Actually, as an AzumangaDaioh fan, my first thought was “OSAKA!!”
(Anyone who read/watched AD knows what I’m talking about. Everyone else, you’re missing a treat.)
I’m suprised Shelly hasn’t resumed the attack. Maybe not beating on Nudge anymore, but if I were her I’d DEFINATELY want to know who told her to try to kill me. Maybe that’s coming…
Yes, that was a great bit. Love AD. You can find take offs on it on Youtube here and there. The driving to the beach horror ride is another of my favorites. Then there is Ichigo Mashimaro which I think is done by the same guy. Or is it Yotsuba that was also done by him? They’re all good.
Sadly, my friends and I are all rather sick of AD as it’s the only anime my college’s Anime Club could agree on for any length of time, leading to lots of repeated viewings. Seen every episode five times in the past year. Ugh.
WE”RE ALL DOOMED!!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- *takes deep breath*-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
XP
NOW how much would you pay? But wait! If you act now, we’ll send you a SECOND knife at no additional cost plus this attractive demon barista with which to wield it!
you’re shiny, sharp, big, and are better for cutting cake? are you some kinda cake cutting robot or something? >.>
cause if you are, my birthday is this weekend, and i have quite the cake that needs cutting….
XP
Which is a good question. Another is “How would she know she’d be ‘rubbing salt into the wound’?” All she did was show up at the coffee shop, and boom, attacked.
She should have known Tina would instantly recognize her for who she really was and have the common sense to realize she would not be greeted with open arms. I don’t think she expected an instant pounding though.
After Nudge was knocked out of the collective, Phix explained the finer details to M. You didn’t see her, but Tina was there the whole time too so she would have heard it all as well.
as I said before.. young and naive, (for a demigod, anyway..) go back a week or so, and you will see by the way she behaves.. 🙂
And not helped by phix, who helped dress her in ‘fashionable’ clothes (yeah, if you are a 1st yr schoolgirl in 1980’s florida, not in mid winter snowstorms!!.. :/ )
Okay Monica has redeemed herself.
*makes mental note to continue to read before making hasty judgements on characters who up until now have acted in a ‘mostly’ benign way*
I presume living with Nudge for so long, Tina would have known that Nudge would have possibly turned up.
Wonder how long the time scale is. A week/couple of days since the Nudge/Tina sepparation.
No real reason to ask but it makes me giggle to think of Monica watching the coffee shop (kinda like the aunt bessie advert for those who live in the UK) for a Tina explosion every day for months 🙂
Ever since the destruction of the clock, Monica has been acting more and more oddly. I’ve read through the archives now several times this last week before posting, and its like a switch occurs immediately and she’s all rude, antagonistic, and not very fun to read. Its like a whole new person is playing Monica’s role. Its disturbing.
interesting. i’ve been getting that vibe too. maybe its the 3 inch piece of steel in her skull…or maybe the demons didn’t get sent to the demon realm, but a rather deep level of M’s subconscious, (like motor functions deep), so she can’t call upon them, her not so deep levels of subconscious are picking up on the demon vibes, and thus making M a bit more angst-y. its her brain telling her something is wrong. or it could be that event caused her to suddenly grow up (she was mentally preparing to kill her friends if she felt that they were trying to kill her, if i remember correctly)… or it could be Jin, Jin could be annoying the crap out her right now…
I might be willing to allot for the damage to the psyche from the traumatic clock destruction. But from what I know of that kind of damage where emotions are off, it either wears off in the case of concussions (uncontrolled emotional states) or is a noticeable and permanent shift (frontal lobe damage). However, the cartoonist is playing the whole thing straight. No one is noticing anything and its jarring. WE notice, why don’t they?
More like a lot of pent up frustration at her forced position of authority concerning so much of what’s going on. Bad enough she has to deal with keeping the golems on a level keel, but also having to nursemaid the other characters in this drama. Even to the point of keeping them from trying to kill each other. With the fate of the world literally resting on her shoulders, it’s a wonder she doesn’t blow up much more then she does.
Yeah.. She’s more of a “Mom’ to the fun-troupe than a normal “friend” nowadays. Mom’s are hated too sometimes if they have to take action to chastize kids for obnoxious, obtuse behaviour.
I have no problem with the more authoritive, less anxty Monica. On the contrary. I like the development she’s made. Same goes for the other characters.
