Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: shanejayell on 09 Aug 2020, 19:21
Title: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: shanejayell on 09 Aug 2020, 19:21
New comic up! Elliot has asked Clinton out!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Zebediah on 09 Aug 2020, 19:24
And he’s done it in a vague enough fashion that Clinton has no idea it’s about anything but video games!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 09 Aug 2020, 19:46
Cliton has NO IDEA that he just agreed to a date. I hope that Elliot manages to get that point across in the next comic, I'd hate for there to be an awkward moment during their video game discussion
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: tbodt on 09 Aug 2020, 19:46
I believe this is the first dab in the history of QC
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 09 Aug 2020, 19:47
I want to redo my poll options, it would be good to get a throuple in the comic.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 09 Aug 2020, 19:47
I believe this is the first dab in the history of QC
I concur (unless there was one in the Patreon-only content)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: tbodt on 09 Aug 2020, 20:06
Interestingly the RSS feed got a post on saturday titled "Some Shit" with no image and a link to comic 3781. Most likely a test of some kind though.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: DaiJB on 09 Aug 2020, 22:01
Hmm, I really can't see any of these as the way I'd 'want it to turn out'...
Brun doesn't seem to 'get' the idea of romantic relationships at all - understandable, as human interactions, expressions, conversations are such a puzzle to her - so I don't see any romantic relationship working out with Brun involved...sad, maybe (for us, who can perceive the intricacies of romantic interaction), but probably nothing more than a vague - regret? - from Brun's perspective.
I'm not sure Elliot actually knows what he feels towards Clinton. I suspect he's just glad to be able to talk to another guy (of his own age group) who isn't a dick - Elliot does seem to encounter males at their worst, i.e., drunk and aggressive. Maybe there will be the one date, leading to the realization that it was just rose-coloured glasses all the time. I'm not saying it won't happen, but I can't help but feel that an Elliot/Clinton match-up doesn't have anything solid to anchor it. Not like Marten/Dora or Faye/Angus, where the problem was too many emotional landmines down the road - more like, nothing to stop them from just - drifting... So, maybe one hook-up, realize it won't work and then "Bye, I hope we can still be friends"?
* I'm probably wrong - my own life is rife with misconstrued meanings and tangled relationships :-P
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 09 Aug 2020, 22:25
That rules out anyone who bet that Elliot would try to escape.
I don't think we're far enough to fully cash out on the bets, though. Clinton doesn't know it's a date.
Also, IMO, that's the worst outfit Clinton's worn yet. Not a fan of the mauve/olive combo.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 09 Aug 2020, 23:11
The poll misses out my other wanted outcome: Elliot + Roko!
Renee has clearly been struggling with Elliot's shyness nad indecisiveness for a long time. For him to even indirectly actually decide to take action is a source of the greatest relief for her. It's also clearly a personal triumph of some kind!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 09 Aug 2020, 23:24
That rules out anyone who bet that Elliot would try to escape.
I don't think we're far enough to fully cash out on the bets, though. Clinton doesn't know it's a date. Kinda like that time with Emily?
Also, IMO, that's the worst outfit Clinton's worn yet. Not a fan of the mauve/olive combo.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 10 Aug 2020, 01:30
With regard to Brun shipping. My suspicion is that Jeph is planning a prolonged arc for her learning the nature of friendship and the difference between friendship and romantic attraction (and, more importantly, the fact that, confusingly, there is sometimes no difference at all). As part of this, I think that Brun will have relationships of differing levels of intimacy with many different people before finally deciding to her own satisfaction what she wants in a romantic partner and deciding whether she has this available in anyone in her existing social circle.
So, yes, I think it is possible that she'll have 'flings' of differing levels of intensity with Millifeulle, Clinton and Elliot. She may even go on what she considers a 'date' with Renee just to verify to her own satisfaction whether their friendship may have a romantic element to it.
FWIW, I could see her walking up to her eventual choice and announcing, in a dry way: "With regard to my romantic partner, I have chosen you." The person has a thought bubble over their head of themselves in Pikachu cosplay and Brun throwing a Pokéball at them.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: cybersmurf on 10 Aug 2020, 02:19
[snip] FWIW, I could see her walking up to her eventual choice and announcing, in a dry way: "With regard to my romantic partner, I have chosen you." The person has a thought bubble over their head of themselves in Pikachu cosplay and Brun throwing a Pokéball at them.
Why am I thinking Elliot here? :-P
Elliot has asked Clinton for a date in the same way Clinton had asked Emily. But it's a step forward, and not having Renee around probably is a good idea, as Elliot won't feel pressured to do anything.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tyr on 10 Aug 2020, 04:02
The poll misses out my other wanted outcome: Elliot + Roko!
Renee has clearly been struggling with Elliot's shyness nad indecisiveness for a long time. For him to even indirectly actually decide to take action is a source of the greatest relief for her. It's also clearly a personal triumph of some kind!
My dream is a Roko+Elliot+Brun+Clinton polycule of some flavor, just being there and supporting one another and learning together.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Wingy on 10 Aug 2020, 05:22
Replace Roko with Millie for a Millie+Elliot+Brun+Clinton polycule and I'm all set.
I'm sensing Roko is an independent agent and will remain so unless May, Beeps, or Yay makes a perfectly timed play and hits her when she's weak. Then she'll stay in the relationship because that's what good people do, even when their partner is foul-mouthed, wussy, or a multi-tentacular monstrosity. I don't have enough internet points yet, so I can't bet on Yay FTW, but that's my pick. Yay has already intimated as much in 4040, even though Roko called her "Nerd" in response....
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Case on 10 Aug 2020, 07:12
a multi-tentacular monstrosity. I don't have enough internet points yet, so I can't bet on Yay FTW, but that's my pick. Yay has already intimated as much in 4040, even though Roko called her "Nerd" in response....
For plenty of people, a multi-tentacular monstrosity would be considered an asset.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Cornelius on 10 Aug 2020, 08:09
The poll misses out my other wanted outcome: Elliot + Roko!
Renee has clearly been struggling with Elliot's shyness nad indecisiveness for a long time. For him to even indirectly actually decide to take action is a source of the greatest relief for her. It's also clearly a personal triumph of some kind!
My dream is a Roko+Elliot+Brun+Clinton polycule of some flavor, just being there and supporting one another and learning together.
Me too - there isn't a lot of character representation out there for poly people so I'm hoping this will be the outcome (or at least Elliot/Brun/Clinton) ♥
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: N.N. Marf on 10 Aug 2020, 13:48
Replace Roko with Millie for a Millie+Elliot+Brun+Clinton polycule and I'm all set.
I'm sensing Roko is an independent agent and will remain so unless May, Beeps, or Yay makes a perfectly timed play and hits her when she's weak. Then she'll stay in the relationship because that's what good people do, even when their partner is foul-mouthed, wussy, or a multi-tentacular monstrosity. I don't have enough internet points yet, so I can't bet on Yay FTW, but that's my pick. Yay has already intimated as much in 4040, even though Roko called her "Nerd" in response....
Winslow met Roko once and immediately went googly eyed over her, so that might be a story line for another time. I don't think Roko is adverse to having a romantic partner, that's why she went on that one (disastrous) date with Pintsize.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 10 Aug 2020, 18:00
Is it bad that I know which game Elliot is talking about? (Pretty sure it’s Europa Universalis IV.)
I think it's a good thing :) What use is a reference like that if no-one actually gets it?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 10 Aug 2020, 18:33
I am once again bewildered by the forums (and probably Jeph's, I dunno) obsession over whether any given interaction is Officially a Date (TM).
Spending time with a person in order to get to know them better and learn whether you are compatible and whether your initial attraction is more than just that is an important part of developing a relationship, whether or not it's Officially a Date (TM).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Mavadotar on 10 Aug 2020, 19:38
Is it bad that I know which game Elliot is talking about? (Pretty sure it’s Europa Universalis IV.)
