1511: Spice Girl

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Spice Girl

Title text: Haha, you'll see!

Explanation

The Spice Girls

The Spice Girls are a British pop girl group formed in 1994. It consists of five girls who each have a "spice girl" nickname. The five girls with their respective nicknames are:

• Mel B (MB) or "Scary Spice"
• Mel C (MC) or "Sporty Spice"
• Emma Bunton (Em) or "Baby Spice"
• Geri Halliwell (G) or "Ginger Spice"
• Victoria Beckham (V) or "Posh Spice"

Not too much later, in 1554: Spice Girls, he shows how difficult it is to remember these five names.

The internet quiz

This is one example of a trend of online quizzes that would "identify" the user with one person/personality of a group based on a series of personality questions. This will most often concern which member of a band, TV cast/film cast or character from books, etc. the quiz taker most resembles. In this comic it is specifically Spice girl quizzes that are the subject. In this comic, Randall is suggesting that in order to cope with what he probably considers to be irritating clickbait links to these quizzes, he imagines the link titles as being shouted through a door in a postapocalyptic dystopia. This is a reference to a trope in movies set in such postapocalyptic settings (which Randall presumably enjoys more) in which the heroes must determine whether an unknown agent is friend or foe, which in some such media occurs by shouting through locked doors. It is not likely that Randall would actually complete these quizzes, but if he did in this fantasy setting, the stakes would be higher, and each answer would be fraught with dangerous meaning. It would thus also be much more fun taking the quiz and the result would seem to be important.

In Randall's fantasy dystopian future, the character who is subject of the dialogue may be one of two Spice Girls, described alternately as the one who is merciful and the one started the war (which likely resulted in the said dystopia). It is possible there are only two remaining Spice Girls, or that there are simply only two likely options in the particular circumstances of the comic. It is also unclear if Randall may be suggesting two fictional Spice Girls, or if in his fantasy future, two of the actual original Spice Girls fit the criteria mentioned. The Merciful One could be a reference to the song with the same name by Zohar, another British music ensemble.

As a result of the way a speech line was drawn in this comic, there was initially ambiguity as to the source of the dialogue. The official transcript now states: "Terrified figure: WHICH SPICE GIRL ARE YOU?! The merciful one, or the one who started this war?". Cueball has been described as the "terrified figure", making it clear that it is indeed Cueball who shouts the line, and not the "cruel interloper" who pounds at the door. Randall often uses the four little lines at the source end of the speech line to denote sound coming from an unseen source. The quiz question is being shouted by an angry agent or crowd outside the door, presumably in reference to the female character seen in the comic. Presumably if she is "the one who started this war", the person(s) outside would be hostile toward her.

In this case, it looks like the female character (who otherwise appears to be a Hairbun character) does not have any intention of answering, and is preparing for when the people outside break down the door by loading her shotgun to defend herself. In this interpretation, the title text is said by "Hairbun" Spice indicating that when they get through the door they will be in trouble.

Here are a few examples of "Which spice girl are you?" quizzes:

• Buzzfeed
• Zimbio
• Brainfall
• GoToQuiz

The title text

The title text refers to the lyrics from the Spice Girls' debut single, Wannabe (Listen to Wannabe on YouTube) Here below is the relevant excerpt from the song where the letters in the last four lines refer to the spice girls as given above. This rap bridge is sung by Scary Spice except for the line with Easy V which is sung by Ginger Spice:

So here's a story from A to Z,

You wanna get with me You gotta listen carefully

We got Em in the place who likes it in your face

You got G like MC who likes it on an

Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady

And as for me, ha ha, you'll see

These lyrics function as a little introduction to the (then) less-well-known girl group. The final line takes on a threat-like tone in this new context of the comic. And it doesn't help that it is Scary Spice who sings it.

The text may seem a little confusing to understand, especially the line that finishes on an. According to another lyrics-site, which also has explanations to some parts of the text, it means that G and MC likes it (sex) together with ecstasy - as "On an E" is slang for being on ecstasy (see it used in this discussion). They could not sing this directly without resulting in a PG rating, thus they inserted the "E" in the next line as Easy V, a line which is even sung by another Spice Girl, Ginger Spice, where the rest of this bridge is sung by Scary Spice.

