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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: BenRG on 29 May 2016, 12:48

Title: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 29 May 2016, 12:48
Okay, so, crystal balls out! I suspect that we're going to find out the answer to this question this week. Even if we don't, it's a good subject for discussion.

What do I think? Option 10 - The posh smoking lady; I've got a feeling that she's going to be another new character and possibly Brun's best friend. I'm not even sure if she's really a 'new' character or someone from the early part of the strip long lost and now returned. For example, maybe it turns out that Sara was so toxic, the Allosaurus spat her out! Or maybe she'll be something really bizarre like Marten's step-step cousin (Maruice Duplantier's niece).

My second choice is Hanners. Some of Jeph's sketches showed her with Brun too. Unless it was a relative floof test, it might have been a hint of the future.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 29 May 2016, 15:55
Hm.  As far as the poll goes, Dale *does* already have someone living with him.  And I'm pretty sure that if she were introduced to Brun, May would be visiting the fighting ring again for having a harpoon through her.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Penquin47 on 29 May 2016, 15:56
No Bubbles option?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 29 May 2016, 17:04
I went with the last option just so I can see Jeph exclaim at the bottom of the comic "JUST WHAT THE COMIC NEEDS MORE NEW CHARACTERS."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 29 May 2016, 17:59
Always butts.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: chaospersonified on 29 May 2016, 18:00
I dunno about this. I expect the immediate strips to involve Brun in the hotel, and possibly, in the somewhat-near future, her to pull a Faye and attach herself to Clinton. The guy's gotta be somewhat close to graduation, and I actually don't think we have confirmation he still lives at home. Claire does, we had that confirmed, but Clinton's living situation has never been important.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 29 May 2016, 18:06
I believe Clin-ton has a roommate.

Aah, yes.  there (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2932) he is.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Undrneath on 29 May 2016, 18:24
That is a dorm room so if he is graduating he would either go back home or get an apartment. There are too many variables to know what will happen.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 29 May 2016, 18:33
Imma gonna just leave this right here. (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1845)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: HauntingPoem on 29 May 2016, 18:44
As much as I want Hannelore to have a roommate. I want Sara and her/the allosaurus to have a roommate even more. I mean, think of the possibilities!

EDIT: And what about Vespa Girl! She needs a roommate too....
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jheartney on 29 May 2016, 19:08
Clairemom's is the obvious choice (which means it's automatically less likely Jeph will pick it). We could also see a homeless shelter, or one of the "out of town" friends' place. Clinton apparently lives in a dorm with a roommate, and in mid-winter the end of the school year is probably not imminent, so Clinton himself won't be in a position to move to a new place and put Brun up. The robot fighting rink provides livelihoods to marginal folks, so maybe they'll want someone to mix drinks there who's good with a harpoon.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Penquin47 on 29 May 2016, 20:01
Somehow, I can see Renee with a harpoon.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mustang6172 on 29 May 2016, 20:02
OMG RENEE YAY!

(http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view1/20140510/5034328/kermit-yay-o.gif)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 29 May 2016, 20:10
Barry....its quite sad really. Ran back into the bar to save the harpoon and all his photos of dolphins.

The....the photos didn't make it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jheartney on 29 May 2016, 20:23
Renee sounds pretty protective. Perhaps all the speculation about Brun's mental status was on to something, and Renee sees her as someone who needs a bit of looking after.

Brun is lucky Clinton was around, it seems. Somehow I don't think Barry would have managed as well.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 29 May 2016, 20:30
So, what are the chances that this isn't the same Renee who works at the Secret Bakery?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 29 May 2016, 21:08
It's a coin toss. I hope it is, though.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gladstone on 29 May 2016, 21:52
Hope it's Secret Bakery Renee.  Pleasepleaseplease. Would be a great way to reintroduce those characters.

Also, I hope direct-and-to-the-point is how Brun always talks on the phone.

"Steve. Brun. VespaVenger has defected. I need permission to take her out."

"Veronica. Brun. I accept your offer. Is sexyharpoonwieldingbarmaids.com still available?"

"Pintsize. Brun. I have the wolf urine. Fresh. Where would you like it delivered?"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: chaospersonified on 29 May 2016, 23:14
Gladstone, clearly the site would be called Harpoontang.com
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Timemaster on 29 May 2016, 23:30
I wonder what Renee is yelling on the other side of the line.

First panel:
Renee: "You did it again? Brun, you really did it again? I thought you were over setting houses on fire!"

2nd panel:
Renee: "No Brun! Don´t do it! Don´t go all Hannibal Lecter on some guy who cares for you again!"

 :-D

TM
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 29 May 2016, 23:32
Something tells me that Renee is going to need to breathe into a paper bag for a while! Just her luck that Brun's usually brutally-clear communication should suddenly be undermined by a few poor word choices! I have a feeling that it is going to take a while for Clinton to convince Renee that he wasn't doing any 'weird stuff' to Brun (ironic, as that is what he accused Marten of doing with Claire)!

Yeah, it is increasingly looking like Jeph is planning a large-scale change of focus to the strip. Whether this means that Marten and Claire will join Dora as background characters remains to be seen.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tichy on 30 May 2016, 00:09
I don't know whether this has been remarked before, but all of Brun's friends being out of town sounds like they're at a wedding. There might be more backstory here, but if Brun has very few friends it might also be coincidence.

I agree with Timemaster - the yelling might well be because this has happened before. Either the Renee on the phone is yelling because she blames Brun, or because Brun didn't call her sooner (the previous "Clinton" turned out a bad experience).

Oh, and remembering phone numbers could be a sign of not being used to a mobile phone (i.e. all of us 10 years ago), having few people to call (some of us 10 years ago), or being some sort of savant (very few of us probably).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 30 May 2016, 00:23
Oh, and remembering phone numbers could be a sign of not being used to a mobile phone (i.e. all of us 10 years ago)

Actually, I have been exclusively mobile since 2000.  It just made sense because I was never home.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: freeman on 30 May 2016, 01:11
Is it so expensive to call into a number service in the US?

I mean, it's 1-2 € a minute plus connection opening fee even here, but still.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 30 May 2016, 01:18
I forgot to mention that the series of expressions on Clinton's face is priceless.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 30 May 2016, 01:24
Is it so expensive to call into a number service in the US?

I mean, it's 1-2 € a minute plus connection opening fee even here, but still.

I'm not familiar with the term "call into a number service"?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: USS Martenclaire on 30 May 2016, 01:39
....did...did the harpoon make it out?  :cry:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 30 May 2016, 01:52
I think freeman means dialling an operator?

What I call "directory enquiries"; a facility that has got progressively less useful and more expensive since the advent of mobile phones.  It's years since I last used it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Near Lurker on 30 May 2016, 02:08
411, we call it.

Although I can't help but think "freeman means" bashing aliens to death with a crowbar.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: freeman on 30 May 2016, 02:36
I think freeman means dialling an operator?

What I call "directory enquiries"; a facility that has got progressively less useful and more expensive since the advent of mobile phones.  It's years since I last used it.

Oh, here they work quite well, they know all domestic numbers except prepaid 'burner' subscriptions and the ones that have exclusively opted out, so called secret subscriptions. One can call either private service numbers directly or a special service number provided by the operator and it depends on the phase of the moon and various other factors, which option is the cheapest.

"Directory enquiries" huh, that's so fancy name for it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 30 May 2016, 05:18
Timely observation: Clinton's non-dorky look actually works quite well for him.
---


Renee: Brun? Are you alright? You're telling me your livelihood and your flat went up in smoke, and ... Goddamit Brun - It sounds like you're reading me the Weather Report! What the hell is this?

Brun: This is
                                    SPARTA!




Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: cesium133 on 30 May 2016, 05:23

"Pintsize. Brun. I have the wolf urine. Fresh. Where would you like it delivered?"
"Clinton, I need a urine sample."
"What!? I'm a human, not a wolf!"
"You are a werewolf."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Wildroses on 30 May 2016, 05:43
I'm kind of relieved Brun has a friend who obviously cares. "YOU WERE IN A FIRE AND YOU ONLY JUST TOLD ME? ARE YOU OKAY?WHO IS THIS CLINTON GUY AT THE BAR WHO HAS BEEN 'LOOKING AFTER' YOU?!?!"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zebediah on 30 May 2016, 06:17
"Clinton? He's you're ex-boss's ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend's brother. And also your ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's roommate's girlfriend's brother. Because we live in a small town."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 30 May 2016, 07:25
"Clinton? He's you're ex-boss's ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend's brother. And also your ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's roommate's girlfriend's brother. Because we live in a small town."

(http://i.imgur.com/mWG0rGz.jpg?2)

Curse you, Plank!

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Ysobel on 30 May 2016, 07:30
"Clinton? He's you're ex-boss's ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend's brother. And also your ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's roommate's girlfriend's brother. Because we live in a small town."

As far as I figured out, someone could be talking to Faye, here - it's applicable for her, as well (with Faye being herself her ex-bf's ex-gf).
I totally forgot about Bakery-Renee having been with Angus.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Wildroses on 30 May 2016, 07:44
"Clinton? He's you're ex-boss's ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend's brother. And also your ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's roommate's girlfriend's brother. Because we live in a small town."

I read that about three times muttering: "Padma, Marten, Claire, Clinton...Angus, Faye, Marten, Claire, Clinton." If my grandmother wasn't so incredibly deaf she'd probably be giving me strange looks.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 30 May 2016, 08:07
"Clinton? He's you're ex-boss's ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend's brother. And also your ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's roommate's girlfriend's brother. Because we live in a small town."

See, all I'm hearing is Rick Moranis in Spaceballs.

"What does that make us?"
"Absolutely nothing."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: bhtooefr on 30 May 2016, 08:37
Ex-boss? Renee didn't get fired, did she?

Padma wasn't her boss, Jim was.

So, boss's girlfriend's son's girlfriend's brother.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: brasca on 30 May 2016, 09:10
Brun said she had friends so if things don't work out with Renee then there should at least be one other. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: bhtooefr on 30 May 2016, 10:24
Actually, let's see, how many paths can we get from Renee to Clinton...

Zebediah's suggestion of ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's roommate's girlfriend's brother (Angus, Faye, Marten, Claire, Clinton)
Mine of boss's girlfriend's son's girlfriend's brother (Jim, Veronica, Marten, Claire, Clinton)
Ex-coworker's ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend's bother (Padma, Marten, Claire, Clinton)
And now to get ridiculous... Coworker's other job's coworker's girlfriend's boss's girlfriend's employee's brother (Elliot, Wil, Penelope, Dora, Tai, Claire, Clinton)

That last path can be modified to ex-boyfriend's girlfriend's brother, instead of girlfriend's employee's brother, but I wanted to see if I could do one without Marten.

Doing one without Claire will be rather difficult, though - it'd require a connection to either Emily or Ms. Augustus that AFAIK isn't there. Or wait...

Boss's daughter's friend's not-boyfriend. Jim, Sam, Emily, Clinton.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 30 May 2016, 10:54
"Clinton? He's you're ex-boss's ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend's brother. And also your ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's roommate's girlfriend's brother. Because we live in a small town."

Pushpins and colored string.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 30 May 2016, 11:32
Thank you Dr. Corriene.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 30 May 2016, 11:49
I miss her.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Morituri on 30 May 2016, 12:38
Dr. Corrine and Yelling Bird left the strip together.

God knows where they were going or why, but they're probably having a grand adventure somewhere.

Maybe as a therapist, she was able to see past the Tourette's Syndrome and discover that yelling bird is actually - um.  Just as horrible as he seems.

Ah well.  Love is blind.  Sometimes it is also deaf and stupid.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 30 May 2016, 12:48
I thought that YB was still around after the last time we saw the good doctor.  ST left with him, as far as we know.  There *have* been unconfirmed sightings of her in the comic proper.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 30 May 2016, 13:03
Will we get to see Clinton hand off Brün to Renée? I hope so.
I suspect Renée is as strident as Brün is deadpan.

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 30 May 2016, 13:12
Why hand off?  Did it skitter away on its own or something?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jheartney on 30 May 2016, 13:47
Why hand off?  Did it skitter away on its own or something?

From the sound of things, Renee isn't feeling that trusting of Clinton. Renee may want him gone so she can confirm with Brun that no abuse happened. Unless Brun specifically requests that Clinton stay, Renee will likely make him feel very unwelcome.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: JimC on 30 May 2016, 14:05
Why hand off? 
'cos I suspect if Renee catches Clinton with his hand on Brun consequences will ensue...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Kugai on 30 May 2016, 15:30
And it'd be another visit to the Cybernetic Medical Center - either to repair Clontons hand or to get a new one for his other hand  :-D


Wondering myself if we're about to have the return of The Secret Bakery.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: cesium133 on 30 May 2016, 16:33
Wait, wait... it all makes sense now! Every person at Coffee of Doom seems to have a doppelganger at The Secret Bakery: Renee-Faye, Padma-Dora, etc.

Brun is the doppelganger that Hannelore doesn't want to meet (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1845).  :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gladstone on 30 May 2016, 17:11
Brun is the doppelganger that Hannelore doesn't want to meet (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1845).  :psyduck:

I always assumed that Hannelore met her doppelganger in the previous strip (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1844) and just didn't (or didn't want to) recognize her.

(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7653/26754858494_14a2a6a56b.jpg)

(Edited because how the heck did I misspell doppelganger?)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zebediah on 30 May 2016, 17:31
No, that's Emily's doppelganger.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: chaospersonified on 30 May 2016, 19:20
I seem to recall curiousity over whether this is the same Renée as we'd already met.

If I remember the punchline where we met Renée, she was was the 'bizarro-Faye' to The Secret Bakery's bizarro-Coffee of Doom.

Today's comic includes the note from Jeph that Renée has a lot in common with Faye.

It's not confirmed.