I mean, Prussia screams Europa Universalis 4, but the family dynamics say Crusader Kings 2 to me.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gyrre on 10 Aug 2020, 20:57
Looks like the scattered disc found out they shpuld make sure the kid they're arranging a marriage for is cool with it first.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 10 Aug 2020, 21:10
When it comes to this specific situation, for me it's not so much whether or not this qualifies as 'Officially a Date (TM)', but more: are Elliot and Clinton on the same page about what they're doing? If Elliot thinks: 'this is a date, to see if we can get a romantic relationship going', and Clinton thinks: 'cool, lunch with a friend while discussing video games', well... That could lead to some very awkward moments.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 10 Aug 2020, 22:01
If Brun ends up in a romantic relationship, I'd like to see it with a new cast member. I think a funny thing would be several characters in comic either trying to date her or shipping her with other members of the cast leading to a wacky series of events only for the arc to end with her having met someone off screen and introducing them as her date. Then we can do a flashback to how they met. Renee ends up being overprotective/suspicious but it turns out that Brun did just fine on her own and her date is totally a good person.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Sorflakne on 10 Aug 2020, 22:18
Huh, Elliot didn't strike me as the EUIV type.
Quote
I am once again bewildered by the forums (and probably Jeph's, I dunno) obsession over whether any given interaction is Officially a Date (TM).
Most of the forum are shippers, and talking about shipping gets one yelled at, so talking about "dates" is a way to skirt the rule.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 10 Aug 2020, 22:59
Shipping where there is clearly established attraction in-comic at least in one direction is, so far as I am aware, perfectly fine. No need to skirt around it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 10 Aug 2020, 23:37
So, it's confirmed that Elliot plays Europa Univeralis (that's the only strategy game I know of with stuff like that happening all the time)! Meanwhile, I think that Clinton likes the same sort of sci-fi novels that Jeph does!
By the way, the alien princess in panel 4 is a pretty good idea of what I suspect new!May will look like.
And he’s done it in a vague enough fashion that Clinton has no idea it’s about anything but video games!
I may or may not be familiar with this kind of situation.
Uh oh. Were you Clinton or Elliot (or Renee)?
Elliot; by the time he caught on, though, Clinton was very vocal about not leaning that way. Never heard of him since. I do hope it doesn't turn that way in the comic.
Coincidentally, we were discussing Crusader Kings, at the time.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: oddtail on 11 Aug 2020, 01:34
I'm pretty sure the NPC situation described in the comic is not remotely on the same level of complexity as Europa Universalis (EU doesn't really *have* NPCs beyond leaders with a bunch of very simple stats, and there's not really any personal interaction with them in the game). I think the game is a fictional (generic?) combination of elements from Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings.
EDIT: OK, upon rereading the comic, if you interpret "married off my daughter" as a flavourful description of clicking the "Royal marriage" option, and the deal as a similarly fanciful description of using a royal marriage to get your relationship number high enough for the other country to agree to an alliance, you can *technically* have that scenario in EU (but again, the level of detail is not in the actual game mechanics). I don't *think* EU keeps track of all individual NPCs for the purpose of royal marriages, I think it's just automatically possible to have a royal marriage with any kingdom. But I haven't played EU4 in about a year, so if I'm talking out my ass, anyone correct me.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: 厚目眠子 on 11 Aug 2020, 05:17
My suspicion is that Jeph is planning a prolonged arc for her learning the nature of friendship and the difference between friendship and romantic attraction
Nuances among social relations of various types are challenging understanding, therefore I'm eager to read what examines such.
Roko liked bread. Pintsize durably publically explicitly stated that he wanted to shoot toast at "your" body. (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3694) Roko agreed to a date with Pintsize. Pintsize shot toast at Roko. Roko disliked that?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 11 Aug 2020, 05:38
the difference between friendship and romantic attraction (and, more importantly, the fact that, confusingly, there is sometimes no difference at all)
Two things being different and the same is contradictory.
Yes; that's why understanding the occasional overlap or lack of first-glance differences between the two states is so difficult for people to grasp sometimes. It takes time and exposure to figure which of the two it is (or whether it is both).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Wingy on 11 Aug 2020, 05:48
Roko liked bread. Pintsize durably publically explicitly stated that he wanted to shoot toast at "your" body. (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3694) Roko agreed to a date with Pintsize. Pintsize shot toast at Roko. Roko disliked that?
Yes, because Roko was trying to come to some understanding of who Pintsize was, and getting no response. Pintsize was trying to live out his sexual fantasy and not getting the response he wanted either. Both leave the date highly dissatisfied.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: jwhouk on 11 Aug 2020, 06:14
If Brun ends up in a romantic relationship, I'd like to see it with a new cast member. I think a funny thing would be several characters in comic either trying to date her or shipping her with other members of the cast leading to a wacky series of events only for the arc to end with her having met someone off screen and introducing them as her date. Then we can do a flashback to how they met. Renee ends up being overprotective/suspicious but it turns out that Brun did just fine on her own and her date is totally a good person.
Does Millefeuille count?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 11 Aug 2020, 06:45
If Brun ends up in a romantic relationship, I'd like to see it with a new cast member. I think a funny thing would be several characters in comic either trying to date her or shipping her with other members of the cast leading to a wacky series of events only for the arc to end with her having met someone off screen and introducing them as her date. Then we can do a flashback to how they met. Renee ends up being overprotective/suspicious but it turns out that Brun did just fine on her own and her date is totally a good person.
Does Millefeuille count?
I'll throw down my marker here. Milli was originally just a background character associated with the 'cloaked emu' joke break in the 'Winslow's New Body' mini-arc. When Jeph brought her back and started fleshing her out, I think that he designed the character deliberately as a bespoke romantic interest for Brun. I just wonder if he did that because he didn't want to risk angering either Bruniot or Brunton shippers by choosing one of the other or whether he just wanted to give her a same-gender pairing to troll people he doesn't like.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Kairi on 11 Aug 2020, 06:49
Popping in as I do once in a blue moon to say... I really like this comic. (In general, or this page? Yes.) The fact that multiple outcomes are possible just means there's been really good setup. I am usually REALLY SKEPTICAL of romances in most media because they seem rushed or forced and the people haven't had any time to bond. This bonding over videogames is adorable and I love them and I wish them both happiness and much continued friendship, wherever this goes!!!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 11 Aug 2020, 10:21
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 11 Aug 2020, 13:39
It carries no respect for the creator's property or ideas.
I see why straight-up modifying the characters should be avoided in the QCverse and on the forums, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible thing to do in any situation. J. K. Rowling recently slammed trans people, and the fanfic community retaliated by releasing a wave of stories that portrayed Hermione as a trans character. If Rowling can't respect that trans people are human, then she deserves to have her work "disrespected."
(Of course, Jeph is not transphobic, so that doesn't apply here.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Theta9 on 11 Aug 2020, 15:49
Quote from: Clinton
I see, I see.
YESSSS
HE SEEEEES (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2189)
YESSSSSS
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Oenone on 11 Aug 2020, 16:34
Ughhh what book is he talking about
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 11 Aug 2020, 16:36
The second book in the Grand Deimos Palace trilogy.
duh :mrgreen:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 11 Aug 2020, 18:29
Comic.
Clinton...?
"I'm definitely attracted to her, but I don't know if that constitutes a crush."
Check me if I'm wrong on this, but isn't that essentially the definition of a crush?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Penquin47 on 11 Aug 2020, 18:40
I... feel that there's a difference, but I'm finding it hard to put into words.
Most people are attracted to the people they have one-night stands with, but they don't necessarily have crushes on them.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 11 Aug 2020, 18:43
I think it's specifically an attraction that's unlikely to be reciprocated.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 11 Aug 2020, 18:43
I'd think that 'attraction' means: I like looking at you. Whereas 'crush' means: I want to pursue a relationship with you.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 11 Aug 2020, 18:52
That's interesting. That's a very long way away from how I would use those words. To me, attraction can mean either of those things. "I like looking at you" is physical attraction specifically.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: shanejayell on 11 Aug 2020, 19:14
Elliot, you need to learn to be more forceful.
(Which is funny considering he's been a bouncer, I think...)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 11 Aug 2020, 19:14
I like looking at people even if I don't find them terribly appealing physically, like when they're smart, or witty.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 11 Aug 2020, 19:20
There are many forms of attraction, and they don't necessarily exclude a desire to pursue a relationship.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 11 Aug 2020, 19:47
Indeed not. You cannot have a crush without attraction :)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 11 Aug 2020, 20:00
Okay. I mean, I kinda want to say that we should agree to disagree over your suggestion that crush means I want to pursue a relationship with you. And I can kinda see why it might seem like it does. But it doesn't. Childhood crushes are a thing, and they don't mean the world is full of children looking to pursue romantic relationships.
