Print

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

[ysth]

No off-colour commentary that I've seen yet.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

i really, really, really do not get why people seem to think emily is so un-dateable.

yes, she's a bit eccentric, but she's a fun eccentric. especially when compared to the various neuroses and insecurities that the rest of the cast has to deal with.

Because Emily does not exist.

I'm not being literal, although that's true. Emily has had almost no characterization beyond being strange, and surprisingly little of that. It doesn't help that the rest of the cast thinks of her in those terms, if they think of her at all.

We don't really know who she is. She's just a running gag, for the most part.

But wait, there's more.

As little as we know, we do know she looks up to Claire, enough that she was hurt when her hero worship backfired. We know she's not afraid of snakes. She's curious. But she's also incredibly inexperienced. There's no way to say how all of those things come together to make a person. It's easy to imagine that what we've seen is just the barest hint of her weird.

While people enjoy a little weird, constant weird has no feeling of surprise, no spark of adventure.

Also, I think the idea that Clinton is the other half of the date here puts a sour spin on the idea. There's a lot of negativity around Clinton. Some of it may be rubbing off.

[Gladstone]

No, my point is that she didn't say 'no you're an asshole, that's a massively assholey thing to say'. Nor was it even played for laughs. It's become an actual plot development, which I find baffling.

What?  He threatened to not be happy for her unless she got him an introduction.  After saying he was ok with her and Marten.  That's not an assholely thing to say, that's him asking for a favour in a safe-for-him way (that is, without pointing out how desperately he needs it).

And keep in mind that Jeph is hardly portraying Clinton's demands as saintly or exemplary.  Hell, this is a comic where an annoying coffee shop customer (Angus) "got the girl" by pestering her relentlessly, even after being thrown across the room and told point-blank to go away.  Clinton being a jerk to his sister and asking to be introduced to one of her boyfriend's hot friends isn't the best way to go about getting a girlfriend, but at least he had the decency to stop bothering Hannelore when confronted about his actions. 

Granted, a sword was involved, but still.

[ASB84]

No, my point is that she didn't say 'no you're an asshole, that's a massively assholey thing to say'. Nor was it even played for laughs. It's become an actual plot development, which I find baffling.

What?  He threatened to not be happy for her unless she got him an introduction.  After saying he was ok with her and Marten.  That's not an assholely thing to say, that's him asking for a favour in a safe-for-him way (that is, without pointing out how desperately he needs it).

This.

I feel like Clinton's "demand" is being taken way too seriously. To me, it sounded like he was fine with the situation, but like you said, trying to ask a favour without it sounding awkward, and failing to do so. Him being happy for Claire and supportive of the relationship isn't truly contingent on being set up with one of Marten's friends; it was just an awkward segue, an attempt to not sound too desperate while asking if she and Marten know any single ladies that he could be introduced to, because frankly, he'd like to find someone as well.

In its own way, it's a conciliatory remark. Like when you talk through a situation with someone and assure them that yes, you're fine, as long as they get you a coffee/help move this table/something else mundane. It's not intended to be a condition for you being cool with the situation, a task they must do to ensure that you are.

I guess what we've seen of Clinton so far, the abrasiveness he's shown, has people less inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm not feeling the hate myself, though. I am souring on Claire though, as the way she talks to and about Clinton, the fact she was hoping to upset him upon revealing her relationship with Marten to him, and her admission that he's fun to pick on...to be honest, she's got a bit of a nasty streak that I don't much care for. In bagging out Clinton, some poor behaviour on Claire's part is being swept under the rug.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

Has no one noticed that this is what Claire and Clinton do? Clinton is over protective, Claire is patronizing. Very true. But they also just pick on each other, because they have this sibling rivalry thing going.

Maybe it's not exactly Emily Post (I just didn't feel like another Emily post), but I doubt they take it as seriously as some in this forum do.

[Rghfrgl]

Though I have forgiven her since she's a adorable fluffy red ball of puns, I have been mad at Claire a few times for being a bit of a jerk, I can't really hate on her for giving some of that to Clinton even if we are being a bit hard on him. He deserves at least a little shit and under it all it's clear they love each other.

And it should be noted though she did joke about reveling in Clinton's reaction, she didn't actually do that when she told him.

[Stoon]

Well, Clinton's doing better than I ever have. 

[Gladstone]

Aw, poor Clinton.  Had his shoulders squared and everything.

[Natswash]

Beaten to the comic in under a minute!

