“When Parker Met Guy” Page 3: Babysitter
Friday, January 16th, 2009Flashback has begun!
By the way, looking for a little research help for Dreamless: Was dori-mu used in the 1920s in Japan as a word for “dream”? Thanks!
Flashback has begun!
By the way, looking for a little research help for Dreamless: Was dori-mu used in the 1920s in Japan as a word for “dream”? Thanks!
January 17th, 2009 at 12:15 am
i like Parker’s hair before she turned Les. XD
January 17th, 2009 at 1:22 am
Speaking of hair, look at her client. It’s like she was in a explosion of a Lady Lovely Locks toy factory.
January 17th, 2009 at 1:26 am
wow… that was quite a “parker-esque” way of answering… made me smile anyway
January 17th, 2009 at 1:45 am
Ok, so am I the only one that has a problem with “became a lesbian”? couldn’t it have been came out or something?
Otherwise I’m glad you’re back and I do love the rainbowish hair.
but still… became a lesbian? like overnight? like becoming a redhead or something?
January 17th, 2009 at 1:55 am
Did you not read the first graphic novel? Parker is crazy. Feel free to be like Denny and hate her. There’s nothing funny about simply saying she came out.
January 17th, 2009 at 1:57 am
LOL @ Parker.
She’s so honest, I love her.
Is that Guy’s sister?
January 17th, 2009 at 4:57 am
Yeah, as kallu said, ‘became a lesbian’ is the wrong way to put it. ‘Since I came out as a lesbian’ would be better!
January 17th, 2009 at 5:36 am
By the way, looking for a little research help for Dreamless: Was dori-mu used in the 1920s in Japan as a word for “dream�
I don’t think so. Dori-mu sounds like it was supposed to be wrote in katakana.. The alphabet in which all non-Japanese words are written. And every english words in Japanese really hit Japan during the American occupation… I’d go for native Japanese word for dream, which is yume.
January 17th, 2009 at 6:06 am
well she’ll be as crazy as you want, but still “became” sounds pretty offensive although I’ll give you that if the last word wasn’t lesbian would sound fun.
And with tha resarch for Dreamless, I’d say the same as Wesoly_alien, if it isn’t modern or foreign things that are likely to have their names imported from other languages, you should use Japanese words not transcriptions.
January 17th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Ah, yes! The return of Guy’s sister. I gotta say, I’m still loving her hair. It must have been a pain to color…Both for Daisy and for Eisu xD
January 17th, 2009 at 8:48 am
She’s Parker…you know, I-want-to-have-to-drink-blood-too, Guy-do-you-mind-if-we-have-a-threesome-I-won’t-even-look-at-you Parker. On top of which, she’s pretty young here…and if Daisy is looking at a newspaper ad of her with ho-hum hair and the change occurred after she realized she was a lesbian, it was probably pretty dang recent and I’m not at all surprised she might think of it as “becoming” a lesbian rather than “realizing” it about herself. Also, like Bobby said…Parker’s crazy. Seriously, stop expecting to be offended
Bobby, Eisu…you rock. Crazy Daisy!
January 17th, 2009 at 9:52 am
She’s just being incredibly blunt. I doubt Parker cares about being politically correct, she’s a pretty blunt person.
I don’t think it’s offensive. And I’m an actual lesbian.
January 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Well, at least Parker’s honest.
Kinda blunt how she said it, though.
January 17th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
“Yeah, as kallu said, ‘became a lesbian’ is the wrong way to put it. ‘Since I came out as a lesbian’ would be better!”
No, it definitely wouldn’t. You guys realize that this is dialogue that a character is saying, right? It’s not some sort of prose where I’m saying “The character of Parker Webber became a lesbian on July 2, 1999″ or anything like that. She can say whatever the hell she wants.
Thanks to wesoly and Kerla. Yume doesn’t work nearly as well as dori-mu, but it’s an option. Still looking for a bit more info on dori-mu, if anyone knows. Is it POSSIBLE that anyone in Japan was using that word in the ’20s?
January 17th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
It’s not Parker’s fault. She had no choice in her hair. It’s a well known fact that when you become a lesbian, your hair changes on its own. It’s like that movie ‘Interview with a vampire’ where the girl tries to cut her hair and it goes back to how it was before you cut it. If Parker tried to make her hair look normal again, it would just revert.
I mean cmon, I thought everyone knew that!
Duh.
January 17th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Celes, let them know, since you are a bona fide lesbian, about the scientific principle of hair change when you become one. I believe it happens when you are bitten by a lesbian. The only way you can undo it is to kill the head lesbian – but that is nigh impossible.
Don’t you hate when people don’t know the simple facts?
January 17th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
And this is the woman *Parker* thinks is nuts. I look forward to seeing more of her.
January 17th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
It’s unlikely that someone would have used dori-mu in Japan in the 20’s, at least from my understanding. I don’t think the practice of using English loanwords to be fasionable was popular until more recently. Now, if it’s someone repeating a word that he heard, maybe, but as noted previously, it’s more likely that someone would just use the Japanese word for dream (the gairaigo article on wikipedia is interesting, and has a link to a list of borrowed words used commonly in Japanese–though, as always, its accuracy depends on who’s been editing it recently–but it doesn’t tell you when they came into common usage, unfortunately).
I don’t know if it’s the number of syllables that’s important, but yumeji
(夢路, ゆã‚ã˜) means “dreaming.”
