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RUTE 1

FLUKE

HEI, IKKE SE PÅ MEG. VI ER HELDIGE SOM FANT DEM TIDSNOK TIL Å STOPPE DEM I DET HELE TATT!

(cont.)

DU VET AT JEG IKKE KAN KONTROLLERE NØYAKTIGE UTFALL.

RUTE 2

TSUNAMI

LIKEVEL, DET ER LITT PUSSIG AT FLAKS OFTE FØRER TIL AKKURAT DET DU VIL SKAL SKJE…

RUTE 3

COMMANDER

NÅ ER VI MIDT OPPI DET, ENTEN VI LIKER DET ELLER IKKE. VI HAR IKKE NOE VALG.

RUTE 4

COMMANDER

OG HVIS DETTE SKAL BLI EN SUKSESS, MÅ VI ALLE VÆRE MED PÅ DET.

TSUNAMI

JEG VET. UNNSKYLD.

RUTE 5

SPOOKY JONES

DU HAR EN PLAN?

COMMANDER

JA.

RUTE 6

COMMANDER

SI MEG, HVA SKJER HVIS DE IKKE KLARER Å GJENNOMFØRE RITUALET FØR DEN TIDTELLEREN GÅR AV? HVOR SNART VIL DE KUNNE PRØVE PÅ NYTT?

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PAGE 69 (6 PANELS)

PANEL 1

FLUKE

HEY, DON’T LOOK AT ME. WE’RE LUCKY TO HAVE FOUND THEM IN TIME TO STOP THEM AT ALL!

YOU KNOW I CAN’T CONTROL EXACT OUTCOMES.

PANEL 2

TSUNAMI

AND YET IT’S FUNNY HOW GOOD LUCK SO OFTEN SEEMS TO LINE UP WITH EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN…

PANEL 3

COMMANDER

WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, WE’RE NOW IN IT. WE DON’T HAVE A CHOICE.

PANEL 4

COMMANDER

AND IF THIS IS GOING TO SUCCEED, WE NEED TO ALL BE TOGETHER ON IT.

TSUNAMI

I KNOW. SORRY.

PANEL 5

SPOOKY JONES

YOU HAVE A PLAN?

COMMANDER

YES.

PANEL 6

COMMANDER

TELL ME, WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY CAN’T COMPLETE THE RITUAL BEFORE THAT TIMER GOES OFF? HOW SOON WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO TRY AGAIN?

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The Young Protectors: Engaging The Enemy Chapter Three—Page 69

October 10, 2014 Alex Woolfson 473 Comments

Hmmm. What is she thinking?

We had our sixty-fifth bonus page in a row on Wednesday and then y’all just turned around and tipped us over the donation bar target yet again! That means that, thanks to your generous donations and in addition to our regular Saturday updates, and bonus pages on Wednesday, October 15th (page 70!), Wednesday, October 22nd (page 72!), Wednesday, October 29th (page 74!) Wednesday, November 5th (page 76!), and Wednesday, November 12th (page 78!), and Wednesday, November 19th (page 80!), there will now be an additional bonus page (page 82!) on Wednesday, November 26th! You all ROCK SO MUCH!

Special thanks go out to long-time supporter Saxon B. (who makes their 118th generous donation to The Young Protectors!) and a warm welcome and grateful bow go out to new supporters David M., & Kaitlyn H. for their generous donations over the last few days!

Big hugs go out to long-time friend of The Young Protectors Robert B. for their super-generous $25 donation (this makes Robert’s eighty-eighth super-generous donations to this comic!) and also to new friend Brittany P. for their super-generous $29 donation!

And finally, ZOMG!, huge crime-fighting hugs and deeply grateful bows go out to long-time mega-friend Christopher D. for their stunningly generous $100 donation, their 110th (!!!) stunningly generous donation to this comic! You are the wind underneath our wings, Christopher! Thank you!

Thank you all so much for your generous support!

So! Seems like they’re getting right to business. So how do you try to stop the two most dangerous criminals in the entire world?

Tune in this Wednesday to find out! Hope to see you there! 😀

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473 Comments

Uh oh. Damnit. Called it with Fluke

Good, Amanda! Let’s hear plan.

Ok bad luck
I need a cute little black cat to read this and then a broken mirror
Maybe I need to go under a ladder a few times too.

Poor Fluke.

And Tsunami continues being a jerk… why am I not surprised?

Careful, you don’t want to have a heart-attack and die from not surprised. Watch that you don’t molt!

Now we are going to hear the plan that fails (think of how to make the plot more exciting)

A mid-story plot reversal? Yep, I can see how that’s a possibility.
[paranoid mode] But I wouldn’t put it past Alex to forsee something as narratively predictable as that and deliberately throw a curve in – like say Laampros turning up ahead of schedule and throwing the plans of both hero team and villain team into disarray.

A grand free for all.

I’m certain Alex has a masterful plot twist(ed) in mind for all of us. I look eagerly forward to watching it play out!

Spooky ( seemingly ) betrays the team to save the world ?

SHHH…! Not so LOUD!

that would be insane! omg. if spooky considered all options and possiblities and decided that pp’s plan was best afterall and thwarted yp. genius idea!

It was Chris’s idea. Now it will happen.

I really think it’s time to open that back hatch. Or someone please Gibbs Smack Tsu.

In a way Tsu might be right about Fluke’s way of making his luck, but he doesn’t have to be suck a damn jerk about it. He’s really bad at being diplomatic and saying things right… or not say them at all because it’s not needed to step in it.

It’s always possible regarding Fluke. Of course it could all be coincidence because he so often finds himself in such situations because of his tendency for bad luck. Maybe it’s bad luck for Tsu and so good luck for Fluke?

As for Tsu, he does seem to pout and not be able to handle things when they don’t go the way he wants them to go. I don’t understand why he blames Fluke for the nature of his power, just because Tsu doesn’t want to fight.

It’s almost like Tsu is being a toddler for not getting his way. Insulting and fighting with her team?

It is possible that this is the only way Gordon knows how to handle conflict. If so then I wonder why he holds his position. Could it be simply because he is 21 and thus a “legal adult”? It seems absurd but how many times have I seen this in the real world? I’ve lost count.

Exactly. Does he hold his position because there is no one else? How can he be in co-charge when he can’t deal fully when conflict arises, but inevitably it always does. Maybe not in such large ways, but smaller ways and putting the blame on others is not showing maturity.

We won’t know until more background is revealed but it is plausible that Tsunami’s behavior has been an issue for some time but Amanda is prevented from promoting any of the minors to positions of authority. I recall this in my life back in high school.

I trained with park rangers for a summer and while I qualified for full-time employment with benefits they could not hire me until after I turned 18.

GIbbs is out Gibbs-smacking the entire cast and crew in New Orleans (especially Bakula) so he might not get here in time.
I won’t even hint at the vile things happening to the writers.

Tsunami knows that their plan always depends on him bringing good luck. He’s also not sure that he can prevent the opening of the portal. It’s all a matter of probabilities. He can’t get 100% outcome because there is always the probability that something else happens.

Heisenberg called it Uncertainty.

AS they say – the best laid plans of mice and men . . .
yada yada yada

So basically Tsu is a control freak.

There’s a problem with NCIS: New Orleans?? I was liking the show.

I don’t like Bakula and I can’t get past it to forgive the show’s short-comings. It’s better than many things on TV. Don’t let me deter you.

Ah. I guess I’m the opposite, but LL Cool J made me stop watching NCIS: LA.

Chris O’Donnell did that for me. I wanted to watch Linda Hunt. I like her.
Same as I want to watch CCH Pounder, too.
SO I might watch the shows “on demand”

For me it wasn’t so much Chris O’Donnell, it was his character’s man-angst backstory.

They were taking too long with his backstory

I thought they went too far with it, I found it completely implausible and reeked of quite a bit of Mary Sue/Marty Stu.

I stopped watching 2 or 3 seasons ago after the whole LL having a wife thing after going undercover and seducing some terrorists sister, so I have no idea how it ended up after the whole Romania thing.

You realize that the more you talk about this, the more I want to tune in and watch.

Of course so not my intention. 😛

You’re not the only NCIS fans in my circle of friends. I know a pair of lovely ladies that are just goo-goo over the show(s). I admit that I’ve never seen an episode but I hear “Gibbs-smack” a LOT! Now I want to see it.

NCIS Original is the best. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, he’s just awesome. But I’m biased because I love me some Mark Harmon. Then there is Abby the goth genius forensic specialist.

I like that you learn about the characters through the show without all of it taking over the show. The show is still the show and not some angsty emo fest where they sometimes solve crimes.

I love me some Mark Harmon. I remember him from when he was young and purr-ty. Yes, I date myself. I also distract. *AHEM*. When one has an ensemble show the show should come first. Allow character stories to filter in naturally, during the course of the story. If there is compelling reason to focus on one character then let it be during the course of the story. I loved the original CSI for this very reason.

Oh I know exactly what you mean, young Mark Harmon was indeed lovely to look at. Which dates me as well. 🙂 He really does play this roll well. You don’t mess with Gibbs.

I don’t know how many shows I’ve stopped watching when they veered away from the original premise. It drives me crazy.

Ever just get a “feeling” when a story starts to wander off-script? I can’t place my finger on specifics but somehow I just “know” when things are taking a slow, inexorable slide into hell.

Yup. I start to get a bit antsy when that happens. Plus it stops being fun.

Exactly, I got a sense about season two of the “Battlestar Galactica” reboot that things started wandering. It feels like a splinter in the brain. Gah, but it is nagging! I understand why you don’t watch LL Cool J. How can you possibly get into the story when his celebrity gets in the way?

Oh yeah, BG went completely off the rails in the last season or so. They lost track of what the story was about, where it had been heading. For no reason they demonized characters, changed motivations. Arg! That was sad because it had been interesting.

I was doing okay with NCIS: LA until out of the blue they introduced this wild element about his character that seemed so out of left field. Linda Hunt and the mystery surrounding Chris O’Donnell’s character just couldn’t hold me. I just stopped believing.

Chris O’Donnell doesn’t have to act or say anything to do what I want. Oh dear, did I type that out loud?

Your typing is safe with me. 🙂

Oh, thank you! I’d hate to embarrass myself.

Never that!

For you, Admiral. It’s your fault. https://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbt6diqWMt1r21o7g.gif

Yes! If I could upvote that a million times I would. And he doesn’t overuse it, just when focus needs to be returned or someone’s brain needs an adjustment. 😀

Glad you liked it!

