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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: Tova on 25 Mar 2018, 19:56

Title: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 25 Mar 2018, 19:56
It's time to kick off another week of wacky hi-jinks with a new poll.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: SpanielBear on 25 Mar 2018, 20:14
On the subject of sentient orbs of light- Shame Orb? Does this mean Yelling Bird and co were visions of QC's future? Sentient minds occupying a myriad of different forms, a life without death or pain, initially proposed as a cure to all ills but in practice so stifling to the spirit that lashing out with extreme behaviour is a desperate cry for connection and meaning?

I for one appreciate the foreshadowing.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 25 Mar 2018, 20:46
No mention of poor Roko in the poll? ;)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: cesium133 on 25 Mar 2018, 20:47
No mention of poor Roko in the poll? ;)
Indeed. A toast to Roko!  :claireface:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 25 Mar 2018, 20:55
*randomly chucks a bagel*
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Penquin47 on 25 Mar 2018, 21:22
Aw, Melon is adorable.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 25 Mar 2018, 21:35
Apparently I was precognative. *lol*

(I'm not on the Patreon)

Melon IS cute. Poor Roko tho.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: MrNumbers on 25 Mar 2018, 21:47
It's a very cute comic on its own, but I'm not a fan of mashing Melon and Roko together or the larger implications. It makes the world smaller, and like... I guess I'll have to return to my most recurring criticism: I think Jeph makes bad decisions when he likes a character too much, and he really likes Melon right now.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 25 Mar 2018, 21:52
He had already had a pic with Melon and Roko together, so it's not like it wasn't foreshadowed...  :-P
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: SpanielBear on 25 Mar 2018, 21:58
I dunno, Jeph can't really win here. Too few characters and people say his world's too small, too many and people complain that characters fall out of the loop. He can aim for a balance, whether he hits it is always going to be a matter of personal taste.

For my part, a Roko and Melon focussed week sounds great, though I imagine we will be switching between them and the Revelation. Shenanigans ahoy!

I wonder if "socially appropriate greeting" is just their thing, or if it's a fashionable ironic "meta-human signalling" affectation that hipster AI's are doing, and Roko is humouring Melon by indulging/can't be bothered to fight about it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 25 Mar 2018, 22:08
Call me crazy, but I'm seeing Melon as the Emily to Roko's Marten. They are friendly, but Melon is oblivious to how annoying and cringeworthy she can be while also giving you a sense of cuteness and caring when you deeply need it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 25 Mar 2018, 22:23
I wonder how they met.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: brasca on 25 Mar 2018, 22:37
This just screams buddy cop show and/or movie.  Perhaps Mellon is in a special unit.  It would explain how she could enter Steve's house without there being legal problems. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 25 Mar 2018, 23:01
He had already had a pic with Melon and Roko together, so it's not like it wasn't foreshadowed...  :-P
Rereading part of the archives last week, I found this strip: http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3566
I thought nothing of it at the time but in light of today's comic as well as the photo last week, I find it interesting that Roko referred to Melon as "some girl" - is she reluctant to admit she actually knows Melon?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: St.Clair on 25 Mar 2018, 23:06
This just screams buddy cop show and/or movie.  Perhaps Mellon is in a special unit.  It would explain how she could enter Steve's house without there being legal problems.

We've already seen Melon's day job.  Then again, she had a different roommate.  Perhaps both have changed in the interim.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 25 Mar 2018, 23:19
Jeph seems to love creating 'odd couple' friendships in this strip. In this case, it's Melon, the eccentric and joy-filled weirdo, and Roko, the serious and socially-frustrated cop.

I love so much about this strip. Melon's completely unselfconscious love for Roko really feeds into my idea that they were crèche-sisters (compiled at the same time and were BFF's during their pre-embodiment phase). That these feelings are mutual to some extent is shown by Roko's lack of overt annoyance and the simple fact that there is a photo of her and Melon on the wall by the door. This is someone she's used to and that, despite everything, someone whose company she enjoys.

Oddly enough, this strip reminds me of Hannelore in her 'stalk Marten and Faye' phase, when she was repeatedly breaking into the apartment and demonstrating total unawareness as to why this is inappropriate. Just as I got the impression that Marten felt a certain reluctance to possibly trigger worse behaviour in Hanners by pushing back hard, I think that Roko finds it easier to indulge Melon rather than arrest her for trespass or something like that. Then, much to her shock (once again, like Marten with Hanners), she found everyone's favourite crazy synthetic was growing on her! :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Penquin47 on 25 Mar 2018, 23:38
This just screams buddy cop show and/or movie.  Perhaps Mellon is in a special unit.  It would explain how she could enter Steve's house without there being legal problems.

We've already seen Melon's day job.  Then again, she had a different roommate.  Perhaps both have changed in the interim.

Roko's not her roommate.  Melon just wanted to sit on Roko's couch instead of on her own floor.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Bollthorn on 26 Mar 2018, 02:24
"Socially appropriate greeting!" ^_^

Melon is adorable <3
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 26 Mar 2018, 02:26
No mention of poor Roko in the poll? ;)
Roko wasn’t in any of last week’s strips.


My favourite part was Clinton acting normal. Not being all wishy-washy and second guessing himself every other sentence. He’s made a lot of progress recently.


As for today’s strip, Melon really reminds me of U.N.I.T.Y. over on Skin Horse. Her first instinct is to break down the door. She’s probably really smart in one area, but no one is quite sure what area that could be. Maybe Melon’s one area is breaking and entering.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 26 Mar 2018, 02:32
He had already had a pic with Melon and Roko together, so it's not like it wasn't foreshadowed...  :P
Rereading part of the archives last week, I found this strip: http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3566 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3566)
I thought nothing of it at the time but in light of today's comic as well as the photo last week, I find it interesting that Roko referred to Melon as "some girl" - is she reluctant to admit she actually knows Melon?
The picture on Roko’s wall makes me kinda wonder if maybe they’re sisters. Obviously, it couldn’t be a biological relation, but it could be a software construct, much like their gender.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 26 Mar 2018, 02:38
He had already had a pic with Melon and Roko together, so it's not like it wasn't foreshadowed...  :P

Rereading part of the archives last week, I found this strip: http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3566 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3566)
I thought nothing of it at the time but in light of today's comic as well as the photo last week, I find it interesting that Roko referred to Melon as "some girl" - is she reluctant to admit she actually knows Melon?

The picture on Roko’s wall makes me kinda wonder if maybe they’re sisters. Obviously, it couldn’t be a biological relation, but it could be a software construct, much like their gender.

I think that Roko and Melon are from the same production batch and, prior to embodiment, were in the 'crèche' servers at ECI together. In this virtual school life, they became BFFs with Melon as the wild and crazy one and Roko as the sensible and probably more-bookish girl who kept Melon from accidentally decompiling herself because she wanted to know what happened if she enabled that option in her settings menu and then restored her processes.

They've gone in different directions now. If one Patreon strip (shown over Christmas last year) is correct, I suspest that Melon is a bit-part actress in theatre and/or amusement parks whilst Roko is a dedicated law-enforcement officer, confronting both gender and species prejudices as well as sexual frustration and loneliness.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: DaiJB on 26 Mar 2018, 02:53
Now I'm really looking forward to Melon and Emily meeting!  :-D
You know, there are certain similarities between our resident weirdo
and our new weirdo AI :

Melon: "Ms. Azuma? Is that you??"

Emily: "Yes, I'm Emily Azuma!...Who are you?"

Melon: "Remember the experimental AI you designed?
The one in which you used your own brain as a template?"

Emily: "You mean - the third time the government shut down
my research??"

Melon: "Yes! That's me!"

Emily and Melon: (Hugs and Squees)


Hmmm - is there a fanfic section of this forum? This probably belongs there...  :wink:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 26 Mar 2018, 03:05
Official Fanfiction Thread (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,30674.0.html)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: MrNumbers on 26 Mar 2018, 04:38
If nobody else is going to make the joke...

Rokomelon, anyone?

(https://4.imimg.com/data4/WW/WW/GLADMIN-/product-4736_muskmelon__kundan-250x250.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 26 Mar 2018, 05:38
Rereading part of the archives last week, I found this strip: http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3566
I thought nothing of it at the time but in light of today's comic as well as the photo last week, I find it interesting that Roko referred to Melon as "some girl" - is she reluctant to admit she actually knows Melon?

Wouldn't you?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 26 Mar 2018, 05:45
Or she heard about the incident through the grapevine (with names redacted of course) and never connected it to Melon because Melon forgot to mention it, or mentioned she had to get some repair work done but never got around to naming the company or the nature of the damage.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: aliensporebomb on 26 Mar 2018, 05:54
She's known as Melon but would that be Carnegie-Melon?  I kid. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 26 Mar 2018, 06:07
No one in this strip will ever get laid again because the author has lost his ADHD meds and can't find them again till he takes some.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 26 Mar 2018, 08:04
The picture on Roko’s wall makes me kinda wonder if maybe they’re sisters. Obviously, it couldn’t be a biological relation, but it could be a software construct, much like their gender.
I'm thinking more akin to cousins in terms of social distance (eg, not very far at all, almost but not quite siblings), but something on BenRG's model none the less.  Melon's impulse to break the door down rather than keying in the code fits with her solution to the Steve's box of Cereal Challenge (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3692) (gnawing it open with her teeth or whatever they are).

Or Melon may just be someone Roko came into contact with on the job, connected with, and took her under her wing.  She is, after all, a particularly strange model that seems to attract similarly strange inhabitants (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3566).  O'Malley, no doubt, told Roko "No good deed goes unpunished" and probably isn't shy about saying, "I told ya so," when Melon does something interesting.

(Is that Roko's hip flask equivalent thumb drive on the coffee table?  And who's the glass of water (assuming it is water) for, the cactus?)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 26 Mar 2018, 09:17
Melon’s impulse to break down the door rather than keying in the code fits with her solution to the Steve's box of Cereal Challenge (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3692) (gnawing it open with her teeth or whatever they are).
Steve’s box of cereal was already open. And empty. Melon was eating the box. But yes, it still fits. Also fits with her getting into Steve’s place via a tunnel in the basement (a tunnel which – based on Steve’s remark – wasn’t there before) instead of just knocking on the door.
(Is that Roko's hip flask equivalent thumb drive on the coffee table?  And who's the glass of water (assuming it is water) for, the cactus?)

My first thought was that it was a remote control or keyless entry device of some sort. I think the water is probably Roko’s. It is, I suspect, psychosomatic. She doesn’t need to drink it... she just needs to have it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Cattus on 26 Mar 2018, 09:24
Is it only me or does anybody else think that Melon is a robot Hanners but with physical contact?  She's got the same bubbliness and positive outlook on everything and loves everybody.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 26 Mar 2018, 09:39
Is it only me or does anybody else think that Melon is a robot Hanners but with physical contact?  She's got the same bubbliness and positive outlook on everything and loves everybody.
I wouldn’t have picked Hanners to compare her to. The bubbliness, etc. is the only thing they have in common. I’m more inclined to agree with DaiJB’s idea that Melon’s “mind” is based on Emily’s, but something went wrong, because she seems to be lacking Emily’s intelligence.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Storel on 26 Mar 2018, 19:17
Yup, it figures -- we ended last week with Clinton, Brun, and Elliott in an embarrassing situation, so of course we start this week off somewhere else entirely. And when (if) we do cut back to the Revelation, the three of them will be in a completely different situation and we'll never find out how the embarrassing situation got resolved. Jeph is good at this "frustration"  thing!  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: JJCalem on 26 Mar 2018, 19:32
Yup, it figures -- we ended last week with Clinton, Brun, and Elliott in an embarrassing situation, so of course we start this week off somewhere else entirely. And when (if) we do cut back to the Revelation, the three of them will be in a completely different situation and we'll never find out how the embarrassing situation got resolved. Jeph is good at this "frustration"  thing!  :-D
New comic is up, just in time to prove you wrong xD
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 26 Mar 2018, 19:39
"So how's the new butt working out for you?"
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Storel on 26 Mar 2018, 20:00
Yup, it figures -- we ended last week with Clinton, Brun, and Elliott in an embarrassing situation, so of course we start this week off somewhere else entirely. And when (if) we do cut back to the Revelation, the three of them will be in a completely different situation and we'll never find out how the embarrassing situation got resolved. Jeph is good at this "frustration"  thing!  :-D
New comic is up, just in time to prove you wrong xD
Nice to be proved wrong about that!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Penquin47 on 26 Mar 2018, 20:26
Brun. <3  She's right about the "don't worry about it" thing, too!  Yay for calling that out!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 26 Mar 2018, 20:48
I'm actually getting annoyed with Brun at this point.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: DaiJB on 26 Mar 2018, 20:53
Brun's reaction...  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 26 Mar 2018, 20:54
Brun... Brun.. No dear, you were not reading the situation right. Starting with leaning in close to the guy and smelling each other. That sends all kinds of signals you were ignoring.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: MrNumbers on 26 Mar 2018, 21:01
I think she was explicitly referring to her interpretation of Clinton's "Don't worry about it"
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 26 Mar 2018, 21:14
Heh, relatable. But nah, Brun wasn't reading the social cues right. As general rules, you don't get into peoples' personal space and you don't make them smell you. It's weird enough to even ask that, but she didn't even think to get permission first, and that's a social cue that should always be assumed first. And second, Clinton was clearly uncomfortable and trying to escape the situation and she didn't read that at all.