January 17th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I’d make the requisite “I think I saw a porno like this” joke, but one, I haven’t, and two, it’d be far too easy.
January 17th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Woah. Her hair is like…like a melted snow cone! Crazy @____@
January 17th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
:claps: parker said it just right in my opinion. she’s parker.. she’s brutally honest.. she doesn’t see it like “i have been a lesbian forever and just now came out” parker seems more like “guys are awesome.. but i think i like girls better… i’m just noticing this… am i becoming lesbian?” see.. works with her character.. people are just WAY too sensitive about political correctness.. neither parker nor i care how to nicely say something :nod:
January 18th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Ok I give you that Parker is crazy, and I’m sure that the phrasing was not meant to be insulting to anyone.
I just think it’s not a matter of being crazy or not in your phrasing or general behavior. Btw, having been bitten myself and having not yet committed the required murder mentioned by Jon Pander, I gotta say I would never put it like that. Not because I do not have a healthy dose of crazy myself (I do) but because you hear it from so many people in really ignorant settings (such as de-gaying camps) that it becomes a bit anathema.
ok. over thinking mumbo jumbo done. just my two cents.
January 18th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Wow…I didn’t even realize that was Daisy until I read the comments. I guess I’ve just forgotten some of the details during the intermission. Of course, given Daisy’s own hair-of-many-colors I doubt she was taken aback by Parker’s crazy locks.
True, the hair is the most *obvious* difference between real Parker and the ad. That said, there are a number of clues in the photo to indicate that several years have likely passed since it was snapped.
It’s probably the nature of the comic medium that has us looking at the obvious cues rather than the subtle (or not so subtle) ones. If we were looking at a real (rather than drawn) person and a photo from years gone by, we would probably see what Daisy sees immediately. Since we are looking at a a drawing, we may miss some of those same cues because we have trained ourselves to look for the obvious one that have been left there by the artist rather than the more subtle ones that the artist may (or sadly, in many cases, may not have) left there.
I have to give kudos to Esu for his artwork here. He did a really good job of capturing a “younger” Parker in the newspaper photo, and he only had half a person (in the photo) to work with. Seriously, remove the hair, and the other obvious clue, he still managed to put enough in there that I would have identified not only Parker, but that it was a younger Parker. a feat that I’m afraid many other artists in the medium may not have been able to pull off.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Bunch of PC pricks! stop pretending you believe people are ‘born’ gay. some events in their lives makes them become attracted to some sex.
so yeah,. she BECAME a lesbian.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:30 am
I said nothing about Parker’s hair, just her dialogue. Anyways, still, she’s a very ridiculous person.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:31 am
P.S.: My point was that people shouldn’t try to decide for themselves what actual lesbians would find offensive.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:40 am
How do you know Ice Cream Lady is his sister?
Only 25 posts?! What happened when I felt embarrassed to reply on a new page because of the previous 105,134 replies before me?! I guess daily or weekly updates do matter!
January 18th, 2009 at 9:41 am
it’s kind of rediculous that parker’s line has become such a controversy. i’m sure it could be interpretted as insulting but i doubt it was meant to, and some lesbians may find it offensive and others might not, same with bi, straight etc. people.
i’m just putting in my two pence that i’ve heard friends say ‘back when i was straight’ and also ‘before i realized i was-’ in the same conversation.
January 18th, 2009 at 11:10 am
“How do you know Ice Cream Lady is his sister?”
She shows up on page 84, still wearing “ice cream” hair. She identifies herself as Guy’s sister.
Check out the archives if you don’t beleive me.
January 18th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Wow, I show up a day and a half late and there’s a full-blown controversy…..
Well, instead of contributing, I’ll just say that I like how straight-Parker has straight hair and not-straight Parker has not-straight hair. That just seems like the type of decision and rationale she would use, and I applaud her hair design choice there, for what it’s worth.
And for the record, I had a friend who would talk just like Parker about the whole being gay thing….although in her case it was bisexuality and not homosexuality, but still…..I don’t think I ever heard her say come out or came out or anything like that.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
I agree with the comment about the artist’s work on showing a younger Parker. Sadly, many other artists in the medium would not have even tried. And yes, it is totally within the context of the character as written to go for the shock value of such a statement, just to see the reaction. And of course, Guy’s sis is cute, so, who knows, she may just be letting her know she’s available.
(See, Parker’s not the only one who will say stuff just to see the reaction,lol)
January 19th, 2009 at 2:05 am
How old is parker supposed to be in this story?
Btw I wonder how good a story “how parker met denny” would be.
January 19th, 2009 at 3:14 am
Has Anna already had her child, or was this (sequence) before she became pregnant? Or is she still but I didn’t catch it?
January 19th, 2009 at 6:01 am
hammerspace, we know how Parker met Denny. It’s in this little comic called Marry Me, on page 14.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:50 am
“Came out” doesn’t necessarily involve a change in haircut. A self-conscious makeover designed to change the identity you broadcast to the world does. And for *that*, rather than for the underlying sense of self, “became” is perfectly appropriate.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Calm down guys, We can all be united by our love for Parker, and forgive her for her lovely bluntness.
