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Poll

Guesses to the first panel of each of this week's comics?

Amanda or Evie asks how long Faye and Bubbles have been dating
Evie has a horrible realization
Melon is their waitress and the bug thing was just a metaphor.
Evie apologizes to Bubbles back at U.R.
Melon reports back the next day that the "robo-penis" seems much happier and is "rather attached to Aurthur".
Amanda on the floor of Union Robtics laughing uncontrollably  followed by a flashback alluding to the above option.
Evie asks Bubbles to critic her presentation.
Melon invites Pintsize over to play with her new pet
Brun, Clinton, Elliott and Reneé standing in awkward silence.
Emily bumps into Melon as she's leaving Union Robotics
Steve eats cereal
Martin and Claire eat cereal
Marigold eats cereal for dinner

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Author Topic: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)  (Read 46398 times)

SpanielBear

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #150 on: 25 Jan 2018, 16:48 »

Here's another way to express what's disturbing me about Evie and raising uncertainties which may or may not get comforting answers.

Evie is asking questions which she, of all people, should know are the type of questions that lead to insights and revelations.

The Pugnacious Peach has not given permission to be made self-aware.

Isn't that part of the social contract though? If you have a conversation, you may learn something. It may be something you didn't want to know, although chances are it'll just be finding out that the other person agrees with you that weather's awful. I don't expect to have to give consent to have my mind changed.
You seem to be saying that because Evie can be assumed to have the skills to drive a conversation in a certain way, she needs to make sure the other person is okay with her doing so. But I think that is placing far to much emphasis on the effectiveness of her training. Being a psychiatrist doesn't make you suddenly able to induce revelations in others with a few words- it would be amazing if it did, and scary. But in truth, analysis takes months, sometimes years, and doesn't just happen over coke and a burger. Evie isn't going to make Faye do anything or think anything as a result of asking leading questions. Worst case scenario she gets it entirely wrong, get's her foot wedged in her mouth and Faye chews her out.
Because Faye is not powerless, is not a shrinking violet, and has demonstrated that she is quite happy to tell people where to get off if they are out of line. But she hasn't. They're just talking. Faye has every right to say stop if she feels pressured or insulted, but she hasn't.

As to the idea that Evie is somehow practicing without a licence- just no. She and Faye are not in a proffesional relationship, Faye cannot be construed to be or have thought herself Evie's client, Evie has not charged for her services or even presented what she is saying as an expert opinion. What she and Faye discuss is not covered by patient/doctor priviledge, and only confidential insofar as any private conversation being held in a public place might be.

Seriously guys they are Just. Talking. Whether it is rude, impolite, personal, tmi- these are all things that Faye can feel, but it would be on her to say that. The reason Evie was being obnoxious before was because Bubbles *did* clearly say she was uncomfortable, many times and Evie ignored her. Faye has not said anything to indicate that Evie is out of line.
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Marco

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #151 on: 25 Jan 2018, 16:55 »

Bubbles might be a superb choice for a life partner for Faye.

The other way around?

I think Bubbles needs somebody steadier. Though they are clearly getting along well.

I'm pretty sure this things have nothing to do with choice... In my experince, at least, you just fall into it, even if it takes a long time to realize what's happening.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #152 on: 25 Jan 2018, 17:04 »

I would argue that it’s without Faye’s consent due to Evie asking the kind of questions that you hear in a therapy session. She’s asking her girlfriend’s sister deeply probing questions over dinner, with her girlfriend right next to her. Evie is the proof of the old adage that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

There is a time and a place to ask these questions and dinner the first evening you’ve met the sister is not it.

And yet Faye is completely comfortable in answering, so I don't understand the fuss.

