Topic: WCDT Strips 3491 to 3495 (29 May to 2 June 2017) (Read 20687 times)

foolsguinea · « **on:** 28 May 2017, 17:47 »

I haven't done the WCDT in...in years, I tell ya. I don't quite know if I did the poll right.

Something something ham?

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1 on:** 28 May 2017, 18:38 »

Well done.

Zebediah · « **Reply #2 on:** 28 May 2017, 19:58 »

Comic's up.

Don't be hasty.

foolsguinea · « **Reply #3 on:** 28 May 2017, 20:08 »

Did Clin-ton get taller?

brasca · « **Reply #4 on:** 28 May 2017, 22:12 »

Well if Mrs. Augustus is just learning to play bass this dashes my theory that she used to be in a rock band. I had hopes that her once hard partying ways would have crossed paths with Veronica's so the first meeting of the parents could be delightfully awkward.

Case · « **Reply #5 on:** 28 May 2017, 22:44 »

I like Claire's outfit.

Also: Inter-sibling guilt-tripping about maintenance of parental units, yay! (notyay ...)

shanejayell · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 May 2017, 23:41 »

Quote from: brasca on 28 May 2017, 22:12

Well if Mrs. Augustus is just learning to play bass this dashes my theory that she used to be in a rock band. I had hopes that her once hard partying ways would have crossed paths with Veronica's so the first meeting of the parents could be delightfully awkward.

May swipe that for my eventual fanfic. You mind?

Wonder if we'll get back to the Clinton/Brun plotline?

You know, Brun was looking for work... secretary/receptionist for Faye and Bubbles?

BenRG · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 May 2017, 23:45 »

Sometimes, Jeph does an excellent job in capturing just why so many people think that Clinton and Claire are twins! Today's opening panel is just one occasion.

So, sitting back and thinking: Am I the only one who thinks that Clinton is a 'glass half empty' sort of guy? He assumed that Marten was a hazard to Claire's safety; he assumed that there was no future between him and Emily; now he assumes that their mother is 'compensating' for some inner sadness by her current behaviour. It's wise to be ready for the worst but it is sometimes a bit hazardous to your emotional health to do so!

I also notice that he was essentially saying: "I'm worried about mom; you need to keep living with her because I'm certainly not giving up my personal freedom to do so!" Based on her facial expression in panel 4, Claire is clearly used to him by now but that doesn't mean that she has to like it!

Shjade · « **Reply #8 on:** 29 May 2017, 01:09 »

There was about a half-second in panel 3 where I was really worried Claire was going to cut him off with a "fill the hole" entendre and I'm so glad it didn't turn out that way oh god

Mr. Skawronska · « **Reply #9 on:** 29 May 2017, 03:18 »

Amazing how that works.

Gyrre · « **Reply #10 on:** 29 May 2017, 06:42 »

Quote from: BenRG on 28 May 2017, 23:45

Sometimes, Jeph does an excellent job in capturing just why so many people think that Clinton and Claire are twins! Today's opening panel is just one occasion.

So, sitting back and thinking: Am I the only one who thinks that Clinton is a 'glass half empty' sort of guy? He assumed that Marten was a hazard to Claire's safety; he assumed that there was no future between him and Emily; now he assumes that their mother is 'compensating' for some inner sadness by her current behaviour. It's wise to be ready for the worst but it is sometimes a bit hazardous to your emotional health to do so!

I also notice that he was essentially saying: "I'm worried about mom; you need to keep living with her because I'm certainly not giving up my personal freedom to do so!" Based on her facial expression in panel 4, Claire is clearly used to him by now but that doesn't mean that she has to like it!

Speaking as a half-empty glass viewer, I prefer the term 'precautionary pessimist'. It makes life's bad surprises slightly less deflating, and life's good surprises all the more cherishable.

sitnspin · « **Reply #11 on:** 29 May 2017, 08:14 »

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Thrudd · « **Reply #12 on:** 29 May 2017, 10:47 »

Be prepared and expect the worst.

Anything going right is a pleasant surprise.

sitnspin · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 May 2017, 10:54 »

Be kind, be polite, be compassionate, but be ready to break a mother fuckers arm when you need to.

Akima · « **Reply #14 on:** 29 May 2017, 13:27 »

Quote from: BenRG on 28 May 2017, 23:45

I also notice that he was essentially saying: "I'm worried about mom; you need to keep living with her because I'm certainly not giving up my personal freedom to do so!" Based on her facial expression in panel 4, Claire is clearly used to him by now but that doesn't mean that she has to like it!

