Not Stuck 2012-10-05

[shadowinthelight]

Come to think of it, that was a bit rude of Shelly. It isn't very nice to stand there with such a smug look on you face when your friend is so upset they are fuming.

*drops a tube of AuraGel into the pun jar just cuz the name is so appropriate*

[chalcara]

Okay, I hate Shelly now.

Her friend is afraid, upset and in distress and all she does is standing there smug as fuck? That's a SHITTY thing to do.

[EDIT:]
Just to make it clear, I loved reading wapsi Square mainly due to the friendships displayed within. But between Nudge's shitty manipulations and Shelly now getting off on the pain of her best friend, I can't find anything left of the friendship that brought the girls through the calendar machine. And nobody gets called out on what assholes they are.

It's... unsettling. Right now the crews over in Something Positive are better friends to each other than the Wapsi Square girls. It feels just wrong.

I just want to see them sticking together again!

[Dave11]

This page put me in mind of the scene in Robin Hood: Men in Tights where Robin's tongue is beeing stretched...and stretched...and stretched...and then snaps back.

YEEEEEEOUUUUUUCH!

FPF - love the new avatar.

[TheDOCTOR]

Say chalcara: I think what you wrote sounds like something Monica may say: come Monday. "Okay Shelly I hate you now." "I'm sitting here afraid, upset, and .." Starts to cry.." and YOU stand there smug as FUCK! That's a SHITTY thing to do!" Monica pauses and looks at Shelly - still looking smug, then Monica looks down and asks: "Is that what I do?"
What ya think?

[Aleister Crow]

Say chalcara: I think what you wrote sounds like something Monica may say: come Monday. "Okay Shelly I hate you now." "I'm sitting here afraid, upset, and .." Starts to cry.." and YOU stand there smug as FUCK! That's a SHITTY thing to do!" Monica pauses and looks at Shelly - still looking smug, then Monica looks down and asks: "Is that what I do?"
What ya think?

I think Monica knows that already, judging from what she says in the last frame.

[Julie]

So Monica's still a doorway, it's just that now she's the revolving kind?...and there's only one opening so you can't really get "out" from our side and no one can get "in" from the other? Is that what this is? *fluffs pillow and settles into the sleeping bag for another weekend living in Confusion Corner*

[lake_wrangler]

Say chalcara: I think what you wrote sounds like something Monica may say: come Monday. "Okay Shelly I hate you now." "I'm sitting here afraid, upset, and .." Starts to cry.." and YOU stand there smug as FUCK! That's a SHITTY thing to do!" Monica pauses and looks at Shelly - still looking smug, then Monica looks down and asks: "Is that what I do?"
What ya think?

Sounds about right...

How did Monica introduce Amanda to the supernatural? By dropping her into Lake Calhoun via poiting... How did she introduce Catherine to the supernatural? By poiting her face to face with a sphinx whose intention were none to reassuring, at first... I forget how she introduced Shelly to the supernatural, but it probably was something similar... So far, Monica's always been the one with the upper hand, when it came to that kind of experience. Now, she's panicking because she's definitely not in control, and has no idea what's going to happen next.

So yeah, turnaround's fair play, as they say...

[Julie]

Okay, I hate Shelly now.

Her friend is afraid, upset and in distress and all she does is standing there smug as fuck? That's a SHITTY thing to do.

[EDIT:]
Just to make it clear, I loved reading wapsi Square mainly due to the friendships displayed within. But between Nudge's shitty manipulations and Shelly now getting off on the pain of her best friend, I can't find anything left of the friendship that brought the girls through the calendar machine. And nobody gets called out on what assholes they are.

It's... unsettling. Right now the crews over in Something Positive are better friends to each other than the Wapsi Square girls. It feels just wrong.

I just want to see them sticking together again!

For what little it's worth...Shelly hasn't ever seemed to be the comforting figure in her friendships. She is occasionally the person with worthwhile wisdom, and she certainly will fight for her friends, but comforting doesn't seem to be her strong-point. The "hug and pet and console" type in this group (aside from Monica) is Brandi...and she doesn't seem to be here. Shelly is the one farthest down the scale on the "tough love" side of things, so it really shouldn't be surprising that Shelly isn't reacting to comfort her friend. She knows there isn't any real danger, and Monica may be disturbed, but this was going to happen eventually, so Monica needs to come to terms with it and understand it's an aspect of her new reality (or at least that's what her calm/smug demeanor is reading to me).

[Jabberwonky]

I forget how she introduced Shelly to the supernatural, but it probably was something similar...

Something like this.

[chalcara]

Monica has not even once set-up somebody to be scared or in pain to feel superior.

On the contrary, she always tried talking first. With Amanda she was honest - but Amanda didn't believe her and was about to get Monica committed again. Same with all other examples; they either asked to be dealt in and thus were clearly willing to deal with the results or Monica ran out of options. Monica ALWAYS went to comfort people when they were upset - even Jin, back when Monica still butted heads with her.

Monica has her faults, but she never, ever was happy about somebody else's pain. Nor did she ever keep something from somebody else with the intend to cause that pain.

This is what I fault Shelly for right now - taking pleasure in her best friend's suffering.

