Ménage à 3 III: 47 Seconds Later

[Weimann]

Honestly? Given Eric's depictions as of yet, I'm kind of expecting her to put it on heavily and it just running off him like water off a goose.

[Domochevsky]

Yah, he's a quite cool customer. I doubt he's getting phased by her, but Zii might get the wrong idea if played properly.
The comic is setting Sonja up for failure, but how is it gonna go about this...

[Morph Bark]

Honestly? Given Eric's depictions as of yet, I'm kind of expecting her to put it on heavily and it just running off him like water off a goose.

How does water run off a goose?

[Shadow of the Sun]

Goosefeathers are oily so that water can't penetrate through them to the skin below. An adaptation for an aquatic bird.

[Glass Mouse]

How does water run off a goose?

Like this. (link is wonky, start at 1:10)

[The Glyphstone]

Goosefeathers are oily so that water can't penetrate through them to the skin below. An adaptation for an aquatic bird.

That's just the story. The reality is that geese are so mean the water is scared to touch them.

[Coidzor]

Does Sonya have brain damage?

Like, seriously?

I'm thinking Yes now.

Really? I'd say it's a petty tough call. While Matt is (I guess) overall a nice person, he has no concept of monogamy. Like, at all. (Which in itself is not a problem but he fails to communicate it to his spouses as far as we know)

Facets that would seem to be at odds with one another, no?

[Kato]

Facets that would seem to be at odds with one another, no?

Well, not being monogamous doesn't make you a bad person. Lying to your spouse (or not telling them which is a nifty way of lying) does, but Sonya has done worse things than that. He's doing it... because I has no self-restraint, I guess. Not too hurt them, or anything. Sonya's just a bitch at times.

[Morph Bark]

Matt sucks at communication. Dillon only found out he was bisexual because he mentioned it off-handedly to Gary, for instance.

[Coidzor]

Well, not being monogamous doesn't make you a bad person. Lying to your spouse (or not telling them which is a nifty way of lying) does, but Sonya has done worse things than that. He's doing it... because I has no self-restraint, I guess. Not too hurt them, or anything. Sonya's just a bitch at times.

He has no self-restraint, doesn't communicate his intentions to his partners despite entering into formal relationships with them, doesn't have the capacity for introspection to do something like adopt a polyamorous identity...

So either he's careless to the point of being abusively negligent or callous and stupid for continuing on in the manner he is and it's most likely in my estimation that he's some a mix of the two, given the comic.

The only real thing that sets Sonya apart from him is that we've spent more time in her head so we know she's both thick as mud & deliberately trying to sabotage others with her stupid.

[Kato]

I'd still argue that's all part of one problem, and Sonya's actions weigh worse overall. (And yes, I know I spoke on her behalf just a few pages back )


So... Zii should have been aware of DiDi's... assets. What are the odds of DiDi getting lesbian ideas again?

[Coidzor]

I'd still argue that's all part of one problem, and Sonya's actions weigh worse overall. (And yes, I know I spoke on her behalf just a few pages back )

Well, you could nicely encapsulate that by saying he has his head stuck up his own ass, but that also tarnishes the whole "nice person" angle. Since the only "nice people" who totally disregard others are "'nice' guys," which are pretty much universally agreed to not be nice.

[Weimann]

For the record, buying someone you don't know a drink is a God-awful way of introducing yourself. It basically says "hey, I don't know how to make myself interesting, so can I buy some of your time?"

[Kato]

For the record, buying someone you don't know a drink is a God-awful way of introducing yourself. It basically says "hey, I don't know how to make myself interesting, so can I buy some of your time?"

As a kind of inept person at this... what is a better way? Some dumb pick-up line? What do you do if there is just someone you think looks attractive and that's enough to spark your interest. Not that I'm saying buying a drink is the perfect way to introduce yourself but it seems socially accepted by many.

[Radar]

As a kind of inept person at this... what is a better way? Some dumb pick-up line? What do you do if there is just someone you think looks attractive and that's enough to spark your interest. Not that I'm saying buying a drink is the perfect way to introduce yourself but it seems socially accepted by many.

Not a pick-up line, but a simple verbal introduction would suffice. Granted, I'm not speaking from experiance, but I generaly try to adhere to the KISS principle both in work and personal life and it usualy gives good results.

