I think everyone just automatically assumes that Lucas is the thoroughly reasonable, well-adjusted counterpoint to Ethan and therefore should be infallible.
Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I read konoya’s comment as more as a general frustration with the opinion Lucas holds, rather than an accusation of him being written out-of-character. I could be overly optimistic here, but I like to believe most people recognize that good characterization as meaning that a character will sometimes act “against character” since humans are full of contradictions, fail to live up to their ideals by varying degrees and are inconsistent far more often than they admit. Then again, maybe I’m just projecting because that was my reaction – more of a “Dammit Lucas,… Read more »
Oh, I wasn’t necessarily trying to refute konoya. I was just responding to RoL to reinforce the point they were making, that Lucas does issues of his own.
well its kinda your fault Time, You wrote Lucas exactly like your are describing in the Old Universe before the reboot, so i guess we need to see more of Lucas then. Anyway is good stuff.
Let’s face it, compared to Ethan, Lucas is going to look normal by comparison. But I do like Tim how you show Lucas’s flaw bit by bit, lets us get a real good feel for his character and where he is coming from.
Well I think it is pretty natural for people to make connection to stuff prior to the reboot. It is also natural that more details of his character will come out slowly as the comic progresses. There has obviously been other changes revealed too.
RoL
4 years ago
Lucas. Come on, you were doing so well until this point.
Is it me, or is Lucas getting better at speaking to his audience? Because find someone new sounds like good advice to me. Fill the void. But you can’t say it like that to Ethan.
lol. when I was 20 my AOL profile had ‘relationship status’ listed as “I’m looking to fill an opening” and in 1999, I thought that was FRICKIN’ HILARIOUS.
Mr Todd the Fox
4 years ago
Disagree with the “End messy” remark. I’ve had a lovely gf, and though we aren’t together anymore we’re still friends. It ended amicably and were both happily with new people.
I didn’t read it as such, instead he was clarifying the circumstances of his next statement.
“Relationships that end, [ones that] end messy. [Ones where] Nobody gets closure. There’s only one way to avoid… [them].”
In your case you went from one type of relationship to another. That changes the situation a little where it does not end messy. I’ve been in both situations and usually it does get a tad messy sadly.
I agree, and I *think* Tim would agree as well. I’m pretty sure this panel is meant to clue us in to the fact that Lucas is not a paragon of sound reasoning when it comes to relationship advice.
I agree with you, but no one is saying Lucas has to be correct. Like anyone in reality would, he is likely speaking from personal experience.
Tumbleweed
4 years ago
An exercise in duality. The same condition that makes you happy today, can make you unhappy tomorrow. “When a condition or situation that the mind has attached itself to and identified with changes or disappears, the mind cannot accept it. It will cling to the disappearing condition and resist the change. It is almost as if a limb were being torn off your body. ” – Eckhart Tolle.
Cragfast
4 years ago
He’s gay, so of course he’s sexually promiscuous. Thanks so much for reinforcing this harmful stereotype.
And the problem comes down to the fact that the stereotype is entrenched in reality…the solution isn’t in denying it’s existence, but in providing a counterpoint which as far as the story goes, could see character growth for Lucas as he evolves into a more mature individual with different views from those currently presented.
Lucas has issues with relationships, stemming from a very specific event. It has nothing to do with his sexuality. If Lucas is promiscuous, it’s because he doesn’t want to let anyone get too close, and I have given you more than enough dialogue to support that. His “advice” such as “everyone lies in relationships” and “just date a lot of people so you dont get hurt” clearly comes from a place OTHER THAN “I’m gay so let’s fuck, lol.”
So are you sure it’s ME reinforcing a harmful stereotype?
Thank you for your reply. I am glad you understand how incredibly hurtful it would be so see the “All Gays Are Promiscuous” trope played out yet again, and the responsibility you have to deal with such issues in a sensitive and respectful manner.
There just might be a corellation between being in tune enough with your own sexuality to accept being gay, and being in tune enough with your own sexuality to actually engage with and enjoy it.
The root harm isn’t from stereotyping homosexuality, but associating stigma with promiscuity itself.
Or to put it in modern vernacular: there’s no such thing as a slut. People enjoy sex; get over it, prude.
You know who else is getting down way more? Old people. And why wouldn’t they? They have less to risk and a lifetime of experience that taught them not to care what you think.
First people cried when Lucas talked about disposable pens because they thought it was misogynist. Now he’s gay and you’re crying about stereotypes. Some people really are just looking for any reason to be offended. ?
Boomchickenpop
4 years ago
Relate so much to this….it is exactly what I did. At this point it is always “Meh” every relationship that ends. Screw emotional damage man lol
… which gives the character space to grow and evolve over time. He’s got baggage, and it’ll take the right experience to help him unwind it and change his tune.
