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Post by legion on May 4, 2012 19:26:42 GMT
And now Kat, regarded as an angel by the robots suddenly has a pigeon smack dab on her head... Makes me feel like there's one connection I'm missing that would make it all make sense ;D Kat is Melek Taus.
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Post by stephen on May 4, 2012 21:10:32 GMT
I'm pretty sure this is something like that weird mind-space that seems to follow Zimmy around. It appears that Kat has been trapped in something similar, and Zimmy's here to help (being an expert on these matters).
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Post by csj on May 4, 2012 22:24:09 GMT
Zimmy's going to make her an offer she can't refuse.
Am I the only one that thinks Kat would make a great Mafioso?
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qiam
New Member
Posts: 29
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Post by qiam on May 5, 2012 0:01:33 GMT
What does Tom's comment mean? Pro ice? She tried to pull a Nice Guy Clemenza style "Joey! Escort these jokers to the door!" move, and it fell flat because everyone is snoozing. I think that's what he's talking about. On a separate note, do you guys think Tom is going to seriously pursue the narrative of Kat as confused/lesbian or is this just a running gag/friendly ribbing? I say this not as a part-time pervert, but as someone who has a little sister about Kat's age who is trying to figure out what the hell she is (it aint straight, that's all I can glean). I think it would be an interesting move to say the least. my advice to you: don't try to compare your real sister to a fictional webcomic character! don't worry about her sexual orientation (she could be straight even if you don't think she is). it's not like it matters, right? when and if she wants you to know what it is, she'll tell you. it's possible she doesn't even know.
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Post by Belrisa on May 5, 2012 0:23:09 GMT
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Post by Lightice on May 5, 2012 1:14:57 GMT
This. I'm pretty sure that the whole point of Kat's current story arc, though not necessarily this whole chapter, is to figure out her identity, which involves the question about sexual orientation.
I'm far more inclined to believe that the title refers to divining something.
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Post by joephlommin on May 5, 2012 1:47:40 GMT
Tom needs to stop feeding the shippers. No matter how much my stupid teenage brain enjoys it.
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Post by warrl on May 5, 2012 1:52:25 GMT
On a separate note, do you guys think Tom is going to seriously pursue the narrative of Kat as confused/lesbian or is this just a running gag/friendly ribbing? My answer to that two-part question is: no. At most, of either of those, Kat is somewhat sensitive about how others perceive her - which is pretty common at that age. As for the other one, rather than a running gag I see an accurate portrayal of something that is mildly uncommon, but far from unheard-of, among kids that age. Kat is pretty firmly established, in multiple instances over considerable time, as predominantly heterosexual. Paz isn't. Kat said some things to Paz that could be interpreted as (a) purely being friendly, (b) sizing up the competition, or (c) a lesbian advance. I think the most appropriate interpretation was (a). Paz, possibly as a result of projecting her own insecurities, chose (c). And that's how rumors ("Kat's a lesbian!") can get started among late-pre-teens and early-teens. First, the overwhelming majority of people are NOT purely of one sexual orientation. This is a lot more obvious to people who are really close to that and recognize the difficulties that result, but it's true. There are some good reasons for this: it's easier to size up the competition if you can do it emotionally/biologically rather than having to analyze it; and a certain amount of same-sex attraction enhances social bondings in groups that survive by mutual cooperation. Second, be sure to look at the whole picture, particularly things a step or two removed from the subject. (Granted, the person in question there is only 8.)
