Questionable Content XV: I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS! I Told You This Thread Was Weird

[dps]

I think Faye has some 'make her business a go' plot left, Marten gets on with his adulthood, and Dora gets married. Other than that, I think they are now relegated to 'happy and boring'-land. Which, honestly, more webcomics need to do. Whether the comics need to continue past that point is an open question. This new sequel-series-except-in-name Jeph has going isn't as good as the previous iteration was at its best, but I am interested in where the AI portion of it goes. Honestly, I kinda wish that Marigold and Momo moved to a new city and had wacky and heartfelt adventures there or the like.

I wouldn't have a problem if I thought it seemed like Momo, May, Marigold, and Hanners were the new main characters. But it feels like it's going to be Renee, Brun, and a bunch of robots who Jeph is trying too hard to make wacky.

[Morquard]

Who's this Hanners person? I don't remember them...

[Wraith]

"Liking bad things is good. No one will try to take them away from you."

Well, that explains her friendship with Renee....

[Traab]

Yeah that got a little dark/tragic there didnt it? Im guessing growing up was a lot worse for brun than she lets on if she developed a permanent trait of "like terrible things so they dont get taken away"

[Eldan]

I understand that conversation about "what did you do at work today" so well. I'm a scientist. So, what did I do at work today? Well, first, I was sweeping the greenhouse. Then I watered some plants. Then, I had to sweep up the large pot of soil we knocked over. Then, we tried to get the scanner to run to scan our lab notes. Then we called a technician for that. Then we swept up the condensation in the climate control chamber. Then I talked with some students about different things they wanted to know, mostly admin. Then I sorted through my drawer of brushes to find the five best ones for the experiment tomorrow. Then I did some upkeep and formatting on some data tables. Tomorrow, I may do some actual science, but maybe not.

[Kish]

I didn't think it was ambiguous that school was awful for Brun since the strip where she mentioned being autistic.

[Traab]

I didn't think it was ambiguous that school was awful for Brun since the strip where she mentioned being autistic.

I honestly dont recall it offhand but even so, there is bad, and then there is "so bad the only way to avoid having everything you own be stolen is to make it so terrible nobody wants it then force yourself to like it because its all you can have."

[Keltest]

I honestly dont recall it offhand but even so, there is bad, and then there is "so bad the only way to avoid having everything you own be stolen is to make it so terrible nobody wants it then force yourself to like it because its all you can have."

Brun was previously described as being "no raisins" poor. Now given that would basically mean she was literally starving to death, im inclined to take that as a grain of salt, however I think the implication was more that she didn't have nice things to begin with, not that people actively took them.

[Traab]

Brun was previously described as being "no raisins" poor. Now given that would basically mean she was literally starving to death, im inclined to take that as a grain of salt, however I think the implication was more that she didn't have nice things to begin with, not that people actively took them.

Yeah exactly, I pictured her as poor certainly, bullied yeah, but not bullied to the point where all she could keep was trash nobody else wanted to take from her.

[Wraith]

Jeph is, perhaps, laying it on a little bit thick. People like Brun exist - Her condition, her upbringing, all the rest of it - and using a character to highlight these issues and make people realise just how lucky they are in comparison is a noble goal. For it to be brought up at every opportunity and to show even greater depths of depressing abuse every time we see her regardless of context, however, is starting to feel like a cheap way of generating empathy and drama.

It's nearly cartoony just how bad Brun's life has been and how indifferent she seems to be to it, to the point where I don't really have sympathy for her because it sounds so contrived. We *must* feel sorry for Brun, here's a long list of reasons why life has been horrible for her, don't think about the details, just commence sympathy!

[Vinyadan]

how indifferent she seems to be to it

That's probably deliberate, to show that she cannot communicate properly.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Also, as a note - a lot of people who have pretty terrible/difficult lives don't really make a big deal about it because it's just... how things have always been.

I know that's the case for me and a fair few other people I know with difficult circumstances.

[Wraith]

Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to suggest that Brun's lack of 'enthusiasm' means that she should be disbelieved or otherwise not taken seriously and that people like Brun ought to "be more sympathetic".

