I think Elyeli was on to something in the last comment section.
A prank gets funnier the more dignity the victim starts with.
The elves are going to train to… be goofy? Starting with banana pratfalls?
Probably embarrassment, shame, outrage, something along those lines. So the training is to feel nothing when pranked, show no sign of emotions when inconvenienced by a disturbance, not be upset over meaningless destruction, etc
I don’t think it’s necessarily embarrassment. I think it’s any strong emotion shown towards Skippy’s antics. Embarrassment, outrage, anger, annoyance, etc.
I mean, how many of us would be embarrassed that some jerkface knocked our groceries out of our hands? Or that they graffitied our building? No, I think Skippy eats pathos, so the elves have get all Vulcan on him.
Remind me what’s great about being an elf, again? Seems like there are a whole lot of expectations for little payoff. Going through so much trouble to live a long life that you won’t even get to enjoy because your society won’t let you. Honestly, Roxie’s lucky; she was raised by a family that encouraged her to follow her passions in life. She may not be a “proper elf”, but she knows how to be her proper self.
I’m certain that there are elves that enjoy leading a less regulated, a more spontaneous life. There is nothing stopping them from deciding to leave a community that they’d perceive as stifling, and to lead a more fulfilling life elsewhere. It stands to reason that the most ‘spontaneous’ elves (for lack of a better word) have already left to find adventure elsewhere, so the remaining elves are the more ‘routine-bound’ part of the society.
What somebody considers a ‘happy life’ is extremely subjective, and I dislike the judgmental tendency to call quiet, peaceful lives with more routine than spontaneous outbursts ‘boring’ or even unworthy (‘live a little!’). For people who approach life this way, routine is not ‘trouble to go through’ but a fulfilling activity. It may sound hollow, pointless or boring to others but they don’t get to determine what the ‘routine-bound’ people consider part of their ‘happy life’. They do know to be their proper self, it’s just a different one from the ‘adventurous rebel’ self that society generally tends to hold in higher regard (not entirely without reason; great feats of strength or innovation are far more often achieved by the latter than by the former).
P. S. I swear I’m not stalking you, Brandon! And I apologise for again responding to your post with such fervour, it just seems that we both care about the same topics, just from different angles. All good, I hope?
And having a peaceful routine involves looking down your nose at everything and everyone that isn’t elvish, or *properly* elvish? The problem with these elves isn’t their “peaceful, routine” life; it’s their *attitude*. They aren’t just formal and reserved, they’re stuck up, condescending, selfish, and ungrateful. They don’t even like *each other*. And it’s one thing to choose to live that way in your own residence; it’s another to bring the uppity attitude with you when you enter other people’s territory, like at the Games.
The fact is, these elves are miserable people, never mind how clean and tidy everything is. And they make other people around them miserable, too. So again: what’s great about being an elf? A “proper” elf, rather?
There is the problem of people trying to pull you away from your peaceful life to live the nightmares they call excitement. It wears on you, and gives you opinions about them.
Did anyone force them to participate in the Games? And we’re not talking punkers going for joyrides in the neighborhood (well, aside from Skippy); we’re talking an elf bard and her three monster friends who are there on an important mission to save the world. Literally the only reason they are even there right now is because they *have* to be, otherwise they would happily leave the green elves to their isolated little pocket of the world. Would it kill the elves to show a little gratitude and/or courtesy towards people who, quite frankly, are doing them a huge solid? If they began acting a little more pleasant towards others, people might be more open to learning about their culture and respecting it. Going out into the world with a “better than thou” attitude doesn’t invite a lot of respect or good will.
Of course, if that were the case, the story wouldn’t have nearly the comedy it does; as hewhosaysfish pointed out above, pranks are funnier the more dignity (and ego) the victim has beforehand, so if these elves were respectable and nice from the get-go, seeing them being asked to deliberately embarass themselves wouldn’t have quite the same impact – we’d just feel bad for them. So, from a storywriting perspective, the elves being jerks does work – it makes us want to see them get comeuppance, and makes it so Skippy is genuinely entertaining to watch. He may be a jerk, but he’s a *funny* jerk.
Elves are extremely long-lived. How many times have they had people come and tell them that they’re stuck-up, boring, etc.? At some point none of the hundreds, if not thousands, of fresh-faced, short-lived ‘young ‘uns’ has anything actually new to say; their arguments have already been heard, quite possibly tried out, and ultimately dismissed. I agree it does not make the elves endearing, but I have no trouble at all understanding why they would react this way. It’s not out of malice; it’s chiefly down to the mismatching perspectives.
That’s why I have trouble feeling the ‘goody goody, the elves finally get their rightful comeuppance’ vibe. I know it’s become somewhat fashionable to hate elves — for what reason exactly, I can only guess –, but in essence this is just outsiders telling a people that their way of life is wrong, somehow, and that they’re supposed to just accept and endorse what these outsiders consider the ‘correct’ way of leading fulfilled lives. Just doesn’t sit well with me. The elves are not the ones travelling around trying to convert others to their way of life; it’s the elves living in their very own homes that are now being proselytised… and should be grateful for it?
