NEW VOTING INCENTIVE! LEGO BRICKHEADZ!
Imagine crossing a Funk Pop figure with Lego and then adding a healthy dose of Puck, and ... yeah. Vote for Puck on TWC to see two members of the Puck cast become Brickheadized.
VOTE FOR PUCK AND … YEAH!!!
As for this comic…
I have to say that Phoebe is kind of speaking truth here. Pop culture's entire concept of teenagers really seems to have been generated by two distinct decades: the 1950's and the 1980's. If we could somehow combine greasers, leather jackets and drive-thru waitresses on roller skates with malls, leg warmers and the phrase "Gag me with a spoon," we could create a super-teen culture that would obliterate all before it that is not teen.
Phoebe, it must be noted, was not a teen in the 80's according to any timeline. Even going on the original comic, where she was starting university in 1998, she'd have been a wee child (as I was) in that heady decade. The timeline, of course, is a little wonky now due to comic time falling out of sync with real time, and no one has any clue how old Phoebe is anymore.
Puck 447
NEW VOTING INCENTIVE! LEGO BRICKHEADZ!
Imagine crossing a Funk Pop figure with Lego and then adding a healthy dose of Puck, and ... yeah. Vote for Puck on TWC to see two members of the Puck cast become Brickheadized.
VOTE FOR PUCK AND … YEAH!!!
As for this comic…
I have to say that Phoebe is kind of speaking truth here. Pop culture's entire concept of teenagers really seems to have been generated by two distinct decades: the 1950's and the 1980's. If we could somehow combine greasers, leather jackets and drive-thru waitresses on roller skates with malls, leg warmers and the phrase "Gag me with a spoon," we could create a super-teen culture that would obliterate all before it that is not teen.
Phoebe, it must be noted, was not a teen in the 80's according to any timeline. Even going on the original comic, where she was starting university in 1998, she'd have been a wee child (as I was) in that heady decade. The timeline, of course, is a little wonky now due to comic time falling out of sync with real time, and no one has any clue how old Phoebe is anymore.
I agree with everything Phoebe says here. She clearly knows teens.
It’s hard to argue with logic this sound.
just blaim the screwed up timeline on barry allen
That Barry. Always messing up timelines. Or fixing them, as the case may be.
At least she didn’t say teens love to go to the malt shop
Mmm. I do love the malt shop.
Pops will make you his special chocolate soda if he likes you.
Dude everyone should go to a malt shop.
There are two old school dairies within a two hour drive of me that serve malts. Whenever I am anywhere close to them, I always get a chocolate malt. They are amazing. It’s a pity the world has forgotten about their glory.
true malts are nice however, when i think of malts i think of
1930s-50s and all the styles and mentalities running through those shops
Hewett’s and…?
Shaw’s, down near Port Stanley. It’s a further drive. They’re both equally good. And both on my way to different beaches. If we’re going to Port Dover, I’ll stop at Hewitt’s. If we’re going to Port Stanley (the far better beach, IMHO), I’ll stop at Shaw’s.
In my recent observation of teens (my younger cousin who has moved in with my mother and would move in with us if I would let her), teens like very short skirts, risque nightdress, tattoos, other people’s booze, drugs, and being driven around without ever getting their darned driver’s license. They do still like shoes, for which I thank goodness that I have feet too small for her to swipe mine. They also don’t seem to care about underwear or what color they dye their hair.
Your younger cousin sounds off-brand with this current generation, but a lot about teen culture differs regionally and (most prominently) socioeconomically. T
I left out piercing didn’t I? Lord save us from piercings.
Well, her mother kicked her out, and K. isn’t exactly in the top 1%, but Mom gives her plenty of (i.e., too much) pocket money. So I don’t guess you would consider her economically advantaged. I just get tired of hearing her ringtone (“Here Comes Trouble”, hee hee) and hearing, Suze, can you pick me up when you get off work and run me to the store.”
She calls you “Suze” and still has a tongue? Use the piercing for leverage, no one will blame you.
Also, I too have noticed a lot of teens dying their hair without any concern for what color it’s going to become. Maybe it’s a US thing.
She relies on her age and the fact that by the time I can get at her, I have usually cooled off. I have pinched her good on occasion for being flip, and left a bruise. When she complains about it, I say, “Good! It’ll be worse next time” When she mentions Child Protective I give her a piece of scrap paper with their number.
