Kinda sucks for Jennifer that she let her walls down enough to talk about her dork interests with Asher only to build them right up again and then some.
Asher does seem to genuinely like dorks. Another point in his favor (A +5 on top of the +50 he got for having Amber’s dad removed from the narrative)
but consider blaine was starting at like -1000000
(disclaimer, yes, i know asher got sal sent to boarding school, am not actually interested in quantifying doa character morality)
I mean, I think we can also acknowledge that although Ross is fucking terrible, Blaine’s motivation for killing him was not at all sympathetic, and doing it in front of all of his daughter’s friends so his daughter can get there just in time to watch him die is a lot worse than how Asher did it.
Asher’s motivation for killing Blaine was to silence a potential witness. If people want to talk about how great Asher is for killing Blaine because rEaSoNs, then let’s give Blaine the same benefit.
or, hear me out, maybe being a cold blooded murderer is a character flaw.
Also what are you hoping to accomplish here? IniquitousKing can correct me if I’m wrong but that footnote about liking Asher even more here seemed designed to specifically ward off “but he killed Ross!” comments.
Maybe Asher was merely a link in a chain reaching back to his mob boss granddad, who actually ordered the hit. That makes him an accessory. He probably didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Has anyone ever considered that option?
what I’m saying is him being notified probably means he was more involved than just hearing about it after the fact. Maybe the cops would have killed Blaine anyways, but the text implies he looped himself in to make sure it was done.
if there’s another plausible explanation for Asher going from supposedly “out of the crime business” to in what looks like a chat with a dirty cop, getting notified of a hit, I don’t know what it is. But I’d like to hear an alternate theory fleshed out.
Yeah, my read on that whole situation was that Blaine showed up, threatened Asher to pull the fire alarm. Asher went to gramps, told him what was up, letting him know that Blaine was 4000% out of control and no longer useful to the organisation. Then maybe they make a trade and maybe they don’t, but either way Asher goes ahead and pulls the fire alarm, we see what Blaine does, if it’s the kind of shit it’s clearly going to be (because the fire alarm was the activation for the kidnapping plan), then Blaine gets removed at the next reasonable opportunity.
It’s not clear exactly where in the sequence Asher informed gramps. It could have been only after the kidnappings were over and Blaine was in custody, which is kind of my suspicion. I also suspect Asher was more directly involved – like gramps had him set it up, which is why he got the notice when it was done.
yeah, we don’t know, but MY read on the situation is that the text that said “Done” was like Grandpa was the cat presenting the dead bird and expecting praise for it: “Didn’t I avenge you and your friends so well?” Grandpa decides how much and in what ways the Organization helps Asher, Asher doesn’t.
I consider it a lot, but it’s a minority opinion around here. I would say the different theories say more about people’s head-canons about Grandpa and Asian Criminal Organizations than about Asher’s character as presented in the strip.
We have a lot of unresolved questions about what Asher’s role in killing Blaine was and why he participated. Since Blaine sucks, Asher gets benefit of the doubt for now, as far as I’m concerned, although future revelations could change my opinion.
I’m not in favor of any murders (including state-sanctioned ones) but murdering for Reasons (and not just because you’re blowing a fuse) is better than just blowing that fuse. That’s just My Humble Opinion.
Let’s go with, “no.” Misrepresenting what someone is saying to make them seem bad is intellectually dishonest and somewhere on the scale of abusiveness. There are less hostile ways to disagree with a person that don’t turn a disagreement with an idea into a personal attack.
Considering the toy came out fifteen years ago, Ethan was only three years old back then. If he ever owned it, someone must have bought it for him. So this is more Ethan knowing the entire Transformers back catalogue by heart. I seem to recollect that Willis himself is not that fond of Transformers who represent characters from other franchises, but that stance may have changed.
Also, TF Wiki is totally a thing that Ethan has read back to front and sideways. It’s not like he owns every Transformer toy ever. That’s not true of Willis, so it’s probably not true of Ethan either. They make choices in what they purchase.
I can guarantee my fundie mom has never heard of “fisting” and would think it meant punching someone. Actually I’m gonna ask her if she knows what it is.
Han(d) Solo
When the suns set, Luke is a Nightwalker
Chewie
Yo “Judge me by my size do you?” da.
And for the ultimate in racist undertones Darth Vader. Literally “Black Daddy” who uses force to have his way with people.
Yeah, Lucas is pretty bent for sharing all this in a kids’ movie.
Yes, but consider how “jazz” has the exact same double meaning. The music is named after the other thing. (While “funk” is named after the effect of a whole bunch of people dancing and sweating profusely in a small room.)