Don't make me bust out the dictionary. No-one wants that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: SmilingCat on 11 Aug 2020, 20:07
I see why straight-up modifying the characters should be avoided in the QCverse and on the forums, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible thing to do in any situation. J. K. Rowling recently slammed trans people, and the fanfic community retaliated by releasing a wave of stories that portrayed Hermione as a trans character. If Rowling can't respect that trans people are human, then she deserves to have her work "disrespected."
That feels like the fiction-writing equivalent of calling someone you don't like a poopyhead, or sharing a meme with your friends that already agree with you. Or sharing a meme as a form of political engagement in general.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 11 Aug 2020, 20:18
I did actually look at some dictionary definitions earlier, but decided against copy/pasting them into a post :D
My 'pursue a romantic relationship' explanation doesn't really cover what I was trying to say, unfortunately. Sometimes it's a shame that English isn't my first language, I'd be more comfortable trying to express this in Dutch. Oh well.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Onionvolcano on 11 Aug 2020, 20:45
A lot of craftsmanship goes into this. I love seeing townspeople in the background we've seen before.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 11 Aug 2020, 21:31
I see why straight-up modifying the characters should be avoided in the QCverse and on the forums, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible thing to do in any situation. J. K. Rowling recently slammed trans people, and the fanfic community retaliated by releasing a wave of stories that portrayed Hermione as a trans character. If Rowling can't respect that trans people are human, then she deserves to have her work "disrespected."
That feels like the fiction-writing equivalent of calling someone you don't like a poopyhead, or sharing a meme with your friends that already agree with you. Or sharing a meme as a form of political engagement in general.
I don't think I said what I meant to quite right. Let me try again.
Millions of kids grew up reading Harry Potter, and certainly many of them were trans or wondering if they were. They fell in love with that universe. When J. K. Rowling spoke out against trans people, those kids essentially lost that world. Yes, they could read it any time they wanted to, but it would always be with the knowledge that its creator hated them. When these fanfic writers portrayed Hermione as trans, they found a way to give the Harry Potter world back to those people.
My point here is that by writing these characters your own way, you can separate them from their creators. It isn't about insulting Rowling (I know I said the opposite before, but that was badly written); it's about returning the world to those who lost it.
Again--this doesn't apply to QC, because Jeph's a good guy. I just want to clarify that rewriting characters isn't an act of destruction.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gyrre on 11 Aug 2020, 21:34
Okay. I mean, I kinda want to say that we should agree to disagree over your suggestion that crush means I want to pursue a relationship with you. And I can kinda see why it might seem like it does. But it doesn't. Childhood crushes are a thing, and they don't mean the world is full of children looking to pursue romantic relationships.
Don't make me bust out the dictionary. No-one wants that.
Would it be more accurate to state that a crush involves some degree of infatuation?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gyrre on 11 Aug 2020, 21:39
I see why straight-up modifying the characters should be avoided in the QCverse and on the forums, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible thing to do in any situation. J. K. Rowling recently slammed trans people, and the fanfic community retaliated by releasing a wave of stories that portrayed Hermione as a trans character. If Rowling can't respect that trans people are human, then she deserves to have her work "disrespected."
That feels like the fiction-writing equivalent of calling someone you don't like a poopyhead, or sharing a meme with your friends that already agree with you. Or sharing a meme as a form of political engagement in general.
I don't think I said what I meant to quite right. Let me try again.
Millions of kids grew up reading Harry Potter, and certainly many of them were trans or wondering if they were. They fell in love with that universe. When J. K. Rowling spoke out against trans people, those kids essentially lost that world. Yes, they could read it any time they wanted to, but it would always be with the knowledge that its creator hated them. When these fanfic writers portrayed Hermione as trans, they found a way to give the Harry Potter world back to those people.
My point here is that by writing these characters your own way, you can separate them from their creators. It isn't about insulting Rowling (I know I said the opposite before, but that was badly written); it's about returning the world to those who lost it.
Again--this doesn't apply to QC, because Jeph's a good guy. I just want to clarify that rewriting characters isn't an act of destruction.
Look up "Giuseppe Stromboli" for a good laugh.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: SmilingCat on 11 Aug 2020, 22:08
I don't think I said what I meant to quite right. Let me try again.
Millions of kids grew up reading Harry Potter, and certainly many of them were trans or wondering if they were. They fell in love with that universe. When J. K. Rowling spoke out against trans people, those kids essentially lost that world. Yes, they could read it any time they wanted to, but it would always be with the knowledge that its creator hated them. When these fanfic writers portrayed Hermione as trans, they found a way to give the Harry Potter world back to those people.
My point here is that by writing these characters your own way, you can separate them from their creators. It isn't about insulting Rowling (I know I said the opposite before, but that was badly written); it's about returning the world to those who lost it.
*shrug* if it makes people feel better about playing in her sandbox I suppose. But I don't think it's quite the grand gesture or protest or reclamation you think it is.
It's a fact of life, though, at some point some creator of something you love is going to say or do something (maybe a lot of somethings, Hello Lovecraft my boy!) you're gonna hate. How a person reconciles the story they love with the thing they hate is up to them.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: hedgie on 11 Aug 2020, 22:17
For me, it's much easier to enjoy the works of problematic people who are dead than ones that are living. At least then, you're not tacitly supporting their asshattery by giving them money. I suppose that pirates can side-step that last bit, but still.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 11 Aug 2020, 22:19
There used to be a thread in DISCUSS about what to do with art from creators you disapprove of. It died a long time ago and I didn't find it as far back as I looked.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 11 Aug 2020, 23:19
Oh, hey pickup window lady! I know you; you're a regular at Coffee of Doom and you're friends with the synthetic girl who told Marigold that Dale's abs are definitely worth ogling whilst contained in a superhero costume! I'm not sure if you're the same lady who Emily calls 'Bleminda'.
The conversation in this strip is interesting. It's clear that Elliot is able to talk about this quite easily so long as there is this fiction that he is not attracted to Clinton. He can even laugh about how Brun is so strongly in demand!
With regard to the difference between 'attraction' and 'crush', I think that the thing about a Crush is that it more strongly modifies behaviour. You get shy, clumsy and generally nervous about being around that person. This is what I posted yesterday about the difference between 'friendship' and 'attraction' and how the two can merge. Brun is also Clinton's friend and he cares about her to the degree that he doesn't want his physical attraction to her to impact on their interactions, especially knowing that she might not understand what he's doing. It would be harder for him to do that if he were crushing on her.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 11 Aug 2020, 23:32
Crush vs attraction. I think the simplest form is that an attraction holds your attention when you’re in their presence¹ while a crush holds it even when they’re not.
¹ for these purposes images can count.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 11 Aug 2020, 23:46
Okay. I mean, I kinda want to say that we should agree to disagree over your suggestion that crush means I want to pursue a relationship with you. And I can kinda see why it might seem like it does. But it doesn't. Childhood crushes are a thing, and they don't mean the world is full of children looking to pursue romantic relationships.
Don't make me bust out the dictionary. No-one wants that.
Would it be more accurate to state that a crush involves some degree of infatuation?
That would be fair.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 12 Aug 2020, 00:10
There used to be a thread in DISCUSS about what to do with art from creators you disapprove of. It died a long time ago and I didn't find it as far back as I looked.
Separating an artist from their work (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,28693.0.html)?
I found this thread a while ago since I struggle with my love of Harry Potter and my dislike of J K Rowling's comments.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: cybersmurf on 12 Aug 2020, 00:47
Oh, hey pickup window lady! I know you; you're a regular at Coffee of Doom and you're friends with the synthetic girl who told Marigold that Dale's abs are definitely worth ogling whilst contained in a superhero costume! I'm not sure if you're the same lady who Emily calls 'Bleminda'.