Tbh that "I thought you were making out " thing is such a trope I'm a bit surprised that she didn't recognize it at all. Though I've never been in that situation so I don't know for certain I would either.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 26 Mar 2018, 22:11
Quote from: Jeph Jacques
Brun is me whenever I successfully interpret a social cue

Me too, Jeph. Me too.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 26 Mar 2018, 23:21
I think that Brun earns a hug today just for sheer adorableness. Actually not being the only person in any given space who doesn't know what's actually going on in social terms is a huge moment and achievement for her. I've no doubt that she'll be going on about it to Renee for hours tonight!

Here's an interesting thing to focus on here: For Brun the thought that Elliott believed she and Clinton were making out apparently doesn't affect her at all; she focusses instead on him not reading the situation correctly. I'm guessing that this means that she doesn't find it such an unthinkable scenario although, her being her, someone will likely have to express that fact aloud for her to realise the path down which her subconscious is skipping.

Now jump to panel 3 and, you know, there is a lot of pain there. I wonder how often Brun has to handle someone essentially say to her: "Poor little autistic girl; you'd never get it. Sit in the corner and look at your clocks whilst 'normal' people deal with the important stuff"? It's to Clinton's credit that, when she points this out, he explains rather than brush her off. He achieves this even though, from his reaction, he doesn't want to address his own feelings on the issue of making out with Brun! :-D

Tbh that "I thought you were making out " thing is such a trope I'm a bit surprised that she didn't recognize it at all. Though I've never been in that situation so I don't know for certain I would either.

Of all the cast, Brun is the one least likely to be Genre Savvy (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GenreSavvy), IMO.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 26 Mar 2018, 23:30
For Brun the thought that Elliott believed she and Clinton were making out apparently doesn't affect her at all; she focusses instead on him not reading the situation correctly. I'm guessing that this means that she doesn't find it such an unthinkable scenario although, her being her, someone will likely have to express that fact aloud for her to realise the path down which her subconscious is skipping.
Or she could see it as so unthinkable that she literally doesn't think of it. It'd be too ridiculous to even cross her mind. That's quite a lot of projection on my part though so take that as speculation. And the genre savvy remark too - I think her personality is pretty close to what mine would be had I not spent 3 decades learning to be genre savvy to the point of paranoia. I should try not to project so much tbh, though that's really hard not to do for a character like Brun.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 26 Mar 2018, 23:45
I'm actually getting annoyed with Brun at this point.
You don't know what it's like to be on the spectrum, do you?

I may be "high functioning" but the social stuff can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Especially when nobody wants to be direct or open about things. So, it's pretty exciting when I'm pretty sure I interpreted a situation correctly in spite of that. Though like Brun, sometimes I'm dead wrong in my conclusion(s).


EDIT: Awkward and unintentionally antagonistic phrasing corrected.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 27 Mar 2018, 00:51
Idk, I get that she is probably on the spectrum somewhere, but at some point, someone has to have told her about personal space. Seriously, she functions with a job, she should be able to learn basic human interaction. Autistic people may have TROUBLE reading social cues, but that doesn't prevent them from learning basic etiquette.

I don't like people being close to me. It makes me very uncomfortable. Sometimes even romantic partners being too close to me for too long is difficult for me. I'm also incredibly sensitive to smells.

Everything she has done would have been incredibly frustrating to me, and just using her being on the spectrum as defense for her being annoying just feels off to me.

(Not to mention that the whole time Clinton has had to pee.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Pennepasta on 27 Mar 2018, 01:38
I'm actually getting annoyed with Brun at this point.
You don't know what it's like to be on the spectrum, do you?

I may be "high functioning" but the social stuff can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Especially when nobody wants to be direct or open about things. So, it's pretty exciting when I'm pretty sure I interpreted a situation correctly in spite of that. Though like Brun, sometimes I'm dead wrong in my conclusion(s).


EDIT: Awkward and unintentionally antagonistic phrasing corrected.

I read this strip as brun saying that she got the social cues right when someone else got them wrong, thus referring to the same situation, i.e. that they were making out. Brun is saying that she is knowingly leading the pair of them on, and that is annoying. I presume that that's snufflebottom's annoyance.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: oeoek on 27 Mar 2018, 01:46
Manometer in the red zone, bulging pipes, poor Clinton must be so ready to enter the bathroom by now...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BlueFatima on 27 Mar 2018, 04:02
Idk, I get that she is probably on the spectrum somewhere, but at some point, someone has to have told her about personal space. Seriously, she functions with a job, she should be able to learn basic human interaction. Autistic people may have TROUBLE reading social cues, but that doesn't prevent them from learning basic etiquette.

I don't like people being close to me. It makes me very uncomfortable. Sometimes even romantic partners being too close to me for too long is difficult for me. I'm also incredibly sensitive to smells.

Everything she has done would have been incredibly frustrating to me, and just using her being on the spectrum as defense for her being annoying just feels off to me.

(Not to mention that the whole time Clinton has had to pee.)

Has it been confirmed that she is on the spectrum? There could be many, many other reasons she is the way she is.

Her personal space issues remind me of some kids and adults I've met who had ADHD. They were amazingly functional when given tasks to focus on and having had time to heal, but seemed to have more difficult times with social behavior when they were stressed or tired out.

She could possibly have a number of other things going on from a strange/difficult upbringing to a number of conditions beyond being on the spectrum or a mix of this and that. At the end of the day, does it matter? Yeah, her behavior is unexpected (though it does seem to have a pattern), but as long as she's in character that's what matters most. Part of me kind of hopes she never gets a label. There are many people in RL who behave outside the norm who don't carry one (or keep it private).

I find her very relatable myself even though I kind of have the opposite problems with personal space. I used to joke with some friends that I was learning to be a person. I love her self reflectiveness and attempts to fit and be good to the people she is close with. It is obvious she takes a lot of time to work on changing her behavior, and that takes courage as it can be an uphill battle to change—even when it is to your own benefit.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 27 Mar 2018, 04:40
I'm actually getting annoyed with Brun at this point.
You don't know what it's like to be on the spectrum, do you?

I'd rather we not discuss whether I personally am autistic. It's none of your business and I don't want to talk about it. 

What I will say is that being autistic doesn't magically make someone not annoying. Btw - Has Jeph confirmed that Brun is autistic?  A person CAN just be awkward and bad at social cues without having autism.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 27 Mar 2018, 04:56
Btw - Has Jeph confirmed that Brun is autistic?  A person CAN just be awkward and bad at social cues without having autism.

Brun has also demonstrated other symptoms of some type of autistic spectrum issues. Most notably, she has had one on-page meltdown where she becomes uncommunicative and cannot process sensory data.

EDIT - It starts in this strip (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3223) and it isn't at all what I'd consider a typical shock reaction to what she's just been through.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Onionvolcano on 27 Mar 2018, 05:42
Brun is my favorite character.  She reacts as if she's exploring a world filled with bizarre, indecipherable behavior.  Further: I enjoy the flashes of tummy.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 27 Mar 2018, 06:23
Brun has also demonstrated other symptoms of some type of autistic spectrum issues. Most notably, she has had one on-page meltdown where she becomes uncommunicative and cannot process sensory data.

So we've established that it's possible she's autistic and such a scenario wouldn't be Jeph pulling a diagnosis out his ass but she might also not be.

It seems like responses to comments about her or her actions always boil down to " :-o BUT --- THE SPECTRUM!!  :-o" and it kind stops being a discussion about Brun and starts being a discussion about something that may or may not at most be one part of her character.

BTW, I don't dislike Brun. She's a fun character to watch and I enjoy the arcs with her. She's relatable enough to make me invested in her story. I still think she's reached a point in this arc where she is being annoying and a little rude.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 27 Mar 2018, 07:06
Has it been confirmed that she is on the spectrum? There could be many, many other reasons she is the way she is.

She could possibly have a number of other things going on from a strange/difficult upbringing to a number of conditions beyond being on the spectrum or a mix of this and that. At the end of the day, does it matter? Yeah, her behavior is unexpected (though it does seem to have a pattern), but as long as she's in character that's what matters most. Part of me kind of hopes she never gets a label. There are many people in RL who behave outside the norm who don't carry one (or keep it private).

I find her very relatable myself even though I kind of have the opposite problems with personal space. I used to joke with some friends that I was learning to be a person. I love her self reflectiveness and attempts to fit and be good to the people she is close with. It is obvious she takes a lot of time to work on changing her behavior, and that takes courage as it can be an uphill battle to change—even when it is to your own benefit.

I agree. Diagnoses are good for getting Individualized Education Programs and medications authorized, but far too crude for personal relations or story reading. Brun is a particular instance of whatever the hell it is she is an instance of, with particular features all her own, and those particular features are some of the most important things about her. Jeph has written a good character here.

Brun is the most socially competent person in this situation. She is like a left-handed boxer in that she is always awkwardly placed in relation to others, but is thoroughly used to that awkward position while the people she faces are not. Clinton can't manage to mention that he has to pee, get comfortable with her close, ask for more space, or explain succinctly to Elliot what is going on. Elliot jumped to a conclusion and ran away. Brun, by contrast, explained what was going on succinctly and knew precisely what Clinton meant by "Don't worry about it."

My bet is that Brun gets up so close to Clinton because the way she manages boundaries is that you are out or in. If you are out, she holds you at a distance. If you are in, she will drop her face into the crook of your neck to get your smell. It's a trust thing. Clinton appears to be in. I suspect that not many other people are in, so she hasn't gotten the news that some people aren't perfectly comfortable up that close.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 27 Mar 2018, 07:24
My bet is that Brun gets up so close to Clinton because the way she manages boundaries is that you are out or in. If you are out, she holds you at a distance. If you are in, she will drop her face into the crook of your neck to get your smell. It's a trust thing. Clinton appears to be in. I suspect that not many other people are in, so she hasn't gotten the news that some people aren't perfectly comfortable up that close.

There's also definitely out, where the closest you can get is determined by the length of her harpoon.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 27 Mar 2018, 08:19
Nothing in the comic diagnoses Brun. I interpret her as autistic because I am autistic and relate to her very much, so the comments I make will be from that perspective, but I do not hold canonpower. I do not claim to be able to pronounce why she does a thing; I only say that, from the perspective that she's autistic in a similar way to myself, this is a possible explanation. There are other perspectives that have their own explanations for why she does a thing and they are not invalid.

This is generally true for any character, in fact, since they aren't people themselves, there are many potential perspectives to interpret them from.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 27 Mar 2018, 08:43
Just as an aside, I love "canonpower." In fact, I seem to be devising a superhero who has canonpower. He is Metaman, and can, by means of his invention, the Literary Device, speak ex cathedra and say whether characters' actions are characteristic or atypical. When he speaks ex cathedra a vast shadowy throne forms under him.

[seizes self by lapels, shakes violently; slaps self several times, crying "Dammit man, snap out of it!"; snaps out of it]

The reason I don't want to diagnose Brun is precisely because, if one is not autistic, it tends to make her seem simple and other. It would be a way of holding her away. In your case, it is a way of bringing her close, and, I think, is precisely the thing to do.

Either way, of course, we have to respect the text.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 27 Mar 2018, 08:45
Metaman's foe is the Headcanon, who is armed with a headcannon. The Headcanon is allied with the Loose Canon, a woman of low moral character who does not respect the text.

I am going to go and lie down till this passes off.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 27 Mar 2018, 08:51
This just screams buddy cop show and/or movie.  Perhaps Mellon is in a special unit.  It would explain how she could enter Steve's house without there being legal problems.

Pedo Mellon a minno.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 27 Mar 2018, 09:01
Has it been confirmed that she is on the spectrum? There could be many, many other reasons she is the way she is.

Nothing in canon, I believe.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 27 Mar 2018, 09:02
FWIW, all this discussion about whether Brun has autism, and whether it explains or excuses her social awkwardness, is extremely insensitive to those people who either are autistic themselves, or have friends who are. It's a very personal matter, and it's no one else's business. If Brun herself brings it up and says "look, this is why I act the way I do", then it's out in the open. Then, and only then, can it be discussed respectfully.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 27 Mar 2018, 09:03
Brun is my favorite character.  She reacts as if she's exploring a world filled with bizarre, indecipherable behavior.  Further: I enjoy the flashes of tummy.

Welcome, new person!

I have had more than one incident myself of feeling like the world is full of bizarre indecipherable behavior.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 27 Mar 2018, 09:04
Metaman's foe is the Headcanon, who is armed with a headcannon. The Headcanon is allied with the Loose Canon, a woman of low moral character who does not respect the text.

I am going to go and lie down till this passes off.

