4.41

Guess you just needed some motivation~

<Note: I guess some of the details are somewhat difficult to parse! That is 100% my fault; I’ve been finding these pages very difficult to color and I figured I’d slip up at some point. I need to move forward with the next page for the sake of just getting this chapter done, but will be coming back to several things in this chapter/ fixing up this and that. As usual you can feel free to point out whenever you see something confusing, but my one small request is please don’t leave your suggestions on how to fix… figuring out that stuff is like 90% of the fun for me so I’d ask you just leave me to it XD Thanks!>

Reader Plintoon drew this great Soli the other day… haven’t seen her in a while XD Check it out!

And some shingValentines if you missed them yesterday.

And a very big thank you to all of the $10+ Patrons from January :]

107 Comments

  • An Average Loser

    Hell Yeah!

  • LilyCEEZ

    GOOD.

  • Rachel

    Pinter has redeemed himself. :D

    • not a dog

      He was trying to keep Crazy Fanatic from stabbing Angora before — but this is much braver.

  • Lee M

    1. Yay Angora! Now THAT’S a trident!
    2. Please don’t let Pinter be dead.

    • Not anytime soon, unless an infection takes hold.

    • Crestlinger

      Angora can heal him, it’s not worse than what the nutjob had after all.

  • Lar

    YAS ANGORA

  • Fraaaaank...?

    Everyone who doubted Pinter should apologize.

    • manlyshimapan

      i don’t think so… he’s consistently proven himself to be a spineless jerk who’s only into stuff when there’s booze involved. this is progress, of course. let’s hope he doesn’t revert.

      • Fraaaaank...?

        Pulling this hero shit only counts as “progress”?

        Also, there wasn’t any booze involved in helping Angora in the first place, or coming back for her after meeting Etan, or giving her the map.

        • I’m not sure what angered him more. I mean, she tried to appropriate his map, his life’s work.

    • David

      I like Pinter- he’s got huge character flaws, but when it really matters, he does the right thing. Even before the pitchfork, I was impressed when he offered to give her his map. I think that’s his most valued possession.

      • Ar

        I like him too, even though I think drinking is an awful coping mechanism. I kinda wonder if maybe he actually thinks he cares *too much* about things, and he thinks that’s a problem in a world that has people like Tanome in it and those guys who were chasing after Angora. Maybe he drinks because he feels it gives him more of a backbone. Or maybe he’s just an alcoholic with some personal problems going on. Either way, he cares about Angora’s well-being, otherwise he wouldn’t have stuck around with her despite her being an unusual and ill-mannered person whom he hardly even knows. He’s flawed, but we haven’t seen him really hurting anyone unless they provoked him and presented themselves as a threat. Heck, he even called *himself* a jerk when he stormed away from her in the rain forest.

        • not a dog

          And some people are just addicts. It’s not something they grew up dreaming of being, or became out of laziness or through “immorality”, it’s just something about their body’s chemistry — like depression or ADD, or any number of socially acceptable malfunctions are.

  • Android 21 3/7

    I am a fan of this and you draw and color so much better than I do, so I feel terrible for saying this but… I had a hard time understanding what’s going on in this page. It took me a few passes to get it, but ordinarily it only takes me one. In panel 1, I thought Pinter threw his jacket at Angora rather than threw himself. I didn’t actually notice that head of hair and I thought the hand was Angora’s. Panel 2, I thought that was Angora because the lighting makes their hair a bit harder to tell apart. The hair was what caught my eye, even though careful examination revealed Pinters nose and eyebrows. Panel 4, I didn’t understand what happened to Pinter there. Took a few readthroughs to finally notice the branch.

    I’m not asking you to do this all over again. You’ve got so much on your plate already. Maybe I’m the only one who was having layout readability problems on this page…

    • Chris

      No, not just you. I get the first two panels and the last two panels (which I guess are the most important). The middle two panels confusilate me. It all looks lovely, though.

    • Falco

      You’re not the only one, you basically described the exact problems I had. I didn’t really have a problem with panel 2 but I also thought it was Angora at first glance.

      That said… Go Pinter! I never doubted him :)

    • Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, it gets confusing when the “true” colors are masked by “dark” lighting (ie when everything has to be blue and orange lol). I’ll noodle on it a bit.

