Yeah, Selkie.
↓ Transcript
POHL: Todd, if you need to take care of Amanda, I'm good here.
TODD (VO): 'Preciate it, thanks!
AMANDA (VO): WUURGGHH!
POHL: So... you seemed a bit peeved?
SELKIE: Why can SHE do it? How did she learn how to do it so quick?
SELKIE: And why is she already BETTER AT IT than me?!
POHL: I really don't know, yet. She SHOULDN'T be able to at ALL. NO human should.
SELKIE: Oh great, she cans do something impossible. So, what, is SHE the main character now?!
POHL: Dial it back a bit, you're not a cartoon Selkie.
TODD (VO): 'Preciate it, thanks!
AMANDA (VO): WUURGGHH!
POHL: So... you seemed a bit peeved?
SELKIE: Why can SHE do it? How did she learn how to do it so quick?
SELKIE: And why is she already BETTER AT IT than me?!
POHL: I really don't know, yet. She SHOULDN'T be able to at ALL. NO human should.
SELKIE: Oh great, she cans do something impossible. So, what, is SHE the main character now?!
POHL: Dial it back a bit, you're not a cartoon Selkie.
M E T A J O K E
Everyone is the main character in their own story, Selkie. Sometimes you just share chapters.
That reminds me of a line from the Welcome To Night Vale twitter feed, which I genuinely hope isn’t directly relevant anytime soon: “Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you.”
Night Vale: Rod Serling meets Garrison Keelor. Question – when we talk about “The City Counsel,” is it proper to use the third person singular, or the third person plural? Do we know? Does it/Do they even know itself/themselves?
“I’m not a Republic Serial villain, Dan…”
“Don’t tell him. He might snap.” – Slappy Squirrel, Animaniacs
Well, if echoes and Sarnothi exist, then who’s to say that other paranormal stuff doesn’t? How do you know humans can’t be echoes after their existence isn’t even widely know to the human population? Also she started doing that glowing eye stuff after Selkie starting practicing, so she might not be an echo but rather a conduit.
Or a mirror.
She’s not?
Gee, my eyesight must be worst than I thought.
Eh, Pohl, be more understanding. She learned she has superpowers, and then she learned that (to her), her bully is just better at it than her and takes away all her uniqueness. For anyone, let alone a child, this is infuriating.
It’s about as dramatic as Amanda was when she was physically, emotionally and mentally abused by her adoptive family and then returned to the orphanage, ignored by all of the adults when she very much needed help because they were busy with Selkie, told she was a bad child by everyone and basically felt completely unloved because she was returned and never given any real explanation as to why or even given proper help. For a small child, that was devastating and a huge betrayal by the people who were supposed to protect her.
I just can’t see any excuse for people to be bullies. If you’re traumatized, I have all the sympathy in the world. Do not take your shit out on defenseless people. Also, nobody was busy with Selkie. Nobody *wanted* Selkie. At least Amanda is *human.*
They were busy with Selkie because both girls arrived at the orphanage around the same time, and at that time Selkie didn’t speak English. The care givers had to figure out things like her diet–things such as eating plants can make her violently ill.
I still don’t think this is an excuse to side with the bully.
As stated below, the adults were busy trying to figure Selkie out. Amanda didn’t get the help she needed and became bitter and spiteful and eventually turned to violence when she figured out she would get her way by doing so. The adults failed her and then failed to address the problem entirely.
Also, wanting to zap someone with dangerous energy because you’re jealous is pretty bully like behavior in my opinion.
Selkie is a *child.* She doesn’t have a nuanced approach to “whatever is making me special now being taken away.” Also, Sarnothi are clearly predators — they have a fight response. I’m not shocked.
Trauma does not excuse being an absolute jerk. Yes, adults failed her. No, I do not forgive her. Has she even apologized? Have she and Selkie had a real sit-down conversation (facilitated by adults who don’t suck) about “hey, I was awful to you and I’m sorry and we should try to have a real relationship”? Because all I can see here is adults shoving them together and demanding they play nice.
As a kid I would have really, really want to throw hands over that. I also was the Good Kid and never did, but that’s even worse — forcing someone who feels guilty fighting back, to be in a situation where fighting back is extremely natural and then punishing them for even considering defending themselves.
Amanda needs to drop some apologies before I will even consider thinking of her as sympathetic.
someone is tapping at the fourth wall 😉
Uh, well…
I mean, technically… but maybe one day this comic will become a cartoon….
That would be an awesome day!
[meta] I never metajoke that didn’t make me laugh.
Wonder if the adults should check up on the kids Amanda and Selkie were living with before Selkie’s adoption. It might be reaching,, but perhaps the hair clip has something of the opposite effect on humans; particularly the kids
I’m sure that “THEY” will be doing exactly that… whether or not they can reliably TEST for it without Sarnothi input, is a separate question though.
‘It’s OK, this is just the setup episode for Amanda’s spinoff series. You’ll probably have to do some tie-in storylines later.’
Well, at least somebody is calling her out on her attitude, rather than just sweeping it under the carpet, and going on with life as if she didn’t say anything at all.
Yeah, it sucks that her EX-Bully of a Sister can (in theory right now) do the same stuff as her instead of it being a thing only Selkie can do (including other Echoes too of course) but just think about it… Selkie will become the “Normal” one in that she’s just a plain old Sarnothi Echo… a well-understood phenomena that doesn’t need any special procedures and such to bring out the best other than reversing the effects of the bow-tie suppressor… it’s just that Amanda is now the unknown “Freak of Nature” and is going to be poked and prodded, studied and tested (hopefully not to destruction) until she’s beyond fed up with it all, and that elements inside the U.S. Government Political Machine / Military Industrial Complex that it is, i GUARANTEE that she’ll be put on a watch-list for when she’s a bit older and ‘They’ figure out if she’s going to be recruited and trained as a weapons system/ covert operative /whatever when she gets older. Right NOW though, her (and Andi, too i guess) will both have to be read into the Classified program that Todd was, even though that cat’s out of the bag (mostly), since I’m sure there were portions that are still considered ‘classified”. Overall, I’ll bet she’ll be treated the same as Selkie was at the Orphanage… a complete unknown entity!! and SELKIE will get to see things from Amanda’s point of view when they first arrived at the orphanage… everyone going bonkers over Amanda and basically ignoring Selkie for a change… about the only thing they don’t need to worry about is her diet since her being a human works out kinda simple… easy-peasy , right!?
Hero or villain, Doctor Terrorhammer demands the protagonist role!
Surprise, y’all!! This comic is actually titled “Amanda”! It was a misdirect! Dave fooled us all!!
I’m really feeling that tbh.
Fourth wall? What fourth wall?
If you don’t have clearance, I’m sorry but I cannot answer that question. Could you just focus on this little thing I’m holding? It’s called a neurolizer.
**foompf**
kinda expected her to look at at the camera in the last panel.