This is the problem with getting offended on behalf of someone else who is perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

Agreed.  If Faye had a problem with this she wouldn’t shy away from making her objections known. 
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Neko_Ali

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #153 on: 25 Jan 2018, 17:49 »

Except none of that is what Evie is doing. She's not in session with Faye. She's not offering her consulting or psychotherapy. She's asking probing questions. In a conversation that was already about relationships. That is not the same thing. If rules were that strict it would be almost impossible for anyone seeking almost any kind of medical degree to talk to people about how they are doing. This is all expanding what is happening to absurd degrees and guessing at ways she could, but is not, twisting what's happening to improper means. I know the forum loves to overanalyze the comics, but this is really going beyond.
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Case

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #154 on: 25 Jan 2018, 18:24 »

The Pugnacious Peach has not given permission to be made self-aware.

Neither does Evie have any way of knowing whether Faye can deal with what she (potentially) learns about herself (or has even tried to get Faye's measure in that respect, as far as we know).

No, none of her behaviour is "bad", or a clearcut "wrong" per se, it just strikes me as ... careless and lacking in respect for Faye's personhood and the seriousness of the task of assisting another with their insights into their own mind. And I share Castlerook's hunch that it seems as least as much about self-gratification as it is about helping Faye.

IDK, maybe it's just down to different upbringing, or cultural differences or whatever.
« Last Edit: 25 Jan 2018, 18:31 by Case »
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #155 on: 25 Jan 2018, 18:26 »

There are two different issues here: one, whether Evie is practicing psychotherapy without a license, and, two, what she intends to do with conversation.

Point one is completely unsupportable. She has not presented herself as a therapist. Right now, this is nothing more than a conversation -- a very creepy conversation, yes, but only a conversation, all the same.

Point two is a completely different kettle of mush. Evie has emphatically *not* provided Faye with any opportunity to give informed consent to be an experimental subject. She has even more emphatically gotten no kind of consent from Bubbles. If she's using this interview to inform her dissertation, she's way, way, way over the line. If she uses this interview and her IRB learns about its context, then she absolutely is in a boatload of trouble.
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ChipNoir

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #156 on: 25 Jan 2018, 18:42 »

New comic!




And Evie proves she knows where the line is....somewhere at least.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #157 on: 25 Jan 2018, 18:46 »

I love the rainbow that she makes with her hands as she gestures the word "spectrum." It's such good webcomic artistry. :) Good job, Jeph!
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #158 on: 25 Jan 2018, 18:54 »

The Pugnacious Peach has not given permission to be made self-aware.

Neither does Evie have any way of knowing whether Faye can deal with what she (potentially) learns about herself (or has even tried to get Faye's measure in that respect, as far as we know).

No, none of her behaviour is "bad", or a clearcut "wrong" per se, it just strikes me as ... careless and lacking in respect for Faye's personhood and the seriousness of the task of assisting another with their insights into their own mind. And I share Castlerook's hunch that it seems as least as much about self-gratification as it is about helping Faye.

IDK, maybe it's just down to different upbringing, or cultural differences or whatever.

I do see what you mean about lacking respect. Today's comic shows that it's going in a different direction, but if she *had* been trying to force revelation out of Faye, I agree that would have been surprisingly intense pressure on her part,  to say the least. It would still have been ultimately Faye's decision as to whether her own comfort zone was exceeded, as it was before, but I'd certainly become uncomfortable in her shoes.

As it stands, it looks like the dramatic payoff is being deferred at least until Monday.

...

...

(*twitches*)
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War Sparrow

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #159 on: 25 Jan 2018, 19:00 »

 Evie seems to be studying research psych, not clinical. She certainly isn't a Psychiatric student- that's a whole different ball game, at least in Canada. She isn't qualified to do analysis on a professional scale; which is great, because she's not doing that. She's asking vaguely invasive questions of her girlfriend's sister.

 And this anecdotal adventure with Faye couldn't be used in her course work, because it isn't a professional experiment and can't be cited. I never reached grad student, but even my entry level classes would never accept a discussion over dinner as evidence. Evie's just interested because this is her field.