Indeed I do!

Well, I hoping for no more of Gibb’s ex-wives or DiNozzo’s father. Side shows that are quite silly and soap-opera-ish.

I think they’ve resolved most of those issues, but I don’t mind a little personal drama so long as it doesn’t overshadow or take over the original point of the show.

Did they make him gay ?

I have no idea. By the time I stopped watching, they had yet to resolve the situation.

I tried to stay for Linda Hunt. She’s is awesome, but I just couldn’t get beyond LL and some of the other just utter ridiculousness of the show.

Commander ALWAYS has a plan!

ooooo! Interesting thought Amanda 🙂
Down boys! Do not start again…

“Two days, because that’s how much time they make you wait before donating blood again.”

This makes me think Fluke may be the one to die.

I’m so used to the trope that nobody dies for long in comic books that it never occurred to me that someone might die in this scenario. I’m curious, what makes you think Fluke might get killed off?

Well, that would be the ultimate Bad Luck, with which to earn a win for the team and/or true love for Kyle. On the other hand, Flyboy as the second Caucasian might be more disposable than the sole black member. And I’ve been taking it for granted that Duncan will make a Noble Sacrifice, which would contradict the above, unless he survives somehow. One factor to consider is to what extent their powers are specifically targeting a certain ending for this arc, or are designed to allow more story possibilities down the road.

I’m uncertain but it is my experience as a writer to consider diversity when creating my stable of characters and then put it out of mind. Isn’t the whole point of diversity to treat everyone as equals regardless of color, origin, or orientation? I can’t imagine Alex making critical plot decisions based on some kind of Affirmative Action map.

treat everyone potentially as equal.

Platinum Preistess is a woman, and Annhilator is ( probably ) gay.

Neither is as moral as Flyboy , who might be the only straight white male in the comic.

“treat everyone potentially as equal”? I’m not sure what you mean by that statement.

Platinum Priestess is undoubtedly female but the jury is still out about Duncan. He mentioned that were Kyle straight PP would have seduced him, implying that for Duncan it was all for the plan. His remorse for what he did to Kyle doesn’t indicate any romantic feelings either. PP implied it heavily but Duncan confirmed nothing.

Lastly, what makes you think Mitch is straight? I’ve seen nothing yet that indicates his orientation one way or another. His reaction to porn struck me as like any teenage boy in that situation. “Lemme see!”

I agree with you wholeheartedly that neither Duncan nor Sircea can hold a candle to Mitch when it comes to heart and doing the right thing. It makes me wonder. If this is a team of misfits and behavior issues why is he on the team? His youth? Wouldn’t that be like putting a child prodigy in a class full of delinquents?

“”treat everyone potentially as equal”? I’m not sure what you mean by that statement.

According to their own actions.
( Potential versus Actualized )
Would you treat Kyle equally as Annihilator?

“Lastly, what makes you think Mitch is straight?”
I said ‘Might’ . Not ‘is’

“If this is a team of misfits and behavior issues why is he on the team?”

maybe he is a Villain de-aged,

or related to one

i think it would be cool if there were a modified “death” like jean grey in xmen when she morphed into the phoenix. or it would be awesome if the strain of the ordeal of this battle caused all of their abilities to heighten and change in subtle ways changing the story from this battle on. your sacrifices are interesting. i didnt consider one or more of the team dying.

Sircea and Duncan don’t have to divide and conquer, Tsunami makes a fine job of it on his own!

Being a Superhero is almost like being an extremely intelligent wunderkind, textbook cases of poor socialisation (or at least an excellent facsimile of such).

This inspires me to think about the team’s origin. If indeed this is a collection of misfits and behavior issues then Tsunami’s emotional outbursts serve a purpose; to show relative youth, inexperience, and how they all wrestle with inner demons. If such proves to be the case then we have a recipe for the kind of heroism we get with some of my all-time favorite adventure stories like “The Guns of Navarone” and “Black Sheep Squadron.” That might make Commander the female counterpart of Pappy Boyington. If so then, 1. She has so far behaved with remarkable restraint and, 2. She is better looking.

And Tsunami continues to point out to me that “Good Is Not Nice”.

A common phrase amongst table top games. “Lawful Good doesn’t mean ‘Lawful Stupid’.”

“Evil will always win because good is stupid.”

Evil will never win, for who dares call the winner evil?

The loser will always call the winner evil, because they lost.

Reminds me of a phrase I came across in a MCU fanfic. “The difference between Freedom Fighters and terrorists is who wins”, completely paraphrasing it of course.

This is the quote I rephrased: “Treason never knows success, for an it knows success, none dare call it treason.”

Your quote sounds way cooler than mine. I probably shouldn’t have referenced fanfic.

Yours is no less true.

I’ll see your “Evil will always win because good is stupid” and raise you a “Evil turns on itself. While good redeems it’s own”.
Yes, I am still expecting Annihilator and the Priestess to try to backstab each other.

I’m looking for Platinum Palpatine to stab Duncan in the back and leave him to Laampros’ tender mercies. After all, she set him up to take the fall instead of her, sucker! *Ahem*

Platinum Palpatine… Ha! Love it!

He’s alll ready to feed her to Demons first chance he gets. Duncan is the casual betrayer. Thats why PP is all over his shit.

I’m not sure he is the “casual betrayer” given how he has twisted himself into emotional knots over Kyle. Platinum Palpatine has demonstrated enough to me that she considers herself above humanity. Thus concepts like compassion and loyalty don’t apply to her. I expect her to turn on Duncan in a heartbeat without remorse or regret. Not only that but I expect her to smile smugly as she drives the dagger home. She scolds him for clinging to “sad” human sentiment and that his weakness brought him to this end. “Ta-ta! I’m going off to enjoy my godhood. Give my regards to Lampy, darling.”

If those meddling Kids and that Ole Drama Queen dont screw things up , PP Might be able to save the world.

I’m not impressed with Duncans style of phony regret with Betrayal, and neither is PP.

Duncans sentiment is sad, and his weakness did cause this. So she is correct.

If he had real balls he would have worked out these concerns first, and asked Spooky for help.

Hes a Puppet , who thinks hes a king

I’m not sure his regret is phony so much as self-centered. “Woe is me. I violated my vaunted principles!” Nowhere in that is any sincere regret or consideration for Kyle. PP called his BS and she was right to do so. A good villain knows when to play the moral and ethical high ground to her advantage. Still, Duncan folded way too quickly, too cleanly and easily for my taste. I suspect he told Platinum Palpatine what she wanted to hear.

if he had gone to spooky that would have been interesting and possibly fruitful in evading the doom the world is facing. but i gotta think that he may have thought that a kid as young as spooky is would be unable to effect such a positive outcome. but it would have been good if he had explored that option first at least. we know he is aware of many details of the personal lives of the members of yp. another potential problem is hiding such an attempt (working with spooky) from pp. she would not appreciate his interest in an alternative plan. and did ani and pp begin plans before or after spookys return from hell? i am not sure. but if their plans began before his return, communicating with spooky without pp’s knowledge would have been a challenge.

He can rightly say they are fools for not having a backup

“Oft evil will shall evil mar.” Gandalf.

Didn’t work out for the original speaker either, but he had a point. “The good guys” would often have a much easier go of it if they didn’t need to bicker first.
But I’m enjoying that a Spaceballs quote became a discussion of variable morality and the malleability of history. On which the group is correct, history is written by the victors and thus the victorious side is always deemed virtuous.
And our baddies will either be redeemed or defeated as we “know” who our heroes are.

Wasn’t the Spaceballs line actuallly “dumb” rather than “stupid”?

Truthfully? It may have been. We might need a Mel Brooks marathon over here.

Bah, missed the camp.

Tsunami’s not really voicing anything I wasn’t thinking/suspecting about Fluke’s powers, but it’s not exactly the best time to make blame-y statements. Head in the game, etc.

I’m glad Amanda raised this particular question — the walls are (supposedly) going to collapse in a matter of years (and it’s not clear whether Spooky and the others are aware of this), and if this is Duncan and Sircea’s only shot at the ritual, and also the only way of amping Sircea’s powers enough to repair the damage before the walls disintegrate entirely, interrupting it could actually have pretty awful consequences even if the team’s intentions are the best. If they have the opportunity to try again, that probably means there’s also time to come up with a plan that could utilize the demons’ arcane power without also surrendering most of the planet to Laampros and his horde.

(I’m having a little issue putting this the way I want because I have a puppy chewing on me while I’m trying to type. Sorry if I’m being obtuse!)

Made sense.

Other than that: PUPPY!

Technically my dad’s puppy, but I’m swooping in and making it love me most!

Sounds like a good plan to me. 😀

Hee, looks like I called it! *bouncy-bouncy* That is, the team focuses on rescuing the captives and that alone disrupts the ritual. Get the innocents to a defensible position and hold on until the cavalry arrives. I imagine moving the whole box full of people. It is the most effective way granted it can support their weight. Flyboy can move a big glider but can he move a box full of people? Hmm… Now for my feedback on the page.

Firstly, the art is exquisite. Is it me or are the colors more vibrant this time? Anyway, I like the image of Gordon in panel five best. It seems the most flattering face and pose I’ve seen of him to date. That said, Tsunami is acting like a colossal ass and this makes what, the third time Commander has had to reign him in? Someone needs a serious chewing out back at base later, provided they survive this mission.

No new bread crumbs of information this page. Have all the relevant pieces of the puzzle been revealed or merely those we can perceive for the moment. Hmmm… I scratch my chin. I like it when Alex makes me think.

I’m eager for Wednesday to come already! Thanks again Alex and crew for another masterpiece of fun and fiction. See you soon!

What if the YP’s move the hostages and because of that, the evil minions all slit their throats and the portal opens anyway?

That would a twist for sure but why are they in a glass case (if that’s what it is) in the first place? Does it magnify energies? A purely aesthetic decision made by Alex et al.?

21st Century sacrifice: a convenient and secure means of mass murder.

Maybe Duncan chose glass so that he and by extension PP will have to come face to face with what they are doing.

Maybe they’re meant to be out there and visible to serve as a decoy for any rescue team that might arrive. Such a team’s first focus would almost certainly be to save those people, which could buy some valuable time should the ritual be interrupted.

