Wapsi Square Forum

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/go-about/

Shelly definitely knows of Krystle's heritage.

Also how to make the best use of it.

It sort of saddens me, though, a little... as if it would somewhat diminish Shelly's own physical prowess... as in, maybe she's not so special, strength-wise, as she was made out to be...

(I'm not saying she's any less strong, just that she may not be quite as unique as we thought...)

But hey... Go Krystle, nice job landing that job!

One to many "to's" in that last question, Jess...

lake_wrangler wrote:It sort of saddens me, though, a little... as if it would somewhat diminish Shelly's own physical prowess... as in, maybe she's not so special, strength-wise, as she was made out to be...

(I'm not saying she's any less strong, just that she may not be quite as unique as we thought...)

But hey... Go Krystle, nice job landing that job!

Given that individual abilities aren't zero-sum and that Shelly has several lifetimes of uniqueness, I don't think this diminishes her awesomeness or uniqueness. Also, my first thought was that she wanted to see how Krystle handled herself. Hell, I'm not sure who'd win in an arm wrestling contest between Shelly and Pickle.

lake_wrangler wrote:It sort of saddens me, though, a little... as if it would somewhat diminish Shelly's own physical prowess... as in, maybe she's not so special, strength-wise, as she was made out to be...

(I'm not saying she's any less strong, just that she may not be quite as unique as we thought...)

But hey... Go Krystle, nice job landing that job!

Krystle picked it up and put it down.

Shelly tossed it across the shop...

If you go back into mythology for insight into mermaids, you find yourself with a horrible muddle. Many different cultures had their own take on what a "mermaid" might be, and more modern sources have only helped muddy the waters, so to speak. Most of the more predatory aspects ascribed to mermaids are usually cases where the stories were actually about sirens, but became mermaids after many re-tellings. This, of course, works well for the modern writer who wants to invent their own version of half-woman/half-fish creatures, as someone has likely previously given them whatever attributes one might want to attribute to them.

(BTW, do we know whether there are mermen in the Wapsiverse? I know that Jesse has a brother, but he could easily be some other form of related mythic, as there are many to choose from.)

So given all of the above, the question becomes: Is Krystal strong because she is a mermaid, specifically, or because she is a mythic and all of them (except Digit) are exceptionally strong?

I don't recall anything specific about Digit's strength or lack thereof . . . and spiders are quite strong for their size.

--FreeFlier

FreeFlier wrote:I don't recall anything specific about Digit's strength or lack thereof . . . and spiders are quite strong for their size.

--FreeFlier

Thor is correct. Digit describes herself as "spider weenie" - her spiderish strength did not scale up accordingly when she became humanoid, and she can barely lift a 40-pound water jug.

AmriloJim wrote:Shelly definitely knows of Krystle's heritage.

Exercise and practice counts, too... as well as all that Kung Fu training. Knowing when and how to use a crane stance is important!

I was just going to say I can pick up and place a iron big block using an engine hoist so I can keep my fingers out of the way. Work smarter, not harder.

AnotherFairportfan wrote:

lake_wrangler wrote:It sort of saddens me, though, a little... as if it would somewhat diminish Shelly's own physical prowess... as in, maybe she's not so special, strength-wise, as she was made out to be...

(I'm not saying she's any less strong, just that she may not be quite as unique as we thought...)

But hey... Go Krystle, nice job landing that job!

Krystle picked it up and put it down.

Shelly tossed it across the shop...

By yelling at it.

In the Wapsiverse, mermaids have super-human strength? Or is it just Krystle?

Shelly's got a prized Camaro?

Also, I'm kind of wondering how the Krystle / Shelly conversation took place. They would of course know each other through Atsali, but this suggests a sort of 'just hanging out together' intimacy. Maybe Shelly continues to mentor paranormal teens. Maybe they were all relaxing on the island.

Shelly runs the kickboxing classes for Punk Yoga. It's possible she signed up for a few classes.

It's also possible that they ran into each other at the Library. Grandma does run the place, you know.

eee wrote:Shelly's got a prized Camaro?

Well, she definitely had a Camaro of about that vintage back in 2002...

Regarding Digit (who deserves more page time) being strong as a spider...

Arthropods are strong for their size because of how their limbs work. While our muscles pull on our bones, theirs work kind of like an organic version of a hydraulic system, which enables them to move more than just their own weight.

Also, I can't remember if this has been asked before, but... What if Digit gets a boyfriend? Will she have to resist any urges to eat him after mating?

AnotherFairportfan wrote:

eee wrote:Shelly's got a prized Camaro?

Well, she definitely had a Camaro of about that vintage back in 2002...

If I'm remembering correctly, that would be a '67 . . . '67 was the last year with wing-windows.

--FreeFlier

FreeFlier wrote:

AnotherFairportfan wrote:

eee wrote:Shelly's got a prized Camaro?

Well, she definitely had a Camaro of about that vintage back in 2002...

If I'm remembering correctly, that would be a '67 . . . '67 was the last year with wing-windows.

--FreeFlier

Probably right. I know more about Mustangs from that period than i do about Camaros.

Of course there's nothing that says the Camaro she had in 2002 is the same Camaro she has in 2017.

And she could have the para- Big Red. https://bigredcamaro.com That one runs a 598 for straight line fun and a more tractable 555 for playing in the twisties, so the 396 could be The Sage's playing in the twisties motor.

And I just had the sudden flash that Shelley's '69 is Sage Green with a white rally stripe package.

eee wrote:In the Wapsiverse, mermaids have super-human strength? Or is it just Krystle?

It seems that most paranormals have at least a fair bit more strength than they would as a human, with exceptions such as Digit. So mermaids are probably stronger on average than are humans, which would make sense since they also apparently used to hunt humans for food.

I think that Krystle is strong even for a mermaid, though.

Also, I'm kind of wondering how the Krystle / Shelly conversation took place. They would of course know each other through Atsali, but this suggests a sort of 'just hanging out together' intimacy. Maybe Shelly continues to mentor paranormal teens. Maybe they were all relaxing on the island.

I didn't get the impression that Atsali and the mer-gals hung out that much together, so I don't really see Shelly getting to know Krystle that way (though Krystle would certainly know who Shelly was). My guess would be through the gym that Shelly works at: both Shelly and Krystle seem to be the weight-lifter types, and Krystle seems to idolise Shelly to some degree. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Krystle learned about Shelly working at the gym and signed up for membership there herself.

Catawampus wrote:I didn't get the impression that Atsali and the mer-gals hung out that much together, so I don't really see Shelly getting to know Krystle that way (though Krystle would certainly know who Shelly was). My guess would be through the gym that Shelly works at: both Shelly and Krystle seem to be the weight-lifter types, and Krystle seems to idolise Shelly to some degree. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Krystle learned about Shelly working at the gym and signed up for membership there herself.

Well, every paranormal knows who the Sage of the Forest is... Krystle may have just decided to find out more about Shelly, and the more she found out, the more she felt a kinship with her (cars, muscles, muscle cars...), so she took it one step further and sought her out. (This in no way invalidates the theory of working out at the same gym... The way I see it, one theory would probably follow the other...)