If we assume this is the first time he's asked a girl out, he is doing rather well. He's asked and given her an out without being a jerk


Warning - while you were typing, Clinton squared his shoulders. You may wish to Cube your post

Dangit man! I've been double ninja'd!

Edit: Typos

[Neko_Ali]

I think he's standing on tip-toes as well. Or he had a spontaneous growth spurt of a couple of inches...

[hedgie]

Yeah, I'm glad he gave her an easy out.  Then again, her question might mean that she *wanted* it to be a date.  Last young lady I asked out had some common interests, and I knew she liked whisky, but was a little inexperienced there.  Still almost felt like Clinton did when I asked if she wanted to go whisky tasting for my birthday.  I just gave her the where and when, and when she didn't show, didn't ask her why, and figured if anything at that point was going to happen, it'd be on her initiation.

[Natswash]

Yeah, I'm glad he gave her an easy out.  Then again, her question might mean that she *wanted* it to be a date.  Last young lady I asked out had some common interests, and I knew she liked whisky, but was a little inexperienced there.  Still almost felt like Clinton did when I asked if she wanted to go whisky tasting for my birthday.  I just gave her the where and when, and when she didn't show, didn't ask her why, and figured if anything at that point was going to happen, it'd be on her initiation.

I think the key point on Clinton's part was "If you want"
I wonder how much romantic experience Emily has?

[Nyithra]

Clinton's certainly doing better than I would trying to ask someone out.

[Gladstone]

Emily has had one relationship, but it wasn't fruitful.

[SubaruStephen]

Emily has had one relationship, but it wasn't fruitful.

Life's given Emily lemons...and she made a hat out of them.

Clinton asking her out really caught her by surprise, she hasn't said or done anything strange for 3 panels, I think that's a record.

[mustang6172]

And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

[SubaruStephen]

I hope their date includes a trip to an arcade, because I want to see Emily play pac man.

[Rghfrgl]

I just gave her the where and when, and when she didn't show, didn't ask her why, and figured if anything at that point was going to happen, it'd be on her initiation.

Taking the initiative sucks though. It's not actually helping to put that on her. It was probably a lot more stress on both of you by not just being more direct. If interested maybe she tried working up the nerve but couldn't. If not, she probably felt really awkward next time she saw you, even if you didn't bring it up. Getting a straight yes or no is a lot better for both of you. And increases your chances on top of that since you look more confident.

While you were typing people made puns without you!

[Penquin47]

And keep in mind that Jeph is hardly portraying Clinton's demands as saintly or exemplary.  Hell, this is a comic where an annoying coffee shop customer (Angus) "got the girl" by pestering her relentlessly, even after being thrown across the room and told point-blank to go away.  Clinton being a jerk to his sister and asking to be introduced to one of her boyfriend's hot friends isn't the best way to go about getting a girlfriend, but at least he had the decency to stop bothering Hannelore when confronted about his actions. 

Granted, a sword was involved, but still.

Yeah.  Faye even called Angus's problem - too many John Cusack movies where persistence overcomes all.  And then: HE WAS RIGHT.  To me, that's way worse than Clinton wanting to meet one of Marten's hot friends, even if he did go about it badly.

[Endellion]

Aww dang it Clinton, I had the HMS Emilton all set up and ready to go.

On looking at panel 3, would it be decidedly creepy/weird if Clinton had a Claireblush?

[Natswash]

Aww dang it Clinton, I had the HMS Emilton all set up and ready to go.

On looking at panel 3, would it be decidedly creepy/weird if Clinton had a Claireblush?

That ship is has just been boarded by the Author, who will deem if it has enough canon to enter the shipping lanes.

Actually I think he should be blushing, especially if he is hot under the collar

[hedgie]

I think the key point on Clinton's part was "If you want"
I wonder how much romantic experience Emily has?

Hmm.  The "if you want" seems like he was trying to be casual and not put on her spot before, and that final bit was his nerves talking.  Like how he was trying to be confident, but it faltered, and I was hoping for him to evolve as a character, so he isn't such an annoying twit who will likely be featuring much more frequently in the comic.  If he had replied to Emily "like a date", she might have just gone ahead with it, feeling pressured, and the whole thing flamed out.  Whether or not they end up hooking-up, the whole thing should (ideally) happen organically.  It does almost seem as though Jeph is "sparing the spares" right now, and might be in the process of winding things down (although that could take years).

