# 19 Red’s Tough Break
May10
on May 10, 2015
at 9:00 PM
Chapter: The Tournament
Characters: Ida Snow, Tiffany "Red" Thornton
Location: Liam's House, The Wide Outdoors
I feel for Red. Every girl who has worn heels has had that happen…
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Ow, indeed.
Not her fault; Tiffany didn’t know any better, and Ida had to have seen that Red wasn’t experienced with heels.
She really should have been provided with a pair of flats once she got out of the party.
Red could have just taken them off and walked bare foot.
Not in nylons on concrete or gravel. Ask any lady you know what could go wrong with that.
I’m assuming Red’s getting out in front of her house, at that point who cares about damage. Just buy new ones. Besides it doesn’t look like she’s wearing any. (Skin coloring is too similar)
I had that happen once during high school
right ankle bent sideways when I jumped
to the bottom of a flight of stairs from half way up
while running to class. hurt pretty bad,
but I put the weight on the left leg and kept running,
my ankle was fine 5 minutes later.
The trick is to keep the joint moving till it stops hurting.
if you baby it the joint stiffens up.
That depends on if it’s a twist or a sprain. Twisted ankle? Yeah, walk it off. Sprained ankle? Nope, you’ll do more damage putting more weight on it. Time for the Ace Bandages and crutches, then.
Whether or not Red was clumsy in the heels throughout the night–Ida wouldn’t have known Red hadn’t had any experience. Many girls begin their experience tramping around in their mother’s heels at a very early age. Then, continue with their many degrees of dabblings for years before they become teens. Ida sees Red as a girl and never would it cross her mind she’d been “poofed”. Ida, perhaps was ill-prepared and has her work cut out for her with this one, as Red is unlike any of the others Ida has mentored. Seems there will be much teaching/learning going in both directions.
Ida’s apparently been working with Red for awhile, and Red would be completely incompetent with heels, a raw beginner. Little girls may dabble, but I see plenty of articles addressed to young women who have no idea how to walk in heels. It’s a fairly common situation, and Ida should have aware of it and allowed for it. She is after all a “handler”, I would expect that to be one of her jobs.
Tiffany might well have not even been aware that this was a danger, not just an inconvenience.
My point was, Ida could have no way of knowing how raw Red is; many things which could be presumed about any girl at this age, don’t apply to Red.
Also, it has yet to be determined how long Ida has even been in the mix.
Ida could have been in the mix only about one to two weeks, because that how long Red been a girl. But, not much longer.
Ida’s job is to size up a model wannabe in a session or two, to figure out her strengths and weaknesses. The very first time Tiffany’s heels came up an inch or two more than what she was used to, Ida should have seen it, started teaching Tiff to walk in them, and known to provide flats for getting around between gigs.
(I have never worn actual heels, but I have tried to put my heels up on books and two-by-fours to make reference photos for commission artists. It’s really bloody tricky for this sixty y.o. fart to just stand there, maybe pose a bit. Actually walk in them?
At least Ida gave Red platform heels, not pumps.
My sister says that you are actually walking on your toes and that walking in spiked heels, is actually a balancing act that you have to get use to. Younger girls that first start wearing heels, you will see there heels wobbling as they walk down the street, because, they haven’t learned to balance on there heels yet.
“Flaunt those endowments I’ve leased.” Yeah, you’d have to pay double, triple even, for those kinds of privileges.
But I wonder how Tiffany feels about being called “Doll”.
Also, good poke at Tiffany’s Dad. He forced the modelling agency to put his daughter up for a gig she wasn’t ready for, and that even an experienced pro rejected.
Coming from Ida, it doesn’t seem like Red minds. I mean, it doesn’t seem like Ida means it in a demeaning way.
Yeah, it’s just a verbal tic she uses with all her models. Still, it’s got to be a strange thing for Tiff to hear.
I hope Ida continues to work with Tiff while her ankle heals. Tiff has got to learn how to be a girl.
It’s 2015, Red can act how she wants, why be forced into dated stereotypes
Because she’s a model. Models don’t get to choose how to act. Their agents do that.
@Robert Ahh, I see…so if you want to be popular, act how the public wants you to act? That doesn’t sound quite right. I would think she could act how she wants and let the agency PR team spin it to be endearing.
@heavy: Thing is, if Tiffany learns to “act like a girl”, that increases her options. And in most circumstances, she will be able to fit in, in the sense of not being noticed. She will move through society like a fish through water.