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Post by basser on May 5, 2012 4:13:10 GMT
I say this not as a part-time pervert, but as someone who has a little sister about Kat's age who is trying to figure out what the hell she is (it aint straight, that's all I can glean). I think it would be an interesting move to say the least. First, the overwhelming majority of people are NOT purely of one sexual orientation. This is a lot more obvious to people who are really close to that and recognize the difficulties that result, but it's true. There are some good reasons for this: it's easier to size up the competition if you can do it emotionally/biologically rather than having to analyze it; and a certain amount of same-sex attraction enhances social bondings in groups that survive by mutual cooperation. Second, be sure to look at the whole picture, particularly things a step or two removed from the subject. (Granted, the person in question there is only 8.) If we're gonna get biological up in here I'd also like to add that the psychological aspect of sexual attraction is immensely more complicated in women than it is in men (generally speaking, of course there are exceptions.) We ladies are actually more likely to be psychologically attracted to men who are slightly feminine and thus more likely to be caring and devoted and such (though during ovulation our brains like to switch over to seeking out hyper-masculine traits, because evolution doesn't care about marriage vows). From there it's easy to make the jump to being in love with a woman whether you're physically attuned to the presence of ethmoid tissue deposits (boobies) or not. We don't have to necessarily be physically attracted to a partner to form a bond either, oftentimes the psychological attraction is enough. Especially when it's very strong like with BFFs, for example. Basically where dudes often equate gayness with either being aroused by someone of your gender or not, women are more nuanced in their attraction spectra and find it much harder to decide on a firm orientation one way or another. In terms of the comic what I'm saying is that Kat can be in love with Annie and still like dudes. Science says it's cool. (Although personally I think she's just reacting to peer pressure and probably hasn't seriously considered relationships at all at this point. I mean she's like what 14?) In other news can somebody tell me why Zimmy's speech bubble is suddenly bright-ass pink?
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qiam
New Member
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Post by qiam on May 5, 2012 4:22:21 GMT
If we're gonna get biological up in here I 'd also like to add that the psychological aspect of sexual attraction is immensely more complicated in women than it is in men (generally speaking, of course there are exceptions.) We ladies are actually more likely to be psychologically attracted to men who are slightly feminine and thus more likely to be caring and devoted and such (though during ovulation our brains like to switch over to seeking out hyper-masculine traits, because evolution doesn't care about marriage vows). From there it's easy to make the jump to being in love with a woman whether you're physically attuned to the presence of ethmoid tissue deposits (boobies) or not. We don't have to necessarily be physically attracted to a partner to form a bond either, oftentimes the psychological attraction is enough. Especially when it's very strong like with BFFs, for example. Basically where dudes often equate gayness with either being aroused by someone of your gender or not, women are more nuanced in their attraction spectra and find it much harder to decide on a firm orientation one way or another.I'd like to know where you got these generalizations! They genuinely baffles me. Because in my experiences with people of various gender identities and sexual orientations, there is no such trend!
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Post by TBeholder on May 5, 2012 5:17:33 GMT
This sort of thing is a little too serious and character-developmenty for it to be a running gag, I think. Especialy "the Headband of +5 straightness". Zimmy's going to make her an offer she can't refuse. Am I the only one that thinks Kat would make a great Mafioso? No-o, "Donna" Kat isn't as on top of things as she thought she was. We can't have that. Tom needs to stop feeding the shippers. No matter how much my stupid teenage brain enjoys it. Is it too horrible that between your message, the current pigeon-tastic imagery and the authors' name my chthonic brain accidentally ended up with an idea of Tom Lehrer song's parody/clone "Poisoning Shippers In The Park"? <the important issues of American custom biology are skipped as far too serious to discuss anywhere less serious than The Encyclopedia That Everyone * Can Edit TM>
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Post by basser on May 5, 2012 7:41:56 GMT
I'd like to know where you got these generalizations! They genuinely baffles me. Because in my experiences with people of various gender identities and sexual orientations, there is no such trend! Mostly from various neuropsychology studies and articles. I'm a huge nerd who reads stuff like that for fun. But yeah like I said of course there's going to be people who don't hold up to the theoretical model, that's how it is with all human behaviour studies. By and large however most people do handle their sexual identities in pretty predictable ways. It's just such an internalized process that it's hard to see, even by the individuals themselves. Plus it doesn't help that the subject of romance is wrapped up in a ridiculous amount of sociocultural fluff concerning the 'magic of love' and 'soul mates'. Everyone wants to believe there's something special about it so nobody will let anyone else do proper scientific analysis of the process. Anyway I promise I'm not making stuff up, that really is the current evolutionary model of sexual attraction. A really good (and entertaining) book on the subject is A Billion Wicked Thoughts by Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam. (Why do I keep writing these long nerdy posts about nerd stuff goddamn.) <the important issues of American custom biology are skipped as far too serious to discuss anywhere less serious than The Encyclopedia That Everyone * Can Edit TM> Piss off.
