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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: jwhouk on 12 Aug 2018, 16:00

Title: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 12 Aug 2018, 16:00
New week, new poll, go for it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Carl-E on 12 Aug 2018, 18:19
New comic - early! 

And a good one. 




Despite Jim's disappearing glasses. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 12 Aug 2018, 19:03
Yeah, I saw that on Patreon. I don't think Jeph did.

And is it just me, or does it seem Veronica has aged quite a bit? Maybe being in the same house as Sam has done it?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 12 Aug 2018, 19:28
Maybe it's her glasses and lack of makeup?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 12 Aug 2018, 20:29
I'd enjoy seeing Bubbles and Veronica interact.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: LustFilledRunza on 12 Aug 2018, 21:00
No power-tools? 

Worst punishment ever.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Bad Superman on 12 Aug 2018, 21:54
This could get tricky for Sam.
Visiting the shop means being surrounded by powered machinery. Shiny… blinking… exotic… machinery…
Tempting, to say the least.

But, I think we have seen some growth in her character last week, so I'm optimistic.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 12 Aug 2018, 21:55
So I gather that Sam would usually argue with punishments laid down by her dad. Good thing Jim has Veronica to explain to him what's happening  :roll:

Also I like the middle ground of allowing her back to the shop to visit or do her sprays, but not allowing power tools. And I think it's likely that down the track that restriction will be lifted... (as Sam shows a bit more sense/after she has some formal safety instruction/after Bubbles reassures Jim that she'll watch Sam closely at all times/something like that).

Edit: Maybe Sam's next birthday* present will be after school metalworking class or equivalent. Like how Jim was initially horrified that Faye let Sam play with swords but much later in the strip it turns out he's letting her do sword fighting lessons - a bit of a  "she's going to do it anyway, so let's put her in formal instruction where safety precautions are assured (well, probably)".

Faye may be good at metalwork but she's not an experienced trainer used to having to anticipate all the foolish things students might do. Bubbles would probably be good at it and I could see Jim coming round to that, but I also wouldn't be surprised if his peace of mind benefits more from putting Sam in an actual class. (Also I'm no expert, but insurance for training people is a thing. That Union Robotics definitely wouldn't have.)

* I think her next birthday is probably her 16th. I know we didn't see her turn 15 but she's not in the strip that frequently and I feel like it's been long enough. (A super dedicated person could probably count how many winters the strip has had since we found out Sam was 14 but unfortunately I'm not up to that).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: brasca on 12 Aug 2018, 23:12
Fair enough punishment.

She can still do sprays, but not handle power tools which didn’t seem to interest her until she saw Bubbles handle a concrete saw so it’s not like he’s destroying a lifelong dream of hers.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 12 Aug 2018, 23:18
Yeah, I saw that on Patreon. I don't think Jeph did.

And is it just me, or does it seem Veronica has aged quite a bit? Maybe being in the same house as Sam has done it?

It's the grey hair streaks, her face looks the same but she might have stopped dying it since she started living the domestic life
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 12 Aug 2018, 23:21
I hope Marten doesn't get jealous that his mother is showing Sam more "normal" parental treatment than he has gotten...Jim and she are certainly growing as parents since they started dating
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 12 Aug 2018, 23:25
The thing  that really strikes me about today's strip is how broken up Sam is about not being able to use power tools any more. I mean, okay, she was enjoying playing with them but to that degree? I'm wondering just how infrequent it is that Jim draws these red lines.

You also learn a lot about Sam by the fact that Jim finds her being quiet and introspective seriously abnormal!

That aside... I honestly feel that Jeph had problems with this strip. It feels a little forced somehow, as if he had the idea for the story but couldn't quite make the dialogue flow smoothly.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 12 Aug 2018, 23:34
The "no power tools" edict will last a couple weeks.  13 is plenty old to learn to use a Dremel - some of us were wielding soldering irons at 11 - and Sam is probably comingg up on 15 fast.  (Of course this was back when A. C . Gilbert chemistry sets actually had jars of chemical with test tubes and alcohol lamps too boot.  Funny, middle schools STILL acquire craters in their sidewalks in spite of such things vanishing from the market sometime in the late '60s.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: MrNumbers on 12 Aug 2018, 23:47
Veronica might have been a little... laissez faire... but Marten turned out pretty great. Good parent teamup.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: oeoek on 12 Aug 2018, 23:49
Grin, Jim is a struggling a bit to keep up with Sam growing up. Time to bring out the dad-jokes as a counter measure!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 12 Aug 2018, 23:53
Grin, Jim is a struggling a bit to keep up with Sam growing up. Time to bring out the dad-jokes as a counter measure!

I think it might be Veronica who brings out the dad jokes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 13 Aug 2018, 00:38
And is it just me, or does it seem Veronica has aged quite a bit? Maybe being in the same house as Sam has done it?

I would imagine living with Sam would age anyone.

But it could be we're seeing Veronica at home, taking a break with no makeup.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 13 Aug 2018, 01:29
Veronica is in her mid- to late-50s and she probably doen't feel the need to do her old 'sex vixen' look when Jim likes pretty much everything about her without artifice.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 13 Aug 2018, 01:39
The bit where Jim talks to Bubbles and Faye will be interesting. Mind you, I think Faye will take responsibility too, which will prevent really harsh lectures...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 13 Aug 2018, 01:57
FWIW, thinking back, I don't think that Jim has ever liked Faye. Nor has he ever liked Sam associating with her.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 13 Aug 2018, 05:37
To be fair, I think Jim has only ever met Faye a couple of times, and even then he was willing to pay more than what he normally paid babysitters after Faye revealed she taught Sam how to make an Old Fashioned.

But I do imagine that a lot of what Jim knows about Faye is second- or even third-hand information.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: traroth on 13 Aug 2018, 05:43
I was molding tin on my own at her age...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Carl-E on 13 Aug 2018, 06:21
I learned a healthy respect for power tools from my dad.  At 10 I was working his 1936 Craftsman lathe, turning out spindles for a coatrack he was restoring, and did a few candlesticks as gifts and the like. 

Woodshop in junior high - 13 years old - made a lamp in the shape of a waterpump (you pushed the pump lever to pull the chain to switch the lamp on and off). 

So I also know how to wire a lamp, and decided to fix an old one with a bad socket.  There I was, with a lamp cord.  Stripped a few inches off the end, and thought, "Well, the wire in the bulb gives off light, I wonder..."

Plugged it in and touched the wire ends together. 



When I could see again, there were no wire ends, and a 3" long scorch mark on the hardwood floor. 



Sometimes, one only learns by doing.  Despite my understanding of danger, power tools and how electricity works, curiosity got the better of me.  It's the age, and I took one more thing out of my bag of luck, and put it into my bag of experience.  I've had a few minor jolts since then working around live wires, but I have a much healthier respect for them. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 13 Aug 2018, 08:12
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude. Hope that isn't a sign of rockier troubles...

I took tech ed in highschool but was afraid of the band saw and other tools so I avoided projects where those were used.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: pwhodges on 13 Aug 2018, 08:35
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude.

Rude outside the family perhaps, but not uncommon banter within one I would have thought.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 13 Aug 2018, 09:41
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude. Hope that isn't a sign of rockier troubles...

I think its just banter between two people in a relationship. I mean, of all the things Veronica could have called him, twit barely even rates as that much of an insult.

But really, I think its just Veronica realising that Jim is maybe overreacting a little bit. That and he's missed an instance of maturity from his own daughter and chalked it up to her being in shock.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 13 Aug 2018, 09:52
It is the duty of a person’s significant other to call them on their bullshit. Veronica is merely fulfilling that duty.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 13 Aug 2018, 09:55
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude. Hope that isn't a sign of rockier troubles...sed.
Nope, it means they really are a couple and indeed a family.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Reaver on 13 Aug 2018, 10:41
It seems like only in this comment do the smallest actions evoke the strongest of consequences lol

Faye looks away from Sam for 2 seconds? "JIm will sue her and she'll lose her license and go to jail!!"

Marten's Mom calls  Jim a twit?" SIGN OF THE RELATIONSHIP ENDIIING

Erryone take a deep breath and relaxxxxxx

Also -insert comment about Jims missing glasses-
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: bhtooefr on 13 Aug 2018, 11:21
Clearly her calling him a twit was strong enough to SCORN his glasses off.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cesium133 on 13 Aug 2018, 11:29
It seems like only in this comment do the smallest actions evoke the strongest of consequences lol

Faye looks away from Sam for 2 seconds? "JIm will sue her and she'll lose her license and go to jail!!"

