Topic: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016) (Read 65542 times)

heyjames4 · « **Reply #200 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 03:24 »

If feel like we're close to a strip where Brun gives one of those "I am who I am." speeches that jeph's characters give from time to time.
Yay! More fancy backgrounds.
Yes it is a sweet truck.

alanari · « **Reply #201 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 03:32 »

Quote from: FacelessDeviant on 02 Jun 2016, 02:48

"I have a routine. My routine keeps me organized."

Debatable, with the whole "didn't know about renters insurance" thing.

This is probably about functioning in daily life, being able to work, manage meetings, such things. Not organisation on a higher level, like knowledge about certain insurances
This world be typical for autism. Many autistic people have really strict daily routines. Improvising is exhausting and often difficult.

Being unorganised means making mistakes, like forgetting to shower.

Tova · « **Reply #202 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 04:06 »

Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 02 Jun 2016, 02:06

Brun knows Renee and didn't seem alarmed.

I tend to agree, though I feel compelled to point out that showing emotions like alarm isn't really her thing.

Thrillho · « **Reply #203 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 05:09 »

Whether Brun is written as being on the spectrum or not, the recent arrival of a number of people who either are on the spectrum or have some expertise in the area shows something which I had kind of forgotten about relating to QC.

QC, the comic, is to me largely about normalisation for those on the fringes of society. Put-upon minorities who deal with shit on a daily basis. QC lets these people be themselves in a wider social circle, not as saintly, role model characters but as actual people with thoughts, feelings, grey areas, pros, cons, admirable qualities and faults.

QC is, for those of us who fall into one or more of these minority groups, a port in a storm, a place where we can get a 'slice of life' comic where that life may actually have some semblance of accuracy to ourselves.

jwhouk · « **Reply #204 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 05:17 »

Quote from: Thrillho on 02 Jun 2016, 05:09

QC is, for those of us who fall into one or more of these minority groups, a port in a storm, a place where we can get a 'slice of life' comic where that life may actually have some semblance of accuracy to ourselves.

And that has been Jeph's strong suit in making this comic for over a decade now. Character relation is something that makes a work beloved.

Zebediah · « **Reply #205 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 05:17 »

Quote from: Thrillho on 02 Jun 2016, 05:09

QC is, for those of us who fall into one or more of these minority groups, a port in a storm, a place where we can get a 'slice of life' comic where that life may actually have some semblance of accuracy to ourselves.

God yes. I am really seeing a lot of myself in Brun, today in particular.

Milayna · « **Reply #206 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 06:58 »

Quote from: Case on 01 Jun 2016, 21:02

Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 01 Jun 2016, 20:05
Today's strip is still not proof Brun is on the autism spectrum but it does fit that idea.

True - Though I have to admit that I am curious as to how much water the 'I have a routine'-thingy holds in reality, should the resident experts wish to share.

Weighing in: I personally don't have a routine. I do have certain habits, for instance showering after I come home from work, but that's simply because I don't want to get into bed sticky and sweaty. And sometime I skip it if I'm too tired or didn't work that much. I go straight to my computer to check social media after work too, but I don't have much to do except be on the computer. I pay my credit card bill, in full, between the 10th and 15th of every month...but doesn't everybody, more or less?

I have a hard time sleeping, and I work at 4 am - 9 am, while most things function during the day so that also makes falling into any routine hard. Additionally I find that the world is just too chaotic to count on being able to follow a routine - somebody may suddenly demand my service; something may break; I may remember something I've forgotten; I might get pulled over, told one of the MILLION FRICKIN' CAR THINGS is bad, like registration out of date (seriously how the fuck does anybody remember to do things that occur once every year or two) and now I've got to pay tribute to the state, etc. I ceaselessly create plans to deal with apocalyptic scenarios like getting kicked out of the house, engine exploding, everybody I know screaming they hate me and fleeing, etc, but I leave myself as open as I can to adapt the more mundane bullshit flinging through the air like a 4th grade food fight every day.

Quote from: Thrillho

Whether Brun is written as being on the spectrum or not, the recent arrival of a number of people who either are on the spectrum or have some expertise in the area shows something which I had kind of forgotten about relating to QC.

QC, the comic, is to me largely about normalisation for those on the fringes of society. Put-upon minorities who deal with shit on a daily basis. QC lets these people be themselves in a wider social circle, not as saintly, role model characters but as actual people with thoughts, feelings, grey areas, pros, cons, admirable qualities and faults.

QC is, for those of us who fall into one or more of these minority groups, a port in a storm, a place where we can get a 'slice of life' comic where that life may actually have some semblance of accuracy to ourselves.

