How's That for a Burn? 2012-11-27

[jwhouk]

I suspect that the location she poited Nudge to was deserted Island #1 - you know, the one that smelled like sulfur and Jin mistook for Mon's bad gas?

And I actually think it would be cute if Tsillah tapped her on the shoulder, handed her a phone, and said "It's daddy. You have a parcel pickup at Dock 13. These two ladies will escort you."

[eee]

Although that DOES look like a pool of lava, I see two possible problems. First, I believe Monica can still only poit to places she's been before. Not too many people have been in the middle of a lake of fire. And even if Monica DID at one time visit a active volcano cauldron and see the lava boiling there, there's still the problem that lava is liquid rock. It's heavy, and dense, and unless Nudge weighs a LOT dropping her in it should produce even less of a splash than tossing her into thick oatmeal.

But of course I could be wrong.

It looks like Monica has actually changed physically. Even bigger bust, and dark hair and skin. I wonder if we're looking at one of Monica's demons we haven't seen too often, Rage, and if following her 'reboot' it's possible for her demons to manifest through her body? Or if Monica's got something else attached to her, now, and is subject to possession? It might explain Tina's comment about suggesting Monica look at herself with one eye closed...

[Julie]

Until now, Monica has needed to know where she was poiting someone/thing to. But I think her new powers are enhancing that.

Unless M poited Nudge into the volcano of the island she and Jin visited before it blew... (which apparently jwhouk thinks as well. )

This was not just a regular poit, it fried Nudge (thus the smoking spot on the pavement). While I am (almost) certain that Nudge will be ok, I doubt that she was expecting something like this!

My guess is that the smoking spot on the pavement is what's left of Nudge after she was poited back from the volcano...since Nudge looks unsinged before she fell into the lava.


And for those of you who have been talking about how M could poit someone into a volcano prior to today's comic, I've got a freshly baked batch of cookies here in Confusion Corner.

[Fnord]

Does anyone else have the impression that the Apos have a collective death wish? First one taunts Ms. Phix and gets eaten, now Nudge taunts Ms. Villreal and gets poited into a magma chamber. Could it be ... ?

[Wdot]

I too believe that she's being dropped into the volcano on the island. Now the question what'll happen to Nudge? I Figure Nudge is like Wolverine she has one helluva healing factor. So she'll survive. What I'm betting on is when/if Moica *poits* her back is she'll look as bad as a certain sphinx that sassed Phix. Paul seems to like the macabre, so I expect some horrific damage to Nudge as Monica watches her slowly heal. If not, and Nudge dies, that usually means a transformation into full godhood. The Mortal part dies and only the deity remains. But I'm betting on watching Nudge healing in agony. Not that I'd wish it on her or anything, cause I like Nudge. Edit in picture Maybe like this, but more graphic.

[Yamara]

It all kind of puts Dr. Fields' reaction into perspective here: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/07052002/

Monica's on the steps of her museum. Whether what she did to Nudge is permanent or not is going on Monica's back burner (and that pun didn't occur to me until I had already typed it ) if the next thing she sees is Katherine or Amanda having just witnessed what she'd done.

Or Kevin.

...

Not entirely off-topic, Craig, I was checking out your wife's pincushion yesterday when Barbara passed through the room and seethed at me, "DO. NOT. BUY ANYTHING ONLINE. TODAY." so... I had to avoid lava myself on Cyber Monday.

(But I have bookmarked her shop.)

[Dave]

Hopefully I'm not coming off as too harsh- but I really hope Monica gets her head out of her ass soon- I've been moving from liking her, into dislike, and sort of moving into hatred.

On topic: OW.

No, not too harsh... she really does need to wake up.

Denial or no denial, provocation or no provocation, Monica really crossed a line here. No amount of personal insult justifies a physical assault of this sort. Monica has no assurance that Nudge won't be hurt, injured, or killed... and what she did amounts to assault with a deadly weapon. Doing something like this in true self-defense could be ethically justifiable... doing it because somebody hurt your feelings, no way.

This isn't like dipping Amanda into Lake Calhoun, or turning Bud and Shelly into involuntary streakers at the Mall. Scaring Shelly, Tina, and Nudge by poiting them into midair was bad enough. This is much worse. It's the action of a thug.

I think Monica is grown-up enough to realize this, once her wave of rage wears off, and that she'll be experiencing a major OhShitWhatHaveIDone? moment fairly soon. The consequences of this incident are likely to be rather dire, at least emotionally.