But it seems a little less direct than you’re implying? “Jasm” inspired “jazz”, meaning vigor, and then the genre took its name from that. Also, “jazz” and “jasm” aren’t homographs the way the musical and sexual definitions of “jizz” are… so it’s a bit more blatant for jizz music than jazz music. Still an interesting parallel, though.
How bad is it that I really, really want him to dump Jennifer and be with Ethan instead? In what shape that would take. Normally I do not really get shipping. But I just like characters who seem to do each other good interacting.
“Transformation” isn’t a trademark, but Transformers is, and saying that Transformers transform would allow a competitor to argue that it’s no longer a trademark, but merely a descriptor of what they are/do. Trademarks and IP are weird beasts. Kinda like how they wouldn’t use the name Bumblebee for a Beast Wars bee toy.
But which form is the sinful one, and which is saved? Isn’t it a devil’s toy to show a child that they can also de-convert (apostasy)?
n.b. I like your argument. Just playing with it further knowing how parents who control their children like that think. Once they decide something is ‘bad’, convincing them otherwise is often functionaly impossible.
Ethan’s folks aren’t Christian though, they’re Jewish. I think Conservative movement. (Not All Conservative Jews, btw. Naomi would just be exceptionally wack no matter what religion she was.)
Concepts in this conversation that don’t really make sense for Conservative Jews: [gay] conversion, sinful, saved, devil, de-convert.
Ethan continues to confuse me. Why would he care about a corporation’s copyright/trademark/whatever policy to the extent of adopting it into his personal behavior? For free?
Because being Technically Correct is important. More important than being “normal.”
If you disagree, I would like to point you to a wonderful place called “The Internet.” It is a horrifying place where Ethan dwells where being Technically Correct is the only defense against the legions of Being Horribly Wrong. One misstep and they will be at your throat.
But serious answer: Ethan “likes” being in online arguments about pedantic stuff. He spends a lot of time in both continuities doing it. So the more he gets to show off he can be more correct than other people, the better off he feels.
Ethan is not someone to emulate. We should strive to not be so serious.
Reddit (and self moderated forums) is essentially staffed for free by people who exemplify this behaviour. And despite the saw, “if you’re good at something, never do it for free,” being right is more important to said folks than getting compensated.
Ethan as a person who genuinely is passionate Transformers as a Thing would almost certainly actually care if every off brand one-thing-folds-into-another-thing toy also got to be called transformers now
yeah, i feel like these obscure transformers references are like a pressure valve they have to open now and then, and once they got it out of their system they can get on with the story
People are confusing. Some care about the correct term for what Transformers do, others don’t care whether “Evil of the Daleks” happens before or after “Destiny” to “Rememberance” in the Daleks’ own timeline (it’s before, obviously). Both are equally weird.
I think Taffy’s point (or mine anyway) is that its weird someone would align their behavior (“for free”) with a private company’s branding strategy. Just cuz your enjoy their stuff doesn’t mean you gotta become a footsoldier in late capitalism’s colonization of the english language.
Okay, yeah, I see that. If he’d said “because that’s the proper term” rather than directly worrying about the trademark, it’d be different, but he didn’t. (Like, I don’t care if writing “Tardis” instead of “TARDIS” affects the BBC’s licencing or anything, I just care that it’s wrong.)
Again I feel compelled to point out that this comic is mostly about people who have arbitrary allegiances to stupid things that are trying to hurt them.
no, no, you’re fine there
but it gives you no protection from other people commenting on your comments
and they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on
It’s the matrix. Sometimes people, “are so hopelessly inured,” that they’ll argue over the colour of the boot heel that’s crushing them, instead of fighting back against the heel even being allowed to exist.
As the timescale slides I wonder how increasingly niche watching the prequels or the Clone Wars animated series becomes? Most people are probably more familiar with The Mandalorian now right?
also, no, but one part of this pun was used because of hardware memory limitations for the first installation of a game series who’s mascot is right under your nose
That’s exactly why Hasbro actively avoids using it to describe what Transformers do.
If ‘transform’ had been a word they coined based on the toys’ name, there’d be no issue.
As it is, if they used that word, that would weaken their (honestly, already shaky) argument that ‘Transformers’ is a trademarkable name, and not just a plain description of the class of toys to which they belong, and thus not trademarkable.
