Chapter 22: Discussion

[Oddball]

It's not her 

[CrystalDragonSpaceMarine]

so Suspiria doesnt know squat about magic

Well, let's say she possibly knows a lot about theoretical magic, but totaly fails with applied magic.

Or maybe it's like, weird new stuff that has never been discovered before, cuz no one's been willing to sacrifice that many orphans.

[Abstract Vagabond]

"Well, let's say she possibly knows a lot about theoretical magic, but totaly fails with applied magic."

Or maybe it's like, weird new stuff that has never been discovered before, cuz no one's been willing to sacrifice that many orphans.

Poor Annie.

"The sun will come out- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" *THWAP* *THUD*

[charles]

Crest is unusually comfortable with her.  But I do like to see our Detective Crest back in action.  He does so well at figuring these things out in a comedic way.

3 doors:
   1st to their rooms and the love bath
   2nd to a never-ending space
   3rd to cob webs.
Stairs appear to go for three levels then return in on themselves and repeat
Looking down the middle of the stairs, you presumably see the stairs repeating themselves forever, much like looking into a mirror opposite from another mirror and seeing the reflection go on forever.

QUESTIONS:
If they look over the side, will they see the back of their own heads, looking down, three levels below?
If they drop something over the side will it simply drop down forever through the same space, passing them again and again?
Where is the "fold" (i.e. at which point to they go back up three levels)?
Whats beyond the cobwebs?
Whats the go with the door into never-ending space?

[RoninAngel]

That was cute!
That Crest, he's adorable right! 


So...


Um...


Can we please get back to the story now. PRETTY PLEASE! 

[SAGG]

Annd---Crest appears behind Suspira! Told you! 

[Brion Foulke]

Can we please get back to the story now. PRETTY PLEASE! 

I thought this WAS the story...

Not a big Crest/Suspiria fan, Ronin?

[Kamui]

It greatly amuses me that Crest is shattering all of Suspiria's preconceptions, and he doesn't even know that much about magic.  Although, the fact he hasn't had the same things drilled into his head as Suspiria probably helps him quite a bit, that and his free thinking.  I sense that within a couple of chapters Crest and Nessy are gonna get quite a bit closer :3

[charles]

I thought this was story 

Maybe he thinks we're still in some sort of intermission *shrug*

Man alive.  Even I was starting to believe others that said Crest had become nothing but extra baggage, but this chapter has really done well to bring him back into the spotlight... I still reckon "So, uh... Wrong door, huh?" is T-Shirt worthy.  Thats his most epic line in the whole comic IMHO.

[RoninAngel]

Can we please get back to the story now. PRETTY PLEASE! 

I thought this WAS the story...

Not a big Crest/Suspiria fan, Ronin?

No, I think they're perfectly cute together. (Although if we're shipping, I'm clearly a Crest/Maytag fan, or perhaps a Maytag/Umber fan. )
I just get impatient about 4 or so strips in a row basically featuring senery, is all.
Nothing agianst you, you drew them beutyfully, I just prefer charcter development. Or at least plot development. Establishing the setting is... well... kinda boring for me. (Not to mention that it's pretty obvious by now that this is a creepy, creepy motel. I mean, the two main characters did just get kidnapped!  )

Take this latest strip. Well done!  It's darned adorable! And It looks like Crest might just take the plunge, YAY!






Edit: So I went back threw the last couple of pages and I think I missed a crutial update. You know the part on page 9 were they disscuss everything? Suspira says what they're about to encounter is physically impossible but Crest remains open-minded?

...

Yeah, kinda missed that page.  

That would have done a great deal to establish tention about what would happen in the next few pages. Without it, I was like "YEAH YEAH, WE KNOW THIS PLACE IS SCARY AND UNIQUE AND DANGEROUS! CAN WE JUST CONFRONT THE BADGUYS NOW?!?"

But re-reading through it, page 9 adds a whole new (for me  ) character dynamic that makes the action in the few following pages a lot more worthwile. Like, Suspira is supposed to be the expert with magical stuff and these things don't jive with what she was taught. Crest dosen't have those preconseived notions, so he is less shocked about the nature of the place. For a minute there, I was thinking you were just trying our patients with Tolkien-eqsue scenery porn. But you kinda wearn't. My appologies. I feel a little awkward right now. 

Great JOB! http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FridgeBrilliance 

[SAGG]

Geez, Suspiria, what in the heck is wrong with you? Hello, this is magic we're talking about here, you know, what's up your alley? Granted you're still grieving over your former boyfriend, but you need to wake up and start doing your thing! Stop feeling so blasted sorry for yourself, and do something!  Give me a freaking break, girl!

[Tropico]

Nothing agianst you, you drew them beutyfully, I just prefer charcter development.

Dude... we're seeing both Crest and Suspi have their views of magic/the world challenged and be pushed into acting in ways way have never seen them act before. We're seeing them both handle a situation completely differently and we're seeing a burgeoning relationship between them taking place.

If that ain't character development, I can't think of anything that is!

And It looks like Crest might just take the plunge, YAY!

