Magick Chicks 22-07-14 If that left a scar

[Sk'thloq]

This is going to be good.

[Insectoid]

Names, Names, what're their names?

The dark-haired one with the black eyes.... that's Starscream

Er... since this is a B&W comic page, that description could apply to 4 people, including Cerise.

[Cranium]

Shouri Keywords: (Fixed somethin'!) ... that something is the person that vaguely looks like Jacqui with a mean face. Skin color is corrected.
without keywords and Shouri's art style it could be Callista, Amelia, Jacqui and Gabby ... or just another that could pass for the four. If it is the four ... then begs where is Tiffany and Faith (Honeymoon?).

[Optimus Kate]

Are... we sure that's not Rain?

[Cranium]

I been asking for Shouri to update Keywords to accurately reflect the names and even posted to Twitter:

Cranium ‏@Cranium0
@PixieTrixComix Doing such would help when a change of artist occur to keep straight which character are in each strip.
Cranium ‏@Cranium0
@PixieTrixComix While I know you all very busy it be a blessing if Keywords are updated/corrected for Magic Chicks.

I sent both messages, reason is that with change of artist the four girls are a Mystery ... they could be anybody ... if this was Cassandra drawing we would be fairly certain who they are by her artistic style but pass art by Shouri was Giz pencils and shouri ink. Her style while very good leaves readers in a lurch to who the four are. Since Cassandra being doing very well with Keywords in DC I am at a lost why Shouri not able to do the same. Some forumites not even sure if fake Skye is Rain. Keywords are important in helping readership understand who is in each installment especially with change of Artist.

[Gotoh]

@Cranium: They're new characters, that's all we need to know for the time being. Typically, new characters aren't tagged until they're properly introduced. So there's no need to keep asking about it, since we'll find out who each of them are in due time.

[Cranium]

The lack of tagging with a change of artist makes me flustered. If they are 4 of 6 returning then page gets a five star rating ... if it just red shirts that are unimportant then it rates only 2 stars in my opinion ... so yes it is important for me to know. Without Keyword tags one can only assume they new characters and they are blah blah team captains ... Yippee ki-yay. Magic Chicks already has a very large cast so no really need to add new characters.

[Absinthe Green]

Also true, but I'm starting to wonder if Cerise's 'real problem' is the very thing she mocked Faith for...Mel would simply be the focal point of her misplaced resentment, due to the fact Mel was the one who first diverted people's attention away from her. But, tbh, it could just as easily have been Layla, or Faith instead, since they're both popular to the point of being the center of everyone's attention.

True dat, but I'm wondering re: your assessment of Cerise's relationships to Layla and Faith. As far as I can recall Layla and Cerise have rarely / never mentioned each other, and the only times they ever appeared in the same panels were during the Tiresias Orb fustercluck and in Melissa's nightmare at the beginning of MC Chapter 6. Melissa's scheming left Layla and Cerise too busy being at odds with one another - another example of Helrune's Self-Absorption driving wedges between people that like each other or might otherwise get along - and Faith is the only person who's offered Cerise any genuine compliment, encouragement or recognition. Yes, it was in the service of gathering information re: Mel and the Wand, but Faith consistently demonstrates her mercurial leadership skills in recognizing ability and looking out for the people she's responsible for, as opposed to Melissa's Taking-Your-Subservience-For-Granted attitude and "Who Moved My Cheese?" approach to team management that caught her slack-jawed and flat-footed when Cerise made her challenge. Paying attention giving a damn is what enabled Faith to swiftly twig what was really going on in a crisis situation and respond in the most effective manner with the least amount of resources - time in particular. The authours have hinted that Cerise has the same quality, and I've hoped that Cerise would break w/ the paradigm-zap Melissa has on her head and realize she's far better off running w/ Faith and her crew. Slim chance of that now, I imagine.

Damn.

Not that I'm excusing any of what Cerise's done, which she does need to answer for (or at least, accept responsibility for) in some fashion. It's just that part of me feels bad for her.

Bang-On. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the climax of this particular storyline involves Cerise answering for and taking ownership of her transgressions - backstabbing Tiffany, cynically manipulating Skye & Callie's feelings, trying to off Jacqui & Co. - and everyone being shown how this whole ugliness has been coming due to Melissa's abuse of someone who trusted her and how deeply that hurt Cerise in a way that's impossible for them to bullsh**t themselves - Melissa most of all.

The dark-haired one with the black eyes.... that's Starscream

I know Cerise has been branded as the Starscream of MC / EC, but the more I read into the text the more parallels I see between her and Nancy from The Craft: a working-class (white trash?) girl navigating a mindfied of abuse from people whom she ought to be safe in counting on for support w/o even the hope of a residue of the resources her friend / rival simply has handed to her, who knows she'll actually have to slog and work and sweat blood if she hopes to achieve anything.

[Gotoh]

True dat, but I'm wondering re: your assessment of Cerise's relationships to Layla and Faith. As far as I can recall Layla and Cerise have rarely / never mentioned each other.