Please don't - this is hilarious! :D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 27 Mar 2018, 09:06
This just screams buddy cop show and/or movie.  Perhaps Mellon is in a special unit.  It would explain how she could enter Steve's house without there being legal problems.

Pedo Mellon a minno.
I had to Google that, and I now stand stricken in awe of such awesome nerdiness!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 27 Mar 2018, 09:10
My bet is that Brun gets up so close to Clinton because the way she manages boundaries is that you are out or in. If you are out, she holds you at a distance. If you are in, she will drop her face into the crook of your neck to get your smell.

I agree.  A young electronics geek friend who's long been diagnosed with Asperger's described it as being the difference between a potentiometer and an on/off toggle switch.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 27 Mar 2018, 10:31
FWIW, all this discussion about whether Brun has autism, and whether it explains or excuses her social awkwardness, is extremely insensitive to those people who either are autistic themselves, or have friends who are. It's a very personal matter, and it's no one else's business. If Brun herself brings it up and says "look, this is why I act the way I do", then it's out in the open. Then, and only then, can it be discussed respectfully.
Global Moderator Comment Do we need to act, then? There's at least one moderator with ASD and we'd been taking for granted it was OK but we can always learn differently. If we allow the discussion to keep going, what are some good ways to prove our respect for autistic people and their friends?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 27 Mar 2018, 10:46
Nothing in the comic diagnoses Brun. I interpret her as autistic because I am autistic and relate to her very much, so the comments I make will be from that perspective, but I do not hold canonpower. I do not claim to be able to pronounce why she does a thing; I only say that, from the perspective that she's autistic in a similar way to myself, this is a possible explanation. There are other perspectives that have their own explanations for why she does a thing and they are not invalid.

This is generally true for any character, in fact, since they aren't people themselves, there are many potential perspectives to interpret them from.

Make sure you get Milanya's opinion. They have skin in the game.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 27 Mar 2018, 11:35
FWIW, all this discussion about whether Brun has autism, and whether it explains or excuses her social awkwardness, is extremely insensitive to those people who either are autistic themselves, or have friends who are. It's a very personal matter, and it's no one else's business. If Brun herself brings it up and says "look, this is why I act the way I do", then it's out in the open. Then, and only then, can it be discussed respectfully.
Do we need to act, then? There's at least one moderator with ASD and we'd been taking for granted it was OK but we can always learn differently. If we allow the discussion to keep going, what are some good ways to prove our respect for autistic people and their friends?
I'm not going to pretend I have the answer. I tend to be more sensitive to others' feelings than I need to be. However, it seems to me that some people are discussing the matter as if Brun is a fictional character with no feelings of her own. While that may be technically true, the people involved in and reading the discussion are real people with real feelings. A couple of the comments - while they haven't come right out and said so - have given me the impression that some people are already a little uncomfortable with the whole thing, but maybe I'm just reading them wrong. I've known people who weren't comfortable even disclosing that they had autism, let alone discussing it in public, and I've known others who were very open about the whole situation. If I were having a conversation with my friend who has an autistic daughter, I could ask her how she feels about discussing it in a public group. Unfortunately, we can't pull Brun off the page and ask her the same thing.

I don't think we need to stop discussing it altogether and forever, but people need to remember that while Brun may not be capable of being offended or hurt by what is said here, the real people here can be, and people need to think about how they would feel if the situation were reversed, and others were callously talking about their personal issues. It seems to me that we are teetering dangerously on the edge of going too far.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 27 Mar 2018, 13:14
All right, I’ll jump in. My son and I are both on the autism spectrum. We’re both at the very high-functioning end of it, but still, we’re there. And I recognize some of my own behavior in Brun.

For the record, I am not the least bit offended by Jeph’s portrayal of Brun or the discussion here about it. Frankly I think it’s a good way to educate more people about how autism really works, in much the same way that Claire’s portrayal and its discussion here educated me about trans issues. If it does start edging into offensive territory I’ll definitely speak up, but nothing so far has annoyed me except for the assertion that we all need to stop talking about it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 27 Mar 2018, 13:32
All right, I’ll jump in. My son and I are both on the autism spectrum. We’re both at the very high-functioning end of it, but still, we’re there. And I recognize some of my own behavior in Brun.

For the record, I am not the least bit offended by Jeph’s portrayal of Brun or the discussion here about it. Frankly I think it’s a good way to educate more people about how autism really works, in much the same way that Claire’s portrayal and its discussion here educated me about trans issues. If it does start edging into offensive territory I’ll definitely speak up, but nothing so far has annoyed me except for the assertion that we all need to stop talking about it.
Thank you. I'm glad to hear the perspective of someone personally dealing with this. My own perspective is that of having a good friend with a daughter who is only moderately functional, and it has been a tremendous struggle for them to get even to that point. She is very sensitive about people discussing her daughter's condition as if she were a sociology experiment rather than a human being - going so far as to delete her facebook account so people would stop asking her about it - and so I tend to be overly defensive about it as well. But if you think the discussion here is beneficial to people gaining a better understanding of it, I am not in a position to disagree.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 27 Mar 2018, 15:27
I just don't like people using mental diversity as an excuse to basically ignore consent. The only time anyone should ever be that close to me without some kind of indication that it is OK is like, when I was on trains in Tokyo, because there isn't a whole lot of choice in that case.

The more I think about it, the more it feels kind of shitty that the joke seems to be "She doesn't get personal space and Clinton likes her lol" and that joke is... Imagine if it was someone of Elliot's gender and size, doing that to someone like Tai.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 27 Mar 2018, 18:01
The only time anyone should ever be that close to me without some kind of indication that it is OK is like, when I was on trains in Tokyo, because there isn't a whole lot of choice in that case.
Reminds me of watching old TV shows, and in the close-up shots, they have the actors standing so close together they have to back up when they turn their heads in order to keep from breaking each other's noses. I mean, I know why they do it because I've worked in TV, but my first thought is "that looks unbelievably awkward."
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 27 Mar 2018, 18:57
NYC is full of people from places where the standard interpersonal distance is much closer than among  most Americans, and occasionally I say "No offense, but where I'm from, people don't stand that close, and it makes me a little nervous." They apologize and back up a little, and I reassure them, and then they begin to creep back in, because they just can't believe I can hear them from way over there. Or something. I am used to it. It is the nature of living in a multicultural warren.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 27 Mar 2018, 20:18
I'm almost certain that even in NYC, no one is walking forward to the point of trapping you against a wall as you back up while in physical contact with you.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 27 Mar 2018, 20:31
I just don't like people using mental diversity as an excuse to basically ignore consent.

That seems an unfair characterisation of the comic. Jeph is depicting a character who, we can only assume, does not really have a built-in understanding of personal space. It seems quite in character, and he's done so in a way that is non-threatening and light-hearted. That's not using mental diversity as "an excuse." I don't understand the hate.

Imagine if it was someone of Elliot's gender and size, doing that to someone like Tai.

Yeah, I'm not sure if Jeph would actually do that, or even if he did, Tai would have no qualms about forthrightly speaking up.

Different people have different personal spaces, and this is just one of the many tricky social etiquette situations that we all deal with on a daily basis without really thinking about it. Such situations are ripe to be plumbed for humorous purposes, I'm afraid.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 27 Mar 2018, 20:33
I went to college with people from New York and other parts of New England where they stand closer together, live closer together, drive their cars closer together, etc. (New Jersey has a population density of over 1200 people/sq.mile, and Michigan's is only 175). They would try to back off, knowing that I came from the Midwest, but they often weren't very successful. If someone here at home got that close to me, I probably would have been uncomfortable. But then I understood just as well where they were from, so I'd just let it go. Basically, we were one big awkward cluster of uncertainty and compromise. And we were great friends because of it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: zisraelsen on 27 Mar 2018, 20:45
Comic up! One that subverts the "Wacky Misunderstanding" setup, and hints that we might be confronting Elliot's feelings for Clinton at the same time. Here's hoping we don't get a smash-cut to somebody's breakfast tomorrow.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 27 Mar 2018, 20:49
@Tova You really don't see any issue with someone approaching someone who clearly backed into a wall and basically making it impossible to move away without either shoving them away or squirming to the side?

And you don't see an issue with people in the forum going "oh, well she's autistic, she can't help that she doesn't understand". 1. She isn't even confirmed as autistic in canon, and 2. That is incredibly insulting to autistic people. Just because they may have trouble reading a situation, or reading someone's face, does not mean that they are incapable of learning base human acceptable behavior.

And again, @awdgiedawgie, there is a difference between standing close and approaching someone who backs into a wall and clearly looks like he is still trying to back up further. http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3704 look at panel 4 and 5 of this comic. It is clear he was backed into the wall.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 27 Mar 2018, 20:58
Imagine if it was someone of Elliot's gender and size, doing that to someone like Tai.
As I go back and re-read the entire archive, it occurs to me that there has been a lot of uninvited invasion of personal spaces - for example Tai or Claire using much larger people as jungle gyms, or Melon having breakfast in Steve's kitchen. Of course, each situation is different. With the exception of Faye flattening people who touch her, and Hanners freaking out when anyone touches her, most of the time everyone seems to handle it graciously.


The main difference I see here is that all three of the people in the current situation have some pretty serious social awkwardness. But even with that, Clinton is more worried about Elliot misreading what was going on than about Brun pinning him to the wall.


And he still has to pee.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 27 Mar 2018, 21:10
Anybody else picturing Melon and Roko cosplaying as Tigger and Eeyore in that second panel?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: WoaLG on 27 Mar 2018, 21:14
Yeah... that was kinda lazy.

I think it depends on where he takes it from here. Sometimes the best way to subvert a trope in an interesting way is to appear to be playing it straight until the twist.

Not to say I told you so, but I told you so.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: MrNumbers on 27 Mar 2018, 21:24
Hey, so can we talk about panel 5 Elliot realizing he just started doing the victory dance one foot outside the endzone real quick?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 27 Mar 2018, 21:42
A small bit of advice:

"It is important for us to make allowances for those beneath us in ability…."
-- Lady Lennith, Alien Chronicles book 1: The Golden One

That's not meant as excuse or insult. Just a call for some leniency and understanding.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: St.Clair on 27 Mar 2018, 21:49
Claire's face, particularly her wide-eyed grin, tends to precede her by some distance in time and/or space.  Not unlike the Cheshire Cat.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 27 Mar 2018, 22:05
@awdgiedawgie:
"Be careful when talking about fictional characters who might be X, because it may cause discomfort in forum members who are X" is something the mods have been trying to beat into us for a long time.

So good for you. If I were a mod, I'd be purring.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 27 Mar 2018, 22:29
I feel like on this forum sometimes people bend so far over backwards trying to be accepting they end up being more judgmental towards people having a problem with someone acting badly than with someone acting badly. We are just all supposed to be so understanding and accept that oh she can't help it because of X.

I don't like people in close proximity to me, and I have panic attacks. Yet if someone was to crowd me like this, back me against a wall, I would do my best just to extricate myself from it and get them to back off verbally. Even though every part of my body would be in fight or flight and I would want to punch them in the face. Because I know I can't just punch people in the face.

If I freaked out and punched them, would you have as much sympathy towards my problem with distance and panic attacks as you seem to have with her complete lack of knowledge of personal space?

Like, people are not even allowed to say that they are finding her actions annoying without being lectured about it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 27 Mar 2018, 23:27
@Tova You really don't see any issue with someone approaching someone who clearly backed into a wall and basically making it impossible to move away without either shoving them away or squirming to the side?

Maybe I am communicating unclearly. Let me try again.

Like, people are not even allowed to say that they are finding her actions annoying without being lectured about it.

Of course you are allowed to say that. Please feel free to say that. I would probably find her actions annoying myself if she did that to me.
You didn't say that, though. You said:

I just don't like people using mental diversity as an excuse to basically ignore consent.

And I felt obliged to point out that neither the comic nor Brun nor the forumgoers were "using mental diversity as an excuse." That's a nonsense accusation, and completely different from saying she is irritating (which you have every right to say).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 27 Mar 2018, 23:29
So, finally, reality swings the cluehammer and connects with Clinton! Yes, Elliott likes Brun 'like that' and Clinton also likes Brun 'like that'. Yet both are unsure if they want to pursue this for a variety of reasons

If there is one thing that he knows beyond any shadow of doubt, it's that the phrase "It's complicated" does not auger anything well in the conversation, especially when talking about relationships, crushes and the like. I think he's right to say taht this is something into which Claire would love to dive headlong but she isn't there so it's up to him to sort out his own feelings.