The genius of this comic lies partly in the well-defined development and growth of character in ALL actors. They’re not cardboard “funnies”, but real-life people. People change and develop. I feel that change is not something every reader approves of, yet, it IS true to life (however true to life a comic about Demons and time-devices can be 😉 )
I agree SoWhyMe. Monica has Jin hanging over her head like a sword of Damocles. When it was just resetting the machine, if you messed up… you get a “do over.” If Jin totally loses it now, it could be earth-shattering. Literally. Stress can cause lots of symptoms, being short tempered and quick to anger is one of them.
What you guys may be missing is the time scale on this. Monica has been evolving into a position of self-actualization since this comic began.
When we first pick up the story, she’s not an actor, she’s a reactor, complete with her own mother/caretaker friend: Amanda. We all know why. “Grandmother”, thought to be crazy, accident etc. She’s a wallflower with boobs.
She’s been through a lot since then and one of the big things to discover I’m sure was that she was NOT crazy. She actually can trust her own judgment. If you’ve never lived doubting yourself, you’ll never know what a profound relief it is to be able to trust yourself.
I’m in agreement with semc. I’m just not as concerned as when I started really reading WS, Katherine was my favourite character, so anything Monica did was inconsequential to me. Lately Tina has nudged (cough) Kats from my top spot (though I miss her). Still, Monica for whatever reasons good or bad isn’t quite the same to read right now.
FUUUU- She looking right into me….* i can see her contemplating my soul, deciding where to make the first cut…*shivers* uuughh, it’s such a delightfully creepy expression though, and i wouldn’t want my daily cup of Tina any other way…
p.s. why would a barista even have such large knife anyway? unless she can also bake? and if she has pastries and cakes and stuff, how come none of the characters ever get anything besides coffee (or tea)? you’d think as a business woman, Tina would at least try to push the cookies…
continued: If the next comic doesn’t go like this I’m going to be very disappointed in both Nudge AND the cartoonist.
“Excuse me? I’m Nudge, and I’ve been manipulating people since the beginning of time. I came here to apologize/get to know you guys, and its obvious you all aren’t interested. And one more thing Monica, I’m a demi-deity, and just given freedom to roam by the Library itself. I don’t need you to ‘save’ me much less ‘come get me.'” “Fuzz off”
but Nudge doesn’t exactly scream self-confidence, otherwise she might’ve fought back at any point before this, so my Doubt is telling me it’s not going to happen like that…and i would be disappointed if it did, because it would be soooo inconsistent with her character, and show that Paul is a terrible writer. which is false, because there is no way he would have such large, defensive fan base if he was.
But that’s my point. Why doesn’t she have at least SOME self-confidence? She’s older than time itself. She’s dealt with eternal confinement by getting even with her captors. She’s able to possess ANYONE. I’m pretty sure she’s not only immortal but un-killable.
For someone that manipulated the gods and other ‘powers’ she’s awfully ‘meek.’ I’m certainly not expecting her to win a fist fight (see here), but I would have expected her to approach this differently with a multi-angle approach that would have avoided the whole face smashing session.
Arrrg! She got a dead women up and moving, rounded up the wandering demons. She setup Shelly for her meeting with Jin.
SHE DOESN’T NEED TO BE SAVED BY MONICA! Monica isn’t her boss. She doesn’t need Monica’s permission to do anything. Its like the joke about the elephant. “Where does a big elephant sit? WHEREVER IT WANTS!”
Nudge is a demigod Trickster. They are notoriously inscrutable. Rest assured that Nudge has a reason for acting the way she is and it will be a good one.
Why doesn’t she show self-confidence? That’s easy! She’s approaching someone she used and placed in what appeared to be harm’s way in an attempt to mend fences. How many tricksters do you know who have much experience doing that…sincerely? PLUS she’s doing it in her very first attempt at a human form, so she’s not comfortable in that skin.
With Wapsi Square, you have to step into a whole new world of multi-dimensional characters. 🙂 It’s better that way.
Exactly! The point is: How much of thet “trickster’ deity is continually at work “tricking”. It looks to me that Nudge, in her clumsyness as a human in a non-collective..Nudge The individual now.. is just not very handy at human interaction.
She has always functioned above humans, looked at them like Jin’s “ant-farm”. Now, suddenly, she threw herself in the midst of humanity. No wonder stuff backfired.
I have no doubt too that Phix’ threatening existence is in the back of Nudge’s mind. She’ll know better than to cheat/trick the whole grande troupe again. And as someone already pointed out to me: Nudge is a deity, not a demon, and as a trickster is used to planning-looking ahead for the long-term, and looks at the bigger picture.
