Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

Martin

8 (11.8%)

Faye

1 (1.5%)

Dora

2 (2.9%)

Hannelore (possibly a cheap shot)

24 (35.3%)

Sven

8 (11.8%)

Penelope

0 (0%)

Steve

2 (2.9%)

Raven (who may have been Allosaur et)

6 (8.8%)

Tai

3 (4.4%)

Wil

14 (20.6%)

Total Members Voted: 43

[raoullefere]

What is it you find improbable about Sven? If it's his job remember that QC hasn't really had a very plausible career for any of the characters since Marten left his office-bitch job. Coffee of Doom is owned by one of the main characters and seems to happily churn out a profit by itself to share amongst the others. Hannelore used to have her counting things job but I assume that's been replaced with her parents supporting her lately. Marten and Tai seem to have things pretty easy at the library. So while Sven's fantasy job may seem improbable it's somehow fitting with the theme of QC.

I probably should have said mildly improbable.

I suspect my difficulty with Sven lies in the fact that he doesn't seem to be written consistently. On the one hand, he's an insensitive twit who's had, so far as we know, absolutely no opportunity to make any sort of character growth. On the other hand, he always seems to make the exact correct move with Faye. I can't make the two jibe. At first, I, too, thought I saw signs of growth, but now he simply seems to be a growth of the wartish variety. He probably is actually helping Faye, simply by being relatively indifferent to her, which I could buy, except he hasn't always been. Again, a bit improbable: do you go from being concerned and friendly with someone who has made you realize women are people to slotting her into your original category of pleasure-source? (Hmm, I may be providing my own answers here. I'll have to think about it)

Looking at this written down, I can see that it does perhaps describe a real, truly inconsistent flesh and blood person. But all of those who've I've known who have resembled Sven have all had a very very raw place in their makeup that anyone who gets too close to them invariably rubs, hence the shell in the first place. I admit we saw a little of it back when Faye rejected Sven, but that may have been simple childish pique at being balked.

All of Jeph's other characters who stick around for more than fifteen strips, yes, even Hannelore, are fairly consistent. Sven doesn't seem to be. In other words, he bothers me.

Anyway, there's my long answer to a comment inspired by reading too much Andrew Greely (specifically, The Bishop and the L-Train) lately.

So who do you find improbable in QC land?

Edit. Yikes! I meant a long explanation of a brief comment. My comment, not SuperSUGA's. I need a proofreader.

[masquerade]

I find Steve improbable because he doesn't exist.

[Surgoshan]

Insouciant guys who get way too into girls then get drunk after the break up?  They TOTALLY exist.

My brother is one such. 

He's even got the mutton chops.

[masquerade]

I meant he no longer exists in this comic. Snark snark?

[Tybalt]

I supposed you left out Pintsize, Winslow and Roomba for obvious reasons?

I dunno, I guess Marten would be the most improbable.  I'm a firm believer that it's been less than 2 months in QC time, and it seems like his relationships with Faye and Dora went lightspeed.

[MC]

I say hanners simply because she was a completely different person altogether when she was first introduced in the early 500s. Though the same thing could be said about Raven. I guess we do gotta give Jeph some slack though, it's gotta be hard to "get in the skin" of your character when they first appear.

[raoullefere]

I see Wil's getting a fair share of votes. It may not be cricket to list him, since he's not had time to be developed. That's why Ellen, Sven's intern, Meena, Dave, the Bianchis (Sr.), etc. etc. aren't on the poll. And yes, the anthro-pcs are impossible to judge, since we don't have any.

Hanners has explained that her behavior switch was due to a change in meds. Since we've also seen constantly sleeping Hanners and pantsless Hanners, this may be enough to account for the change. Of course, you don't have to buy that. Still, think about the last time you were drunk enough to think you weren't responsible for your actions, and how you acted then. In that context, it works, and that would be one way to tone down the OCD. I think. I seem to recall people finding other improbables concerning her, too, though, but can't remember what. So you may be on to something, any road, as far as the topic goes.

[dozyrozy]

I actually know someone very very similar to Wil. And he looks quite a bit like him too, but I haven't actually seen him for a couple of years so I haven't put him up in the real people who look like characters thread. So he's not that improbable to me.

[Usopp]

I feel that a true poet in society is pretty much a dead thing, relegated to the 16th and 17th centuries, which is why I voted for Wil. And I'm excluding Hannelore, but I feel she's the most improbable, mostly because she was born in SPACE, and secondly because persons afflicted with OCD usually have only one obsession, whereas Hanners has at least two that I can think of off the top of my head, mysophobia(germs) and a counting compulsion. I'm fairly certain there's more, however.

[Vendetagainst]

persons afflicted with OCD usually have only one obsession

This is not true.