QFT

Thrillho · « **Reply #207 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 07:05 »

The routine thing is absolutely accurate to a large number on the spectrum.

gprimr1 · « **Reply #208 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 07:10 »

I'll be very interested in seeing how it plays out if Braun is on the spectrum or not. (I'm still working on her ethnicity, I thought she was Israeli for a second.)

Jeph's characters in QC have a tendency to have things "work out" for them. When you apply this to people on the spectrum, it could be seen as offensive and or unrealistic.

There are a lot of people in the world who are on the spectrum and try their damndest to make friends, find a job, find love, and fail...and fail again...and again. Sure, we hear about some people on the spectrum doing amazing things, but go over to Wrongplanet.net and see how many people over there contemplate suicide daily.

I know it's at odds with good story telling, but I do hope if Braun is autistic, that her character will explore these issues, and not simply receive a deux ex machina and fall in love with Clinton.

Milayna · « **Reply #209 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 07:40 »

Come to think of it though, while I don't commit to hardly anything in the Real World, in the MUCH MORE ORDERED worlds of video games I make routines obsessively.

Fo instance, Pokemon. I NEVER move on t the next Route until every pokemon on my team is capable of surviving without healing items as I walk through every patch of grass on the Route. If one evolves to its final stage, I either decide to keep it in the team as part of the Final Team, or box it and take out the next unevolved pokemon. This accomplishes several things: 1. I get to meet and capture every pokemon on the route (I capture exactly 1 of each); 2. It ensures I can handle the next area; 3. I can evaluate the strengths of my pokemon; 4. it ensures that all of them eventually get used and evolved; and 5. and most importantly, it informs me of when to do things (How else will I know when to swap out a pokemon, or level it, etc?)

I do things like this with literally every video game I play. In Disgaea I always send out my characters in order of lowest level to highest, equip them in order of highest to lowest; in Flash games I wait until checkpoints to check character upgrades or shops - and if it's something that doesn't have checkpoints and I'm supposed to manage that continuously, I'll stress out until I figure out some otehr limiter, like "every x minutes" or "every xth battle". In Dragon Age every time I enter a new area from the world map I replace the character who's been on the team the longest with the character who's been off the team the longest. And so on. point being, I always set up some system in which conditions being met means that something has to happen, and I only break this when either it's critical (I'm going to get a GO if I don't send Etna to kill things dead) or it needs to be reordered to cover new mechanics or adequately anticipate progression of old mechanics.

comicalArchitect · « **Reply #210 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 07:44 »

Quote from: Thrillho on 02 Jun 2016, 05:09

Whether Brun is written as being on the spectrum or not, the recent arrival of a number of people who either are on the spectrum or have some expertise in the area shows something which I had kind of forgotten about relating to QC.

QC, the comic, is to me largely about normalisation for those on the fringes of society. Put-upon minorities who deal with shit on a daily basis. QC lets these people be themselves in a wider social circle, not as saintly, role model characters but as actual people with thoughts, feelings, grey areas, pros, cons, admirable qualities and faults.

QC is, for those of us who fall into one or more of these minority groups, a port in a storm, a place where we can get a 'slice of life' comic where that life may actually have some semblance of accuracy to ourselves.

As a bisexual trans Aspie, you have defined exactly how I feel about this comic. Thank you.

Case · « **Reply #211 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 07:50 »

Quote from: Thrillho on 02 Jun 2016, 05:09

Whether Brun is written as being on the spectrum or not, the recent arrival of a number of people who either are on the spectrum or have some expertise in the area shows something which I had kind of forgotten about relating to QC.

QC, the comic, is to me largely about normalisation for those on the fringes of society. Put-upon minorities who deal with shit on a daily basis. QC lets these people be themselves in a wider social circle, not as saintly, role model characters but as actual people with thoughts, feelings, grey areas, pros, cons, admirable qualities and faults.

QC is, for those of us who fall into one or more of these minority groups, a port in a storm, a place where we can get a 'slice of life' comic where that life may actually have some semblance of accuracy to ourselves.

Dang, could you guys sticky that somewhere?

Well said, good Sir. Well said!

Welu · « **Reply #212 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 07:51 »

Not autistic (but was screened for the possibility) but in my deep depressive phases, routine was the only thing that kept me going for a long time. Having the same checkpoints to meet made daily life smoother and helped me be aware of my physical, mental and emotional energy levels.

I often talk to myself like Brun is in today's strip. It can help calm the nerves and refocus my brain.

cesium133 · « **Reply #213 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 07:54 »

I also talk to myself a lot... it annoys the people I work with.

