Actually, it was two helicopters.
The copters were taken out by an A-10.
I did a report on the A-10 once and actually found a reference of an A-10 taking at 2 helos with its gun.
They were the ONLY air-to-air gun kills during Desert Storm.
The report said the helos were strafing ground units.
She was covered in the blood of her friends, her clothes were soaked with it.
Just wearing clothes was associated in her mind with being covered in blood. That’s why she wore the baggy black dress. It was loose-fitting and likely the least triggering.
Alas, poor Oscar! I knew him, Castela, a Betta of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath praised Mom’s Good Butt Days a hundred times, and now, how absent such praising is! There floated the small form she spoke to, I know not how oft. —Where be his gibes now? His burblings? His blasting of lactose-spawned flatus that were wont to set the table on a roar?
Bingo. Castela has been acting almost as if Kath was a thing… or just a role… she’s “Mom”, and more specifically “My Mom”, and how dare she do something which would make her less than “My Mom as I want her to be.”
Atsali has just sent the message, loud and clear, that Kath is a PERSON above all… one who has overcome terrible adversity to become the loving mother that she is.
Castela was acting as if Kath didn’t have a past/history. As if Kath were as vulnerable to having her heart broken as Cass didn’t allow herself to be… and as a result Castela’s crush was “stolen” from under her nose.
She doesn’t have the maturity to truly empathize with others or imagine experiences that she hasn’t gone through herself. And that’s fine and typical of the average teenager. It’s *not* fine and quite dangerous when said teenager wields destruction on a nuclear scale at the crook of her finger. All of the role models in Castela’s life are spending a *lot* of time keeping her grounded and sympathetic for good reason. That amount of power could easily lead to controlling other people by fear.
I was still hoping Oscar would be around. There’s a dearth of strong male role models in their lives. Plenty of good female role models, but not much of men.
Knowing that Katherine couldn’t wear clothes (and why) rather than she she chose not to is more painful than most of the other Wapsi lore I can recall at the moment.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of the Blackthorn side of Castela, recently spurred to the surface by her visit to the Library for a history lesson about herself and Atsali. Conclusion: Blackthorns seem to be Protectors and Guardians, at least to some significant degree. Hopefully that’s a True and cannon part of their Nature. And, Castela is discovering & realizing that about herself right about now.
Being protective of someone, especially someone you love, also means NOT stifling them; a balance has to be achieved so they can also enjoy their freedom to live fully.
And, Go Atsali! Damn, girl. Glad to see you’re not half-oblivious to everything.
I really like this side of Atsali. She can be hard and harsh when needed. This proves that being a bimbo is not so much a facade, but a layer. A girl like her is a precocious thing that usually grows up to be one hell of a woman.
Hard and harsh? Atsali? Atsali the siren, who transforms into 20-foot-tall war bird and cold cocks a two-ton bear? Atsali who knocked a demigod on her ass before _anyone_ could blink? Who attacked her own sister with fangs and six-inch claws for diary diving, and who blasted the same sister through a stone wall for telling secrets? That Atsali, hard and harsh? I think you’re right. And I think Atsali is soft and sweet because she chooses to be, not because she has to.
Castela should be grateful Katherine is wearing clothes around their apartment now that they’re there—think of what her friends would say about it when they dropped by.
I think ‘phobia‘ is a bit strong. Certainly Kath is able to wear clothing in public, at home around the girls, at work (I think her basement office at the Museum would have been a lot more popular if Kath went unclothed there!), etc. I would say that Kath prefers to be unclothed when suitable. Think Shelly in the pre-Digital era —she couldn’t be around a spider, period. If the context calls for Kath to be clothed, she is.
Likely she forced herself to wear clothing outside because she had to leave the house for things like work and getting food, etc.. as soon as she got home and social requirements no longer bound her…judging by the very graphic portion of her past we saw a glimpse of during the adventure we first met Atsali in, she likely used to feel like she couldn’t clean the blood off, ever. She used to have very yucky hair too…and when depression and trauma have their claws in you, hygiene takes a backseat unless you really need to do it(I’ve had depressive bouts where I nearly lost my job cause I couldn’t bring myself to shower for days in the past)
Some of that, at least, Castela knows… she calls Lily “grandma”. Atsali certainly knows the whole story about Kath’s origin (she was the first to discover it!) but I don’t think we know whether she’s told Pickle all of it.
Clearly Castela is not the only one who’s used the Library to ask difficult questions about her family’s past, discreetly, so as not to upset them by forcing them to relive it.
I’m on the fence whether to think of it as a violation of privacy, or enormously compassionate.
Wow!
Eesh. That’s some heavy truth to lay on a little teen plant demigod.
Why do I get the feeling that Atsali has visited the Q room?
Yeah. That’s more than _we_ knew, and we’ve known Katherine for longer.
What part is new? We saw Kath’s friends get blown away by a helicopter while on a dig
“extremists” is new, I think… and the fact that Kath’s habit of going naked at home was a direct consequence of her trauma.
Yeah, never had the nudity connected to her trauma before in my head and I’m on a fresh archive dive.
Actually, it was two helicopters.
The copters were taken out by an A-10.
I did a report on the A-10 once and actually found a reference of an A-10 taking at 2 helos with its gun.
They were the ONLY air-to-air gun kills during Desert Storm.
The report said the helos were strafing ground units.
Very interesting how Paul got that in this.
Atsali isn’t the Lummox she sometimes plays!
“Couldn’t wear clothes because [of past trauma]”? Damn. I liked it better when it seemed like she just *liked* to be nude at home.
me too. also, it doesnt make sense?
She was covered in the blood of her friends, her clothes were soaked with it.
Just wearing clothes was associated in her mind with being covered in blood. That’s why she wore the baggy black dress. It was loose-fitting and likely the least triggering.