No, I don't think that's bleminda. Bleminda has longer hair, likely dyed, and different glasses. Oh, yeah, and she usually wears a N7 sweater. See reference (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3533).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: snubnose on 12 Aug 2020, 00:56
A crush is a very pleasant hormonal reaction. It causes a heightened sex drive and heightened positive emotional reactions to the subject of the crush. It lasts three months, after that time the brain stops producing the hormone in question. Which is why many couples break up after three months, because they lose the rosy tinted glasses they saw their partner with and they realize its not the person they want to spent the rest of their lifes with.
Having a crush isnt the same as falling in love, and a crush requires attraction, but isnt limited to it.
The hormone that you get during a crush is also contained in cocoa, which is why people love eating cocoa, especially during romantic troubles.
Rowling says transgenders shouldnt be allowed to mislead people about the fact that they are transgenders. In the world of this comic, thats as if Marten would not have been informed beforehand that Claire is transgender and wouldnt be allowed to protest against it or leave the relationship because of it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 12 Aug 2020, 01:20
As ever, a concept that I had assumed to have a commonly understood meaning turns out to be anything but.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: pwhodges on 12 Aug 2020, 02:06
There used to be a thread in DISCUSS about what to do with art from creators you disapprove of. It died a long time ago and I didn't find it as far back as I looked.
Here you are. (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,28693.0.html)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 12 Aug 2020, 03:12
As ever, a concept that I had assumed to have a commonly understood meaning turns out to be anything but.
Words are a very poor medium for conveying emotional states. And people misuse them deliberately and accidentally then suddenly the new meaning takes over and the cycle repeats. If neither thing were true, no-one would have invented poetry.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: 厚目眠子 on 12 Aug 2020, 03:58
Roko liked bread. Pintsize durably publically explicitly stated that he wanted to shoot toast at "your" body. (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3694) Roko agreed to a date with Pintsize. Pintsize shot toast at Roko. Roko disliked that?
Roko was trying to come to some understanding of who Pintsize was, and getting no response. Pintsize was trying to live out his sexual fantasy and not getting the response he wanted either. Both leave the date highly dissatisfied.
Roko wanted more than toast shot at him.
Quote from: JELLYMAN
Relation is Dead, mismatch.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: 厚目眠子 on 12 Aug 2020, 04:38
Words are a very poor medium for conveying emotional states. And people misuse them deliberately and accidentally then suddenly the new meaning takes over and the cycle repeats. If neither thing were true, no-one would have invented poetry.
Poetry means formally. (Contrast prose.) Used for mnemosis, esthesis, emphasis,,
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Cornelius on 12 Aug 2020, 05:09
Contrast free form poetry.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: ischaemia on 12 Aug 2020, 06:34
For me personally, I'd attribute a crush to something more akin to infatuation and a slight obsessiveness (ie: thinking about them constantly, accidentally imagining them close to you as you drift to sleep, being terrified of their nearness, etc.) whereas attraction is more like "ah, yes, this person is someone I find (subjectively) appealing," but without the aforementioned qualities of infatuation. If you have the former, you generally have the latter, but if you have an attraction, you don't necessarily have that crush kind of quality to it.
This is a bit of a tangent but, I'd argue even that while it's hard to have a crush without attraction (lucidly observed) it's totally possible to have that tropey anger/rival crush, where you have a latent attraction you don't want to give a voice to (and that can be fun when employed! I just don't think it's something we've seen in this comic for a while, if nothing else).
I hate to say it, but I was almost hoping the game mentioned last comic to be a segue into another alternative comic from Jeph like Alice Grove LOL
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Case on 12 Aug 2020, 08:34
The caption seems a reference to the Expanse series (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expanse_(novel_series)), and it does feature an interstellar Emperor, and he does have a (rebellious) daughter, but no arranged marriages, at least not so far...? :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 12 Aug 2020, 08:49
Does it have an Oort Federation? I'm only interested in the Oort Federation.
What are they? What do they do? Why do they need to be defended against? Who is their leader?
Do they live in the Oort Cloud? Did they make the Oort Cloud? Is the Oort Cloud even real?1
Answers, people. I crave answers.
1Most sources I found said it was theoretical.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Kairi on 12 Aug 2020, 09:57
:) just gonna throw in that while asexual people sometimes call nonsexual crushes "squishes," I can absolutely talk about having crushes on people and have people understand what I'm talking about when there's no sexual attraction <3 strength of emotion is key tho!
I'd interpret "not sure if it's a crush" to mean not sure if the emotion is that strong.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Kein Kunstler on 12 Aug 2020, 11:54
Many a text uses both---let's not haste the distinction's disposal. Prose seems familiar enough: it rarely permeates popular conscience; some sentences about it are warranted. As noted by 厚目眠子 (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,34682.msg1447913.html#msg1447913), the poetry of a text comprises it's formalities---metre, rhyme, rhythm,, Prose means materially: words, phrases, paragraphs,, Our familiarity lends poetry comprising nonprosaicalities But a poem? Each has significant poetry. Each prose piece has significant prose. Much freeform poetry is prose. Some poets disclaim the more prosaic than poetic. (Compare: this.) Many prose pieces have been falsely called ``poetry.'' This disinformation propagation, let by noneducation, established another sense of the word. Calembourists elate.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Thrudd on 12 Aug 2020, 13:01
I could see a mueslix mix with this relationship thing where everyone is unsure about everyone else. The simple thing is they like each other and all really like Brun.
I can picture a moment of realization for everyone [ Brun still not sure on anything ] ending with a group hug with Brun in the centre "berf". Okay, I just want to see that scene in a full panel.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 12 Aug 2020, 16:07
Interesting theory on the origin of the word 'crush.' (https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cru1.htm)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: wiserd on 12 Aug 2020, 17:06
I'm betting on an Elliot- Clinton romance of some type. Does anyone else think Jeph has been drawing Clinton a bit more twinkish very recently?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 12 Aug 2020, 18:13
New comic!
Elliot came clean! Good on him, shame Renee isn't there to stop him from running away. Can't wait to see how Clinton is going to react.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: zisraelsen on 12 Aug 2020, 18:36
I just can't believe this is a Thursday page.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 12 Aug 2020, 18:46
Anyone want to take the usual joke about us having Steve eating cereal tomorrow? Anyone? I can take it if no-one else wants it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: shanejayell on 12 Aug 2020, 18:50
Yay, Elliot finally confessed! :D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: SmilingCat on 12 Aug 2020, 19:01
I'm proud of ya, Elliot.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: badbum61 on 12 Aug 2020, 19:09
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Golonya on 12 Aug 2020, 19:16
So, today's strip (8/12, Elliot coming clean) was perfect enough to make me register for the forums. I am also, evidently, a robot or robot leaning, due to my reaction to three more than five being "no". But that aside--as a tiger once said, it's that dawning moment of comprehension that I live for. I wonder what'll happen next?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: tbodt on 12 Aug 2020, 19:20
(original content removed)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 12 Aug 2020, 19:23
So, today's strip (8/12, Elliot coming clean) was perfect enough to make me register for the forums. I am also, evidently, a robot or robot leaning, due to my reaction to three more than five being "no". But that aside--as a tiger once said, it's that dawning moment of comprehension that I live for. I wonder what'll happen next?
Welcome!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Kairi on 12 Aug 2020, 19:26
these past few days of comics and then today's have led to me running around and trying to get my friends to read it lol. friends? random discord acquaintances? entire twitter following? everyone just go look at the cuteness okay
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Onyx on 12 Aug 2020, 19:51
My Bi ass is squealing SO HARD right now! Go Elliot!
Edit: Also: been reading the comic for years and years, had an old account to forum I lost, registered this one over a year ago, and it is STILL my first post (with this account - old one had posts). I super love this and Elliot is one of my fav characters.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: cesium133 on 12 Aug 2020, 20:08
...shit. That means there is no Patreon page tomorrow. :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 12 Aug 2020, 20:18
Elliot--good job finally confessing, even if it was in the most roundabout way possible. Clinton--credit for figuring it out, points off for time taken.
