Make Her Stronger 2012-08-31

[waldosan]

eventualy a conversation is going to happen at some time between phix and the apos. "phix: who did i kill last time?"

also i pretty much said that there would be consequences to these kinds of actions, following your nature rather than your conviction. phix did something that was morally ambiguous to her but was down right terrifying to Monica, because she didn't think and have self control she's going to learn what it means to scare one of your best friends away to where they probably won't come back. at least not like they were before.

[Julie]

Have I mentioned I hate friday webcomic days?

You and me both! I'm going to be holding my breath all weekend now.

[Fairportfan]

[#10] WHAT!?... [/#10]

Nudge or Phix is MONICA'S MOM?!.... that's the only way that statement would make sense. or, on second thought, Nudge is using it to kick Phix a good one in order to make her listen, and that Phix needs to go make up with Monica, rather than letting things stay as they are, i'll bet that the next time we see that beach scene ?two weeks from now? that we find Phix there as well, she was either just off-camera, or she was late...

Nah - she's quoting what she said to Bia; Phix is, i guess, metaphorically Monica's "mother" in preternatural matters, but i doubt very much she's her physical mother.

[Fairportfan]

mmmmmm, I know it is tempting to give nudge a "you go girl" here, but I think her defensive stance is because she's bracing for what is coming, not necessarily that she's going to challenge Phix. And I think her indignation is still more about what happened to Shelly, and not what Monica saw.
I think her look reflects her anger at Bia.

This.

But also at Phix for funking when she needs to be strong.

[Jay-Em]

One thing is clear: Nudge máy be a trickster, unable to help herself if an opportunity to trick presents itself, she ís ab-so-lutely loyal when she's your friend. And being unpleasant to her friends, ticks Nudge off in nó uncertain way. Gotta love her for that!

And Phix? Well, it's pretty clear where Shelly got her "hit-it-when-it-bothers-you" -streak from. Gramma' Phix has quite a lot of that. Yet, Shelly has become "The Sage", that streak of wisdom in Shell' is álso pretty clearly from Gramma' Phix.(Phix is probably a Dragon, like me. Quick to anger and lash-out, but full of good advise and wisdom......which we forget to use on ourselves... )
I am saying that, because in our family, character-traits have consistently "skipped" generations. I am wáaay more like my granddad than my mom, and my sis is quite a lot like my gran' from father's side

I lóve it that Pablo decided to work with Phix in this way. A lot of character-traits in Shell' start to make more&more sense.

By the way. The visceral killing that Phix did is not something out of the blue. Remember this, said almos innocuously.
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/deserved-it/

[Dave]

mmmmmm, I know it is tempting to give nudge a "you go girl" here, but I think her defensive stance is because she's bracing for what is coming, not necessarily that she's going to challenge Phix. And I think her indignation is still more about what happened to Shelly, and not what Monica saw.
I think her look reflects her anger at Bia.

This.

But also at Phix for funking when she needs to be strong.

Even more than that... I think she's forcing Phix to confront her own responsibility for all the pain (Shelly's in particular, as well as Monica's) that has occurred as a result of Phix's decisions.

Phix has repeatedly played the "enigmatic sphinx" with the others... dropping subtle clues but concealing larger truths and facts that she knew (about the CM, Shelly's fate in the Time Forest, and her own ancestral relationship to Shelly). She has justified this as "not telling things to people, as a way of doing them good" or words to that effect. That's a risky moral stance to take (denying other people an informed choice) even if you're quite sure how things will turn out... and as the Bia reveal shows, Phix is not omniscient. The situation has gotten badly out of hand, partially because Phix chose to continue to keep secrets... she held back the truth too long, lost control over how those facts came to light, and (I think) learned that she too had been deceived.

I think that's what Nudge is forcing her to see. Playing God with other peoples' lives is playing with fire, and both you and they can be badly burned. "Face it, Phix... you've got some 'splainin' to do. Seriously." Phix made her choices, and must now "man up" (no sexism intended ) and accept responsibility for the consequences.

Back on the day Phix punched Nudge out of Tina, Nudge said "I get people to look at things differently. In ways they might not want to. I help them determine why they're doing something, and some don't like the answers they find."

