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Poll

Favourite part of last week?

Clinton and Elliot getting to know each other
- 19 (37.3%)
Tall bread tales
- 3 (5.9%)
Sentient orbs of light
- 3 (5.9%)
Brun's happiness
- 11 (21.6%)
Brun's amusing obliviousness to Clinton's and Elliot's feelings
- 10 (19.6%)
I can't believe that you didn't mention ....
- 5 (9.8%)

Total Members Voted: 48


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Author Topic: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)  (Read 40956 times)

snufflebottoms

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #50 on: 27 Mar 2018, 04:40 »

I'm actually getting annoyed with Brun at this point.
You don't know what it's like to be on the spectrum, do you?

I'd rather we not discuss whether I personally am autistic. It's none of your business and I don't want to talk about it. 

What I will say is that being autistic doesn't magically make someone not annoying. Btw - Has Jeph confirmed that Brun is autistic?  A person CAN just be awkward and bad at social cues without having autism.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #51 on: 27 Mar 2018, 04:56 »

Btw - Has Jeph confirmed that Brun is autistic?  A person CAN just be awkward and bad at social cues without having autism.

Brun has also demonstrated other symptoms of some type of autistic spectrum issues. Most notably, she has had one on-page meltdown where she becomes uncommunicative and cannot process sensory data.

EDIT - It starts in this strip and it isn't at all what I'd consider a typical shock reaction to what she's just been through.
« Last Edit: 27 Mar 2018, 05:25 by BenRG »
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #52 on: 27 Mar 2018, 05:42 »

Brun is my favorite character.  She reacts as if she's exploring a world filled with bizarre, indecipherable behavior.  Further: I enjoy the flashes of tummy.
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snufflebottoms

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #53 on: 27 Mar 2018, 06:23 »

Brun has also demonstrated other symptoms of some type of autistic spectrum issues. Most notably, she has had one on-page meltdown where she becomes uncommunicative and cannot process sensory data.

So we've established that it's possible she's autistic and such a scenario wouldn't be Jeph pulling a diagnosis out his ass but she might also not be.

It seems like responses to comments about her or her actions always boil down to " :-o BUT --- THE SPECTRUM!!  :-o" and it kind stops being a discussion about Brun and starts being a discussion about something that may or may not at most be one part of her character.

BTW, I don't dislike Brun. She's a fun character to watch and I enjoy the arcs with her. She's relatable enough to make me invested in her story. I still think she's reached a point in this arc where she is being annoying and a little rude.

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ckridge

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #54 on: 27 Mar 2018, 07:06 »

Has it been confirmed that she is on the spectrum? There could be many, many other reasons she is the way she is.

She could possibly have a number of other things going on from a strange/difficult upbringing to a number of conditions beyond being on the spectrum or a mix of this and that. At the end of the day, does it matter? Yeah, her behavior is unexpected (though it does seem to have a pattern), but as long as she's in character that's what matters most. Part of me kind of hopes she never gets a label. There are many people in RL who behave outside the norm who don't carry one (or keep it private).

I find her very relatable myself even though I kind of have the opposite problems with personal space. I used to joke with some friends that I was learning to be a person. I love her self reflectiveness and attempts to fit and be good to the people she is close with. It is obvious she takes a lot of time to work on changing her behavior, and that takes courage as it can be an uphill battle to change—even when it is to your own benefit.

I agree. Diagnoses are good for getting Individualized Education Programs and medications authorized, but far too crude for personal relations or story reading. Brun is a particular instance of whatever the hell it is she is an instance of, with particular features all her own, and those particular features are some of the most important things about her. Jeph has written a good character here.

Brun is the most socially competent person in this situation. She is like a left-handed boxer in that she is always awkwardly placed in relation to others, but is thoroughly used to that awkward position while the people she faces are not. Clinton can't manage to mention that he has to pee, get comfortable with her close, ask for more space, or explain succinctly to Elliot what is going on. Elliot jumped to a conclusion and ran away. Brun, by contrast, explained what was going on succinctly and knew precisely what Clinton meant by "Don't worry about it."