Nope, there is more going on, and I think that Nudge is -possibly for the first time in her existence- true in her willingness to make amends. Call me naive, but no-one is un-changeable.
The threat of utter obliteration(the risk with wonky-Jin at the moment) has a habit of changing people/deities and even demons can be made to function reasonably well in society ,ignoring Tina’s “instinctual” lapse towards lashing-out for the moment here.
What makes you think that she isn’t manipulating people now?
1) She bounces in to the shop in a skirt in the middle of winter. As she has seen thousands of winters, this is nothing new to her.
2) She spent years with all the internal dialog of the Collective. You’d think she had a pretty good handle on how Tina would react.
3) She could have lied to Shelly. Instead she admits to it in the most fault-avoiding way possible.
Maybe she didn’t PLAN all this, but as a trickster, she’s more then capable of seizing any opportunity.
How many trickster characters have you actually ever come across?
Because there’s a difference between a scheming genius chessmaster pulling the strings and plotting to rule the world by influencing people… and then there are tricksters.
Nudge is like an imp. She does things that are amusing, teasing, and confusing. She isn’t necessarily a brilliant strategist, tactician, or philosopher. In fact, she’s really more like an eternally bratty little kid getting into trouble without really meaning to.
She knows she does tricky things, and she enjoys it, but she also knows that she’s not out there to hurt anyone seriously – unlike the sphinxes, unlike demons, unlike any number of supernatural beings. She’d rather play a joke or beat someone at their own game in order to see them flare up in indignance, or watch their ego bruise, because it’s just good fun.
There’s a reason trickster gods are often coyotes or foxes. Ever watch a fox playing with a person, stealing their hat and running around with it playing Catch Me If You Can?
Although Nudge seems more like a satyr, which are even more curious mythological creatures. To the ancient Greeks, satyrs represented everything to do with the emotions, desire, and freedom. They were contrasted by the Lapiths, a personification of the Greeks themselves as the embodiment of rationality, reason, and control. And the two sides were often portrayed as being in eternal conflict, but with the gods in the middle keeping balance between them.
Saving Nudge is not the point here. Monica tries to get all their heads cleared . There is still the mission of finding the artifact.
Monica knows she needs the abilities of all who will aide her, even Nudge. She cannot have them at each others throat. She has no need for constantly being the arbiter amongst quarreling toddlers.
As far as I see Monica, she couldn’t care for a bit if Nudge was offed, but she is painfully aware that a Demon running on instinct could could go on a killing-spree.
I guess when seen in print, and this whole happening being a couple of consequetive pages, will make Paul’s reasoning for why the characters act as they act, will be much clearer.
Seeing a story-line like this bite-size, tends to skew the readers’ perception for a bit.
The -apparently vehemently hated by some- change in Monica will be just a blip in the whole story-line.
And, to close: In a web-comic THIS good, change is inevitable. It’s the changes that make Wapsi so enjoyable and challenging (by the by.. “Wapsi” sounds remarkable like my town of birth.., just 1 character difference)
Good art will entice reactions. Hate or admiration..it’s all the same for art, as long as it makes people think beyond their mundane existence for a while.
You happen to know any very tall or large (don’t mean fat here) people? By all means they should be proud of what they are, but I know a few that are apologetic and very (over)careful around others because of their proportions. Just goes to show that personalities don’t just “match” our capabilities all the time.
About being dissappointed: I would be extremely dissappointed if Paul actually made a predictable page, even more so if it matched a “demand” by me or any other. In effect, you’ve made me hope that nothing of the above will be said in the forecoming pages :j
In fact, the big and strong fellow is often rather gentle–because he knows how much his unrestrained strength can damage. The little person is often fiesty and aggressive–lest such a person get discounted and overlooked.
In the Navy, i had a friend. Now, in those days, i weighed 200 pounds (and at six feet with disproportionately short legs, i was not over weight. These days…).
Anyway, my best buddy while i was stationed in Sicily was a black guy. Both of us named “Mike”.
Since our friends apparently didn’t want to call us “Back Mike” and “White Mike”, they called us “Big Mike” and “Little Mike”.
I was “Little Mike”.
Mike was the quietest, gentlest person i’ve ever known.
Anyway, it looks like Tina has learned her lesson for the day. That being it is really dangerous to lose control and it’s better to go back to her cheery self, even to Nudge. Time to make peace through the breaking of bread together. Maybe they will all toast their new relationship with a hot mug of the brew du jour.
