Saint James Infirmary #834: “Precisely According to Plan”

[Daphne]

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

[laguna85]

ok

[Haight]

That's the actual Kanti, right?

Here's hoping her new tits stay with her in the "real" world. That'd be a fun change.

[grimtidings]

Prediction: Adrian falls, fearing death as the ground rapidly rises to greet him. A shocked expression, this could be the end! He lands on Kanti's comically-large back-breakers. After a soft bounce, he lands, catlike, on his feet. Everyone turns to the camera to break the fourth wall, "Thank goodness for prolific BE in the MC universe." Adrian then looks at Vik who (insert terrible thing happening to Vik). Roll the laugh track and the heroic music!

[GodWilling]

Impossible to judge from this if Vik can make Cherry wipe Kanti's mind or if he means he's going to ask her to. My hopes for his mastery of the domain are fading though - not least because he's having to walk to get to Cherry.

I fear Cherry being captured by one set of Erin-controlled tentacles while another set do a Barbapapa-style change into a trampoline to break Adrian's fall.

[GodWilling]

Incidentally, is the last panel, "NO!" or "take Amy away from..." ?

I'll rephrase the question: Which is supposed to be the last panel here, "NO!" or "take Amy away from..." ?

[lifmcs]

“Surprise, Sisterfucker!!”  –Adrian, probably.

[GodWilling]

“Surprise, Sisterfucker!!”  –Adrian, probably.

It's hardly the moral high ground he's falling from in that regard.

[GodWilling]

That's the actual Kanti, right?

OK, back again. I'm struggling to understand this page and as a general rule I ignore hints. But Vik's monologue here would only make sense to me if it were Erin's mind that was going to be wiped. So... that isn't the actual Kanti? That was 'the ritual'? Maybe? Or does this page really just make no sense?

[laguna85]

I do not WHO mind we are inside of?
red monster with vik ?
Cherry mind with control red monster and vik?
who know?
When Adrian lands, We will know who mind we are inside of

[mns_95125]

There seems to be a theme of corruption running through these events.  People are being tempted, or seem to have given in to long-standing desires.  Cherry wants to be together with Aiken and Erin again.  Aiken wants Erin back.  Vik wants to own Kanti, Laura and Amy.  Adrian is being tempted with recovering Echo.  Of the various participants, Adrian is the only one who seems to be effectively resisting.  We'll see how that turns out for him.

[GodWilling]

Vik wants to own Kanti, Laura and Amy.

But does Vik also harbour a desire for revenge?

"I'm going to have Cherry erase your mind."
"As my Master wishes."
"That's right. And that's what he gets for trying to take Amy from... [sees Adrian making his entrance] NO!"

I think the gap between the "erase your mind" panel and the "NO!" panel indicates that this is the sequence of events. Plus it's the only sequence without an apparent non sequitur.

Although Vik doesn't appear to be looking upwards overly much in either of the last two panels, I don't think he is looking at Adrian when he says "And that's what he gets..." I don't think he has seen him yet. So I don't think that falling from a great height is "what he gets". Which implies that erasing Kanti's mind is "what he gets".

But if that reading is correct then...

Who tried to take Amy from (presumably) Vik? The most likely suspect is Adrian, isn't it? And that would explain Vik's dramatic response to suddenly seeing Adrian "arriving".

But how would wiping Kanti's mind serve as a punishment for Adrian? How would that be "what he gets"? It would punish Kanti, and it would punish Q. But Adrian? To my current recollection Kanti is one of the few women in the comic that Adrian hasn't lain on top of for five minutes.

You yourself flagged up the crossover of the word "ritual" from the Kanti thread to the Erin thread. The ritual in the Kanti thread seemed to amount to having a bath, although I'm pretty sure that Vik could make Kanti's body clean with a click of his fingers. Did something happen there? Kanti still seems to think she's Kanti and Erin still seems to think she's Erin, so I don't know. But we know that people are not necessarily who they appear to be in The Cloud.

[GodWilling]

I'm hoping this is correct. Maybe it would explain the chessboard thing too.

[laguna85]

Vik did see Kanti's on a date with Q, Making  Kanti's forget Q

I think the Sequence gose (No) (and That's what he gets for Trying to take Amy from ....

may be Vik think Q is try take Amy away him?
or Adrian
like Chessboard wait for the next move

[GodWilling]

may be Vik think Q is try take Amy away him?

Well, I suppose anything's possible in The Cloud...

like Chessboard wait for the next move

I was thinking about the squares swapping colours on the chessboard in 828. That would be especially nice because I think I predicted for that page that what was happening in The Cloud might start to affect the real world - although I didn't really mean it like that. Plus I suppose there was that thing with Vik and Kanti appearing to be white in 817.

I don't actually think that this has happened, but I just don't understand this page otherwise.

I think the Sequence gose (No) (and That's what he gets for Trying to take Amy from ....

It doesn't make sense to me that way around. Firstly, I don't think Vik's first word upon seeing someone falling would be "No!" Secondly, I think the shift from a shocked "No!" to a wry "And that's what he gets..." would take longer than it would take Adrian to hit the ground. And thirdly, why would the page end with "..." ?

(Unless Vik isn't Vik...)