My bet is that Brun gets up so close to Clinton because the way she manages boundaries is that you are out or in. If you are out, she holds you at a distance. If you are in, she will drop her face into the crook of your neck to get your smell. It's a trust thing. Clinton appears to be in. I suspect that not many other people are in, so she hasn't gotten the news that some people aren't perfectly comfortable up that close.
« Last Edit: 27 Mar 2018, 11:22 by ckridge »
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Cornelius

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #55 on: 27 Mar 2018, 07:24 »

My bet is that Brun gets up so close to Clinton because the way she manages boundaries is that you are out or in. If you are out, she holds you at a distance. If you are in, she will drop her face into the crook of your neck to get your smell. It's a trust thing. Clinton appears to be in. I suspect that not many other people are in, so she hasn't gotten the news that some people aren't perfectly comfortable up that close.

There's also definitely out, where the closest you can get is determined by the length of her harpoon.
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Milayna

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #56 on: 27 Mar 2018, 08:19 »

Nothing in the comic diagnoses Brun. I interpret her as autistic because I am autistic and relate to her very much, so the comments I make will be from that perspective, but I do not hold canonpower. I do not claim to be able to pronounce why she does a thing; I only say that, from the perspective that she's autistic in a similar way to myself, this is a possible explanation. There are other perspectives that have their own explanations for why she does a thing and they are not invalid.

This is generally true for any character, in fact, since they aren't people themselves, there are many potential perspectives to interpret them from.
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ckridge

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #57 on: 27 Mar 2018, 08:43 »

Just as an aside, I love "canonpower." In fact, I seem to be devising a superhero who has canonpower. He is Metaman, and can, by means of his invention, the Literary Device, speak ex cathedra and say whether characters' actions are characteristic or atypical. When he speaks ex cathedra a vast shadowy throne forms under him.

[seizes self by lapels, shakes violently; slaps self several times, crying "Dammit man, snap out of it!"; snaps out of it]

The reason I don't want to diagnose Brun is precisely because, if one is not autistic, it tends to make her seem simple and other. It would be a way of holding her away. In your case, it is a way of bringing her close, and, I think, is precisely the thing to do.

Either way, of course, we have to respect the text.
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ckridge

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #58 on: 27 Mar 2018, 08:45 »

Metaman's foe is the Headcanon, who is armed with a headcannon. The Headcanon is allied with the Loose Canon, a woman of low moral character who does not respect the text.

I am going to go and lie down till this passes off.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #59 on: 27 Mar 2018, 08:51 »

This just screams buddy cop show and/or movie.  Perhaps Mellon is in a special unit.  It would explain how she could enter Steve's house without there being legal problems.

Pedo Mellon a minno.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #60 on: 27 Mar 2018, 09:01 »

Has it been confirmed that she is on the spectrum? There could be many, many other reasons she is the way she is.

Nothing in canon, I believe.
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awgiedawgie

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #61 on: 27 Mar 2018, 09:02 »

FWIW, all this discussion about whether Brun has autism, and whether it explains or excuses her social awkwardness, is extremely insensitive to those people who either are autistic themselves, or have friends who are. It's a very personal matter, and it's no one else's business. If Brun herself brings it up and says "look, this is why I act the way I do", then it's out in the open. Then, and only then, can it be discussed respectfully.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #62 on: 27 Mar 2018, 09:03 »

Brun is my favorite character.  She reacts as if she's exploring a world filled with bizarre, indecipherable behavior.  Further: I enjoy the flashes of tummy.

Welcome, new person!

I have had more than one incident myself of feeling like the world is full of bizarre indecipherable behavior.
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jesslc

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #63 on: 27 Mar 2018, 09:04 »

Metaman's foe is the Headcanon, who is armed with a headcannon. The Headcanon is allied with the Loose Canon, a woman of low moral character who does not respect the text.

I am going to go and lie down till this passes off.

Please don't - this is hilarious! :D
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #64 on: 27 Mar 2018, 09:06 »

This just screams buddy cop show and/or movie.  Perhaps Mellon is in a special unit.  It would explain how she could enter Steve's house without there being legal problems.

Pedo Mellon a minno.
I had to Google that, and I now stand stricken in awe of such awesome nerdiness!
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #65 on: 27 Mar 2018, 09:10 »

My bet is that Brun gets up so close to Clinton because the way she manages boundaries is that you are out or in. If you are out, she holds you at a distance. If you are in, she will drop her face into the crook of your neck to get your smell.