      • DanialArin

        I was able to make sense of everything but the last panel. Pinter jumps in and takes the spear instead of Angora, and says something witty and menacing. The Religious Dominist tries to pull the spear out, but it’s barbed, and Pinter turns (or gets turned by something under him that we can’t see) and the spear gets pulled out of her grip. The Religious Dominist runs, and…

        Did a trident-shaped tree branch with shackle-like ends just stomp down and pin her to the ground, on Angora’s command? Because that was my second impression… The first was that something weird happened to the trident Pinter got stabbed with, probably because that seems like something that would happen in Mare Internum.

        • In the 4th panel Angora misses the too religious lady and hits Pinter in the jaw instead – that’s where the ‘aim’ comment form Pinter comes from, and in the last panel she doens’t miss smacking Tanome right in the kisser with the trident-branch – so yeah your second impression was right :)

        • Wolfy

          Also, Tanome didn’t successfully pull out the trident. 3rd panel she was trying, but in the 4th where Angora accidentally hits Pinter with the branch (which is what I have the hardest time actually seeing happen) he sort of rolls back, probably from the force of the branch-punch. You can see the staff of the trident sticking almost straight up between Angora and Pinter’s heads in that panel. His rolling back pulled it from her grasp. So as far as I can tell, poor Pinter is still a kebab. XD But that could be useful for hunting and fishing after they actually split from the crazy people, lol.

          • DanialArin

            I did say Pinter’s change of orientation pulled the trident out of Tanome’s hands. Or at least that’s what I thought I said…

            What I missed in all that was the summoning and commanding of branches. I missed that as the cause of Pinter’s change in position. And I have no idea where the foliage which hit Tanome actually came from, though it kind of looks like it came down from above.

          • mootstrap

            Thanks guys. I also had trouble figuring this out. I don’t think I got anything right the first time…

            I had thought that the first panel was Pinter interposing his pack to protect Angora, not his body. And I basically missed both the attempt to pull out the spear and the counter attack with the branch in panels 3, 4, and 5. After your explanations, I basically see it all, now, though. So thanks.

    • Luces

      Likewise. So sorry , but I really can’t see who did what to whom on this page

      • Haha, yeah, will probably be redrawing down the line.

        • Luces

          Much better! Thanks a lot, and whow! Three cheers for Pinter!

  • Fruckert

    Unconscious? I was under the assumption she got resurrected somehow. Probably a bad read on my part x)

    • If she was resurrected, Pinter might not know that.

  • Javi

    I was actually starting to worry we wouldn’t get to see something like panel 6 in this whole scene.

    • Chris

      Would that be florakinesis?

      • David

        veggiekinesis

      • Dante

        I think in this case, Floramancy might work better.

      • Grace

        I think the proper term for this would be dendrokinesis (dendro- = “tree/treelike” + -kinesis = “motion or movement”)

        /RANDOM GREEK

        • Tom

          I dunno, I would have thought it would be “tele-something,” since it’s the “at a distance” aspect that really reflects the supernatural element of what’s going on. The word “telekinesis,” I get, & everyone knows “television,” but “pyrokinesis” always bugged me because it seemed it should really be “telepyrosis,” so should whatever the heck Angora is doing maybe be “teleblastis” (my hopeless attempt to assemble “tele” and “blastikos” to get “remote sprouting/budding”) or something like that?

          /NOT TOUCHED ANCIENT GREEK SINCE SCHOOL

          • Minothor

            Phytokinesis probably

  • Spark

    Oh man poor Pinter. Getting stabbed is one thing, but that frog spear was barbed. Getting it ripped out has gotta hurt.

    • Tom

      THREE barbs, no less, each an inch from the next. OUCH. That’s gonna do some damage.

      OK, OK, you got this, Pinter, it’s just like a fish hook, really, everyone knows how to remove those. You push it all the way through and out the other side, then cut off the barbs. Um, does anyone happen to have a pair of bolt-cutters in their traveling kit….?

  • jsfury

    It’s a little hard to read the action at first, but I get it. Panel four appears as if Pinter has snapped the shaft of the trident as to keep the business end of the weapon away from wack job. Still I think it would have been a little advantageous for Pinter to take his ruck sack and smack Tanome in the head. That might have given Pinter enough to knock the bitch down and get the spear. If he survives the stab he runs the risk of bad infection, and serious complication. As for Angora, RIGHTEOUS BABY! You go girl.