I might be over-reading this but, just based on the entirety of Clinton's reactions, I'm thinking that Clinton has already decided not to make any approach to Brun because he genuinely doesn't think it would work out and impact their friendship for no real benefit to either of them.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Mordhaus on 27 Mar 2018, 23:53
Plot twist, Claire and Clinton actually are one person that morphs into the other Ranma-style.  :claireface:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: poofdepoof on 28 Mar 2018, 00:15
TFW you don't want to tell your crush about your other crush. I know that feeling well XD
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 28 Mar 2018, 02:28
In the case of Elliott, I'm pretty sure that he is very strongly introverted. So, just engaging in communication with Clinton and Brun is going to be a serious trial for him. Telling them about his feelings is going to be an order of magnitude harder. Asking one of them out is going to be nearly impossible because he is utterly paralysed by the fear of rejection to the point where he will just stand around fretting when someone steps in front of him and beats him to the punch (like Marten did with Padma).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 28 Mar 2018, 05:25
Was that repeatedly calling himself stupid part of Elliot during the Padma arc? I remember him being a softy but not that self-hating. Seems like there's some backstory there...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 28 Mar 2018, 06:53
Clinton has achieved new heights of clarity by finally getting to pee. He explained the situation cogently and asked the appropriate question at the appropriate time. He was bold but not reckless.

[Possibly we have here the basis for a meditation system based on bladder control and difficult social situations rather than breath control and koans. Acolytes would drink a gallon of water, meditate for an hour without squirming or bouncing up and down, and then adjudicate fights between their sweetheart and mother, courteously and kindly reject protestations of undying love, or escape the company of friendly, well-intentioned bores, without being allowed to pee first. But I digress.]

Also, I was wrong. This is not going down the usual sitcom route. Jeph faked one way and went another.

Elliot actually gets smaller when he gets insecure. In panel 4, happy for a moment, he does a bodybuilder hands over head pose and gets huge. By panel 6 he is a size smaller. Bodybuilders really can do that, but I have never seen it as an expression of emotion before.

Feeelings. Feeeeelings. Gonna get all up in Elliot's feeeeelings.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Shjade on 28 Mar 2018, 08:23
Just as an aside, I love "canonpower." In fact, I seem to be devising a superhero who has canonpower. He is Metaman, and can, by means of his invention, the Literary Device, speak ex cathedra and say whether characters' actions are characteristic or atypical. When he speaks ex cathedra a vast shadowy throne forms under him.

This was basically an X-files episode.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: SotFX on 28 Mar 2018, 08:56
Brun has also demonstrated other symptoms of some type of autistic spectrum issues. Most notably, she has had one on-page meltdown where she becomes uncommunicative and cannot process sensory data.

So we've established that it's possible she's autistic and such a scenario wouldn't be Jeph pulling a diagnosis out his ass but she might also not be.

It seems like responses to comments about her or her actions always boil down to " :-o BUT --- THE SPECTRUM!!  :-o" and it kind stops being a discussion about Brun and starts being a discussion about something that may or may not at most be one part of her character.

BTW, I don't dislike Brun. She's a fun character to watch and I enjoy the arcs with her. She's relatable enough to make me invested in her story. I still think she's reached a point in this arc where she is being annoying and a little rude.

A lot of her actions also fit into the Auditory/Visual Processing Disorders...

That also explains a LOT of missed cues with people as the verbal and body cues are a big part of things with understanding people and what is actually going on...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ChipNoir on 28 Mar 2018, 09:12
I know the S topic is not allowed, (...I think?) but goddamnit, I really want two certain guys together so I can enjoy that vicariously.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 28 Mar 2018, 09:20
I am not in a position to disagree.

Global Moderator Comment You're a member of the forum. You're in a position to disagree. You raised an inclusiveness issue. That gets the full attention of people in a position to change things. I can think of at least one occasion where I've reversed firmly held policy when affected people said it was affecting their feeling of being welcome here.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 28 Mar 2018, 09:48
I know the S topic is not allowed, (...I think?) but goddamnit, I really want two certain guys together so I can enjoy that vicariously.
The way I understand it, what is not allowed is only discussing hypothetical relationships that are out of character. I don’t think that’s where you’re going, necessarily. Yes, it’s still hypothetical, but Elliot has already expressed an attraction to Clinton, so I think that makes it a real possibility.


Others have recently been discussing all three of them getting into a poly relationship, and there’s been no indication whatsoever that any of them is interested in that, so I’d say your mentioning something that’s already been alluded to is just fine.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 28 Mar 2018, 10:06

there’s been no indication whatsoever that any of them is interested in that

Note that Clinton, rather than seizing upon the chance that Brun's very evident trust and Elliot's misunderstanding gives him to edge Elliot out, is talking honestly and openly with Elliot instead. Note Elliot's striking lack of jealous resentment at the idea that Clinton and Brun are a thing. This has been interpreted as lack of interest on Clinton's part and as a character defect on Elliot's. It can also be interpreted as evidence that they would be willing to share her affections if she wants.

There is currently no indication of what Brun wants, but we can be sure that she will do what she does want, not what convention dictates she should want. There are a lot of circumstances where missing social cues is a power, not a handicap.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 28 Mar 2018, 10:50
And I felt obliged to point out that neither the comic nor Brun nor the forumgoers were "using mental diversity as an excuse." That's a nonsense accusation, and completely different from saying she is irritating (which you have every right to say).

The first response to snufflebottoms saying that Brun's actions were annoying them was "You don't know what it is like to be on the Spectrum do you?"
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: themacnut on 28 Mar 2018, 11:47
The more I see of Elliot, the more I wonder how someone so insecure manages to throw enough of his weight around to do his job. I mean, the guy's a big marshmallow.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Thrudd on 28 Mar 2018, 12:21
The more I see of Elliot, the more I wonder how someone so insecure manages to throw enough of his weight around to do his job. I mean, the guy's a big marshmallow.
Uhm
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: zisraelsen on 28 Mar 2018, 12:32
If he's anything like me, he's got like 2 activities he can just exude confidence while doing (presumably acting as a bouncer is one for him) and then as soon as that stops he's back to his insecure marshmallow self.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 28 Mar 2018, 13:13
There's a world of difference between acting for yourself, in a social context, and acting in a professional capacity. For the latter, one important factor is that you're officially mandated to be where you are, and do what you do. That being cleared up, there's just the question of actual capability for the job in hand.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 28 Mar 2018, 13:55
And I felt obliged to point out that neither the comic nor Brun nor the forumgoers were "using mental diversity as an excuse." That's a nonsense accusation, and completely different from saying she is irritating (which you have every right to say).

The first response to snufflebottoms saying that Brun's actions were annoying them was "You don't know what it is like to be on the Spectrum do you?"

Yes, I saw it.

I'm actually getting annoyed with Brun at this point.
You don't know what it's like to be on the spectrum, do you?

I may be "high functioning" but the social stuff can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Especially when nobody wants to be direct or open about things. So, it's pretty exciting when I'm pretty sure I interpreted a situation correctly in spite of that. Though like Brun, sometimes I'm dead wrong in my conclusion(s).

They were referring to a completely different behaviour to the one you're talking about.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 28 Mar 2018, 14:11
Sorry for the double post.

The more I see of Elliot, the more I wonder how someone so insecure manages to throw enough of his weight around to do his job. I mean, the guy's a big marshmallow.

I just wanted to add to the previous replies... I also think that being a marshmallow oddly qualifies him for the job. He's professional enough to do what must be done when confronting undesirable behaviour, but's he's sensitive enough to use his words when he can and minimal force when he must.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 28 Mar 2018, 14:48
There's a world of difference between acting for yourself, in a social context, and acting in a professional capacity. For the latter, one important factor is that you're officially mandated to be where you are, and do what you do. That being cleared up, there's just the question of actual capability for the job in hand.

I used to have severe social anxiety, but I found that the biggest thing was that I had problems when I DIDN'T know what I was supposed to be doing. I ran security for several large cons, and that kind of "this is what you are supposed to do" bit helps a lot.

Once I knew what I was supposed to be doing, it was easy to do it. Even confronting people doing things wrong and escorting people, telling people to clear hallways, or form orderly lines.

The big thing was that I always felt out of place and felt like everyone knew I shouldn't be there. Once I had a defined place, that feeling disappeared.

Actually, this helped me get over my social anxiety in general as well for the most part.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Y on 28 Mar 2018, 15:27
The past few comics felt a bit familiar to me. I have autism spectrum, and I remember being called out on things including standing too close to people. In secondary/high school I was told that and I guess that made me second guess myself more, and notice the facts. Which are that they seem to hug all the time, and are standing close as well. So the conclusion is that they just say that because it's me and they don't like me. Also I had to stay close to be able to hear what they were saying because I can't hear so good (actually I hear everything with these wolf ears, including sounds in bathroom down the hall, hearing exactly who is walking though the hallway, who isn't washing their hands,... except I can't make out words said at a lower volume, or even hear different things).

I've seen people flirting in a similar fashion like Brun did (being that close), and the consent seemed implied, no one asks permission to flirt first. Also smell can be something wonderful, ever since reading 'The perfume' and a biology lesson about smell, I've found comfort in other people's smell, till a point you're smitten about them (or at least people tell me I am, or I tell myself(including once as a voice in my head)). But talking about that always seemed to creep the other person out, while all I need is to be close enough (though not that close) to be able to smell that, taking any action that could compromise that, including talking about feelings or love, would be something to be avoided. Which in turn resorted me to having to simulate love in my head instead.

I've found that talking about people's 'behavior' feels kind of strange, as if it's something very intimate and of yourself, and not something that's bad or wrong according some artificial norm. It breaks my heart sometimes hearing like person X is too direct(speaks before thinking) and that they have to correct them, effectively limiting their personality, curbing their enthusiasm,free will,being themselves... There is no one way people should be acting, and mistakes can be made but that's normal.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ChipNoir on 28 Mar 2018, 15:37
There's a world of difference between acting for yourself, in a social context, and acting in a professional capacity. For the latter, one important factor is that you're officially mandated to be where you are, and do what you do. That being cleared up, there's just the question of actual capability for the job in hand.

I tend to find big guys like Elliot have a molifying effect. Perhaps it's the realization (If you're sober enough to think) that this guy can pick you up by the back of the neck and calmly walk you right out of the building like a disobedient puppy. Being that physically advantaged, and having any empathy at all makes them in turn very hyper aware of what they can do, and they tend to work extra hard to be careful, gentle, and understanding of situations. More than once I've had the "teddy bear" type of guy talk me out of anxiety r  deescalate my bad behavior. A big squishy hug works wonders for anxious/angry types like me.

Prolly why I really want to see Elliot and Clinton together, as I identify with someone as nerdy, awkward, and unsure of his situation as he is.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 28 Mar 2018, 18:09
Brun crashes through social boundaries.

Here's a potential non-medical explanation.

She's afflicted with being a character in a webcomic where much of the humor is about boundary violations.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: zisraelsen on 28 Mar 2018, 18:16
Honestly, that also explains the behavior of Emily and Melon and Pintsize and Punchbot and Hannelore and...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 28 Mar 2018, 19:29
That seems a bit Questionable.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Near Lurker on 28 Mar 2018, 20:12
I feel like I should recognize that couple in the last panel, but for the life of me...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 28 Mar 2018, 20:15
Since Brün is not there, I assume they are in the Men's and Clinton has finally been able to pee.
And Elliot's "It's complicated" echoes Brün's "They really mean 'I don't want to explain it to you'".
Try, Elliot. I don't think Clinton will judge you.

Suddenly the comments stopped making sense.... Oh, there's a new comic up.
Dammit, Jeph.

edits...

Yep, Clinton + beer is as understanding as I'd hoped. But this isn't helping Elliot....
(Jeph, if you want me to buy you a coffee, stop being mean to Elliot)

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ChipNoir on 28 Mar 2018, 20:30
There really is no worse torture than having a crush on a friend that has no idea...The torture, I know it well. There there Elliot.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: fayelovesbubbles on 28 Mar 2018, 20:34
I really, REALLY don't think Elliot should confess his feelings to Clinton. It will make things awkward and ruin their friendship. He's already reasonably sure that Clinton doesn't like guys, it really would be best not to do this.

And I say this as a non straight woman who made the mistake of liking straight women way way way way too many times. Ack.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 28 Mar 2018, 21:33
Elliot, you're like 6 foot 6, 300 lbs, with less than 10% body fat. I don't think you need to worry that people won't think you're tough and scary. A Bengal tiger can be both adorable and terrifying at the same time.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: DaiJB on 28 Mar 2018, 22:20
Awww, Clinton's at the "I LOVE YOU MAN" stage of drunkenness - which must be really uncomfortable for Elliot!

What should Elliot do?

Try to maintain the illusion of being a tough and scary bouncer by shaking Clinton off and saying "I think you've had enough"?

...Or surrender to his impulses ?   :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Near Lurker on 28 Mar 2018, 22:28
Elliot, you're like 6 foot 6, 300 lbs, with less than 10% body fat.

...what?  He looks kinda chunky to me.  I mean, I'm sure he's got plenty of muscle underneath, but it seems pretty clear it's not all muscle.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 28 Mar 2018, 23:04
I really, REALLY don't think Elliot should confess his feelings to Clinton. It will make things awkward and ruin their friendship. He's already reasonably sure that Clinton doesn't like guys, it really would be best not to do this.
If Elliot thinks Clinton is not interested in him, it's his own (overwhelming) insecurity talking. Clinton's never directly said he's not into guys, and he has been kinda flirting with Elliot, even if he didn't intend it that way. Elliot could find out if Clinton is at least open to the idea, without coming right out and declaring his feelings. If Clinton says "Ew, no, I'd never date a guy", then Elliot wouldn't have to mention who the guy in question is. That way they could remain friends.