Addendum: I do see that the current threat to the world represents a new challenge that the elves absolutely must face. This is not what I meant by proselytising, which I see in the ‘stuck-up elves finally getting their comeuppance’ aspect of the story played for humour, not in the ‘we have to get the thingumbob or the world ends’ aspect that’s driving the plot.
@Mary Catelli
Probably at least once a decade, so a few thousand times already for most elves… (depending on elvish longevity or if they’re on the Tolkien Scale of Elvish Lifespans “Do not cite the deep magic to me, witch, I was there Gandalf, I was there three thousand years ago…”
If they’ve been told they’re stuck up hundreds of times and haven’t once thought “Well gee, maybe we can try not acting stuck up”, then they’re also stubborn and/or excessively proud.
This isn’t about criticizing them for being clean and orderly; that’s a commendable aspect of their society. This is about criticizing the way they treat people in even casual settings, where they act needlessly condescending and pompous, which has nothing to do with living a clean, orderly life. That’s just arrogance and hatred for fellow living beings, which is not at all admirable.
And yes, people hating on elves are acting kind of hypocritical when they end up emulating the elves’ own flaws. But, it’s perfectly valid to criticize the way other people act when you believe it to be harmful, to themselves or others. Cultural immunity only goes so far.
(Sigh) I was not expecting to get into debates over the merits of the lifestyle and behavior of fictional elves. People read these comments for funny one-liners and interesting observations, not long-winded rants like mine. I guess I got triggered by that “Friends? Ew.” remark. It’s not my intention to cause discourse, and I apologize for starting these debates recently. I ask they be deleted so the comments section can be cleaned up and people can get back to reading funny one-liners and interesting observations.
Possibly, we don’t know, Robespierre played under some coercive pressure. Could have been a spontaneous free choice, could have been — well, any degree of pressure up to required to by law.
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In panel 1, surely Rue can smell the alcohol on Roxy’s breath!
I think Elyeli was on to something in the last comment section.
A prank gets funnier the more dignity the victim starts with.
The elves are going to train to… be goofy? Starting with banana pratfalls?
Is it not that the ghost literally eats embarrassment?
Probably embarrassment, shame, outrage, something along those lines. So the training is to feel nothing when pranked, show no sign of emotions when inconvenienced by a disturbance, not be upset over meaningless destruction, etc
I assume Roxy is lying and that what she’s actually doing is using Rue as bait.
😀
I think they’re training to stop being embarassed, Damned Skippy feeds off embarassment.
I don’t think it’s necessarily embarrassment. I think it’s any strong emotion shown towards Skippy’s antics. Embarrassment, outrage, anger, annoyance, etc.
I mean, how many of us would be embarrassed that some jerkface knocked our groceries out of our hands? Or that they graffitied our building? No, I think Skippy eats pathos, so the elves have get all Vulcan on him.
Seems the elves don’t even like each other.
Remind me what’s great about being an elf, again? Seems like there are a whole lot of expectations for little payoff. Going through so much trouble to live a long life that you won’t even get to enjoy because your society won’t let you. Honestly, Roxie’s lucky; she was raised by a family that encouraged her to follow her passions in life. She may not be a “proper elf”, but she knows how to be her proper self.
I’m certain that there are elves that enjoy leading a less regulated, a more spontaneous life. There is nothing stopping them from deciding to leave a community that they’d perceive as stifling, and to lead a more fulfilling life elsewhere. It stands to reason that the most ‘spontaneous’ elves (for lack of a better word) have already left to find adventure elsewhere, so the remaining elves are the more ‘routine-bound’ part of the society.
What somebody considers a ‘happy life’ is extremely subjective, and I dislike the judgmental tendency to call quiet, peaceful lives with more routine than spontaneous outbursts ‘boring’ or even unworthy (‘live a little!’). For people who approach life this way, routine is not ‘trouble to go through’ but a fulfilling activity. It may sound hollow, pointless or boring to others but they don’t get to determine what the ‘routine-bound’ people consider part of their ‘happy life’. They do know to be their proper self, it’s just a different one from the ‘adventurous rebel’ self that society generally tends to hold in higher regard (not entirely without reason; great feats of strength or innovation are far more often achieved by the latter than by the former).
P. S. I swear I’m not stalking you, Brandon! And I apologise for again responding to your post with such fervour, it just seems that we both care about the same topics, just from different angles. All good, I hope?
Eh, I’ve dealt with way worse. No hard feelings.
“Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars, not if you care for such things.”
“I do not care for zat. I make toys, und goot vuns!”
And having a peaceful routine involves looking down your nose at everything and everyone that isn’t elvish, or *properly* elvish? The problem with these elves isn’t their “peaceful, routine” life; it’s their *attitude*. They aren’t just formal and reserved, they’re stuck up, condescending, selfish, and ungrateful. They don’t even like *each other*. And it’s one thing to choose to live that way in your own residence; it’s another to bring the uppity attitude with you when you enter other people’s territory, like at the Games.
