PS238 by Aaron Williams
Ps238: The School for Metaprodigy Children
PS238 by Aaron Williams
Ps238: The School for Metaprodigy Children
PS238 by Aaron Williams
Ps238: The School for Metaprodigy Children
PS238 by Aaron Williams
Ps238: The School for Metaprodigy Children
114 thoughts on “2014-12-05”
Dougprime
All things considered, I normally cringe at these moments. In this instance, however, if everything should go kablooey, I take comfort in the fact that 84 is extremely durable and that these other four folks will get an object lesson in team building. Lesson 1: Don’t tick off the one person least likely to be injured by what will happen next.
Baethan
So now 84 sets off the supposed trap, doesn’t have to worry about the damage unlike the rest of them. Might actually get tthem to tone down the condescension for a bit.
Rens
I think that’s her “I don’t /care/ what stepping on this trap will do to me, it can’t possibly be worse than listening to those assholes for one more second.” face.
Knug
Could also be as simple as the freakin’ doorbell. I’d laugh my arse off, if the stone door wardens ask “Who’s there” next panel.
kentda
Sadly I see the two pricks(neuronet & conjurer) blaming her for not thinking things through, doing the sledgehammer approach, ad nauseum.
Geracht
I really, really, really hope she gets to tell mister metalface how much of a jerk he’s being. Seriously, such a jerk.
Zombatar
In terms of basic goodness, I’d say Phlogiston (teal lady) is easily the most decent adult present, followed by Firedrake, who seems to not have his head completely wedged up his own rear end.
Of the final two left, duking it out for ‘biggest narccisistic sociopath’, I’m going to mark the Conjurer in the lead (or rear) here, followed fairly closely by Neuronet. Of these last two, the Conjurer seems most likely to win the ‘Horrible Warning for why maxing Int and using Wisdom as a dump stat is a bad idea’ award.
Random Wanderer
Chill guys, she’ll probably be fine. The rest of you may want to stand back, though.
Nobody
That depends ENTIRELY on how lethal Koschei wants his opening trap to be. If it’s more of a “go away and don’t bother me”, she may shrug it off, but it was designed to deter people that would look at the dragons flying overhead and not be deterred so even then I’d bet it has some kick.
If he wants to kill anyone who would even start his puzzle, well then the trap may be enough to even drop a FISS.
Simon
I think that’s the reason for the expression on Bubblehead’s face… phrases like “blast radius” and “minimum safe distance” are suddenly coming to mind.
Nightmask
So our pyromaniac doesn’t seen to have too much trouble with 84 being a FISS, our mentalist thinks he’s a rock star and FISS are just whiny back-up singers, the mage thinks he’s a master craftsman and the only other female in the group is apparently (perhaps a bit too predictably) the only one who isn’t confused and thinking she’s living in a lofty tower to look down upon the FISS (or people in general) but instead actually recognizes and points out what trolls the others are.
Got to say that it does at least make one smile to see 84 go ‘Screw it!’ and go stand on the trigger spot to see what happens after that kind of verbal abuse. Really hoping those who deserve it get a good smack-down or put in their place by what comes next.
Anubis
Well incoming plot of Asian/White male privilege being explained as super affirmative action as 3 guys need a strong independent woman to do all the work and fix their “mistakes”. Its a wonder how Europe and Asia managed to be the only places civilization advanced with patriarchies
vonBoomslang
… do we KNOW Neuronet is a man, and not just a bald woman? That armor is vaguely breastplate-shaped…
Lucy
I like Phlogiston more and more – guess what, guys? That “little girl” has a name. Use it.
Adahn
Secret identities are secret, Firedrake doesn’t know Julie’s real name.
Given the trend of FISS going by their numbers, he also doesn’t know whether she chose 84 as her superhero name or if she was assigned it by her “peers” (he definitely doesn’t know that she’s the one who started the trend).
In short, I think he can be excused for calling her “little girl” until she indicates her preference.
kentda
I’ll give Firedrake a pass … for now. The guy can be a bit of a dim bulb after all. He’s not actively trying to be rude, just he’s slow on the uptake. I’m sure after some prodding he’ll call her by her handle or name.