I would say Marten might be the least probable, given that he is the most rational person on the planet.
Oh, and Pintsize.

[Usopp]

This is not true.

I have no way of knowing whether or not it's true, but it's what I heard from a genuine sawbones I know and trust in, so I'm gonna ask you to quantify. Doctor>poster IMO

[raoullefere]

Yeah, Hanners and the space station. I probably should have regulated her to the same void I consigned the Anthro-PCs. Of course, she could be making it up, as was beaten to death in one of the WCTs.

[Vendetagainst]

@Usopp

OCD is caused by low levels of serotonin. This prevents paraonia and related sensations from being controlled and is responsible for the side-effects of the disorder. People with OCD may fall into very structured patterns and habits relating to their disorder, but I see no reason why this would result in having only a single compulsion. Perhaps your doctor's evidence was anectodal, or it may be that I don't know what I am talking about.

[Usopp]

@Usopp

OCD is caused by low levels of serotonin. This prevents paraonia and related sensations from being controlled and is responsible for the side-effects of the disorder. People with OCD may fall into very structured patterns and habits relating to their disorder, but I see no reason why this would result in having only a single compulsion. Perhaps your doctor's evidence was anectodal, or it may be that I don't know what I am talking about.

K, thx, I'm gonna ask him the next time I see him and ask him more about it. Doubt it's anecdotal, he's not a psychological doctor, but 10+ years of med school rubs off on ya    Ya know what, I'll just ask my Psych teacher at college, he'd probably know much more about it.

[masquerade]

@Usopp

OCD is caused by low levels of serotonin. This prevents paraonia and related sensations from being controlled and is responsible for the side-effects of the disorder. People with OCD may fall into very structured patterns and habits relating to their disorder, but I see no reason why this would result in having only a single compulsion. Perhaps your doctor's evidence was anectodal, or it may be that I don't know what I am talking about.

K, thx, I'm gonna ask him the next time I see him and ask him more about it. Doubt it's anecdotal, he's not a psychological doctor, but 10+ years of med school rubs off on ya    Ya know what, I'll just ask my Psych teacher at college, he'd probably know much more about it.

I was about to say, citing someone as a "sawbones" brings to mind a doctor of physical ailment rather than mental. And when he comes into contact with the crazies, he probably sends them on their gibbering way to the psych ward (or to a well-qualified psychologist, therapist, or psychiatrist ^.^).

[Is it cold in here?]

"Seventy-five percent of those studied reported having multiple obsessions". That was for young kids, dunno if it changes for adults.

[masquerade]

All instances of OCD I have encountered have had more than one compulsion. So your doctor friend was just flexing a bit of I HAS A DOCTORATE muscle.

[Rocketman]

A private space station in the 1980s.

Answer: Hanners.

[Usopp]

Yar, I asked my doc friend and he says that persons with OCD have a single obsession, like being in a space that's clean or being in a well-organized room, and then have multiple compulsions relating to their obsession. I futzed my terms.

I was about to say, citing someone as a "sawbones" brings to mind a doctor of physical ailment rather than mental. And when he comes into contact with the crazies, he probably sends them on their gibbering way to the psych ward (or to a well-qualified psychologist, therapist, or psychiatrist ^.^).

I meant sawbones as a casual term, although he is an oral/maxillofacial surgeon(face, mouth, nose, etc.) and he has had to treat persons with OCD.

[masquerade]

The fact that he has treated them does not make him an expert on their disorder. He has treated something unrelated to their disorder, not the disorder itself, and has only made unresearched observations, from what you've said.

Being a doctor doesn't mean a person knows everything about everything. CASE IN POINT: Dr. Phil. 

[Usopp]

The fact that he has treated them does not make him an expert on their disorder. He has treated something unrelated to their disorder, not the disorder itself, and has only made unresearched observations, from what you've said.

Being a doctor doesn't mean a person knows everything about everything. CASE IN POINT: Dr. Phil. 

Well Jesus H. Christ doing loop-de-loops on a freakin' biplane, I'm sorry if you think I ought know more than a doctor does about MEDICINE and HEALTH. Apparently I can no longer take the word of someone I trust in a field he is, if not involved in, at least within walking distance of.

[melliechick]

I feel that a true poet in society is pretty much a dead thing, relegated to the 16th and 17th centuries, which is why I voted for Wil. And I'm excluding Hannelore, but I feel she's the most improbable, mostly because she was born in SPACE, and secondly because persons afflicted with OCD usually have only one obsession, whereas Hanners has at least two that I can think of off the top of my head, mysophobia(germs) and a counting compulsion. I'm fairly certain there's more, however.