Nobody comes complete from the beginning, some assembly required.
Maybe, but it is arrogance nevertheless. Lucas will get what’s coming to him
James Rye
4 years ago
Now I worry how many hearts of men Lucas has broken in his life…
Admiral Casual
4 years ago
Y’know, that’s actually REALLY good advice. You could either keep emotionally distant from anyone and everyone because of your line of work, and end up alone, depressed, and possibly suicidal. A VERY bad thing for someone who can’t die. Or, you can opt to just accept that this is just how things are and try to be happy in life regardless. So what if marriage, a pack of 20 kids and a suburban home isn’t in the cards? You can still rail that atrociously hot blonde like a dangerous ledge before going out on your super hero patrol.
An interesting hypothesis: Perhaps Ethan’s power (not dying but returning essentially the same) could be a result of not accepting loss and change. That static nature of Ethan’s power could be tied to the same thing that makes him hard to accept change in his life, his games, etc (not saying what that is – fear or change, fear of uncertainty, the psychic injury caused by massive loss, etc). The other funny thought that just came to me: Ethan’s power reminds me of a scene in either Highlander the movie or Highlander the series where a drunken, immortal Macleod gets… Read more »
plenty ones likely… I wonder if part of lucas history bleeds from 1.0 (aka one time where his date literally wanted to kill him)
FITCamaro
4 years ago
I wish so many weren’t saying how true this is. Relationships should have meaning. Just because one doesn’t work out doesn’t mean the next won’t. I went on so many first dates that ultimately ended in rejection (and I don’t mean for a one night stand, I mean just for a second date). Yeah it sucked. But you move on, get over it, and keep trying until you meet the right one. I appreciate Ethan’s thoughtfulness on this subject.
That’s kind of misrepresenting what was being said. Relationships end, but that does not mean it would be better if they were devoid of meaning or deeper connection than the strictly physical. Or that their failure isn’t something one should feel some sense of loss about. It’s really not about not feeling a sense of loss. If there’s no sense of loss, seems like the relationship wasn’t much of one and you might have been wasting your time. Loss is human and helps us grow in understanding if we don’t try to deny the lessons loss teaches (about the ephemeral… Read more »
Alexander Tinsley
4 years ago
…Lucas just made a huge mistake with that advice. Also I think he forgot what led to Ethan dating Emily in the first place.
Did I just predict the next story beat?
Vedrit
4 years ago
Wow, that’s a pretty…. CALLOUS way to look at things.
YYYEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!
The Legacy
4 years ago
Oof. This comic hits way too close to home. ?
Alex
4 years ago
Never liked Emiliy, i hope you kill her on a villan attack or something
I would prefer a scenario where Emily is in a lie-threatening situation, and she is rescued by Analog. His identity is somehow revealed, Emily apologizes, but Ethan doesn’t take her back. He forgives, but not forgets
Well, it probably took a lot for Ethan to reveal his identity, and Emily still accused him of lying. She’s NOT a victim…….and Ethan shouldn’t be so submissive as to forget what she did. Forgiveness is no longer hating someone who wronged you, not erasing all consequences
Alex
4 years ago
My advice for people is to NOT have any releationships at all. Friends? Sure. Romantic? no, if you have you know URGES well there is the internet for that. You get used to it in a couple of years, but this only works for a very minority of people, like me and probably Ethan (?)
Starkill
4 years ago
I have never related more to Lucas…..hm….
Twopaw Tarnished-Silver
4 years ago
So one of Ethan’s superpowers is, in fact, giving someone the hose again? Man, he’s a darker hero than I thought he was already, To think he is yet the hero we need, but hardly deserve! ^_^
Nova
4 years ago
Who the hell hurt Lucas? Will there be a flashback explaining this?
MacLeod
4 years ago
Lol, Everyone’s all “Duuur, Lucas is messed up!”
and i’m like “Yall didn’t know that with the Pen talk he had with Ethan?”
Good job Tim with the characters.
raven0ak
4 years ago
Or, prove emily wrong and visit her window with your partner while in costumes
Peter Piers
4 years ago
Random thought – I wonder how many young people on the street today would know that quote. I wonder how many people will know it in fifteen years’ time.
This is a great way to feel old, by the way.
Join the discussion
4 years ago
56 post Comment
??
Rakshiir
4 years ago
Rereading the comic I do think it is more obvious that Lucas here has some unresolved issues.
There have been hints here and there, but it gets more obvious that there is some past thats still to be discovered.
24
I tell you this, Ethan is getting the brooding part of the super hero world down pact!
Well thats not the advice that I would have wanted to hear
Or just don’t invest emotionally, physical relationships only help get that emotional callous.
Jesus, that’s terrible advice. Not all relationships that end end messily. What a ridiculous notion.
