...Yeah, this was never going to go well.
Transcript
Mel: Is that it?
Talita is taken aback.
Talita: Well he did it, like, maliciously! He was trying to hurt me!
Her face begins to bristle in frustration, and she grips her neck, back hunched to keep her head from knocking the ceiling.
Talita: And he’s– he’s been– saying really rude things “out of earshot,” misgendering me, not listening to instructions in the field–
Mel: I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow.
Talita's eyes widen.
Talita: No! Don’t– That wouldn’t help.
48 thoughts on “Runaway to the Stars: Page 231”
Sabella
Remember all the way back on page 18? Where Talita asks Calcery, “Was the fight with Mel really that bad?” And he responds, “As attentive as they act, I’m not sure Mel is ever actually listening.”?
Well here we are at Mel minimizing Talita coming forward that she was just physically assaulted by one of her direct reports. Showing no concern for her wellbeing or curiosity about what lead up to this moment. Here we are at them “meaning well” as the only thing they say in response is that they’ll “talk to him”, which Talita is right to be concerned will escalate the situation in a way that doesn’t protect her.
Mel lacks empathy in way that makes them perfect for a middle manager position. Those who have worked in a corporate environment and endured Mel’s style of performative kindness understand what Talita is dealing with right now.
Talita deserves better. A lot better.
Scolopendra
So. Mel is responsible for a crew that repeatedly does hazardous work out in hard vacuum. They’ve just been told, by a subordinate directly responsible for critical safety operations (because Hazardous Work and Hard Vacuum), that she’s being physically harassed and treated dismissively by one of _her_ subordinates, one of the people whose safety she is responsible for. Again, because HAZARDOUS WORK and HARD VACUUM.
For the love of all that is good and holy, even if Mel wants to discount physical harassment and insubordination as minor (and they are very much not, nor ever, but _especially_ in space operations), they should at least realize that on a job site like this it’s a SAFETY issue. We already knew Mel wasn’t really good at their job, but this indicates that they are actively DANGEROUS at it.
Every person on the salvage crew is wearing a thin space suit and running around with hull cutters. They are all eggshells with hammers relying on the other eggshells to be cognizant of their safety. It doesn’t take much for someone to slip up and badly injure if not straight up kill someone else, and that’s just from accidents due to them being distracted–what if someone lashes out? I don’t mean Talita specifically; if the culture permits harassment _anyone_ might blow a fuse and even if it isn’t as much as a cold-blooded act or a hot-blooded swipe it may be as simple as deciding not to do a suit integrity check as diligently as one should because, hey, screw that guy.
Yeah, Talita needs to get off Dirtball not only for all the obvious reasons but because it’s an actively dangerous worksite just asking to become a Space USCSB video.
Tye
“Is that it?” Gut wrenching. Mel must think Talita can handle it because she’s bigger. But she shouldn’t have to! I can’t stand Adam but I think I dislike Mel way more now. We know Adam is an ass but Mel is a polite ass, which is worse.
🫵
I’m so glad Mel isn’t a mandatory reporter. Could you imagine?
bryn
“is that it?” MEL WTF..
Claire
The largest mistakes that Mel is making (in tandem with dismissing Talita’s concern) is that they didn’t ask her for a full story (He pulled on your antler? How did this happen? It’s important you tell me the details, etc.) nor did they ask her how she actually wants this handled. Instead, all they say serves to dismiss Talita and her concerns. Caught up in what they *think* Talita wants instead of asking her, right there. Assuming what she needs, rather than talking her through it.
…And none of this precludes my prior prediction of them going nuclear on Adam! Yayyyyyy…
NotOkapi
God yeah… Mel following Talita’s request here to not talk to Adam about this is probably the best outcome, it means there is some record of Adam’s past abuses when the situation gets even worse but Mel also doesn’t make the situation worse by aggravating Adam through their refusal to peruse proper disciplinary action, so of course Mel isn’t going to listen…
Vinemaple
I wish this wasn’t my prediction, but… I expect Mel to dismiss Talita’s “that wouldn’t help” next page, and steamroll forward with another bad management decision that escalates the problem.
dzamie
“is that it” as though physically assaulting a coworker isn’t usually an immediate trip to HR if not the unemployment office
Mel, what the fuck.
Septemberdale
Adam is a dickwad, but Mel is an idiot.
cinna
Ahh… I was wondering why she isn’t mentioning how much of a safety liability Adam keeps proving to be. Now it’s evident that Talita was hoping to speak with Parental Figure Mel, but is getting Boss Mel instead.
cinna
Although, I suppose she was getting there with “not listening to instructions.” Mel just isn’t inviting her to elaborate.
Heather
Mel what the fuck. If a human came to you with a complaint that someone had yanked on their hair, would you say “is that it?”????
…Actually, maybe you would. Oh no.
forest @ swifty's hq!
and if someone yanked on your moustache it wouldn’t be harassment right… -_-
un_pogaz
Honestly, the “No! Don’t—That wouldn’t help” sends a contradictory message to Mel, but knowing teir track record in negotiation, it’s legitimate on Talita’s part. Especially since the lightheartedness with which they takes this is really not encouraging. At least, Mel don’t try to minimise it, they just dumply understimate the seriousness of the events.