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Post by imaginaryfriend on May 5, 2012 8:36:51 GMT
[D]o you guys think Tom is going to seriously pursue the narrative of Kat as confused/lesbian or is this just a running gag/friendly ribbing? I think it will be seriously pursued but nothing will come of it and there will be some humor along the way. Youthful misunderstandings are a running theme of the comic. Usually they're misunderstandings between people but this one looks like Kat is having a misunderstanding about Kat. Kat is attracted to boys, as was ably described by Warrl, but she is really only close to Antimony. [Since Faraway Morning I suspect her friendship with Paz has been strained.] And it is tough being Antimony's friend sometimes. So, I believe Kat is looking around at her peers starting to form romantic couples and is wondering about what her own role in all that stuff is and how to feel about it. Some jealousy would be understandable even if Kat isn't attracted to girls in the least, but since Antimony and Jack didn't hook up we have no way to speculate if Kat would be envious of Jack (for being in a relationship with Antimony), of Antimony (for having Jack or for just having a bf) or both/neither. I don't remember there being any serious bad consequences from youthful folly in the comic so far, though there is some room to speculate that Zimmy and/or Gamma might have been the targets for attempted abuse at some point in the backstory because of Zimmy's comments back in Power Station. It wouldn't shock me if we see some grim outcome of something or other at some point before GC concludes but mostly I think we'll see more humorous situations develop from these youthful misunderstandings than anything else. I would include Kat's sexuality within the category of youthful misunderstandings at this point. Forecast: Expect awkwardness with a continued chance of youthful misunderstandings but no *lasting* consequences for Antimony and Kat's friendship no matter what happens. [Be advised that adult actions in this comic have had lasting consequences. Sivo and nameless man #1 are dead because of Renard's choices, Jeanne and forest dude got the purple shaft via green arrow because of Diego, and there was that shadowman who got ganked; though that last series of events was initiated by Antimony the Shadowman was presumably there acting on Ys' malevolent instructions.] Welcome to the forums! Any relation to Kno-gak?
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Post by TBeholder on May 5, 2012 12:10:18 GMT
far too serious to discuss anywhere less serious than The Encyclopedia That Everyone * Can Edit TM> Piss off. Unless it's a translation of my musings to tldr'ish, you missed the perfect opportunity to use an awesome page-appropriate phrase. Keep flappin'! Ehheheheheh! <the rest of Holy War between red-blooded Americans and blue-blooded Americans is skipped out of mercy to everyone else's sanity along with other offtopics> Welcome to the forums! Any relation to Kno-gak? It's rather unli-gak! In other news, it's interesting whether Kat will notice on her own that Zimmy only answered her flappin' unrelated questions. I looked at Zimmy on the top panels again, and she's so smugly cute. Maybe... she merely wants to be Kat's good friend? ;D
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Post by todd on May 5, 2012 22:26:04 GMT
[Be advised that adult actions in this comic have had lasting consequences. Sivo and nameless man #1 are dead because of Renard's choices, Jeanne and forest dude got the purple shaft via green arrow because of Diego, That, and also (in both of the above cases) the Court's greed for knowledge about the etheric (without which, they wouldn't be living next to Gillitie Wood) and pride which keeps them from settling matters with the forest-folk peacefully.
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Post by tigerising on May 6, 2012 1:02:22 GMT
Hey, I'm pretty new to this whole communication via forum thing, but concerning Kat and antimony's relationship, I disagree with imaginaryfriend on the whole lasting impact thing. Regardless of Kat's actual sexual orientation, those kinds of rumors and Kat's questionable self-confidence means that there will be inevitably be a conflict between them. I think this could lead to distance, or even a serious divide between them, with a definite lasting effect on their friendship. Also, about the current page, I think Zimmy IS helping Antimony, but needs Kat to help...help.
