Joyce wasn’t planning on attending a reading of the first draft of Sk8r Grrrl: The Carla Rutten Story, but it looks like she’s gonna have to clear her schedule.
It’s all on roller skates, right? I mean, obviously yes but I just want to confirm.
Doctor_Who
It’s basically told entirely through interpretive dance, but “interpretive skating” instead.
Sort of Starlight Express, but awesome because it’s Carla instead of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Regalli
Or like Stage Xanadu, which I mention solely because the protagonist has to get on a Pegasus prop while still in roller skates, and also singing.
(Stage Xanadu apparently also casts some of the muses in drag for some reason, at least in the OBC, so not the best example. But really, Carla riding a Pegasus/flying Ultra Car was too good an image NOT to share.)
Now I want to publish Riveting Tales, the story of wandering rivetter and fabricator of wondrous devices whose aid forever alters the lives of those she comes in contact with.
I’m glad Sal stuck to her no, especially in the face of that charisma adding iguana.
And I’m double glad that Carla’s story isn’t anything you couldn’t find out via googling her parents, so she hasn’t revealed anything personal or private. Carla’s crafty like that.
I don’t even wanna know what reddit has to say about Carla’s parents.
I find with other Trans folks it’s either this or an open book, and often which one you get depends on context. Carla is craftier than most, for sure, though. She may have thought a few more steps ahead than. Well, myself.
I like how Fuckface, while still adorably persuasive, can no longer compel people to do things they don’t want to do (like reveal personal info for Carla or any info at all for Sal).
Yeah, the iguana added so much charisma, everyone with it on their head was too cute to refuse – to an extent, anyways. Like, you could get someone else to cover your shift for you.
Hasn’t learned to not to yet due to adequate consequences to force her to reconsider her actions. Usually people just go ‘eh’ or ‘knock it off >_>’ but not strongly enough to make her actually stop. They shouldn’t have to. But Joyce tends to stay in fixed patterns unless strongly course corrected.
Or, should they actually resist with enough intention to make her ‘feel bad’, then suddenly they’re the bad guy for ‘not wanting to open up’.
Not that it’s happened yet, but I could see it.
Sam
I don’t think Joyce would purposely be so guilt-trippy. Her intentions at heart are good of ‘if I don’t know enough, then tell me a personal experience that could give me better insight’. Her goal is good. Her desire for further insight into other people’s views is good. Her pushing at it is bad. Her demanding of it is bad. Her pressuring people is bad.
You can’t invade the boundaries of somebody who doesn’t recognize boundaries. You ask her for storytime and you’ll get it, and regret it.
Regalli
Yeah, Joyce has been too fucked by her upbringing to know what they are by default – I really think she’s going to need to suffer serious lasting consequences for crossing them, be told that is explicitly why, and have that prompt another reassessment of her life for her to really understand that what she’s doing is bad, much less why.
Inahc
Yeah. The concept of boundaries is just.. so antithetical to that worldview. It’s gonna take a while for her to wrap her head around it, and even after she accepts that it’s a healthy concept, it might still feel wrong and uncomfortable for a while.
not someone else
Homeschooling does Bad Things to your head unless you have some other opportunity to go somewhere else for several hours a day away from your parents and do things other than Be Their Child.
So, religious homeschooling… Bad Things(tm)
Regalli
And religious homeschooling in a religion that specifically prioritizes ‘saving your soul’ over people’s actual wishes?* And no possibility of non-religious socialization because that could corrupt a child? With media heavily monitored and banned for such reasons as ‘portraying parents as fallible’? With an emotionally abusive parent, and at least one other abusive parent in the immediate social circle? Yeah. Joyce needs outside intervention to learn what boundaries are, and it’ll probably be years of false starts and backslides and therapy before she starts having or consistently respecting them.
* Actually, one other thing that could prompt Joyce’s Immediate Life Reassessment: her ‘witnessing’ line yesterday suggests some of the same religious framework here. Said religious framework was Toedad’s justification. If Joyce has that spelled out for her, she’ll probably respond SOMEHOW, but it’s not as though Becky had a chance to develop healthy boundaries either and she’s the one in the best position to do so.
thejeff
Unless the storytime you ask for is something she’s traumatized over. Talking about Ryan was long an example. She does have boundaries, but they’re only for the big things.
