Comic 1284 - Self-Reliance

17th Dec 2015, 9:00 PM
Self-Reliance
Average Rating: 5 (25 votes)
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Comments:

Dragonrider 17th Dec 2015, 9:07 PM edit delete reply

Sounds like a recipe for ending up not knowing which end wiggles and which end bites. Rule number 1. When a friend comes along don't drive them away.
Rule number 2. Refer to Rule number 1 often.
jamie59 17th Dec 2015, 9:10 PM edit delete reply

She's way too familiar with taken away.
xpacetrue 17th Dec 2015, 9:16 PM edit delete reply

Heh! The lighting in the bottom panel makes it look like Acantha is sporting a very thick, black beard. :D
mjkj 18th Dec 2015, 12:03 AM edit delete reply

Yeah, that looks creepy...

...and somewhat out of place...

Wolfsbane 18th Dec 2015, 3:18 AM edit delete reply

Thanks. I didn't see it till you mentioned it, and now I can't not see it. :P
Lukkai 18th Dec 2015, 9:06 AM edit delete reply

I've seen it but I don't mind it. Not everything will be always perfectly illuminated from all directions, after all.
KarToon12 18th Dec 2015, 3:07 PM edit delete reply

She's like the Mirror Spock. XD
HiFranc 17th Dec 2015, 9:39 PM edit delete reply

I suspect that Dolly's arrival may, deep down inside, represent Lynn being taken away from her.
DLKmusic 17th Dec 2015, 10:00 PM edit delete reply

I think you might be on to something, HiFranc. That, and 2 people who were important to her she just lost, for all she knows, permanently...

That's definitely a recipe for depression
Dragonrider 17th Dec 2015, 10:10 PM edit delete reply

She knew it would happen and how it would happen, she just hoped it would take longer.
The Old Scribe 17th Dec 2015, 10:20 PM edit delete reply

There's something to be said for friends, Acantha. A friend will bail you out of jail, a real friend will be in there with you saying "That was a blast, wasn't it?"
sigpig 18th Dec 2015, 7:51 AM edit delete reply

I wish we could "upvote" comments like this..
Lukkai 18th Dec 2015, 9:07 AM edit delete reply

I don't know... I'd probably prefer the former if ever placed in such a situation. Seems more handy at that particular point.
cattservant 17th Dec 2015, 11:15 PM edit delete reply

Everyone has a point.
Sheela 19th Dec 2015, 4:05 AM edit delete reply

Some points are more pointy than others though.
Mark_L_A 17th Dec 2015, 11:21 PM edit delete reply

I think that once they are actually secure, Dolly may be able to draw Acantha out more, using what she just said as leverage to get inside Acantha's barriers that she is setting up.
Stormwind13 18th Dec 2015, 6:27 AM edit delete reply

I think you are right, Mark. Dolly is NOT going to ignore a problem. Especially a problem with someone that is important to someone that she cares about. Dolly will find another avenue to attack the issue Acantha has, and if need be another until she gets the problem resolved. That is Dolly. :-)
Sheela 18th Dec 2015, 7:36 AM edit delete reply

"That is Dolly" ? That almost sounds like a Zen argument.

This is the path of the Dolly, walk it and you shall rescue many lost little kittens!
The Dolly Directives, one little lost kitten at a time, SAVE THEM ALL! :D
Stormwind13 18th Dec 2015, 3:36 PM edit delete reply

Damn straight, Sheela.
Sheela 18th Dec 2015, 5:32 PM edit delete reply

Ada has a copy of the book about "The Dolly Directives", doesn't she? :D
Stormwind13 18th Dec 2015, 6:20 PM edit delete reply

Ada, Captain Tamara, Calliope, Minx, Dusty, CentComm, Mira, Dari (autographed even :-D)... Heck anybody that hasn't gotten Dolly pissed off enough to shoot their a$$ was probably given a copy, Sheela. :-D Just so they would KNOW not to piss her off enough for her TO shoot their a$$. :-D
Sheela 19th Dec 2015, 4:05 AM edit delete reply

Dari can read ?
Stormwind13 19th Dec 2015, 7:01 AM edit delete reply

Dolly probably had one made up with (graphic) little pictures JUST for Dari. :-D
Mister Black 19th Dec 2015, 5:17 PM edit delete reply

The Dolly Lama?
Sheela 20th Dec 2015, 7:59 AM edit delete reply

Bwa ha .. Good one! :D
Wolfsbane 20th Dec 2015, 8:19 AM edit delete reply

ommmmmmmm
Lukkai 20th Dec 2015, 3:05 PM edit delete reply

"Thou shalt not provoke the Dolly."
Sheela 25th Dec 2015, 2:05 AM edit delete reply

Indeed, and if you do ... Boot to the Head !
mjkj 18th Dec 2015, 12:06 AM edit delete reply

Poor Acantha... *hugs and comforts her*

I hope A will tell her the good news soon, when they arrive...


