Skip to content

83 Comments

The feels are just permeating this chapter, Madame Bing, I want the stupid jokes and bugbears being creepy again.

Also, it’s nice to finally have confirmation of Ms. Noir’s name being Adelle. I don’t know where people were getting it from…

Join Patreon.
On Patreon, we learned Adelle’s name, back in March

If joining Patreon requires donating money, then it’s something I can’t do. That would require me having money, you see. :P

Not even $1 USD a month?

Oooooh, that little for a sub?

having said that Jeniskunk, not everyone is fortunate to have a steady income, job or even welfare benefit spare to be able to afford luxury items.

I know that score first hand, Turboshed.
I wasn’t trying to belittle IslaKariese. I was asking it, honestly and openly.

Just rechecked the prices on Patreon, something I should have done before my earlier post today.
I was wrong. It’s $2 USD a month to simply access the posts on Kory’s feed on Patreon.
I have my browsers set to keep me logged into Patreon, so I haven’t seen the not logged page with the prices for the tiers, for several months.

“The Noir household has so much deer crap all over the place JEEZE.” -KoryBing

I thought you wanted the mythological toilet talk to stop? :P

To be serious though, Anthony’s mom seems to be spoiling her son, giving in to whatever he wants with no thought of herself. No wonder he’s prone to angry outbursts and blaming everyone else for his problems. His mom needs to put her foot down and demand some respect and understanding, and better behavior as a guest.

It could just be one instance of giving into her guilt I suppose. Still, I would have expected a harpy, even a transmogrified one, to be a lot more fierce.

She just dropped a huge bomb on her son and is giving him time and space to process it. Sounds like some decent parenting to me.

I wonder if Ophelia isn’t, in part, thinking of Anthony’s situation as a reverse of her own youth. Exchanging her life as a harpy for one as a human was so incredible at the time that she mistook the feeling for falling in love with the man who just happened to be there when it happened. The reverse, losing that wide open world, can’t be anything but devastating.

More that she realized just how badly Anthony is taking things, from the extent of his blow up and storming off in the last strip.
What matters is that she wants to try to make amends.

Also it shows that, in spite of this keeping-secrets thing she’s a really good mom. She knows not to force the issue, that it takes time to adjust to changes, and that she needs to give him the space to grieve. She’s wise for leaving the ball in his court. Her face, in the last panel is full of fear and hope.

Poor Ophelia she’s so sad and blaming herself. Punishing herself for every mistake she’s ever made because it’s hurt her baby.

What i really wonder though is did Ophelia know Blanche was a stag all along? He obviously knew nothing about her but i bet she knew.

It was mentioned on a previous page, but I think thr general census is that whwn the two of them where younger, she may have missed Blanche’s medallion, if he kept it under his shirt alot, untill he was older and started displaying it openly.

We pretty well came to the conclusion that Ophelia likely suspected Blanche wasn’t human fairly early on. Several people suggested that Blanche’s medallion would be an immediate tip-off. I figured his coloration was more likely to be the first thing to start her thinking in that direction and proposed the circumstance you just outlined where she wasn’t likely to notice the medallion until later. I wouldn’t say we reached a consensus on the matter, but it’s still a solid theory.

I find it rather amusing though that the light switch is factually incorrect, perhaps its just me being pedantic. I also find it curious that the Noir’s home has a Welsh name, I think after Pwyll of Dyfed (quite possibly from Powys)

How is the light switch, factually incorrect?
The switch wallplate is in the same location on the wall in page 12, and the switch paddle is in the same position as it is on page 12.

Jeniskunk and kata, the switch is factually incorrect due to its style, UK light switches are square plates, where as U.S ones are like the style pictured, elongated.

I’d had no idea that it was the wrong design of lightswitch for the UK.
Here in Australia, wall mounted large rectangular switches are not uncommon. Also, narrow rectangular architrave mount switches are very common here. However, those old style toggle switches are not common any longer.
Australian hardware store chain showing the styles of switches and sockets here
http://www.bunnings.com.au/our-range/lighting-electrical/electrical/powerpoints-light-switches-accessories/powerpoints-light-switches

Thanks Turboshed
:)
It’s interesting that architrave switches don’t seem to be quite as common in availability in the UK, compared to Australia.

Your right there, though they are available and I have seen them used where space is at a premium. Even so, working for a builders merchant, I rarely sell anything but those standard switches and wall sockets.