Have you seen “Despicable Me”? Evil minions are more likely to stab each other and spoil the ritual. 🙂

I have seen “Despicable Me” – I love those little guys. They are so cute.

So, no Mitch-vision glimpse of the wife this page: sadface. But I really enjoy the way Spooky looks at Amanda in the fourth panel, how it clicks with him that she’s got a plan before she confirms it out loud, and his small smile in the last panel, like he knows where she’s headed with this. I like the hint at their history together — he knows her really well, and vice versa. Somehow the way they communicate (and the way the last panel narrows the scene to just the two of them), makes me feel like they have their own team of two amid the larger group.

Take notes, Team Silver Fox, this is how a real partnership works! Although it makes me even more curious why Tsunami is the secondary leader of the team and guardian of the minors, and not Spooky.

Because of his age. Didn’t Spooky just turn 18? Tsunami and the Commander are older are they not?

I believe Spooky is 20.

Spooky is two years younger than Amanda and she is 22. That makes Spooky 20. As I recall and please don’t hold me to this the roster goes from eldest to youngest: Amanda 22, Spooky 20, Gordon 18, Kyle 18, Paul 17, and Mitch 15.

If Spooky is the one who’s 20, then Gordon is 21.

Thanks for clearing that up!

Danish is correct. Tsu is older than Spooks.

I stand corrected then. No worries! I much prefer to be accurate than right.

Ha! Good to know. 🙂

Thanks for the clarification everyone!

i would assume there must be a good reason for this. amanda seems really level headed and logical in the way she thinks and acts. there must be more to tsunami than there appears to be.

Random comment, but when I see panels like these I always realize how tall Tsu actually is, and how big he is physically. Will see on the trading cards how tall he actually is… I think.

As someone who is short I want to say that Tsunami needs to learn how to not LOOM! Seriously, is he deliberately trying to intimidate Fluke or is it just an unconscious move on his part.

This reminds me of a series I’m reading. The main character is also used to being the shorter girl amongst a lot of big, tough guys.. so a good loom doesn’t affect her anymore. She might have to look a good deal up, but she’ll give eye stares right back with the best of them xD

I have several ridiculously tall relatives, I am immune most of the time, but when I’m having an off day I can feel intimidated.

But I see them do it to strangers, and I’m like wincing, dude, take half a step back and relax your spine and don’t cross your arms.

Fluke doesn’t seem intimidated though, despite Tsu best attempt.

It’s not so much that he is doing to Fluke, but rather does he uses this body language on a regular basis? Does he only do it only to his teammates or does he also do it too civilians and strangers?

That’s a good question. If he does use his height as a means of getting what he wants, it makes a bit of sense that he’s trying it now and is acting out when he’s not getting what he wants.

When I saw panel 2 I got this horrible image of Tsunami doing the LOOM pose to a recently attacked woman that he rescued and just scaring the shit out of her.

That would be very very bad. Even if he didn’t mean it, still very very bad.

It happens all the time in real life. Rescue workers face all kinds of unexpected challenges and what are the Young Protectors but search and rescue with powers? I can imagine Tsu stepping back and attempting to assume a commanding posture as to convey confidence and reassure a lady. Police are trained to maintain that air of command at all times. I can see Tsu undergoing the same training and it backfires on him spectacularly. It might contribute to some of his insecurity.

His insecurity might be why it backfires. He tries too hard to appear confident, to show that he has things in hand, that he’s in charge. Most often people can sense that.
If he does have control issues (like most of the team seems to, though most just want to control themselves), he puts himself in positions of power where it’s not warranted and ends up stepping on people. He doesn’t take command easy, or he wouldn’t keep overstepping himself. He wouldn’t keep challenging Amanda.

I’m surprised Amanda hasn’t slapped him down and slapped him down hard.

Isn’t he supposed to be, like, 20 years old?

And?

As I recall Gordon is 18 and really, why does that matter? There is a chain of command and he continually yanks on it with his outbursts. He could be 18 or 30 and it would not change the fact that his behavior is compromising team morale and disrupting their concentration during perhaps the most critical mission of their lives.

Now you caught me on the wrong leg, and I’m a bit insecure who’s what age, but Gordon is either 20 or 21. I always mix him and Spooky’s age around.
Amanda is 22, then there’s Spooky and Tsunami at 20 and 21 (as I said, unsure who’s what). Kyle just turned 18, Fluke has either just turned 17 or close to doing so and last Mitch just turned 15.

That might be coming. Good leaders don’t reprimand during a mission unless it is vitally necessary. I wait to see what happens after the dust settles and the team is back home. THEN I imagine Amanda might have something to say to Gordon.

He needs something. It’s as you said below. It’s messing with morale on the team. How can they fight like a cohesive unit if he keeps causing friction.

The reason he was rejected from the “grown-up” teams seem to make more and more sense each time he opens his mouth.

At this point I imagine myself in Commander’s shoes. My job is to keep this team focused, on point, and functioning at their best capacity. Gordon’s behavior is an issue but to reprimand him now only adds more to distraction. Better to yank everyone’s focus back to the mission and file Gordon’s outbursts away for later reprimand and possible disciplinary action. Even that is tricky. I would want to reprimand him in a way that encourages him to work through his issues and come out better for his experience. That requires time and careful thought, both of which cannot be managed effectively while the team is deployed.

Very very true. And definitely a fine line. Although with the others seeing him acting this way, and Amanda unable to really deal with him at the moment, that in and of itself can add more trouble in future situations. The team needs to understand that behavior doesn’t stand. Would it help in this situation for Amanda to tell him that they would talk after this was over?

I guess that’s why I suggested a Gibbs Smack. It would bring back Tsu’s focus without well losing focus of the mission.

I see your point. I think of it in terms of limited resources. Amanda has only so much time with which to work with her team. Should she devote time to Gordon’s behavior or should she focus on getting this team home alive? I suspect the others know Tsu’s behavior is out of line. Their reaction is a clear indicator.

If I were Commander I might sit the team down later and play back recordings of the scene(’cause you know they have recordings. Soldiers have helmet cams). She plays the outbursts and puts the question to the team. “What went wrong here?”

If she can walk them through what happened step-by-step and let them figure out for themselves why what happened placed the team in jeopardy then she only needs to inform them what appropriate conduct is and put them to practicing it immediately.

By that point, if she did her job well Tsunami is beating himself up for placing his team at risk. Reprimand is only a formality at that point. A consequence everyone supports.

That would work and well thought out. 🙂 And now looking back at the page, yes, the rest of the team is not happy. They all appear to be glaring at him.

I wonder how often he steps in it. Or if this is just extraordinary circumstances. And he’s basically having a minor panic episode.

From their reactions it looks like nobody is expecting this from Gordon. If so then I suspect your idea of a panic episode makes most sense. To this point YP has functioned exclusively as search and rescue. I imagine the prospect of facing two of the world’s most dangerous supervillains has pushed poor Tsunami into a “game over, man!” moment. As Mr. Spock said when asked how his crew of cadets might handle the upcoming danger in “Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan”. “Each according to his gifts.” I come down hard on Tsunami for placing his team at risk with his outbursts but I never fault him for being “only human.”

From experience, I know panic/anxiety doesn’t allow logic much room to maneuver. I still want to Gibbs Smack him, but I can, through that lens, understand his outbursts.

This is one element of the story that I love. These characters are human. They are relatable. They are clearly young and inexperienced and yet they’re stepping up as best they can. What more can we ask from our heroes?

Not much. 🙂 They are doing remarkably well for what’s being asked of them.

I can understand why the Commander won’t say “we need to talk after this” to Tsunami as it could easily distract him from the mission. However Tsunami has insulted everyone and she hasn’t reacted in a manner that all of them would see as a reprimand, which I can see becoming problems in regards to Mike, Paul and Kyle.

i am glad amanda has not shut him up. what if he is not the only one thinking the things he says? better it be addressed before battle and dealt with then have hesitation due to uncertainties in the battle itself. to me he has made valid points:

1. kyle could be more of a liability because we do not understand his significance with regard to the ritual or its possible disruption.

2. the younger members of the team are under the protection of the older members and shouldnt be put in this dangerous battle unless absolutely necessary.

and 3. flukes power may have put them in the situation they are in. yes pointing this out doesnt help much, but with the issue addressed any lingering doubt or blame in the mind should dissipate. i dont mind people discussing their views or concerns. i have a problem when AFTER an issue has been dealt with, the person continues as if the decision or verdict will be changed. at that point commanders should by all means tell their subordinates to shut the fuck up. while hearing contrasting opinions during stressful times can be hard to deal with i do think some good can result from it.

This lends me to think about the origin of the group as a band of misfits and behavior issues. We’ve received hints this might be the case but Tsunami appears to be driving the theory home with a sledge hammer.

Not that I think any of it is an excuse, I do wonder what Tsu’s background is. How did he become a member of Team Misfits?

For all we know he was the shortest member of his family and so with having people now shorter than himself…

I look forward to reading that as well. Alex hinted that each of the kids might get their own stories. That would be a treat!

I have my fingers crossed for that!

Why should he feel intimidated? Tsu’s height only makes it easier to tarnish the family jewels.

There is that. But I just got the feeling that Fluke would be willing to throw down if pushed too far.

Possibly. And if so that may tie in with the fact, IIRC, that Fluke is supposed to be the member of the YP who spends the most time in the gym. Maybe that’s not just about keeping fit so that he looks good in the superhero bodysuit, but also to keep fit so that he’s good in a fight when the fickle nature of his luck powers might be 100% reliable.

I was wondering a bit about that myself and I think a very good possibility. 😀

Yes, that’s the conclussion I also made on previous page. Fluke more than any of them would have a good reason to stay in shape, for more than just normal health.

I concur. If bad luck is common for him. It’s also a form of control he would have over himself where his powers are the wild card.

Considering his superpowers sound a bit like Domino’s, he might also do it because he just doesn’t have the increased stamina/strength which may or may not be all that prevalent in this universe. He doesn’t have the Commander’s ability to know what the other people are going to do and therefore can’t dodge as well. Maybe using his powers upon himself cause them to backlash. And despite having powers he is rather squishy.

My thought as well, hence my comment about tarnishing Tsu’s family jewels. I begin to wonder if perhaps this might be an ongoing issue between them and we’re only just getting to see it.

That’s a good possibility. Tsu trying to boss the youngers around, but with the type of power Fluke has, he’s not going to put up with that type of behavior. Considering he keeps challenging Tsu each time Tsu attempts to assert himself.

