See, I used to love that speech, but now I kinda think telling your own granddaughter that she’s not allowed to have tears or anxieties is a bit of a dickmove.
Wack'd
In general, dumping your teen daughter in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with no warning because you eavesdropped on her confessing to her crush that she’d like to settle down is…well, let’s just say there’s a reason why the series 9 finale hinges on interrogating Doctor Who’s habit of ignoring the actual wants and needs of their companions in favor of “doing what’s best for them.”
Delicious Taffy
Nine still gets the best speech. Short, to the point, and no regrets.
I’m going to one next weekend, in Los Angeles. A tabletop gaming convention, replete with all the risks. Lots of 50+ attendees, many with respiratory and mobility issues (gamers are not known for physical fitness), clustered around gaming tables with no social distancing? Yeah, we know the dangers, but we’re gamers, and we HAVE to know whether this kind of thing will work in the future.
We’re taking all the precautions we can – proof of vaccination is required of all attendees, and masks must be worn at all times on the convention floor – but it’s still a risk. This may be a bellwether for the viability of future cons, so wish us luck!
Imogen
This is so needlessly irresponsible. Just wait a couple months. Like, jesus. Cases are literally climbing right now. You’re gambling with the lives of others, not just those of the “gamers”.
Imogen
“is a drunk driving convention risky? Maybe, but we’re gamers. we live on the edge”
Librain
I feel like there’s at least one precaution that you’re not taking – holding the event virtually rather than risking spreading the virus further and killing thousands more people.
Spencer
I swear I’m being genuine, but if those precautions are being taken (as in you have to prove you’re vaccinated), is that not sensible?
BBCC
No, it isn’t sensible to have a convention right now, even with those precautions. It’s one thing to see a small group of people you know and trust and another to go to a whole fucking convention full of people. We are still in a pandemic and that doesn’t change because some gamers think not being able to sit around a table together risks the viability of future cons.
thejeff
Yeah, I haven’t even gone back to gaming in person with my local group and I’m in a state that doing pretty well at the moment. Wouldn’t even consider a convention.
Clif
If everyone there is fully vaccinated and wearing masks then it should meet the current CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people. Maybe don’t go if you’re in contact with someone who’s immunosuppressed.
My boyfriend, who is the type of con going gamer as above, has ONE in person game currently running. It’s him and two close friends he knows for a fact are fully vaccinated and not going around seeing a ton of other people all the time. Again, there’s a big difference between small gatherings with people you know and trust and a convention full of randoms who’ve been seeing god knows who and been in god knows what crowds. Clearly safety isn’t a big concern for them.
Clif – The CDC’s guidelines saying you don’t need to mask up and social distance in large gatherings and crowds is a big part of why Delta’s spreading so badly right now, because there’s no way to actually ENFORCE the ‘If you’re fully vexed’ most of the time. Sure, let’s say they confirm everyone in the con is fully vaxxed. You can’t vouch for everyone they’ve seen on the bus, in stores, the people they’ve hung out with, etc. Having an in person convention right now is reckless and irresponsible
deliverything
It might be viable later, but unless the hospitals have stopped being strained by patients since I last checked – even in pre-pandemic times, con crud was a thing. Add variants and breakthrough infections, and going to a con with the current shortage of medical access seems a little unwise, even with the comparatively low infection chances resulting from the precautions.
This isn’t even getting into the possibility of anti-vaxers with forged vaccination cards showing up.
I understand being impatient to get back to in-person gaming, but it’s probably best to wait a little longer. For now, as Librain said, virtual options exist.
BBCC
Absolutely not. This isn’t just irresponsible, it’s reckless.
BBCC
I’m sorry if I’ve been coming off as harsh in this thread – my immune system is lower than average and I’ve been getting more and more testy about things like this as the pandemic goes on. I still maintain virtual cons are the better option right now, but I can be less cranky about it.
Also, is John Mulaney’s middle name really Edmund?
I now wish to headcanon that he is a secret member of the Blackadder family, the Mulaney Branch having been disowned for not being grumpy enough, despite having the genetic predisposition to wit.
I mean Joyce is gonna have a default advantage just by being a woman, but also her comic might have subconsciously inserted lesbian undertones so this is not looking good for Walky even if he is looking good actually dressed well.
It’s actually kind of nice that roles are reversed as far as inherent prejudice based employment advantages go, but I guess Walky is a minority so overall they probably break even sadly.