Hasbro also owns the former TSR and Wizards of the Coast, so any old planeswalker or D&D character, right up to Elminster, has this potentiality inherent
–Dave, one might call it the spark of transformation
I’ve been both Asher and Ethan at various points of my life
“Haha, you like [niche interest], that’s cool, I’m into some pretty nerdy stuff too”
” Ok so [MIGHTY TORRENT OF MINUTAE OF NICHE INTEREST]”
“… I am but a babe, scared and adrift at sea”
I can’t even, this is so cute. Asher, say the truth, you’re INTO dorks. This is why things between you and Sal never panned out (apart from the obvious). You two are two alike and Sal is fucking a dude with an ukelele.
Ethan was immensely hot when he was spouting Sexy Villain Speeches, but seeing him smile again might be what does Asher in. (And the commentariat. We love to see it.)
Makes me wonder if her interests are all “kinda”, because she’s too afraid that they’ll be taken away again. (Like when she lost everything and was sent away to boarding school instead of being loved by her parents.)
Yeah, it was a bit tongue in cheek. A bit. I didn’t remember the dinosaurs but you two are right. And she would’ve been a band nerd, too – I do recall her being defensive about being in “it’s an ensemble, not a chorus”.
Hey, if Ethan is worrying about being a dork again then that means a tiny part of him is returning from the void of giving no fucks, right? Right?? (And it seems he may also be entering the realm of literal fucks again. Hmm.)
Surely Transformers don’t have a trademark on the verb “transform.” And if they did, it surely would not genericize the trademark to use it in direct reference to Transformers. Ethan, you silly.
Transformers have a registered trademark on the word “Transformers” as a proper noun. But if the word is used in a “generic” was (as in, “this toy transforms”) then it becomes easier for other companies to argue that they could call their converting toys “transformers” because it’s just a generic common use word.
Or something. It’s a thing. Hasbro have been avoiding the word “transform” in their media for a few years now.
This all sounds very stupid, but the joke is funny because it is based in reality. For instance, the Transformers Deck Building game uses the term “convert” and not transform for the act of switching between modes for your character.
I’ve just got to ask, were there ever any legal trouble because someone used the word when referring to electric transformer? I don’t want to believe there was but US has some merry approach to lawsuits.
I was a bit iffy about Ethan/Asher before, while Ethan was acting all weird and off-putting, but these past couple strips have really sold me on it. Asher should totally take Jennifer at her word, drop her ass cold turkey, and hook up with Ethan now, or at least some point in the near future.
With every moment of reflection and every word he digs himself further into the weirdo hole. Which is valid. He fits snugly in there and it’s comfortable.
It was made for him.
You know the thing where a guy is nervous because a pretty girl is paying attention to him so he goes “Confidence is attractive. I don’t know how to talk to a human I find attractive, so I’ll talk about the thing I do know which is a lot like confidence,” so they go off for an hour about the Punic Wars or some shit and the whole time the girl is thinking “I’m gonna suck his soul out through his dick”?
That’s happening right now, only it’s a very pretty man instead of a pretty girl.
What is a specific product name you know of that has either been “verbed” (e.g.: “You can google me,”) or genericized (e.g. “Could you please pass me a kleenex?”)?
Lucky him! I know someone like that, too. Always causes a double take when I hear his name said.
Funny how the word “googlestalking” came to be seen as kind of a milder or less threatening version of cyberstalking or doxxing. I’ve had friends refer to any preliminary background research on a person as “googlestalking”.
I literally had no idea up until the comments repeatedly dissected who he was. My Star Wars knowledge is back in the original 3 movies.
–Dave, plus Alan Dean Foster’s book Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, written _before_ the movie in which the Skywalker kids found out they were related, so non-canon as hell for several decades now
I don’t but then I never watched anything relating to the clone wars. Like I watched the first prequel movie and just wasn’t interested in continuing with the series at the time. Granted I only genuinely have liked two Star Wars movies in the ones I have watched (The Force Awakens and Rogue One) and I somewhat suspect the world ‘isn’t for me’.
I’ve seen Clone Wars, but don’t really remember him from it. I guess he got basically one solo episode and then a couple others with him in a relatively major role? Other than that he’s like he is in the movies, a visually interesting background character without a speaking role.
Who takes off as a Star Wars fan-favorite has always mystified me, starting with Boba Fett back in the original trilogy.
asher’s relatively rich, is he not? other than his grandfather potentially cutting him off. he should just buy tickets and buy any exclusive figures the next transformers-related con
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also bc saying a Transformer transformed sounds kinda wack
If anything it’s redundant and everyone knows what you mean when you say that a vehicle is convertible
Not a weirdo. Just a dork. A sexy, emo dork.
Jokes on them again. Weirdos are hot.
Asher: Into Weirdos
Occasionally literally.
Do you have even one counterexample.
They call them “weirdos”, I call them “worth knowing”.
Dumbing of Age Book 14: Of Course I Know Who Kit Fisto Is
We have a winner.
Ethan being dorky is hot.
Also, Kit Fisto appreciation is one of Jennifer’s hotter qualities.
Honestly it’s her most attractive feature
Kinda sucks for Jennifer that she let her walls down enough to talk about her dork interests with Asher only to build them right up again and then some.
Asher does seem to genuinely like dorks. Another point in his favor (A +5 on top of the +50 he got for having Amber’s dad removed from the narrative)
Blaine got Becky’s dad removed from the narrative, so he’s absolved of his wrongdoing by whatever metric you’re using.
but consider blaine was starting at like -1000000
(disclaimer, yes, i know asher got sal sent to boarding school, am not actually interested in quantifying doa character morality)
Oh, I never said it absolved Asher, just that he went up in my books for it.
A +50 to Amber’s dad for deep sixing Toedad still isn’t making a dent in the low negatives he’s in.
how many + for getting Mike killed?
Does Lester Bradford get even more + for killing Blaine, since he’s the one who physically shot him?
So does he just so happen to have the same surname as Mary, or are they related somehow?
I mean, I think we can also acknowledge that although Ross is fucking terrible, Blaine’s motivation for killing him was not at all sympathetic, and doing it in front of all of his daughter’s friends so his daughter can get there just in time to watch him die is a lot worse than how Asher did it.
Asher’s motivation for killing Blaine was to silence a potential witness. If people want to talk about how great Asher is for killing Blaine because rEaSoNs, then let’s give Blaine the same benefit.
or, hear me out, maybe being a cold blooded murderer is a character flaw.
Is that what Asher’s motivation was?
Also what are you hoping to accomplish here? IniquitousKing can correct me if I’m wrong but that footnote about liking Asher even more here seemed designed to specifically ward off “but he killed Ross!” comments.
Maybe Asher was merely a link in a chain reaching back to his mob boss granddad, who actually ordered the hit. That makes him an accessory. He probably didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Has anyone ever considered that option?
+1
This seems like a more accurate read on what few facts we actually have at the moment.
how many people do you think are in the “killing Blaine LOL” groupchat?
was he left in the “doing organized crime” groupchat from before he started school?
what I’m saying is him being notified probably means he was more involved than just hearing about it after the fact. Maybe the cops would have killed Blaine anyways, but the text implies he looped himself in to make sure it was done.
That’s more or less literally a plot point, yeah.
if there’s another plausible explanation for Asher going from supposedly “out of the crime business” to in what looks like a chat with a dirty cop, getting notified of a hit, I don’t know what it is. But I’d like to hear an alternate theory fleshed out.
Yeah, my read on that whole situation was that Blaine showed up, threatened Asher to pull the fire alarm. Asher went to gramps, told him what was up, letting him know that Blaine was 4000% out of control and no longer useful to the organisation. Then maybe they make a trade and maybe they don’t, but either way Asher goes ahead and pulls the fire alarm, we see what Blaine does, if it’s the kind of shit it’s clearly going to be (because the fire alarm was the activation for the kidnapping plan), then Blaine gets removed at the next reasonable opportunity.
It’s nice to know I’m not alone on this one.
It’s not clear exactly where in the sequence Asher informed gramps. It could have been only after the kidnappings were over and Blaine was in custody, which is kind of my suspicion. I also suspect Asher was more directly involved – like gramps had him set it up, which is why he got the notice when it was done.
I imagine Blaine was also pinned for stealing the money that Asher is using to pay for college.
yeah, we don’t know, but MY read on the situation is that the text that said “Done” was like Grandpa was the cat presenting the dead bird and expecting praise for it: “Didn’t I avenge you and your friends so well?” Grandpa decides how much and in what ways the Organization helps Asher, Asher doesn’t.
I consider it a lot, but it’s a minority opinion around here. I would say the different theories say more about people’s head-canons about Grandpa and Asian Criminal Organizations than about Asher’s character as presented in the strip.
We have a lot of unresolved questions about what Asher’s role in killing Blaine was and why he participated. Since Blaine sucks, Asher gets benefit of the doubt for now, as far as I’m concerned, although future revelations could change my opinion.
I’m not in favor of any murders (including state-sanctioned ones) but murdering for Reasons (and not just because you’re blowing a fuse) is better than just blowing that fuse. That’s just My Humble Opinion.
Let’s go with, “no.” Misrepresenting what someone is saying to make them seem bad is intellectually dishonest and somewhere on the scale of abusiveness. There are less hostile ways to disagree with a person that don’t turn a disagreement with an idea into a personal attack.