@Susan
😛
I made the mistake of following my wife’s lead on discipline for my first two kids.
Most of the time when they did something I did not approve there were no real consequences.
After the our third one I wised up and started giving punishments
to all our kids.
It was not that my wife did not want to give consequences to our kids she did not want to be the bad guy.
The funny thing is my kids listen to me more since they know daddy don’t play that.
My wife ends up looking like the bad guy more often since she will blow up at the kids more often then I would.
Hm. I guess the nerdier ones are more open to dying their hair, I hung a couple times around a comic/game store and there was a ton of teenagers with dyed hair.
For which I am happy, becuase I got a ton of s$#& for way less hair stuff at that age.
Yeah, hair dye right now in my area is a strong sign that the student is part of the left-leaning side of the nerd counter-culture. Let’s put it this way: if teens have green hair right now, they probably also have active Tumblr accounts. The cool kids do not have crazy colored hair right now. At all.
I would never consider H. a cool kid. “Unmitigated pest who unfortunately happens to be related to me” is more like it.
I have worked in a high school for 26 years. Teens don’t really change that much but this current group acts very entitled. As for myself, I was married by 1986 so I missed the 80s teen scene.
Yep. I can verify this one. But I really do feel like they’re not entirely to blame for this, because their parents made this monster. It’s the end result of decades of ‘active parenting’ in a society that now expects parents to ‘live for their children’. The concept that they are not the center of the universe is a foreign one. Sadly, they run into this sad truth about life usually somewhere in their high school years, so you and I get front row seats to some of the meltdowns. I don’t have a problem with the teen tantrums, though, because they’re teens. I more have a problem with the endless parents who encourage and facilitate this terrible behavior. They should know better. Though I guess there are stupid people of all ages, so my expectations are horribly flawed.
@EG
I suppose it was easier when most families had six to ten kids.
You lose one or two, big deal.
Honestly, that’s a bit of a factor. But the culture of parenthood has become a little toxic, in my opinion. One hundred years ago, kids were people. They were family, and they were yours, but they were people who needed to occupy a role, a place in society, and they learned that, and they found their place. Now children are not people: they are precious vessels of our hopes and dreams, who are cherished, and worshiped to a degree, and it’s weird.
I try very hard to encourage personhood in my children. They are their own entities. I’m there for them, and I want to be a support, but they are not me, and I’m not solving all their problems, just as they aren’t on the hook to to realize my failed dreams. Some would call it lazy parenting, and they wouldn’t be wrong. But I do have a philosophy to back it up, at least.
I work on the theory that Puck, Phoebe, and Satan are immortal, or at least, age very slowly (maybe even Sigmund, he’s either a demon minion in disguise, or he’s sold his soul for immortality). Of course, this being a comic, the characters are unlikely to age at all short of a jump forward.
Of course Puck and Satan are immortal. Phlebeles, though should heed the example of Annah in PS:T
Well, Puck, Phoebe and Satan are likely immortal as you said. But there is a timeline. It’s just confusing because, like the Marvel comic timeline, the arc of time moves slower than real time. So Peter Parker did graduate from high school and grow up, but he graduated in the 60’s and then his twenties lasted, like, four decades. So time moves in the Puck world: Puck’s pregnancy turned into baby, and baby is consistently getting older, so we know that the current time is about two years after strip #81. But it’s been seven years in real time. So it’s going to get weird, but whatever.
@EG
Peter Parker was just, like, really slowwwwww…..
We used to bully him.
It helped that he had these weird fantasies that he could FLY, or some such. We encouraged him until he had broken his legs from jumping off the roof so many times that he could barely walk.
We stopped bullying him, tho.
‘Cause we all graduated – while he stayed behind- again.
Well, I thought the sixties gave everyone a pretty good run for the money about teens. All that stuff about long-haired freaky people…
Pardon? I wasn’t yet born in the Sixties, praise the Lord!
Nah, the hippie movement was iconic as a ‘young people’ movement, but it didn’t glom onto the definitive identity of the teen. I think of the iconic hippie being a young adult, between 18 and 25, not really wanting to start in on that garbage that is adult life. And while technically there were teens who were hippies, and hippies who were teens, my brain doesn’t equate them with each other necessarily.
RE: The vote incentive – I think “tantalizing” would be a more appropriate term. Sisyphus was the guy who had to push a rock uphill over and over. Tantalus was the guy whose food and drink were always out of reach.