Leo Orionis
Now if they’d listened to her or treated her as a person, she probably would have suggested something like, “OK, you guys shelter under a magic dome of protection while I step on the rock, and we’ll see what happens.” As it is, SCREWIT!
The funny thing is, if they get HURT she’ll be really, really sorry that she lost her temper, too.
Pander
Again, Phlogiston seems to be the only one who has, from the beginning, not been a condescending jerk at all to 84 (and actually was supportive of what she was asking or saying a few times, or at least defensive of how jerk-ishly the others were acting towards her (with the Doorman thing, and now with the narcissistic sociopath thing).
Firedrake doesnt seem that jerkish either (he seemed to like the idea of having a flying brick with them) – his thing seems to be more being condescending to her because she’s a little kid that needs protecting.
kentda
Why do I have a feeling that Julie will warm up to Phlogiston and “pass” the Eye to her for delivery? Because she’s actually civil, intelligent, and appears to be a nice person. Of course Veles will know the truth, as I’m sure any time they scratch their head he’s aware of exactly what part of their head they scratch.
Andorxor
In the next comic the two stone dwarf will swing their swords over her head ,she will evade the trap because she is small not because she is invulnerable
Nightmask
I like that idea, I think I’ve seen that in a module, comic, or similar regarding traps that being designed by say dwarves were targeted at areas above the normal height of a dwarf to hit say an invading dark elf or thieving human but not hit a dwarf (so a dwarf to lead intruders into such a trap).
Someguy
I’m thinking the dwarves come to life & 84 asks politely if she can pass, they nod & allow her to and when the One Trick Ponies try to barge through, they get stuck in a fight
kentda
The best traps are the ones that have a logical clear cut solution, if those involved don’t over analyze things.
A passage that only lets those who ‘tread upon air’ to pass. Solution, a set of rings they had picked up not too long before. Any inspection of the rings had implications of passage and wings. They were magical, but nobody could figure out what they did, and nobody was willing to put them on either. The rings were designed to allow them to circumvent (or land in) certain traps by floating over them.
The dimwit figured that a person flying through the air qualified as “treading upon air”. Yup, he threw a member of the party through the passage. The GM considered it acceptable, for that character anyway. The rest balked at being thrown through for obvious reasons. They found another way through, but it wasn’t pretty.
Often thinking that complex solutions or tools are needed to solve a problem only makes things more complex than they actually are.
anon
It would be better if that ‘trap’ endows the user with a special form of vision which is crucial in completing their quest. Perhaps it might even persist afterwards and be useful at times.
CotFI2
Phlogiston seems pretty dismissive of her own powers, so it’s not unbelievable that she appreciates a FISS-type. Firedrake is a pretty straight-shooter, even if he doesn’t think much before he talks. Summoner isn’t wrong, but he certainly isn’t helping. Fishbowl-head is going to get his attitude adjusted.
Sweeper
Heh… Who else is hearing Sheldon Cooper every time bathrobe boy open his mouth? 🙂
KillerFish
I didn’t before … but now I can’t think of a better voice …
Opus the Poet
how about the actor that portrays Sheldon Cooper instead?
By the Farmstead
very nice casting.
Sweeper
Not so much the actor, but how he plays Sheldon with that attitude of, “I’m smarter than you, so I’m always right!”.
Heh… I just had a hilarious thought; since Will Wheaton is an established part of PS328’s continuity, would bathrobe boy consider him “Evil”? 🙂
Van
Has no one ever pointed out to these putzes that flashy powers means everyone knows what you can do and how to counter them? Not to mention pointed out to them that flashy powers does not always equate to surviving to retirement age?
KillerFish
Better yet, point out that the *last* person declared the champion by this trickster was *also* a FISS with no spectacularly flashy powers. Should shut them up for a couple of minutes or two.
Kolth
Firedrake is treating 84 like I’ve seen many people act towards kids, not a way that kids LIKE to be treated, but he basically doesn’t know any better. That’s basically unrelated to her being a FISS, other than the flying brick comments and stuff… but the way he says that makes me think that he thinks that’s actually cool. Plus he IS concerned for Julie’s safety, since he sees her as a kid and therefore he seems to feel a bit responsible for her. Which is respectable enough.
