PhoenixFeathersComments/0310

October 2003

• Hot Lava Java
  
• My very great pleasure
  
• The other wrong end
  
• Winterborn Greystripe
  
• Yozhik Critiqued
  
• Points of View
  
• 'What have I done?'
  
• Jealousy?
  
• The ''vice''-president
  

Hot Lava Java

My very great pleasure

Apart from those of us whose minds are too busy (or possibly just slow) to have even worked out that this was a possibility... MJ

I'd have to second that.  What / where is a hint that MED will even appear in Friday's comic let alone be named in it?  Am I missing something significant?  (well, yes, obviously, but I meant with regards to PF) --Kazuhiko

Um. Ah. Um. Er. Don't mind me, I'm just being... um... stupid. And really really silly. Oh wow. Boy oh boy. Ah, I made a mistake. That was... really *dense* of me!  Just ignore me, I'll be under this, um, feather duster...  --a very very sheepish AC

In other words, you thought that Prof Midsummer was the MED?  Unless washable hair dye is employed and MED washes his hair lots, I doubt it...  Oh and your last statement is about to be copy/pasted to WikiQuoteIndicator, just to add to embarassment >:> MJ

Well. Hmm. We do actually already have strong indications of washable hair dye (or some other mundane or magical means of modifying one's mane) in the PhoenixFeathers universe.  It was a mistake, but, well... many a truth said in jest, and all...?  (On the flip side, /Rin might have noticed.  And there have been slight suggestions that the MED is a student.)  --AC

Giggle!  You mean you can't deduce it from context?? ;-)  --AC

(PeterTaylor) No, because I don't think of Rin's boss as "/MysteriousEvilDude", and I didn't want to try finding the dramatis personae.

Links now added... --M-A

Relevance?  I don't think we sell that here.  If you're lost though, you ought to try North, East, South-East, North-East, South, South. --Kazuhiko

The other wrong end

Winterborn Greystripe

That a cat responded doesn't seem to have been part  of her plan, from her surprise - but then, she did use a CatsCradle? so I'm confused.  Still, crossover from the Threads is a nice thing and I wonder what the "It's supposed to be a protective barrier spell" crack means.  She thinks it didn't work?  Ahhh, I've got nothing.  It has a cat in it, so I felt obligated to comment.  --Vitenka

My interpretation (which has admittedly been laughably wrong in the past) was that she was aiming for a spell to create a barrier, and nothing more.  Hence being surprised when a creature of any kind appeared.  If this is accurate, then we can start surmising that the cat popped through because something is or was pretty unusual about /Megaera or the particular summoning.  For example, the fact that she's associated with /Shaam, or (my suspicion) the fact that /Daedalus was involved.  --AlexChurchill

Oh, and I'm not normally a big /Megaera fan (not as much as /Rin and /Peri, anyway), but she was looking really cute today.  Spellcasting in frames 1 and 2, and wonderfully surprised in 8 and 11.  Sweet!  ...Ahem, time for me to go hide in the woodwork again.  But not before stating I'm also rather impressed with SunKitten's cat-drawing sk1llz.  --AlexChurchill

That was my first thought - but I wasn't sure quite how a Cat (which might be a ToothyCat) is a barrier spell.  Also she seemed surprised.  --Vitenka

The "That's supposed to be a protective barrier spell" is surely in response to /Greystripe's question "And what's this?", gesturing to the writing on the floor.  That would raise another question though.  When / why would a creature who is seemingly unfased by being summoned be unaware of one of the basics of summonings? --K

Excellent point, Kazu. The interesting bit is that one natural interpretation of /Greystripe's words make the cat seem surprised to have been snatched from wherever /Greystripe was before.  The words (and expression on the cat's face) can be interpreted as either surprised, or totally unfased, or somewhere in between.  --AC

'tis a cat.  The expression on its face means 'mild amusement / will you feed me / are you a plaything?'  ;)  --Vitenka (Every expression means that)

I think you'll find some of their expressions mean 'I can prove I can draw blood if you don't leave me alone'...