You are, of course, right. Though the English language has spun ‘tantalizing’ over to a positive connotation, so I didn’t go with it.
The voting incentive also made me think of two very different things:
1) “I Have No Elbows And I Must Drink” – horror, following Harlen Ellison
2) “We can’t feed ourselves we can only feed each other” is the recipe for both Hell and for Heaven – it all depends on our choices.
Such profundity in Lego(tm)!
I didn’t know I was so deep.
I feel as if not even Phoebe herself knows her real age. I’m not even sure she ages “normally” (similar to Puck).
I can’t say I blame Daphne for being sceptial towards this but on the other hand, either crazy hijinks will ensue or complete and utter awkwardness.
I don’t see any other option happening when those two will have to spend time together.
Phoebe seems like the kind of girl who would claim to be 29 for a few decades, so that’s what I’m going with.
… or centuries.
I can say I blame Daffy for everything up to and including global warming. Which I don’t believe in, but, heck, it sounded good in my head.
Love Puck’s hairbow in the incentive.
It is a hair bow only in the most abstract sense. It felt appropriate.
Okay, all of a sudden I’m much, much less certain about Phoebe’s abilities. Quite a shock, I tell you.
Oh ye of little faith.
Phoebe probably grew up with reruns of 80s movies. When i was a kid, i was convinced the world still was like in the 60s because of all the re-re-re-published comics I used to read.
When you grow up with 80’s teen movies, they form your opinion of what ‘teen’ is before you even get there.
By the way, Phoebe better watch it. She’s being tailed.
It’s nothing new for her.
Since you made a reference to ‘Heathers’.
Does that mean can we expect some explosions?
Nothing is ever off the table.
I would expect Daphne to love the mall. Lots of shops to hide in and very limited security sounds like exactly her kind of place. Plus, there’s almost always 1 electronics store where you can embrace your inner nerd.
I don’t think Daphne would really be big into shoplifting. The risks are too big for the potential profits. She’s more a con artist/internet scammer type. Though there is still an EB Games in the local mall, so there’s that.
Oh, BTW, great job on Phloebles’ tail in Panel 1. +1
I have to say, in all honesty, that I am proud of the picture of Phoebe’s behind it panel one. Butts are sometimes hard to draw, but I feel like that pic, tail included, looks right.
I have to ask, I know Phoebes’ tail isn’t prehensile, but is it emotive? She seems to be lashing her tail about like a cat that has spied cream. Gotta say, I don’t know cats that well (->dog person) but I have seen cats lashing their tail like that, and it was never good
It’s not prehensile, I don’t think. And I don’t think it’s very emotive. I honestly just always draw it in a modified ‘S’ curve because it looks best that way. I would think that, in motion, it would gently snake back and forth rather than lash about. I haven’t really considered it, but thankfully I don’t need to answer that question because I sincerely doubt this comic will ever make the jump to animation.
Oh, btw, her feet look good, too. Nice shoes. About Daffy, the less said the better. My bf says that in pics of two people, one of them always dominates and is the center of attention and the other is merely a foil. I will show this to him when I get home and see what he says.
So the tail is functional only as a fashion accessory?
Not that that’s not a valid function. Especially to the lovely Miss P.
Is it surprising that anything with Phoebe is a fashion accessory? I don’t think so.
I showed it to my bf. He said that the eye goes straight to Phloebles’ tail, her tout ensemble,, then to the sign, then to the car, then Daffy, who functions as a mere prop whose Chucks lead the eye out of the frame. Good luck with cleaning that up, Phloebles.
Glad to get the opinion of an expert.
😛
He said to tell you that was one man’s opinion, and that he was sure that Canadians, like Texans, understood the comparison between opinions and the lowest part of the human digestive tract.
I had always thought the tail was nicely understated. But I do like it being somewhat emotive too, since most animals which have one do demonstrate at least their general demeanor with its motions. But, there is also the lesson of “The Tick”. In the live action show, Patrick Warburton’s Tick suit had motorized, remote controlled antennae. They acted like exaggerated eyebrows sort of, and could move independently of Warburton’s motions. He hated them because he felt like they were constantly trying to upstage him.
