“It’s like she has a case of ‘short-term memory loss’… Ah, shit, we don’t want DoA to get a copyright strike. If only there were some other catchy term or portmanteau we could use for amnesia on a micro scale…”
Please don’t take this as disparagement being cast on whatever Charlie’s deal is, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t realize most things exist, so you may need to work up to something as complex as Carla.
Like, try informing her that ladybugs exist, then Wyoming, then the 1973 mystery film The Last of Sheila, and so on. I figure sometime after she has digested the Planck Constant she’s ready to be told about Carla.
I actually respect Charlie. It can be hard to filter out information that doesn’t matter. How often does knowledge of Wyoming’s existence come to play in your daily life? When was the last time you actually divided something, or tied a slip knot? Get outta here!
Sherlock Holmes has been said to be able to completely discard information from his brain that he doesn’t think he’ll need in future cases. One example being that he learned of and subsequently forgot about the heliocentric model of the solar system, at least twice, because while it was interesting, he wanted to save his brainpower and decided that information wasn’t going to be useful for mystery-solving.
All of this is to say, Charlie must be some kind of 4D-Chess Sherlock Holmes, constantly forgetting everything that doesn’t immediately have an impact on her life.
Doctor_Who
If Holmes met Carla he would most certainly never discard the information of her existence.
“Note: watch carefully, will almost certainly become criminal mastermind.”
Steamweed
Hasn’t shown up yet in a comic, but suitable for a book title nonetheless.
Dumbing of Age 15: Watch carefully, will almost certainly become criminal mastermind.
Oh I do that 4D sherlock holmes shit involuntarily all the time. Like a One Piece Devil Fruit, it is both a blessing and a curse. It’s called autism. ?
eh, whatever
???
The ability to choose what you forget is basically the opposite of autism.
But yeah what i mean is like the mind going through every scenario under the sun, not getting what allistics get, and getting what allistics don’t get, ya know?
(sorry i a bit spacy it’s midnight here and i should sleep…)
Vigil247
I selectively forget stuff too! Unfortunately, I’M not the one selecting what gets forgotten….
Doom Shepherd
I remember anything that interests me, FOREVER. However, most of the things I actually NEED to know aren’t that interesting.
Masumi
Oh I’m pretty good at selectively forgetting stuff.
To what degree I have a say in what I forget, that I don’t know. (But I did totally, upon reading that Sherlock Holmes passage, decided to use that as my excuse. It’s a good excuse.)
Laura
One of the greatest days of my life was when I realized I could reformat the hard drive of my brain and choose not to remember bad memories much.
Icarus
I don’t think that generalizing autists in this regard is approptiate.
That always irritated the heck out of me (and you can see Doyle downplaying it in later stories), so I loved that Sherlock, before it went peculiar, set up a situation in which knowing this was relevant to the case.
(Another example from the same scene is that he knows nothing of politics. How ignorant do you have to be of politics to think that knowing more about politics won’t be relevant in solving crimes?)
I use division on a regular basis when comparing unit prices while grocery shopping? Slip knots have a lot of really great uses, life is easier if you can do that. I do frequently forget the existence of Wyoming though if I’m being real here.
I really wish I could remember how to tie a slip knot, I am terrible with knots. I think about Wyoming a lot because of the electoral college. o no I might have a grievance based memory.
I genuinely wonder if she’s actually hyper-aware of Carla, and trying not to react because she thinks it would make her look weird if she acknowledged it.
No, I wouldn’t know what that’s like, why do you ask?
I’m like this with the other trans woman I work with. I’m beyond excited she’s there, but have no reason to interact with her; I’m a supervisor so while I have the ability and freedom to move about and speak with folks, a) she’s in assembly and has a job to do and b) we don’t exactly have code phrases (I’m only out to a couple of managers and HR), and c) while she may be out at work, the fact that I knew before she started (as part of the on boarding team) I feel very uncomfortable having been given that knowledge by a second-hand party, and d) I’m on friendly terms with so very few folk from the community (and them all enbies or fluid) in meatspace, that I’m convinced any possible interaction would look like the SNL sketches that had Chris Farley interviewing celebrities. And this is all compounded by the fact that I’m fairly certain that for the past several years I’ve been discussed at length by the hoi poloi.
Laura
Ouch! That’s hard. I-m sorry you have to deal with that. I am in a similar situation. I love meeting fellow GNC or NB or Trans folk, but there’s precious little I can do to acknowledge our similarities.
Also, if by Boosters assessment Carla only ever talks to people in order to get something out of them, is that really the kind of person a good sibling would introduce to their sister?
This girl may be ace but this can’t be but a fetish. She only wants them when they’re mean to her and… There’s nothing, in Carla’s book, meaner than being ignored. Isn’t it?