Another Australian here: I’m in a rather old house (it predates the electric systems of the local area), and the light switches are almost all the round bakelite ones, but there are a few recent rectangular ones as well (some vertical, others horizontal). The really modern ones do have that sort of Bunnings standard switch: But the ones installed 30 years ago, they all have that rather mad-scientist looking leverlike switch in a white rectangle, like in the Noir house. Identical, in fact. (Basically every 20 years or so, someone seems to have installed more powerpoints and lights, in the style of the time).

The most important thing to remember is that all our light switches are “up=off, down=on”, which I’m told is the opposite in some other countries… I’m guessing it’s the case in the UK though. Perhaps it’s the US that has them upside down….

Thats pretty interesting, though you mention round bakelite switches, there are still a few of those here, but not so common these days, of course no longer sold. As for the Up off and Down on, yep, thats the same here, and your right America seems to have it the other way, from memory, plus also some switches, as in the case of the one in my girlfriends bathroom the switch operates side to side and incorporates a plug socket, though not seen one in another US home.

As an American citizen I can verify that over here it’s the other way around (up on/down off).
Where I am living currently however (a college dorm) there are a few rooms with motion sensitive light ‘buttons’. When someone walks in it turns the light on, and then to turn the light off a little button is pressed. After something like 30 minutes the light turns off automatically and it either needs to sense movement or get the button pressed to turn it back on. It’s not in all rooms, just closets and bathrooms. The bedrooms, kitchen and general living quarters have the normal toggle light switches.

When i first visited the U.S i found the switches and wall outlets ammusing, perhaps its because I’d only seen them on TV and in films. What gets me though is that U.S wall outlets do not have a sepperate switch on them like the UK ones do. That’s just something that comes with travelling around and having an other half in the U.S.

FWIW, “typical European” switches, sockets etc. are square because they’re set into pre-flush-mounted containers in “typical European” walls that have a standard distance (“touching” = 71 mm, else 91 mm) for lining them up both horizontally and vertically.

http://img1.jalousiescout.de/10050254/10050254-masse.jpg
http://s3.postimg.org/1yyr8pif8/Aufzeichnen.jpg
http://www.kauslund.de/images/categories/6021.jpg
http://www.anjanitzek.de/images/1021.jpg

Which is to say: Have a *house* built according to a different – say, American – style (proud immigrants?) and you may find imported *light switches* to be a better fit, too, even decades later.

(P.S.: Of course, there *IS* the issue of those switches being built for different *voltages*, too …)

240v (single phase) is the only mains voltage supplied to homes and businesses, all appliances run on this voltage. The only difference is commercial machines, such as sawmill equipment, battery chargers for forklift trucks etc that run on 415v three phase.

Jeniskunk, your puns are shocking.

That statement is incorrect *unless* you pinpoint the region of this planet you’re referring to (e.g., U.S. households get 120 VAC single phase (+ neutral) now, and rumor is that there are still old 60+60 VAC symmetric-to-chassis installations around as well). Since we *are* talking about the possibility of someone mounting switches from region X in region Y …

… er, wait, I stated *that* in my *first* post, which *I* can see with the remark that “Your comment is awaiting moderation.” What do *you* guys see, a two-liner “P.S.” floating in mid-oblivion?

For some reason there seem to be alot of related posts, floating around at random, However I was referring to the UK, which this current strip is based in (The City of Liverpool)

Oh and also lets see if anyone can guess where this picture was taken?

Taken by myself on location by the way.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f266/Dragonfly_SS/DSC_0046_zps2c14968b.jpg

Haha, gotta have the gift of the gab.

Truth be told though, the warehouse is more or less surrounded by four roads, and you can see the whole building from the bridge that crosses the main inlet into Stanley Dock.

They are also doing something with the other warehouse building that was built next door to this one in the same yard…. they have completely gutted it, probably to turn into apartments. Its also a benefit when one lives in the UK approx 48 miles (77.24km)from Liverpool and have family from there.

The reply system seems to be glitching somewhat, if you start to make a post in the main ‘Leave a Reply’ box, then realise that the post should be a reply to another poster.
Even though you’ve then opened ‘Reply’ comment box, the system hasn’t registered a ‘Cancel reply’ on the main box. So it screws things up and puts your reply to a particular poster, at the bottom of the main replies.

I think one of the most different aspects of being a parent is knowing when, in situations like this, your child truly needs space and when your child needs you to prove your love by staying there no matter how loudly they shout “GO AWAY”. I hope that her giving him space while reinforcing that she wants to be there and is only respecting his wishes will be enough.

