19-08-13 Rogue cricket on our hands

[Fluffy]

For some reason I find calling Ruby Abby much more acceptable than calling Dillon Dillion. No idea why.

I'm blaming my name flub on the fact I made my post around 3AM. XD

Anyway. This particular strip gives me a really bad feeling. I know it's not real but I still can't help but think about how easily those crickets could get hurt or killed.

Well...Angel *was* buying them with the sole intention of feeding them to his pet lizard; so, they were going to die, either way.

I think the bigger worry would be if Jacob loses his job over this (300 crickets overrunning a pet store and one of the employees and a 'customer' having an epic freak out (not counting Angel, as he seems to be the least freaked out) can't be good for business.

[Spidrift]

We still don't know quite how or why Jacob ended up working at the store. Given that he's realistically rather young to be doing any sort of paying job, and that he's pretty useless for the job anyway (someone who's freaked out by some fairly harmless-looking insects, in a shop that sells lots of them for pet food and presumably also sells lots of other interesting wildlife), I wonder if we should guess that he's family or something.

If the store is run on a shoestring by one enthusiast with no idea about management, that might be another reason for Ruby to roll her eyes and offer to lend a hand in exchange for some good references. (It'd also give her a chance to hang around some cute kittens without taking one home and imposing on her hosts.)

[Don Alexander]

That cricket is dying the most macho cricket death ever!!!

[Spidrift]

"You said it yourself, Spock - There is no way to blast through the hull of that machine, so... I'm gonna take this thing right down its throat."

[TwoWayStar]

I feel for Dillon. I'm not scared of crickets but if 300 of them were suddenly unleashed I would be shrieking and hopping like everyone else ("OH GOD ITS IN MY HAIR AND IN MY SHIRT EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK").

Dillon, you need to take a calm inventory of what you're doing! Jerzy you're a jerk who is also smart! I kinda wish the two of them would hate-screw somehow lmao, the fallout would be hilarious.

[Bloody Vikings]

I presume you mean Angel, not Jerzey.

And afraid of bugs or not, I would imagine anyone would react poorly to a dozen trying to climb up up leg and one playing "sacrifice to the volcano god" at your mouth.

[someone]

RIP the lone cricket leaping into the shrieking Dilly-maw.

I guess crickets love the sound of his voice.

This is my favorite part of the strip.

Dillon is a perfect source of schadenfreude.

[themacnut]

If the store is run on a shoestring by one enthusiast with no idea about management, that might be another reason for Ruby to roll her eyes and offer to lend a hand in exchange for some good references. (It'd also give her a chance to hang around some cute kittens without taking one home and imposing on her hosts.)

This of course assumes she doesn't take one look at the store's dawning crickpocalypse (thanks Artemisia ) and run screaming out of the pet store never to return. She did have a rather violent reaction to seeing just one of them after all. I think even her sense of self-control would be sorely tested by a whole swarm, harmless bugs or not.

[DrAngryEd]

Oh Dillon...not in the mouth!!!

[zaprzapb]

"You said it yourself, Spock - There is no way to blast through the hull of that machine, so... I'm gonna take this thing right down its throat."

Cricketdor Deckard noooo!

[Spidrift]

I'm now imagining that cricket looking at Dillon, muttering "Not so bad", pulling on a tricorn hat, and saying "'Ello beastie", before making its move.

This of course assumes she doesn't take one look at the store's dawning crickpocalypse (thanks Artemisia ) and run screaming out of the pet store never to return. She did have a rather violent reaction to seeing just one of them after all. I think even her sense of self-control would be sorely tested by a whole swarm, harmless bugs or not.

I'm probably sentimentalising a character who reminds me of people I know, but I still think of Ruby's "Yeeep!" as ''startled'' rather than violent. She's a cartoon character; violent reactions from them involve physically leaping backwards. I imagine her seeing the swarm as a highly unpleasant irritation rather than a source of fear.

Sex, and hence by extension Amber's lifestyle and Dillon's actions last night, are her big fear-trigger - but she's still staying in that apartment. If she can push through that, do you think a few insects will stop her?

[Artemisia]

"You said it yourself, Spock - There is no way to blast through the hull of that machine, so... I'm gonna take this thing right down its throat."

Cricketdor Deckard noooo!

No, that would be Commodore Matt Decrickard

[MonCappy]

Seeing all those creepy crickets actually creeps me out a bit.

[FrostDancer81]

I know I would be freaking out if crickets were jumping everywhere.

[themacnut]

I'm now imagining that cricket looking at Dillon, muttering "Not so bad", pulling on a tricorn hat, and saying "'Ello beastie", before making its move.

Classic, Spi, classic. If you're gonna go, go out fighting!

Sex, and hence by extension Amber's lifestyle and Dillon's actions last night, are her big fear-trigger - but she's still staying in that apartment. If she can push through that, do you think a few insects will stop her?

But it's not just a "few" insects, it's 300 crawling, hopping, noise making insects swarming all over the place (and everybody in the area). That's enough to make many MEN lose their cool (as Dillon is doing, and several presumably male forum users have said they might), never mind a relatively naive and sheltered young woman like Ruby. I really wouldn't be surprised if she lost it and ran out screaming, and I really wouldn't blame her either - many people's natural response to the sight of swarming insects is to panic and flee.