Now, “Dori-mu”. It’s unlikely any japanese person would have used “dori-mu” because it’s a romaji world, or adopted english. Say it fast with an accent (dorimu – dream. yep, romaji) The reason why it’s unlikely is that amercan-invasion didn’t start until after World War II, where it was suddenly fasionable to be as western as possible. (true there was some spill over before but nto nearly in the same scale.) The war ended in loss for Japan and America emerged as the major player, and Japan started to imitate American culture, and America started to imitate Japanese culture.
So, no, dori-mu probably wouldn’t have been used unless they were speaking to a non-japanese-speaker.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
About Dreamless… I agree that the chances of someone in 1920’s Japan using English loanwords are quite slim. If you want to use something foreign, you could use Portuguese or Dutch for older words (because they loaned quite a few words from those in the 16th and 17th century, like the Portuguese “pan” for “bread”), or German for more modern words (like “arubaito”/”arbeit” for “job”, and anything science, duty or medicine related). Especially after WWI Japan had quite some exchange with Germany.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I…don’t think she got the job, since saying that. XD I know a lot of people that would NOT want their kids in the presence of a lesbian. I think she just lost the babysitting job. Heh.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
wow – what’s up with the PC police?
Became a lesbian is absolutely fine. Parker isn’t trying to skirt around the issue – she is particularly candid and just tells it how it is.
January 19th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Holy Tapdancing Moses….
Feminism is dead. Long live its replacement, complaining-about-nothing-ism.
Parker is possibly the most brutally honest fictional character out there. She is the absolute epitome of what real feminists fought to make a reality. She’s strong, independent, and doesn’t give a flying fig what box anyone tries to pigeon-hole her into.
Her reward? Getting to listen to a bunch of neo-fems argue about whether her dialogue fits into their politically correct paradigm. If she believes that she became a lesbian because she got bit by a radioactive lesbo-spider, who cares? Who’s pigeon-holing now?
Feminism was about freedom and equality, once. Has it really devolved into just another thing to which women have to conform? A new establishment? Screw that. Way to set the movement back.
Sorry. Stuff like this drives me crazy. But maybe I’m just too old. Rant off.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
That´s a crazy sister, and Parker looked cute when she was straight, but… isn´t someone a little bit old for a babysitter? I mean, aren´t they almost the same age?
January 19th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
And on an entirely unrelated note, why is there an extra number after 1 800 BABYSIT? Folks using 8 digit phone numbers in Marry Me land?
Ok so I may be a leeeeeeetle bit OCD.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
# Merl Says:
January 19th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
And on an entirely unrelated note, why is there an extra number after 1 800 BABYSIT? Folks using 8 digit phone numbers in Marry Me land?
Ok so I may be a leeeeeeetle bit OCD.
Err… there’s a “1″ after the “t” in “babysit”.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Exactly. And babysit already has 7 characters. No need for the extra 1.
But like I said, that’s just me being nitpicky.
January 20th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Throwing my two cents in before I pass out, but. Can anyone out there actually picture Parker “coming out”? That sorta implies that she was hidden somewhere in the first place. I can’t wrap my mind around that. What force in the universe could actually make someone as unique and outgoing as Parker actually ever attempt to be in a closet? So my take on it is that she probably just hadn’t realized what gender she was into, or equally likely that she hadn’t cared. Or she liked guys at first, as someone suggested, or was bitten by the radio-active lesbian spider and hasn’t yet killed the head lesbian. (Kudos to Jon Pander and Merle for making this mini war-of-words much more entertaining!)
I’m also kind of into the idea of Parker just announcing something like that as pure shock value/ checking out his sister. Just in case she was bitten by lesbianism, too.
For the comic itself, I read Last Blood first many many months in the past and wasn’t certain of this one, but I read it straight through a few days ago and found myself unexpectedly loving it! That amazes me, since the feel of it is so different from Blood. I’ll be keeping up with this as often as it updates, without doubt.
January 20th, 2009 at 1:12 am
January 19th, 2009 at 6:01 am
hammerspace, we know how Parker met Denny. It’s in this little comic called Marry Me, on page 14
I just can’t imagine that this would be the first time parker got close enough to her idol not have been obstructed by a bodyguard. Ok I don’t know how long denny has been working as for stacy.
January 20th, 2009 at 3:13 am
Hammerspace – You have a point there. I am sure Parker was more than once recognized by someone in the road crew. I certainly wouldn’t put it past her to have gotten several autographs by now.
But while Parker meeting her idol for the first time and/or her adventures *trying* (much more room for misadventure) to meet her and failing, there is something else I would much rather see:
The first post-Africa interview. Probably with Oprah.
Oddly enough, this hypothetical interview could easily be spun in such a way as to recover any lost dignity so far as the public is concerned.
Nobody is going to believe Guy is really *that* perfect a match for what Stasia puts her boyfriends through – not if she just picked him randomly out of a crowd. It must have been set up somehow by the sister and the #1 fan even if all concerned deny it.
Everyone gets a good laugh, Stasia isn’t seen as totally nuts, and business continues as usual so far as the PR people are concerned.
January 20th, 2009 at 4:01 am
well, well, well… if Jon Pander isn’t back with his smart alick-ness.
Hey Bobby, as for your question regarding dori-mu, from what I could pull together (both from people I know who have been to japan and the good ol’ interwebs), either term would work. Depending where on japan the dream guy is from one or the other would be used. “Dori-mu” seems to be more urban.. or informal where as “Yume” is formal and really, the first word for dream. It can be found in a lot of older Japanese manuscripts and haikus.