The fact is, these elves are miserable people, never mind how clean and tidy everything is. And they make other people around them miserable, too. So again: what’s great about being an elf? A “proper” elf, rather?
There is the problem of people trying to pull you away from your peaceful life to live the nightmares they call excitement. It wears on you, and gives you opinions about them.
Did anyone force them to participate in the Games? And we’re not talking punkers going for joyrides in the neighborhood (well, aside from Skippy); we’re talking an elf bard and her three monster friends who are there on an important mission to save the world. Literally the only reason they are even there right now is because they *have* to be, otherwise they would happily leave the green elves to their isolated little pocket of the world. Would it kill the elves to show a little gratitude and/or courtesy towards people who, quite frankly, are doing them a huge solid? If they began acting a little more pleasant towards others, people might be more open to learning about their culture and respecting it. Going out into the world with a “better than thou” attitude doesn’t invite a lot of respect or good will.
Of course, if that were the case, the story wouldn’t have nearly the comedy it does; as hewhosaysfish pointed out above, pranks are funnier the more dignity (and ego) the victim has beforehand, so if these elves were respectable and nice from the get-go, seeing them being asked to deliberately embarass themselves wouldn’t have quite the same impact – we’d just feel bad for them. So, from a storywriting perspective, the elves being jerks does work – it makes us want to see them get comeuppance, and makes it so Skippy is genuinely entertaining to watch. He may be a jerk, but he’s a *funny* jerk.
Elves are extremely long-lived. How many times have they had people come and tell them that they’re stuck-up, boring, etc.? At some point none of the hundreds, if not thousands, of fresh-faced, short-lived ‘young ‘uns’ has anything actually new to say; their arguments have already been heard, quite possibly tried out, and ultimately dismissed. I agree it does not make the elves endearing, but I have no trouble at all understanding why they would react this way. It’s not out of malice; it’s chiefly down to the mismatching perspectives.
That’s why I have trouble feeling the ‘goody goody, the elves finally get their rightful comeuppance’ vibe. I know it’s become somewhat fashionable to hate elves — for what reason exactly, I can only guess –, but in essence this is just outsiders telling a people that their way of life is wrong, somehow, and that they’re supposed to just accept and endorse what these outsiders consider the ‘correct’ way of leading fulfilled lives. Just doesn’t sit well with me. The elves are not the ones travelling around trying to convert others to their way of life; it’s the elves living in their very own homes that are now being proselytised… and should be grateful for it?
Addendum: I do see that the current threat to the world represents a new challenge that the elves absolutely must face. This is not what I meant by proselytising, which I see in the ‘stuck-up elves finally getting their comeuppance’ aspect of the story played for humour, not in the ‘we have to get the thingumbob or the world ends’ aspect that’s driving the plot.
I wonder how often the “world is in danger” threat has been a hyperexcitable short-lived character overhyping his quest.
Perhaps the elf who wanted to know whether she passed could help with that.
@Mary Catelli
Probably at least once a decade, so a few thousand times already for most elves… (depending on elvish longevity or if they’re on the Tolkien Scale of Elvish Lifespans “Do not cite the deep magic to me, witch, I was there Gandalf, I was there three thousand years ago…”
If they’ve been told they’re stuck up hundreds of times and haven’t once thought “Well gee, maybe we can try not acting stuck up”, then they’re also stubborn and/or excessively proud.
This isn’t about criticizing them for being clean and orderly; that’s a commendable aspect of their society. This is about criticizing the way they treat people in even casual settings, where they act needlessly condescending and pompous, which has nothing to do with living a clean, orderly life. That’s just arrogance and hatred for fellow living beings, which is not at all admirable.
And yes, people hating on elves are acting kind of hypocritical when they end up emulating the elves’ own flaws. But, it’s perfectly valid to criticize the way other people act when you believe it to be harmful, to themselves or others. Cultural immunity only goes so far.
(Sigh) I was not expecting to get into debates over the merits of the lifestyle and behavior of fictional elves. People read these comments for funny one-liners and interesting observations, not long-winded rants like mine. I guess I got triggered by that “Friends? Ew.” remark. It’s not my intention to cause discourse, and I apologize for starting these debates recently. I ask they be deleted so the comments section can be cleaned up and people can get back to reading funny one-liners and interesting observations.
Did anyone force them?
Possibly, we don’t know, Robespierre played under some coercive pressure. Could have been a spontaneous free choice, could have been — well, any degree of pressure up to required to by law.
As it says in their anthem, “Elfland, And Screw You Too”, “We Are A Race Of Total Bastards”.
It turns out they actually stole that anthem from the Dark Elves. There’s a line about it in the song. It goes, “We Are A Race Of Total Bastards”.
So what is Rusty’s part in the plan???? Leaving him alone could lead to some very important metal being eaten.
He’s got that “SOON” face in panel 5
Founding a clown school?
As long as it’s not Mimes.
I dunno, at least then we’d never hear them talk again.