[Weimann]

As a kind of inept person at this... what is a better way? Some dumb pick-up line? What do you do if there is just someone you think looks attractive and that's enough to spark your interest. Not that I'm saying buying a drink is the perfect way to introduce yourself but it seems socially accepted by many.

I don't want to come off as some expert on social interaction; nothing could be further from the truth. The problem with a the buy-a-drink is obvious, though; it provides no opportunity for the other party to get interested (all they know about you from that is that you like to wave your wallet about, which is only flattering to a certain kind of people), and in some cases it may even get them to feel uncomfortable. Now that you've given them something, are they obliged to give you something back? The proper answer to this is no, and the right reaction is to take the free booze and dump your sorry ass. Which actually happened to friend of mine so proof!

What you want to do is talk about something they might find interesting. If you're at a concert you can talk about the band, or if you're in a gaming store you can talk about the system they're holding books from; they're probably interested in that. At a club, it might be harder to figure something out, but most people like to talk about themselves, so ask where they're from, what they watch on TV, their favourite internet meme. Anything, really. Hopefully, it will roll along nicely. If not, it's not the end of the world.

God, why am I giving advice on social protocol? This can only end in tears.

[Eldan]

You're already a thousand times more adept at this than I am.

But then, I'm some kind of real-life Gary.

[Cen]

You're already a thousand times more adept at this than I am.

But then, I'm some kind of real-life Gary.

Dude, we're talking about webcomics on an internet forum of one. We're all more or less real life Garys :-)

[Eldan]

Well, I know with quite some certainty that there are people on this forum many years younger than me who had relationships of one kind or another with the gender they are attracted to. So I am still more Gary-ish than most.

[Kato]

Oh god, let's not have a "how much alike to Gary are we" talk. I'm afraid I'll win on the spinelessness front at least.

As I said earlier, I know petty little about dating (or maybe rather pick-up) habits but actually, what Weimann said makes sense... I thought buying a drink was merely an accepted way to signal someone your interested but then it's really not in any way better than just saying hi if you have nothing else to go on... Unless, obviously, for a certain kind of people. Who did come up with it then? People who wanted free drinks?

[Weimann]

Beats me. Maybe the same person who thought leaning in real close and towering over the person you just met is a good strategy for, well, anything but making them feel slight panic from being trapped. I just don't know about that one.

If I were to guess on the drink thing, the theme of buying things for a woman as a means of keeping them around is pretty pervasive in the western culture. Look at certain songs by Michael Jackson or Elvis or the Beatles. It might just build off that.

[Traab]

Its actually a low pressure way of saying hi and expressing an interest in talking. The best part is, the lady is under no expectation of doing anything other than holding up her drink and smiling at the guy to say thanks, then going back to whatever she was doing. If she is interested in talking to the guy, then she can come over and they can talk, if not, ah well, he is out a few bucks, but at least the pretty girl is smiling. :p

[Pink]

I'd say that the basic function of it is the feeling of obligation that was mentioned. I've been taking a course on business ethics this semester and the power of reciprocity in human nature is kinda amazing. Usually without even noticing it ourselves we become automatically biased to favor those who give us something. Receiving something for free can 'prep' a woman to be more favorable to the actual introduction. To put some of the examples we've looked at in class, pharmacy company reps use gift tactics to outrageous effect with doctors and their staff, so no reason why the theory wouldn't work with picking up girls.

[Weimann]

Its actually a low pressure way of saying hi and expressing an interest in talking. The best part is, the lady is under no expectation of doing anything other than holding up her drink and smiling at the guy to say thanks, then going back to whatever she was doing. If she is interested in talking to the guy, then she can come over and they can talk, if not, ah well, he is out a few bucks, but at least the pretty girl is smiling. :p

I question whether this serves any purpose. Sure, it's low pressure for you, since it puts the ball in the hands of the other person. If the person is interested in talking to you, they'd come over, just as you said. As mentioned above, though, it doesn't really provide any incentive to do that. Which puts you... $5 down and still no talking to anyone.

I mean, if you really like to give away drinks, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. I'd take one too. And I guess it shows a minimum of interest, which might work in some situations, for a short time. But the odds are low that it won't (and, on a tangent, you'd also have to consider just what kind of people you'd be likely to catch on such a hook).

Most people go to the club to meet other people. If they wanted alcohol, they could get it from stores at like 1/5 of the price. Thus, offering interesting talk seems a more effective strategy to me.