I believe the implication here is that Lucas is not as well adjusted as we were all led to believe, not that it’s solid relationship advice
I think everyone just automatically assumes that Lucas is the thoroughly reasonable, well-adjusted counterpoint to Ethan and therefore should be infallible.
Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I read konoya’s comment as more as a general frustration with the opinion Lucas holds, rather than an accusation of him being written out-of-character. I could be overly optimistic here, but I like to believe most people recognize that good characterization as meaning that a character will sometimes act “against character” since humans are full of contradictions, fail to live up to their ideals by varying degrees and are inconsistent far more often than they admit. Then again, maybe I’m just projecting because that was my reaction – more of a “Dammit Lucas,… Read more »
Oh, I wasn’t necessarily trying to refute konoya. I was just responding to RoL to reinforce the point they were making, that Lucas does issues of his own.
well its kinda your fault Time, You wrote Lucas exactly like your are describing in the Old Universe before the reboot, so i guess we need to see more of Lucas then. Anyway is good stuff.
I understand WHY people may have that assumption of Lucas. I’m just saying he’s not quite that black and white this time around.
I like it. Allows you to spring some unexpected funnies on us like the double-date fiasco.
Let’s face it, compared to Ethan, Lucas is going to look normal by comparison. But I do like Tim how you show Lucas’s flaw bit by bit, lets us get a real good feel for his character and where he is coming from.
I’m with you on Time being at fault, but Time also heals all wounds and makes fools of us all. And after all, Time is money.
Yes, we all know you meant Tim, but I just couldn’t resist.
Well I think it is pretty natural for people to make connection to stuff prior to the reboot. It is also natural that more details of his character will come out slowly as the comic progresses. There has obviously been other changes revealed too.
Lucas. Come on, you were doing so well until this point.
Don’t we all…
Is it me, or is Lucas getting better at speaking to his audience? Because find someone new sounds like good advice to me. Fill the void. But you can’t say it like that to Ethan.
lol. when I was 20 my AOL profile had ‘relationship status’ listed as “I’m looking to fill an opening” and in 1999, I thought that was FRICKIN’ HILARIOUS.
Disagree with the “End messy” remark. I’ve had a lovely gf, and though we aren’t together anymore we’re still friends. It ended amicably and were both happily with new people.
It says, “Relationships that end messy…” not “Relationships end messy.” The “that” is a qualifier that indicates some, not all…
Wow people are really upset about this strip.
It is not “Relationships that end messy…”
but “Relationships that end, end messy” – that is what he says.
That means any relationship that ends will end messy.
You should read that sentence again…
I didn’t read it as such, instead he was clarifying the circumstances of his next statement.
“Relationships that end, [ones that] end messy. [Ones where] Nobody gets closure. There’s only one way to avoid… [them].”
In your case you went from one type of relationship to another. That changes the situation a little where it does not end messy. I’ve been in both situations and usually it does get a tad messy sadly.
I agree, and I *think* Tim would agree as well. I’m pretty sure this panel is meant to clue us in to the fact that Lucas is not a paragon of sound reasoning when it comes to relationship advice.
I agree with you, but no one is saying Lucas has to be correct. Like anyone in reality would, he is likely speaking from personal experience.
An exercise in duality. The same condition that makes you happy today, can make you unhappy tomorrow. “When a condition or situation that the mind has attached itself to and identified with changes or disappears, the mind cannot accept it. It will cling to the disappearing condition and resist the change. It is almost as if a limb were being torn off your body. ” – Eckhart Tolle.
He’s gay, so of course he’s sexually promiscuous. Thanks so much for reinforcing this harmful stereotype.
And the problem comes down to the fact that the stereotype is entrenched in reality…the solution isn’t in denying it’s existence, but in providing a counterpoint which as far as the story goes, could see character growth for Lucas as he evolves into a more mature individual with different views from those currently presented.
Lucas has issues with relationships, stemming from a very specific event. It has nothing to do with his sexuality. If Lucas is promiscuous, it’s because he doesn’t want to let anyone get too close, and I have given you more than enough dialogue to support that. His “advice” such as “everyone lies in relationships” and “just date a lot of people so you dont get hurt” clearly comes from a place OTHER THAN “I’m gay so let’s fuck, lol.”
So are you sure it’s ME reinforcing a harmful stereotype?
Thank you for your reply. I am glad you understand how incredibly hurtful it would be so see the “All Gays Are Promiscuous” trope played out yet again, and the responsibility you have to deal with such issues in a sensitive and respectful manner.
There just might be a corellation between being in tune enough with your own sexuality to accept being gay, and being in tune enough with your own sexuality to actually engage with and enjoy it.
The root harm isn’t from stereotyping homosexuality, but associating stigma with promiscuity itself.
Or to put it in modern vernacular: there’s no such thing as a slut. People enjoy sex; get over it, prude.