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Post by imaginaryfriend on May 6, 2012 5:51:05 GMT
Hey, I'm pretty new to this whole communication via forum thing... Welcome to the forums! These are nicer forums than you'll find nearly anywhere on the internets. We've had very few flamewars and the ones we had were actually quite respectful. Come to think of it, we've had a good influx of new readers recently. They are burning through the archives but there is an unwritten rule against necromancing old dead threads, so they don't have the a chance to discuss things from older comics on this forum. Maybe we should bring back one or two from the grooveyard of forgotten favorites... If so, how about the "would Jeanne's situation be as sympathetic if she was a dude and forest dude was a lady" one? Regardless of Kat's actual sexual orientation, those kinds of rumors and Kat's questionable self-confidence means that there will be inevitably be a conflict between them. I think this could lead to distance, or even a serious divide between them, with a definite lasting effect on their friendship. If this was real life I would absolutely agree; stuff like that can easily wreck friendships. A gf I had when I was a teen stopped speaking to her bff from high school permanently and they'd been friends since single digit years. And all that happened was someone else started a nasty rumor that she was gay and the friend told her about it and said, "That's not true right?" She got so upset she never spoke to that friend ever again. But this is a comic and there is a trend of stuff like that not happening. Heck, Renard tried to kill Antimony and they're friends again now! I think Kat will resolve all this without ever telling anyone (possibly except Zimmy and Gamma but they're kinda forcing the issue).
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Post by joephlommin on May 6, 2012 6:16:56 GMT
Tom needs to stop feeding the shippers. No matter how much my stupid teenage brain enjoys it. Is it too horrible that between your message, the current pigeon-tastic imagery and the authors' name my chthonic brain accidentally ended up with an idea of Tom Lehrer song's parody/clone "Poisoning Shippers In The Park"? That is a glorious idea! If I had any musical talent I would make it right away!
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notacat
Full Member
That's not me, that's my late cat Mimi: I'm not nearly so cute
Posts: 188
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Post by notacat on May 6, 2012 14:25:06 GMT
Come to think of it, we've had a good influx of new readers recently. They are burning through the archives but there is an unwritten rule against necromancing old dead threads, so they don't have the a chance to discuss things from older comics on this forum. Maybe we should bring back one or two from the grooveyard of forgotten favorites... If so, how about the "would Jeanne's situation be as sympathetic if she was a dude and forest dude was a lady" one? I did try to suggest, some time ago, that sub-boards be set up, one for each completed Chapter, to hold the threads for that Chapter, which would allow the revival of old threads without cluttering up the main board. (I don't know what happened to my post, it seemed to vanish because it was tagged onto the "master list of threads" which apparently doesn't want replies...) Does anyone else think this suggestion has any merit at all?
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Kriselia
Junior Member
But she smells wonderful!
Posts: 87
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Post by Kriselia on May 6, 2012 16:13:52 GMT
I did try to suggest, some time ago, that sub-boards be set up, one for each completed Chapter, to hold the threads for that Chapter, which would allow the revival of old threads without cluttering up the main board. (I don't know what happened to my post, it seemed to vanish because it was tagged onto the "master list of threads" which apparently doesn't want replies...) Does anyone else think this suggestion has any merit at all? I do rather like your idea actually. I personally lengthened the reading time of the comic by reading all the forum threads on every strip alongside the pages, and sometimes you just get these lightbulb moments reading them. So then new readers could comment on the strips they're currently on without necroing years old stuff. Guess it depends on how many people would be using the new forums, no idea how many new readers there are, much less how many would be checking the forums as well.