I just find it a very weird narrative choice by Jeph to create a character for whom we are supposed to feel an enormous amount of sympathy, but who specifically doesn't show distress about any of it. It's like he's taken backgrounds from two oppressed groups - the neurologically atypical and the destitute - and smooshed them into one character despite how those two attributes actually conflict when it comes to getting across the message of how unfortunate her life is, because now he has to explain everything in dialogue between other characters instead of just having Brun be.

[Keltest]

Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to suggest that Brun's lack of 'enthusiasm' means that she should be disbelieved or otherwise not taken seriously and that people like Brun ought to "be more sympathetic".

I just find it a very weird narrative choice by Jeph to create a character for whom we are supposed to feel an enormous amount of sympathy, but who specifically doesn't show distress about any of it. It's like he's taken backgrounds from two oppressed groups - the neurologically atypical and the destitute - and smooshed them into one character despite how those two attributes actually conflict when it comes to getting across the message of how unfortunate her life is, because now he has to explain everything in dialogue between other characters instead of just having Brun be.

Did you feel like you heard a mental record scratch when you read Brun's line there? If so, i'd say he's doing the job pretty well.

So far as we know, Brun isn't unfeeling, she just isn't emotive. Our introduction to her was when her home burned down after all, and she outright states that's just how she is. She gets bothered by things. She copes. She moves on. Her childhood sucked, but now its over, so she doesn't constantly go "woe is me" about it. I think its far more organic for it to come up in off hand remarks occasionally than for it to be constantly sitting on her shoulders like a massive scar.

[Kish]

Yeah exactly, I pictured her as poor certainly, bullied yeah, but not bullied to the point where all she could keep was trash nobody else wanted to take from her.

I think you possibly overestimate how much effort (on the bullies' part) it takes to bring someone to thoughts like the one Brun expressed.

What stands out as unusual to me is only that her thought in that area hasn't changed any since she initially formed it in childhood or early adolescence and that she unhesitatingly repeats it to a near-stranger, but, when I say "unusual," I don't mean "unusual for Brun."

[Vinyadan]

Narratively, I think Brun simply wasn't adequately developed. She definitely isn't compelling, especially compared to autobiographical stuff by autistic or poor people (which however is to be expected). Now, if this comic chose some characters to focus on, then she could be given actual plot lines to let the reader get invested in her and also sufficiently acquainted to read the emotions behind the expressions.

[Gnoman]

I think comparing Brun to early-comic Faye is a good way to illustrate that. She had a ton of strips before the Big Reveal about her dad, in which she showed her issues occasionally - enough to show that she has them, but not dominating the character. When we finally got That Panel, we could then look back and say "now we get it!". Then, when we got to her nearly-fatal bender, it was a natural follow-on from her existing characterization - she has massive abandonment issues, and developed a dependency on alcohol to cope with them.


Brun doesn't have that development. We just get an endless "Here are Brun's issues! Isn't she tragic" parade.

[georgie_leech]

Brun was previously described as being "no raisins" poor. Now given that would basically mean she was literally starving to death, im inclined to take that as a grain of salt, however I think the implication was more that she didn't have nice things to begin with, not that people actively took them.

I grew to love black jelly beans because everyone else hated them, so I could get their beans. Sometimes it's about being better able to acquire what passes for luxury.

What stands out as unusual to me is only that her thought in that area hasn't changed any since she initially formed it in childhood or early adolescence and that she unhesitatingly repeats it to a near-stranger, but, when I say "unusual," I don't mean "unusual for Brun."

I mean, I'm fully aware that this I why I still like black licorice jelly beans and gumdrops (treats I had as a kid) but not black licorice itself (which I did not have)

[The Glyphstone]

I grew to love black jelly beans because everyone else hated them, so I could get their beans.

I am abruptly undergoing an epiphany about my enjoyment of black jelly beans...

[memnarch]

Gotta say, I'd be about the same as Elliot here; why would someone ask for help getting up to something overhead if they don't have what they need yet?

[Wraith]

Because he might have only just noticed the light and met Elliot on his way to find a bulb?

