Paranatural

So wait, did she do that just so that her spirit would read the menu for her?

Not /just/ for that. Day can do many things at once. She's clever like that, and dangerous.

Well, that's unexpectedly handy. Also, requisite spirit speech on ethics.

That does seem to be a thing, huh? Maybe Max lucked out.

Isabel's the one who lucked out. That book spider (whatever its name was) was way too goofy and easygoing to... no wait, it also gave an ethics speech in its goodbye scene. Darnit, can nobody just have a spirit that doesn't feel the need for ethics speeches? If you count Patchworm's "there's the Mina that cares so much" bit we've heard one from literally every spirit except Max's.

edit: Anyways, the comment I was gonna make is that Agent Day appears to be very, very skilled at sitting perfectly still in the spirit world. I bet if you were watching her you wouldn't even notice she entered it.

edited 5th Oct '16 8:00:51 PM by Brickman

Did the monkey paintbrush dude give an ethics speech?

Yes. Maybe living in someone's body turns everyone into a backseat driver?

EDIT: Ha, I just realized that Johnny is probably in for some whoppers.

edited 5th Oct '16 8:43:02 PM by DatLonerGirl

And of course, it's already been lampshaded. The Alt Text on the page where Max meets his spirit again says: let's talk about ethicsss

I only now got that joke.

Also, I feel like this is the better page for Gym-Monkey giving an ethics speech.

How annoying must it be to have these things constantly speechifying to you on ethics.

At least Muse has provided reasonable advice.

And thankfully Stands don't normally give you a speech, they just punch things.

I mean, personally I think I could have used more ethics speeches from magical creatures, as a kid.

At least one, I mean, c'mon.

Though it does make sense. These beings are speechifying on ethics because they are spiritual.

I mean, while possessing people they can't really walk around and do stuff. They can't even think about what they'd do because they're stuck in someone else's body. There isn't much else to do.

I'm making puns that make sense. The dead (and spirits) are typically very calm while the living are exaggerated as all hell, making them seem lively. And spirits can wax philosophical because they are spiritual.

To be honest, I don't think they're very good puns.

I mean, being spiritual doesn't really imply that one is especially philosophical, or speech-prone, in general, or about ethics in particular.

And, I don't think the spirits are really exceptionally calm? I can see where you're coming from, but it's certainly not a dead/living dichotomy- nor even a dead & spirits/living dichotomy- remember that mirror frog guy?

They're flawed because they don't fit quite right, and the in-universe explanations for the traits don't line up with the punny ones, which kills the already kinda weak jokes? Only IMO, of course, comedy is certainly subjective.

It's not just the possessing spirits, though. Douchebag mirror-selves guy? Ethics speech. Doorman? Ethics speech. Pre-possession Forge? Ethics speech.

I think the sphinx is the only spirit capable of speech that's lasted more than a page without talking about ethicsss.

Edit: Oh wait, there's also the red-eyed guys who talk with Forge. And the respawning spirits of evil, though the language they speak is too foul for my innocent ears. Still. A disproportionate amount of moral discourse, even among the ones that aren't possessing anyone.

edited 6th Oct '16 4:58:14 PM by rikalous

That alt text on the Forge page is the greatest

I like the one on the page after that better. One of my favorites in the entire comic.

I'm very fond of the one on the page before.

So what I'm getting here is that Forge speechifying is an alt text gold mine.

It doesn't have to, but it can.

I remember Zack tweeting once that he did not even remember writing some of these when people started listing their favorites.

EDIT: Aaand that got me to reread the Eightfold scene. Why?!

EDIT 2: Also, looking back, there are so meny mysteries that have somehow simultaneously become more clear and mysterious. I guess that thing Forge was talking about about Spender defeating a powerful spirit happened when he was a kid?

WAIT.

The shadow spirit was the incident all those years ago. Spender somehow trapped it within himself, and the Consortium took him in to help. Also, use him. Don't know whether Lucifer would have come before or after it. Also, maybe everyone has already said this in which case I feel kinda dumb. Also, Spender said it was happening again, but didn't seem to be talking about the spirit. Hmm, maybe that guess is a bit too simplistic. I think that the shadow was the thing Forge was talking about though, though maybe the shadow and the childhood incident were separate, though related things.

edited 6th Oct '16 9:00:51 PM by DatLonerGirl

"My name is BOSS. LEADER. The rules only apply to me when they're looking for a job, SON"

...Are you implying that Spender is Boss Leader's son? That would explain how he got involved so young.

EDIT: Wait, or were you just quoting alt text.

edited 7th Oct '16 5:29:12 AM by DatLonerGirl

Not even alt text, just straight up text from the comic.

Also, one of the very best quotes from the comic, which is saying something.