02-10-18 A musical empire

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OllieOrOlly
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by OllieOrOlly »

Spidrift wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 11:35 am
Okay, so I was wrong about Sonya actually joining Bianca on her adventures. Well, I guess it shows she's genuinely getting away from the toxic temptations of a town with Zii in it, and setting up a Zii-Angel plotline.

Somebody should tell Angel about good and bad historical figures to claim as inspirations, though. Julius Caesar wasn't a terribly nice man, and ended up getting stabbed in the back by his friends when they thought his ambition was getting out of hand.

(Hmm - have we actually got a subtle literary-historical allusion in this strip, with Sonya as Brutus?)

AlexDenton wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 9:19 am
Sonya's story was fine, this is so unnecessary. We don't need all the characters to end up with someone.
It seems to be the writers' model for final closure, though. You're right that Sonya's character arc had already finished; I'd set the end point at the moment when she destroyed Zii's band and Yuki's illusions with four words -- that was the point when the student proved that she was now the master, and that she'd seen the folly of her Zii fixation. But she's now being given a classical comedy happy ending. Similarly, Gary's character arc ended when he rejected Tracy and James, told a simple truth rather than a silly lie, and walked home with his head held high to a sane woman who wanted shared good sex with him -- but his story is still dragging on, because he supposedly needs some kind of confirmed final pair. And Yuki and Matt are getting their pairing as a (rather thin) resolution for their character issues.

I'll also guess at this point that Izzy and Terry will pair up and start trying to actually improve by hard work and paying their dues.
An exceptional literary-historical allusion, but not so subtle, which is fine. I'd say Sonya is more Cassius, so Angel will end up saying, "et tu, Yuki?"
Angel's self-proclaimed similarity to Julius Caesar was apt, as they face a downfall caused by closest allies at the beginning of grander ambitions, although the Senate plotted, whereas Sonya just took a page from the Zii handbook of being insanely impulsive, selfish, and disregarding consequences or commitments. So, it'd be like if instead of stabbing Caesar, Cassius dropped a banana peel that Caesar slipped on and cracked his head on the senate floor. :))

On the note of dragging on Sonya's character arc: the aforementioned selfish and irresponsible action of abandoning a commitment to get her freak on seems to show she hasn't progressed properly at all. Her prior pursuit of Zii displayed a pathological toxicity, which seemed to have passed when she finally realised Zii was a terrible person; yet by following her lust, she became more or less exactly like Zii?
Both Zii and Sonya have displayed unpleasant traits, and arguably sociopathic tendencies, yet both had suffered to the point of perhaps, for lack of a better term, starting to grow up. I know I'm probably repeating myself, yet it is worth stressing that Sonya is repeating the mistakes of her old obsession, Zii, which she seemed to have understood as someone not to look up to, therefore behaving like Zii did is unsatisfactory for Sonya's arc.
I guess Sonya will always be addicted to drama, yet it appeared as though she learned about the gravity of consequences.

I also don't need "confirmed pairs," for a lot of the characters, although I would prefer a confirmed NOT pair of Yuki with that scummy Matt; she had serious issues, but seemed ultimately like a decent person, whereas he is the worst of Zii without having any musical talent, so shoving Yuki into a relationship with Matt seems unfair to her and something he doesn't deserve (in that, he deserves to be alone).

Itrogash
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by Itrogash »

Julius Cesar is a very fitting comparison for you, Angel. You know, because he's been stabbed in the back, like, twenty times.

EDIT: man, I really need to read threads before replying. Ninja'd twice in a row :-P
Last edited by Itrogash on Tue Oct 02, 2018 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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brasca
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by brasca »

This presents another opportunity. With Sonya leaving her apartment is now available. Maybe Gary and Peggy will move in.

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Spidrift
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by Spidrift »

The writers might do something with that — or Sonya might just keep the place as a base in Montreal. Bianca was talking about moving to the city, for that matter; she might like to treat Sonya’s place as an emergency bolt-hole (and hence be willing to cover the rent).

But what about poor Allie? Down one colleague, and an entertaining one at that...
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rogermart
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by rogermart »

Or maybe Peggy takes the apartment. We still don't know what she will do about what Gary said to her.
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KittyHat
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by KittyHat »

Opus the Poet wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 6:29 am
What is the opposite of schadenfreude? Because I'm happy for Sandra finally getting her drama fix, but I'm feeling for Angel and Zii on this one.
Heh. Not me. They've both richly deserved what's happened to them.

rpr
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by rpr »

vampire hunter D wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 10:22 am
So will Sonya and Bianca drop by Paris any time soon?
Meeting Sandra, just to mix up everything? :-D

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worldshaking00
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by worldshaking00 »

While I am all for Angel getting a dose of karma for being a bad sport in their rivalry with Zii, I want to see actually earn victory over them because she took to heart good bandleader skills. It wouldn't need another "battle of the bands"-like montage, as it seems that Angel's band is falling apart around them. I could definitely envision an "Et tu, Yuki" retort from Angel should Yuki take off. Any other comparisons to Caesar? Crossing the Rubicon maybe?