“Abusive” is pretty intense. Like I think HSL’s response was hecka jerky, but abuse is a big word that we shouldn’t throw around.
lmao
There is no way Ethan’s mom would let her son buy a toy called a “Kit Fisto” considering her backwards beliefs on his sexuality.
On the other hand, maybe his insistence on the term “converted” has given her false hope regarding his future.
Alternatively: maybe she doesn’t know what fisting is…I hope.
Considering the toy came out fifteen years ago, Ethan was only three years old back then. If he ever owned it, someone must have bought it for him. So this is more Ethan knowing the entire Transformers back catalogue by heart. I seem to recollect that Willis himself is not that fond of Transformers who represent characters from other franchises, but that stance may have changed.
Also, TF Wiki is totally a thing that Ethan has read back to front and sideways. It’s not like he owns every Transformer toy ever. That’s not true of Willis, so it’s probably not true of Ethan either. They make choices in what they purchase.
I can guarantee my fundie mom has never heard of “fisting” and would think it meant punching someone. Actually I’m gonna ask her if she knows what it is.
plz report back, starting with involuntary hilarity level experienced
Ethan: Why are you not running away?
Kit Fisto will never not sound like a weird fetish character to me.
I wonder how many Weird Star Wars names that could be applied to!
Star Wars names are always stuff like “Sep Boobah” or “Arnax Conralto”.
Onan Solo
Han(d) Solo
When the suns set, Luke is a Nightwalker
Chewie
Yo “Judge me by my size do you?” da.
And for the ultimate in racist undertones Darth Vader. Literally “Black Daddy” who uses force to have his way with people.
Yeah, Lucas is pretty bent for sharing all this in a kids’ movie.
Elan Sleazebaggano
It’s not a fetish name, but no discussion of Star Wars names should go without a reminder of Master Ima-Gun Di from Clone Wars.
He did not survive the episode in which he first appeared.
Kit Fisto, just chilling out, enjoying some jizz in the cantina.
The fact that they thought “jizz music” would be a good name for the genre played by the cantina band will never not be funny.
Yes, but consider how “jazz” has the exact same double meaning. The music is named after the other thing. (While “funk” is named after the effect of a whole bunch of people dancing and sweating profusely in a small room.)
Interesting… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_(word)
But it seems a little less direct than you’re implying? “Jasm” inspired “jazz”, meaning vigor, and then the genre took its name from that. Also, “jazz” and “jasm” aren’t homographs the way the musical and sexual definitions of “jizz” are… so it’s a bit more blatant for jizz music than jazz music. Still an interesting parallel, though.
I mean he’s fine as hell so it works out. As a Caribbean gal I take him as an apology for jar jar
Ethan is Willis during the dance phase portion of Spider-Man 3, isn’t he?
Well Ethan had a commanding lead, but I think Asher is taking this set in this round of flirtennis.
BLESS
Ashers face in panel 3 is so cute. He looks so endeared
This is quite adorable.
How bad is it that I really, really want him to dump Jennifer and be with Ethan instead? In what shape that would take. Normally I do not really get shipping. But I just like characters who seem to do each other good interacting.
That is an awkward Gravatar for this particular comment. Oh well..
No no, it was perfect actually =D
I agree! He’s listening attentively and either taking it in, enjoying Ethan’s (muted?) enthusiasm, or both. It’s adorable.
Maybe he’s INTO weirdos, what then?
*plays Transformers G1 Season 2 OP on hacked muzak just because*
Transformation isn’t a trademark nor it can be genericized, really. Adora transforms, so do Sailor Moon and Danny Phantom.
Someone better be fisto’d by tonight.
“Transformation” isn’t a trademark, but Transformers is, and saying that Transformers transform would allow a competitor to argue that it’s no longer a trademark, but merely a descriptor of what they are/do. Trademarks and IP are weird beasts. Kinda like how they wouldn’t use the name Bumblebee for a Beast Wars bee toy.
I personally think he’s covering up a parental insistence on only buying Godly toys. Saying they “convert” might have pushed the purchase.
But which form is the sinful one, and which is saved? Isn’t it a devil’s toy to show a child that they can also de-convert (apostasy)?
n.b. I like your argument. Just playing with it further knowing how parents who control their children like that think. Once they decide something is ‘bad’, convincing them otherwise is often functionaly impossible.
Ethan’s folks aren’t Christian though, they’re Jewish. I think Conservative movement. (Not All Conservative Jews, btw. Naomi would just be exceptionally wack no matter what religion she was.)
Concepts in this conversation that don’t really make sense for Conservative Jews: [gay] conversion, sinful, saved, devil, de-convert.