So maybe Phoebe doesn’t use her tail to express herself because she doesn’t want to distract from the “ensemble”? Speculation abounds…
Tick
Hmm. Well, I do think that Phoebe’s tail would emote, but more by lack of motion than motion. I’m guessing when she’s shocked or surprised, it would freeze.
Is Daphne’s criminality ever going to go Big-Time ?
Susan could likely hook her up with some people who would buy ORGANS – no questions asked.
I would hook Daffy up with the crooks that murdered Madalyn Murray O’Hair. They strangled her and put her in a 55 gallon drum full of cement. Very appropriate, IMHO 😛
Teens now just seem to be obsessed with making bad life choices *on Purpose*. Not exaggerating, I know a girl who said “I don’t want to drink that vodka, but it’s bad for me so I’ll do it.” and then, in the happiest, most casual tone possible, she says “Man, I’m gonna have a hangover tomorrow”.
All while I stare on disgusted and enchanted and wondering how much money I can get out of this situation (The reason I got to parties: Grifting drunk high-school classmates is way easier than anyone else).
I’ve long felt that being the only sober person in the room is way more entertaining than being one of the drunken masses. But that’s just me.
It sounds like a bassackwards form of empowerment – very common among the alcoholics in my life: “I can control how bad things get and to prove it I’m going to make it real bad. But at least I did it, it wasn’t done to me!”
There may be some depression in there.
The tail is impressive, but I wonder if anyone in the mall will even notice while she’s wearing That Shirt!
Well, that may be one of the reasons no one ever seems to notice the tail.
Go ahead, Daphne. Grab Phoebe’s tail with both hands and give it a strong, playful yank. {;
I think that might be the only way to get Phoebe mad.
“Carry a cat home by its tail, and you will learn something that will stay with you the rest of your life.”
“You can learn a lot about the character of a man by how he treats a cat.” – Mark Twain
I’m not a cat person. So I’m assuming that doesn’t reflect well on me.
It would make *ME* mad!
If it was your tail being yanked, or if he yanked Phoebe’s tail?
Both :p
Cats love having their little chins rubbed.
Volunteers ?
SalemCat, sorry, no, your chin is close to your very sharp teeth. 🙂
So Phoebe, Satan’s daughter, is extremely good-natured. How ironic!
(In fact, it has more iron than spinach!) 😉
Fahion folksiness alert! Balinciaga has just announced a tee shirt with a dress shirt sewn to the front for July! For only $1200! Link follows if not binned!
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/balenciaga-t-shirt-shirt
That’s … actually going far past stupid and into the vaguely brilliant territory. I now want to see a women’s fashion lower body equivalent: a skirt with a pair of pants sewn to the back. So the the legs of the pants can dangle like the tails of a tux, or – and hear me out here – the skirt and jeans are sewn bum-to-bum so a reversal would make you have a little bum cape. Honestly, I think this is genius.
It’ll never fly. Well, except among women who are ashamed of their derrieres. Well, that is a lot of us, actually. You may have something, there.
Middle 30’s? But she is the devils daughter so who can say
According to the real time frame of the comic, she’d be mid to late 30’s. But we lost some years. And she may be immortal. So I guess it really doesn’t matter.
Can’t remember. We’ve met Phoebe’s father, of course, and her (I guess) stepmother…have we ever met her birth mother?
Phoebe’s birth mother is Liz Taylor. Or this universe’s version of Liz Taylor. We’ve only ever seen a picture in-comic, but it’s enough.
Tracee is Phloebes’ step-kept-woman
Thanks to Patreon I read tomorrow’s strip today, and the only downside is I have to wait til tomorrow to say, “Well written, sir, there’s a funny-but-true observation in 3 out of 4 panels!”
I might start posting stuff earlier to Patreon on a regular basis. It’s just another way I can do something special for my wonderful patron peoples.
*grumble* I feel like doing a fan art. Without Daffy, that’s for sure. Next to Phoebles, she looks like a Fraktur “1”. Or maybe a “4”. Nah, too curvy
I have never seen a font used to describe female body types.
She’s still growing. It is the rare teen that has curves like Phoebe, and most of them end up with spines that are curvier than they are.
My mom lived and was a teenager during the age Greece is set in. Her comment:
We didn’t dress like that.
That’s it. It was odd.
I’m assuming you mean Grease, the musical, not Greece, the ancient civilization.
Yup.
Heh… XKCD on Millenials:
https://xkcd.com/2165/