Transcript

[Cueball is trying to barricade a door with his own body (although it already has a bar in front of it). He is in a room that is deteriorating with Hairbun who is loading a shotgun while sitting behind some sort of box.]

Knocking on the door: Thump Thump

Voice: Which Spice Girl are you?!

Voice: The merciful one, or the one who started this war?

[Caption below the frame:]

When I see those quiz titles, I like to imagine they're being shouted through a door in a postapocalyptic dystopia.

Trivia

This is the first xkcd comic featuring the Spice Girls.

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Discussion

Not being shouted (from without, at either cueball or his female companion) by a post-apocalyptic crowd, surely, but by Cueball (from within, at the post-apocalyptic person of whom he is currently trying to deny entry whilst possibly necessary weaponry is being loaded)... Or so I read it. If that makes sense. 141.101.99.4 05:43, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

It does look like that, but the caption states "through a door". -- microslayer

The little lines around the origin point of the speech "bubble" is usually used in XKCD to indicate that the sound is coming through the surface or offscreen (see Writers Strike (360) and Time Vulture (926)). -Pennpenn 108.162.250.155 06:52, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

Except that I read the caption as meaning "through a door" by our Cueball, i.e. what someone like him would be shouting out, plosively. (It's "through the wall", anyway, if that's a 'through something' speech-bubble-originator-indicator (like the "THUMP"s are) rather than 'rather loudly' emphasis that I'd expect to be associated with Cueball. They are shown differently, with the non-THUMP indicator not really having the same appearance as all the other ones otherwise mentioned. Even in the very same panel.) Anyway, just my POV. Needs an Official Transcript to be sure, I suppose. 141.101.99.4 07:12, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

The speak line clearly shows it is Cueball who shouts this quiz title through a door. No question is it like this, so I have corrected the transcript accordingly.--Kynde (talk) 08:54, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

I disagree. It's not that clear. The marks around the end of the speech line indicate the question is being shouted from the other side of the wall, and I think - but can't be certain - that the line terminates near Cue Ball's head looks like to me like ambiguous drawing by the cartoonist. That, and the "through the door" make me think that Cue Ball is just silently holding the door shut against the rampaging hoards, who are doing all the shouting. 108.162.229.123 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I agree that it is unclear. See comic 1493. Randall has used those little "blast" lines USUALLY to denote off-screen speech, but in that comic (the first example I found going backwards), he uses it directly on Cueball. That said, most uses are for sound effects or off-screen/through wall speech. I expected to find it used for "shouting", but Cueball isn't even shouting in that comic. Not sure why Randall used it. Another example is 1393. I initially read this comic as Cueball speaking, otherwise Randally would have drawn the line over Cueball's head to the door, but I don't think the other interpretation is necessarily wrong. I do think the third one had to go though. Cueball shouting to Megan doesn't line up with the caption of "through the door". TheHYPO (talk) 14:28, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

I also find it to be confusing. I first thought it was Cueball that was doing the shouting but after reading this page I now see that the little marks around the speech line are usually used when the speaker is off panel or inside of something (car or coming from PC, etc). I went looking through back comics to see if any yelling was indicated differently and found one where the character was not yelling but the speech line has the same little marks (First panel of Fundamental Forces http://xkcd.com/1489/). In that case it looks like a small mistake, but in this comic it just leaves me unsure who is speaking. 108.162.221.171 14:39, 13 April 2015 (UTC)Agent0013

I am satisfied with the two different explanations currently being shown, given the controversy. However, to continue to support 'my' interpretation, do note the difference between the *THUMP* origins (unidirectionally starred lines, definitely on the door) and the question's origins (splayed lines, and an origin on the surface of a wall... coincidentally in the right place to be confused with originating from Cueball's mouth?). I'd accept that there's argument (before anyone else gives it) that because of Cueball's head being where it is one might not see the leftward-sloping asterism lines, but I don't think it's close enough to have obscured this (and could have been easily drawn to avoid such an illustration problem, as might a way to have drawn it to be unconfusingly not associated with Cueball's head at all). Tell you what, let's see if we can get it via the 3d.xkcd.com interface... Then we might know... ;) 141.101.99.4 15:26, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

I agree that it is clear it is Cueball shouting. The caption says through a door, not through a wall. The lines (different from the "through-door" lines) indicate he is shouting it with stress in his voice, through the door at a Spice Girl on the other side. 108.162.250.187 23:06, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

