Grounded And Smart 2013-12-05

[Dave]

This may be the most concentrated dose of good, practical information and advice that Atsali has ever gotten in a single sitting.

Lucky lass!

And, yeah, having an aunt (or two) who can flatten whole schools is a point, too. Even if she never feels it necessary to call in that particular favor, knowing that she could may help her deal with the occasional (and probably inevitable) hasslings.

[Opus the Poet]

Cute, now which aunt are they talking about, that describes half of them.

ETA: Ninja'd by seconds by Dave

[Mark N]

Looks like Monica is hitting the good points for Atsalis Psyche.

[Opus the Poet]

OK am I reading the comic right, because it looks very much like Monica is saying Atsali is wearing a 34L which IIRC is 2 or 3 cup sizes larger than Monica.

[NOTDilbert]

She has aunts that can not only flatten, but cook, carry off whole, teleport to Antarctica, or turn it into a petting zoo full of funny-looking former humans. Or, simply devour. And probably things we don't know about and can only imagine....

*edit* Not to mention her Aunt Shelly's seven hypothetically Titan-powered brothers.....

[shadowinthelight]

OK am I reading the comic right, because it looks very much like Monica is saying Atsali is wearing a 34L which IIRC is 2 or 3 cup sizes larger than Monica.

Yes, it says 34L. I'm surprised Atsali hasn't toppled over due to lack of practice of carrying the extra weight.

[zachariah]

Monica scores an A+ in bra knowledge and helping Sali.

For address her other concerns. Unless there is more to this talk she has not addressed any of Sali's concerns. So that is a F. Nothing about how to cope with the change and how Sali feels about it. Being told just remember your Aunt will crush them all if you ask is not a bit of good advice. Sali really needs to see that this is not the end of the world for her. She is focused on how the other kids will react and being a Siren. Her self image and confidence in them is what needs to be improved. Monica can do this but she isn't.

[Dave]

For address her other concerns. Unless there is more to this talk she has not addressed any of Sali's concerns. So that is a F. Nothing about how to cope with the change and how Sali feels about it. Being told just remember your Aunt will crush them all if you ask is not a bit of good advice. Sali really needs to see that this is not the end of the world for her. She is focused on how the other kids will react and being a Siren. Her self image and confidence in them is what needs to be improved. Monica can do this but she isn't.

Once again, zachariah, I must respectfully disagree with you.

"You are beautiful. Not by how you look, but by who you are. You are grounded and smart! You just keep being you..."

That sure sounds to me as if Monica is trying to very directly boost up Atsali's self-image, by reminding her of her true value and worth! She's leading Atsali to focus on something other than her fears of how people will react to, and judge her... and thus helping Atsali break out of the cycle of anticipatory self-condemnation.

This is probably much more effective, than asking Atsali to talk at length about just how she expects people are going to judge her because of her appearance and Siren heritage. Doing that, could just drive Atsali further into the blues. Focusing on your fears, is not necessarily a good way to move beyond your fears.

For somebody who isn't terribly fond of therapists and counselors, Monica really does have the skill and knowledge to use many of their more effective techniques.

[My2Cents]

Cute, now which aunt are they talking about, that describes half of them.

Since Kathryn is Mom, not an aunt, and Phix almost certainly could flatten a school, and the GG's biggest problem is flattening just the school and not the planet, who are left as the aunts who can't flatten a school?

[scantrontb]

an Aunt that can flatten a school... A "SCHOOL"... awe come on Monica... don't insult the GG's like that... say "country" or "continent"... and if you're trying to keep it somewhat lite-hearted, go for "city" at least!

