Just Getting By 2012-11-26

[lake_wrangler]

I think the critical mistake that Nudge made here is that she hasn't talked to Bud and Shelly. She probably dosen't know about the whole heart punching incident and Monica's awakening and reset. Nudge was operating under the assumpion that M was still in denial. I think Nudge is several steps behind what is going on with Monica. Monica has moved past denial and is in a transitional state emotionaly as she adjusts to her new reality.

Either that, or she has, and sees that Monica is still brooding regardless... She now knows she's powerful, but somehow still sees her powers as a mere parlor trick: bright and flashy, but not really useful (except if someone should decide to try to kill her...) You will notice that the only power she used, in her anger, was Poiting, something with which she is both familiar and comfortable...

Consequently, Monica still sees her own condition (powerful) and status (dangerous) as much different from that of Phix (whom she last saw eating a former colleague), and has therefore not resolved to not go patch things up. Nudge, seeing that Bud and Shelly's lesson was apparently not enough, decided to up the ante by, um, nudging Monica "a little". It may or may not have worked.

I also don't think Nudge is going to land in an innocuous place like the lake. I do think that this is what Nudge is aiming for to get Monica mad enough to use her power destructively. Nudge has the guts to "play" with a sphinx to help her. Monica is just as dangerous if not more... and she hasn't realized or completely processed the idea of it yet and it is essential that she does and soon. I'm sure Nudge is thinking, "This is gonna hurt!"

I concur.

[Sphinx-Napped]

ohh boy... jaguar face light is active this is not going to end welll, where did she send nudge, i am betting its some where very warm and little off world like maybe mars

[ShadOBabe]

ohh boy... jaguar face light is active this is not going to end welll, where did she send nudge, i am betting its some where very warm and little off world like maybe mars

Actually Mars would be rather cold. If she wants warm, she'd send her to Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.

[donoho]

First Off, Hope you're feeling better Paul.

Is it just me or is this the first time we have seen Monica use a face light since the calendar Machine was destroyed???? Does that mean that she now has her own personal symbol like each of the GGs?

Her eye lights switched on in the presence of Tina's effigy, but I don't think her face glyph has switched on since the ritual, no.

Her glyph has been seen two other times, once arguing with Doubt, explained by Jin as Maya signaling from the Demon World.

And again while M was contemplating her friends' betrayal at the upcoming ritual.


I'm thinking there's a very VERY large part of Monica that was screwed over for being naive a long long time ago. So Nudge is pushing an immensely big red button indeed. Either Nudge is a self-destructive obsessive, or poking M must be pretty important.

Nudge probably goaded Phix and took that leap into Limbo just to work up the nerve.

Risk getting mauled & eaten by Phix to work up the nerve to piss M off? Love this idea. Makes me laugh and shudder at the same time.

I'm pretty sure it's Nudge's own plan; perhaps she's doing this to show Monica that she can defend herself from Phix. Not likely that she'd ever NEED to defend herself from Phix, but knowing that she CAN should put Mon at ease enough to be friends with her again.

I am sure that this is all Nudge's plan but I do not think it was to get Monica to realize that she can defend herself against Phix, but to let her know that she is more like Phix than she realizes, that she can also be a monster if she is not careful

I think it may be both of those things, and more besides... and it can be summed up fairly simply.

Nudge is trying to get Monica to acknowledge and accept who and what she truly is.

As Bud and Shelly have seen and said, Monica has been very heavily in denial about herself, and her true place in the paranormal world. She hasn't been willing to accept and admit to her own power(s)... this caused her to retreat from Phix in fear (unnecessarily, it turns out) and it could also make her a danger to other people (if she doesn't know her own strength). In other fiction I've read (Donaldson possibly?) there has been a theme that if you ignore or deny your own power, you can make it possible for another person to control it (and you!)... possibly Monica is leaving herself open to that sort of danger?

Nudge's insulting put-downs seem intended to goad Monica into coming out of her shell in outrage... "tricking" Monica into acting as the powerful and dangerous paranormal being that she now is, and having to admit this truth about herself to herself.