Marten's Mom calls  Jim a twit?" SIGN OF THE RELATIONSHIP ENDIIING

Erryone take a deep breath and relaxxxxxx

Also -insert comment about Jims missing glasses-
You said I could relax, so I relaxed! (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=987)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 13 Aug 2018, 11:30
Jim's specs aren't riveted on and could very easily be in his hand.  It's kinda nice to get the damn things off the bridge of your nose sometimes, 'specially when you're stressed and needed to wipe your forehead.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: SordidEuphemism on 13 Aug 2018, 11:56
If that's Veronica, why are her eyes brown? They're blue everywhere else I can find an image of her.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Carl-E on 13 Aug 2018, 12:29
Because Jeph sometimes forgets his own color palette...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 13 Aug 2018, 13:02
It seems like only in this comment do the smallest actions evoke the strongest of consequences lol

Faye looks away from Sam for 2 seconds? "JIm will sue her and she'll lose her license and go to jail!!"

Marten's Mom calls  Jim a twit?" SIGN OF THE RELATIONSHIP ENDIIING

Erryone take a deep breath and relaxxxxxx

Also -insert comment about Jims missing glasses-
Well I don't really expect Jim to sue Faye, and I'd be pretty pissed if he ruined her, but she did severely drop the ball and doesn't really have much room for anything except contrition. Sam was incredibly dumb to do that, but she's still a kid, so the responsibility is with the supervisor to ensure safety.

As a bit of context, at work, I usually am assigned run the cardboard baler. Officially, I'm just a Team Peon - er, Member - like everyone else on the bottom tier, so I have no "responsibility", but that machine can only be legally interacted with by people 18 and over and I ask anyone I see who looks under 30's before they put anything in it. It'd be pretty hard to hurt yourself with it by accident, but still - I'm there, so I need to make sure protocols are heeded.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 13 Aug 2018, 13:15
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude. Hope that isn't a sign of rockier troubles...

I think its just banter between two people in a relationship. I mean, of all the things Veronica could have called him, twit barely even rates as that much of an insult.
It's not so much the level of insult, but that there's any insult at all...

Iunno, the situation doesn't seem all that jocular to me? Guess I'll defer though
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BlueFatima on 13 Aug 2018, 13:41
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude. Hope that isn't a sign of rockier troubles...

I think its just banter between two people in a relationship. I mean, of all the things Veronica could have called him, twit barely even rates as that much of an insult.
It's not so much the level of insult, but that there's any insult at all...

Iunno, the situation doesn't seem all that jocular to me? Guess I'll defer though

Oh, an insult is appropriate (Jim is being a bit of a spaz psychoanalyzing his kid's behavior there instead of recognizing she just had a maturity spurt), but how it's the conveyed with the "tone"/facial expression is a little uncomfortable. The glowering is a little much. When I see stuff like this I'm half expecting for the woman to smack the man on the head with a frying pan like Wilma Flintstone often did to resolve conflict with Fred. I guess the Flintstones have nostalgic value (especially for those of us who grew up with them), but I never found them that funny even when I was a kid.

But insults in a relationship can be awesome. My spouse and I frequently exchange name-calling banter over all kinds of things—from how money is spent to parenting, but we are usually smile (and sometimes hug) when we say it. "Dork" or "dweeb" are fave  pet names. There's also the occasional "Relax—don't be such a heliparent" reminder that sometimes gets tossed out if one of us is being over-the-top protective. It's healthy to check each other and even use names, but it's got to be done playfully, or it just leads to disrespect and resentments (let alone verbal abuse) and the point gets lost. I know some couples operate like that, but it's not my bag.

Of course there could be the possibility she's simply in Dominatrix mode and this all could be be pre-consented foreplay.  :)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 13 Aug 2018, 14:11
Of course there could be the possibility she's simply in Dominatrix mode and this all could be be pre-consented foreplay.  :)
Good point.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Reaver on 13 Aug 2018, 15:03
It seems like only in this comment do the smallest actions evoke the strongest of consequences lol

Faye looks away from Sam for 2 seconds? "JIm will sue her and she'll lose her license and go to jail!!"

Marten's Mom calls  Jim a twit?" SIGN OF THE RELATIONSHIP ENDIIING

Erryone take a deep breath and relaxxxxxx

Also -insert comment about Jims missing glasses-
You said I could relax, so I relaxed! (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=987)


RELAX YOUR MIND NOT YOUR SPHYNXTER GEEZUS IT'S LIKE SOMEONE DIED! -Wheeze-
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 13 Aug 2018, 15:16
I would have taken his comment for (overexplained) banter as well except for Veronica's expression, which seems to be taking his comment very seriously, and the comment below the strip, which very carefully explains the whole thing to the readers in case they missed it.

It all seems a little forced, as BenRG said. I think Jeph was just aiming for funny in the last panel, but I can't disagree with anyone with a different reading.

Marten's Mom calls  Jim a twit?" SIGN OF THE RELATIONSHIP ENDIIING

"Hope that isn't a sign of rockier troubles" is a milder comment than you're making out.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 13 Aug 2018, 19:17
Comic is up already!  Faye's taking her medicine like a grownup in the end, and Jim is taking a liking to Bubbles' influence on Sam.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Milayna on 13 Aug 2018, 19:34
RE:comic: thumbsup.gif
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 13 Aug 2018, 19:40
"It must hurt like hell"

I trust that's Mom speaking, not the Dominatrix.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 13 Aug 2018, 19:44
Notice the complete social integration. Bubbles is simply a good influence. The context didn't involve her identity as a synthetic so it wasn't even hinted at.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 13 Aug 2018, 20:40
Part of maturing into an adult is acknowledging unpleasant truths about oneself.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 13 Aug 2018, 22:07
I kinda read the last panel as "So it's all my fault?" - "No, just this one[, I know my daughter]."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 13 Aug 2018, 22:26
To be entirely fair, I think Faye should at least get some credit from having Sam call him. Otherwise he wouldn't even have known where she was.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 13 Aug 2018, 23:17
To me, the real significance of this strip is that it reminds us that Faye still has a bathtub full of self-esteem issues. Everything being her fault sort of fits in with the worse aspects of her own self-image and, whilst Jim has his own priorities, it would have been nice for him to at least acknowledge that Faye feels guilty about the situation.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: brasca on 13 Aug 2018, 23:30
Considering how things could’ve gone with anyone else Faye is getting off easy.  Bubbles is a good influence on Sam, but a great influence on Faye. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TinPenguin on 14 Aug 2018, 00:16
Faye naturally feels guilty about the situation, but as Jim is quite bluntly pointing out, she should feel guilty. This happened on her watch, and this mistake should be a learning experience for her as much as for Sam. Wouldn't hurt for Jim to thank her for being upfront, like he did with Sam, but there's no point sugar-coating things. He's also still angry and is probably doing his best to hold it in and be reasonable.

That said, Faye may have to take care not to be ambushed by a bottle on the way home.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 14 Aug 2018, 00:24
This happened on her watch, ...

Should it have been her watch, though? Sam, once again, was out on her own, without Jim knowing where she was. It's easy not to take your responsibility, and blame the ones that do take it up.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TinPenguin on 14 Aug 2018, 01:31
This happened on her watch, ...

Should it have been her watch, though? Sam, once again, was out on her own, without Jim knowing where she was. It's easy not to take your responsibility, and blame the ones that do take it up.

Both are at fault. Both should have known better. If a learner driver crashes because the instructor went for a break and left them to park the car, the instructor would lose their job. This might not have been a formal training situation, but responsibility is not always handed to you on a piece of paper.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: dawolf on 14 Aug 2018, 03:34
Jim's overreacting here. Sam is at least 14, probably 15. At school we were using electric sanders by that age, and while the class would be supervised that's 1 teacher and occasionally 1 assistant for 25 kids, using various tools once we'd been trained on them. Should Faye have gone to the bathroom leaving her unsupervised? No, especially not the first time using the tool, but the vast majority of kids wouldn't do what Sam did.  I mean, In many ages past that's an adult, in many countries right now that's an adult.

Sam got a better level of personal supervision than she'd get in almost any other environment. And Jim should recognise that and be grateful that an adult is trying to teach his kid practical skills. Sam's the one who messed up and broke Faye's trust.

You can't completely wrap up kids or protect them from every danger. Not if you want them to learn those skills and independence.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Annemoon on 14 Aug 2018, 04:34
Jim's overreacting here. Sam is at least 14, probably 15. At school we were using electric sanders by that age, and while the class would be supervised that's 1 teacher and occasionally 1 assistant for 25 kids, using various tools once we'd been trained on them. Should Faye have gone to the bathroom leaving her unsupervised? No, especially not the first time using the tool, but the vast majority of kids wouldn't do what Sam did.  I mean, In many ages past that's an adult, in many countries right now that's an adult.

Sam got a better level of personal supervision than she'd get in almost any other environment. And Jim should recognise that and be grateful that an adult is trying to teach his kid practical skills. Sam's the one who messed up and broke Faye's trust.

You can't completely wrap up kids or protect them from every danger. Not if you want them to learn those skills and independence.

I would like to second this. As stated before, I have also used these tools in school at this age, and I'm a bit annoyed with how much blame is put on Faye for this.
Although I think, a lot of parents would overreact a bit here, so I can cut Jim 'some' slack for being quite rude.
But my more general problem, is that I feel that the comic story line itself seems to acknowledge it as strong 'carelessness' from Faye, which I feel uncomfortable with. She's been more thoughtful and careful than most of my teacher's have been, *and* she's even apologizing.

