2015-10-23 Little Project

[lordoffiling]

"Get in me or get out!" might just be the hottest line spoken in the entire Pixie Trix universe. Part of it is in the visuals associated with it...

[crimzontearz]

@crimsontearz I'm guessing you've never heard of the no-nipples rule, huh?

I noticed the censoring but I did not know it was a rule

[JoybuzzerX]

Is it me or is SOTR becoming a little ....risqué?

Not that I mind of course....

Sex sells. Look at the two comics they got rid of, the ones with high school students, that didn't focus on a sex demon. Comics kept? The ones they could easily keep the sex going on

[LegendaryKroc]

@crimsontearz I'm guessing you've never heard of the no-nipples rule, huh?

I noticed the censoring but I did not know it was a rule

Long story short, the advertisers whose revenue funds the website don't want to be associated with a webcomic that shows a completely visible female chest. Cue subsequent removal of nipples from the shots of every comic scene on this site where a woman has no top or bra on. Apparently, though, scenes like this are considered acceptable -- hence the apparent snark.

[LarsenSan]

Armani has to be bi and Eva knows it. Otherwise that "mute" button would become a "scream as loud as you can" button. Which Eva doesn't want to happen.

[Hig Hirtenflurst]

New one up.

That's what she said.








Sorry, couldn't resist.

[crimzontearz]

@crimsontearz I'm guessing you've never heard of the no-nipples rule, huh?

I noticed the censoring but I did not know it was a rule

Long story short, the advertisers whose revenue funds the website don't want to be associated with a webcomic that shows a completely visible female chest. Cue subsequent removal of nipples from the shots of every comic scene on this site where a woman has no top or bra on. Apparently, though, scenes like this are considered acceptable -- hence the apparent snark.

-headdesk-

[Milnoc]

Just how hot is it in that apartment that the two of them are sweating buckets?

And how much will Armani sweat now that he's in "Mute" mode?

[Gotoh]

Just how hot is it in that apartment that the two of them are sweating buckets?

The implication is, Eva and Armani were going at it that vigorously (apologies in advance, in case you were asking rhetorically).

[lokisdottir]

I'm just going to assume that Armani is, frankly, just half a step away from being an escort/kept man, and in this game largely for the material rewards, with any sex that he entirely enjoys as a bonus. Well, being a professional, even with a thin veil of "no actual cash changes hands", implies being professional. His choice. He could even leave in a huff if he wanted.

Being a sex worker is irrelevant to consent. It's fully possible to take advantage of someone's uncertainty or inexperience and push them into something they're not comfortable with, and that seems to be what's happening here. And there's more pressure, not less, if he's making a living off this, especially with the potential of pissing off well-connected people.

Armani has to be bi and Eva knows it. Otherwise that "mute" button would become a "scream as loud as you can" button. Which Eva doesn't want to happen.

First, his sexuality is irrelevant to whether this is consensual. He could be the most cock-loving guy in the universe and that has nothing to do with whether he's into the idea of sucking this particular dick. From the clues we have available he's at least taken aback by this turn of events.

Second, it's just not true that all people react in a certain way to a situation. There's a difference between how most people think they'll respond to, say, an assault and how they actually respond. There's fight (posited by you) and flight (posited by brasca and Spidrift), but there's also freeze. The third is a very common response when people are uncertain about whether something is acceptable and are under social pressure not to make a scene.

None of this is to say the comic is bad or that anyone is bad for enjoying it. Heck, I like it a lot and I'm not blaming the creators or the work in any way. I could also be wrong and Armani might be perfectly willing to play with Lukas after his initial surprise. I just see some assumptions made about why this can't be sexual assault and they are not good reasons IMO.

I think of it as a swipe at the NSFW brand. Sandra could be topless in the shower without any convenient mist to obscure the nipples and the strip gets an R rating, but having a strip with a woman getting vigorously humped in the first panel and a man about to get oral sex in the last is acceptable.

That reminds me of a trans woman on HRT who's posting pics of her breasts (some top nudity in the link) to social media as part of an experiment to see at what point her body is deemed female and therefore sexualized enough for censorship. Seriously, this hangup on the female nipple is all sorts of ridiculous.

I shall partake in this social experiment and remove your link. This is a PG-13 comic and a PG-13 forum and direct links to sites showing topless nudity are not allowed. If anyone wants to look it up, search for Mashable and Do I Have Boobs Now, that should get you there.

The DAMNed

[Spidrift]

I'm just going to assume that Armani is, frankly, just half a step away from being an escort/kept man, and in this game largely for the material rewards, with any sex that he entirely enjoys as a bonus. Well, being a professional, even with a thin veil of "no actual cash changes hands", implies being professional. His choice. He could even leave in a huff if he wanted.

Being a sex worker is irrelevant to consent. It's fully possible to take advantage of someone's uncertainty or inexperience and push them into something they're not comfortable with, and that seems to be what's happening here. And there's more pressure, not less, if he's making a living off this, especially with the potential of pissing off well-connected people.

Sure, exactly. But if Armani's position here is at least implicitly contractual, then he's already given some degree of consent, and it's not too weird or evil of Eva to assume that this consent will continue by default. If he now withdraws it, well, it won't be surprising if she at least raises an ironic eyebrow.