I agree.  A young electronics geek friend who's long been diagnosed with Asperger's described it as being the difference between a potentiometer and an on/off toggle switch.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #66 on: 27 Mar 2018, 10:31 »

FWIW, all this discussion about whether Brun has autism, and whether it explains or excuses her social awkwardness, is extremely insensitive to those people who either are autistic themselves, or have friends who are. It's a very personal matter, and it's no one else's business. If Brun herself brings it up and says "look, this is why I act the way I do", then it's out in the open. Then, and only then, can it be discussed respectfully.
Global Moderator Comment Do we need to act, then? There's at least one moderator with ASD and we'd been taking for granted it was OK but we can always learn differently. If we allow the discussion to keep going, what are some good ways to prove our respect for autistic people and their friends?
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ckridge

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #67 on: 27 Mar 2018, 10:46 »

Nothing in the comic diagnoses Brun. I interpret her as autistic because I am autistic and relate to her very much, so the comments I make will be from that perspective, but I do not hold canonpower. I do not claim to be able to pronounce why she does a thing; I only say that, from the perspective that she's autistic in a similar way to myself, this is a possible explanation. There are other perspectives that have their own explanations for why she does a thing and they are not invalid.

This is generally true for any character, in fact, since they aren't people themselves, there are many potential perspectives to interpret them from.

Make sure you get Milanya's opinion. They have skin in the game.
« Last Edit: 27 Mar 2018, 10:51 by ckridge »
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awgiedawgie

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #68 on: 27 Mar 2018, 11:35 »

FWIW, all this discussion about whether Brun has autism, and whether it explains or excuses her social awkwardness, is extremely insensitive to those people who either are autistic themselves, or have friends who are. It's a very personal matter, and it's no one else's business. If Brun herself brings it up and says "look, this is why I act the way I do", then it's out in the open. Then, and only then, can it be discussed respectfully.
Do we need to act, then? There's at least one moderator with ASD and we'd been taking for granted it was OK but we can always learn differently. If we allow the discussion to keep going, what are some good ways to prove our respect for autistic people and their friends?
I'm not going to pretend I have the answer. I tend to be more sensitive to others' feelings than I need to be. However, it seems to me that some people are discussing the matter as if Brun is a fictional character with no feelings of her own. While that may be technically true, the people involved in and reading the discussion are real people with real feelings. A couple of the comments - while they haven't come right out and said so - have given me the impression that some people are already a little uncomfortable with the whole thing, but maybe I'm just reading them wrong. I've known people who weren't comfortable even disclosing that they had autism, let alone discussing it in public, and I've known others who were very open about the whole situation. If I were having a conversation with my friend who has an autistic daughter, I could ask her how she feels about discussing it in a public group. Unfortunately, we can't pull Brun off the page and ask her the same thing.

I don't think we need to stop discussing it altogether and forever, but people need to remember that while Brun may not be capable of being offended or hurt by what is said here, the real people here can be, and people need to think about how they would feel if the situation were reversed, and others were callously talking about their personal issues. It seems to me that we are teetering dangerously on the edge of going too far.
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Zebediah

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #69 on: 27 Mar 2018, 13:14 »

All right, I’ll jump in. My son and I are both on the autism spectrum. We’re both at the very high-functioning end of it, but still, we’re there. And I recognize some of my own behavior in Brun.

For the record, I am not the least bit offended by Jeph’s portrayal of Brun or the discussion here about it. Frankly I think it’s a good way to educate more people about how autism really works, in much the same way that Claire’s portrayal and its discussion here educated me about trans issues. If it does start edging into offensive territory I’ll definitely speak up, but nothing so far has annoyed me except for the assertion that we all need to stop talking about it.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #70 on: 27 Mar 2018, 13:32 »

All right, I’ll jump in. My son and I are both on the autism spectrum. We’re both at the very high-functioning end of it, but still, we’re there. And I recognize some of my own behavior in Brun.

For the record, I am not the least bit offended by Jeph’s portrayal of Brun or the discussion here about it. Frankly I think it’s a good way to educate more people about how autism really works, in much the same way that Claire’s portrayal and its discussion here educated me about trans issues. If it does start edging into offensive territory I’ll definitely speak up, but nothing so far has annoyed me except for the assertion that we all need to stop talking about it.
Thank you. I'm glad to hear the perspective of someone personally dealing with this. My own perspective is that of having a good friend with a daughter who is only moderately functional, and it has been a tremendous struggle for them to get even to that point. She is very sensitive about people discussing her daughter's condition as if she were a sociology experiment rather than a human being - going so far as to delete her facebook account so people would stop asking her about it - and so I tend to be overly defensive about it as well. But if you think the discussion here is beneficial to people gaining a better understanding of it, I am not in a position to disagree.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #71 on: 27 Mar 2018, 15:27 »

I just don't like people using mental diversity as an excuse to basically ignore consent. The only time anyone should ever be that close to me without some kind of indication that it is OK is like, when I was on trains in Tokyo, because there isn't a whole lot of choice in that case.