There's also the likelihood that sooner or later Renee is going to slip and spill the beans, and it will get back to Clinton one way or another. Better that he hears it directly from Elliot.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: hakko504 on 28 Mar 2018, 23:08
That seems a bit Questionable.
Like all Content in this comic ;)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 28 Mar 2018, 23:14
This is really a conversation that it's only possible to have whilst drunk. Most people have too many inhibitions to openly talk about crushes and personal insecurities whilst either (a) sober or (b) the other person being sober and therefore likely to react nervously to embarrassing personal revelations.

Awww, Clinton's at the "I LOVE YOU MAN" stage of drunkenness - which must be really uncomfortable for Elliot!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that this is the only reason why Elliott feels able to discuss this. However, I also think Clinton being so demonstrative probably only made Elliott's emotional dilemma worse and more difficult to handle.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 28 Mar 2018, 23:21
Elliot, you're like 6 foot 6, 300 lbs, with less than 10% body fat.

...what?  He looks kinda chunky to me.  I mean, I'm sure he's got plenty of muscle underneath, but it seems pretty clear it's not all muscle.
If he's 300 lbs, 10% body fat is 30 lbs. That takes up a fair amount of space. If he didn't have as much muscle, that same 30 lbs of fat would be a higher percentage of his body weight.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Thrillho on 29 Mar 2018, 00:05
If the AS discussion is making people uncomfortable then absolutely we will have a look at how to adjust it.

That said, hi! I'm Thrillho, I have AS and in my friendship group we have our own acronym for when behaviour reflects my autism or that of the others in the group with it - ASAF, or 'autistic as fuck.'

Now obviously not everybody is going to be cool with that, which is why I mention it here not to introduce it but for some insight into how irreverent I am about it.

AS does not, as people have said, immediately equal rudeness, total ignorance towards social cues and facial expressions, etc. However, it certainly CAN mean that. I personally find that I can read emotions often better than neurotypical folks because I worked at understanding it once I was diagnosed at 17.

Brun is not AS in canon. She may be AS and diagnosed in Jeph's head, or AS and undiagnosed and has coincidentally never needed to moderate her behaviour (hello there, to my brother, who is definitely the latter). She could also be somebody who is both AS and totally lacks understanding of personal space and boundaries; I am sure we have all known neurotypical folks like that as well as folks on the spectrum.

If you are already someone who is not tremendously social, and are on the spectrum, especially undiagnosed, I think the situation is completely realistic.

Brun can have behaved like an asshole while still being given some understanding for having behaved like an asshole, and I am not even saying this scene in the comic is necessarily an example of that.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 29 Mar 2018, 00:09
Elliot, you're like 6 foot 6, 300 lbs, with less than 10% body fat. I don't think you need to worry that people won't think you're tough and scary. A Bengal tiger can be both adorable and terrifying at the same time.
Case in point,
Also, tigers and laser pointers.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 29 Mar 2018, 00:16
And I felt obliged to point out that neither the comic nor Brun nor the forumgoers were "using mental diversity as an excuse." That's a nonsense accusation, and completely different from saying she is irritating (which you have every right to say).

The first response to snufflebottoms saying that Brun's actions were annoying them was "You don't know what it is like to be on the Spectrum do you?"

Yes, I saw it.

I'm actually getting annoyed with Brun at this point.
You don't know what it's like to be on the spectrum, do you?

I may be "high functioning" but the social stuff can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Especially when nobody wants to be direct or open about things. So, it's pretty exciting when I'm pretty sure I interpreted a situation correctly in spite of that. Though like Brun, sometimes I'm dead wrong in my conclusion(s).

They were referring to a completely different behaviour to the one you're talking about.
Thank you.

BTW, it was meant as an actual question, not a criticism. Snufflebottoms declined to answer, so I wasn't going to pursue the topic ant further.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 29 Mar 2018, 01:14
I really, REALLY don't think Elliot should confess his feelings to Clinton. It will make things awkward and ruin their friendship. He's already reasonably sure that Clinton doesn't like guys, it really would be best not to do this.

He's been burned once already - not sure he's going to rush into confessions of that nature again in a hurry. Time will tell, I guess.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ANeM on 29 Mar 2018, 01:31
I really, REALLY don't think Elliot should confess his feelings to Clinton. It will make things awkward and ruin their friendship.

I feel that sells Clinton a bit short. He made an honest attempt to patch things up with Emily in 3308 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3308). He is at least trying to have a healthy attitude about an unrequited crush. I think that put on the other side of things he could do just as well. Similarly, Elliot's relationship with Renee hasn't seemed to have been impacted by her own feelings towards him.

They've both done well on the other side of things, I think if Elliot confessed and Clinton didn't feel the same way, they could work through it. They'd clearly both be able to empathize with the other having been in that position.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 29 Mar 2018, 01:44
Elliot, you're like 6 foot 6, 300 lbs, with less than 10% body fat.

...what?  He looks kinda chunky to me.  I mean, I'm sure he's got plenty of muscle underneath, but it seems pretty clear it's not all muscle.

I'm a stocky 5'5" (65cm) and 226 lbs (~102.5 kg), so the estimate feels like it lines up to me.

Any tall guys with broad shoulders want to weigh in this?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: MrNumbers on 29 Mar 2018, 02:03

For those not in on the "Cronch"! joke
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 29 Mar 2018, 02:19
So I would like to project all over Clinton for a bit. I consider myself "mostly" straight but I'm fairly sure that any outside observer probably views me as straight without a "mostly" to modify it (including family/friends). I've only dated men and we don't tend to talk about crushes in my social circles much. So until I hear clearly from Clinton himself, I will not rule out the possibility that he might be open to dating Elliot, even if he is (in general) more likely to be attracted to women.

I don't think Elliot will ask Clinton out though as I think Elliot is too shy. Instead I feel like this arc is heading towards Clinton asking Elliot out - not immediately, but down the track. First he has to connect Elliot's crush to himself and then there might be some soul searching over whether he (Clinton) is interested in men as well as women. But finally Clinton decides he would like to ask Elliot out.

I can see various possibilities for Clinton getting a clue about Elliot's feelings:
1) Talking about this evening the next day with Claire and Marten and one of them lets slip the idea Marten had.
2) Brun comes into the scene and misinterprets Clinton hugging Elliot - and sorting out the misunderstanding leads to realisations
3) Clinton is pondering Elliot's sentence at a later time and has a light bulb moment along the lines of "Wait, Elliot said please don't hug me at work - does that mean he wouldn't mind outside of work? Am I the guy he thinks is really cute?

But if I am wrong about this and this arc is leading to something involving all three of them (a triad or a V ), that would also be good.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: oeoek on 29 Mar 2018, 02:33
It's still Thursday, right? I can still hope for a Friday, right?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 29 Mar 2018, 02:54
It's still Thursday, right? I can still hope for a Friday, right?
'Yes' to both.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 29 Mar 2018, 02:58
Elliot, you're like 6 foot 6, 300 lbs, with less than 10% body fat.

...what?  He looks kinda chunky to me.  I mean, I'm sure he's got plenty of muscle underneath, but it seems pretty clear it's not all muscle.

I'm a stocky 5'5" (65cm) and 226 lbs (~102.5 kg), so the estimate feels like it lines up to me.

Any tall guys with broad shoulders want to weigh in this?
I actually am 6'2 with broad shoulders. My nieces have used me as a jungle gym kinda like Claire and Brun did with Elliot, though I'm not nearly as muscular as he is. I figure I'm about 20% body fat. That's why I figured my estimate for him was pretty close.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Bollthorn on 29 Mar 2018, 03:36
Damn... now I'm torn between Clinton/Brun, Clinton/Roko, and Clinton/Elliot D:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BlueFatima on 29 Mar 2018, 04:28
I know shipping is discouraged... But OMG. OMG. Cutest potential couple! Even better prospect? Adorable poly trio. Of course really anything that happens pleases me. I'm just here for the story. :)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 29 Mar 2018, 04:28
Damn... now I'm torn between Clinton/Brun, Clinton/Roko, and Clinton/Elliot D:

If Clinton’s dating life is anything like mine was at the same age, he’s going to get asked out by all three, and Emily will inform him that she has time for that second date now, and also a couple of other random women will express interest. Because for me it was always months or years of drought punctuated by sudden inexplicable floods.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BlueFatima on 29 Mar 2018, 04:34
Damn... now I'm torn between Clinton/Brun, Clinton/Roko, and Clinton/Elliot D:

If Clinton’s dating life is anything like mine was at the same age, he’s going to get asked out by all three, and Emily will inform him that she has time for that second date now, and also a couple of other random women will express interest. Because for me it was always months or years of drought punctuated by sudden inexplicable floods.

Ha. If it was like mine, he'd get asked out by all of these people at the same time, but would be unable to go out with any of them, because he was engaged to a toxic (luckily soon-to-be ex) fiancé. Then when he broke off the engagement, everyone who asked him out would be in relationships or not good places to date.  :evil:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 29 Mar 2018, 04:40
stuff

just wanted to say no hard feelings.


Also, Clinton = Faye & Elliot = Bubbles.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tai Fanboi on 29 Mar 2018, 05:03
Elliot, you're like 6 foot 6, 300 lbs, with less than 10% body fat.

...what?  He looks kinda chunky to me.  I mean, I'm sure he's got plenty of muscle underneath, but it seems pretty clear it's not all muscle.

I'm a stocky 5'5" (65cm) and 226 lbs (~102.5 kg), so the estimate feels like it lines up to me.

Any tall guys with broad shoulders want to weigh in this?

Let's put it this way.  I'm a big guy.  Never been tiny, 6 foot 2, little bit taller with my boots on.  I still wear t-shirts and jeans that I used to wear when I was in high school.  Center for the Football team back then.  Now, Security Director for an R&D plant, hanging out at biker bars and gatherings when I'm not at work.  Most people guess me around 210, or 220 pounds when the topic comes up and then don't believe me when I tell them 340.  It actually won me quite a bit of money at one party.  No one believing me, me drunk enough to ignore my self-esteem issues and start taking bets, then sending one of the guys to get the shipping scale out of the warehouse lol. 

It really depends on your build and frame.  I know a LOT of big guys.  Some of them look good, carry it well, while someone else who's same weight and has it filling out different areas?  Not so much.
Elliot on the other hand, tall and looks like he's got a little bit of padding to him, but it might be the way he carries himself.  Most of the times in the comic, when I remember seeing him, he's got that forward lean to his neck and shoulders, not a full slouch but someone that's not comfortable with himself.  Then when it comes to "business mode" back get's straighter, shoulders wider and suddenly you feel much taller then before.  I might be projecting though.  There's far too many similarities that I see with Elliot the more he's in the comic.  :-\
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 29 Mar 2018, 05:18
Elliot has framed his problem as a lack of courage, which is to my mind the correct way of looking at it. The old division of labor is that men got physical and verbal courage, and women got emotional courage, leaving everyone crippled. Elliot lacks emotional courage.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 29 Mar 2018, 05:33
Damn... now I'm torn between Clinton/Brun, Clinton/Roko, and Clinton/Elliot D:

Clinton: Harem Anime Protagonist. Now we just need to find out that his dad is Space King and that he and Claire have super powers.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 29 Mar 2018, 05:41
Damn... now I'm torn between Clinton/Brun, Clinton/Roko, and Clinton/Elliot D:

I just hope that this doesn't go the way of Naruto, with Elliott, Brun, Roko and Emily (and possibly even the tattooed waitress) fighting behind his back for 'Clinton-kun's' attention only to snap apart and try to appear happy and harmonious whenever he looks towards the noise.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 29 Mar 2018, 06:35
I really like this strip. It is both funny and bitterly ironic, with Clinton giving Elliot just what he wants in a form in which it is of no use to him.

The chance of a polyamorous relationship has dropped sharply, since both Clinton and Elliot are treating Elliot's crushing on both Brun and the unnamed cute guy as a dilemma, a choice between incompatible alternatives. If that's the way they think of it, they think of it that way.

There hasn't been a sexual or romantic relationship between men in this strip yet, though we have a relationship between women and one between a cis guy and a trans woman. This is the usual order of events. Many people are far less comfortable at seeing physical affection between two men than between almost any other possible two people.

I have no idea whether Clinton can or will return Elliot's affections, but I don't think he would be shocked by them. Because Clinton is a dweebish, repressed, middle-class white guy, we tend to forget that he is also the fiercely protective younger brother of a trans woman. He is situated so as to be disposed to think well of sexual minorities.

Elliot's expressions and gestures are very fetching. His nose has been broken at some point. You almost never see a guy whose nose has been broken pressing both hands to his heart.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 29 Mar 2018, 07:01
Whether it was "in" the comic is debatable but we were around when his father married a guy.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 29 Mar 2018, 07:03
Awwwww.  :-D :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 29 Mar 2018, 08:03
Elliot, you're like 6 foot 6, 300 lbs, with less than 10% body fat.