We've just seen Nudge raise up her Aspect, and turn her Attribute on Phix in its full force. Kingklash was right on target... you do not want to get on the bad side of a Trickster! As to why she's doing it... as others have suggested, Nudge seems to have come to care a lot about the Wapsi gang, and she's both compassionate and loyal to her friends. And, maybe, this is also a little bit of scales-balancing payback for that punch-out?

[MrFireDragon]

ok, haven't had time to read all comments and probably someone mentioned this before, but Nudge sure looks to be standing in a guard/attack position, like she is getting ready to get all "loco" on Phix or getting ready for Phix's reaction.

The ball is in Phix's side, let's she how she plays this. I just hope we don't lose Nudge, I like her.

[Boxilar]

ok, haven't had time to read all comments and probably someone mentioned this before, but Nudge sure looks to be standing in a guard/attack position, like she is getting ready to get all "loco" on Phix or getting ready for Phix's reaction.

The ball is in Phix's side, let's she how she plays this. I just hope we don't lose Nudge, I like her.

As Co-Head Librarian, Nudge may enjoy the same "Can't be hurt in her place of power" that Phix has in the Bibliothiki. I still admire Nudge's apparent willingness to rumble, given that Phix is larger and stronger and built more for direct physical confrentation than Nudge is.

If Nudge isn't protected, I admire her even more. She cares deeply for Shelly and Monica, (especialy Shelly) and is willing to put herself at risk to call Phix on her Bullshit. As Brandi once told Bud,Phix is in a Hell of her own making. I like Phix, but I get the feeling she may have a bit of a martyr's complex, and Nudge is trying to knock her out of it.

[MrFireDragon]

ok, haven't had time to read all comments and probably someone mentioned this before, but Nudge sure looks to be standing in a guard/attack position, like she is getting ready to get all "loco" on Phix or getting ready for Phix's reaction.

The ball is in Phix's side, let's she how she plays this. I just hope we don't lose Nudge, I like her.

As Co-Head Librarian, Nudge may enjoy the same "Can't be hurt in her place of power" that Phix has in the Bibliothiki. I still admire Nudge's apparent willingness to rumble, given that Phix is larger and stronger and built more for direct physical confrentation than Nudge is.

If Nudge isn't protected, I admire her even more. She cares deeply for Shelly and Monica, (especialy Shelly) and is willing to put herself at risk to call Phix on her Bullshit. As Brandi once told Bud,Phix is in a Hell of her own making. I like Phix, but I get the feeling she may have a bit of a martyr's complex, and Nudge is trying to knock her out of it.

Phix reminds me of my motherinlaw...... martyr complex for sure! and yes here's to hoping Nudge does some knocking and doesn't get eaten

[kingklash]

A few mentions of how this seems like Nudge is functioning out of parameter, but it's more likely a matter of psychophysics. The same way you can nudge a marshmallow off the edge of a table with your pinky, but you can't use that same digit to budge a freight train even a solid inch down the track, Our Girl has switched from finger to impulse engines to move a very solid hunk of emotional turmoil into a different orbit. Still a nudge from Nudge, just exponentially bigger than big, stronger than strong.

[WilliamCA]

I think Nudge is still nudging in a special way. every person is different and everyone needs to be nudged in a different way. What i heard from Phix was a fucking pity party excuse for her behavior. Now Nudge has to bring her out of it, and the only way to deal with quasi-immortal, somewhat bestial being is to nudge them with violence. Besides Phix is far too old and worldly to simply be nudged by manipulative words anymore. So this form of nudging works for a person like Phix.

But yeah i agree with some of the other posters here. Phix has spent the last 24 hours wallowing in her own angst, gore, and filth. And it seems she may have needlessly killed another living being. Yeah she needs some time in the woodshed. Nudge just pulled out the switch.

[Sgt. Howard]

Remember when the library told these two that they needed each other? Perhaps now is what they/it had in mind...
Phix needs to re-assess who and what she is angry with and from there make peace with her grand-daughter Shelly. Then she needs to speak words of wisdom to Monica. Possibly then she needs to engineer circumstances where she can further trash out Bia... but RIGHT NOW she needs to bleed off the excess emotions that currently fester in her blood over the whole situation- a festering boil that Nudge just lanced with that sharp remark. I doubt Nudge would pull a chain like that unless she knew how to handle what is on the other end of it, be it by stealth or strength, clobber or dodge. She knows exactly what she is getting into- it will be interesting to see how she gets out of it... then again, such a blow could easily leave Phix wailing in despair and pain, making adrenaline efforts a moot point- but I would STILL stay out of arm's reach until I was sure of the circumstances...
the Old Sgt.

