[388]Be as candid as you wish.

[edzepp]

Indeed.

Tom really thinks of everything doesn't he? One up to Todd for voicing Smitty's observation several months ago.

Is the comic acting a bit funny lately to any of you? Sometimes I can't get it to show. I can now, but still odd.

Works fine in IE. It must be my browser.

[Allyson]

Are you by any chance using Opera? I tried to view it in Opera and it won't show, so that's why I wonder. I never thought to check in another browser until I read your post.

[edzepp]

Yes, I am using Opera. It didn't use to have this trouble.

[Allyson]

Same, I saw Friday's and those before it just fine, but tonight it just doesn't want to show. How odd.

EDIT: I checked in both IE and Firefox, and I still can't get it to show up.

[popo]

yeah I'm using firefox and I can't see it.

[edzepp]

EDIT: Since it's working fine now, I'll just remove this. carry on.

[Mezzaphor]

I'm having no trouble viewing it with Firefox.

What's funny is that so many readers liked the Headmaster precisely because he was being rude.

[Yin]

I'm on Firefox and I can see it.

[Mezzaphor]

Jones' praise for Antimony: does she really think Annie's observation is better than the others, or is she just encouraging the new kid to speak up?

[alya1989262]

Antimony's thinking a bit outside the box, as in observing the "ally" as well as the "enemy". Parley and Smith both made obvious observations; Antimony looked at things from a different perspective. Maybe that's why Jones is praising her?

[reeds]

I don't think it's a praise. As typical of Jones she's making a statement about making observations. Parley only saw the obvious event, Smit sensed something while Annie managed to peek behind the whole event.

[zingbat]

How about the style in the second-to-last panel? It's all... scratchy-ish. Is it just to indicate that it's a scene that Antimony is remembering?
I like it. It's cool.

[todd]

edzepp said:

Indeed.

Tom really thinks of everything doesn't he? One up to Todd for voicing Smitty's observation several months ago.

Thanks. (I've come to respect Smith even more after this page.) I thought that there was something suspicious about the way that, the moment Reynardine showed up, Coyote turned the entire focus of the meeting towards him and away from the forest-folk's grievances - almost as if those were just a trick to draw him out of hiding.

I hadn't thought that much about the headmaster's behavior, but Annie makes a good point - and I suspect that it'll prove significant.

[edzepp]

I'd be surprised if it DIDN'T turn out to be significant, although probably not in the way we think it is. Tom is all wily like that.

[Boksha]

mezzaphor said:

What's funny is that so many readers liked the Headmaster precisely because he was being rude.

And why not? Acting like you don't give a damn in front of a god (while his subordinate is flocking foam, even) is pretty badass if you ask me.

If I were to guess why he acted so rude it'd be because he figured right from the start the whole thing was set up for something completely unrelated to the official reason for the meeting.

(edit) Or maybe he was informed of it.

[cenit]

...or maybe he acted that way for his own reasons...for example, he might have managed to get Ysen angry and leave early (plus the dropping of the seeds); so he just sat there looking all bored like, sent Parley and Smith to talk (why not Jones, or the Donlans who are all science-magic)... and also he got to see how Annie deal with the situation, evaluated her and sent her to medium training...

man, the guy owned them, and they didn't even noticed

[hajo]

It was the last day of the schoolyear, the meeting was called
on fairly short notice, and not much time for preparations.
The headmaster didn't say anything during the negotiation,
so I wouldn't call it 'rude'.
Maybe he just had a hangover from a party at the previous evening ;D
but he wanted to attend anyway.

[Count Casimir]

cenit said:

...or maybe he acted that way for his own reasons...for example, he might have managed to get Ysen angry and leave early (plus the dropping of the seeds); so he just sat there looking all bored like, sent Parley and Smith to talk (why not Jones, or the Donlans who are all science-magic)... and also he got to see how Annie deal with the situation, evaluated her and sent her to medium training...

man, the guy owned them, and they didn't even noticed

I agree with that; the court was just using that little meeting to give Parley'n'Smit a chance to practice. Shows how much respect they have for super powerful gods and not quite as powerful half-tree demigods.

[dragonmage06]

I love Parley's little hand gesture that goes over into the next panel. One panel cannot contain its sassiness!

[Chrome]

I like that idea, cenit. And yeah I think the guy did pretty much own everyone without their noticing. I know a forum administrator over at a place I moderate who's like this--he can get you to do stuff you wouldn't normally do, and by the time you've realized it...it's already too late. ;D

My guess is the headmaster was deliberately rude to draw out Ysengrim's real grievance.

Kind of a classic trick: Make your easily pissed off opponent more pissed so they screw up and reveal bits of their real thinking, or real plan. It may not be much, but gives a good analyzer like Jones a few clues to work on.

As for Jones, this whole "observing details" thing she has is starting to remind me of a Bene Gesserit. (You Dune fans out there should know what I'm after here.) The way she looks at body language ("You can easily take stock of a person's character when you give them a sword" or some such), the way she prods at someone's emotional responses ("Are you trying to make me angry?" - "Yes. It helps to assess your character.") and now intense observational skills in pointing out how Annie's observation was a key detail--all of that points to an expert in psychology and behavior in humans and etheric beings.

No wonder she's teaching mediation. I have to wonder if she's also the psychology teacher.

As for "You may be as candid as you wish"...I tend to think Jones would prefer honest opinions, even if they're a bit stupid. You can't work with a half-baked statement from someone trying to be polite or who's shy in a diplomatic sense. It's probably both just getting Annie to speak up with the two older kids there, but also getting her to speak her mind in case what she caught was indeed significant.

[Midnight Meadows]

That's quite an interesting take on the Headmaster's behavior at the meeting.

I originally took it to mean he was distressed or nervous, but was trying to suppress it by seeming nonchalant.

[Mezzaphor]

Parley and Smith were only watching the Forest delegates because they trusted the Court staff and were expecting them to have their backs.

Annie didn't trust anyone in the room, and she knew if she said the wrong thing, the whole story about sending Robot across the bridge would come out, and she'd be in trouble from both the Court and the Wood. So Annie had her eye on everyone.

[crabapplered]

I found it neat that Smith called Reynardine "the demon Renard", since "renard" means "fox" in french.

[gdwarf]

Well, Reynardine refers to a bunch of legends about a trickster fox/wolf creature, also known as Renard, so it makes sense.

[Mezzaphor]

Yup. Our Reynardine borrows elements from Renard, the trickster of Medieval French folklore (the enemy of the wolf Ysengrimus), and Reynardine the highwayman (who is a werefox in some versions of the song).

[mudmaniac]

I like how the rendition of the reclined headmaster is protrayed in sketchy colours. Makes it look like part of an art piece.

[rc5]

Maybe its a portrait on the wall that they're walking by, and he just always looks like that, so that's how he got painted. =P

I like the panel where they all look at Annie. That and the individual-panel-for-each-character-even though-they're-in-the-same-scene thing.

Awesome as always. =P