...what?  He looks kinda chunky to me.  I mean, I'm sure he's got plenty of muscle underneath, but it seems pretty clear it's not all muscle.

I'm a stocky 5'5" (65cm) and 226 lbs (~102.5 kg), so the estimate feels like it lines up to me.

Any tall guys with broad shoulders want to weigh in this?
I actually am 6'2 with broad shoulders. My nieces have used me as a jungle gym kinda like Claire and Brun did with Elliot, though I'm not nearly as muscular as he is. I figure I'm about 20% body fat. That's why I figured my estimate for him was pretty close.
Fair enough.
I know I'm uncommonly proportioned, so gauging somethings based on my own dimensions is just going to be wonky.

Hell, thanks to the Human Anatomy and Physiology lab I took back in college, I know I have the same total lung capacity as one of the linebackers who happened to be in the same class as me. And he was a full foot taller than I am.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 29 Mar 2018, 08:28
Whether it was "in" the comic is debatable but we were around when his father married a guy.

True that.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: NemesisDancer on 29 Mar 2018, 09:27
On the subject of cute people, the male background character in the last panel is very attractive ^_^


Elliot's expressions and gestures are very fetching. His nose has been broken at some point. You almost never see a guy whose nose has been broken pressing both hands to his heart.

I assumed that was just the shape of his nose (my nose is the exact same shape and it's never been broken before).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 29 Mar 2018, 09:35
My nose has been broken and doesn't have that bump, but the bump is the conventional way to draw a broken nose. It might have been that guy who busted him in the face with a beer bottle.
Title: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Scyne on 29 Mar 2018, 11:26
I really like this strip. It is both funny and bitterly ironic, with Clinton giving Elliot just what he wants in a form in which it is of no use to him.

The chance of a polyamorous relationship has dropped sharply, since both Clinton and Elliot are treating Elliot's crushing on both Brun and the unnamed cute guy as a dilemma, a choice between incompatible alternatives. If that's the way they think of it, they think of it that way.
...


I don’t think it has dropped that sharply. Hi I’m Ki, the non binary person. You may know me from my post last week begging for this to be a canonical “thruple.” (Is that a word?)

Anyway this is very close to how MY very own poly relationship started. The three of us were super awkward and we did not realize that this was actually an option so we started awkwardly bumbling around the idea for months. Now we have been in this relationship for years.

The hurdle that they have to overcome is communication. This is why I love this paring. None of them either know what they want or know how to express what they want. I see this going the route of Clinton running into another one of those “JUST FUCKING SAY WHAT YOU THINK” moments and he expresses emotion to Elliott and they start something but still both have a thing for Brun. That starts this whole thing of “am I a good person? I still like her...” and somehow they end up with Martin’s mom telling them just fucking talk about this shit for fuck’s sake and they kinda just explain how they feel to Brun after a long winded emotional adventure.

Brun is all “Oh, you want to date me. I’ve never had someone not suggest some explicit sexual act right from the get go. You two are nice. I kinda understand you. Ok I’ll date you both.”

And then I cry tears of joy. Queer joy.


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Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Scyne on 29 Mar 2018, 11:48
Oh an also I think it’s important to note that being poly does not mean just having group sex.

My husband is Ace and while we do the do do from time to time it’s not all about the sex between the three of us, it’s about the relationship. Being able to have a third party that cares deeply about both of you to say, for instance, “hey you were a dick about (blank) and that’s why they are mad at you” to prevent the usual cold shoulder that happens when you are afraid of making things worse. Sure you may have friends like the robots that help explain how stupid you are being Dale, but shit like that does not always happen, the bots did not HAVE to do what they did. Also depending on the friend they may only be invested in one of you and disregard the feelings of the other.

While that is one oddly specific example I think what I’m trying to say is I don’t realistically see them as a fuck puddle. Could it happen? Maybe over a long time. I mainly see them as going on dates, the three of them, and seeing movies, getting drunk together, sharing deodorant.

Not in a fetishized way... Brun is just a sweaty and likes the way they both smell.


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Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 29 Mar 2018, 12:26
I have no dog in this fight except that I would particularly like to see Elliot happy. It's not good when the ones who take care of other people can't take care of themselves, and it's not good when anyone is paralyzed by fear. A polyamorous relationship of some sort seems the simplest way to make everyone happy, so I would like to see that. They might not be that way inclined, is all.

From little bits of hints on Jeph's Instagram and Twitter, I think he gets characters by drawing them. After he has drawn them for a while, he begins to get an idea of who they are, and then this idea unfolds as they appear in the strip. If this is correct, he is not free to drop them into relationships just because it would make him or us happy, or because it would be politically useful, or because it would make plotting easier. I suspect that the part of his imagination that makes people is semi-autonomous, and that he would force it at the peril of having it shut down.

What he is free to do, apparently, is to tease us indefinitely with the possibility of relationships, and to torment characters indefinitely by dramatic delay of relationships. Like some dom romance novelist, he provokes shipping at the same time he forbids it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 29 Mar 2018, 13:12
From little bits of hints on Jeph's Instagram and Twitter, I think he gets characters by drawing them. After he has drawn them for a while, he begins to get an idea of who they are, and then this idea unfolds as they appear in the strip.
That stands to reason. Unless he had the entire continuum already written up in a 42-volume boxed set of novels, he kind of has to write the story as he goes. Obviously, he has a general idea of where things are headed, but I know from experience that you can put something on the page and then look at it and say "wow, I didn't expect that", and things change. Even in fiction, the future is always in motion. The characters - just as real people - are always changing and maturing, and occasionally they surprise even the people who know them the best.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Annemoon on 29 Mar 2018, 14:36





...Which are that they seem to hug all the time, and are standing close as well. So the conclusion is that they just say that because it's me and they don't like me...

I'll give you my personal take here: I have trouble with people standing close to me, but after some time, when I know someone very well and am familiar with their behavior, have had time to get used to the growing proximity, it starts being fine and nice.
I think a lot of people actually work like that and I am just a bit more sensitive in the beginning.
In general I think you cannot conclude from this information that they don't like you. This is an often seen error in judgement; explaining someones behaviour as against you, while it is just reactive to their own feelings. It could simply be that they are not used to you in this way yet. You haven't slowly grown from further to closer, and to them, it's just like you are suddenly jumping the gun. Like you would talk softly before and suddenly shout: that is quite disconcerting.

I've seen people flirting in a similar fashion like Brun did (being that close), and the consent seemed implied, no one asks permission to flirt first.

Actually people do, by using body language. e.g. You make a slight inclination into their direction and you see if people start backing up a little, stay or come closer. Coming closer is the 'permission' thing. It's like asking "is this okay?" and a "yes". After that you keep notice if they are comfortable and when there is discomfort, you ask if everything is okay. If this is difficult, you can in general help yourself by just asking sooner :)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 29 Mar 2018, 16:04
None of them has their own robot companion to advise them.  Momo could come along and play Mary Worth but there's no really natural way for her to come on the scene. Claire could bring her library boss to the bar. Tai might size up the situation correctly.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Scyne on 29 Mar 2018, 18:16
I have no dog in this fight except that I would particularly like to see Elliot happy. It's not good when the ones who take care of other people can't take care of themselves, and it's not good when anyone is paralyzed by fear. A polyamorous relationship of some sort seems the simplest way to make everyone happy, so I would like to see that. They might not be that way inclined, is all.

...

What [Jeph] is free to do, apparently, is to tease us indefinitely with the possibility of relationships, and to torment characters indefinitely by dramatic delay of relationships. Like some dom romance novelist, he provokes shipping at the same time he forbids it.

Yeah you are totes right. I also don’t think you have no word to put in in this fight, if we could even call it a fight. You have some very good points. It’s good keep and open mind, but also consider what we know as fact as well.


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Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 29 Mar 2018, 18:49
I'm trying to find that bit of advice Pintsize gives Martin about going in without expectations, as it seems like it would be the appropriate response for all of the 'I hope'/'I want' comments here.

EDIT: Found the comic (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2615).
Seems I misremembered  his advice. Not so much clearing one's mind of expectations to help avoid dissappointment but instead to avoided clouded judgement. Both are good advice tough.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: fayelovesbubbles on 29 Mar 2018, 19:11
So I would like to project all over Clinton for a bit. I consider myself "mostly" straight but I'm fairly sure that any outside observer probably views me as straight without a "mostly" to modify it (including family/friends). I've only dated men and we don't tend to talk about crushes in my social circles much. So until I hear clearly from Clinton himself, I will not rule out the possibility that he might be open to dating Elliot, even if he is (in general) more likely to be attracted to women.

I don't think Elliot will ask Clinton out though as I think Elliot is too shy. Instead I feel like this arc is heading towards Clinton asking Elliot out - not immediately, but down the track. First he has to connect Elliot's crush to himself and then there might be some soul searching over whether he (Clinton) is interested in men as well as women. But finally Clinton decides he would like to ask Elliot out.

I can see various possibilities for Clinton getting a clue about Elliot's feelings:
1) Talking about this evening the next day with Claire and Marten and one of them lets slip the idea Marten had.
2) Brun comes into the scene and misinterprets Clinton hugging Elliot - and sorting out the misunderstanding leads to realisations
3) Clinton is pondering Elliot's sentence at a later time and has a light bulb moment along the lines of "Wait, Elliot said please don't hug me at work - does that mean he wouldn't mind outside of work? Am I the guy he thinks is really cute?

But if I am wrong about this and this arc is leading to something involving all three of them (a triad or a V ), that would also be good.


When you say you've only dated men, are you saying you'd be open to dating a woman? How do your circumstances relate to the possibility of Clinton being open to dating a guy?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Near Lurker on 29 Mar 2018, 19:18

I'm a stocky 5'5" (65cm) and 226 lbs (~102.5 kg), so the estimate feels like it lines up to me.

Any tall guys with broad shoulders want to weigh in this?

The weight sounds about right; I was talking more about the body fat.

EDIT to avoid doublepost: wow, Clinton came really close to outing Claire there.  If Elliot becomes a member of their circle, he may well connect the dots.  (...well, maybe not him, but someone else in his position might.)  Maybe he should keep her in mind next time he decides to get drunk outside private gatherings.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: War Sparrow on 29 Mar 2018, 20:30
So, I will admit, usually Clinton irritates me.

But this super supportive, "all are friends!" thing? I am here for it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: QuestionableIntentions on 29 Mar 2018, 21:17
Smooooth Elliot
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: oeoek on 29 Mar 2018, 21:37
I hope for one of those 'pancake-morning' awakenings (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2803) for Eliot after this night... They seem pretty much connected to the Augustus clan.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 29 Mar 2018, 21:54
So I would like to project all over Clinton for a bit. I consider myself "mostly" straight but I'm fairly sure that any outside observer probably views me as straight without a "mostly" to modify it (including family/friends). I've only dated men and we don't tend to talk about crushes in my social circles much. So until I hear clearly from Clinton himself, I will not rule out the possibility that he might be open to dating Elliot, even if he is (in general) more likely to be attracted to women.

I don't think Elliot will ask Clinton out though as I think Elliot is too shy. Instead I feel like this arc is heading towards Clinton asking Elliot out - not immediately, but down the track. First he has to connect Elliot's crush to himself and then there might be some soul searching over whether he (Clinton) is interested in men as well as women. But finally Clinton decides he would like to ask Elliot out.

I can see various possibilities for Clinton getting a clue about Elliot's feelings:
1) Talking about this evening the next day with Claire and Marten and one of them lets slip the idea Marten had.
2) Brun comes into the scene and misinterprets Clinton hugging Elliot - and sorting out the misunderstanding leads to realisations
3) Clinton is pondering Elliot's sentence at a later time and has a light bulb moment along the lines of "Wait, Elliot said please don't hug me at work - does that mean he wouldn't mind outside of work? Am I the guy he thinks is really cute?

But if I am wrong about this and this arc is leading to something involving all three of them (a triad or a V ), that would also be good.


When you say you've only dated men, are you saying you'd be open to dating a woman? How do your circumstances relate to the possibility of Clinton being open to dating a guy?
I was explaining why family, friends and other outside observers would think I'm straight, whereas I consider myself only "mostly" straight. They can't see the thoughts inside my head, they only see the past relationships I've had. While I definitely have more crushes on men, sometimes I have crushes on women too. (And yes, I would be open to dating a woman). The reason I included it in my post was because lots of people have being claiming that Clinton is not into guys - and I was trying to say you can't be certain about that based on what we've seen of Clinton.

