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🕑 Added 2025-01-03 04:54:43 +0000 UTC

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Luuuuuuu

Cherenkov

I only just noticed that Duane’s line on this page is an echo of his immediately preceding line, two and a half pages ago, now with a wholly different emotional valence. Masterful writing Ashley - this will be an absolute knockout moment for all new readers of this scene. (And I’m imagining how powerful this moment would be in an animated adaptation, too…)

Matthew Hawley

Guessing further: Ilganyag thought Duane would be unmade if she cut the line because that's normally exactly what would happen. Ilganyag might or might not have known about Sette Frummagem ripping memories out, so this soul explosion thing that kills squishes might be new to her too. Sette is always the one who surprises her, after all.

Matthew Hawley

In earlier Khert scenes, we saw fish swarming around the recently dead Turas. Duane also got swarmed by squishes when he woke up in the Khert but they didn't take him apart. So my guess is that the fish is how the khert takes souls apart, and Duane's plumb line is protecting him from being seen as a regular dead soul. Without it, he'd probably eaten like anyone else... in normal circumstances. But these aren't normal circumstances. Now we suddenly have a character that just was shown to basically "kill" those fish, and she might want Duane whole. That's my theory on it anyway.

Madison

The army of squishies to drive out the pain ghosts in the silver…. hmmm…..🤔🤔🤔

Capsandnumbers

She has tricked me with her implications too many times already! This time I'm deciding not to listen to her

Luuuuuuu

The code to the First Bank of Sharteshane!

Ashley

Just try not to forget Sette's original intention in coming into the khert in the first place :)

Madison

Hmmm this chapter is still called Sette Ex Machina right? We’ve seen Sette act through the Khert fire, crossing the boundaries with her body like the classic Deus Ex Machina…. But I have a feeling there’s one more machine we’re gonna pull Sette from. The machine of the First Soul. Crossing my fingers…!

Madison

THANKS FLY

Ava

Fuck, I wasn't being that much affected by this trying to keep some of a mental distance but this has set me off crying. Damn it Fly. Damn it all to hell.

Ashley

Lady Ilganyag certainly didn't think so~

Dr. Badvibes

hi mrs ilganyag its daycare. your kids a menace, you need to pick her up right now.

Capsandnumbers

I reckon all that cutting the line will do is set Duane adrift in the khert. Imo it's the plague holding his soul together not his neck pymaric

Capsandnumbers

The Silver Wood is a place between the khert and the Outside but I agree the twins are Sette and Jac. I do think that's where Murkoph got confounded. I've thought for a while that being a galit like Duane might be part of Ssael's intended path to him. I think Tain knew about plods for sure. The Man, who I think was pre-change Ssael, appears to have been something similar to a galit. He couldn't have been living, because there's no food or water in the khert, and souls were less sophisticated back then. Come along to the discord, we love theories like this!

L Anon

Calling it now: the Songs of Ssael book was actually just an instruction manual for Sette(s), but since twin sacrifice is a Gefendur practice, none of them would've read the Songs of Ssael. Fortunately, Sette Frummagem has an undead noctivagant Ssaelit companion who's probably memorized the book front to back. Refer to Chapter 15, page 25 for the full list, but: Sette already escaped the khert... once. Ilganyag was the Silver Wood. Khette and Jacaranda are the Twins. The burdened, dull, desirous have the life stripped from their bones-- which just happened to Sette. It's a poetic way of saying "killed", sure, but it might also be a literal description of what Khette just did, if the future pages reveal she's actually somehow alive again? And she certainly fits the description of someone burdened, desirous-- there might be a different interpretation of "dull" than the literal one at work here. Now we're at the stage of "press on or be confounded" and "feed the lions your last sins", which I predict is going to be part of Book 2's adventure. We also know Murkoph is full of Confoundments, so maybe that's a clue as to what happens to Settes who attempt the journey but never make it to the end. Torn apart by Confoundments, perhaps? My prediction: Sette Frummagem's gonna meet Ssael at some point and he'll declare her his match. The only Sette who managed to find him after all this time.

grim

lovingly, i cannot even look at him pressing her little hand to his face too long or I will melt down

Flyfly

Anyway the way you drew Boo as something between sad puppy and a plush toy laying on her chest is killing me! Has this beautiful energy of child being buried with their toys. Thanks!

Flyfly

Quick! Administer replacement-Sette!

Luuuuuuu

I wanna underline that a few times so it doesn't get lost.

Ashley

He's not thinking of it in those terms though. "I deserve damnation" is a pretty selfish thought to have. It's more that he can't bear the thought of leaving her alone, so he will take the action that ensures he doesn't leave here without her. The consequences of that don't feel important in this moment.

JarJar

This is a huge decision. Self-slaughter is forbidden and despite everything Duane has done to be a good Ssaelit. He withstood the rot, his own insanity, losing his family and a thousand other torments...but this was too much. He's basically saying he deserves damnation now. Feels bad man.

Ashley

Duane's ready to sacrifice Ssael's approval to Sette as an apology.

Ashley

Murk is lurkin' around. He doesn't want to piss off Duane and get left behind, but he's pretty skittish around First Sette. He's being careful.

Jeremy Ball

Dead men can't kill themselves. Job's already been done.

Quinton

Oh way to be an absolute ass about it, !Sette. Boo.

Moss on Trees

Noooo I just realize that Khette killed Sette the same way Nary almost killed her as a child in one of her worst memories and now my heart is broken all over :'(

Rifter

Ya know it occurs to me. Duane would never leave Sette, at least not voluntarily. Are we forgetting about someone though? A man who was promised a ride out of the khert and whose single ticket out is about to disappear? I doubt he'll let that slide.

Ladile

Hm...I wouldn't be surprised if Khette plans to use Duane's line to leave the khert but does she also believe he can put her ghost and the First Soul into Sette's freshly-vacated body? Seems likely, otherwise she wouldn't have been so quick to nuke Lady I - even though Lady I spoke as though Khette would have to have her help for that.

Rifter

I think at this point Duane thinks Ssael can go kick rocks.

Ashley

Well, Lady Ilganyag acted like she could cut it, and she doesn't have a First Soul. So maybe?

astine

Would Ssael approve of self-slaughter?

Ashley

Her day's turned out great. She's gonna get outta here and go to Five Guys and fill her pockets up with peanuts. After she gets some pockets.

Ladile

I wonder if that's why Khette (I'm assuming this is Khette behind him) is laughing. He's intending to use Sette's hand to cut the line but doesn't know it won't work for him.

Sara McCardle-Blunk

It's been a long time since a piece of fiction made me feel so absolutely bad. I mean this in the most complimentary way possible.

Rifter

End of the proverbial and literal line I guess eh..? Yet Khette just can't resist a little hubristic gloating.

CD

Finally got her to show him her hands... Oh I just knew this would be his reaction 😭 And man, whatever comes next, it will always hurt a little that she died without knowing she hadn't killed him, hadn't driven him away forever, he was RIGHT THEN racing back. But good news! There's a, uh, Settsomeone!