More like darth vader saying “I am your father” or Something very ” Search your feelings, you know it to be true!”
Bicycle Bill
She *IS* searching her feelings and she does know it to be true … and that’s what is bothering her so much. I think she was also feeling much the same after having gone into full ‘Avenging Angel’ mode on Toedad’s ass as well as in the aftermath of her beatdown of Blaine, too. This is one very troubled — and right now, very fragile — young woman.
JasonAW3
Wouldn’t want to be her grandfather and say the wrong thing right now! If she didn’t give him the ultimate verbal takedown,vher relatives might need to start porbate on their inheritence…
If Blaine is the alternative, then Galasso might actually be the good guy here.
inqntrol
Better to have Galasso as supreme leader than Blaine, at least he’s not an abusive father.
timemonkey
Physically, no. Emotionally yes. But perhaps this universe’s has been kept in control by his wife?
Temperaryobsessor
Yea hopefully if his wife was alive that would be squashed. His abuse mostly consisted in wanting grandchildren way too much especially when Conquest was too young for that.
Schol-R-LEA
Hmmmn… I am assuming that if his wife is alive, then the horse thing didn’t happen, as she probably would have had a problem with that stroke of genius. Maybe not, but probably. Depends on a) how much she’s under his thumb, and b) if she’s a zoo herself and wanted Conquest to keep the family tradition alive…
I’m on Team Metaphor, she’s hearing his voice in her head and drawing him as though he’s there is just a way to express that in a visual medium.
One of Amber’s biggest fears is becoming like her father (remember what Mike said to her about her relationship with Danny). I think a part of her is second-guessing how far she went in retaliation against not-Ryan, as part of that fear. Hearing Blaine’s voice encourage this shameful side of her personality fits both his MO and her mental state. Of course he’s not feeding this to her telepathically, this is what she thinks he’d say if he was actually there. It’s another peek at her inner conflict.
“Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger! With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant.
I remember that scene in “Cider House Rules” where the abusive knife-fetish father of some girl is awfully proud that she has lethally wounded him in a manner securing a slow and painful death for him.
In other words: I am not sure that he’s oblivious. Strange people are strange.
in panel two, the door’s shadow stage-right of his right leg is 8px tall, while stage-left of his leg it’s 12px tall. to me this suggests his leg is casting a shadow
dn3s
sorry i got stage-right and stage-left mixed up. other way around!
Shogeton
I think pjeseb means casting a shadow in the more metaphorical sense
well hey at least he’s being complimentary? that’s not GOOD but at least it’s novel
(probably why this version is only in her head, honestly, REAL blaine would be like “well look at the mess of trouble that i now have to sort out, why couldn’t you just stay out of it”)
Well yeah. Blaine would have spun the Ryan incident in a way to make Amber feel weak and dependent on him, like he did with Sal’s failed robbery. And on some level Amber knows this.
But that doesn’t change that she’s come to associate every bad part of her with Blaine, so of course the Blaine in her head will compliment her for letting go of her restraints and doing what “he” would have done.
Not necessarily, there’s not a lot of point from a storytelling perspective for imaginary dad to be telling her his approval unless his approval is something she’s wanted.
This is clearly a case of “Your approval fills me with shame.”
Blaine doesn’t really seem to be all that manipulative, he’s more straight-up violent. You’re mixing him up with Ruth’s guardian, who is a different guy with a different bad parenting deal.
Sam
Um, he manipulated Danny so he could use him as a hostage. He is totally for some manipulation, he just doesn’t use it as extensively as Ruth’s grandfather.
thejeff
It’s a clear parallel to what he said after the robbery when he goaded her into stabbing Sal. Wonder what he said afterwards?
Definitely “your approval fills me with shame”, but such is the wonder of abusive parenting, it’s also something she’s longed for throughout her childhood. Just another bit of evidence (to her) that she’s becoming what she fears – a monster like him.
Joking aside, yeah. People like Blaine exist. He’s a little more dramatic than most RL counterparts would be but this IS a comic. (I was going to include other examples of things being dramatic but changed my mind.)
Indeed. The only thing that makes Blaine different from many real life abusers is that he lunged at a young woman (Ruth) in front of witnesses and even that’s not something completely unheard of. Most physically abusive people who get away with it do so in part because they never do it in front of anyone who will talk.
Sam
This is true, he likely wouldn’t have done so if he wasn’t actively chasing Amber. When he was no longer in pursuit of Amber, he did not say, attack Billie who chased him down, he was calm again.
There are abusers that will be violent and aggressive in front of witnesses but generally abusers try to be more controlled than that as they don’t want legal repercussions and the like.
