El Goonish Shive

I saw it as a matter the "holding back a particular comment until the event happens, saying it, realizing it's awkward due to the changed situation, then backpedaling" situation. ^_^ It's happened to me a bunch of times. I have something really apropos to a discussion, I wait until a conversational opening, I deliver it, and then I realize that the conversation has shifted and my comment suddenly seems horribly inappropriate.

Mousa:

Hang on a tic...

—puts on hat—

Hahah, it's funny because he's making fun of a girl's weight. That has never been done in the history of ever. This is a good idea.

—takes off hat—

—goes back to sleep—

How DARE you all harp on Shive for calling Shive Susan a whale.

That's a compliment! Whales are beautiful and majestic creatures, and Susan should feel honored to be compared to one.

edited 13th Nov '12 10:07:18 AM by TheyCallMeTomu

—snerk—

Stupid S names.

He did say the whale thing was a Star Trek reference, and Susan is a Star Trek fan. So maybe she is some sort of "whale", doing something a whale from Star Trek did somewhere in the canon. Once again, I assume it has to do with The Journey Home.

Just a stab in the dark, of course.

Oh, Giant space Whales. It's a movie reference I believe.

Space Whale Aesop comes to mind.

edited 13th Nov '12 2:19:17 PM by TheyCallMeTomu

Unless Susan is unwittingly saving the human race by repopulating the planet with her species, I strongly doubt she's emulating the whales from Journey Home.

...Shive, is there something you're not telling us?

... Susan is a Human Alien who is going to... uh... mate with Elliot so that she can repopulate her home planet/dimension?

Well, that would make for an interesting twist, I suppose...

goddamnit shive stop making coupley moments

I mean it's cute and all, but Elliot has a girlfriend. I don't know whether I'm meant to be squeeing or worrying about Sarah seeing this and misunderstanding.

I have a theory about her behaviour, as always: This is the first time she's watched a movie alone with 1 other person in ages, and she's used to it being Justin. This intimate sort of behaviour is something she's doing unintentionally, and Justin never really noticed or minded because he knew it was platonic.

With that out of the way, I can only hope Shive doesn't play the "misunderstanding" card for drama, it's one of my least favorite tropes.

EDIT: Goddamn, why do I keep messing up the links?

edited 14th Nov '12 2:00:42 PM by MrMallard

I haven't read the commentary, so tell me if this is totally off, but I half expect that Shive doesn't even see this as the least bit romantic and thinks it's them being just friends and stuff.

Yeah, I'm prolly looking too deep into this.

But the subtext is killing me.

You're not looking too deeply-I just have a low opinion of Dan Shive on this issue :D

I just think it's Susan being a good friend, opening a friend to new experiences, and being a slight germophobe.

I don't think Susan's had many friends: She was a loner for awhile until she met Nanase, who introduced her to Justin. As such, I think she has a bit of trouble reading social cues, so she can come off as flirty without really meaning to.

I see no chemistry whatsoever.

You don't see any chemistry? PFFT.

I've been shipping stuff for too long; it's starting to get to me.

This is total Rom Com territory. Now, whether Rom Coms are even remotely accurate to life-

I hardly think it's romantic when one of the people in the scene feels a need to wash their hands after having touched the other.

I despise shipping beyond all reason and even I see there's some pathetic attempt at making something happen between them, even if Susan is a germaphobe.

I just want to know to what end. What will this amount to? What sort of relationship silliness will occur now that Susan seems to be making some sort of effort to be friends with Elliot.

*Puts on shipping goggles*
Hmmm...
*increases magnification*
Ehhh...
*Maximum Magnification!*
Ah! I don't see it. Showing someone how to use chopsticks with out a shy smile, blushing, momentary awkwardness or giggling or anything seems merely educational to me.

Sure. It could easily be completely innocent. Normal people do that sort of thing all the time without it meaning anything.

But these aren't normal people. These are characters in a story. So everything takes on more meaning that it does in the real world. A harmless joke threatens to end a friendship, showing up late indicates serious problems, and a friendly smile is the sign of deep attraction.

Though it's probably worth remembering that Shive actually does try to keep the characters somewhat realistic. Setting aside the crazy shit that goes on, he tries to have them react to the normal stuff as normal, real-world teenagers might. That does mean fewer romantic misunderstandings than a lot of other stories throw in.

I've just been shipping for too long. The Monday strip just hit me as extremely shipperific, with Susan's expression in the first panel and all. Plus, she seems much more friendly than usual, with barely a trace of her normal snarky self.

Again, I assume this is because she is watching movies, which she clearly has a connection to.

(Also, logic never stopped any shipping before )

There's definitely a lot of romance tropes floating around this entire situation, but I wouldn't put it past this comic to set up a love triangle misunderstanding situation and then just end it with a jarring amount of amicability. Shive doesn't tend to create conflict between the core cast that lasts beyond half a storyline, though there's a first time for everything.

edited 14th Nov '12 10:10:47 PM by KnownUnknown