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Post by GK Sierra on May 6, 2012 23:40:26 GMT
She tried to pull a Nice Guy Clemenza style "Joey! Escort these jokers to the door!" move, and it fell flat because everyone is snoozing. I think that's what he's talking about. On a separate note, do you guys think Tom is going to seriously pursue the narrative of Kat as confused/lesbian or is this just a running gag/friendly ribbing? I say this not as a part-time pervert, but as someone who has a little sister about Kat's age who is trying to figure out what the hell she is (it aint straight, that's all I can glean). I think it would be an interesting move to say the least. my advice to you: don't try to compare your real sister to a fictional webcomic character! don't worry about her sexual orientation (she could be straight even if you don't think she is). it's not like it matters, right? when and if she wants you to know what it is, she'll tell you. it's possible she doesn't even know. I'm not comparing anything, and I believe you've misunderstood me. I'm not "worried" at all, my sister has her own life, if she wants to be a flippin' astronaut goat zombie, it won't ruffle a single one of my feathers as long as she is happy, I love her regardless, its just that sometimes she completely mystifies me.
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Post by tigerising on May 6, 2012 23:56:20 GMT
Regardless of Kat's actual sexual orientation, those kinds of rumors and Kat's questionable self-confidence means that there will be inevitably be a conflict between them. I think this could lead to distance, or even a serious divide between them, with a definite lasting effect on their friendship. If this was real life I would absolutely agree; stuff like that can easily wreck friendships. A gf I had when I was a teen stopped speaking to her bff from high school permanently and they'd been friends since single digit years. And all that happened was someone else started a nasty rumor that she was gay and the friend told her about it and said, "That's not true right?" She got so upset she never spoke to that friend ever again. But this is a comic and there is a trend of stuff like that not happening. Heck, Renard tried to kill Antimony and they're friends again now! I think Kat will resolve all this without ever telling anyone (possibly except Zimmy and Gamma but they're kinda forcing the issue). You might be right, but I'm just worried I guess. I feel like Tom would totally string out this thing for chapters...It's pretty sad not seeing Kat able to be herself. Regardless of lasting impact, do you think she'll lash out at Annie? Also, I love the idea of organizing the forum by chapter! I'm not a new reader, but it'd be awesome to see the old threads along with the pages.
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Post by Bob, Squirrel King on May 7, 2012 0:38:27 GMT
I doubt it will do any lasting harm to her relationship with Annie (whether you believe it is completely platonic or not). After all, in the same chapter the issue was first introduced, just a few hours after the misunderstanding with Paz, she had no problem at all with curling up on a chair with Annie to sleep, in plain view of her peers. I did try to suggest, some time ago, that sub-boards be set up, one for each completed Chapter, to hold the threads for that Chapter, which would allow the revival of old threads without cluttering up the main board. (I don't know what happened to my post, it seemed to vanish because it was tagged onto the "master list of threads" which apparently doesn't want replies...) Does anyone else think this suggestion has any merit at all? I do rather like your idea actually. I personally lengthened the reading time of the comic by reading all the forum threads on every strip alongside the pages, and sometimes you just get these lightbulb moments reading them. So then new readers could comment on the strips they're currently on without necroing years old stuff. Guess it depends on how many people would be using the new forums, no idea how many new readers there are, much less how many would be checking the forums as well. I did the same on my first reread, and there were definitely a number of places I wanted to make a comment, but couldn't because the thread was several years (or even just several months) old. That setup would have been nice to have. :-(
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Post by imaginaryfriend on May 7, 2012 15:29:45 GMT
I feel like Tom would totally string out this thing for chapters...It's pretty sad not seeing Kat able to be herself. Lucky for the fanbase I don't think Mr. Siddell either teasers things out longer than need be or adds confusion on purpose. Comic format is just one of the slowest possible ways to tell a story. Regardless of lasting impact, do you think she'll lash out at Annie? I don't think Kat will ever bring this issue up to Antimony but I'm sure there will be some sort of lashing-out because of some other adolescent drama sooner or later. But worry not, the friendship of kids in this comic has a special protected status. It's not just the main characters either. I do not know if this happens because it is part of the fictional fantasy universe, or if for unromantic reasons... It could be the author just feels that kids remain friends much more easily than adults or teens because of the way they deal