Or she’s going to lunge across the counter and take one last stab at killing Nudge. Assuming Phix doesn’t burst in first and devour Tina. So it should be either an awww or an ewww moment. Most likely awww, unfortunately.
That’s ‘cos it’s a vegetable knife. I oughta know, got two just like ’em in my kitchen that I use for chopping and mincing stir-fries–when I’m not using my collection of Chinese cleavers, that is . . . .
Waste of a perfectly good knife to cut pastries with it, I say.
buuuuut… what would you do, if you see an obvious newbie student, wearing the awful ‘mommy clothes’ being set upon by three thuggish female students????
you would be a stronger, luckier man than me – those girls would turn your ‘good Samaritan’ into ‘rapist’ as soon as blinking.. 😮
Not to mention that ALL the non-humans in the Wapsiverse share some characteristics with Aslan of Narnia: “He’s not a tame lion.” And ain’t none of them tame entities.
So is this their relationship from now on? Unending animosity? I find it odd that nudge would try to mend fences to begin with, but I also think that Tina is making a mistake by pissing her off…then again, it is indeed possible she cannot help herself given the untamed nature of her wild demons.
Well I’d think a little bit before using the term “squaw”.
Some Native Americans find it offensive, and if Shelly is one of them, she might mess you up (kowing her temper).
Oh wow – run! It’s the Joker!
Come on Nudge, why so serious!
Darn,you beat me to it.
Actually, as an AzumangaDaioh fan, my first thought was “OSAKA!!”
(Anyone who read/watched AD knows what I’m talking about. Everyone else, you’re missing a treat.)
I’m suprised Shelly hasn’t resumed the attack. Maybe not beating on Nudge anymore, but if I were her I’d DEFINATELY want to know who told her to try to kill me. Maybe that’s coming…
LMFAO!!! “Oh, you’re already awake.” *walks back into the kitchen*
Yes, that was a great bit. Love AD. You can find take offs on it on Youtube here and there. The driving to the beach horror ride is another of my favorites. Then there is Ichigo Mashimaro which I think is done by the same guy. Or is it Yotsuba that was also done by him? They’re all good.
Both horror rides are good (there were two).
Sadly, my friends and I are all rather sick of AD as it’s the only anime my college’s Anime Club could agree on for any length of time, leading to lots of repeated viewings. Seen every episode five times in the past year. Ugh.
Of course she’s about to cut off a slice of pastry, but it could be interpreted as about to give Nudge a Glasgow smile as well.
Nah – a Colombian necktie.
Well, I was going with the frown upside down theme.
I think the Glasgow (Chelsea) smile fits the context…
I saw the knife and thought eep but yes, cake is on the way 🙂
*crosses fingers behind back* Yes please..
Nudge is too cute here to be harmed. The roughing-up was quite enough thank you..
I gotta say, I still don’t buy the violent reaction from Tina. But hey, it’s Paul’s story and Paul’s characters, and he’s yet to let me down…
I’ve been told by reliable sources that, “the cake is a lie.”
heeheehee….
One of Tina’s demons is GlaDOS???
WE”RE ALL DOOMED!!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- *takes deep breath*-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
XP
I’m no expert, but isn’t a Glasgow smile a gift given with a broken bottle? I’m thinking of the Pratchett character ‘Gussie Two-grins’.
Panel 4 would make a great poster, imo.
Yes, and change the dialog baloon to “Would you help me in the basement a minute?”
‘please refrain from annoying the owner’ 🙂
“Alright, whats this ‘Coffee of Doom’ I keep hearing about?”
It’s in Northampton, Massachusetts.
They’re so famous, news of it has reached Minnesota?
I used to live there…
…there was no such thing as jaywalking in that town, the traffic had to stop for swashbucklers in the streets.
“what’s your favorite internal organ?”
To me it looks like a frozen scene from an infomercial for one fo those many knives that “never gets dull.”
“I can cut off the appendages of a demigod, and still thinly slice a tomato…without sharpening!”
— Chortle!! —
NOW how much would you pay? But wait! If you act now, we’ll send you a SECOND knife at no additional cost plus this attractive demon barista with which to wield it!
NOW how much would you pay???
WAIT!!!
LOL…awesome
Like!
Frightening, yet exciting.
Shiny… Sharp…. BIG!!!
And all the better to slice cake with!
We hope….
Kinda describes me.
you’re shiny, sharp, big, and are better for cutting cake? are you some kinda cake cutting robot or something? >.>
cause if you are, my birthday is this weekend, and i have quite the cake that needs cutting….