The more I think about it, the more it feels kind of shitty that the joke seems to be "She doesn't get personal space and Clinton likes her lol" and that joke is... Imagine if it was someone of Elliot's gender and size, doing that to someone like Tai.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #72 on: 27 Mar 2018, 18:01 »

The only time anyone should ever be that close to me without some kind of indication that it is OK is like, when I was on trains in Tokyo, because there isn't a whole lot of choice in that case.
Reminds me of watching old TV shows, and in the close-up shots, they have the actors standing so close together they have to back up when they turn their heads in order to keep from breaking each other's noses. I mean, I know why they do it because I've worked in TV, but my first thought is "that looks unbelievably awkward."
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ckridge

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #73 on: 27 Mar 2018, 18:57 »

NYC is full of people from places where the standard interpersonal distance is much closer than among  most Americans, and occasionally I say "No offense, but where I'm from, people don't stand that close, and it makes me a little nervous." They apologize and back up a little, and I reassure them, and then they begin to creep back in, because they just can't believe I can hear them from way over there. Or something. I am used to it. It is the nature of living in a multicultural warren.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #74 on: 27 Mar 2018, 20:18 »

I'm almost certain that even in NYC, no one is walking forward to the point of trapping you against a wall as you back up while in physical contact with you.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #75 on: 27 Mar 2018, 20:31 »

I just don't like people using mental diversity as an excuse to basically ignore consent.

That seems an unfair characterisation of the comic. Jeph is depicting a character who, we can only assume, does not really have a built-in understanding of personal space. It seems quite in character, and he's done so in a way that is non-threatening and light-hearted. That's not using mental diversity as "an excuse." I don't understand the hate.

Imagine if it was someone of Elliot's gender and size, doing that to someone like Tai.

Yeah, I'm not sure if Jeph would actually do that, or even if he did, Tai would have no qualms about forthrightly speaking up.

Different people have different personal spaces, and this is just one of the many tricky social etiquette situations that we all deal with on a daily basis without really thinking about it. Such situations are ripe to be plumbed for humorous purposes, I'm afraid.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #76 on: 27 Mar 2018, 20:33 »

I went to college with people from New York and other parts of New England where they stand closer together, live closer together, drive their cars closer together, etc. (New Jersey has a population density of over 1200 people/sq.mile, and Michigan's is only 175). They would try to back off, knowing that I came from the Midwest, but they often weren't very successful. If someone here at home got that close to me, I probably would have been uncomfortable. But then I understood just as well where they were from, so I'd just let it go. Basically, we were one big awkward cluster of uncertainty and compromise. And we were great friends because of it.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #77 on: 27 Mar 2018, 20:45 »

Comic up! One that subverts the "Wacky Misunderstanding" setup, and hints that we might be confronting Elliot's feelings for Clinton at the same time. Here's hoping we don't get a smash-cut to somebody's breakfast tomorrow.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #78 on: 27 Mar 2018, 20:49 »

@Tova You really don't see any issue with someone approaching someone who clearly backed into a wall and basically making it impossible to move away without either shoving them away or squirming to the side?

And you don't see an issue with people in the forum going "oh, well she's autistic, she can't help that she doesn't understand". 1. She isn't even confirmed as autistic in canon, and 2. That is incredibly insulting to autistic people. Just because they may have trouble reading a situation, or reading someone's face, does not mean that they are incapable of learning base human acceptable behavior.

And again, @awdgiedawgie, there is a difference between standing close and approaching someone who backs into a wall and clearly looks like he is still trying to back up further. http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3704 look at panel 4 and 5 of this comic. It is clear he was backed into the wall.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #79 on: 27 Mar 2018, 20:58 »

Imagine if it was someone of Elliot's gender and size, doing that to someone like Tai.
As I go back and re-read the entire archive, it occurs to me that there has been a lot of uninvited invasion of personal spaces - for example Tai or Claire using much larger people as jungle gyms, or Melon having breakfast in Steve's kitchen. Of course, each situation is different. With the exception of Faye flattening people who touch her, and Hanners freaking out when anyone touches her, most of the time everyone seems to handle it graciously.


The main difference I see here is that all three of the people in the current situation have some pretty serious social awkwardness. But even with that, Clinton is more worried about Elliot misreading what was going on than about Brun pinning him to the wall.