 And looking at today's comic - I was right. He is open to the possibility of dating a guy. :)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 29 Mar 2018, 21:58
I hope for one of those 'pancake-morning' awakenings (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2803) for Eliot after this night... They seem pretty much connected to the Augustus clan.
I think Clinton is the one who is due for a "pancake morning awakening". He is drunk, whereas Elliot is not.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: brasca on 29 Mar 2018, 22:36
"Pisstracted" is a good term to describe someone so drunk they forgot they had to urinate. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 29 Mar 2018, 23:13
Quote from: Near Lurker
wow, Clinton came really close to outing Claire there.  If Elliot becomes a member of their circle, he may well connect the dots.  (...well, maybe not him, but someone else in his position might.)  Maybe he should keep her in mind next time he decides to get drunk outside private gatherings.
Well I'm not trans so feel free to take what I say with a pinch of salt...

I think the way he paused in the sentence indicates that he was keeping her in mind and searching for what he could say. He didn't misgender her and personally I don't think what he actually said is risky. (But I will defer to any trans people who want to weigh in)

Personally I think that someone hearing Clinton's comments would just assume that his sister is bisexual and she has discussed that with Clinton a few times. (Including maybe some conversations along the lines of "Don't be so rigid in your thinking bro! I also thought I only liked the opposite sex before I met [insert name here]"). If I overheard their conversation without knowing Claire, that's the conclusion I would jump to.

You shouldn't out someone as bi without their consent either but I will cut Clinton a bit of slack because Elliot has already shared that he is bi - clearly Elliot is not going to be biased against people who are bi. Also someone jumping to the conclusion that Claire is bi (incorrectly or correctly) is far less likely to be risky for her than someone jumping to the conclusion that she is a trans woman.

So, YMMV - but I believe Clinton is keeping his sister's safety in mind.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 30 Mar 2018, 00:38
That's one thing about drinking copious amounts of alcohol: You may find yourself revealing truths that you would never normally discuss, either for reasons of personal insecurity or because, in the end, it isn't your place to discuss them. It also apparently makes Clinton a ranting drunk, it seems.

That said, I really admire Clinton's reasons for not wanting to approach Brun romantically. For all it is sort of stripping her of agency a tiny little, I can admire that he does not want to cheapen a genuine act of noble charity by making it look, no matter how indirectly, like a cynical attempt at pulling a girl (much as Renee basically accused him of doing). I also admire the fact that, in the end, he doesn't really address her apparent non-neuronormative behaviour in any way. It's mostly because he doesn't want to appear the creep.

Meanwhile, Clinton fails to read body language. Panel 4 is as close to Elliott non-verbally telling Clinton that he is his crush as we're going to get.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: chris73 on 30 Mar 2018, 03:01
"I mean shes super hot" I see Clintons got those beer goggles firmly on
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: DaiJB on 30 Mar 2018, 03:17
Super "sweet"??   :-D
OH yeah - I suspect Clinton is more attracted to guys than he thinks...

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 30 Mar 2018, 03:41
It would appear that Clinton is something much more uncommon than a bisexual polyamorist who is open to threesomes. He is an actual good guy. He isn't trying to exploit having had a chance to help Brun, and he isn't competing with Elliot for her affections, because he likes Elliot.  He is an actual good guy in a gawky, awkward, drunken way, but then, he is only just barely old enough to be in that bar.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Sotajumala on 30 Mar 2018, 06:03
Clinton seems to be the new Marten (or at least fulfilling some of the angsty relationshippy role).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Thrillho on 30 Mar 2018, 07:03
"I mean shes super hot" I see Clintons got those beer goggles firmly on

Global Moderator Comment I strongly suggest you have another read of the rules. Comments like this are unacceptable.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: dexeron on 30 Mar 2018, 07:04
We are forgetting the most important thing about this entire story-line.

If Clinton actually gets in a relationship with someone, Claire is going to literally EXPLODE from excitement.  :claireface:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 30 Mar 2018, 07:05
Quote from: Near Lurker
wow, Clinton came really close to outing Claire there.  If Elliot becomes a member of their circle, he may well connect the dots.  (...well, maybe not him, but someone else in his position might.)  Maybe he should keep her in mind next time he decides to get drunk outside private gatherings.

I don't see how that sentence can be read as anything other than that his sister taught him a lot about being open to who you really are. Even in the context of the conversation, it could perfectly well mean that his sister follows him around the house saying "Clinton! You should be more open to who you really are! If you are gay, that's OK!" If Elliot ever meets Claire, he is likely to find this perfectly plausible.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 30 Mar 2018, 07:13
It would appear that Clinton is something much more uncommon than a bisexual polyamorist who is open to threesomes. He is an actual good guy. He isn't trying to exploit having had a chance to help Brun, and he isn't competing with Elliot for her affections because he likes Elliot.  He is an actual good guy in a gawky, awkward, drunken way, but then, he is only just barely old enough to be in that bar.
Agreed.  Under that veneer of geekiness he's approaching Dale levels of fundamental decency.  But then, it appears he's the youngest adult member of the cast, so it's natural that he's slowly maturing before our eyes (you just have to watch real close).   

I don't recall Clinton ever meeting Sam.  That might be good for some comic relief since he'd be her step-brother-in-law, sort of.  Maybe she can slip a frog down the back of his shirt at a family picnic this summer.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: arcanicEmbers on 30 Mar 2018, 07:30
wow, Clinton came really close to outing Claire there.  If Elliot becomes a member of their circle, he may well connect the dots.  (...well, maybe not him, but someone else in his position might.)  Maybe he should keep her in mind next time he decides to get drunk outside private gatherings.

Weighing in on this as a trans person, I don't think he did? I mean, you might be able to extrapolate that she's queer from the statement- or that she's just a very open person. Of course, to someone who already knows the Claire is trans, it's going to be obvious what he means. To someone who doesn't... Eh. Not so much. There's no reference to how she taught him to be true to himself, so it could potentially be anything from her being trans, as she is, to her making him watch a bunch of true to yourself cartoons when they were kids. Even drunk, I don't think he's too close to outing her.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 30 Mar 2018, 09:22
"I mean shes super hot" I see Clintons got those beer goggles firmly on

*scratches head*

Friend, you do know that different people have different definitions of what constitutes "super hot", right?

Here's Clinton stone cold sober stating he finds Brun very attractive. (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3498) Enough so that it triggers his 'inner caveman instincts'.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 30 Mar 2018, 11:34
Well, Clinton was technically correct at saying she's super hot...

But the beer goggles comment was a bit much.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 30 Mar 2018, 12:30
Faye and Renee are doubles: loyal if difficult friends, intrusive, prickly, pushy, mouthy. Faye is wounded, Renee is not.

Bubbles and Elliot are doubles: big scary-looking people, skilled at violence, hard on the outside, sweet on the inside, afraid of rejection. Bubbles is wounded, Elliot is not.

Any more?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 30 Mar 2018, 15:11
wow, Clinton came really close to outing Claire there.  If Elliot becomes a member of their circle, he may well connect the dots.  (...well, maybe not him, but someone else in his position might.)  Maybe he should keep her in mind next time he decides to get drunk outside private gatherings.

Weighing in on this as a trans person, I don't think he did? I mean, you might be able to extrapolate that she's queer from the statement- or that she's just a very open person. Of course, to someone who already knows the Claire is trans, it's going to be obvious what he means. To someone who doesn't... Eh. Not so much. There's no reference to how she taught him to be true to himself, so it could potentially be anything from her being trans, as she is, to her making him watch a bunch of true to yourself cartoons when they were kids. Even drunk, I don't think he's too close to outing her.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting the comment, but I don't think Near Lurker meant that Clinton actually said anything that almost outed Claire, but rather that he almost said it. It appears that he started to say something, but the ellipsis in panel 3 indicates that Clinton stopped himself from saying anything that might give her away. Clinton is extremely protective of his sister, and even when he's drunk, he is careful to maintain her privacy.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 30 Mar 2018, 15:15
Faye and Renee are doubles: loyal if difficult friends, intrusive, prickly, pushy, mouthy. Faye is wounded, Renee is not.

Bubbles and Elliot are doubles: big scary-looking people, skilled at violence, hard on the outside, sweet on the inside, afraid of rejection. Bubbles is wounded, Elliot is not.
I must qibble. 

We know Faye and Bubbles are wounded, but we know little to nothing about Renee's and Elloit's backstories.  Each may or may not have experienced emotionally crippling traumas their own.  That's why I don't permanently attach a Certified Asshole badge to Renee no matter how often she seems to earn it.

(Elliot, OTOH, couldn't qualify for an asshole badge if he had a PhD in douchenozzlery and aced the state board exams.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 30 Mar 2018, 17:07
It is true that we don't have backstory on either of the ones I am calling unwounded.

That's why I don't permanently attach a Certified Asshole badge to Renee no matter how often she seems to earn it.

Renee's a yenta, is all: pushy, busybodied, gossiping, in everyone's business all the time, and the first person to call if you are in a jam. I have a theory that she is hated, not because she crashes across boundaries, but because she is female, unwounded, capable, and crashes across boundaries. Angus dancing triumphantly in nothing but a purple condom outside Faye's door in Marten's own apartment, when Marten has lusted in vain after Faye, passes unnoticed because Angus is a guy. Hannelore walking in and out of Faye's and Marten's apartment at will passes unnoticed because Hannelore is wounded. Faye punching and saying mean things is unnoticed because Faye is wounded. Renee acting like everyone else while unwounded and female produces sudden shock that boundaries are being crossed. It is not like she is big and dangerous like Elliot or Bubbles. She is capable, is all. Capable women aren't dangerous, they are just capable. It is unjust and unfair to condemn them for acting like everyone else.  You don't have to like them, but that doesn't mean they are any worse than the next person.

I don't think that the crashing across boundaries is incidental or trivial either. Someone upthread points out correctly that much of the comedy in the strip runs off people crashing through boundaries, but that's not its only function. One of the strip's concerns is how you act when you live where all different kinds of people mix together. No one's village mores apply, because no one is in their home village anymore, and none of the village mores were designed for situations like these anyway. Instead, you rely on very basic courtesy, recently improvised rules of thumb, sincere good will, and apologies. QC is a comedy of bad manners because it is concerned with how you act when you are inevitably going to have bad manners sometimes. Clinton just made a gross social blunder by embracing Elliot and telling him to try his luck with the cute guy, but it will be OK because it was done good-heartedly. Renee blunders by overprotecting and micromanaging Brun's life, but it will be OK because it is done out of sincere concern. They all blunder, realize, apologize, and try again. It's how things work there.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 30 Mar 2018, 17:36
It honestly surprises me when I see hate on Faye or Renee. Slapstick and and tsundere-adjacent behavior is such a mainstay of, at least, the media I consume that a lot of what they do sails right by me. Renee annoys me slightly but no more than that, and Faye is mostly alright in my book.

I don't act like that in real life, though. As far as I can estimate, tsundere-adjacent behavior is unlikely to be acceptable in real life; this isn't counting good-natured friendly trolling. I can't think of anyone I know personally or through meatspace culture that pulls it off, anyway. And if behavior like that is a viable rl archetype, it's not something I can possibly pull off; it's difficult enough to stay in favor even when I try to be overly obsequious.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: ckridge on 30 Mar 2018, 17:59
I presume that those times that absolutely everyone seems unreasonably irritable are times I am blundering across boundaries or otherwise acting like a dick. I would like to think I do this as entertainingly as people in stories, but it doesn't seem likely.

I like Renee a lot. She tells Elliot right out that she finds him attractive and when he is completely unmoved, sucks it right up. Elliot and Bubbles should both take lessons from her.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 30 Mar 2018, 18:20
It is true that we don't have backstory on either of the ones I am calling unwounded.

Renee's a yenta, is all: pushy, busybodied, gossiping, in everyone's business all the time, and the first person to call if you are in a jam. I have a theory that she is hated, not because she crashes across boundaries, but because she is female, unwounded, capable, and crashes across boundaries. Angus dancing triumphantly in nothing but a purple condom outside Faye's door in Marten's own apartment, when Marten has lusted in vain after Faye, passes unnoticed because Angus is a guy. Hannelore walking in and out of Faye's and Marten's apartment at will passes unnoticed because Hannelore is wounded. Faye punching and saying mean things is unnoticed because Faye is wounded. Renee acting like everyone else while unwounded and female produces sudden shock that boundaries are being crossed. It is not like she is big and dangerous like Elliot or Bubbles. She is capable, is all. Capable women aren't dangerous, they are just capable. It is unjust and unfair to condemn them for acting like everyone else.  You don't have to like them, but that doesn't mean they are any worse than the next person.

I don't think that the crashing across boundaries is incidental or trivial either. Someone upthread points out correctly that much of the comedy in the strip runs off people crashing through boundaries, but that's not its only function. One of the strip's concerns is how you act when you live where all different kinds of people mix together. No one's village mores apply, because no one is in their home village anymore, and none of the village mores were designed for situations like these anyway. Instead, you rely on very basic courtesy, recently improvised rules of thumb, sincere good will, and apologies. QC is a comedy of bad manners because it is concerned with how you act when you are inevitably going to have bad manners sometimes. Clinton just made a gross social blunder by embracing Elliot and telling him to try his luck with the cute guy, but it will be OK because it was done good-heartedly. Renee blunders by overprotecting and micromanaging Brun's life, but it will be OK because it is done out of sincere concern. They all blunder, realize, apologize, and try again. It's how things work there.