Joyce’s undercurrent bisexuality is gonna appeal to Daisy’s unsubtle lesbianism SO HARD:
powerpowerpow
Oh no… I’m just realizing this.
The inevitability of Daisy meeting Joyce feels like watching a truck full of strawberries hurtling out of control, right towards a molten vat of chocolate. It could be extremely messy or an absolute delight, but it’ll probably end up being a whole lot of both. I can’t decide whether to feel dread or excitement.
BarerMender
Oh, oh! It never occurred to me to ship Joyce and Daisy. Now I’m shipping them so hard. Unfortunately, I would expect it to take forever. May my expectations be subverted.
Walky’s best hope is that Daisy finds his simple gag-a-day strip a more appropriate fit for the newspaper than Joyce’s complex soap, which TBH it probably is
Is Daisy actually invested enough in this comic opening to give it that much thought? She honestly seemed really dismissive about the whole thing when it was brought up like she didn’t care what was printed just that something filled the slot. She doesn’t even know Joyce is applying and considering how her recent date went she might also be rather irritable.
Thag Simmons
Daisy is irritable, but when she thinks with her brain and not her legs she’s actually decent at her job.
I used to wear a t-shirt under my collared shirts for work, back when I had a dress code. mostly so I could take it off when I went out to lunch and be comfortable for a while.
deliverything
I assume that “take it off” was meant to refer to the collared shirt, not the t-shirt (as would be grammatically implied), but… well, the ambiguity will appeal to many Whovians, I’m sure.
I’ve started wearing an undershirt because I sweat a lot and I am extremely tired of caring. Like, a few years back, I leaned my back against a glass door for, I dunno, ten minutes? And left a stain. So I’ve started wearing fast-dry performance shirts under whatever and it has helped.
I only wear undershirts with dress shirts.
I also wear thermal shirts under regular shirts if it’s really cold.
Since they live in Indiana (I believe, one of the I states regardless), I imagine it’s VERY cold in the winter, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they were used to it.
I don’t think a t-shirt under a hoody is “an undershirt”. Colloquillay, and undershirt is meant to be worn under something like a dress shirt. Hoodies fill a roll closer to a jacket, so wearing one doesn’t relegate the item beneath it to being ‘an undershirt’ any more than a business suit does a dress shirt.
Lucy really does get Walky. After 4 months she seems to know what makes him tick. Cannot WAIT for the introduction of the new significant others to their parents.
175 thoughts on “Smeared”
Ana Chronistic
Who’s “we” here, Ms. Lives on Comic Time
Thag Simmons
I think that was a Booster line actually
Ana Chronistic
GDI
1. My computer decided it was doing a Windows Update and has been at “100%” for the past hour so my prepared statement is MIA
2. Phone >>> Mx.
Doctor_Who
Hmmm, dress for the job of a cartoonist?
I believe Willis usually wears Hawaiian shirts to cons, so I guess that’s the official uniform.
Maybe Walky can borrow Booster’s
RassilonTDavros
“cons”
Now that’s a
namething I’ve not heard in a long time.Doctor_Who
One day…
RassilonTDavros
…I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back.
StClair
Until then, there must be no tears, no regrets, no anxieties.
RassilonTDavros
See, I used to love that speech, but now I kinda think telling your own granddaughter that she’s not allowed to have tears or anxieties is a bit of a dick move.
Wack'd
In general, dumping your teen daughter in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with no warning because you eavesdropped on her confessing to her crush that she’d like to settle down is…well, let’s just say there’s a reason why the series 9 finale hinges on interrogating Doctor Who’s habit of ignoring the actual wants and needs of their companions in favor of “doing what’s best for them.”
Delicious Taffy
Nine still gets the best speech. Short, to the point, and no regrets.
Ana Chronistic
started watching for 10, absolutely loved 9
Deanatay
I’m going to one next weekend, in Los Angeles. A tabletop gaming convention, replete with all the risks. Lots of 50+ attendees, many with respiratory and mobility issues (gamers are not known for physical fitness), clustered around gaming tables with no social distancing? Yeah, we know the dangers, but we’re gamers, and we HAVE to know whether this kind of thing will work in the future.
We’re taking all the precautions we can – proof of vaccination is required of all attendees, and masks must be worn at all times on the convention floor – but it’s still a risk. This may be a bellwether for the viability of future cons, so wish us luck!
Imogen
This is so needlessly irresponsible. Just wait a couple months. Like, jesus. Cases are literally climbing right now. You’re gambling with the lives of others, not just those of the “gamers”.
Imogen
“is a drunk driving convention risky? Maybe, but we’re gamers. we live on the edge”
Librain
I feel like there’s at least one precaution that you’re not taking – holding the event virtually rather than risking spreading the virus further and killing thousands more people.
Spencer
I swear I’m being genuine, but if those precautions are being taken (as in you have to prove you’re vaccinated), is that not sensible?
BBCC
No, it isn’t sensible to have a convention right now, even with those precautions. It’s one thing to see a small group of people you know and trust and another to go to a whole fucking convention full of people. We are still in a pandemic and that doesn’t change because some gamers think not being able to sit around a table together risks the viability of future cons.
thejeff
Yeah, I haven’t even gone back to gaming in person with my local group and I’m in a state that doing pretty well at the moment. Wouldn’t even consider a convention.
Clif
If everyone there is fully vaccinated and wearing masks then it should meet the current CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people. Maybe don’t go if you’re in contact with someone who’s immunosuppressed.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
BBCC
My boyfriend, who is the type of con going gamer as above, has ONE in person game currently running. It’s him and two close friends he knows for a fact are fully vaccinated and not going around seeing a ton of other people all the time. Again, there’s a big difference between small gatherings with people you know and trust and a convention full of randoms who’ve been seeing god knows who and been in god knows what crowds. Clearly safety isn’t a big concern for them.
Clif – The CDC’s guidelines saying you don’t need to mask up and social distance in large gatherings and crowds is a big part of why Delta’s spreading so badly right now, because there’s no way to actually ENFORCE the ‘If you’re fully vexed’ most of the time. Sure, let’s say they confirm everyone in the con is fully vaxxed. You can’t vouch for everyone they’ve seen on the bus, in stores, the people they’ve hung out with, etc. Having an in person convention right now is reckless and irresponsible
deliverything
It might be viable later, but unless the hospitals have stopped being strained by patients since I last checked – even in pre-pandemic times, con crud was a thing. Add variants and breakthrough infections, and going to a con with the current shortage of medical access seems a little unwise, even with the comparatively low infection chances resulting from the precautions.
This isn’t even getting into the possibility of anti-vaxers with forged vaccination cards showing up.
I understand being impatient to get back to in-person gaming, but it’s probably best to wait a little longer. For now, as Librain said, virtual options exist.
BBCC
Absolutely not. This isn’t just irresponsible, it’s reckless.
BBCC
I’m sorry if I’ve been coming off as harsh in this thread – my immune system is lower than average and I’ve been getting more and more testy about things like this as the pandemic goes on. I still maintain virtual cons are the better option right now, but I can be less cranky about it.
Doctor_Who
Also, is John Mulaney’s middle name really Edmund?
I now wish to headcanon that he is a secret member of the Blackadder family, the Mulaney Branch having been disowned for not being grumpy enough, despite having the genetic predisposition to wit.
Dark_T_Zeratul
Hm, so if John Mulaney is a Blackadder, who is his Baldrick?
Doctor_Who
Nick Kroll.
Mr. Random
Isn’t it kinda weird to “headcanon” living real people?
Thag Simmons
Should probably steal Danny’s hat. I’m given to understand that those hats are comic artist standard
ValdVin
Lucy is going to combust here.
Doctor_Who
Sonic Squee incoming.
Sirksome
I mean Joyce is gonna have a default advantage just by being a woman, but also her comic might have subconsciously inserted lesbian undertones so this is not looking good for Walky even if he is looking good actually dressed well.
RassilonTDavros
“Joyce is gonna have a default advantage just by being a woman”
I thought that I’d fallen into an alternate universe before I remembered who edits the newspaper.
And yeah, Daisy’s definitely gonna be into the Julia/Doris slow burn
Sirksome
It’s actually kind of nice that roles are reversed as far as inherent prejudice based employment advantages go, but I guess Walky is a minority so overall they probably break even sadly.
Suzi
Right? I put my pitchfork down so fast when I remembered.
Nono
Joyce’s undercurrent bisexuality is gonna appeal to Daisy’s unsubtle lesbianism SO HARD:
powerpowerpow
Oh no… I’m just realizing this.
The inevitability of Daisy meeting Joyce feels like watching a truck full of strawberries hurtling out of control, right towards a molten vat of chocolate. It could be extremely messy or an absolute delight, but it’ll probably end up being a whole lot of both. I can’t decide whether to feel dread or excitement.
BarerMender
Oh, oh! It never occurred to me to ship Joyce and Daisy. Now I’m shipping them so hard. Unfortunately, I would expect it to take forever. May my expectations be subverted.
Jungle Dwayne
Doyce? Joysy?
Needfuldoer
¿Por qué no los dos?
Thag Simmons
Walky’s best hope is that Daisy finds his simple gag-a-day strip a more appropriate fit for the newspaper than Joyce’s complex soap, which TBH it probably is
Sirksome
Is Daisy actually invested enough in this comic opening to give it that much thought? She honestly seemed really dismissive about the whole thing when it was brought up like she didn’t care what was printed just that something filled the slot. She doesn’t even know Joyce is applying and considering how her recent date went she might also be rather irritable.
Thag Simmons
Daisy is irritable, but when she thinks with her brain and not her legs she’s actually decent at her job.
Vukodlak
In her mind she’s squealing “I saw him topless!”
Mydnyt
And wasn’t the phrase “abs like sculpted caramel”
BarerMender
She didn’t see him topless. He put the shirt on over his t-shirt. She’s grooving over his manly collared shirt.
BarerMender
No, I’m mistaken. Different t-shirt.
Opus the Poet
This is why we need an upvote system. Lucy need to go roll in the snow.
Spencer
Is Walky wearing an undershirt?
W-was I supposed to be this whole time?
Schpoonman
Eeehh, depends. Undershirts tend to have me writhing but I know multiple guys who are A-OK with them.
William Leonard Reese Jr.
I can only stand them if they’re a size larger then they should be.
Nothing tight and restrictive.
Adds that nice extra layer between skin and your overshirt fabric
Doctor_Who
I used to wear a t-shirt under my collared shirts for work, back when I had a dress code. mostly so I could take it off when I went out to lunch and be comfortable for a while.
deliverything
I assume that “take it off” was meant to refer to the collared shirt, not the t-shirt (as would be grammatically implied), but… well, the ambiguity will appeal to many Whovians, I’m sure.
Needfuldoer
I can’t stand them. The extra layer is too warm most of the time.
Thag Simmons
I think it depends on circumstance and preference
Jamie
I’ve started wearing an undershirt because I sweat a lot and I am extremely tired of caring. Like, a few years back, I leaned my back against a glass door for, I dunno, ten minutes? And left a stain. So I’ve started wearing fast-dry performance shirts under whatever and it has helped.
cbwroses
I only wear undershirts with dress shirts.
I also wear thermal shirts under regular shirts if it’s really cold.
Since they live in Indiana (I believe, one of the I states regardless), I imagine it’s VERY cold in the winter, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they were used to it.
Decidedly Orthogonal
I don’t think a t-shirt under a hoody is “an undershirt”. Colloquillay, and undershirt is meant to be worn under something like a dress shirt. Hoodies fill a roll closer to a jacket, so wearing one doesn’t relegate the item beneath it to being ‘an undershirt’ any more than a business suit does a dress shirt.
Also, “damn english, you crazy?”
thejeff
But he’s now wearing an undershirt under his collared shirt.
AntJ
Excellent pitch, Lucy!
DailyBrad
Not going to lie, that’s honestly a good look for him.
Ucchan
Seconded.
StClair
Thirded.
JessWitt
Fourthed.
Autogatos
Yeah suddenly seeing what all these girls see in Walky (aside from nerdy charm of course)!
Keulen
It really is.
Deanatay
Walky has always cleaned up well. Problem is, getting him to bother…
Schpoonman
Lucy really does get Walky. After 4 months she seems to know what makes him tick. Cannot WAIT for the introduction of the new significant others to their parents.
Nono
I think this was the strip that made me go , “okay, maybe she’s not completely helpless in this crush”.
Throwatron
wait shit the girls were all totally right that boy does clean up nice
powerpowerpow
Wait, hold on. We don’t know whether his shoelaces are still untied or not.
Prince Mech
Alt text reminded me of that and made me sad again. 🙁
Rose by Any Other Name