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Kill

Kill with fire

Ask someone else to kill it

Run

Befriend

Befriend and start a spider silk company

Befriend and sic on enemies

Capture and study, because they shouldn't exist

Use to create a spider army

Offer waffles

Offer Cheerios

[GarandMarine]

Health inspections.

Hannersmom is SO FREAKING AWESOME. <3

[ihaveavoice]

AND THEN IHAVEAVOICE BURNED NEW HAMPSHIRE TO THE GROUND.

OMG. You guys. I just watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom for the first time today (yes, I know) and NOBODY WARNED ME ABOUT THE BUGS. Like, seriously, I needed a trigger warning I HAVE A THING ABOUT BUGS. And my mind had been kind enough to just block it all right the hell out but then...Spider Zone. And now I can't stop thinking about OH MY GOD THERE WERE SO MANY AND THEY WERE BIG AND THEY GOT ON THEM ALL OVER THEM HOW WILL I EVER SLEEP AGAIN

Honestly, as much as Willie is written purely to be annoying, I would have lost my shit FAR WORSE at that point. I mean, I still would've saved them, but I would NOT have been fine soon after. Possibly ever after. ASDFGHJKL; SOMEONE GET IT OUT OF MY BRAIN

[Akima]

....must.... resist.... firebombing.... fictional... location

I'm fine with spiders. I'm glad there were no cockroaches!

[westrim]

I can relate to Faye and Sam a bit. I remember a trip to Hawaii where I decided to take a scenic path instead of the straight road back to the care. About a 1/3 of the way in I noticed a really cool spider web, with a spider in the center about 3 inches across. Then another one. And another. Then I started noticing multiple webs at a time, and soon realized that I was surrounded by a couple thousand webs, all orb weaves, all with spiders about the size of the first in the middle. They were on all sides, including above, forward, and back, arcing over the path. It was surprising I hadn't already walked into one. I carefully and quickly went back and took the road instead. I'm normally okay with spiders, and they were probably harmless, but damn that got my heart racing. In general regarding insects and arachnids and such, I'm okay if there's one or two in view or even on me, no issue, but once there are more than I can keep track of, up goes the blood pressure.

Regarding fibs, I've heard it infrequently, but most of my encounters with the word have been literary. I'm pretty sure it's a family thing, not a regional thing.

Regarding belief, it is completely a choice. No one could convert from or to a religion if it wasn't, and no one is born believing anything. And that's all I have to say about that (in this thread, where unestablished definitions, unacknowledged variability, and fluff doomed any discussion).

Haven't we heard of the basement before? I recall conversation about expanding the cafe into it or something. Anyway, turning it into a BSDM dungeon would be positively banal. Turning it into model plain runway or something would be truly weird.

Spiders, by the way, are either a very good indication (being carnivores that eat other insects, keeping the human food safe) or a very bad indication (so many means there's lots of insect food for them).

I needed a trigger warning.

No you didn't. You needed to take responsibility and check beforehand (it's noted on the Wikipedia page), or be willing to deal with your own fears (you have pause and/or mute buttons, I presume). I really, really hate the concept of trigger warnings, it's a bad form of coddling.

Also, leave the poor shift key alone.

[Border Reiver]

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/File:Harry_Potter_and_the_Chamber_of_Secrets_-_Follow_the_Spiders

Follow the spiders...

If I learned anything from the Harry Potter series (other than feeling like a dirty old man while watching Emma Watson grow up...) it was that we need more large reptilian beasts to deal with spiders.

[Zebediah]

I HAVE A THING ABOUT BUGS. And my mind had been kind enough to just block it all right the hell out but then...Spider Zone. And now I can't stop thinking about OH MY GOD THERE WERE SO MANY AND THEY WERE BIG AND THEY GOT ON THEM ALL OVER THEM HOW WILL I EVER SLEEP AGAIN

Well, damn. I guess I won't be posting any pictures of cute spiders to this thread, then. 

[Nepiophage]

Spiders are cuddly and fun. Arachnophobia is like homophobia  -- irrational bigotry. When I start my own religion  I will make spiders sacred creatures which it is a grievous sin to kill.

[pwhodges]

Arachnophobia is like homophobia  -- irrational bigotry.

Real phobias do exist - please do not belittle them.

Well, damn. I guess I won't be posting any pictures of cute spiders to this thread, then. 

As many as you like - but suitably spoilered, please, as we know there are people here who do not wish to see them.