But maybe that's a European/American cultural difference here.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 14 Aug 2018, 04:38
But my more general problem, is that I feel that the comic story line itself seems to acknowledge it as strong 'carelessness' from Faye, which I feel uncomfortable with.

I have to agree with this. Jeph seems to have started from the base concept of "Sam gets hurt because Faye is careless" and written backwards from there. That isn't a bad way to create narrative but, in this particular case, he doesn't seem to have been quite able to tell the story smoothly. It has the same feeling of being forced and awkward that I got from the Tilly & Hanners arc around the new year.

What makes reading these strips really strange is that even the characters seem to be aware that the plot is a bit forced. They're awkward in delivering their lines and keep on pausing at weird points as if they're saying in their heads: "Who the hell wrote this script?"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: swapna on 14 Aug 2018, 05:07
Jim's overreacting here. Sam is at least 14, probably 15. At school we were using electric sanders by that age, and while the class would be supervised that's 1 teacher and occasionally 1 assistant for 25 kids, using various tools once we'd been trained on them. Should Faye have gone to the bathroom leaving her unsupervised? No, especially not the first time using the tool, but the vast majority of kids wouldn't do what Sam did.  I mean, In many ages past that's an adult, in many countries right now that's an adult.

Sam got a better level of personal supervision than she'd get in almost any other environment. And Jim should recognise that and be grateful that an adult is trying to teach his kid practical skills. Sam's the one who messed up and broke Faye's trust.

You can't completely wrap up kids or protect them from every danger. Not if you want them to learn those skills and independence.

I would like to second this. As stated before, I have also used these tools in school at this age, and I'm a bit annoyed with how much blame is put on Faye for this.
Although I think, a lot of parents would overreact a bit here, so I can cut Jim 'some' slack for being quite rude.
But my more general problem, is that I feel that the comic story line itself seems to acknowledge it as strong 'carelessness' from Faye, which I feel uncomfortable with. She's been more thoughtful and careful than most of my teacher's have been, *and* she's even apologizing.

But maybe that's a European/American cultural difference here.

yeah, but it's also Sam. She's very immature for being what, 14? 15? at that age, using powertools shouldn't be a problem, and neither should be the concept of 'not hiding a snake in your dad's girlfriends home'. She wasn't hurt because the instructions were unclear, or because the tools or the environment was unsafe - she touched the dremel on purpose. Even if Faye had been right next to her, she probably wouldn't have been able to prevent stupidity from happening.

I hope it doesn't lead to Faye actually wallowing in a drink, but to figuring out that she can't indulge Sam any longer. She's not getting paid for it either, seeing that Sam had to be forced to call Jim to tell him where she was.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 14 Aug 2018, 05:28
I've said before that Sam is a smart kid. She just isn't that wise.

In fact, Sam seems to have her head in the clouds. That's not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but combine that with the kind of mind that goes "I wonder what would happen if I pressed my nail to the high speed spinning head of the dremel tool?" and its a dangerous combination. And hopefully this incident will be something of a wake up call for Sam. Yeah, she had an unpleasant and painful experience, but she also had a a lucky escape so maybe it'll teach her to think before acting.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 14 Aug 2018, 05:45
I've said before that Sam is a smart kid. She just isn't that wise.

Being smart doesn't award having common sense. In case of Sam, it's rather the opposite, she's smart instead of having common sense, or that's somewhat the feeling I get.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 14 Aug 2018, 05:46
Considering how things could’ve gone with anyone else Faye is getting off easy.  Bubbles is a good influence on Sam, but a great influence on Faye.

And Faye is probably both good and bad influence on Sam.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Thrudd on 14 Aug 2018, 06:35
Being smart doesn't award having common sense.
FULL STOP - Apply maximum braking power

Common sense - is what is considered sensible by the majority, therefore common
This has very little if any overlap on the Venn diagram with
Good sense - sound practical judgment
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 14 Aug 2018, 06:58
Eh. Pretty much what I expected.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 14 Aug 2018, 08:18
Waxing theological here - If souls are a real thing, AIs in the QCverse must have them given the range of behaviors and introspection we've seen.  And if AIs have souls, Bubbles has an old one, probably a very old one, and AIs are a recent form of sentient life.  Therefore, AI souls must come from the same place as human's.  They ARE people.

Now I'll go back to thinking about how to optimize the Maillard reaction on precooked pork sausages.   (It's breakfast time.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: heyjames4 on 14 Aug 2018, 09:14
This arc with Sam's injury reminds me of Marigold & Dale's fight about insecurity a few months ago. It's a story of mature (mostly) adults (mostly) trying to get by in the world and do right by each other, making mistakes, and trying again. Good times.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: themacnut on 14 Aug 2018, 09:19
This happened on her watch, ...

Should it have been her watch, though? Sam, once again, was out on her own, without Jim knowing where she was. It's easy not to take your responsibility, and blame the ones that do take it up.

This assumes Sam can be trusted to tell her dad where she is, or to go or stay where she's told. I get the impression she may have either snuck out of the house to go to the shop, or told Jim she'd be somewhere else. Never underestimate the deviousness of a child, especially as they become teenagers.

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: dutchrvl on 14 Aug 2018, 09:20
Jim's overreacting here. Sam is at least 14, probably 15. At school we were using electric sanders by that age, and while the class would be supervised that's 1 teacher and occasionally 1 assistant for 25 kids, using various tools once we'd been trained on them. Should Faye have gone to the bathroom leaving her unsupervised? No, especially not the first time using the tool, but the vast majority of kids wouldn't do what Sam did.  I mean, In many ages past that's an adult, in many countries right now that's an adult.

Sam got a better level of personal supervision than she'd get in almost any other environment. And Jim should recognise that and be grateful that an adult is trying to teach his kid practical skills. Sam's the one who messed up and broke Faye's trust.

You can't completely wrap up kids or protect them from every danger. Not if you want them to learn those skills and independence.

I would like to second this. As stated before, I have also used these tools in school at this age, and I'm a bit annoyed with how much blame is put on Faye for this.
Although I think, a lot of parents would overreact a bit here, so I can cut Jim 'some' slack for being quite rude.
But my more general problem, is that I feel that the comic story line itself seems to acknowledge it as strong 'carelessness' from Faye, which I feel uncomfortable with. She's been more thoughtful and careful than most of my teacher's have been, *and* she's even apologizing.

But maybe that's a European/American cultural difference here.

I'd agree that the different interpretation/judgment of the situation at hand seems to be mostly a European/American cultural difference.
In the US there seems to be a much more pervasive line of thinking that children require to be shielded from as much risk as possible during childhood, with as a result the stereotypical (but very real) helicopter parents and parents generally being a lot more fuzzy about anything that may have the slightest chance of physically hurting their kids, compared to European parents that is..

Not just my own observation (I am Dutch), also something my gf (who grew up in the US) comments on pretty much everytime we visit NL or when seeing Dutch friends living in the US, who of course use their European mindset. In addition, my Dutch friends with kids who have been living in the US for some years now tell me that they sometimes get comments basically telling them to increase their helicoptering...

Of course this is all anecdotal, and may only refer to the typical Northwestern European countries (?).
On the other hand, the same Dutch friends get comments from Dutch family/friends basically criticizing them for having their kids in daycare 5 days/week, something nobody in the US bats an eye at...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: dutchrvl on 14 Aug 2018, 09:23
But my more general problem, is that I feel that the comic story line itself seems to acknowledge it as strong 'carelessness' from Faye, which I feel uncomfortable with.

I have to agree with this. Jeph seems to have started from the base concept of "Sam gets hurt because Faye is careless" and written backwards from there. That isn't a bad way to create narrative but, in this particular case, he doesn't seem to have been quite able to tell the story smoothly. It has the same feeling of being forced and awkward that I got from the Tilly & Hanners arc around the new year.

What makes reading these strips really strange is that even the characters seem to be aware that the plot is a bit forced. They're awkward in delivering their lines and keep on pausing at weird points as if they're saying in their heads: "Who the hell wrote this script?"

Yeah I agree with you here. In fact, the Tilly arc to me did not come across as stilted/forced as the current one.
I don't know, a lot of the conversations just don't feel natural at all in how they play out. Maybe it's also due to Jeph being behind on the comics (including bonus comics) and having to rush a bit more?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 14 Aug 2018, 10:14
But my more general problem, is that I feel that the comic story line itself seems to acknowledge it as strong 'carelessness' from Faye, which I feel uncomfortable with.

I have to agree with this. Jeph seems to have started from the base concept of "Sam gets hurt because Faye is careless" and written backwards from there. That isn't a bad way to create narrative but, in this particular case, he doesn't seem to have been quite able to tell the story smoothly. It has the same feeling of being forced and awkward that I got from the Tilly & Hanners arc around the new year.