Turn about's not fair play, that only makes TWO assholes at best.

[jwhouk]

Sorry, only once in this whole time did she have someone revisit their pain, and that was more or less necessary to the plot.

Because if she never did it, we'd have never known just how Bud, Brandi (and eventually Jin) ended up as Golem Girls.

[Aleister Crow]

So Monica's still a doorway, it's just that now she's the revolving kind?...and there's only one opening so you can't really get "out" from our side and no one can get "in" from the other? Is that what this is? *fluffs pillow and settles into the sleeping bag for another weekend living in Confusion Corner*

Odd thought- what if that doorway has more than one destination? The Demon realm is locked off, but that doesn't mean everything else is.

[Bathorys Daughter]

We should keep in mind that Shelly has greatly changed. She's been through a hell Monica has not even begun to match so she probably doesn't have much sympathy for her at this point. Not to mention Monica was instrumental in throwing Shelly into that hell. By comparison, Monica's little coming out party here was a minor annoyance, and she's not going to let her turn it into a pity party.

[lake_wrangler]

Monica has not even once set-up somebody to be scared or in pain to feel superior.

Smug: Having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements.

Yes, Shelly is proud of the fact that she, for once, is in the know and Monica is not. HOWEVER, I would not go so far as saying she set her up so she can feel superior. She may have known something like that was soon coming, but that was beyond her to control or orchestrate. All Shelly did was to let it happen all the way, knowing that Monica, aside from the temporary discomfort and worry, would not be hurt in the process, and so did not warn Monica about it. We don't know yet, but there very well could be a valid reason why Monica had to experience this on her own, first.

Monica has her faults, but she never, ever was happy about somebody else's pain.

Is Shelly happy about Monica's pain? Unconcerned, yes, unworried, yes, somewhat flippant about it, possibly, but as Monica's words attest to, she is much like Monica has acted with others in the past. (Viz. Jabberwonky's link: "But if she gets it wrong, you have to promise to kill her quickly.")

Nor did she ever keep something from somebody else with the intend to cause that pain.

When did Shelly's actions, inaction, or lack of divulging information cause someone pain? That pain was forthcoming. Knowing about it in advance would not have stopped it from occurring. Sure, Monica may or may not have been as worried during the event itself, but who's to say if knowing about it may not have caused more worry and perhaps even make it more difficult to go through?

This is what I fault Shelly for right now - taking pleasure in her best friend's suffering.

I, for one, do not see Shelly taking any pleasure in her friend's suffering.

Turn about's not fair play, that only makes TWO assholes at best.

Depends on what we're talking about, on the severity of what's happening. (Yes, this is quite severe, as far as Monica is concerned, but is it any worse than being led to believe that a sphinx is about to kill you if you merely get an answer wrong to a puzzle?)

[Dave]

(Yes, this is quite severe, as far as Monica is concerned, but is it any worse than being led to believe that a sphinx is about to kill you if you merely get an answer wrong to a puzzle?)

Which, If I recall properly, is a stunt that Monica has pulled at least twice... with Shelly and with Katherine. Shelly handled it well, but Katherine was so scared she fainted and needed tea and cookies badly.

If nothing else, this week's incident may have given Monica enough appreciation of how that sort of thing feels, to break her of the habit. Based on her final words today, she seems to have gotten the point.

[DinkyInky]

So Monica's still a doorway, it's just that now she's the revolving kind?...and there's only one opening so you can't really get "out" from our side and no one can get "in" from the other? Is that what this is? *fluffs pillow and settles into the sleeping bag for another weekend living in Confusion Corner*

* heads off to the kitchen corner and puts a kettle on, then comes back and sets out a tea service of Lavender Mint tea, One of earl Grey, and one of Ting-Tung Oolong, and a tray of angel cake slices* If anyone cares for it, I also have a pot of Highland Grogg made. Happy weekend!

[Julie]

Long response to chalcara

Yeah...what lake_wrangler said.

And Dinky Inky...I'll take a cup of Earl Gray.

[davids4250]

I agree that Monica has sometimes been the sharper one of the two, but I think Shelly is too smug - almost arrogant - in this situation. When Monica took her to the Library, she did not seem to particularly enjy teasing Shelly, but Shelly is clearly enjoying this whole scene. That is cruel.
And, yes, Monica was involved in much of the pain that Shelly has felt, but I see no indication that she knew in advance that that pain would happen, and was not "Oh, it's for her own good" about it as Shelly appears to be.
Even Phix, at her most smug, was not one to smirk at a friend's pain and fright. As much of a know-it-all as Monica may be (and she has been very uncertain and frightened many times) she has never been like Shelly is acting now.
Shelly has dropped a very long way in my estimation.

[Avenger_Reloaded]

I seem to remember Monica breaking out the clue by four and suddenly taking Shelly, Tina and Nudge skydiving without a parachute.
She yelled that this was where her grandpa took her skydiving and that the had about 30 seconds to sort their $4!7.

Free floating for 15 feet in and out of your body seems rather tame by comparison.

[Heather_Dee]

Ok, so how is it possible to look at the last panel in this and not see that smirk on M's face?

.