    Does the word trident mean “Three Teeth” in Latin?

    • Lee M

      ‘Does the word trident mean “Three Teeth” in Latin?’

      Yes: ‘The word “trident” comes from the French word trident, which in turn comes from the Latin word tridens or tridentis: tri “three” and dentes “teeth”. Sanskrit trishula is compound of tri त्रि “three””thorn”. The Greek equivalent is τρίαινα (tríaina), from Proto-Greek trianja (threefold).’ (Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trident )

    • David

      I had to look at that a bit too. I think what’s actually happening is that Angora’s first attack misfires, and Pinter gets jabbed in the chin by a root. So, he tells Angora that she needs to work on her aim.

      That would be pretty slick if Pinter twisted the spear out of her grip, but I think Tanome just drops it out of surprise when she sees the root. Etan witnessed it already, but Tanome never saw it before.

    • Asterai

      Lucky for Pinter, he knows someone who can heal people in her sleep. I doubt infection will be an issue.

      While smacking Tanome in the head *might* have been a better choice overall, diving in front of the spear speaks volumes about Pinter’s nature and significantly reduces the chance that fucking up will result in Angora’s immediate death.

      He might bitch and moan about having a person around to observe his alcoholism, lack of woodcraft, and general crankiness, but Pinter really does feel responsible for Angora’s safety, and won’t hesitate to put himself in harm’s way for her.

      Trident *totally* means three teeth, I never caught that before. :)

  • Ar

    TREEEEE SMAAAASH!
    Ouch, poor Pinter! D:

  • manlyshimapan

    GOOD. also nice going pinter! you’re finally looking like a more decent human!

  • Miranda

    I’m a little confused on what happened in the fourth panel. Did Pinter get hit by Angora or something like that?

    Anyway though, it’s about time this lady got what was coming to her.

    • Yep, basically… she makes that little stick that was not there in panel 3 and it gets him in the jaw.

  • Pitchfork in his side and he can still muster up enough strength to be snarky. Classic Pinter XD.

  • manô

    I thought it was Angora who was talking in the second panel! Had to go over it a couple of times to figure out it was Pinter.
    Also I’m not sure what’s happening in the three vertical ones, on the bottom left?
    I’m guessing Angora misses and hits Pinter with her planty thing by mistake??

    Signed,

    Bad At Reading Comics

    • Tom

      If I’m reading this right, the plant is sprouting up out of the ground, arcing over and then smashing back down into Tanome. I imagine Angora was much more focused on where it was going to hit than where it was going to start from – tunnel vision and all that.

  • Would it be useful if I gave a description of what I perceived as I read this comic? If not, feel free to ignore this comment. :-P [the text was pared down past this point by Shingworks~]

    • Haha, that’s not necessary. A simple “Panel 2 is unclear” or whatever is enough info for me to go on. A general rule of thumb I tend to go by is not to offer detailed crits unless the artist specifically asks. I know you didn’t see them as concrit but just letting you know that level of breakdown is a little bit inappropriate, maybe akin to coming into someone’s house and explaining in detail all the things that look weird without them having asked.

      Head’s up: since it was so long in proportion to other comments, I’m going to edit your comment down; generally I am trying to discourage this direction of commentary (at least in this comments section! defs go ahead and rip my stuff apart on other not-here forums if it is fun or useful to you). Thank you for understanding and let me know if you’d like your original text for whatever reason; I’ll keep it on file for a few days just in case.

      • Ah, sorry it was inappropriate! I’m still trying to get a sense of who wants what level of detail (or even feedback at all) …and I probably should have asked first.

        No need to keep a copy, but that’s very nice of you.

        • Hey, no problem XD Thanks so much for understanding, I know you wrote all that because you care about the story :]

  • Arianwen

    Let’s take time to appreciate how after all that murder-promising, in panel five Tanome goes, “Oh no! An extremely small stick!” and LEGS IT allegro vivace.

  • Vert

    Yes! Pinter says what we’re all thinking!

    FWIW, I had no trouble following the panels. I think the movement of Angora’s new “tree” is a bit hard to follow, but hey, sometimes life *is* hard to see.

    The important thing is that Tanome is now neutralized and probably won’t be frog-sticking anyone else tonight :D

  • lamepudding

    his bionic body must be powered by alcohol.