What makes reading these strips really strange is that even the characters seem to be aware that the plot is a bit forced. They're awkward in delivering their lines and keep on pausing at weird points as if they're saying in their heads: "Who the hell wrote this script?"

Ben, is is the plot or the dialog you're objecting to?

'Cause to me what happened is the natural result of the ingredients reacting with each other. Faye offering Sam a development opportunity, Sam doing something reckless in a workshop -- surprising it hasn't happened before! Jim's reacting like a parent whose kid got injured.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: nightshade on 14 Aug 2018, 10:31
oh good lord ...talk about much ado about nothing ...if you live in a family where people use tools all the time heres how this would go


"kid cuts finger playing with saw hes not supposed to touch"


relative comes over stops bleeding puts bandaid  calms kid down tells kid "see that's why ya don't mess with things you don't know how to use"  mom says same thing but gives love tap to the back of the head   and life goes on

I mean if she got cut in jr/sh shop class hes gonna take her outta class ?
note I come from a very long line of mechanics and carpenters ……...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 14 Aug 2018, 11:38
Ben, is is the plot or the dialog you're objecting to?

Mostly characterisation; the characters just seem all wrong for some reason.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 14 Aug 2018, 13:44
All of them?

We've watched Sam jump off a cliff. I thought the characterization rang true there.

Bubbles has shown Leadership Qualities before and her guidance to Sam seemed right to me.

Faye's more of a grownup in these few strips than she used to be, but that's part of established character growth.

Jim rang true to me even though (especially though?) he was unfair to Faye.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BlueFatima on 14 Aug 2018, 14:14
But my more general problem, is that I feel that the comic story line itself seems to acknowledge it as strong 'carelessness' from Faye, which I feel uncomfortable with.

I have to agree with this. Jeph seems to have started from the base concept of "Sam gets hurt because Faye is careless" and written backwards from there. That isn't a bad way to create narrative but, in this particular case, he doesn't seem to have been quite able to tell the story smoothly. It has the same feeling of being forced and awkward that I got from the Tilly & Hanners arc around the new year.

What makes reading these strips really strange is that even the characters seem to be aware that the plot is a bit forced. They're awkward in delivering their lines and keep on pausing at weird points as if they're saying in their heads: "Who the hell wrote this script?"

Ben, is is the plot or the dialog you're objecting to?

'Cause to me what happened is the natural result of the ingredients reacting with each other. Faye offering Sam a development opportunity, Sam doing something reckless in a workshop -- surprising it hasn't happened before! Jim's reacting like a parent whose kid got injured.

We've seen Jim be a reactive parent in the past. He happens to air on the side of a protective parent. I don't think he's ridiculously protective, but I would consider it slightly problematic...a realistic human flaw that could impede him down the road as a parent as Sam discovers more independence and acts like a typical teen. I don't fault him for that. I've been there myself (though not with injuries—more with bullying). It's tricky to find a balance. 

I don't feel Faye is an irresponsible person in this arc either. She made a very human mistake and learned from it. She even owned up to it on her end by talking Jim afterwards and accepting he was not happy with her. That takes serious 'nads.

Aside from yesterday's strip, I don't find any of this story to be uncomfortable, but maybe that's because my daughter is approaching Sam's age. I've been around a lot of different kids and other parents/teachers at this point, and yeah, I will judge others' choices with children to a degree (if nothing else—to rethink how I do things), but I'm used to other parents and teachers making very different judgement calls with kids than I would make, and I see that the kids can still turn out to be amazing people who benefited from their relationship with those adults. This includes my own. I try to remember the cool turtle dad from Finding Nemo.

Another cool thing about this story is Jim is trying hard on his end to fight his overprotectiveness, and that also shows growth on his end—which is pretty cool considering he is a minor character.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: RMc on 14 Aug 2018, 16:56
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude.

Women can say anything they want in this strip. If a man talked to a woman that way on QC, the Hannelore fangirls would burn down the entire internet.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: UghIncels on 14 Aug 2018, 17:06
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude.

Women can say anything they want in this strip. If a man talked to a woman that way on QC, the Hannelore fangirls would burn down the entire internet.

Excellent insight. I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter so that I may avoid your mistakes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 14 Aug 2018, 17:30
I have my quibbles with recent comics, but characterisation is not one of them.

Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude.

Women can say anything they want in this strip. If a man talked to a woman that way on QC, the Hannelore fangirls would burn down the entire internet.

I doubt that a man calling a woman a twit in QC would provoke anything more confrontational than this very post.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: War Sparrow on 14 Aug 2018, 17:36
To all of those comparing Sam using a power tool in the shop to their own experiences in school, or with mechanically inclined parents-I find the comparison flawed. For those tracking the geographical data, I'm from rural Canada.

If Sam had been enrolled in a mechanical or woodworking class, Jim would have at least been subconsciously prepared for her to be injured in some way. It's a class for learning how to use tools, and Sam is..Sam. He might have been angry or scared, of course, cause it's his kid, but still-he would have likely been expecting it. He might have also have been more receptive if Faye or Sam asked him if she could learn to use power tools under Faye's supervision. (Although I will grant that sometimes it's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission)

But Sam wasn't in a class. Sam was in her adult friend's shop- a friend Jim trusted to keep his child intact. Maybe he should have factored in the siren song of power tools, but he didn't. And Sam got hurt, no matter how minor. Jim is allowed to be angry at the person who should have been watching her. He should also be reasonable about that anger, which he is, as much as possible.

I like this arc. It's a group of people doing the best they can under the circumstances, and everyone is  learning. Faye's learning that apprentices can and will do illogical things, Sam's learning actions have consequences, and Jim's learning that his little girl is growing up.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 14 Aug 2018, 17:59
Just to add to War Sparrow's post.

When you go to school and you take woodwork or metalwork or whatever subject involves power tools - you go there to learn. From trained professionals. As in people trained to teach people how to use the tools. They're trained to deal with people who don't have great attention spans and spend some time before going over the basics of safety, control and what to expect, well before they let a student even touch a power tool.

Faye may be a professional metal worker, but she isn't a teacher. What we saw was Sam holding a dremel tool and Faye nearly freaking out because the kid was going to start dremelling without putting the piece into a vise. She let Sam into the deep end and was lucky that Sam only suffered a ripped off nail.

Everyone who has their own experience with using power tools, ask yourself this. Before you got to use them, how many times did you watch someone else use them? Were you told how to use it? What kick to expect from a drill? Maybe the right way to hold and use a heatgun? Because I bet, every single parent or adult figure teaching you made sure that the first time you used something wouldn't be your last.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Case on 14 Aug 2018, 19:05
Hmmmmh ... Jim didn't say anything about the Lasers being verboten, did he?

Uh-oh ...  :-\
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Carl-E on 14 Aug 2018, 21:21
I think you have to power up a laser; that makes it a de facto power tool. 


The new strip - do you think Bubbles will now manipulate Faye's inner child?  Or her outer one? 



And lastly,
Climbing a mountain.    Climbing a mountain lion. 

Happens all the time around here...

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D79Dhk0obyg/ToSxxzjzfRI/AAAAAAAAB4E/azeuqwY1Qyc/s1600/DSC04612.JPG)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Case on 14 Aug 2018, 22:14
I think you have to power up a laser; that makes it a de facto power tool.

Why, yes ...  in the same sense that your PC, your fridge, or the ceiling lights in the room you're in are power tools.  :-P



Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 14 Aug 2018, 23:01
Everyone who has their own experience with using power tools, ask yourself this. Before you got to use them, how many times did you watch someone else use them? Were you told how to use it? What kick to expect from a drill? Maybe the right way to hold and use a heatgun? Because I bet, every single parent or adult figure teaching you made sure that the first time you used something wouldn't be your last.
If Dad said, "Be careful with that," I heard, "That thing can maim you." 

If he said, "That's a wicked instrument," he meant, "That thing will kill you if you're don't watch it."  I don't ever remember a time I didn't believe him.  He had some scars and a fingertip or two missing, so that may have had something to do with is cred.  I never really had a serious run-in with a power tool. 

(Small kitchen appliances were another matter - a Sunbeam electric mixer tried to eat my left thumb.  It didn't break anything or draw blood, but it wasn't for lack of effort.  I don't remember if I turned it off or pulled the plug, but I escaped more or less unscathed except for a long bruise the folks didn't notice and I didn't tell them about it.  Mom would have freaked and Dad would have been furious because I think that's how he got at least one of those scars.  If he's reading QC on the Other Side and sees this he may come back from the dead and whupp my arse.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 14 Aug 2018, 23:08
And the new comic's up.  Jeph says, "Panel 2 MIGHT be the cutest thing I've drawn yet???"

May be, but dem abs.  Damn!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 14 Aug 2018, 23:31
For me, this panel is mostly about how Bubbles is as much Faye's support now as Faye is Bubbles support in other ways. Without any real conscious directly, Faye turns to Bubbles for comfort and Bubbles tries to comfort Faye.