That wasn't what I was getting at. I meant, it could just as easily been either of them in Mel's place, given how popular both of them are (i.e. if it had been Layla/Faith that met Cerise at the time Jacqui was talking about). Then all of that resentment likely would've been directed at them for the same reasons.

As for Mel's treatment of Cerise, she started to realize she hadn't been much of a friend to her, while she was under the effect of Tandy's truth massage. Except by then, Cerise was already prepping to ship her and the others to 'parts unknown'. So Mel's epiphany was a wee bit late. At this point, it's hard to imagine how they can possibly patch things up; assuming either of them will even want to when this arc is over.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the climax of this particular storyline involves Cerise answering for and taking ownership of her transgressions - backstabbing Tiffany, cynically manipulating Skye & Callie's feelings, trying to off Jacqui & Co. - and everyone - Melissa most of all - being shown how this whole ugliness has been coming due to Melissa's abuse of someone who trusted her and how deeply that hurt Cerise in a way that's impossible for them to bullsh**t themselves.

She isn't the only one who's got something to answer for. I imagine that's gonna weigh on her mind (and her conscience) for sometime afterward.

[vampire hunter D]

Anyone notice, this is the second appearence by the volleyball girl?

http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/they_got_away

Right behind Amelia

[James Rye]

Hm, it will be interesting to see what Cerise does next. If she searches for Skye instead to do everything to follow and kill Mel then it would go against what Hecsoemthinsomehting wanted from her and show us that Cerise probably could care less about popularity as long as she has somebody who really cares for her and wants her to be happy. Oh well, still think Cerise gonna die. Just hope it won't be Mel who pulls the final trigger.

[brasca]

That sword through the back was probably the only thing that could kill her. Now that Hecate has removed that possibility...

Sword's still there - look at panel 1. Hekate's apparition only took it to the nearest wall and dumped it, apparently.

[Of course, were anyone but Mel to use it you may think the big H would intervene again, but that would apply even if this group beat her any other way too...]

The sword is still there, but the opportunity to stab her in the back with it is gone. Cerise knows Skye is an impostor as well as the people she's been working with and seeing as how she impaled Tandy so easily I don't think they have much of a chance.

What I wonder is if Cerise's powers could nullify Rain's limited shape shifting ability. If the others knew they were working with a student from Apollo this whole time they might question his motives. Say what you will about Cerise, but since she took over there hasn't been any more security breaches due to Faith sleeping with the enemy. By just exposing Rain's true identity she might be able to win back the other mutineers. Probably not the ninjas, but if she could handle Tandy the way she did then her underlings won't take long.

[Gotoh]

and seeing as how she impaled Tandy so easily I don't think they have much of a chance.

I'm pretty sure that had more to do with Tandy not knowing Cerise could extend her nails like that. Sorta like fighting Wolverine for the first time without knowing he can pop his claws at any second, 'cuz you didn't know he had any to begin with. So yeah, I can see someone being caught off guard by something like that rather easily. But once his opponent knows about 'em, that odds of falling for that again aren't as great.

In a similar example, Ty Lee pwnd Suki without much difficulty, the first time they fought, because Suki didn't know about her chi-blocking. When they had their rematch, Suki was prepared for her and was able to fight evenly with Ty Lee, by not allowing her to get to any of her chakra points. So if Tandy and Cerise were to ever have a rematch, I'm certain Tandy would fare much better.

What I wonder is if Cerise's powers could nullify Rain's limited shape shifting ability. If the others knew they were working with a student from Apollo this whole time they might question his motives. Say what you will about Cerise, but since she took over there hasn't been any more security breaches due to Faith sleeping with the enemy. By just exposing Rain's true identity she might be able to win back the other mutineers.

Maybe, but we've never seen her do that, or anything that remotely suggests that she can. I'm also guessing that Rain can disguise his voice to mimic his sister's, so it's more than just his appearance that helps him pass for a girl. Meaning, Cerise'd have no reason to suspect that he isn't. And, as far as she knows, Rain is with the Combat Corp. and doesn't have any powers.

The only one who knows otherwise, is allegedly dead. It's still debatable whether Skye knows about Rain's secret.

[Absinthe Green]

That wasn't what I was getting at. I meant, it could just as easily been either of them in Mel's place, given how popular both of them are (i.e. if it had been Layla/Faith that met Cerise at the time Jacqui was talking about). Then all of that resentment likely would've been directed at them for the same reasons.

Ah. Got it. However, both Layla & Faith are both at least / even more popular than Melissa and Cerise doesn't hate on either Faith or Layla. Cerise has been quite chummy w/ Faith and never mentions Layla. I don't see anyone at Charybdis Heights mourning Melissa's absence the same way Nina & Brooke miss Chloe. I'm convinced that Cerise's fury is rooted less in Melissa being the leader and more about the thoroughly UN-earned advantages being handed to her - Tiffany's training, Coven leadership, Erotic attention, Hekate's Power-Up, the Tacky Wand, the school presidency, etc - compounded exponentially by Melissa's a.) lording those advantages over her and - so much more than anything else - b.) the constant, consistent, predicable shiving of Cerise's confidence and self-worth at the hands of someone she's had to rely on for leadership and trusted as a friend.