Clinton clearly doesn't have anything in his hands in panel 1 or 2, unless we're using the argument that if we can't see off panel then neither can Elliot even though in-universe it's right in front of him.

But Elliot didn't look, and that's the joke. He's so eager to please - or in a low-key way, to appear well-meaning in front of the boy he's crushing on - that it didn't occur to him to ask if Clinton was ready, or even look at anything apart from Clinton's face. The big doofus

[DavidSh]

If you are replacing an overhead light, and you don't have spare hands, it isn't unreasonable to first go up your ladder or stepstool and take off the lampshade/cover and bring it down, then go up and remove the dead light bulb and bring it down, then take the new bulb up and install it, and finally take the lampshade/cover back up. Remembering to make sure the light switch is turned off when you start. So Elliot could quite well be imaging that this was the plan here.

Though, if this is Renee's & Brun's new place, it's a little odd to have a dead bulb already.

[SaintRidley]

Might have old bulbs that draw too much power, though.

[Felius]

You know, it comes to mind that it would be considerably safer for Elliot just to change the bulbs himself instead of manually lifting some, what, 60kg-70kg of person to do it in a rather inherently unstable platform, even with the improvised buttress we got in this latest strip...

[Traab]

You know, it comes to mind that it would be considerably safer for Elliot just to change the bulbs himself instead of manually lifting some, what, 60kg-70kg of person to do it in a rather inherently unstable platform, even with the improvised buttress we got in this latest strip...

Maybe but even for elliot thats a bit of a stretch and it looks like the light has a glass cover that has to be unscrewed from several spots as well making it that much more obnoxious to deal with. I hate those types of lights so much.

[Gez]

The light bulb and the telephone are two inventions that have in common that many, many people have claimed paternity for them, and the ones that are generally considered to be the official inventors are now quite controversial.

https://www.historicmysteries.com/di...al-inventions/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...leducationnews

[Morquard]

Nobody has much to say about the current comics/arc it seems...

And really, Skunks?

[Mechalich]

And really, Skunks?

Skunks are actually quite common in modern style American neighborhoods due to the combination of low density housing, intermittent green space, abundant food supplies, and limited habitat for Great Horned Owls, their primary predator (owls have no sense of smell, you do the math). It is very possible to encounter a skunk while walking around at night, though they tend to be a bit more shy than raccoons.

[Traab]

Skunks are actually quite common in modern style American neighborhoods due to the combination of low density housing, intermittent green space, abundant food supplies, and limited habitat for Great Horned Owls, their primary predator (owls have no sense of smell, you do the math). It is very possible to encounter a skunk while walking around at night, though they tend to be a bit more shy than raccoons.

Yep, I have walked by a number of them in my home state of ct, so seeing them in neighboring states is hardly a surprise.

[Wraith]

Nobody has much to say about the current comics/arc it seems...

I think the general consensus is that it's an arc about characters that are at best controversial, or otherwise just not very popular, and they're doing stuff that isn't very interesting or important.

Beepatrice and Butt-Robot are nice enough, but they're C-list characters introduced to be supporting cast to some of the comic's B-List and I don't think anyone has much investment in them. Renee is generally disliked, and Brun is difficult to criticise without implying privilege/ableism due to her combination of character traits, which leaves 'randomly quirky' as the only safe avenue. What is there to say about that, apart from "I thought it was funny" or "I thought that was stupid"?

Clinton is, I am given to understand, also controversial in that some people really dislike him while others think he's fine. Elliot's strongest characterisation is that he is as gentle and inoffensive as can possibly be, so he doesn't drive a plot anywhere beyond the usual vague shipping tease, which again only goes so far if you are in some way invested in the other characters who are being match made with him. Odds are, you're probably not.

Meanwhile, there's been ~3 weeks of these folks moving into a new apartment and fixing a lightbulb. Dora - one of the A-List cast members - managed that in about 3 strips and it was mostly off-panel, and I remain convinced that was because watching people carry plain brown boxes around is boring.

I suppose, if you wanted to, we could discuss how Renee has once again sexually objectified other members of the cast and isn't called out on it?