That said, panel 4 does seem to suggest that Faye is asking herself: "Is my girlfriend a smartass or is she learning all the wrong lessons from life?"

Oh, and yeah. Bubbles would be over the moon to be considered a beneficial person to be around.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: derris_kharlan on 15 Aug 2018, 01:24
Caveat for this post: I’m not yet a parent (though I hope to be someday)

Jim’s treatment of Faye is out of line. So far as we know (or at least that I can remember) he has never spoken to her about what Sam is/isn’t allowed to do in the shop. That’s on him. He seems to at least been aware that she is spending time there in which case he should have spoken with Faye and Bubbles if he is concerned. He can’t just assume they will mind read that he never wants his daughter to use power tools.

Meanwhile Faye SHOULD have waited until Sam had shown she was capable of safely handling the dremel before walking away, but it’s a dremel, it’s not like she left Sam alone with a table saw or angle grinder. And Sam didn’t have “an accident” with a tool because she was inexperienced (like she slipped while using it wrong), she was an idiot and used the tool in a completely dangerous fashion. That’s not Faye’s fault.

Meanwhile I think Jim is right to ban Sam, at least temporarily, from using power tools because clearly she isn’t capable of handling them in a remotely responsible manner. She needs to demonstrate some common sense first. THEN supervised use if she wants to learn.

But yeah, while Jim’s reaction might be emotionally understandable I don’t  think it’s fair to Faye and I would love it if he apologizes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 15 Aug 2018, 01:28
Jim’s treatment of Faye is out of line.

You mean where he agrees with Faye's own words? Because I don't think he would have said anything like that otherwise. In fact, if Faye hadn't asked that question, the conversation would have gone no further.

I thought that his response to Faye's characteristic and unnecessary sass was appropriate and not at all out of line.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 15 Aug 2018, 03:31
Caveat for this post: I’m not yet a parent (though I hope to be someday)

Jim’s treatment of Faye is out of line.

Nah.
If anything Jim's reaction was too rational.
As you say, you don't have children, and whereas empathy is one thing, experience is another.

Example?
My daughter had to go to the dentist.
Dentist could not pull a tooth they wanted to.
MY daughter was becoming more and more distraught as this 'professional' hauled and hauled and hauled while she was under only a local anaesthetic...

It took every fibre of my being not to haul the incompetent fecker off of her.
Even more so when they then shrugged and said... "I can't get it out. We'll just have to leave it in."

My take as a parent?
A 'professional' in charge of my child's well-being failed miserably and caused her great pain and anxiety.
(A moment which scarred her for a long time and made every dentist trip a feat of logic over sheer dread.)

So, yeah... Jim in NO WAY over-reacted and certainly was NOT out-of-line.

(In a way, I kinda blame Jeph for making the 'accident' too easy. Ripping off a fingernail with a dremel would, I imagine, cause far more pain and distress than Sam showed... Which might explain the little backlash against Jim.
Had we seen Sam in a LOT of pain and anguish (as opposed to, what, a frame and a half?) then it might be a different story.... But then, we don't really want comics full of mid-teens in agony, do we!)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: DSL on 15 Aug 2018, 04:00
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude.

Women can say anything they want in this strip. If a man talked to a woman that way on QC, the Hannelore fangirls would burn down the entire internet.

Meh. Veronica's called, and been called, much worse in a perfectly friendly conversation with an old and dear friend. (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2391) One assumes she and Jim have reached a similar level of personal and psychological familiarity by now.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 15 Aug 2018, 05:02
Climbing a mountain.    Climbing a mountain lion. 

Happens all the time around here...

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D79Dhk0obyg/ToSxxzjzfRI/AAAAAAAAB4E/azeuqwY1Qyc/s1600/DSC04612.JPG)

I cannot, in good conscience, like that photo, considering that it is a Nittany Lion.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: RMc on 15 Aug 2018, 05:07
Meh. Veronica's called, and been called, much worse in a perfectly friendly conversation with an old and dear friend. One assumes she and Jim have reached a similar level of personal and psychological familiarity by now.

Switch the genders, and just imagine the firestorm.

Hell, there are already people here demanding Jim apologize to Faye for daring to confront her! Geez.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: DSL on 15 Aug 2018, 06:18
Sounds  like something you really, really want to do.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BlueFatima on 15 Aug 2018, 06:45
Only when they aren't your own, Bubbles. :) 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: pwhodges on 15 Aug 2018, 07:07
Switch the genders, and just imagine the firestorm.

They did change the gender of the insulted person in their example, but you seem not have noticed; and your attempt to stir up a firestorm yourself appears to be failing - but it has attracted the attention of this moderator, so watch it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Thrudd on 15 Aug 2018, 07:08
Climbing a mountain.    Climbing a mountain lion. 
Happens all the time around here...
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D79Dhk0obyg/ToSxxzjzfRI/AAAAAAAAB4E/azeuqwY1Qyc/s1600/DSC04612.JPG)
I cannot, in good conscience, like that photo, considering that it is a Nittany Lion.
I thought it was a Puma. ..... It's not a Puma!  :clairedoge:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Magniras on 15 Aug 2018, 11:46
Most of my problem with Jim's reaction is that Faye made sure Sam had protection, made sure Same knew what she was doing, and then asked Sam if she could trust her to be safe and do the task while she stepped away for a few minutes at most.  Like, how dare Faye encourage one of Sam's interests, make sure the kid had the proper equipment, and then have faith in her. Such a bad influence.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 15 Aug 2018, 11:54
Doesn’t matter if you do everything right. If it happens on your watch, it’s your fault. That’s just human nature.

If you think that human nature is illogical, then yes, it is. If you think that human nature should be logical - well, it isn’t, never has been, and never will be.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 15 Aug 2018, 12:03
(In a way, I kinda blame Jeph for making the 'accident' too easy. Ripping off a fingernail with a dremel would, I imagine, cause far more pain and distress than Sam showed... Which might explain the little backlash against Jim.
Actually, Jeph chose the wrong tool for the literary job.  A Dremel won't tear a fingernail away - it lacks the power.  To paraphrase the Dremel manual, "Don't force the tool, let the speed do the work."  It would nibble the alpha-keratin material away taking advantage of it's high speed.  Next time you go to a podiatrist, take a look at the instrument table.  Odds are you'll see a Dremel there.  They use them to reduce thick calluses and ||drum roll|| toenails.  Sam's injury didn't happen quickly - she was playing with the thing, seeing how thin she could cut it.  It broke through and it bit her. 

But, a Dremel as a literary device does advance the plot by getting Sam injured without maiming her.

In real life, an alert caregiver would be watching for other evidence of self harm behaviors.  Jim may be clueless and it's outside Bubbles' training and experience, but Veronica, having been professionally involved in the BDSM scene, has no doubt encountered more than a couple folks with those kinds of issues.  We don't know how severely Sam's abandonment issues around her absent mother affect her, but they ARE THERE to some degree or another, and they might be starting to emerge.  Once in a while Jeph takes on the dark stuff, and this arc may be his segue into some.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 15 Aug 2018, 12:10
Hmm!

There's the apparent social isolation. Faye once had to ask something like "Don't you have any friends your own age?".
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: RMc on 15 Aug 2018, 13:05
so watch it.

/eyeroll
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 15 Aug 2018, 14:22
Hmm!

There's the apparent social isolation. Faye once had to ask something like "Don't you have any friends your own age?".

There's that. And the fact that she seems to be away from school a lot, wandering in the wild.

I think that is what bothers me most, here. Relaxed parenting style or not, Jim might need want to watch that. There might be something going on with Sam, and she clearly keeps things from him. At least UR lets him know where she is. There's more of an issue there, than in a simple accident.

I know, it's not easy for him, either. And the schedule he keeps doesn't help. But he might want to have a good look at himself, but more importantly, a good talk with Sam. She's trying to be reasonable, and I feel he might have gotten somewhat deeper than usual.I may be wrong.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Jakk Frost on 15 Aug 2018, 17:55
"Giant squid don't have horizontal pupils"

What if it's floating on its side?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 15 Aug 2018, 18:01
Giant squid?! QUICK! Someone call in William Petersen!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 15 Aug 2018, 19:10
And now we know what Hannelore has been up to. Or down to, in this case.

And she survived Blood Mountain. No small feat there.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: brasca on 15 Aug 2018, 19:11
Maybe the squid is floating sideways.  Makes perfect sense.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: zisraelsen on 15 Aug 2018, 19:58
As mysterious giant orange eyes with strange pupils go, that one looks relatively friendly.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 15 Aug 2018, 21:27
Well, so long as Hanners doesn't start hearing a voice in her head that says "consume" or "Learn. Grow."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Magniras on 15 Aug 2018, 21:47
Octopi have horizontal pupils. They also have the largest brain to body ratio of all invertebrates.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 15 Aug 2018, 22:06
Well, so long as Hanners doesn't start hearing a voice in her head that says "consume" or "Learn. Grow."

