Well that was a weird little story, but still nice.

I'm so confused

So I guess they're... caught in a time loop? And the one girl keeps going in the ocean; and getting swept off the edge?

Wow this is an interesting story. This is my take on it: the woman is a necromancer that resurrects Ink every time she dies. Unlike Spiderp (the user above me) I do not think that they are caught up in a loop because of the change in hair color. The woman's current hair is white, but in the flashback she had black hair. This tells us that she has grown older. She does not want Ink to go to the ocean because she is overprotective of her after witnessing her die a lot of times and is afraid that she might drown.

Edit: I wonder if the fountain on the last page is some sort of magical fountain that resurrects people. We can see ashes on the fountain. I assume that the ashes are Ink's. Maybe the woman put her ashes there to resurrect her every time she dies. Maybe the reason Ink is drawn to the ocean because subconsciously she knows the remains of her previous body is out there. Consider this: when asked why she wants to go to the ocean, she says that it might have something to with her previous life.

last edited at Mar 11, 2019 10:12PM

Wow this is an interesting story. This is my take on it: the woman is a necromancer that resurrects Ink every time she dies. Unlike Spiderp (the user above me) I do not think that they are caught up in a loop because of the change in hair color. The woman's current hair is white, but in the flashback she had black hair. This tells us that she has grown older. She does not want Ink to go to the ocean because she is overprotective of her after witnessing her die a lot of times and is afraid that she might drown.

That's what I was thinking too, also according to that grave she died a total of 99 times in the past

DR2 Hajime Hinata posted:

Wow this is an interesting story. This is my take on it: the woman is a necromancer that resurrects Ink every time she dies. Unlike Spiderp (the user above me) I do not think that they are caught up in a loop because of the change in hair color. The woman's current hair is white, but in the flashback she had black hair. This tells us that she has grown older. She does not want Ink to go to the ocean because she is overprotective of her after witnessing her die a lot of times and is afraid that she might drown.

That's what I was thinking too, also according to that grave she died a total of 99 times in the past

I wonder why she keeps on dying so many times.

last edited at Mar 11, 2019 10:03PM

I don't think that is a fountain. That is the island they are on, contained after the end of the world. There is nothing beyond the ocean, but barren rock.

Look closely
That aren't ashes but a island
They are on an island and the world is nothing but barren land, the water is falling from the "ocean" around the island
Much likely a safe space created by the witch for both of them
Probably since the witch is inmortal or something and the little girl is her only thing that keeps her away from becoming mad

The sentiment of wanting to die first has me the most confused. The woman is an adult and thus better at understanding/dealing with trauma. If she died first, Ink would be beyond devastated. Whatever the heck is going on in this comic, wanting to subject a child to tragedies they're unequipped to deal with hints at a relationship that's less than stellar.

Perhaps if the woman died first, she would be freed from her obligation to resurrect Ink again and again.

It is a concept covered before with the Hourai in Touhou. When you live 'forever', eventually you will reach The End when nothing else exists.

I second the Witch depending on Ink to keep her sanity; and Ink has probably committed suicide more tham once after growing up due to the despair of realizing that there is nothing else in her world. Her entire life is an example of futility.

Zen_Clark posted:

I don't think that is a fountain. That is the island they are on, contained after the end of the world. There is nothing beyond the ocean, but barren rock.

Tanas posted:

Look closely
That aren't ashes but a island
They are on an island and the world is nothing but barren land, the water is falling from the "ocean" around the island
Much likely a safe space created by the witch for both of them
Probably since the witch is inmortal or something and the little girl is her only thing that keeps her away from becoming mad

Oh okay thanks guys. I can see the island now.

Well, that was... different.

I'm confused but I don't really care to find out. Cause there's not really any yuri here.

oh good gravy i want more from tMnR... I love their art, their ideas for stories even non-romantic like this one.. i crave it cause they just seem like they have so many interesting ideas

It made me sad

Pianotree posted:

The sentiment of wanting to die first has me the most confused.

I thought it meant that she wanted to die naturally from old age after watching Ink grow up to be an adult

last edited at Mar 12, 2019 11:37PM

I'm confused but I don't really care to find out. Cause there's not really any yuri here.

The witch loves Ink a lot... and since they are the last two people in existence? And the witch seems to be using her (massive!) powers to keep her alive and resurrect her so many times? It sounds like some sort of love :/

It does look like Ink kills herself over and over... that's pretty sad actually. I doubt the Witch has any sanity left at this point.

Such a strange and sad story. There's hardly any context but the little girl seems to despair and kill herself on at least one occasion, and has the worst luck in others. I'd love to know more about this one.

My take, The witch lady is immortal. Ink is actually related to said witch (Less important). The world ended but the witch kept Ink and herself safe. Ink was unable to cope with it and killed herself. The witch doesn't want her to realize there's nothing beyond the horizon and thus stops her trekking too close to the ocean, in fear that Ink would follow suite to her predecessors.

Or everything is way more complicated like Ink is the witch or whatnot.

This is actually a horror story. Psychological horror. Should be tagged as such.

I don't know if Ink keeps killing herself, or the older girl keeps killing her, or both (some of the death scenes look like suicide, and some look like murder) -- but, whatever the case, it's a really scary story.

This is actually a horror story. Psychological horror. Should be tagged as such.

I don't know if Ink keeps killing herself, or the older girl keeps killing her, or both (some of the death scenes look like suicide, and some look like murder) -- but, whatever the case, it's a really scary story.

Eh... IDK about that one.

My take, The witch lady is immortal. Ink is actually related to said witch (Less important). The world ended but the witch kept Ink and herself safe. Ink was unable to cope with it and killed herself. The witch doesn't want her to realize there's nothing beyond the horizon and thus stops her trekking too close to the ocean, in fear that Ink would follow suite to her predecessors.

Or everything is way more complicated like Ink is the witch or whatnot.

I think you hit the nail right on the head there.

Is this a metaphor about writing?
We have a witch (writer) on her own island (world) and Ink (story) who keeps ending and renewing herself. She keeps becoming memories of her writer's work, which could be interpreted as a writer's block?? Ink never grow up properly, she just dies and be reborn again and again, like a pile of unfinished papers.

Is this a metaphor about writing?
We have a witch (writer) on her own island (world) and Ink (story) who keeps ending and renewing herself. She keeps becoming memories of her writer's work, which could be interpreted as a writer's block?? Ink never grow up properly, she just dies and be reborn again and again, like a pile of unfinished papers.

I love this. Been working on a piece recently and the time I'e redone the story, it could have made its way into another book. As an added bonus, the title, the stories in your head just want to be remembered.