Well... That is sexism after all, isn't it? We're all used to it, but we don't have to like it. The idea that women have some greater duty to look after family members, should shoulder a greater proportion of caregiving work, and have some lesser entitlement to independence, is deeply engrained in all human societies, and obviously in Clinton too. It is very telling that a major caregiving provider in Australia is named Daughterly Care.

pwhodges · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 May 2017, 14:32 »

Things change slowly, and sometimes the apparently sexist word is forced to adapt. For instance, here in the UK it is no longer possible to assume that someone with the title "Nurse" is female - male nurses have the same title without any modification, and this usage is presented without comment on TV and radio. Similarly, in the armed forces, the most senior nursing position of "Matron" is held by male or female officers without any change in the title.

OTOH, there was a move a few years ago to change the senior nurse on a ward from "Sister" (female) or "Charge Nurse" (male) to "Ward Manager" (either). But many hospitals have not made the change as it is suggested that patients (especially the older ones) are confused when they find that such a familiar title as "Sister" is no longer used.

OldGoat · « **Reply #16 on:** 29 May 2017, 15:11 »

Quote from: Akima on 29 May 2017, 13:27

Well... That is sexism after all, isn't it? We're all used to it, but we don't have to like it. The idea that women have some greater duty to look after family members, should shoulder a greater proportion of caregiving work, and have some lesser entitlement to independence, is deeply engrained in all human societies, and obviously in Clinton too. [/url][/i].

It probably has something to do with fully functioning mammary glands being overwhelmingly in the possession of the same people who are equipped with ovaries and uteruses (or should that be uteri?). "Nurse" has multiple meanings.

On a related note, I always assumed the use of "sister" to refer to medical nurses to be an artifact of the days when the profession was controlled by religious orders.

Kugai · « **Reply #17 on:** 29 May 2017, 15:14 »

Careful there Clin-ton,, backpaddle too much there and you'll wind up cavitateing and going in circles

tut21 · « **Reply #18 on:** 29 May 2017, 19:54 »

Butt Defender: When bears and fluffy clouds can no longer handle the job.

There's a lot going on in this comic. Have we seen that Robocop-style Enforcement Droid before?

Edit: Ah, Never mind.

SubaruStephen · « **Reply #19 on:** 29 May 2017, 20:10 »

ED-209 making his cameo I see.

shanejayell · « **Reply #20 on:** 29 May 2017, 20:32 »

Yay, Brun! I was right.

Is it me or are there a LOT of robots in the background?

brasca · « **Reply #21 on:** 29 May 2017, 20:35 »

Quote from: BenRG on 28 May 2017, 23:45

Sometimes, Jeph does an excellent job in capturing just why so many people think that Clinton and Claire are twins! Today's opening panel is just one occasion.

So, sitting back and thinking: Am I the only one who thinks that Clinton is a 'glass half empty' sort of guy? He assumed that Marten was a hazard to Claire's safety; he assumed that there was no future between him and Emily; now he assumes that their mother is 'compensating' for some inner sadness by her current behaviour. It's wise to be ready for the worst but it is sometimes a bit hazardous to your emotional health to do so!

I also notice that he was essentially saying: "I'm worried about mom; you need to keep living with her because I'm certainly not giving up my personal freedom to do so!" Based on her facial expression in panel 4, Claire is clearly used to him by now but that doesn't mean that she has to like it!

I don't think all of the things you list really demonstrate a pattern. Clinton is protective of Claire since I can imagine her journey to who she is now wasn't easy. Given what has happened to many transgender people it's good to be cautious and let's not forget that his first meeting with Marten and his friends did not go so well. He may not have been optimistic about his chances with Emily, but if he thought it was doomed then he wouldn't have been so upset after her attempt at matchmaking failed so badly. As for worrying about their mother everyone does it because it's difficult to think of them as older people. He's known her longer as Mom. And while there is room to interpret his suggestion that Claire remain with their mom as some underlying sexism that may or may not be true, but it could also be attributed to Claire being the older sibling who's found herself while he's still working on that. In other words it's his turn and he doesn't want to go back to living with his mom until he finds out who he is.

DaiJB · « **Reply #22 on:** 29 May 2017, 20:37 »

There seem to be more robots than organics on the street - is the robot hegemony looming?