Hope that helps.
January 20th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
actually the american invasion started in the 1880’s during the meiji restoration period. they even had a war among themselves where meiji’s ideas were rebelled against by the samurai. who were eventually weeded out and killed because they didn’t want to change the old ways. and for nearly a century the only people allowed to carry a sword in japan were members of the military. so dori-mu could easily have been part of the language by the 1920’s.. that tom cruise movie is actually though slightly inaccurate does tell a real story
January 20th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Hi, first time poster long time reader.
Dori-mu was very likely to be in existance during the 1920s, however it is not likely to have been as widely used as the native Japanese Yume. it is STILL not widely used actually, but mostly understood. katakana english words are most often used by younger people, or when no native japanese word exists, most people grow out of using english words fairly quickly. as for context, Yume is shockingly similar in intrinsic meaning to the english counterpart. yume means the kind of dreams you have at night, as well as the ambitions you may have for the future. however, in my experience Doriimu seems to be used only for the latter, not for the literal dreams you have at night, but its context can still be understood.
I hope my 2 cents (as a japanese language major currently living in japan) helped.
(Japanese language BA
January 20th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Cool! Thanks Vick and Nekki for your more in-depth answers!!
Geez, I’m learning a lot here.
So, from what I gather through reading the thread, both can be used but Yume would be more appropriate?
January 20th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Heh. I’m no Japanese major or anything, certainly, but from what I DO know of it, that’s true. Dorimu sounds exactly like a Japanese version of dream in katakana, and yume is far more likely to be heard.
Again, I’m DEFINITELY not a Japanese major – I’m just a fanfic writer, Marry Me and Dreamless reader, and an anime/manga lover, but I write too much fanfiction taking place in Japan to not know what I’m talking about here.
January 20th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
personally i think “became” is fine, not just because it’s something i can picture several people i know saying but because it actually made me laugh, that’s how dead-pan i hear it. i think it’s perfect, personally.
January 21st, 2009 at 12:56 am
As another student of Japanese (having recently done a project on loanwords from English), I’d said it’s very likely that “doriimu” was *around* in the 1920’s, but it’s extremely unlikely that it has ever been used in the exact same sense as “yume.” “Doriimu” is something you’d hear:
1. from a teenager or kid
2. in a book title
3. in pop music lyrics
So it really depends more on who is using it and why. In a serious context, 95% of loanwords that already had a Japanese equivalent before coming into use, will not fit.
January 21st, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Heya, first time posting as well…
Pretty much a lot of the Japanese katakana words came into use around the Meiji period when they were trying to modernize things, so it’s entirely possible that it was around. The only difference would be that Kanji may or may not have been used to write it. Words like Pari (Paris) and Persia (Perusha) along with a multitude of other katakana words had the reading of a kanji or the meaning of a kanji used to depict them, so the word Dorimu could quite possibly have been around and just not been in katakana. Or I could be totally wrong, I haven’t run into Dorimu as a word in any literature just yet…
(Japanese Language BA)
January 21st, 2009 at 8:37 pm
@ Hammerspace – actually I’m pretty sure that Denny was just security in Oklahoma. He’s from OK after all (remember when he explained to Stasia that in Oklahoma, if your best friend gets into a fight, so do you?). Not to mention that when they were trying to escape to the van, Stasia didn’t know who Denny was (though admittedly she didn’t know who Gary was, either). Anyway I think he was just someone hired for the concert in Oklahoma, not someone who traveled with them.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:05 pm
stuff keeps getting better, and better, around here thanks for the a most needed shot of inspiration
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Just a note for Eisu: I love everything about the art style overhaul except for the nose thing, it’s driving me insane.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Excuse me… Became? I don’t want to bring the old “born or become” but… damn, really?
January 24th, 2009 at 5:06 am
aww no page this week.. phooy.. ahh well this just gives me time to say something i just thought of and to let people know what the reverand nekki is doing in :points to guy and parkers home state: oklahoma. and tell you the problems i’m having with it. see i’m an ordained minister and am starting a service where i do commitment ceremonies for same gender couples. almost been arrested trying to advertise this fact.. well anyway i wanted to let people know something that could go wrong in this page here.. parker could get turned down for the job.. because in oklahoma you could have 15 differant colors in your hair:points: case in point with her. you could have a trailer hitch in your tongue and have dinner plates stuck in both your upper and lower lips so that they clack when you talk. but someone tells you they are a lesbian or gay and they are going to be near your kids? well suddenly they become unaccepting to you and turn to not like you for it. also if you anger them enough for being such a horrible immoral person they could lie and say you molested your children and state laws are set up that if someone does that you can’t prove your innocence. your branded as a “suspected pedophile” for life… but anyway sorry to kill everyones mellow just thought i’d put those 2 points up.. the service i’m starting and the truth about how much this state sucks for those of an “alternitive” sexuality
January 24th, 2009 at 5:28 am
daisy is the awesomest.
and parker… well, you know. same old parker.
can’t wait to read on.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:00 am
“duri-mu” might have been used after the 50s or something but I’m an idiot and have no idea. It’s from an English word, so it would be written in katakana… I’m pretty sure they would use the word “yume” since it’s been used since who knows when. I forget when Perry came over but they started using English words after that. Like “beer”. D: Biru.