I'm still convinced.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Penquin47 on 30 May 2016, 19:23
I'm starting to love Brun.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: ankhtahr on 30 May 2016, 19:35
In light of the discussion last week, I'd like you to know that the original German word is Doppelgänger / Doppelgaenger.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: brasca on 30 May 2016, 19:47
Well Brun and Renee both seem to be knowledgeable about how to use sharp object.  Maybe that's how they met.   
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 30 May 2016, 20:11
Would it be funny if Brun was related to Padma?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: dr.jim on 30 May 2016, 20:14
I guess Renee is Hank The Dismemberer... literally.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 30 May 2016, 20:28
QC is returning to its roots, I see.  :roll:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 30 May 2016, 20:59
QC is returning to its roots, I see.  :roll:

Except it's being turned out on its head, rolled down the street and ends up upside down in the gutter.

Or something like that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mustang6172 on 30 May 2016, 21:29
QC's roots would have more indie rock references.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: TheCollector on 30 May 2016, 21:29
Ok but now this page has me leaning back towards my original theory on Brun. lol
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 30 May 2016, 21:44
Would it be funny if Brun was related to Padma?

It's not impossible, but she doesn't look like she's related to Padma.  If I were going to guess a familial relationship to a previous QC character I'd assume Hannelore.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zastie on 30 May 2016, 21:48
Ooo, I like the attached bubbles for phone conversations.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: chaospersonified on 30 May 2016, 21:50
QC's roots would have more indie rock references.

I'd appreciate that, actually. I looked into most, if not all, of the references Jeph used to make, and I gotta say, he's got good taste in music.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 30 May 2016, 22:03
QC's roots would have more indie rock references.

Girls threatening violence outnumber indie rock references in the first 25 strips by a significant margin.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 30 May 2016, 23:18
Clinton seems to be destined to have quirky girls in his life in many ways! Now, is it me or doesn't Brun really 'get' Renee's worries? It just seems strange to her that she's angry. I've mentioned this before but I think it is nice and ironic that Clinton's suspicions about Marten are being reflected back at him!

I think that we should avoid calling a character 'another ...'. They may have similar traits, but I am confident that Jeph can make all them unique in their own ways.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Sullivan on 30 May 2016, 23:54
[...]  I think it is nice and ironic that Clinton's suspicions about Marten are being reflected back at him!

Indeed. We can but hope he will Learn His Lesson. :D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: theMarc on 31 May 2016, 00:32
"Today I learned how to join multiple speech bubbles in Manga Studio" -Jeph

It really says something that I never noticed the absence of linked speech bubbles in QC since Jeph started using Manga Studio.

Does it say more about Jeph's ability to work well with the tools at his disposal, or does it say more about my observational skills?  You make the call!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Mr. Doctor on 31 May 2016, 01:18
Urgh, it's seems like it's that Renee, then. Never liked that character. Oh well...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 31 May 2016, 01:37
I'm thinking about how people have described The Secret Bakery as a sort of bizarre refraction of Coffee of Doom. I'm wondering if Jeph is planning to go back to that and re-address it in the light of Marten's relationship with Claire.

Think about it along these terms: The exact character stories will not be paralleled but the wider social group will have similar experiences. Consequently, we have Brun and Renee having an experience like Marten and Faye where Brun is made homeless by fire and thus has to move in with Faye-alike Renee (who is Angus's ex). We then have an 'odd couple' relationship of plain-spoken and stoic Brun with passionate and aggressive Renee (which may or may not have some degree of UST at first).

The next step would be for it to turn out that Brun had a disastrous relationship with the neck tattoo guy who we see talking to Elliott in the TSB introductory strip which is why Renee is so over-protective of her (parallels of Marten and Dora). That leads inevitably to Jeph moving on to:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: APersonAmI on 31 May 2016, 05:33
In my opinion, this is an inappropriate reaction to someone helping your friend when her apartment burnt down. It isn't ironic, because in the situation some of you called back to, Clinton did not yell at or threaten Marten, and while Clinton wasn't nice , it is in no way the equivalent of this scene. In addition, I also do not find it funny, because pointless harassment isn't funny to me.

Also, Renee keeps intentionally interrupting his sentences, which is a unlikable and unpleasant thing to do.

I'm also a little annoyed Brun just lets her friend act like this, but admittedly most of the threats happened after the phone was handed over. Primarily, it is Renee who is an ass here, that's not really Brun's fault.

*edit* Hm. Looking over my comment again, I could probably have shortened this to "Well. That was unfunny, pointless and unpleasant." and have said just as much, really. Oh well, hopefully I'll perfect the art of not being more verbose than I need to be eventually.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: heyjames4 on 31 May 2016, 06:19
I really like the art today.
1. I really like the art on Clinton today. The eyes, the hair, the wavery bubble line. So many emotions shown w/o words. Jephs doing good work.
2. Brun's 'bedhead' has a cowlick/ahoge. The artistic purpose of an ahoge is to supplement the dialogue and facial expressions in communicating the character's emotional state. But, Brun's ahoge isn't moving. Since Brun (for whatever reason) has a flat affect, her ahoge staying motionless makes total sense like on a meta-level.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: heyjames4 on 31 May 2016, 06:27
Renee pre-emptively chewing out Clinton for lending a helping hand to Brun may have something to do with an uncomfortable incident in Brun's past.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 31 May 2016, 06:34
Or an uncomfortable incident in Renee's past. Or general untrustworting nature on her part. Honestly though, if this is Renee from The Secret Bakery, and it probably is... And Brun is the Hanners-analog... Her reaction makes sense. This is exactly how Faye would react if something happened to Hanners, and there was some stranger 'helping' her out. Lack of trust, immediately leaping to over protectiveness and threats. Perhaps Brun will get a job at TSB and we'll start seeing more action happening there, since we've seen less and less of The Coffee of Doom.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zebediah on 31 May 2016, 06:35
Or, it could just be that Renee is a genuinely unpleasant person (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1363).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Mad Cat on 31 May 2016, 06:48
Brün appears to be the kind of person who just doesn't move her lips/mouth a great deal when she speaks. Anyone else noticed this?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: themacnut on 31 May 2016, 07:13
In my opinion, this is an inappropriate reaction to someone helping your friend when her apartment burnt down. It isn't ironic, because in the situation some of you called back to, Clinton did not yell at or threaten Marten, and while Clinton wasn't nice , it is in no way the equivalent of this scene. In addition, I also do not find it funny, because pointless harassment isn't funny to me.

That's the way some people, mostly women, think; a male stranger (or even acquaintance) is automatically a threat, a potential stalker/rapist/serial killer until proven otherwise beyond the shadow of a doubt. And if Brun (or Renee) had a bad experience with such a person in her past, this would make Renee extra-suspicious of men she doesn't know well. I've been acquainted with such women myself in my life, and they tend to be generally unpleasant to be around, so I avoided them as much as I could.

EDIT: On the other hand, since there's no way to know a helpful stranger's true intentions ahead of time, some degree of caution is warranted when dealing with such strangers. We the readers know Clinton's harmless, but Renee doesn't.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: JimC on 31 May 2016, 07:23
In my opinion, this is an inappropriate reaction to someone helping your friend when her apartment burnt down.

Sadly there's no shortage of people out there who will seek to abuse or exploit someone in a difficult situation.

Many years ago when I was in the bike trade one of my customers had a minor accident - knocked off her moped. The man who hit her was very apologetic and insisted on taking her to hospital. Except he didn't.
(click to show/hide)

If I were Brun's friend all sorts of alarm bells would be ringing in my head too.

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: retrosteve on 31 May 2016, 07:42
Would it be funny if Brun was related to Padma?

I know this isn't Asterix and not everyone is drawn as an ethnic caricature. But Padma definitely looks Indian, and Brun looks, if anything, Persian.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: oddtail on 31 May 2016, 07:55
Sadly there's no shortage of people out there who will seek to abuse or exploit someone in a difficult situation.

And the possibility that someone might do something bad is enough to make threats against a person one has no reason to suspect has, or will? Note - immediate, apparently quite extreme threats. Threats to the extent that the person on the other end of the conversation doesn't have an opportunity to form a complete sentence.

I'm sorry, but in my book - no. No, it isn't enough to act like that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Thrillho on 31 May 2016, 08:34
Sadly there's no shortage of people out there who will seek to abuse or exploit someone in a difficult situation.

And the possibility that someone might do something bad is enough to make threats against a person one has no reason to suspect has, or will? Note - immediate, apparently quite extreme threats. Threats to the extent that the person on the other end of the conversation doesn't have an opportunity to form a complete sentence.

I'm sorry, but in my book - no. No, it isn't enough to act like that.

It's for comic effect.

Quite apart from which, just because you or I or anyone thinks this is okay behaviour or not doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Coffee_Kaioken on 31 May 2016, 08:46
So, not sure if anyone else mentioned this already, but, "Renee" reminded me of someone...

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1859

Possible return of older characters?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: APersonAmI on 31 May 2016, 08:48
Sure, caution can be appropriate response to strangers. However, if Clinton intended to be horrible to Brun, I am not convinced this is an efficient means of making him not do that, and this was definitely an inefficient means of making Brun be cautious. So, while her emotion was understandable, her actions were unnecessary, unpleasant, overdone, inefficient and just generally do not work as a method to prevent that which she wants to prevent.

On a macabre side note,
(click to show/hide)

Thrillho, That is true, but Oddtail never said or implied Renee's behaviour was unrealistic, only that it wasn't okay.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jheartney on 31 May 2016, 08:49
May I suggest that there may be some deflected guilt in Renee's reaction? She obviously sees herself as Brun's protector, yet at the time Brun really needed somebody, she (Renee) wasn't there. And now there's this strange guy involved, about whom Renee knows nothing. At best he's usurping Renee's role as Brun-protector; at worst he's going to take advantage of Brun.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: alanari on 31 May 2016, 09:13
Well, there is still the possibility of Brun being autistic.

Many autistic people are very naive and trustig, me included. I know I need a reminder every now and then that there are indeed people in this world who will take advantage of this. I have friends who are really protective because of this.. not as extreme as Renee though.

It's what happens when you have difficulties to read intensions of another human and tend to believe everything you are told.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: themacnut on 31 May 2016, 10:09
A woman with a history of being too trusting for her own good would not pull a shotgun/harpoon on a stranger at a bar whose only "crime" was staring morosely at his drink. If anything, this suggests the opposite; the main reason Brun is giving Clinton the benefit of the doubt is that he's shown himself to be pretty harmless, something Renee has yet to see.

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: RMc on 31 May 2016, 10:18
"Excuse me, could I have my cellphone back?"
(Brun returns Clinton's cellphone)
"Thank you. Now, I'm going to leave and you're never going to see me again, because (a) you're not a very pleasant person; (b) your friend threatened me for no reason at all, which may be funny in fiction but in real life it's called "making terroristic threats", and it's a felony; and (c) I don't need any more drama in my life, especially since most of the people I know seem to have severe mental problems, with the arguable exception of my sister, who incidentally used to be my brother. Goodbye...and see you in the funny papers."

Somehow, though, I don't think it's going to play out this way.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 May 2016, 10:37
She was his sister all along, but started out with a medical issue that made her look male.

Global Moderator Comment There is something in the forum rules about this. Trans people are to be treated as always having belonged to their brain-wired gender. Please reassure me that you weren't hinting that gender dysphoria is mental illness when you said "arguable". Please.

(regular user)The strip does have a lot of people you'd avoid in real life. Jeph himself said he wouldn't like Faye if she were a real person.(/)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 May 2016, 10:49
The personality seems similar.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: themacnut on 31 May 2016, 10:53
"Excuse me, could I have my cellphone back?"
(Brun returns Clinton's cellphone)
"Thank you. Now, I'm going to leave and you're never going to see me again..."

That would be the smart play for Clinton, and it would certainly be what I'd do; entirely too much drama involved in this mess for my peace of mind. Let Brun's overprotective friend take care of her.

But this being a comic, and Clinton being the latest butt monkey of said comic, as well as likely wanting to prove himself helpful, he'll stick around. For which Renee will heap more abuse on him when they eventually meet, of course.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 31 May 2016, 10:55
Why should he turn away from Brun because she has a mistrustful friend (who isn't even present)?  Clinton has already shown that he is better than that.

We don't know what might have happened to either Brun or Renee to cause her to react that defensively, either.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: heyjames4 on 31 May 2016, 11:17
I thought Padma was The Secret Bakery's equivalent of Raven (bouncy personality) and Jim was their groups Dora (older, sardonic).
I don't remember seeing much of Renee's personality in the Padma & Jim/Dora arcs. She was described to us by Angus from his perspective, and we saw her in crowd scenes where the focus was on the Eliot-Padma-Marten triangle.
I'm excited to see what she's like in her own words.
I'll back up the 'Renee's lashing out from guilt at not being there for Brun', that makes sense.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: APersonAmI on 31 May 2016, 11:18
The following quote is only part of Thrillho's comment.

It's for comic effect.

... Okay?

It is entirely possible I am completely missing your point here, but here is my response, regardless.

That doesn't make her behaviour any less real or any less of a subject to politeness norms than any other behaviour in the comic. Comedy is not some everything proof shield, anything said in jest is just as much spoken aloud as any other statement. Comedy is not wearing a Ring of Blinking, it is not some ethereal thing that's only real if you found it funny, and to be treated as if it is not there if you didn't.

A quote sometimes spoken is "nothing is sacred", a statement meant to imply that anything can be subjected to comedy. Okay, but if that premise is true, then comedy isn't sacred, either. If anything can be mocked, so can comedy be mocked. If anything can be wrong, so can comedy be wrong. If anything can be hurtful and mean, so can comedy be hurtful and mean.

What I am saying is, that to my consequentialist mind, saying someone did something wrong "for comedic effect" is kind of like saying someone did something wrong "because it was Wednesday" or "because they were sad". It is possible that it might give some insight into the catalyst for the bad behaviour, but it does not in any way make the behaviour less bad - the action stays the same, regardless of what the perpetrator was feeling at the time.

Why should he turn away from Brun because she has a mistrustful friend (who isn't even present)?  Clinton has already shown that he is better than that.