with things, because kids have fewer options about the people in their lives, or because they survive by forgetting or just getting over it. Guess it depends on how many people would be using the new forums, no idea how many new readers there are, much less how many would be checking the forums as well. I don't see the little tracking thinger on the main page anymore but guessing from forum front page and the stats for my images I'd guess the forum picked up between 50-60 lurkers in addition to the peeps who've registered. I did try to suggest, some time ago, that sub-boards be set up, one for each completed Chapter, to hold the threads for that Chapter, which would allow the revival of old threads without cluttering up the main board. (I don't know what happened to my post, it seemed to vanish because it was tagged onto the "master list of threads" which apparently doesn't want replies...) Hmmmm.... I am conflicted. I would like to see a format that would allow noobs to post without worry of bothering the rest of the forum with a dead-horse issue, where they need not fear being ganged up by the older members, but also some way they could easily find out what has been discussed on the forum before so they don't have to reinvent the wheel if they don't want to. At the same time I feel that if we older forum-goers pledged not to intervene I/we could well miss out on challenging some currently-unquestioned conventional wisdom of the fanbase that has less foundation in fact than it deserves, and it will bite us all in the ass at some future point. Also there is the clutter problem; I am not sure every chapter deserves a sticky thread, not even in a subforum. I will have to meditate on this before I come up with an opinion, and maybe hit up some folk who're more forum-friendly than I
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Post by atteSmythe on May 7, 2012 15:50:20 GMT
I've never had any problem with resurrecting old threads, but it seems I'm in the vast internet minority in that regard. To me, bringing up an old thread makes perfect sense - it's full of relevant information, and the poster is adding more. The archives are still posted, so it's not like it's really time-sensitive material.
The only 'unwritten rule' I like to see in that regard is 'only discuss things that happened up to that page' for threads on older pages. I understand the counterargument there, but I do from time to time enjoy picking up a new comic and reading the discussion threads along with the archive, as though I'd been there from the beginning.
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Post by GK Sierra on May 7, 2012 16:47:28 GMT
I've never had any problem with resurrecting old threads, but it seems I'm in the vast internet minority in that regard. To me, bringing up an old thread makes perfect sense - it's full of relevant information, and the poster is adding more. The archives are still posted, so it's not like it's really time-sensitive material. The only 'unwritten rule' I like to see in that regard is 'only discuss things that happened up to that page' for threads on older pages. I understand the counterargument there, but I do from time to time enjoy picking up a new comic and reading the discussion threads along with the archive, as though I'd been there from the beginning. Yeah, I think if a newb wanted to discuss a specific issue they could just make a thread about that, or post in speculation. I think the archive discussion thing is a good idea, but if we have people necro'ing threads from 2009, things on the front page are going to get crowded and confusing in a hurry.
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Post by Mezzaphor on May 7, 2012 17:26:18 GMT
I've never had any problem with resurrecting old threads, but it seems I'm in the vast internet minority in that regard. To me, bringing up an old thread makes perfect sense - it's full of relevant information, and the poster is adding more. The archives are still posted, so it's not like it's really time-sensitive material. The only 'unwritten rule' I like to see in that regard is 'only discuss things that happened up to that page' for threads on older pages. I understand the counterargument there, but I do from time to time enjoy picking up a new comic and reading the discussion threads along with the archive, as though I'd been there from the beginning. I'm of the opinion that bumping an old thread is perfectly fine, as long as you're actually continuing the discussion in the thread, and posting something more substantial then "Me, too!"
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Post by imaginaryfriend on May 7, 2012 18:16:56 GMT
Some of the old threads have meandered a bit but if necromancy is now generally acceptable then Judgedeadd's thread list is all that is really needed. Well, perhaps also a memo stating that the links are there for actually posting in the old threads, not just reading, even for noobs.
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Post by Bob, Squirrel King on May 7, 2012 19:40:14 GMT
The problem comes when you are doing a full archive binge and there are 30 threads that you have a (at least seemingly) meaningful point for. I'm pretty sure that would annoy/piss off everyone.
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Post by smartyowl on May 7, 2012 23:03:32 GMT
Jimmy Jims! ;D
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