Have Known 2015-03-11

[Dave]

Is Atsali really that naive about Nadette's feelings? Nadette was pretty clear about liking the fact that Atsali seemed to find her to be sexy...

And Atsali's statement "She's a seer... she couldn't have known I'd need to fly to save us"... Katherine's look says it all.

Permalink...

[Atomic]

A seer, but not like that? Hmmm -- right.....

[jeffepp]

I'm beginning to think that this is some kind of defense mechanism. She seems rather intelligent at certain times, but others, you can almost hear the wind whistle through her ears. Sort of how she went from running away screaming, to bad-ass street fighter, back to screaming girl.

[DilyV]

It appears that Atsali really is an airhead when it comes to the obvious. It also appears that Kath is reacting more to the mention of danger bad enough to require Atsali to fly to save them. Wait till she hears about the rocket... I don't think Kath is even registering Nadette yet... or maybe she is and "the look" is meant to keep Atsali on track. Either way, Kath has got a long, excruciating talk about sex and sexuality coming up. I just hope that she has the forethought to have aunt Bud take Pickle out to the park or for ice cream or something.

[shadowinthelight]

Nadette is a seer, but Atsali don't see 'er.

[GlytchMeister]

Nadette is a seer, but Atsali don't see 'er.

It is hungry...

[Thor]

Oh, for crap's sake, Atsali. You cannot be this dense. Not without a heaping dose of denial.

There are two major unambiguous indications that Nadette is completely and utterly into you. Let's roll them out, one more time:

#1: "It's just an ego boost to see that you might find me attractive." Okay, she doesn't specifically say that she's hot for Atsali, but the implication is really strong.

#2: "MMPH!" Okay, this could be misunderstood because wrapping your arms around someone's head and sticking your tongue down their throat is considered to be just a friendly greeting in the West, or so I'm told. What, did this slip your mind in all the hubbub? One would think that one's first kiss would be a bit more memorable. (Okay, second kiss.)

Hmmm....

Okay, now I'm going to have to walk my initial outrage back a touch. The linked strip where she kissed Berdine as an expression of joy and excitement might mean that to Atsali, Nadette's kiss was just the same sort of thing. And in my first link, Nadette did go out of her way to say that she wasn't going to bite or get in the way with Jacob. So Atsali might have thought this was more of the sort of things that gal-pals did, like sticking your tongue in your pal's ear and feeling her up to better help her test out a talisman.

So, yes, it is possible that Atsali is this much of a bird-brain on the topic. So if we accept that, and guess that the truth will be driven home pretty hard, pretty soon . . . what will she think/feel about the whole thing? Friendships have been lost or love affairs have been started with less provocation. And the way back to the status quo (which may not have ever existed except in Atsali's mind) may be impossible.

So here are the big issues. (1) How much of this was a set-up by Nadette? (2) How much of Atsali's trust did she abuse? (3) How much does Atsali value Nadette's friendship? (4) Does Atsali swing that way at all, that is, is a romantic/sexual relationship even possible? (5) How accurate was Nadette's foresight into the doomedness of the Atsali-Jacob pairing? (6) Does Nadette know what she has done wrong, and is she remorseful enough? (7) Does Atsali know what Nadette has done wrong, and is she forgiving enough? (8) Are the adults actually blowing all this out of proportion? If Nadette was the infallible seer that she would need to be to mastermind this whole scenario, then she would almost certainly be foreknowing of the fact that it was going to end in a shambles like this. (Unless, of course, this is just the dark period before the dawn.)

If this is not brought to some sort of equilibrium in the next two strips, it looks like an agonizing cliffhanger for the weekend.

[Opus the Poet]

Yesterday and today combine to paint Atsali as a total airhead. Thing is we know from earlier in the adventure she isn't. When it comes to world-shattering events that can destroy civilizations, she's great, calm, cool, and collected and always thinking. Her own personal subset of civilization she lets fall apart.

[AnotherFairportfan]

Call the Egyptian Coast Guard!

[oldmanmickey]

1. all of the clues Nadette gave Atsali were on that rocket and as we saw it went way over her head.
2. Atsali only becomes clueless when it pertains to sexual matters. This may be due to her trying to reject anything to do with her siren/incubus nature.
3. Nadette is far into the friend zone they arnt even on the same planet any more.