Uuum… yeah. I don’t really think durimu is the real word for dream anyway. Sounds like one of their crazy drinks now that I think about it. Maybe some blue raspberry smoothie liquid thing that has a mermaid for its commercial.
I’m going to shut up now.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Hey.. Thanks for the word on the late update. It’s appreciated.
January 24th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
This is real comic makers hate webcomics. it’s not that they’re bad; it’s just that most webcomics don’t update in time.
January 24th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
LOL, what.
January 24th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Does anybody else think Parker’s ’straight’ hairstyle is super-cute? xD
January 25th, 2009 at 6:20 am
Nah, the reason real comic artists hate webcomics is that if the audience don’t get the art, they can debate it until they hash up some explanation that is the really cool, and the artist can then claim that was what they were saying…
As for debate on became/came out… When did that exactly change in common vernacular? Parker might know what she is, but not what the ‘acceptable’ terminology for the change is.
This was, after all, in past, back when Parker and Guy meet, and they had known each other for a while. And I’d bet good money that it’s after first but not second of Daisy’s childs. Would even stake a lot that I know what will happen… No one rememebrs to inform the babysat in the hassle after the Ferris Wheel stops AGAIN…
January 25th, 2009 at 11:15 am
i have nothing to say about the line “That was before i became a lesbian.” In my opinion its what a person with a confident, bold, blunt, and crazy personality like Parker would say. I liked it,not saying its something all women or guys can say but if you feel it doesnt reflect badly on your own self image than go ahead. And also i dont think the lady has any right to comment on her hair when it looks more normal then her own.
January 25th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Am i the only one here who is wondering if Guy’s sister will confront about her wording with “became” i mean,after all that came here in the comment section.
oh an excuse my miserable English.i’m originally from Germany.
January 25th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
i think guys sister is going to be like “cool. they have drinks in the fridge. if theres a problem theres numbers by the phone. and if theres a real problem call my brother”
January 25th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I don’t think crazy Daisy would have a problem with Parker being a lesbian… I think she was just surprised at the difference in appearance from what she was expecting and what showed up at her door.
@ TLein, Parker and Guy met in high school, right? I think Parker’s in high school here. Which would mean that Daisy has already had both kids. Guy was still pretty young when he helped deliver the second one, after all.
January 26th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Just my two cents here:
1) When I read that, the “became a lesbian” bit sounded weird to me, too. But it’s like Parker to sound weird, and it’s funnier than any other way to phrase it, which is the point of a punchline.
2) If she changed her haircut as a result of figuring out she was a lesbian/coming out/ acknowledging her attracting/however you want to phrase it, then maybe she felt the need to reconstruct her identity, and “become” a new person, her real self. In that case, “become” illustrates that change well. It wouldn’t mean “before I suddenly stopped being attracted to males and started being attracted to females”, but rather “before I embraced the real me”. And it’s like Parker to phrase it that way, don’t you think?
January 26th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Dude, just update already.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Yikes, guys, it’s just a word. There’s nothing offensive about the context of “became a lesbian.” To become means “to come into being,” and in context she’s pretty much right. Seeing as she applies the change as a reason for her hair and perhaps suggesting an overall attitude change. And besides, if you’re offended by something that small, maybe you’re just easy to offend. There’s obviously no harm meant by the statement.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Love the whole comic–brilliant stuff. Great story, great art. All is good!
Um. You’ve probably already gotten this, I don’t know. Wouldn’t the Japanese word be “yume”?
January 27th, 2009 at 8:13 am
“This is real comic makers hate webcomics. it’s not that they’re bad; it’s just that most webcomics don’t update in time.”
This is the internet, telling you how to use the English language.
Great side story, didn’t expect anything less from you guys! keep up the good work =)
oh and…the whole issue “became a lesbian” SHUT UP. Do you honestly need to get butt hurt that badly over a single line in a webcomic? I’m pretty sure everyone got the jist of what Parker was meaning. If you didn’t and you got hung up on that single line…I’ll just leave it at that…I’m literally speechless at the amount of comments about this “issue” (it’s so stupid..i can’t even call it a real issue)
January 27th, 2009 at 10:09 am
You know…I wonder how Daisy can find clothes that don’t totally clash with her hair…It must be a pain in the neck.
January 27th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
No comic…. aaaaaa…. I´ll have to dea with it…. buaaaaaaaaa
January 27th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
First of all, Parker’s shirt is cute. Second of all, Daisy’s audaciously pink cheeks and cracked-out hair make me giggle, both here and when I read Marry Me. Thirdly, I am so amused it hurts by this entire page. Thanks, guys! You both rock.
January 28th, 2009 at 2:39 am
@ Ellie
LOL, Possibly, although there’s SO many colors it could also be easy —
Also, from my POV, Blue hair is probably the easiest color to match… -__- Story of my H.S. career.. Blue hair Freshman to Sophomore year.
As long as the color is super dark or has blue tones it’ll work.. Red is something you have to DEF. stay away from though >.< Good Ol’ Contrasting Colors. 
Green and Orange are the toughest to match. -__-;
@ Noice and everyone else who’s agreeing with their statement about the “became” ‘issue’… You’re right – most ridiculous argument.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:52 am
Just replying on the question on Japanese language.
Foreign words would have definitely started to enter high literature in Japan during the 1920s, but it’s far more likely that ‘yume’ would have been used.