And he still has to pee.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #80 on: 27 Mar 2018, 21:10 »

Anybody else picturing Melon and Roko cosplaying as Tigger and Eeyore in that second panel?
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #81 on: 27 Mar 2018, 21:14 »

Yeah... that was kinda lazy.

I think it depends on where he takes it from here. Sometimes the best way to subvert a trope in an interesting way is to appear to be playing it straight until the twist.

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #82 on: 27 Mar 2018, 21:24 »

Hey, so can we talk about panel 5 Elliot realizing he just started doing the victory dance one foot outside the endzone real quick?
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Gyrre

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #83 on: 27 Mar 2018, 21:42 »

A small bit of advice:

"It is important for us to make allowances for those beneath us in ability…."
-- Lady Lennith, Alien Chronicles book 1: The Golden One

That's not meant as excuse or insult. Just a call for some leniency and understanding.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #84 on: 27 Mar 2018, 21:49 »

Claire's face, particularly her wide-eyed grin, tends to precede her by some distance in time and/or space.  Not unlike the Cheshire Cat.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #85 on: 27 Mar 2018, 22:05 »

@awdgiedawgie:
"Be careful when talking about fictional characters who might be X, because it may cause discomfort in forum members who are X" is something the mods have been trying to beat into us for a long time.

So good for you. If I were a mod, I'd be purring.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #86 on: 27 Mar 2018, 22:29 »

I feel like on this forum sometimes people bend so far over backwards trying to be accepting they end up being more judgmental towards people having a problem with someone acting badly than with someone acting badly. We are just all supposed to be so understanding and accept that oh she can't help it because of X.

I don't like people in close proximity to me, and I have panic attacks. Yet if someone was to crowd me like this, back me against a wall, I would do my best just to extricate myself from it and get them to back off verbally. Even though every part of my body would be in fight or flight and I would want to punch them in the face. Because I know I can't just punch people in the face.

If I freaked out and punched them, would you have as much sympathy towards my problem with distance and panic attacks as you seem to have with her complete lack of knowledge of personal space?

Like, people are not even allowed to say that they are finding her actions annoying without being lectured about it.
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Tova

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #87 on: 27 Mar 2018, 23:27 »

@Tova You really don't see any issue with someone approaching someone who clearly backed into a wall and basically making it impossible to move away without either shoving them away or squirming to the side?

Maybe I am communicating unclearly. Let me try again.

Like, people are not even allowed to say that they are finding her actions annoying without being lectured about it.

Of course you are allowed to say that. Please feel free to say that. I would probably find her actions annoying myself if she did that to me.
You didn't say that, though. You said:

I just don't like people using mental diversity as an excuse to basically ignore consent.

And I felt obliged to point out that neither the comic nor Brun nor the forumgoers were "using mental diversity as an excuse." That's a nonsense accusation, and completely different from saying she is irritating (which you have every right to say).
« Last Edit: 27 Mar 2018, 23:42 by Tova »
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #88 on: 27 Mar 2018, 23:29 »

So, finally, reality swings the cluehammer and connects with Clinton! Yes, Elliott likes Brun 'like that' and Clinton also likes Brun 'like that'. Yet both are unsure if they want to pursue this for a variety of reasons

If there is one thing that he knows beyond any shadow of doubt, it's that the phrase "It's complicated" does not auger anything well in the conversation, especially when talking about relationships, crushes and the like. I think he's right to say taht this is something into which Claire would love to dive headlong but she isn't there so it's up to him to sort out his own feelings.

I might be over-reading this but, just based on the entirety of Clinton's reactions, I'm thinking that Clinton has already decided not to make any approach to Brun because he genuinely doesn't think it would work out and impact their friendship for no real benefit to either of them.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #89 on: 27 Mar 2018, 23:53 »

Plot twist, Claire and Clinton actually are one person that morphs into the other Ranma-style.  :claireface:
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #90 on: 28 Mar 2018, 00:15 »

TFW you don't want to tell your crush about your other crush. I know that feeling well XD
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #91 on: 28 Mar 2018, 02:28 »

In the case of Elliott, I'm pretty sure that he is very strongly introverted. So, just engaging in communication with Clinton and Brun is going to be a serious trial for him. Telling them about his feelings is going to be an order of magnitude harder. Asking one of them out is going to be nearly impossible because he is utterly paralysed by the fear of rejection to the point where he will just stand around fretting when someone steps in front of him and beats him to the punch (like Marten did with Padma).
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Milayna

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #92 on: 28 Mar 2018, 05:25 »

Was that repeatedly calling himself stupid part of Elliot during the Padma arc? I remember him being a softy but not that self-hating. Seems like there's some backstory there...
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #93 on: 28 Mar 2018, 06:53 »

Clinton has achieved new heights of clarity by finally getting to pee. He explained the situation cogently and asked the appropriate question at the appropriate time. He was bold but not reckless.