And then of course she doesn’t recognize that she might be probing at other people’s traumas.
Pushing, or more accurately, trampling, boundaries is of the essence to fundagelicals. They’re trained to do it, and the higher you rank in the hierarchy the more you get to revel in doing it.
Probably because she’s a sheltered 18 year old kid with a messed up and wildly inadequate upbringing. I doubt she really understands boundaries as a concept, and from what I’ve gleaned about her parents they never really let her have any. (Extremists like them rarely let their kids assert boundaries/independence/grow up.)
Joyce is hardly perfect and can be grating, but I somehow don’t see how she’s somehow worse than anyone else in the cast; everyone has their own flaws. I don’t get the Joyce hate.
“Joyce needs to learn boundaries” is the mildest criticism for a character that I have ever seen. No one here is even saying she’s anywhere near the worst character or worse than anyone else in the cast, but (rightfully) pointing out a flaw of hers that makes people uncomfortable. Even then, there is like.. barely any Joyce hate. Just criticism for her behavior and actions, which people have a right to do.
Kinoko
Did I imagine that there were once days when the comments section WASN’T just people complaining about the characters and classifying any wrongdoing as “this person is awful”? Because I find myself nostalgic for them, but I’m unclear if they actually existed.
(I know, I know. If I don’t like them, I don’t have to to read them. The hypocrisy is not lost on me.)
thejeff
Yeah, back in the days when the comments section was full of people defending the actual villains. At least until it became impossible, at which point they became implausible strawmen.
Unusually Angry Hippie
Except noone was defending the ACTUAL villians, like Toedad, Ryan, or Blaine(at least nobody worth listening to was). It was mostly Joe and Mike, supporting protagonists with not more or less flaws than anyone else in the cast but are acceptable targets because they happen to be white dudes.
Inahc
0.o
BBCC
Oh, BULLSHIT. People absolutely defended Toedad. There were a few who defended Blaine too (and a few others who still felt Amber was worse for hitting him) and I recall a handful defending Ryan too. They just eventually, for the most part, ended up in the spam filter.
Second of all, plenty of people defended Joe up until the List was actually leaked and even then a bunch of people were trying to shift it as his private little black book being hacked and even now there’s a few people saying it was blown out of proportion.
Third – Mike? Really? The guy who’s whole schtick is maliciously hurting other people for shits and gigs? That guy is no worse than people who do crappy things but generally try to be decent people? And still has a zillion people defending him as some sort of Asshole Sage?
281 thoughts on “Storytime intensifies”
Ana Chronistic
“BOO I’VE HEARD THIS STORY ALREADY”
…
“OKAY I DIDN’T ACTUALLY HEAR IT BUT IT’S KINDA OBVIOUS”
Plasma Mongoose
Carla needs to sing the story while strumming on a guitar.
JessWitt
Get Danny up there for musical accompaniment.
Plasma Mongoose
That could work too.
toby
Joyce wasn’t planning on attending a reading of the first draft of Sk8r Grrrl: The Carla Rutten Story, but it looks like she’s gonna have to clear her schedule.
Doctor_Who
Honestly, a one-woman show by Carla kinda sounds like the best thing ever. Joyce should make some popcorn and settle in.
BBCC
I’d buy a copy of Carla’s memoir.
Regalli
It’s all on roller skates, right? I mean, obviously yes but I just want to confirm.
Doctor_Who
It’s basically told entirely through interpretive dance, but “interpretive skating” instead.
Sort of Starlight Express, but awesome because it’s Carla instead of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Regalli
Or like Stage Xanadu, which I mention solely because the protagonist has to get on a Pegasus prop while still in roller skates, and also singing.
(Stage Xanadu apparently also casts some of the muses in drag for some reason, at least in the OBC, so not the best example. But really, Carla riding a Pegasus/flying Ultra Car was too good an image NOT to share.)
autogatos
Yeah I’m picturing like, Disney on Ice but with roller skates.
toby
Carla skates in, sits down to remove her skates, and reveals that she was wearing a second, smaller pair of skates underneath
Needfuldoer
That’s why she’s so tall, she’s got half a dozen pairs of recursive skates on at all times.
BenRG
It still may be an extensive and unexpected learning experience for Joyce, possibly giving her some unexpected insights about her own family!
