Keep Yer Voice Down 2014-08-07

[chaotik74]

ah, so she DID murder the wrong fairie...wonder how long it'll be before she figures it out. Interesting how it kinda all got waved under the table...then again, apparently noone much likes the fae anyhow.

[DilyV]

A few points...

1. Callista could by lying out of fear for her own life as well. Pickle did try to stomp her. One tends to think quickly in those circumstances, often saying the first thing to come to mind in defense of their own life.

2. The Fae Royal Family should never have made the Royal Guard wear red shirts. Has Star Trek not taught anyone anything?

3. Shelly and Phix shared an apo right before the beach party. It was briefly mentioned then glossed over with Bia's antics.

4. Atsali... Typical teenager... never remembering to engage the brain before opening the mouth...

[kingklash]

I'm surprised she didn't say it was "just a guard." It seems that their lives never matter in stories. Since it wasn't someone important, no matter, we can just forget his little life and gruesome agonizingly painful death. Bet they dismiss the death quite soon and move along with the story. I hate stuff like that in stories. Kind of how Paul just dismised how Shelly killed and ate an Apo. Brief mention and, "oh well, what's to drink around here?" Lets move on wit the party. Sorry, just one of my pet peeves.

In a funny comic book-skewering comic book, there was a character introduced. Just a mere janitor, he mused at why they even bothered to give him lines, or even clear shots of his face, when he was generally just a background prop. "I don't even have a backstory," he said. "I'm probably about to get killed by this issue's bad guy, just to show how ruthless he is." Sure enough, he's incinerated by the villain. "I knew it! I probably have a wife and kids, too. Oh well, remember the little guys like me, Reader. Born to die....."

[Wdot]

2.But, but, Red livery is traditional for the Royal Guards!

Unfortunately this isn't Star Wars and every character doesn't have a detailed and complex back story. It would take too much time and drag the story out.

Shelly killing and consuming her opponent was (in my opinion) a way to show she had accepted her "sphinxness" and therefore the culture, after her return to her human condition after touching The Artifact and the last(or first) Shelly dying.

This is a interesting story that runs from funny to macabre with artwork appropriate to the current tone. Nitpicking it isn't necessary, enjoy it or don't read it. This comic has been entertaining us for a long time and while it has evolved it has remained the one webcomic that I look forward to reading every day even if I don't look at the forum every day or comment consistently; I enjoy the banter and puns. I even look forward at times to cliff-hanger Friday and the resultant guesses of what will happen Monday.

What I don't like is negativity; there is too much of it in the world anyway. Unless you're a paid critic I really don't want to hear it and even then, I don't tend to read reviewers because I've never found one that is remotely similar to my tastes anyway. In fact there was only one reviewer that I read and it was because consistently if she hated a movie I would like it and if she liked it I would hate it. RIP Sharon Johnson

[Dave]

ah, so she DID murder the wrong fairie...wonder how long it'll be before she figures it out. Interesting how it kinda all got waved under the table...then again, apparently noone much likes the fae anyhow.

Then again, on the gripping hand, this just happened. The whole discussion from the time Castela raced in and stomped on Calista is maybe five minutes of strip time, and the discussion about the Fae Castela killed is maybe two minutes. The stern motherly talk between Katherine and Castela hasn't even taken place yet. Wapsi Square is full of long-term plot threads, in which apparently-minor occurrances have consequences, or turn out to be Not What They Had Seemed, many months or years later. It is far too early for you to conclude that Paul's waving this one away.

Even in forum spacetime, if you read back a week or so you'll see plenty of people commenting that Pickle's killing of the Fae would certainly have consequences for her, even if the Fae she killed were a gossamer illusion. Scarcely "waved under the table".

I'm surprised she didn't say it was "just a guard." It seems that their lives never matter in stories. Since it wasn't someone important, no matter, we can just forget his little life and gruesome agonizingly painful death. Bet they dismiss the death quite soon and move along with the story. I hate stuff like that in stories. Kind of how Paul just dismised how Shelly killed and ate an Apo. Brief mention and, "oh well, what's to drink around here?" Lets move on wit the party. Sorry, just one of my pet peeves.

See above. I appreciate your peeve about the death of spear carriers (the young protagonist of Panshin's "Rite of Passage" has a wonderful bit of interior monologue about this) but it's maybe a bit early to judge here.

We really don't know what the Fae court's full reaction to the death of the guard was/is. We've only been given the slightest glimpse, so far, into the world of the Wapsi Fae. Hell, a month or two ago we didn't know that they even existed.