[westrim]

Well, damn. I guess I won't be posting any pictures of cute spiders to this thread, then. 

Don't worry, I've done it before.

As someone with mild arachnophobia, I probably shouldn't ask, but is there a real spider that Gordon's appearance is based on?

Apparently, jumping spiders. It did get up on that counter easily. But don't worry, they just want to be friends.

(click to show/hide)

Arachnophobia is like homophobia  -- irrational bigotry.

Real phobias do exist - please do not belittle them.

Phobias are by definition irrational- it's not belittling to say so. Neither, in this context, is comparing these two phobias and calling them bigoted.

[Tova]

Spiders are cuddly and fun.

Unless it's a funnel web, which are somewhat less cuddly and certainly no fun if they bite you. Good thing antivenom is so effective.

(click to show/hide)

I've only seen one once. It was in a pool. Lucky for me that I was aware of how good they are at surviving submerged for long periods of time.

edit: I forgot to quote the post to which I was replying.

[ankhtahr]

Well yeah, we know that arachnophobia is irrational. But I can't help freaking out anyway when I see one. Yesterday I nearly got a heart attack when a spider crawled over my computer desk. The thing about phobias is that they bypass several parts of the brain. A phobia induces reactions before you really notice the cause, based on simple patterns. When I see a dark spot on the carpet I jump. Then my brain finally computes all this visual data and notices that it's only a leaf or something. This initial reaction is part of the phobia, and very, very hard to get rid of. While I nowadays manage to go to the basement and walk past a big spider on the wall, I still can't help but jump when initially I see it.

[pwhodges]

Phobias are by definition irrational- it's not belittling to say so. Neither, in this context, is comparing these two phobias and calling them bigoted.

Comparing a recognised clinical condition with a non-clinical "phobia" which is in fact prejudice is indeed belittling.  Of course, it would be better if homophobia was referred to as homomisia (meaning hatred of or disgust for homosexuality) - but that won't happen.

[cesium133]

AND THEN IHAVEAVOICE BURNED NEW HAMPSHIRE TO THE GROUND.

You missed.

[jwhouk]

New poll up. You get two votes if there's more than one you really like, and you can change your answer if desired. On reflection, the last poll wasn't very good, with bad puns, obscure references, and missing options. Oh well, they can't all be hits.

You forgot the obvious:

"Nuke it from orbit. Just to be sure."

[LordVaughn]

I'm pretty sure if I were in Sam's position, I probably would have screamed loud and high enough that it probably would have broken CoD's windows. If I were younger, I'd probably have torn off my clothes and jumped into the closest body of water my entire body could fit into.

[GarandMarine]

Spiders are cuddly and fun. Arachnophobia is like homophobia  -- irrational bigotry. When I start my own religion  I will make spiders sacred creatures which it is a grievous sin to kill.

Cool, I get to go to hell in yet another religion *adds a mark to a tally list*

[Zebediah]

Well, damn. I guess I won't be posting any pictures of cute spiders to this thread, then. 

As many as you like - but suitably spoilered, please, as we know there are people here who do not wish to see them.

Not to worry, I'm not gratuitously malicious except to neo-Nazis. As they seem to be in short supply around here, I'll behave.

Spiders are cuddly and fun. Arachnophobia is like homophobia  -- irrational bigotry. When I start my own religion  I will make spiders sacred creatures which it is a grievous sin to kill.

Cool, I get to go to hell in yet another religion *adds a mark to a tally list*

But you really, really don't want to go to the hell of the Church of Arachnia. Trust me.

[DSL]

Well, damn. I guess I won't be posting any pictures of cute spiders to this thread, then. 

[vforvancouver]

My worries don't lie in the amount of spiders present in the basement. It's the conditions for those spiders to live: they need to feed, and they feed insects.

In order to sustain such an amount of spiders there, that basement must be room full with arthropods: roaches, longlegs, mites, ticks, woodlice, perhaps even mice. THAT IS AN UNSANITARY BASEMENT!

[toffee-skye]

i suppose it's a blessing that it's set in Massachusetts and therefore you don't get ones the size of your hand or something.. but those do look quite big. big enough for me to run down the stairs from. (i was going upstairs, the spider wanted to come downstairs, we reached an impasse,  i'm 19 years old and screamed like a toddler who'd just discovered the f-word)

i used to be very scared of spiders when i was younger, though, about Sam's age. i couldn't tolerate even the very tiny money spiders we have in the UK.

a basement full of spiders combines two irrational fears for me though: the dark AND spiders. uughhjsfdnaifainfa no thank you D:

[sitnspin]

I really, really hate the concept of trigger warnings, it's a bad form of coddling.