Bubblehead and Conjurer.. dear god. Those two are such hilariously insecure assholes it’s funny. Every opportunity they’ve got, they either tried to show off their own powers, or disparage other people. Yeah, you’re not overcompensating at ALL. Every word out of their mouths about FISS sounds like they’re trying to convince themselves of what they’re saying as well.
I actually like Phlogiston, she’s willing to call out the other people when they’re being assholes. She seems very level-headed and possessing actual empathy, which seems to be minority qualities among the supers from what I’ve seen.
KillerFish
Now, now. I’m sure Pop-O-Matic and Buckethead have *some* redeeming qualities …..
…
…
Maybe?
kentda
Kolth, I’ll agree about Conjurer. He’s good target practice, especially that bathrobe. It seriously Has to Go. I mean, I’d tolerate a skinny man in trunks in comparison. Now if he’d arrived with signs he’d Just stepped out of the shower, but then changed to a more appropriate garb, he could be forgiven. But it seems to be how he dresses. I also have a feeling that he himself has no magical power. Knowledge, yes, power no. IE the power comes from the helm itself.
Neuronet … its hard to pin him down. He listened to Julie earlier, and the way he phrased the bit about the website left it open to interpretation on how he views the movement itself. That’s why I’m saying he gets a pass. For now. He may of course prove himself to be a second grade version of a jerk compared to Conjurer.
Firedrake … I’ve said elsewhere here some of my views. It’s interesting how diverse the image of him actually is.
Phlogiston, yeah, seems the most level headed, if a bit insecure and unsure in ways.
With Respect
Phlogiston .. makes far too much sense for the average superhero.. except for the part where she calls three superpowered beings narcissistic sociopaths to their faces.
I guess it’s like the joke about why superheroes form teams.
You know, so when they walk down the street and hear people laughing, they can pretend it’s at the other guy.
DreamPen
She makes as much sense as any decent human being and any decent superhero. And I applaud her calling out the other three for being jerks, superpowered or not. I think she- and 84- may turn out to be the truer heroes here.
kentda
I’d say in some cases its also a case of “which loser has the worst wardrobe?”
In this group … its a hands down winner on who has the worst wardrobe. Anyone who disagrees that it is Conjurer … you need a serious checkup!
But yes, common sense is something the average superhero tends to lack. It’s why the ones who actually stop to go “what can go wrong?” are the most interesting. You don’t do a ten ton punch to the chest of a thirty foot behemoth when there is a building, probably still full of people, behind it. That’s when you either smash him on the head (sewers can be fixed) or hit him where it’d hurt anything with flesh. Of course if the behemoth is a hundred and fifty tons, rules change.
CotFI2
I just think it’s amusing that they haven’t thought about what they’re actually doing. A guy with a name like Koschei the Undying probably isn’t keeping anything NICE in there. What mythological being is deathless, and known to keep something REAL important to it hidden away from pesky adventurers? And why would Veles be messing with this being, aside from the humor value? I’d have thought Conjuror would have thought of something without even trying…
Nobody
Kosechi is a Russian version of a Liche. and if previous speculation is correct, they’re looking to capture his soul.
DreamPen
Much, much, much less respect for Conjuror, Firedrake, and Neuronet. >:-( This particularly includes Firedrake for being an ignorant idiot (although, Conjuror and Neuronet’s intelligence and knowledge makes their faults all the more worse as well).
Much, much, much sympathy for 84. 🙁 I’m astounded at how terrible and arrogant the other supers are. No wonder the other FISS folks- notably 41, Brian, and Ajax- were so down in the dumps about being FISS.
BUT- more, more and more respect for Phlogiston. 🙂 She’s not only shown herself to be a decent and prudent person, but she’s aware and critical of the kind of the attitude and behavior of the others.