In a way, it's a bit like the big crisis-confrontation between Shelly and Justin some months ago... it's full of "confront the truth" and "What am I?" moments. It's all about Identity.

(and about flying buttons. M really must be pissed!)

I really like all of these ideas. And I think Nudge is a very courageous, self-sacrificing person to do this too.
I'm sure she'll live and she knows it, but whatever Monica just did to her, I'm betting it's going to end in a LOT of pain for Nudge. No doubt Nudge knew that going in.

Nudge is a master of her craft. I'm glad she uses it for the benefit of her friends and hope her survival abilities can keep up.

Facing up to WHO you are and HOW you are, are two very different things. Bud worked to show M How she is (neigh immortal), and now Nudge is forcing M to face How she is (amazing powers in an itty-bitty container). Monica's character is well established, and she has every reason to be proud and confident as both an accomplished Pre-Columbian expert, and a skilled "magic" user (poiting, etc). Further, she is very independent, not relying (much) on other peoples opinion of her (like here). That said, she still has her insecurities, particularly regarding her prior incarcerations and near-fatal injuries of her youth. Not perfect by a long shot, but much stronger for it.

Bud set the stage with the heart incident, and now Nudge, to reveal the conflict between her character and her abilities. From setting the stage in the original cartoon (Amanda, am I naive?), much of this whole series had been about growth in the face of obstacles. Nudge is now forcing her to both admit her growth (just getting by) and her powers. Her powers are a threat, now, becaue M is not facing their potential, nor understanding the responsibility of having them.

It's amazing what you can survive! </Jafar>

Wow. Talk about taking things into perspective. Awesome first strip reference.


This really felt like a Friday Cliffhanger. Makes me wonder if Thursday and Friday got compressed into one strip. That said, I REALLY like the idea of a Monday Cliffhanger that fuels the strips for the rest of the week.

MONDAY Cliffhangers. Anyone? Anyone?

[Bathorys Daughter]

Facing up to WHO you are and HOW you are, are two very different things. Bud worked to show M How she is (neigh immortal), and now Nudge is forcing M to face How she is (amazing powers in an itty-bitty container). Monica's character is well established, and she has every reason to be proud and confident as both an accomplished Pre-Columbian expert, and a skilled "magic" user (poiting, etc). Further, she is very independent, not relying (much) on other peoples opinion of her (like here).

Interestingly, just after that one is the "ass on fire" strips. In one Tepoz asks if the demon would set the house on fire. Monica said no. I wonder now if this was her first use of her astral fire power?

Another observation: In the first panel, M popped a button. Did we just witness a magic-related growth spurt?

Good question. Makes you wonder if, somehow, her power is contained in her breasts, thus the recent expansion she has been complaining about for a while now, as her Jaguar nature was also coming to the surface. As she ramps up magical prowess, they expand in response. That, or she is growing overall as she builds up steam, Could be a prelude to showing a new form (a huge jaguar) like the golem girls can change into their elemental animal form.

That poit seems more like a Buzzt-Poit. A next level super-poit. It would be ironic if, in the end, Monica turns out to be more powerful than any of them, even the Titans.

[Atomic]

MONDAY Cliffhangers. Anyone? Anyone?

No, please. That would rob us of two whole days to speculate!

[bmonk]

To quote Girl Genius..Don't bother her when she's inthe crazy place!

The darkening of her hair and skin is an intereting side effect of her anger. Then the glyph lighting up makes M look like very, very dangerous. Now Jin poits things to places they cannot come back from. Did Monica just do that to Nudge?

Maybe Nudge wouldn't have to worry--if she can always get back to her day job at the Bibliothiki, and from there to wherever she needs to go.

And I think Nudge is a very courageous, self-sacrificing person to do this too.
I'm sure she'll live and she knows it, but whatever Monica just did to her, I'm betting it's going to end in a LOT of pain for Nudge. No doubt Nudge knew that going in.

Well, remember that nudging people to acknowledge unpleasant truths is Nudge's true meaning in life. What's a little pain, for Monica or for Nudge, if she can accomplish a Great Deed?