She really seems the sort to hand out pamphlets about her imaginary friend. But I don't see her trying to paint 'THE TRAVELER WAS HERE" on anything.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 15 Aug 2018, 23:17
What is really interesting about today's strip is the implication that basically Hannelore has been cleaning her way across the world. Firstly, she's brushing Yak and now she's tidying up a deep-sea research lab. When you think about it, it's so wonderfully in-character that, journey of self-discovery or no, she still has to keep things clean!

As for the super-giant octopus? Well, they're curious animals and I've got a feeling that it wants to play with the things it can see inside the tin can. I'm sure that this would be an uncomfortable experience for its playmates!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: oeoek on 16 Aug 2018, 00:00
Yay! Hanners Spic 'n Span World Tour (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1416). Sadly poor Winslow at her side is not as adventurous...

As for the horizontal pupil; putting a Giant Squid at an angle won't help, it has a round pupil. I call Cthulhu.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Bad Superman on 16 Aug 2018, 00:03
Am I the only one who has completely lost interest in this "new and improved" version of Hannelore?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Mordhaus on 16 Aug 2018, 00:22
Dread Cthulhu is searching for an exit from the nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh.  :evil:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 16 Aug 2018, 00:28
Am I the only one who has completely lost interest in this "new and improved" version of Hannelore?

Who knows.

Hannelore's character popularity was working against her, leaving her overexposed and overused, which can be disastrous if nothing is done. She's also had one of the longest and heaviest stories in the comic's entire history, but also one of the most divisive. I mean, this is her second appearance this year after that storyline. Thus, Jeph gives Hanners a break, but also allows a chance for growth and development without really having to show it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 16 Aug 2018, 00:29
Well, seems like Tanners is improving by cleaning up other people's messes. That's basically how she became friends with Marigold.

On a side note, is Hanners aware of the Faye/Bubbles situation?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Vurogj on 16 Aug 2018, 00:53
  • Tossing a penny into a fountain to make a wish.    Tossing Pizza Girl into a fountain to make a wish. 
I tried so hard to resist, but I have ultimately failed.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 16 Aug 2018, 01:05
On a side note, is Hanners aware of the Faye/Bubbles situation?

If Hannelore hasn't received a delirious text message from Dora about these events, I'll be surprised.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 16 Aug 2018, 01:27
And now we know what Hannelore has been up to. Or down to, in this case.

And she survived Blood Mountain. No small feat there.
And acquired a pretty decent tan to boot.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Bad Superman on 16 Aug 2018, 01:57
Am I the only one who has completely lost interest in this "new and improved" version of Hannelore?

Who knows.

Hannelore's character popularity was working against her, leaving her overexposed and overused, which can be disastrous if nothing is done. She's also had one of the longest and heaviest stories in the comic's entire history, but also one of the most divisive. I mean, this is her second appearance this year after that storyline. Thus, Jeph gives Hanners a break, but also allows a chance for growth and development without really having to show it.

The last sentence is more or less what had me lose interest.
Back when I commented the Yak comic, I called Hannelore's change too much and too sudden. That is, because we're not allowed to watch her develop and grow. We can see neither her setbacks nor her breakthroughs. At some point in the future we just have to take the new and improved product, and that'll be it then.
To me, she has almost become a different character. So, why should I care about her anymore?
(It pains me to write this. It really does. Hannelore was always one of my favorite characters…)

Compare Hannelore's current arc with the journey of Bubbles, from when she was introduced to now. We were there the whole time to witness her break free of her old habits, opening up to Faye (and her social circle), getting rid of the leverage Corpse Witch (seemingly) had on her… And all of this culminated in one of the most satisfying finales of a story arc in QC-history, I would say.
And we were there for the ride! We saw the highs and lows, we saw her struggle and push forward, we saw her fall in love with Faye (and vice versa)…

Bubble's journey up to this point feels organic and natural.
Hannelore’s (at least in this "snapshot" kind of way) does not.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Carl-E on 16 Aug 2018, 05:47
Neither did her sudden change from the introductory cigarrette-smoking barfly to panic-stricken OCD recluse.   

That was explained away as a change in meds...

We've watched her grow and develop literally for years, hugging Marten, getting a job interacting with the public, going a "practice date" with Sven...

are the changes we're seeing now really so unbelievable?  She's still cleaning her world, it's just a bigger place now. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Akima on 16 Aug 2018, 05:59
If I were designing a robot to explore the ocean, I think I'd make it "swim" rather than trudge over the bottom like Jules Verne's submariners:
(https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781984270382_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 16 Aug 2018, 06:04
I'm pretty sure we'll get a compressed version of "Hanners' Adventures into the Unknown" at some point.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 16 Aug 2018, 07:16
Or don't explain it. *shrug* Knowing the usual QC cast, they'd just roll with the changes anyway....
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: DSL on 16 Aug 2018, 07:34
Ever linked back up with an old friend IRL after being out of contact for a while -- a couple years, a couple decades, maybe? Were they, I dunno, different somehow?

Does the fact you weren't there for whatever experiences changed them, invalidate that change?

Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Bad Superman on 16 Aug 2018, 07:48
If, in the comics, Superman flies into space, and comes back a year later with a different costume and a different set of powers, would you like to know how that happened?

I sure would...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 16 Aug 2018, 08:01
And if we were talking about a radical change of that magnitude, you might have a point. But we aren’t. Hannelore has been building to this for quite some time. Sure, she’s grown, but she’s still recognizably Hannelore.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: pwhodges on 16 Aug 2018, 08:02
Different comic, different vibe.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: brasca on 16 Aug 2018, 12:00
Yay! Hanners Spic 'n Span World Tour (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1416). Sadly poor Winslow at her side is not as adventurous...

As for the horizontal pupil; putting a Giant Squid at an angle won't help, it has a round pupil. I call Cthulhu.

Let’s just hope her compulsion for cleanliness and science doesn’t lead to the Gizmonic Institute. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: dna_level_c on 16 Aug 2018, 16:22


Let’s just hope her compulsion for cleanliness and science doesn’t lead to the Gizmonic Institute.

Well, she *would* do a good job cleaning up the place.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Drunken Old Man on 16 Aug 2018, 16:26
But her bosses wouldn't like her...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Akima on 16 Aug 2018, 16:27
As for the horizontal pupil; putting a Giant Squid at an angle won't help, it has a round pupil. I call Cthulhu.
Cuttlefish have some freaky pupils (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042698913000539):
(https://i.imgur.com/nfdIveN.jpg)
Adorable baby Cthulhu...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 16 Aug 2018, 17:53
That Cuttlefish is one blush away from asking if Senpai noticed them.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: brasca on 16 Aug 2018, 18:30


Let’s just hope her compulsion for cleanliness and science doesn’t lead to the Gizmonic Institute.

Well, she *would* do a good job cleaning up the place.

True, but I fear Tom Servo and Crow wouldn’t get along with Winslow.  They tend to be hostile to non human outsiders.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 16 Aug 2018, 18:42
If, in the comics, Superman flies into space, and comes back a year later with a different costume and a different set of powers, would you like to know how that happened?

I sure would...

I'm more interested in what a year of Superman comics minus Superman would look like.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 16 Aug 2018, 18:46
Comic’s up.

Pintsize is being nice. What’s his angle?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 16 Aug 2018, 18:53
Pranks are less fun when your target is so stressed that they react by hurling you across the room.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 16 Aug 2018, 18:54
If, in the comics, Superman flies into space, and comes back a year later with a different costume and a different set of powers, would you like to know how that happened?

I sure would...

I'm more interested in what a year of Superman comics minus Superman would look like.

Already happened. It was called the Death of Superman, followed by Reign of the Supermen.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 16 Aug 2018, 20:05

Already happened. It was called the Death of Superman, followed by Reign of the Supermen.

Plus there was a arc before that where Superman spent months in space...

Pintsize shows unexpected depth. Again.  :?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 16 Aug 2018, 20:59
If, in the comics, Superman flies into space, and comes back a year later with a different costume and a different set of powers, would you like to know how that happened?

I sure would...

I'm more interested in what a year of Superman comics minus Superman would look like.

Already happened. It was called the Death of Superman, followed by Reign of the Supermen.

... and? What did Superman minus Superman look like? What did they write about that maintained readers' interest?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Scarlet Manuka on 16 Aug 2018, 21:02
Going back to Sam and Faye - several people have assumed or speculated that Sam was at the shop without Jim's knowledge. But I was just reading back a bit and saw in #3800 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3800) that not only had Faye made Sam call Jim to get permission, but Faye specifically promised that "I'll make sure she comes back with the right number of fingers. Yeah, they'll still be attached to her." (I too had forgotten this detail.)

The fact that she messed up the exact thing she promised wouldn't happen changes the complexion of Jim's response to her quite a bit, I think, and makes it more natural.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Carl-E on 16 Aug 2018, 21:20
Comic’s up.

Pintsize is being nice. What’s his angle?

No angle.  He's not really being nice, either - so far, just making observations.  He does seem concerned, though and I think it's a matter of having to deal with a stressed out member of the family. 