DreamPen
I have to say this: I really hope there’s some kind of happy ending here for 84 (and Phlogiston). I’m thinking along the lines of, “You did good, 84. If you ever need a team, give me a call.” Better would insert “or any other FISS” between “you” and “ever”, but that may be hoping for too much.
rmsgrey
Thing is, if 84 gets a team-up offer out of this, it won’t be because she’s a FISS; it’ll be because she’s 84. Offering a generic FISS a team-up because 84’s good is only marginally better than dismissing all FISSes because some of them are useless – it’s still lumping all FISSes together just because they happen to share the same powers…
Docknock
I think the conjurer and the neuronet guy are the ones who are the “leaders” whereas the other two are more “team players” in their outlook which explains some of the attitude differences.
Docknock
Also, they have gone way off point with their discussion and seem to have forgotten the deadline.
Berpol
Like Vaarsuvius from Order of the Stick.
xaxnar
It’s telling that it’s the one woman in the group who see the dynamics of what is happening around 84.
OsConjoy
The attitude that The Conjurer has about the “Hammer versus Precision Equipment” Issue smacks of Hypocrisy to me; Sure they’re lock-picks might open a door, but I have a feeling they’d also use it to drive in a nail.
Psiberkiwi
Conjuror is so full of himself with his attitude he is failing to realize that when it comes to opening a door, there is a time for the lockpicks… but there is also a time for the sledgehammer.
dsollen
The doorman already said that they wouldn’t take anyone’s powers, ‘for what good they do you’. that combined with the fact that this place is clearly designed as a test makes me think that all the traps are designed without expectations about powers. A trickster spirit will likely be testing cunning, and maybe character. I suspect every test could be beaten by someone like moonshadow without any powers at all. Therefore I’m pretty sure nothing will be going BOOM in the immediate future. As others said she will probably ask to be let in and allowed to, or some sort of riddle/trick will used that she figures out.
Delver
I believe moon shadow has powers, Cecil thinks he does if I remember correctly, I just haven’t figured out what it is. Anonymity, moon shadow and all,
mccoma
I get the feeling she has figured out the puzzle and decided not to discuss it with the rest of them.
Psiberkiwi
Either that, or 84’s getting put off by all their yapping…
kentda
I just stopped (after all the commentaries) to look at their faces and how they’re reacting. Which is of course rather interesting. How they react to sudden events.
FIREDRAKE: “Is that a bad thing?”
NEURONET: “Can I dive for cover in time?”
CONJURER: “What’s going on?!”
PHLOGISTON: “You’re going to get hurt!”
And then of course Julie’s look.
“Nobody is doing anything! Fine, I’ll do it!”
Kolth
Eh I’m reading Julie as a more general “Screw this!”
In terms of the time limit, I wouldn’t be surprised if most of them honestly weren’t listening that closely to the gatekeeper.
Alex C
There is a distinct difference between an adult that is mature and educated trying to steer a child out of danger because they are less experienced and being condescending cretins.
Julie for all intents and purposes is a child. She’s a powerhouse but still a child.
The problem with this scenario which is scary if you think about it is that half the group wants to use her as a tool barely acknowledging her as a person much less as a child to the point of dismissive; one treating her as a kid sister that he’d wish would have stayed at home; and the fourth (less at fault then the others I’ll concede) trying to figure out why she was chosen and not perhaps paying attention to the child as much as they all should.
All this and they are missing the clues and hints that through Julie’s actions have been provided. Being taught to be polite, I’m assuming by her parents, has gone a long way so far. It wouldn’t kill one of them to kneel down to her and look her in the eye to get her feelings about what is going on, then (with her included in the discussion) try to put some logic into what the circumstances are to find a solution.
But that’s not what we are going to get so trainwreck away!
kentda
Yeah, it is kind of scary. Of course, look at Veles. He didn’t care about her age either when he chucked her into the Egg. Kind of makes him far less “likable” if you think about it that way. And yes, I dunno why, but I sort of like Veles.
=Tamar
Neuronet’s rockstar metaphor fails because a rock star without backup singers and musicians will either be playing his own music or singing unaccompanied, which is not typical rock music. Conjurer’s metaphor is even worse; an architect is not proven great without the masons to do the building. Conjurer also fails because his helmet leaves the back of his neck dangerously exposed. I’m wondering whether he’s just homely or has a really bad poker face that would give away his plans to anyone who can interpret facial expressions. Phlogiston needs to rethink her name; she’s got something backwards. PHlogiston and Firedrake would make a reasonable pair.
kentda
Neuronet … his metaphor is a mixed bag actually. The people who fall into “support” often don’t get even a third of the credit that they’re due. Because nobody sees them unless there is a problem. Friend of mine was in Drama during high school and he was part of the backstage crew. Nobody ever saw them of course, but they kept things running smoothly. Without proper “support” any structure is at risk of falling apart, regardless of what type of structure it is.