I am fighting myself SO HARD right now. My pessimistic (and realistic, in my opinion) bet was on Clinton saying no, but I really want them to get together. :psyduck: :psyduck:
My fate lies in the hands of the great Jacques now; may he end it swiftly and with mercy.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: DaiJB on 12 Aug 2020, 20:27
:laugh: For a pretty smart guy, Clinton can be slooowww on the uptake.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: zmeiat_joro on 12 Aug 2020, 20:36
Milli was originally just a background character associated with the 'cloaked emu' joke break in the 'Winslow's New Body' mini-arc. When Jeph brought her back and started fleshing her out [snip]
[snrrkk!] :roll:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 12 Aug 2020, 21:18
My guess is that Clinton won't say 'No' to Elliot, and that he will go off to process this.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 12 Aug 2020, 22:33
May I make a request that if you post a Patreon comic, you spoiler it first? I know it's blurred out, but you can tell a fair amount just from the outlines. I'd rather wait and get the comics on time. Thanks :-D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 12 Aug 2020, 22:48
What he said ^^^
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: tbodt on 12 Aug 2020, 23:19
Sorry about that! Just added spoiler tags.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 12 Aug 2020, 23:23
I suspect that there are no words to quantify just how much courage Elliot needed to admit to Clinton what's going on. Clinton doesn't seem as much annoyed as surprised that they were talking about him all along. That probably says a bit about his self-image too!
I'm just wondering if Clinton will copy the Elliot Method and 'just hang out' with a lot of people as an alternative to actually asking them out. Because that's hard.
I'm also thinking that this is going to be the first of Clintelliot "No, we're not dating, just hanging out" meetings at the climax of which someone will say something like: "So, you're not boyfriends? That is what you're asking us to believe?"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 13 Aug 2020, 00:09
Normally I am not into the whole "predict what's coming" thing that is so popular here; but somehow, trying to guess what's coming based on a blurry version of the comic is surprisingly entertaining.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: tbodt on 13 Aug 2020, 00:55
Normally I am not into the whole "predict what's coming" thing that is so popular here; but somehow, trying to guess what's coming based on a blurry version of the comic is surprisingly entertaining.
I want a dedicated forum for this
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: pwhodges on 13 Aug 2020, 02:33
Normally I am not into the whole "predict what's coming" thing that is so popular here; but somehow, trying to guess what's coming based on a blurry version of the comic is surprisingly entertaining.
I want a dedicated forum for this
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tormuse on 13 Aug 2020, 04:01
It's been a while since I laughed out loud at one of these, but Clinton's delayed reaction cracked me up. :D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 13 Aug 2020, 05:58
On the subject of people debating the word crush:
“I think perhaps the most important problem is that we are trying to understand the fundamental workings of the universe via a language devised for telling one another when the best fruit is.” -Terry Pratchett
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: N.N. Marf on 13 Aug 2020, 06:37
Elliot--good job finally confessing, even if it was in the most roundabout way possible. Clinton--credit for figuring it out, points off for time taken.
I am fighting myself SO HARD right now. My pessimistic (and realistic, in my opinion) bet was on Clinton saying no, but I really want them to get together. :psyduck: :psyduck:
My fate lies in the hands of the great Jacques now; may he end it swiftly and with mercy.
Of course, my interest is for it to drag on so long that Clinton's time runs out (a few (3--7) in-story days). Too bad for me, I didn't hedge my bets properly (but I still think the odds are in my favor): even if I didn't bet, this would be the outcome I wanted, because we get to see more of the ``lead-in'' to the relationship (or false start thereof etc).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 13 Aug 2020, 08:44
Dang. Now I wanna read about the rebellious princess trying to escape an arranged marriage...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Wingy on 13 Aug 2020, 10:16
I must have missed this, but what's the protocol for grammar & spelling errors in the comic? I just noticed panel 4 of 4327 is missing an "a" in front of shipbuilding and panel 5 has "against" all scrambled (looks like I typed it, actually)...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 13 Aug 2020, 11:38
Rowling says transgenders shouldnt be allowed to mislead people about the fact that they are transgenders. In the world of this comic, thats as if Marten would not have been informed beforehand that Claire is transgender and wouldnt be allowed to protest against it or leave the relationship because of it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Marco on 13 Aug 2020, 12:34
When I saw today's strip, all I could think was "Thank God it's not friday". Unless, of course, Steve's back tomorrow as some of you suggested. (I hope Jeph is not reading this and having ideas)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 13 Aug 2020, 12:38
If tomorrow is a Steve cereal day, I will throw my laptop into a meat grinder. I have been waiting on this storyline for months.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Roborat on 13 Aug 2020, 12:57
I liked this page, I thought it was cute, and I actually laughed the first time I read it. I think Jeph did a great job on this, the setup and execution were pretty much perfect. And it is only Thursday, so I am anticipating what tomorrow will bring, even if it is a Rick (Steve) roll.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 13 Aug 2020, 14:20
If tomorrow is a Steve cereal day, I will throw my laptop into a meat grinder. I have been waiting on this storyline for months.
I am pretty sure it won't be a cereal day, but I am also pretty sure that we will still be left with some element of suspense.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 13 Aug 2020, 18:29
Ugh, another 72 hours until the resolution.
Finally, someone acknowledges that the act of trying not to make things weird is guaranteed to make things weird.
We've definitely seen the burrito vendors before. My computer's being slow so I can't find the exact strip, but it was when Dale was in the COD superhero suit, I think. Someone with greater archive skills than I could find it, perhaps.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Case on 13 Aug 2020, 18:55
When I saw today's strip, all I could think was "Thank God it's not friday". Unless, of course, Steve's back tomorrow as some of you suggested. (I hope Jeph is not reading this and having ideas)
IIRC, Jeph has been forcing himself to have a buffer of already finished strips for several years now - so I'd say it's unlikely your comments today could influence tomorrow's strip.
He also insists he doesn't read the forums, for his own sanity.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: DaiJB on 13 Aug 2020, 19:03
Finally, someone acknowledges that the act of trying not to make things weird is guaranteed to make things weird.
For the same reason that trying to stop overthinking something is guaranteed to make you overthink it even more? :-\
Quote
We've definitely seen the burrito vendors before. My computer's being slow so I can't find the exact strip, but it was when Dale was in the COD superhero suit, I think. Someone with greater archive skills than I could find it, perhaps.
Can't find it either, but didn't we see them in Union Robotics, with the blue AI girl getting a spray from Sam?
I can just imagine Renee, watching surreptitiously around a corner, observing the latest interaction with increasing irritation, then finally losing patience and yelling "Stop talking and kiss him you goober!" :-D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 13 Aug 2020, 19:10
Here's the CoD strip (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3931) which possibly shows the burrito girl
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 13 Aug 2020, 19:10
Argh, still no resolution! Fingers crossed we get something on Monday
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 13 Aug 2020, 19:17
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Penquin47 on 13 Aug 2020, 20:57
Also possibly Burrito Girl. (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3943)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Beast_Reborn on 13 Aug 2020, 21:19
So I created this account a while ago, but like a few others this storyline is what finally gets me to write a post. I'm not even sure how I want this situation to turn out. They're cute together, but I almost think Elliot was meant to be lovelorn. Also, while apparently-straight people turning out to be otherwise when the right person comes along is certainly a thing that happens, too many such twists could start to seem kind of indulgent. But I trust Jeph to do the right thing.
Looks like that robot behind the counter is kind of the grumpy/jaded type, based on her (?) two appearances so far.
Watching Clinton and Elliot here, something that jumps out at me is the similarity to another conversation that got out of control (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3885) at Roko's job interview with the AI rights nonprofit, which, interestingly, also came immediately after a "coming out" of sorts. Clinton's expression looks a lot like the yellow robot's, and Roko and Elliot even do the same desperate double thumps up.
Elliott's passivity is making this conversation more difficult for him. He needs Clinton to take the lead at this point, but Clinton is still too flustered to do so. The best part is that Elliot hasn't even noticed that Clinton hasn't said no yet, and might not say no at all...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 13 Aug 2020, 21:23
Finally, someone acknowledges that the act of trying not to make things weird is guaranteed to make things weird.