January 28th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Thanks for all the Japanese stuff, everyone, but I have no clue why people keep talking about “yume” or any words other than “dori-mu.” My question was very specific. I’m obviously not looking for what the most likely word was — I have access to google, you know.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
LOL XD that is a very Parker way of putting it. I love it.
Glad you’re back! ^_^
January 29th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
January 29th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Merl:
Exactly. And babysit already has 7 characters. No need for the extra 1.
That’s because it’s actually 222-9748 Extension 1.
BAB-YSIT Ext.1
BABYSIT1
Obviously.
Jenn:
You love my rapscalious wit and reparte and you know it.
Bobby:
Ah yes…. Google. The great equalizer of all knowledge to online denizens. Second only to http://www.basicquotations.com and wikipedia for being able to trick others into thinking one has more knowledge at their fingertips than they might actually possess. Not that Google isn’t marvelous – but a person always sounds smarter when they quote a famous person.
Or as Winston Churchill once said, “It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read a book of quotations.â€
Btw, I was not trying to imply that you aren’t smart just because you, like all people on the internet, have access to and are willing to use Google.
Plus I wanted an excuse to quote Winston Churchill.
I’m just being a smart alec, like Jenn pointed out
January 29th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Btw I have no idea what dori-mu and yume are either, except for that one sounds like a woman in a mumu who eats too many doritos, and the other sounds like an online dating service. Get it? Yu Me?
January 29th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Funny story, Bobby.
I tried to look on Wikipedia for dori-mu, to see the origin of the word/term/etc – and so I’d be able to tell you if it was used to mean ‘dream’ back in the 1920s.
(btw I found it was used as the word as early as 1968 because I found a japanese quote which apparently used that word from that year.)
Anyhoo…. I found a wikipedia website
http://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dori-mu&action=edit&redlink=1
which was apparently a page on ‘dori-mu’.
And it’s in … I guess japanese.
Which I can’t read.
So for all I know I found the webpage which answers your question, but my ineptitude at reading any language other than english is keeping me from knowing.
Funny, huh?
January 29th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
As for the Japanese, my guess is that the normal Japanese people wouldn’t say it; they’d use something else. But I’m thinking the foreigners would use it, as part of an arrogant way of trying to input English as the most important language.
So to answer Bobby’s question, I would say yes, but only foreigners would say it.
January 29th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
@ Jon Pander: As the URL itself indicates, that page is actually one of those Wikipedia pages saying they don’t have an entry for that but you can make one. All the text on it is instructions for how to edit Wikipedia.
…I can’t read Japanese either. I have a translator ;P
January 29th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
@ Pander
1. “Jenn:
You love my rapscalious wit and reparte and you know it.” .. You got me.
2. “I’m just being a smart alec, like Jenn pointed out
Plus I wanted an excuse to quote Winston Churchill.” .. Churchill Rocks.. as for the alecing.. you’re so good at it..
3. “Btw I have no idea what dori-mu and yume are either, except for that one sounds like a woman in a mumu who eats too many doritos, and the other sounds like an online dating service. Get it? Yu Me?”
LOL .. I think I just laughed so hard I cried at that Yu Me thing.. you’re kinda right. XD
January 29th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
P.S.
COMIC.. WITHDRAWAL. :<
January 30th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Chill out?
It’s sometimes better to stick to a schedule than to just jump off track for a bit. So a week was skipped. It happens. Deal with it. Updating on a weekly basis isn’t a trip through the park, y’know?
So quitchyer whinin’.
January 30th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Foreigners wouldn’t say it. Young generation of pro-american Japanese youngsters would say it in XXI century. Because many words are from American English cause simply, before the occupation they hadn’t had some things like skirt (ska-to). So now, basically young Japanese English learners use Jap-Eng mixed words. As i said before they wouldn’t say dorimu for sure, back then. But I understand you really need that word for your graphic novel. So why not use it anyway… Lege Artis.
January 30th, 2009 at 10:28 am
So…it’s Friday.
*looks around*
I…don’t see a comic.
January 30th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
hello? are they ever going to update the webcomic?
January 30th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
First time reading?!?
Dan.. STFU. Seriously. It’s free, it’s fantastic when it comes, just take what they GIVE you and deal. There is obviously situations behind the scenes going on. All you are going to do is incite Bobby to ban you, or yet ANOTHER rant from fanboys/Hulk-author. We waited months and months for this to re-start. A week or three won’t kill us.
January 30th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Nienna: “I can’t read Japanese either. I have a translator ;P”
Cheater.
Jenn: “Churchill Rocks.. as for the alecing.. you’re so good at it.. ”
Years of practice.
“LOL .. I think I just laughed so hard I cried at that Yu Me thing.. you’re kinda right. XD”
Just assume anything I say is right. It makes life both simpler and a lot more hilarious.
Dan: “are they ever going to update the webcomic?”
No they aren’t. That’s how the comic ends. It’s a cliffhanger. The loose threads will be resolved in a direct to DVD movie, sort of like how it was with Stargate SG-1.
crazeyal: “All you are going to do is incite Bobby to ban you,”
Which in itself is always entertaining to watch.
“or yet ANOTHER rant from fanboys/Hulk-author.”
Wha? When did we bring Stan Lee into this?
“We waited months and months for this to re-start. A week or three won’t kill us.”
Or…. will it?