Yeah.  Faye even called Angus's problem - too many John Cusack movies where persistence overcomes all.  And then: HE WAS RIGHT.  To me, that's way worse than Clinton wanting to meet one of Marten's hot friends, even if he did go about it badly.

True, on both counts, but sometimes it "works".  I didn't like the way the whole Fangus thing started out (even before her promotion, I'm sure Dora would have let her ban him from the store for being creepy if she wanted to.  Sometimes people have a shell, where they push people away, and persistence is the only way to go if one wants to build the foundation for a relationship.  I know I've been on both sides of that situation (hence the hedgehog nick). 

I must point out, there, that there's a difference between persistence and stalker-ish behaviour (the latter of which ought to set off warning bells).

[valkygrrl]

Actually I think he should be blushing, especially if he is hot under the collar

Maybe he's wearing makeup so we don't see it. It would explain why we never see him with the freckles Claire has.

[Undrneath]

I think this may be the most "normal" I have ever seen Emily there may actually be potential here.

[bucky_2300]

So this is my second post in a row on the same topic, but I'd like to point out that a clear sign of the fact that this is just shitty writing is that these WDC threads used to take only a few hours to get to 4 pages, and now it's taking half the week.

I wonder why no one's talking about them.

[Method of Madness]

I'm thrilled that the WCDT is slowing down. It was so hard to catch up when it was dozens of pages a week.

[Lubricus]

So this is my second post in a row on the same topic, but I'd like to point out that a clear sign of the fact that this is just shitty writing is that these WDC threads used to take only a few hours to get to 4 pages, and now it's taking half the week.

I wonder why no one's talking about them.

You can't infer anything about the comic's quality from the number of posts on the forum. The forum activity is tied to what goes on in the comic, not how well it is written.

[Rghfrgl]

So this is my second post in a row on the same topic, but I'd like to point out that a clear sign of the fact that this is just shitty writing is that these WDC threads used to take only a few hours to get to 4 pages, and now it's taking half the week.

I wonder why no one's talking about them.

I'd say he might be in a bit of a rut, probably from the workload of 7 comics a week, but that's not really fair. The giant 30 page megathreads were because a major event was happening, where you were finally getting a payoff after teasing something for a few years. And on top of that it got a lot of outside attention and new readers because Claire's trans.

Of course it's going to cool down after that. And it should, because that's the right way to pace a story.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

I must point out, there, that there's a difference between persistence and stalker-ish behaviour (the latter of which ought to set off warning bells).

I remain unconvinced that Angus wasn't being stalkerish. I'm only willing to concede that he really did't worm his way into Faye's social circle. That was all Marigold.

But everything about his courting method, including the ambush kiss, seems kinda creepy to me.

[snubnose]

Hrr, hrr.

And now all of a sudden Emily is the saner one.

[Lubricus]

A saner Emily? A sign of the end-times, surely!

[BenRG]

Frankly, this was one of the outcomes that I was expecting, at least on Clinton's part. If this is the first time that he's actually got this far with a girl, nervousness and inexperience is making him choke.

I'm expecting Emily to be disappointed and tell Clinton that she had hoped that he wanted to date her. He'll say that he does want to date her. She'll yell "Yes please!" And drag him off to make out with him in a storage cupboard. Having evidently solved the problem of Emily, we see the happy Claire from Jeph's Tumblr as she and Marten wrap up the story on Friday.

It's anyone's guess as to whether Clinton will survive this. Either way, though, what a ride!

[Natswash]

Frankly, this was one of the outcomes that I was expecting, at least on Clinton's part. If this is the first time that he's actually got this far with a girl, nervousness and inexperience is making him choke.

I'm expecting Emily to be disappointed and tell Clinton that she had hoped that he wanted to date her. He'll say that he does want to date her. She'll yell "Yes please!" And drag him off to make out with him in a storage cupboard. Having evidently solved the problem of Emily, we see the happy Claire from Jeph's Tumblr as she and Marten wrap up the story on Friday.

It's anyone's guess as to whether Clinton will survive this. Either way, though, what a ride!

Heck I choke when asking out and I'm not new to dating. Can we place bets on Clinton's survival?

Edit: Looking at Emily's body language I'd say she's interested

[osaka]

Five bucks say Clinton's hand goes straight to the titties.

I must say, Clinton's faring better than I would. I'm usually pretty chill, but I never work up enough courage to ask someone out. Kinda sad, come to think of it.

[Akima]

How did Clinton fall at the last hurdle, having survived Emily-weirdness up to that point without screaming and running away?