For the same reason that trying to stop overthinking something is guaranteed to make you overthink it even more? :-\
Yes, but that's not all. It's more like this exact situation--one clearly interested in the other, the other not necessarily interested in the first...there isn't a way to "not make it weird" that doesn't make it weird, because even if the Clinton in this situation chooses to forget, the Elliot can't change their feelings. Pretending it never happened doesn't affect both parties equally, and no matter how much they try to put it out of their minds, it will likely permanently affect the friendship.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 13 Aug 2020, 22:31
I don't see why you say that when Elliot and Renee have been through this situation, and things are not weird between them.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Timemaster on 13 Aug 2020, 22:36
It´s been a while since I‘ve posted something here. But this is so nice. :laugh:
We all saw this coming. And although it was made clear that Elliot feels affection for his friend, there was never any hint that Clinton might be romanticaly interested in men. So my greatest fear when Elliot came out to him, was that Clinton would be so flustered, he turns into a creep and brushes his friend off in a rude way or would run away.
He didn‘t and I am very glad about that. Kudos, Clinton. You‘ve grown a lot since your first appearance. :roll:
I don‘t know where Jeph will take this. A relationship between these two would be nice, but I still see no signs in Clinton of being attracted to men in general or especially Elliot.
We‘ll see... TM
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 13 Aug 2020, 22:40
I don't see why you say that when Elliot and Renee have been through this situation, and things are not weird between them.
That's a very good point.
My attempted counterargument: We don't actually know that for sure. We aren't inside Renee's head. She's helping Elliot get with Clinton and/or Brun likely because she cares for Elliot's feelings. My guess is she's still attracted to him, but won't act on it because she knows it isn't reciprocated. This is one of the points I was trying to get at: The person who turns the other down is in the less awkward situation. It's easier for them to forget. The reason it isn't weird between Renee and Elliot is because Elliot doesn't think it is, and Renee doesn't want to act on it.
I could just be blowing smoke, though. Maybe "guarantees that it will be weird" was too strong of a phrase. How about "frequently, though with certain exceptions, leads to being weird?"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 13 Aug 2020, 22:45
BTW if it turns out that Clinton is just not into Elliot for whatever reason, and Brun is not interested in general, then the poll is missing a pretty valid option.
My attempted counterargument: We don't actually know that for sure. We aren't inside Renee's head.
For sure. Actually, I think it's very likely weird inside Renee's head, at least from time to time. I imagine that this will become less so over time. Anyway, it hasn't really affected their friendship, and it's not weird between them, if you get what I'm saying (which is to Renee's credit).
It definitely could end up being weird. It really depends on them, I guess. How common is this? Honestly, I don't know.
Personally, there have been... two occasions when I've asked someone out and they've turned me down, but things didn't end up weird. We still got on fine. I have no idea whether that makes me the weird one, or if actually things were uncomfortable for the other person without me knowing (totally possible).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 13 Aug 2020, 23:07
There might be a chance for Elliot and Clinton: Clinton once said that he would be open for the possibility if the right guy came along (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3710)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gyrre on 13 Aug 2020, 23:15
Time (and Jeph) will tell.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Farideh on 13 Aug 2020, 23:17
But I want to know NOOOOOW! 😉
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 13 Aug 2020, 23:29
Those two really need to learn how to just deal with the fact that things involving deeper emotions are always weird and just get on with their lives. No, I'm not expecting them to do that either!
You know, just about every time we see the ladybot at the serving window, she's saying something snarky and/or rude. That doesn't make her that unusual in the cast of QC but the bit at UR when she made a crack to her friend about her being 'made of biodegradable matter' was a bit too aggressive for my liking. I know that Jeph has created the character solely for the purpose of delivering the snappy punchline but there is an aspect of snobbishness and cruelty that doesn't quite work for me.
The best part is that Elliot hasn't even noticed that Clinton hasn't said no yet, and might not say no at all...
Well, "I'm flattered" is pretty much the classic thing to say when you're not interested but want to let the person down gently...
Yeah, I think that Jeph is doing a good job at keeping things up in the air for now.
This reminds us of the negative aspect of the crush: That all the attraction in the world can't help you if you don't feel sufficiently at ease with someone to open up to them without it making you feel sick.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: St.Clair on 13 Aug 2020, 23:49
“I think perhaps the most important problem is that we are trying to understand the fundamental workings of the universe via a language devised for telling one another when the best fruit is.” -Terry Pratchett
English, however, is of much more recent vintage; and when it comes to that language, I refer to H. Beam Piper:
Quote
English is the result of Norman men-at-arms attempting to pick up Saxon barmaids and is no more legitimate than any of the other results.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Timemaster on 13 Aug 2020, 23:51
There might be a chance for Elliot and Clinton: Clinton once said that he would be open for the possibility if the right guy came along (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3710)
I completely forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder. Now I‘m even more interested how this will go on. :-D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: N.N. Marf on 14 Aug 2020, 01:43
Those two really need to learn how to just deal with the fact that things involving deeper emotions are always weird and just get on with their lives. No, I'm not expecting them to do that either!
I think the only way to make it not weird is to let it be weird. Does that make sense? I think it does somehow.
the bit at UR when she made a crack to her friend about her being 'made of biodegradable matter' was a bit too aggressive for my liking. there is an aspect of snobbishness and cruelty that doesn't quite work for me.
Maybe they are past the stage of maintaining scatanecrological niceties (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4186) in that relationship, but how can they know cybrids can't die? Psychical errors they don't know how to correct would accumulate.
Let's avoid even inadvertent offense to our trans members. It turns out, for example, that "transgenders" can cause offense. https://ischoolsjsu.libguides.com/geist/2. It's a high degree of care but it is what's needed to be decent. UPDATE: to put it more positively, "trans people" is a good phrase to use.
I didn't see ``trans people'' suggested anywhere on that page. I saw ``transgender people,'' which I think is better than ``trans people,'' because ``trans people'' is vague about what the crossing is. The context might make it clear, but that puts a little extra work for each reader, which is probably in sum greater than the work of typing out the 6 letters more. Related, but more generally, I usually recommend using ``persons'' instead of ``people,'' because we usually care about the members of the class of persons, rather than the class itself. I think the point against ``transgenders'' is the same. When an adjective is used as a noun meaning an item that has that quality (it's called ``nouning an adjective'' (and that's called ``verbing a noun'')). That's not necessarily bad, but when you pluralize it, as the word ``transgenders'' is, the plural moves the emphasis slightly away from the persons of that type to the class of persons. Of course, confusing a member of a class with the class is usually inaccurate. I'm rarely offended by anything much, but I can understand that a person might be offended by persons assuming he represents a class that's is so variegated, or assuming that what's in common among the members of such a variegated class is his only quality, is reasonable. (I usually think about it not as crossing genders, but as returning to his proper gender, because that's what it's really about.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: ihaveavoice on 14 Aug 2020, 03:42
"Transgenders" isn't great for the same reason that saying "the Blacks" instead of "Black people" isn't a good thing to do. And the idea that people who are transgender are somehow tricking cisgendered people is hugely transphobic. It really isn't some huge thing that trans women are like going around trying to lure straight cis men into bed with them without them knowing they're trans. Why would anyone be so eager to up their chances that they're going to be murdered in a violent bigoted rage? And it's not like it's safe for people to just go around announcing to everyone that they're transgender - that's generally a delicate subject for people and needs to wait for a specific private conversation, like we've seen with Claire and the people she's told. The fact that Claire doesn't wear a "Hello, I'm trans" nametag doesn't mean that she's misleading people into thinking she's cis. That "I'm just saying they shouldn't be lying about it" thing is really just transphobes trying to pretend they're just being reasonable by trying to protect the innocent against those scary, scary trans liars.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 14 Aug 2020, 04:26
The reason transphobes want trans* people to “be honest” i.e. wear a name tag is the same reason the Nazis wanted Jews to wear a yellow star; so they know who to target.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Marco on 14 Aug 2020, 04:39
When I saw today's strip, all I could think was "Thank God it's not friday". Unless, of course, Steve's back tomorrow as some of you suggested. (I hope Jeph is not reading this and having ideas)
IIRC, Jeph has been forcing himself to have a buffer of already finished strips for several years now - so I'd say it's unlikely your comments today could influence tomorrow's strip.
He also insists he doesn't read the forums, for his own sanity.
A buffer of cereal strips to use when appropriate?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: snubnose on 14 Aug 2020, 06:15
The reason transphobes want trans* people to “be honest” i.e. wear a name tag is the same reason the Nazis wanted Jews to wear a yellow star; so they know who to target.