[Possibly we have here the basis for a meditation system based on bladder control and difficult social situations rather than breath control and koans. Acolytes would drink a gallon of water, meditate for an hour without squirming or bouncing up and down, and then adjudicate fights between their sweetheart and mother, courteously and kindly reject protestations of undying love, or escape the company of friendly, well-intentioned bores, without being allowed to pee first. But I digress.]

Also, I was wrong. This is not going down the usual sitcom route. Jeph faked one way and went another.

Elliot actually gets smaller when he gets insecure. In panel 4, happy for a moment, he does a bodybuilder hands over head pose and gets huge. By panel 6 he is a size smaller. Bodybuilders really can do that, but I have never seen it as an expression of emotion before.

Feeelings. Feeeeelings. Gonna get all up in Elliot's feeeeelings.

« Last Edit: 28 Mar 2018, 07:19 by ckridge »
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #94 on: 28 Mar 2018, 08:23 »

Just as an aside, I love "canonpower." In fact, I seem to be devising a superhero who has canonpower. He is Metaman, and can, by means of his invention, the Literary Device, speak ex cathedra and say whether characters' actions are characteristic or atypical. When he speaks ex cathedra a vast shadowy throne forms under him.

This was basically an X-files episode.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #95 on: 28 Mar 2018, 08:56 »

Brun has also demonstrated other symptoms of some type of autistic spectrum issues. Most notably, she has had one on-page meltdown where she becomes uncommunicative and cannot process sensory data.

So we've established that it's possible she's autistic and such a scenario wouldn't be Jeph pulling a diagnosis out his ass but she might also not be.

It seems like responses to comments about her or her actions always boil down to " :-o BUT --- THE SPECTRUM!!  :-o" and it kind stops being a discussion about Brun and starts being a discussion about something that may or may not at most be one part of her character.

BTW, I don't dislike Brun. She's a fun character to watch and I enjoy the arcs with her. She's relatable enough to make me invested in her story. I still think she's reached a point in this arc where she is being annoying and a little rude.

A lot of her actions also fit into the Auditory/Visual Processing Disorders...

That also explains a LOT of missed cues with people as the verbal and body cues are a big part of things with understanding people and what is actually going on...
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #96 on: 28 Mar 2018, 09:12 »

I know the S topic is not allowed, (...I think?) but goddamnit, I really want two certain guys together so I can enjoy that vicariously.

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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #97 on: 28 Mar 2018, 09:20 »

I am not in a position to disagree.

Global Moderator Comment You're a member of the forum. You're in a position to disagree. You raised an inclusiveness issue. That gets the full attention of people in a position to change things. I can think of at least one occasion where I've reversed firmly held policy when affected people said it was affecting their feeling of being welcome here.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #98 on: 28 Mar 2018, 09:48 »

I know the S topic is not allowed, (...I think?) but goddamnit, I really want two certain guys together so I can enjoy that vicariously.
The way I understand it, what is not allowed is only discussing hypothetical relationships that are out of character. I don’t think that’s where you’re going, necessarily. Yes, it’s still hypothetical, but Elliot has already expressed an attraction to Clinton, so I think that makes it a real possibility.


Others have recently been discussing all three of them getting into a poly relationship, and there’s been no indication whatsoever that any of them is interested in that, so I’d say your mentioning something that’s already been alluded to is just fine.
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Re: WCDT strips 3706-3710 (26th to 30th March 2018)
« Reply #99 on: 28 Mar 2018, 10:06 »


there’s been no indication whatsoever that any of them is interested in that

Note that Clinton, rather than seizing upon the chance that Brun's very evident trust and Elliot's misunderstanding gives him to edge Elliot out, is talking honestly and openly with Elliot instead. Note Elliot's striking lack of jealous resentment at the idea that Clinton and Brun are a thing. This has been interpreted as lack of interest on Clinton's part and as a character defect on Elliot's. It can also be interpreted as evidence that they would be willing to share her affections if she wants.

There is currently no indication of what Brun wants, but we can be sure that she will do what she does want, not what convention dictates she should want. There are a lot of circumstances where missing social cues is a power, not a handicap.
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