Yeah, guys, Paul has pulled a Great Lady of myth out of abject obscurity, and made that historical fact a cornerstone of this amazing story. I think this deserves a cheer.
no, she just another worker for the titans, trying to do her job, under stress from her immature, violent charge (if it was out of view of her boss, a good few punches would solve it..)
Phix’s tears seem to be from shame. She loves Shelly like a daughter and has been forced to keep a dark secret from her for so long. She is just at the end of her line in handling such a duty.
And the other shoe has dropped and it looks like little old me and some others were right.
Shelly is a human-Titan-Sphinx hybrid. (The visual similarities between Bia and Connie, and therefore a young Shelly were simply too big to ignore.)
And it looks like Bia did a fine job on calming her “grand daughter” down.
Still, it remains to be seen how she’ll take the whole: Oh yea, I’m dating the guy whose brother you chained to a mountain to have his liver pecked out.
You are still amusing that this event actually happened and was not just tabloid info from mythology. remember what we learned about Medusa and Perseus after all.
Considering that Phix mentioned that Prometheus used to be a cocky kid, and that it took ages for him to get his head screwed on straight..
Kinda sounds like there was a wee bit more truth to that particular tale, than some of the other myths.
As Prometheus spent quite some time on that mountain, least until he was freed by Heracles (meaning several generations in other words). Such an experience would then most likely be akin to spending 80.000y in a forest.
And enough of a reason for him to keep a low profile and not draw any further attention to himself or pull any more “pranks”.
I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Brandi’s chessmastering skillz from here out, Shelly. Welcome to the eighth row. Where would you like to go today?
i’m of the opinion that we’re still musing that, in the spirit of the story, that the story being woven right now is true, pulled from the vast storehouse of ?tabloid? mythology and garnished w/ imagination… or… we’re the psychotics living in the castles in the sky that the neurotics created…. or …. brb, need more coffee.
Two things here. The words HEIR OF A TITIAN and MOMMY!
Shelly has yet to come into her full inheritance by that implaction to being the heir. The real question is which Titan she is heir to? It isn’t prom oe his brother or they never would have let the two of them meet now would they? So that surprise is still out there waiting for us.
The resembalnce of Bia to her mother implies her real mother looked a lot like Bia. This could be because the blood runs true and that would make Shelly Bia’s heir and Bia a Titian. Isn’t that a twist to think about. Have fun folks.
By the way a lot of people have called this relationship all the way back to the first appearance of Bia. So a lot of people get pats on the back.
Bia is probably laying claim to the term Titan for herself and her siblings (although Nike ended up becoming a full blown Goddess in her own right), because their father Pallas was a Titan (Dedicated to War). (The other siblings being her brothers Kratos (strength) and Zelus (zeal).)
Their mother Styx was both a Naiad (fresh water nymph) and a Goddess over the river that bore her name at the same time.
And Styx herself was one of the daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.
So yeah, pretty good claim to being a Titan herself, even if she and her siblings were originally Personifications of the ideals they represented.
And it also very much looks like Bia is also calling Shelly her heir.
The physical resemblance between younger Bia and Connie/Younger Shelly and now Adult Bia and Shelly’s mom alone should be enough to close that argument.
Although this also means that if her mother’s side of the family is the Titan line, then that probably means her Father’s side of the family would then be the Sphinx side, unless her mother was also a Sphinx-Human-Titan hybrid.
Side note, Justin is Epimetheus, that would be Prometheus’ brother. Unless you’re also counting Atlas (fate unknown) or Menoetius, who was killed and sent to Tarterus.
And I’m not so sure that Promy is keeping tabs on his younger brother, even if they were inseparable in their youth, being chained to a mountain for a bunch of generations and having your liver pecked out on a daily basis is bound to change a person.
The whole Pandora marriage thing, and then that jar of hers cursing their (Promy+Epi) creation aka mankind, probably didn’t help either.
“ended up becoming a full blown Goddess in her own right” You say that like the Titans weren’t ‘gods,’ they were, just older or more ancient ones. Titans
I wouldn’t call a Titan a God no.
That would be like saying that Ymir was a God as well.
The term Primordial would fit them better. Deities seem to gain sustenance from the faith of their followers, a Titan does not seem to share that quality.
Otherwise Prometheus would’ve had such a power boost after giving Humanity access to fire again, that he could’ve never been chained to that mountain in the first place.
How one goes about from going from Titan to Deity?
Good question. Seems to be easier for Personification to make that jump, see for example Nike as an example.
But if she’s an adult now – and of course, still alive, as we’ve seen – it makes you wonder who the little girl haunting Jin is. And if that’s still in play or if Jin’s transformation somehow exorcised the crispy one, in reality or from Jin’s mind…
Indeed. Add to this: The high probability that Phix hasn’t encountered another being as large as she is in some time…and in this case, the other being is majorly PO’d. Phix must be quite startled, at the very least.
I think it may be more a case of her knowing that she’s screwed up, and any trust that Shelly had in her, has just gone out the window.
Rather flawed analogy mayhaps, but it would be akin to a woman finding out that her mother has been schtoinking her fiance/boyfriend, and her calling her mother every name in the book and wishing her dead.
Not a relationship that’s going to be salvageable for a looooong time. And Phix does have a bit of a motherly affection for Shelly. So yeah, tears would be logical.
It may not be a matter of screwing up so much as being forced to do something she hates. Think of a cop who has long since decided to always uphold the law, being forced to arrest a relative, or an officer sending men out to be killed as a strategic distraction.
Phix is crying the way a mom cries when she’s getting lashed at by her child for something she (the mom) did with the best of intentions. More “weeping” than truly crying.
One always has a choice, but in cases where you’re dealing with upholding principles over other considerations or “the sacrifice”, play it straight with people.
And that’s not something that Phix did with Shelly from the word go. Instead she dropped a reference, Shelly started questioning, and then Phix started to defend what was done.
The “It was for your own good.”.
Again, this is NO different from how Monica felt betrayed by Shelly for jamming that key into her skull.
Rationally it may be true, but on an emotional level?
A betrayal is a betrayal, doesn’t matter if it was done for a person’s own good or to save the world or the universe or what not.
It’s up to the one betrayed to decide if the betrayer is henceforth worth their time, affection or even if they want to trust said person again.
It’s NOT up to anyone else. Not Bia, nor anyone here in the peanut gallery.
Wasn’t Phix also used to being low-man on the totem pole among the sphinxes? I bet this is bringing back some painful memories of who she might have been treated by others.
But SHE didn’t do “it”. She is telling Shelly about it, not hiding it. Shelly is out of line for taking it out on Phix, when it isn’t even clear that she was “set up”. At least, not by the entities Shelly suspects. The “Higher Power” (i.e. He who’s name in Hebrew literally translates into “None of your Me-Dam business”) that seems to be cosmicly lining up the dominoes may be the only one to blame.
Some of the answers Phix just gave, seem to suggest that yes, they were set up.
Now whether or not Phix was behind it, or simply knew of it, and didn’t play it straight with Shelly by giving her a heads-up is pretty much besides the point at this juncture.
Shelly trusted Phix, and now she feels that Phix just planted a nice sharp dagger in her back. (It’s similar to how Monica felt when Shelly stabbed her in the head with the key. Was it for their own good? Maybe so, but on an emotional level it still feels like a betrayal by those you trusted.)
And there is no evidence of any Hebrew based deity in Wapsi Square., so dragging him into the discussion isn’t really helping.
Heck, the only Higher Power that we know of, lives in Twin Cities, MN, and he listens to the name of Paul. 😛
There may not have been a Hebrew deity referenced in this comic, but there still is an intangible power that seems to be more “in charge” than many of the supernaturals (i.e. Who is the voice of the Library?)…and it’s common for many folks to link an even higher force with well-known omnipotent/omniscient deities. 🙂
Then again, it’s possible that Bia was the voice of the Library. 🙂 *shrugs* We shall see!
Common or not, it’s still an incorrect behaviour pattern really.
Draw your conclusions based upon the available information. As opposed to picking and choosing the information to suit your conclusion.
One approach is likely to lead you to the “truth”, whereas the other is just self-delusion really.
Bia’s presence makes the speculation that She was the force behind the Library, a valid one. Because, hey, she exists within the story universe.
She’s showing up within the library itself, and standing up for Phix.
There is no evidence regarding a Judeo-Christian Deity being involved in all of this, so that speculation just isn’t valid at this point..
If the comic shows some bearded guy sitting on a cloud, surrounded by cherubs and talking to this guy called Peter or Michael or Gabriel or even Jesus. Than yeah, at that point speculating that he’s the Great Puppet Master becomes valid.
Just because the characters believe in said being, doesn’t mean that they’re correct.
Paul has mentioned a few times, that what the characters believe to be true, might not be so.
So just because Tina mentioned The Affixed God or Tina has a BVM statue, doesn’t mean, that said beings actually hold sway in the Wapsi-verse.
It’s like Santa Claus showing up in a Charlie Brown comic, and the kids believing that it really is Santa.
Doesn’t mean that they’re right and that it’s really Kris Kringle, who lives at the North Pole with his wife and a bunch of Elves. As opposed to it being just some guy in a costume, being paid a little over minimum wage, because the local mall needed a fat guy for the holiday season.
Dont agree at all. Phix and MIB brought them in proximity and relied on nature for the rest. No coercion involved. the fact that they DID “click” just shows that Phix was tight.
Shelly will realize that once she gets off her high horse.
Yeah, it seems like the story of Phix’s life is no matter what she tries to do, good or bad, she’ll be blamed for the actions of others and treated like crap.
Considering Phix didn’t even break-down this much when dealing with Tina-less Nudge, and that was a far more emotional moment for Phix than this, wonder if this is a subtle sign that Phix may be breaking down from all the abuse she gets (from mortals, fellow Sphinxes, and immortals alike).
This may require an overnight visit from Tepoz and Brandi.
I think Phix is breaking down because she cares deeply for Shelly, and Shelly is angry with her. She nurtured and cared for her and taught her how to be a Sphinx in the time forrest. Shelly isn’t just a student to her. She’s the next best thing to a daughter that Phix has. And now we find out Phix is officaly Shelly’s gaurdian and that Shelly is actually an heir to a Titan. Shelly is royalty. Phix has been playing a juggling act from day one to try and prepare Shelly for the roles she has had to play. Shelly’s acusations hurt becuse Phix knows they’re true. All the manipulation was nessesary, but it dosen’t hurt either of them any less. I feel for both of them.
True, but I think “Heir Of A Titan” refers more to a predestined responsibility than a position of power. Similar to Monica’s role in relation to the GGG and Demon realm.
Shelly’s important, but I doubt she has much political power among the immortals beyond what those in-the-know (Phix, Tepoz/KuKuKlan, Bia, Jin/Maya, Bud/Brandi, etc) grant her, or she & CG make for themselves.
I suppose it comes down to how much power is attached to the position of “hier”. Bia seems to be saying that Shelly is the inheritor of a hereditary line through her mothers side. Her awakening her Sphinxy side in the time forrest may make her eligible to take on such a role. Consider that without some greater pourpose that utilizes her power and skill as a gaurdian Shinx, Shelly is something of a curiosity. She has the potental to walk among beings that would give the GGs pause. I think Shelly(and the story) are about to get a power upgrade. Pairing her off with Justin may be an attempt to unite two opposing houses among the titans, if what we “know” from myth is accurate. All just guess work of course, but Paul has been dropping hints that the focus of the story was shifting to Shelly for some time now.
– so instead of finding your true love through sheer dumb luck some outside force saw to it that you crossed paths with someone you would find utterly compatible and desirable.
Cry me a freakin river, girl – the rest of us have to do it the hard way, and most either fail to find that person or go through a LOT more pain than you did in the process.
The proper way to do such a thing is to make the parties aware that you’re setting them up.
”
– Worst case, you have nothing in common you each go your separate way. (Yeah, I know that’s not the worst case scenario, but it’s a sales pitch you’re throwing, so of course you’re not going to mention the stalking serial killer option.)
– Reasonable case, you share some common interests, but that spark isn’t there. Congrats, you just made a new friend, and that’s nice too.
– Best case scenario, you’ll be acting like a couple of bonobo’s in heat while trying to figure out what to name your kids.
So what do you have to lose?”
And have them take it from there. You don’t play God with other people’s Love Lives (unless specifically asked to). It’s one of the biggest signs of disrespect you could show to a person..
Well, that’s the real trick, isn’t it? If Shelly had been aware that she was being set up, that knowledge would have affected her reactions to Justin in the first place, which in turn would have affected the relationship at large.
With the cat now out of the bag – as it were – I’m very interested in seeing Shelly interact with Justin. Would she look at him differently? Well, OK, it’s obvious she would – but which way will it go? Will she keep him, or will she let him go? Another opportunity for personal growth.
Relationships can be tricky enough as is, stuff like this isn’t exactly conductive for a healthy relationship.
Will lead to a lot of unnecessary second guessing. Better to go in with your eyes wide open, and see what’s what, so you may achieve a: “Sokath, his eyes uncovered,” as opposed to a: “Kadir beneath Mo Moteh” and thus: “Shaka, when the walls fell”. 😛
Plus, this whole Bia thing is now going to complicate matters even more due to the family… history with one and other.
If I’m correct, it’s referencing a Star Trek, next Generation episode.
The enterprise encountered another race whose technology was markably different, but not nessessarily inferior nor superior.
The universal translater translated the race’s speech into phrases like “with sails unfurled” (full speed) and “Dawson And Hillard at Tanagra” (they were together).
Captain Picard decided to catch up on his classics after that… starting with ‘Beowolf’.
@OctoDude… I second that. I find it oddly rewarding to have my nerdboy status confirmed, by realizing that I immediately understood what they were saying 🙂
Shelly does seem to have jumped right to “Sokath, his face black, his eyes red!” as a result of what Phix has just admitted. I guess I’m in partial agreement with a lot of the reactions people have expressed… IMO,
(1) Shelly is perfectly justified in bring upset at being manipulated and lied to (at least by omission). This isn’t the first time Phix has “played god” by witholding significant information from Shelly.
(2) She does need to manage her reactions/anger better, especially now that she has the power of a sphinx and (it seems) some Titan heritage. As one of Spider Robinson’s characters put it, “It’s OK to feel what you do. It’s OK to shout, if you really need to. It’s not OK to hit.”
(3) She already realizes point (2)… that’s what the whole storyline since New Years Day has been about… and is doing the best she can to gain full control of her touchy and aggressive new nature. She isn’t there yet, and she knows it.