Shiro
Carla: I have just met this lizard and I would die for him *.*
Clif
Fine! My neighbor’s lizard is better anyway and he leaves his door unlocked at night.
.
Bagge
Truly a riveting story of our time.
Clif
https://www.thefabricator.com/blog/my-story-how-i-became-a-welder
Clif
Now I want to publish Riveting Tales, the story of wandering rivetter and fabricator of wondrous devices whose aid forever alters the lives of those she comes in contact with.
Bagge
Sounds a touch steam-punky to me
Clif
Steam Punk without the steam.
Ari
I think you just described the plot of Girl Genius
Sporky
even sal has trouble resisting the combined adorableness of joyce and fuckface
Keulen
Looks like she barely managed to resist them in panel 2.
butts
JOYCE.
FOR FUCK’S SAKE.
LEARN TO TAKE “NO” FOR AN ANSWER.
Danielle
that would be
.
.
.
noyce
Bagge
*Facepalm*
Brotato
I love you.
Clif
Noyce for the nonce.
Arianod
Noyce :3
Felian
This. so much. good job, Sal, for not humoring Joyce’s prying.
laladoria
JOYCE IS ABOUT TO LEARN SOMETHING SHE NEVER WANTED TO KNOW BUT NEEDS TO BADLY
PB
Oh crap maybe
Emily
god i wish
I’ve been wanting that scene for ages
Clif
Willis has to leave some drama for the future.
BBCC
I’m glad Sal stuck to her no, especially in the face of that charisma adding iguana.
And I’m double glad that Carla’s story isn’t anything you couldn’t find out via googling her parents, so she hasn’t revealed anything personal or private. Carla’s crafty like that.
I don’t even wanna know what reddit has to say about Carla’s parents.
Stoodmuffin
I find with other Trans folks it’s either this or an open book, and often which one you get depends on context. Carla is craftier than most, for sure, though. She may have thought a few more steps ahead than. Well, myself.
BBCC
I like how Fuckface, while still adorably persuasive, can no longer compel people to do things they don’t want to do (like reveal personal info for Carla or any info at all for Sal).
Stoodmuffin
Either they are more conscientious with their power, or just the writer has grown. Either way, I concur. ESPECIALLY for Carla’s sake.
BBCC
Yeah, that…would not be funny.
Stoodmuffin
No. Or good in any possible way.
PB
Was that a thing in Shortpacked!? I don’t remember.
BBCC
Yeah, the iguana added so much charisma, everyone with it on their head was too cute to refuse – to an extent, anyways. Like, you could get someone else to cover your shift for you.
Harvest Time
Oh my god why can’t Joyce not push boundaries
Stoodmuffin
Good point. I think she still has a really hard time seeing that as WHAT she’s doing
Mister Sparkle
A.K.A. “But MY boundary-pushing is different!” I know the type well.
Sam
Hasn’t learned to not to yet due to adequate consequences to force her to reconsider her actions. Usually people just go ‘eh’ or ‘knock it off >_>’ but not strongly enough to make her actually stop. They shouldn’t have to. But Joyce tends to stay in fixed patterns unless strongly course corrected.
Nono
Or, should they actually resist with enough intention to make her ‘feel bad’, then suddenly they’re the bad guy for ‘not wanting to open up’.
Not that it’s happened yet, but I could see it.
Sam
I don’t think Joyce would purposely be so guilt-trippy. Her intentions at heart are good of ‘if I don’t know enough, then tell me a personal experience that could give me better insight’. Her goal is good. Her desire for further insight into other people’s views is good. Her pushing at it is bad. Her demanding of it is bad. Her pressuring people is bad.
newllend(henryvolt)
Maybe it do her some good if she had a taste of her own medicine.
begbert2
You can’t invade the boundaries of somebody who doesn’t recognize boundaries. You ask her for storytime and you’ll get it, and regret it.
Regalli
Yeah, Joyce has been too fucked by her upbringing to know what they are by default – I really think she’s going to need to suffer serious lasting consequences for crossing them, be told that is explicitly why, and have that prompt another reassessment of her life for her to really understand that what she’s doing is bad, much less why.