XP
And just how was Nudge supposed to know they would be coming for her?
Oh wait, it said coming “to” her. Nevermind.
Which is a good question. Another is “How would she know she’d be ‘rubbing salt into the wound’?” All she did was show up at the coffee shop, and boom, attacked.
She should have known Tina would instantly recognize her for who she really was and have the common sense to realize she would not be greeted with open arms. I don’t think she expected an instant pounding though.
After Nudge was knocked out of the collective, Phix explained the finer details to M. You didn’t see her, but Tina was there the whole time too so she would have heard it all as well.
as I said before.. young and naive, (for a demigod, anyway..) go back a week or so, and you will see by the way she behaves.. 🙂
And not helped by phix, who helped dress her in ‘fashionable’ clothes (yeah, if you are a 1st yr schoolgirl in 1980’s florida, not in mid winter snowstorms!!.. :/ )
Nudge, Fudge,
It all cuts the same
Not sure if this is good but that comment made me giggle 🙂
PIE. It solves so much.
Or, Possibly, carrot cake.
mmmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm pie.
I like pi…
The first cut is the deepest.
Okay Monica has redeemed herself.
*makes mental note to continue to read before making hasty judgements on characters who up until now have acted in a ‘mostly’ benign way*
I presume living with Nudge for so long, Tina would have known that Nudge would have possibly turned up.
Wonder how long the time scale is. A week/couple of days since the Nudge/Tina sepparation.
No real reason to ask but it makes me giggle to think of Monica watching the coffee shop (kinda like the aunt bessie advert for those who live in the UK) for a Tina explosion every day for months 🙂
Ever since the destruction of the clock, Monica has been acting more and more oddly. I’ve read through the archives now several times this last week before posting, and its like a switch occurs immediately and she’s all rude, antagonistic, and not very fun to read. Its like a whole new person is playing Monica’s role. Its disturbing.
interesting. i’ve been getting that vibe too. maybe its the 3 inch piece of steel in her skull…or maybe the demons didn’t get sent to the demon realm, but a rather deep level of M’s subconscious, (like motor functions deep), so she can’t call upon them, her not so deep levels of subconscious are picking up on the demon vibes, and thus making M a bit more angst-y. its her brain telling her something is wrong. or it could be that event caused her to suddenly grow up (she was mentally preparing to kill her friends if she felt that they were trying to kill her, if i remember correctly)… or it could be Jin, Jin could be annoying the crap out her right now…
I might be willing to allot for the damage to the psyche from the traumatic clock destruction. But from what I know of that kind of damage where emotions are off, it either wears off in the case of concussions (uncontrolled emotional states) or is a noticeable and permanent shift (frontal lobe damage). However, the cartoonist is playing the whole thing straight. No one is noticing anything and its jarring. WE notice, why don’t they?
Man, Monica’s just a bundle of hate and anger here. Why?
More like a lot of pent up frustration at her forced position of authority concerning so much of what’s going on. Bad enough she has to deal with keeping the golems on a level keel, but also having to nursemaid the other characters in this drama. Even to the point of keeping them from trying to kill each other. With the fate of the world literally resting on her shoulders, it’s a wonder she doesn’t blow up much more then she does.
Yeah.. She’s more of a “Mom’ to the fun-troupe than a normal “friend” nowadays. Mom’s are hated too sometimes if they have to take action to chastize kids for obnoxious, obtuse behaviour.
I have no problem with the more authoritive, less anxty Monica. On the contrary. I like the development she’s made. Same goes for the other characters.
The genius of this comic lies partly in the well-defined development and growth of character in ALL actors. They’re not cardboard “funnies”, but real-life people. People change and develop. I feel that change is not something every reader approves of, yet, it IS true to life (however true to life a comic about Demons and time-devices can be 😉 )
I agree SoWhyMe. Monica has Jin hanging over her head like a sword of Damocles. When it was just resetting the machine, if you messed up… you get a “do over.” If Jin totally loses it now, it could be earth-shattering. Literally. Stress can cause lots of symptoms, being short tempered and quick to anger is one of them.
What you guys may be missing is the time scale on this. Monica has been evolving into a position of self-actualization since this comic began.
When we first pick up the story, she’s not an actor, she’s a reactor, complete with her own mother/caretaker friend: Amanda. We all know why. “Grandmother”, thought to be crazy, accident etc. She’s a wallflower with boobs.