We don't know what might have happened to either Brun or Renee to cause her to react that defensively, either.

True on both counts, and I agree. However, even if she has reasons, that does not make her behaviour reasonable, because her action is the same regardless of whether she has reasons or not.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 31 May 2016, 11:49
In this case 'for comic effect' means literally that. It's something that happens because it's a story, specifically a comedy. If everything in every comedy comic, show, movie or book was treated like real life they would be very dull, because many people would be in a lot of trouble for doing the things that happen in comedies. But we accept them for the story because absurd over reactions and exaggerated plot points are hallmarks of the genre.

Notice that nobody here is actually defending Renee for her actions. The closest I've seen is 'maybe she's had reason in the past to be distrustful of strange men'. But even then it's pretty universally agreed that she's totally in the wrong, not just in Clinton's case but in general. And that treating someone like that regardless of circumstances is pretty shitty. And overall, Renee seems like an unpleasant person. If this is the Renee we've seen before from The Secret Bakery... she IS a pretty unpleasant person. He's hostile, abusive, abrasive and really seems to not be much fun to be around.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 31 May 2016, 12:16
Whelp, maybe that explains why Brun didn't call her 'enthusiastically protective' friend right away ...
---
I'd be curious to know the part of the conversation that Jeph imagined to happen between "He seems OK to me" and "I know. Still"
---
On the topic of threatening helpful strangers with improbable acts of physical violence:

I would neither make such threats, nor would I appreciate them, or let them pass uncommented IRL. That being said:
Clinton's behaviour - as commendable as it is - is also, sadly, highly unusual.

A lot of people have had the misfortune to learn that "odd behaviour" can (!) spell "red flag", or even "dangerous".
No, I'm no friend of the "Schroedinger's rapist"-meme, either. Can I claim I don't understand where the people who use it are coming from?
Sadly, I can't.

(And this is as far as I feel comfortable not justifying behaviour I would find highly offensive IRL ...)

---
... stuff ...

"People with mental health issues" = "Drama in my life" & "Funny papers" ?

Could you clarify, pls?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zastie on 31 May 2016, 12:41
Not only is it someone that Renee doesn't know personally, but even to Brun Clinton is simply, "A man named Clinton was at the bar last night." "A man at the bar," isn't exactly the greatest impression to give, and any possible past drama for either Brun or Renee aside, most people would take that description with heavy caution. Some random Joe from a bar could mean all sorts of things.

Also yes, this is a comic we're talking about, and as we indeed have seen with Faye, exaggerated characters are not out of the realm of possibility in the QC universe (in regards to Renee's attitude).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: APersonAmI on 31 May 2016, 12:59
Fair enough, Neko_Ali, I didn't realize that both parts of Thrillho's comment were referring to the realism of the situation, and I thank you for helpfully explaining that.

However, the jokes I like are the ones where the thing that is dull and realistic is the person being an ass, and the enjoyable thing is, for example, that the transphobe is shoved out the door by Emily mid-rant, or that the sexist store clerk is reprimanded by Sam, and that is indeed a uncommon and unlikely thing to have happen, so that makes it work as a joke.

If the joke is instead that someone is an ass, and then gets away with it, there are two problems with that. One, the unrealistic thing cannot be that they are more rude than people in reality are, because the ceiling for absurd rudeness in Questionable Content is significantly lower than in reality*, and any rudeness in the comic is therefore dull and realistic. Second, the unrealistic thing cannot be that they get away with being an ass, because that is often the default in real life, and is therefore dull and unrealistic.

Mind you, the above is not true for everyone. It is entirely possible that there are people for whom the default is that people are not very rude at all, and that any rudeness that does happen is swiftly discouraged. If that is so, I am very happy for them. I mean, I would love for rude people to be so absurd an idea that someone being rude and getting away with it was something unrealistic and absurd. That sounds lovely. I just mean that that kind of joke cannot work for me.

*For example, the real life version of the university Marten works at has not been so accepting of trans students as the Questionable Content version.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: alanari on 31 May 2016, 13:01
A woman with a history of being too trusting for her own good would not pull a shotgun/harpoon on a stranger at a bar whose only "crime" was staring morosely at his drink. If anything, this suggests the opposite; the main reason Brun is giving Clinton the benefit of the doubt is that he's shown himself to be pretty harmless, something Renee has yet to see.

I can only speak for myself, but in my case this is not the contradiction you think it is.

I've had my bad experiences, of course. Can't be prevented with a personality like mine. Some of them were traumatic. I'm careful around anyone I don't know. Not that found of weapons though, I'm just keeping my distance.
Problem is, I lower my defence too fast. As soon as someone is nice to me, I tend to assume that he is a nice person. Which is not necessarily true. That makes me vulnerable to anyone who knows to play nice to get what he wants.

If I were in Bruns place, I would be careful around customer Clinton, but I wouldn't distrust Clinton, the guy who helped after the fire. This situation, not strangers but also not really friends, is where I'm the most vulnerable.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Larm Hargraven on 31 May 2016, 13:17
Hello! Long time lurker, even longer time reader. Thought I'd finally make an account because I feel like this specific strip has sparked a discussion that I might have a small bit of knowledge in. The short and skinny: My B.S. is in Electronic Media Production, which is a fancy way of saying I'm a jack-of-all-trades video maker for Film or TV. Specifically I focused in script writing and lighting in production (I like me some well lit sets.)

Personally I find myself on the site of feeling a bit uncomfortable about this Renee character's disposition. And it's not because she offends me on a personal level or anything, though I would be pretty offended if someone did talk to me like that in the real world, but I digress. The thing that makes me feel off about Renee isn't how her personality is, but how she's been introduced. So far we've watched Clinton, a character who first was introduced as odd and even down right rude, but in the reality of it, just a very excited nerd with a pretty soft heart and tiny bit of arrogance sprinkled in. Remember how we were introduced to him? We weren't thrust into him with all his flaws right out the door. His first few strips were a little ambiguous as to what his personality and motivations are. It made us -want- to know more about Clinton, and obviously, his sibling relationship with Claire.

Now let's shift into the future! We've been currently reading a story-arc mostly centralized on Clinton himself. We've also been introduced to Brun, who's first actions were also slightly ambiguous (though also full of hijinks with a harpoon,) but we're soon settled in with her personality as she's shown she's not actually aggressive nor violent. We also get to watch Clinton and her create what seems to be the beginnings of a friendship, and so right now we're cheering for them in a sense.

But then, finally to bring everything to what I've meaning to say, we're brought with Renee's incredibly off-key and, unfortunately, poorly written introduction. Right off the bat it's violent threats in the strips as well as being supposedly abrasive and grossly over-protective in a story-situation where it's unwarranted. We have no grey area with Renee, she's coming in at 100% steam. Hell, we didn't even get Hannelore's 100% until far later into her introduction. So right now, what we're sitting with is a VERY 1-Dimensional character. She's serving no real purpose other than "harass Clinton and make him feel bad for being 'guy at a bar.'"

Hey, it's understandable if, say, Brun's bar didn't burn down and instead by some other means Clinton is with her over the night into the morning. Then, sure, "Guy at a Bar" can sound PREEEETTY scary and might warrant over-protective attitude. But that's what not happened. Brun's bar burned down, as well as almost her entire life it seems with it. She even begins her first dialogue with Renee stating the bar burned down and a guy was watching over her. Story-writing wise, if you wanted to make a comedic situation out of this, it'd possibly be better if Renee was accusing Clinton for burning the bar down. That'd be a case of mistaken identity, an easy and normal trope that gets a quality laugh. But instead, Renee's actions are out of sync with the entire feel of this story-arc.

Now I can't say where Jeph is taking this character, or why her motivations are so. But I can't very well see a good excuse for it all, even if we're going all the way to say Brun's had some terrible history with people taking advantage of her. What I -can- say is Renee seeming to be at 100% means we already see what she's like. Abrasive, threatening, and over-protective to the point of being slightly disturbing. And we're STILL sitting with no grey area for this character. I see her as the equivalent to Yelling Bird. No, really. The character traits are very similar. That's the problem, they shouldn't be. We should have at least some tertiary traits about Renee to help offset her fiery introduction.

I hope what I've typed makes sense! I know I'm terrible at being long winded and sometimes go on too many tangents, but again, I hope this made sense. And I do want it to be known that I love Jeph's writing. He can really pull some big hitters on both the comedy and drama sides of writing. Just, y'know, this time it looks like this character is a little bit of a miss rather than a hit.

TL;DR: Renee was introduced poorly because she has no other qualities that make sense as to why she's being incredibly over-protective and rude. Doesn't fit the theme of the story-arc right now, nor the mood. She's more or less Kool-Aid Man'ing into the story-arc.

EDIT: And I'd like to also note that as someone who sits on the autism-scale, if Brun really is such, Jeph might want to look into writing it a bit better. What we'd be looking for is Aspergers, which is a form of it in which someone has autistic traits but is able to socially function, and even then wouldn't be at this severity for someone who would be the owner of an entire bar (which includes the franchise and business operation side of it all, something that requires a good amount of social lubrication and understanding.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: APersonAmI on 31 May 2016, 13:45
A woman with a history of being too trusting for her own good would not pull a shotgun/harpoon on a stranger at a bar whose only "crime" was staring morosely at his drink. If anything, this suggests the opposite; the main reason Brun is giving Clinton the benefit of the doubt is that he's shown himself to be pretty harmless, something Renee has yet to see.

I can only speak for myself, but in my case this is not the contradiction you think it is.

I've had my bad experiences, of course. Can't be prevented with a personality like mine. Some of them were traumatic. I'm careful around anyone I don't know. Not that found of weapons though, I'm just keeping my distance.
Problem is, I lower my defence too fast. As soon as someone is nice to me, I tend to assume that he is a nice person. Which is not necessarily true. That makes me vulnerable to anyone who knows to play nice to get what he wants.

If I were in Bruns place, I would be careful around customer Clinton, but I wouldn't distrust Clinton, the guy who helped after the fire. This situation, not strangers but also not really friends, is where I'm the most vulnerable.

Oh... *hugs sympathetically, after checking for consent*

I am an aspie, and what you are talking about is quite familiar to me.  When someone commits an action that seems intended to hurt me for the first time since I have met them, my reaction has sometimes been mainly to observe. I do not comprehend hostility, so my first reaction at the strange behaviour is to attempt to understand it. It is on the second attempt at my person that I strike back.

Against school bullies, this was tremendously efficient. Leave or ignore them the first time they try to drag down my dignity, choose a moment and then hit them as hard as I can the second time they do anything hostile. For example, at one time, three guys mocked and jeered at me without provocation, and I ignored them the first time they did it. The second time they mocked me, I pretended to leave, going for my coat, but turned the motion into a backhand strike to the face of the most aggressive one, and then screamed "IS THIS ENOUGH!?" at his surprised, prone, body. He nodded silently, the other two looked shaken and didn't make a move as I took my coat and left. They were never hostile to me again.

Against people faking friendship for years, and then suddenly taking advantage of me, the strategy was... less efficient. That was a long time ago, and I have gained some experience at finding the signs, but I still default to trusting people who do not show hostility.

All this is to say, I understand and sympathize with your situation.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: JimC on 31 May 2016, 13:57
Don't forget folks, you have yet to read a single word of what Renee actually said.

And, for example, compare http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=459 .
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Larm Hargraven on 31 May 2016, 14:01
EDIT: And I'd like to also note that as someone who sits on the autism-scale, if Brun really is such, Jeph might want to look into writing it a bit better. What we'd be looking for is Aspergers, which is a form of it in which someone has autistic traits but is able to socially function, and even then wouldn't be at this severity for someone who would be the owner of an entire bar (which includes the franchise and business operation side of it all, something that requires a good amount of social lubrication and understanding.)

Asperger's syndrome is a highly artificial categorisation of autism which lacks a nuanced view and supports an erroneous "low functioning"/"high functioning" divide. It has been removed from the current version of the DSM (though still persists in the ICD), and replaced with a view of autism which recognises that autistic people have varying levels of difficulty which can differ significantly between individuals. In my personal opinion Asperger's as a diagnosis was useful particularly during the '90s/2000s due to the extreme stigma attached to autism, but now simply functions as an arbitrary division between autistic people.

(This post brought to you by someone who has an Asperger's diagnosis but can also become non-verbal for extended periods of time in response to stress and has quite severe social issues.)

I can understand that. But there's a line between from being over-stimulated and going NV for a while and then there's sitting in a stereotype. I know Jeph takes pride in making his character's fleshed out, and so I just wanted to make some awareness on her personality and people's speculation about her supposed social behaviors.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: retrosteve on 31 May 2016, 14:05
I don't remember seeing much of Renee's personality in the Padma & Jim/Dora arcs. She was described to us by Angus from his perspective, and we saw her in crowd scenes where the focus was on the Eliot-Padma-Marten triangle.
I'm excited to see what she's like in her own words.

Angus made it pretty clear in http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1363 that Renee had "a doctorate in belittling people", and his housemates threw a "Ding Dong, the witch is dead" party when they broke up. That's a pretty scary description right there. Are you still excited to see her?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: tomveil on 31 May 2016, 14:08
So, not sure if anyone else mentioned this already, but, "Renee" reminded me of someone...

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1859

Possible return of older characters?

And here she is drawn:
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1865
She could bring some nice diversity ... y'know, a character who makes burping jokes instead of farting jokes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 31 May 2016, 14:34
Renee's incredibly off-key and, unfortunately, poorly written introduction. Right off the bat it's violent threats in the strips as well as being supposedly abrasive and grossly over-protective in a story-situation where it's unwarranted. We have no grey area with Renee, she's coming in at 100% steam.