Perhaps it's because I have a giant, nosy family who tend to date nosy people, so I'm rockin' a cultural bias here, but Evie isn't doing anything here I'm a stranger to.
« Last Edit: 25 Jan 2018, 19:11 by War Sparrow »
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shanejayell

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #160 on: 25 Jan 2018, 19:24 »

Knowing Jeph he'll switch to some other plot thread monday.

Arrrgh...

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #161 on: 25 Jan 2018, 20:21 »

My alarm bells are much quieter now that it's clear Evie is not trying to make Faye face up to her (perceived) feelings for Bubbles.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #162 on: 25 Jan 2018, 20:27 »

Or she’s realized she’s up against a brick wall and decided it’s not worth the effort.
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Tova

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #163 on: 25 Jan 2018, 20:43 »

Ye of little faith.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #164 on: 25 Jan 2018, 20:56 »

It's interesting, and frustrating, to me how quick some members of this forum are to search for a villain in every storyline.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #165 on: 25 Jan 2018, 21:11 »

It's interesting, and frustrating, to me how quick some members of this forum are to search for a villain in every storyline.

I've noticed that too. The forums can get downright toxic sometimes. I was actually looking for a way to delete my account during the Tilly arc so I could resist the temptation to keep coming back.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #166 on: 25 Jan 2018, 21:27 »

Really, who are these self-aware freaks who know what's going on in their hearts. Damn things are like a 100X100X100 Rubik's cube.

(I once crushed on a girl for three years before realizing it; granted, I was around ten when it started, but that didn't stop me from being like, "Damn, I am dense" once I figured it out.)

I can relate. I once got terribly upset at a female coworker because she was sick and still at work instead of at home resting.

It hit me about an hour later when I was putting out christmas ornaments why I was so upset about it and I started laughing hysterically.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #167 on: 25 Jan 2018, 21:36 »

It's interesting, and frustrating, to me how quick some members of this forum are to search for a villain in every storyline.

Me, I'm more at the point of
"Yes, yes, this trope is familiar and I'm sure people find it, and/or Faye continuing to miss All The Hints, very cute.  Wake me when there's some actual progress and/or realization, rather than Jeph doing the equivalent of waving a laser pointer in front of a cat, pls?"
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #168 on: 25 Jan 2018, 21:49 »

I want Evie and Momo to meet and converse.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #169 on: 25 Jan 2018, 21:53 »

And the Friday faceplant. sigh. Remember what I said about a trope being drug out too long without a pay out?
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Tova

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #170 on: 25 Jan 2018, 22:04 »

I want Evie and Momo to meet and converse.

Oh yeah, that could be an interesting conversation.
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Yet the lies of Melkor, the mighty and the accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days. (Silmarillion 255)

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #171 on: 25 Jan 2018, 23:48 »

I want Evie and Momo to meet and converse.

I'd love to see Emily meet Melon and Brun.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #172 on: 25 Jan 2018, 23:55 »

To me, panel 4 basically explains the entire purpose (at least from the characters' POV) for this arc fragment: Amanda wants Faye to be as happy as she is with Evie. Something she saw in Bubbles and Faye's interactions, no matter what it was, has convinced her that there is a chemistry there. Whether Evie saw the same thing or whether people with psych training tend to automatically start trying to unpick the Gordonian Knot of the brains of everyone they meet out of force of habit is something that I don't know.

It's only occasionally that we see it but Faye has a good heart. In the end, she wants the best for all of her friends, even if she doesn't know really how to achieve that some days.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #173 on: 26 Jan 2018, 00:16 »

I love the rainbow that she makes with her hands as she gestures the word "spectrum." It's such good webcomic artistry. :) Good job, Jeph!

Agree on the good comic artistry. For me, in the last three comics each of the last panels has been brilliant as well! So well drawn, so evocative.
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gopher

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #174 on: 26 Jan 2018, 01:01 »

It's interesting, and frustrating, to me how quick some members of this forum are to search for a villain in every storyline.