(I wonder if she’ll pass the vibe check. Booster LOVES Charlie, ok.)
Yeah. Not being automatically attracted to people in the traditional way means way more obscure stuff triggers the pants euphoria. I’m pretty sure we make up like half the monster fucker community.
Dante
Tell me about it! I’m one of them kinky aces (grey-ace in my case). What I meant was – Carla has a serious “step on me” thing (I think I remember her reacting to Sal too?) but considering Charlie hasn’t done anything to her EXCEPT this… It’s more of a clarification for the sake of it than pointing out any contradiction.
PS: I really loved the arc of Dina’s discovery and exploration of Pants Euphoria because, same hat :33
I am loving the last two panels. Carla’s of course adorable, but I love that Booster’s not even annoyed, they are clearly loving their position of power here.
Yeah, you can feel the “mmyeah~?” in Booster’s voice there. It’s a cute strip. I’m leaning “yes” on Booster’s accepting the request unless Carla really fumbles it in the next strip (they do love a chance to meddle, It Is Proven)
Just as an ettiquette suggestion, most transfeminine ppl (which Booster prolly considers themself, given they have self-described as not-masc & their presentation centers around makeup) do not appreciate being called “dude,” even if you “mean it gender neutrally.”
I must have missed the meeting where we all decided that. Was it the same one where we decided it was okay to speculate on Booster’s birth assignment and then treat them differently based on our speculation?
Imogen
I don’t think that’s the kindest way to read Tesset here, but as a trans girl who detests being called “dude” or “guy” or “bro”, I do think Tesset’s correction may be somewhat projection. Even if Booster is transfem, it varies.
Taffy
For once, I kind of agree with Bruno.
Bruno
I told you I was a human with thoughts and feelings.
Well, I implied it.
I was thinking it.
Mark
Thank you for helping to maintain the line between fact and supposition.
Clif
Less of a line and more of a fractal.
Tesset
Oh, sorry, yeah. Was back in ’06 I think? I’ll see if I can find the minutes and forward ’em to ya 🙂
Well, she could just try to be in the same room with her or visit Charlie’s usual hangouts but it’d be a very slow convo, idk if carla would be frustrated with it or happy to get a shred of attention lol
I’m sure there was at least one time Carla talked to someone not wanting anything. Like that time Joyce blurted out she was gonna go jack off with Dorothy. That counts as a conversation, right?
Yes, she does, more than just that. As Joyce puts it, Carla’s good but wants people to think she’s evil. It’s an over the top mask she wears, and either Booster is playing along or their psych 101 analysis is missing the mark.
For about 4 strips starting here are Carla and Lucy just chilling out, neither of them being obnoxious.
Imogen
Holy crap, great find. “Lonely” even directly counters Booster here–Carla doesn’t only talk to people when she wants something, but she wants them to think that’s the case. Booster is, for once, just a little bit off.
Sirksome
For once? Booster has had several bad takes. Their, until credentialed, amateur psychoanalysis hobby has been mostly, shallow, face value takes.
Clif
Simplistic, but not completely wrong. Right enough to be annoying.
Imogen
I can’t remember one that the narrative has framed as wrong yet. Including this one.
124 thoughts on “Artery”
Ana Chronistic
“I can tell her, but heck if she’ll remember for more than two seconds before thinking about the currency of Micronesia or something”
a/snow/mous/e
“It’s like she has a case of ‘short-term memory loss’… Ah, shit, we don’t want DoA to get a copyright strike. If only there were some other catchy term or portmanteau we could use for amnesia on a micro scale…”
PASchaefer
Wait, what is the currency of Micronesia?
Oh, it’s not a polity, it’s a geographical location, so it has multiple political entities, and therefore no single currency.
Clif
The official currency of Micronesia is the US dollar. https://www.monito.com/en/what-is-the-currency-in/micronesia
Clif
Also it’s a federation.
Quirdry Tawks
But if Charlie made a concerted effort to acknowledge Carla, wouldn’t Carla just be dismissive of Charlie? Seems to be her M.O. .
Quirdry Tawks
Dammit! Accidental flag, I’m sorry Ana ☹️
Taellosse
“Excuse me, Lord Veyduh? It’s the Rebels, sir. They’re here. And they brought a flag.”
“Oh that’s dashed clever of them!”
Caro
every time there’s carla, a caro gets her wings
Doctor_Who
Please don’t take this as disparagement being cast on whatever Charlie’s deal is, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t realize most things exist, so you may need to work up to something as complex as Carla.
Like, try informing her that ladybugs exist, then Wyoming, then the 1973 mystery film The Last of Sheila, and so on. I figure sometime after she has digested the Planck Constant she’s ready to be told about Carla.
