Soften her up 2014-09-16

[AnotherFairportfan]

Well, that worked SO well.

Next plan?

[Dave]

Oops.

Demon shepherd or no, those demons are tricksy. They have an agenda and they know how to use it!

[Aed]

Doh!

[captnq]

Called It!

[shadowinthelight]

No Calista shaped hole in the wall?

[oldmanmickey]

With help like that who needs hindrance?

[kingklash]

Maybe M ought to grab Underboob by the filter, and show Cricket how easy it is to bring a P.D. to task.

[Opus the Poet]

Called It!

No you didn't. You were angling on the "greatest fear" shtick, and what set Callista off was the "Demons are real and talk to you" shtick. Granted there was a lot of overlap between the two, but not the same thing.

[Dave]

Thought for the day: while "mentor" and "mean to 'er" are written with many of the same letters, and even sound somewhat alike if spoken quickly, they actually have rather different effects.

It is best not to confuse the two.

[My2Cents]

Monica made an error in assuming Calista had more to fall back on than she did. Time to backtrack and create a nurturing to build up Calista self image and confidence before starting over.

Calista will run a while then curl up with her misery. The trick for Monica is to quietly track her down and be there to offer gentile support and explanations. 'Mommy hugs' are probably also in order, something Calista probably never had before as demonstrated by her demons. Monica is going to have to become the surrogate mother for Calista that she never had.

[KnightDelight]

It seems the Demon Wrangler isn't quite as proficient at her craft as she thought. Too many easy victories has spoiled her. Made her over confident. Thought she could phone this one in. Grasshopper has much to learn yet. But then, she has eons in which to perfect her skills. Unfortunately for Cricket, she doesn't have that much time to get her mind right. Further adventures of the Grasshopper and the Cricket to follow.

[illiad]

well, the 'rage' helped last time... this is far more subtle, and takes a lot more thought... :/

plus she didn't really want do JG full time...

[ActionKermit]

I'm pretty sure that demon is Dread at this point. If she's the one riding herd for Cricket, M is going to have to completely rethink her strategy.

[illiad]

Ah I see it now, its doubt that got in the way... many just see it as modesty.... damned sonuvabitch... :p

[zachariah]

No Calista shaped hole in the wall?

This is Wapsi not Warner. Here there is just a hole, a big hole.

[zachariah]

Thought for the day: while "mentor" and "mean to 'er" are written with many of the same letters, and even sound somewhat alike if spoken quickly, they actually have rather different effects.

It is best not to confuse the two.

Monica did not intend for this to happen so it was not intentional. So we cannot say she was being mean to Cricket. Nice try to play on the word though.

What we have here is Monica totally misjudged what Cricket would be able to handle and chose the wrong first lesson for Cricket. After the dominance act when she met Cricket it set the pattern that Cricket would expect from Monica. She expected Monica to be stern and harsh with her lessons. SO when she met the demons the message she got was possible punishment for no reason. Then when the situation took a sharp sideways turn it confused Cricket and unbalanced her. Monica's casual reaction and explanation didn't help Cricket either as it just added to the confusion and upset. So it's no wonder Cricket freaked out.

Monica needed to ease Cricket into these lessons and slowly change her status with Cricket from Mentor from hell, to Mentor from hell who isn't quiet the stern force she pretended to be. To someone who cared and was willing to listen, to helpful mentor and guide.

Another key point Monica missed, if you are introducing a student to something really new let them know first what is going to happen. It doesn't help teach a kid to swim if you just throw him in the water and not explain what you are going to do and why. They may learn to swim but they will be positive you tried to drown them no matter what you say.

[captnq]

Uhhh...

1. I bet next comic a certain faerie is going to run off screaming

Crying... Screaming... Close enough.

2. Monica may discover what it means to have someone truly be completely and utterly terrorized beyond all rational thought of you.

Okay, I'll give you that the next comic will indicate if this one is correct.
A) If Cricket actually talks to Monica when they next meet, I guess I'm wrong.
B) If cricket curls up in a ball or colapses begging for her life, I'm right.

3. One does not discover that someone can make your worst nightmare manifest at will and not become a wee bit skittish.

It is TOTALLY her worst nightmare. and right now, she fears Monica more then anything. It would not surprise me if we found Cricket actually ran home and locked herself in her room.

What we have here is Monica totally misjudged what Cricket would be able to handle and chose the wrong first lesson for Cricket. After the dominance act when she met Cricket it set the pattern that Cricket would expect from Monica. She expected Monica to be stern and harsh with her lessons. SO when she met the demons the message she got was possible punishment for no reason. Then when the situation took a sharp sideways turn it confused Cricket and unbalanced her. Monica's casual reaction and explanation didn't help Cricket either as it just added to the confusion and upset. So it's no wonder Cricket freaked out.

Basically, yes.

See, the problem is most likely stemming from the conversation with the Sphinx in the library (forget the name) who told her that Monica and Cricket had much in common. They do, but not everything. Alas, Monica is being racist... er... speciest as all hell. She has all these assumptions about Fae that are coloring her opinion of just how weird she can get with Cricket.

I mean, I see what's she's doing.

Step 1: Establish Dominance - The Event in the school Lunch Room.
Step 2: Tear your target down.
Step 3: "Let" the target "win you over" by acting in a fashion you want them to.
Step 4: Rebuild your target's psyche in a fashion you desire to sculpt them.

Excellent plan. Works for most military recruits. There are two situations where it fails.

