[2 May 12] Tickle each others' brain-stems

[IS_Wolf]

Shouldn't Harley be cheating by using a Mallet as opposed to a golf club?
And then mixing up Golf with Croquet?

[Captain LeBubbles]

*doodle*

Shouldn't Harley be cheating by using a Mallet as opposed to a golf club?
And then mixing up Golf with Croquet?

Harley and Doc Harleen are not the same person. Doc is just cosplaying.

[NobodySpecial]

Attractive people get diversity and depth.( ....) But in this setting, if you're fat, you're a generally unlikeable person.

That's pretty realistic, as far as I can tell. Fat teens get no love.

[Freemage]

Attractive people get diversity and depth.( ....) But in this setting, if you're fat, you're a generally unlikeable person.

That's pretty realistic, as far as I can tell. Fat teens get no love.

Okay, let me clarify--if you're fat in this universe, then you have a personality that would make you unpleasant even if you were suddenly pretty (see: Karen).

It's not that any one of these portrayals is unrealistic (in that there are, quite obviously, unpleasant fat people in the world); it's that when taken as a whole, it's an unrealistically narrow portrayal of fat people. And it's definitely a stronger tendency here than in Fans!--in addition to the other characters I already looked at, we also had Timmespin and Katherine, who, while they both had serious issues, like Laura, those didn't relate to their weight so much.

[JerrBear]

I was asking mainly because it's hard to detect a jesting and/or sarcastic tone online. Unless it's obvious like the jokes above.

I've run into the attitude (the one where people think there's no such thing as being happy and fat) before. It's insulting. For me, the biggest insult is that I have to be unhappy just because I am fat, and due to being fat. My weight has nothing to do with whether I am happy or not.

Heh, interesting. Now, I can obviously only speak for myself, but while I am quite happy nowadays, I would definitely be happier if I wasn't this overweight, and I was happier when I wasn't this overweight.
I'm not saying your attitude is wrong somehow, quite the contrary. It's just so different from mine.

I didn't think you were saying it's wrong. I got the jist of it. I'm not saying I'm 100% happy, just that being chubby (obese) hasn't made me unhappy since I was 19. Hell, one could make an argument my taste in chubby men influences my outlook somewhat. However, there are fat people who aren't attracted to fat people but are "fat positive" (even like being fat).

There's plenty of factors why anyone is unhappy.

[LookingIn]

With the utmost respect to Valerie(and you have it!) I think we are digging for something that isn't there, if there are gender issues(Ronnie really a female? transgendered? transsexual?) they aren't there yet.

Taken at face value Jade called him man, which could be something natural to her and could be like saying "dude" or "bro". If there were gender issues Ronnie would have gone off on her for that than for not being let in on the in-joke between Jade and Lisa.

And the "you smart girls" can be taken at face value when you consider the whole statement around it. "I'll leave you smart girls to tickle each other's brainstems" meaning I'll leave you two to your in-joke. Said with gruff, jerkish meaning, it is more of an indication of anger, dissappointment and hinting at something more coming but not gender related issues.

I hope I am right in there is something else planned for Ronnie that isn't gender related but rather depression or trust related...I don't want to get on my knees and beg forgiveness to Valerie

[phagocyte]

don't be that guy, ron

i was that guy

it was fun for no one

[FlyingFish]

With the utmost respect to Valerie(and you have it!) I think we are digging for something that isn't there, if there are gender issues(Ronnie really a female? transgendered? transsexual?) they aren't there yet.

Taken at face value Jade called him man, which could be something natural to her and could be like saying "dude" or "bro". If there were gender issues Ronnie would have gone off on her for that than for not being let in on the in-joke between Jade and Lisa.

And the "you smart girls" can be taken at face value when you consider the whole statement around it. "I'll leave you smart girls to tickle each other's brainstems" meaning I'll leave you two to your in-joke. Said with gruff, jerkish meaning, it is more of an indication of anger, dissappointment and hinting at something more coming but not gender related issues.

