Went To Bat 2015-06-23

[Atomic]

And now, how to swallow that foot in your mouth!

[TazManiac]

Holy Banana Peels!

[AnotherFairportfan]

Ah, yes.

Latency on an asynchronous link.

==========

Why was Atsali playing along all this time (as she thought) and suddenly blew it all off now?

[Opus the Poet]

Whoops! I guess her ears only work on one conversation at a time.

[kingklash]

Total recall without context evolution.

[AnotherFairportfan]

Total recall without context evolution.

More of whatever makes her expression-blind.

[shadowinthelight]

I've never really fully appreciated just how smooth Bud can be...

[Thor]

And now, how to swallow that foot in your mouth!

Atsali really really needed that. She needed to be shown she was being wrong immediately after she just finished being wrong so she couldn't just blow it off. Nicely done, Bud.

[Dave]

And, today in Modern Language class here at Gryphon High, we will learn to conjugate the verb "abase".

Atsali, would you care to lead the class? First-person present indicative, please?

(Hint: "grovel" is an acceptable modern substitute. It complements the flavor of toenails quite nicely.)

For extra credit, explain the context in which the pluperfect of "misjudge" might be used.

Why was Atsali playing along all this time (as she thought) and suddenly blew it all off now?

I'm guessing she's on overwhelm a bit, and things just added up to the point where she hit her limit. She "inherited" the job - Jessie "resigned in her favor" the instant it was learned that she's the Jaguar Girl's protege. It was sorta explained to her that she didn't really have much of a choice about being seen as The Queen, because of who her friends and relatives are... she is Connected, and therefore Is The Arbiter Of Cool. She's apparently been going along with the idea (perhaps for lack of a better one) and trying to get a handle on what it really means for her.

But, in recent time, she's

• Pulled together the courage to try dating for the first time,
• Had her Mapimi**2 adventure (nearly getting killed... again),
• Had the whole Nadette-crush issue boil up (one big iteration of "Atsali, you're oblivious to personal stuff" discomfort),
• Had Jacob blow off her date, 'cause he's decided to come out,
• Been kicked out of the Para Pool once for (allegedly) showing too much skin,
• Been sorta arm-twisted into going back to the Pool to trigger a confrontation,
• Been through another set of social awkwardness, precipitated by her oblivious-to-expressions issue once again,
• Been yelled at (rather publicly) by Jessie as a result of this issue,
• Had to admit to her social blindness to Jessie (possibly the first time she's ever spoken with someone other than maybe Mama Bear about this) and admit that she finds dealing with more subtle "social nuances" to be overwhelming and incomprehensible.

At this point, it's maybe not surprising if she's decided that the role of Queen Bee is just too f***ing much grief for her... that the "job" requires a form of interpersonal communications skill that she simply does not possess (and apparently never has). It'd be hard enough for her to find true friends (lacking a good sensory barometer), and having everybody fawn on her because of who her relatives are must be making the job 1000% harder.

She's had a hell of a few weeks. She didn't want the job in the first place. I think She Has Had it, She Wants Out, and She Is Willing To Push Back.

[AnotherFairportfan]

...and, besides, losing your temper and screaming at people just FEELS good, sometimes.

[zachariah]

Sali forgot rule 21: Never let your emotions do the talking for you when your are worried,stressed, or irritated.

You almost always will say the wrong thing to the wrong person. Especially if you are lashing out.

Of course Bud had to rub Jessie's action in Sali's face exactly then. It fits the trope exactly. Screw up with a friend over something and then immediately find out you are wrong about them. Comedy ensues as the person create elaborate, stupid, and flawed plans to fix things with out just going and saying Sorry I was wrong. That happens after the pan fails and every one gets to laugh about it behind the 4th wall.

[kingklash]

I think Bud has pretty excellent hearing herself.

[Brasten]

I think Bud has pretty excellent hearing herself.

Being a clay doll I'm sure she heard every word. However she may also need that strength to pry several pairs of feet (and fins) out from a few mouths. They're wedge in there real good.

Why do I get the feeling that once again Elcor speaking would solve many problems.

Wry amusement: If you are having problems communicating emotions, why not state the emotion and conditions before speaking. Confidently: It also forces you to consider the emotion you are projecting. Amusedly: It's like starting a sentence with an emoticon.

Bemused: Can Atsali read the emotion implied by emoticons? If not text messaging and the Internet must be a strange place.

[meisdadoo]

I can't help but wonder if Atsali's inability to read facial expressions is a siren thing, or just an Atsali thing, and why.
If it was a siren thing, you'd think it would be more widely known. If it is just her, it raises the very big question of why can't you read faces? Afterall 70 to 80% of communication is nonverbal. Being limited to just the words would be rather inconvenient, even insects, crabs (and others with non-flexible exoskeletons) use body language in their communication. (Aparently plants can express themselves nonverbally as well, which is not all that strange. A thorn bush that can turn itself into a walking talking little girl--now that is strange)

On the plus side, anytime she makes a social faux pas, she can just smack herself in the temple and yell "Stupid Lanthians, get out of my head!!" and tadaaa, instant sympathy and forgiveness from those that know about the whole curse of the spider crystal event. Can't do that one too often, or someone will insist on fixing it with a memory wipe.