1) When the target has seen so much pain and suffering already they indestructable. For some people, they are so used to surviving the unsurvivable, that any attempt to tear them down is met with, "Is that the best you can do?" And if you get them to open up about it, you usually are regaled with a tail of woe and suffering that makes your stomach churn. For someone like that, you can't use the beat'em down approach. Either they'll turtle up, or they'll put on a show and pretend to change.

1A) In the case of "turtle up", the problem is, the instructor usually fails to understand just how much punishment the subject can take. So either you fail to break them, or you shatter them entirely and render them useless.

1B) In the case of putting on a show, usually it works. The instructor can only determine when they had been had by how little contact the student has with you afterwards.

2) Now, in Calista's case, we unfortunately have the opposite. Your target is already torn down. That which does not kill us makes us stronger, if we survive the experiance uncrippled. We are strongest where we have been broken and healed. The healing is the important part. Cricket isn't healed. She wanted to go to a new school, act tought, scare people away, have one or two good friends, and slide through under the radar. She's broken. There was nothing to tear down. In situations like that, the instructor comes in and attempts Step 2 without first figuring out how much the target can take.

Cricket can't take anything. Monica didn't tear her down. Monica shattered Cricket, dug a pit, pushed the pieces into the pit, then the pit disappeared into a sink hole and relocated somewhere near China. I'm sure at first glance it looked like a tear down. I'm sure Monica thought that a fae could take this because, "Hey, you know how fae are!"

Cricket isn't a problem because she's a fae and has no self control. She's got a ton of self-control. She's calculating and perceptive. What she lacks is self-confidence. She doesn't believe she has self-control because everyone tells her she's got no self control. She believes she's nothing but a screw up because that's all she's told. Tell someone they are a monster enough times, you shouldn't be surprised if they start to believe you.

If this was an actual situation, Monica can't fix this. Monica can't suddenly turn around and say, "No No, I was just messing with you! It's Cool! Lets start over. You're a good person and I'm here to help you figure that out." She should have just started with that. No way Cricket is going to believe Monica had a "change of heart". Or worse, Cricket will figure out that she can manipulate Monica, if Monica suddenly does an about face. the WORST thing Monica could do, is try to humanize herself and say, "I'm scared too."

Note I said Actual situation. I've noticed that this comic has a tendancy to set up situations like this that suddenly just "work out" because "reasons". Not saying it's bad writing, it's just I've rarely seen this type of character development actually go the logical direction on Wapsi Square.

No, the solution is to have someone find Cricket. Talk to Cricket, convince her that she's safe. Get Cricket to trust them. THEN Monica shows up. Monica needs to act all pissed. Then Cricket's Ally needs to chew Monica out right in front of Cricket. Monica needs to back down, slowly. The ally needs to point out that Monica has been making a whole bunch of assumptions about Cricket and that they should get to know each other FIRST before the mind bending reality crap Monica is pulling. Then Monica can look at Cricket and ask, "Was I too hard on you?" Cricket will stand up for herself (hopefully), and after Cricket vents for a bit, Monica can say, "Sorry. Thought you were thicker skinned. I guess I did come on too harsh. Can we start over?"

THEN Monica can move forward. However, without someone to bridge the gap, either Monica will come across as too weak, or, and here's the worst possible outcome:

Cricket runs home. Cricket locks herself in her room and says she's sorry. Mom and Dad are right. She'll be good and stay where she's safe and never leave again. Monica will show up. Cricket's parents will say, "Wow! Thank you so much! She's SO much more easy to control now! Thank you for all your help! And in like, less then 24 hours! Amazing!" They will shake her hand. Monica will sputter and say, "No, But... I haven't even started. She needs-" The parents will cut her off and say, "Don't be modest! We couldn't have asked for more. Thanks for your time. Have a nice day. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out." *BOOT*

Monica will realize she completely broke Cricket and that her overprotective parents are going to take advantage of it. Not sure how'd she'd fix things at that point, if ever.

With luck Cricket will go anywhere but home.

[Skruddgemire]

Well that went well...NOT.

The problem that I see is that M hasn't seen Cricket the way that Atsali and the twins have. M is only seeing the fireball that humiliated the cheerleaders with the fisting glamor incident, the spitfire facade she wears, and the fact that as a fae, she's one of the most powerful forces out there.

M didn't see her breaking down in to a sobbing morass of self doubt and loneliness.

M May be the demon wrangler, but this is beyond just being a problem with the demons. That girl is so broken down inside that M needs to fix THAT, to build her sense of self back up before they can tackle her demons.

And that's the problem. She is a bully because it's the easiest way to not be bullied herself. Cricket really has no solid sense of her own self worth thanks to her isolation as well as the fact that everyone she has met has disliked her because she is Fae Royalty and the stereotype of "being so powerful that they don't give a flying [smurf] for the feelings of others". Hell even Pickle wanted to keep curb stomping her into goo.

This is not a job for a demon wrangler. This is a job for chesty mom hugs, understanding, gentle guidance, and frankly I think that M needs to bring Cricket's friends along to help all of them. This is where a beloved and wise Auntie is needed. Not a Klingon Drill Instructor.

[Wdot]

Fear, Panic, Terror are three demons that are very, very powerful because they shut down rational thought. You can't instruct or teach someone that is in a state of fear, it just doesn't work. You have to get them in a learning frame of mind first by letting them know everything is okay and maybe give them a cookie and a spot 'o tea. Right now Cricket is as far from that state as it is possible to be. She needs comforting before anything else.

[GuySmiley]

I haven't really been keeping up with all the discussion recently but all I gotta say is...

The more things change, the more they stay the same.