SubaruStephen · « **Reply #23 on:** 29 May 2017, 20:52 »

Nah, they are just heading to the new repair shop on Union street.

brasca · « **Reply #24 on:** 29 May 2017, 21:08 »

Think about it Brun. You live with Renee. It would take a very brave soul to sneak into that apartment and use the toilet.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #25 on:** 29 May 2017, 21:23 »

Regarding Monday's comic, I didn't know Clinton had moved out. I know he lives at the dorms, but I assumed he still considered his mom's place to be "home".

Near Lurker · « **Reply #26 on:** 29 May 2017, 21:28 »

...does Jeph's Northampton have a "robot neighborhood"?

brasca · « **Reply #27 on:** 29 May 2017, 21:38 »

You mean Little Cybertron.

Neko_Ali · « **Reply #28 on:** 29 May 2017, 21:47 »

Quote from: SubaruStephen on 29 May 2017, 20:10

ED-209 making his cameo I see.

It looks like a Zentradi command pod to me. Only you know.. much much smaller. I also saw Melon and Arthur's arm.

OldGoat · « **Reply #29 on:** 29 May 2017, 22:43 »

Quote from: Neko_Ali on 29 May 2017, 21:47

I also saw Melon and Arthur's arm.

I was noticing that, too. At least I think it's Melon, but can we make a positive ID without knowing whether or not her butt (or, dare I say, can?) been recently attached? If she's got downmarket facial features there may be a few that look like her out there.

Timemaster · « **Reply #30 on:** 29 May 2017, 22:53 »

A lot of robots here today.
Is that a Battletech Marauder in the second panel? If yes, why are people afraid of Bubbles?

TM

Rincewind · « **Reply #31 on:** 29 May 2017, 23:11 »

I wonder what possible-Melon is carrying? A protective cover for delicate devices? Maybe an Otter-Butt?

BenRG · « **Reply #32 on:** 29 May 2017, 23:17 »

Like tut21 said, the panels in this comic are very crowded and there are an awful lot of synthetics out on the street. I'm wondering if Northampton has some special significance to them? Is there an Ellicott-Chatham laboratory nearby? Are they all looking for The Creator's Daughter so they can get her autograph? No, I think that I know what it is: I'm thinking that the owner of the convenience store had advertised the spring sale on the web. Being connected at all times, the synthetics are always the first to know these things and they've descended on the area to get the first shot at the bargains!

I can't blame Clinton from being suspicious; she has form in this area, after all. However, I do think that it would be enormously more difficult for her to 'set up' something with Brun than it was with Emily. I'm not sure they've even met apart from one or two casual encounters.

Quote from: Timemaster on 29 May 2017, 22:53

Is that a Battletech Marauder in the second panel? If yes, why are people afraid of Bubbles?

No, that's ED-210; he's a long-time resident of the area and everyone knows that you really need to be more worried about his wife!

Quote from: Rincewind on 29 May 2017, 23:11

I wonder what possible-Melon is carrying? A protective cover for delicate devices? Maybe an Otter-Butt?

I'm guessing that it's an old-style portable AM/FM radio; they were 'in' for a while there about five years back.

Milayna · « **Reply #33 on:** 29 May 2017, 23:29 »

For the amount of synthetics in the area...well the whole "race" isn't even that old. This isn't a social movement that's had time to stabilize - and for spawning a whole new life-form, that could take hundreds of years.

When this comic started there was only Pintsize, who was eventually joined by similarly-configured AI's, and perhaps a few specialized ones such as that Vespa. While others, including humanoid AI's, existed in background canon (we now know), they were not present on-scene.

It looks to me like Young Jeph intended Pintisize et al to be "joke characters" but as the comic grew more socially-conscious, more diverse, and leaned toward justice, the AI's grew from a joke to a serious subject (which I'm fascinated by, in fact; I love how he's been handling this). In-canon, I can easily view this change as part of the social movement happening in the background, as robots find their place from being novelties and "companions" to fully autonomous members of society.

Also the return of Brun at last! Bruuuun! <3 (She's become my favorite character).

Tremayne · « **Reply #34 on:** 30 May 2017, 00:32 »

Quote from: Neko_Ali on 29 May 2017, 21:47

Quote from: SubaruStephen on 29 May 2017, 20:10
ED-209 making his cameo I see.