Inahc
Yeah. The concept of boundaries is just.. so antithetical to that worldview. It’s gonna take a while for her to wrap her head around it, and even after she accepts that it’s a healthy concept, it might still feel wrong and uncomfortable for a while.
not someone else
Homeschooling does Bad Things to your head unless you have some other opportunity to go somewhere else for several hours a day away from your parents and do things other than Be Their Child.
So, religious homeschooling… Bad Things(tm)
Regalli
And religious homeschooling in a religion that specifically prioritizes ‘saving your soul’ over people’s actual wishes?* And no possibility of non-religious socialization because that could corrupt a child? With media heavily monitored and banned for such reasons as ‘portraying parents as fallible’? With an emotionally abusive parent, and at least one other abusive parent in the immediate social circle? Yeah. Joyce needs outside intervention to learn what boundaries are, and it’ll probably be years of false starts and backslides and therapy before she starts having or consistently respecting them.
* Actually, one other thing that could prompt Joyce’s Immediate Life Reassessment: her ‘witnessing’ line yesterday suggests some of the same religious framework here. Said religious framework was Toedad’s justification. If Joyce has that spelled out for her, she’ll probably respond SOMEHOW, but it’s not as though Becky had a chance to develop healthy boundaries either and she’s the one in the best position to do so.
thejeff
Unless the storytime you ask for is something she’s traumatized over. Talking about Ryan was long an example. She does have boundaries, but they’re only for the big things.
And then of course she doesn’t recognize that she might be probing at other people’s traumas.
Plasma Mongoose
Boundaries are for crossing
Mr D phone posting
PRETTY BORDERS COALLITION DEMANDS EASILY READABLE MAPS AND CONQUEST.
Clif
Just ask Mike.
Agemegos
Parental example.
And upbringing in a religious tradition that extolls busybodying and enforced conformity.
ego
biggest brother is watching.
BarerMender
Pushing, or more accurately, trampling, boundaries is of the essence to fundagelicals. They’re trained to do it, and the higher you rank in the hierarchy the more you get to revel in doing it.
Kinoko
Because she’s written as a person with flaws, and it’s actually very interesting as a reader to see her slowly grow in that regard?
And, yanno, what everyone else said about upbringing.
Lorien Inksong
Probably because she’s a sheltered 18 year old kid with a messed up and wildly inadequate upbringing. I doubt she really understands boundaries as a concept, and from what I’ve gleaned about her parents they never really let her have any. (Extremists like them rarely let their kids assert boundaries/independence/grow up.)
Joyce is hardly perfect and can be grating, but I somehow don’t see how she’s somehow worse than anyone else in the cast; everyone has their own flaws. I don’t get the Joyce hate.
the final pam
“Joyce needs to learn boundaries” is the mildest criticism for a character that I have ever seen. No one here is even saying she’s anywhere near the worst character or worse than anyone else in the cast, but (rightfully) pointing out a flaw of hers that makes people uncomfortable. Even then, there is like.. barely any Joyce hate. Just criticism for her behavior and actions, which people have a right to do.
Kinoko
Did I imagine that there were once days when the comments section WASN’T just people complaining about the characters and classifying any wrongdoing as “this person is awful”? Because I find myself nostalgic for them, but I’m unclear if they actually existed.
(I know, I know. If I don’t like them, I don’t have to to read them. The hypocrisy is not lost on me.)
thejeff
Yeah, back in the days when the comments section was full of people defending the actual villains. At least until it became impossible, at which point they became implausible strawmen.
Unusually Angry Hippie
Except noone was defending the ACTUAL villians, like Toedad, Ryan, or Blaine(at least nobody worth listening to was). It was mostly Joe and Mike, supporting protagonists with not more or less flaws than anyone else in the cast but are acceptable targets because they happen to be white dudes.
Inahc
0.o
BBCC
Oh, BULLSHIT. People absolutely defended Toedad. There were a few who defended Blaine too (and a few others who still felt Amber was worse for hitting him) and I recall a handful defending Ryan too. They just eventually, for the most part, ended up in the spam filter.
Second of all, plenty of people defended Joe up until the List was actually leaked and even then a bunch of people were trying to shift it as his private little black book being hacked and even now there’s a few people saying it was blown out of proportion.
Third – Mike? Really? The guy who’s whole schtick is maliciously hurting other people for shits and gigs? That guy is no worse than people who do crappy things but generally try to be decent people? And still has a zillion people defending him as some sort of Asshole Sage?