January 30th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Pander:
Dan: “are they ever going to update the webcomic?â€
No they aren’t. That’s how the comic ends. It’s a cliffhanger. The loose threads will be resolved in a direct to DVD movie, sort of like how it was with Stargate SG-1.
So it starts in the present and ends halfway through the past? I didn’t realize I was reading the webcomic version of LOST!!!! That’s amazing!
comiccomiccomic…..
January 30th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
XD SG-1…
January 30th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
@ Dan
You must be new around these parts. Bobby updates when he updates. Relax and just check back every week or two.
January 31st, 2009 at 2:20 am
Brent: “So it starts in the present and ends halfway through the past? I didn’t realize I was reading the webcomic version of LOST!!!! That’s amazing! ”
Yes. Bobby is a visionary.
January 31st, 2009 at 11:03 am
Where’s the updaaaaaaaaaaate?
-kicks legs-
January 31st, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Bah, people are too PC sometimes. Hell, I’M gay and I thought it was hilarious. It lended a nonchalant, maybe even sarcastic sort of air to the last panel. Even I say “became a lesbian” sometimes; it’d be a tall order to have to police everything you say, for the rest of your life. And hey, it just doesn’t offend me. I know the truth about how people realize their orientation, and so do many others. Being PC for the sake of those who don’t “get it” is an exercise in pointlessness…it’s almost patronizing, like you’re making them take part in the worst episode of Sesame Street ever.
So, I love this comic, and take no offense. Being PC can lead to just as many misunderstandings and even more confusion, plus the whole message can get lost in translation. Let’s just forget PC and offend everyone equally, eh? XD
January 31st, 2009 at 8:31 pm
my god, that has to be the most wonderful thing i’ve heard in a debate in a while.
by the way, is there an illness or injury we should be wishing a speedy recovery for, or is it just that “this time of the year/cabin fever” kinda thing?
February 1st, 2009 at 10:26 am
i like what Jay Bee has to say. it seems to me that it would be impossible to never offend anyone, so if it’s going to happen, lets make sure everyone is offended equally
February 1st, 2009 at 4:25 pm
3 cheers for offending EVERYONE.
Also, is it just me, or does Daisy get more hilarious with every passing second? I keep looking at the progression of her facial expressions and it just cracks me up. Fabulous.
February 1st, 2009 at 9:54 pm
“Jay Bee Says:
January 31st, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Bah, people are too PC sometimes. Hell, I’M gay and I thought it was hilarious. It lended a nonchalant, maybe even sarcastic sort of air to the last panel. Even I say “became a lesbian†sometimes; it’d be a tall order to have to police everything you say, for the rest of your life. And hey, it just doesn’t offend me. I know the truth about how people realize their orientation, and so do many others. Being PC for the sake of those who don’t “get it†is an exercise in pointlessness…it’s almost patronizing, like you’re making them take part in the worst episode of Sesame Street ever.
So, I love this comic, and take no offense. Being PC can lead to just as many misunderstandings and even more confusion, plus the whole message can get lost in translation. Let’s just forget PC and offend everyone equally, eh? XD”
That is the best thing written here that wasn’t in the comic ever!!! Jay Bee for president in 2012!!! (You do live in the US, right?)
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
No offense, but only university students would be studying other languages, or people working in trade in 1920s Japan. The word ‘Dorimu’ would definitely NOT have been used in everyday life, which I am assuming is what you want it for.
People only used foreign words when actually speaking a foreign language or when writing in high literature at this point in time. I’m a finalist undergrad studying Japanese, and I’ve been studying Modern Literature this year – from what I understand, ‘dorimu’ would appear in katakana in texts perhaps, but not in newspapers or everyday conversation.
The word ‘yume’ is the actual Japanese word would have been used. ‘Dorimu’ would not have been in use. Unless your character is a debonair intellectual studying at Imperial, he most definitely will not be using it. Is there a very special reason that you need to use ‘dorimu’ over ‘yume’? I’m quite well acquainted with Japanese language, so feel free to ask me if you need more detailed help.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Site appears to have swallowed my reply… No offense, but there’s no really simple answer to what you’re asking, because there’s rarely a simple answer with languages.
In short terms – no, the word ‘dori-mu’ was not used in in 1920s Japan.
In long terms – I’d need more information before I could tell you. I’m a finalist undergrad studying Japanese language.
It is POSSIBLE that the word would have been in use in high literature and intellectual circles at the time. So if this is dialogue for a debonair intellectual studying at Imperial University, then you can probably use it. If they were using it, they’d be using it show off though.
If your character has absolutely no interaction with foreign language or a university or trading in a large city like Tokyo or Osaka, then no, they would not use ‘dori-mu’ under any circumstances.
In summary, the possibility that ‘dori-mu’ would actually get used is VERY SMALL. I’ve kinda already said, but I’d need more information in order to help you out. I hope it works out.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I think Eisu has been very busy lately. New page soon hopefully. Got him the script 11 days ago.
I don’t know why people keep assuming I’m a total moron about the Japanese language stuff. Obviously I have access to google and can see in one second that “yume” is the proper word. I don’t give a shit about the proper word. There was a very specific reason to want to use “dori-mu” instead and ALL I NEEDED TO KNOW IS IF IT’S AT ALL IN ANY CONCEIVABLE WAY POSSIBLE, which has been answered 20 times now, thank you. And just to let you know, it’s not at all an issue anymore — decided to go in a totally different direction where the Japanese word for “dream” never even needs to be used.