For all we know, we'll learn five years from now that the dead guard-Fae was recognized and honored as a martyr to the Seelie Fae court, his daughter was given special Royal patronage and raised in status, became a great leader of the Fae and was largely responsible for defending the paranormal school against a vicious attack by a pack of Unseelie grimpenmires. Or, the guard's son might go on a quest seeking a mystical weapon which will allow him to kill a blackthorn Daughter of the Woods, and then show up in Pickle's bedroom and say "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Or, not. Wapsi covers a great deal of time and character-space, and there's only so much room available in three or four panels, five days a week.

We'll see.

What I don't like is negativity; there is too much of it in the world anyway. Unless you're a paid critic I really don't want to hear it and even then, I don't tend to read reviewers because I've never found one that is remotely similar to my tastes anyway.

Heh. Oscar Wilde once described a cynic as "someone who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing", and I think that the cynical frame of mind shows up in a lot of reviewers. Eager to snipe and snarl and tear down, and yet not themselves capable of creating.

[jwhouk]

Actually, I'd say, "All in all she's just another Thorn In The Mall..."


And on topic: I'd actually say Calista was partially telling the truth: the guy did deserve it, if he provoked the thornbush.

(Red shirts - snicker )

[Aed]

Just as Castela was rethinking her opinion of the fae and contemplating them as people like Mom, Atsali and herself, she is lied to - by a fae. A kind lie to spare her feelings, perhaps, but still a lie. While Castela was "off camera", so to speak, we can expect her to still be present and to have heard and understood what Atsali was exclaiming. I don't think we know if her ears are sharp enough to her Calista's softer replies. Friday's cliff hanger may reveal the answer to that question.

Pickle sees through BS, don't BS Pickle.

I fear that Fae - Whatsit relations just took another nose dive. Hopefully another ground pounding does not ensue.

[Aed]

Spelling?

In panel one Calista responds "... No one is tying (sic) to poison her."

I don't think "tying" is a slang term or a colloquialism, but I've been wrong before. vOv

[meisdadoo]

". . . .she does not need protecting. . ."
Do you have any idea how hard it is to kill a weed?
that little whatsit reminds me of a himalayan blackberry vine, which are almost impossible to eradicate. http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/siteFiles/Rubus_armeniacus.pdf

[KnightDelight]

Makes me wonder now if she was even telling the truth about the Unseelie. Do they even really exist, or was that a part of the lie too? Taking advantage of that legend. At this point, I tend to agree with those who commented that we cannot trust anything she says. One thing though. If Castela has it in her mind that it's alright to kill some Fae, that will make it more likely she WILL kill more thinking they are Unseelie and she was told they needed to die anyway. At the least don't worry about it if you do kill them.

This seems more and more like an elaborate plot to manipulate everyone to do something bad. Something hatched by the royal family and others to eliminate their foes; Fae foes or otherwise. Cricket may not even know about it and is being used as well by being fed misinformation. Heck, there may be enemies out there pretending to be Fae to stir up trouble for them. You know, faux Fae foes.

[Dave]

You know, faux Fae foes.

Fie! Foo! Forbear with this flood of fuzzy phrases!

[Warrl]

You know, faux Fae foes.

Well, quit fumming around and make your deposit to the pun jar.

(On my own behalf, here's a copy of the 1913 Webster's.)

[Timotheus]

As to the discussion on Cricket's abilities as to the general weaving of false realities of truth and fiction on the fly, she's Fae royalty. She may be a generally nice person but it's part of her genetic make-up. She can spin a believable tale six ways from Sunday at the drop of a hat while undergoing a root canal.
Hence Monica's warning.
But I think for that reason SHE's playing it straight.

[Opus the Poet]

Castela may not need protection against the Fae, but that does not mean she does not need protection. Just that if the Fae are going to do it they will have to do so from a distance that protects them from Castela

[lake_wrangler]

A few random thoughts:

Calista may or may not care personally for Castela, but she is apparently genuinely concerned enough about her to try to spare her the enormity of the truth. (I believe her, by the way...)

In her own way, she is keeping her promise, by trying to not hurt the Jaguar girl's niece.

I don't think she's doing it out of fear of the JG, or specifically in order to keep her promise. It could be out of respect for a daughter of the wood, just as it could be for her being Atsali's (her new friend) sister, or even just because of her age and emotional maturity/lack thereof.

She could have left it at that, and no one would be the wiser, but she confessed immediately to Atsali, upon being questioned, that she only did that to spare Castela's feelings. She didn't have to tell the truth, but she chose to anyway. Kudos for that.