*Frowns at Alex* You know, you put me in a great moral dilemma here. I’m not 100% sure how I want this first encounter/fight to end.

On one side I want the YP team to swipe in, save the innocent people and ruin the ritual – which will force PP and Anni to retreat and try to come up with something else.. and here I’ll be in hope that there IS a better option, one that might involve Spooky and Kyle.

..BUT, if it’s really so dire important that something is done soon.. then in the long term of events, it would be an ‘advantage’ if YP fail and this goes through. Even with the loss of the hostages/sacrifices. Then YP can help fight the more evil dude later.

Problem 1: To say that the evil up front plan would be needed to succeed, it also means I approve their reasons to condemn a LOT of people to pain and horror – starting with these people in the box who’ll die.
Problem 2: If there ISN’T any solution with a better outcome in time, before the walls will break down, then if YP succeed even more people may be in for a horrible life or death.

I know the English frase is ‘To choose between a rock and a hard place’, but in Denmark we say a situation like this is ‘To choose between plague and cholera’ (Old saying. I’m sure science might have made that choice easier today xD)

Evil, tricksy Alex >.>

good point. i have fought with this issue as well. what i think is that it would be best for the yp to prevent the ritual and sacrifices. i think that as u mentioned, at least one more option would have to work involving spooky and Kyle. but it is only hope that causes me to feel this way. we really dont have any strong indicator of it being a true possibility. unfortunately. ^_^

Random comment
Tsunami, why do you tend to be 3 times nakeder than anyone else on the team?

Terminal perspiration?

Can’t catch a good wave wearing more than this?

Good one!

with a body like his i am glad. his tattoo is hot!

He has to be half naked because that’s how his powers work. His magic tattoos have to be exposed for him to use them.

Sounds plausible. Did you read that in the comic? If so where, I’d like to take a look.

Well take a look at this sequence and see what you think: http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/archive/ete-ch1-page-4/

Thank you for the link! My, how the art has improved since those first pages. Sorry, got distracted. I can easily see where you might draw that conclusion. You might be right but to my knowledge nothing has been confirmed. Nonetheless, your idea makes a lot of sense. If Tsunami needed his tats exposed to air in order to use his powers that explains why he goes shirtless most of the time. It is also a way a clever villain might easily put him out of a fight. Splatter him with paint or hell, just condiments from an abandoned hot dog cart and poof! Tsunami is only a dribble. That said I imagine his body must be completely covered to neutralize his powers. A ketchup smear ain’t gonna do it. Regardless, good idea! We’ll see when Alex reveals the details in the comic.

First,
NO Tsunami,
that isnt how Flukes power works.

But thanks for being a Crybaby about your bad-luck. That will help recharge Fluke some more, since you are friends. You might as well face it, he can and will, profit from every bad thing that happens to you.

Remember his car?

Good luck he wants, costs him bad luck to himself.
He wanted to catch them in time, and now he has to get into a deadly fight.

WHAT?!

set off the timer , early?

Commander is planning to kill the Hostages to save the world ( and buy some time ) ?!!

DAMN, BOTH ladies in this comic are ruthless and have the same idea.

Er, the way I understood it, she’s talking about keeping Team Silver from sacrificing (enough) people to complete the ritual before the timer runs out o.O No killing the hostages prematurely, I hope!

Thats exaclty that PP is afraid of too.

thats why it has to happen.

If they dont kill the hostages, PP might save the world from going to hell.

cant have that.

Regarding Tsu and Looming. Tsunami – Tidal Waves. Tidal Waves tend to loom and overwhelm. I’m sure he got his name for more than just being able to make water do things. Which means that it doesn’t have the same effect on team members as it would on us. But there is a rivalry between Fluke and Tsunami. Which makes me think that this, and previous chest thumping is not the first time that Tsunami and Fluke have gone at it.

You know, for the guy who claims to be the responsible adult, Gordon is really acting childishly during all of this. I can’t tell if he’s nervous/scared, or actually has some sort of agenda.

Tsunami, you are a dick. Really. So you weren’t content with causing divisions within the team on the plane and undermining your commander’s authority? Now you’ve decided to wait until the moment team unity is needed most, just as you’re about to go into battle, to make accusations again? Even if it *were* true about Fluke, now is clearly not the time to say so.

AND after Amanda already made it clear you need to stop doing this? I can only think he got “deputy” leader by default due to age and Spooky turning it down.

And of course it’s untrue about Fluke. If he had that much control over how to use his luck, Duncan would have slipped on a stray banana skin as he stepped onto that podium-thingy and fallen down right onto a stray pointy implement left by one of the minions whilst constructing said podium-thingy.

I LOVE the mental image your last paragraph is evoking…and I’m not even on team pitchfork

I think you’re ready to be converted!

Stop trying to steal my crew away from me!

I understand: you need all the hands you can get to keep bailing the water out. My sincere apologies.

We have pumps to get the water out, what do you take us for, barbarians? Minimal manual labor.

No, it’s a matter of principle. Can’t have you luring my crew away with promises of pointy instruments.

What about thick, rounded instruments?

I just made a dildo joke, I am ashamed of myself.

😛

That must be strong paper to carry a couple of crew and pumps!

Noooo! I want him to redeem himself! And before that, to suffer a little huge bit! *clings to mast and hopes for Fluke’s luck to trigger some events of the banana skin variant*

This is something that just occurred to me. Maybe the reason that Spooky is not 2IC or the legal guardian of the underage characters is because he is a magic user. Magic users = crazy train, therefore aren’t allowed to own guns or adopt children etc.

Interesting idea. We’ll see soon enough. After learning his age from Danish I conclude that it is as simple as Gordon being 21 and thus, the only other team member of age to act as a legal guardian. That said there is much to be said about age and maturity.

Or perhaps is relationship with Amanda (either platonic or romantic) created a conflict of interest for “The Bureaucracy”.

Not sure how a conflict of interest might end up with Amanda and Gordon sharing legal guardianship of the minor members of the team. My understanding of guardianship is that all adults present are responsible for the safety and conduct of minors in their care. Tsunami and Amanda have this responsibility by virtue of being in the same “organization.” It is the same for the scouts in the real world. Perhaps I misunderstand your words?

I was referring to the fact that Spooky was in a vulnerable position as a minor and it was hinted at in the bonus comic that it was Amanda who helped him. TPTB could have looked at his history and asked themselves; “is she just choosing someone that will do as she says?” Because bureaucracy can be like that.

I get it now. Thank you for clarifying. Indeed, that would be a conflict of interest in a chain of command.

Alas, bedtime for me. I mentioned lunch and a table top game later today and I must rest. Thank you all for a fun evening and thanks again to Alex, Adam, and Veronica for putting forth yet another great page. Later!

Gosh, Commander, I hope that plan includes getting those people out of the box before that timer goes off while you’re thwarting the completion of that ritual. And oh, Tsunami! *sigh* For someone who is supposed to be the guardian of these young people, you seem to be acting the most immature. I am so disappointed. You need to step up your co-leadership game, because it seems like Spooky is kicking your ass on that front, and he doesn’t even seem to want the position!

I just discovered another one of Spooky’s superpowers: Angry Women Defuser. Seriously, I was yelling “Amanda is NOT the one you should apologise to, dumbass” when I saw the last panel, that smirk, and *poof* – all anger is gone and I want to jump Spooky. Rawr.

How about something imaginative and simple. Something the baddies probably wouldn’t have anticipated. It strikes me that the timers probably aren’t shielded, and even a few seconds alteration would throw everything off.

Depends how waterproof the glass is, in my opinion. We saw a river not far from the site. Be just natural for Tsunami to use that to create a fountain onto yon Crystal Box (TM) and short the circuits.
(Then again, shorting the circuits may cause the timer to activate the bomb prematurely…. Good thing I’m not writing the story.)

Actually, if your thinking about water, hope the cages ARE water proof and drown the cowled cretins. They aren’t marching in a circle because they’re superfluous.

What is Tsunami’s problem? He needs to chill the #@$% out.

Hmmm, since Amanda is telepathic, I’m wondering if she can take over the mind or influence of one or more people inside the box and make him/them fool around with the timer.

Maybe, but that seems a bit dangerous. The human mind is a fragile thing and listening to thoughts is probably less challenging than taking control of someone. If Commander does take control, she could accidentally break something important or damage something. Even if she just asks, there’s a chance they’ll think they’re going crazy.

But if she does nothing, they all die. And if they try to interfere physically, they’ll have to take on the PP and the Annihilator and all the minions.
It seems to me that the best way is to do things without the other side being aware that anything is going on. She may not take over one of the hostage’s mind, but it seems to me that her telepathic abilities is the way to go, and I don’t see how she can do that without help from one or more of the hostages.

I’m not saying that she might not have to do it. I’m just saying that if there’s a chance she might break someone’s mind with her actions, she will probably search for an alternative first. Not to mention that PP and Annihilator probably thought of the idea that one of the hostages might mess around with the timer, and found some way to prevent them from doing it. They have experience, so they’ll probably be using it.

The other consideration, is whether Commander has the range to do so before PP and Annie realize someone is crashing their party.

I think Tsunami has, either consciously or subconsciously, decided that Kyle was untrustworthy. Now, that distrust has extended to Paul (maybe because of his defense of Kyle??). He dismisses Flyboy because he is Too Young so at this point the next person he may doubt will probably be Spooky.

Why is he alienating and dividing the team????? This is a crucial time with the fate of the world in balance, they are all about to fight for humanity, why is he casting his doubts so loudly and accusing others right now?

Maybe…maybe he is…projecting? Being loud with doubts so..no one would doubt him..? *dubious theory*

Part of me is actually thinking Tsunami may “go heel”. He’s clearly not content with the situation, and the way he’s disrupting everyone’s focus seems almost TOO calculated.

Others below have mentioned Commander’s telepathy being useful to disrupt PP’s plans. But no one has mentioned whether PP has similar powers, magical or not, that would let her manipulate Tsunami in this manner.

Tsunami, blaming Paul because his bad-luck powers brought them bad luck.

Am I the only one thinking Tsunami is trying TOO hard to make people mad at each other? Methinks the Platinum Priestess has a mole within our favorite group of young heroes. Seriously, I would be her mole. I would be her anything.

I can see why Tsunami would be giving Fluke some serious side-eye about this, because it DOES seem suspicious, but like Commander says, all of them are in this situation now. All they can do is make the best of it.

