Saint James Infirmary #815: “A Kiss in the Dark”

[Daphne]

Written by: Daphne • Inks: Plutonian Knight • Colors and Lettering: Octavia Moon

[Foxrun]

So this issue almost made me cancel my subscription, not because there was anything offensive, but more because of what the cliffhanger represents. I have been a long time proponent of taking the harem away from Adrian. I find him the driest character mixed into a cast of some of the most interesting and hottest characters on this site. Way too often I find myself hating him because he is (in some cases literally) wining because he has a harem of sexy mind controlled slaves, who not only still have their personalities, but have enough autonomy that they can go about their lives without him. He has what all of us want and he has the gull to be a wet blanket over his story. Anyway, I think the easiest way to fix his character is to make him go through a hardship, not like losing a girlfriend before the story started, but like losing Erin. Let Erin fall under this love spell. Let a plan fall apart. Let our "hero" lose. Make him come back from the edge.

So why was this cliffhanger so disappointing to me. Well because it stopped right before the spell was finalized. There are only two reasons you would stop at that point. Either the spell will not be completed and Erin will be safe in the arms of her cardboard cutout once the cloud dissipates, or they need the spell to be finished at a very specific point in the other parallel plots. I am praying for the latter

[Daphne]

(reads ahead in the written and drawn issues.)

Oh, man. Oh oh oh.

(cackles evilly)

[laguna85]

Adrian lose he first love Echo Fletcher mind to tits and holes.
this issue Is not Adrian banging Erin. This is Erin first boyfriend Aiken and may take Erin away from Adrian
This also charge up Erin powers?
So we have Cherry and Aiken and Erin
Erin try true to Adian.
I think this Cliffhanger Have not end.
may like fast ending?
Please do not take wrong way 

[GodWilling]

He has what all of us want

The ability to grow a floppy fringe if we wanted to?

[mns_95125]

This basic scenario, Erin falling under someone else's control, has been teased at least twice already: during the dive into Pearl's memory and in the encounter with the Jakobite.  If the threat keeps cropping up but never lands, it loses its bite.  Instead of "Oh, no, what will happen" you'll get "Erin's in trouble again, must be Tuesday."

I'm hoping that the repeated threat gets carried out this time.  Adrian needs something personal to fight for, and Erin is the best candidate.

[Haight]

This basic scenario, Erin falling under someone else's control, has been teased at least twice already: during the dive into Pearl's memory and in the encounter with the Jakobite.  If the threat keeps cropping up but never lands, it loses its bite.  Instead of "Oh, no, what will happen" you'll get "Erin's in trouble again, must be Tuesday."

Some people get off on the eternal peril-dance, but I find it to be poor storytelling.

One thing I hope is that the next scene isn't just a controlled Erin with what exactly happened to her left hidden to build fake tension.

[Daphne]

You might want to advert your eyes, then. It's going to be horrible. Just horrible.

[GodWilling]

There are only two reasons you would stop at that point.

It seems to me that at this point Erin is making one last direct appeal to Aiken, so this shifts the focus firmly back onto him: will he or won't he? That seems a legitimate cliff-hanger. I do have issues with this thread though.

1) I don't know who Aiken is. That is to say, if he succumbs to temptation here, or simply turns out to be evil, I can't possibly be either surprised or disappointed. Nor can my peril fetish be called up for action.

2) On a related note, outside of The Cloud, one imagines a humorous scene in the coffee shop with Aiken looking embarrassed as it becomes apparent to Adrian that Erin is now bound by a love spell to another great idiot. What is at stake here?

3) Why doesn't she just knee him in the balls? (Actually, is there some way that I can knee him in the balls?)

If it's any consolation, I'm guessing that 641 hints that what's happening here is important, as does 510. Although Erin's response to 641 looks pretty unfortunate in retrospect.

Some people get off on the eternal peril-dance, but I find it to be poor storytelling.

I can only speak for my own foibles, but I think that for peril to work the deal has to be sealed. For me, peril is about someone falling into a trap - but they do have to fall. Erin seeing the pendant in Miriam's mind was a perfect example of peril. What happened later with the watch in Cherry's mind might have been a better fit for the word, but the heat never arrived for me.

Which I think means I agree: something has to happen here.

[mns_95125]

One of Adrian's defining characteristics, and one that seems to frustrate a lot of readers, is his persistent refusal to make use of the mind control options available to him.  The light touch he uses with the harem is what you'd expect from someone who'd prefer not to be in charge at all, but who can't escape it.  (His treatment of Pearl, Reka and Raven seems to be an exception to this, but it isn't clear why.  It seems to be related to the mind-link exposing him to a bit of Jakob's psychology, but his behavior is like someone with a split personality.  His actions in #811, for example, are difficult to square with the manipulative behavior seen in #604/#606.)

Erin actually falling to one of these perils in a more significant way would put Adrian in a bind.  He'd be faced with a need to use proactive mind control to rescue and protect someone important to him.  Continued passivity would lead to significant personal loss.  Setting two of his significant values against each other in this way would reveal something interesting about him no matter which one he chose.  What, when push comes to shove, is most important to him?

I have some hope that something like this will develop, because we're actually seeing similar threats against multiple harem members developing in parallel.  Erin is in obvious danger, and Danielle may be heading there too if Jakob is well prepared.  Caitlyn is already in thrall to Astrid and is scheming to bring Amy, Haley and Laura in with her.  You don't set up that many Chekhov's Guns without planning to pull some triggers.

[Haight]

You don't set up that many Chekhov's Guns without planning to pull some triggers.

Well, unless JJ Abrams has been ghostwriting for the site XD

[laguna85]

AlkenI think he is a teacher of the power or mentor to Erin (sji-i489)

Sji-i510 Can be Cherry or Adrian mother Miel
My think is Miel

[laguna85]

next issues will be Kanti meeting her master?

[GodWilling]

To be honest...

One of Adrian's defining characteristics, and one that seems to frustrate a lot of readers, is his persistent refusal to...

...ever say anything interesting, or show any kind of personality at all.

AlkenI think he is a teacher of the power or mentor to Erin (sji-i489)

But is he a hero or a villain? And should I like him?

Sji-i510 Can be Cherry or Adrian mother Miel
My think is Miel

If you mean 641, I think that's an apparition of a subjugated Erin. I know her eyes are the wrong colour, but then so are Echo's in The Cloud.

next issues will be Kanti meeting her master?

Looks like it. Although I wasn't sure if the point of the pop-up text in possibleHer previous page was that although there was no dialogue, there was someone else there. So maybe she has already met him. But maybe not.

[OctaviaMoon]

If you mean 641, I think that's an apparition of a subjugated Erin. I know her eyes are the wrong colour, but then so are Echo's in The Cloud.

Oh but I try so very hard not to get those things wrong