But that could be the actual characterisation of Renee, rather than a poorly written one (which implies that it might not be accurate); people in real life can be unexpected in that sort of way.  Also Jeph might quite simply be relying a bit more than is sensible on our remembering Renee (if indeed it is the Renee we've met before) and the earlier outline of her character which is not so much out of line with this.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Larm Hargraven on 31 May 2016, 14:42
Renee's incredibly off-key and, unfortunately, poorly written introduction. Right off the bat it's violent threats in the strips as well as being supposedly abrasive and grossly over-protective in a story-situation where it's unwarranted. We have no grey area with Renee, she's coming in at 100% steam.

But that could be the actual characterisation of Renee, rather than a poorly written one (which implies that it might not be accurate); people in real life can be unexpected in that sort of way.  Also Jeph might quite simply be relying a bit more than is sensible on our remembering Renee (if indeed it is the Renee we've met before) and the earlier outline of her character which is not so much out of line with this.

And hey, that's all good, but it turns her into a 1-Dimensional character, or at best, 2-Dimensional. And what I mean is that if that's all her characterization is, her importance in these strips should be seen far less than we do already. It'd mean she's either poorly written or written to be a throw-away character. That's really all I want pointing out, how the character is written isn't equalling to how much everyone is assuming her importance in this story-arc, and to a degree, her need to even be in it. Think filler episodes like the "Fly" one in Breaking Bad, if you've ever seen it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: alanari on 31 May 2016, 14:44
A woman with a history of being too trusting for her own good would not pull a shotgun/harpoon on a stranger at a bar whose only "crime" was staring morosely at his drink. If anything, this suggests the opposite; the main reason Brun is giving Clinton the benefit of the doubt is that he's shown himself to be pretty harmless, something Renee has yet to see.

I can only speak for myself, but in my case this is not the contradiction you think it is.

I've had my bad experiences, of course. Can't be prevented with a personality like mine. Some of them were traumatic. I'm careful around anyone I don't know. Not that found of weapons though, I'm just keeping my distance.
Problem is, I lower my defence too fast. As soon as someone is nice to me, I tend to assume that he is a nice person. Which is not necessarily true. That makes me vulnerable to anyone who knows to play nice to get what he wants.

If I were in Bruns place, I would be careful around customer Clinton, but I wouldn't distrust Clinton, the guy who helped after the fire. This situation, not strangers but also not really friends, is where I'm the most vulnerable.

Oh... *hugs sympathetically, after checking for consent*

I am an aspie, and what you are talking about is quite familiar to me.  When someone commits an action that seems intended to hurt me for the first time since I have met them, my reaction has sometimes been mainly to observe. I do not comprehend hostility, so my first reaction at the strange behaviour is to attempt to understand it. It is on the second attempt at my person that I strike back.

Against school bullies, this was tremendously efficient. Leave or ignore them the first time they try to drag down my dignity, choose a moment and then hit them as hard as I can the second time they do anything hostile. For example, at one time, three guys mocked and jeered at me without provocation, and I ignored them the first time they did it. The second time they mocked me, I pretended to leave, going for my coat, but turned the motion into a backhand strike to the face of the most aggressive one, and then screamed "IS THIS ENOUGH!?" at his surprised, prone, body. He nodded silently, the other two looked shaken and didn't make a move as I took my coat and left. They were never hostile to me again.

Against people faking friendship for years, and then suddenly taking advantage of me, the strategy was... less efficient. That was a long time ago, and I have gained some experience at finding the signs, but I still default to trusting people who do not show hostility.

All this is to say, I understand and sympathize with your situation.

Hello fellow aspie :)
I don't mind digital hugs. Thanks for checking though

Hostility without obvious reason. Yeah, I'll never get it and I'm never prepared for it. I'm way more passive than you, I'm just keeping my distance if possible and endure everything if not. People  I'm not emotionally attached to can't really hurt me anyway.

Being taken advantage of.. yeah, I feel you. I even tend to believe in them, that there must have been some kind of mistake and that a friend wouldn't do that to me. It usually takes a while to realise that my trust was misplaced.
I don't really have a strategy. I'm just sad and hurt. I'm no longer bitter about it when it happens though.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 May 2016, 14:58
Welcome, Larm Hargraven!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 31 May 2016, 15:18
And hey, that's all good, but it turns her into a 1-Dimensional character, or at best, 2-Dimensional. And what I mean is that if that's all her characterization is, her importance in these strips should be seen far less than we do already. It'd mean she's either poorly written or written to be a throw-away character.

We won't know more until (if) we meet her.  Jeph certainly has a history of taking a while to settle a new character's characterisation satisfactorily (Hanners and Angus are prime examples), so I prefer to withhold judgement for a while.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 31 May 2016, 15:36
I think after all that discussion, we've all agreed that it's not cool to threaten the person who's just helped your friend with genital mutilation. Okay? Okay, cool. I'm glad that's settled.

Still, I think it's a stretch to imply that she's doing that only because she's an unpleasant person. Maybe there are circumstances that make it forgivable, even. Sure, she's emotional after her best friend was in a fire, she's now being helped by someone she met at a bar entirely unknown to her, and she's not there to protect her friend. Arguably a touch overprotective, but there is almost certainly a relevant history we're ignorant of here as well.

What am I trying to say? Actually, pwhodges stole my line. Maybe withhold judgement for a bit.

In the meantime, I'll just chuck her onto the list of characters who copped hate when introduced.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: APersonAmI on 31 May 2016, 16:18
Oh, right.

Dr. Jim. Alanari. RMc. Larm Hargraven.

Welcome!

I hope you will have a good time.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zebediah on 31 May 2016, 16:29
In the meantime, I'll just chuck her onto the list of characters who copped hate when introduced.

That's pretty much all of them, isn't it?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 31 May 2016, 16:45
Did anyone ever hate Winslow?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 31 May 2016, 16:48
That's different from hating him, though.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: oeoek on 31 May 2016, 17:01
Could it be Renee has a pretty good idea about the average visitor of the bar? A bar where a harpoon might kept within reach with good reason? A bar that has regulars like 'dolphin Jack' Barry? What would other visitors be like, if Barry's opinion is  actually valued (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3216)?

I somehow can imagine Renee's apprehension. Brun reconsidered Clinton's behaviour after a while, and adjusted her behaviour accordingly. Perhaps Renee might change her tune too.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 31 May 2016, 17:05
I think every major character has their detractors, but in general I feel that the more we learn about a character, the more sympathetic the forumites become of them, good points and bad. Conversely, when a character is newly introduced and barely known, people tend to judge more harshly. It's not helped by our tendency to draw very long bows (aka speculate).

I find it hard to take that attitude towards a new character, because I've never known Jeph to introduce a character who turns out to be truly unsympathetic. YMMV - I suppose it depends on whether specific flaws press your buttons.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 31 May 2016, 17:09
I don't think Marten had much hate on first arrival, but I wasn't around back then.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: oeoek on 31 May 2016, 17:10
Juicy... (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3182)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Larm Hargraven on 31 May 2016, 17:26
Let me first say thank you for the warm hellos!  :lol: I also wanna say that everyone does bring valid points and I will admit that they are just a possibly right as my explanation. I think I'm just taking a more objective approach to how this character could have been written in, but it's why I lurked so long, 'cause y'all lovelies always have such awesome discussions.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 31 May 2016, 17:44
Juicy... (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3182)

Okay, fine. I admit it. I was totally judgemental about that character.  :evil:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Kugai on 31 May 2016, 18:19
My own opinion is that Renee has had to 'Rescue' Brun from certain 'Situations' in the past that has sort of left her very wary of any new contact that Brun makes until she has met the person personally.

Perhaps a bit overprotective, but since the consensus is that Brun may be of an Autistic nature, I myself am glad to see that she has at lest one person who is willing to go to the wall for Brun in looking after her.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 May 2016, 18:48
Vespavenger never drew much sympathy.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 31 May 2016, 18:48
I am now even more interested in seeing Brün's Renée. If she is Angus' Renée, then we are adding detail to a previous character instead of bringing in a completely new one. ("This strip has too many characters": Jeph)

(Does archive trawl)
We have heard her speak in 1845, 1864, 1867, 1868. Maybe more, but that's all I have time for now.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mustang6172 on 31 May 2016, 18:54
Renee's incredibly off-key and, unfortunately, poorly written introduction. Right off the bat it's violent threats in the strips as well as being supposedly abrasive and grossly over-protective in a story-situation where it's unwarranted. We have no grey area with Renee, she's coming in at 100% steam.

But that could be the actual characterisation of Renee, rather than a poorly written one (which implies that it might not be accurate); people in real life can be unexpected in that sort of way.  Also Jeph might quite simply be relying a bit more than is sensible on our remembering Renee (if indeed it is the Renee we've met before) and the earlier outline of her character which is not so much out of line with this.

And hey, that's all good, but it turns her into a 1-Dimensional character, or at best, 2-Dimensional. And what I mean is that if that's all her characterization is, her importance in these strips should be seen far less than we do already. It'd mean she's either poorly written or written to be a throw-away character. That's really all I want pointing out, how the character is written isn't equalling to how much everyone is assuming her importance in this story-arc, and to a degree, her need to even be in it. Think filler episodes like the "Fly" one in Breaking Bad, if you've ever seen it.

A little Tarantinoesque dialogue can flesh out a character quickly.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: wlewisiii on 31 May 2016, 19:41
Comic.

Brun and Hannelore in the same space is an interesting combination.

And the harpoon survived!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zastie on 31 May 2016, 19:41
1) I like how Jeph questions his own comic's decisions.

2) Did the harpoon shrink? Looks small in that box.

3) Not even Hannelore can give a straight answer to that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 31 May 2016, 19:48
Well, most of the  harpoon survived. Typically, the handles are made of wood, while the haft and pointy bit is metal. Which tends to fare slightly better in fire.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: cesium133 on 31 May 2016, 19:54
Now I'm wondering if this is leading to Hannelore getting a roommate...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: neurocase on 31 May 2016, 19:57
Literally my only input in all this is that I can't wait for this arc to be over. I'm seriously bored with it. I can't bring myself to care about Brun, I certainly don't care about Renee, and I've had my fill of Clinton. This seems to be stretching on an awfully long time.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: SpanielBear on 31 May 2016, 19:58
Hello! I'm SpanielBear.



Has this place ever been on fire?



(Seriously, hello! I apologise that the thing that made me stop lurking after nearly ten years was an awful, awful joke.  :-) )
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: cesium133 on 31 May 2016, 20:00
Hello, SpanielBear! I'm Cesium.

This place has been on fire a few times*, but the moderators are good at putting the fires out.

* I may have unknowingly started a few of these fires.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: neurocase on 31 May 2016, 20:27
Literally my only input in all this is that I can't wait for this arc to be over. I'm seriously bored with it. I can't bring myself to care about Brun, I certainly don't care about Renee, and I've had my fill of Clinton. This seems to be stretching on an awfully long time.

Personally, I'm really enjoying Clinton getting some character development.

I can't call it character development, personally. Not when he has, seemingly overnight, turned from a bumbling dork into a competent, semi-confident, level-headed young man. It (and the removal of his glasses actually) just smack of him becoming a more likable 'everyman' character so that he can be used more frequently, in lieu of any actual growth. His fight with Claire was way too overwrought for the situation, the resolution was just a quick snap of the fingers, and any conflicts he's come into, aside from the aftermath of the fire, have just been completely done away with. Perhaps if Brun ever becomes a likable and interesting character, I'll be able to get invested in this part of the story, but I'm just waiting for a switch elsewhere.

All of this is just my opinion, of course. It's highly possible I'm just becoming disillusioned with the direction the strip has taken over the past year or so. I may go back to just reading the "golden age" of the archive and only periodically checking in on the current strips.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: TRVA123 on 31 May 2016, 20:43
Is it just me, or does Dora look wildly different each time we see her. When the PoV leaves CoD for a time and them comes back to Dora I can never be sure that it is her.

Often I have to go "is that Dora or Emily?"

Which... no, they have very different body types.

Does anyone else have this problem?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: cesium133 on 31 May 2016, 20:45
I've noticed it as well. Ever since it became winter, Dora has looked very different, to the point that she looks like someone else.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mad hands murphy on 31 May 2016, 21:05
(http://i.imgur.com/hVwNFJy.jpg)

Why is she perfect?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 31 May 2016, 21:11
I can't call it character development, personally. Not when he has, seemingly overnight, turned from a bumbling dork into a competent, semi-confident, level-headed young man.

"Bumbling dork" is yet another character assessment made on pretty limited data.

He's a bumbling dork in date situations, yes. And arguably with his sister on occasion (though we've seen him level headed with her as well). This is the first time we've seen him outside of one of those situations*.

Is it just me, or does Dora look wildly different each time we see her. When the PoV leaves CoD for a time and them comes back to Dora I can never be sure that it is her.

I didn't recognise her, I admit.

* Someone with an unhealthy knowledge of the archive proves me wrong in three... two... one...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Detachable Felix on 31 May 2016, 21:18
Is it just me, or does Dora look wildly different each time we see her. When the PoV leaves CoD for a time and them comes back to Dora I can never be sure that it is her.

Often I have to go "is that Dora or Emily?"

Which... no, they have very different body types.

Does anyone else have this problem?


Wait, that's not Emily?  :psyduck: I need to start reading these on my laptop and not on my phone. Considering everything that went on with Clinton and Emily, I thought it was weird that he'd go straight back to CoD with Brun. blah.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Somebody on 31 May 2016, 21:27
Is it just me, or does Dora look wildly different each time we see her. When the PoV leaves CoD for a time and them comes back to Dora I can never be sure that it is her.

Often I have to go "is that Dora or Emily?"

Which... no, they have very different body types.

Does anyone else have this problem?
I actually thought it was Cosette on first glance.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Penquin47 on 31 May 2016, 21:40
I can't call it character development, personally. Not when he has, seemingly overnight, turned from a bumbling dork into a competent, semi-confident, level-headed young man.

"Bumbling dork" is yet another character assessment made on pretty limited data.

He's a bumbling dork in date situations, yes. And arguably with his sister on occasion (though we've seen him level headed with her as well). This is the first time we've seen him outside of one of those situations*.

