Comments on: Madness: July 31 – August 5, 2006

By: WJS

WJS — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 17:42:58 +0000

Why Helen thought Dave staying away from Mad Science would work even if he had done so, I have no idea. The entire plot of "Angels" hinges on him being well past the point of no return already.

By: MauveCloud

MauveCloud — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 06:56:10 +0000

I kinda have to dispute Madblood's terminology here - I think what Dave is experiencing is a breakthrough, rather than a breakdown.

By: Kitirena

Kitirena — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 22:00:05 +0000

In reply to Shane Wegner (shanewegner).

That’s only if you’re playing Pathfinder, though. For oldschool gamers, it’s a Madness Check (as per Ravenloft 2nd Edition Boxed Set rules) with a difficulty determined by your DM depending on the severity of your own Descent into Madness.

Now, if you play Call of Cthulhu, it’s a SAN check with effect of -1d6/2d4 or more, depending on your Cthulhu Mythos and/or Mad Science score, with a -2 penalty for every full 10% in whichever of the two skills is higher.

Now, if we were using BESM, it would be a Soul Stat Test with difficulty modified by -1 for every level of Mad Science attribute you have…

By: Jonathan Fisher (paranormalized)

Jonathan Fisher (paranormalized) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:38:21 +0000

I'm confused, did Beethoven set "Ode to Joy" to music, or did he set "Darling Clementine" to music in his 9th? I get the lyrics a bit mixed up sometimes...

Jonathan Fisher

By: Edwin Quantrall (reynard)

Edwin Quantrall (reynard) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:38:20 +0000

@ Ed Gedeon: Actually, “Ode to Joy” (“An de Freude“) was written by Friedrich Schiller. Beethoven simply set the poem to music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Schiller#Musical_settings

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_to_Joy

By: Sam Ashley (evilmidnightlurker)

Sam Ashley (evilmidnightlurker) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:38:19 +0000

Re: Friday's strip... okay, what IS Dave's mad specialty? Or is he omnimadcompetent?

By: Kay Gilbert (kaygilbert)

Kay Gilbert (kaygilbert) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:38:18 +0000

Ed: Synchronicity! I just read an online Atlantic article about “That sense that we can be in some ways geniuses of our own self-destruction” (http://m.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/what-flannery-oconnor-got-right-epiphanies-arent-permanent/266841/?google_editors_picks=true). Too bad Joe Fassler didn’t have the word selbstzerst?rungfreude to gussy up his argument.

By: Ed Gedeon (eddurd)

Ed Gedeon (eddurd) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:38:17 +0000

@Adam: With a little help from Google Translate, I come up with "Selbstzerst?rungfreude", the joy of self-destruction.

(TUNE: "Ode To Joy", Ludwig van Beethoven)

Feeling Selbstzerst?rungfreude!
Happy that she'll be destroyed!
Now Dave's wrath they can't avoid, he
Seems to be a bit annoyed!

Brain is broken, he's awoken!
His potential's at its full!
Off to hell, she might as well be
Killed on her own sche-du-le!

By: Adam Underfoot (unnatural20)

Adam Underfoot (unnatural20) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:38:16 +0000

Is there a term for “Joy at one’s own inevitable destruction”? Like schadenfreude, but reflexive? ‘cuz that’s Helen’s expression in the last panel.

By: Tetra Valent (4_valent)

Tetra Valent (4_valent) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:38:15 +0000

Given all the things that Helen did to Dave, and the objections he raised to them, her impression is understandable. Of course, all that changed when the ta-tas came out to play.... But her parting comment to him, alluding to the Cheshire Cat's line that finally opened his eyes (".. or you wouldn't have come here"), seems to suggest that, deep down, she sensed that he was naturally drawn to mad science.

In any case, Helen is so shocked by this latest news that she has scared away Friday's installment.