Of the two you listed, one's an obsession and one's a compulsion -- though people with OCD can certainly have more than one of each.  In fact, in the write-up on OCD in my DSM (yay psych majors!), it never mentions obsession or compulsion in the singular, except for when it is describing each, or a situation.

I found some helpful quotes in there (page 456 of the DSM-IV-TR if you're really curious ):

"The essential features of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are recurrent obsessions or compulsions that are severe enough to be time consuming (i.e., they take more than one hour a day) or cause marked distress or significant impairment.  At some point during the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable....The most common obsessions are repeated thoughts about contamination, repeated doubts, a need to have things in a particular order, aggressive or horrific impulses, and sexual imagery....Compulsions are repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) the goal of which is to prevent or reduce anxiety or distress, not to provide pleasure or gratification.  In most cases, the person feels driven to perform the compulsion to reduce the distress that accompanies an obsession or to prevent some dreaded event or situation.  For example, individuals with obsessions about being contaminated may reduce their mental distress by washing their hands until their skin is raw....The most common compulsions involve washing and cleaning, counting, checking, requesting or demanding assurances, repeating actions, and ordering."

[raoullefere]

Hmm. I think that describes Hanners fairly well. If one dismisses the space station claim as a fantasy, and buy into the DMS, her improbability does seem to decrease. Although Is it cold in here? has something interesting to say about that in another thread http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,19486.msg741576.html#msg741576.

As for Wil, having thought about it, I have to admit when I say improbable I really mean something more similar to inconsistent. That doesn't mean anyone else has to agree with that, of course, but that's what I think I meant (words tyin' me up again. de Do Do Do, de Da Da Da). Sure, being a poet nowadays is improbable, but within that Wil's pretty probable, especially if he's less a poet than a poet wannabe. Affectation seems to go hand in hand with that sort of thing, and that's more or less how I see Wil. Really, the problem, as I said before, is he hasn't been around long enough to give a us a good read on him. Then again, if Wil's like most people I've know who are very efficacious*, it may be next to impossible to do so short of torture, (or, as some have suggested, turning him into a vampire). But in a way it's a poet's task to consider the improbable, so if Wil turns out to be seen as the most improbable character, that may be a feather in his cap.

*I may mean affectatious.

[Paiman]

A private space station in the 1980s.

Answer: Hanners.

Not exactly a valid argument, what with the AnthroPCs and other killer robots running amok. Remember kiddies, QC World =/= our world!


I voted for Marten because frankly I don't see how a guy like him can exist: "I'm terrible with ladies I love this girl oh she's crazy now I'll go out with this girl and now I love her and am suave and everything, hey now I make a decent living working in a library and I'm not even the main character anymore."

[LittleKey]

that brings up an interesting point. who do you think the main character is nowadays? I'm thinking maybe penelope or will at this point, cause they're the only ones that are... well, doing something. marten is chilling with dora, hanners is doing her awesome crazy thing, faye and sven aren't exactly worked out but they aren't showing up way too much right now, pintsize is doing whatever... i say penelope is acting most like a main character right now, cause she and will are kinda central to the story at this point, and we see her more than him.

[Rocketman]

that brings up an interesting point. who do you think the main character is nowadays?

Faye's hooters.

[masquerade]

The fact that he has treated them does not make him an expert on their disorder. He has treated something unrelated to their disorder, not the disorder itself, and has only made unresearched observations, from what you've said.

Being a doctor doesn't mean a person knows everything about everything. CASE IN POINT: Dr. Phil. 

Well Jesus H. Christ doing loop-de-loops on a freakin' biplane, I'm sorry if you think I ought know more than a doctor does about MEDICINE and HEALTH. Apparently I can no longer take the word of someone I trust in a field he is, if not involved in, at least within walking distance of.

Everyone ought to be aware of both physical and mental health, at least with passing knowledge of well-known abnormalities or ailments. Being completely ignorant of the functions of the mind and body is a waste of sentience.
Further, mental health and physical health are two separate parts of overall health, each with many subfields and specializations. One person can't possibly be an expert in all areas. Trusting one person to be completely knowledgeable about something that isn't even his field of study and practice just because they have a PhD is naive.

[raoullefere]

So Hanners 'wins.' Shocked, I am. Wil slides into second place, which, as I said, is odd, because I knew people like Wil when I lived near a college. I suppose others aren't so fortunate (or are fortunate, depending on how you look at it). Sven comes in third, but really not that much ahead of Marten and Raven. What does that mean? Hell if I know, but it's interesting.

And Miss Probability is Penelope. I concur, especially given recent developments, which explain her tendency to rant and the fact that no one seriously believes she's Pizza Girl.

Anyway, raging debates on who knows what about mental health aside, it's been fun. Thanks to all for voting and for weighing in.