Try living with PTSD, then. Trigger warnings are not coddling, they are a demonstration of compassion. Just because something is not an issue for you that doesn't make it okay to belittle those for whom it is.

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

I needed a trigger warning.

No you didn't. You needed to take responsibility and check beforehand (it's noted on the Wikipedia page), or be willing to deal with your own fears (you have pause and/or mute buttons, I presume). I really, really hate the concept of trigger warnings, it's a bad form of coddling.

Also, leave the poor shift key alone.

Funny I grew up without protection from bullying,  without trigger warnings and without a nanny-state holding my hand every step of the way.   I learned to avoid things and situations that would trigger my issues, and I've learned to accept that I am going to run into those things during my life.

In other words,  it is coddling and it encourages weakness.   Instead,  grow... adapt... rationalize... seek help... and move forward.   

In my case...  heights.   And a crippling fear of thunderstorms.      Now I'm the first one up the ladder,  and I can sit outside on the porch during a storm.   Used to be anything higher than ground-level even in photographs would set me off.   Same thing with thunder.      I overcame.     I had to:  No one coddled me.

As for the flames,  BRING THEM.  I'm heat-treating a piece of steel and could use a couple thousand degrees of heat at the moment. 

[Loki]

Westrim, MDBS: Shouldn't whether they want to be coddled or not be the choice of the person in question?

[Zebediah]

MDBS, I too grew up without protection from bullying, and it left me barely functional. I couldn't avoid the kids who bullied me, I was forced to go to school with them, and the adults who should have been protecting me either turned a blind eye or actually joined in the bullying. It was relentless, it was way beyond "normal" child interaction, and it was crippling. I'm still dealing with the fallout decades later.

It's great that you had a different experience than me. Maybe you were stronger, or more likely you didn't have to endure the level of pure torture I did. But I could have used a little bit of protection, because it was beyond what any human being should rationally have to face. I'm glad that kids today have more protection than I did.

[Is it cold in here?]

I can relate to Faye and Sam a bit. I remember a trip to Hawaii where I decided to take a scenic path instead of the straight road back to the care. About a 1/3 of the way in I noticed a really cool spider web, with a spider in the center about 3 inches across. Then another one. And another. Then I started noticing multiple webs at a time, and soon realized that I was surrounded by a couple thousand webs, all orb weaves, all with spiders about the size of the first in the middle. They were on all sides, including above, forward, and back, arcing over the path. It was surprising I hadn't already walked into one. I carefully and quickly went back and took the road instead.

What did Gandalf say about staying on the path?

[Neko_Ali]

Different people experience phobia and triggering reactions differently. Just because some people can or learn to deal with their triggers doesn't mean it's the same for everyone else. And not equal between different triggers. When I was younger I had a bad phobia of the undead. Zombies, skeletons that sort of thing. Yes, it's ridiculous but I still had it. Through forced exposure to it I was eventually over to overcome that phobia. I also have phobias of being randomly attacked, raped or incarcerated. Sometimes panic attacks on those issues keep me from leaving my house for days. And I doubt I will ever get over those issues.

Offering trigger warnings is not coddling anyway. It is giving someone fore warning of things that may or may not bother them. Then that person can choose whether or not to continue, instead of it just being sprung on them with little no no warning. This is being polite and conscious of other people's feelings, not nannying them.

[Is it cold in here?]

I respect people who confront phobias but they shouldn't be forced into it.

It is only right to get people's consent before having sex with them or putting them into a psychological emergency.

[Masterpiece]

There WAS a trigger warning. Jephzibah didn't name this strip "Arachnaphobes should skip this one" for nothing.

As for my stance towards trigger warnings, you're reading a comic called "questionable content"... 

[Pilchard123]

Darn, I'm disappointed about Sam. I was expecting her to emerge hugging some Acromantula-like thing, the size of a Labrador, gleefully saying "I shall call her Webby".

I shall call him Webby and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Webby! Come here Webby! Come here widdle Webby Come her-ow! Bad Webby!

[Midwesterner]

I love Dora's look the past couple strips. You could even say she's a-Dora-ble.

[Method of Madness]

I could, yes.