Eh ?
I have never heard of people who demand that transpeople have to wear public tags ?
And by the way, the goal of the Nazis was to further victimize the jews. They became very outraged when they found out that people by vast majority instead expressed how bad they felt for jews when they saw people wearing these signs.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: jwhouk on 14 Aug 2020, 06:38
Before we completely Godwin this thread (EDIT: Too late), I wonder about something - will Clinton let slip about Claire?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: BenRG on 14 Aug 2020, 06:54
Before we completely Godwin this thread (EDIT: Too late), I wonder about something - will Clinton let slip about Claire?
It would have to be a very specific circumstance to a very specific audience because I think he's sufficiently aware of her vulnerabilities that he wouldn't normally even think of doing something like that, no matter how much he trusts (or is annoyed with) the person to whom he is talking.
I'm thinking that if he met someone else whose circumstances were similar to Claire and found himself in a corner trying to explain his otherwise-inexplicable statement that he 'gets where you're coming from'.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Cornelius on 14 Aug 2020, 06:57
I'm not sure he will, even then. He's very protective and concerned about her, even if they have some sibling quarrels. Even if he's younger, he very much feels like the protective big brother.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 14 Aug 2020, 09:11
You know, just about every time we see the ladybot at the serving window, she's saying something snarky and/or rude. That doesn't make her that unusual in the cast of QC but the bit at UR when she made a crack to her friend about her being 'made of biodegradable matter' was a bit too aggressive for my liking. I know that Jeph has created the character solely for the purpose of delivering the snappy punchline but there is an aspect of snobbishness and cruelty that doesn't quite work for me.
That she chose a heart with a line through it as a spray suggests she considers herself above fluffy pink sentimentality. Would probably regard Millie with contempt. I see it as Jeph showing us that the range of AI viewpoints is pretty broad.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: cybersmurf on 14 Aug 2020, 10:00
When I saw today's strip, all I could think was "Thank God it's not friday". Unless, of course, Steve's back tomorrow as some of you suggested. (I hope Jeph is not reading this and having ideas)
IIRC, Jeph has been forcing himself to have a buffer of already finished strips for several years now - so I'd say it's unlikely your comments today could influence tomorrow's strip.
He also insists he doesn't read the forums, for his own sanity.
Doesn't mean he could throw some fresh Melons at us. And Mister JJ checks in every now and then, mostly when some specialist gets reported. But yeah, he usually doesn't, for his sanity's sake.
Does today's strip count as semi-cliffhanger? Clinton has gotten the message, but there is no answer yet.
There might be a chance for Elliot and Clinton: Clinton once said that he would be open for the possibility if the right guy came along (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3710)
AND Clinton says Elliot would be quite a catch! So, personally, I think there actually is a chance for... Ellton? Better not have me go there. In that corner of my mind there is only madness.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: cesium133 on 14 Aug 2020, 10:19
There might be a chance for Elliot and Clinton: Clinton once said that he would be open for the possibility if the right guy came along (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3710)
AND Clinton says Elliot would be quite a catch! So, personally, I think there actually is a chance for... Ellton? Better not have me go there. In that corner of my mind there is only madness.
Ellton? Hopefully they don't meet a rocket man named Johnn.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 14 Aug 2020, 10:28
let slip about claire about what?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Cornelius on 14 Aug 2020, 10:31
Out her, they mean, I think. At least that's what I responded to, even if it's a non sequitur.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 14 Aug 2020, 11:37
The reason transphobes want trans* people to “be honest” i.e. wear a name tag is the same reason the Nazis wanted Jews to wear a yellow star; so they know who to target.
Eh ?
I have never heard of people who demand that transpeople have to wear public tags ?
And by the way, the goal of the Nazis was to further victimize the jews. They became very outraged when they found out that people by vast majority instead expressed how bad they felt for jews when they saw people wearing these signs.
You mean except those people who tried (and are trying) to pass laws to force trans* people to use the ‘correct’ (according to their birth certificate) bathroom? Using propagandist fear-mongering lies as ‘justification’ for their blatant bigotry? With specific clauses to allow “concerned citizens” to confirm that “suspicious individuals” were in compliance, presumably by some form of ID check? You never heard of those guys? Well now you have; don’t forget.
As for the rest of your post: yes, and? Further victimisation (over and above the increased suicide rate, enormously inflated risk of physical and sexual assault, and outrageously inflated medical costs) of trans* people is the transparently blatant goal. And yes, they all got very upset when the bill(s) were struck down before they could become laws because of massive public outcry.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 14 Aug 2020, 12:45
The gender of any given person is entirely up to them.
The people they choose to tell (and when they tell them) about their trans* status is entirely up to them.
Denying anyone either of those rights is a hateful act.
Case fucking closed.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 14 Aug 2020, 14:15
Except for the important point that it's not a matter of choice.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Thrillho on 14 Aug 2020, 14:19
I have absolutely no idea how Claire's gender ended up involved in a discussion about whether Clinton and Elliot were going to have butt-based fun together. Will Elliot perhaps tell Clinton a deep dark secret about Renee for no reason?
For the record, if they aren't gonna, I will be - to coin a phrase - bummed out about that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Beast_Reborn on 14 Aug 2020, 14:46
Gay sex isn't necessarily "butt-based." Especially given that Clinton has never done anything with a guy before (for that matter, we don't know for sure if Elliot has), jumping straight into anal might not be the best idea. Admittedly this is nitpicking what might just be a rhetorical flourish.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Case on 14 Aug 2020, 15:38
And by the way, the goal of the Nazis was to further victimize the jews. They became very outraged when they found out that people by vast majority instead expressed how bad they felt for jews when they saw people wearing these signs.
- The goal of the Nazis was the literal eradication of European Jewry. They were terrifyingly effective in that.
- Individual expressions of 'sympathy and pity' from gentile Germans towards their Jewish compatriots made to wear the Judenstern are reliably, documented, eg in reports of the Sicherheitsdienst, or accounts from survivors of the Holocaust.
However, I have never even heard anyone claim that the "vast majority" of Germans made such gestures, or shared the sentiment - and the reactions of the German populace to the barbaric repressions, as well as their knowledge about their full extend has been a major focus of German historiography since at least the 1990s. Nor was I able to find anything corroborating your claim on the Germanophone interwebbertubes (I found metric shittons of evidence for widespread tolerance or tacit approval of the repressions, as well as for active support from ordinary citizens).
I look forward to your presenting credible evidence for your assertion.
More important would be the question whether the outrage that the "vast majority" of our grantparents' generation allegedly felt compelled them to discharge their ethical duty in meaningful, tangible ways. Six million victims of industrialized murder provide an exhaustive answer.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Kairi on 14 Aug 2020, 15:39
just appreciating the (intentional? unintentional? beautiful!) bisexual imagery in that they are currently standing in front of a taco poster and for one of their last conversational dances around this topic they were standing in front of a banana poster
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Thrillho on 14 Aug 2020, 16:03
Gay sex isn't necessarily "butt-based." Especially given that Clinton has never done anything with a guy before (for that matter, we don't know for sure if Elliot has), jumping straight into anal might not be the best idea. Admittedly this is nitpicking what might just be a rhetorical flourish.
Hit the nail on the head with the last sentence, friend
The comparative physical frames alone of these two guys and one has a goddamn ROBOT HAND
Look after your sphincters, children
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: marbledmurrelet on 14 Aug 2020, 18:45
Hey, I found my barely used account from 2014! Coming out of lurking again to try and get this thread away from sphincters and back to topics I have thoughts about...
re: Being attracted to someone, but not sure if it's a crush: I've been there. I suppose it was (or is) a combination of overthinking, denial, and my feelings being messy and fluctuating at times. A "crush" in my understanding is intense romantic attraction, but I'm not sure what exactly THAT means. Or what exactly it is that I want from that person that I'm strongly but kind of diffusely attracted to. I suspect it also depends on how much I think the other person could be interested in. I might be perfectly happy (ok, mostly happy) just having a meaningful connection with deep conversations and cuddles, but I really really long for closeness in SOME way. I've had obvious crushes on other people, but sometimes it's not that clear.