Is it just me, or does Dora look wildly different each time we see her. When the PoV leaves CoD for a time and them comes back to Dora I can never be sure that it is her.

I didn't recognise her, I admit.

* Someone with an unhealthy knowledge of the archive proves me wrong in three... two... one...

He's also a bumbling dork when confronted with someone he idolizes (or their daughter).

He did pretty well at interviewing Marten about his relationship with Pintsize, though.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 31 May 2016, 22:02
What I'm a bit puzzled about is that Dora's blonde tips aren't showing. When her hair gets that long, it starts to show blonde again (or so Jeph forgot, it seems).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: chaospersonified on 31 May 2016, 22:07
This forum often makes me realize just how different cultures are across the world. Threats of violence aren't exactly rare, the joke being they'd never actually do anything. Not so funny until you know the person making the threats, I'll admit.

Example: I took a miss, the first chance I had to kiss a girl. Her father was on the porch cleaning his guns, with a devilish glint in his eye. At the time, I was terrified. Now I get that's just his sense of humor. He's hardly the only one in the area to do this kind of thing.

Call it bad jokes, I wouldn't disagree. I'd disagree that you have a right to SAY that as an objective fact, because humor's subjective, but that's just arguing semantics. Doesn't really matter, the fact is that's just how it is in my town. And not how it is in anyone else's, which is the main thing I've realized, since this isn't the first time I've noticed this.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 31 May 2016, 22:51
What I'm a bit puzzled about is that Dora's blonde tips aren't showing. When her hair gets that long, it starts to show blonde again (or so Jeph forgot, it seems).
Or she's keeping up with her roots.  Still, I thought that she was Raven at first.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 May 2016, 23:07
Hello! I'm SpanielBear.



Has this place ever been on fire?



(Seriously, hello! I apologise that the thing that made me stop lurking after nearly ten years was an awful, awful joke.  :-) )

Welcome, sort of new person!

If you've been reading the forum for ten years you know the answer is "yes". Unless you were fortunate enough to miss the Dora/Marten breakup.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 31 May 2016, 23:21
This forum often makes me realize just how different cultures are across the world. Threats of violence aren't exactly rare, the joke being they'd never actually do anything. Not so funny until you know the person making the threats, I'll admit.

Example: I took a miss, the first chance I had to kiss a girl. Her father was on the porch cleaning his guns, with a devilish glint in his eye. At the time, I was terrified. Now I get that's just his sense of humor. He's hardly the only one in the area to do this kind of thing.

Call it bad jokes, I wouldn't disagree. I'd disagree that you have a right to SAY that as an objective fact, because humor's subjective, but that's just arguing semantics. Doesn't really matter, the fact is that's just how it is in my town. And not how it is in anyone else's, which is the main thing I've realized, since this isn't the first time I've noticed this.

Good example, because that's precisely the type of joke Jeph has made on this and numerous other occasions.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 31 May 2016, 23:40
The real joke in today's strip is imagining that last bubble spoken in Hannelore's perky and upbeat tone of voice. I'm just wondering now how many fires they have had at CoD and how much of that was down to the quirky personalities of several staff (Cossette, especially).

I do have to wonder if poor Brun is going to have a complex about losing things that she values to fires. Her stoic demeanour has clearly been covering how totally traumatised she has been. I also feel more than a little sympathy for her not wanting to feel too much, given how disabling it is for her. My concern is that, when the dam finally bursts, it will be really catastrophic in its effects!

I do hope that Renee can stop her torrent of transferred anger and fears long enough to give her friend a strong hug!

Now I'm wondering if this is leading to Hannelore getting a roommate...

Yeah, me too. If Brun is in real and profound mental or emotional distress right now, I'd expect Hanners to be the first to notice, from bitter experience.

What I'm a bit puzzled about is that Dora's blonde tips aren't showing. When her hair gets that long, it starts to show blonde again (or so Jeph forgot, it seems).

She was deliberately trying to grow her hair out blonde on that occasion. This time, she must be keeping her roots dyed.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 01 Jun 2016, 00:15
I vaguely remember Hannelore saying she couldn't handle having a roommate.

OK, 1586.

She's made a lot of progress since then.

Brun might not be the right person for the position though.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: HauntingPoem on 01 Jun 2016, 01:24
If we collectively will it enough Hannelore will have a roomate!

I'll be back, have to concentrate on willing.

*will*


*will*



*will*
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: oddtail on 01 Jun 2016, 01:27
This forum often makes me realize just how different cultures are across the world. Threats of violence aren't exactly rare, the joke being they'd never actually do anything. Not so funny until you know the person making the threats, I'll admit.

Example: I took a miss, the first chance I had to kiss a girl. Her father was on the porch cleaning his guns, with a devilish glint in his eye. At the time, I was terrified. Now I get that's just his sense of humor. He's hardly the only one in the area to do this kind of thing.

Call it bad jokes, I wouldn't disagree. I'd disagree that you have a right to SAY that as an objective fact, because humor's subjective, but that's just arguing semantics. Doesn't really matter, the fact is that's just how it is in my town. And not how it is in anyone else's, which is the main thing I've realized, since this isn't the first time I've noticed this.

Yeah, but... in this particular case, the joke is made by the author of the comic, not by the character. There's nothing about the context of the conversation that indicates the threats were anything but serious and/or overreacting to a sudden scary development. I think that's different than someone jokingly threatening somebody.

Heck, I've made threats of violence as jokes on occasion. When I'm mildly annoyed by my wife's antics, one of my go-to responses is "honey, I love you, but I'm gonna murder you to death and any court will acquit me" or variations thereof.

I'll give you that there are cultural differences regarding what's acceptable and what is not, but in this case, I think the situation is not about humor. I mean, from the reader's point of view, yes, but not in-story, if that makes any sense.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 01 Jun 2016, 01:59
I think people are missing a significant point here: We are not supposed to laugh at Renee's threats because the threats are funny. We are supposed to laugh at Renee for behaving that way. She, like the original characterisation of Faye, is meant to be a grotesque - A character with such an extreme character flaw (or several) that she seems ridiculous, even though she considers herself credible and correct in her behaviour. It is the extreme and other characters' response to it that's the joke.

Jeph has shown how Faye's aggression is ultimately a shield over her vulnerabilities and has never done her any good. Maybe we'll also see Renee finding that her tendency to jump down people's throats is screwing her up and that the indulgence of it she got from her co-workers at TSB is no indication of it being acceptance. Hell, with Padma gone to the Big City to care for her grandmother and thus not around to cover for her, Jim may have finally tired of her schtick and fired her.

Stepping through to an in-universe perspective, I do give Renee a lot of leeway right now. She's just been 'phoned by her sweet but not-entirely-worldly friend Brun from a stranger's phone to inform her (in her uniquely dry, matter-of-fact way) that her home and workplace have burned down and that some guy who she's only just met is 'helping' her. Renee is probably nearly hysterical with fear for Brun right now and a massive over-reaction towards a stranger whose motives and actions are unknown is completely understandable.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: oddtail on 01 Jun 2016, 02:11
@BenRG: that's more or less what I meant when I said "the joke is made by the author of the comic, not the character". So yeah, you're of course absolutely right.

Granted, I still don't find the bit even remotely funny (I think Faye's comedic penchant for violence worked WAY better, for several reasons), but eh. Humour's subjective anyway.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: RMc on 01 Jun 2016, 03:31
sweet but not-entirely-worldly friend Brun

Sweet? She berated him and threatened him with a harpoon. In most jurisdictions, that's a misdemeanor, at least.

No, Brun's just another horribly, horribly broken character, the kind that this comic accumulates. Sigh.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hakko504 on 01 Jun 2016, 03:35
I vaguely remember Hannelore saying she couldn't handle having a roommate.

OK, 1586 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1586).

She's made a lot of progress since then.

Brun might not be the right person for the position though.
Hannelore also had some reservations about Marigold as a roomie in 2826 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2826)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 01 Jun 2016, 03:45
I'd be hard-pressed to define two personalities more different than Brun and Marigold, quite frankly. If anything, I think that Hannelore would be more irritating to Brun because she would react to Brun's taciturn ways by trying to provoke more conversation. On the other hand, I acknowledge that Brun's literal-headedness would probably irritate Hannelore, especially in the area of her phobic hesitations in some areas because those fears don't fit in with Brun's sense of reality.

"You don't like the thought of kissing. You're afraid of the germs." A brief pause. "The same germs naturally live on your skin and in your mouth. Keep your skin healthy and make your digestion work."

On violence. "Don't ever feel the need to kill people with a shovel." Pause. "Occasionally with a harpoon." This particular line would spawn fan-arts of gladiatrix!Brun and gladiatrix!Hannelore, one with harpoon and net and the other with shovel, about to duel in the Robot Fight Club arena.

It's stuff like this that make some of us sense a possible 'odd couple' friendship/sparring partner chemistry between them.

Sweet? She berated him and threatened him with a harpoon.

She then offered him a free water with a lemon slice if he didn't storm out in a huff. She's no good with human interaction but her heart seems to be mostly in the right place!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 01 Jun 2016, 04:03
(http://i.imgur.com/25rslG1.jpg?1)

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 01 Jun 2016, 05:50
A more important question is: Could someone handle being Hannelore's room mate? We don't see it anymore, but remember that Hanners has been shown as being extremely germophobic and affected by severe OCD as well as anxiety disorders. The anxiety we've seen she takes various drugs to keep under control. But it's been shown as not unusual for her to go for days without sleep, be up deep cleaning her apartment in the middle of the night and absolutely obsessive about her living space. She would not be an easy person to live with. And that's if she didn't say something that creeped said room mate out. Things she's done before with Faye and Marten, describing her vivid imaginings of what it would be like to murder them in her cheerful tone... We've pretty much seen Hanner's happy and fluffy side of late, but that doesn't mean the rest of it isn't still there.

As far as threats go and how people treat them... Where I came from people didn't make idle threats usually. You just didn't say you were going to do something to somebody unless you were willing to back it up. Because the other person was going to treat it as if was seriously meant.  It is a big part of the reason why I do not like Faye as a character, and don't associate with anyone like that in my life. Because the first time she would threaten to beat me up for some trivial matter my reaction would either be a cold stare and walk away forever or to tell her to 'bring it, bitch' and get ready to fight.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Akima on 01 Jun 2016, 05:57
Is the girl in the pink top... Dora?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 01 Jun 2016, 06:01
She's supposed to be, yeah. I don't know about anyone else but I had to double-check to confirm that this morning. She's very, very off-model today!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 01 Jun 2016, 06:04
Her face is OK I'd say, actually - it's the unfamiliar hairstyle with no other indication of who she is that's disconcerting.

If she had been Emily, Clinton would probably not have been at ease talking to her; indeed, it's slightly surprising that he's gone to CoD - I suppose he just couldn't think of anywhere else to stash Brun's stuff..
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: heyjames4 on 01 Jun 2016, 06:04
I can't tell if pink shirt lady is Dora or Emily.
Lots of complicated backgrounds in today's art.
Super-cute Hanners today. Much chipper. Very floof.
I don't imagine Hannelore and Brun being roomates, but seeing them interact could be interesting.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 01 Jun 2016, 06:12
Her face is OK I'd say, actually - it's the unfamiliar hairstyle with no other indication of who she is that's disconcerting.

The hair, yes. But - her face looks more like Cosette with brown eyes than Dora to me.

Edit: found a comic with both Dora and Cosette for comparison: http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1720
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: DSL on 01 Jun 2016, 06:16
Coffee roaster in the Spider zone, Faye welding in the back, multiple space pizza impacts on the roof and still standing after all that -- CoD is either proven to be fireproof in the literal sense of the word, or ... is due.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 01 Jun 2016, 07:44
Coffee roaster in the Spider zone, Faye welding in the back, multiple space pizza impacts on the roof and still standing after all that -- CoD is either proven to be fireproof in the literal sense of the word, or ... is due.

Oh god, its going to be Dante's Peak, but with Marten instead of Pierce Brosnan, isn't it?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zastie on 01 Jun 2016, 09:24
I guess I'm the only one who immediately recognized Dora..? Her general posture and face seem very much like Dora.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: themacnut on 01 Jun 2016, 09:31
A more important question is: Could someone handle being Hannelore's room mate? We don't see it anymore, but remember that Hanners has been shown as being extremely germophobic and affected by severe OCD as well as anxiety disorders. The anxiety we've seen she takes various drugs to keep under control. But it's been shown as not unusual for her to go for days without sleep, be up deep cleaning her apartment in the middle of the night and absolutely obsessive about her living space. She would not be an easy person to live with. And that's if she didn't say something that creeped said room mate out.

That could be part of the comedy; sort of an "Odd Couple" dynamic turned up to eleven. Yes, Hannelore is liable to drive any roommate stark-raving bananas, or send them running away screaming from the apartment. And any roommate would likely get on Hannelore's nerves in the worst way, tripping her germophobia/OCD and what not. Done right though, it could be utterly hilarious to watch. Or horrifying painful, if done wrong.

Utlimately though, I don't think Hanners is one of those people who can really live with anyone. Her...eccentricities would make her all but impossible to live with, and only someone equally eccentric (as in germophobic and OCD the same way) would be an acceptable roommate for her.

I guess I'm the only one who immediately recognized Dora..? Her general posture and face seem very much like Dora.

I recognized Dora right away as well. She has been growing out her hair in recent comics after all.


Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 01 Jun 2016, 09:38
Utlimately though, I don't think Hanners is one of those people who can really live with anyone. Her...eccentricities would make her all but impossible to live with, and only someone equally eccentric (as in germophobic and OCD the same way) would be an acceptable roommate for her.
The only person I have seen in the strip who would be able to live with Hanners already lives with Marigold.  Momo might not have OCD, but she doesn't make a mess nor does she have all the germs that go along with biologic processes.  So any human probably wouldn't be able to make a living arrangement work with Hanners, but an AI conceivably could.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 01 Jun 2016, 09:41
sweet but not-entirely-worldly friend Brun

Sweet? She berated him and threatened him with a harpoon. In most jurisdictions, that's a misdemeanor, at least.