[Nepiophage]

I meant no offence but, though jokingly put, I had a serious point here. There are legitimate reasons for killing animals --as food, in competition for food (viz. agricultural pests), personal safety (dangerous spiders, disease carrying insects, if attacked by a bear etc.)  etc.  Irrational fear, or, worse, just not liking them, is not a good enough reason. Spiders are just as alive as robins or baby seals and deserve the same respect.

[Method of Madness]

Except robins and baby seals are less likely to come near you, and even if a bird does come near you it is not hard to shoo away if you are so inclined.

[Is it cold in here?]

MDBS, I too grew up without protection from bullying, and it left me barely functional. I couldn't avoid the kids who bullied me, I was forced to go to school with them, and the adults who should have been protecting me either turned a blind eye or actually joined in the bullying. It was relentless, it was way beyond "normal" child interaction, and it was crippling. I'm still dealing with the fallout decades later.

It's great that you had a different experience than me. Maybe you were stronger, or more likely you didn't have to endure the level of pure torture I did. But I could have used a little bit of protection, because it was beyond what any human being should rationally have to face. I'm glad that kids today have more protection than I did.

Your experiences are difficult and painful for me to read about.

I didn't need to be protected, because "difficult and painful" and "triggering" are different animals.

"Triggering" is like setting off fireworks around a combat veteran. It's not part of the give and take and ups and downs of normal social interaction. It's not something a DHB will do on purpose, whereas saying unpleasant things could even be an obligation sometimes.

[Loki]

I meant no offence but, though jokingly put, I had a serious point here. There are legitimate reasons for killing animals --as food, in competition for food (viz. agricultural pests), personal safety (dangerous spiders, disease carrying insects, if attacked by a bear etc.)  etc.  Irrational fear, or, worse, just not liking them, is not a good enough reason. Spiders are just as alive as robins or baby seals and deserve the same respect.

...and I will make an attempt to not kill spiders even though I have mild arachnophobia.

Bloodsuckers of any kind are fair game, though.

[GarandMarine]

I have a treaty with spider kind, however if they cross the DMZ they will be brutally terminated without hesitation.

Trigger warnings that I'm used to usually relate to buddies with PTSD... having to actively restrain two large adult males from flipping a table for cover if a car backfires near a restaurant you're eating at is all the learning you need to do on that subject, trust me. Triggers, especially for the various forms of combat and non-combat PTSD are NOT something to scoff at.

[Shjade]

I needed a trigger warning.

No you didn't. You needed to take responsibility and check beforehand (it's noted on the Wikipedia page), or be willing to deal with your own fears (you have pause and/or mute buttons, I presume). I really, really hate the concept of trigger warnings, it's a bad form of coddling.

Also, leave the poor shift key alone.

Funny I grew up without protection from bullying,  without trigger warnings and without a nanny-state holding my hand every step of the way.   I learned to avoid things and situations that would trigger my issues, and I've learned to accept that I am going to run into those things during my life.

In other words,  it is coddling and it encourages weakness.   Instead,  grow... adapt... rationalize... seek help... and move forward. 

A friend of mine has a bit of a heart condition. What happens if she gets too excited (examples of "excited" including "frightened in startling fashion," for instance)? Hospital visits, if she's lucky.

Someone linked said friend to this horror story without warning her about what it was, just that it was something interesting they thought she'd like to read. Spoiler alert: don't click that if you have issues being frightened by sudden noises/unexpected jump scares.

He was confused when he heard her uttering strange, gurgling sounds over the mic on Mumble afterward, as he was unaware that this is apparently the sound made when collapsing as your heart freaks out.

Not everyone is equally equipped to deal with every situation. Maybe you're better at dealing with adversity than some other people; bully for you. That doesn't mean you get to disregard common courtesy dealing with other people. "It wouldn't have bothered me" is no excuse. "They should toughen up" is no excuse.

Be considerate.

[Delator]

Their reaction (looking at her silently, then moving on without any acknowledgement) strikes me as needlessly mean.

It's also the only way to get a known Serial Punner to stop.

Mean? I suppose. Better than Annoying.

And yet it's not the first time it's happened, even if it always seems out of character for most of the people who do it.

I'm not sure that it's been established that any character particularly likes puns.

Maybe it's the beat face she makes

That face usually gets me laughing more than the actual pun. I love it

The face is indeed hilarious. 

---

"FIB", of course, has another definition in Wisconsin.

What do you have against Illinois?