Tony’s reaction is fairly natural, over the course of… days? he’s found out not only his friend and world isn’t quite what he thought it to be but also his parentage, he explicitly wanted a promise that nothing would happen to him while in magic-town and that didn’t work out (Blanche saw how freaked Tony was, he shouldn’t have even brought him to the talisman shop), and he feels completely disfigured – losing the full use of his hands, feet, etc. He clearly didn’t have much interest in the fantasy realm, the change isn’t capturing his imagination like the characters from the first chapter did when they found out they were different (on that note, it’d be interesting to know what Tony dressed up as during Halloween – we already know what costume Blanche used :P ). Lastly, Blanche couldn’t have been Tony’s only friend but now… he feels truly alone and most likely cut-off from anybody else he knew from the outside world.
So yeah, he may come across as rotten but he certainly has a reason to feel that way (and his laid-back attitude prior to being transformed leads me to believe this outburst isn’t the norm for him).

And yes, I would tell the Noirs that it’s great to have pride in one’s own species (especially considering the diversity in that town) but come on! you need a little variety. It seems less about appreciating art for its aesthetics than trying to promote one’s own species with that much deer art. No wonder Blanche was drawn to the human world and found a “human” as his best friend, he must’ve felt stifled in that dwelling :)

Anthony didn’t ‘freak out’ and go home, until he and Blanche were having lunch at Greensleeves, which was after they had been to Prestor John’s.

From the RQs we know that Anthony dressed up as a member of the Ghostbusters.

We don’t know how long Pwyll House has been the home to either white stags and/or perytons. There could well be several generations worth of Family Antiques being proudly displayed.

I think its important for many to remember that whilst many Skindeep fans would love to leap into Avalon, change and never look back that is a matter of choice. Anthony didn’t have any choice in this matter and chances are he potentially didn’t have any reason to want to “leave” the “real” world. A matter that likely was cemented in his mind when he was suddenly forced to leave it through a massive change in his life and physical appearance (heck even to his species).

In light of that his reactions are very normal, he’s lashing out randomly and storming off because he honestly doesn’t know how to deal with this. Some people will build a wall and retreat into themselves; some will lash out randomly to keep people at a distance etc… there are multiple kinds of reaction and his is to lash out.

The time and space he needs is so that he stops focusing upon lashing out and keeping people away and has time to mentally digest his situation more fully. It won’t likely happen all in one go; but more slowly over time.

As for deer stuff, don’t forget even if the house itself hasn’t held their family for generations a few good moving boxes can carry mountains of “deer crap”.

Late in Exchanges Handshakes, Anthony was unable to handle the LA and panicked, and left Blanche at Greensleeves. The world of the Avalons was just too weird for him to take in, all in one go. The chapter ends with Anthony freaking out over what is starting to happen to him.

So not only has Anthony had to deal with his physical changes, he’s had only at most, 2 weeks to, come to grips with the extent of changes to his status quo and his Beliefs in what the Real World should be. All this while he was, unsuccessfully, trying to deal with the physical aspects of his change, and while he was hoping that Tim would be able to change him back to, physically, a human.

Any possible hopes he’ll be able to see for a future have been pulled out from under him, by the events in this, the third scene, in Reunion.
When he does calm down from his rage, there will be two more things he will likely realise.
1. That there IS a way for him to at least LOOK human again.
2. That any hope for raising a family is now dead and buried. He will likely see being a harpy as being a curse, which he will want to see end with him, and not be passed on to any future generations.
Coming to terms with this latter point will be painful.

This thing about many of us wanting into the Avalon is actually more than a matter of choice. Everybody reading this comic by definition enjoys fantastic worlds like this, else we wouldn’t be reading Skin Deep. So it’s important to remember that our reactions to Anthony’s outrage at his circumstances are influenced by an echo chamber of the opposite opinion.

Even as ordinary teenagers we’ve all felt at some time like we don’t belong, that we’re out-of-joint with the world around us, outsiders looking in. It may be part of what draws many of us to worlds like this, a different universe to belong to instead of the ordinary one we don’t fit in. In high school I was not only a geek but had to come to terms with being gay, so I completely empathize with Tony. Neither he nor the world is what he thought it was, and it’s going to take time to come to terms with reality. In Time I hope he becomes proud of his uniqueness and sees it as a strength, not a flaw…. as I have.

Hypothesis: Blanche will go pick up Tony’s stuff, but when he brings it over Tony will interpret it as his mother getting rid of his belongings, and him, and kicking him out.

I really do hope to be proven wrong, though.

Hopefully this will not be the case, but bear in mind Tony has not been home since all of this started, so he may appreciate having his gear at Blanches house. Even if its just his clothes and a few personal effects.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar