Connection 2013-09-12

[Fairportfan]

That is a look of fear in Monica's face as well. This supports the freeze reaction idea. Even then Monica's expression and body language is NO. I think the right hand is trying to remove Jet's hand, not holding it in place. Monica is at a point where she is going to surrender, or get angry and fight back. I'll put my money on fight back.

Dunno.

That ... uhhh ... "lens flare" where the hands in question are out of sight is potentially significant.

[Yamara]

There is always an animal element to human relationships, but to attain civilization is to pursue goals higher than the merely animal. Central to this is the concept of consenting adults, and while it's a phrase familiar to bedroom time, it applies across all non-barbaric activities. Commerce. Travel. Communication. Assembly. Industry. Self-government.

Rules lawyers always try to tweak what consent means or what an adult is. But we all know what rules lawyers are trying to do. Game a system to their unjust advantage.

To gain a reward without earning it, and then acting like they did.



And so to fantasy worlds. Wapsi sphinx culture has no room for civilization. It's all warriors and respect and a hierarchy of coercion.

This is where the civilized confuse and frustrate the barbaric: They get things done without blood being spilt on the spot, and the results are usually superior on their face. And thus niceness isn't weakness. Humans always have the barbaric to fall back on, or to outsource, but the consequences of losing civilization, individually or in total, are the tragedies the Greek playwrights wisely warned about. Nightmares so terrible only a god's intervention could fix it.



Fantasy lives every day in the mind. Impossible adventure vacations. That unicorn pony with a jetpack. Sunflowers that talk.

And of course... Friends who pop back unscarred after you eviscerate them. Enemies that don't pop back after you eviscerate them. Buttons to erase people you don't like, or to make them agree with you absolutely.

When we're asleep, the conscious drivers of these desires aren't shut down, but they are thrown into the back of the car with the rest of the kids. And so dreams wind up as strange symbols and nonsense plots that are still dripping with meaning. They often reveal things about ourselves-- and others!-- that the rational waking mind was too busy or unimaginative to find out for itself.

I sometimes wonder what the dreams of those who enjoy coercion must be like. I suppose one would have to connect minds to find out.



nightmare (n.)
late 13c., "an evil female spirit afflicting sleepers with a feeling of suffocation," compounded from night + mare (3) "goblin that causes nightmares, incubus." Meaning shifted mid-16c. from the incubus to the suffocating sensation it causes. Sense of "any bad dream" first recorded 1829; that of "very distressing experience" is from 1831. Cognate with Middle Dutch nachtmare, German Nachtmahr.

If Jet is becoming a nightmare, even to herself, it must derive from the life she leads, the one she has fought to escape. She has attained her every public desire, she is a winner in every material way, could go on to judge more winners on Tyra Banks, and demands the impossible from all others who see her face. Little wonder someone nearby finds this "intriguing", and sees this as a job for the one who rejected her.



And as for Blackwing's promise: Oh yes. In a universe of many gods, even if oneself was not a vaunted Doorway, one needs to learn self-defense of the spirit. There are far far worse things out there than a human acquaintance with PTSD to contend with. Ancient Etheitian souls bleeding into one another. Nu gui commanding invincible robots. Demons and demigods and Titans and unnamed faceless entities with wings.

They yearn too.

[Atomic]

For all the effort she's put into overcoming the critiques/rudeness of others concerning her breasts, tongue, etc, she's mostly made peace with that. (Link to backyard cartoon I can't find right now.) But -- it's mostly.

I think you're referring to this one......

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/happy-with-me/

Yep! That's the one. Thank you.

As for current events, we may be seeing Jaguar Vision - where ALL emotions are obvious!

[jwhouk]

The all white background has to be steam.

Or "dream".

[as363]

Well - this is as close to NSFW as Paul usual gets. Fairportfan mentioned the flare where the two hands met as significant - and I tend to agree. There was an old quote "I think she doth protest too much" (Author unknown - to me) that seems to fit the bill here. We may influence the results somewhat by our comments - but don't forget who is driving the bus. Blackwing is- no doubt- still in mind contact with both parties and has the privilege of reading the hidden non-verbal thoughts that are racing through each mind. (Your lips say No - but your mind says YES) .

So - how does this end tomorrow . We could see a panel with the two seated having coffee - Fully clothed - followed by a panel with a voice blurb "It's agreed - we don't mention this again".

[jwhouk]

By the way: the site of the Library Annex? I finally did some peeking around via Google: it was the site of the old Abbot Hospital in the 1930's and 1940's. It later became City of Lakes Transitional Center (aka "Nursing Home"), before it closed about 9-10 years ago.

EDIT: "Methinks the lady doth protest too much" is pure Bard. Hamlet, Act III, Scene II.

[starkruzr]

Jet doesn't have much of a self-preservation instinct, does she?

Hey, let's sexually assault someone who can selectively fold space with apparently no limits and is nigh unto indestructible. Genius.

[Yamara]

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much" is pure Bard. Hamlet, Act III, Scene II.

Wikipedia: Today, "protest" means "declare an objection", so the phrase has come to mean that one can "insist so passionately about something not being true that people suspect the opposite of what one is saying."

The phrase's actual meaning is, "I think the lady is promising too much."



You shall see anon; ’tis a knavish piece of work: but what of that? your majesty and we that have free souls, it touches us not: let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung.

[zachariah]

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much" is pure Bard. Hamlet, Act III, Scene II.

Wikipedia: Today, "protest" means "declare an objection", so the phrase has come to mean that one can "insist so passionately about something not being true that people suspect the opposite of what one is saying."

That is why lawyers love the word.

[meisdadoo]

In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon or supernatural entity that appears in dreams, who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce others, usually men.

so I'm thinking Georgette is not as human as she appears

Still does not answer the question of why Monica would thank Tina later. . .

[Jabberwonky]

Jet doesn't have much of a self-preservation instinct, does she?

Hey, let's sexually assault someone who can selectively fold space with apparently no limits and is nigh unto indestructible. Genius.

She doesn't know this. She's aware that there's something a couple of steps past weird going on, but not folding space and nigh unto indestructible...
"There's weird, there's New Orlean's weird, and apparently there's a third tier that I wasn't aware of."

[DilyV]

Look at Monica in panels two and three. Monica is running away from Jet. In the dreamscape Jet is chasing her and catches her from behind. That is a look of fear in Monica's face as well.

Monica isn't running, she just arrived in the dream world sitting down and leaning forward. Whether her look is fear or "WTF is going on?" is more debatable. The last panel in particular reminds me of Ménage à 3 when Yuki was spanking Didi. I thought it was pretty obvious (and turned out to be correct) that Didi was aroused but some people kept insisting her face was a negative response to the pain. Monica's blush shows her body at least is enjoying it but it remains to be seen what her response will be mentally/emotionally. She may not be in to women in the waking world but dreams have a habit of not following the rules. They are also often symbolic and any analyst will tell you sex dreams in particular rarely represent what they appear to on the surface.

This was my take exactly. The first panel doesn't tell us much... I took the second panel as Monica sitting up and the third panel she IS sitting, looking back. Of course the third and fourth panels are Jet pushing Monica back down. The sub-conscious mind is an unpredictable thing... it will allow things to happen in dreams and fantasies that we would never allow ourselves in the real world. Sometimes it give us the courage to try things for real... other things, it reinforces our fears. We just don't know where Monica is at the moment... but it rather looks like she's not entirely hating what she's feeling at this moment in time.

I think it's time for a What? Wait... from Monica... The afterglow of sex is not the best time to be discussing serious issues like this... the mind isn't thinking too clearly right now... but it'll be mush afterwards... Waiting strengthens Jet's position. Waiting weakens Monica's resolve.

Monica's doubt: Don't stop herrrrrr.... this feels soooooo good doesn't it? You know you want thisssss...

Monica: Shut u- ooooooohh...

If Monica wants to speak from a position of strength with Jet, she has to stop her now before Jet gets too far. If she waits till Jet finishes, Jet will call her a hypocrite.

The problem is, Jet could be awakening a part of Monica that Monica didn't know existed. I've said before, M has never really been put off about flirting with other women... Jet may want Monica, but this whole sequence could be driven by Monica's inner desires... or inner curiosity and that is what Blackwing was talking about when she said Monica would thank her later.

[DilyV]

Well - this is as close to NSFW as Paul usual gets. Fairportfan mentioned the flare where the two hands met as significant - and I tend to agree. There was an old quote "I think she doth protest too much" (Author unknown - to me) that seems to fit the bill here. We may influence the results somewhat by our comments - but don't forget who is driving the bus. Blackwing is- no doubt- still in mind contact with both parties and has the privilege of reading the hidden non-verbal thoughts that are racing through each mind. (Your lips say No - but your mind says YES) .

So - how does this end tomorrow . We could see a panel with the two seated having coffee - Fully clothed - followed by a panel with a voice blurb "It's agreed - we don't mention this again".

I agree with as363... The lens flare in comics is intended to direct the eye to a specific point in the action and also to signify an action you wouldn't pick up in this format without words. This particular Trope seems to fit this situation nicely http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... lareCensor I'm tempted to say that the lady doth protesteth too much... but I'm not so sure. Monica is experiencing feelings and sensations she's sub-consciously flirted with but never fully experienced before. Feelings and sensations that while she knows they feel amazing, those feelings fly in the face of everything she might have been brought up to believe.

End tomorrow? Are you kidding? Tomorrow is Friday!!! Nothing ends on Friday!!! Something really hot or really dangerous is going to happen and we're going to hang from the thin little tree sticking out from the cliff face all weekend!!!

[Mark N]

"There's weird, there's New Orlean's weird, and apparently there's a third tier that I wasn't aware of."

I think you are looking for Miami/Key West weird as that third tier.

[Julie]

Well - this is as close to NSFW as Paul usual gets.

One hopes (when one checks this comic from her desk at work).

Warning: The rest of this post will veer towards soapbox/rant because the subject matter portrayed in today's page and some of the comments here in the forum are things that touch a nerve for me. Readers beware, and only continue on if you're willing to read through my rambling and deal with my opinions. I promise that in no way do I intend to malign Paul or anyone else with this...I just feel compelled to say it all.

Yeah...so this page was fairly uncomfortable for me...probably because of the whole non-consent vs. "well she seems to be liking it more towards the last panel" thing. As Timotheus and DilyV pointed out, the human body can respond even when the mind says "no". Just because the body acknowledges pleasure, and perhaps even the mind caves in and indulges in pleasure (because why not...it feels good at the time) doesn't mean that the activity is consensual. The concept of consent isn't just being molded by lawyers. It's being molded by common decency and the evolution of society's understanding of the sexuality of both genders.

Something I've found interesting as I've gotten older is watching films from the 70's and earlier to see how the male/female sexual interactions are portrayed. The woman is supposed to resist (because being sexual wasn't okay) and the man is supposed to subdue. James Bond converts Pussy Galore to the side of good...how? Through his sexual machismo...but she resists and says "No" while he's trying to subdue her...until he's kissed her, and then she "changes her mind." When we watch films portraying out-dated concepts of sexuality today, it's viewed as ridiculous, uncomfortable, or offensive (depending on who the viewer happens to be).

I think that the same attitudes should apply no matter what the medium is...meaning that just because this is a fantasy comic and M appears to (maybe) be giving in towards the last panel, or because it's "hot girl-on-girl action" (whatever the motivation may be), that shouldn't change our understanding of consent. This should still be viewed as ridiculous, uncomfortable, or offensive...just as it would if the characters or medium were different.