I'd say that was covered under mild amusement and feed me.  VampurrTheVelvetPaw?...  --Vitenka

A thought.  Is the curly writing indicative of a particular kind of voice, or is it partaking of the shorthand for 'another language in use' translated for our benefit?  If the former - nifty, can we have a sample?  If the latter, how come she can understand it?  She isn't speaking it...  --Vitenka (The obvious answer is, of course, "magic")

Most people can indicate capitalisation in their speech if they try but it takes true vocal training to change the font... --K

I'm not saying anything, except that the font is 'A charming font superexpanded' from http://www.fontfreak.com - SunKitten

Yozhik Critiqued

Well, it's presumably /Greystripe, either transformed into a person or projecting some sort of magic field that makes him appear as a person if you're not /Megaera, or something (In the penultimate panel, I think /Megaera is looking down at cat level). --M-A

^^;;;;;;;;;;  I am so stupid.  Thank you M-A.  I knew it was going to be some kind of were-creature but somehow completely failed to make the connection to /Greystripe  *kickself* --K

Hmm, while the comic does strongly suggest what M-A mentions, I wouldn't say so stupid (in bold) for not thinking of it. I didn't until M-A pointed it out (although not paying attention to what /Megaera actually said in the penultimate panel didn't help).  --AC

Eh?  I thought it was obvious until I read the start of this comments thread ;)  Now I'll admit to the possibility of doubt.  --Vitenka

Do not make any deductions from AlexChurchill's AwarenessOfABrick.  I have just noticed the three faint spots on NewBigHairedBloke?'s cheek, which could be either stubble of whiskers, or some skin emblem indicating magical/summoned creature status. Or a student playing with fake tattoos, of course, or an ArtifactOfJPEGCompression.  Choose one. :)  --AlexChurchill

I thought it was stubble and/or acne. --M-A

I have been informed BTW that, while ancient relics are artifacts, marks due to image degradation are artefacts.  --K

Whereas "He's the strongest man in the world." is an ArtieFact?.  --Vitenka

And the date of JohnConstable?'s birth would be an arty fact. --M-A

And "Oh, that always perks me up right proper." would be an "Ah, tea" fact. --CH, who Runs And Hides - and so you should...

And the URL of the NationalGallery? would be an....  Art e-fact. --M-A, joining CH

And I suppose putting on a voice to say "Well I'm not talking to you then!" would be an "Ah, Tiff" act?  --AC

It's when your clothes no longer fit: "Argh, too fat!"

I feel obliged to join in, since you've all got it wrong.  It's when you try to illegally send your friend a TV listings magazine - R.T. faxed.

PeterTaylor also thought it obvious.

Points of View

WooHoo?!  I predicted correctly!  I'm so chuffed. :) One thing, though - what does Yozhik *think* is going on?  I can't work it out from all the half-sentences. --M-A

What have I done?

*giggles*

Are we seeing a bit of jealousy on Yozhik's part here (panel 4 particularly)? --M-A

Nope. We're seeing a lot of jealousy on Yozhik's part here... --CH

Well jealousy of /Greystripe would be kinda expected from /Yozhik.  I wonder if he's also jealous of /Megaera's success (?) in magic...  --AC

Jealousy?

Yes, I did - she told me in an email. It's flattering :) I'm wondering how to alert her to the mistake without embarrassing/upsetting her. It's an understandable one, after all. She only has my email address and she only met MoonShadow once. Oh well... - SunKitten

And fluffles are embarassing?  --Vitenka  (Slightly sudden wrap-up, but very cute.)

You would say that -- NonymousRinFan

The vice-president

Perhaps because /Megaera basically just told him she returned his feelings? And then kissed him? --CH

Ah, but /Rin thinks he already got much further than that with whoever she thinks is his partner.  Whoever she thinks he is :)  --Vitenka (I'm all confuzzled)

Yes, it is deliberate. Yozhik Critiqued (see end)