(4) The motives of the people who have been manipulating Shelly (or aware of the manipulation and choosing to remain silent) may have been benign, or even benevolent… but that’s not the whole point. By manipulating rather than disclosing, these people chose to treat Shelly like a child or a thing rather than like an adult or a person. That , I think, is what bothers Shelly… she’s being denied information which would help her make her own adult choices and decisions.
To use another analogy from fiction… Donaldson’s character Thomas Covenant, who spends a lot of time exploring this very distinction. He comes to believe strongly that only a person in a position to make a true, free choice has real power for effective change. A person who is being coerced or manipulated into a single path of action has no such choice… s/he has become a simple tool or agent of the person doing the manipulation… and is thus much less powerful.
Dave, I like that point about change, and offer another meditation on the topic: L. E. Modesitt’s Recluse series shows characters trying to change the world so they can survive–and it is possible, but only after great exertion and focus. The persons in that sort of position often wonder if anything will change, because things are happening so slowly.
IS_Wolf, I’d agree with you: it’s best to be up front about introductions to get people to meet and fall in love–but in this case, there is a very real possibility that somewhere back in the woods is a goddess of love, who thinks it’s her right to interfere and manipulate people.
So now, we might ask ourselves, where is Aphrodite, and what name is she using here?
“and most either fail to find that person or go through a LOT more pain than you did in the process.”
WHAT!? So spending 80,000 effing years stuck in a reverse time loop and having to watch yourself die 50-someodd times is less painful then what a “normal” person has to go through to find Mr/Ms Right?
I’m seriously curious about your definition of painful now. Remind me not to sign up for any S&M with you.
The 80K years in the Time Forest wasn’t part of the hook-up process with Justin. A) That was (partly) needed to provide a solution for Jin’s schizophrenia. B) The Time Forest incident took place after Shelly had started dating Justin.
That experience was painful in ways that we can only imagine, but it doesn’t truly seem to have been part of the “let’s find the perfect mate” process.
Yes, that time was necessary to introduce Shelly to her sphinxy side, and yes, she and Justin appear to be an even better match now that she’s all sphinxy, but I still don’t think it’s fair to link that experience with the match-making “manipulations.”
I also had another thought. Shelly’s first instinct was to assume that Brandi was the one who manipulated her into dating Justin, but Brandi didn’t realize that Shelly was a Sphinx until after she’d been stuck in the Time Forest…in fact, Brandi only learned that Shelly was a sphinx after Jin had been made human (it was during her conversation with Monica about vimana cells and her tendency to manipulate people). I suppose she could have been faking that lack of knowledge, but I don’t see why.
But one could see the time spent in the forest, as another example of someone else mucking about with Shelly’s life.
This is just another helping of the same issue.
As Shelly puts it: Even after everything she’s been through, she’s still being treated as a pawn, by those she believed she could trust.
As if there’s some sign on her back that says: “It’s okay to manipulate this one’s life and do whatever, she doesn’t have the right to get angry or feel betrayed, because it’s all for her own good.”
Her expression of it, however, falls short of her station.
If this not how the heir of a Titan ought to behave, then it is not how she ought to behave. She lived her life as a human, and lived her life as a sphinx. And so this her first day to live her life as an heir to the Titanides, and she will have to grow into that now as well.
One does not treat loyal servants that way for doing their duty. Phix is owed an apology.
On the other hand, while Phix may have done Bia’s bidding, as a loyal servant that still doesn’t change the fact that Shelly trusted Phix.
And now feels that Phix has betrayed that trust.
It’s a case of divided loyalties.
It’s like a Princess entrusting her chamber maid with a secret, that she then reveals to the King. While the maid did her duty, the Princess is still entitled to feel betrayed in her trust.
And as for it not befitting her station, she was unaware of her station until Bia showed up and informed her of such, and because of that any inappropriateness is irrelevant. As she was reacting befitting her then known station. A human-Sphinx hybrid.
In addition, I also consider it hogwash, that you have to adapt justified reactions, just because you enter a higher social status. Then again, I’m not one for social niceties most of the time anyway.
Oh, this is absolutely her introduction to this status. And I’m an egalitarian, so in terms of how humans abuse each other to gain power and keep it in families, I couldn’t more heartily agree.
This is Force Incarnate speaking here. And she has been rarely remarked upon in thousands of years. The restraint is palpable: Bia could have and could still make Shelly do anything.
But that’s not what having divine status means. It means setting an example. If you fail, you get Ragnorok or awful stories of monsters and devils out to eternally torture the helpless as your legacy.
Distrust of the divine.
Shelly was afforded a human life. All those frustrations we’ve enjoyed for the past eleven years. She even got a cute human boyfriend to forget her crazy magic friends with for awhile.
Then she was afforded a sphinx’s life, because she was that too. And that’s a lonely life. She had an important place to guard, and skillful helpers to let her understand her keeper’s role. And she was fulfilled a sphinx, too.
And then she returned and discovered her boyfriend had a weird secret too. So they progressed together in wrestling with how annoying being supernatural was.
And now she’s entering a Titan’s life. Because she’s that too. And her boyfriend will have to reenter that life as well. And a Titan’s life is heroic and cosmic and political and the very definition of power over the world. It means being tricked into marrying your greatuncle, but that being the source of a new season with new wonders. It means you really are responsible for certain joys and ills of mankind. It means knowing when to face tragedy and when break off its mask.
It means meeting the chessmasters and earning a seat at the game.
Yeah, I’m calling bullshit. “Oh, you’re totally a Titan, so you can’t be angry at the people who manipulate you.” WTF?!
Man, to hell with that. Status us position in life have nothing to do with feelings of betrayal and mistrust.
“Greatness” is being thrust at Shelley, but nobody’s asking her if she WANTS it. Even if she doesn’t have a choise, it STILL doesn’t mean that she should like it, nor does it mean she should just let it all happen.
But hey, AUTHORITY! You MUST obey people more powerful than you.
Here’s a hint. Might does not make right. It just makes you mighty.
@MihoshiK – I don’t think she can claim to not want the “greatness” that is being thrust at her when she clearly wants to be treated as something more than a “pawn” in all of the supernatural goings on. Actually, when you think about it, she seems to be wanting the power and control without having to have the emotional control that should go with it. Definitely needs more growing up…
MihoshiK, she’s not necessarily telling Shelly not to get angry. What she is telling her is that this is not a proper response to getting angry, not when you have the power of a Titan.
The problem is, when Titans throw temper tantrums, worlds tend to go kabloey, or something equally bad. They need to have better control, to use their anger well, or we get the sort of problems the Greek myths tell about, if not Ragnarok.
Not being a pawn, and becoming one of the Chess players are two different things though.
She just wants to have a choice and be given the information required to make an informed decision.
You know, like adults do..
She’s trying to grow up, but everyone keeps on treating her like a kid. And sooner or later that’s going to lead to an eruption. Not the adult thing to do?
Well, if you’re not treating her as an adult, then you have no right to expect her to behave like one either.
And even then, even Adults blow their stack, when pushed too far.
As for her actions having a bad effect on the Earth, because now she’s part Titan.
a) They’re in the library, not on Earth.
So even if she blows her top there, it won’t be effecting the planet.
b) She was going to the library to learn how to control her powers, so that she wouldn’t end up lashing out with full force when in anger.
Her situation hasn’t changed one whit really. She still needs to learn how to control her powers.
It’s just that the one person, she thought she could trust, in helping her achieve this aim, has just proven not to be very trustworthy.
Least not to the degree that she won’t put someone else’s wishes (commands) over those of Shelly.
At the end of the day, Shelly cannot trust Phix to be there for her. Not as a friend, nor as a mentor.
Yep, IS_Wolf–while in the library, she’s learning control. But she needs to–unless she plans on spending the rest of eternity there. She may not be that safe if she ever comes back to this planet without working through her issues.
Her anger may be justified or not–and in any case, it exists and has to be dealt with. And the library is a good place to do that.
@ MihoshiK – Why do you assume that Phix is the one who “tricked her into” being stuck in the Forest? Was that ever clearly outlined as fact for us?
We know that Shellynx (while in the Forest) conversed with Nudge to ensure the creation of Connie so she’d have that protection from the other sphinxes. Who’s to say that her time there wasn’t some sort of mind-bending situation that she manipulated into happening while she was outside time? She was the Sage, so maybe she saw the wisdom of her incarceration there. *shrugs*
Of course, Paul could come in here and tell me I’m wrong…and other Wapsi fans may well remember something else from the comic which points to a specific person (maybe even Phix) as being the reason Shelly went to the Forest, but it’s still a thought. 🙂
I’ve linked to a page of it elsewhere, but the parallel scene to this one is here. Worth a reread through.
Tepoz has just come off being reamed by Monica for saddling her with the Chimera, and he wasn’t being entirely honest. His guilt starts immediately, and the first thing he does is go to Shelly with information about her mother. He knows some stunningly intimate details of Mrs. Wahnee’s last moments on Earth. Shelly never got real answers for her mother’s death, and today’s strip more than suggests that that is the root of her persistent inability to control herself.
Oh, and when Tepoz gets clobbered back in 2005, a smaller helper getting punched is supposed to be hilarious. But Shelly just wants her mom.
I just want Peter Dinklage in the role of Tepoztecatl.
Wasn’t it Connie’s little talk in the boiler room with Shelly while they were on the sandbar that convinced Shelly to volunteer to touch the McGuffin – that led to the Time Forest?
She has a right to be upset- as this shit takes a moment to process and is indeed frustrating. But to be pissed…. no.
As Grey Wolf said- cry me a fucking river. Boo hoo, you were set up. Your mate was arranged and it works to the benefit of both partners and what ever political machine you are now a cog in- that you will ALWAYS be a cog in. A cog with BENEFITS one might add.
That. is. what. HAPPENS! When you get ‘promoted’ to a higher ‘player’/chess piece. So instead of a pawn she’s a Rook. Fuck, screw that- she probably went from pawn to fucking QUEEN piece and she want’s to cry about it?
Boo hoo. Boo hoo. Go pick on someone who will fight back you big bully.
Frustrating- I know. Get over it, Shelly. No one is going to hand you the control, serenity and the assurance that you are not going to kill the wrong person in a fit of emotion. You have to EARN it. And to earn it you have to fucking GROW UP and see beyond yourself.
And no- there was no growing up in the Time Forest. She grew feral, not up. So instead of being a small toddler to train up she’s an over size rage beast who can actually do some damage if she doesn’t chill the fuck out.
Irrespective of the status, irrespective of the perks.
It’s about trust.
Shelly feels she cannot trust Phix anymore.
Despite her entire life being turned upside down, despite being stuck in a forest for over 80.000y and seeing various alternate selves die.
She still thought that she could trust Phix. Now she’s learned that this is not the case.
Oh and as for Shelly being a bully and picking on someone who cannot fight back. Phix is a Sphinx, in case you’ve forgotten. A Pure Blood. She’s killed more people, than Tina’s drug dealing family has done with their dope.
She’s not some helpless and powerless human, a la a Katherine, who Phix did bully when the latter entered the library for the first time.
No, Phix is not an innocent. And she surely can take a hit or 12. Clearly the hit Shelly is dealing is hitting a highly emotional, painful and crippling mark.
But Phix is not a monster. Monsters kill without thought or care about alternatives nor do they take the time to explain things to a person’s understanding. Monsters do not feel guilt.
She was the only Sphix who was against killing humans by riddle, the only one who wanted to find another way and she was ostracize for it (she also wasn’t bullying Shelly or Kathrin at that time. They were never in any danger of being hurt. She was having fun at their expense. She *is* a guardian, being intimidating and not letting people forget the dangers of crossing a guardian is part of her job, as is testing people’s worth).
As mean as she was to Tina- I’m sure another Sphinx would have taken any opportunity to be rid of a walking corps full of demon rats. Phix did threaten and scared the piss out of her to draw out Nudge- Phix also apologized for what little it was worth. I am wondering if a different Sphix would have just torn Tina to bits to get at the Nudge center rather than punch Nudge out; because that is what they did to humans to kill the demons. She also recognizes Tina’s potential and nurtures it were she can.
As for trusting Phix- Phix is a mentor, mother figure and guardian. That requires a level of trust, but it also an easily bruised trust. Mentors ALWAYS push their students past their limits. Guardians ALWAYS are doing something being the scenes to ensure their charge is cared for and has the best chance of coming out a head. Mother figures ALWAYS will push the young out of the nest to get them to fly on their own. All of these actions hurt and betrays the person who trusts them.
Like it or not, Shelly is past the part of staying in the nest or in the dark of what manipulations where used to keep her safe and to ensure her future. They are not pleasing things to hear- she has the right to be upset. Even the right to punch a wall I would say. But she is also past the point where she can get away with such behavior. Like it or not, she’s in the big leagues playing a high stakes game.
I agree with War on this. Yes, Shelly has a right to be upset while she processes the implications of this knowledge…but she doesn’t have a right to be a pissy bitch and take out her frustrations on someone who might not be the one to blame (if anyone truly even deserves that blame on their own…too many manipulators in this place to pin that on a specific person).
Frankly, I also agree with Grey Wolf that she’s taking this a little too far. Yes, having your trust abused hurts and sucks serious monkey toe…but there is no way that Shelly (or anyone aware of the supernatural goings on in Wapsi-World) should have assumed that she’d be exempt from manipulations of some sort of higher or unknown power. It’s never good to assume that there aren’t bigger, badder powers-that-be that could be behind the scenes making things happen.
Also, the fact that Phix is Shelly’s Guardian is an excellent point in favor of why Shelly won’t always get to be in the know. It shows that she’s not moved far enough up the ladder to merit being invulnerable. Another thing to consider…Guardians protect (which might mean withholding knowledge until the person under care is deemed capable of handling the information), and Guardians teach (and unfortunately, sometimes the best ways to learn involve being manipulated into situations that test your abilities). The real trust question is: Can you trust that your Guardian has your best interests at heart? If the answer is yes, then you shouldn’t be too surprised/upset to find that she manipulated (or allowed someone else to manipulate) you into a situation that she felt was good for you.
Having fun at someone else’s expense is what bullies do though.
You can dress it up as, oh she’s being a guardian, she’s just warning etc etc.
Or oh the other Sphinxes are much worse than her, they’d just kill Tina..
Doesn’t change anything at all. Phix is as much, if not more so, a bully when compared to Shelly.
You want to call out Shelly for being a bully? Then you need to do the same with Phix.
And as for the trust issue.
A mentor will let their pupil know that they’re being tested, least if they’re a good mentor anyway.
“Uhm, Sensei. You want me to fight Ryu? But he’s three belts higher than I am, there’s no way I can beat him.”