Also, I think the first panel is the moment when Talita understands what Calcery meant about Mel by “As attentive as they act, I’m not sure Mel is ever actually listening.”
un_pogaz
PS: Is regrettable that Mel’s reaction was expected, and it problematic, but I had feared mush worse on their part.
cain
mel. mel he yanked on part of her face. mel–
ciel
do…do they not realize that someone pulling on Talita’s antlers is the equivalent of someone grabbing a person’s neck or pulling hair? It’s invasive and very traumatizing physical bodily harassment, this is not a ‘talk’ to have with Adam, this is a ‘warning’ to have with Adam and fire his ass and put him on the nearest ship back to Earth.
J
That, and SHE’S HIS BOSS. What the heck mel!
Kitty
Yeah I think the comparison to grabbing someone’s hair is very apt… In particular, if Adam had grabbed a fist full of a black person’s natural hair while making a stupid comment about it, or something else where there is an additional level of obvious cultural baggage coloring the action. Especially disappointed that Mel isn’t even interested in the misgendering enough to ask follow up questions. Talita isn’t expressing herself super clearly, but Mel should be more capable of helping her along.
Vinemaple
Hey, that IS a good analogy! I wish we’d thought of it pages ago, heh…
Tentament
Everyone here hates Adam, but honestly I think Mel is so much worse.
EveryZig314
“You’re so nice. You’re not good, you’re not bad, you’re just *nice*.” -Into The Woods
Enai
Unfortunately, yeah. Talita would’ve been better off talking to Idrisah and Gillie. Or Tod, even.
Coatl
Bip. Talk to Bip about it, I’m certain nothing would go wrong.
Bravo
For Adam? Not a thing. Nuh-uh. He just happened to fall asleep and wind up duct taped naked to the ceiling.
rain
my disappointment in imesurable and my day is ruined.
Mel how would you feel if a human woman was getting called “it” and having her hair pulled by a subordinate? i’m somehow sure it would be rather different.
TotallySomebody
I knew that was going to be Mel’s response…. Augh
v
oh talita, sweetpea… i know it’s probably just from being stressed and not having the language to talk about it, but she’s not being misgendered by adam, she’s being DEGENDERED, called ‘it’ like she’s not even a person. but without the framework to talk about her experiences accurately, the only more commonly used word i can think of that would portray those experiences adequately is ‘dehumanizing’, which isn’t a word that works well in multi sophont spaces, especially for someone like talita with such a complicated relationship to her own identity to start with…
it’s on mel to react appropriately to talita’s concerns (they are not) but it definitely doesn’t help that talita tending to downplay her own struggles is putting her on the back foot here, she’s trying to portray the gravity of what happened to her but how do you even begin to portray that to someone who’s never lived in a world that’s not designed for them… starting with adam yanking on her head centers the core of the problem (him using her species against her and disrespecting her for it) while also being the thing that mel can least relate to; harsh whispers, misgendering, and insubordination are all more general grievances that read, out of context, as less racialized, but while adam does have an attitude problem, the real issue is him being bigoted to talita, and it’s the one thing she can’t portray properly to mel
Hubert
Lmao does no one normal work at this shithole? This is like when your first relationship is god awful so you don’t know it’s not supposed to be this hard.
tyrone
And….There is the workplace-relationship fracture. I think everyone can see where this is going now.
HAL9000
girl its time to run away
TotallySomebody
Perhaps to the stars…..
EveryZig314
To the stars you say?
sugar-goat
I really like how the “is that it?” is frameless. Really makes The Vibe
eden
yeah! and with every other panel after that exaggerating her size to make you feel more constricted and claustrophobic… it is very effective
Vinemaple
Makes you really respect how Talita has learned to navigate Human-sized spaces. I’d like to see the community’s Centaur OCs, especially the non-spacer ones, attempt what Talita does every day of her life… Here, she looks like one false move could bring a wall down!
I ESPECIALLY dream of someday seeing Tadder and Relaghuul, the two Pahk diplomats from “First Contact,” shoehorning themselves into corridors and conference rooms on Nexus Jovia!
ttt
its very similar to the angle of how talita’s face was drawn when she was yanked. mel is *psychologically* yanking on her antler.
Accursed Dirt Boar
Oh yeah that exactly the kind of reaction i expected
I guess we have to poke Mel whit sticks now as well…
Greenjoe
Does Mel actually work as the site’s HR? Or is there some person Talita would be better off going to (if there even would be anyone…)
Matt
Talita I love you, but we gotta work on your communication skills
Bravo
Agreed. This is a violation of personal space and should get Adam sent off on the next ship.
Claire
True, but I really see this as her *trying*. Struggling to do better. And yeah, she is struggling for sure. But man… if this is what she’s consistently met with? No wonder this is where she’s at.
Sabella
Gotta say, as well as I’m sure you mean, this is rather victim-blamey.
laika wallace
i love the the perspective on these past couple pages, making talita seem like she’s towering over mel (which she is, i guess, but the deliberate choice to show it that way is what i’m talking about). to me it’s really nicely showing how talita feels in this situation, hyperware of her size and her species while trying to get help for harassment that specifically is targeting these things
Payphone Call
It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about Runaway, how well the internal world of the characters is shown visually. I’m not sure there’s been a single thought bubble, and I’m not sure there’s ever been need for one!
NotOkapi
Oh Talita, I’m so proud of her for saying anything but of course there’s nothing Mel would think to do that would actually help.
Vinemaple
Exactly. It’s good that she’s trying to stop Mel from making things worse, but we know it’s not going to make anything better.