24-11-10 First step

[MuchachoNL]

Guys in the showers give each other a firm bath-towel whip on the naked butt cheek.
What's that... Sado Masochistic rape?

[BlairFan]

I kind of like Brooke, I don't want to see her abused in any way shape or form. But if she really feels put upon, she can speak up and object, call for Maria D., or in any extreme case turn into a giant, powerful snake. The other characters don't know this, so that would be quite a surprise!

[Eris Lobo]

Guys in the showers give each other a firm bath-towel whip on the naked butt cheek.
What's that... Sado Masochistic rape?

If a guy whips another guy in the shower, and the guy getting whipped thinks it's all in fun, then great. But if the guy getting whipped hates getting whipped, and he's sick of being picked on by other guys, who are screwing him over and having sadistic fun with him against his will, then it is, indeed, sadistic assault.

I don't understand how any of you can find it funny that main characters -- people we're supposed to like -- are doing mean things to other characters against their will. We've already seen that Ace is emotionally fragile, so how can any of this been seen as harmless fun? This situation Ace is going through is clearly traumatic for him, and yet how do his so-called "friends" react? They take advantage of him and force him to take off his clothes for their pleasure and do other things to exploit his lack of self-esteem and will power.

Sorry, people, but that's assault, no matter how you look at it, and it's not funny. It's sick and twisted to even think something like that is humorous.

But then, maybe the writers assume the audience enjoys sick and twisted humor. In response to one person's question, I don't watch TV hardly at all. The last time I truly enjoyed at television series was during the run of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And, yes, while some of those characters did at times screw over their friends, there were always serious repercussions, and it was not seen as funny.

There are far too many bullies in the world, from the jerks on middle school playgrounds all the way up to the jerks in corporate managerial positions. Has our society gotten to where we think bullying somebody is just a joke to be laughed at and then immediately forgiven?

Some people consider the root of comedy to be slapstick and the misfortune of people, but is that all Eerie Cuties is intended to be? A strip centered around the unhappiness of certain characters? Maybe an occasional pratfall is funny, but every character needs to have their day in the sun or else the joke gets old quick -- and the joke of Ace being emotionally abused by the other people at the school got old a long time ago.

And so it goes. *sighs*

[MuchachoNL]

I'd love to see a real person going to court over a webcomic that has a main character doing mean stuff to other characters and win... honestly I do... just for the amusement I'd love to see that actually work out.

Where would you find a lawyer to pull that off if some sick Chinese fuckfaces (pardon my French) can put video's of bunny's being squashed to death online and sell them?
Seriously?
I think we all could spend more time into getting that sort of sickness banned instead of calling rape on a drawing... no actual human and/or creature has been hurt or humiliated in the process of drawing these comics.

[Sacramento Tzar]

Eris: I admit that there have been times where the humor of this comic goes to far into downtown Creapyville for my liking. For example, I found the edited version of that comic at the end of the Blair and the Orb storyline to be funnier that the original for that reason. It's one of the reasons why I don't post on these boards that often. That said, it seems to me that at this point you are just trolling (either that or your are projecting personal issues onto this comic). For now I'm going to assume you are trolling because honestly that is the least bad of the two options.

Guys in the showers give each other a firm bath-towel whip on the naked butt cheek.
What's that... Sado Masochistic rape?

If a guy whips another guy in the shower, and the guy getting whipped thinks it's all in fun, then great. But if the guy getting whipped hates getting whipped, and he's sick of being picked on by other guys, who are screwing him over and having sadistic fun with him against his will, then it is, indeed, sadistic assault.

So basically if they are being sadistic, then they are being sadistic is your arguement? Well duh. How about if they are just horse playing around (like guys sometimes do), is that still as bad or is there no shades of grey for you? IE either it's sadistic assault or it isn't.

I don't understand how any of you can find it funny that main characters -- people we're supposed to like -- are doing mean things to other characters against their will. We've already seen that Ace is emotionally fragile, so how can any of this been seen as harmless fun? This situation Ace is going through is clearly traumatic for him, and yet how do his so-called "friends" react? They take advantage of him and force him to take off his clothes for their pleasure and do other things to exploit his lack of self-esteem and will power.