“If you believe that, then you will lose. If you believe you can win, then you’ll win. I believe that you can win, that you’re ready. What you believe, remains to be seen.”
Guardians/Mothers serve the same function towards a child essentially. But they want to challenge the kid? Sit them down, talk with them and explain the new status quo. What their obligations now are. What their rights are.
Because the whole, it’s for their own good spiel, has been used one too many times to justify all sorts of abuse.
Whether it be something as banal as selling off a toy/comic collection, because hey, they have to grow up. Down to actual physical/mental abuse. Hey, I’m just toughening them up, real life is shitty, they have to become stronger to deal with it.
Phix needs to be called on her BS, just as much as anyone else. Not everything she does is hunky dory fine and should be forgiven, just because she is Phix, and she is awesome.
Phix can very much do wrong, just as Tina can.
Remember when Tina set up Shelly to kill Nudge?
When Monica had to poit the three of them way up into the sky, to get them to behave themselves?
Was it an accident by Tina? Yup, but she still did wrong. Wise and profound Barrista act not withstanding.
Same here. Phix withheld pertinent information from Shelly. Now one can claim, it was for her own good, but that’s still not the right thing to do, as it robbed Shelly of the opportunity to make a truly informed decision.
To “practice” being an adult, and going into the situation fully aware of the possible consequences.
Consider it the equivalent to a teen having sex, after having had sex ed, and knowing what is and isn’t safe, and those who lack that knowledge completely, because others withheld it for their own good.
Nope, sorry, to all those saying Shelly has a right to be pissed, I am throwing the BS flag and blowing the whistle.
Pissed about WHAT, exactly? Did they drug her? Rip off her clothes, throw her in Justin’s house and yell “have fun”?
No. They made sure the star-crossed lovers’ paths crossed and let the couple-to-be’s own natural tendencies follow predictable patterns. No external force exerted (real subtle for a plot possibly laid by the embodiment of Force, wouldn’t you say? makes me think she had nothing to do with it …) just an opportunity arranged.
I see so many people in the world today who want to find that special person but have yet to succeed. Or they found that person but are pilloried by society for it (hellooooo gay marriage fight)? Just as bad, they find the person but other things stand in the way, such as the other is in a marriage where they are not happy, but are too bound by imagined loyalty to leave?
How many of them blow their brains out or gulp the pills, because they don’t have a support structure in place (friends, family, clergy, whatever) to deal with the stress?
Shelly, even after 80k years in the forest you can still be such a child, I am sorry. Some of us WISH we had someone/something looking out for us like that. So you didn’t find him on your own … waah waah waah. YOU FOUND HIM. Count that blessing and cash out, while you can!
There’s an old proverb “a man finds a butterfly struggling to get out of its chrysalis. He decides to help the butterfly only to watch it die shortly after too weak to fly”. Without the struggle of fighting its way out the butterfly couldn’t build up its strength and so couldn’t fly.
In other words it’s not about the destination it’s about the journey.
Yes there together yippy but do they have the emotion foundation to make it last. A foundation that can only be built by that struggle and is weakened by shortcuts and If you believe in fated/true love then you know it has to happen in its time not yours or anyones elses.
Thank you … I had forgotten that proverb, was so long ago when I had heard it. Instead, I tend to remember the other one about the finest of steel only being what it is because it first saw the burning fire of the forge and the relentless pounding of the smith’s hammer, heh.
I was going off more on my reaction if I was just told what she was. I would become upset for a moment because this just came out of no where and hit me on top of all the other crap I was dealing with.
A warped incorrect way to interpret it is higher ups decided you were too stupid to make a right decision so they made it for you. It worked out okay so shut up and submit, you stupid tool.
This is, of cores NOT what was being said or done but your mind does like to fuck with you at the worst times.
There is a difference between being upset and punching a wall in a burst of emotion and being pissed and becoming enraged. One goes away, you feel better and you even grown a bit from it. The other feeds on itself and unravels all your hard work.
It’s okay to be upset and frustrated- to a point it is expected as is getting to the point of letting it go before it poisons you (this is also something form my perspective and something I am currently working on).
It is not okay to be pissed off.
I’m just glad someone bigger showed up to put Shelly back in her place because it was escalating to ridiculousness.
Phix- love her, adored her, but she is either a lot weaker than she should be or she’s letting her guilt or other emotions get away from her and it’s becoming an issue with her role. I hope that gets address as well.
Aware of that, thanks. 😉 I meant, that pic looks more like it belongs in the comments area of Paul’s blog post regarding his new print for sale: “Cheerleader & Librarian: Zombie Hunters”
Wow, curveball. And apologize for slamming her against the wally maybe, but…for being manipulated? For now having to wonder how much of your love might have been planned, setup, or even forced? For no longer being certain if you are together because you’re really in love but because someone wanted you to be?
Being treated like a chess piece, no matter how good the outcome, is not a good feeling.
And…holy crap, is Phix crying? Have to wonder if Phix herself is being pushed around as a pawn somehow, or has been…
While I wasn’t sure if she actually hit Phix or just the wall, I can definitely agree with the rest of your comment.
I would be angry too if I found out my ‘perfect love’ was just a setup due to someone else’s machinations. Because then you begin to question everything, including the actual sincerity behind the so called ‘love’ portion of that. And given just what Shelly has already been through (forced to stab her best friend in the head, trapped for 80+ years in a forest. Having to see herself die over and over and over again) is it any wonder why she wouldn’t, let alone shouldn’t, be angry? Now add in the fact that for the entire week she’s said more than once that she doesn’t feel as in control of her sphinx side as she would like. We’ve seen her sphinx out just because Phix said her bf was lickable. This indicates she’s still emotionally ‘fragile’, as I don’t want to outright say unstable. But you toss that in with everything else, and you have the scenerio we see today. And why anyone would think this is unjustified or she should be reasonable about it all seems quite strange to me. But, that’s just me.
And now we have this ancestor who apparently looks like her mother. If Shelly manages to keep a functioning level of sanity when this is all said and done, I will be impressed with her personal strength of character.
Falling in love can’t truly be manipulated (unless the person you fall for is the manipulator)…only the meeting of two people can really be arranged. Shelly shouldn’t have any reason to question the validity of her feelings. Those are hers alone and are not easily affected by the puppeteers of the world.
That’s the reason I side with the “cry me a river” -crowd.
Shelly is back to her old, bad habit of blaming the whole world except herself, with the hitting, the tantrums and the “Hurt the ones You most care about”
Remember thát one miss Wahnee?? I am sure You do..
Shé manipulated Justin in coming closer, as women tend to do, by pulling all sorts of strings in the background. Even going so far as to check Justin’s working place for details.
I bét Shelly was already falling for Justin after his transparent ploy to act as a kick-box noobie to get close to Shelly.
And remember: Justin lost his memory, so he went into this adventure of trying to get Shelly, without a second agenda. He just fell for her “sec”
Nope, I firmly think Shelly is on the wrong train here. And venting at Phix is wholly unappropriate.
Yes well, most of us aren’t forced sphynx-titan-hybrids that keep getting manipulated to the point that you feel like nothing by the universe’s plaything to screw around with as it pleases. I would feel pissed too.
Shelly’s not forced to be a hybrid. Her magical ethnicity isn’t a manipulation. She was just born that way. Her getting the companion conscience girl was her own manipulation, so she could survive the time in the forest. She’s been as much a part of her manipulation as anybody else, so it just sounds like whining.
Plus as said above, setting people up doesn’t force them into loving each other. Leading horses to water and whatnot.
So, um, wasn’t it quite a delicate set up after all, placing Justin as an officer in THE GENERAL AREA where Shelly lived, and happened to be INTENTIONALLY BLOWING UP GRILLS?
Ok, I’ll admit to the paranoia of the thought of mind/emotion manipulation, but if that is dropped out of the equation this seems kinda… nice, in a pushy way.
After all, there must be a limited number of powerfull and right-minded supernaturals, so the powers that be might want to keep the lines going…. Still doesn’t mean that Shelly shouldn’t be upset, only that she should come to understand if not accept it.
Perhaps holisticism and psycho-emotional physics plays a part. If two paranormals of Greek decent, who’s pasts are intwined and are in near proximity of each other then no other outcome was possible.
Exactly! Although she still is being petulant even if there were more direct involvement – it wasn’t even really all that direct. The opportunity was made, and those higher powers were just counting on the high probability of an expected outcome – which could still have failed. It just didn’t.
It’s like scheduling a meeting at the beach on the hottest day of summer then betting on whether the fair-skinned guy gets a sunburn. Just playing the odds, but could still lose.
You’d have preferred she’d used her kickboxing skills to dislocate Phix’s arms and legs?
Shelly’s being rather restrained here, keeping it verbal or engaging in non-contact (with Phix’s bod) aggression displays as she reacts to discovering she’s been manipulated. Some people would have a lot less control than this to such a revelation.
Also, Phix may be crying because she knows she was in the wrong.
Or Phix may be crying because she hasn’t been treated like this since before she was confined to the Library… I don’t remember exactly where the page was, but we learned at some point that Phix was a bottom-ranking sphinx, and we already know that the sphinxes in general aren’t the nicest critters. *shrugs* It’s not too far of a leap to assume she got some verbal lashings from her higher-ups. That would be an unpleasant memory to re-live.
My guess – Phix is crying because she’s appreciating (and perhaps sharing) Shelly’s emotional pain and frustration. She’s crying out of empathy.
Whether there’s some guilt and regret involved on her part as well, I don’t know. From what Phix has said, it’s clear that she knew about the “manipulate Justin into a position where he’ll meet Shelly” stuff (which was apparently done by the MIB, which strongly implies that Brandi was involved or at least knew about it).
We don’t yet know whether Phix actually participated in this MIB setup of Justin and Shelly, or whether she was just aware of it. We don’t know whether her “You’re perfect for each other” comments this week were an attempt to justify her own actions, or just her silence (until now).
Not so much a red herring as a vague memory due to repression (the sense of guilt for wiping out an entire civilization) and not being in a right frame of mind, when the memory was made.
The Chimaera saw Bia during its rampage, it hit her with a burst of heat hot enough to glass the surroundings, before moving on.
On a rational level one wouldn’t have expected her to survive, so the mind fills in the missing details, like flesh burnt to a crisp and the fat reserves half molten off of the bone.
The fact that Bia was something non-human and could therefore survive the blast, that’s another issue, and one that the Chimaera couldn’t have anticipated.
Heck, it could even be that the Bia-form that they’ve seen (considering both Jin and Bud have reported seeing her), is actually a shared demon of theirs, namely guilt.
That tragedy of Shelly’s is the source of her anger, when it is righteous or otherwise. She was dicked around. And it led to her fourth nature: Conscience, the mythic balance of the powers.
Tepoz knew way more than he should about specific details of Shelly’s mother’s death. Way way more than he should without being there. But his dots weren’t connected. His info was second-hand.
Shelly told Justin that she’d “had time to grow up” as a result of her 80,000 years in the Time Forest. I get the feeling that this incredible time-of-exile may have been only the first part of her true adolescence. She’s begun to come to terms with her sphinx heritage, but it now seems that she’s got yet another mystical heritage (Titan) that’s probably going to bring a whole new set of emotional and life issues to be dealt with.
Will she have time, in her life, to do so? She said that (after returning from the Forest) she would live only as long as a normal human… but perhaps this isn’t actually true, if her Titan heritage is strong enough. A three-way human/sphinx/titan hybrid might be very long-lived?
She’s an amazing character already… can’t wait to see her when she’s really “grown up”!
Most adolescents do grow up–but the main growing comes as they take their place as adults (or nearly so) in the world, relating to other adults and learning all the ropes and pitfalls. (Some call it High School, or First Job)
Shelly, on the other hand, grew up (as a sphinx) all alone, and now she must learn not only control of her sphinx form, but also the social skills of an adult with great power. And, worse, she keeps learning about more levels to that power: not only a sphinx, but a titan too.
Well… Yeah, but you know how it’s the GUYS that have to have those overbearing HUGE hats, with flames on top, just to get a point across… The FEMALE displays are subdued and subtle, they don’t need the garish displays… but it helps: 4th panel D: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120502
Young women are difficult to paint; they look so much alike. Comic characters are even harder, being simpler. This is partly why anime characters have different colored hair. “Pretty” actually is average, that is, eye placement, nose length, chin, etc. are not too much or too little, but “just right”.
“Pretty” also includes some other stuff like youth, confidence, health, appropriate fashion for the tribe and generation, etc.
Paul does pretty good in having distinctive but attractive females, but when they’re actually related, well…
Signs of Wapsi addiction:
1. When internet breaks, buy new phone with data plan.
2. Nearly break new phone when poor signal won’t allow internet checking.
3. Recoil in horror at the thought of archive-digging with the phone and poor connection. Do it anyway.
6. Realize it could have been worse – you didn’t buy a car to drive to a coffee shop to get online to read the webcomic. And someone, somewhere, probably DID. So you’re ok. 😀
Wow. I go out of town for and off-the-net for a month, and look what I come back to! Wonderful!
This whole Bia revelation makes me realize that Paul was being even more subtle than I had thought (gee, what a surprise) with that little “Swoosh” reference he snuck in back in January.
This was clearly a clue about Nike (the goddess). At the time I thought it was just wonderful wordplay and imagery, but now it seems Paul may have been making a very intentional statement about Shelly’s true heritage.
I might possibly be due a rebate on my Pun Jar contribution for calling Shelly a “daimon in the rough” – it looks as if that was exactly what Paul was intending to say about her! Paul, you have out-Peabody’d me, and that takes some doing… I bow to the master!
(and a second bow for working this in as a double tear-jerker. Seeing Phix weep at Shelly’s emotional pain over being manipulated… that really hit me hard… Phix has always come across as rather blase and matter-of-fact about the “growing pains” of the other characters she interacts with, and it’s good to see that she really does have empathy in her makeup).
Ya think that’s amazing? (well it is– and–) I think the Stygian household is more extensive than that.
Isn’t “Nudge” a gentle form of “Force”?
Didn’t Nudge’s name come from the comments??
PABLO PLAYS A DEEP GAME.
(And for those down on Phix for manipulating Shelly… I think she’s playing a deep game of her own, trying to protect people she cares about, against something… unstoppable.)
A deep game indeed… there’s subtlety here worthy of a Vorlon or an Arisian.
I tend to agree with your suspicions about Phix… she seems to be gaming things in ways both passive and active. We’ve had plenty of hints that there are Powers out there of a much higher level than we’ve seen directly (extra-dimensional at least, and possibly something truly or effectively divine), and there’s clearly some sort of structure/law/organization involving the sphinxes and the Library and relations with the demons.
