9/29

[Tek Roo]

::points::

That's it. Right there.

[Rico Underwood]

I... can't think of a comment. Curse you Higgenbottom, stop leaving me hanging like this.

[ZOMBIE USER 7262]

(moved into the right thread)

..........



Pardon me while I gather bits of my head and put 'em all back together...

*squish bzzzzzzzzt stretch squeak whamwhamwham fvvvvrt drip*

Okay, I'm back...

Ouch. My head hurts. Y'know, it almost makes sense that someone so gentle and poetic (like Xe) was a brainwashed killing machine. It's the exact opposite of who he is. (Also makes sense that they'd use weasels, if you subscribe to standard Western society opinion of the species.)

Wait...

* They didn't have names... how did Xe know how to address Idria? Were they assigned names after training?

* Misha...you haven't KNOWN Xe that long...

* Gloria knows her stuff. Modern handguns have a small enough kickback that a ten-year old can properly fire them.

* Does this lend significance to the ear piercings Xe has? Idria has them as well...they appear to serve as decoration, but did they have any practical use (restraint, like a choke chain)?

* Is that Idria's vehicle in the background? If so...how did nobody notice it pull up, her get out, and point a gun at Xe's head? (Okay, okay! It's a plot device!)

* How long did Xe stay with X-I before he ran away? I'm assuming several years after his training was complete. In that case, how many people did he murder due to his programming that's now savaging his mind? What "big trouble" caused him to flee?

* When will I shut up?

* Did Xe's shirt actually have "Xheotris" written on it, or "Xheotris Industries"?

* Is Ciaran the only normal person in this whole strip? (No, wait... Misha's somewhat normal... Apollo's somewhat normal, and working hard... the receptionist lady at the police station from last New Year's was kinda normal...)

* Analyzing <a href="http://untitled.keenspace.com/d/20010121.html">what Xe told Twap</a> about his past... I can distinguish a lot of things in that mess, including something I'd never noticed before... weasel jaws. The hand looks like it's a gauntlet with a studded cuff...or a paw with a bracelet or shackle.

(Forum: "Shaddap!" )

[W.M.Y.L.G. Joe]

those are some good questions, but...

something I'd never noticed before... weasel jaws. The hand looks like it's a gauntlet with a studded cuff...or a paw with a bracelet or shackle.

What in the world are you talking about????

[Ironpaw]

I... can't think of a comment. Curse you Higgnbottom, stop leaving me hanging like this.

Oh... my... gosh!
Gloria!! You've finally done what famine, war, and sarcastic wit had failed in their task to do...! Silenced Rico!!!!

* Gloria knows her stuff. Modern handguns have a small enough kickback that a ten-year old can properly fire them.

Fundamentally handguns haven't changed much in the past 100 years. With a few minor exceptions, recoil (kickback) is directly related to the round (bullet) being fired and not neccesarily the "modern" design of the weapon. The U.S. Military issue handgun that recently began being fazed out in 1983 first entered service with our military in the year 1911. (.45 Colt M1911A1) It is still in use by many police officers and detectives to this day, including LAPD SWAT. The difference in recoil between it and an HK USP .45 which began production in the mid 1990s, while noticeable, is negligable when considering operation by a child. In fact, modern firearms are far less child friendly than those from about the 1960s back, due to safety measures included in their design. In fact, two of the most modern rounds designed (the .357 SIG and .40 S&W) have MUCH sharper recoil when compared to previous established handgun rounds (9mm, .45, .380) They are designed to be more powerful, more accurate, and less unpredictable to minimize the possibility of unintended casualties.



Sorry... just had to explain that.
: )
-Devon

[ZOMBIE USER 7262]

something I'd never noticed before... weasel jaws. The hand looks like it's a gauntlet with a studded cuff...or a paw with a bracelet or shackle.

What in the world are you talking about????

This: (And, feel free to laugh at my crappy pointing-out-with-the-pencil-tool skills)
<img src="http://winds.org/~macro/20010121.jpg">

* Gloria knows her stuff. Modern handguns have a small enough kickback that a ten-year old can properly fire them.

The difference in recoil between it and an HK USP .45 which began production in the mid 1990s, while noticeable, is negligable when considering operation by a child. In fact, modern firearms are far less child friendly than those from about the 1960s back, due to safety measures included in their design. In fact, two of the most modern rounds designed (the .357 SIG and .40 S&W) have MUCH sharper recoil when compared to previous established handgun rounds (9mm, .45, .380) They are designed to be more powerful, more accurate, and less unpredictable to minimize the possibility of unintended casualties.

Upon checking my sources, I see that I was wrong to say "handgun." I'm also not an expert in ballistics or firearms. However, among the unsettling factoids on <a href="http://freethechildren.org/campaigns/war.html">this page</A>, the relevant one I'm aiming at is:

Technological advances in weaponry have contributed to the increased use of child soldiers. Lightweight automatic weapons are simple to operate, and can be used by children as young as 10.

That's what I was getting at...X-I would equip its agents with the appropriate firepower...including automatic weapons if need be. Though I've never handled one, I'm fairly sure I could take a rifle, load it with ammo, disable the safety, and shoot something. Very quickly. (Even quicker if there's a hungry Bengal tiger in the room.)

[Rowan Bristol]

dark revelations
A precious toy gone so wrong
with the aid of love

[Rowan Llwellyn]

It's not so much the fact that there are handguns and assault weapons that are 'soft' enough that children can be taught their use...