What really brought it home for me re: how desperate, isolated and lonely Cerise is was when she realizes that she's dying and wonders "if anyone will cry". That really got to me . She's had her own remarkable and hard-won achievements she earned by her own merit outshone and dismissed out-of-hand by an overprivileged and underworked pampered brat with baseless advantages who can't enjoy her own victory or thank the person responsible, she worships a goddess that insults her wardrobe by comparing it to someone w/ far more resources than her while sponging the same clothes off of her, her romantic attempts imploded on her through no fault of her own, she's undercover in two institutions full of people who'd consider her a monster to be killed if they knew she's a witch, and the one person Cerise was perfectly reasonable in imaging was on her side let her know they can't be trusted keeping her (hetero)virginity in confidence. On top of all that, Cerise has to run a daily gauntlet of abuse from someone she can't get away from due to the risk of being exposed and killed. Poor kid. Something had to give.

As for Mel's treatment of Cerise, she started to realize she hadn't been much of a friend to her, while she was under the effect of Tandy's truth massage. Except by then, Cerise was already prepping to ship her and the others to 'parts unknown'. So Mel's epiphany was a wee bit late. At this point, it's hard to imagine how they can possibly patch things up; assuming either of them will even want to when this arc is over.

Absolutely. That actually brought Melissa back from the dead and gave me a glimmer of hope, but that nugget comes a day late and a dollar short as far as Cerise is concerned. To give Melissa credit, she did and excellent job creating her own worst nemesis.

She isn't the only one who's got something to answer for. I imagine that's gonna weigh on her mind (and her conscience) for sometime afterward.

I'm going out on a limb and cutting Faith some slack - Cerise made it pretty clear that Faith was unaware of her connection, we were given a clue that Faith's absurd levels of popularity weren't based solely on her wit & charm. In fact, Cerise used that revelation against her to let the air out of her confidence in the same way she's terrified of Melissa using her virginity against her - another example of the abused taking on the characteristics of their abusers b/c they have the evidence of their own experience that abuse works.

[Gotoh]

Ah. Got it. However, both Layla & Faith are both at least / even more popular than Melissa and Cerise doesn't hate on either Faith or Layla. Cerise has been quite chummy w/ Faith and never mentions Layla.

True, but that's because she didn't grow up with them, the way she did with Mel (which is why I mentioned the point Jacqui brought up, here). Cerise has only known Layla for 1 or 2 school years and has only known Faith for a few months.

If you were to swap Mel with either of them, so Cerise grew up with them instead, it might've been pretty much the same. Either way, she still would've been overshadowed by someone who was vastly more popular than she was was.

I'm convinced that Cerise's fury is rooted less in Melissa being the leader and more about the thoroughly UN-earned advantages being handed to her.

That's a large part of it, which I can't really fault her for. It can be pretty frustrating to work your tail off trying to accomplish something, while watching someone else coast by on good fortune. But that's based only on what she's seen.

Cerise didn't know about Tiff training her, which is why she was just as surprised as Rain when Mel beat "her" and wanted to know why she was suddenly getting all the cheers and applause, when she and Jacqui had both been doing better than Mel in their combat exams.

Mel has griped and complained, and sure the wand has taken control of her body to make her do what it wants at times, so you could argue that the work was being done for her. Regardless, Mel has felt the burn and endured the sweat of those workouts, which Cerise hasn't seen. But, if we're being honest, Cerise isn't much better in that regard, since she relies on a fair amount of luck herself.

Even the power she gained from the dark essence was due to happenstance. Cerise didn't know about it until Hecate told her, and Hecate hadn't thought Cerise would defy her by taking it herself. It was a lucky break that almost cost Ceris her life, but she gained more power from it.

What really brought it home for me re: how desperate, isolated and lonely Cerise is was when she realizes that she's dying and wonders "if anyone will cry".

There's that too, which is another reason I'm starting to think Mel may not be her real issue. It seems more like it's her own self-esteem, which Mel hasn't been good for.

That actually brought Melissa back from the dead and gave me a glimmer of hope, but that nugget comes a day late and a dollar short as far as Cerise is concerned. To give Melissa credit, she did and excellent job creating her own worst nemesis.

No disagreement there.

I'm going out on a limb and cutting Faith some slack - Cerise made it pretty clear that Faith was unaware of her connection, we were given a clue that Faith's absurd levels of popularity weren't based solely on her wit & charm.

I'd still argue against that particular example, because was Tiff's suspicion was baseless. Her assumption lay solely in the fact she knew Faith was an esper and therefore assumed she had to be using her powers somehow. In much the same way she's repeatedly assumed Layla was up to no good, simply because she knows Layla is a vampire.