Phix does seem to be involved in some sort of balancing act… she’s under some constraints in how she deals with humans, but has some degree of freedom and does seem to be able to get away with “interpreting” the rules in interesting ways if she sees fit.
What her true motives are, and what the true situation is… well, that’s going to be interesting to discover as time goes by 🙂
Wapsi Readers, I am so proud of you! For all the recent discussions about Epimetheus and his relations, you all have had the good taste and restraint not to mention the various distant cousins — Epithelium, spirit of suntans, Epidural, nymph of numbness, and Epididymis, who… ah… er…. never mind.
Well, what do you expect of a Pro, who proceeds to propose new titans, such as Proposterous, the Titan of exaggeration, or Professional, the Titan of occupational ethics and excellence?
[drops in a complete set of pro balls: soccer, American and Canadian football, rugby, cricket, tennis, golf, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, volleyball.]
Hey bmonk! You forgot Prophylactic, muse of preparedness, who, even after these many centuries, is still affecting the lives of millions every day.
And Dave, I’m proud to say I have already exceeded the GDP of Bhutan and Sikkim combined, and now have my sights squarely set on Lesotho. I’ll keep you informed.
Hmm so another magical being in her lineage. She’s turning into a big supernatural mutt. Wonder what else she’s got in her. Maybe she’s also a little bit of whatever that shadow lady with the hell hounds.
Wolverine’s lack of memory was explained (in the movie at least) in a similar way… a bullet through the fore-brain destroyed most of his memories.
The human memory system does have a good deal of redundancy in it, but there are limits.
Real-world example: when I was ten, the cause of my mother’s recurring severe headaches was identified when her vision went wonky and her eye-doctor said “Something is putting pressure on the back of your eyeball… X-ray now!” There was a golf-ball-sized tumor (benign, thankfully) growing back there. It was removed successfully, and she’s still alive and well more than a half-century later… but she tells me that she lost most of her memories covering a period of several years during my childhood as a result of the tumor/surgery.
Wait.. Shellinx made Phix cry??? Awww…
Shellinx, you tantrum-y, insolent, ego-centered BRAT!
It was Phix that saved Your sorry butt in the time-forest. It’s Phix that tries to help You control your Sphinxieness, and THIS is how you re pay that?
Good thing Bia enters. Time for a maternal smack-down.
Oh, and aren’t we, suddenly, knee-deep in the Pantheon? Wow..
According to the URLs, Wapsi Square is rapidly approaching a total of 100,000 reader comments – and that’s only since it was ported over to ComicPress!
It really is an amazing phenomenon, and something for which I hope Paul is very proud!
Is Monica still the main character of Wapsi Square? I’m not so sure after this revelation. But that just makes me think that Monica is. . . uh. . . fill this in, someone?
It felt like Monica went from being the one to stop the calendar machine one minute to being a pawn and ball hitting fans service. and the whole sun Argument doesn’t hold water for me because the main character isn’t just the center of the story their the one that fix problems and save the day.
Oh well writers do get tired of writing about a character all the time.
The conversation between Monica and Phix which starts here is interesting, and relevant in a couple of ways to your question and to what’s going down with Shelly at the moment.
It takes place not long after Shelly returns from the Time Forest, when Monica confronts Phix about what Phix knew (or didn’t know) and said (or didn’t say) about the Calendar Machine situation, about Shelly’s fate, etc.
Two points in particular:
Phix says “None of us are in a position of privilege! Certainly not me! But, if you could help someone… by not telling them something, would you do it?” (I always assumed that this was a reference to the key-in-the-head stabbing and/or Shelly’s fate in the Time Forest, but Phix might also have been referring to Justin as well?)
Phix also points out to Monica, “This is not about what you need. This is about Shelly. Up until now, you’ve been in the center.” Implication: it isn’t / won’t always be so.
My own opinion, about your question… is that it’s not really the right question to ask, because it’s too simple. “Is Monica the main character?” assumes that there is a “main character”, which is something that isn’t always the case even in fiction and certainly isn’t the case in “real life”.
I expect Monica will remain as a major character in Wapsi Square, but I don’t think she’ll always be at the center of the action in the Wapsiverse… because I think Paul has created a complex universe which simply doesn’t have a single center to it! Like the real world, everything is in motion around (and is influencing) everything else.
Shelly has some heavy stuff going on. So does her faithful smartass Companion, Conscience. So does Tina. Jin has been through some serious stuff, too. All of these women are growing and changing… in one way or another, each is a unique hybrid with an evolving nature.
I expect the focus of the strip will probably shift around, week to week and month to month, as these (and other characters) work out their destinies and their roles in what’s occurring.
I’m surprised that nobody has commented on Shelly’s family tree. If she’s part Titan on her Momma’s side, is she part sphinx on her Daddy’s side? Because I can’t see Titans allowing their line to interbreed with sphinxes…
I get the impression that most decendants of either line muddle along in thier mortal lives never really knowing that the blood of Titans or Sphinxes courses through thier viens.
A thought along those lines. Shelly said that she would have a normal human lifespan as a mortal/sphinx hybrid. With the revelation that she’s a Titan as well as a Sphinx and heir to two lineages, I’d hazzard the guess that Shelly HAD a “normal” human lifespan. One that ended on the vision quest that ended with the creation of Connie and Shelly’s death.
It was mentioned earlier that the sphinx trait was recessive. That would mean that in order to express the trait, Shelly would need sphinx ancestors on both her mother’s and father’s side.
“The proper way to do such a thing is to make the parties aware that you’re setting them up.”
Unless you’re dealing with a rebellious spirit, like Shelly, who will resist your attempts on principle alone. Then, you’re better off keeping it hidden, and just hoping things follow the course you predicted.
You don’t think as Titan could issue a psychic scream loud enough to leave a mark on the chimera, one which one of the components of the chimera itself would mistake for a memory from a victim?
That’s not even considering that the chimera could have destroyed Bia’s physical avatar even though it lacked the power to destroy Bia herself – so the image of the little girl in the GGG’s memory was from the residue of that avatar they destroyed.
Hardly a red herring at all, since it was never definitively stated what she truly was. By leaving it to our conjecture, Paul left it wide open. We were the ones who tried to nail it down so any wrong steps – that’s our own lookout.
I think the scene with Charon was supposed to show her physical form was untouched. If anything her open-mouthed horror showed that her spirit could be moved more easily than her immortal flesh.
At first I was speculating in comments that week that she’d been thrown into Limbo or something, but once the implications of her name was made clear, the meaning of scene was a major focus-pull for the little girl of Bud’s nightmares.
Connie’s lines at the atoll are actually non-committal. Shelly even asks if she knows she’s dead, and Connie misdirects.
I think the scene with Charon was included to explain away the blasted skeleton seen in the original flashback.
I’m kinda of the opinion that Paul has changed his thinking from time to time…
I mean, now he tells us that Tina doesn’t sleep, but then there was this: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/morningdialogue/, which he tells us is Tina lying down to rest her physical body but not sleeping … but the dialog really sounds as if she was asleep…
Stygians. That family has places in every major Olympian household.
Jin dismissed the importance of the Lanthian immortals to Monica, and Monica pressed on without giving them much more thought. They were just human Lanthian hacks proud of their Timekeeping Machine and disguising their identities over the years. But Shelly’s instincts were right all along.
Seems to be OK here… I’ve been surfing directly to it (bypassing my usual proxy/cache) and the main page is fully accessible, even on a full refresh. If there was something amiss at the WapsiSquare.com server, it seems to have cleared up.
I’ve been hearing of some weird goings-on on some sites, while FARK was moving it’s servers, which just finished up. Almost as if there was a disturbance in the digital ether.
Hmm. Link to Wapsi Home still borked, cause unknown. Kingklash is relatively close geographicaly, it may have something to do with an intermediate server somewhere – or, just trouble with the Internet Gnomes…
Several sites around the net went funny around local midnight, when June turned into July; June 30th had a leap second, meaning that the minute of 23:59 was 61 seconds long. Despite this happening every few years, quite a lot of code threw fits when the clock hit 23:59:60. I think everything’s sorted out now.
ARGH!!! every damn @#$!&^%*(* time i turn around the artist/author of this comic pulls something like this and drags me in even further with more questions!!
wow did not see that comming haha
Odds against seeing it coming have been about 100-1 against so far!
Way to go, Paul!
Yeah, guys, Paul has pulled a Great Lady of myth out of abject obscurity, and made that historical fact a cornerstone of this amazing story. I think this deserves a cheer.
HIP-HIP-HOORAY!
Phix, looks terrified.
No, Phix looks sad and maybe ashamed, she’s crying in the 2nd & 3rd panels.
no, she just another worker for the titans, trying to do her job, under stress from her immature, violent charge (if it was out of view of her boss, a good few punches would solve it..)
Phix’s tears seem to be from shame. She loves Shelly like a daughter and has been forced to keep a dark secret from her for so long. She is just at the end of her line in handling such a duty.
How would you react to the anger of a being. you know can kill you easily?
And the other shoe has dropped and it looks like little old me and some others were right.
Shelly is a human-Titan-Sphinx hybrid. (The visual similarities between Bia and Connie, and therefore a young Shelly were simply too big to ignore.)
And it looks like Bia did a fine job on calming her “grand daughter” down.
Still, it remains to be seen how she’ll take the whole: Oh yea, I’m dating the guy whose brother you chained to a mountain to have his liver pecked out.
So we’re still in for a bumpy ride.
You are still amusing that this event actually happened and was not just tabloid info from mythology. remember what we learned about Medusa and Perseus after all.
Considering that Phix mentioned that Prometheus used to be a cocky kid, and that it took ages for him to get his head screwed on straight..
Kinda sounds like there was a wee bit more truth to that particular tale, than some of the other myths.
As Prometheus spent quite some time on that mountain, least until he was freed by Heracles (meaning several generations in other words). Such an experience would then most likely be akin to spending 80.000y in a forest.
And enough of a reason for him to keep a low profile and not draw any further attention to himself or pull any more “pranks”.
Yeah, uh, no. There is no tabloid crap about Bia.
That’s kind of the point.
A Titan of Force that no one ever writes about?
A Titan of Force that works behind the scenes?
I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Brandi’s chessmastering skillz from here out, Shelly. Welcome to the eighth row. Where would you like to go today?
um.. read the rest…. “you’re sailing off the map now…”
there are things out there, that even the library does not see… that’s the problem with infinity…..
Right. Bia has kept herself out of the limelight for thousands of years.
Though I must issue a correction. There is “some” yellow press on Bia out there.
Surely the nerdliest among us recall the Bia is a fictional male deity?
So. awesome.
Of course, the Titans in general were pretty sketchy in Greek mythology. More there to provide villains and opponents for the Olympians.
i’m of the opinion that we’re still musing that, in the spirit of the story, that the story being woven right now is true, pulled from the vast storehouse of ?tabloid? mythology and garnished w/ imagination… or… we’re the psychotics living in the castles in the sky that the neurotics created…. or …. brb, need more coffee.
Two things here. The words HEIR OF A TITIAN and MOMMY!
Shelly has yet to come into her full inheritance by that implaction to being the heir. The real question is which Titan she is heir to? It isn’t prom oe his brother or they never would have let the two of them meet now would they? So that surprise is still out there waiting for us.
The resembalnce of Bia to her mother implies her real mother looked a lot like Bia. This could be because the blood runs true and that would make Shelly Bia’s heir and Bia a Titian. Isn’t that a twist to think about. Have fun folks.
By the way a lot of people have called this relationship all the way back to the first appearance of Bia. So a lot of people get pats on the back.
Bia is probably laying claim to the term Titan for herself and her siblings (although Nike ended up becoming a full blown Goddess in her own right), because their father Pallas was a Titan (Dedicated to War). (The other siblings being her brothers Kratos (strength) and Zelus (zeal).)
Their mother Styx was both a Naiad (fresh water nymph) and a Goddess over the river that bore her name at the same time.
And Styx herself was one of the daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.
So yeah, pretty good claim to being a Titan herself, even if she and her siblings were originally Personifications of the ideals they represented.
And it also very much looks like Bia is also calling Shelly her heir.
The physical resemblance between younger Bia and Connie/Younger Shelly and now Adult Bia and Shelly’s mom alone should be enough to close that argument.
Although this also means that if her mother’s side of the family is the Titan line, then that probably means her Father’s side of the family would then be the Sphinx side, unless her mother was also a Sphinx-Human-Titan hybrid.
Side note, Justin is Epimetheus, that would be Prometheus’ brother. Unless you’re also counting Atlas (fate unknown) or Menoetius, who was killed and sent to Tarterus.
And I’m not so sure that Promy is keeping tabs on his younger brother, even if they were inseparable in their youth, being chained to a mountain for a bunch of generations and having your liver pecked out on a daily basis is bound to change a person.
The whole Pandora marriage thing, and then that jar of hers cursing their (Promy+Epi) creation aka mankind, probably didn’t help either.
“ended up becoming a full blown Goddess in her own right” You say that like the Titans weren’t ‘gods,’ they were, just older or more ancient ones. Titans
I wouldn’t call a Titan a God no.
That would be like saying that Ymir was a God as well.
The term Primordial would fit them better. Deities seem to gain sustenance from the faith of their followers, a Titan does not seem to share that quality.
Otherwise Prometheus would’ve had such a power boost after giving Humanity access to fire again, that he could’ve never been chained to that mountain in the first place.
How one goes about from going from Titan to Deity?
Good question. Seems to be easier for Personification to make that jump, see for example Nike as an example.
Bia-ingo! You called it!
Gestures over to the pun(dit) jar…
* tosses in my old decoder ring. I was due foe a donation, anywho.
Bia all growed up.
Whoa. What a bombshell of a cliffhanger to end the week on.
And wow Phix is actually crying. I what she’s trying to say.
Argh. I’m an id’jit. It’s Shelly talking in the first panel. Now ir makes more sense. And still double wow. Shelly made Phix cry.
Yes, Bia has developed quite well…
But if she’s an adult now – and of course, still alive, as we’ve seen – it makes you wonder who the little girl haunting Jin is. And if that’s still in play or if Jin’s transformation somehow exorcised the crispy one, in reality or from Jin’s mind…
A bombshell of a cliffhanger about a bombshell? If you don’t want the pun jar to disgorge that “sea urchin”, you’d better drop something in it.
Hmmm. Maybe I should toss in a few fireworks? Looks like we’re not gonna be able to use them at home this year.