  • Felis Leo

    Okay, so if Tanome represents the typical Carissi (with the “exile-or-murder-anyone-who-isn’t-us” attitude), then I can understand Emperor Luca wanting to wage a war of extermination against them. Let Angora be the fist of 30 years of built-up Pasori vengeance! Uh, wait, is Angora Pasori? What is the sandy platinum-haired-turned-green-haired ethnic group?

    • Lilian

      Angora is Carissi.

      • Felis Leo

        Oh. :I

        Never mind.

  • Nick

    There isn’t a lot of blood, and “Kshh” isn’t the usual stabbing sound effect – I’m guessing one of Pinter’s bottles took most of the attack.

    • lol, when I was/(am) play fighting with my brother we usually use “GOOSH” as a stab sfx. This fight is pretty cartoony so I thought it’d be funny.

  • Black Chitinous King First Navigator Forger Of Truth Subjugates The Broken

    Leave her there to recollect and reflect among the stone and wood.

    Leave her to die.

    • Dreadogastus

      Ahhhh! It’s a scout from the corrupt world of Throne. Some body power up the dimensional shields.

  • I also couldn’t tell Pinter threw himself in front of Angora, I thought crazy lady deliberately attacked him. Second panel I also thought it was Angora speaking. It was the comments that clarified for me what happened.

  • anameer

    Okay I’m mighty confused about the last panel. Angora’s hand gesture suggests that a root should have grown up, but instead the motion of that tree(?) makes it look like it came from above?

    • anameer

      Nevermind I get it now! Something came out of Angora and landed on Tanome, yes?

    • @anameer you could interpret it as her hand shoving down a trident on that last panel. :)

  • DukeBG

    I got everything except where did the tree-trident on the last panel come from. It looks like randomly from branches somewhere above, I guess. It’s also weird how it is pouring through her fingers — did it not push Tanome to the ground? If so, why was itso gentle with her hands. But that is a minor thing.

    • DukeBG

      Oh, wait, I’ve noticed a column behind Angora now!

      • it started to grow pretty close to Pinter’s face

  • AEM

    Well, well! It seems that little passage from Exodus about what happens when you oppress strangers and orphans has come to pass, albeit by means of a psychically-animated tree instead of a sword.

  • Was a bit confused but it’s her hand on the first panel, not Pinter’s XD

    • No, it’s his (he’s got the more square fingernails)… that panel obviously needs less of a zoom than what I gave it~

  • I dunno if it was intentional, but I absolutely love that the tree in the last panel is shaped like Tanome’s own weapon.

  • Pinter finally! :D (also you deserved that smack from that stick – now you’re atoned for your assholness :D)
    Also Angora finally too! Everyone is taking action and it’s great!

  • Did pinter just get a trident in the ribcage? Because that’s not good for your health

    • anameer

      Nothing a little moss healing can’t handle, I’m sure.

      • SomeUnregPunk

        Nothing a little booze can’t handle, I’m sure.

        ftfy.

  • Claire

    Well, I read your comments guys, but I don’t agree with you, I think the page is quite easy to read. I didn’t get confused at all.

    Be nice to the author guys °^° He’s amazing. (I know you already are, but just to be sure)

    • Patrick

      *She’s amazing.

  • Temmeh

    *GASP* PINTEEEERRRRR
    I di’nt mean it when I said I hated you all is forgiven ilu bro ;A;

  • Felis Leo

    Ms. Helmer, could you please, please, please make Angora’s next line of dialogue be: “Where’s your God now, b****?”

    Or, you know, something along those lines? :)

  • Jonas

    Well, looks like Pinter probably stumbled and fell in the right direction. :-s

    j/k Pinter. It was ok.

  • RichWalk9891

    Might not have been the wisest move to jump in front of the weapon, but at least Pinter stopped Tanome from needlessly killing someone.

    And where is Etan in all of this so far? I doubt he’ll take Angora subduing Tanome with her powers in stride.

  • Dreampiper

    FINALLY! The suspenseful buildup to Tanome’s eventual butt-kicking was staggering!

  • msouth

    I LOVE how in the last panel it looks like she tried to stop it as it came and it just sprouted/forked right between her fingers.