Yep, almost as if his character is like, going through some weird sort of growing-and-changing process, isn't it  

About Suspiria, give her a break, girl's having her whole view of the world torn apart. When you're known for being a genius in an area that's bound to cause MORE anxiety, not less. (Although I would have expected her to get mad about the whole thing instead of breaking down, but there you go).

Anyways... Personally I'm loving this storyline, it feels a lot more fresh and new, which was an issue I was starting to have with the comic before. Great to see more sides of these two seemingly-flat characters. Hope it continues for a bit at least.

Edit -> Ronin, wrote that before you made your edit, sorry, feel free to disregard it now

[Brion Foulke]

"Suspense takes space."  There's no way to create suspense without dragging scenes out.  Compacting scenes kills it.  This particular scene would be even better if it were *more* dragged out over more pages, but I'm trying to find a good balance.  Not every scene needs to be like this, when it comes to lighter and comedic scenes, I try to plow through pretty quick.

[RoninAngel]

well, like I said, I wouldn't have complianed as much if I had read page 9.

In retrospect, those pages are lot less boring with that "new" information. 

[parameciumkid]

I see the next comic as the part where Suspiria reveals that she is not Suspiria and so forth.
Assuming the rumors are true, that is...

[Kanazaka]

I wonder if Crest is actually going to touch Suspiria's shoulder ... or some other part of her body  .

[crazy_razor]

originally i was going to come in here and wax poetic about how Suspiria has completely fallen apart without Kin (a man) by her side, and how utterly laughable that particular character twist was ... but it hadn't occurred to be that she might be someone else in disguise. hrmery.

after all if she was a supposed "genius", you think she'd be more knowledgeable about the magic that alters this MC Escher crazy house, yes?

[Oddball]

Just thinking out loud here...but wont you need TWO portals? one at the bottom and one at the top of the stairs?

[Hans]

Just thinking out loud here...but wont you need TWO portals? one at the bottom and one at the top of the stairs?

IIRC in the flipsidean portal magick there are always two portals needet.

[parameciumkid]

Depends on the nature of the portals. Are they like the ones in Portal or the 1-way teleporters in Halo whose other end is just this little green spot on the ground?
Alternatively it could just be that the space they're in has one circular dimension like the maze in Pac-Man. There aren't really any portals, it's just that if you travel far enough in any one direction you "go around" back to where you started. Some theorize the whole universe is like that but much bigger.

[Oddball]

In other words.......a Worm hole?

[Hans]

Depends on the nature of the portals.

I think to remember, that Brion once said, maybe in an intermission or the interviews or in one of the old forums, that there are always two portals needet. One you go in, and one you come out.

[RoninAngel]

OOOOOH! Suspira's in lloooooooooooooove! 

Great strip today! Liked it alot, very interesting! 

[Dragonizer]

And thus, Suspi's mind is blown!

[charles]

hmmmm. Sound might be something as well.  At some point Crest's voice came from above Suspira instead of below, so possibly sound doesn't travel through a portal.  Thus, they can simply walk a few paces apart, with the front man calling out until the person behind them hear's the voice above them instead of ahead.

I'm still wondering whats up with that spider-web door and the never-ending one... Maybe the never-ending one is a giant D-Bag.  Heck I thought the D-Bags and portals were pretty much a bending of space *shrug*

I wonder how they'll break the portals once they find them.  I think you have to have access to the edges or the back of the portal.

[Tropico]

Aw.. Suspiria is now Officially Impressed by Crest. Very cute.

Last panel makes me reflect once again on just how perfectly Flipside nails facial expressions in general. Not something you see done well all that often.

Also, can't believe there are still people who think it's not the real Suspiria... come on people... we would have known by now. Where's your sense of pacing? No way the scene would be all deliberate and expanded like this if that were the case.

Of course there's a chance I may end up eating those words, but honestly, I would be shocked 

[SAGG]

Aw.. Suspiria is now Officially Impressed by Crest. Very cute.

Last panel makes me reflect once again on just how perfectly Flipside nails facial expressions in general. Not something you see done well all that often.

Also, can't believe there are still people who think it's not the real Suspiria... come on people... we would have known by now. Where's your sense of pacing? No way the scene would be all deliberate and expanded like this if that were the case.

Of course there's a chance I may end up eating those words, but honestly, I would be shocked 

It's Suspiria, I'm sure of it. And it took Crest of all people to explain to her the way he thinks magic is working here. This is the person who is SUPPOSED to know magic. Her boyfriend's death clearly has affected her badly. The girl needs to wake up and get her act together.

[charles]

The whole interaction we've been witnessing between Suspira and Crest seems wrong which makes me think they might each be under some spell thats affecting their behavior or one of them might be a "twin"

But then Suspira's confidence could easily have been shaken by her disastrous handling of Bloody Mary, together with the Loss of Kin while Crest has had his confidence training with Maytag, plus he's been around Suspira for 4-5 days.

And then there's the question of what happened when she led him into her bedroom...

[akashayi]

It really has seemed 100% Suspiria to me the entire time.

Reliable. Not exactly the best compliment in the book, but it's a start ;P

[Foof]

Reliable is one step closer to "sexy beast".