Bout time someone bigger showed up to yank Shelly’s chain. Know your place girl! :-p
Agreed! 🙂 That was satisfying to the nth degree!
Phix crying is just heartbreaking! She was probably just doing what she was told to do. *huggles* 🙁
Poor Phix, she’s ways managed too keep this tough exterior and now it turn out that she is as vulnerable as the rest of us
Dang… 🙁
Just – dang… Phix crying. Betting there’s a lot of pent of pain, regret, and sorrow.
Indeed. Add to this: The high probability that Phix hasn’t encountered another being as large as she is in some time…and in this case, the other being is majorly PO’d. Phix must be quite startled, at the very least.
I think it may be more a case of her knowing that she’s screwed up, and any trust that Shelly had in her, has just gone out the window.
Rather flawed analogy mayhaps, but it would be akin to a woman finding out that her mother has been schtoinking her fiance/boyfriend, and her calling her mother every name in the book and wishing her dead.
Not a relationship that’s going to be salvageable for a looooong time. And Phix does have a bit of a motherly affection for Shelly. So yeah, tears would be logical.
It may not be a matter of screwing up so much as being forced to do something she hates. Think of a cop who has long since decided to always uphold the law, being forced to arrest a relative, or an officer sending men out to be killed as a strategic distraction.
Phix is crying the way a mom cries when she’s getting lashed at by her child for something she (the mom) did with the best of intentions. More “weeping” than truly crying.
Are Shelly and Phix related?
One always has a choice, but in cases where you’re dealing with upholding principles over other considerations or “the sacrifice”, play it straight with people.
And that’s not something that Phix did with Shelly from the word go. Instead she dropped a reference, Shelly started questioning, and then Phix started to defend what was done.
The “It was for your own good.”.
Again, this is NO different from how Monica felt betrayed by Shelly for jamming that key into her skull.
Rationally it may be true, but on an emotional level?
A betrayal is a betrayal, doesn’t matter if it was done for a person’s own good or to save the world or the universe or what not.
It’s up to the one betrayed to decide if the betrayer is henceforth worth their time, affection or even if they want to trust said person again.
It’s NOT up to anyone else. Not Bia, nor anyone here in the peanut gallery.
Wasn’t Phix also used to being low-man on the totem pole among the sphinxes? I bet this is bringing back some painful memories of who she might have been treated by others.
Poor Phix!
But SHE didn’t do “it”. She is telling Shelly about it, not hiding it. Shelly is out of line for taking it out on Phix, when it isn’t even clear that she was “set up”. At least, not by the entities Shelly suspects. The “Higher Power” (i.e. He who’s name in Hebrew literally translates into “None of your Me-Dam business”) that seems to be cosmicly lining up the dominoes may be the only one to blame.
Some of the answers Phix just gave, seem to suggest that yes, they were set up.
Now whether or not Phix was behind it, or simply knew of it, and didn’t play it straight with Shelly by giving her a heads-up is pretty much besides the point at this juncture.
Shelly trusted Phix, and now she feels that Phix just planted a nice sharp dagger in her back. (It’s similar to how Monica felt when Shelly stabbed her in the head with the key. Was it for their own good? Maybe so, but on an emotional level it still feels like a betrayal by those you trusted.)
And there is no evidence of any Hebrew based deity in Wapsi Square., so dragging him into the discussion isn’t really helping.
Heck, the only Higher Power that we know of, lives in Twin Cities, MN, and he listens to the name of Paul. 😛
There may not have been a Hebrew deity referenced in this comic, but there still is an intangible power that seems to be more “in charge” than many of the supernaturals (i.e. Who is the voice of the Library?)…and it’s common for many folks to link an even higher force with well-known omnipotent/omniscient deities. 🙂
Then again, it’s possible that Bia was the voice of the Library. 🙂 *shrugs* We shall see!
Common or not, it’s still an incorrect behaviour pattern really.
Draw your conclusions based upon the available information. As opposed to picking and choosing the information to suit your conclusion.
One approach is likely to lead you to the “truth”, whereas the other is just self-delusion really.
Bia’s presence makes the speculation that She was the force behind the Library, a valid one. Because, hey, she exists within the story universe.
She’s showing up within the library itself, and standing up for Phix.
There is no evidence regarding a Judeo-Christian Deity being involved in all of this, so that speculation just isn’t valid at this point..
If the comic shows some bearded guy sitting on a cloud, surrounded by cherubs and talking to this guy called Peter or Michael or Gabriel or even Jesus. Than yeah, at that point speculating that he’s the Great Puppet Master becomes valid.
But till then, it just doesn’t fly.
Tina has a Madonna in the shop. And Shelly referenced that one guy once.
…
..
.
uh oh.
Mmmy brain is spinning too much in to things. It’s Friday night. Time to get out and clear my head. Cheers.
Just because the characters believe in said being, doesn’t mean that they’re correct.
Paul has mentioned a few times, that what the characters believe to be true, might not be so.
So just because Tina mentioned The Affixed God or Tina has a BVM statue, doesn’t mean, that said beings actually hold sway in the Wapsi-verse.
It’s like Santa Claus showing up in a Charlie Brown comic, and the kids believing that it really is Santa.
Doesn’t mean that they’re right and that it’s really Kris Kringle, who lives at the North Pole with his wife and a bunch of Elves. As opposed to it being just some guy in a costume, being paid a little over minimum wage, because the local mall needed a fat guy for the holiday season.
It is notable that the symbol in Bia’s tiara matches the designs of the windo frames behind her. Just saying.
Dont agree at all. Phix and MIB brought them in proximity and relied on nature for the rest. No coercion involved. the fact that they DID “click” just shows that Phix was tight.
Shelly will realize that once she gets off her high horse.
Does that mean that there is a prayer in the books of Wapsi-world that goes “Our Paul, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” ???
Yeah, it seems like the story of Phix’s life is no matter what she tries to do, good or bad, she’ll be blamed for the actions of others and treated like crap.
Considering Phix didn’t even break-down this much when dealing with Tina-less Nudge, and that was a far more emotional moment for Phix than this, wonder if this is a subtle sign that Phix may be breaking down from all the abuse she gets (from mortals, fellow Sphinxes, and immortals alike).
This may require an overnight visit from Tepoz and Brandi.
I think Phix is breaking down because she cares deeply for Shelly, and Shelly is angry with her. She nurtured and cared for her and taught her how to be a Sphinx in the time forrest. Shelly isn’t just a student to her. She’s the next best thing to a daughter that Phix has. And now we find out Phix is officaly Shelly’s gaurdian and that Shelly is actually an heir to a Titan. Shelly is royalty. Phix has been playing a juggling act from day one to try and prepare Shelly for the roles she has had to play. Shelly’s acusations hurt becuse Phix knows they’re true. All the manipulation was nessesary, but it dosen’t hurt either of them any less. I feel for both of them.
True, but I think “Heir Of A Titan” refers more to a predestined responsibility than a position of power. Similar to Monica’s role in relation to the GGG and Demon realm.
Shelly’s important, but I doubt she has much political power among the immortals beyond what those in-the-know (Phix, Tepoz/KuKuKlan, Bia, Jin/Maya, Bud/Brandi, etc) grant her, or she & CG make for themselves.
I suppose it comes down to how much power is attached to the position of “hier”. Bia seems to be saying that Shelly is the inheritor of a hereditary line through her mothers side. Her awakening her Sphinxy side in the time forrest may make her eligible to take on such a role. Consider that without some greater pourpose that utilizes her power and skill as a gaurdian Shinx, Shelly is something of a curiosity. She has the potental to walk among beings that would give the GGs pause. I think Shelly(and the story) are about to get a power upgrade. Pairing her off with Justin may be an attempt to unite two opposing houses among the titans, if what we “know” from myth is accurate. All just guess work of course, but Paul has been dropping hints that the focus of the story was shifting to Shelly for some time now.
And here’s the wind-up, the pitch, and … OH MY GOD!!!
The ball breached the lightspeed barrier, jumped back in time 5 minutes and struck out the previous three batters! Unbelievable!!!
(yeah, curve ball from HELL … nice one, Paul)
No kidding! That curve ball went through dang near every dimension!
Kudos, Paul; Kudos!
Except, according to Einstein, the path of the ball is not curved; it’s all those other dimensions that are curved, making it looks like a left hook.
Dun Dun DUNNNNNNNN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40
Dang! Someone else beat me to it!
That’s what I get for living on the West Coast.
(Well played, Pablo!)
Oh, and as for Shelly –
– so instead of finding your true love through sheer dumb luck some outside force saw to it that you crossed paths with someone you would find utterly compatible and desirable.
Cry me a freakin river, girl – the rest of us have to do it the hard way, and most either fail to find that person or go through a LOT more pain than you did in the process.
This is a character trait that made Luci dislike her in the beginning. Starting here http://wapsisquare.com/comic/worstinme/ through http://wapsisquare.com/comic/seewhatimean/
The proper way to do such a thing is to make the parties aware that you’re setting them up.
”
– Worst case, you have nothing in common you each go your separate way. (Yeah, I know that’s not the worst case scenario, but it’s a sales pitch you’re throwing, so of course you’re not going to mention the stalking serial killer option.)
– Reasonable case, you share some common interests, but that spark isn’t there. Congrats, you just made a new friend, and that’s nice too.
– Best case scenario, you’ll be acting like a couple of bonobo’s in heat while trying to figure out what to name your kids.
So what do you have to lose?”
And have them take it from there. You don’t play God with other people’s Love Lives (unless specifically asked to). It’s one of the biggest signs of disrespect you could show to a person..
Least from my perspective anyway.
Well, that’s the real trick, isn’t it? If Shelly had been aware that she was being set up, that knowledge would have affected her reactions to Justin in the first place, which in turn would have affected the relationship at large.
With the cat now out of the bag – as it were – I’m very interested in seeing Shelly interact with Justin. Would she look at him differently? Well, OK, it’s obvious she would – but which way will it go? Will she keep him, or will she let him go? Another opportunity for personal growth.
Relationships can be tricky enough as is, stuff like this isn’t exactly conductive for a healthy relationship.
Will lead to a lot of unnecessary second guessing. Better to go in with your eyes wide open, and see what’s what, so you may achieve a: “Sokath, his eyes uncovered,” as opposed to a: “Kadir beneath Mo Moteh” and thus: “Shaka, when the walls fell”. 😛
Plus, this whole Bia thing is now going to complicate matters even more due to the family… history with one and other.
A McCoy marrying a Hatfield? Never.. 😉
I guess the best we can hope for is “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra,” and go from there. 😉
WHAT the HECK are you two talking about? Darmok? Kadir? WTH?
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Tamarian_language
There you go..
If I’m correct, it’s referencing a Star Trek, next Generation episode.
The enterprise encountered another race whose technology was markably different, but not nessessarily inferior nor superior.
The universal translater translated the race’s speech into phrases like “with sails unfurled” (full speed) and “Dawson And Hillard at Tanagra” (they were together).
Captain Picard decided to catch up on his classics after that… starting with ‘Beowolf’.
@IS Wolf and @MerchManDan, you two just made my day… =-]
If memory (and History Channel Magazine) serves, I do believe there were a few Hatfield/McCoy unions.
@OctoDude… I second that. I find it oddly rewarding to have my nerdboy status confirmed, by realizing that I immediately understood what they were saying 🙂
Shelly does seem to have jumped right to “Sokath, his face black, his eyes red!” as a result of what Phix has just admitted. I guess I’m in partial agreement with a lot of the reactions people have expressed… IMO,
(1) Shelly is perfectly justified in bring upset at being manipulated and lied to (at least by omission). This isn’t the first time Phix has “played god” by witholding significant information from Shelly.
(2) She does need to manage her reactions/anger better, especially now that she has the power of a sphinx and (it seems) some Titan heritage. As one of Spider Robinson’s characters put it, “It’s OK to feel what you do. It’s OK to shout, if you really need to. It’s not OK to hit.”
(3) She already realizes point (2)… that’s what the whole storyline since New Years Day has been about… and is doing the best she can to gain full control of her touchy and aggressive new nature. She isn’t there yet, and she knows it.
(4) The motives of the people who have been manipulating Shelly (or aware of the manipulation and choosing to remain silent) may have been benign, or even benevolent… but that’s not the whole point. By manipulating rather than disclosing, these people chose to treat Shelly like a child or a thing rather than like an adult or a person. That , I think, is what bothers Shelly… she’s being denied information which would help her make her own adult choices and decisions.
To use another analogy from fiction… Donaldson’s character Thomas Covenant, who spends a lot of time exploring this very distinction. He comes to believe strongly that only a person in a position to make a true, free choice has real power for effective change. A person who is being coerced or manipulated into a single path of action has no such choice… s/he has become a simple tool or agent of the person doing the manipulation… and is thus much less powerful.
Dave, I like that point about change, and offer another meditation on the topic: L. E. Modesitt’s Recluse series shows characters trying to change the world so they can survive–and it is possible, but only after great exertion and focus. The persons in that sort of position often wonder if anything will change, because things are happening so slowly.
IS_Wolf, I’d agree with you: it’s best to be up front about introductions to get people to meet and fall in love–but in this case, there is a very real possibility that somewhere back in the woods is a goddess of love, who thinks it’s her right to interfere and manipulate people.
So now, we might ask ourselves, where is Aphrodite, and what name is she using here?
Well, Aphrodite might have the “right” to do so, as a Goddess.
But Phix was in on it, and she’s no Goddess, so she’s going to have to take her lumps as an accomplice for violating the trust the Shelly had in her.
How did that saying go?
Trust is the most delicate flower of all, so difficult to grow, but so easy to destroy.
“and most either fail to find that person or go through a LOT more pain than you did in the process.”
WHAT!? So spending 80,000 effing years stuck in a reverse time loop and having to watch yourself die 50-someodd times is less painful then what a “normal” person has to go through to find Mr/Ms Right?
I’m seriously curious about your definition of painful now. Remind me not to sign up for any S&M with you.
The 80K years in the Time Forest wasn’t part of the hook-up process with Justin. A) That was (partly) needed to provide a solution for Jin’s schizophrenia. B) The Time Forest incident took place after Shelly had started dating Justin.
That experience was painful in ways that we can only imagine, but it doesn’t truly seem to have been part of the “let’s find the perfect mate” process.
Yes, that time was necessary to introduce Shelly to her sphinxy side, and yes, she and Justin appear to be an even better match now that she’s all sphinxy, but I still don’t think it’s fair to link that experience with the match-making “manipulations.”