Maybe. However good drama tends to require a degree of conflict. A 24/7 hugfest would not engage people.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #175 on: 26 Jan 2018, 01:08 »

Does every conflict require a villain?
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Yet the lies of Melkor, the mighty and the accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days. (Silmarillion 255)

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #176 on: 26 Jan 2018, 01:14 »

I want Evie and Momo to meet and converse.

Yes please.

Also: no, conflict doesn't require a villain. And no, good drama doesn't require a conflict.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #177 on: 26 Jan 2018, 01:45 »

"Emily bumps into Melon as she's leaving Union Robotics"

...And then the weirdness fields generated by Melon and Emily coalesce into a single Nimbus of Unreality that grows uncontrollably, encompassing the whole city and transporting it to Rainbow Unicorn Valley...
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #178 on: 26 Jan 2018, 02:23 »

"Emily bumps into Melon as she's leaving Union Robotics"

...And then the weirdness fields generated by Melon and Emily coalesce into a single Nimbus of Unreality that grows uncontrollably, encompassing the whole city and transporting it to Rainbow Unicorn Valley...

...and that's far from the stangest things that could happen.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #179 on: 26 Jan 2018, 02:27 »

Evie isn't trying to force Faye into anything. She's asking her gentle, probing questions that might allow Faye herself to come to a realisation. You can ask these kind of questions of anyone without having any foreknowledge of them. Sometimes people need that prod to make them consider what they really want. On the other hand, Amanda, nobody needs telling that they ought to bang their best mate.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #180 on: 26 Jan 2018, 02:31 »


...And no, good drama doesn't require a conflict.

I'm struggling to think of one that doesn't have any...
Everything I've ever studied has lain down "conflict" as the foundation for virtually every story out there.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #181 on: 26 Jan 2018, 02:44 »

...And no, good drama doesn't require a conflict.

As Joe sniped me to saying... well, yes? Yes it does?

You're right that it doesn't need a villain to cause it, but... every story, period, requires conflict.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #182 on: 26 Jan 2018, 02:59 »

I think whether story requires conflict is perhaps arguable, but I would say that drama does require conflict.

I don't think that QC sans conflict will happen any time soon.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #183 on: 26 Jan 2018, 03:12 »

I would say every story has a conflict but that doesn't mean it's always two people disagreeing or fighting. Almost every story can be defined as establishing the status quo, conflicts happens, then return to status quo. There's obviously details that make each story unique and the return to baseline can have changes from the established at the start one but if you want, a lot of stories can be described very broadly as that. Although long form media with no forseeable end like webcomics can blur the lines even more.

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #184 on: 26 Jan 2018, 03:15 »

Does every conflict require a villain?

Every conflict requires an antagonist; I'd argue that they don't have to be a villain in the traditional sense. You've got two sides that both believe they're right sometimes - say, Les miserables, where javert isn't exactly that villainous. The closest to a villain there are the thenadiers.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #185 on: 26 Jan 2018, 03:54 »

Yes. So, to drag the (worthwhile) conversation back to QC for a moment, then, I would say that we need not be looking for a villain in every QC story arc. Though of course it does happen from time to time. Corpse Witch and Beatrice would be recent examples.

Most conflict in QC derives from flawed characters either dealing with inner conflict (e.g. Bubbles and Faye dealing with past events), or coming into conflict with each other when their actions cause harm (usually due to ignorance rather than maliciousness).

We've seen Evie say things that have hurt Bubbles. You could thereby view her as a villain, whereas I would put her in the category of an otherwise well-meaning character causing harm through a form of ignorance. The problem with immediately viewing her as a villain is that this will colour your perception of every interaction involving her in the future, and will cloud your objectivity. I can understand the desire to see her punished if this situation feels very personal for you, but I personally would rather see her learn.
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Yet the lies of Melkor, the mighty and the accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days. (Silmarillion 255)

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #186 on: 26 Jan 2018, 04:03 »

Over the course of three-and-a-half-thousand strips, Marten has said a number of harsh, hurtful, and thoughtless things. He is the primary antagonist.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #187 on: 26 Jan 2018, 04:04 »

Most conflict in QC derives from flawed characters either dealing with inner conflict...