As always, I'm impressed by Paul's ability to convey feelings via facial features. Calista sure looks embarrassed, in that last panel... And I agree with the poster who called it the understatement of the year.

It is nice to see the filial bond that has developed between Atsali and Castela. She is no longer just "part of her adventure", but she is her sister. And pity the fool who would try to hurt her! (She could rip a grown man in half...)

[ShirouZhiwu]

I believe Calista. Telling one lie in front of one person, and then a second to one of them like this simply fails to serve any purpose that can't be accomplished a dozen other ways.I don't see Calista being savvy enough to pull off a scheme on the fly that makes her look so good to Astali. If she was, she wouldn't have gotten caught in the fisting incident.

[Elvis]

ah, so she DID murder the wrong fairie...wonder how long it'll be before she figures it out. Interesting how it kinda all got waved under the table...then again, apparently noone much likes the fae anyhow.

I do not think it is because no one likes the fae much, it is more because no one would win anything by revealing the truth.

[Atomic]

Oscar Wilde once described a cynic as "someone who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing", and I think that the cynical frame of mind shows up in a lot of reviewers. Eager to snipe and snarl and tear down, and yet not themselves capable of creating.

The difference between a Skeptic and a Cynic? Give a Skeptic an inch, and they'll measure it. The Cynic will just complain about how small it is.

In a funny comic book-skewering comic book, there was a character introduced. Just a mere janitor, he mused at why they even bothered to give him lines, or even clear shots of his face, when he was generally just a background prop. "I don't even have a backstory," he said. "I'm probably about to get killed by this issue's bad guy, just to show how ruthless he is." Sure enough, he's incinerated by the villain. "I knew it! I probably have a wife and kids, too. Oh well, remember the little guys like me, Reader. Born to die....."

From somewhere, I remember a book with a 2nd act grey-haired janitor nobody character who gets noted but ignored while the protagonist and cadre wrestle philosophically about dealing with the antagonist. Finally a plot is hatched, the trap is set, and the shoot-out at the OK Corral office building setting is enabled. Enter Good Guy, stage left, vs Bad Guy, stage right, annnnndddd....

The Janitor, pushing his creaky-wheeled cart down the hall toward the two of them as they stand facing each other at an intersection. The Bad Guy yells at the interloper to get lost. The Janitor, hat brim covering his face, head down, reaches into the garbage bag on the side of his cart, pulls out a pump shotgun, and levels it at the Bad Guy. He raises his head, smiling, and the Bad Guy says "You!" The Janitor says, "Yep!" and empties the shotgun into the Bad Guy.

The Good Guy says "What?" and the Janitor replies "30 years of waiting." With that, the Janitor ambles off, never to be seen again.

[Mark N]

ah, so she DID murder the wrong fairie...wonder how long it'll be before she figures it out. Interesting how it kinda all got waved under the table...then again, apparently noone much likes the fae anyhow.

I do not think it is because no one likes the fae much, it is more because no one would win anything by revealing the truth.

I agree. I also think that it is more like most everyone is scared crap-less of the Fae.

[ChattaStarhawk]

In a funny comic book-skewering comic book, there was a character introduced. Just a mere janitor, he mused at why they even bothered to give him lines, or even clear shots of his face, when he was generally just a background prop. "I don't even have a backstory," he said. "I'm probably about to get killed by this issue's bad guy, just to show how ruthless he is." Sure enough, he's incinerated by the villain. "I knew it! I probably have a wife and kids, too. Oh well, remember the little guys like me, Reader. Born to die....."

From somewhere, I remember a book with a 2nd act grey-haired janitor nobody character who gets noted but ignored while the protagonist and cadre wrestle philosophically about dealing with the antagonist. Finally a plot is hatched, the trap is set, and the shoot-out at the OK Corral office building setting is enabled. Enter Good Guy, stage left, vs Bad Guy, stage right, annnnndddd....

The Janitor, pushing his creaky-wheeled cart down the hall toward the two of them as they stand facing each other at an intersection. The Bad Guy yells at the interloper to get lost. The Janitor, hat brim covering his face, head down, reaches into the garbage bag on the side of his cart, pulls out a pump shotgun, and levels it at the Bad Guy. He raises his head, smiling, and the Bad Guy says "You!" The Janitor says, "Yep!" and empties the shotgun into the Bad Guy.

The Good Guy says "What?" and the Janitor replies "30 years of waiting." With that, the Janitor ambles off, never to be seen again.

For a fun read there's always Redshirts by John Scalzi, where the said redshirts work out that they are a part of a bad TV series (patterned after Star Trek, more or less) and set out to stop the writer before they wind up dead.