El Goonish Shive

http://www.egscomics.com/?id=2386

Oh dear. I'm growing more and more concerned that Shive plans to kill Pandora.

Don't listen to the idiot in white!

I'm not saying that I'm getting a cookie, but the flour is being sifted.

I don't know what to think on this. On the one hand I liked Pandora more when she wasn't meant to be likeable, but I still like her character development. But very likely she will have a soft reset or something....

Hmm... I wonder if immortals should leave behind some variety of record when they go. I know Jerry described looking at old lives like reading a book, but I have to wonder at this point if immortals put too much stock in how much they're able to bring forward.

Also, I personally suspect that Jerry, Helena, and Demetrius all show that they can bring some level of emotional attachment with them on a reset, even if things are a bit wonky (considering H&D canonically had a bad reset).

What'll be the effect of Pandora resetting immediately after bonding with Tedd?

edited 16th Aug '17 8:51:59 AM by sgamer82

Yeah, she even influenced one of my own villains. But I think Shive can only stomach so much villainy.

edited 16th Aug '17 9:20:37 AM by DatLonerGirl

AKANE HANMA CHAN

Dear Lord I hope this immortal hasn't played 999.

NP 656

Let your Susan be your guide.

Remember when Damien conveniently self-disposed so the protagonists didn't have to deal with him?

That's what I feel like Pandora's been doing for this entire arc: conveniently resolving herself. The protagonists haven't really done anything. 90% of their interactions with her have consisted of her phantoming around while they're unaware of her presence. She induced her own Character Development and is prompting herself to undergo a Heel–Face Turn due to experiences she's had while interacting with herself.

This conversation she is literally having with herself to set herself on the path to finally defeating herself and ending the reign of terror she's inflicted upon herself is the perfect metaphor for her development as a character. Pandora is conquering Pandora while the protagonists are nearby.

edited 16th Aug '17 4:52:25 PM by TobiasDrake

I mean, she's a better character than most of them, so I don't really mind.

Ah, I do remember correctly - we do have Self-Disposing Villain as a trope on the wiki. Look at that, Damien is even the first listing in the webcomics tab.

I mean, I know that there haven't exactly been a ton of villains in the series, but yeah, there really have been few times when the main cast beat their opponent, either by force or an Outside-the-Box Tactic. Damien blew himself up, Tara was talked down, the spider-vampire got blown up by Tara, it's looking like Pandora is talking herself into submission... I think the only clean "the main characters won the day" fights have been Dex (and even he was underpowered and only boosted by Pandora), Tengu, and the Goo.

I think Dan is trying to avoid Shonen Power Level Syndrome, The moment you get a villain that can be overpowered by sheer force, the bigger the next villain has to be.

Comic 2387

Ctrl + F5

Oh boy.

So, I'm reading this as Pandora deciding to try her "Improved Partial Reset" (or whatever it gets called) later. Because right now she's still busy.

I know this is supposed to sound ominous but she's still basically just shifting into the antihero role. Oh, no! She's going to go destroy people! Like Sirleck! And Voltaire!

Eh. F*ck 'em.

The problem isn't her killing bad guys, it's her risking to get good guys hurt in the process.

Not just that... it might be better to say the risk is generalized collateral damage. Yeah, good chance for that to get on the main characters (i.e. the ones Pandora cares about), but it's not going to be any better when it spills onto bystanders... and she's going to care even less about them.

I do agree that Shive seems reluctant to have his protagonists display moral ambiguity. But I also think he's trying, in some way, to address that. At the very start of this arc, we saw in Grace's dreams and it was about her reluctance to kill versus the danger that might pose to her allies.

NP 657

For best results, add 'desu'.

The precise details of the plan are very important.

Spoiler alert: Hanma's still a weeb.

But was that guy really a villain? I think there might have been some left over moral ambiguity.

Everyone's the hero of their own story.

Except that guy. That guy's just a dick.

I don't know, he seems a good enough sort. I like the cut of his job.

I really hope that I'm not supposed to take any of this comic seriously, because when you run with Stupid Evil that far, I just can't.

I mean, yeah, that's the point here- it's a way to go for 'and then a guy gets devoured by a monster out of nowhere' without it feeling too dark.

It's worth questioning whether or not that's a worthwhile goal, but it is accomplishing that goal.