At lest i got it narrowed down to these 3 in my mind

[Dave]

If Nadette was the infallible seer that she would need to be to mastermind this whole scenario, then she would almost certainly be foreknowing of the fact that it was going to end in a shambles like this. (Unless, of course, this is just the dark period before the dawn.)

I wonder whether there's a sort of Heinsenberg Uncertainty Blindness involved in a Seer's powers of vision? Perhaps they can't accurately foresee the outcome of situations in which they are personally involved?

And, it wouldn't be the first time in history that a young person let his or her enthusiasm, emotions, and young lust get a bit ahead of good judgement and intellectual knowledge of what-might-happen. Not the first time by a long shot. All too often, for teens, consequences are things that happen to somebody else... until they hit much closer to home.

If this is not brought to some sort of equilibrium in the next two strips, it looks like an agonizing cliffhanger for the weekend.

I think you're quite correct there. At the usual Wapsi pace, we might get to the point at which Atsali has one of those Oh Holy Sugar moments of sudden understanding... but maybe not.

This one's going to take some time to play out... heavy subject.

[kingklash]

Atsali, Atsali, Atsali. As absent-minded as I can be, I'm duly impressed to be in the presence of a amazing natural talent such as yours. You are still focused on the latest Adventure, and forgot to gear down a bit. Please review what you just said, and let MommaKat help you through this potential minefield.

[GlytchMeister]

2. Atsali only becomes clueless when it pertains to sexual matters. This may be due to her trying to reject anything to do with her siren/incubus nature.

Oooh, good eye. I hadn't considered that. Hmm. Don't that set the cogs a-turnin'?
...Inner-googling my psychology classes...
Huh. Some kind of denial, perhaps? Sirens are basically viewed as the whores of the universe, so Atsali is somehow refusing to acknowledge anything even vaguely sensual in an attempt to keep her siren-ness down?

[blink, blink]
Wait, what in the heck is an incubus? *googlegooglegoogle*
O_o
Oooh. Male version of a succubus. Demons, in our world's mythology, but probably not a Wapsi demon. Apparently, Merlin was half-incubus. That's where he got... His... Magic. . .
Hmmmm. Does Atsali have non-siren Magic? Maybe that's how she could manage to hit Tsillah? Extra oomph in her punch from both siren powers and incubus magic?

AAAAAH I found one answer and now I have many many more questions!

EDIT: has Merlin ever been mentioned in this comic? I have a feeling he has...

[KnightDelight]

1. all of the clues Nadette gave Atsali were on that rocket and as we saw it went way over her head.

Speaking of which, we never did find out what, if anything, was in the capsule at the top of that rocket. No doubt the MIB has retrieved it by now. Even though the rocket went spiraling up and away to who knows where, the capsule should be nearby since it disengaged early on. I wonder if any further lingering imprints are on the body of the rocket or the capsule.

[jwhouk]

The look of Katherine says it all: "My daughter is clueless."

A little MacGuffin note: apparently, sirens are farsighted. Meaning, they can't see things close to them, like computer screens, books, friends and family.

And lovers.

A few things come to mind here:

1. She is a teenager, which means that her bird-brain doesn't have all the wiring together yet. (Don't Fire, Don't Connect.) Even though the Etheitians invaded her skull, they couldn't travel down paths that haven't been formed - just like you or I can't drive down a highway that hasn't been built. The "Sexual Relationship Expressway" only has an off-ramp to Boys Town at the moment, because she is so wrapped up in "ohmigodimmasiren" that she hasn't even considered, "Hey, someone of the same sex might find me attractive, too!" Believe it or not, we saw this during TLDOA storyline. She could remember facts and stories that she had learned in school, but she didn't understand why Kath was angry at her after flying her to the rim of the crater.

2. The fact that, through most of this whole encounter, Atsali was wearing her glasses may have been a tip-off. She was having trouble seeing what was in front of her, even with the "specs" right on her nose. Focal points are a strange thing. I can type this without my glasses on - I'm nearsighted, so it may look a little screwy - but the words I type I can't actually "see" as I'm doing it all from touch-typing and memory. Atsali is so used to seeing everything in the distance with clarity that she doesn't notice what's in front of her unless it waves and gets her attention by jumping up and down repeatedly.