This is just reinforcing my theory that Angel's band had devolved into an anti-Zii hate group. Yes, they could jam; but, the music was ancillary. Having them in their band was Angel's revenge. They certainly took most every opportunity to rub their 'success' into Zii's face. And since Yuki & Sonya knew how much having a band should have meant to Zii, they were happy to stick the knives into Zii - as it were.

Bon voyage, Sonya. Not that I'd expect Bianca's agency to recruit Sonya, but Sonya can vamp and seduce. And play bass. Does she have any other quality or training that might help her survive being a spy/spy's girlfriend?

Happy endings are nice, and I don't mind the saccharin after effect for certain pairings. I'm content knowing that Zii is still around, although I want to know why she wasn't present/supportive of Didi's wrestling. Future strips await.
"Be excellent to each other." - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
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Error of Logic
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by Error of Logic »

Other training that might help her survive as a spy's girlfriend...?

...

She'd rock at playing the part of a waitress to get close to a target.

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rogermart
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by rogermart »

rpr wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 2:59 pm
vampire hunter D wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 10:22 am
So will Sonya and Bianca drop by Paris any time soon?
Meeting Sandra, just to mix up everything? :-D
Or maybe Aaina and Aania :D
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lordoffiling
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by lordoffiling »

Rushing headlong into a brand new relationship, moving to the other side of the world, with a girlfriend spy?

... Yeah, that’s Sonya. I was gonna remark on how rushed it feels and blame it on the comic ending, but actually? This fits.
"Rather than simply enjoying these comics, we log in to these forums to argue about them. [...] We are some strange people, and I guess we have nothing better to do." - lordoffiling

samtheman
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by samtheman »

I'm satisfied with the send-off they are giving Sonya. And if Zii were to join Angel's band, she'll probably join as the new bass player.

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Spidrift
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by Spidrift »

worldshaking00 wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:14 pm
While I am all for Angel getting a dose of karma for being a bad sport in their rivalry with Zii, I want to see actually earn victory over them because she took to heart good bandleader skills.
While Zii took Angel's comments about band-leading to heart, her head is still a mess in other ways. It's not yet clear that she knows quite what she wants or how she's going to get it. She's not yet moved into a position where she can earn a win over Angel, even if that is the comic's intention.
worldshaking00 wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:14 pm
It wouldn't need another "battle of the bands"-like montage, as it seems that Angel's band is falling apart around them.
It's lost one (1) member, that we know of. Which is bad but survivable. There is, however, the little matter of Yuki, who still misses Zii, and who's now lost her closest friend in the band. The situation is precarious, but we don't know which way it'll fall.

My own bet remains that Angel and Zii will make up and combine forces again. Which would actually be a much more satisfying win for Zii (and Angel) than another round of childish one-upmanship. Their feud is silly and pointless, and doesn't show either of them at their best. If they just accepted that they had it right the first time around, and added Zii's charisma to Angel's focus, they'd likely have do far better than either would alone.

Character development for both these two isn't winning fights, it's growing the hell up.
Error of Logic wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:17 pm
Other training that might help her survive as a spy's girlfriend...?

...

She'd rock at playing the part of a waitress to get close to a target.
She'd also be damn good at generating distractions. I mean, partly by using the "seduction" part, but also by generating loud drama. It's her thing, after all. I'm sure that she'll soon learn how to mix a dry martini (shaken and stirred by the time she's done with it). Bianca should probably also put her in for an advanced driving course soon, because you can bet that she'll be driving the getaway wheels sooner or later.

(Just don't give her the Q-division spy car yet. "Sorry, remind me -- is that the machine guns, the caltrops, or the ejector seat?")


Hmm...
.
.
.
Alternative read on all this: Zii thought that Sonya was well in line for recruitment to the Cult of Ecstasy, but bollixed up the timing of the managed Awakening thanks to the actions of paradox spirit DiDi. Woman in Black Bianca, alerted by analysts in the Ivory Tower that there was a prospective recruit in Montreal, moved in, outsmarted a Euthanatos hit squad by involving an Unawakened observer to scramble their vulgar workings, executed a perfect Entropy rote (what, you think her meeting Sonya was accidental?), and now has Sonya lined up for membership of the New World Order. Technocracy two, Traditions nil.
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Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.

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worldshaking00
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by worldshaking00 »

OMG @Spidrift. Mage: The Awakening reference. Awesome game. /bow
"Be excellent to each other." - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
"Like my old grand daddy used to say, 'The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.'" - Chester Rush, Four Rooms
Chivalry isn't dead, it just followed wherever being lady-like went.

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pcj
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Re: 02-10-18 A musical empire

Post by pcj »

Spidrift wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 11:35 am
Mutant for Hire wrote:
Tue Oct 02, 2018 7:08 am
She said 'girlfriend'. Does this mean she is no longer in denial?
The denial was always a very thin joke. And she can probably claim to have a girlfriend while denying being a lesbian, if the writers insist - Maura did more or less that very recently.
Well... technically.... she's not a lesbian. She's bi. Her current significant other happens to be female.

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