I was about to say that conflict in a story doesn't necessarily require a villain, as it can be internal - but you ninja'd me.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #188 on: 26 Jan 2018, 04:07 »

I would argue that you don't even really need an identified character as an antagonist or conflict driver. For example, Hannelore's primary foe is her mental health issues. Tilly (to a very small degree), Juicy and Beatrice are just proxies around which we can see this foe has succeeded in greatly narrowing the scope of her life.

IMO, Jeph tends to use this tool a lot. He very rarely has out-and-out villains (this is what made Corpse Witch so notable in his work). He more often has the characters struggling against themselves with others' behaviour simply demonstrating why these internal problems are such a huge issue for the protagonist in the narrative. He even did more-or-less the same thing in Alice Grove, with Alice's main antagonist being her past, her fear of her essential created nature and her sense of guilt as to what she had been created to be and with what she had been a willing and eager participant in her youthful ignorance.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #189 on: 26 Jan 2018, 04:52 »

Over the course of three-and-a-half-thousand strips, Marten has said a number of harsh, hurtful, and thoughtless things. He is the primary antagonist.

I couldn't disagree more. I hope it's some kind of humoristic or affectionate remark...

In case you say that seriously, just let me kindly remind you that you're in no way forced to read that comic.
« Last Edit: 26 Jan 2018, 06:07 by traroth »
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #190 on: 26 Jan 2018, 05:02 »

Over the course of three-and-a-half-thousand strips, Marten has said a number of harsh, hurtful, and thoughtless things. He is the primary antagonist.

Thoughtless... yes.

Hurtful... Maybe? But I doubt intentionally?

Harsh...? Really?

Pintsize is far more of an antagonist than Marten has ever been... YYMV of course.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #191 on: 26 Jan 2018, 05:57 »

Does every conflict require a villain?

In a literary sense? Yes and no. Villain doesn't automatically translate to evil. It's entirely a case of the character that stands in the way of your protagonist. Your protagonist and your villain both want something, and only one or the other can get what they want without in some way preventing the other from doing so.

It really does just come down to who your protagonist is. If you're protagonist is of some sort of moral stance you agree with, that tends to mean you think of the their villain/antagonist as evil.

But the reality is a villain, or the less baggage term 'antagonist' in a story conflict can literally be someone who just wants the same sandwich as your protagonist. The only distinction is whose perspective you're writing the story from.

That's kinda what makes it easy for people to take sides in these stories: With a few exceptions, Jeph has a neutral author's voice. Yeah he puts in smarmy commentary post-hoc, but he inserts no narrative boxes. There's only a few internal narrative moments. He just lets these characters go in their natural element, and leaves us to decide how to interpret them.

We really do get to decide who the protagonist an antagonists are a lot of the times, and we might be a bit hardwired to do so.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #192 on: 26 Jan 2018, 07:10 »

Points for Evie.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #193 on: 26 Jan 2018, 07:10 »

It's interesting, and frustrating, to me how quick some members of this forum are to search for a villain in every storyline.

Maybe. However good drama tends to require a degree of conflict. A 24/7 hugfest would not engage people.

On the other hand the weekly comic strips over the past few months always seem to devolve into 'I hate the latest person/existing character and let me explain why in extreme detail, then argue endlessly about it.' I mean yeah, everyone has characters they like and don't like. But nearly every day I look in these threads it seems like people are trying to turn everyone into a villain and it's draining and depressing? Remember when Hannelore gave her mother a little shove and people were literally saying she should be arrested for it? Frankly I've been coming to the forums a lot less lately because it just seems filled with negativity and I have enough of that in my life from other sources.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #194 on: 26 Jan 2018, 07:52 »

I'll have to agree with that. Not everything must be criminalised, and punished to the full extent of the law.


In a literary sense? Yes and no.

...

We really do get to decide who the protagonist an antagonists are a lot of the times, and we might be a bit hardwired to do so.