She’s been through a lot since then and one of the big things to discover I’m sure was that she was NOT crazy. She actually can trust her own judgment. If you’ve never lived doubting yourself, you’ll never know what a profound relief it is to be able to trust yourself.
I’m in agreement with semc. I’m just not as concerned as when I started really reading WS, Katherine was my favourite character, so anything Monica did was inconsequential to me. Lately Tina has nudged (cough) Kats from my top spot (though I miss her). Still, Monica for whatever reasons good or bad isn’t quite the same to read right now.
Don’t write Kath off yet. The week that ended with this
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/another-adventur/
still has me a bit worried.
well it seems just like a standard ‘lonely girl’ to me.. unless paul will reveal that kath is not ‘normal’.. ???
Given Paul’s track record, the chance that she is, in fact, “normal” is vanishingly small.
FUUUU- She looking right into me….* i can see her contemplating my soul, deciding where to make the first cut…*shivers* uuughh, it’s such a delightfully creepy expression though, and i wouldn’t want my daily cup of Tina any other way…
p.s. why would a barista even have such large knife anyway? unless she can also bake? and if she has pastries and cakes and stuff, how come none of the characters ever get anything besides coffee (or tea)? you’d think as a business woman, Tina would at least try to push the cookies…
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/hard-to-believe/
Becky the pastry chef. This one and two more behind it.
continued: If the next comic doesn’t go like this I’m going to be very disappointed in both Nudge AND the cartoonist.
“Excuse me? I’m Nudge, and I’ve been manipulating people since the beginning of time. I came here to apologize/get to know you guys, and its obvious you all aren’t interested. And one more thing Monica, I’m a demi-deity, and just given freedom to roam by the Library itself. I don’t need you to ‘save’ me much less ‘come get me.'” “Fuzz off”
but Nudge doesn’t exactly scream self-confidence, otherwise she might’ve fought back at any point before this, so my Doubt is telling me it’s not going to happen like that…and i would be disappointed if it did, because it would be soooo inconsistent with her character, and show that Paul is a terrible writer. which is false, because there is no way he would have such large, defensive fan base if he was.
But that’s my point. Why doesn’t she have at least SOME self-confidence? She’s older than time itself. She’s dealt with eternal confinement by getting even with her captors. She’s able to possess ANYONE. I’m pretty sure she’s not only immortal but un-killable.
For someone that manipulated the gods and other ‘powers’ she’s awfully ‘meek.’ I’m certainly not expecting her to win a fist fight (see here), but I would have expected her to approach this differently with a multi-angle approach that would have avoided the whole face smashing session.
Arrrg! She got a dead women up and moving, rounded up the wandering demons. She setup Shelly for her meeting with Jin.
SHE DOESN’T NEED TO BE SAVED BY MONICA! Monica isn’t her boss. She doesn’t need Monica’s permission to do anything. Its like the joke about the elephant. “Where does a big elephant sit? WHEREVER IT WANTS!”
Nudge is a demigod Trickster. They are notoriously inscrutable. Rest assured that Nudge has a reason for acting the way she is and it will be a good one.
Why doesn’t she show self-confidence? That’s easy! She’s approaching someone she used and placed in what appeared to be harm’s way in an attempt to mend fences. How many tricksters do you know who have much experience doing that…sincerely? PLUS she’s doing it in her very first attempt at a human form, so she’s not comfortable in that skin.
With Wapsi Square, you have to step into a whole new world of multi-dimensional characters. 🙂 It’s better that way.
Every one of them will write off Nudge at their peril. She’ll unleash chaos upon them at the worst moment imaginable…
Exactly! The point is: How much of thet “trickster’ deity is continually at work “tricking”. It looks to me that Nudge, in her clumsyness as a human in a non-collective..Nudge The individual now.. is just not very handy at human interaction.
She has always functioned above humans, looked at them like Jin’s “ant-farm”. Now, suddenly, she threw herself in the midst of humanity. No wonder stuff backfired.
I have no doubt too that Phix’ threatening existence is in the back of Nudge’s mind. She’ll know better than to cheat/trick the whole grande troupe again. And as someone already pointed out to me: Nudge is a deity, not a demon, and as a trickster is used to planning-looking ahead for the long-term, and looks at the bigger picture.
Nope, there is more going on, and I think that Nudge is -possibly for the first time in her existence- true in her willingness to make amends. Call me naive, but no-one is un-changeable.