Converting is the term they are using in the Transformers TTRPG, so the term has some official context.
“Have you heard the story of Kit Fisto? It’s not a story the normies would tell you.”
I’m so glad someone else’s brain went there and that you executed it better than I could
Kit Fisto used Form I of Lightsaber Combat.
Yah, HE USED THE BABY FORM.
Real Jedi use Form the other six forms!
As someone who actually trains people to fight with swords, I use Jedi as examples of What Not To Do.
“the sad sound of a lightsaber being turned off”
…with the pac-man withering sound right at the end.
Ah…to have a dorky GF who will sit me down and explain to me everything about the lore of Avatar the last Airbender.
Ethan continues to confuse me. Why would he care about a corporation’s copyright/trademark/whatever policy to the extent of adopting it into his personal behavior? For free?
It’s one of the more rational religious impulses in the comic.
Because being Technically Correct is important. More important than being “normal.”
If you disagree, I would like to point you to a wonderful place called “The Internet.” It is a horrifying place where Ethan dwells where being Technically Correct is the only defense against the legions of Being Horribly Wrong. One misstep and they will be at your throat.
This is complete nonsense.
Oh, so you understand.
But serious answer: Ethan “likes” being in online arguments about pedantic stuff. He spends a lot of time in both continuities doing it. So the more he gets to show off he can be more correct than other people, the better off he feels.
Ethan is not someone to emulate. We should strive to not be so serious.
Reddit (and self moderated forums) is essentially staffed for free by people who exemplify this behaviour. And despite the saw, “if you’re good at something, never do it for free,” being right is more important to said folks than getting compensated.
So what?
but if you’re good at doing things for free?
Ethan as a person who genuinely is passionate Transformers as a Thing would almost certainly actually care if every off brand one-thing-folds-into-another-thing toy also got to be called transformers now
Ikr? It’s off putting to me too. I assume this is some TF fandom insider snark though.
I assume it’s something Willis cares or cared about themself.
yeah, i feel like these obscure transformers references are like a pressure valve they have to open now and then, and once they got it out of their system they can get on with the story
People are confusing. Some care about the correct term for what Transformers do, others don’t care whether “Evil of the Daleks” happens before or after “Destiny” to “Rememberance” in the Daleks’ own timeline (it’s before, obviously). Both are equally weird.
I think Taffy’s point (or mine anyway) is that its weird someone would align their behavior (“for free”) with a private company’s branding strategy. Just cuz your enjoy their stuff doesn’t mean you gotta become a footsoldier in late capitalism’s colonization of the english language.
Okay, yeah, I see that. If he’d said “because that’s the proper term” rather than directly worrying about the trademark, it’d be different, but he didn’t. (Like, I don’t care if writing “Tardis” instead of “TARDIS” affects the BBC’s licencing or anything, I just care that it’s wrong.)
Again I feel compelled to point out that this comic is mostly about people who have arbitrary allegiances to stupid things that are trying to hurt them.
And this is where we b!tch about them doing these dumb things yes, and?
I thought the comments section was for commenting on the comic, but maybe I’m wrong.
no, no, you’re fine there
but it gives you no protection from other people commenting on your comments
and they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on
Wait what the fuck, we can comment on each other’s comments????? This is a whole new game.
@taffy you’re right until proven wrong!!!
It’s the matrix. Sometimes people, “are so hopelessly inured,” that they’ll argue over the colour of the boot heel that’s crushing them, instead of fighting back against the heel even being allowed to exist.
didn’t he quibble with booster before about saying “google” versus “The internet” or so lol
As the timescale slides I wonder how increasingly niche watching the prequels or the Clone Wars animated series becomes? Most people are probably more familiar with The Mandalorian now right?
I can’t imagine watching the prequels themselves will ever be niche for a Star Wars fan.
Not for a fan, but for the wider audience.
Post-timeskip Ethan is slowly becoming one of my favorite characters.
…Ethan, you know “transform” was a word before Transformers existed, right? lmao
I’m waiting for the shinka hentai as we speak
1000 points to anyone who actually gets this gag
google leads me to believe the name Nibutani may be involved
–Dave, also, I’m on a list, now, aren’t I
you ain’t not on no list
also, no, but one part of this pun was used because of hardware memory limitations for the first installation of a game series who’s mascot is right under your nose
pika pi?
pika!
Honestly, Ethan might approve of the corporation trademarking the word.
That’s exactly why Hasbro actively avoids using it to describe what Transformers do.
If ‘transform’ had been a word they coined based on the toys’ name, there’d be no issue.
