2010-09-09: Unstable?!

[incantar]

Yes, as a reader engrossed in this story I am proud of her as a character. She's clearly struggling to remain mentally grounded, I disapprove of her keeping him prisoner (though she may have obvious reasons for it), but given the situation its mostly understandable.

Its a bit disappointing to see that while a harsh but caring teacher (as is obvious from him expressing concern at the start of the comic yet abolishing an entire grade category then simply dismissing the related case with a remark regarding her frivolous planning) he did make the dick move of being overtly in his approach rather than cautiously teacherly without it being important enough or queued firmly enough in his mind to mention it immediately when she first gave him room for a couple of clauses. On the other hand I can understand he's vacillating on his approach due to pressure.

He probably has something mildly useful to say - perhaps as other posters suggested that endangering yourself can earn a fail, or something else mostly irrelevant yet oddly philosophical - but his reckless approach is now being compounded by indecisiveness.

I'm sure Meji won't let this rest without hearing his reason though. She's pot committed to this exam project ^^, she needs closure.

Trying to get her to stop destroying his shit is a pretty good "approach" and very "teacherly." Doormats don't last long in the classroom. I don't get why you think he is "vacillating on his approach." He's just been telling it like it is the whole time and trying to get her to chill out and explain herself.

[Forrest]

posters suggested that endangering yourself can earn a fail

Overlooking this phrase out of context brought to mind Tsuiraku's equivalent of "don't do drugs" and "safe sex" kind of motivational/guidance posters that are often posted in public school classrooms (here in California at least). Now I'm envisioning Meji's classroom lined with such posters warning against addiction to certain kinds of magics and cautioning them not to blow their tits off attempting a polymorph spell.

[BandMan2K]

posters suggested that endangering yourself can earn a fail

Overlooking this phrase out of context brought to mind Tsuiraku's equivalent of "don't do drugs" and "safe sex" kind of motivational/guidance posters that are often posted in public school classrooms (here in California at least). Now I'm envisioning Meji's classroom lined with such posters warning against addiction to certain kinds of magics and cautioning them not to blow their tits off attempting a polymorph spell.

I'm sure someone(s) will do up a couple of these, perhaps even Poe as something extra to sell in the store.

[ChunLing]

Hey, the "you want some pants now?" line is the only one we actually know works on angry, confused, demi-godlings (with no pants on).

Maybe there really is a manual for talking down mages caught up in a runaway psionic feedback loop (evidenced by glowing eyes, among other things) and both Anita and this guy read it.

On the other hand, that might be why robes are so popular with mages (and priests), and why Jon doesn't trust men who wear them.

[runic]

he's not tauting her, he just has cannon ball sized balls of steal after dealing with this s*#t for the last 5 or 6 decades. that and i don't think either ian or meji were ever as casual about killing the people around them as half the posters seem to be suggesting.

[Nell]

Sorry, I can give you the benefit of doubt with Meji even if she killed bandits that were threatening her, because it was a while ago and she wasn't juiced. But after seeing Ianilis's way of asking for directions in Veracia, I'm not so sure about him.

[ChunLing]

I don't think that Ian casually killed anyone at all in that incident, though a lot of people supposedly died by the accidental confluence of his actions with the actions of the Veracian priests. There is no suggestion that he intended or even expected to be attacked by Luminosita, after all (I think he probably should have expected or even intended it, but it just didn't seem like he did). He even managed to get sworded because he wasn't killing people that, tactically speaking, he probably should have.

He did seem pretty casual about the elves he killed trying to free Meji, even though he expressed far more remorse than Meji did for her own acts of violent self-defense. He even expressed remorse for his own lack of remorse, despite showing more remorse than Meji. Ian's remorsefulness is one of the main reasons not to like him, as far as I'm concerned.