I also had another thought. Shelly’s first instinct was to assume that Brandi was the one who manipulated her into dating Justin, but Brandi didn’t realize that Shelly was a Sphinx until after she’d been stuck in the Time Forest…in fact, Brandi only learned that Shelly was a sphinx after Jin had been made human (it was during her conversation with Monica about vimana cells and her tendency to manipulate people). I suppose she could have been faking that lack of knowledge, but I don’t see why.
Point.
But one could see the time spent in the forest, as another example of someone else mucking about with Shelly’s life.
This is just another helping of the same issue.
As Shelly puts it: Even after everything she’s been through, she’s still being treated as a pawn, by those she believed she could trust.
As if there’s some sign on her back that says: “It’s okay to manipulate this one’s life and do whatever, she doesn’t have the right to get angry or feel betrayed, because it’s all for her own good.”
To which I say, balderdash.
I actually guessed right? That never happens.
See? Paul has us so confuzzled that, even when we are right, we don’t see it coming. It’s too confusing!
[drops a telescope with obsidian lenses into the pun jar]
I referenced this strip yesterday, and said that it reads a bit differently than it did then since we’ve learnt a few things that last couple weeks…
It just proves that Connie is not all knowing. She would only have access to information that Shelly could have access to.
I think Connie was telling the exact truth, but in an oracular fashion.
You know – a prediction that only makes sense after it comes true.
Apologise my ASS. She’s RIGHT to be pissed.
Nope. I agree with Grey Wolf.
It’s NOT JUST this, is it? Eighty. Thousand. Years. In. A. Forest.
Watching. Other. Versions. Of You. Die. Horrible. Deaths.
And your only visitors? The person that tricked you into it (That would be Phix) and her horribad family.
Wow. Great. And now you find out that that person is part of a group of people STILL yanking your chain.
No. Shelly has reasons to be pissed.
As you know, I agree Shelly’s anger is justified.
Her expression of it, however, falls short of her station.
If this not how the heir of a Titan ought to behave, then it is not how she ought to behave. She lived her life as a human, and lived her life as a sphinx. And so this her first day to live her life as an heir to the Titanides, and she will have to grow into that now as well.
One does not treat loyal servants that way for doing their duty. Phix is owed an apology.
On the other hand, while Phix may have done Bia’s bidding, as a loyal servant that still doesn’t change the fact that Shelly trusted Phix.
And now feels that Phix has betrayed that trust.
It’s a case of divided loyalties.
It’s like a Princess entrusting her chamber maid with a secret, that she then reveals to the King. While the maid did her duty, the Princess is still entitled to feel betrayed in her trust.
And as for it not befitting her station, she was unaware of her station until Bia showed up and informed her of such, and because of that any inappropriateness is irrelevant. As she was reacting befitting her then known station. A human-Sphinx hybrid.
In addition, I also consider it hogwash, that you have to adapt justified reactions, just because you enter a higher social status. Then again, I’m not one for social niceties most of the time anyway.
Oh, this is absolutely her introduction to this status. And I’m an egalitarian, so in terms of how humans abuse each other to gain power and keep it in families, I couldn’t more heartily agree.
This is Force Incarnate speaking here. And she has been rarely remarked upon in thousands of years. The restraint is palpable: Bia could have and could still make Shelly do anything.
But that’s not what having divine status means. It means setting an example. If you fail, you get Ragnorok or awful stories of monsters and devils out to eternally torture the helpless as your legacy.
Distrust of the divine.
Shelly was afforded a human life. All those frustrations we’ve enjoyed for the past eleven years. She even got a cute human boyfriend to forget her crazy magic friends with for awhile.
Then she was afforded a sphinx’s life, because she was that too. And that’s a lonely life. She had an important place to guard, and skillful helpers to let her understand her keeper’s role. And she was fulfilled a sphinx, too.
And then she returned and discovered her boyfriend had a weird secret too. So they progressed together in wrestling with how annoying being supernatural was.
And now she’s entering a Titan’s life. Because she’s that too. And her boyfriend will have to reenter that life as well. And a Titan’s life is heroic and cosmic and political and the very definition of power over the world. It means being tricked into marrying your greatuncle, but that being the source of a new season with new wonders. It means you really are responsible for certain joys and ills of mankind. It means knowing when to face tragedy and when break off its mask.
It means meeting the chessmasters and earning a seat at the game.
Yeah, I’m calling bullshit. “Oh, you’re totally a Titan, so you can’t be angry at the people who manipulate you.” WTF?!
Man, to hell with that. Status us position in life have nothing to do with feelings of betrayal and mistrust.
“Greatness” is being thrust at Shelley, but nobody’s asking her if she WANTS it. Even if she doesn’t have a choise, it STILL doesn’t mean that she should like it, nor does it mean she should just let it all happen.
But hey, AUTHORITY! You MUST obey people more powerful than you.
Here’s a hint. Might does not make right. It just makes you mighty.
@MihoshiK – I don’t think she can claim to not want the “greatness” that is being thrust at her when she clearly wants to be treated as something more than a “pawn” in all of the supernatural goings on. Actually, when you think about it, she seems to be wanting the power and control without having to have the emotional control that should go with it. Definitely needs more growing up…
MihoshiK, she’s not necessarily telling Shelly not to get angry. What she is telling her is that this is not a proper response to getting angry, not when you have the power of a Titan.
The problem is, when Titans throw temper tantrums, worlds tend to go kabloey, or something equally bad. They need to have better control, to use their anger well, or we get the sort of problems the Greek myths tell about, if not Ragnarok.
Not being a pawn, and becoming one of the Chess players are two different things though.
She just wants to have a choice and be given the information required to make an informed decision.
You know, like adults do..
She’s trying to grow up, but everyone keeps on treating her like a kid. And sooner or later that’s going to lead to an eruption. Not the adult thing to do?
Well, if you’re not treating her as an adult, then you have no right to expect her to behave like one either.
And even then, even Adults blow their stack, when pushed too far.
As for her actions having a bad effect on the Earth, because now she’s part Titan.
a) They’re in the library, not on Earth.
So even if she blows her top there, it won’t be effecting the planet.
b) She was going to the library to learn how to control her powers, so that she wouldn’t end up lashing out with full force when in anger.
Her situation hasn’t changed one whit really. She still needs to learn how to control her powers.
It’s just that the one person, she thought she could trust, in helping her achieve this aim, has just proven not to be very trustworthy.
Least not to the degree that she won’t put someone else’s wishes (commands) over those of Shelly.
At the end of the day, Shelly cannot trust Phix to be there for her. Not as a friend, nor as a mentor.
Yep, IS_Wolf–while in the library, she’s learning control. But she needs to–unless she plans on spending the rest of eternity there. She may not be that safe if she ever comes back to this planet without working through her issues.
Her anger may be justified or not–and in any case, it exists and has to be dealt with. And the library is a good place to do that.
@ MihoshiK – Why do you assume that Phix is the one who “tricked her into” being stuck in the Forest? Was that ever clearly outlined as fact for us?
We know that Shellynx (while in the Forest) conversed with Nudge to ensure the creation of Connie so she’d have that protection from the other sphinxes. Who’s to say that her time there wasn’t some sort of mind-bending situation that she manipulated into happening while she was outside time? She was the Sage, so maybe she saw the wisdom of her incarceration there. *shrugs*
Of course, Paul could come in here and tell me I’m wrong…and other Wapsi fans may well remember something else from the comic which points to a specific person (maybe even Phix) as being the reason Shelly went to the Forest, but it’s still a thought. 🙂
I’ve linked to a page of it elsewhere, but the parallel scene to this one is here. Worth a reread through.
Tepoz has just come off being reamed by Monica for saddling her with the Chimera, and he wasn’t being entirely honest. His guilt starts immediately, and the first thing he does is go to Shelly with information about her mother. He knows some stunningly intimate details of Mrs. Wahnee’s last moments on Earth. Shelly never got real answers for her mother’s death, and today’s strip more than suggests that that is the root of her persistent inability to control herself.
Oh, and when Tepoz gets clobbered back in 2005, a smaller helper getting punched is supposed to be hilarious. But Shelly just wants her mom.
I just want Peter Dinklage in the role of Tepoztecatl.
Oh, and the much-vaunted Conscience, terror to apotropaic sphinxes, wonder to demigods and constant Companion has a wee issue with what went down, too.
Wasn’t it Connie’s little talk in the boiler room with Shelly while they were on the sandbar that convinced Shelly to volunteer to touch the McGuffin – that led to the Time Forest?
She has a right to be upset- as this shit takes a moment to process and is indeed frustrating. But to be pissed…. no.
As Grey Wolf said- cry me a fucking river. Boo hoo, you were set up. Your mate was arranged and it works to the benefit of both partners and what ever political machine you are now a cog in- that you will ALWAYS be a cog in. A cog with BENEFITS one might add.
That. is. what. HAPPENS! When you get ‘promoted’ to a higher ‘player’/chess piece. So instead of a pawn she’s a Rook. Fuck, screw that- she probably went from pawn to fucking QUEEN piece and she want’s to cry about it?
Boo hoo. Boo hoo. Go pick on someone who will fight back you big bully.
Frustrating- I know. Get over it, Shelly. No one is going to hand you the control, serenity and the assurance that you are not going to kill the wrong person in a fit of emotion. You have to EARN it. And to earn it you have to fucking GROW UP and see beyond yourself.
And no- there was no growing up in the Time Forest. She grew feral, not up. So instead of being a small toddler to train up she’s an over size rage beast who can actually do some damage if she doesn’t chill the fuck out.
Irrespective of the status, irrespective of the perks.
It’s about trust.
Shelly feels she cannot trust Phix anymore.
Despite her entire life being turned upside down, despite being stuck in a forest for over 80.000y and seeing various alternate selves die.
She still thought that she could trust Phix. Now she’s learned that this is not the case.
Oh and as for Shelly being a bully and picking on someone who cannot fight back. Phix is a Sphinx, in case you’ve forgotten. A Pure Blood. She’s killed more people, than Tina’s drug dealing family has done with their dope.
She’s not some helpless and powerless human, a la a Katherine, who Phix did bully when the latter entered the library for the first time.
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/adventureorknowledge/
At the end of the day, Phix is not some innocent victim in all of this. She’s played her part and now she getting called out on it.
No, Phix is not an innocent. And she surely can take a hit or 12. Clearly the hit Shelly is dealing is hitting a highly emotional, painful and crippling mark.
But Phix is not a monster. Monsters kill without thought or care about alternatives nor do they take the time to explain things to a person’s understanding. Monsters do not feel guilt.
She was the only Sphix who was against killing humans by riddle, the only one who wanted to find another way and she was ostracize for it (she also wasn’t bullying Shelly or Kathrin at that time. They were never in any danger of being hurt. She was having fun at their expense. She *is* a guardian, being intimidating and not letting people forget the dangers of crossing a guardian is part of her job, as is testing people’s worth).
As mean as she was to Tina- I’m sure another Sphinx would have taken any opportunity to be rid of a walking corps full of demon rats. Phix did threaten and scared the piss out of her to draw out Nudge- Phix also apologized for what little it was worth. I am wondering if a different Sphix would have just torn Tina to bits to get at the Nudge center rather than punch Nudge out; because that is what they did to humans to kill the demons. She also recognizes Tina’s potential and nurtures it were she can.
As for trusting Phix- Phix is a mentor, mother figure and guardian. That requires a level of trust, but it also an easily bruised trust. Mentors ALWAYS push their students past their limits. Guardians ALWAYS are doing something being the scenes to ensure their charge is cared for and has the best chance of coming out a head. Mother figures ALWAYS will push the young out of the nest to get them to fly on their own. All of these actions hurt and betrays the person who trusts them.
Like it or not, Shelly is past the part of staying in the nest or in the dark of what manipulations where used to keep her safe and to ensure her future. They are not pleasing things to hear- she has the right to be upset. Even the right to punch a wall I would say. But she is also past the point where she can get away with such behavior. Like it or not, she’s in the big leagues playing a high stakes game.
I agree with War on this. Yes, Shelly has a right to be upset while she processes the implications of this knowledge…but she doesn’t have a right to be a pissy bitch and take out her frustrations on someone who might not be the one to blame (if anyone truly even deserves that blame on their own…too many manipulators in this place to pin that on a specific person).
Frankly, I also agree with Grey Wolf that she’s taking this a little too far. Yes, having your trust abused hurts and sucks serious monkey toe…but there is no way that Shelly (or anyone aware of the supernatural goings on in Wapsi-World) should have assumed that she’d be exempt from manipulations of some sort of higher or unknown power. It’s never good to assume that there aren’t bigger, badder powers-that-be that could be behind the scenes making things happen.
Also, the fact that Phix is Shelly’s Guardian is an excellent point in favor of why Shelly won’t always get to be in the know. It shows that she’s not moved far enough up the ladder to merit being invulnerable. Another thing to consider…Guardians protect (which might mean withholding knowledge until the person under care is deemed capable of handling the information), and Guardians teach (and unfortunately, sometimes the best ways to learn involve being manipulated into situations that test your abilities). The real trust question is: Can you trust that your Guardian has your best interests at heart? If the answer is yes, then you shouldn’t be too surprised/upset to find that she manipulated (or allowed someone else to manipulate) you into a situation that she felt was good for you.
Having fun at someone else’s expense is what bullies do though.
You can dress it up as, oh she’s being a guardian, she’s just warning etc etc.
Or oh the other Sphinxes are much worse than her, they’d just kill Tina..
Doesn’t change anything at all. Phix is as much, if not more so, a bully when compared to Shelly.
You want to call out Shelly for being a bully? Then you need to do the same with Phix.
And as for the trust issue.
A mentor will let their pupil know that they’re being tested, least if they’re a good mentor anyway.
“Uhm, Sensei. You want me to fight Ryu? But he’s three belts higher than I am, there’s no way I can beat him.”
“If you believe that, then you will lose. If you believe you can win, then you’ll win. I believe that you can win, that you’re ready. What you believe, remains to be seen.”
Guardians/Mothers serve the same function towards a child essentially. But they want to challenge the kid? Sit them down, talk with them and explain the new status quo. What their obligations now are. What their rights are.
Because the whole, it’s for their own good spiel, has been used one too many times to justify all sorts of abuse.
Whether it be something as banal as selling off a toy/comic collection, because hey, they have to grow up. Down to actual physical/mental abuse. Hey, I’m just toughening them up, real life is shitty, they have to become stronger to deal with it.
Phix needs to be called on her BS, just as much as anyone else. Not everything she does is hunky dory fine and should be forgiven, just because she is Phix, and she is awesome.
Phix can very much do wrong, just as Tina can.