As it is, if they used that word, that would weaken their (honestly, already shaky) argument that ‘Transformers’ is a trademarkable name, and not just a plain description of the class of toys to which they belong, and thus not trademarkable.
The next slipshine features Ethan and Asher bumping uglies while hiding from the Pinkertons
Isn’t it hard to avoid when one of Prime’s catch-phrases is, “Autobots, transform and roll out.”?
This is exactly why they changed it to “Autobots, roll out”.
That is tragically hilarious.
Ethan is secretly into GoBots
GoBots are owned by Hasbro now so they could be Transformers from an alternate timeline.
Hasbro also owns the former TSR and Wizards of the Coast, so any old planeswalker or D&D character, right up to Elminster, has this potentiality inherent
–Dave, one might call it the spark of transformation
But can you Spelljam your way to Spike Witwiky from Shadowdale?
I’ve been both Asher and Ethan at various points of my life
“Haha, you like [niche interest], that’s cool, I’m into some pretty nerdy stuff too”
” Ok so [MIGHTY TORRENT OF MINUTAE OF NICHE INTEREST]”
“… I am but a babe, scared and adrift at sea”
Jokes aside, I still have the Han/Chewbacca Millennium Falcon and Anakin-Jedi Starfighter Transformers.
I’m not even specifically *into* the Transformers fandom and that sounds very cool.
3rd panel asher is me whenever i learn something unique about somebody.
I can’t even, this is so cute. Asher, say the truth, you’re INTO dorks. This is why things between you and Sal never panned out (apart from the obvious). You two are two alike and Sal is fucking a dude with an ukelele.
Ethan was immensely hot when he was spouting Sexy Villain Speeches, but seeing him smile again might be what does Asher in. (And the commentariat. We love to see it.)
Asher panel 3: “…you have my _complete_ attention”
“OHHH I CAN’T NOT FUCK HIM”
Sal’s kinda into dinosaurs and spiders and bugs, maybe she was destined to go into zoology instead.
Makes me wonder if her interests are all “kinda”, because she’s too afraid that they’ll be taken away again. (Like when she lost everything and was sent away to boarding school instead of being loved by her parents.)
Yeah, it was a bit tongue in cheek. A bit. I didn’t remember the dinosaurs but you two are right. And she would’ve been a band nerd, too – I do recall her being defensive about being in “it’s an ensemble, not a chorus”.
Man, how sad 🙁
Hey, if Ethan is worrying about being a dork again then that means a tiny part of him is returning from the void of giving no fucks, right? Right?? (And it seems he may also be entering the realm of literal fucks again. Hmm.)
Surely Transformers don’t have a trademark on the verb “transform.” And if they did, it surely would not genericize the trademark to use it in direct reference to Transformers. Ethan, you silly.
I’m thinking the legal term, “genericide” is maybe in poor taste…
https://www.thoughtco.com/genericide-nouns-term-1690891
Transformers have a registered trademark on the word “Transformers” as a proper noun. But if the word is used in a “generic” was (as in, “this toy transforms”) then it becomes easier for other companies to argue that they could call their converting toys “transformers” because it’s just a generic common use word.
Or something. It’s a thing. Hasbro have been avoiding the word “transform” in their media for a few years now.
This all sounds very stupid, but the joke is funny because it is based in reality. For instance, the Transformers Deck Building game uses the term “convert” and not transform for the act of switching between modes for your character.
It’s just dumb.
I’ve just got to ask, were there ever any legal trouble because someone used the word when referring to electric transformer? I don’t want to believe there was but US has some merry approach to lawsuits.
i wouldn’t be surprised if some ppl tried to copyrogiht generic terms lol.
Man, this IS pretty cute. Waiting for Ethan to ruin it bc that’s just the headspace he’s in right now. I’m not sure he’s ready for “cute”.
I love how endearing Asher finds the Kit Fisto thing, but I also love how much Jennifer would absolutely hate it.
I’m proud of ya’ll. Not one jizz wailer joke through this whole thing.
Hmm?
Jizz.
Ah! Thank you! That clarifies the pun. Much appreciated!
Asher and Jennifer out on parallel quests to fuck the sad out of same-sex depressed nerds.
(This is a reductive joke.. unleeessss….)
Kit Fisto is rapidly becoming the most famous Star Wars character to me, someone who doesnt follow Star Wars
I was a bit iffy about Ethan/Asher before, while Ethan was acting all weird and off-putting, but these past couple strips have really sold me on it. Asher should totally take Jennifer at her word, drop her ass cold turkey, and hook up with Ethan now, or at least some point in the near future.
Yup, he’s still Ethan.
This is the most engaged we’ve seen him in a long time!