3. This poor girl has seen a lot in a relatively short period of time. We don't know how long she was at the orphanage - though if my personal head-canon is correct (and since I wrote the book on it without Pablo saying anything, I take it as truth) she was rather young at the time. Think about this: conservatively, she spent about seven years of her life in the orphanage. That's roughly the same percentage of time - at my age - that I've been married. You get used to doing things a certain way, seeing life a certain way, and acting a certain way. In the same time frame, she's only been with Kath for about 18 months - the same percentage of time that I've been living where I am right now. I get confused about where to go, who to talk to, who I can rely on as friends - and I'm only dealing with a major occupational change, not the unrelenting hormones of puberty where (as I pointed out earlier) you aren't thinking with your brain.

4. What's going to be hard from this point forward is if Atsali can figure out how to walk through the minefield she unknowingly laid down (cue Sting's "Fortress Around Your Heart"). Kath can help to a certain extent, but she's "not a good example" when it comes to relationships. Lily isn't exactly a good one, either.

[captnq]

1) Atsali is a Siren/Incubus.

She's used to casually turning people on. Like, it takes no effort to make someone fall "in love". So if anyone suddenly becomes head of heels for her, I have no doubt she'd just shrug it off. "Whoops! Left the mojo on!" I can see how both mentally, and possibly racially, she might not even notice someone being attracted to her.

"Let's see, people are drooling on themselves over me. Must be... I dunno... EVERY DAY OF THE GODDAMN WEEK! Guys! GIVE ME A BREAK!"


2) Nade was affected by the stone tape.

Atsali should have Zero problem blaming the stone tape for everything. "Why was my friend acting weird? Stone tape. Why'd she run? Stone Tape. How'd she know how to find the crstal lady corpse? Stone tape. Why'd she put her tongue down my throat? Stone tape.


3) Seer does not equal perfect future sight.

I Nade has the ability to figure out how to get herself around Atsali's naked body THAT well, then she also can't be tested in school, simply because she could read every test before it happens. So she can see into the future, she can't see the consequences of the future choices past certain points.

I'm going with the matrix here. She's not here to make the choice, she already made the choice. She's here to understand her choice.

[illiad]

yup, adventure girl, with no clue about sexual politics, its just a game between friends, isn't it?? Kat's face says.. "oh you clueless innocent girl... :/ :/ "

[zachariah]

While Sali is not a total airhead she is a teenager. I have seen this time after time that teenagers tend to see things that only affect them directly. They have the self centered viewpoint about life, love, school, and growing up. Only if it directly impacts what they want does something get noticed, or thought about. Otherwise they will gladly let everyone around them help them to what they want and NOT question why. Most of them will grow out of this but some don't. Sadly it usually takes the teenager getting burned several times before they grow out of this stage. So Sali likes Jacob and will accept any help she can get to go out with him, or get him to notice her. Nadette helped her to accomplish that. So Sali says thanks and notices nothing about Nadette or her motives despite even being told indirectly about them. http://wapsisquare.com/comic/one-spare-sister/. Berdine directly tald Sali that she broke Nadette and had hinted prior that Nadette liked girls. All Sali cared about this time was the problems she had with Pickle.
Nuff said.

[illiad]

zachariah: yeah, some girls dont really know about men.. If a 'female friends' massive ones plop out in front of you, most men would sit their open mouthed... she would realise she accidentally pulled up *more* than just her jumper, and say "why didnt you say??? (bored face)"

[Sgt. Howard]

I will turn 61 in August- yet I remember quite well a number of ladies in high school who I did not realize saw me as attractive until they told me at the ten-year reunion... with that info in mind, I can recall several moments where they were basically daring me to kiss them and I did not get the hint at all. As a teenager, there is a tendency towards tunnel vision.
Then again, Atsali might be deliberately downplaying what Nadette did for fear of not being able to stay with a friend... in which case, she has a poker face that any pro would envy.
I say she didn't really see it clearly enough, or did't WANT to...