Tsunami should take a good look in the mirror before shifting blame….but then apparently that isn’t his style.

I see a lot of suspicion towards Tsunami in the comments…
I honestly don’t think the boy is a spy or doing this on purpose.
I think Tsunami is like his element, he finds it difficult to contain his emotions.

I kinda like that about the team though, that they’re not perfect. Makes it easier to relate to them.

To paraphrase Tom Hiddleston, what Alex is so good at, is making his heroes flawed and his villains heroic.

Thanks, Alex! 🙂

A lot of my frustration with the character comes from the whole “how hard is it to say what you want to say without being insulting, derogatory, patronising or finger pointing.

Tsunami should be so glad that Amanda is his boss and not my nan. My nan took less shit from the 16 yr olds under were her employ, and I should know, I was once one of those 16 yr olds.

I’ve wanted to punch Tsunami on occasion, he can be pretty insulting at times. 😀
When I read this page, he made me growl!

But at the same time, I can understand how it is for him because I can be like that too, blurb whatever it is I feel without thinking of how it will be perceived or the consequences. I’m not much for diplomacy.
The same thing had happened with Fluke when he put his foot in his mouth back on the warehouse scene; I could see myself in his shoes, in one of my not-so-fine moments.

With the exception of Sircea (and Hunter and Killer but who counts those two?) I find many things in common with most of the cast here: Tsunami, Fluke, Kyle, Amanda, Mitch, Duncan… It means they were made to feel real, with flaws and virtues, and you have moments when you want to punch them and moments when you want to hug them.

As that is the indicator of great storytelling, I can’t get too upset over it. And I bet that Tsunami can be as annoying as any of us but he’s no traitor.

I haven’t read any of the comments that imply or outright state that they thinks he is on the other side.

I have the comments that are teeth gnashing over statements that he is saying.

I can be horribly blunt but I get the idea that I should shut it because I stop digging my grave and start digging to China. He seems to be “open mouth disengage brain” mode that depending on the person can either be utterly hilarious or horrifyingly revealing.

I was out last night and I woke up this morning to catch up with the comments on my email -I read a few posts wondering if Tsunami is doing this on purpose, if he’s working as a spy or has been affected by Sircea’s magic. But when you read all comments in one go, some stand out more than others and it’s possible they were not as many as my barely-awaken brain had initially thought. There were definitely at least a couple though.

I think what really gets people is that he’s supposed to be the second-in-command. He is supposed to be helping Amanda keep this team together, not create conflict. And it’s the second time he’s doing it -not to mention that his timing sucks big time.

If he was just another member of the team his grumpiness would still be grating but not so condemning. He is supposed to operate on higher standards. With great power comes great responsibility and all that.

I think it’s several things. One, the timing of his outburst. Two, that it’s the second outburst. And Three, as you said, he supposed to be second in command. He’s supposed to know better, he’s supposed to be the one they can count on for support, but he’s crumbling.

I admit it begins to make me suspicious, but I’ve also postulated that he could be suffering minor panic and panic undermines logic and reason and even our sense of self on occasion. Which of course could be why he’s with the TYP because he has these issues. But of course this then begs why is he in a position of power to begin with?

PS- How was the movie?

Tsunami having anger management issues being the reason he’s in the “rejects” team is a good idea… I can also entertain the possibility of him being affected by Sircea’s magic but I can’t believe for a moment he’s undermining this mission on purpose! I like all YP by default, I can’t see any of them doing such a thing.

The movie I liked. It had a couple of elements I wasn’t crazy about but I liked how Vlad was portrayed. If you’ve read any of Jeanine Frost’s “Night Huntress” books, this Dracula reminded me of her Vlad Tepes.
Which is the highest compliment I can give the movie 😀

I think if he were truly doing it on purpose and not just shooting his team in the foot because of issues, he would be a lot slicker about it. This does seem to just burst from him without any thought whatsoever.

I can’t wait to see it. I like the actor who’s playing Vlad.

Luke Evans? He’s amazing. He has that badass attitude and quiet menace down pat.

He’s also proof that a gay man can be a leading man and make women swoon, without having to hide his sexuality. I don’t give a shit what team he’s batting for, the man is hot!

Well, considering I had no idea he was gay, I concur!

There is a lot of circumstantial evidence about James Dean. He was “in” with Elizabeth Taylor’s crowd and she fought fiercely for him, same as she fought for Monty Clift. She would have known for sure but to my knowledge she took confirmation with her to the grave.

Hey everyone has known that since James Dean and Rock Hudson.

…James Dean was gay? o.0

There is some debate as the whether he was gay or bi, but yeah he had an “experimental” love life.

I like Luke Evans as an actor, but unfortunately, I have a major issue with him. He was an openly gay actor up until he landed a few major Hollywood roles. Then, out of the blue, he started denying interviews, his PR people took down anything about him being gay on his Wiki article, and even announced that he was engaged to his head of PR, a woman.

I have no issue if he wants to deny his sexuality to himself or is questioning. What he does in his personal life should be his business alone. But actions like that send a huge message to young gay people that there’s something wrong with them.

(PS just googled it and it looks like he finally got his shit straight [or rather, gay] just this week. But, my comment stands. I understand that it’s his business who he wants to tell that he’s gay. And that being famous, with everyone judging you is unbelievably difficult. However, celebrities have to think about the effect of their actions on the people who are seeing them. He send an extremely negative message with his actions.)

I don’t think he ever hid he was gay. It’s not like once you’re “out” you can go back “in” again. But big studios and PR agents tend to try to control what is written about their “investments” -but that makes me angry for him, not at him.

I also guess that when you’re not a big Hollywood star people don’t hassle you as much about your personal life. The moment you become someone in Hollywood everyone seems to feel entitled to you and what you’re doing. PR strategies aside, maybe the man didn’t want people to focus on his sexuality but focus on his work instead?

I think I’ve heard he was in a relationship with a woman years ago (don’t know who she was) but that’s none of my business. Maybe he’s a 9 on the Kinsley scale, who knows?

I understand your points, and I think we can probably agree that the real enemy is the current film industry and their practices.

It reminds me a lot of an exercise we did in film class once. Look up the films playing at your local theatre, and check the age, race, gender and sexual orientation of the lead actor and the director. Nine times out of ten it’s a straight, white male in his 40s. Seriously, it’s all Steven Spielberg films starring Mark Wahlberg.

However, I really just wish that more actors could handle things Zachary Quinto or Jim Parsons. They’ve been living as gay men in their personal lives for years and when it came up they were honest, but didn’t make a big deal about it. I completely understand it’s not that easy for everyone else. So, I don’t blame Luke Evans for acting naive, but I still think his actions were harmful, and I hope people are more aware of that in the future. People, especially teens, are strongly influenced by their icons.

I think this Time article makes the best points though, in case you’re interested: https://time.com/3491050/luke-evans-dracula-untold-coming-out/

Kinsey.

Typo.

so is there some rule that once u r gay u r gay for life? could he not have become het for a while, then gay again? who makes the rules of sexuality??? what if he changed orientation for a while (not hiding anything) and changed back? is this not possible?

hmm! your second paragraph there is making a lot of sense to me. It would also explain why no one seems super surprised that he’s being such an ass hat. Especially the commander.

So movie; Sexy Dracula, War Dracula or Sexy War Dracula?

Sexy War “I’m-gonna-kill-everyone-in-my-path-to-protect-my-family” Dracula 🙂

i think it is just a situation where tsunami is feeling wary of the young heroes engaging such a dangerous duo for such an extremely important mission and he is lashing out in suspicion and frustration. yes he may be second in command but i think he should still be able to voice his concerns or suspicions when relevant. and to me everything he has said has been a valid issue/point. i would prefer his concerns / issues be addressed before the encounter, then have him distracted by what he should have said and thus endanger himself, others, or this critical mission.

The things he lets fly out of his mouth though, at a time like this… lets just say if he wants to be a “guardian” of *anyone* he will need to grow the hell up. he’s acting like a little kid.

all that aside.. what you said about him being like his element? watery and difficult to control. that i can dig. the water associations are perfect for him. unpredictable, sometimes still and quiet, sometimes choppy, often destructive. i look forward to seeing him in battle, to confirm if he can go all the way with that metaphor — the raging waters.

I get the feeling she’s too compassionate/empathetic (comes with the territory with the whole telepath thing, I imagine) for it, or that flawed heroism angle would have me thinking she might consider the option of razing the sacrifices before the appointed time. Greater good and all that.

I don’t think she can go that far over the line, though, even as a last resort.

That’s a lovely quote (and a very fine compliment). Thank you, Sofia. 🙂

It was from an interview, where he explained where he thought the success of the Marvel universe lied. I think you got it right too 🙂

There is a blog post that pretty much says how I feel about the whole villain/hero dichotomy. And because I’m too lazy to find my own words, I’ll link to it: http://www.miriamjoywrites.com/2012/08/30/flawed-heroes-and-heroic-villains/

That was very interesting. Thank you for the link. 🙂

Yo, that’s my blog! (Sorry, I’m only here because stats said I had a referral and I got excited.) Thanks for the shoutout!

You may want to read this comic then and let us know what you think of its villains ;D

Btw, I have a different opinion on Sauron but I guess it’s better to discuss this on your blog’s comments instead of here 🙂

Oh – I don’t know – I wouldn’t mind hearing it – some of us have been kicking around some Tolkien-related things once in awhile as peripheral or related to some of the ideas and questions around here. Besides, when one is camping, one can only be sustained so far on virtual tea and muffins and s’mores.

Welcome, Miriam! I enjoyed reading your post! 🙂

Thanks for the link, great blog post.

That’s lovely insight. Thanks 🙂

goddamn I love tsumami’s tats… the work in to his design is just so
intricate and beautiful. I just give that a thumbs up. I freaking love
this comic. sometimes with comics and tv shows I put up with an art
style I don’t care for because the writing is awesome. or sometimes I
put up with a writing style I don’t care for because the art is
awesome…. I don’t get that here. I love it all. its like a perfect
symphony, every note is where it needs to be. the writing, design, the
art its all perfect. its like avatar basically. great characters…
great story… amazing art. Thank you everyone involved in this… thank you!

