Well Played 2014-11-06

[shadowinthelight]

She's unusually smart, just needs to slow down to let the thoughts through.

And panel 3 =

[Thor]

It's hard to believe that this is the same Kath that was afraid to ask the maintenance guy to replace a light bulb.

[lake_wrangler]

Adorable...

Meanwhile, it looks like she's ready to go cogneeto any time, now. And in disguise, too...

[DilyV]

"Well played mom, well played..."

OMG !!! Too funny!!! and that flat look... like, "darn, she did it again..."

Something tells me that Atsali isn't in a talking mood...

[lake_wrangler]

I'm curious as to what words are on that list she speaks of...

[Opus the Poet]

What happened to Castela? Two strips ago her eyes looked more like flowers with a central pistil/stamen than photosensitive structures, now they look like normal eyes, with eyelashes and everything.

[Thor]

What happened to Castela? Two strips ago her eyes looked more like flowers with a central pistil/stamen than photosensitive structures, now they look like normal eyes, with eyelashes and everything.

Maybe it's Maybelline.

[My2Cents]

Well played, Mama. Well played.

Castela milks the "I'm a cute innocent little girl" image for all it is worth, but underneath she is a cynical teenager. Wonder what her actual age is?

And what’s with suddenly having a perfect glammer, right when, by all rights, she should have been losing it? If this is the true Castela, then the kid has been hiding in the weeds. Wonder if Atsali knows (not likely)?

[shadowinthelight]

What happened to Castela? Two strips ago her eyes looked more like flowers with a central pistil/stamen than photosensitive structures, now they look like normal eyes, with eyelashes and everything.

She's calm and collected now so her human form is coming together.

Maybe it's Maybelline.

Maybe. She wasn't born with it.

[Dave]

One smart paranormal household this is! Kath knew just how to reinforce the bond that Atsali and Castela already have, and Pickle picked up on the tactic immediately (and her expression is utterly priceless!)

Castela is a really interesting mix. She's often just as headstrong and self-absorbed and child-like as any human kid of her age, but when she slows down she really does show a perceptiveness "beyond her years". Tina noticed this a while back, and it's really showing up here.

In a way she reminds me a bit of what I once read about grey wolves. They were said to have almost a dual nature or mentality. In one mode, they're highly social and playful, and sensitive to one anothers' moods - much like domestic dogs, although nowhere near as perceptive of human communications as dogs are.

In the other mode, they're predators, with an almost stereotyped attack behavior... almost like programmed killing machines. The two modes are quite distinct and don't overlap, but a wolf can switch from "social" to "slaughter" on the drop of a stimulus. Humans who interact with wolves, or wolf/dog hybrids have to be very careful not to "push the wrong button" and trigger a wolf's attack reflex, or risk ending up very dead,

Castela's change-of-levels isn't quite that drastic... but since we don't really know what she's capable of, Kath's caution seems worthwhile!

[oldmanmickey]

I would love to see pickle at a Chess board.

[TheDOCTOR]

Is it me or has Castella made herself look like a younger version of Atsali ? Maybe thats the HUMAN-look shes been working to accomplish. She does look cute though.
and Yes well played indeed Katherine. All that shyness working with Monica was perhaps PTSD from her earlier life in the USAF.

[Sidhekin]

Is it me or has Castella made herself look like a younger version of Atsali ? Maybe thats the HUMAN-look shes been working to accomplish.

Maybe. But the expressions in the last two panels are 100% Bud.

(The hair's pretty much Bud too, actually.)

[Mark N]

I should not be surprised by her ability to seem smart beyond her years, she is a daughter of the Blackthorn and her kind are Sentient and Wise.. It only makes sense when she is calm and thinking that she can pull wisdom like that out of the air. It is also good to see that the school does a great job of teaching the kids to conceal their true forms. Now she can go out in public without heavy, concealing clothing.

[Sidhekin]

Spot on, panels three: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/rainbows/ vs http://wapsisquare.com/comic/well-played/

I'm not finding a close match to panel four, but compare the hair to panel two here: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/get-that/

ETA: Oh, and the hair? Pickle may well have hay for hair!

[AnotherFairportfan]

Is it me or has Castella made herself look like a younger version of Atsali ? Maybe thats the HUMAN-look shes been working to accomplish.

Maybe. But the expressions in the last two panels are 100% Bud.

(The hair's pretty much Bud too, actually.)

Well, Bud was their shopping buddy' and she's the paranormal they know best who ISN'T obviously a badass in some way; she'd make a good exemplar.

[AnotherFairportfan]

Yes well played indeed Katherine. All that shyness working with Monica was perhaps PTSD from her earlier life in the USAF.

Actually, i'd bet on PTSD from after her USAF years - the Dead Sea dig was probably after the Air Force, and in the beginning of that, before she gets splattered with bits of her fellow students, she seems pretty much like a typical grad student.

[Sphinx-Napped]

What happened to Castela? Two strips ago her eyes looked more like flowers with a central pistil/stamen than photosensitive structures, now they look like normal eyes, with eyelashes and everything.

glamor spell

[AnotherFairportfan]

What happened to Castela? Two strips ago her eyes looked more like flowers with a central pistil/stamen than photosensitive structures, now they look like normal eyes, with eyelashes and everything.

glamor spell

I think it's more than a glamour - at least some of the paranormals actually shift forms; Cricket actually goes from five inches to four-six or so, Jesse the mermaid actually loses her tail and has legs, Phix and Shelly actually change size and form, and so on.

[zachariah]

Well played, Mama. Well played.

Castela milks the "I'm a cute innocent little girl" image for all it is worth, but underneath she is a cynical teenager. Wonder what her actual age is?

And what’s with suddenly having a perfect glammer, right when, by all rights, she should have been losing it? If this is the true Castela, then the kid has been hiding in the weeds. Wonder if Atsali knows (not likely)?

Children are like this. You point something out to them the right way and they are capable of very adult thinking and emotions. What they are short of is experience in dealing with the situations and how to handle them. That is a lot of what parents do. Guide the little darlings through the process of gaining that experience in a way that doesn't damage, inhibit, limit, and discourage them. A tough job indeed. So is pickle only pretending to be a young child, no she is a young child.

What I find interesting is Kathy's insight that Pickle is trying to protect Sali. The whole purpose of this little incident for Pickle was to keep Sali from having that private talk and keep Sali safe from being hurt. Sali is taking a personal risk and exposing her self to emotional pain. This is a natural process and everyone goes through it. So Pickle wants to stop the process and spare Sali pain. SO it is motivated by love and maybe a bit of not wanting Sali to grow away from her baby sister. This talk will be interesting. Especially if pickle admists to Sali what she is doing.