Dec25
It’s gonna be a long day. Again.
on December 25, 2012 at 11:09 pmAltermentality:
Christmas is over, so we now return you to our regularly scheduled people being jerks.
Hey. There may not be a comic Friday, but there will be something. The reason is, Victor and I will be playing in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. Playing football, of course! No, playing in the band. We’ll be gone for a few days.
From the desk of Tiberius Skärva the Fourth…
I don’t know why, but Skarva looks better the past couple strips for some reason. (Not that he wasn’t cool before XP) Maybe it’s because he’s not so stressed out and scowling and frowning and tired eyed and orange fury-ed and……
Yeah, he’s had a good night’s rest for once. And perhaps it’s the pajamas. He looks good in those pajamas.
He really does. He should call himself a wizard and then just walk around in them everywhere.
(Nobody would knowww)
No one would notice that they’re actually bathrobes?
He prefers the term “sorcerer” anyways. “Wizard” makes it sound like you’ve gotta have a beard, and Skärvas are incapable of growing facial hair D: (Unless eyebrows count as facial hair. They’re pretty capable there.)
Yeah, maybe it’s the mellow colors and relaxed fit of those pajamas that make him feel not so stressed out.
yellow fury for ecta!
She’s going for the orange fury but she can’t quite get there…
It looks like Floyd may have as much fun as Davis!
And Slice is just like “what”
Like usual…
I feel bad for Ecta…I mean, she may be a jerk and extremely bossy, but at least she works hard and is loyal…and this is what she gets for that from Skarva? Tsk, tsk.
Skärva gets tired of dealing with her, but to be fair he gets tired of everyone. ^_^;
I think, I might be mistaken, but I -think- Skarva’s actually making an employer joke in the last panel, especially if the notepaper and picture that we’re seeing is factually what Davis wrote. (which it looks like)
That said, I do agree with Bartimaeus above me. It’s a touch mean to Ecta to be juggling around the command structure when she has worked both life and death (literally) to keep her position. That is dedication you probably want to move sideways instead of downwards, especially given she hasn’t really been looking upwards towards SKARVA’S position, she has been perfectly happy with her immediate management of her squad.
But, hey, Skarva has a right to test if Davis has actual leadership skills. This joke kinda ruins Davis’ chances if the mission doesn’t go without a hitch, but it’s not like this group is utterly lacking initiative, they’ll try to get things done as quickly and efficiently as they can, albeit with lots of grumbling and a need to utilize red rage occasionally.
Yeah, what exactly is going on in his mind is up for debate. But I like to think of it as a bit of a joke between Davis and Skärva too. Ecta has no idea what’s written on that paper, but it’s clearly not meant to be taken too seriously.
I mean, Ecta can’t exactly be gunning for Skärva’s *hereditary* position
And she’s not exactly happy with her squad, although she is happy with that level of command – she just figures there are people harder-working than Floyd, more intelligent than Slice and less snarky than Davis. The highest position you could aim for would be Skärva’s assistant, but Derk’s quite irreplaceable for his own reasons… so Ecta’s doing about as good as she can.
There is something special about this group indeed, something that Skärva has realized. They don’t exactly work like clockwork, but they have the right combination of personalities to get things done, as long as one of them doesn’t mess things up! Notice in the forest arc that their little quirks all came into play: Ecta’s fierce determination, Floyd’s ability to mediate, Davis’s manipulative cleverness and and even Slice’s tendency to talk to vegetables!
I feel a bit sorry for Ecta, I think she needs a hug…
I agree, but hugging a ghost is like hugging air if they don’t want it and hugging a cold mound of Jell-O if they do… and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want it.
“Warning! The Ecta rage levels are critical!”
*beat*
“No… No, it can’t be…!”
*beat*
“-The containment system is failing! She’s melting down! Everybody, run!”
*shoes clatter rapidly on tiles; something crashes to the ground, and a moment later a rapid series of patters marks pages scattering; someone screams; the air is filled by a babble of voices*
“No, the doors-!”
*a mechanical squeal arcs through the voices, which increase in volume and urgency*
“Everyone, go! I’ll stay to keep the doors open! Go, just go! There’s no time to argue!!”
*once again shoes sound on tile, sprinting. The rapidly trail off, fewer and fewer pairs. In a minute or two, all have gone. For a moment, silence reigns, opposed only by a single raucous alarm. Then a voice breaks that silence:*
“Ecta… No, Ecta, please no, NOOOOO!!!!”
*An otherworldly shriek drowns out the scream, building to a howl of pure supernatural fury; after a moment it dwindles – not weakening, but passing into the distance. It leaves only the alarm in its wake…*
END
(The above may have been brought to you by far too little sleep.)
In somewhat-relevant comment:
– This development is both amusing and interesting!
– Skärva’s mug appears to have “Ff” printed on it. What does this signify, if anything? (It looks a little like an elemental symbol – “Fluffyinium?”)
…I think Ecta’s rage levels match Thaumaturge’s insanity levels ^_^;
Who stayed behind? Methinks a little demon who felt guilty for the disaster? And thought maybe, just maybe, he could save her…
Oh Thaumy, I can’t believe you of all people don’t remember the Frostbite Fortress mug that got thrown at Skärva’s head ):
“Who stayed behind?”
I had in mind a scientist in a labcoat, I think, but I prefer your idea and so declare it to be so!
Alas, poor Davis was found with second- to third- degree rage burns; experts believe that it was an orange fury, with a few (generally dismissed) scientists insisting that Ecta had progressed through to the currently-theoretical “red fury” stage. Debate rages about whether a single entity could truly achieve the “red fury” stage; many believe that if it were to occur, it would ignite the tempers of all people in all of Idenau, and point to this as evidence that it has not happened. Most of the rest believe that these many are idiots.
As for Davis, he was semi-conscious when found, and would only moan: “Eeectaaaa… Eectaaaa…” He is currently recovering in an undisclosed hospital (although journalists suspect that following a certain blue-and-gold flish, who has been seen travelling under a heavy cloak (even in broad daylight on a hot day), may reveal the answer).
“… the Frostbite Fortress mug …”
Ah, of course! (Perhaps that might have occurred to me if I’d been slightly less sleep-deprived at the time!) ^^;;
… Does this mean that there’s no Fluffyinium in Idenau? T-T (:P)
So much adorable Davis in these recent pages! *3*
Yes! I missed those lovely minions. Also, someone remind me to make a new avatar out of Ecta’s face in that last panel. I love it
Hey! Make an avatar of Ecta’s face! :p
Done!