Also, since I talk to myself in English (it being my native language), it confused the hell out of people when I was in Brazil. I'd get confused while trying to speak Portuguese, start talking to myself in English, and then everything would go to hell in a handbasket (at least in terms of me being understood).

sitnspin · « **Reply #214 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 08:06 »

Routine is pretty much essential for me to maintain balance. I I'm not autistic, but I have a fairly severe mood disorder coupled with related psychosis. I have a daily yoga and meditation practice that if I don't do it gets increasingly hard to stay stable.

Thrillho · « **Reply #215 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 08:58 »

I'm glad that what I wrote resonated with so many of you

Quote from: gprimr1 on 02 Jun 2016, 07:10

go over to Wrongplanet.net and see how many people over there contemplate suicide daily.

At the risk of immediately evapourating the goodwill I just built up, I found that website to be a malignant cesspit and deleted my account from there many years ago. When I was there, it really seemed like a large proportion of the community on there was a horrible influence on the others.

Case · « **Reply #216 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 10:13 »

Quote from: Thrillho on 02 Jun 2016, 08:58

I'm glad that what I wrote resonated with so many of you

Quote from: gprimr1 on 02 Jun 2016, 07:10
go over to Wrongplanet.net and see how many people over there contemplate suicide daily.

At the risk of immediately evapourating the goodwill I just built up, I found that website to be a malignant cesspit and deleted my account from there many years ago. When I was there, it really seemed like a large proportion of the community on there was a horrible influence on the others.

I don't know wrongplanet.net, but "a large proportion of the community on there (being) a horrible influence on the others" fits a lot of online self-help fora, IMO - at least that was I felt to be the case of the (admittedly limited) number of fora I visited.

The "anxiety" and "depression" threads on this forum here are pretty much the only non-medical-expert online resources I visit on a regular basis.

"Growth. Healing." as ZoeB (thankfully) never tires of pointing out.

EDIT: To clarify: I don't intend to dump on the idea of support groups or taking them online - I 'merely' think there seems to be a tradeoff between group size and the risk of unhealthy interactions. Beyond a certain limit, it seems to me that only strong moderation can curb unhealthy interactions running out of control in large groups, but OTOH, strong moderation can easily be seen as curtailing vital self-expression of peoples' experiences.

gprimr1 · « **Reply #217 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 10:34 »

I haven't been there in years because of that. Also, the conflict between "Autism is great, aspergers is great, f***k your cures, I'm proud of who i am" in one forum, and then 5 other forums "I want to kill myself because I can't get a job/friends/date/live on my own."

But I digress.

I just hope that things don't magically fall into place for her, because that's not a realistic portrayal of being on the spectrum.

retrosteve · « **Reply #218 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 13:03 »

Quote from: gprimr1 on 02 Jun 2016, 07:10

I'll be very interested in seeing how it plays out if Braun is on the spectrum or not. (I'm still working on her ethnicity, I thought she was Israeli for a second.)

To me she looks very Persian. The few Persians I know all look like they could be related to her.

blt · « **Reply #219 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 14:27 »

Quote from: gprimr1 on 02 Jun 2016, 10:34

I just hope that things don't magically fall into place for her, because that's not a realistic portrayal of being on the spectrum.

Agreed, but you could also apply this argument to being trans, having a serious drinking problem, or having OCD to the degree Hanners does. It's sort of just the way the comic is.

freeman · « **Reply #220 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 14:37 »

Quote from: retrosteve on 02 Jun 2016, 13:03

Quote from: gprimr1 on 02 Jun 2016, 07:10
I'll be very interested in seeing how it plays out if Braun is on the spectrum or not. (I'm still working on her ethnicity, I thought she was Israeli for a second.)

To me she looks very Persian. The few Persians I know all look like they could be related to her.

As a completely off remark, Renee strikes out as vaguely Indian/Pakistani to me, but it has been settled by the man himself she's african-american. Just in a blog post though, so it could technically be retconned still if convenient. It would make sense that two girls with roots from the general same vicinity would end up friends in a... (how would I put this in the most tactful way?) foreign country where they don't belong? (OK, I give up.)

HauntingPoem · « **Reply #221 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 14:55 »

Quote from: Welu on 02 Jun 2016, 07:51

Not autistic (but was screened for the possibility) but in my deep depressive phases, routine was the only thing that kept me going for a long time. Having the same checkpoints to meet made daily life smoother and helped me be aware of my physical, mental and emotional energy levels.