Well, thank you, Beatrix. What a really nice thing to say. You’ve got me grinning over here. 🙂

How do you stop them? Uhm… you… you knock off that giant Stargate! You throw tomatoes at their minions and insult the demon they worship to piss them off! You… you call PP old and fat… if you dare! 😀

I would love to see one of them call PP old and fat because I just have an image of her taking a time out just to lecture them on the ever changing standards on female beauty.

You take away… ( kill? ) the Hostages

knock over the collected blood offering?

Oh, don’t leave me hanging!

This is totally irrelevant. But I can’t think of anything to add that hasn’t been said. Soo, does Commander look a short-haired Carmen Sandiego to anyone else? Maybe it’s just the coat. Either way, it lends some credence to that shady past theory, eh?

Ha, she does a bit.

good thing that Commander always keeps her cool like that and intervenes before they start fighting among themselves!
So she already decided that they’re ALL into it! Wondering what she has planned out already but am really curious, too 😀

though I’m also nervors as hell >_<'

She’s a telepath, she could tell Tsunami to think really hard before opening his mouth because if he says what he is thinking right now he would be shoving his foot into his mouth.

Finally done with homework and it feels like I can finally sit down and enjoy this page for real. No major analysis, but I like the interaction between the characters. There is so much uncertainty that lies ahead of them all, and no one knows for sure how this will end.
And Kyle is quite. what is going on in that red head of his?

Doki is in a really bad spot right now. Her depression is getting very bad and it would be much appreciated if everyone would keep her in their thoughts.

I’m very sorry to hear that. And I will.

FWIW, no spoilers, but some important Mitch moments are soon to come. 🙂

will do

I’m so sorry to hear that. I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from her in a while. I hope she feels better, and I will keep sending her all the love in the universe.

tell her her dry wit is missed!

Aww, Lady Deimos. That sucks. I don’t really know her, but if you think she’d find it amusing, tell her the dork who nagged her about getting in a car with her crazy-driving grandma is on her side. 😛

I am so sorry to hear that. Please send her lots of hugs from me and tell her that we’ll all be here looking forward to seeing her again.

I know what it is like. Se has my sincere sympathy/empathy for sure.

Geez, Tsunami complains a lot. Dude, try to be more constructive.

I know this is a bit late, but it just occured to me. Why would Duncan serve such a costly wine for Kyle? It is not as if Kyle would notice. If he had intended the relationship to last, it would make sense. Kyle may have looked it up later. But since he knew there was no chance of that, why?

Duncan never slums it.

If he’s drinking wine he is drinking the best wine, if he’s driving a car he’s driving the fastest car, if he wears jeans you can bet they’re custom-made and worth a CEO’s month’s salary.

It’s just who he is.

Maybe bargain-bucket Claret interfered with the spell?

Tsunami is being a jerk (for a change,) but this time he actually has a point.

Wait… what? Do you mean that Paul could’ve changed this outcome? Or that he somehow had a hand in the situation they’re in? From my perspective there is no luck involved in what’s going on now, it’s all premeditated by super villains. In fact nothing about their situation is under Paul’s control, except for minor circumstantial stuff in their immediate surroundings. As his teammate, and someone with a brain, Tsunami should recognize that. At first I understood why he was having the reaction that he was having on the plane, but now it’s almost like he’s trying to find reasons to turn against/blame the two guys when anything at all happens that he doesn’t like/isn’t under his own control. Accusing Paul of wanting this outcome, and making it happen, is preposterous and incredibly immature. He has no business talking to one of his teammates that way. Just my humble opinion.

Well, exactly to all that. But it does sound like the Big T. is being suspicious in just that way.

Oops, I didn’t see your comment before for some reason. See my reply to Terri Sutton above.

Yes Tsunami is right. Fluke totally got a line to PP and told her to schedule the ritual (which has been planned for years, probably longer than he had powers) before the military could arrive so that he could punch her and her boy-toy in the face.

Heh. I don’t mean Fluke did anything so ridiculous on a conscious level. I was just thinking having (a) the military get there in time and save the day or (b) TYP somehow pull off an unlikely victory with no casualties would both be “lucky” outcomes. Fluke personally would probably prefer option (b) and since it’s not clear how much control he has over his powers, it does look just a tad suspicious.
This is completely the wrong time for Tsunami to be bringing that up, though.

I finally looked into the ad through Project Wonderful and started reading this yesterday.

I feel so empty, I rushed through this marvelous piece of work. It’s Questionable Content all over again. All of the good stuff is still developing good stuff!

I did the same thing with QC 🙂

Welcome srkelley, glad you found us!

I know how difficult it is waiting, but tonight (or depending on where you are) we have an update! Hope to see you there!

PS- I love QC as well.

Thanks for making it, you have me eager for work to end so that I can read it.

Welcome, srkelley! I’m really glad you found us and that you’re enjoying the comic! 😀

Oh yes, this is very mature and engaging stuff. I dig the art style, I like the characters and I am really enjoying how the world is being slowly expanded and revealed.

There are two huge crises going on right now, the main characters are dealing with one directly but it all still feels like the opening of a book. There are so many untapped layers and things to play with, you guys have got yourself a new rabid fan.

I originally thought that things were going to be shallow but it’s the opposite. I can see why people fund the comic, it’s better than many that I’ve paid for. You don’t get to see this side of the hero equation much. It feels like this world it would be one of the closest to mirroring our own if it had heroes.

Well, thank you very much for all the kind words! You’ve got me blushing here! 🙂

Welcome to the party! 🙂

Hello all. Happy Camping Day.

Is isn’t too early to camp yet?

Sure, why not? That said, it’s probably easiest for those who either have insomnia or who are currently in the middle of the work day.

Doki is still in a really bad spot, she also can no longer use twitter on her nook for some reason. :-/ Her computer is being worked on, but she doesn’t know how soon it will be fixed.

Poor Doki! D: Thank you for the update, though.

I hope her computer is fixed asap, I could see that being an important part of connection with others. We have all missed ‘seeing’ her around. Hope she feels better soon.

Thanks for keeping us updated. She’s definitely in my thoughts, and I hope her electronics get sorted out so we can talk to her soon!

Can you keep us posted? If her computer is DOA maybe we can set up a collection for a basic PC. I can contribute 11/01 when I get paid.

I think her depression is doing better, but it might just be a ‘calm’ spot. The latest news on the computer is that the guy fixing it has managed to run a program for finding ‘bad sectors’ and it has been running for roughly 20-24 hours. 75-80% of the sectors checked so far are ‘bad’ and it isn’t halfway done. He also had to get into the computer in away he hasn’t had to before. He still thinks he can fix it, but he is still unsure how long it will take.

Fluke’s power is to convert bad luck for himself into good luck for others (or so I understand it). We got to see it at work in Chapter One here: http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/archive/ete-ch1-page-8/

This could just be me, but wouldn’t powers based on good luck and bad luck naturally tend to react to what the person with the abilities considers desirable? I mean, a lot of people would consider winning a lifetime supply of ice cream to be really good luck, but to someone who was diabetic or lactose intolerant or just didn’t like ice cream, it wouldn’t be.

So it strikes me as normal that use of Fluke’s good-luck powers would result in an outcome he personally would consider desirable.

I agree but still, would Fluke be able to influence things?
The whole point of “luck” it’s that it’s random and out of people’s control.

Or maybe he has power only over good luck, abd he can direct that any way he likes, but the back luck he has to pay for it is random?

We still don’t know how his powers work. Judging by his name, they could be just a fluke!

The impression I got from the time we saw him use his powers in Chapter One was that the bad luck has to happen first in order for him to be able to make good luck.

However, you do have a good point – if regular good luck happens to him, can he turn that into bad luck for opponents? Or would that backfire because (to Fluke) something going badly for his opponent would technically be good luck for him?

My best guess is that his powers only work in one direction – if bad luck from any source happens to him (including something bad befalling those he cares about, as Alex has confirmed), Fluke can turn that into good luck for himself and/or someone he’s helping.

But that’s what I mean; would arriving late count as bad luck or good luck?

Because it seems like bad luck to me. Especially for the poor people in the glass case.

If they’d arrived too late to stop the ritual at all, I’d say that would definitely be bad luck. But as things currently stand, they still have a chance to stop the ritual and save the people, which Fluke sees as good luck.

Plus they get to confront Duncan and Sircea directly, and since Fluke took Duncan’s mistreatment of Kyle very personally, he was probably hoping to get a shot at Duncan. I think he would rather fight the villains himself than simply stand back while the military takes care of it, and I wonder if that desire influenced this outcome — they still have time, but they’re too late to fall back on military reinforcements and will have to go in themselves.

I wonder how much control Fluke has over the specific way luck turns in his favor — if “good luck” basically means “the outcome Fluke wants,” can he influence which desires of his are indulged, or is it simply a matter of which of his desires are strongest? As it is, this result seems like a mixed bag. He might get a chance to punch Duncan in the face: good for him. But they’re cutting it really close, and now there are hostages whose lives are in critical danger (which he couldn’t have known about ahead of time and I’m sure he wouldn’t have wanted): not so good for him, or anyone really.

I think you’re right about the current results being a mixed bag. I am definitely curious to know more about the precise nature of Fluke’s powers. My guess is that he can point them in a general direction (like when he kept the fire-damaged building from injuring anybody as it was falling apart), but I could easily see that resulting either from a specific wish (“I don’t want this structurally unsound building to hurt anyone”) or from him focusing on his desire to protect people. Either way, it didn’t lead to good luck in the form of somebody finding a valuable antique coin, just people being protected from harm, so there has to be some way for him to guide it.

I also wonder whether he can expend his luck power in limited increments (like “I’ll use 20% of the luck I’ve got stored up to help us find the bad guys in time”) or if Fluke sets his powers on a task and then they just drain however much it takes to accomplish that task.

Those are all really interesting ideas! “Luck” is such a nebulous concept, really — there are a lot possibilities when it comes to the specifics of Fluke’s powers. I’m really looking forward to learning more about them.

Playing devil’s advocate here but what would his previous bad luck have been then?
Would the misfortunes his friend suffered count as his bad luck?

I believe that Alex confirmed that they did. Let me see if I can find that…

If Fluke suffers enough as the result of his friend’s pain, maybe. That’s what’s sort of frustrating about the idea of luck-based powers — the rules seem slippery, and even the concept would have to vary enormously from individual to individual. So I’m very curious if other people’s perception of what’s lucky/unlucky has any bearing on the outcomes as well, or if Fluke’s perception is what counts.

