It looks like a condensed vision of her future to me. Though vision-misinterpretation is always a possibility, considering the tone, I’m guessing it’s from Jonah’s perspective, and therefore a quick visual “And they lived happily ever after. Together. Very together, if you know what I’m saying…”
Fractured images of the future: Flowers given when they start going out. Date at a Sci-Fi Convention. Morning after they first had sex. Wedding day. Married life thereafter.
I don’t know, does Yomiko Readman generally carry around small vaguely-tubular items? I thought she mostly did paper-control, and that looks remarkably like a sonic screwdriver in Nera’s hand there.
That’s *definitely* not Yomiko. The vest is all wrong (pinstripes!), the overcoat is wrong (no shoulder foldovers), Yomiko doesn’t carry a sonic screwdriver, and that isn’t Dr Lee anyway — that’s Nera.
1) The vest is all wrong to be Yomiko; she doesn’t wear pinstripes, and the V-cut on the vest goes much lower on Yomiko. The 10th Doctor, otoh, has a pinstripe vest that’s pretty much exactly like that.
2) The coat is all wrong to be Yomiko. Yomiko’s coat has these big shoulder things on it; the Doctor’s is a regular trenchcoat.
3) Yomiko doesn’t carry a sonic screwdriver.
4) That isn’t Dr Lee; that’s pretty clearly Nera.
I’ll post some art reference links in a sec, if WordPress lets me; this is my second attempt at this comment.
Just a couple days ago, saw a guy he used to know,
He said, “You’re dead!” Got a notion in his head!
Nera took her mom’s car, ’cause they gotta go far,
Second Gate, dunno what’ll happen with an axolotl!
Gotta watch Nera die, I got somethin’ in my eye!
Mutual escape plannin’, facing down a tau cannon!
Big swing, bladey thing, dying there would really sting!
Chopper was his old friend, took ’em back home again!
Girlfriend, lover, wife; flashing forward through life,
Says, “Oh, boy …”
It’s the start of their lifetime together, (San Di-e-go Co-mic Con)
It’s the start of their lifetime together, (Then they’re gon-na get it on)
It’s the start of their lifetime together, (Live a life-time, then re-spawn)
Not the end!
I don’t think he respawned, because that’s not his spawn point. That’s back in the shoe video theater. I think his frame of reference is just a bit unstuck, and he ended up remembering flashes of the future. If he can be unstuck in time, it suggests that maybe he has actually been changing the past instead of dooming the two of them in a few dozen universes.
I come back here sometimes to re-read this chapter. All of it is good (“blackened tau-cannon stain” — ouch), the epilogue strips are good (“we’re not part of the reality-based community” — no kidding), but this strip is sublime.
Not to point out any particular frame, but if the fifth frame shows what it seems to show, it’s a profound insight. Any fool–even James Bond–can bed someone. It’s getting up and getting ready together that is the real miracle. And seeing that goofy nerd in Yu-vision: she’s just so, so hot.
Nice Quantum Leap reference at the end, just like in the episodes.
A.G.
I honestly don’t quite understand this one
It looks like a condensed vision of her future to me. Though vision-misinterpretation is always a possibility, considering the tone, I’m guessing it’s from Jonah’s perspective, and therefore a quick visual “And they lived happily ever after. Together. Very together, if you know what I’m saying…”
Fractured images of the future: Flowers given when they start going out. Date at a Sci-Fi Convention. Morning after they first had sex. Wedding day. Married life thereafter.
He didn’t escape the loop, he just made it very, very long. By not dying for decades.
Maybe this time through he’ll look harder for immortality, and extend it to centuries or longer.
… Wait, is that Nora cosplaying as the Tenth Doctor up in the right corner? Awesome.
Actually I’m pretty sure that’s Yomiko Readman from Read or Die. Nick I believe once commented that doctor lee looks like her.
I don’t know, does Yomiko Readman generally carry around small vaguely-tubular items? I thought she mostly did paper-control, and that looks remarkably like a sonic screwdriver in Nera’s hand there.
That’s *definitely* not Yomiko. The vest is all wrong (pinstripes!), the overcoat is wrong (no shoulder foldovers), Yomiko doesn’t carry a sonic screwdriver, and that isn’t Dr Lee anyway — that’s Nera.
Here’s a bit of reference art of Yomiko:
http://th06.deviantart.net/fs12/PRE/i/2006/289/e/9/Yomiko_Readman_by_toadie2k.jpg
And here’s The (10th) Doctor:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/Tenth_Doctor_b.jpg
No. That’s definitely Nera as the 10th Doctor.
1) The vest is all wrong to be Yomiko; she doesn’t wear pinstripes, and the V-cut on the vest goes much lower on Yomiko. The 10th Doctor, otoh, has a pinstripe vest that’s pretty much exactly like that.
2) The coat is all wrong to be Yomiko. Yomiko’s coat has these big shoulder things on it; the Doctor’s is a regular trenchcoat.
3) Yomiko doesn’t carry a sonic screwdriver.
4) That isn’t Dr Lee; that’s pretty clearly Nera.
I’ll post some art reference links in a sec, if WordPress lets me; this is my second attempt at this comment.
Someone deserves a jelly baby! ^_^
Someone pick up the phone, cuz 2013!me called it!
That must be Jason Shiga’s books — I was pointed to Meanwhile by Shaenon at some point, which is extraordinarily appropriate for this story.
I love the “DON’T PANIC” coffee mug! A little “Hitchhiker’s Guide” homage.
A repost of my original filk …
(TUNE: “End Of The World As We Know It”, REM)
Just a couple days ago, saw a guy he used to know,
He said, “You’re dead!” Got a notion in his head!
Nera took her mom’s car, ’cause they gotta go far,
Second Gate, dunno what’ll happen with an axolotl!
Gotta watch Nera die, I got somethin’ in my eye!
Mutual escape plannin’, facing down a tau cannon!
Big swing, bladey thing, dying there would really sting!
Chopper was his old friend, took ’em back home again!
Girlfriend, lover, wife; flashing forward through life,
Says, “Oh, boy …”
It’s the start of their lifetime together,
(San Di-e-go Co-mic Con)
It’s the start of their lifetime together,
(Then they’re gon-na get it on)
It’s the start of their lifetime together,
(Live a life-time, then re-spawn)
Not the end!
I don’t think he respawned, because that’s not his spawn point. That’s back in the shoe video theater. I think his frame of reference is just a bit unstuck, and he ended up remembering flashes of the future. If he can be unstuck in time, it suggests that maybe he has actually been changing the past instead of dooming the two of them in a few dozen universes.
Oh, and also, I think that’s Shaenon and her husband buying books from Jason Shiga in the background of the con.
I guess that answers the question of whether she has acne or freckles. I don’t think freckles go away that quickly.
There’s a lot of competition, but I think this one is my favorite strip of the whole comic. (I’ve read the whole thing as of the date of this post.)
I come back here sometimes to re-read this chapter. All of it is good (“blackened tau-cannon stain” — ouch), the epilogue strips are good (“we’re not part of the reality-based community” — no kidding), but this strip is sublime.
Not to point out any particular frame, but if the fifth frame shows what it seems to show, it’s a profound insight. Any fool–even James Bond–can bed someone. It’s getting up and getting ready together that is the real miracle. And seeing that goofy nerd in Yu-vision: she’s just so, so hot.
Everything about this chapter is awesome. But this page in particular is just the best, especially Nera’s goofy bride grin.
“You’re my golden ending” indeed.
Beautiful ending to a wonderful story.