I often talk to myself like Brun is in today's strip. It can help calm the nerves and refocus my brain.

I suffer from severe AvPD and chronic depression and I couldn't agree more. Sometimes the routine you have set up for yourself is the only thing that keeps you going.
Recognizing that, I hope Brun doesn't have a break from reality, as has happened several times to me when my routine got messed up.

And damn I miss this place. Yall are so therapeutic.

Y · « **Reply #222 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 15:15 »

I'm a bit more like anti-routine. I like automating things. Doing things more than once seems redundant. The people at the autism testing center said that was a routine in itself, the routine of not having routines.

Quote from: gprimr1 on 02 Jun 2016, 07:10

but go over to Wrongplanet.net

I actually never registered on that site or visited it much. Though I'm a regular on their irc channel. But yes it comes up sometimes.

Zastie · « **Reply #223 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 15:21 »

Routinesception?

_{(Okay that was terrible I'll be going now..)}

SharpCookies · « **Reply #224 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 19:08 »

Quote from: Case on 01 Jun 2016, 21:02

Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 01 Jun 2016, 20:05
Today's strip is still not proof Brun is on the autism spectrum but it does fit that idea.

True - Though I have to admit that I am curious as to how much water the 'I have a routine'-thingy holds in reality, should the resident experts wish to share.

Autistic person here. I don't personally have like a set routine I follow every day, but I do like to know what is happening in advance in order to mentally prepare for it, so to speak. So I have a mental layout of how my day is supposed to go in my head. When it is disrupted I can either deal with it sort of ok or be VERY upset/anxious/annoyed/etc. For example, if me and my boyfriend have a plan to go somewhere at a specific time, if we're late or he brings other people along without me knowing or anything like that it can really REALLY bother me. Flexibility is not my strong suit. So while I don't know exactly what Brun is going through, I have a general idea.

Also me and Brun are very different because while she is at least organized with a routine, I... usually am not. Disorganization has always been an issue for me no matter if I have a routine or not because executive dysfunction is a bitch.

But yeah if Brun isn't autistic I'll be very surprised. I can definitely see it.

chaospersonified · « **Reply #225 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 20:35 »

Regarding todays:
NOOOOOOO DAMMIT BRUN I AM UPSET AT YOU

~~mustang6172~~ · « **Reply #226 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 20:37 »

Could be worse. She could have brought the clock in the shower.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #227 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 20:41 »

She could always go back to Coffee of Doom. That being said, hopefully she still remembers the number, after staring at it for so long.

wlewisiii · « **Reply #228 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 20:42 »

Coffee of Doom. Been there twice with him so I bet she'll remember that.

brasca · « **Reply #229 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 20:51 »

If Renee has a cell phone she could always ask to see the call record.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #230 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 20:54 »

I think she lost her phone in the fire.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #231 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 21:00 »

If she called Renee from Clinton's phone then Renee has Clinton's number, unless Renee has a land line with no caller ID.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #232 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 21:08 »

Ahh, I missed Renee's name. Good point.

SubaruStephen · « **Reply #233 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 21:44 »

Quote from: President Peaches on 02 Jun 2016, 21:20

when they realize it's not the 80s anymore.

*looks at garage.
*looks at movie collection.
*looks at music collection.

It's not the 80's??

I need to get out more.

QuestionableIntentions · « **Reply #234 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:01 »

Oh Brun

jheartney · « **Reply #235 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:02 »

Unless Clinton wrote in water-soluable ink, it still ought to be readable. And as others have noted, she could ask at COD. It's really down to whether Brun wants to see him again.

Panel four sees the momentary return of tongue-tied-around-girls Clinton. Ah, we missed him.

Zog · « **Reply #236 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:13 »

Maybe I missed a reference to Salvation Army in the strip, but that was the Red cross that was at the scene of the fire. They are a secular organization that provides disaster relief (among other things).
The Salvation Army is a religious organization that provides housing to the homeless in exchange for pretending to accept their beliefs.

Edit: sorry I searched for Salvation Army to see if someone pointed out the difference but had not read ahead to see the references to the ARC.

Keridiaus · « **Reply #237 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:16 »

Oh, Brun.

jheartney · « **Reply #238 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:28 »

Quote from: Zog on 02 Jun 2016, 22:13

Maybe I missed a reference to Salvation Army in the strip, but that was the Red cross that was at the scene of the fire. They are a secular organization that provides disaster relief (among other things).
The Salvation Army is a religious organization that provides housing to the homeless in exchange for pretending to accept their beliefs.