If that doesn't happen... brrr. Shelly's concerns about how dangerous Monica is, could turn out to be prophetic, and not in a good way. It could be really, really Bad.

[Dave]

Does anyone else have the impression that the Apos have a collective death wish? First one taunts Ms. Phix and gets eaten, now Nudge taunts Ms. Villreal and gets poited into a magma chamber. Could it be ... ?

Nudge isn't an apo (apotropaic sphinx). She's a demigod, and as far as I can recall her origin and ancestry have never been revealed. In fact, Nudge and the apos don't get along very well at all.

[Fairportfan]

"Splorch" is not usually the sound associated with a trip into the water - I am quite concerned for Nudge here. She might be functionally immortal, but that doesn't mean she can't be killed.

Heh. When the Goon Show was doing a segment called "The Dreaded Batter-Pudding Hurler of Bexhill-on-Sea", the sound men were not aboe to come up with a properly squlchy batter-pudding-arrival sound.

So Spike Milligan took off a sock, dropped in a custard off the BBC Commissary catering wagon...

SPLORCH!

[Fairportfan]

Although that DOES look like a pool of lava, I see two possible problems.

Sand bars. Cruise liner off Bermuda.

[Fairportfan]

Hopefully I'm not coming off as too harsh- but I really hope Monica gets her head out of her ass soon- I've been moving from liking her, into dislike, and sort of moving into hatred.

On topic: OW.

I'm amazed Nimrod isn't here pontificating about how Monica has Crossed The line...

[Swedish Chef]

Monica's moral compass needs a serious mileage check, that's a given. She doesn't know the extrend of damage Nudge can suffer from a prolonged molted rock bath.

Back to posture study:

Paul had an intersting take this time as the upper part of this strip is almost comic like, Nudge toonlike eyes and the way the body is positionned, almost like running, are Wiley Coyote like. She was hand on hip, all moral (Nudge like) last strip.

In contrast, the bottom part is complete flip. All serious and angry like. I'm saying angry like as the left arm is way back in a sinuous like shape, both arms makes a S shape, which is not the posture of someone tense and angry. That would be the position of a normal, relaxed, arm of someone bending over to point at something small or pick something. Left leg forward, left arm back for balance; that's normal, not angry.

[Dave11]

Hopefully I'm not coming off as too harsh- but I really hope Monica gets her head out of her ass soon- I've been moving from liking her, into dislike, and sort of moving into hatred.

On topic: OW.

I'm amazed Nimrod isn't here pontificating about how Monica has Crossed The line...

I'm just hoping that tomorrow we see that this has crossed the line twice. Right now I'm scared of Monica, and I know she's all pixels on the screen...

[ShadOBabe]

Hopefully I'm not coming off as too harsh- but I really hope Monica gets her head out of her ass soon- I've been moving from liking her, into dislike, and sort of moving into hatred.

On topic: OW.

No, not too harsh... she really does need to wake up.

Denial or no denial, provocation or no provocation, Monica really crossed a line here. No amount of personal insult justifies a physical assault of this sort. Monica has no assurance that Nudge won't be hurt, injured, or killed... and what she did amounts to assault with a deadly weapon. Doing something like this in true self-defense could be ethically justifiable... doing it because somebody hurt your feelings, no way.

This isn't like dipping Amanda into Lake Calhoun, or turning Bud and Shelly into involuntary streakers at the Mall. Scaring Shelly, Tina, and Nudge by poiting them into midair was bad enough. This is much worse. It's the action of a thug.

I think Monica is grown-up enough to realize this, once her wave of rage wears off, and that she'll be experiencing a major OhShitWhatHaveIDone? moment fairly soon. The consequences of this incident are likely to be rather dire, at least emotionally.

If that doesn't happen... brrr. Shelly's concerns about how dangerous Monica is, could turn out to be prophetic, and not in a good way. It could be really, really Bad.

... Have you been inside my head, Dave? Because that's pretty much EXACTLY what I was thinking. Monica is growing more and more reckless with her powers. And no, Liska, you're NOT being too harsh. Monica can be a real @$$ sometimes, and I don't think she's ever been called on it, at least not any time I can recall.