Ruth’s grandfather is an example of someone who is confident enough in their abuse that they will frequently and regularly do it right in front of others, but still keep the loudest parts hidden away from people in actual authority i.e. he didn’t give a damn that Billie saw it or heard it but like hell was he going to shout at Ruth in front of the R.M..
233 thoughts on “Proved”
Ana Chronistic
well hopefully that ghost means he ded 9_9 (as much as I suspect otherwise)
Clif
The ghosts of the living are more powerful than the ghosts of the dead. As a rule.
Peter Sadlon
A concept with which I can attest to.
Charie Spencer
Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are.
JasonAW3
As I can attest to as well…
Michael
Warning: May contain nuts
Joe Covenant
Which I can a testes to!
Gojira
He’s what Amber always wished her father would say to her. You did good kid.
mister gray
More like darth vader saying “I am your father” or Something very ” Search your feelings, you know it to be true!”
Bicycle Bill
She *IS* searching her feelings and she does know it to be true … and that’s what is bothering her so much. I think she was also feeling much the same after having gone into full ‘Avenging Angel’ mode on Toedad’s ass as well as in the aftermath of her beatdown of Blaine, too. This is one very troubled — and right now, very fragile — young woman.
JasonAW3
Wouldn’t want to be her grandfather and say the wrong thing right now! If she didn’t give him the ultimate verbal takedown,vher relatives might need to start porbate on their inheritence…
Emperor Daniel
“You, like your father, are now mine.”
MatthewTheLucky
Now, we can rule this campus as father and daughter!
Clif
And bring AmaziOrder to the Empire of Glasso.
Doctor_Who
If Blaine is the alternative, then Galasso might actually be the good guy here.
inqntrol
Better to have Galasso as supreme leader than Blaine, at least he’s not an abusive father.
timemonkey
Physically, no. Emotionally yes. But perhaps this universe’s has been kept in control by his wife?
Temperaryobsessor
Yea hopefully if his wife was alive that would be squashed. His abuse mostly consisted in wanting grandchildren way too much especially when Conquest was too young for that.
Schol-R-LEA
Hmmmn… I am assuming that if his wife is alive, then the horse thing didn’t happen, as she probably would have had a problem with that stroke of genius. Maybe not, but probably. Depends on a) how much she’s under his thumb, and b) if she’s a zoo herself and wanted Conquest to keep the family tradition alive…
Ana Chronistic
jsyk: http://www.dumbingofage.com/tag/pamela/
Mr. Bulbmin
Now I’m imagining AmaziGirl in a black outfit with a full mask, acting as Galasso’s right hand/enforcer.
It’s spooky scary.
Ozzi
*Whistles the kill bill music*
shadowcell
“the (dark side of) the Force will be with you, Amber. always.”
Yumi
So that bodes well.
I am wondering whether this is meant to be an artistic representation or a symptom.
Doctor_Who
Yeah, if this is an actual hallucination and not just a metaphor, then this isn’t good.
Not that it’s good anyway. It’s just even less good.
Michael Steamweed
I note the absence of the red background. This doesn’t seem to be a flashback anymore; this seems to be a present-time hallucination. That’s worrying.
Woobie
Probably just guilt.
Needfuldoer
I’m on Team Metaphor, she’s hearing his voice in her head and drawing him as though he’s there is just a way to express that in a visual medium.
One of Amber’s biggest fears is becoming like her father (remember what Mike said to her about her relationship with Danny). I think a part of her is second-guessing how far she went in retaliation against not-Ryan, as part of that fear. Hearing Blaine’s voice encourage this shameful side of her personality fits both his MO and her mental state. Of course he’s not feeding this to her telepathically, this is what she thinks he’d say if he was actually there. It’s another peek at her inner conflict.
Needfuldoer
Found another example of “Amber slips into Blaine mode, then catches herself”. Danny dismisses the boundary between Amber and Amazi-Girl, then she starts slipping into verbal abuse but immediately throttles back when she realizes she’s re-enacting one of countless instances of abuse between her parents, with him playing Stacy’s role.
(To be fair to Danny, I think this was when he learned that Amazi-Girl is more than just a game of dress-up to Amber.)
miados
you proved you can protect yourself if you have to. thats how i see it.
Screwball
True, but I don’t think she sees it that way…
Jason
Nooooope. She doesn’t. Not even a little bit.
Amber needs lots of hugs and lots of therapy (but not at the same time!)
tim gueguen
Blaine is totally oblivious that Amber would plunge a knife into him if she felt justified to.
Scar Man!!!
He’s probably smile at that
StClair
“Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger! With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant.
It is unavoidable. It is your destiny.”
David
I remember that scene in “Cider House Rules” where the abusive knife-fetish father of some girl is awfully proud that she has lethally wounded him in a manner securing a slow and painful death for him.