That was almost a smile in panel two.
That’s two (2) smiles in panel 3
Ironically, the real Ethan spilling out seems to have a more genuine effect on Asher than the “self-destructive emo” thing.
With every moment of reflection and every word he digs himself further into the weirdo hole. Which is valid. He fits snugly in there and it’s comfortable.
It was made for him.
Oh no, but what will come out the other side?
You don’t come out of the weirdo hole. You just dig yourself in deeper so others can come in your hole too.
I like the subtext that Asher has totally marked Jennifer as a secret dork and loves it about her.
You know the thing where a guy is nervous because a pretty girl is paying attention to him so he goes “Confidence is attractive. I don’t know how to talk to a human I find attractive, so I’ll talk about the thing I do know which is a lot like confidence,” so they go off for an hour about the Punic Wars or some shit and the whole time the girl is thinking “I’m gonna suck his soul out through his dick”?
That’s happening right now, only it’s a very pretty man instead of a pretty girl.
I need to learn to like cooler stuff apparently
OK, who’s up for a game?
Here’s the Question:
What is a specific product name you know of that has either been “verbed” (e.g.: “You can google me,”) or genericized (e.g. “Could you please pass me a kleenex?”)?
Have fun!
I can start:
“Could you get me a coke while you’re up?”
“Sure, what kind?”
“Sprite.”
In many southern US states, any soda may be called a “coke”.
Xeroxing something long ago passed into common usage.
–Dave, it’s not as common to-day but is still around
Oh, yeah! Leading to the tag line:
“Only Xerox [company] can xerox [photocopy] a xerox [a paper copy] on a xerox [xerographic machine].”
I’m so old I still remember the purple spirit-based ink and heady smell of the Ditto machines, and the hand-crank mimeograph machines.
The genericization of that machine lead to this hilarious deposition:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PZbqAMEwtOE
(Dramatized court transcript reading)
Unrelated but you reminded me of the word “Googleganger,” a person who shows up and shares your name when you google yourself.
Related, someone accused me of Fedexing them my winter storm last night. Have fun with all the snow, suckers!
on topic in a couple of ways: I happen to know a Ewan McGregor.
He delights in his own ungoogleability.
Lucky him! I know someone like that, too. Always causes a double take when I hear his name said.
Funny how the word “googlestalking” came to be seen as kind of a milder or less threatening version of cyberstalking or doxxing. I’ve had friends refer to any preliminary background research on a person as “googlestalking”.
velcro! (who calls it hook and loop tape?)
Ethan stays velcroed to his phone when it’s time to check his Transformers pre-order site!
(OT, but I have a velcro dog staring at me as we speak.)
hoover, both a verb and noun; genericisation for a particular brand of vacuum cleaners
Jennifer hoovers up drama like she used go hoover up alcohol!
*used to
Dang Jennifer had no idea that Asher is only into nerds. She just keeps bombing her own relationships.
First, Ethan is apparently an idiot.
Second, who the hell does not know who Kit Fisto is, even without this comic? He’s one of the best parts of Clone Wars.
I lost my Danny avatar. I am sad.
I literally had no idea up until the comments repeatedly dissected who he was. My Star Wars knowledge is back in the original 3 movies.
–Dave, plus Alan Dean Foster’s book Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, written _before_ the movie in which the Skywalker kids found out they were related, so non-canon as hell for several decades now
I don’t but then I never watched anything relating to the clone wars. Like I watched the first prequel movie and just wasn’t interested in continuing with the series at the time. Granted I only genuinely have liked two Star Wars movies in the ones I have watched (The Force Awakens and Rogue One) and I somewhat suspect the world ‘isn’t for me’.
I mean, the movie was from ancient times. I don’t blame anyone still alive at the time to not remembwr
’twas the 18th of April, in ’75
hardly a man is now alive
who remembers that famous day and year
I’ve seen Clone Wars, but don’t really remember him from it. I guess he got basically one solo episode and then a couple others with him in a relatively major role? Other than that he’s like he is in the movies, a visually interesting background character without a speaking role.
Who takes off as a Star Wars fan-favorite has always mystified me, starting with Boba Fett back in the original trilogy.
especially considering Fett’s “big” reveal
Oh, his cock?
No? Like in the Christmas special in 79
too late on the last line
david if they dont get married i will NEVER forgive u
Y’know it occurs to me that Asher is directly involved with *all* of Ethan’s past traumas.
oh my god i FORGOT ABOUT THAT
asher’s relatively rich, is he not? other than his grandfather potentially cutting him off. he should just buy tickets and buy any exclusive figures the next transformers-related con