I much prefer to talk about protagonist and antagonist. It's not just baggage; villain has always been pejorative, from its medieval beginnings onwards. Arguably that's denotation. So, a villain is evil, nowadays, no matter how you put it.

That's what I meant with our auctorial fallacy as well; you need to be very careful: the story you hear is not necessarily the story your author is telling. It's easy to interpret things, and then make the leap that the author says such and such. Mind the gap between text and interpretation.

Oh, this is 300, I guess. Pneumatic ratchet pants?
« Last Edit: 26 Jan 2018, 08:10 by Cornelius »
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #195 on: 26 Jan 2018, 08:49 »

It's interesting, and frustrating, to me how quick some members of this forum are to search for a villain in every storyline.

Maybe. However good drama tends to require a degree of conflict. A 24/7 hugfest would not engage people.

On the other hand the weekly comic strips over the past few months always seem to devolve into 'I hate the latest person/existing character and let me explain why in extreme detail, then argue endlessly about it.' I mean yeah, everyone has characters they like and don't like. But nearly every day I look in these threads it seems like people are trying to turn everyone into a villain and it's draining and depressing? Remember when Hannelore gave her mother a little shove and people were literally saying she should be arrested for it? Frankly I've been coming to the forums a lot less lately because it just seems filled with negativity and I have enough of that in my life from other sources.

I feel the same. I'd love to find a forum where the members are into the same stuff i am....QC amongst others fits the bill (not to annoy the Tillys) - we are generally 15-45yo weeaboos who like anime, guitar music, sci-fi, much like OBA.

Thus, I feel/hope we are part of a community.......

.......except I've never been part of a community before where if I don't use the right pronouns, I am denounced. I guess thats a community of acquaintances, not friends......maybe thats because in 40 years on this earth, I have still not met anybody who thinks they are so important they deserve their own pronouns.......

.........and..........

.......I've never been part of a community before where we were discussing the fact that people *might* take a *family* discussion over a meal, turn it to a research thesis and therefore should have asked for consent.

This is really a step too far......high drama and fantasy, full novels, require antagonists, conflict and villains - surely a webcomic can make a heavy point lightly, or a light point with too heavy a touch, and remain a comic and not a dissertation to be criticised?

I note that during all this criticism, its the characters who are criticised, and not the author?

« Last Edit: 26 Jan 2018, 09:14 by Jeemy »
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TheEvilDog

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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #196 on: 26 Jan 2018, 08:55 »

I have still not met anybody who thinks they are so important they deserve their own pronouns.......

This is the only thing I will say on this topic.
No one is so important that they deserve their own pronouns.
Everyone is important enough to deserve ordinary, decent respect in how they are seen and identified.
That is all its about, respect.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #197 on: 26 Jan 2018, 09:34 »

Pneumatic ratchet pants?

I've always assumed that this is a reference to the Techno Trousers in a couple of Wallace and Gromit films - though the term doesn't appear there, so I could be wrong.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #198 on: 26 Jan 2018, 10:27 »

Global Moderator Comment My position is that if you're not a jerk you shouldn't be "denounced". Non-jerks who follow the habits of their schooling about pronouns? To them I'll talk about how much it matters to real-life non-binary people. Then because they're not jerks they'll push themselves out of their comfort zone to show courtesy and be inclusive to people from a minority even more misunderstood than most.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3661-3665 (22nd to 26th January 2018)
« Reply #199 on: 26 Jan 2018, 10:33 »

I have still not met anybody who thinks they are so important they deserve their own pronouns.......

This is the only thing I will say on this topic.
No one is so important that they deserve their own pronouns.
Everyone is important enough to deserve ordinary, decent respect in how they are seen and identified.
That is all its about, respect.

Global Moderator Comment Well put and I will add "inclusiveness". It's a core value from the owner of the forum down through the moderation team. I will make (additional) mistakes in the process but will constantly labor to make it possible for marginalized people to feel safe and welcome here.
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Thank you, Dr. Karikó.
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