You know who else is getting down way more? Old people. And why wouldn’t they? They have less to risk and a lifetime of experience that taught them not to care what you think.
Hmm…I’m seeing more similarities.
First people cried when Lucas talked about disposable pens because they thought it was misogynist. Now he’s gay and you’re crying about stereotypes. Some people really are just looking for any reason to be offended. ?
Relate so much to this….it is exactly what I did. At this point it is always “Meh” every relationship that ends. Screw emotional damage man lol
And Lucas continues to give horrible advice -_-
… which gives the character space to grow and evolve over time. He’s got baggage, and it’ll take the right experience to help him unwind it and change his tune.
Nobody comes complete from the beginning, some assembly required.
Maybe, but it is arrogance nevertheless. Lucas will get what’s coming to him
Now I worry how many hearts of men Lucas has broken in his life…
Y’know, that’s actually REALLY good advice. You could either keep emotionally distant from anyone and everyone because of your line of work, and end up alone, depressed, and possibly suicidal. A VERY bad thing for someone who can’t die. Or, you can opt to just accept that this is just how things are and try to be happy in life regardless. So what if marriage, a pack of 20 kids and a suburban home isn’t in the cards? You can still rail that atrociously hot blonde like a dangerous ledge before going out on your super hero patrol.
An interesting hypothesis: Perhaps Ethan’s power (not dying but returning essentially the same) could be a result of not accepting loss and change. That static nature of Ethan’s power could be tied to the same thing that makes him hard to accept change in his life, his games, etc (not saying what that is – fear or change, fear of uncertainty, the psychic injury caused by massive loss, etc). The other funny thought that just came to me: Ethan’s power reminds me of a scene in either Highlander the movie or Highlander the series where a drunken, immortal Macleod gets… Read more »
Who hurt you, Lucas?
plenty ones likely… I wonder if part of lucas history bleeds from 1.0 (aka one time where his date literally wanted to kill him)
I wish so many weren’t saying how true this is. Relationships should have meaning. Just because one doesn’t work out doesn’t mean the next won’t. I went on so many first dates that ultimately ended in rejection (and I don’t mean for a one night stand, I mean just for a second date). Yeah it sucked. But you move on, get over it, and keep trying until you meet the right one. I appreciate Ethan’s thoughtfulness on this subject.
“I wish so many weren’t saying how true this is. I will reinforce this by pointing out how I did the exact thing I’m saying isn’t true.”
That’s kind of misrepresenting what was being said. Relationships end, but that does not mean it would be better if they were devoid of meaning or deeper connection than the strictly physical. Or that their failure isn’t something one should feel some sense of loss about. It’s really not about not feeling a sense of loss. If there’s no sense of loss, seems like the relationship wasn’t much of one and you might have been wasting your time. Loss is human and helps us grow in understanding if we don’t try to deny the lessons loss teaches (about the ephemeral… Read more »
…Lucas just made a huge mistake with that advice. Also I think he forgot what led to Ethan dating Emily in the first place.
Did I just predict the next story beat?
Wow, that’s a pretty…. CALLOUS way to look at things.
YYYEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!
Oof. This comic hits way too close to home. ?
Never liked Emiliy, i hope you kill her on a villan attack or something
I would prefer a scenario where Emily is in a lie-threatening situation, and she is rescued by Analog. His identity is somehow revealed, Emily apologizes, but Ethan doesn’t take her back. He forgives, but not forgets
What’s there to forget? I mean, was Emily the first one to lie several times in their relationship or was it Ethan?
Well, it probably took a lot for Ethan to reveal his identity, and Emily still accused him of lying. She’s NOT a victim…….and Ethan shouldn’t be so submissive as to forget what she did. Forgiveness is no longer hating someone who wronged you, not erasing all consequences
My advice for people is to NOT have any releationships at all. Friends? Sure. Romantic? no, if you have you know URGES well there is the internet for that. You get used to it in a couple of years, but this only works for a very minority of people, like me and probably Ethan (?)
I have never related more to Lucas…..hm….
So one of Ethan’s superpowers is, in fact, giving someone the hose again? Man, he’s a darker hero than I thought he was already, To think he is yet the hero we need, but hardly deserve! ^_^
Who the hell hurt Lucas? Will there be a flashback explaining this?
Lol, Everyone’s all “Duuur, Lucas is messed up!”
and i’m like “Yall didn’t know that with the Pen talk he had with Ethan?”
Good job Tim with the characters.
Or, prove emily wrong and visit her window with your partner while in costumes
Random thought – I wonder how many young people on the street today would know that quote. I wonder how many people will know it in fifteen years’ time.
This is a great way to feel old, by the way.
56 post Comment
??
Rereading the comic I do think it is more obvious that Lucas here has some unresolved issues.
There have been hints here and there, but it gets more obvious that there is some past thats still to be discovered.