108.162.250.155 and 108.162.229.123 are correct, the shouting is coming from outside the room. Randall/Cueball imagines he is hearing quiz titles "being shouted," he is not imagining shouting them himself. Pesthouse (talk) 11:56, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

Furthermore, "in order to make sure the one you let in is not some scary person but a merciful one" makes no sense because the Spice Girl in question is clearly meant to be the girl loading the gun behind the box. She's already in the room. 108.162.229.123 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Hmm, or maybe not. I thought the hair was too different from Megan's usual style, but it could be her. So now I'm about 50/50 on this one. 108.162.229.123 12:28, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

There is no such character as Megan. Please see Megan. I quote ""Megan" does not necessarily always represent the same character from comic to comic. She is essentially the female equivalent of Cueball, representing the every-woman to his everyman.". 108.162.221.201 13:08, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

I agree that it is difficult to determine from the small lines where the speak comes from. I have added several changes to the explain, but kept most of it in. I still believe that it is Cueball that shouts, but I'm not 100% sure anymore. --Kynde (talk) 08:06, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

I don't know much about the Spice Girls, but the comic seems to be referring to two; Is there a "merciful" Spice Girl? Is there one likely to "start a war"? And is there a "war" that is specifically to do with the Spice Girls? -141.101.106.95 08:01, 13 April 2015 (UTC) What about Camp Spice?? 173.245.50.103 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

The comic is clearly inventing new Spice Girls: the original Spice Girls didn't have a merciful one, or an evil one. 108.162.221.201 13:10, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

Disagree. In real life, there has not been a war started by ANY spice girl. This is clearly fantasy. It is just as likely that Randall is imagining the Spice Girls rise to power and in their newfound power, become associated with new traits (e.g. one is a merciful and one starts a war - in Cueball's fantasy scenario, there are only two spice girls left, or two who could possibly be at the door). There is no basis to assume this is a reference to invented new spice girls.

I also think that if Randall intended to have the quiz's answers make sense, it would have to be the latter, since the quiz won't have an "evil" or "merciful" spice. That said, given Randall's comment about needing to make the link titles less irritating, it's unlikely he would actually do the quiz. He just wants to be less annoyed while skimming his, Facebook feed (for example) TheHYPO (talk) 14:33, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

You are wrong when you say 'the quiz won't have an "evil" or "merciful" spice'. Here you can see Baby Mummy, Sporty Mummy, Scary Mummy, Posh Mummy, Ginger Mummy, and also Old Mummy, Oracle Mummy, Supercalifragalistic Mummy, Drop and Run Mummy, Hover Mummy, Boring Mummy, Disaster Zone Mummy, and Baby Factory Mummy. 108.162.221.201 17:15, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

Why are we all ignoring the fact that this is not just this quiz title? It extends to things like "Which Harry Potter Character are you?" and other stuff like that. The Goyim speaks (talk) 00:15, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Because the comics name is Spice Girl!--Kynde (talk) 08:06, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

That's some Waste Land level shit of complexity right there. Boerder (talk)

The discussion has convinced me my initial interpretation is wrong, but I still like it best: Cueball is shouting, in a panic, at Megan Spice, who he thought was innocent until those at the door came for her. 173.245.50.108 16:40, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

The whole idea that the shout is coming from Cueball is nonsense, utter nonsense. Megan is loading her shotgun, and saying "Haha, you'll see!" So Megan is the merciful spice girl or the one who started the war. The shouted question "Which spice girl are you?" is directed at Megan. And Randall is saying that he likes to imagine questions like this as being shouted through a door. Cueball and Megan are on the same side of the door. Ergo the shout is coming from outside. --RenniePet (talk) 18:58, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Known Comics Iconography for Outside

Everyone who thinks it's Cueball should read "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. The radiating lines at the start of the stem (for both the THUMPs and the shouting) indicate that the sound is coming from off-panel. Randall has used this technique before, in 1154 for example. See also "Emanating Dialogue" at http://blambot.com/articles_grammar.shtml - Frankie (talk) 21:32, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Known Comics Iconography for Shouting