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/dead-sea-dig/
and
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/one-of-eighteen/
finally
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/last-of-eighteen/
Alas, poor Oscar! I knew him, Castela, a Betta of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath praised Mom’s Good Butt Days a hundred times, and now, how absent such praising is! There floated the small form she spoke to, I know not how oft. —Where be his gibes now? His burblings? His blasting of lactose-spawned flatus that were wont to set the table on a roar?
Paraphrased from Hamlet, 33rd chapter of the old testament.
A fitting eulogy for a for a fine companion…
Beautiful. Just, beautiful.
Atsali that info dump was a bit harsh. ~<3
Some lessons are harsh. Castela needed a harsh one to understand what her mother has gone through.
Castela needed to know it wasn’t all about her.
Bingo. Castela has been acting almost as if Kath was a thing… or just a role… she’s “Mom”, and more specifically “My Mom”, and how dare she do something which would make her less than “My Mom as I want her to be.”
Atsali has just sent the message, loud and clear, that Kath is a PERSON above all… one who has overcome terrible adversity to become the loving mother that she is.
Castela was acting as if Kath didn’t have a past/history. As if Kath were as vulnerable to having her heart broken as Cass didn’t allow herself to be… and as a result Castela’s crush was “stolen” from under her nose.
She doesn’t have the maturity to truly empathize with others or imagine experiences that she hasn’t gone through herself. And that’s fine and typical of the average teenager. It’s *not* fine and quite dangerous when said teenager wields destruction on a nuclear scale at the crook of her finger. All of the role models in Castela’s life are spending a *lot* of time keeping her grounded and sympathetic for good reason. That amount of power could easily lead to controlling other people by fear.
All this mixed with a heaping helping of abandonment…”anxiety” is such a tame word. “Terror”. yes. “Abandonment Terror” sounds about right…
I guess Oscar is taking the big sewer nap.
Reassigned by MIB
I was still hoping Oscar would be around. There’s a dearth of strong male role models in their lives. Plenty of good female role models, but not much of men.
And it says everything that the best hope for a strong male role model is… an aquarium fish
This must be how women feel with all of the predominantly male cast shows (cartoon or liveaction) of the past several decade.
There’s the sisterly boot to the ass I was looking for.
Knowing that Katherine couldn’t wear clothes (and why) rather than she she chose not to is more painful than most of the other Wapsi lore I can recall at the moment.
Damn.
ref: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/10082003/
I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of the Blackthorn side of Castela, recently spurred to the surface by her visit to the Library for a history lesson about herself and Atsali. Conclusion: Blackthorns seem to be Protectors and Guardians, at least to some significant degree. Hopefully that’s a True and cannon part of their Nature. And, Castela is discovering & realizing that about herself right about now.
Being protective of someone, especially someone you love, also means NOT stifling them; a balance has to be achieved so they can also enjoy their freedom to live fully.
And, Go Atsali! Damn, girl. Glad to see you’re not half-oblivious to everything.
I really like this side of Atsali. She can be hard and harsh when needed. This proves that being a bimbo is not so much a facade, but a layer. A girl like her is a precocious thing that usually grows up to be one hell of a woman.
Hard and harsh? Atsali? Atsali the siren, who transforms into 20-foot-tall war bird and cold cocks a two-ton bear? Atsali who knocked a demigod on her ass before _anyone_ could blink? Who attacked her own sister with fangs and six-inch claws for diary diving, and who blasted the same sister through a stone wall for telling secrets? That Atsali, hard and harsh? I think you’re right. And I think Atsali is soft and sweet because she chooses to be, not because she has to.
We all have out complexities. Often, the most powerful people are nice so they don’t have to prove their power.
Castela should be grateful Katherine is wearing clothes around their apartment now that they’re there—think of what her friends would say about it when they dropped by.
Probably “Damn, your mom is hot!” 🙂
And probably a couple have said it anyway, because damn, she is. 🙂
I think ‘phobia‘ is a bit strong. Certainly Kath is able to wear clothing in public, at home around the girls, at work (I think her basement office at the Museum would have been a lot more popular if Kath went unclothed there!), etc. I would say that Kath prefers to be unclothed when suitable. Think Shelly in the pre-Digital era —she couldn’t be around a spider, period. If the context calls for Kath to be clothed, she is.
Likely she forced herself to wear clothing outside because she had to leave the house for things like work and getting food, etc.. as soon as she got home and social requirements no longer bound her…judging by the very graphic portion of her past we saw a glimpse of during the adventure we first met Atsali in, she likely used to feel like she couldn’t clean the blood off, ever. She used to have very yucky hair too…and when depression and trauma have their claws in you, hygiene takes a backseat unless you really need to do it(I’ve had depressive bouts where I nearly lost my job cause I couldn’t bring myself to shower for days in the past)
Remember that the comic takes place mostly in Minnesota. Clothing is necessary, not just for modesty most of the year.(Unless you’re a chimera.)
Why do get the impression that Stela will become more protective of Kath now?
Or maybe, just go and silently hug the muffin out of her 🙁
The implied unspoken sentence at the end: “Because you don’t know her at all.”
Yeah, she doesn’t have to worry about it… because it’s already true.
There’s still more. What about Katherine being the combined Lanthian babies (and Lily’s daughter) from the crystal storage that went awry?
Some of that, at least, Castela knows… she calls Lily “grandma”. Atsali certainly knows the whole story about Kath’s origin (she was the first to discover it!) but I don’t think we know whether she’s told Pickle all of it.
Put right in her place.
Clearly Castela is not the only one who’s used the Library to ask difficult questions about her family’s past, discreetly, so as not to upset them by forcing them to relive it.
I’m on the fence whether to think of it as a violation of privacy, or enormously compassionate.