I think the only way to make it not weird is to let it be weird. Does that make sense? I think it does somehow.
It makes sense to me. I'm not even sure what everyone means by "weird" in this context, but it's not necessarily bad? IME it's much better to acknowledge things than try and pretend they're not there or that everything's cool. Things did feel weird and uncomfortable (to me) between me and my not-quite-sure-if-crush friend while I spent most of my spare time trying to figure out if it was mutual without being open with him. So I ended up telling him about my feelings and learnt that they weren't mutual, but he was really chill about it. Now it may still feel weird sometimes in that it's not "normal", but it doesn't get in the way. I actually got the impression that those open conversations deepened our friendship (because he's a very, very awesome person).
re: "transgenders": Trans here. If someone uses that term, I assume they're transphobic. From experience. If they proceed to defend JK Rowling, I DEFINITELY assume that they're transphobic or at least the type that feels the need to broadcast opinions that are based on ignorance.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 14 Aug 2020, 19:27
Except for the important point that it's not a matter of choice.
For sure. I actually rewrote that because my original post included the term "choose," which was obviously inaccurate. I guess I didn't quite get it anyway.
I guess...it's up to them how they want to express how they identify? If anyone has a better way to say that, please let me know.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Case on 14 Aug 2020, 20:21
Except for the important point that it's not a matter of choice.
For sure. I actually rewrote that because my original post included the term "choose," which was obviously inaccurate. I guess I didn't quite get it anyway.
I guess...it's up to them how they want to express how they identify? If anyone has a better way to say that, please let me know.
There's a clunky term in German constitutional law called "(The right to) informational self-determination" (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informational_self-determination). It's considered a basic right. Austria and Switzerland have similar legislation. The thrust of the concept is more in the privacy direction, and especially in the sense of a defensive right against state surveillance and/or what we'd call data-mining today, One of the relevant categories of personal data mentioned in commentary is sexual orientation (pretty sure that trans/cis status would be considered the same way). It's related to the US concept of the right to privacy.
Quote
The German term is informationelle Selbstbestimmung. It is formally defined as "the authority of the individual to decide himself, on the basis of the idea of self-determination, when and within what limits information about his private life should be communicated to others.[1]" Freedom of speech, protection of privacy, right to active private life, right to education, protection of personal data, and the right to public sector information all fall under the umbrella of informational self-determination.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 14 Aug 2020, 22:21
I don't see why you say that when Elliot and Renee have been through this situation, and things are not weird between them.
Haha, yes! Finally a sort of valid counter-example! (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4198)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Tova on 15 Aug 2020, 01:22
Just to remind you, what I was pointing out was that things don't need to remain weird between Elliot and Clinton just because things momentarily got weird.
The comic you've cited is precisely the example I used to support my statement. It's not a counter-example.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: ihaveavoice on 15 Aug 2020, 03:14
And by the way, the goal of the Nazis was to further victimize the jews. They became very outraged when they found out that people by vast majority instead expressed how bad they felt for jews when they saw people wearing these signs.
-snip- I have never even heard anyone claim that the "vast majority" of Germans made such gestures, or shared the sentiment - and the reactions of the German populace to the barbaric repressions, as well as their knowledge about their full extend has been a major focus of German historiography since at least the 1990s. Nor was I able to find anything corroborating your claim on the Germanophone interwebbertubes (I found metric shittons of evidence for widespread tolerance or tacit approval of the repressions, as well as for active support from ordinary citizens).
I look forward to your presenting credible evidence for your assertion.
More important would be the question whether the outrage that the "vast majority" of our grantparents' generation allegedly felt compelled them to discharge their ethical duty in meaningful, tangible ways. Six million victims of industrialized murder provide an exhaustive answer.
I would also be very interested in seeing snubnose explain this statement. It is AT BEST an incredibly irresponsible and inaccurate thing to state as fact on a public forum.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: cybersmurf on 15 Aug 2020, 04:15
One of the relevant categories of personal data mentioned in commentary is sexual orientation (pretty sure that trans/cis status would be considered the same way). It's related to the US concept of the right to privacy.
Basically, that's one of the reasons how and why Austria now has same-sex marriage. Before marriage was opened up there was "civil union* for same-sex couples, and same-sex couples only. Since you have to divulge the information about being married/in a civil union to your employer for social security reasons (among other), you had to out yourself. So, somebody sued, and won. Since "Homosexuality is still stigmatised, and as it forces you to give away sexual orientation" it was deemed unconstitutional.
Anyways, to me it seems once Clinton regains enough mental capacity to fully process this, I think he may give it a try.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: chris73 on 15 Aug 2020, 04:56
It might be cute if these were kids but for 20-somethings its something else...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: cybersmurf on 15 Aug 2020, 05:16
Except for the important point that it's not a matter of choice.
For sure. I actually rewrote that because my original post included the term "choose," which was obviously inaccurate. I guess I didn't quite get it anyway.
I guess...it's up to them how they want to express how they identify? If anyone has a better way to say that, please let me know.
I'm very sorry I'll use the cliche schrodinger's cat metaphor, but it's the best way I know so far to explain my gender situation. So my gender is more complicated than just male of female or some other fixed gender in the space of possible genders. It's also not just that it varies depending on the circumstance (fluid gender), but sometimes, there are multiple genders that I am simultaneously (polygender? I don't remember what the word for it is). Even more complicated than that is that of all the genders I could be, sometimes I'm in a "gender superposition" of some of those genders, and I do have some control over how the "superposition" "collapses" to one of those genders. It's weird for me to think about, too, and I don't exactly understand it all yet, but I do, sometimes, have some choice over what specific gender I am a given time. The point is that even if it's not a choice in many cases for many persons, forcing me to choose the gender that someone else want's me to choose when I can choose, is really oppressive.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Thrillho on 15 Aug 2020, 09:08
It might be cute if these were kids but for 20-somethings its something else...
They may neither have dealt with this scenario in a male on male interaction.
Lots of people who discover their queerness later in life report a feeling of repeating teenage experiences because of the new context. I can personally attest to this to as a recently out person in their 30s.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: jwhouk on 15 Aug 2020, 11:53
As I read through the comments here, I realized that Jeph probably wouldn't be the type to have an accidental "because of my sister" comment come out of Clinton's mouth. (That, by the way, is what I was thinking when I mentioned about accidentally "outing" Claire to Elliott.) Clinton is very careful when it comes to his sister, and has shown he can keep the secret.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 15 Aug 2020, 12:51
Welcome, mind-expanding new person!
It is humbling that I'm constantly learning new variations on gender identity and expression.
-----
I wonder if snubnose was thinking about the widely reported story of the King of Denmark and his subjects wearing yellow stars under occupation. I'd read about it many places and was sad to find it did not actually happen: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/a-star-is-borne/
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: TV4Fun on 15 Aug 2020, 12:59
This whole week of comics is just blowing my mind that in the QC-verse people are still going out to restaurants and eating inside at tables.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Theta9 on 15 Aug 2020, 18:57
This whole week of comics is just blowing my mind that in the QC-verse people are still going out to restaurants and eating inside at tables.
Because in our world there are AI robots walking around among us?
Sort of in some places. Though, the intent behind them seems a fair bit different in some cases (buy robot and fire staff vs intended to actually help people).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: Theta9 on 16 Aug 2020, 08:16
This whole week of comics is just blowing my mind that in the QC-verse people are still going out to restaurants and eating inside at tables.
Because in our world there are AI robots walking around among us?
Sort of in some places. Though, the intent behind them seems a fair bit different in some cases (buy robot and fire staff vs intended to actually help people).
Are those sentient, speaking AI? Where?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4326-4330 (10-15 August 2020)
Post by: TV4Fun on 16 Aug 2020, 23:49
This whole week of comics is just blowing my mind that in the QC-verse people are still going out to restaurants and eating inside at tables.
Because in our world there are AI robots walking around among us?
Sort of in some places. Though, the intent behind them seems a fair bit different in some cases (buy robot and fire staff vs intended to actually help people).
Are those sentient, speaking AI? Where?
Not fully, no. But Japan has these little dudes deployed in malls and apparently they're rolling out some more in convenience stores. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/07/19/business/tech/japan-robot-convenience-store-automation/