It is common for Randall to indicate shouting (and all agree that this line is shouted) with the same type of radiating lines. See when Megan shouts in 1374: Urn and in 1360: Old Files. There is actually a clear difference between the Thumps line and the speech line. So this is no argument. Also the "wall" is not off-screen and thus comic 1154 or the other referened in the explanation has nothing to do with this comics speech line. And as the comment below notes, when something is coming out of a box/wall then the "thumps" version is used as can be seen in 915: Connoisseur. So once again we are back to square one. Randall has not made a clear comic here!--Kynde (talk) 11:21, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

As an evidence-based person, I thank you for the disappointing counter-examples. Yes, Randall has used this symbol ambiguously. However, in standard comicsography, small radiating lines at the base of a speech stem (henceforth called SRL@BOSS) is a known and accepted convention for an occluded speaker. When radiating lines are used to indicate emphasis (which is already rare, since volume is usually demonstrated via thicker lines and other symbols) the lines are typically larger and encompass a substantial fraction of the speaker's head.

TL;DR version: Randall might be doing it wrong. - Frankie (talk) 21:33, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

p.s. It's certainly his right as an artist to do so. The confusion might even be intentional. -- Frankie (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

The comment below is not about "thumps," it is about how we are a bunch of people locked in a box arguing about something stupid. Pesthouse (talk) 00:07, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

I think I just realized what 915: Connoisseur is really about. Pesthouse (talk) 01:45, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Is "Duck Soup" the answer to "Anyone who can pinpoint a specific work with this scene in it?"

Regarding the incomplete tag that asks "Anyone who can pinpoint a specific work with this scene in it?":

It vaguely remains me of a scene in the Marx Brothers movie "Duck Soup" but I haven't seen it in many years. Anyone who has copy of the movie (or remembers it well) and can verify this?

108.162.215.189 06:49, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

I've been leaning more towards "The shout comes from Cueball". But the officcial transscript now clearly states, that the shout is coming from "A cruel interloper, external to the scene". 108.162.254.104

I agree with the official transcript. Does anyone else think we should keep the other explanation now? (Although, without the transcript, I would be pretty on the fence about it.) Zman9600 (talk) 00:53, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

It's a bit late but I disagree. The official transscript refers to cueball as a terrified figure, and after the bit about the cruel interloper it says: "Terrified figure: WHICH SPICE GIRL ARE YOU?! (...)" - which clearly makes the terrified figure, cueball, the one shouting the question. 162.158.93.219 08:12, 27 July 2018 (UTC)

Oddly enough, my interpretation is that the girl is a Spice girl, and Cueball entered a known Spice Girl residence in order to escape the hostile entities outside (I watch/read a bit of post-apocalyptic zombie fiction, where it is a common scenario to choose between seeking refuge with a "dangerous" person or contending with a zombie horde). -- Username (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Not believing that no one said it, it needs to be said. Phyllis Diller once claimed that she was the lost Spice Girl - Old Spice. Cosumel (talk) 03:01, 11 August 2020 (UTC)

Anyone else think "The Merciful One could be a reference to the song with the same name by Zohar, another British music ensemble." is just a coincidence? Danish (talk) 19:28, 11 January 2021 (UTC)

Note for an editor who thinks they know what to do about it: The links inserted into the Transcript no longer have the named anchor to jump to in the Explanation (haven't tried to work out when it got changed/merged out of existence)... 172.70.90.61 23:07, 15 September 2022 (UTC)

Regarding the edit of "Latest revision as of 06:23, 7 October 2022 // 172.70.242.171 // (→‎The internet quiz: Updated the bit about who screams the lines. It is indeed cueball, not the interloper, as per official transcript)"... I can't work out the edit reasoning. "It is indeed Cueball (IMO), not the interloper (even if that is as per official transcript)" or "It is indeed Cueball (not the interloper), as the official transcript (apparently) confirms"? This does involve some personal opinion, in either case, but I haven't checked the official transcript (just the explainxkcd one, which has unfulfilled link-anchors, still, as mentioned above) to see if it has changed since I originally read it during the original arguments over whether it was from Cueball's mouth or through the wall. (To me, it remains looking like it is coming through the wall, but let us not flog that particular deceased equine again.) 172.71.178.187 11:01, 7 October 2022 (UTC)

Sorry for writing such an unclear edit reason, but when looking at the edit itself it should be clear that I meant "it's indeed Cueball who shouts the line, because that's what the official transcript says". 198.41.242.167 21:34, 23 December 2022 (UTC)