No, Brun's just another horribly, horribly broken character, the kind that this comic accumulates. Sigh.

Yep, that's a recurring theme of the comic, as are their difficult and partially successful efforts to get better.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: celticgeek on 01 Jun 2016, 09:45
Utlimately though, I don't think Hanners is one of those people who can really live with anyone. Her...eccentricities would make her all but impossible to live with, and only someone equally eccentric (as in germophobic and OCD the same way) would be an acceptable roommate for her.
The only person I have seen in the strip who would be able to live with Hanners already lives with Marigold.  Momo might not have OCD, but she doesn't make a mess nor does she have all the germs that go along with biologic processes.  So any human probably wouldn't be able to make a living arrangement work with Hanners, but an AI conceivably could.

Winslow.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: brasca on 01 Jun 2016, 11:39
Utlimately though, I don't think Hanners is one of those people who can really live with anyone. Her...eccentricities would make her all but impossible to live with, and only someone equally eccentric (as in germophobic and OCD the same way) would be an acceptable roommate for her.
The only person I have seen in the strip who would be able to live with Hanners already lives with Marigold.  Momo might not have OCD, but she doesn't make a mess nor does she have all the germs that go along with biologic processes.  So any human probably wouldn't be able to make a living arrangement work with Hanners, but an AI conceivably could.

So Bubbles it is!

While there are a lot of good arguments about whether Hannelore could handle cohabitation I think she's been steadily pushing herself to manage her OCD.  This could be the next step for her if Brun lacks the same eccentricities that would make Marigold or some of the other people she knows ultimately incompatible roommates. 

I suppose since this is a highly unusual situation it makes sense to go to a place where a lot of unusual things happen instead of back to the motel.  Or maybe it was just more convenient. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 01 Jun 2016, 12:18
A more important question is: Could someone handle being Hannelore's room mate? We don't see it anymore, but remember that Hanners has been shown as being extremely germophobic and affected by severe OCD as well as anxiety disorders. The anxiety we've seen she takes various drugs to keep under control. But it's been shown as not unusual for her to go for days without sleep, be up deep cleaning her apartment in the middle of the night and absolutely obsessive about her living space. She would not be an easy person to live with. And that's if she didn't say something that creeped said room mate out. Things she's done before with Faye and Marten, describing her vivid imaginings of what it would be like to murder them in her cheerful tone... We've pretty much seen Hanner's happy and fluffy side of late, but that doesn't mean the rest of it isn't still there.
...

"describing her vivid imaginings of what it would be like to murder them in her cheerful tone" - I think that one was intented to indicate "Violent Intrusive Thoughts" (http://www.ocduk.org/types-ocd). Those belong to the class of intrusive thoughts about causing deliberate or negligent harm to others.  I've (thankfully) never experienced the worries about "suddenly discovering something in me that makes me deliberately harm others", but the worries about "negligently harming others" were a big part of my giving up my training for a PPL-C (Licence for gliding planes) - i.e. they were bad enough.

IMO, Intrusive thoughts around sexual themes, or "harm worries" are the worst for people with OCD, due to the attached stigma of the topics - people tend to be accepting about obsessions about spilt milk on the shiny glass table, not so much about worrying whether one secretly wants to fuck horses, or flay the neighbours.

With OCD, it's important to understand - for society at large, but most importantly for the sufferers themselves - that having those thoughts is about the best guarantee a human being can get of neverever  actually acting on them; they are called "intrusive thoughts" precisely because they feel alien to the personality of the one experiencing them - that's 90% of the distress they cause.

Nonetheless, because of the stigma attached to sexuality and causing harm to others, those of us OCDers who experience such worries are in the gravest danger of socially isolating themselves - which can lead further down a very, very dangerous slope, that makes recovery ever harder and increases the likelihood of depression et. al.

In the end, the greatest damage my anxiety disorder wreaked was not the very, very considerable distress it caused me - but precisely this isolation.
 

About being a good roommate - Yeah, many headmeat meds tend to fuck with your sleeping schedule. That is, if I had had something like a sleeping schedule ever since turning 18 ... :-D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jheartney on 01 Jun 2016, 13:42
From what I can see, Hanners doesn't need a roommate. Neither does Brun, actually. What Brun needs is a place to crash till she gets her life back together. I'm thinking Brun would rather be in a closet sized place with no roommate than a palace which she has to share.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Morituri on 01 Jun 2016, 13:47
Re: intrusive thoughts.

As one of my aunts put it,

"Every so often the Voices tell me to kill someone.  And then I tell them to fuck off, and go on about my day."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Kugai on 01 Jun 2016, 16:28
I think they've adopted another one  :-D


It's going to be interesting to see how Brun interacts with the rest of the CoD crew.  Emily's gonna be the one I'm looking forward to her meeting.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 01 Jun 2016, 16:34
I think they've adopted another one  :-D


It's going to be interesting to see how Brun interacts with the rest of the CoD crew.  Emily's gonna be the one I'm looking forward to her meeting.

"Brun? Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mustang6172 on 01 Jun 2016, 18:41
What I'm a bit puzzled about is that Dora's blonde tips aren't showing. When her hair gets that long, it starts to show blonde again (or so Jeph forgot, it seems).
Or she's keeping up with her roots.  Still, I thought that she was Raven at first.

I too thought Raven at first.  Then I recalled Raven is usually drawn with a larger bust.  Remember ladies:  if a man is staring intently at your chest, he's trying to recognize you.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: chaospersonified on 01 Jun 2016, 19:02
Oddtail, you say there's no reason for us to believe she's anything but serious in her threats. I'd argue common sense would be reason enough to believe she's exaggerating. She thinks Clinton might hurt her friend. She'd be very upset if that happened, so she makes threats she'd never actually follow through on to convey to Clinton how she feels. I know many people who would respond that way. I know no one who would seriously threaten a person that way over the phone.

We have no visual of Renee. you say we have no reason to believe she's not serious. I say we have no reason to believe she IS. If we consider QC somewhat realistic, then Renee likely has a personality type we've seen before. I've never met someone who sincerely threatened a stranger with castration.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 01 Jun 2016, 19:17
To the best of my recollection, CoD has never been on fire.  However it -has- had raccoon problems, and once one of Faye's sculptures fired part of itself across the room -- luckily nobody was in the way.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mustang6172 on 01 Jun 2016, 19:21
It was also bombarded with pizzas.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 01 Jun 2016, 21:02
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.

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zastie on 01 Jun 2016, 21:08
"that color looks good on her IMO" - Jeph

Took the words right outta my mind.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jheartney on 01 Jun 2016, 21:15
As I've mentioned before, I know squat about autism. From my naive perspective, I'd say Brun and Bubbles are two sides of a coin. Bubbles' physicality makes her intimidating, while Brun's eyebrows and demeanor do the same thing. Both are brusque and hold their emotions in. Both carry the suggestion of violence (Bubbles taking out walls and punch bags, Brun and the harpoon), but neither has actually hurt anyone under our observation. Both have problems dealing with the outside world, which they generally withdraw from at need. Both have acquired a "sponsor" from among the QC cast.

Bubbles has a very dry sense of humor. We'll have to see if Brun ever shows anything similar.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zastie on 01 Jun 2016, 21:26
In Bubble's case it's due to her being discriminated against for her appearance and of being an AI, in Brun's case we don't 100% know yet. I'm not sure if AI can have a mental disorder in the QC universe, if that's what you were suggesting. Even in Brun's case it could also be something similar, or attached to a past event (as lots of other people have speculated - kind of like Faye having a certain attitude because of a past event that effected her deeply).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Kugai on 01 Jun 2016, 21:27
I'd say she either is Autistic, or she has other issues that she deals with much like Hanners sometimes does by having a routine she doesn't like deviating from and cause her anxiety and stress.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Keridiaus on 01 Jun 2016, 22:02
First off, I would like to say hi to everyone, as this is my first time posting. I have been lurking in the forums for a good 7+ years or so, and a reader on the comic since about then (give or take).

Now, on to my post:

I'd say she either is Autistic, or she has other issues that she deals with much like Hanners sometimes does by having a routine she doesn't like deviating from and cause her anxiety and stress.

It does seem likely that she would either be Autistic, Savant, or have an yet unnamed social or anxiety disorder. I say that based on the following observations:

1). The lack of obvious panic of having been in a fire, and subsequent loss of all personal belongings and safe space in said fire.

2). When she became overwhelmed finally and was unable to speak (a possible fugue state).

3). The seemingly overprotective  (and seemingly over reactive ) friend on the phone.

4). Forgetting basic "things" when routine is disrupted (shower being in hotel room, renter's insurance, etc. al).

5). Admitting to an emotion disconnect (#3222).

6). Initial rough greeting (possibly due to the line of work, and that Clinton is not a regular)

Admittedly, all of these seems circumstantial, even when placed together. However, considering my former girlfriend at one time exhibited these very same emotions (she worked at a Waffle House on 3rd shift no less), just by my experience alone leads me to belive that she, at the very least, has a social disorder of some type.

Having said that, i hope Jeph keeps her as, at least, a semi-regular member of the cast.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 01 Jun 2016, 22:06
I'm now wondering to what degree, if at all, Clinton is internally contemplating what we are all speculating about Brun; and whether one of them will eventually initiate a discussion on the topic.

Welcome, Keridiaus! Thanks for the useful perspective.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Kincaid on 01 Jun 2016, 22:30
My nephew has high functioning autism and today's strip was nearly word for word something he has said. The only way he can cope with life is by making it a routine, and if anything unexpected happens, it can derail his entire brain to the point of standing there, wherever he is, unable to process how to continue with his day.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: brasca on 01 Jun 2016, 22:53
I would think after last night she would have a smokey smell.  That's not all that terrible, but it can make your eyes water. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 01 Jun 2016, 23:07
What I really noticed in this strip was Clinton, more than anything else. He's really coming across as an everyday nice guy who is trying to help without causing offense. I suspect that Brun is probably generally hard to read, so that makes it harder.

We also get a small insight into Brun: "I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true." Something tells me that tact is something that she has to be told to use and that could lead to some interesting conversations!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 01 Jun 2016, 23:23
I think that after all the heat of the fire, she would have a stale sweaty smell also. Not to mention the usual 24-hours-without-a-shower odiferousness.

I did once collapse into bed after running that evening, without an intervening shower.

I'll just say that there's a reason I only did it once.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 01 Jun 2016, 23:40
Welcome, new people and your insights!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: alanari on 02 Jun 2016, 00:49

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.

Depends. Really depends on the person. Autistic people are as different as non-autistic ones. What we share is that we like routine, it gives safety.
How we deal with interruptions of this routine can differ between "unhappy but still more or less functional" and "day's over, let's hide in the bed"

I'm lucky, I'm relatively good at dealing with this. Emphasis on "relatively". A few weeks back my bus was late, I missed my next bus, and was 30 min late at work. It took another 30 min until I was able to focus on work.. luckily, my superiors are understanding.

I'm more and more feeling like she's like me. I'm living in a strange world full of strange people (no offense, but you non-autistic people often do really confusing things..) , meeting another autist is like "hey. You. You are normal! You make sense".
I was told that there are several diagnoses with similar behavior, I was tested for them during my diagnosis. I also know that you have to look into childhood behavior to diagnose autism. So I won't say that she is definitely autistic. But I can relate to her, which is a rare thing with non-autistic people.

And yes, I, too, wouldn't say I need a shower unless it's true. The last speech bubble is something I have said in the past.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: brasca on 02 Jun 2016, 01:05
I wonder if Clinton knows about the Salvation Army's history of discrimination against LGBT people (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zinnia-jones/the-salvation-armys-histo_b_4422938.html).

Maybe it was Brun's choice.  And there really aren't too many options.  Goodwill doesn't have the best reputation too. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 02 Jun 2016, 01:19
Another thought regarding Brun: I can't really blame her for snapping at Clinton in panel 3. I bet that she's had her fill in her life of people treating her as an incapable imbecile who needs to be led everywhere by the hand. I have no doubt that every bit of independence she has, she has had to fight for it, tooth and nail against well-meaning but misguided people.

Of course, that makes it all the harder when you lose a bit of that independence (or a lot, as she has in her current situation) and you do need to rely on well-meaning others for various things.

Also: "I'm saying it for me." I wonder how often she has to tell herself that everything is okay, that she's still in control of her life and that there is nothing to confuse or frighten her? Some people have wondered when she'll break, emotionally, and cry about what's happened to her. I don't think that she will; I don't think that she can allow herself to do so.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: oddtail on 02 Jun 2016, 01:26
Oddtail, you say there's no reason for us to believe she's anything but serious in her threats. I'd argue common sense would be reason enough to believe she's exaggerating. She thinks Clinton might hurt her friend. She'd be very upset if that happened, so she makes threats she'd never actually follow through on to convey to Clinton how she feels. I know many people who would respond that way. I know no one who would seriously threaten a person that way over the phone.

We have no visual of Renee. you say we have no reason to believe she's not serious. I say we have no reason to believe she IS. If we consider QC somewhat realistic, then Renee likely has a personality type we've seen before. I've never met someone who sincerely threatened a stranger with castration.

I don't think not being 100% literally serious is the same as joking. I've seen people make over the top threats of physical violence when their intention was obviously to intimidate rather than to joke. For instance "I'll rip your head off" is unlikely to be literally true, but I've still heard this threat uttered in obvious anger and from a person who was otherwise very hostile. To say nothing of the relatively bland "I'm gonna kill you" that I've heard people say on many occasions. No, this is not actually a threat people intend to follow up on - most people do not kill other people [citation needed]. But it's still a threat rather than a "ha ha" joke.

The fact that we don't see Renee is kinda circumstantial evidence that it's not a joke. What I mean by this is, we don't have much of a context for a joke to be reasonable/acceptable, but that means neither does Clinton. She doesn't know Clinton, nor does she know what is acceptable to say to him. We know she's very upset, and we know she is yelling, then she proceeds to yell even more. That indicates anger rather than a jocular mood. It also does not tend to be socially acceptable to threaten physical harm to a person as a joke when they are not a person you know well.