Remember when Tina set up Shelly to kill Nudge?
When Monica had to poit the three of them way up into the sky, to get them to behave themselves?
Was it an accident by Tina? Yup, but she still did wrong. Wise and profound Barrista act not withstanding.
Same here. Phix withheld pertinent information from Shelly. Now one can claim, it was for her own good, but that’s still not the right thing to do, as it robbed Shelly of the opportunity to make a truly informed decision.
To “practice” being an adult, and going into the situation fully aware of the possible consequences.
Consider it the equivalent to a teen having sex, after having had sex ed, and knowing what is and isn’t safe, and those who lack that knowledge completely, because others withheld it for their own good.
Same deal here.
Nope, sorry, to all those saying Shelly has a right to be pissed, I am throwing the BS flag and blowing the whistle.
Pissed about WHAT, exactly? Did they drug her? Rip off her clothes, throw her in Justin’s house and yell “have fun”?
No. They made sure the star-crossed lovers’ paths crossed and let the couple-to-be’s own natural tendencies follow predictable patterns. No external force exerted (real subtle for a plot possibly laid by the embodiment of Force, wouldn’t you say? makes me think she had nothing to do with it …) just an opportunity arranged.
I see so many people in the world today who want to find that special person but have yet to succeed. Or they found that person but are pilloried by society for it (hellooooo gay marriage fight)? Just as bad, they find the person but other things stand in the way, such as the other is in a marriage where they are not happy, but are too bound by imagined loyalty to leave?
How many of them blow their brains out or gulp the pills, because they don’t have a support structure in place (friends, family, clergy, whatever) to deal with the stress?
Shelly, even after 80k years in the forest you can still be such a child, I am sorry. Some of us WISH we had someone/something looking out for us like that. So you didn’t find him on your own … waah waah waah. YOU FOUND HIM. Count that blessing and cash out, while you can!
There’s an old proverb “a man finds a butterfly struggling to get out of its chrysalis. He decides to help the butterfly only to watch it die shortly after too weak to fly”. Without the struggle of fighting its way out the butterfly couldn’t build up its strength and so couldn’t fly.
In other words it’s not about the destination it’s about the journey.
Yes there together yippy but do they have the emotion foundation to make it last. A foundation that can only be built by that struggle and is weakened by shortcuts and If you believe in fated/true love then you know it has to happen in its time not yours or anyones elses.
Thank you … I had forgotten that proverb, was so long ago when I had heard it. Instead, I tend to remember the other one about the finest of steel only being what it is because it first saw the burning fire of the forge and the relentless pounding of the smith’s hammer, heh.
I was going off more on my reaction if I was just told what she was. I would become upset for a moment because this just came out of no where and hit me on top of all the other crap I was dealing with.
A warped incorrect way to interpret it is higher ups decided you were too stupid to make a right decision so they made it for you. It worked out okay so shut up and submit, you stupid tool.
This is, of cores NOT what was being said or done but your mind does like to fuck with you at the worst times.
There is a difference between being upset and punching a wall in a burst of emotion and being pissed and becoming enraged. One goes away, you feel better and you even grown a bit from it. The other feeds on itself and unravels all your hard work.
It’s okay to be upset and frustrated- to a point it is expected as is getting to the point of letting it go before it poisons you (this is also something form my perspective and something I am currently working on).
It is not okay to be pissed off.
I’m just glad someone bigger showed up to put Shelly back in her place because it was escalating to ridiculousness.
Phix- love her, adored her, but she is either a lot weaker than she should be or she’s letting her guilt or other emotions get away from her and it’s becoming an issue with her role. I hope that gets address as well.
Oh – a little goodie for the Brony gamers out there…
I expect that pic is more related to the new print Paul has for sale, less related to this comic. Confirm/deny? 😉
“Lollipop Chainsaw”
Aware of that, thanks. 😉 I meant, that pic looks more like it belongs in the comments area of Paul’s blog post regarding his new print for sale: “Cheerleader & Librarian: Zombie Hunters”
Or the one for his “My Little Ponies as Humans”…
Wow, curveball. And apologize for slamming her against the wally maybe, but…for being manipulated? For now having to wonder how much of your love might have been planned, setup, or even forced? For no longer being certain if you are together because you’re really in love but because someone wanted you to be?
Being treated like a chess piece, no matter how good the outcome, is not a good feeling.
And…holy crap, is Phix crying? Have to wonder if Phix herself is being pushed around as a pawn somehow, or has been…
While I wasn’t sure if she actually hit Phix or just the wall, I can definitely agree with the rest of your comment.
I would be angry too if I found out my ‘perfect love’ was just a setup due to someone else’s machinations. Because then you begin to question everything, including the actual sincerity behind the so called ‘love’ portion of that. And given just what Shelly has already been through (forced to stab her best friend in the head, trapped for 80+ years in a forest. Having to see herself die over and over and over again) is it any wonder why she wouldn’t, let alone shouldn’t, be angry? Now add in the fact that for the entire week she’s said more than once that she doesn’t feel as in control of her sphinx side as she would like. We’ve seen her sphinx out just because Phix said her bf was lickable. This indicates she’s still emotionally ‘fragile’, as I don’t want to outright say unstable. But you toss that in with everything else, and you have the scenerio we see today. And why anyone would think this is unjustified or she should be reasonable about it all seems quite strange to me. But, that’s just me.
And now we have this ancestor who apparently looks like her mother. If Shelly manages to keep a functioning level of sanity when this is all said and done, I will be impressed with her personal strength of character.
Shellinx did not slam Phix into a wall. She just punched to wall Phix was standing in front of.
Falling in love can’t truly be manipulated (unless the person you fall for is the manipulator)…only the meeting of two people can really be arranged. Shelly shouldn’t have any reason to question the validity of her feelings. Those are hers alone and are not easily affected by the puppeteers of the world.
True dat!
That’s the reason I side with the “cry me a river” -crowd.
Shelly is back to her old, bad habit of blaming the whole world except herself, with the hitting, the tantrums and the “Hurt the ones You most care about”
Remember thát one miss Wahnee?? I am sure You do..
Shé manipulated Justin in coming closer, as women tend to do, by pulling all sorts of strings in the background. Even going so far as to check Justin’s working place for details.
I bét Shelly was already falling for Justin after his transparent ploy to act as a kick-box noobie to get close to Shelly.
And remember: Justin lost his memory, so he went into this adventure of trying to get Shelly, without a second agenda. He just fell for her “sec”
Nope, I firmly think Shelly is on the wrong train here. And venting at Phix is wholly unappropriate.
Yes well, most of us aren’t forced sphynx-titan-hybrids that keep getting manipulated to the point that you feel like nothing by the universe’s plaything to screw around with as it pleases. I would feel pissed too.
Shelly’s not forced to be a hybrid. Her magical ethnicity isn’t a manipulation. She was just born that way. Her getting the companion conscience girl was her own manipulation, so she could survive the time in the forest. She’s been as much a part of her manipulation as anybody else, so it just sounds like whining.
Plus as said above, setting people up doesn’t force them into loving each other. Leading horses to water and whatnot.
there’s the other shoe.
btw: don’t you think “Big Deal” girl deserves a cameo in this strip?
I wonder if Bia has something to do with the sentience of the Library.
Oh, i can hardly wait till Bud and Jin meet Bia…
So that’s how that branch of the Wahnees ended up north!
So, um, wasn’t it quite a delicate set up after all, placing Justin as an officer in THE GENERAL AREA where Shelly lived, and happened to be INTENTIONALLY BLOWING UP GRILLS?
Ok, I’ll admit to the paranoia of the thought of mind/emotion manipulation, but if that is dropped out of the equation this seems kinda… nice, in a pushy way.
After all, there must be a limited number of powerfull and right-minded supernaturals, so the powers that be might want to keep the lines going…. Still doesn’t mean that Shelly shouldn’t be upset, only that she should come to understand if not accept it.
Perhaps holisticism and psycho-emotional physics plays a part. If two paranormals of Greek decent, who’s pasts are intwined and are in near proximity of each other then no other outcome was possible.
The first grill explosion was an accident.
Justin was the investigating officer.
Justin then proceeded to semi-stalk Shelly by enrolling in her kickboxing class under false pretenses.
Shelly, suspicious, shadowed him to the cop shop, and found out who he was.
She then (the next spring) conspired with his sergeant to intentionally stage a new grill explosion and have Justin sent to investigate.
At which point she damned near raped him.
The only “setting up” anyone else did was putting Justin in the Twin Cities.
Remember – the first time we saw him, he was getting his chain yanked by Bud.
Exactly! Although she still is being petulant even if there were more direct involvement – it wasn’t even really all that direct. The opportunity was made, and those higher powers were just counting on the high probability of an expected outcome – which could still have failed. It just didn’t.
It’s like scheduling a meeting at the beach on the hottest day of summer then betting on whether the fair-skinned guy gets a sunburn. Just playing the odds, but could still lose.
*buys scorecard, fills out, flails as still can’t keep up*
Shellinx made Phix cry, this is unforgiveable! Shelly used to be my favorite character in Wapsi Square… not anymore.
You’d have preferred she’d used her kickboxing skills to dislocate Phix’s arms and legs?
Shelly’s being rather restrained here, keeping it verbal or engaging in non-contact (with Phix’s bod) aggression displays as she reacts to discovering she’s been manipulated. Some people would have a lot less control than this to such a revelation.
Also, Phix may be crying because she knows she was in the wrong.
Or Phix may be crying because she hasn’t been treated like this since before she was confined to the Library… I don’t remember exactly where the page was, but we learned at some point that Phix was a bottom-ranking sphinx, and we already know that the sphinxes in general aren’t the nicest critters. *shrugs* It’s not too far of a leap to assume she got some verbal lashings from her higher-ups. That would be an unpleasant memory to re-live.
My guess – Phix is crying because she’s appreciating (and perhaps sharing) Shelly’s emotional pain and frustration. She’s crying out of empathy.
Whether there’s some guilt and regret involved on her part as well, I don’t know. From what Phix has said, it’s clear that she knew about the “manipulate Justin into a position where he’ll meet Shelly” stuff (which was apparently done by the MIB, which strongly implies that Brandi was involved or at least knew about it).
We don’t yet know whether Phix actually participated in this MIB setup of Justin and Shelly, or whether she was just aware of it. We don’t know whether her “You’re perfect for each other” comments this week were an attempt to justify her own actions, or just her silence (until now).
You just had to point that out, didn’t you? Now my day is going to be spent thinking of each and every minor plothole in the series!
Is Darin/Daren/Darrin a demon, too?!
Granted, that’s less of a plothole than my other longstanding questions and more of a, “he must be, Tina replaced him so easily.”
Not so much a red herring as a vague memory due to repression (the sense of guilt for wiping out an entire civilization) and not being in a right frame of mind, when the memory was made.
The Chimaera saw Bia during its rampage, it hit her with a burst of heat hot enough to glass the surroundings, before moving on.
On a rational level one wouldn’t have expected her to survive, so the mind fills in the missing details, like flesh burnt to a crisp and the fat reserves half molten off of the bone.
The fact that Bia was something non-human and could therefore survive the blast, that’s another issue, and one that the Chimaera couldn’t have anticipated.
Heck, it could even be that the Bia-form that they’ve seen (considering both Jin and Bud have reported seeing her), is actually a shared demon of theirs, namely guilt.
Kids, you’re all missing the point of this whole strip, regardless of who Bia actually is…
That “Mommy?” has gotta be the most heart-rending statement Shel has made since this strip began.
That tragedy of Shelly’s is the source of her anger, when it is righteous or otherwise. She was dicked around. And it led to her fourth nature: Conscience, the mythic balance of the powers.
Tepoz knew way more than he should about specific details of Shelly’s mother’s death. Way way more than he should without being there. But his dots weren’t connected. His info was second-hand.
Who Bia is is not irrelevant to this.
The family chauffeur… Is Charon.
Road trip.
You’ve said some interesting things today Yamara!
I agree. Shelly’s getting emotionally whipsawed here to a heartbreaking degree.
Yup… and the ride is clearly not over yet.
Shelly told Justin that she’d “had time to grow up” as a result of her 80,000 years in the Time Forest. I get the feeling that this incredible time-of-exile may have been only the first part of her true adolescence. She’s begun to come to terms with her sphinx heritage, but it now seems that she’s got yet another mystical heritage (Titan) that’s probably going to bring a whole new set of emotional and life issues to be dealt with.
Will she have time, in her life, to do so? She said that (after returning from the Forest) she would live only as long as a normal human… but perhaps this isn’t actually true, if her Titan heritage is strong enough. A three-way human/sphinx/titan hybrid might be very long-lived?
She’s an amazing character already… can’t wait to see her when she’s really “grown up”!
I think you have a point there.
Most adolescents do grow up–but the main growing comes as they take their place as adults (or nearly so) in the world, relating to other adults and learning all the ropes and pitfalls. (Some call it High School, or First Job)
Shelly, on the other hand, grew up (as a sphinx) all alone, and now she must learn not only control of her sphinx form, but also the social skills of an adult with great power. And, worse, she keeps learning about more levels to that power: not only a sphinx, but a titan too.
WHOA!!!
SHELLY! Look what you’ve done….YOU’VE MADE PHIX CRY! Monica is going to be Very Cross with you. 🙁
Oh great, another impossible-to-tell-apart character for no good reason. Just what I wanted. 😐
She’s family, which is one of the few good reasons, actually.
And she has a distinctive hat. You could keep an army of monsters happy with that concept alone.
Vit her rank she should haf a great hat!
HOY, LADY. DOTS A NICE HAT HUY GOTS DERE! HUY SOME KIND OF SHMART GURL?
+1 internets to you for the Jaegermonster reference.
*giggle* Oh Yamara…I may not agree with some of your opinions on today’s page, but this comment made me like you anyhow. 😛
Again, my day is made. Thank you, @Yamara and crew! =-]
Well… Yeah, but you know how it’s the GUYS that have to have those overbearing HUGE hats, with flames on top, just to get a point across… The FEMALE displays are subdued and subtle, they don’t need the garish displays… but it helps: 4th panel D: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120502
Young women are difficult to paint; they look so much alike. Comic characters are even harder, being simpler. This is partly why anime characters have different colored hair. “Pretty” actually is average, that is, eye placement, nose length, chin, etc. are not too much or too little, but “just right”.
“Pretty” also includes some other stuff like youth, confidence, health, appropriate fashion for the tribe and generation, etc.
Paul does pretty good in having distinctive but attractive females, but when they’re actually related, well…
It could be a different little girl…
THAT! Thank you!