He's a companion AI, after all.  And his primary charge, Marten, is too chill for Pintsize to ever have had to deal with something like what Claire's going through.  Even with the Dora breakup, he was able to "handle" Marten with a certain amount of cruel-to-be-kindness. 

But what Claire's going through is quite different, and I think he's decided that it needs to be dealt with head on.  In fact, you have to get the denier to admit there's a problem before anything else can be done! 

And TBH, I don't think he wants her blowing up her and Marten's relationship, something that makes both of them happy.  In her current state, that's a distinct possibility. 


He's just doin' his job. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Somebody on 16 Aug 2018, 21:41
Where is this Clare thing going anyway? This isn't the first time anyone's made this observation, after all. I can't believe for a second JJ's actually going to have her fail, so...everyone's going to tell her to relax for an indeterminate number of strips until she finally does?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 16 Aug 2018, 21:42
If, in the comics, Superman flies into space, and comes back a year later with a different costume and a different set of powers, would you like to know how that happened?

I sure would...

I'm more interested in what a year of Superman comics minus Superman would look like.

Already happened. It was called the Death of Superman, followed by Reign of the Supermen.

... and? What did Superman minus Superman look like? What did they write about that maintained readers' interest?

Other people that took up the role/mantle of Superman while he was presumed dead. There were spinoffs where there was like 4-6 other people claiming to be his successors. Some of them, like Steel and Superboy stuck around as their own characters when the grand story arc was up.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 16 Aug 2018, 21:57
If, in the comics, Superman flies into space, and comes back a year later with a different costume and a different set of powers, would you like to know how that happened?

I sure would...

I'm more interested in what a year of Superman comics minus Superman would look like.

Already happened. It was called the Death of Superman, followed by Reign of the Supermen.

... and? What did Superman minus Superman look like? What did they write about that maintained readers' interest?

They built the four Superman comics around four new characters: Superboy, Steel, Cyborg Superman, and The Eradicator. Cyborg turned villain, Eradicator was basically Superman without his mormals, Steel was basically Iron Man but with a hammer, and Superboy was an arrogant douche.

The storylines were pretty much self-contained with the stories eventually coming together to allow for the reintroduction of the original Superman. The whole year also setup the eventual decline of the Green Lanterns as the story eradicated Hal Jordan's hometown driving him insane and causing him to become one of the most hated villains of the 90s...


Don't that's just the first. The second "year without a Superman" happened in 2008-2009 when Superman went to New Krypton on the other side of the sun leaving Mon-El and two Kryptonians that he trusted to watch over Earth...it didn't do much and was wiped out of continuity thanks to 'Flashpoint" a year later.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 16 Aug 2018, 22:02
Where is this Clare thing going anyway? This isn't the first time anyone's made this observation, after all. I can't believe for a second JJ's actually going to have her fail, so...everyone's going to tell her to relax for an indeterminate number of strips until she finally does?

I think she's going to from friend to friend with each assuring her that she's going to be alright but her not relaxing until she passes her exam.

She probably hasn't had this kind of friendly support before, she has her mother and brother but this is something entirely different than them. It's tough to go against years of abuse, especially regarding her father. It hasn't been confirmed or delved into, but something went on with the piece of garbage beyond infidelity.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 16 Aug 2018, 22:31
I do think that it is a sign that Claire has settled into the apartment that she can just handle Pintsize being Pintsize without it weirding her out anymore! Her only question is 'how', not 'why'!

As for Pintsize himself? Well, we saw him try to help Faye during her post-Angus downward spiral, so it's in-character for him to at least attempt to help. I just wonder if he'll be able to do so without blowing his cover!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 16 Aug 2018, 23:13
Going back to Sam and Faye - several people have assumed or speculated that Sam was at the shop without Jim's knowledge. But I was just reading back a bit and saw in #3800 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3800) that not only had Faye made Sam call Jim to get permission, but Faye specifically promised that "I'll make sure she comes back with the right number of fingers. Yeah, they'll still be attached to her." (I too had forgotten this detail.)

The fact that she messed up the exact thing she promised wouldn't happen changes the complexion of Jim's response to her quite a bit, I think, and makes it more natural.

Well, Sam still has the same amount of fingers, and none had to be reattached. This incident is what Jim was thinking of, but failed to communicate just how inconsiderate Sam csn be with her life choices. Can you blame Faye for what happened? Yes, totally. Is Jim overreacting? in my eyes, yes. He could have told Faye "Look, this is what happens when you don't look after Sam properly. She still can go to the shop, but no more power tools.", and it would've been OK in my eyes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 16 Aug 2018, 23:27
Also, the fact that Faye made Sam call Jim underlines that up to that point he did not, in fact, know where she was.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: oeoek on 17 Aug 2018, 00:45
It's just gone noon
Half past monsoon
On the banks of the river Nile
Here comes the boat
Only half-afloat
Oarsman grins a toothless smile


There's a touch of madness in Claire's eyes...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 17 Aug 2018, 01:12
Also, the fact that Faye made Sam call Jim underlines that up to that point he did not, in fact, know where she was.

She probably didn't tell Jim where he went for the same reason she didn't want to tell him how the injury happened.


The way I see it, Jim is like "I don't even want to put up with that shit" half the time. Maybe he's on the edge of not being able to cope with it anymore, but Faye seems to have some control over her, so she's allowed some degreee of freedom with Sam.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 17 Aug 2018, 01:25
Going back to Sam and Faye - several people have assumed or speculated that Sam was at the shop without Jim's knowledge. But I was just reading back a bit and saw in #3800 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3800) that not only had Faye made Sam call Jim to get permission, but Faye specifically promised that "I'll make sure she comes back with the right number of fingers. Yeah, they'll still be attached to her." (I too had forgotten this detail.)

The fact that she messed up the exact thing she promised wouldn't happen changes the complexion of Jim's response to her quite a bit, I think, and makes it more natural.

Well, Sam still has the same amount of fingers, and none had to be reattached. This incident is what Jim was thinking of, but failed to communicate just how inconsiderate Sam csn be with her life choices. Can you blame Faye for what happened? Yes, totally. Is Jim overreacting? in my eyes, yes. He could have told Faye "Look, this is what happens when you don't look after Sam properly. She still can go to the shop, but no more power tools.", and it would've been OK in my eyes.

He did.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 17 Aug 2018, 03:30
Waxing theological here - If souls are a real thing, AIs in the QCverse must have them given the range of behaviors and introspection we've seen.  And if AIs have souls, Bubbles has an old one, probably a very old one, and AIs are a recent form of sentient life.  Therefore, AI souls must come from the same place as human's.  They ARE people.

Now I'll go back to thinking about how to optimize the Maillard reaction on precooked pork sausages.   (It's breakfast time.)
Hmmm....... Perhaps they earn one based on behavior/deeds?

 Yes, that would mean that some are awarded souls specifically so they can be sent to Hell. But, perhaps they earn said soul upon commenting the act that would damn them, thus giving them a chance to redeem themselves.

Right now, Bubbles and Momo very probably have souls. Melon and Arthur probably don't. If Pintsize has a soul, it's likely doomed to wander or gets some sort of purgatory.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 17 Aug 2018, 05:20
It is an ancient AnthroPC,
And he stoppeth one of three.
'By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?


Yep, that's got Pintsize written all over it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: derris_kharlan on 17 Aug 2018, 07:55
Caveat for this post: I’m not yet a parent (though I hope to be someday)

Jim’s treatment of Faye is out of line.

A 'professional' in charge of my child's well-being failed miserably and caused her great pain and anxiety.

But see, that’s the key difference. Jim didn’t put Faye in charge of Sam, there was no discussion on his part about what the limits are or should be, or what he expected of Faye. When you take your child to a medical professional there is that kind of understanding both by law and by cultural custom. I could understand if Faye had actually done something seriously dangerous, but allowing a tween/teen to use a dremel is not relatively dangerous. Sam could have injured herself worse using a standard hammer. Would you say Jim’s reaction would be fair to Faye if Sam had hit herself with a hammer and broken her finger instead?  I doubt it.

Again, Faye did make a mistake IMO, but not making sure she saw Sam operating the tool safely for a bit first. But Jim is more at fault here than Faye for not properly supervising his daughter in the first place and setting ground rules. Then Sam is at fault for being an idiot when Faye gave her the opportunity to try something.  Jim needs to take responsibility for not laying down the ground rules and arranging things with Faye if he was going to let Sam freely spend time there. Not beat up on poor Faye who already feels bad and took the responsibility to go to him after the accident.

P.S. Soery to hear about your daughters and yours bad experience with the dentist, that’s awful.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 17 Aug 2018, 10:35
In truth, Jim's "no power tools" edict is absurd.  If you know nothing of the business but wander in there selling, what?, stubbed toe insurance or coffee service, your first impression before encountering any of the staff will be, "DAMN that's a lot of power tools!"  (That's before you catch sight of Bubbles and say, "DAMN that's a big war 'droid sans armor!")  There's be a few strips about his dialing back on it, probably with Veronica's intercession.