The threat of utter obliteration(the risk with wonky-Jin at the moment) has a habit of changing people/deities and even demons can be made to function reasonably well in society ,ignoring Tina’s “instinctual” lapse towards lashing-out for the moment here.
What makes you think that she isn’t manipulating people now?
1) She bounces in to the shop in a skirt in the middle of winter. As she has seen thousands of winters, this is nothing new to her.
2) She spent years with all the internal dialog of the Collective. You’d think she had a pretty good handle on how Tina would react.
3) She could have lied to Shelly. Instead she admits to it in the most fault-avoiding way possible.
Maybe she didn’t PLAN all this, but as a trickster, she’s more then capable of seizing any opportunity.
How many trickster characters have you actually ever come across?
Because there’s a difference between a scheming genius chessmaster pulling the strings and plotting to rule the world by influencing people… and then there are tricksters.
Nudge is like an imp. She does things that are amusing, teasing, and confusing. She isn’t necessarily a brilliant strategist, tactician, or philosopher. In fact, she’s really more like an eternally bratty little kid getting into trouble without really meaning to.
She knows she does tricky things, and she enjoys it, but she also knows that she’s not out there to hurt anyone seriously – unlike the sphinxes, unlike demons, unlike any number of supernatural beings. She’d rather play a joke or beat someone at their own game in order to see them flare up in indignance, or watch their ego bruise, because it’s just good fun.
There’s a reason trickster gods are often coyotes or foxes. Ever watch a fox playing with a person, stealing their hat and running around with it playing Catch Me If You Can?
Although Nudge seems more like a satyr, which are even more curious mythological creatures. To the ancient Greeks, satyrs represented everything to do with the emotions, desire, and freedom. They were contrasted by the Lapiths, a personification of the Greeks themselves as the embodiment of rationality, reason, and control. And the two sides were often portrayed as being in eternal conflict, but with the gods in the middle keeping balance between them.
~D. Walker
D. Walker: yes that is what I think, an Imp, very much how you describe it…
Others please note that she had a good natural fur coat, so most likely did not feel the cold, or even realise it!!!
and as for being conned into wearing those clothes…
(..SHE DOESN’T NEED TO BE SAVED BY MONICA! (..)
Saving Nudge is not the point here. Monica tries to get all their heads cleared . There is still the mission of finding the artifact.
Monica knows she needs the abilities of all who will aide her, even Nudge. She cannot have them at each others throat. She has no need for constantly being the arbiter amongst quarreling toddlers.
As far as I see Monica, she couldn’t care for a bit if Nudge was offed, but she is painfully aware that a Demon running on instinct could could go on a killing-spree.
I guess when seen in print, and this whole happening being a couple of consequetive pages, will make Paul’s reasoning for why the characters act as they act, will be much clearer.
Seeing a story-line like this bite-size, tends to skew the readers’ perception for a bit.
The -apparently vehemently hated by some- change in Monica will be just a blip in the whole story-line.
And, to close: In a web-comic THIS good, change is inevitable. It’s the changes that make Wapsi so enjoyable and challenging (by the by.. “Wapsi” sounds remarkable like my town of birth.., just 1 character difference)
Good art will entice reactions. Hate or admiration..it’s all the same for art, as long as it makes people think beyond their mundane existence for a while.
You happen to know any very tall or large (don’t mean fat here) people? By all means they should be proud of what they are, but I know a few that are apologetic and very (over)careful around others because of their proportions. Just goes to show that personalities don’t just “match” our capabilities all the time.
About being dissappointed: I would be extremely dissappointed if Paul actually made a predictable page, even more so if it matched a “demand” by me or any other. In effect, you’ve made me hope that nothing of the above will be said in the forecoming pages :j
In fact, the big and strong fellow is often rather gentle–because he knows how much his unrestrained strength can damage. The little person is often fiesty and aggressive–lest such a person get discounted and overlooked.
In the Navy, i had a friend. Now, in those days, i weighed 200 pounds (and at six feet with disproportionately short legs, i was not over weight. These days…).
Anyway, my best buddy while i was stationed in Sicily was a black guy. Both of us named “Mike”.
Since our friends apparently didn’t want to call us “Back Mike” and “White Mike”, they called us “Big Mike” and “Little Mike”.
I was “Little Mike”.
Mike was the quietest, gentlest person i’ve ever known.
But when he talked, people tended to listen…
Anyway, it looks like Tina has learned her lesson for the day. That being it is really dangerous to lose control and it’s better to go back to her cheery self, even to Nudge. Time to make peace through the breaking of bread together. Maybe they will all toast their new relationship with a hot mug of the brew du jour.
