vega-coyote wrote:I don't know why, but it seems somehow appropriate that Sarine's mom looks younger than Sarine.
I was thinking the same thing. One almost begins to wonder if the elves really are immortal. Does going out and doing stuff in the non-magical outside world eventually wear them down?
I think that isn't so much age as it is gravitas. Sarine carries and expresses herself like someone who knows how serious a place the world is. Her mother just hangs out in the city looking beautiful. Like Miyo, but with actual dignity.
Gravitas ... what a great word. This whole thread is worth reading for that.
However, is Sarine's demeanor a matter of gravitas or Weltschmerz? They're by no means identical. And whichever term applies, Sarine does look older than her mother(?).
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
Huh. Innocent me had wondered about Sara being practically naked http://www.errantstory.com/comic.php?date=2006-08-21 (and "slipped her robes back on" previous page) but hadn't thought of teacher/novice sleeping together.
I can't remember anything solidly confirming Meji's had sex. But she didn't challenge the graffiti, Ellis implied he's heard "I have to go take all my clothes off right now" before, he talked about her thinking about a golem to have sex with back when only pedos would go for her... as aggressive and Rinkai as she's been, I'd think she's managed to score.
Then again, for all we know, the men's room comments may have been her own doing, sort of a "self promotion" thing to encourage boys "her age" to take advantage of her.
The scene with the almost nude (having just slipped her robes on) Sara discussing her mission with a shirtless Warrel doesn't seem even remotely like there's sexual things between them. In fact, I see it being the opposite. They are both acting so "normal" it's as though there is absolutely no consciousness of the fact they are physically able to engage in sex. If there was a sexual relationship, I'd expect some oggling, body posture, or language that, even subconsciencly acknowledges it. Instead the situation is so clinical they may as well be wearing space suits and communicating via e-mail.
Add in the fact that the previous page described Sara entering a state of meditation, and then us hearing Warrel appologizing, we can be reasonably certain Sara had expected to have time alone to meditate. She did not expect Warrel's interuption. Warrel, also, did not know Sara's current state (physically or mentally), based off the fact he felt there was something to appologize for. And he's standing in a doorway. The implication, to me, is that he walked in on her, realized he was imposing, and appologized. She was not dressing after a carnal act with Warrel, or they both would have been aware of one another's presence and state of activities and dress.
I suspect Warrel's appology had nothing to do with her state of undress, but with his interuption of her meditation/solitude. if it was her state of undress, he'd have withdrawn to give her time to cover up. Not only did he not, but she exposed herself further by turning towards him with a very normal, neutral look.
My hypothesis about that scene is that, as is common in many philosophies, religions, and arcane arts, prior to meditating, Sara purified or clensed herself. In this case, this involved nudity, possible as part of an actual bath (I believe many forms of Wicca use literal bathing as part of spiritual clensing, for example.) Once that was done, she placed the robes that were the symbol of her station over her shoulders and entered meditation now that she was ritually purified. Warrel entered to discuss her mission, realized he'd interupted her meditation, and appologized. However, he was completely unaffected by her nearly nude state because the nudity, being tied to clensing prior to entering a meditative state, is commonplace. As her mentor, he's likely seen all there is to see. He shows absolutely no sign of ever having connected her nude body to sexual interest, and she reacts in kind by showing no sign she feels there is anything personal (for better or for worse) about his seeing her in that state.
Conclusion? Sara may or may not be a virgin. If she is not, I highly doubt Warrel is why.
Meji has, on many occasions, aggressively sought out sexualization. And she has not done so in a way implying in the least that she either lacked intimate knowledge of the subject or trepedation about experiencing it. I've known a number of women who were virgins, and they all had some degree of concern, worry, nervousness... they were worried about not knowing what to do, that they'd not be very good, that it'd hurt, etc... Meji shows none of this. The writing on the bathroom wall may be the typical slander seen in adolescent gathering places, however the conversation it prompts is interesting. Her instructor points out it's claims that she's far from virginal. Her response is to neither scream bloody murder in an effort to prove she was actually virginal, nor to scream bloody murder that she wasn't virginal. Instead she simply moved on to quite casually inform her instructor his turning her down was his loss. In short, she sounds pretty darned casual about sex, which is really uncommon amongst virgins in my exprience. Ellis' ribbing her about lack of a sex life is, I think, as sarcastic as his comments implying she has one. In other words, never trust anything said by a sarcastic flying immortal cat.
Conclusion? Meji may be a virgin, but I suspect she's not.
But this does not mean I suspect that Elf Central has no one around for un case of a need to commit a virgin sacrifice. To the contrary, I think there is a virgin there that day. One irritated by the fact.
We did hear Misa bitch about Sarine being the only elf not to treat her as a child. And based off her excitement at seeing Jon and Sara I conclude she's not exactly been around humans much. So, unless some of the few surviving elves have been enjoying boinking elves they consider children, I bet Misa has a couple thousand years of pent up non-experience settled there below her belly button.
I can't believe I spent so much time analyzing the virginality of webcomic characters...
Sareth wrote:
I can't believe I spent so much time analyzing the virginality of webcomic characters...
You did wonderful on your analysis and I find no fault with your logical conclusions...albeit pretty much bringing us right back around to where we were before you started, but what the hey - you were right.
Oh, and I nominate that this quote be put up on the top of the Forums. This I think goes one step beyond "discussing Poe's Character breasts."
Sareth, how do you explain that the 2006-08-19 comic states that Warrel reentered the room? Something that wouldn't have been used unless Warrel had just recently been in Sara's room.
I go away for a little while, and look what happens! I miss all the good conversations.
Sareth, I agree, very good analysis, though it basically leaves us again with, "well, maybe, maybe not, but I doubt it."
As for that scene with Warrel and Sara, I noticed that something was going on, and that they had possibly had sex, but I just filed it away in the back of my head and promptly forgot about it. But you're right, they act so damn clinical about it that any hint of sexuality is only seen by us.
Oh, and before I forget, regarding Meji's audacious attitude towards sex. It could be that she's suffering from a hyperactive libido inherited from both her mother and father, and her attitude and knowledge is a result of her experience with it.
Or, she just watches alot of porn. She said that she had never seen livesodomy before.
Also, you say that her attitude is distinctly un-virginal. Well, I'd like to point out someone who had a similar attitude to Meji's, but who undeniably was a virgin. Jordan Kennedy. SHe had a very similar attitude to Meji, (ie: Horny) despite the fact that she was a virgin.
That's it, I'm done. I feel vaguely unclean, now, having defended the virginity claim of an underage comic character. Does this make me a pervert?