I hope I am right in there is something else planned for Ronnie that isn't gender related but rather depression or trust related...I don't want to get on my knees and beg forgiveness to Valerie

Seconded. Ronnie might be MtF or undecided, but I'm almost positive s/he (I'll go with "he" until shown otherwise) isn't cisfemale. Here's why:
1) Jade knows Ronnie well enough to know his name.
2) Jade is in the same dorm as Ronnie.
3) Jade therefore should be aware where Ronnie's room is, and who his roommate is.
4) The latter if not the former should be enough to determine his physical sex (unless either this is a very liberal school that doesn't consider sex and gender for roommate arrangements, or Ronnie's roomie is just as hard to ID).
5) Just to further clarify, Ron is exiting the bathroom, and although we can't see whether it's the men's or women's room, Jade presumably knows which is which.
6) Jade, with this information, called Ronnie "Ron", a masculine name.

Of course, the alternative is that Jade knows damn well Ronnie is a she and called her "Ron" anyway out of lack of consideration or deliberate insult, in which case I don't blame Ronnie at all for being bitter and defensive, and only regret that she didn't slap Jade.

Anyway:

"What are you laughing at?"

Try to keep your voice calm, add a curious note. Leave out the accusation, don't get their defenses up. Let your voice tell them you just want to share the joke. It's not about you, it's not about you. You're not making it about you, you just want to share the joke.

[cut for several more heartbreaking lines]

Bravo. I've never been at that level myself, but I stood near it for a couple years in middle school (didn't spiral down the drain largely due to the support of my family), and a few years ago I engaged in some long-form RP of a character who was slowly dragged away from it kicking and screaming. It is a scary place to be.

[Otaking]

It could be a unisex bathroom, the horror of the modern world.

I think Ronnie's a dude though.

[AmberBeth84]

Until it's stated otherwise, I think Ronnie is cis male. No assumption as to his his sexual orientation though.

[Artemisia]

It could be a unisex bathroom, the horror of the modern world.

I think Ronnie's a dude though.

Huh?

My college has several unisex bathrooms- heck all but two of them are. One seater unisex bathrooms as wonderful!

[Freemage]

It could be a unisex bathroom, the horror of the modern world.

I think Ronnie's a dude though.

Huh?

My college has several unisex bathrooms- heck all but two of them are. One seater unisex bathrooms as wonderful!

A single-person unisex bathroom is awesome.

A multi-seater unisex bathroom is, quite possibly, the most terrifying thing I can think of (and yes, they do exist). Hell, I'm not fond of multi-seater monosex bathrooms, but the notion of having a woman in the next stall over skeeves me out on a completely different level.

[Kamino Neko]

A multi-seater unisex bathroom is, quite possibly, the most terrifying thing I can think of (and yes, they do exist).

In college dorms, for instance.

My res was unusual, in many ways - it was set up as houses, and the only way the sexes were segregated was that double rooms were single-sex (as was one house) - in fact, the rooms were arranged boy-girl-boy-girl - and the only bathrooms (which had 2 stalls, 2 sinks, and a shower, each) that were single-sex were the ones in the all-girl house.

The idea that this would be weird in a residence situation is absolutely mindboggling to me.

[child-of-fae]

^ exactly.
only the single sex dorm buildings have single sex bathrooms but even then other sexes can use them.
there's anywhere from two to five maybe six in each bathroom.
same goes for showers.

i don't get why it's so freaky to people.
no one cares what you're doing cause everyone's there for the same reason
(okay, well, i kinda get it, but i was told the whole "no one cares" thing when i was in eighth grade and it hasn't bothered me since, and i'm one of those nervous pee-ers, if i'm not relaxed i can't go.)

[Ameyal]

It's too soon to judge Ron based on this single appearance, so I'm gonna hate Lisa by proxy.