OOTS #1225 - The Discussion Thread

[Shining Wrath]

Besides the dartboard height, nothing seems to be little person sized. The short arm could just be an odd viewing angle.

Does seem to be a druid based on the plants. A couple hanging plants could be anyone but the number and locations are beyond anything normal for decorative purposes. Also The Giant has previously liked using house plants with druids rather than full blown indoor jungles.

Location seems to be some sort of bunker with survival and work accommodations. 1 person since there's no privacy.

No idea if he's stirring a magical concoction or dinner. Both are easily possible in a comic book world.

EDIT: Skimmed thread and found parent and child comments. I suppose that's possible with the above too and it still fits all of the above. Having the little person's accommodations off camera could be intentional subversion and it could explain privacy issues too.

The handles on the wardrobes are also low. I think it's possible there's a short person about.

I can confirm. I still feel like late teens/early 20s. My body doesn't.

I'm close to retirement age - in fact, I'm double dipping, retired from Place A when they froze my pension at earned benefits and took a job at Place B. And I still refuse to grow up - I play video games and the like. But my body is definitely aging.

That sounds like a terrible idea. Have these social scientists not heard of abusive parents? If people don't want kids, let them not have kids. Heinlein's overarching point in Starship Troopers is terrible, but I do agree with this:


And in a rare case of overlap, this is what Pratchett has to say on the subject:


Parenthood is not for the unready. I approve of the objective of assisting some people grow up, but I draw the line at using a baby for that, because if they turn out to not be ready or capable of growing up? The one that'll suffer is the baby.

Grey Wolf

Encouraging parenting is different than mandating it. Ergo, the idea that it's not for everyone is included. Furthermore, I'm afraid some of the most abusive parents are quite likely to think they are the perfect people to parent, and will go ahead whether they are encouraged or not. The point is that parenting does change ones viewpoint in a way that might be viewed as beneficial for society as a whole.

I attempted to extend adolescence deep into my 40's. All my wife had to say was "nice try." My mom is 90. She has me as a son. (And that's another data point for "life is not fair"). As she reminded me today during our phone call "parenting never ends."
But this time, she laughed, even though it hurts more to do that now. She's pretty awesome.

My oldest is over 40. I still parent him. Even though he's in another country. Erma Bombeck wrote a piece about this once - about asking her mom when it gets easier, and eventually realizing (without being told directly) that it never does. The older they get, the more they are out of your control - and that's good - and the bigger mistakes they can make. And you still love them just as much, but now you have to watch them and not interfere.

The worry never ends. The wanting to make it better when they are hurt never ends. The ability to actually do something diminishes asymptotically toward zero.