Again, hyperbole is not the same as a joke. Renee is obviously very upset, so I don't see how Clinton can possibly construe her hostility as being in jest.

Or to put it yet another way, if someone I knew nothing about walked up to me and threatened physical harm, what should be my first reaction? Amusement at their antics or fear for my well-being? The default assumption "it's a joke, obviously" does not hold water in my opinion. It's only a joke where both people in the exchange have some common frame of reference to infer a joke.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 02 Jun 2016, 01:39
Another thought regarding Brun: I can't really blame her for snapping at Clinton in panel 3. I bet that she's had her fill in her life of people treating her as an incapable imbecile who needs to be led everywhere by the hand. I have no doubt that every bit of independence she has, she has had to fight for it, tooth and nail against well-meaning but misguided people.

I would not blame her either, but I don't think she was snapping at Clinton.  I think that her words in both panels three and four were for herself.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 02 Jun 2016, 02:06
Brun knows Renee and didn't seem alarmed.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: heyjames4 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: alanari on 02 Jun 2016, 03:32
"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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 02 Jun 2016, 04:06
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 02 Jun 2016, 05:17
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.

 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zebediah on 02 Jun 2016, 05:17
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Milayna on 02 Jun 2016, 06:58
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
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Thrillho on 02 Jun 2016, 07:05
The routine thing is absolutely accurate to a large number on the spectrum.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: 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.)

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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Milayna 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: comicalArchitect on 02 Jun 2016, 07:44
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 02 Jun 2016, 07:50
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!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: cesium133 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).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: sitnspin 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Thrillho on 02 Jun 2016, 08:58
I'm glad that what I wrote resonated with so many of you :)

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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 02 Jun 2016, 10:13
I'm glad that what I wrote resonated with so many of you :)

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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: gprimr1 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: retrosteve on 02 Jun 2016, 13:03
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: blt on 02 Jun 2016, 14:27
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: freeman on 02 Jun 2016, 14:37
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.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: HauntingPoem on 02 Jun 2016, 14:55
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Y 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.

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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zastie on 02 Jun 2016, 15:21
Routinesception?

(Okay that was terrible I'll be going now..)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: SharpCookies on 02 Jun 2016, 19:08
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: chaospersonified on 02 Jun 2016, 20:35
Regarding todays:
NOOOOOOO DAMMIT BRUN I AM UPSET AT YOU
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mustang6172 on 02 Jun 2016, 20:37
Could be worse.  She could have brought the clock in the shower.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: wlewisiii on 02 Jun 2016, 20:42
Coffee of Doom.  Been there twice with him so I bet she'll remember that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: brasca on 02 Jun 2016, 20:51
If Renee has a cell phone she could always ask to see the call record. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 02 Jun 2016, 20:54
I think she lost her phone in the fire.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 02 Jun 2016, 21:08
Ahh, I missed Renee's name. Good point.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: SubaruStephen on 02 Jun 2016, 21:44
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?? :psyduck:

I need to get out more.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: QuestionableIntentions on 02 Jun 2016, 22:01
Oh Brun
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jheartney 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: 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.


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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Keridiaus on 02 Jun 2016, 22:16
Oh, Brun.   :-(
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jheartney on 02 Jun 2016, 22:28
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Zog on 02 Jun 2016, 22:31
Aha I missed that, thank you.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 02 Jun 2016, 22:40
Welcome, new people!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 02 Jun 2016, 22:45
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?? :psyduck:

I need to get out more.

Considering that I'm listening to Cyndi Lauper right now, it's *always* the '80s.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 02 Jun 2016, 22:50
That's so unusual.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG 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!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 03 Jun 2016, 02:54
Administrator Comment The posts on blood donation have been moved to a new thread in the Discuss! forum
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: ConmanTheBarbarian on 03 Jun 2016, 03:54
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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 03 Jun 2016, 04:17
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?? :psyduck:

I need to get out more.

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

Time after time ...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: heyjames4 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: freeman 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: MooskiNet 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.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: JimC on 03 Jun 2016, 06:34
Presumably Renee will have Clinton's number on her call log.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 03 Jun 2016, 06:41
I suspect that Brun may have a difficult time persuading Renee to give her the number. Not out of malice but out of protectiveness; as Brun said, she doesn't trust Clinton!

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 agree that this must be the strangest mental place that Brun has ever been too. I suspect that it will be a long time (with many false starts) before she can fully come to grips with her emotions, her thoughts and the various social stimuli that she's experienced associated in some way with Clinton. I can see her sitting down next to him, grabbing his hand and just closing her eyes and going non-verbal as she tries to process everything.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 03 Jun 2016, 06:44
Brun could probably manage to ask for Clinton's number at CoD if she hasn't memorised it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: katsmeat on 03 Jun 2016, 06:50
I suspect that Brun may have a difficult time persuading Renee to give her the number. Not out of malice but out of protectiveness; as Brun said, she doesn't trust Clinton!

If Renee withheld or deleted the number, it'd  be a shitty move regardless of her motivation.  Renee is entitled to express her opinion on anybody Brun meets, she's entitled to offer Brun any advice Brun is willing to listen to. She sure as hell isn't entitled to a veto on who Brun spends time with.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: BenRG on 03 Jun 2016, 06:53
She wouldn't be the first person who assumes that they have the right and duty to manage the lives of a friend with mental health or other behavioural issues and then tell themselves that it's 'for their own good' and that they 'need to be protected from themselves'.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: brasca on 03 Jun 2016, 07:09
I suspect that Brun may have a difficult time persuading Renee to give her the number. Not out of malice but out of protectiveness; as Brun said, she doesn't trust Clinton!

If Renee withheld or deleted the number, it'd  be a shitty move regardless of her motivation.  Renee is entitled to express her opinion on anybody Brun meets, she's entitled to offer Brun any advice Brun is willing to listen to. She sure as hell isn't entitled to a veto on who Brun spends time with.

Perhaps Renee will give Brun the number on condition that she gets to meet him.  That's got all kinds of potential right there.   
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jun 2016, 08:50
In my opinion, this is an inappropriate reaction to someone helping your friend when her apartment burnt down. It isn't ironic, because in the situation some of you called back to, Clinton did not yell at or threaten Marten, and while Clinton wasn't nice , it is in no way the equivalent of this scene. In addition, I also do not find it funny, because pointless harassment isn't funny to me.

That's the way some people, mostly women, think; a male stranger (or even acquaintance) is automatically a threat, a potential stalker/rapist/serial killer until proven otherwise beyond the shadow of a doubt. And if Brun (or Renee) had a bad experience with such a person in her past, this would make Renee extra-suspicious of men she doesn't know well. I've been acquainted with such women myself in my life, and they tend to be generally unpleasant to be around, so I avoided them as much as I could.

EDIT: On the other hand, since there's no way to know a helpful stranger's true intentions ahead of time, some degree of caution is warranted when dealing with such strangers. We the readers know Clinton's harmless, but Renee doesn't.
Unfortunately, there's good reason and precedence for such assumptions and precautions. It's enough to want to deck any guy who says "not all men".  I know that. Women know that. But it's too much of a risk right now for women not to take precautions.
Change is slow, but possible.

Healing from such a traumatic event takes time. And interacting with someone trying to recover from such an experience takes  patience and understanding.  Communication is key, as is knowing when to give them space.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Nepiophage on 03 Jun 2016, 09:01
She wouldn't be the first person who assumes that they have the right and duty to manage the lives of a friend with mental health or other behavioural issues and then tell themselves that it's 'for their own good' and that they 'need to be protected from themselves'.
Amen. AMEN.  AMEN!!!!!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jun 2016, 09:13
Would it be funny if Brun was related to Padma?

I know this isn't Asterix and not everyone is drawn as an ethnic caricature. But Padma definitely looks Indian, and Brun looks, if anything, Persian.
My older brother looks like a Brit, my younger brother looks like a Swede, and I look half German half ambigous ethnicity (I've gotten guesses ranging from Jewish to Pacific Islander).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 03 Jun 2016, 09:31
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.

[\begin{pontification}]
Well, this is the best part of how that 'growing up'-thingy happens IRL - just when you think you have your course set/everything is FUBAR foreverandever, something happens and throws you onto a completely new course.
And afterwards, the stuff that was so hugely important before ... is put into perspective.
And if you're really lucky, you've learned more about that person you call "me".

The thing you do get to decide is whether you let life 'form' you in that way, or whether you hurt yourself clinging to your pain and disappointments, or the dreams of a person that is no longer you.
(Yes, I'm a big fan of Herman Hesse.)


[\end{pontification}]

Wisdom from the 80s:
"Life is what happens while you were making plans"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: retrosteve on 03 Jun 2016, 10:11
Since everyone (including Jeph, I guess) seems all excited about the possible Brun-ton ship, I don't want to rain on that parade.

But yeah, I do. Just because they're both single and they went through a hard time together this week doesn't mean they're all that well-suited to each other. I have trouble really thinking of anything they'd do together for fun, or any way they'd complement each other. Fine, he's a boy, and she's a girl, and he's less awkward around her than with Emily, mostly because she's so awkward he looks normal by comparison.

But is that really enough?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jun 2016, 10:21
Is it just me, or does Dora look wildly different each time we see her. When the PoV leaves CoD for a time and them comes back to Dora I can never be sure that it is her.

Often I have to go "is that Dora or Emily?"

Which... no, they have very different body types.

Does anyone else have this problem?
I actually thought it was Cosette on first glance.

Looking at her jawline (and the cast page), I think it is Cosette.

Dora has a sharper upswing to her jawline.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jun 2016, 10:38
I'm not dyslexic,  but for some reason when I read the aabbreviation 'TSB' my brain goes "tablespoon" instead of "The Secret Bakery".
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: ankhtahr on 03 Jun 2016, 10:40
It's definitely Dora, with her new hairstyle, as shown on Jeph's Tumblr:

Dora Rae Jepsen (http://jephjacques.com/post/142529119875/dora-rae-jepsen)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jun 2016, 10:47
It's definitely Dora, with her new hairstyle, as shown on Jeph's Tumblr:

Dora Rae Jepsen (http://jephjacques.com/post/142529119875/dora-rae-jepsen)

Oh.

She is slightly taller than Clinton. I guess Cosette would be shorter than him by an inch or three. I should have thought of that first.

EDIT: I wonder if she visited Cosette's stylist
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: themacnut on 03 Jun 2016, 10:50
I can see her sitting down next to him, grabbing his hand and just closing her eyes and going non-verbal as she tries to process everything.

And Clinton misinterpreting that as an invitation to kiss (especially if Brun is facing him when she closes her eyes); he goes for it, and hilarity ensures. Hilarity for us, that is; not so much for him. Bonus points if Renee happens to be nearby at the time, sees Brun push Clinton back, and goes into overprotective pit bull mode all over him.

It would be interesting to see how Clinton responds after he picks himself up off the floor, and wipes the blood off his mouth or nose (from Renee's punches; yes I can see her punching him to the floor in such a situation, at the very least. She may also kick him a few times while he's down).

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jun 2016, 11:51
sweet but not-entirely-worldly friend Brun

Sweet? She berated him and threatened him with a harpoon. In most jurisdictions, that's a misdemeanor, at least.

No, Brun's just another horribly, horribly broken character, the kind that this comic accumulates. Sigh.

Yep, that's a recurring theme of the comic, as are their difficult and partially successful efforts to get better.
As Thomas Blackwell once said, "Life is what happens between failures".


(If it wasn't Thomas, then it was Carol Graves.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 03 Jun 2016, 12:24
I prefer the John Lennon version above.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jun 2016, 12:26
Today's strip is still not proof Brun is on the autism spectrum but it does fit that idea.
In the words of any good scientist, "the evidence strongly supports this hypothesis."

"Scientists should never use the word 'proove'. ... Their hand should shake and their brow should drip with sweat if they ever start to write 'proove'." -- Dr. Dwight Moore, PhD.

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.
That's part of where the 'spectrum' in 'autism spectrum disorder' comes from. Different  techniques and therapies work to varying degrees for different people. Though, establishing a routine helps a lot of autistic folks out. Especially if they're dealing with a low-function period in their life.

EDIT: alanari explains this far better on page 5 of this thread.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Kugai on 03 Jun 2016, 13:14
Dang

One can only hope she memorised the number or will look for Clinton later on, otherwise I think that the Brun arc will end right here.  I hope Renee, wherever she is has kept the number in her Call List.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: McFace on 03 Jun 2016, 13:34
But yeah, I do. Just because they're both single and they went through a hard time together this week doesn't mean they're all that well-suited to each other. I have trouble really thinking of anything they'd do together for fun, or any way they'd complement each other. Fine, he's a boy, and she's a girl, and he's less awkward around her than with Emily, mostly because she's so awkward he looks normal by comparison.

But is that really enough?

For a first step? Absolutely.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Nepiophage on 03 Jun 2016, 15:05
Dang

One can only hope she memorised the number or will look for Clinton later on, otherwise I think that the Brun arc will end right here.  I hope Renee, wherever she is has kept the number in her Call List.

