Is it you in that reflection?
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Colorists: Raptie & Oniontrain
https://unitedhelpukraine.org/ https://www.comebackalive.in.ua/
Out-of-Placers
A story of inconvenient changes
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OOPs now has a Russian translation which updates shortly after the English pages are posted!
Now also in French:
And Ukranian:
Repressing memories, sucks. Dey eat at you over time, and de moment you question de direction of your life, dey like horrible gremlins come again and again to hurt you. Regret is the worst of pains, as dere is nozhing one can do to make it better, minus living a life of pennance, or losing one’s soul altogezher. Neizher one is worzh de price of admission, so hope dose out dere who sign up to do someone else’s dirty work for dem, listens a bit to dis. One fights when dey have to, it is true, but it is why it is evil to start wars, because de consequences are beyond de imagination of dose advocating for violence as a solution for a political issue.
This scans with what I know of soldiers who have had to make the “kill or be killed” decision.
If you’re a decent person you have those thoughts. Even when you know it was necessary you have them. Eventually you adjust or break.
I wonder if he has similar thoughts to the likely two (possibly three) Yinglet’s he killed in the alley confrontation defending Kassen (https://www.valsalia.com/comic/out-of-placers/oops-97/) Brown one might have lived, Grey one got crunched by boot and white took a blow to the head with his mace. They defiantly look dead. And Brakka might have sustained possible brain damage
Of all the humans in Val Salia, he’s the one most like to have these thoughts regarding those yinglets. Most humans probably have a range of emotions a bit more similar to what comes from killing a dog or chimpanzee, which is still a wide range. Some people feel regret, some don’t. But Elim has that connection through Kass, and if someone were to remind him of that, he might think about it more deeply.
I’m pretty sure all three are dead, and Brakka has a severe concussion at least. Those thoughts are probably going to come forward soon after the flashback stops. Elim would definitely benefit from more visitors, rather than spend the rest of the day alone with his thoughts.
If I could offer my personal experience, I would say that when your Battle Buddy is in danger EVERYTHING else becomes secondary. It’s how I learned what the word ‘wrath’ really meant. Even remembering the situation, the first thing that I feel is aggression.
In the end, so long as he’s okay I know I did the right thing. Nothing else matters.
I like to think I know what I would do when placed into a similar situation.
I also know that I would prefer never to have to test those assumptions.
Thank you for this page and the examination(s) contained therein.