Sorry, people, but that's assault, no matter how you look at it, and it's not funny. It's sick and twisted to even think something like that is humorous.

Okay, it paragraphs like this that make me think you are trolling. I mean there is so much emotionally loaded terms in these two paragraphs it isn't funny. You make it sound like you expect them to break out the strapons and start raping them or something. Could you tone the rhederic down a notch okay? Perhaps if you did then other people could do the same. BTW, Ace took her own clothes off when she agreed to take a shower that go interupted by Blair.

But then, maybe the writers assume the audience enjoys sick and twisted humor. In response to one person's question, I don't watch TV hardly at all. The last time I truly enjoyed at television series was during the run of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And, yes, while some of those characters did at times screw over their friends, there were always serious repercussions, and it was not seen as funny.

There are far too many bullies in the world, from the jerks on middle school playgrounds all the way up to the jerks in corporate managerial positions. Has our society gotten to where we think bullying somebody is just a joke to be laughed at and then immediately forgiven?

Let's get something straight here shall we. How people act in comidies is never how they act like in real life. Part of the reasons why comidies are funny is because they are abit (or totally) unrealistic. Just because you are proclaiming ignorance on the subject, it doesn't change this fact. Name a comedy tv show where people act like they would in real life and it can't be over annalized to make it sound as worse as possible. I dare you. As funny as the characters are on some of my favorite sitcoms over the years, I wouldn't want many fo them as my real life friends because of how snarky, stupid, or vendictive most of them are towards each other. While it's funny to watch a group of friends in a TV show cut each other down, very few people would be willing to put up with that level of crap from their friends. Examples of this would be Cheers, Fraizer, Family Ties, ICarly, Pinky and the Brain, The Simpsons, Cosby Show, etc. Hell, in many newspaper comics their is the jerk character who somehow gets along with the main characters (or are the main characters). Rat from Pearls Before Swine, Dogbert from Dillbert, Ralph from Sally Forth, as well as others.

Some people consider the root of comedy to be slapstick and the misfortune of people, but is that all Eerie Cuties is intended to be? A strip centered around the unhappiness of certain characters? Maybe an occasional pratfall is funny, but every character needs to have their day in the sun or else the joke gets old quick -- and the joke of Ace being emotionally abused by the other people at the school got old a long time ago.

Um.. have you ever seen any Coyote vs. Road Runner cartoon? If so did you ever expect the Coyote to succeed in eating the Road Runner? Some characters are meant to suffer and that's what makes them funny. Not every character needs to have their day in the sun, I'm not getting where you insist that be the case but it isn't. Real life isn't even like that, why should our fiction be like that either?

And so it goes. *sighs*

and for some reason I doubt you are really going to understand this post beause you are too busy feeling persectued to read for content but instead will will read it to nitpick on my word choice or something. *sigh*

[Eris Lobo]

I'd love to see a real person going to court over a webcomic that has a main character doing mean stuff to other characters and win... honestly I do... just for the amusement I'd love to see that actually work out.

I think we all could spend more time into getting that sort of sickness banned instead of calling rape on a drawing... no actual human and/or creature has been hurt or humiliated in the process of drawing these comics.

You're missing the point.

I'm not saying that this comic is illegal, or that the authors have committed assault or any other crime. I'm saying that if somebody did in real life what the strip's characters did, then it would be assault.

To me, the issue I'm trying to make is that what the characters did would be very unpleasant in real life, so I don't know why it's supposed to be funny in the strip.

[Don Alexander]

It's... a monster high school.

Which is hardly real life.



But even then, this is typical teen behaviour. Which a lot of people seem to be able to laugh at, especially if they look back at their own school daze.

[outlier1985]

If a guy whips another guy in the shower, and the guy getting whipped thinks it's all in fun, then great. But if the guy getting whipped hates getting whipped, and he's sick of being picked on by other guys, who are screwing him over and having sadistic fun with him against his will, then it is, indeed, sadistic assault.

But that's life. Sometimes people are going to mess with you. Most of the time, they're not genuinely going to hurt you severely, and it's pretty obvious when it's going to happen. If someone is going to get legitimately distressed and deeply upset over what IS just harmless horseplay, that is THEIR problem only. Your reaction to an incident is 50% of the result. And it's entirely up to you.