Wait a minute. What am I worried about? Based on my reading of Wapsi Square, actions with "permanent" consequences never happen in the present. People getting shredded on-screen or dying in apocalyptic fireballs always happen in flashbacks. The two instances that have come closest to permanent things happening during the "now" are Shelly's death by radiation exposure in the time forest and Monica getting her heart punched out by Bud. With Shelly, it wasn't out Shelly and Monica literally got better the very next strip. The worst that will happen to Nudge will be a little embarrassment or humiliation.

This might make an interesting TV Trope meme.

And by that, I mean that her temper is on a hair trigger.

Not so much, Nudge is in her human disguise...

Would it be fair to say that Nudge may have reached the poit of no return?

Fair warning: I'm not standing between either one of you an the Pun Jar.

[illiad]

Hmmm, I don't think nudge was poited to anywhere in THIS dimension...

that would just so 'ho hum'... :p

I would like to see a very bedraggled and burnt nudge (with some small fires still alight! ) 'wander on' to the next strip!! "hey M, ya see how powerful ya are????" ROFL

[Dave]

And by that, I mean that her temper is on a hair trigger.

Not so much, Nudge is in her human disguise...

Would it be fair to say that Nudge may have reached the poit of no return?

Fair warning: I'm not standing between either one of you an the Pun Jar.

Yeah, I'm hearing some hungry sounds from that direction. Seems to me that a musical offering is required in each case... either a CD of an appropriate song, or a lovingly hand-illuminated vellum manuscript containing the lyrics.

For Jabberwonky... since there's a hair-and-fur theme involved, perhaps "To Preen The Impossible Dream"? Lots of other choices available if you prefer.

For davids4250... clearly it has to be "The Point of No Return", but it looks as if there are at least a half-dozen completely different songs out there with this title, so you've got lots to choose from... upbeat, romantic, or brink-of-utter-despair at your discretion.

(*clink*)

[Sphinx-Napped]

ohh boy... jaguar face light is active this is not going to end welll, where did she send nudge, i am betting its some where very warm and little off world like maybe mars

Actually Mars would be rather cold. If she wants warm, she'd send her to Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.

i said little warm, not burning hot, mars is warm and also nice and cold as well.. an second we don't want crispy nudgiee it would really better for m to poite her to mars unless of course nudge cant breath in space, we know she a demon but we have no clue if demons can survive in the vacuum of space, let alone adjust to instant teleport to unknown place by pissed off jag girl

[Dave]

I could be wrong, but I think this was the last time seeing Monica's glyph.

There's a subtle difference between that glyph (which Jin said was Monica channeling Mayahuel's power) and the one she displayed today. In the "I won't let them" glyph, the central lighted circle is lower in position - it touches her eyes and doesn't appear to touch the outer circle at all. In today's glyph, the central circle rides higher, touches the outer circle (almost creating the appearance of a pair of horns) and doesn't come down quite to her eyes.

This might be trivial and irrelevant, or it might indicate a shift in her glyph and power - less "channeled Mayahuel" and more "Jaguar Woman" in her own right.

I also don't think Nudge is going to land in an innocuous place like the lake. I do think that this is what Nudge is aiming for to get Monica mad enough to use her power destructively. Nudge has the guts to "play" with a sphinx to help her. Monica is just as dangerous if not more... and she hasn't realized or completely processed the idea of it yet and it is essential that she does and soon. I'm sure Nudge is thinking, "This is gonna hurt!"

Agreed. My hunch is that Nudge went into this little interaction with her eyes wide open, knowing what she wanted to achieve and that it was going to require pain (on her own part as well as Monica's).

In a sense, what Nudge did is just the same thing as what Bud did... a punch straight to the heart. In Nudge's case, the "heart" is that of Monica's current self-image - it was an emotional punch rather than a physical one - but it was a directed form of violence nevertheless.