No, I think that's it. JJ has grown tird of Brun and we will never see her again.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: meowmix on 03 Jun 2016, 15:41
Hi, just wanted to step in from lurking to say that I love Brun and that I can totally relate to her. I have done similar things like stare at something forever, just turning over in my head ALL the different scenarios that could happen if I took a certain action. "If I call him, then..." or "If I don't call him, then..." or "He's just being nice, he doesn't want me to really call him." or "When is the right moment to call him?" Definitely analysis paralysis, IMO.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: DonInKansas on 03 Jun 2016, 16:11
That's so unusual.  :mrgreen:

It's not unusual to be loved by anyone.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Pendryn on 03 Jun 2016, 17:54
So been wi5h this forever. Recently reread the entirety of it. So good! But todays. Beun with the paper in the shower. Best one to date. Not a lot of words. Just perfect.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Y on 03 Jun 2016, 18:03
ALL the different scenarios that could happen if I took a certain action
Sounds familiar. Do you prepare your questions too? Usually I get to ask them one thing (if I'm lucky) as I don't come up with any follow up question easily, especially if they ask me something in return. But recently I'm going over entire dialogue trees as well, and figured out you can force a certain dialogue path if you ask things you already know. After all I can't reveal that I remember what I overheard them talking, as that would reveal I might be invested in them. Also for things not to look 'weird' I should also chat with other people.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Morituri on 03 Jun 2016, 18:36

Unfortunately, there's good reason and precedence for such assumptions and precautions. It's enough to want to deck any guy who says "not all men". 

A thing I try to remember is "more than one percent."

It's this simple.  If somebody is physically stronger than someone else, and lusts after them sexually, then that person behaving like an ass is more BAD than 99 others in the same situation behaving like kind and decent people is GOOD.

Since this is the situation a lot of women are in W/R/T a lot of men, caution is justified even if 99/100 of all men are respectful and would never attempt coercion or manipulation.

And unfortunately as far as i can see it's more like 1 in 15 than it is like 1 in 100. 

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 03 Jun 2016, 21:46
Welcome, pendryn and meowmix!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 03 Jun 2016, 22:54

Unfortunately, there's good reason and precedence for such assumptions and precautions. It's enough to want to deck any guy who says "not all men". 

A thing I try to remember is "more than one percent."

It's this simple.  If somebody is physically stronger than someone else, and lusts after them sexually, then that person behaving like an ass is more BAD than 99 others in the same situation behaving like kind and decent people is GOOD.

Since this is the situation a lot of women are in W/R/T a lot of men, caution is justified even if 99/100 of all men are respectful and would never attempt coercion or manipulation.

And unfortunately as far as i can see it's more like 1 in 15 than it is like 1 in 100.

Sadly true.  My ex even got roofied, but thankfully she was able to make it home to sleep it off.  There are times when I hate my own gender just seeing what kind of shite that other men do.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: meowmix on 03 Jun 2016, 23:27
Do you prepare your questions too? Usually I get to ask them one thing (if I'm lucky) as I don't come up with any follow up question easily, especially if they ask me something in return. But recently I'm going over entire dialogue trees as well, and figured out you can force a certain dialogue path if you ask things you already know.
I do try to predict where a conversation could go and have some answers ready. It can get extremely quiet around me and I have to remind myself to keep giving and asking for information even though I don't really need that data. Small talk was very difficult but it's gotten easier because of the repetitive dialogue.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: alanari on 04 Jun 2016, 00:11
Sounds familiar. Do you prepare your questions too?

Yes. I'm planning whole conversations in my head, trying to imagine every thing that the other might say and find an answer. Time-consuming but still easier that having to react spontaneously.
I don't try to steer the conversation to certain topics though, I just try to stay within the range of possibilities I anticipated.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: katsmeat on 04 Jun 2016, 02:05
I'm not dyslexic,  but for some reason when I read the aabbreviation 'TSB' my brain goes "tablespoon" instead of "The Secret Bakery".

No, you've just spent more time reading recipes than forum discussions about The Secret Bakery.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: lawoot on 04 Jun 2016, 03:00
Meanwhile, it looks like Raven's submacopter is getting closer to reality.

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Case on 04 Jun 2016, 05:23
It's definitely Dora, with her new hairstyle, as shown on Jeph's Tumblr:

Dora Rae Jepsen (http://jephjacques.com/post/142529119875/dora-rae-jepsen)

I thought her surname was Bianchi?

Or was that one more of a nickname of her father's?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: bhtooefr on 04 Jun 2016, 05:31
Jeph is referencing Carly Rae Jepsen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carly_Rae_Jepsen), as she was the inspiration for Dora's hair style, as seen in 3200 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3200).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 04 Jun 2016, 08:09
Don't ask her. She'll never tell.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: retrosteve on 04 Jun 2016, 13:04
Don't ask her. She'll never tell.

...only her hairdresser knows for sure!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Nepiophage on 04 Jun 2016, 15:05
It's definitely Dora, with her new hairstyle, as shown on Jeph's Tumblr:

Dora Rae Jepsen (http://jephjacques.com/post/142529119875/dora-rae-jepsen)

I thought her surname was Bianchi?

Or was that one more of a nickname of her father's?


It reflects great credit on you that you have never heard of her
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: comicalArchitect on 04 Jun 2016, 15:37
It's definitely Dora, with her new hairstyle, as shown on Jeph's Tumblr:

Dora Rae Jepsen (http://jephjacques.com/post/142529119875/dora-rae-jepsen)

I thought her surname was Bianchi?

Or was that one more of a nickname of her father's?


It reflects great credit on you that you have never heard of her

Oh, come on, it's just cheesy pop music.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 04 Jun 2016, 19:23
So I've already seen Monday's comic because of Patreon and I can't talk about it. I wonder if there's a feasible way to make a thread for patrons to talk about it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: bhtooefr on 04 Jun 2016, 19:24
There's a comments section attached to the comic over on Patreon...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 04 Jun 2016, 20:00
Comments sections are comments sections, I want to talk about it with my friends.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mustang6172 on 04 Jun 2016, 20:03
So I've already seen Monday's comic because of Patreon and I can't talk about it. I wonder if there's a feasible way to make a thread for patrons to talk about it.

You can always copy/paste onto the regular forums and ruin it for everyone.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 04 Jun 2016, 20:09
What, the comic itself? I'm pretty sure that's frowned upon.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: mustang6172 on 04 Jun 2016, 20:49
Hence, ruining it for everyone.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 04 Jun 2016, 20:52
As a Patreon backer, I would think it is bad play in announcing to everyone what will happen in the next comic before it's posted. I've put up "placeholder" posts because I had to head off to bed or work, but never revealing what happens in the comic.

It's not a rule, but I'd say it should follow the "If you're nice, people will be nice you to in return" mantra.

However: Mr. Hodges or IICIH, it might be time to update the "read first" stuff about this situation.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 04 Jun 2016, 21:40
It is technically possible to set up a subforum that only Patreon subscribers could see, except for the problem of knowing who they are.

How much use would it get?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 04 Jun 2016, 21:51
Is it necessary for only Patreon subscribers to see it? Why not just a separate thread? As long as there's a rule of not posting the comic itself, there'd only be discussion of it which would be worthless unless you can see the comic. Maybe a new thread for each comic instead of a weekly, so people can look at that discussion once that comic is publicly released.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 04 Jun 2016, 22:08
Since there's a comments area on each Patreon post, akin to Tumblr, I'd say we don't need one on here.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 04 Jun 2016, 22:11
Comments sections are comments sections, I want to talk about it with my friends.
If that can't be done here, fine. But I figured I'd at least ask now that the Patreon comics are more than a couple hours before the public ones.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Radium_Coyote on 04 Jun 2016, 22:23
Stand down.  You know who I think are WORTHY of seeing my comments?

Do you even know who I am?

Eh, you'll figure it out.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 05 Jun 2016, 00:35
Wouldn't the discussions be spoilers?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 05 Jun 2016, 00:44
I agree that it would be pretty hard to discuss it without pretty much giving it away.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 05 Jun 2016, 03:04
The benefits of the Patreon are a privilege given in exchange for your contributions; it would be an abuse of that privilege to discuss privileged matters outside the paywall.  If you feel the comments areas are not enough you could ask Jeph to set up a forum for Patreon subscribers, I suppose, or you could wait a day before discussing the comic (I presume its content will be as worthwhile tomorrow).  It would technically be possible to set that up within this forum, but it would need considerable work to integrate access to the Patreon login server to make it practical.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Tova on 05 Jun 2016, 03:55
For what it's worth, I am happy to wait until I can discuss it with all forumites.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 05 Jun 2016, 06:27
The benefits of the Patreon are a privilege given in exchange for your contributions; it would be an abuse of that privilege to discuss privileged matters outside the paywall.
I honestly don't get this logic, though. How is it different from say, discussing Game of Thrones with someone who doesn't have HBO? Or buying an issue of a comic book and showing it to a friend?
Wouldn't the discussions be spoilers?
Yes, but we have spoiler tags that can be clearly marked.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: MooskiNet on 05 Jun 2016, 06:55
I honestly don't get this logic, though. How is it different from say, discussing Game of Thrones with someone who doesn't have HBO? Or buying an issue of a comic book and showing it to a friend?

I think the difference is subtle, but still there:  what the patrons have paid for is not the comic; the comic is free.  The patrons are seeing the comic early because the artist has decided to give them that reward for donating.  Displaying or discussing the early comics ahead of when they are published for free sort of negates the reward aspect, in my opinion, and so it's less about sharing something you've bought than going against the wishes of the artist.

Again, that's all opinion - I don't have a window into Jeph's intentions, or know how he feels about the issue.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: bhtooefr on 05 Jun 2016, 07:05
It also matters who the creator is.

HBO won't be sunk by people discussing Game of Thrones episodes during an early release period.

Jeph could be.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Thrillho on 05 Jun 2016, 07:12
I think this is all fairly petty. Can't you just wait 24 hours to talk about it?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 05 Jun 2016, 07:13
I think the difference is subtle, but still there:  what the patrons have paid for is not the comic; the comic is free.  The patrons are seeing the comic early because the artist has decided to give them that reward for donating.  Displaying or discussing the early comics ahead of when they are published for free sort of negates the reward aspect, in my opinion, and so it's less about sharing something you've bought than going against the wishes of the artist.

Again, that's all opinion - I don't have a window into Jeph's intentions, or know how he feels about the issue.
I'm a patron of both QC and DoA, and in the DoA thread, I tend to write a response and just keep the tab open until it goes "live" and then post.  It's just basic courtesy. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Pilchard123 on 05 Jun 2016, 07:20
Yes, but we have spoiler tags that can be clearly marked.

Unless you're using Tapatalk.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: freeman on 05 Jun 2016, 07:49
As long as people don't leak the comic itself, I'd say commenting on it, even transcribing it textually would be okay and would only promote the patreon. It would be unconvenient for the non-patrons, but hey, Shelby must eat.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 05 Jun 2016, 12:21
We are missing the one opinion that actually matters here.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: pwhodges on 05 Jun 2016, 12:32
Not really.  Does the process of joining the Patreon give you access to stuff that people who don't contribute do not have access to?  Yes.  There it is - Jeph has taken the trouble to restrict certain content at certain times, so distributing it (or engaging in discussion that could give it away) is clearly going against his wishes.  This is plain.

Do you sign any terms and conditions when you join the Patreon?  What do they say?  (I mean Jeph's, not Patreon's which are almost entirely about themselves).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: hedgie on 05 Jun 2016, 12:45
hey, Shelby must eat.

I think you mean "Shebly".
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: JimC on 05 Jun 2016, 12:51
so distributing it (or engaging in discussion that could give it away) is clearly going against his wishes.  This is plain.

The first, distribution, absolutely. I hope few are going to dispute that. (Someone is bound to, there are always Google's useful idiots who believe (although they don't often realise it) that creators shouldn't be paid, only advertising billionaires)

The second I can imagine going either way, in that discussion (ie spoilers) before release might discourage readers altogether, or alternatively might motivate more signups.  However to my mind only the creator's opinion on the matter has value. Without his OK I submit its better manners to keep quiet.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 05 Jun 2016, 13:01
Do not spoil upcoming pages you've seen on Patreon. Do not talk about upcoming pages you've seen on Patreon. Wait until the page goes live. This is not something that's difficult or needs discussion. By being a Patreon member you get the privilege of seeing the pages a day early. With that comes a responsibility not to be a jerk to Jeph and spoil his comic.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Y on 05 Jun 2016, 13:33
Yes, but we have spoiler tags that can be clearly marked.
(click to show/hide)

Spoiler tags? Then I must resist pressing them. Also don't quote posts that have spoiler tags as you'll see the content.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Method of Madness on 05 Jun 2016, 15:03
Fair enough. I'm ok waiting.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Nepiophage on 05 Jun 2016, 22:43
I would post an unspoiler i.e. A teaser reference to something that isn't in the comic such as

"I thought Jim and Veronica were getting on well."
"Poor Henry, to die of drink and agriculture."
"Why is Pintsize green in panel 7?"

In order to annoy the non-patreon fans.  Just a privilege of membership.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: jwhouk on 06 Jun 2016, 05:35
I mean, is it really okay to show Hanners using a rectal thermometer on Clinton to determine his level of hotness?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: cesium133 on 06 Jun 2016, 05:54
So THAT'S why the bar burned down. RIP Coffee of Doom.  :cry:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Gyrre on 06 Jun 2016, 23:36
Do you prepare your questions too? Usually I get to ask them one thing (if I'm lucky) as I don't come up with any follow up question easily, especially if they ask me something in return. But recently I'm going over entire dialogue trees as well, and figured out you can force a certain dialogue path if you ask things you already know.
I do try to predict where a conversation could go and have some answers ready. It can get extremely quiet around me and I have to remind myself to keep giving and asking for information even though I don't really need that data. Small talk was very difficult but it's gotten easier because of the repetitive dialogue.

Ditto.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)
Post by: Morituri on 07 Jun 2016, 06:37
It took me a while to realize that lots of people get uncomfortable when no speaking is happening.  It was a very frustrating thing to understand because mostly the pauses were happening because I was trying to think of something I could say that wouldn't make them uncomfortable. 

So I watched to see how other people handle it and eventually learned a repertoire of irrelevant but non-threatening noises to make.  I really dislike it when people make irrelevant noises at me, but I suppose that's because I never really perceived silence as threatening.

It all comes under making allowances.  People make the noises because they think I'll be reassured by them.  I can forgive that.  And I like it when people aren't threatened, so I can make the noises too even if I don't like them.

Sort of a catch-22.  And I'm not even anywhere on the Autistic spectrum, I'm just "incompletely socialized."