As to Conjurer, the Helmet could actually be the source of his power. So he may not have much of a choice in the design. Or he could just be a guy with zero fashion sense.
Can’t really say much more about Phlogiston or Firedrake that I haven’t said already.
Rob
Can “Supers” have the same issues as “Norms”?
Maybe, just maybe all of these characters (except 84) are on the Autism spectrum, albeit the lower end. Asperger’s syndrome comes to mind…
TeChameleon
Huh. Y’know, I’d almost give Firedrake a pass on this one. He might be being kind of a twit, but at the same time, Conjuror’s rather obnoxious metaphor is one that a kid- even a bright kid- could easily miss. Without tone, it’s tough to tell- he might even be poking fun at Conjuror’s overly-flowery way of speaking. I actually suspect that he’s significantly younger than the others- he might not even be out of his teens, from his mannerisms and slimmer build. Just a guess, of course.
Phlogiston… yeh, no ‘nanny’ vibe for me on her- it was *Firedrake* that said that this wasn’t a safe place for a kid, not her. Other than that… hard to judge what her personality is at this stage, she really hasn’t said much.
I’m not even all that inclined to think Neuronet is horrible- I think that he, even moreso than Firedrake, just blurts out the first thing that pops into his head- which isn’t all that unexpected a trait for a telepath, if you think about it.
As for Conjuror… hmm. He *could* be a Prima Donna with a massively inflated sense of self-importance, but my gut feeling is that there’s more to his story than that. This is probably completely off the wall and ludicrous, but my first instinct/guess is that he’s a scientist who got magic powers foisted upon him in some fashion, and is subconsciously trying to jam magic into a more ‘scientific’ mold, lined up in sterilized boxes with neat labels on pins. Or maybe not, who knows? Maybe he’s just a jerk.
… and it would be pretty funny if *Julie* were the one to come out of this with a lesson learned- something to the effect of ‘sometimes you just have to be patient and work with dumb jerks’. Especially if the lesson were repeated where the aforementioned jerks could hear 😛
Nightmask
I find myself wondering how from what we’ve seen of the other teams that showed up did any of them have FISS on them or were they all made up of less-commonly powered supers? Might be worse than it appears where the teams themselves were formed like the kiddy clubs we saw at PS238 to force-out the ‘not cool’ FISS, although at least Firedrake clearly appreciates having a FISS around even if he thinks they have the ‘non-flashy’ powers and Phlogiston so far hasn’t shown any sort of ant-FISS bias like with Conjurer and Neuronet. Having a FISS on their teams might explain why the former are more neutral or positive towards 84, they’ve reason to appreciate them.
Leo Orionis
Just noticed that none of these champions wears a cape! Very foolish on Veles’ part! How can any of them replace Atlas when none of them have a cape the way he did? 😉
Dougprime
NO CAPES!!! DID YOU NOT LEARN THE LESSONS TAUGHT IN THE DEATHS OF DYNAGUY, METAMAN, APOGEE AND SPLASHDOWN!!! NO CAPES!!!!
Knug
It is interesting to note, that despite equivalent release rates (in recent terms) PS238 pages result in an order of magnitude larger number of comments than Use Sword on Monster.
TxGator
But not surprising. PS238 has been around longer than Use Sword on Monster. In fact I think PS238 made it to print before it became a web comic. So it probably does currently have a higher viewership.
Of course this just speculation on my part.
TxGator
Grumble grumble… stupid browser. Supposed to be a reply to Knug’s post above…. Gumble grumble
Unmaker
Ye gods, the commentary gets longer for every page of this storyline.
The real problem here isn’t their personalities, its that they are forming a debating society while all of Manhattan has less than seven hours to avoid massive reorganization (at a minimum). Yes, they should think about things before they do them, but above all else they should make decisions with reasonable speed.
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