Or she’s going to lunge across the counter and take one last stab at killing Nudge. Assuming Phix doesn’t burst in first and devour Tina. So it should be either an awww or an ewww moment. Most likely awww, unfortunately.
Mwah..she still could do a “Heeere’s Tiinaaaah’ 😆 that’s an awful big knife to just cut pastry with..
That’s ‘cos it’s a vegetable knife. I oughta know, got two just like ’em in my kitchen that I use for chopping and mincing stir-fries–when I’m not using my collection of Chinese cleavers, that is . . . .
Waste of a perfectly good knife to cut pastries with it, I say.
You’re right…and I should know because I had to learn all about knives to sell them one summer. 😛
Nudge needs a clue. She may yet get one, she’s still new here.
Tina needs a hug. I volunteer.
Might want to wait until she pusts down the slicy thing…
heh heh…”slicy”…
buuuuut… what would you do, if you see an obvious newbie student, wearing the awful ‘mommy clothes’ being set upon by three thuggish female students????
you would be a stronger, luckier man than me – those girls would turn your ‘good Samaritan’ into ‘rapist’ as soon as blinking.. 😮
I love me some Tina, but panel four made me think of a line from Terry Pratchetts ‘Going Postal’.
“The important thing at a time like this was to spot the right moment to run.”
Not to mention that ALL the non-humans in the Wapsiverse share some characteristics with Aslan of Narnia: “He’s not a tame lion.” And ain’t none of them tame entities.
Forget that at yer peril.
yes. a deity is only tame to other deities…
yeek! Creepy-cutie Tina now.
(Stage whispers:)
“Hey, guys, where’s the back door?”
“Already looked, and they ain’t one!”
(Pause)
“Reckon where they want one?”
Of all the frames with angry Tina in it, the last one is the most unsettling EVER. Period!
It’s the Michael Myers knife that does it for me.
So is this their relationship from now on? Unending animosity? I find it odd that nudge would try to mend fences to begin with, but I also think that Tina is making a mistake by pissing her off…then again, it is indeed possible she cannot help herself given the untamed nature of her wild demons.
…that last part sounded kind of hot…
Well, THANKS LOADS!
…now I have to spend the rest of the afternoon at work with that in my head…
Nudge doesn’t look pissed off yet. Tina’s proably safe for now. 🙂
This has me wanting to smack everyone up the back of the head.
Methinks DJ Pie Safety would like to have a word with Tina about the proper use of knives… 😀
Link doesn’t seem to work. Anyway …
Knife Safety
————–
Rule #1 … Keep the stabby end pointed away from your body.
Rule #2 … See Rule 1.
Rules 3 and 4: Same goes for the sharp side.
I’m with Tina on this. Lethal or near lethal trick playing is not the behaviour of a good guy.
Tricksters are, generally, not “Good Guys”.
“Chaotic Neutral” is more like it.
Okay, I can’t believe I have to repeat this. Killing all your friends is bad karma.
Yup, plus it would mean the immediate end of the world (and the comic) because there would be no-one left to try to find the artifact, and fix Jin…
aaaaand therefore….
it. would. not. happen.
and its still creepy…
Panel 3: Monica, the Karate Latina! 😀
Nah, that’s Monica the give-you-such-a-smeck-uspide-the-ear latina.
M:Let us do battle! I will defeat you with my great martial arts skills! HUH!
Tina: Hehehehee I’d like to see you try…
Tina: Why so SERIOUS Nudge?!
Late to the party comment, but…
“Why so serious?”
If I were a character in this strip, this is how I would address the sitch;
“Monica, you could’ve killed all (or most) of them; NOT well thought out and WAY impulsive.”
“Shelly, You almost went apeshit on EVERYBODY! You gotta to chill out that Power Squaw mode…FAST!!!”
“Tina, you’re letting the dark side out, and unfortunately that’s the only thing keeping her from ending up like poor Jin…which might still happen!”
“Nudge…get yer fucking ass back to the library, NOW… before Phix comes and takes you back…IN PIECES!”
(The truth; am I being to abrupt with our babes?)
Well I’d think a little bit before using the term “squaw”.
Some Native Americans find it offensive, and if Shelly is one of them, she might mess you up (kowing her temper).
Off she can take down a Centaur, more power to her…
Why does being ‘undomesticated’ make Tina even more sexy as a character.
She’s got that “I know where Mom keeps the good scissors” look.