Ménage à 3 V: YAOI SENSE TINGLING

[Wraith]

The question is - who is the primogenitor of the infestation? Zii? Didi? Gary?

I *think* it was Yuki.

Her determination to "sample Zii's genetic material" makes a lot of sense when you then consider Zii's post-relationship behaviour towards Didi and Sonya, as do Yuki's psychotic outbursts of violence towards those who threaten The Swarm.
The Yuki -> Zii -> Sonya -> Gary chain similarly explains the explosion of success in Gary's love life, as that's really the point when it really started to take off; he got with Sonya and was targeted by Yuki shortly thereafter, so he got double the dosage of xenos!

Didi might well be a rival Hive Fleet, or an off-shoot tendril, but I don't think she has enough links to the main cast to have been the originator.

Can you name a single healthy relationship in Ma3?

Sonya and Jake were pretty good - dare I say, normal? - at least to begin with.

=Discus-Spinner]Sonya is frequently confused - not the sharpest fork in the crockery drawer, that one - but I'd hardly say that she was filled with self-loathing. Last we saw of her, she seemed to be rather enjoying her life.

I think it fair to say that she was significantly distressed by the implications for some time. Her being a dunce and finding a way to get over it are respectively funny and a good thing, but neither excuse the fact that it was an unhappy experience for her, no?

[-D-]

Sonya and Jake were pretty good - dare I say, normal? - at least to begin with.

Who's Jake?

[Wraith]

Sonya's (now ex-)boyfriend. The one with whom she lived when we first met her, and who she involved in a threesome with Zii before jealousy/infidelity brought the night to a crashing end.

....I realise how dysfunctional that latter sentence makes it sound, but I assure you; until that event they had been portrayed as pretty normal.

[Discus-Spinner]

I think it fair to say that she was significantly distressed by the implications for some time. Her being a dunce and finding a way to get over it are respectively funny and a good thing, but neither excuse the fact that it was an unhappy experience for her, no?

She was confused, and hence occasionally unhappy, when she discovered a completely new side to herself, but we never saw her in an extended state of depression. Jake's badly-choreographed orgies left her frustrated, but even at that stage she started working out ways to deal with her problems (chiefly involving seducing Zii with a pair of kitty ears). Her real low point was when she discovered that Zii seemed to be in love with Erik, which left her weeping in Gary's bed for the night, but she got over that enough to start working on breaking Zii and Erik up after a few days - and even by then the problem seemed to be as much boredom as depression.

Sure, Zii messed with Sonya's head in an irresponsible fashion, which threw Sonya's life into chaos. Zii is trouble, because irresponsibility, excessive improvisation, and lack of regard for consequences (until after they've happened) are her thing. But Zii has a detectable conscience - that's why she went back to Sonya to apologise to her after their first night together went bad - and the net effect on Sonya has been a lot better than it could have been.

Because it turns out that Sonya loves chaos. Her little recent venture with Matt and Yuki was about sheer mischief and nothing else (well, mischief and ten dollars). The side of herself which Zii exposed for the first time is doing just fine.

Sonya's (now ex-)boyfriend. The one with whom she lived when we first met her, and who she involved in a threesome with Zii before jealousy/infidelity brought the night to a crashing end.

....I realise how dysfunctional that latter sentence makes it sound, but I assure you; until that event they had been portrayed as pretty normal.

Had they? Literally the first time we saw Jake, he was ripping his trousers off to jump into bed with Zii and Sonya.

Apparently, from what Sonya said, yes, they'd had a conventional and presumably fairly happy monogamous relationship up until that point. But the moment he had an excuse, Jake started organising orgies, without regard for Sonya's satisfaction - and Sonya subsequently broke up with him without much of a backward glance. It appears that relationship had run its course.

Really, if you want conventional, monogamous, happy relationships in that setting, you probably have to look at Aishani (Peggy's colleague) and Gilbert (the gym owner) - last seen with Aishani threatening Gilbert's masculinity. Or Jung (the comics shop manager) and Ramona (the intersex yaoi fangirl), whose first night together involved Jung whispering Ramona's pull list in her ear.

[-D-]

Because it turns out that Sonya loves chaos.

I see. This explains everything.

There are both a Slaaneshi cult AND Tyranid invasion happening. Truly, these are dark times.

Really, if you want conventional, monogamous, happy relationships in that setting, you probably have to look at Aishani (Peggy's colleague) and Gilbert (the gym owner) - last seen with Aishani threatening Gilbert's masculinity. Or Jung (the comics shop manager) and Ramona (the intersex yaoi fangirl), whose first night together involved Jung whispering Ramona's pull list in her ear.

Who said about anything about conventional or monogamous. Just stable relationship, that is making those in it happy.

Also I don't know who any of those are... It seems only really obscure, rarely seen characters are happy here...

[Discus-Spinner]

Who said about anything about conventional or monogamous. Just stable relationship, that is making those in it happy.