Nudge would not be an easy person to be around... not a comforting, supportive, low-drama, warm-fuzzy sort of friend! She doesn't "buy your bullshit", and she's willing to be harsh and confrontational in her attempts to snap you out of it. Her words would hurt, because they challenge your self-image and are deliberately aimed at some of your tenderest spots. She hears the words of fear about yourself, that sneak into your thoughts during the coldest and darkest hours of the night and which you try to bury and forget... and she throws those words right into your face, and dares you to prove her (and your own Doubt) wrong.

I can see why some forumites don't like her. I can certainly understand how her antics could have seriously cheesed off the sphinxes (I get the feeling that they don't have much sense of humor) and got her locked into the library, and then (when she escaped) pursued so avidly. Her tactics could backfire, causing a lot of personal pain to no benefit, if she were to misjudge a person's ability or willingness to reconsider themself.

Nevertheless, the more we see of her, the more I like her as a character. She's clearly capable of being gentle and supportive and compassionate, when that's called for (e.g. with Shelly, on the sunset hoodoo. and when she tried to cajole Monica into getting back in touch with Phix). When she feels that confronting somebody about their "self-story" is what's required, she seems willing to take what appear to be very serious risks in order to do it (baiting Phix, "outing" Bia, and now goading Monica). She seems to respect the truth (both truth-of-facts, and being-true-to-your-self) and is willing to put herself on the line in support of it. Yet another of Pablo's characters of interesting complexity!

Wait a minute. What am I worried about? Based on my reading of Wapsi Square, actions with "permanent" consequences never happen in the present.

Medeia might differ with you on that. Granted, she's a redshirt rather than a regular cast member, but ne'ertheless...

[ziggy78eog]

This is not going to end well.

[Fairportfan]

Is it just me or is this the first time we have seen Monica use a face light since the calendar Machine was destroyed???? Does that mean that she now has her own personal symbol like each of the GG's??? I just wonder where Nudge was sent and if she as Bud watching her to get her back when Monica realizes that she has no idea where she just sent Nudge.

There was a wallpaper, and i think i have a copy...

Yep.

[Fairportfan]

Oh yeah...I should blink...but still...

In other fiction I've read (Donaldson possibly?) there has been a theme that if you ignore or deny your own power, you can make it possible for another person to control it (and you!)... possibly Monica is leaving herself open to that sort of danger?

I also seem to recall reading fictions where ignoring or failing to train and harness a power made the individual dangerous to him/herself and others (I'm thinking of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series though...The Last Herald Mage and the Heralds of Valdemar trilogies being the prime examples).

Miller & Lee's "Liaden" series - particularly Fledgling and Saltation.

[jwhouk]

Two things:

1. The "double-O" glyph is essentially translated into English as "activate" or "switch on". When you think about it, it makes sense - Monica has "control" of the Golem Girls (and the Chimera) because she controls "the switch".

2. I'm sorry, but when I see that "O" on Monica, I immediately think of... this.

[Haylo]

This is not going to end well.

Nudge is apparently immortal, and Monica AKA Jaguar Girl can come back from the dead. Who says their antagonism is ever going to end?

[NOTDilbert]

Just a thought...

Hopefully she didn't poit nudge to Sandy Island: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Isla ... Caledonia)

[Jabberwonky]

Yeah, I'm hearing some hungry sounds from that direction. Seems to me that a musical offering is required in each case... either a CD of an appropriate song, or a lovingly hand-illuminated vellum manuscript containing the lyrics.

For Jabberwonky... since there's a hair-and-fur theme involved, perhaps "To Preen The Impossible Dream"? Lots of other choices available if you prefer.

For davids4250... clearly it has to be "The Point of No Return", but it looks as if there are at least a half-dozen completely different songs out there with this title, so you've got lots to choose from... upbeat, romantic, or brink-of-utter-despair at your discretion.

(*clink*)

Since I'd already had made this for here, I'll cross pay for davids4250...

[Mark N]

This is not going to end well.

Nudge is apparently immortal, and Monica AKA Jaguar Girl can come back from the dead. Who says their antagonism is ever going to end?

True, but it is loving antagonism, like siblings.

[RunningBull]

All this talk of poiting her somewhere, she's also a glyph reader, couldn't she doing something else like erase her memories? Although if I was as mad as that my first thought would be to send her away.