But if she doesn’t learn, she has no choice. She will continue to be a graceless, clumsy nerd in a girl suit.
If she continues to be a model, then you give the market what it wants. That’s what being a model is. You have to be established, or have exquisite taste, to have the kind of clout needed to be a trend setter.
You typically don’t tell the PR or marketing team what image you want to project. Other way around. That’s what you were hired for: to project the image they want.
Isn’t graceless, clumsy, hot nerd girl “in” right now. I would think they could establish the image early and market her that way. (that kinda sounded offensive) But perhaps it is still too early.
@Robert you’d be wrong though, not all models are girly. Several are even straight up geeky.
It’s not so much trying to change Red into a girly girl, it’s teaching her how to act on the job. Think about it, most of us have a “professional act” we use when we are working. It’s not so much that we can’t be ourselves, but that you can’t geek out at work all day and still get respect as a professional. Well, you can, but you have to be incredibly good at your job. Red isn’t there yet. When she’s working she has to act in specific ways. When she’s at school she can act differently, and different from either when she’s hanging out with Melvin and BJ.
@heavy: “Isn’t graceless, clumsy, hot nerd girl “in” right now.”
That’s what they want you to believe. Not remotely joking; the “hot nerd girl” look is quite calculated and in popular culture, it’s created by genius level experts. It is not the result of careless or even clueless inattention to one’s appearance.
And the women who portray those characters are carefully chosen; they are more attractive than the norm, but typically not the top-level pulchritude Tiffany possesses.
Any real girl as good looking as Tiff would know how to “act like a girl” out of sheer self-defense at the very least.
Tiff is clueless, even willfully blind. That puts her at risks she is not aware of, much less able to parry.
@50 Now that I think about it, we might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves.
First, what do we really know about Red’s modeling agency? We haven’t gotten any info on it. It could be just some small time outfit and here I am arguing about its marketing department.
Second, I hardly think “genius level experts” were required to come up with the look, probably just “experienced” marketers. Isn’t marketing just TELLING the people what they SHOULD want. (perhaps that’s cynical)
Thirdly, Do we actually know Red has “top-level pulchritude”(learned a new word!) It’s kinda hard to tell, being drawings and all, without the author coming out and saying it. It’s not like Red was turning heads at that school dance in IDoaJB. She could just have better than average looks.
@heavy: First, the earliest versions of Nerd Girl probably showed up out in the field. Then somebody decided to make money off it, and brought in the experts to design the look that showed up on the magazine stands and modeling shows.
Also, note that these were the fashion and makeup houses, movie studios, and other clients that Tiffany’s modeling agency feeds into. The agency doesn’t set the fashion, just supplies the supple warm bodies to hang it on.
Red’s Dad probably tried to get her in with the best agency he could, and he’s probably paying them for Red’s girly lessons.
But remember, to the agency, the models are the product. Models (or their parents or other backers) do not go to agencies and demand to be “discovered”. A good backer with connections might be able to get you into the office, and possibly some support services, such as training, but the agency needs good looking bodies and talent, and if the interview doesn’t support that, you go nowhere.
(Note: I have no experience here, just discussions with people who have, and a few articles here and there.)
I like that we can see exterior shots of a characters house. I hope we get to see the outsides of the main 3’s houses. It’s a detail I like seeing in comics. I also like how Ida isn’t a jealous b***h to the new girls. (envying their youthful good looks)
Some questions that I hope are explored in the future:
Is Melvin a “Latch Key Kid”?
How did Melvin and Kazom meet?
How much friction is there between Red and her parents?
How does Red’s extended family feel about Red’s situation?
What’s Boyd Johnson’s family like?
What’s Red’s school life like?
Does BJ have a love interest?
That’s all I can think of for now.
Melvin a Latch Key Kid, because his mother is a RN nurse. She will often work double shift to make the ends meet. So Melvin is often left by himself. That is also when Kazom showed up one day when Melvin mother was out working her job. Kazom has been Melvin Genie for two or three years. We know that by when Jeanie was there and Kazom told her.
No, we don’t know from that. Red has just had her named changed, and she still doesn’t instinctively sit down to pee. At most, a few months have passed since Hurricane Jeannie turned Red’s life upside down. This is also consistent with IDOJB, where only a few months have passed since Jean got genie’d.
However, in Jeanie Bottle 139, Kazom asks Jeanie that if it was possible to make Holly fall for Melvin, why wouldn’t Kazom have done that years ago?