If I recall correctly, Alex said that Fluke would consider something bad happening to someone he cares about to be even worse than something happening to him directly. I’m pretty sure this was in the comments back somewhere early in chapter 3, but I’m not sure where… I’m looking now.

Lets get metaphorical. Is Fluke considering something bad happening to a friend as bad luck the same as Fluke’s powers considering something bad happening to a friend as bad luck?

I would argue yes, but I don’t have much concrete to base that on.

I recall as well Alex mentioning such a thing.

If only I could find the exact comment. It’s times like these (combing through multiple pages of comments) that I almost regret how talkative we all are.

True! It’s such a bummer that Disqus took away the search feature.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/archive/ete-ch3-page-37/

🙂

Thank you, Alex!

And here’s Alex’s Word of God comment that I was looking for! (from the comments section on the page that Alex linked): “For Fluke, bad things happening to his friends counts as some really bad
luck in his own life. In fact, he’d consider it worse than he, himself,
suffering directly. So, it can indeed “charge” up his powers.”

Good question. I guess it depends on whether luck is a concrete “thing” or just a concept, if that makes sense? If luck is just an idea, then Fluke thinking something is lucky = his powers thinking it’s lucky, and Fluke arguably has a greater degree of control. If luck exists as its own entity beyond Fluke’s personal perceptions, his powers might surprise him with what they determine is the “lucky” outcome.

I remember him saying something like that, too. Thanks for hunting for the exact comment!

– Spooky’s decision to search area’s they way they did.
– Lt. Clumsy McTwoleftfeet slipped and fell face first and now the military needs a last minute replacement and are now a few minutes behind schedule.
– PP and Duncan choosing this particular time for the ritual.
– PP and Duncan choosing this area for the ritual.
– PP and Duncan choosing to use Kyle in this plan.
– Duncan leaving Kyle in an area so far away from the YP so that they can’t mobilise as quickly.
– Kyle being scared of coming out to his friends (given Tsunami’s reaction, perhaps Kyle’s fear is not without cause) which leaves him easy prey for Duncan.
– Kyle being gay.
– Kyle being the son of Laampos.
– Whatever the idiots of the Grey Working did.

Seriously at what point does anything cease to be Fluke’s fault? Has Fluke’s ability been manipulating events since he was born just so he could punch Duncan in the face, which is probably something he didn’t want to do the night before.

I’m…not sure if your comment was intended as a counterargument to what I just said? I certainly don’t think any of the things you listed are Fluke’s fault. I just meant that Fluke considers them finding the site in time to stop the ritual to be good luck.

Yes, he wants to beat up Duncan personally, but I’m pretty sure that stopping a demonic invasion is his top priority. And, as Fluke himself said, he can’t control what the exact results of using his powers will be, just that it would be something he’d consider to be good luck.

I may be a little annoyed by the people saying that they agree with Tsunami and that it is suspicious. I wanted to be snarky about Fluke’s luck. I saw your comment as the perfect place to make my comment about things that were lucky for PP and Duncan that could also be considered lucky for Fluke as they were building up to the point of him punching Duncan.

And I would like the think that Fluke is an awesome bro and wants to really punch Duncan on Kyle’s behalf.

Okay, thank you for explaining! I love Fluke, and I agree with you about it being awesome of him to want to punch the guy who hurt his best friend. 🙂

For reasons I will never reveal , I’m early tonight.
Hi y’all

We have ways of making you talk Mr. Bond.

ha ha ha, chuckle

Hi Dave!

If good luck lines up with what Fluke wants to happen, does this mean that in order to save the world, Tsunami will somehow be forced to do the gay thing?

Do you think Fluke wants Tsunami to do the gay thing?

It wouldn’t necessarily have to be with Fluke. Fluke might just want to watch.

I didn’t take Fluke as someone who enjoys being a voyeur let alone a voyeur of homosexual sex acts.

But his luck power may work on a subconscious level.

That shouldn’t have been as funny as it should.

“Touch the wiener, Gordon – the fate of the world depends on it!”

“Hey wait a minute, let me see that magic book…”

Hmmm…..wonder who you are imagining saying that to him – and whose wiener needs the touching. And for some odd reason, that made me think of something that I never thought of before – maybe P.P. is one big bad ancient drag queen/goddess? That hair, the sparkly over-the-top get-up, her attitude, the need for attention from the masses (a crowd) or to be worshiped, etc., her devoted fans/entourage, and hanging out with queer-boy Duncan.

That…is the least palatable interpretation of Sircea I’ve heard yet! God, no.

Sorry – I didn’t think you’d take that very well – I should have insinuated that possibility as a response to someone else’s comment – lol. 😉

Haha, I’m predictable that way! Maybe you can supply a scenario for my dialogue up there, though — I didn’t really think that through.

I know there has been a lot of controversy in the “trans” community lately, including a lot of stuff from Ru Paul’s “Drag Race” show, over the use of the term “she-male” (or “chicks with dicks”, for that matter), but I wonder if we can infer anything that she is called SIRcea.

*facepalm* Oh my god.

*pats back*

Do me a favor and pour this bleach in my ear.

Need a second jug or is the first good?

Let it sit a little and we’ll see!

Just let me know.

Oh dear – and it was all just a passing supposition – no physical or emotional injuries intended.

I can bleach your eyes too if you want. 🙂

But then I won’t be able to see the updates, so I’ll pass on the thoughtful offer, LOL.

There is that 😛

Ouch!

oh dear! not your lovely ears.

Alas, there is no bleach for the human heart.

And just as Circe turned Odysseus’s sailors into swine, so shall Sircea make Tsunami squeal like a pig.

Oh – there you go – there’s a connection for you.

There is another connection: Laampros refer to her as a sow.

Quite right! That one’s rather ironic.

I have some friends who are transgendered (militantly so) and they would be wanting words (lots of words) with you. Hopefully they would be gentle but I somehow doubt it.

Actually, there have also been a number in the community that support RuPaul, including in the use of the term “she-male” (personally, I think that, in the show’s context, the use of the phrase “you’ve got she-male” is pretty funny) – and that a lot of people should just get over it.

Maybe that’s part the ritual, and it will be more “Touch the weiner DUNCAN, the success of the ‘working’ depends on it!”, and then she pulls a “crying game”. It does seem that those rituals they have been doing require some type of sex act.

If it turns out this ritual calls for a sex act and Sircea doesn’t pull a crying game, that might be more traumatizing for a lot of the readers here than if she really were packing some unexpected equipment.

I say you probably have that right – although a lot of people (not me) have surmised that Sircea and Duncan are “involved” as more than just pals in crime.

I’m more or less one of those surmisers, in the sense than I’m not entirely discounting the possibility, but I can’t think of many who have suggested it and liked the idea.

im ok with it.

lady parts stopped being icky at 12 .

( but now I want PP to be played by a man in the movie )

The Crying Game, huh? Based on those establishing shots, I was thinking something more along the lines of Deliverance.

Are you saying she’s been known to threaten her minions with something along the lines of “I’m going to make you squeal like a goat!”?

If one of the team does it, then they could call the porn video “Coming of Age in Samoa.”

Sircea, Goddess of Drag Queens, Cross Dressers, Twinks and Melodrama.

I nominate you to tell her that.

You think she tucks or pads her candy?

I used the word Goddess with the assumption that she is female (in either biologically or self-identifying) asking such things is so rude.

We’ve seen close-ups of her crotch, but I detected neither bulge nor camel-toe (no doubt due to the good taste of Adam DeKraker). Perhaps this is because she was wearing a platinum bikini.

I maintain my personal head canon that she is either naked or wearing comfortable pyjamas and the metal bikini is just an allusion. Because that looks like it is impossible to put on, take off and move in.

I made a comment many pages ago that she was an “old style” female character in that skimpy outfit with the long legs and the breastplate and bare midriff.

I don’t think there is any way to hide the wrong equipment under that costume she likes to wear. That lady is a lady.

Of course she could be a fabulous “post-operative” transsexual. Hey – maybe she got bored of being a male after several thousand years and wanted to “switch it up” a little. Or maybe her magic allows her to take various forms without the need for surgery. She might even be innately genderless as some sort of non-human entity, but has chosen one or the other over the years (though, granted, her little display of her history doesn’t really support that).

but her flashbacks were female.
Go see pages 60 and 61 (double spread)

I know – that’s what I was referring to.

The fact that she specified she’d be a “goddess” once more indicates to me that she considers herself female, whatever manner of being she is — it seems more and more that she isn’t strictly human.

She at least seems to prefer her goddess-phase(s) 😉 I suppose that, in a lot of cultures, there is a much broader array of clothing/costuming options that it is acceptable to wear if you are female. Even in American society today, it’s much more acceptable for a woman to wear trousers and a tie than for a feller to wear a dress. And think of the permutations of “shirt and tie” vs all the untold millions of permutations of “dress”. At least intellectually, I can see one of the things that appeals to male transvestites in that.

I know you were – my intention was just to be playful – a little “tongue-in-cheek” – didn’t mean to be rude.

And I was being a smartarse by messing with you.

Figured that too 😉 – just wanted to cover my bases (ass) – don’t want to get in trouble by seeming to have unpleasant intentions.

Wow, that’s a lot to cover for just one goddess. I mean, twinks alone need constant attention. They’re so needy. Like puppies.

Hence the Melodrama, because neglected twinks tend to cause a lot of that.

Hamlet said: “Frailty they name is woman”
and
Dave says: “Teenager, they name is melodrama”
(I forgot the quote marks and edited them in)

But soooo much more expensive, and without the unconditional love you get from the puppies.

I don’t know, I think with both the expensiveness depends on whether or not you get a designer breed.

Haha, I want to say that while handing him a hot dog and watch him get all weirded out. 😛

Would that be a pork hot-dog wiener?

Nooo, veggie dog!

Too bad I don’t have the other kind of wiener or it would be even funnier. 😛

I once ate a “tuna link” at a church gestural on a Friday when beef hot dogs weren’t permitted. It tasted like a real hot dog but it wasn’t.

and another thing, those jars of “bacon bits” ain’t bacon because they are marked “kosher” and thus cannot be pork.

If you are after maximum effect (maximum weirding-out), then, change that to “Bite the weiner, Gordon.”

So is Fluke’s luck power something latent, that’s active at all times, or does actively use it to turn events? Would help clear up any “golly gosh, how did that happen?” moments.

Perhaps Fluke is really God, and the entire universe has been evolving to a set of circumstances which he has unconsciously chosen.