It's the fact that there are those out there who think nothing of indoctrinating children into hating something so fiercely that they will bear arms against it.

[IndigoMoon]

Oooooh! This is so exciting! Lots of good questions in this thread, but, what I wanna know is, why did Idria pull a gun on her childhood friend, just to threaten everyone (and make a very nice first impression, I might add), then put it away? Is she just psycho? What kind of character will she turn out to be? And does she care nothing for the health of her lungs?! lol

[ArraSkysong]

* Is Ciaran the only normal person in this whole strip? (No, wait... Misha's somewhat normal... Apollo's somewhat normal, and working hard... the receptionist lady at the police station from last New Year's was kinda normal...)

I think some of the people in the Untimely Death of Ben storyline, back whenever it was, were pretty much.... fairly normal. And Erin's normal enough, compared to some of the others.

Y'know what I love about this strip? Well, yeah, everything, but especially the characters. They're just great.

[ZOMBIE USER 7262]

... why did Idria pull a gun on her childhood friend, just to threaten everyone ... then put it away? Is she just psycho?

She's a trained spy and assassin. If Misha had tried to attack her, she had a barganing chip (Xe's life) to keep him at bay. (Instead, he's all for de-escalation, and Idria sees that they're not going to fight, so she puts her weapon away.)

[Tek Roo]

And now.....I may speak.

A long long time ago, back when everyone first started postulating, perhaps not seriously yet, that Xe too was a clone and that somehow explained his amnesia, I combined that thought with the idea that I was always bothered by the fact that Xe only knew his name because it just happened to be on his shirt. That always sounded fishy to me. It actually reminded me of Marty McFly assuming the name Calvin Klein in Back to the Future, though I'm sure there are other examples out there.

If the name on his shirt was actualy the name of some evil corporation however (I used the example Xheotris Industries, since all evil corporations have the word "Industries" in their title, like Robert Ludlum's Genessee Industries, a possible reference to General Motors, but I digress), then it was proof positive of Xe's insidious origins. Not wanting to muddy the waters with such powerful guesswork, I merely spoke of sociopolitical ramifications that would shake this comic to its very core that I would not speak of, but I would point it out when it was revealed. Gloria, of course, wanted to know what the heck I was talking about.

Okay, so it turned out that I was only right, as was everyone at the time, that Xe had some sort of tie with this building full of Twap clones, but he was not actually a clone himself. She did think the part about Xheotris Industries sounded pretty cool though...

[Starpaw]

The newest story with Xe kinda reminds me of dark Angel on Tv, where all the little kiddies were trained to be killers but broke out. In fact the charcater max also has a thing about guns because her freinds were shot:)

apart from Max didnt have fur! or a weasel and..

althoug this isnt a bad thing, I loved Dark angel and Untitled is cool with this storyline I like all the other little pop culture nudges (star wars, Matrix)

Snitter needs a big storyline next!!

[Hraxmeim]

Snitter needs a big storyline next!!

The chips cause death or insanity on those who escape. Snitter is insane. Could she be... nah.

[Starpaw]

Snitter needs a big storyline next!!

The chips cause death or insanity on those who escape. Snitter is insane. Could she be... nah.

Hey! maybe so! People could be better at guessing Ms glorias mind, or it could be a big coincidence! lol

but hey a snitter spin off like angel! only better...

[ArraSkysong]

The newest story with Xe kinda reminds me of dark Angel on Tv, where all the little kiddies were trained to be killers but broke out. In fact the charcater max also has a thing about guns because her freinds were shot:)

Funny, it reminded /me/ of Ender's Game....


....then again, /everything/ reminds me of Ender's Game. (Including a word game we played in a class on Wednesday, with the word "bean". I'm pathetic.)

[Gloria]

*is interrupted from dancing happily to Kraftwerk's "computer love" by a very long string of postulations by her fans*

Whoo! Such inquiring little minds you all have! : D

All will be revealed in time... Though in response to that Snitter comment, no, she wasn't involved in it. Somewhere a long time ago I think Twap made a comment (like I remember what it was?) that suggested that Snitter had been around Fursdale since she was a kid. And Fiar has apparently been sort of sponsoring her education, etc. for quite some time, so it's safe to say that there's not any likely connection. :)

Thanks for all the comments, guys! It's things like this (what, tormenting your fans, you sicko??) that keep me drawing! :D

Lova ya,

[Rowan Llwellyn]

Thank the diddle who's still catching up on the backstory

Back when we're first introduced to Fiar and Misha is when it was revealed that Snitter had been around since she was 6.


But, Gloria, while I may have a little brain, I do not have a little mind


Brain and mind don't match
Brain may be small but the mind
should be infinite



I, too, can haiku
It's not just for angsty mice
But for everyone


YIKES!

The other Rowan's rubbing off on me!!!!!!!
*POOF*

[Catamount]

*nods to Starpaw*
I was going to say something along the same lines... "Xe's an X-5?! Where's his barcode?!"

And I feel I must point out, Skysong, that it didn't remind me so much of Ender's Game as Battle School, though secretive, was hardly covert. Earth in general knew the military was doing something using kids to fight against the Buggers. Manticore, on the other hand.....

--Catamount "Cursing FOX for dropping one of my few favorite shows..." Sa'Furre En'Ridgewood

[ArraSkysong]

*nods* True, true. Like I said, /everything/ reminds me of Ender's Game.