    • Vert

      It seems like Angora’s plant “blasts” don’t really move as a whole, but just grow as a plant would, *very* quickly in a given direction.

      Putting your hand up to stop it would be like trying to stop a waterfall, except the water is made of splinters.

  • well things certinly are starting to reach a climactic “point” i barb becareful i dont get skewered xD

    one thing i really like about Pinter and Angora’s characters is they are very real and i can relate to Pinter, with all his problems, probably why i like his character so much, aside from the fact that i dont drink anymore and well pinter does LOL, but has i said i can relate, he’s unsure of himself at times, often worried hes gonan screw something else up, lacking that self confidence, but over all being able to stand up and do whats right when it counts.

    Thanks Shing for an awsome comic, with fantastic, art, colours, and a most amazing story.

    LJ

  • Lilian

    Atta boy, Pinter.

    Now to get the trident out of your chest. If those barbs managed to slide into your rib cage, under normal wandering-the-jungle circumstances they would be a royal pain to get out.

  • aroree

    Yay Pinter!! Big Hero Moment! And good job Angora.

  • Danea

    Woo! Go Pinter. You have officially gotten into the being a good guy book. Thought it’d take you longer, honestly, but this is definitely a cool way to do it. Now it’s your turn to protect him Angora. And we have a symbiotic relationship at last. :)

  • Miriam

    The colors on this page, and the last few ones, are so beautiful. I love the blue/orange lighting. It really makes these pages look fantastic and unusual.
    But… *ducks brick* I also was confused. It took me ages to figure out that Angora had healed the crazy woman, since it cut from the flashback at the temple/mental hospital (?) to Miss Cray-Cray all better.
    This comic is amazing. I’ve been following since chapter 1, and I’m so happy that you’re back.

  • squidlifecrisis

    unpopular opinion but I didn’t have any trouble figuring out what happened :<

    • SomeUnregPunk

      eh. I didn’t have a problem too.
      Perhaps because I was rereading this chapter when this update came out.
      It’s clear if you have reading the story or remember the artwork from previous pages.

      Perhaps if panel 3 was zoomed out more so that it’s clear that Pinter’s face is closer to a ground without a plant near him?

      I dunno.

  • Jędrzej

    Awww, Pinter. I will make mental cocoa for you ;]

  • Perlite

    “My name is Angora. I speak for the trees. And right now they’re saying, ‘TAKE THIS ASSHOLE DOWN.'”
    Pinter speaks for all of us.

  • That’s gonna make a fun conversation with her husband
    “so THIS is what you call being a proper person ? Stealing my map ? Stabbing defenseless kids ?”

    • SomeUnregPunk

      that’s if she is her husband. What if she is a religious leader and is on the run with one of her priests because of all the war crap that is happening back in the empire?

      • That’s an… interesting theory.

        (I doubt it’s that tho)

  • robin

    noscoped

  • Jac

    HECK YEAH

  • Ceceoh

    I was watching a show about Ötzi the Iceman mummy last night, and thought “Hey! That kind of looks like the thing that nailed Tanome.”

  • 0btuse

    Is it just me or does Angora’s powers manifest more strongly when someone other than herself (Pinter in two cases) is in danger?

  • zmm

    Good Pinter. Now keep up the good side of your character progression~
    also
    yeah really need to practice up her ability using~ granted you totally did desersve that bit. Not hte stabbing just the slap from her(power)

    Hum where is the husband this whole time? He sure was quiet, and was quiet when his wife was gonna gut a little girl.
    I wonder if he ditched as soon as pinter got ganked.

    I hope she can heal him ok..
    given how that lady looks planty..
    i wonder if pinter(when healed) and (unfortunately) that lady will gain some sorta benefit from plant style

  • Gean

    I still remember very well how did Pinter meet Angora, so I never doubted that he won’t let her be killed now :D
    I just… have to believe that this or that person is good, maybe just lost, tired and broken, but good.
    So, come on, people… I want that everybody find their own happiness. All of you, and these characters too. Hear me? Pinter, Angora, be happy! You, angry woman, stop stabbing innocent people who saved you and be happy too!

  • Dreadogastus

    It took me a minute to unravel the action on this page. But only a minute.
    Being a student of fighting, I appreciated the fact that in a real tussle things are rarely clear cut. You get attacked and start moving. Only afterwards can you unravel the moves that were made.

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