[Traab]

I question whether this serves any purpose. Sure, it's low pressure for you, since it puts the ball in the hands of the other person. If the person is interested in talking to you, they'd come over, just as you said. As mentioned above, though, it doesn't really provide any incentive to do that. Which puts you... $5 down and still no talking to anyone.

I mean, if you really like to give away drinks, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. I'd take one too. And I guess it shows a minimum of interest, which might work in some situations, for a short time. But the odds are low that it won't (and, on a tangent, you'd also have to consider just what kind of people you'd be likely to catch on such a hook).

Most people go to the club to meet other people. If they wanted alcohol, they could get it from stores at like 1/5 of the price. Thus, offering interesting talk seems a more effective strategy to me.

The thing is, its more to grab her attention than anything, "Hi, I am over here, if you think I look like I would be interesting to talk to, come on over, no pressure." It lets you stand out from the crowd so she can see the guy and think to herself, "Hmm, do I want to talk to this guy, or keep looking?" In a crowded club, it can be a bit like taking a glance at a wheres waldo page. There are too many people moving around to be able to easily find the type of person you might want to talk to. The sent drink basically puts an arrow over a specific person and gets her to focus on you for that moment instead of just scanning the room randomly.

[Weimann]

I'd say that the basic function of it is the feeling of obligation that was mentioned. I've been taking a course on business ethics this semester and the power of reciprocity in human nature is kinda amazing. Usually without even noticing it ourselves we become automatically biased to favor those who give us something. Receiving something for free can 'prep' a woman to be more favorable to the actual introduction. To put some of the examples we've looked at in class, pharmacy company reps use gift tactics to outrageous effect with doctors and their staff, so no reason why the theory wouldn't work with picking up girls.

Hm, this reasoning does have merit, if you follow it up with an interesting introduction. After all, the doctors hardy used the medicine of it wasn't effective, gift or no gift, correct?

So the conclusion is, the drink can in some cases act as a primer for the introduction, but is very unlikely to work on its own and doesn't actually excuse a genuinely uninteresting introduction? Sounds about fair?

[Weimann]

The thing is, its more to grab her attention than anything, "Hi, I am over here, if you think I look like I would be interesting to talk to, come on over, no pressure." It lets you stand out from the crowd so she can see the guy and think to herself, "Hmm, do I want to talk to this guy, or keep looking?" In a crowded club, it can be a bit like taking a glance at a wheres waldo page. There are too many people moving around to be able to easily find the type of person you might want to talk to. The sent drink basically puts an arrow over a specific person and gets her to focus on you for that moment instead of just scanning the room randomly.

Yeah, I suppose I have to admit that. I'm still not sure it always work, but I can admit that it might be a good lead-in, sometimes, for some people.

Although, I'm pretty sure I read an argument against it in a book at some point. I'll have to investigate this.

[snoopy13a]

Most people go to the club to meet other people. If they wanted alcohol, they could get it from stores at like 1/5 of the price. Thus, offering interesting talk seems a more effective strategy to me.

Not necessarily. Many people just want to hang out with their own group. For example, a group of women might go to a club just to have a few drinks and dance with each other. Another group of people might go to a bar just to have a few drinks and decompress after a week of work. Not everyone who goes out is looking to meet people.

[Traab]

Yeah, I suppose I have to admit that. I'm still not sure it always work, but I can admit that it might be a good lead-in, sometimes, for some people.

Although, I'm pretty sure I read an argument against it in a book at some point. I'll have to investigate this.

Oh its not foolproof, it has its advantages and disadvantages just like any other method. But for me, the biggest plus is it removes a lot of the confrontation aspect of the meeting unlike walking right up to a girl and introducing yourself. You are basically forcing her to interact with you, even if its just to tell you to buzz off.

I look at the art of the pickup as like working in sales. The guy who walks right up and introduces himself is the telemarketer. He will get more sales than the laid back guy overall, but he will also have to deal with more hostile responses. The laid back guy who sends a drink over basically took out an ad in the paper and is waiting to see who will come to them showing an interest in the product. It has the advantage of, if the girl comes to you, then the sale is already halfway complete. If noone comes over you just wasted money on the ad space. :p

[snoopy13a]

Spoiler

Show

Apparently Eric can drink like a fish. Also, is a double Long Island Iced Tea even possible? That would be the equivalent of eight shots of alcohol.