08-10-10 More effort!

[Giz]

Here, the problem is inverse rather than similar: characters that are underage are turned into adults who then behave as adults.

FWIW, I was already kissing boys at that age, so I'd consider kissing a teenage thing as well.

[Panchocheesecake]

Blair is conscious that the orb is responding to his subconscious. We are not denying that.

Squish it!

[albert.aribaud]

FWIW, I was already kissing boys at that age, so I'd consider kissing a teenage thing as well.

Correct; while I don't recall this happening when I was 13, I know by trustworthy testimonies that it does today.

I agree that the situation is somewhat the inverse, but the point is the same. These are still 14 year olds. In the case of the aforementioned hentai characters, they obviously are by design. In this case, they are by design 14 year olds that have been endowed with adult bodies. In this case, and very often in the former case (I've gathered), both are being coerced, despite being children into behavior against their will by a coercive force. My point then becomes that declaring them to be "adults", when they are children by sensible measure, becomes an exercise in legality in the same way it is an exercise in legality for those hentais. Conceptually, though, it changes nothing.

I'd say not that the point is the same, but rather that you are focusing on the similarity -- Note that the dissimilarities I pointed out do not lighten the issues. Simply I feel that you should also consider them as well.

Besides, I wouldn't describe them as behaving like adults. Their language, what there is of, is pure teenager in the case of Nina (commenting that Brooke got short and "Like, y'know, whatev'r") and Brooke screaming as she's being brainwashed by the power of the Magic Orb. This doesn't say "adult", this says "drugged teenager".

I can't pretend to be 100% right here, since valley girls isn't a concept in France, so all I know about this archetype is through research I did for translating the strip; and from that research, Valey Nina's line is 100% valspeak. Now I do understand that part of the corpus that originally was valspeak made its way into general use and possibly teen use, but Valley Nina's way of taking struck me as entirely different from Normal Nina -- precisely un-Nina, and thus intended to be full valley. OTOH, I am not familiar with english-speaking (american, english, canadian) teen speaking habits.

No to belabour the point, but have you ever seen what some one acts like when they've got a little bit of a hypnotic-sedative in their system? They aren't themselves either, that's kind of the point. They have little faculty to them and are highly suggestible, which is why those are used as date-rape drugs in larger doses. One can't say "Well, that's not really them, their minds aren't there", because that isn't true. That IS them, but "them" in an extremely impaired state.

Let me state this again: if I had felt that I was still witnessing Nina and Brooke, I would agree 100%. I don't agree 100% (which is different from disagreeing 100%) because I don't see Nina and Brooke any more in the 4th strip. I understand that you do, though, and I understand your reaction considering what you see. (FTR, I did witness a couple of people under influence of alcohol and, in case of my son at 8, under influence of an anesthetic before some light surgery. Yes, I saw it change people, but never saw their own selves overriden, which may explain our difference in reading the strip)

Time will tell, but the story doesn't bear out that this is Blair's subconscious acting, as he's very conscious of what is happening. However, this seems alot like a "Magic Reset Button" sort of situation where the status quo is simply restored without any memory of things happening, as it somewhat stretches credibility that any character could knowingly forgive Blair here.

I am no big fan of a magic reset, and I certainly cannot see how even with a magic reset Blair could get away with what he's done, however we consider it. As for the subconscious, granted, Blair's conscious appreciates what his subconscious has caused so far. Further discovery might be what causes a revelation -- speculation, I know, but that's what we're doing best in this forum.

Best to wait and see before any torches and pitchforks are hoisted. The arc isn't over yet, after all.

If only to balance the more serious offense made by Blair, there should be a more serious punishment.

Possibly involving a strong ARM.

(hey--what about Purvis' hand, BTW? It might be impervious to the Orb)

[Miss Vavavavoom]

Blair is conscious that the orb is responding to his subconscious. We are not denying that.

Squish it!

Yeah lets break a magical item. That's always a great idea!

[JoseB]

There will have to be some sort of consequences for Blair, though. And pretty strong ones.

If he goes all "Karma Houdini", if what happened in this story arc does not bring dire consequences upon him... personally speaking, I will not find it enjoyable.

Heck, depending on how things go on in the following strips, even the mere *presence* of Blair as a member of the cast in the future might be unbearable (again, personally speaking).

I trust the authors to get out of the situation gracefully and in a satisfying way, though. I think that they know what they're doing. Even if we, subjected as we are to a pace of one strip every 2 days, do not know how this can be solved satisfactorily.

But I trust them, that is for sure.

[Power_Pachyderms]

The claim that this is Blair doing this to adults and not 14 year olds is weak at best. He forced development on them, not magically made their birthdays four years earlier. They are still children, irregardless of the state of their cup size and in-seam.