What? Do we even read the same comic? lol. The only person who rival's Renee's assholeish behavior is Faye who HAS been called on it, at least here in the forums - even as a main character. Also, Clinton hugging Elliot wasn't a gross social blunder??

  It has nothing to do with some weird vendetta against 'capable women'.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 30 Mar 2018, 18:56
What? Do we even read the same comic? lol. The only person who rival's Renee's assholeish behavior is Faye who HAS been called on it, at least here in the forums - even as a main character.
Sorry, I don't see it. I thought I might be missing something, so I went back and re-read all the bits with Renee in them, but I just don't see her behaviour as that of an asshole. She's very overprotective of Brun, and despite her outgoing nature, she's almost as socially awkward as Brun. She wants her friends to be safe and happy, and she gets overly excited about trying to make that happen, but that makes her annoying, not an asshole.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 30 Mar 2018, 19:23
What? Do we even read the same comic? lol. The only person who rival's Renee's assholeish behavior is Faye who HAS been called on it, at least here in the forums - even as a main character.
Sorry, I don't see it. I thought I might be missing something, so I went back and re-read all the bits with Renee in them, but I just don't see her behaviour as that of an asshole. She's very overprotective of Brun, and despite her outgoing nature, she's almost as socially awkward as Brun. She wants her friends to be safe and happy, and she gets overly excited about trying to make that happen, but that makes her annoying, not an asshole.

My main point was that in the forums, Faye's asshole-ish (like hitting people and saying mean things) behavior has been discussed so it def. isn't people having a problem with how "capable" Renee is and targeting her specifically. Some people just like different and dislike different characters.

I personally think she's a toxic friend who is condescending and that she sexually harassed Elliot. I also just don't like her which I will fully admit. I happen to like Dora a lot - and Dora is arguably the most capable woman in the comic. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 30 Mar 2018, 19:28
Since you said "arguably" I'll take the opening to suggest Bubbles instead. But your point stands.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 30 Mar 2018, 19:38
I'd introduce you to my mother for some better context, but I'm pretty sure she'd get herself and me (by virtue of association) kicked off of the forums in about a day.

Renée is a hell of a lot like my mother right down to the belittling (just liberal instead of conservative).

EDIT: Either that or I'm just reading too much into her character. But the similarities still hit awfully close to home.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 30 Mar 2018, 20:42
Either that or I'm just reading too much into her character. But the similarities still hit awfully close to home.
I think you may have nailed it. We really haven't seen a lot of Renee's personality in the comic. The few traits we have seen may be the same as those in a real person you know (e.g. your mother), but that doesn't mean that Renee's whole personality is the same. I just think it's a little early to make that kind of call with her.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 30 Mar 2018, 21:03
Since you said "arguably" I'll take the opening to suggest Bubbles instead. But your point stands.

Bubbles is actually another great example of what I was talking about - a capable and well-liked female who is not held in contempt for being capable.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 Mar 2018, 06:26
Quote from: Gyrre
But the similarities still hit awfully close to home.

Which happens a lot with a lot of people. It's a compliment to Jeph's characterization (and a complication for the moderators) that his characters often remind people strongly of someone in their own lives.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 31 Mar 2018, 13:15
Do people really think physically threatening a stranger over the phone isn't asshole behavior?

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 Mar 2018, 17:48
In real life, it clearly is the act of a rude and possibly dangerous person. In a strip that oscillates between realism and slapstick? Harder to tell.

I would avoid someone in reality who acted like Renee and maybe warn others away.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 31 Mar 2018, 17:58
I agree with this. "I will bust you up if you hurt this person that I care for deeply," is very much a running trope in QC. It's not just Renee that's done that. If you hate Renee for this, there must be a list of female cast members you feel the same way about.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 31 Mar 2018, 18:38
Do people really think physically threatening a stranger over the phone isn't asshole behavior?
Considering that her threatening was in the act of protecting her best friend, who was in a very vulnerable position at the time? No, I don't think it was asshole at all. If I had been the total stranger in that position (and I have been exactly that in the past), I would not have been the least bit offended.


It's unfortunate, but society, as a whole, is so fucked up that it is not only not unusual, but it's expected that someone would tend to mistrust a total stranger who goes out of their way to help someone they've never even met before. Just like Renee did, people assume that such a good samaritan must have some ulterior motive. I never cease to be amazed when people don't think the worst when I go out of my way to help girls who hardly know me, especially when those girls happen to be young enough to be my own children. And I certainly wouldn't think anyone was an asshole if they did think the worst. And just like Clinton, I take pride in proving that people had no reason to worry.


Yeah, I know I tend to give people the benefit of a doubt - sometimes to my own detriment - but I'm just not convinced yet that Renee is as horrible as people are making her out to be.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 31 Mar 2018, 19:06
I'm with you.

The famous, "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1363)" comic has done a lot to shape that view in many people's minds.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 31 Mar 2018, 19:30
I'm with you.

The famous, "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1363)" comic has done a lot to shape that view in many people's minds.
I have to admit, I forgot about that.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Case on 31 Mar 2018, 20:14
<snip>

My main point was that in the forums, Faye's asshole-ish (like hitting people and saying mean things) behavior has been discussed so it def. isn't people having a problem with how "capable" Renee is and targeting her specifically. Some people just like different and dislike different characters.

I personally think she's a toxic friend who is condescending and that she sexually harassed Elliot. I also just don't like her which I will fully admit. I happen to like Dora a lot - and Dora is arguably the most capable woman in the comic.

I think I recall Dora threatening a stranger with a sword? I wouldn't like to be threatened with a sword ...

In real life, it clearly is the act of a rude and possibly dangerous person. In a strip that oscillates between realism and slapstick? Harder to tell.

+1
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 31 Mar 2018, 20:26
<snippo>
I think I recall Dora threatening a stranger with a sword? I wouldn't like to be threatened with a sword ...

That was Cosette. And it was for comedic effect more than anything.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 31 Mar 2018, 21:26
In real life, it clearly is teh act of a rude and possibly dangerous person. In a strip that oscillates between realism and slapstick? Harder to tell.

I would avoid someone in reality who acted like Renee and maybe warn otehrs away.

Depends on teh context.
Is teh individual being threatened a complete fucknut that won't stop harassing a friend/family member of teh person doing teh threatening? Was teh person doing teh threatening using teh phone only because tehy were unable to do teh threatening in person?

EDIT: easy ways to tell I've been up too long include spelling any instance of a 'teh' sequence 'teh' in a post and/or abusing teh letter 'j' for all of its itterative pronunciation uses.

EDIT: found today's prank. 'The' latter rubric for tiredness still holds true.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 31 Mar 2018, 22:10
I think I recall Dora threatening a stranger with a sword?
The continuous stream of threats of grievous bodily harm at Coffee of Doom - with or without the use of various implements, including the sword, the fighting spatula, and even a carafe of coffee - is one of my favourite parts of the entire comic. Even Marten and Claire get in on it (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2364). I don't believe for a minute that Dora actually approves of any real violence (pretty sure her insurance wouldn't approve either), and it's hilarious to see the reactions from people who aren't used to it yet (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=333).


Not coincidentally, one of my other favourite parts of the comic is also at Coffee of Doom: the specials on the board (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=858). I worked at a very boring coffee shop when I was a teenager, and in retrospect I wish I could have worked for Dora. I'm just crazy enough to fit right in, and sane enough to know when to joke around and when to be serious.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 01 Apr 2018, 07:57
My assessment of Renee as an asshole comes from her habit of "accidentally" spilling other people's beans.  If she ever learns that Claire in trans, word will be all over town in no time at all.

(I'll come back and link to some examples if I get enough coffee on board before I have to leave for the day's festivities.  Happy Easter to all who keep it, and may you only fall for harmless April Fool pranks.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 01 Apr 2018, 13:42
My assessment of Renee as an asshole comes from her habit of "accidentally" spilling otehr people's beans.
But there's also at least one instance  (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3563)where she showed great restraint and didn't spill the beans.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Skewbrow on 01 Apr 2018, 15:09
April fool pranks? The local version reminds me of a "feature" in the latest version of my TeX development system. The programmer decided, on behalf of his international set of clients, that anyone typing a word beginning with T-E-H-... really is just an illiterate doofus who mistyped T-H-E-... It's just that the Finnish word for "exercise" is (correctly!) spelled T-E-H-... And, my typical use of TeX is to typeset lecture notes and homework assignments for my course. Took me a while to figure out exactly which configuration file I had to edit to make things normal :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 01 Apr 2018, 15:53
To be fair, I like Renee more than Tilly. So there's that?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 01 Apr 2018, 19:50
To be fair, I like Renee more than Tilly. So tehre's that?
I can't argue on that point. Tilly's disregard for others' boundaries was more intense. I think the principle difference between Renee and Tilly, as far as that goes, is that Tilly's disregard seemed to be largely out of ignorance - having lived such a sheltered life (among other possible factors) that she simply doesn't know any better - while Renee's stepping over boundaries seems to be more callous than unwitting, which seems to imply that she may indeed have someone or something that has wounded her in the past, and maybe she's subconsciously pushing people away.


So while I find Tilly more annoying, I also think she has a better chance of changing fairly easily.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 01 Apr 2018, 20:55
But tehre's also at least one instance  (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3563)where she showed great restraint and didn't spill teh beans.
But this clearly demonstrates that she jolly well knows it's wrong to go a-beanspilling when she does indulge.  She's an asshole 'cause she does it for sport.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 01 Apr 2018, 21:09
But tehre's also at least one instance  (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3563)where she showed great restraint and didn't spill teh beans.
But this clearly demonstrates that she jolly well knows it's wrong to go a-beanspilling when she does indulge.  She's an asshole 'cause she does it for sport.
I don't know her history, so I can't agree that she does it for sport. It may be true, but then again, it may not. This may actually be an indication that she's trying to stop doing it so much.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: awgiedawgie on 01 Apr 2018, 21:38
And different people react to the different behaviours in different ways. For example, I tend to ignore Faye's behaviour because I know she has a reason for being that way. She has also begun to feel that her past does not excuse her. On the other hand, I tend to ignore Renee's behaviour for the opposite reason - I don't know if she has a reason she behaves that way. But I also don't know if she doesn't have a reason.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 01 Apr 2018, 21:43
My assessment of Renee as an asshole comes from her habit of "accidentally" spilling otehr people's beans.  If she ever learns that Claire in trans, word will be all over town in no time at all.

Sorry, my memory is rusty. Habit, or single instance?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 02 Apr 2018, 12:54
But tehre's also at least one instance  (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3563)where she showed great restraint and didn't spill teh beans.
But this clearly demonstrates that she jolly well knows it's wrong to go a-beanspilling when she does indulge.  She's an asshole 'cause she does it for sport.
I don't know her history, so I can't agree that she does it for sport. It may be true, but then again, it may not. This may actually be an indication that she's trying to stop doing it so much.
Her expressions make it clear that she's a gossip.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 02 Apr 2018, 13:26
Compared to gossiping, how would you rate, say, judging someone based on their facial expression?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 02 Apr 2018, 17:26
Compared to gossiping, how would you rate, say, judging someone based on their facial expression?

Context is key. I knew a fair gossips growing up in the church and visiting the small town my father grew up in every summer. Being an aspie, I also had to learn how to read faces. Putting the two together wasn't very hard.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Tova on 02 Apr 2018, 18:27
Okay. Just try to bear in mind that Renee is not one of your childhood fellow churchgoers, nor is she your mother, and that she has displayed some positive traits alongside her flaws, just the same as every other character in QC.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Case on 02 Apr 2018, 18:50
Compared to gossiping, how would you rate, say, judging someone based on their facial expression?

Context is key. I knew a fair gossips growing up in the church and visiting the small town my father grew up in every summer. Being an aspie, I also had to learn how to read faces. Putting the two together wasn't very hard.

Do I understand you correctly that you claim that your developmental disorder not only allows you to identify with certainty who is or isn't a gossip merely by looking at them, but that looking at drawn representations of fictional characters gives you the same insight into their imaginary psyches?

Can you do this with any artist's rendition of human faces, or is Jeph particularly accurate?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 04 Apr 2018, 20:44
Compared to gossiping, how would you rate, say, judging someone based on their facial expression?

Context is key. I knew a fair gossips growing up in the church and visiting the small town my father grew up in every summer. Being an aspie, I also had to learn how to read faces. Putting the two together wasn't very hard.


Do I understand you correctly that you claim that your developmental disorder not only allows you to identify with certainty who is or isn't a gossip merely by looking at them, but that looking at drawn representations of fictional characters gives you the same insight into their imaginary psyches?

Can you do this with any artist's rendition of human faces, or is Jeph particularly accurate?

The specific expression and body language.Frequent exposure makes practice for some expression-social context combos easier.
I've dealt with a lot of gossips. BTW, if you want something to stay secret,  NEVER confide in a railroader. Ever railroad employee from Alaska to Florida will know the secret in 3 days.