Intergal: Just read/approved your second comment. Almost all comments need to be approved first, which is why you thought your first one was swallowed. The translation for both of your comments = yes, it is possible that it was said by someone in the ’20s, which is all I needed, but thank you for the extra info.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Ah-ha, so that’s what it was. I didn’t see the message flash up.
I apologise if I came across as patronising, but if it’s any consolation, I can understand your fustration. I thought it better to err on the side of a lot of information, than just give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Katakana words are like that.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
@ Jon Pander: Yes. I am a firm believer in cheating. (Okay okay, as long as it’s not in academics.) Life’s more fun when you don’t actually have to do stuff.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Then Bobby, would you be able to edit the news post to take out the request for japanese “dori-mu” information? Otherwise, still more people will come and see it and not have time to read all of the posts and think they’re helping you by providing what they know, and instead of a simple “thank you, but I have all the information I need” they might get someone jumping down their throats.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 pm
“Then Bobby, would you be able to edit the news post to take out the request for japanese ‘dori-mu’ information?”
Why would I want to confuse everyone new who reads the comments and has no clue why everyone’s talking about dori-mu? And if I simply added a “Got everything I need, thanks!” to the blog post, that still wouldn’t stop anyone from giving their opinion on it, I’m sure. So no, it would be bad/pointless to change it at all.
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Nienna: “Yes. I am a firm believer in cheating. (Okay okay, as long as it’s not in academics.)”
Rowr.
“Life’s more fun when you don’t actually have to do stuff.”
I have nothing more to teach you, young padawan.
February 4th, 2009 at 6:01 am
soooo, whens the next update…how longs it been??
February 5th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Stupid argument over word choice aside, it’s great to be back. I am seriously laughing to tears over Jon Pander’s comments. XD
February 5th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Wow, my first time reading the comments and I walk in on a comment war ._.;;
A rather hilarious one at that (mostly what Jon Pander is saying. He should make a comic full of his advice XD)
February 5th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Seriously, where’s the update?
February 5th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Alicia: “I am seriously laughing to tears over Jon Pander’s comments. XD”
I evoke tears in many women.
Okay not sure if that sounded dirty, psychopathic, or just sad….
Nabexis: “A rather hilarious one at that (mostly what Jon Pander is saying. He should make a comic full of his advice XD)”
My mind is far too disjointed to ever make a coherent comic.
Then again, incoherent trains of thought do work well for
http://www.smbc-comics.com … Hrm……
February 6th, 2009 at 2:56 am
When’s the next comic coming out? I keep checking every day but no dice!
February 6th, 2009 at 6:05 am
I discovered your comic the day the most recent panel was posted. I read the entire thing in one sitting.
I really enjoyed it. So here’s a new fan sending encouragement your way!
(Please don’t quit!)
February 6th, 2009 at 6:57 am
*checks comic*
*rolls eyes*
*surpresses snarky comment*
*makes mental note for next week*
February 6th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Serously where is the next update…
im getting tired of seing that blue/green haired woman 2-4 times every day!
February 6th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
@MaEeRiQ, simple solution: Instead of checking back 2-4 times a day, check back once every Friday when the comic is scheduled to update. Usually in the evening is a good time..
@Jon Pander: LOL at SMBC.
@Alicia: HI!
February 6th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Decent time reader, first time commenter:
Just felt like saying “It’s just wording it doesn’t really matter in the long run.” about the “became a lesbian” and “I miss the comic!”
I love the comic!!
February 6th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Started reading the comments to see if there was any reason given for the delay…
AND COULD NOT STOP READING.
You guys are like a train wreck.
Nice to see the lesbian debate get brought up, explored, wrapped around, and resolved. Hopefully I’m not the only person coming away from this page feeling oddly more educated. (And on the Internet, who knew?)
Oh, and Jon Pander is my new favorite person. With Brent running a close second.
February 6th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
hmmmm week 3 w/o update, if you manage to keep up that pace, you’ll probably get feb over – having not posted a single update^^
February 6th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Wow, we seriously have a lot of new readers… I mean, I haven’t seen a page with this much “Where’s the update?” comments since we first missed a couple of weeks update way back when with the first story…
I am actually laughing at this…
February 7th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
@Marzipan – Jon Pander is my new favorite person ever as well. XD You too Brent!
The sarcaism is uber awesome.
February 8th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
“That is the best thing written here that wasn’t in the comic ever!!! Jay Bee for president in 2012!!! (You do live in the US, right?)”
Psh, a woman president? Geez, why don’t you just put a black dude in the office? I mean, come on.
Jay Bee for President is an awesome sounding campaign, but I don’t know if they let overpronounced abbreviations. Maybe JB for President, or Jetbunny for President. Hm.
February 10th, 2009 at 7:35 am
“Psh, a woman president? Geez, why don’t you just put a black dude in the office? I mean, come on.”
Ouch… somebody hits below the belt! Well, Brent, that must mean she’s Canadian.
…But I’d totally vote you for PM.
February 10th, 2009 at 11:22 am
@the author mentioned that he hadnt desided if he would put up the late page asap or wait till next friday, therefor i checked daily AND its not easy remembering wich comic updates on what day when one follows 7-10 different comics
March 24th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I just found “dreamless” and it’s very intriguing so far. I love the style of the artwork too. Thanks for writing it, I look forward to more.