Ida: “Oh! You’ve already completed the “twist ankle and hit your face against a door” part of your nightly regiment! If you continue going with such enthusiasm you’ll reach the top in no time!”
Given how much pain Red seems to be in, I am thinking that her ankle may be hurt enough to affect tomorrow’s gig.
“Tough break” is the title. This could be a career ender.
Yeah, Red will probably have to stay home or go get the ankle checked.
Jeez Luna, I know Red has monopolized the fans’ attentions, but that’s no reason to break her ankle! Perhaps anger management classes will help with that temper. (I’m just kidding of course)
I suppose Liam will continue to not know Red’s a girl now.
That wasn’t my doing. I haven’t been writing for the strip since before “Liam’s Plan?” Whatever comes, I’m as much in the dark as the rest of you are.
Huh!? Who’s writing now?
It depends on how badly the ankle hurt. I would doubt that it broken, but I could be a bad sprain. But, she not going to be wearing spick shoes for awhile, because, she wont have any strength in that one angle for awhile.
A lot of what Red does here will depend on how fast she recovers and if she come up with an alternate plan for what she going to be doing. She wear an elastic strapping around the injured angle and wear different types of shoe to cover things up. It won’t be the best thing, but it would be workable in a pinch.
Probably just a sprain, but she could certainly have a broken ankle or other broken bone. You’d be amazed at how many seemingly low impact injuries I’ve seen that result in broken bones. People get broken ankles from tripping while walking at a slow pace all the time. In fact it’s almost always ‘i,tripped over something on the floor’ or ‘i slipped on ice’, not from some,high impact activity. You can get an amazing amount of,leverage from your leg. Also depends,g on the severity of,the sprain it could be better in a few days of,the could be on crutches for a month followed by physical therapy.
“Regimen”, a schedule.
“Regiment”, a bunch of sweaty soldiers
You know, I’m glad that was fixed before I saw this. I’m not sure that what I would have thought Ida was suggesting was even remotely SFW.
And the heels take another victim… everything goes according to plan..
Oh, man! Now we have to put her down and give her to the glue factory! ;P I’ve been meaning to set traps for those damn high heels, but they just ignore the bait…….
What bait have you been using?
And–glue factory? Really? Have you considered taxidermy?
Well, that’s one way to get her to pose for pics. 😛
Yeah I have no idea whats going on in this comic anymore so I’m gonna just not follow it I guess lol.
Yeah I agree this is not making any sense.
Looks like Reds modeling is on hold in the near future. Dealing with a jacked up ankle might be the breather she needs. To get right with her new life(reality) such as it is.
I noticed that Red doesn’t argue her dad being a greedy asshole.
No more than Alex in Cheer! argues that her parents aren’t distant neglectful jerks if someone who knows her situation says so.
question
Red have green eyes or brown?
Hazel, perhaps? These often exhibit substantial shifts between green and brown, because while the brown arises from moderate melanin levels, the green is structural, which comes and goes depending on lighting and angle.
I only ask because here I see green eyes
and on another page she has brown eyes
I know The BACH-MANN has always drawn her w/ green. Maybe they are hazel, as suggested by 50s. I know my eyes appear to change depending on lighting, what I’m wearing, and who is looking at them. Not everyone experiences the illusion of color the same way.
I’d comment on ankles and heels, but that’s been done.
And “regimen-not-regiment” is also taken.
In any case, a little ice and some stay-off-your-feet will probably take care of it.
I wonder what Red’s impression of Ida is. Ida is a beautiful, sexual, confident 20something, who is now “showing Red the world”. Red is currently a 15 year old boy, and as 50srefugee puts it above, in a girl suit. 15 year old heterosexual males would certainly have some reaction to Ida.
R.I.C.E.; rest, ice, compress, elevate.
Judging by the strip’s title, this is NOT a sprain.
Luna’s note says, “Every girl who wears heels has had this happen.”
I assume she means fallen and sprained, not broken. Sprains can go from an overstretched ligament (the thing that holds joints together) to an actual tear.
I hope that it is a mild sprain, not a tear or a break.
I have no idea if it’s broken or sprained. I have not written for the strip since before “Liam’s Plan?”. I have no idea what Bach-Mann has in mind.
By the way, it’s at moments like this that I *really* regret that new strips are up only on Monday and Friday.
I’m going to say ‘sprained’ as there’s no sound effect for bones breaking.