[Bathorys Daughter]

I think Nudge is using a more obvious, yet still "trickster" approach because she knows Phix is wise to the subtle methods. Also there is not time to "nudge" her into the right direction. That takes way too long with immortal beings.

Nudge has lived a long time. She must have some defenses against even a sphinx to have accomplished that particular trick. Yes, she is immortal and can heal really quickly, but a head smash from Phix would surely be more than Nudge could handle. Many creatures must have taken a swipe at her, given her lifestyle. I'm guessing, looking her slim body and really springy legs, her best defense is sheer speed. She makes it a point to not be there when the punch reaches her (previous) position. Who knows, when she is not quite fast enough we may find those horns are more than just ornamental.

[Mark N]

Well at least we know that Nudge survives this encounter since we see her at the beach 2 weeks later. I am betting that this is her getting Phix ready to handle seeing Monica again. This time the both of them will be ready to handle the emotions of that horrible moment without a complete breakdown.

[txmystic]

mmmmmm, I know it is tempting to give nudge a "you go girl" here, but I think her defensive stance is because she's bracing for what is coming, not necessarily that she's going to challenge Phix. And I think her indignation is still more about what happened to Shelly, and not what Monica saw.
I think her look reflects her anger at Bia.

This.

But also at Phix for funking when she needs to be strong.

Even more than that... I think she's forcing Phix to confront her own responsibility for all the pain (Shelly's in particular, as well as Monica's) that has occurred as a result of Phix's decisions.

Looking at the emotions Phix has displayed since Bia dropped the bomb on Shelly, I'd say these "decisions" were not necessarily her own, but those of a larger supernatural cabal (with Bia involved) designed to put the earth plane back together from the destruction of the chimera. As such, I'm certain she would have done things a lot differently had she a choice in the matter. And given how strong she is (present funking excluded, as FPFan rightly points out), I'm really quite curious about the true capabilities inherent to Bia and her Ilk.

I know Bia was promptly removed from the library in spectacular fashion, but I think that is only because the library, by design, is Phix's domain where she can wield her full power.

[Wdot]

Maybe in an ordinary guarding situation, sphinxes can challenge one another for postion, but in this instance, The Library appointed both Phix and Nudge Head Librarians and as such, they are basically imune from harm. This is why Phix could get away with super punching Bia out of The Library.Since Phix and Nudge are both "Head Librarians," I think a violent encounter between the two unlikely, but if it happens, it will be like immovable object encountering irresistable force. Whether Nudge outside of The Library is as tough is wide open to speculation.

[jwhouk]

Before anyone says the boilerplate "Oh, that's just how Pablo draws them", does anyone notice how much Nudge's hair looks like everyone's favorite Comanche/Sphinx hybrid?

I wonder if she gets empathic like that when she's in full Trickster mode intentionally.

[Dave]

Looking at the emotions Phix has displayed since Bia dropped the bomb on Shelly, I'd say these "decisions" were not necessarily her own, but those of a larger supernatural cabal (with Bia involved) designed to put the earth plane back together from the destruction of the chimera. As such, I'm certain she would have done things a lot differently had she a choice in the matter.

Even if Phix was "under orders" she still had a choice... to obey and remain silent, or to "break orders" and speak. We've seen that she's willing to "bend the rules" if she considers it appropriate to do so - she is not a helpless slave to the powers that run the Library.

Even if there is/was a cabal involving Bia, there's good reason to believe that the cabal had not ordered Phix to remain silent about Shelly's ancestry: Bia had clearly thought that Phix and Shelly had already discussed it at some length before she (Bia) showed up!

I'm sure that Phix had her reasons and motives for remaining silent. They may be very good reasons and motives. I believe that she chose to do so - I don't see any evidence that there was a gun aimed at her head to prevent her from speaking. Now, the bill comes due.

[sonicthunder]

eventualy a conversation is going to happen at some time between phix and the apos. "phix: who did i kill last time?"

The Hangover Part III.

Somehow Ken Jeong will be involved.

[Jabberwonky]

Somehow Ken Jeong will be involved.

But it'd be so easy to sneak Phix into Disneyland.
"She's for the float between 'The Lion King' and 'Hercules'..."