seriously though, Now we need to see how the Ursa-twins react... probably with MUCH more embearassment now, than they did when Pickles first showed up and they saw Atsali behind the clothes rack... once they realize that Atsali was trying to minimize for the fear that she would fall into the same category of girls that they were slamming, with them being "fake and shallow" as they put it. panels 3-4 here, and when those types of people say stuff like "I'll have you know..." you just *know* that they really don't mean it in a good way... if the three hadn't met each other here at the mall BEFORE the school year started, you could see the twins thinking "yeah yeah, whatever you say Atsali, we know you're just trying to be bitchy about how large your breasts are vs the other girls" and lumping her in with the rest of the kids they were talking about... when in reality, they saw how Atsali was trying to MINIMIZE her breast size in order to avoid those kinds of comments in the first place... yeah i think the twins and Atsali are gonna be great pals for each other after this mall incident... them, because they apparently just moved to the area and don't really know anybody yet, and Atsali is the local expert... and Atsali, because she is probably in the same boat as them, though since we don't really know where the orphanage is located we don't really know if she is also transferring to a new school since being adopted or will she just be going to the next grade up at the same one she went to last year... i foresee that the twins will be more of a self-confidence booster than any speech by Monica (as a stuffy-old adult)... though, that could be off-set by the fact that she's the Jaguar Girl vs an "ordinary" paranormal authority figure type person, so there is a bit more weight to her speechifying... eh, time will tell.

I'm sure that at this *exact* point in time that Zachariah's concerns about self image and crushing your enemies versus the two of them actually talking about what the "real" problem is, IS a valid gripe, but realize that this is a 2D serialized comic, and that stuff WILL happen "off camera" or more likely in this case, just hasn't been posted to the web YET... so this arc should make itself clear in a few more weeks of postings. I'll be glad to wait for it...

[Boxilar]

Cute, now which aunt are they talking about, that describes half of them.

Since Kathryn is Mom, not an aunt, and Phix almost certainly could flatten a school, and the GG's biggest problem is flattening just the school and not the planet, who are left as the aunts who can't flatten a school?

And of course, that leaves aside the fact that Atsali herself is capable of transforming into a seven foot tall humanoid predatory avian with a nearly thirty foot wingspan who "could rip a man in half."

[DilyV]

Pickle: Go ahead... keep pickin' on me. I'll get my big sister Atsali after you. She's seven feet tall wif a 30 foot wingspan!!! Wif claws dat would rip the meat offa you if they ever touched you!!! *vague Bill Cosby "belt" reference here, but it fit's Atsali's raptor claws*

I have to Agree... Monica is hitting all the bases here... Atsali just hasn't gotten over her fear of what she's becoming. Growing up sucks... Especially for young girls who blossom quickly. Names will be called, judgments will be made, but you are still you, and you know your own self worth. In the Army, we had a phrase. When shit sucks, Embrace the suck. Embrace the change Atsali. You're becoming a force to be reckoned with. Your numerous aunts who can flatten stuff can guide you through the finer points, but you're still the same person you were yesterday... except today you have a whole new world opening up before you.

[My2Cents]

For address her other concerns. Unless there is more to this talk she has not addressed any of Sali's concerns. So that is a F. Nothing about how to cope with the change and how Sali feels about it. Being told just remember your Aunt will crush them all if you ask is not a bit of good advice. Sali really needs to see that this is not the end of the world for her. She is focused on how the other kids will react and being a Siren. Her self image and confidence in them is what needs to be improved. Monica can do this but she isn't.

Given the amount of time required for the number of bras Monica is implied to have made Atsali try on, there has been plenty of time for those other talks,

Won’t do much good though. There has never been a teenage girl who hasn’t been convinced that she isn’t the most ridiculous, ugly, freak in the world at some point. Especially when they are anything but! And nothing, absolutely nothing, you or a friend can do or say will convince them otherwise.

[zachariah]

For address her other concerns. Unless there is more to this talk she has not addressed any of Sali's concerns. So that is a F. Nothing about how to cope with the change and how Sali feels about it. Being told just remember your Aunt will crush them all if you ask is not a bit of good advice. Sali really needs to see that this is not the end of the world for her. She is focused on how the other kids will react and being a Siren. Her self image and confidence in them is what needs to be improved. Monica can do this but she isn't.

Once again, zachariah, I must respectfully disagree with you.