All of this makes me wonder what Dietzel is up to (literally and figuratively) and where the hell is Tina with my coffee? . . .

[Dave]

Bemused: Can Atsali read the emotion implied by emoticons? If not text messaging and the Internet must be a strange place.

Which begs the question: when Atsali texts or says OMG, to precisely which G is she referring?

We've been informed that Shiva, Amun, and Zeus exist in the Wapsiverse, YHWH is certainly a possibilty, and who knows what other divinities might exist? Some of them may even have Twitter accounts!

[Opus the Poet]

and where the hell is Tina with my coffee? . . .

Making a delivery in Texas. Mmmmmm!

[oldmanmickey]

and todays special is whole foot with a side of toejam, yummyummm

[lake_wrangler]

I'm wondering whether Bud heard what just took place, or if she just happened to come at that very moment to let Atsali know just who stood up for her and how...

Remains to be seen how Atsali will react. Will she break down and cry (most likely in front of Bud, not Jessie), and have to then explain to Bud what just took place? Will she turn around to ask Jessie to forgive her? And if so, how much groveling will be involved? Will Jessie even be there, still, for Atsali to apologize, or will Jessie be fed up, herself, and have left?

I have no doubt, in light of recent events, of the sincerity of Jessie's interest in helping Atsali (I still had my doubts, as late as when we found out that Jacob had asked Daniel out, and Jessie panicked, seemingly worried that Atsali would think Jessie was somehow involved or at fault). She is not merely engaged in a social experiment, nor is she using Atsali to try to climb the ladder, as Atsali seems to have decided she was doing. But is her concern over Atsali strong enough to weather this reversal and accusation? I hope so.

And I am starting to worry about Atsali's apparently quite cynical outlook on life. I hope that changes soon, and I wonder what it's going to take to change that.

...

...

And what about Naomi?

[zachariah]

I can't help but wonder if Atsali's inability to read facial expressions is a siren thing, or just an Atsali thing, and why.
If it was a siren thing, you'd think it would be more widely known. If it is just her, it raises the very big question of why can't you read faces? Afterall 70 to 80% of communication is nonverbal. Being limited to just the words would be rather inconvenient, even insects, crabs (and others with non-flexible exoskeletons) use body language in their communication. (Aparently plants can express themselves nonverbally as well, which is not all that strange. A thorn bush that can turn itself into a walking talking little girl--now that is strange)

On the plus side, anytime she makes a social faux pas, she can just smack herself in the temple and yell "Stupid Lanthians, get out of my head!!" and tadaaa, instant sympathy and forgiveness from those that know about the whole curse of the spider crystal event. Can't do that one too often, or someone will insist on fixing it with a memory wipe.

All of this makes me wonder what Dietzel is up to (literally and figuratively) and where the hell is Tina with my coffee? . . .

I lean toward it being a siren thing. Enables them to eat people without worrying about facial expressions or body language.

As to it not being widely known it is simple. How many people have managed to survive around one long enough to notice it. Even if they did survive how many would notice it? No one noticed it until we were told she has the problem. The is very normal as we do not go around looking at others with the idea of seeing if they have problems. Usually what happens is we notice something odd and eventually it comes up in conversation and we ask, or get told. It takes someone unusual to actually notice things like this. I would bet good odds Kathy doesn't know unless Sali told her. After all the only reason it got mentioned was that Jessie specifically ask Sali about it after all. Otherwise why would Sali mention it to anyone?

[lake_wrangler]

I lean toward it being a siren thing. Enables them to eat people without worrying about facial expressions or body language.

As to it not being widely known it is simple. How many people have managed to survive around one long enough to notice it. Even if they did survive how many would notice it?

As far as last thoughts before dying go, how would you rate "Would you look at that: she didn't even notice how scared I was, as she tore me apart..." ?

No one noticed it until we were told she has the problem. The is very normal as we do not go around looking at others with the idea of seeing if they have problems. Usually what happens is we notice something odd and eventually it comes up in conversation and we ask, or get told. It takes someone unusual to actually notice things like this. I would bet good odds Kathy doesn't know unless Sali told her. After all the only reason it got mentioned was that Jessie specifically ask Sali about it after all. Otherwise why would Sali mention it to anyone?

In fact, she may have deliberately kept that knowledge hidden, so as to not give anyone more reason to mock her, bully her, or take advantage of her in some fashion or another. (That, and the fact that admitting to it is admitting to being vulnerable, in a way...)