*sigh*

I beg Dave, Giz and the Mods' indulgence as is this one of my severe pet peeves.

Ok, unless I'm absolutely mistaken, both Brooke and Nina have already undergone puberty (or in Nina's case, is undergoing it). A child is a pre-pubescent, period. Someone who has undergone (or is even undergoing) puberty is an adult. A small one to be sure, but one nonetheless. This is a biological fact and no amount of arguing otherwise changes it. While Nina may be less mentally grown up than her peers, that is a parenting issue due to societal stupidity, not biology. Until 1886, someone who had reached 13 was considered an adult and I believe that in the intervening years nothing good has come of making the age of majority artificially 18. It has far more to do with anti-competition in what used to be the free work market since someone of that age could begin an apprenticeship for any myriad of jobs but now has to wait until at least 18 (if not older) to do so.

[BlairFan]

Very interesting, PPs. It's my understanding that in recent decades, on the average, puberty has been occurring at younger ages. There are different theories for this, I don't even want to hazard a guess why. BTW Earlier today I posted a message in French which sounded like "Blair, you've withstood my creepiness." I meant to say "Blair, you've become more creepy than I can stand." Actually, I am feeling a bit better now. I think the plot will resolve things soon enough.

[JoseB]

It has, BlairFan, it has. It is my understanding that, regarding the fact of puberty beginning earlier and earlier for the last X decades, the theory most likely to be right relates the earlier onset of puberty to better (on average) nutrition.

In fact, we could even extrapolate from this and speculate that the fact that Nina appears to be somewhat "delayed" in her puberty when compared to the rest is that she is not eating what a growing vampire should! Her nutritional needs are likely not being properly covered!

[NekoLLX]

Now this brings up a few interesting points
We have seen she can't stomach blood only chocolate bunnies due to how she was born but chocolate can't have the same nutrients, maybe Nina needs to have special diatary suplements like others whith messed up diatary tracts might?
Of course as a vampire maybe she is really Younger then she apears and Lyla is much older?

What if she was born in the afor menoted earlier decades and grew slower? or was only born a few years ago and grew faster?

now as for the Bimbo Ray i just go by the notion "their bodies are different, clothing styles different, minds are different. The original are "gone" replaced by new characters"

I use something similar in Changes when Sherry a 10 year old girl becomes transformed, she talks about sex, mating, hunts wild animals for food. while she initally looks similar to Sherry she has actualy jumped tracts and her body is now playing catch up to what she is
a ten year old (or adult) tiger

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[Frutillas]

I bet Chloe's gonna end up saving the day.
Either she's not gonna be unaffected because she's already sexy/Blair's 'type' or something will happen to her that'll shock Blair into reversing everyone.

Wonder how it's going with Ace... Or if Blair is gonna get in trouble after all this...

[NekoLLX]

Wonder if Blace (blone ace) has a golden retriver form

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[mac2]

No, not a Golden, a Yellow Lab. Goldens are pretty smart. Every adult Lab I've been around was dumb as a post.

[BobDole]

So the complaints are massively dull witted to me. Girl kisses girl equals rape? Yes, she has been changed against her will, but she did not kiss against her will - by the time the kissing happened her will had already been changed.

And the semantics of "these are children" versus "no they're adults" is pretty lame too. They're teenagers. They're that in between stage that is so mind numbing to folks that some people equate the teenage years with entering a thick fog. If you want to talk biology, the easiest example of a teen being no longer a child but not quite grown up is the brain. The brain doesn't finish developing, mainly the frontal lobe if I remember correctly, until sometime in the early twenties. Teenagers may have the bodies of adults or nearly so, but brain wise they're still growing - hence all the rampant stupidity in those ages.

Can we go back to discussing the comic instead of completely baseless accusations and pitiful excuses? I liked it better when we were talking about what could be done to stop Blair before all this pointless finger pointing at Dave and Giz started.

[NekoLLX]

*points finger at Giz and Dave*

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[BobDole]

You're an idiot.

There, now you can point the finger at me since I'm willing to list your faults.

You're an idiot for this one exact reason - You're saying what the villain is doing is the author's beliefs.

Would you like more evidences? Here ya go whether you said yes or not: You're arguing with the author on how things should be written. That working well for you with NBC's Friday night line-up? You're also trolling up a storm by arguing without listening, the worst kind of argument.

Your idiocy only grows every time to try to defend your previous idiocies. The only hope is to shut up. If you don't - you'll get more completely relaxed yet openly critical posts from folks like me. Worst part is - I don't really give a rat's patootie if I'm reprimanded for it. I'd probably deserve it.

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