"You are beautiful. Not by how you look, but by who you are. You are grounded and smart! You just keep being you..."

That sure sounds to me as if Monica is trying to very directly boost up Atsali's self-image, by reminding her of her true value and worth! She's leading Atsali to focus on something other than her fears of how people will react to, and judge her... and thus helping Atsali break out of the cycle of anticipatory self-condemnation.

This is probably much more effective, than asking Atsali to talk at length about just how she expects people are going to judge her because of her appearance and Siren heritage. Doing that, could just drive Atsali further into the blues. Focusing on your fears, is not necessarily a good way to move beyond your fears.

For somebody who isn't terribly fond of therapists and counselors, Monica really does have the skill and knowledge to use many of their more effective techniques.

While you are right Monica does say that it is just words as long as Sali is down about this. Monica should have asked okay then what is really bothering you? Why does their reaction make you feel so bad? Does it matter that much?
There is a lot more going on in Sali and it has to revolve around being a Siren. Their reputation, perceived image in the para community, worries she will be forced to fit that image, etc. Unless these issues are touched on then Monica is only mouthing palliative words that Sali is not ready to believe. That is why I also stated the mark applies if this talk ends here. If it doesn't then these issues should come out and be talked on.
If it ends here then Monica came in showed her how to pick a bra. Patted Sali on the head saying you are wonderful. Then poiting away. Offering to nuke the school is a whole other issue. lol.

[Fairportfan]

OK am I reading the comic right, because it looks very much like Monica is saying Atsali is wearing a 34L which IIRC is 2 or 3 cup sizes larger than Monica.

But several inches larger in the band, too. Which means in proportion that it's smaller than an "L" would be on Monica, whose band size is like twenty-eight inches, i think.

I mean, if you put Dolly Parton's boobs on, say, Bea Arthur, they wouldn't look quite as big.

[jayessell]

I was expecting to see where the wings come out when we saw Atsali's back,
like the doors that cover the landing gear on a plane.

I guess they just manifest as opposed to unfolding.
(There's no room inside her body for them now that I think of it.)

I hope she can still fly now that her center of gravity has shifted.

[illiad]

well as the old gag goes....

well the other girls may be jealous, but only because the men will be falling over themselves to get YOU things, and not them!!!! ....

[eee]

Monica is doing a marvelous job of getting Atsali fitted AND boosting her confidence at the same time; but there's still a major problem. 'Sali CAN"T show up at school (tomorrow?) with a 34 bust if she was flat as a board the week before. As she herself pointed out, the other kids will either assume she's padded her (new) bra or they'll start screaming about mutants. She needs some way to hide these new, huge tracts of land or at least diminish them temporarily, so she can let them reveal themselves slowly over the course of a few months without attracting anything more than the normal hormone driven attention they'd deserve.

I hope Kath isn't jealous of Monica assuming the parental chore of First Bra Fitting.

[Yamara]

"Yeah, that's right-- I have a posse of aunts! I'll show them! 'One more comment about my chest and I SHALL UNLEASH THE AUNTPOCALYPSE!!'"

---
"Uh, I, meant sitting down and talking with everyone involved? I guess the pop term is still 'raise awareness'? You know... flatten it demographically."

"Oh."

"Sorry, when you work all day in anthropology--"

"No, no, no, that's, um, that's actually... sane. And stuff. ...Why did the cups stop working?"

"Your threat reaction with your wings sliced the straps. So! On to the next challenge!"

[DilyV]

OK am I reading the comic right, because it looks very much like Monica is saying Atsali is wearing a 34L which IIRC is 2 or 3 cup sizes larger than Monica.

But several inches larger in the band, too. Which means in proportion that it's smaller than an "L" would be on Monica, whose band size is like twenty-eight inches, i think.

I mean, if you put Dolly Parton's boobs on, say, Bea Arthur, they wouldn't look quite as big.

Oh great... now I need a case of mental floss to get that image out of my head. Dolly Parton's boobs on Bea Arthur? Good God, she'd be tripping on them at her age!!!