[SubaruStephen]

Five bucks say Clinton's hand goes straight to the titties.

I call $5 it goes for her butt (she's not as well endowed upstairs as Faye.)

[MrNumbers]

How did Clinton fall at the last hurdle, having survived Emily-weirdness up to that point without screaming and running away?

Because until this point it's been contingent on his ability to handle strange. This is the guy with the robot hand and transexual sister, he has a rather high tolerance for it, once he immerses himself in it. That was fine.

Now? Now it's contingent on his confidence and self-esteem. Clinton's self-esteem.

[BenRG]

How did Clinton fall at the last hurdle, having survived Emily-weirdness up to that point without screaming and running away?

Because until this point it's been contingent on his ability to handle strange. This is the guy with the robot hand and transexual sister, he has a rather high tolerance for it, once he immerses himself in it. That was fine.

Now? Now it's contingent on his confidence and self-esteem. Clinton's self-esteem.

Precisely; socialising with a weird-but-nice girl is one thing. Asking a tall and exotically beautiful woman out on a date is a completely different and far more frightening thing.

[techkid]

In that moment, Clinton sounded and reacted exactly like I would.

[ysth]

Actually I think he should be blushing, especially if he is hot under the collar

Maybe he's wearing makeup so we don't see it. It would explain why we never see him with the freckles Claire has.

I'd assumed that was from avoiding the Big Ball of Fire in the Sky.

[Magniras]

In that moment, Clinton sounded and reacted exactly like I would.

Like a generic harem anime main character?

[MooskiNet]

In that moment, Clinton sounded and reacted exactly like I would.

Like a generic harem anime main character?

Like a socially inept human being trying like hell not to appear socially inept while asking a stranger on a date.

[hedgie]

I must point out, there, that there's a difference between persistence and stalker-ish behaviour (the latter of which ought to set off warning bells).

I remain unconvinced that Angus wasn't being stalkerish. I'm only willing to concede that he really did't worm his way into Faye's social circle. That was all Marigold.

But everything about his courting method, including the ambush kiss, seems kinda creepy to me.

Seemed creepy to me, especially using real world logic.  I'm more likely to use the MST3K mantra here, than I would if it actually happened.

[osaka]

In that moment, Clinton sounded and reacted exactly like I would.

Like a generic harem anime main character?

Like a socially inept human being trying like hell not to appear socially inept while asking a stranger on a date.

So, a generic harem anime main character.

[Schmorgluck]

What I find amusing is that there's been a recent El Goonish Shive comic that invoked the same issue about is or isn't a date, only with reversed genders. Maybe it's because I come from a culture in which the notion of "date" doesn't really exist, so maybe I only have a faint grasp of it, but I don't understand the need to put into strictly defined categories the fact of deciding to hang out.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

How did Clinton fall at the last hurdle, having survived Emily-weirdness up to that point without screaming and running away?

Because, his sister's scorn aside, Clinton has shown no signs that he suffers from Dale's "I'm afraid to talk to women." In fact he's never shown a particular hesitation to talk to anyone.

Talking to Emily--even in the hopes of getting a date, wasn't triggering his fear. He even asked her out smoothly. But having her return the volley by directly asking if it was a date pretty much put him on the spot, which upped his fear of rejection factor.

[Method of Madness]

I come from a culture in which the notion of "date" doesn't really exist

People don't date in France? Please elaborate.

[Rghfrgl]

Tonight! Either...

In earshot of the happy new couple 'I'm sorry Clinton. I'm already in love with Marten!'

-or-

Emily walks by Clinton and gives Claire a power hug. 'New sister!'

[BenRG]

Tonight! Either...

In earshot of the happy new couple 'I'm sorry Clinton. I'm already in love with Marten!'

-or-

Emily walks by Clinton and gives Claire a power hug. 'New sister!'

IMHO, we're not quite there yet. First, Emily has to give Clinton puppy-dog eyes (no, meaning giving him a soulful gaze, not actually giving him a puppy-dog's eyes, as plausibly in-character that would be) and mournfully tells him that she'd rather hoped that he was asking him out on a date.

Last panel will be a shocked Marten and Claire looking on as Emily loudly announces that she's dragging Clinton into a storage closet so  they can do "The kissy-kissy thing".

[celticgeek]

Emily and Clinnnnnnnnnnnnn-tonnnnnnnnnnn sitting in a closet
K I S S    ......wait, what?