In other words: I am not sure that he’s oblivious. Strange people are strange.
Injuryman
Since he’s tagged, I have to assume this is the real Blaine testing out his recently gained powers of astral projection.
Wack'd
how about the power to depress your daughter from 500 yards away? that’s telepathy, holmes
Cholma
♫ “Wonder-Blaine, what is the secret to your power?” ♫
UniqueSnowflake2
. . . without casting a shadow.
pjeseb
It looks to me like he IS casting a shadow.
Tacos
It looks like it’s the door’s shadow to me.
dn3s
in panel two, the door’s shadow stage-right of his right leg is 8px tall, while stage-left of his leg it’s 12px tall. to me this suggests his leg is casting a shadow
dn3s
sorry i got stage-right and stage-left mixed up. other way around!
Shogeton
I think pjeseb means casting a shadow in the more metaphorical sense
adjudicus
Not necessarily, there was a strip where Joyce imagined everyone around her to be Ryan, but he was still tagged.
thejeff
In at least one of those strips, he was actually there. As revealed after his reappearance.
adjudicus
Which strip are you referring to?
Spencer
It was a Patreon strip. The Ryan that was behind Joyce when she invisioned all the men around her as Ryan was actually him.
Miguel
Shit….
shadowcell
and then another voice is all “meesa know only one truth…itsa time for Amazi-Girl to bombad end!”
Meta
Danny: “I love you”
Amber: “… Meesa know”
Clif
+1 Internet.
Wack'd
well hey at least he’s being complimentary? that’s not GOOD but at least it’s novel
(probably why this version is only in her head, honestly, REAL blaine would be like “well look at the mess of trouble that i now have to sort out, why couldn’t you just stay out of it”)
Quartz Falcon
Well yeah. Blaine would have spun the Ryan incident in a way to make Amber feel weak and dependent on him, like he did with Sal’s failed robbery. And on some level Amber knows this.
But that doesn’t change that she’s come to associate every bad part of her with Blaine, so of course the Blaine in her head will compliment her for letting go of her restraints and doing what “he” would have done.
Dan
Not necessarily, there’s not a lot of point from a storytelling perspective for imaginary dad to be telling her his approval unless his approval is something she’s wanted.
This is clearly a case of “Your approval fills me with shame.”
Ivanka the Terrible
Blaine doesn’t really seem to be all that manipulative, he’s more straight-up violent. You’re mixing him up with Ruth’s guardian, who is a different guy with a different bad parenting deal.
Sam
Um, he manipulated Danny so he could use him as a hostage. He is totally for some manipulation, he just doesn’t use it as extensively as Ruth’s grandfather.
thejeff
It’s a clear parallel to what he said after the robbery when he goaded her into stabbing Sal. Wonder what he said afterwards?
Definitely “your approval fills me with shame”, but such is the wonder of abusive parenting, it’s also something she’s longed for throughout her childhood. Just another bit of evidence (to her) that she’s becoming what she fears – a monster like him.
Laladoria
Aw, jeez…
I hope she can realize that this is a completely different situation and she was violent for a GOOD reason.
): Poor Amber
Kernanator
“Your journey to the Dark Side is now complete.”
ArcaneDarkness
The O’Malley is a family of assassins? My suspension of disbelief on the existence of someone like Blaine is a little shaky now.
shadowcell
descended from an ancient house of Irish ninjas
Dana
Their sworn enemies are Welsh samurai.
Dean
Dr McNinja is her cousin, they see each other sometimes at family events. He gave her some good advice about her college application.
dn3s
so buckets of blood guy is dark smoke puncher then?
Kryss LaBryn
<333
Jason
Joking aside, yeah. People like Blaine exist. He’s a little more dramatic than most RL counterparts would be but this IS a comic. (I was going to include other examples of things being dramatic but changed my mind.)
Insert Assassins Creed joke here.
rectilinearpropagation
Indeed. The only thing that makes Blaine different from many real life abusers is that he lunged at a young woman (Ruth) in front of witnesses and even that’s not something completely unheard of. Most physically abusive people who get away with it do so in part because they never do it in front of anyone who will talk.
Sam
This is true, he likely wouldn’t have done so if he wasn’t actively chasing Amber. When he was no longer in pursuit of Amber, he did not say, attack Billie who chased him down, he was calm again.
There are abusers that will be violent and aggressive in front of witnesses but generally abusers try to be more controlled than that as they don’t want legal repercussions and the like.
Ruth’s grandfather is an example of someone who is confident enough in their abuse that they will frequently and regularly do it right in front of others, but still keep the loudest parts hidden away from people in actual authority i.e. he didn’t give a damn that Billie saw it or heard it but like hell was he going to shout at Ruth in front of the R.M..