. It's not quite what I would call a friendship, and that makes sense due to the differences in experience and age and so on. But it sure is cool - it's the kind of thing I always like to see.
Emil's clueless face really makes this page for me. 8T PFFF. Also... "pretty guy" eeeheheehee I'll just sit here and laugh a moment, ahem. Oh, Sigrun. (But, still. ≖‿≖ ) Silly stuff aside, I love Emil's lingering cautiousness, and Sigrun's... clever demonstration of how that building is complete crap. She doesn't beat around the bush. Speaking of which, though, the subject of "crap buildings" reminds me of a nonfiction book I once read, Alan Weiseman's The World Without Us, which took a detailed look at how the physical remnants of human society would weather if humans suddenly disappeared. A lot of modern buildings simply aren't built to last - they're little more than clapboard. Get a bit of moisture in, and FWUMP. Mush. Now, I don't know if the author has read that book, but maybe they have. ... As for me, it might be useful for me to read it again if I plan to do any worldbuilding in fic; judging by what I remember of it, it could be rather useful.
Oho, what did she find? That's... not quite what it is, Emil, but good try. It makes me wonder, though, would any place have the tech to run CDs/DVDs? Like I've mentioned in a previous post, the technology in this story is more advanced than I had originally expected, but there are some places where it falls short. But, if there is something out there that can run these discs - and there very well might be - then it's probably in Reykjavík.
This page is simply gorgeous. That boat! That background! AHH more pretty dreamworld shenanigans, yes, I am ready for this. And then more prettiness (and a hint of creepiness). Oh man, I wish that a dialogueless/panelless version of that main panel existed; it's so fucking beautiful. And then more dialogueless prettiness, ahh.
Aha, Lalli finally appears! Well, sort of (323, 324, 325, 326). Needless to say, Lalli isn't pleased, but I certainly can't blame him. Pretty cool magic, though. He doesn't seem to realize that Reynir isn't stepping into his dream intentionally - I wonder if he would be less abrupt if he did know that. ... Probably not. He and Reynir are getting off to a pretty bad start, and I don't really foresee their relations improving any time soon.
Aaand Onni makes an appearance! And he's not happy to see this stranger, bit of communication fail going on there. Quite a re-introduction. I like how forceful he is, though (even if it's at Reynir's expense); he comes off pretty tough here, and I like it. OH I love how he's so worried about Tuuri though. "Is she okay? Is she homesick?" What a caring older brother. <3 <3 Though we only have these kind of hints about their relations, it seems like he and Tuuri get along really well. It's very sweet.
The top panel is lovely and I must confess, I was hoping for a heartfelt hug there, what with the way Onni and Lalli were running toward each other like that. But - I guess neither of them is really the huggy sort. And the shoulder pat and "I am glad to see you" says so much, anyway. The scenes where Lalli speaks feel really odd to me; he's so quiet ordinarily, so it's strange - and very interesting! - to see his personality come out from another, different angle. Especially when it's in what I would call a professional context, like this. And ahh, Onni's thankfulness and Reynir's enthusiasm at helping with it... I appreciate so much about those two panels.
As far as Lalli and Onni go (332, 333, 334) I like the combined familial/mentor dynamic they have, at least what we've seen so far. Onni tells him what to do, but he isn't forceful about it. The impression that I get is that they're very comfortable with each other. And ahhh - "Have you made any friends yet?" "Maybe. Kind of. One." Lalli considers Emil a friend! I'm so glad! <3 <3 Earlier, it's kind of up in the air - Emil is obviously friendly toward Lalli, but sometimes it's really hard to judge how Lalli feels about that, because his responses are hard to read, though obviously he would be a lot more standoffish if he didn't accept the gestures at all. It's nice to have confirmation that Lalli at least feels there could be the potential for something there. ... Though the language barrier is a huge problem.
Now, that scene with the dog beast (337, 338, 339) Emil's reaction, I just - "Sorry! I'm sorry! I told you not to move! I'm so sorry!" Christ, I just want to scoop that kid up and hug him. He has those moments where he's kind of a jerk, and I like that, but then he also has moments where he's like this, and I love that too.
Holy shit WHAT that thing is TERRIFYING like jfc I just ugh.... Oh but this is interesting, apparently sunlight has some kind of effect. This was implied/referred to previously, but it's nice to have a direct example of that.
While I like seeing Sigrun with a cat on her head, the context and the particular cat's condition leave me feeling a little weepy. Sob. (I hope that there will be a point some time in the future where she has a cat for a hat and it is perfectly okay, thank YOU very much) And EMIL oh no, poor guy. BUT WAIT, there's one left! So, I guess this is our newest cast member. :D
Ahh, Mikkel springing into action! And... then... cats. A very "I'm a doctor, not a vet!" moment. Emil is taking it hard and while I sympathize, well... He's clearly got a lot to learn. Sigrun seems a bit too sharp with regards to all this, but Emil's too soft, I think. It's understandable, but - you'll have to learn from this, buddy. Also, I love how Tuuri is translating for/explaining things to Reynir (and also Sigrun having to translate Mikkel for Emil!) Moments like that, where they all have to get around for the communication barrier, really interest me. I love to see how they handle it. And I'm really curious as to whether friendship will develop between Reynir and Tuuri in the future. They're both kind of awkward, kind of shy, kind of non-confrontational (Tuuri's awkward attempt to get him out of her hair earlier in the chapter in the chapter is a pretty good example of this) It might be that they're too similar, but on the other hand, I think they're both willing to try.
And when the dog returns (357, 358, 359, 360, 361) I like how Emil takes charge there. This is, essentially, his problem, and it looks to me as though he feels it's something he should take responsibility for. Not that he caused it or led it there, but he saw it from the beginning, and it's his to deal with. I love the gentle way he talks to it ("Don't run away now"), even apologizing after he takes care of it. ("I'm sorry! I'll bury you tomorrow. I promise.") It's... sweet and sad, even while the scene is pretty creepy.
The chapter ends on a downer note, but even with the lack of burial, I think Emil got some closure, at least.
I've started to read the next chapter, but as I mentioned above, I'm going to try to keep up with it daily, and then do a re-read when it's at the end. Not sure how this will actually pan out, but we'll have to see. I'm usually terrible at keeping up with things like daily comics, which is why I took so long to give in to reading this one. But for SSSS, I think it will be worth it.
And now that I'm caught up, I'll be able to start poking around the fannish perimeters! I'm very excited. :D Though who knows what I will find.
Yuu. Fic writer & book lover. M/Canada.