Sirksome
I actually respect Charlie. It can be hard to filter out information that doesn’t matter. How often does knowledge of Wyoming’s existence come to play in your daily life? When was the last time you actually divided something, or tied a slip knot? Get outta here!
Seventh-Sandwich
Sherlock Holmes has been said to be able to completely discard information from his brain that he doesn’t think he’ll need in future cases. One example being that he learned of and subsequently forgot about the heliocentric model of the solar system, at least twice, because while it was interesting, he wanted to save his brainpower and decided that information wasn’t going to be useful for mystery-solving.
All of this is to say, Charlie must be some kind of 4D-Chess Sherlock Holmes, constantly forgetting everything that doesn’t immediately have an impact on her life.
Doctor_Who
If Holmes met Carla he would most certainly never discard the information of her existence.
“Note: watch carefully, will almost certainly become criminal mastermind.”
Steamweed
Hasn’t shown up yet in a comic, but suitable for a book title nonetheless.
Dumbing of Age 15: Watch carefully, will almost certainly become criminal mastermind.
NGPZ
Oh I do that 4D sherlock holmes shit involuntarily all the time. Like a One Piece Devil Fruit, it is both a blessing and a curse. It’s called autism. ?
eh, whatever
???
The ability to choose what you forget is basically the opposite of autism.
NGPZ
Try telling Dina that:
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/05-this-was-halloween/journey/
But yeah what i mean is like the mind going through every scenario under the sun, not getting what allistics get, and getting what allistics don’t get, ya know?
(sorry i a bit spacy it’s midnight here and i should sleep…)
Vigil247
I selectively forget stuff too! Unfortunately, I’M not the one selecting what gets forgotten….
Doom Shepherd
I remember anything that interests me, FOREVER. However, most of the things I actually NEED to know aren’t that interesting.
Masumi
Oh I’m pretty good at selectively forgetting stuff.
To what degree I have a say in what I forget, that I don’t know. (But I did totally, upon reading that Sherlock Holmes passage, decided to use that as my excuse. It’s a good excuse.)
Laura
One of the greatest days of my life was when I realized I could reformat the hard drive of my brain and choose not to remember bad memories much.
Icarus
I don’t think that generalizing autists in this regard is approptiate.
NGPZ
I dont mean to overgeneralize, i just sharing what it’s like for me, and pointing out that Charlie just really gives off autism vibes.
zee
Autists are allowed to make jokes about their autism
NGPZ
That is also true.
Daibhid C
That always irritated the heck out of me (and you can see Doyle downplaying it in later stories), so I loved that Sherlock, before it went peculiar, set up a situation in which knowing this was relevant to the case.
(Another example from the same scene is that he knows nothing of politics. How ignorant do you have to be of politics to think that knowing more about politics won’t be relevant in solving crimes?)
John Campbell
Why are all of your examples things I’ve done or needed to know in the last 24 hours?
morleuca
Often. My wife is from Colorado.
Joy
I use division on a regular basis when comparing unit prices while grocery shopping? Slip knots have a lot of really great uses, life is easier if you can do that. I do frequently forget the existence of Wyoming though if I’m being real here.
HueSatLight
I really wish I could remember how to tie a slip knot, I am terrible with knots. I think about Wyoming a lot because of the electoral college. o no I might have a grievance based memory.
morhek
I genuinely wonder if she’s actually hyper-aware of Carla, and trying not to react because she thinks it would make her look weird if she acknowledged it.
No, I wouldn’t know what that’s like, why do you ask?
morleuca
I’m like this with the other trans woman I work with. I’m beyond excited she’s there, but have no reason to interact with her; I’m a supervisor so while I have the ability and freedom to move about and speak with folks, a) she’s in assembly and has a job to do and b) we don’t exactly have code phrases (I’m only out to a couple of managers and HR), and c) while she may be out at work, the fact that I knew before she started (as part of the on boarding team) I feel very uncomfortable having been given that knowledge by a second-hand party, and d) I’m on friendly terms with so very few folk from the community (and them all enbies or fluid) in meatspace, that I’m convinced any possible interaction would look like the SNL sketches that had Chris Farley interviewing celebrities. And this is all compounded by the fact that I’m fairly certain that for the past several years I’ve been discussed at length by the hoi poloi.
Laura
Ouch! That’s hard. I-m sorry you have to deal with that. I am in a similar situation. I love meeting fellow GNC or NB or Trans folk, but there’s precious little I can do to acknowledge our similarities.
Corronchilejano
So is Carla just It?
Clif
She is.
Sirksome
They could tell her, but it’s a true 50/50 if Charlie would even remember..or register the information to begin with.
