All Comments on 'Lost at Sea Bk. 02 Ch. 31'

Another excellent chapter - this is one of my absolute favourite stories on the site. It’s a hard call, but I’m pretty sure Captain Vex is my favourite character, too so always great to have more of her.

That said, I’m just coming off a re-read, and I think there’s a continuity error in character here that means this chapter could use a quick edit.

Back in Bk 2 Ch 17, Vex says:

‘…She took a fair amount of pride in the fact that she didn't have to. Finding a willing partner was easy. The problem for her came from finding real satisfaction. She could count on one hand the number of partners who had really made her feel like her itch had been thoroughly scratched. The relief she sought was always temporary at best.

Part of the problem was the lack of challenge. She never liked when things were too easy. To her, everything worth having was worth some struggle to get. Until now, Will had been firmly in the same category as the partners she found in taverns and brothels. Fun, good for a bit of release, but not worth dwelling on much beyond that. She was careful to keep her private life and her professional life separate, at least in her head. She'd had flings with crew before but it was important to maintain boundaries, especially when you had to keep working with someone in the morning.’

The implication here is pretty clear: Vex is happy to go for a casual tumble in the hay or two, even occasionally with crew mates, but is careful to draw boundaries between the private and professional. Not only that, but it’s a fairly regular occurrence. On top of that there is a clear divide between those casual flings, and the people she actually has a genuine connection with. Part of why I really love Ch 17 (it’s my fav chapter, at least by memory), is this exploration and deepening of Vex’s character, and then witnessing the transition of her and Will’s relationship in Vex’s mind from being on the casual side of that divide she’s set up to something deeper and more genuine.

At the risk of filling this comment with too many quotes, a paragraph or so later in the same chapter Vex details that transition well:

‘… it dawned on her that something felt different. The fatigue, and the rawness she'd been feeling had torn down the walls she usually kept on their emotions. The thrill she always got from a near-death experience had her blood up and still pounding in her ears. Then there was the way he'd cared enough to defy her. There was no way for him to have known that he'd triggered the thing in her head that happened when she found a challenge. Now, there he was, watching her, feeding the thrill she got from performance. It was exactly the right combination to give root to a whole new set of emotions inside her.’

It’s great - I love that chapter, I love the development of Captain Vex. It’s a fantastic look at healing and the fallout after the Grindylow attack. That’s partly why parts of this chapter are a little off and could use a quick run over.

The section that sticks out is when Vex is saying she felt reluctant about sleeping with people she isn’t romantically involved with - a direct contradiction with both Bk 2 Ch 17, and character building done for her throughout the series:

‘Until her current voyage, she'd only had four partners. One had been a childish mistake. The next had been the bargain that allowed her to buy the Kestrel. Then there had been years without, until a fateful day in the midst of an encounter with a flock of sirens that changed her fate, and her relationship with Sandman, forever.’

And,

‘At first she'd balked at the idea. She still had enough idealistic sentiments of romance that it felt wrong to have sex with anyone other than the man she'd chosen... In the end, he'd convinced her that she did not need to feel restricted because of him. Whatever, and whoever, she wanted, he wanted her to have. In the end, it had been the mission that was the selling point. It might be a suicide run after all. Might as well wring as much enjoyment out of life as possible.‘

Now, it’s already been established that Vex is and has been happy to have a casual fling or two - even within her crew - but what *is* a more unusual thing is for her to form an emotional attachment. Of course, a fair amount of her reputation is from the stories told about her, not her actual actions, but even so Vex herself has admitted in prior chapters to these things.

I get what you’re trying to do here - a divide between Vex the story-book character and her real-life self, and doubling down on the fact she has a romantic streak that leads her to be picky with whom she has deeper relationship. The problem is, as already stated, that as-is it’s dissonant and contradictory with what’s already been written and established within the series.

My suggestion would be to go for a quick edit to make it a more nuanced take in this chapter. Rather than being so picky she’s only had four partners and only become more promiscuous since the start of this voyage, I’d suggest you make it so that yes, she’s had a fair number of casual flings, but that she’s only had a limited number of *emotional* entanglements - romantic that she is. You’d still be able to keep the distinctions you’ve tried to add to Vex’s character this chapter, without contradicting previous chapters and development. Hell, you could probably drop the ‘offending’ paragraph not lose the through-line you’re going for.

Hope this (alarmingly more extended that intended) commentary is helpful. Keep up the awesome work, and really looking forward to the next chapter!

Great to see another chapter in this great story. Love all the plot twists and character development you are giving us. Looking forward to seeing what comes next. 5 stars

Hi where did you get the image of the woman wearing a pirate flag for your icon?

I actually don't know. I found it on an image board almost 10 years ago and never found the original artist. When I started my Patreon I commissioned a similar piece of art. I didn't use art I didn't own one a money making platform. I guess I forgot to update my picture with the new, official art on this site. Thanks for catching that! The new, improved profile picture will show up as soon as the Literotica mods approve it.

I just found the story and read all the way through. Fantastic! You have such a vivid imagination and such a good story teller. I always feel like i can visualize what you're describing which is impressive considering the content. Please keep up the amazing work. Cant wait to see what happens next.

Oh no I just found this and read it through. Please continue I love your character's and the story is great. Just don't stop now please