I don't understand how any of you can find it funny that main characters -- people we're supposed to like -- are doing mean things to other characters against their will.

It's not... ugh. If a teenaged boy throws a water balloon or two at some classmates, is he a horrible monster? I'm sure the students didn't much enjoy it. So clearly, that boy must be DESPICABLE. If an boy gives his younger brother a wedgie, should the big brother be tried for assault because his little brother didn't like it? The problem people have is that you are acting like these characters are perpetrating genuinely horrible acts, simply because someone is getting annoyed or becoming uncomfortable as a result. As another poster already said, you're acting as if somebody's breaking out the strap-ons. I don't know if you had... I guess, a sheltered upbringing, or what, but I have never met anyone so sensitive to such mundane actions as you. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but some of your comments genuinely startle me.

We've already seen that Ace is emotionally fragile, so how can any of this been seen as harmless fun?

How is he emotionally fragile? For bursting into tears when he explained he got stuck as a girl? Geez, -I'D- cry if I suddenly became stuck as a girl, too. But I'm far from emotionally fragile.

Sorry, people, but that's assault, no matter how you look at it, and it's not funny. It's sick and twisted to even think something like that is humorous.

...and as another user pointed out, comments like these make it seem like you're trolling all of us.

There are far too many bullies in the world, from the jerks on middle school playgrounds all the way up to the jerks in corporate managerial positions. Has our society gotten to where we think bullying somebody is just a joke to be laughed at and then immediately forgiven?

I was bullied in school. I mean, REALLY bullied. Badly. To the point that I've actually blocked certain memories of what happened, and I was suicidal for a period of time in Junior High. I assure you, I wasn't sweating towel snaps and pranks by friends. There is a very, very clear and well-defined line between bullying and harmless fun, and I don't think you're capable of seeing it.

Some people consider the root of comedy to be slapstick and the misfortune of people, but is that all Eerie Cuties is intended to be? A strip centered around the unhappiness of certain characters?

But it is not REAL unhappiness. Being annoyed or uncomfortable when friends are pestering you in good humor is not true unhappiness. I know what true unhappiness is, and I've had to live with it for much of my life. You are mistaking annoyance and minor discomfort for sorrow, and harmless teasing for vicious bullying.

I'm not saying that this comic is illegal, or that the authors have committed assault or any other crime. I'm saying that if somebody did in real life what the strip's characters did, then it would be assault.

And that's the case with a lot of series out there. That's why it's FICTION. I read Something*Positive(don't read it, your head would explode), and something like 50% of what the other characters do in parts of the story would bring assault charges and possible prison stays in real life. But it's NOT real life. That's the point. You're trying to apply real life standards of morality and decency to a comic about mythological creatures in a high school setting. Do you understand why your posts confound some of us?

Again, I'm not trying to beat you down or be a jerkass, I'm just trying to explain how your POV looks to us.

[Pinekone]

I googled "Define:Sexual Assault"

-Any form of sexual contact without voluntary consent (Adapted from the Criminal Code of Canada, Sec.270)

Not to offend you but thats ridiculous.
Layla, Nina and Chloe have no intentions of raping Brooke or (gr)Ace whatsoever.
You need to watch your wording of things though, Sexual Assault is a really strong statement.

I'm not trying to embarrass you, But if this webcomic has made you upset a few times.
Maybe you can just read the morning paper "comic section"
Loads of comics in newspapers deal with social issues and way below PG content.

Now lets not digress anymore from the traditional speculations of what will happen next.

Edit:I never noticed the "Brooke not wearing Bra" thing xD

[Don Alexander]

[Trailer narrator voice]
"In a world where even Amazonian goddesses do not need the lifting power of a bra..."
[/Trailer narrator voice]

[David Johnston]

I'm not saying that this comic is illegal, or that the authors have committed assault or any other crime. I'm saying that if somebody did in real life what the strip's characters did, then it would be assault.

To me, the issue I'm trying to make is that what the characters did would be very unpleasant in real life, so I don't know why it's supposed to be funny in the strip.