True Survivor
Also, if by Boosters assessment Carla only ever talks to people in order to get something out of them, is that really the kind of person a good sibling would introduce to their sister?
Madock345
Depends on what you’re introducing them for. Nothing wrong with helping your sister get laid.
RassilonTDavros
Kinda surreal to see Carla this… flustered.
Joe Moose
Welp! Looks like we got a case of the ol’ “Notice Me, Senpai”
Yotomoe
This would be more of a “Notice me, Kohai” situation.
Clif
If Kohai was accurate, notice me would not be a problem. Tho acknowledge me, still might need work
Dante
Carla, jesuschrist.
This girl may be ace but this can’t be but a fetish. She only wants them when they’re mean to her and… There’s nothing, in Carla’s book, meaner than being ignored. Isn’t it?
(I wonder if she’ll pass the vibe check. Booster LOVES Charlie, ok.)
Imogen
Ain’t no “buts” about it. I know more weird kinky ace people than any other kind.
zee
Yeah. Not being automatically attracted to people in the traditional way means way more obscure stuff triggers the pants euphoria. I’m pretty sure we make up like half the monster fucker community.
Dante
Tell me about it! I’m one of them kinky aces (grey-ace in my case). What I meant was – Carla has a serious “step on me” thing (I think I remember her reacting to Sal too?) but considering Charlie hasn’t done anything to her EXCEPT this… It’s more of a clarification for the sake of it than pointing out any contradiction.
PS: I really loved the arc of Dina’s discovery and exploration of Pants Euphoria because, same hat :33
DailyBrad
I am loving the last two panels. Carla’s of course adorable, but I love that Booster’s not even annoyed, they are clearly loving their position of power here.
Dante
Yeah, you can feel the “mmyeah~?” in Booster’s voice there. It’s a cute strip. I’m leaning “yes” on Booster’s accepting the request unless Carla really fumbles it in the next strip (they do love a chance to meddle, It Is Proven)
Bin
One of these days dude’s presumptions of others will be wrong.
But not today.
Tesset
Just as an ettiquette suggestion, most transfeminine ppl (which Booster prolly considers themself, given they have self-described as not-masc & their presentation centers around makeup) do not appreciate being called “dude,” even if you “mean it gender neutrally.”
Bruno
I must have missed the meeting where we all decided that. Was it the same one where we decided it was okay to speculate on Booster’s birth assignment and then treat them differently based on our speculation?
Imogen
I don’t think that’s the kindest way to read Tesset here, but as a trans girl who detests being called “dude” or “guy” or “bro”, I do think Tesset’s correction may be somewhat projection. Even if Booster is transfem, it varies.
Taffy
For once, I kind of agree with Bruno.
Bruno
I told you I was a human with thoughts and feelings.
Well, I implied it.
I was thinking it.
Mark
Thank you for helping to maintain the line between fact and supposition.
Clif
Less of a line and more of a fractal.
Tesset
Oh, sorry, yeah. Was back in ’06 I think? I’ll see if I can find the minutes and forward ’em to ya 🙂
Yotomoe
Just cuz someone knows you exists doesn’t mean they’re inclined to care that you do.
Bruno
Skill issue. Everyone who knows I exist cares deeply.
Clif
I don’t know that you exist, but I’m mildly invested. Though less so than in Carla who exists as an archetype.
zee
Or acknowledge it
Quirdry Tawks
My point exactly! Carla just wants to self-validate (again) by ignoring or dismissing a person who shows an interest.
Much more adorably than Billifer, though.
BBCC
XD Well that’s one way to make her know.
Angel
Well, she could just try to be in the same room with her or visit Charlie’s usual hangouts but it’d be a very slow convo, idk if carla would be frustrated with it or happy to get a shred of attention lol
Sirksome
I’m sure there was at least one time Carla talked to someone not wanting anything. Like that time Joyce blurted out she was gonna go jack off with Dorothy. That counts as a conversation, right?
HueSatLight
Yes, she does, more than just that. As Joyce puts it, Carla’s good but wants people to think she’s evil. It’s an over the top mask she wears, and either Booster is playing along or their psych 101 analysis is missing the mark.
HueSatLight
For about 4 strips starting here are Carla and Lucy just chilling out, neither of them being obnoxious.
Imogen
Holy crap, great find. “Lonely” even directly counters Booster here–Carla doesn’t only talk to people when she wants something, but she wants them to think that’s the case. Booster is, for once, just a little bit off.
Sirksome
For once? Booster has had several bad takes. Their, until credentialed, amateur psychoanalysis hobby has been mostly, shallow, face value takes.
Clif
Simplistic, but not completely wrong. Right enough to be annoying.
Imogen
I can’t remember one that the narrative has framed as wrong yet. Including this one.