PS: Does the train not have seats?

Stormwind13 18th Dec 2015, 6:34 AM edit delete reply

The train might have seats, mjkj; however, they may be icky. The train hasn't been used in decades so the amenities probably haven't been kept up.

Or it could be Dolly doesn't feel like sitting down (still in hostile territory combat mode) so no one else will sit down either.
Lukkai 18th Dec 2015, 9:11 AM edit delete reply

That doesn't look like the interior of a train to me at all. Also check the statement of place on the top.
mjkj 18th Dec 2015, 1:44 PM edit delete reply

Ah, true, they already left the train. Danke Lukkai.
Stormwind13 18th Dec 2015, 3:40 PM edit delete reply

Yeah, Lukkai. Shouldn't respond to things when trying to see on the phone screen. Not big enough to get a good sense of things.
mjkj 19th Dec 2015, 12:06 PM edit delete reply

So true, Stormwind, so true...
Lukkai 20th Dec 2015, 3:06 PM edit delete reply

Fallen for that myself in the past. One of the reasons I've mostly stopped reading from my phone.
Fairportfan 18th Dec 2015, 1:15 AM edit delete reply

What happened to Acantha's mouth in the last panel?
mjkj 18th Dec 2015, 4:14 AM edit delete reply

It is hidden by a creepy shadow...
Sheela 18th Dec 2015, 5:32 PM edit delete reply

Nonsense, she obviously grew a beard ! :D
rfaramir 20th Dec 2015, 12:01 AM edit delete reply
Dolly in this new body is such a success at being feminine that other women tend to grow goatees in her presence.
Wolfsbane 20th Dec 2015, 3:19 AM edit delete reply

I thought that was more of CeCi's domain...
Sheela 20th Dec 2015, 11:11 AM edit delete reply

Naw, CeCi is bringing in the "innocent & sexy", while Dolly is the Lady of War.
xpacetrue 18th Dec 2015, 1:26 AM edit delete reply

So, Dolly is now up to speed on what has transpired with Lynn. And that was a lot of emotional and situation-relevant stuff, to be sure! Lynn must really appreciate Acantha being there for her during her ordeals. But she must feel relieved to tell her Dolly all about it.

Also, we get to see what's going on inside Acantha's head. And Dolly offers to be her support, as well, which she politely declines.

However, this page did not seem to progress the story. And it was devoid of humor. Did it show character growth? Intended to show insight into Acantha? (Maybe it has Acantha realize that Lynn - her new best friend - will be leaving soon.) Or is it groundwork for things to come? I guess we'll wait and see.
Wolfsbane 18th Dec 2015, 3:20 AM edit delete reply

Seems to me like a little decompression after that intense battle scene a few floors above them.
Stormwind13 18th Dec 2015, 7:21 AM edit delete reply

Definitely some of that going on, Wolfsbane. I'm thinking it is a transition page, establishing that everyone has knowledge of recent events. Frequently the (EVIL) duo make the seemingly innocent into something important later on.

Plus life isn't a video game. It isn't action all the time. This comic is mostly about characters, and their relationships (in my opinion). So it is important to show them interacting. I don't think the comic would have hooked me the way it has, if it was ONLY about action. The way CentComm and Rose have built their world and especially the characters makes them more interesting than lots of REAL people! :-)
Stever 18th Dec 2015, 6:29 AM edit delete reply

Self reliance is a great skill to have, but talking to someone can still have its benefits.
Stormwind13 18th Dec 2015, 10:41 AM edit delete reply

Absolutely Stever. We need to keep in mind though that Douchimus did his DAMNDEDEST to isolate Acantha. If anyone got too friendly with her, bad things happened to them. Maxus (and by extension Irene and Arianna) was one of the few that could be friendly and survive. Now he may be gone too! Acantha is NOT in a good place emotionally.
ProfEtheric 18th Dec 2015, 4:55 PM edit delete reply

^

It would be a bit wonky if Acantha just jumped to "oh, new friend, tra-la-la"

Though, she DID take to Lynn pretty quickly. Different situations, I suppose.
DLKmusic 18th Dec 2015, 6:55 PM edit delete reply

One big difference between the two situations, Prof, is that when Acantha first met Lynn, she had the opportunity to be a pillar of strength for someone...