So here I am – an old codger of LXXII – and why did I get a tear in my eye from the bottom-left panel ??
‘Cause like the rest of us you haven’t always been an ole Codger.
Besides, what’s a second childhood for anyway?
Who was it who said… ?
“your first childhood ends when your child child is born… your second childhood begins when your first grandchild is born.”
Which is why grandparents and grandchildren are natural allies against the generation stuck in the middle?
ok, am I the only one to sense Bia is also holding back a little bit of anger? (anger in Phix’s behalf)
I get a not-so-subtle feeling Shelly better ‘rein it in’ or she’s about to discover what true anger is about.
I’m not sure about “anger”, but she certainly does do “stern” very nicely!
Well, did YOU ever like it when your mom yelled at you?
Or worse, your GRANDMA?
Hi everybody!
Signs of Wapsi addiction:
1. When internet breaks, buy new phone with data plan.
2. Nearly break new phone when poor signal won’t allow internet checking.
3. Recoil in horror at the thought of archive-digging with the phone and poor connection. Do it anyway.
😀
4. have to tell everybody in the forum you did 1,2,and 3.
5. Read about poor addict’s compulsions (near the bottom of a loooooong page of comments), and feel need to correct and complete the list.
6. Realize it could have been worse – you didn’t buy a car to drive to a coffee shop to get online to read the webcomic. And someone, somewhere, probably DID. So you’re ok. 😀
Wow. I go out of town for and off-the-net for a month, and look what I come back to! Wonderful!
This whole Bia revelation makes me realize that Paul was being even more subtle than I had thought (gee, what a surprise) with that little “Swoosh” reference he snuck in back in January.
This was clearly a clue about Nike (the goddess). At the time I thought it was just wonderful wordplay and imagery, but now it seems Paul may have been making a very intentional statement about Shelly’s true heritage.
I might possibly be due a rebate on my Pun Jar contribution for calling Shelly a “daimon in the rough” – it looks as if that was exactly what Paul was intending to say about her! Paul, you have out-Peabody’d me, and that takes some doing… I bow to the master!
(and a second bow for working this in as a double tear-jerker. Seeing Phix weep at Shelly’s emotional pain over being manipulated… that really hit me hard… Phix has always come across as rather blase and matter-of-fact about the “growing pains” of the other characters she interacts with, and it’s good to see that she really does have empathy in her makeup).
Ya think that’s amazing? (well it is– and–) I think the Stygian household is more extensive than that.
Isn’t “Nudge” a gentle form of “Force”?
Didn’t Nudge’s name come from the comments??
PABLO PLAYS A DEEP GAME.
(And for those down on Phix for manipulating Shelly… I think she’s playing a deep game of her own, trying to protect people she cares about, against something… unstoppable.)
A deep game indeed… there’s subtlety here worthy of a Vorlon or an Arisian.
I tend to agree with your suspicions about Phix… she seems to be gaming things in ways both passive and active. We’ve had plenty of hints that there are Powers out there of a much higher level than we’ve seen directly (extra-dimensional at least, and possibly something truly or effectively divine), and there’s clearly some sort of structure/law/organization involving the sphinxes and the Library and relations with the demons.
Phix does seem to be involved in some sort of balancing act… she’s under some constraints in how she deals with humans, but has some degree of freedom and does seem to be able to get away with “interpreting” the rules in interesting ways if she sees fit.
What her true motives are, and what the true situation is… well, that’s going to be interesting to discover as time goes by 🙂
A pun shot-in-the-dark that gets lucky and hits something is still a pun – no refunds! 😛
But… I… only noticed it… I didn’t write it…..
(drops in clumps of torn out hair)
And on another note…
Wapsi Readers, I am so proud of you! For all the recent discussions about Epimetheus and his relations, you all have had the good taste and restraint not to mention the various distant cousins — Epithelium, spirit of suntans, Epidural, nymph of numbness, and Epididymis, who… ah… er…. never mind.
Your Pun Jar debt is rapidly approaching the GDP of a small third-world country…
Well, what do you expect of a Pro, who proceeds to propose new titans, such as Proposterous, the Titan of exaggeration, or Professional, the Titan of occupational ethics and excellence?
Well, now you owe the Jar, too. Better pay up, or something bad might happen!
Oops. I just realized I’ve stooped making explicit debt threats, and that’s really a no-no. Shame on me.
Ok, you got me.
[drops in a complete set of pro balls: soccer, American and Canadian football, rugby, cricket, tennis, golf, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, volleyball.]
Are there any I missed?
The set isn’t really complete (for Wapsi purposes) unless you include ōllamaliztli.
Considering Bud’s penchant for throwing them, don’t forget the golf balls!
Billiards too. But I can’t believe I forgot ōllamaliztli!
It was a surprising oversight, all things considered. I’m sure you’d be forgiven for saying “Oh, balls!” as a result 🙂
Hey bmonk! You forgot Prophylactic, muse of preparedness, who, even after these many centuries, is still affecting the lives of millions every day.
And Dave, I’m proud to say I have already exceeded the GDP of Bhutan and Sikkim combined, and now have my sights squarely set on Lesotho. I’ll keep you informed.
:like:
Pool, Snooker, Dodge, Lightning, Bearings, Brass… um, i can’t think of any more.
Going off on tangents perhaps but how about eye, (of) foot, watch (as in “On the…”), jar, gum, tar, hair, fur, (of) nerves, cannon, amongst others…
Hmm so another magical being in her lineage. She’s turning into a big supernatural mutt. Wonder what else she’s got in her. Maybe she’s also a little bit of whatever that shadow lady with the hell hounds.
Oh yeah! I like that Epimetheus wears glasses!
Must have been one heckuva head injury.
Wolverine’s lack of memory was explained (in the movie at least) in a similar way… a bullet through the fore-brain destroyed most of his memories.
The human memory system does have a good deal of redundancy in it, but there are limits.
Real-world example: when I was ten, the cause of my mother’s recurring severe headaches was identified when her vision went wonky and her eye-doctor said “Something is putting pressure on the back of your eyeball… X-ray now!” There was a golf-ball-sized tumor (benign, thankfully) growing back there. It was removed successfully, and she’s still alive and well more than a half-century later… but she tells me that she lost most of her memories covering a period of several years during my childhood as a result of the tumor/surgery.
Wait.. Shellinx made Phix cry??? Awww…
Shellinx, you tantrum-y, insolent, ego-centered BRAT!
It was Phix that saved Your sorry butt in the time-forest. It’s Phix that tries to help You control your Sphinxieness, and THIS is how you re pay that?
Good thing Bia enters. Time for a maternal smack-down.
Oh, and aren’t we, suddenly, knee-deep in the Pantheon? Wow..
Congrats to the people who called it 😀
WHAT.
HOW DO YOU “CALL” THAT. JUST. WHAT.
I think she’s referring back to Paul’s little “What happened AFTER Bud woke up” scene from a while back.
yup, and the she is actually a he (Jade is in my case actually an abbreviation) 😉
Interesting commentary today to say the least…all I can say is I am with kittens to hear what Bia has to say to Shellynx…
Ditto! This could be a VERY interesting little chat. 🙂
Paul, are you just über-pleased with yourself for creating something that spawns this level of commenting and debate?? You should be!
According to the URLs, Wapsi Square is rapidly approaching a total of 100,000 reader comments – and that’s only since it was ported over to ComicPress!
It really is an amazing phenomenon, and something for which I hope Paul is very proud!
Now, we’re going to have to hear what (multiplex) Great Grandmother has to say. And, if Shelly was raised up right, she will sit still and listen.
Shelly raised right? ()
By which set of parents?
I say she wasn’t if her recent activities has been any clue.
Is Monica still the main character of Wapsi Square? I’m not so sure after this revelation. But that just makes me think that Monica is. . . uh. . . fill this in, someone?
Monica is the sun, around which all the other characters/planets revolve.
No sun, no life. (Least based on our current knowledge on what it takes to create life anyway.)
Pretty sure Monica was the only one acting as narrator until this recent episode.
But then, as a pawn moves closer to the far row, its value increases exponentially.
Maybe we’ll learn more in the next 174 days.
This was my thought as well.
It felt like Monica went from being the one to stop the calendar machine one minute to being a pawn and ball hitting fans service. and the whole sun Argument doesn’t hold water for me because the main character isn’t just the center of the story their the one that fix problems and save the day.
Oh well writers do get tired of writing about a character all the time.
SoWhyMe mentioned Tithonus yesterday, and I thought that it would be Monica’s luck to be descended from him and Eos.
The conversation between Monica and Phix which starts here is interesting, and relevant in a couple of ways to your question and to what’s going down with Shelly at the moment.
It takes place not long after Shelly returns from the Time Forest, when Monica confronts Phix about what Phix knew (or didn’t know) and said (or didn’t say) about the Calendar Machine situation, about Shelly’s fate, etc.
Two points in particular:
Phix says “None of us are in a position of privilege! Certainly not me! But, if you could help someone… by not telling them something, would you do it?” (I always assumed that this was a reference to the key-in-the-head stabbing and/or Shelly’s fate in the Time Forest, but Phix might also have been referring to Justin as well?)
Phix also points out to Monica, “This is not about what you need. This is about Shelly. Up until now, you’ve been in the center.” Implication: it isn’t / won’t always be so.
My own opinion, about your question… is that it’s not really the right question to ask, because it’s too simple. “Is Monica the main character?” assumes that there is a “main character”, which is something that isn’t always the case even in fiction and certainly isn’t the case in “real life”.
I expect Monica will remain as a major character in Wapsi Square, but I don’t think she’ll always be at the center of the action in the Wapsiverse… because I think Paul has created a complex universe which simply doesn’t have a single center to it! Like the real world, everything is in motion around (and is influencing) everything else.
Shelly has some heavy stuff going on. So does her faithful smartass Companion, Conscience. So does Tina. Jin has been through some serious stuff, too. All of these women are growing and changing… in one way or another, each is a unique hybrid with an evolving nature.
I expect the focus of the strip will probably shift around, week to week and month to month, as these (and other characters) work out their destinies and their roles in what’s occurring.
Enjoy the ride!
I’m surprised that nobody has commented on Shelly’s family tree. If she’s part Titan on her Momma’s side, is she part sphinx on her Daddy’s side? Because I can’t see Titans allowing their line to interbreed with sphinxes…
I get the impression that most decendants of either line muddle along in thier mortal lives never really knowing that the blood of Titans or Sphinxes courses through thier viens.
A thought along those lines. Shelly said that she would have a normal human lifespan as a mortal/sphinx hybrid. With the revelation that she’s a Titan as well as a Sphinx and heir to two lineages, I’d hazzard the guess that Shelly HAD a “normal” human lifespan. One that ended on the vision quest that ended with the creation of Connie and Shelly’s death.
Actually, I did at June 29, 2012 at 5:50 am.
It just kinda got lost in my walls of text.
😛
It was mentioned earlier that the sphinx trait was recessive. That would mean that in order to express the trait, Shelly would need sphinx ancestors on both her mother’s and father’s side.
“The proper way to do such a thing is to make the parties aware that you’re setting them up.”
Unless you’re dealing with a rebellious spirit, like Shelly, who will resist your attempts on principle alone. Then, you’re better off keeping it hidden, and just hoping things follow the course you predicted.
bah, that was supposed to be a reply to a post way up higher, but appears my browser broke the tag. Doh!
You don’t think as Titan could issue a psychic scream loud enough to leave a mark on the chimera, one which one of the components of the chimera itself would mistake for a memory from a victim?
That’s not even considering that the chimera could have destroyed Bia’s physical avatar even though it lacked the power to destroy Bia herself – so the image of the little girl in the GGG’s memory was from the residue of that avatar they destroyed.
Hardly a red herring at all, since it was never definitively stated what she truly was. By leaving it to our conjecture, Paul left it wide open. We were the ones who tried to nail it down so any wrong steps – that’s our own lookout.
I think the scene with Charon was supposed to show her physical form was untouched. If anything her open-mouthed horror showed that her spirit could be moved more easily than her immortal flesh.
At first I was speculating in comments that week that she’d been thrown into Limbo or something, but once the implications of her name was made clear, the meaning of scene was a major focus-pull for the little girl of Bud’s nightmares.
Connie’s lines at the atoll are actually non-committal. Shelly even asks if she knows she’s dead, and Connie misdirects.
I think the scene with Charon was included to explain away the blasted skeleton seen in the original flashback.
I’m kinda of the opinion that Paul has changed his thinking from time to time…
I mean, now he tells us that Tina doesn’t sleep, but then there was this: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/morningdialogue/, which he tells us is Tina lying down to rest her physical body but not sleeping … but the dialog really sounds as if she was asleep…
Stygians. That family has places in every major Olympian household.
Jin dismissed the importance of the Lanthian immortals to Monica, and Monica pressed on without giving them much more thought. They were just human Lanthian hacks proud of their Timekeeping Machine and disguising their identities over the years. But Shelly’s instincts were right all along.
There were real immortal politicians.
You ain’t the only one who gets pissed, Shells. WOW! you made phix cry? WHATTA BITCH YOU’VE BECOME!!! 🙁
And, as any Native American can tell you, you pay attention when the Bureau of Indian Affairs comes to call.
(fun fact, there’s a Gumby short where he’s working for the BIA, which explains so much.)
PAUL! Something is wrong! Trying to go to the Wapsi Homepage results in a 404-File not found result from the server. I got here through the Archives.
Seems to be OK here… I’ve been surfing directly to it (bypassing my usual proxy/cache) and the main page is fully accessible, even on a full refresh. If there was something amiss at the WapsiSquare.com server, it seems to have cleared up.
I’ve been hearing of some weird goings-on on some sites, while FARK was moving it’s servers, which just finished up. Almost as if there was a disturbance in the digital ether.
Hmm. Link to Wapsi Home still borked, cause unknown. Kingklash is relatively close geographicaly, it may have something to do with an intermediate server somewhere – or, just trouble with the Internet Gnomes…
What url do you use to get to the homepage?
Several sites around the net went funny around local midnight, when June turned into July; June 30th had a leap second, meaning that the minute of 23:59 was 61 seconds long. Despite this happening every few years, quite a lot of code threw fits when the clock hit 23:59:60. I think everything’s sorted out now.
ARGH!!! every damn @#$!&^%*(* time i turn around the artist/author of this comic pulls something like this and drags me in even further with more questions!!
Okay, Bia? Girl? That is definitely a leetle too much eye shadow for day wear.
Just sayin’.
The Deluge resides her eyes.
. . .
. . . that’s not makeup.
She also seems to have gotten older in the last few thousand years.
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