I'm definitely sensitive to the fact that giving in or saying "okay" or "yes" eventually doesn't always equate to "this was okay for me mentally and emotionally." It's definitely likely that I'm over-reacting a bit (time and later updates will tell), but even so I'm seriously hoping that M can overcome her bodily instincts and get Jet's subconscious under control enough to talk things over instead of waiting until they've gotten their fix, so to speak, to have a conversation. DilyV's got it right...if Monica wants to speak with Jet from a position of calm and stregnth, the conversation must happen prior to getting too physically involved.

[kingklash]

Remends me of many, many years ago, in the Incredible Hulk comics, when Doc Samson attemped to merge Banner's unique MPD aspects into one. He used hypnosis (assisted by Maynard Tybolt aka The Ringmaster) to place Bruce and Grey Hulk in the same thoughtspace to talk things out. At one point, Bruce was shown his life as a child, and saw how much of his emotions were being repressed by how his father treated him. He tried to get his younger self to react, and the kid suddenly turned into a monster for a second, and said, "There's your reaction, an Atomic Reaction!"

This may be a situation for finally getting proper reactions out of both M and G. They may need to learn to get comfortable with where and who they are right at this moment, and like a rock tumbler, the only way is to knock the sharp bits off by falling against each other. Georgette might want to do some hand-polishing, though.

[bmonk]

There is always an animal element to human relationships, but to attain civilization is to pursue goals higher than the merely animal. Central to this is the concept of consenting adults, and while it's a phrase familiar to bedroom time, it applies across all non-barbaric activities. Commerce. Travel. Communication. Assembly. Industry. Self-government.

Rules lawyers always try to tweak what consent means or what an adult is. But we all know what rules lawyers are trying to do. Game a system to their unjust advantage.

To gain a reward without earning it, and then acting like they did.



And so to fantasy worlds. Wapsi sphinx culture has no room for civilization. It's all warriors and respect and a hierarchy of coercion.

This is where the civilized confuse and frustrate the barbaric: They get things done without blood being spilt on the spot, and the results are usually superior on their face. And thus niceness isn't weakness. Humans always have the barbaric to fall back on, or to outsource, but the consequences of losing civilization, individually or in total, are the tragedies the Greek playwrights wisely warned about. Nightmares so terrible only a god's intervention could fix it.

Reminds me of John W. Campbell's essay "Tribesman, Barbarian, And Citizen" that I read many years ago now.

Regarding Monica: has anyone considered whether this might not be a shared dream, but Monica working through her own ambivalence towards Jet?

[Dave]

Well said, Julie.

To me, it seems is if the concept of valid consent is closely tied to the issue of respect... that is, recognizing and treating your (potential) partner as an individual and a person, as real as you are, and not just as an object of desire. It's about the Golden Rule, and about seeing the situation through their eyes as well as your own.

Certainly, consent can exist without this sort of respect... but without respect, situations of non-consent or questionable or "wear him/her down" marginal consent become possible. Georgette's subconscious doesn't seem to be showing a lot of respect for Monica's emotional boundaries here.

This is a very conflicted situation here... as several people have pointed out, the "rules" of dreams are often different, desires take sway over normal social limits and barriers, and (in a "normal" dream at least) nothing happens that has a direct persistent effect in the waking world.

In this situation, though... a shared dream between a paranormal sensitive and a strongly emotional (and possibly projective-empath) woman with powerful accumulated desires... I expect the consequences will be potent and long-lasting. If only because Monica may decide that Tina really needs a second choker

[zachariah]

On Friday the Phoenix awakes in Monica. In the dreamscape she finally gets her balance and says no. Probably more forcably than she intends. In the fires of the phoenix and the Jaguar Girl, Jet and Monica face each other and the true connection is made between the two. Communication begins.

I have gone out on a limb. Feel free to saw it off. lol.

Monica went along with the kiss but then rejected it. It takes time for her to react to things like this when surprised in her mind. We've often seen that Monica hesitates when she doesn't really know what is happening. There is no hair trigger in her except when she is angry.

[Fairportfan]

Reminds me of John W. Campbell's essay "Tribesman, Barbarian, And Citizen" that I read many years ago now.

Yep. Me, too. I almost mentioned it.