And yeah, we're all hoping Nudge WILL survive, and the odds are she will, but whether she will end up unscathed or horrifically maimed is still unknown. But like someone said earlier, she WAS beaten up by Shelly once, so she can sustain damage. There's still a good chance she'll live through it. But what if it had been someone far less powerful or resilient?
The whole scene is mirroring what happened back in the library (intentionally I'm sure). Nudge is playing the part of the sphinx that mouthed off to Phix, and Monica is now in the role of Phix. And again, like someone else mentioned, the thing that would make this a complete repeat would be if someone like Kevin, Katherine, or Amanda saw what happened. They would then assume the role of the terrified Monica.

Only difference would be that Phix, while certainly not a fan of being seen as a monster, is ancient and wise and kind of used to it by now. Monica still clings to her notion that she's just another human being. If she snaps out of her rages and see that there's someone there that has witnessed what she just did and she sees the shock and fear on their face, it's going to hit her like ton of bricks. Like Bia said to Shelly, no one can hold her responsible for what she's done. She's too powerful. She can only hold herself accountable.
Monica needs a nice big slice of humble pie. And this could be how she gets it.

And if this was all Nudge's intention before this happened, then holy crap, she now rivals Bub as my favorite character.
I cannot resist a chess master character. XD

[Lee M]

"Splorch" is not usually the sound associated with a trip into the water - I am quite concerned for Nudge here. She might be functionally immortal, but that doesn't mean she can't be killed.

Heh. When the Goon Show was doing a segment called "The Dreaded Batter-Pudding Hurler of Bexhill-on-Sea", the sound men were not aboe to come up with a properly squlchy batter-pudding-arrival sound.

So Spike Milligan took off a sock, dropped in a custard off the BBC Commissary catering wagon...

SPLORCH!

Cute story, but actually it didn't work and it just made a mess. I believe they finally achieved the effect with plastic bags half-full of water.

When I think of the "splorch" effect I'm reminded more of the end of Monty Python's "Festival Hall" audio sketch, where Pablo Casals plays the violin while plunging 400 feet into a barrel of boiling fat.

[Bathorys Daughter]

Does anyone else have the impression that the Apos have a collective death wish? First one taunts Ms. Phix and gets eaten, now Nudge taunts Ms. Villreal and gets poited into a magma chamber. Could it be ... ?

Nudge isn't an apo (apotropaic sphinx). She's a demigod, and as far as I can recall her origin and ancestry have never been revealed. In fact, Nudge and the apos don't get along very well at all.

I'm not sure it's so much a death wish as it is arrogance. They are top predators and long lived. That can give them one heck of a swelled head. They can come to believe no one can take them out, right up to the moment someone takes them out. Especially someone who has kowtowed to them in the past. It's a hard lesson human dictators learn on a regular basis (especially lately) in the real world.

[kingklash]

Not as much as "What have I done?", but more of "What have I Become?!?!"
For a person with a connection to a Phoenix, she's not acting with the wisdom that they symbolize. Unless that's someone else who's jacked Moni's classy chassis in a tantrum of temper.

[Fairportfan]

Not as much as "What have I done?", but more of "What have I Become?!?!"
For a person with a connection to a Phoenix, she's not acting with the wisdom that they symbolize. Unless that's someone else who's jacked Moni's classy chassis in a tantrum of temper.

Wisdom?

Have you read [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B ... he Phoenix[/url]?

(Those who read Brother David's "Honor Harrington" books will be at least passingly familiar with "David" - and are probably aware that he brags about swiping my copy...)

[Mark N]

The more I look at yesterdays strip and today's the more I think that Monica has gone "Dark Phoenix" and thought she used her astral fire to burn Nudge to a crisp and someone else poited her away at the same moment so she would not get harmed. Nudge was then deposited over a mud hole to make sure she was not on fire at the time. Mud is a good way to snuff out a fire after-all.

But if I am right, then Monica has totally lost her mind now and will need a major INTERVENTION to get her back to something resembling herself again.

[Haylo]

This incident, horrible as it is, might be an unavoidable part of what M needs to learn. She's already had a lesson in how hard she is to kill (for more than a few minutes). Now she knows she has as deadly an offense as any sphinx.

Offense, defense, that was the minimum number of painfull lessons to prove to her she is in the major leagues now, not just a spectator. If Nudge hadn't gotten her truly murderously angry she'd still be in denial.

The moral question is, does she reign in her powers the very minute (in about one more heartbeat) that she realizes she has truly deadly power in her hands?