...Now I'm straining to think of something that is both pleasant and funny. What was the last thing I laughed at. Oh right, episode 6 of Demon King Damaio. The android girl's bosses have ordered her to seduce the nascent "Demon King" who is a rather prudish boy. She has no idea of how to go about it so she starts dressing up in fan service outfits to harass him. He flees and stumbles across a sleeping girl. The android follows him and hits him over the head. He asks her why she did that, and she explains that she's adopting the persona of a classmate who isn't his girlfriend but is still jealous and asks, "Does it spin your wheels?" (A parody of a Japanese cartoon cliche). I laughed. But she's making his life hell. Not pleasant.

Comedy is often unpleasant because the essence of humour is the violation of expectations. Therefore a great deal of it revolves around being inconsiderate and downright anti-social or experiencing pain and embarassment. Dropping an anvil on someone's head and having them survive is funny because it violates both social taboos and expectations about physical reality. Slipping on a banana peel is funny. Stepping over the peel right into an open man-hole cover is more funny.

[Pinekone]

[Trailer narrator voice]
"In a world where even Amazonian goddesses do not need the lifting power of a bra..."
[/Trailer narrator voice]

I actually had a trailer narrator voice in my head while reading your comment

[Lighthawk]

@Eris: I mean all of this in the nicest way possible, just to get that pointed out up front and proper. I mean none of the following to be sarcastic or aggressive.

I think you are missing the point. I think you are ignoring the author's intents. I think you are applying a "No tolerance" standard to the situations in this comic.

Everything you have said about how some of what is happening could be sexual assault or worse, is technically true. However that ignores the intent and the presentation. If for example the next strip is Brooke running home sobbing hysterically, throwing herself weeping into the arms of her parents and balling about how she was sexually assaulted, then yeah, that would really suck the humor and the fun out of the previous few strips.

But that's not going to happen. Unless Dave and Giz suffer a pair of total personality melt downs, there's just no way this comic is ever going to go into that kind of territory. The vast majority of comedy is a matter of presenting the material in the right way so that it can be laughed at. If someone tells a joke about how their ex dumped them and starts weeping openly halfway through, it'd be damn hard to laugh at it. But how often do you get comedy material presented in such a way?

Terrible mental trauma COULD be the result of many many many of the things that have happened in this comic...but so far that hasn't been the case. Hell Tiff thought she had DIED and yet her biggest immediate concern was that she was going to look bad to the other hunters. The girl COULD have easily had a major melt down that could have scarred her for life even after she found out the truth, but she didn't, because that's not what this comic is about, and as such the author's aren't going to let it go there.

And that I think is key, that kind of horrible presentation is never going to be part of this comic. The author's don't intend or plan to mentally destroy anyone, and so it's not going to happen, because they have total control over these characters, right down to how they think and feel. So long as Dave and Giz never decide "Lets break Ace", then at most he's going to be annoyed and/or upset at the things that happen to him, but he'll recover just fine, because the authors say he does.

If no one REALLY gets hurt emotionally, and I mean that in the context of the comic, not in the sense that they aren't really real people, then has anything truly terrible happened?

Take heart knowing that none of these characters are ever likely in the slightest to be seriously traumatized by the events that befall them, they have the protection of the authors, the strongest protection there is. They will get through this, and IT IS ALRIGHT TO LAUGH, because that is why they are being put through these events. And it will continue to be okay to laugh, because the authors, as far as I can tell, are not secretly sadistic jackasses plotting to emotionally screw all us readers by throwing a curve-ball scenario like my Brooke example that suddenly takes away our freedom to laugh at something by making it have dire consequences. The consequences will never be dire, so laugh! It really is okay.

And if you still can't laugh, and still find all this just too unbearable, then you really should consider just letting this one go, and stop reading. Don't torment yourself, especially not for your entertainment. Find something more agreeable to your tastes. You'll be much happier.

Peace.

[Don Alexander]

I actually had a trailer narrator voice in my head while reading your comment

As did I, writing it. ;)

@Lighthawk: Well said, thank you. *hands Dark Side cookie*

[Lighthawk]

*With steepled fingers* Dark side cookie...excellent.