Jim's the grown-up, but he's out of his depth with his tomboy daughter.  Fact is, Samantha's two Xs instead of a Y and an X may actually be mediating damned fool behavior that would have gotten Samuel killed.  She's a challenge for any parent.

Veronica, OYOH, has her own stuff around not parenting Marten, at least not in any conventional way.  Sam is her opportunity for a do-over. 
(click to show/hide)

Sam, as noted in an earlier comment, has maternal abandonment issues that she's just starting to work through.

With the richly deserving exception of Corpse Witch, Jeph doesn't send his QC characters to Hell in a handbasket.  (There was Sara, but that was early on and the poor allosaurus was starving.  Yelling Bird is still around somewhere else, giving people Hell.)  Jeph's setting up an arc about their growth and development into a family.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 17 Aug 2018, 14:31
In truth, Jim's "no power tools" edict is absurd.
I wouldn't say absurd, as it not only protects Sam, but also Faye, Bubbles and Dora. We have no idea what insurance they have, or if it covers injuries to people who aren't employed there. I'm not talking about Jim suing Faye and Bubbles. I mean health insurance, liability and several other problems that could have arisen. If Sam had been seriously injured, Faye and Bubbles could have been liable. A quick check and a broken arm can cost around $2500. We have no idea what kind of money Union Robotics is making at the moment, but I imagine that they can't spare that kind of money.

Quote
If you know nothing of the business but wander in there selling, what?, stubbed toe insurance or coffee service, your first impression before encountering any of the staff will be, "DAMN that's a lot of power tools!"  (That's before you catch sight of Bubbles and say, "DAMN that's a big war 'droid sans armor!")  There's be a few strips about his dialing back on it, probably with Veronica's intercession.

But to Jim, its all an unknown and outside of his purview. He's right and understandable to be cautious about the equipment. Likewise, Faye and Bubbles are an unknown and from Jim's perspective, until recently they were working in an illegal fight club and workshop. That kind of thing would set alarms blaring in Jim's head.

Quote
Jim's the grown-up, but he's out of his depth with his tomboy daughter.  Fact is, Samantha's two Xs instead of a Y and an X may actually be mediating damned fool behavior that would have gotten Sam killed.  She's a challenge for any parent.

You're right. Jim is out of his depth. He runs a time intensive business with long hours. He's divorced and from what we've seen, it wasn't amicable. A bitter divorce could have had an effect on Sam. But the fact that he's protective of her doesn't mean he's bad one. Sam is probably worth more to Jim than anything else in his life and I don't mean a monetary value. Remember, Sam is his only child, but not only that, but she is still a child (or at the latest an early teen). She's rambunctious, an explorer and a little troublemaker. But he's there for her, he works mornings to spend the afternoons and evenings with her. Jim's got a bad situation, but he's making the best of it.

Quote
Veronica, OYOH, has her own stuff around not parenting Marten, at least not in any conventional way.  Sam is her opportunity for a do-over. 
(click to show/hide)
Then again, Veronica has had some major missteps in dealing with Marten, even with him as an adult, in particular when she came to visit after the Break-up and perhaps added more to Marten's suffering rather than help alleviate it.

But at the same time, Sam isn't Veronica's daughter. Yeah, she's dating Jim, but in this instance, she has an outside perspective that she's a little blind to herself when she deals with Marten. That outside perspective allows her to get to the heart of the problem a little easier. But yes, it could be that Veronica has learned from her mistakes.

Quote
Sam, as noted in an earlier comment, has maternal abandonment issues that she's just starting to work through.
Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. The divorce could have been water off a duck's back for Sam, as she is living with her father. Sam's actions might speak more to the explorer in her, not quite having the experience to think before she leaps.

Quote
With the richly deserving exception of Corpse Witch, Jeph doesn't send his QC characters to Hell in a handbasket.  (There was Sara, but that was early on and the poor allosaurus was starving.  Yelling Bird is still around somewhere else, giving people Hell.)  Jeph's setting up an arc about their growth and development into a family.
Or its a story about Faye needing to live up to her responsibilities; as a business owner, as a friend, as a partner and as an adult. Its great that she's friends with Sam, but there comes a point where Faye can't be a friend and working at the same time when she's at UR.
Or it could be a story about Sam taking those first few steps into becoming an adult. To think before she acts. She's growing up and can't remain someone who lives on instinct.
Or it could be a story about Jim learning that he can't protect his daughter forever, but maybe its time to start trusting her to look after herself.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 17 Aug 2018, 16:45
"No power tools" in a place full of them certainly looks absurd to me.  Jim will at some point realize this, and no-nonsense Veronica will likely be the person to have pointed it out to him, although ultra-logical Bubbles could do it, too.

As for her parents' divorce and her mother's absences from her life running off Sam like water off a duck's back - it doesn't work that way, my friend, it just does not work that way.  Some people stuff it and manage to fake it, sometimes for years, but it will sooner or later erupt. 

None of the other scenarios suggested are mutually exclusive. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 17 Aug 2018, 16:49
This thread's storm-in-a-teacup reaction is more absurd than Jim's reaction by orders of magnitude.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 17 Aug 2018, 17:08
This thread's storm-in-a-teacup reaction is more absurd than Jim's reaction by orders of magnitude.
Allow me to edit that so we can get past the who was right/who was wrong business and on to speculation about where Jeph is taking the story.

"Jim's 'Dear daughter who is fascinated with power tools, you may go to the place full of power tools but you aren't allowed to touch any of them,' edict is absurd."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 17 Aug 2018, 17:33
Okay. Bearing in mind Bubbles' good influences and Sam's burgeoning spray business, I'll just disagree and leave it at that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Undrneath on 17 Aug 2018, 18:44
Just because there are power tools there doesn't mean a 14ish year old should be using them. She can be there to do sprays and socialize with Faybles but actually using the tools is a reasonable line to make to not be crossed.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Tova on 17 Aug 2018, 19:24
Also, the trust he places in both Sam and Faye to respect his wishes is a good move for precisely the same reasons Bubbles had to trust Sam to fess up to the accident.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Magniras on 17 Aug 2018, 19:33
Pintsize is an AnthroPC after all.  He just chooses to be a companion in his own peculiar way.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 18 Aug 2018, 10:05
Pintsize is an AnthroPC after all.  He just chooses to be a companion in his own peculiar way.

Pintsize is crude when he knows he can afford it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: Carl-E on 19 Aug 2018, 13:12
Pintsize is always  crude.   

But he can be serious when the situation calls for it. 



Like now. 
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 19 Aug 2018, 15:10
What else is Sam no longer allowed to do?

Bring in snakes found on her way to school.     10 (27.8%)
Go on "Experiential Days" more than three times a week.     11 (30.6%)

Continue to have her "side job" of AI Tattoos.    2 (5.6%)
Wear her Skullmaster Master of Skulls mask (Bubbles has it now)    4 (11.1%)
Eat Spathe Ham with Waffles.    4 (11.1%)
Think about Purple Monkey Elephant Dishwashers.    4 (11.1%)
Something else (please specify).    1 (2.8%)

Total Members Voted: 36


Title: Re: WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 20 Aug 2018, 01:29
Caveat for this post: I’m not yet a parent (though I hope to be someday)

Jim’s treatment of Faye is out of line.

A 'professional' in charge of my child's well-being failed miserably and caused her great pain and anxiety.

But see, that’s the key difference. Jim didn’t put Faye in charge of Sam, there was no discussion on his part about what the limits are or should be, or what he expected of Faye. When you take your child to a medical professional there is that kind of understanding both by law and by cultural custom. I could understand if Faye had actually done something seriously dangerous, but allowing a tween/teen to use a dremel is not relatively dangerous. Sam could have injured herself worse using a standard hammer. Would you say Jim’s reaction would be fair to Faye if Sam had hit herself with a hammer and broken her finger instead?  I doubt it.

Again, Faye did make a mistake IMO, but not making sure she saw Sam operating the tool safely for a bit first. But Jim is more at fault here than Faye for not properly supervising his daughter in the first place and setting ground rules. Then Sam is at fault for being an idiot when Faye gave her the opportunity to try something.  Jim needs to take responsibility for not laying down the ground rules and arranging things with Faye if he was going to let Sam freely spend time there. Not beat up on poor Faye who already feels bad and took the responsibility to go to him after the accident.

P.S. Soery to hear about your daughters and yours bad experience with the dentist, that’s awful.

I totally accept what you are saying above...
But when you are seeing your child in pain you have to REALLY try hard not to negate logic.

The problem with your suggestion above, is that we only have Sam's take on what Jim does or does not allow her to do. And as others have said before, he allows her to go to sword fighting lessons. Allowing one's child to go to a place where they have 'adult' friends is, in effect, placing your child in their care. As adults, that shouldn't require to be officially confirmed... it's a societal norm.

Putting it simply - Faye dropped the ball.
Not only did she deserve to be called on it, she (rightly) expected it.