Cricket declares her contempt for Tolkienesque nomenclature and then discovers her visitor’s name is “Max Reaper.” He’s lucky she didn’t punch him again right then and there. But she has other plans in mind.
Welcome to 2017! I actually opened my front door to look out at the new year’s dawn, noted the lack of flying cars, and went back to bed in a huff. Younger people may not care, but I was raised with expectations, dammit.
And more below!
Bobservations
Black Walls
Cricket has a few witchy trappings around her place, but like most Wiccans of my acquaintance, she doesn’t overdo it. Kind of like any religion, really. Most Catholics don’t have their house decorated like the Sistine Chapel, either. People who go all out with the accoutrements of their faith are kind of suspicious, really. One wonders just who it is they are trying to convince.
Not that I, as a writer, should be any damn judge. If you want to see a truly pathetic display of insecurity masquerading as bravado, just visit a writer’s office sometime. Framed reviews; bookshelves full of reference volumes that haven’t been touched since Google was invented; a shelf of awards (no matter how obscure); some crap that says “I’m a writer!” like a quill pen with a plaster skull or a cut-glass whisky decanter or a vintage manual typewriter. Sometimes all of the above. And if the writer wrote for animation, a bunch of toys from shows that were worked on.
It should be noted that one never gets the toys for free. Toy companies don’t give away anything. Writers of the show have to go out and buy the things like anyone else, but visitors don’t know that.
The problem is (as time goes on) the writer’s office stops being a triumphant peacock-like display of triumph and gradually devolves into a dismal shrine to former glory. The writer, like a caddisfly larvae (thank you, Google!) creates an insular, ornately-decorated shell wherein they may retreat from a harsh reality in which even their agent won’t answer e-mails. In fact, as with the religious trappings mentioned above, the more ornate the office, the more one wonders just who it is the writer is trying to convince.
I myself have fortunately been spared this, but only because I keep moving my office from one room to another, and thus don’t have time to craft a permanent display. A bronze bust of Twain (sculpted by my wife) is about all there is, along with three monitors and a litter of papers that could belong to any profession, including pyrotechnician. As it happens.
Max-The-Artist has even less, primarily because he generally does his commercial work on-site and thus has most of his professional gear stowed in a backpack. It’s actually a pretty good way to keep oneself from becoming a prisoner within one’s own self-created shrine.
As for Cricket, her domicile may be disarming in appearance but she obviously has her ways of dominating a potentially threatening visitor. Time to Invoke some Power.
Stay tuned.
–Bob out
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A witch who uses Latin? Interesting. I wonder if it indicates her genetic heritage or the memetic heritage…
“Burn, baby, burn…”
Won’t work sweetheart, as you’ll soon find out
@bob-the-elder: I’m actually thinking about getting my helicopter pilot’s license for that reason alone. Although I’m beginning to wish I’d thought/could afford to do it earlier because the requirements for the medical certificate change drastically once you hit 40 if you want to do more than be a sport pilot, eg getting paid for your work.
Yep – I suspect you’ll do it, though, and it will probably be well worth it. For my part there’s a full-on do-whatever-you-like absolute pro top boss pyro license I briefly considered trying for, except that I discovered the apprenticeship requirements alone took a minimum of seven years in ideal circumstances and were usually closer to 15 years. Would have been fine when I was younger but these days I’d likely be past retirement by the time I finished – if not dead of old age. 🙂 So definitely don’t put it off, and good luck!
I’m happy and torn…I expected jet packs or a world like snowcrash. AND I’m glad I’m not on fire like some.
After seeing the way some people in my area drive, I’m GLAD we never got flying cars.
Sorry to sound chauvanist(sp?), but panel 1 highlights the fact that Cricket has an amazing ass. I’m sorry, but my eye fell on that immediately. Anyway, it looks like Max has his hands full.
If Cricket finds whats-her-name(tried searching and got a bunch of crap about Mad Max, Max Payne 3, etc.), are we going to have a magical cat fight?
By fire be purged!
Oh right, names have power and all that.
Oh, boy… she should really keep the three-fold law in mind. That could come back to bite her big time.
Yeah, gotta say, did she forget how to witch? Because seriously, with all the different wiccan groups, and their wide array of different beliefs, the not harming people with magic thing is pretty constant.
I mean, she’s pissed and I get that, but that’s the closest thing to a commandment/ rule they have? Not to mention the hospitality thing. Of course, witches may work differently in universe, but just saying.
I mean, it’s not even self-defense.
It’s not nice to tell someone to burn in the fire of hell.
Hmm. Who does she remind me of? She’s like… Jenn Constantine!
I hope his ghostly lady is paying attention!
At least it wasn’t “Pergant atque utinam te ipsum!”
“Lorem ipsum sic dolor amet!”, “I’m a real witch and I yell stuff!” 😀
Mr. Reaper is somewhat fortunate Cricket didn’t slap him for the “black walls” comment, although she might have just added it to the total.
Oh, and @ChattaStarhawk: She might not care at the moment; Cricket seems to lead with her emotions, & doesn’t seem concerned with either the threefold rule or the rules of hospitality. She may indeed end up regretting her haste, if she finds herself stuck dealing with Max on a regular basis.
Cricket seems to have taken the ‘black walls’ comment as a fair cop. At least she admitted it used to be true.
This would be a good time for Max to use his party trick. He drops ‘dead’, Cricket gets a little time to panic about suddenly having a dead guy on her floor, Max comes back. Add cops knocking on doors to ask about the carnage in the street for flavor if desired. It should at least convince her that things are weirder than she believes.
Hey about them expectations……Airbus wants to test a flying car this year.
One can hope, but I will believe it when people are actually flying them around. Or rather, when they are actually flying people around, since I guess they’ll be autonomous.
heh, I wonder if Max gave her a false middle name, and the spell will fizzle. That would be funny.
Instead, we’ll probably get ghostly protection… nice, but a bit predictable.
About that, yeah he gave her his full real name. It’s on the Cast Page if you haven’t looked there already.
I have to agree with Jason Moon regarding panel 1. Cricket could easily substitute for Marissa on future voting incentives. Or (dare I suggest?) maybe both of them together…
Even if it is his full given name, is it necessarily a true name?
I’m really not liking this violent woman.