*insert several plausible theories*

Many from Illinois, and especially Chicago. Head north to the woods of Wisconsin for their weekends, especially on any sort of extended holiday weekend.

They all drive like fucking maniacs.

Hence the frequent on-the-road use of the extended version of FIB.

The dislike against Chicagoans, and thus all the Illinois people, comes from them going north to be loud, intrusive and messing up all the fishing/camping/outdoors/wildlife stuff.

...this too, but FIB has it's birthplace on the road.

I have family in the area, so I can let you know that Packers fans have much more enmity towards the Vikings than the Bears, which is weird given the proximity.

Don't get me wrong, they dislike the Bears too, but it really is the Vikings that gets their special hate.

I live 20 minutes from Lambeau field if I floor it. I'm also a Vikings fan. I can tell you with no hesitation that they hate the Bears more.

There are only two reasons it seems different right now.
The first is that the Vikings have had more success in recent history than the Bears, both in general, and against the Packers.
The second is Brett Favre.

---

Spiders just remind me of Eddie Izzard speaking French. 

Warning - while you were typing a new rift has been torn in the fabric of space-time. You may wish to invert polarities.

[Method of Madness]

They can't be worse than Jersey drivers.

[ankhtahr]

Someone linked said friend to this horror story without warning her about what it was, just that it was something interesting they thought she'd like to read. Spoiler alert: don't click that if you have issues being frightened by sudden noises/unexpected jump scares.

The moment I read the warning I knew which story you linked. I read a translated version once.

[Kugai]

ALL HAIL THE SPIDER LORD

[J]

Westrim, MDBS: Shouldn't whether they want to be coddled or not be the choice of the person in question?

well that's the real question isn't it? honestly, it seems more than a little naive to even phrase it as being that simple.

the thing is that we aren't just talking about one person's choice here, we're talking about everyone they interact with in the world. is it right for any one person to demand that everyone else alter all of their behaviors in order to accommodate the issues and cater to the preferences of one individual? and if so, then how far is it reasonable to expect them to bend in order to do so?

and that's assuming just one person thinking only about their own personal issues and difficulties and demands; selfishly and shortsightedly ignoring the fact that there are a lot of other people in the world with a lot of other issues. when there are a thousand people needing a thousand different accommodations, what do you do? what happens when they contradict or are mutually exclusive? what happens when accommodating them requires you to compromise one something you value?


personally, i'm of the opinion that it's on all of us individually to take care of ourselves. i'm not without compassion for people with greater difficulties in life, but i've got enough problems in my own life, without keeping track of and accounting for everyone else's.

Endure. Adapt. Overcome.

[GarandMarine]

Brett Farve? DEATH TO THE TRAITOR!

[J]

guh?

[Sorflakne]

(click to show/hide)

Yes, that is a real cobalt blue tarantula.  And yes, that is its natural color.

<mod>In accordance with my earlier request, I have added spoiler tags.

As many as you like - but suitably spoilered, please, as we know there are people here who do not wish to see them.

</mod>

[J]

it really is quite pretty.

[celticgeek]

Is that the granddaddy of all the spiders in the "Spider Zone"? 

[Shjade]

Westrim, MDBS: Shouldn't whether they want to be coddled or not be the choice of the person in question?

well that's the real question isn't it? honestly, it seems more than a little naive to even phrase it as being that simple.

the thing is that we aren't just talking about one person's choice here, we're talking about everyone they interact with in the world. is it right for any one person to demand that everyone else alter all of their behaviors in order to accommodate the issues and cater to the preferences of one individual? and if so, then how far is it reasonable to expect them to bend in order to do so?

That's taking things to an extreme. There's a pretty big gap between expecting the whole world to alter its output to meet your needs and refusing to warn someone you know has a thing about bugs that this movie you want them to watch has a scene with a mass bug attack in it. The former is expecting way too much. The latter is being a dick.

[bhtooefr]

I'd say that "trigger warning" or similar on things that are common phobias/PTSD triggers is a good idea, although there's no obligation to do that.

Similarly, NSFW warnings on nudity or other content that could get you fired by a superior on sight are a good idea, but there's (usually) not an obligation to do that.

(And then I'm in one IRC channel where it's considered good etiquette to flag NSFW content involving women as NSFG (not safe for gays), too.)

[Zebediah]

Interesting what you get when you google for images of "spider zone".

(click to show/hide)

If my son saw this, he would want one.