You're correct that the care package was from the Red Cross. However the place Brun and Clinton went clothes-shopping at was a Salvation Army thrift store.

Zog · « **Reply #239 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:31 »

Aha I missed that, thank you.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #240 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:40 »

Welcome, new people!

hedgie · « **Reply #241 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:45 »

Quote from: SubaruStephen on 02 Jun 2016, 21:44

Quote from: President Peaches on 02 Jun 2016, 21:20
when they realize it's not the 80s anymore.

*looks at garage.
*looks at movie collection.
*looks at music collection.

It's not the 80's??

I need to get out more.

Considering that I'm listening to Cyndi Lauper right now, it's *always* the '80s.

Tova · « **Reply #242 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 22:50 »

That's so unusual.

BenRG · « **Reply #243 on:** 02 Jun 2016, 23:25 »

Oh Brun! Still, as others have said, she stared at that piece of paper for so long, she's sure to have memorised Clinton's number. She might also have editic memory!

I can't help but wonder why Brun was staring at that number. Shipping fuel or is Clinton one of such a tiny set of people who have been sustainedly respectful to her that she wants to know more?

So, I'm thinking that this is the end of this arc. Probably, the next time we see Brun, she and Renee will be coming into CoD. Renee will want proof that Clinton is a predatory pervert; Hannelore's stories won't help but he will have a champion in Emily, which could lead to some serious revelations for everyone's favourite coding savant. Renee will snap something like: "What? Are you his girlfriend or something?" That would be a question that Emily will want to answer!

pwhodges · « **Reply #244 on:** 03 Jun 2016, 02:54 »

Administrator Comment The posts on blood donation have been moved to a new thread in the Discuss! forum

ConmanTheBarbarian · « **Reply #245 on:** 03 Jun 2016, 03:54 »

Quote from: BenRG on 02 Jun 2016, 23:25

I can't help but wonder why Brun was staring at that number. Shipping fuel or is Clinton one of such a tiny set of people who have been sustainedly respectful to her that she wants to know more?

Together with how she was glancing at him in the (late) bar, I'll go with shipping fuel.

Case · « **Reply #246 on:** 03 Jun 2016, 04:17 »

Quote from: hedgie on 02 Jun 2016, 22:45

Quote from: SubaruStephen on 02 Jun 2016, 21:44
Quote from: President Peaches on 02 Jun 2016, 21:20
when they realize it's not the 80s anymore.

*looks at garage.
*looks at movie collection.
*looks at music collection.

It's not the 80's??

I need to get out more.

Considering that I'm listening to Cyndi Lauper right now, it's *always* the '80s.

Time after time ...

heyjames4 · « **Reply #247 on:** 03 Jun 2016, 06:06 »

Well this has been a fun ride.
Clinton's had a real chance to shine in this arc. Good character development.

You notice that before the fire he' s mostly resolved the social & emotional fallout from the mornings events?
He starts the day getting shot down by Emily, yelling at his sister, and getting harassed at the bar when he'd rather ruminate.
But then he gets over Emily, makes peace with Claire via text, and starts to make friends with Brun, all before the sparky sparky boom.

After the fire happens he's not the hyperventilating robot dweeb we met two thousand strips ago, he keeps cool head, gets Brun and Barry out, and provides a pillar of support to Brun during her no-good-very-bad day. Does this new confident Clinton's birth trace to Emily's influence? or to him standing up for himself at the bar between the harpoon and the lemon wedge?

Chad/ClaireMom does throw him for a loop, but we can't expect him to resolve all his neuroses in one traumatic day.

freeman · « **Reply #248 on:** 03 Jun 2016, 06:22 »

Well, I'd like to think that given her personality shown so far, autistic or not, she would have strong need to repay for Clinton in a way or another (I don't know if lunch/dinner would be a proper magnitude or proper due American gender dynamics, but something like that), which would mean her getting in touch with him even if this arch would be done for now.

Speaking this as a person with very good "lended out cigarette accounting", could relate maybe.

Also, the trolling author is trolling again, I suspect there's still one strip of this arch left, which would be salvaging the slip or rewriting the number down. It's 5 strips a week, we can afford this.

MooskiNet · « **Reply #249 on:** 03 Jun 2016, 06:31 »

I think it's awesome that I could actually feel the bewildering number of possibilities and complexities that simple number scribbled on a piece of paper represented to Brun, and I completely understood how she could go about undressing, turning on the water and stepping under the shower head while staring at that piece of paper and trying to sort them all out.

I like Brun.

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Who is going to let Brun stay with them? (Two choices)

Author Topic: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016) (Read 65542 times)