It looks like a Zentradi command pod to me. Only you know.. much much smaller.

Yeah, it looks like either the Zentraedi pod or one of the Battletech/Mechwarrior ones derived from it.

hakko504 · « **Reply #35 on:** 30 May 2017, 01:13 »

Quote from: OldGoat on 29 May 2017, 22:43

Quote from: Neko_Ali on 29 May 2017, 21:47
I also saw Melon and Arthur's arm.
I was noticing that, too. At least I think it's Melon, but can we make a positive ID without knowing whether or not her butt (or, dare I say, can?) been recently attached? If she's got downmarket facial features there may be a few that look like her out there.

Well, Jeph's note today is 'Hi Melon' so I think we can safely assume it's her

Akima · « **Reply #36 on:** 30 May 2017, 01:53 »

Is Butt Defender brand TP hypoallergenic?

pwhodges · « **Reply #37 on:** 30 May 2017, 02:00 »

There are tissues impregnated with a trace of skin cream - perhaps something like that?

USS Martenclaire · « **Reply #38 on:** 30 May 2017, 02:02 »

I think we're overlooking a critical point here - what is the name of the robot in panel 2? I'm going with either "Mr Lifty",
depending on gender.

Plus, when someone asks him "Bro, do you even lift?", he can turn to them and say "YES."

BenRG · « **Reply #39 on:** 30 May 2017, 02:06 »

The consensus among longer-term readers right now appears to be that the robot in panel 2 is ED-210. He's a friend of Pintsize and Winslow's. Additionally, (and I find this fascinating) he's married - Pintsize and Winslow told Faye about his bachelor party; Pintsize doesn't like ED's taste in strip clubs and Winslow mourned the fact that his chassis design makes it anatomically impossible for him to have a lap dance.

Zebediah · « **Reply #40 on:** 30 May 2017, 03:57 »

What's so unusual about a married robot couple? All this means is that Massachusetts has allowed robot marriage since at least 2008 (and given our track record, we were probably the first US state to allow it.) Faye didn't even bat an eye at the idea of robots getting married - it was the idea of a robot bachelor party that she found surprising.

tomveil · « **Reply #41 on:** 30 May 2017, 06:04 »

World-building note: CVS exists, but they have a radically different logo.

ronbo · « **Reply #42 on:** 30 May 2017, 07:33 »

That CVS has terrible hours. Quite a few of the CVS stores in my area don't close.

Jeph does seem to be initiating a robot population explosion.

Zebediah · « **Reply #43 on:** 30 May 2017, 07:51 »

The would be the CVS on Main Street, and the one RL Northampton is open 8AM - 10PM every day. (I was just there thirty minutes ago.)

Those hours are pretty typical for drugstores in Northampton. There are no 24-hour drugstores in town - the nearest one I know of is in Chicopee.

tut21 · « **Reply #44 on:** 30 May 2017, 11:49 »

My eye keeps focusing on the person with the long red hair who walks past Claire and Clinton in the first two panels. That would be a subtle and mysterious way to introduce a new character.

DonInKansas · « **Reply #45 on:** 30 May 2017, 16:17 »

I would buy ALL of the Butt Defender toilet paper.

Tova · « **Reply #46 on:** 30 May 2017, 16:29 »

I don't know. I've heard that Butt Defender is a major contributor to the Butt Disease epidemic.

Gyrre · « **Reply #47 on:** 30 May 2017, 17:16 »

Quote from: sitnspin on 29 May 2017, 10:54

Be kind, be polite, be compassionate, but be ready to break a mother fuckers arm when you need to.

Mind if I quote you on that?

Kugai · « **Reply #48 on:** 30 May 2017, 17:57 »

Quote from: Neko_Ali on 29 May 2017, 21:47

Quote from: SubaruStephen on 29 May 2017, 20:10
ED-209 making his cameo I see.

It looks like a Zentradi command pod to me. Only you know.. much much smaller. I also saw Melon and Arthur's arm.

Nope, that's Deathbot 2000. Glad to see he's still around

And sometimes I wanna smack Clinton upside his head

Zebediah · « **Reply #49 on:** 30 May 2017, 19:39 »

Comic's up. That's not a dog joke.

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What's in store this Memorial Day week? (You may pick up to to two, even if they contradict)

Author Topic: WCDT Strips 3491 to 3495 (29 May to 2 June 2017) (Read 20687 times)