15-07-17 Not very talkative

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worldshaking00
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Re: 15-07-17 Not very talkative

Post by worldshaking00 »

Spidrift wrote: Oh, come on - have you seen the audience figures for Avengers or Wonder Woman? <snip> Liking superhero movies just proves that she isn't a total cineaste snob, not that she's any sort of geek.
<snip>
As for the wrestling - isn't that "redneck theatre" that's been adopted by geeks?
I agree that statistically Maura is most likely going to be just interested in the spectacle that blockbuster superhero movies are. However it doesn't change my hope that there's some female out in Montreal that likes seeing superheroes on the big screen because of the mythology... more so as a geek... and even more so that Gary can happen across her elusive path. Does it fit the narrative thus far? Once again, I agree not likely to happen; but, "not likely" doesn't mean "never". There is at least one comic shop in the story (Jung's) so maybe Gary can track her down in her native habitat? Maybe on a stake out of the Yaoi club if Gary is so inclined? Novel approach, I know.

And I gave up wrestling as a pre-teen (other than the occasional yet obligatory "Oh yeah!" or Slim Jim Macho Man catchphrases), so I am not qualified to answer. Probably part of the reason I have a hard time finding purchase in the wrestling arc for the wrestling aspects and their current cultural phenomena.
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Spidrift
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Re: 15-07-17 Not very talkative

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I think that if someone told Ruby that some desperate geeky male was staking out the Yaoi Club inthe hopes of catching a geek girl, she'd set up a fake meeting, call in some favours from Jerzy and his colleagues, and arrange for the nasty creepy little dork to fall down a few stairs. And I'd find it hard not to cheer her. That'd be seriously effing sleazy for Gary.

(See also the most recent few strips in Dumbing of Age.)

And the success of superhero movies in recent years is not simply down to the spectacle, though that doesn't hurt. They're well-written and often funny (with plenty of Easter eggs for the comics fans). Even in Ma3 terms, it's clear that the likes of DiDi and Maura have noticed that the cast members are frequently smoking hot while playing essentially likeable characters. Nobody in the comic has even mentioned the fight scenes and explosions.
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Re: 15-07-17 Not very talkative

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Not really any more sleazy than going to a bar or a sporting event in the hopes of finding a companion who shares that similar interest the surrounding brick & mortar caters to. I think it would be sleazier to stake out the cliched supermarket looking for lost lonely hearts. I also don't think that Ruby would need Jerzy's help; Ramona & Zii are spitfire enough to deter a creeper. Although I guess 'stake out' could have been interpreted to mean some sort of creep-factor. I was implying that he (Gary) should visit social circles (comic shop) where such a rare specimen (fem-geek) might visit and see if chemistry develops on its own through conversation over their shared interests (manga, comics, general geekdom). We know Gary is quite comfortable and open when he is discussing his nerd-passions; it doesn't have to be rampant sex innuendo all the time. Then when the time is right, he can introduce her to the SGR et al.

On second thought, staking out the Yaoi club probably is self-defeating for the stereotypical "not-exactly-homophobic-but-too-frightened/inexperienced-to-approach-ladies-with-confidence" geek, as the aforementioned male geek is interested in finding a female geek interested in his masculinity (or what constitutes as such). I change my mind on that sub-culture and instead broaden it to just the comic shop culture as a whole. There is at least one convention that rolls through their town, so there has got to be some fem-geeks who attend. And not just paid 'booth babes' or semi-professional cosplayers, but actual attendees.
Last edited by worldshaking00 on Tue Jul 18, 2017 6:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Be excellent to each other." - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
"Like my old grand daddy used to say, 'The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.'" - Chester Rush, Four Rooms
Chivalry isn't dead, it just followed wherever being lady-like went.

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edisnooM
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Re: 15-07-17 Not very talkative

Post by edisnooM »

As a bit of an aside, I had at one point thought that Zii might end up being a closet geek, which would be a nice contrast to her "too cool for school" image. It would be slightly amusing if that were the case, or alternatively she had absorbed some of Gary's geekiness from being around him for so long, and it ended up seeping out much to Sonya's chagrin.

On another note, did Zii ever follow through on her promise to watch all the Transformer episodes when she thought she broke Gary's transformer?

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Re: 15-07-17 Not very talkative

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Even having Gary's geekiness rub off on one of his harem would work. Geekiness is not necessarily hereditary and can be learned. I am having a flashback of Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds 2.

I thought it was Zii who thought she broke the ultra-rare Transformer, but that was a very long time ago. I seem to recall the apologetic rambling wasn't in Franglish.
"Be excellent to each other." - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
"Like my old grand daddy used to say, 'The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.'" - Chester Rush, Four Rooms
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Spidrift
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Re: 15-07-17 Not very talkative

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The Transformer came apart because Zii and DiDi were kind of both pulling on it. Hence, shared guilt.

And Zii has picked up some "geeky" ways, thanks to Gary and her job, throughout the run of the comic. On her first appearance, she spotted Gary's comics collection, said "hey, I read that stuff when I was a kid", and cheerfully got back into the habit straight away. (Check any strip when she's just sitting around reading.) Discovering the yaoi shelves at the shop just confirmed her interest. Then Ruby talked her into helping with the yaoi club - and Gary himself has commented that that makes her a little bit more like him, just as actually drinking coffee makes him a bit more like her.

Equally, there've been broad and casual hints that some of the characters have seen the big-name superhero movies of the moment, long before this moment. That's no big deal, and doesn't make any of them "geeks", just typical 21st century pop culture consumers. But Gary isn't a geek because he reads comics and goes to superhero movies; he's a geek because he's obsessive on the subject, could bore for Canada on pop culture trivia, spends a lot of his money on rarer collectibles, and will read stuff like My Little Pony. Personally, I want to see him become a coffee snob; you can find some real geekery in independent coffee shops these days.

Likewise, if you called Zii a geek, well, she'd probably still be annoyed, but she can't deny the comics and the yaoi and the movies. If those make her a geek, so be it, she'd have to admit. But the fact is, today, "geek" is just a fashion thing; clever slogan T-shirts, comics as adult reading matter, well-made superhero movies. It's been going that way since the '80s, when the computer business turned into a smart career choice. The weird and annoying thing about Senna's disdain for geek culture was her weird and total ignorance of this utterly commonplace fashion trend.

But that's the problem for more hardcore geeks today. They've become trendies without wanting to be. They can't even say that they were geeks before it was cool, unless they're over at least 40. And Zii or others of the harem becoming "like Gary" won't look like any big deal unless it involves them becoming as socially maladjusted and nerdy as Gary.

And here endeth the lecture.
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Re: 15-07-17 Not very talkative

Post by Don Alexander »

edisnooM wrote:Well just as a random idea, if Gary has a concussion they could have Maura do the old classic help keep him awake plot (I'm given to understand this is not actually necessary, but it still exists in pop culture) which could consist of watching cartoons / anime, and possibly revealing a more geeky side to her. I mean she seems pretty in to the whole wrestling scene which is already in itself kind of geeky.
So, the next movie reference will be "The Big Sick"? :-?

Ten girls want to lay Gary but have to stand at his bedside while he's in a coma. :P
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Re: 15-07-17 Not very talkative

Post by Spidrift »

That'd be kind of sweet, actually. A reminder that these people are actually capable of being friends as well as crazed shag-bunnies.
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