(Also, by the way, over-thinking wildly - I do somehow suspect that Eva would regard paying cash for sexual services as beneath her. Favours or little presents, on the other hand, would all be part of the high-status game. Does that translate to "sex worker"? You tell me what your personal dictionary says, if you want.)

Armani has to be bi and Eva knows it. Otherwise that "mute" button would become a "scream as loud as you can" button. Which Eva doesn't want to happen.

First, his sexuality is irrelevant to whether this is consensual. He could be the most cock-loving guy in the universe and that has nothing to do with whether he's into the idea of sucking this particular dick. From the clues we have available he's at least taken aback by this turn of events.

Which, by the way, is how I'm reading his expression; taken aback. "Hang on a minute; one minute I'm hips-deep in her, and now suddenly I'm blowing him? I mean, sure, I'll do either, but ... dafug?"

Second, it's just not true that all people react in a certain way to a situation. There's a difference between how most people think they'll respond to, say, an assault and how they actually respond. There's fight (posited by you) and flight (posited by brasca and Spidrift), but there's also freeze.

Indeed - but the point here is that Eva and Lukas must think that they know how he'll respond. If there was any significant chance that he'd protest, scream, demand a bonus, or leave the room with a loud Fred Flintstone spinning-feet sound effect, well, this would be a very silly thing for them to do. They must more-or-less-rationally believe that Armani is cool with this. (Or, if you want to think darker than this comic is ever going to go, that they have him completely enslaved.) Which is why I'm reading the expression as bemusement rather than disgust.

[lokisdottir]

I shall partake in this social experiment and remove your link. This is a PG-13 comic and a PG-13 forum and direct links to sites showing topless nudity are not allowed.

Since this is a PG-13 comic I trust these don't count as topless nudity.

http://www.sandraontherocks.com/strips- ... _hoo_i_won
http://www.sandraontherocks.com/strips- ... be_jealous

Sure, exactly. But if Armani's position here is at least implicitly contractual, then he's already given some degree of consent, and it's not too weird or evil of Eva to assume that this consent will continue by default.

Actually, yes it is pretty disturbing to assume consent to sex by default with someone who looks startled and not immediately into the idea. That's why I love this strip (or my reading of it), it's in character for both Eva and Lukas.

Which, by the way, is how I'm reading his expression; taken aback. "Hang on a minute; one minute I'm hips-deep in her, and now suddenly I'm blowing him? I mean, sure, I'll do either, but ... dafug?"

That's a valid reading of the scene. I'm just saying that my current reading--that Armani is a rich kid who jumped at the chance to bang a model and got in over his head--is also a valid one.

Indeed - but the point here is that Eva and Lukas must think that they know how he'll respond. If there was any significant chance that he'd protest, scream, demand a bonus, or leave the room with a loud Fred Flintstone spinning-feet sound effect, well, this would be a very silly thing for them to do. They must more-or-less-rationally believe that Armani is cool with this. (Or, if you want to think darker than this comic is ever going to go, that they have him completely enslaved.) Which is why I'm reading the expression as bemusement rather than disgust.

And I'm saying there's a middle ground between a Fred Flintstone exit and "completely enslaved," that place where you're not sure if it's okay to protest when the people who want you to do something seem so utterly sure of themselves, and you're dependent on their approval or their money or connections, so you end up not wanting to rock the boat and doing stuff you aren't sure of. Eva and Lukas, from all we've seen of them, would likely be very adept at exploiting that middle ground and manipulating people--and probably just as good at getting back at those who do make a scene and embarrass them.

[Spidrift]

Since this is a PG-13 comic I trust these don't count as topless nudity.

No female nipples, ergo not "topless nudity". If you don't like it, take it up with the advertisers (and with contemporary American culture). There's no point in picking fights with Don.

Actually, yes it is pretty disturbing to assume consent to sex by default with someone who looks startled and not immediately into the idea.

I thought that it was blindingly obvious that I was talking about Eva's assumption at the start of this sequence of events, before Armani reacted. In any case, she couldn't see Armani's expression, on account of having her back to him.

And I'm saying there's a middle ground between a Fred Flintstone exit and "completely enslaved," that place where you're not sure if it's okay to protest when the people who want you to do something seem so utterly sure of themselves, and you're dependent on their approval or their money or connections, so you end up not wanting to rock the boat and doing stuff you aren't sure of.

Which is completely ducking my point, which was that if Eva had any reason to believe that Armani might not cooperate, she was behaving very oddly and a bit stupidly. Therefore, she most likely thought she had good reason to believe that he'd go along. If he was likely to be uncertain, she couldn't be confident of that.

[LegendaryKroc]

And once again the discussion sways into a topic that I can't bare to get involved in. Darn you, human psychology!

[Don Alexander]

I shall partake in this social experiment and remove your link. This is a PG-13 comic and a PG-13 forum and direct links to sites showing topless nudity are not allowed.

Since this is a PG-13 comic I trust these don't count as topless nudity.

http://www.sandraontherocks.com/strips- ... _hoo_i_won
http://www.sandraontherocks.com/strips- ... be_jealous

Of course not, that's a man. To make a point, a cisgender, comfortable in his own skin, almost completely straight man, to boot.

Not saying I approve of all this (#freethenipple!), but that's the way it is.

I could, of course, reinstate your link, thereby showing I am of the opinion that the person you linked to is a man as well. But I'm sure you would not like that either (not to mention a bunch of other people...).

The DAMNed