The plot of the movie “Dogma” would find great delight in that notion.

We got to have a dog stay with us this past weekend – the eldest daughter of her family was getting married and their house was going to be very chaotic, so we got to take care of her!

Mia is an incredibly sweet dog (I’ve been the dogsitter/housesitter before when her family’s gone on a trip) and we loved having her. My mom (who continues to make good progress in her recovery from her hip replacement) called Mia her therapy dog. ^_^

This has no relation to the comic, sorry. I just wanted to talk about the dog.

Also, our friends were the third family she’d had – the two previous ones had both given her up. 🙁 So at first after they got her she was really shy around new people because she thought they might take her away again. But as time passed and she learned that she had a home for good, Mia became very friendly and happy to meet everyone. She’s such a good dog.

Glad Mia found a permanent home. 🙂

Me too! 🙂 Now if only we could stop wanting to steal her for ourselves.

Good morning People!
Having a good time?

Yep! How are you, Sapfo?

I´m in pain! Working out is bad for you. Just so you know ;D

I’ve always suspected as much. ;D

Me to, but now I know for real. If I dont survive. KEEP ON CAMPING!

See!! I knew it.

Just you wait! I am going to redo it next week 😀

Why oh why! The humanity… Just so long as you get the hot tub afterwards.

Oh I will! Three plump ladies in a tub. Life is good! ^_^

Yes yes it is.

Very nice, thank you! Enjoying some rare downtime. Hurrah!

Happy and joy! Hope everything is going the right way.

Anytime I can update my own site while participating in my own stuff counts as pretty darned good. Hope it’s a great night (day?) for everyone here!

Good Morning, Ms Sapfo

Woohoo! Camping and Skyrim, what a great night. Anyone care for some dragon ribs?

Sweet Rolls?

Probably shouldn’t, someone will nick them when my back is turned.

Ah, too true. I’ve heard there are some agents of the Thieves’ Guild wandering about. *innocent whistling*

If any of my sweet rolls go missing it is probably karma.

The first time that I heard; “Someone’s stolen my sweet roll.” I immediately went and stole of the sweet rolls.

Yeah, I totally get that. The first time I heard “took an arrow to the knee”, I went out and shot a bandit in the knee.

You mean you never shot the guy who said it in both knees?

marshmallows toasted in dragon fire. .

The best kind. Balrog-fire gets them overly charred.

Some fun while camping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhJQp-q1Y1s

I’m familiar with Chateau Chunder!

Isn’t that all wines?

Just some of the cheaper ones. Sometimes referred to as the ‘2 buck chuck’.

Even if it is the spendy fancy wine, you drink enough there will be chunder!

If it came from Ohio in plastic bottles it was called “Thunderbird” and it was the a buck a bottle – the table wine of winos

and here I am quietly listening to “Das Lied von der Erde” with interruptions for Monty Python. My darling, that is so cognitively dissonant

I object to all this Fish on the telly

I object to your objection. More fish on telly

I object to objecting!

Then, To thine own own your self, you are affecting,
Divided you fall, unless to your confusion you are collecting.

Your self doubt is caustic,
I reach out to help ,
but youve gone sick
we try and save you ,

but youve lost it.

Dr Rhyme pronounces fatal your self-possession,
suffered a mortal blow from your self-Objection,
there was no time for disinfection,
we mourn its passing ,and wary its infection

Your telly schedule commands Ejection;
Your pescatarian Dreams , collapse into Dejection.
Well, I project your objection, into a full rejection,

Your Seafood, has seen no mood for television
this Rhymes beats yours and resists revision

All right, I’m gonna go take a shower. I’ll try to make it back here afterwards, but I might end up just going to bed.

It is getting to that time. Have a good night.

Thanks, you too!

If you don’t make it back, Good night, Stick!

My shower helped me wake up a little, so I’m back for now!

Yay!!

Wow, it just sunk in that we’re about to hit page 70 of just this chapter! I love how substantial this comic is — this is going to be a really fun chapter to see in physical form, and that volume’s going to feel hefty!

I have actually been looking around my room trying to figure out where I could put it when I buy it.

I can’t believe we still have two chapters after this one. That makes me really happy, actually!

Me, too. It’s like being in the middle of a really good novel: looking forward to seeing how everything resolves, but happy to have a lot left to read.

Absolutely!

I do believe Volume Two will be significantly bigger than Volume One…. 🙂

Hmm. Is this going to be like the way the Harry Potter novels kept getting thicker? We had a running joke in one of my nerd groups that sooner or later they’d get to the point where one of the novels would be so massive that it’d undergo gravitational collapse and turn into a black hole…

I don´t think anyone will object to this 😀

For some reason Commander talking about the timer in the last panel is making me think of the game Perfection, where you try to put these little plastic shapes into their spots before the timer runs out and pops everything out of place.

I think I’m kind of tired.

imagine if that were to happen to the hostages when the timer runs out!

hello

Hallo

Oh, a ‘hallo’ , huh?

Well I thought to say Hola.

ITS The thought that really counts.,
—-especially when that thought is to send me cold hard cash.

Sorry keeping such things for myself. 🙂

A penny for your thoughts,
( when those are thoughts are to send me a tenner )

well if you develop allegies to the stuff ill be here

I think she is talking swedish. Hello in swedish is Hallo….

It’s the only word I know…

i assume every word in swedish has some filthy mysterious overtone

you are so right mr Black. That is why Sweden is the best place in the world. Nobody understands us and we have a bunch of fun 😀

i TRIED TO LEARN your language from American educational television, but The swedish Chef let me down.

there there my friend. Don´t you worry your pretty head about swedish stuff. You just keep sending me men in kilts and I be happy speaking english

Hi Adam!

Dont tell steve I just made Mochachinos

Yeah – could do with one of those.

You just have to arrive within 3-4 days, thats when they will be gone

So …what do YOU think about the possibility of P.P. being an ancient (though rather fabulous) drag-queen? (Though I’m sure Silibub isn’t going to take kindly to me opening that can of worms again).

Of course she is. That goes without saying.
But thats isnt a comment on her gender.
Just her Stage Drama, and Cosplay

Your theory might explain why she wears giant metal underwear.

Anyone with any caffeinated beverages on-hand?

I could make tea, but I don’t want anything keeping me awake once I do go to bed.

Does caffeinated fizzy drink count?

I suppose a Mountain Dew or similar analogue would work – lol.

I just have to say that despite not wanting to name the brand that I am drinking (too much Gruen Transfer has made me cynical in regards too random online mentions of products) I want to emphatically state that I am NOT drinking Mountain Dew.

I just fell asleep for 10 minutes. SO, I’m going to turn off the computer, turn out the lights, and really go to sleep. I need to get up early tomorrow. I set three alarm clocks. they don’t stand a chance of being left in one piece with me.

Good night, Dave! And RIP, Dave’s clocks…

Guten Nacht!

Goodnight!

Good night, Dave!

Page is baking in the oven. So up soon. 🙂

Also, just a small note — humorous speculation about whether The Platinum Priestess is a drag queen, while odd for this creator (and perhaps dangerous to say in earshot of the lady herself), is of course fine. 😉

But let’s remember that a significant number of our readership identifies as transgender. So, let’s be careful about talking about transgendered folk as if they aren’t in the room. As a gay guy, I’m always getting a feel for a community by how they talk about gay people when they think they are talking about “others” who aren’t actually standing right next to them. (A unfortunately common occurrence for those who don’t know me. ) I don’t promise a safe space here, but this is a respectful space. Let’s remember that when talking about people we think are different than us and especially remember it when if we want to speculate about what we think people should or should not get riled up about.

We do a great job here of setting a tone where both new readers and long-time readers alike know that their voices will be respected and listened to as equals, even (sometimes especially) if they are different from us. Let’s just make sure our comments reflect that before hitting Post on Disqus here, even when the hour gets late and the mood gets a little silly. 😉

A note on Terminology

Drag Queens,

Transvestites and

Transgender people are not the same thing.

Drag queens are men, usually gay men that cosplay as women in stage shows. Its mostly about extreme artifice for artifice sake. and glamour. Its an act , for entertainment.

Trangender people transition out of a desire for authenticity for how they feel inside.

When you meet a genuine Transgender person it can feel extremely normal and natural they they are transitioning. Its not out of a desire ( hopefully ) for artifice.

In some ways its the polar opposite of what Drag Queens do ( even though there is some overlap )

Transvestites are men, usually straight men that are sexually aroused by dressing as women. Its a kink.Its not a Gender.

Its important that they are discouraged by any transient desire to transition ( which may manifest as a temporary sexual fanatasy ) because if they do they may experience Body-dysphoria.

Many Transgender people have Negative feelings towards Drag queens and shows because they feel it misrepresents who they are to the public. Its a good idea to be very clear when talking about Transvestsites and Drag Queens that you dont causally confuse and/or conflate then with Transgender people.

@Steve K. : Disqus

It’s that distinction that, right or wrong, makes me feel more comfortable with folks humorously speculating whether The Platinum Priestess is a drag queen, as drag queens are a gay cultural phenomenon that’s about, as you say, entertainment and artifice.

The casual conflation of drag queens, transvestites, and transgendered folks is a mistake that’s important to point out. Not saying one is more OK or better than the other, but they aren’t the same thing. And, as a gay man, I know the discomfort of having folks assume I’m a bunch of things that I’m not.

yes, I agree

I was going to post this lower in the comments, but I thought it might be more productive to comment below yours as more people might see it.

Going on beyond artiifice and right out the other side embody the role of the Archypal wise “Fool” are is the Social Service Organization “the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisters_of_Perpetual_Indulgence

http://www.thesisters.org/

Personally, Drag shows do nothing for me, but I think SOPI are doing something very special . Its Culture-hacking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_jamming .

They are serious and humorous at the same time.

Page up

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/archive/ete-ch3-page-70/

I’m puzzled by Tsunami’s animosity because it strikes me as abnormally intense for someone one who maintains and articulates a leadership role because he’s somewhat abusive…even if he’s normally very abrasive, it’s still really inappropriate for someone in leadership.

This in turn sparks another comment which is I’m very fascinated by how Alex’s writing really seems to engender a tremendous amount of contemplation and discussion.

Not only does each page generate massive amounts of comments, I’m bemused to notice that I began rereading at the beginning of this chapter and I’m finding myself with comments on every page it seems…no other comic has ever been so thought provoking.