Here, Talking it out with Dolly, she will be showing weakness, which is something she has never had the luxury to be able to do beforem accept with Aeneas. I feel bad for Acantha, but I also understand the inner turmoil.
Sheela 18th Dec 2015, 7:39 AM edit delete reply

Meanwhile, one little machine is listening very closely form the back !

A machine that isn't quite her normal self these days.
sigpig 18th Dec 2015, 7:57 AM edit delete reply

Re: Alt-text: "I'll be fine" is indeed different that "I am fine". But it is miles away from a lady saying (to a guy) "I'm FINE!"

That reply is only slightly more dangerous than the question "Does these pants make me look fat?"... lol
Lukkai 18th Dec 2015, 9:12 AM edit delete reply

"I'll be fine!" certainly tends to be more honest than "I am fine!"
Timotheus 18th Dec 2015, 1:48 PM edit delete reply

I'm considering the possibility of Arianna heading back to find cover and discovering a still alive Democlus and the resultant plot convolutions.
I also think our favorite lavender angel has a rather uncharacteristically dead pan expression going on there.
Book O Dragons 18th Dec 2015, 3:06 PM edit delete reply
Please make it L33T!
Sheela 18th Dec 2015, 3:07 PM edit delete reply

Next page will be 1337, young man.
Book O Dragons 20th Dec 2015, 9:05 PM edit delete reply
I'd put "Next is #1337" in the title and didn't check after it posted.
Matt Knab 18th Dec 2015, 5:04 PM edit delete reply

You shouldn't ALWAYS rely on others, but you should never try to do everything yourself.
pastutopia 18th Dec 2015, 6:25 PM edit delete reply

I imagine it's going to take some adjustment to have people that actually want to help with your problems around and not just people that either insane or terrified.

She's got some adjustments to make, but some self-reliance is good!
Haegan2005 18th Dec 2015, 7:53 PM edit delete reply

There is a lot of emotion going on in this scene. Now where shall it lead?
lalverson 18th Dec 2015, 9:04 PM edit delete reply

I tend to see this page as partly transition and partly foreshadowing. Acantha I think is getting her head around a future that seems to be gaining speed in arriving. She's learning and learning to live with what it is to lead. In that ultimately, it will be her word that will be the final one. She knows her father was a great leader and respected. She's seen good leadership and bad and soon she will have to chose which she will follow.

After all, it is rather lonely at the top and for the sake of darn near everything she has to ready herself for being the selfless, and caring leader and visionary.

And that is tall order for a 16 year old.
cattservant 19th Dec 2015, 7:34 AM edit delete reply

Dolly can't be unaware of the political aspects of this situation either.
Stormwind13 19th Dec 2015, 2:49 PM edit delete reply

No, I can't see Dolly (despite her focus on rescuing Lynn) being unaware of the political ramifications, catt. Now whether she FULLY understands them or not, I am less sure of. In fact, I would be surprised if, even after Lynn's synopsis of events, there aren't political twists that she has zero handle on. But big picture wise, I expect her to have a pretty good idea what the politics are.
cattservant 19th Dec 2015, 6:31 PM edit delete reply

CeCi is certainly aware.
Stormwind13 20th Dec 2015, 7:29 AM edit delete reply

I'm not sure I agree with you there, catt. I'm thinking CeCi is completely ABSENT from the adventure right now. I think CentComm has her hand so far up CeCi's butt that she is running the show right now... and undoubtedly does know lots about the politics of the situation. Not that she will TELL anyone about it though.
cattservant 20th Dec 2015, 8:50 AM edit delete reply

Android sock puppets
AI puppeteers!
Stormwind13 20th Dec 2015, 10:10 AM edit delete reply

Said puppeteer needs to be careful of the luck of Teela Brown. :-D
Tokyo Rose 20th Dec 2015, 2:51 PM edit delete reply

+1 for Niven reference! :D
antrik 14th Oct 2016, 9:25 AM edit delete reply
Acantha's last bubble is so telling regarding the kind of life she has... Methinks she is in need of another hug.
Caley Tibbittz Collopy 12th Mar 2017, 12:40 PM edit delete reply

I like the shadow in the last panel on the Princess' face, because it looks like she's cosplaying as Tony Stark.:)
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