Also I don't know who any of those are... It seems only really obscure, rarely seen characters are happy here...

This is a comedy about hormone-addled loons who are stuck on a frantically spinning sexual whirligig. Of course the main characters aren't in stable relationships; that would be missing the point.

Which said, it's not a dark or dismal comic. The characters aren't guaranteed happiness, but they aren't consistently miserable. They have their low points - as with Zii at present - but they also have quite a lot of fun, achieve intermediate goals, and generally mostly like each other.

[Thialfi]

Gary's next line should be "I don't know what we are going to do about Zii, but, Didi, will you please repeat that last line while I record it on my phone for posterity?"

In the future, whenever he's feeling down on unsure of himself, he can replay that and receive an instant boost to the old ego.

[Thialfi]

So today's strip is one of those things where DiDi is both totally oblivious and right on the money?

[halfeye]

What's going on with these lately?

Ma3 is over the top sex, DC is suddenly hand-jobs, eyefulls of boob and bjs (mainly told not shown, but still ... ) and EC is now "you don't have permission to view this".

[Cikomyr]

Jung, you magnificent bastard

[Benthesquid]

Jung, you magnificent bastard

I confess, I had to reread it to realize that Jung didn't technically lie to Gary.

[Kato]

Ah, Jung, you are quite fun if you care to show up. I do wonder why Zii is there of all places, though.

[Discus-Spinner]

She presumably has a standard working day to deal with, but she needed to talk to someone, and Amber, Dillon, and Ruby may well be busy. So she might as well go to her workplace and then use Jung as a sounding-board. He's shown in the past that he can actually be weirdly sympathetic, after his own fashion, and he's actually less likely to offer stupid advice than most people she knows.

And I suspect that Jung shows up infrequently because he's harder to write effectively than most of the cast.

[Yana]

She presumably has a standard working day to deal with, but she needed to talk to someone, and Amber, Dillon, and Ruby may well be busy. So she might as well go to her workplace and then use Jung as a sounding-board. He's shown in the past that he can actually be weirdly sympathetic, after his own fashion, and he's actually less likely to offer stupid advice than most people she knows.

And I suspect that Jung shows up infrequently because he's harder to write effectively than most of the cast.

IE, he's not a complete sex-obsessed, bird-brained idiot?

[Cikomyr]

IE, he's not a complete sex-obsessed, bird-brained idiot?

...i am sorry, i dont understand the question

[Yana]

...i am sorry, i dont understand the question

I was sarcastically inferring that Jung is harder to write because he isn't a sex crazed moron like the majority of the cast.

[Cikomyr]

I was sarcastically inferring that Jung is harder to write because he isn't a sex crazed moron like the majority of the cast.

I get that. And i was making the joke that a character in Ma3 just cannot not be a sex-obsessed individual

[-D-]

I get that. And i was making the joke that a character in Ma3 just cannot not be a sex-obsessed individual

I assume he is eunuch, willingly or not.

[Kato]

I assume he is eunuch, willingly or not.

Well, as far as I recall I never noticed him having any sexual interests. Unless they were clearly related to improving business. While this is crazy by Ma3treal standards it's also a bit strange for anyone...
So, yeah, he might be.

[Discus-Spinner]

I assume he is eunuch, willingly or not.

People haven't been reading Sticky Dilly Buns. That had a big reveal at one point, which surprised a few of the readers, if not those of us who've known a few Jung-types in real life.

But my point wasn't just that he isn't entirely sex-obsessed, or even tha the's not an idiot; it's that he's snarky and fully capable of staying one up on the rest of the cast. The writers don't seem entirely comfortable writing snark, or fully effective smarts.

[-D-]

People haven't been reading Sticky Dilly Buns. That had a big reveal at one point, which surprised a few of the readers, if not those of us who've known a few Jung-types in real life.

It's a cover. He is secretly the only one aware of the hidden Tyranids and Chaos cults, but has to play along to avoid getting devoured and/or murder****ed.

[Kato]

People haven't been reading Sticky Dilly Buns. That had a big reveal at one point, which surprised a few of the readers, if not those of us who've known a few Jung-types in real life.

Oh, right... I totally forgot. How could I?

[Benthesquid]

Gary this... this could have been avoided. So, so easily Gary. So easy to avoid. Gary.

[Wraith]

Yeah, just... Call her back and say "Sorry I was cut off before I could answer - I can't go tonight because <insert generic, preferably non-pegging related excuse>, is tomorrow okay instead?" or something?

Or just text, if you're one of those people who're nervous about making calls. I mean, the 'phone is right there, still in your hand.... I think I see a way out of this

[EDIT] I know that Ma3's version of Montreal is made up of demented pod-people with no grasp of how real humans actually function, but to be honest the punchline about "I'm in an Archie comic!" is wearingly cliche'd. Ma3 has so far embarked upon fairly unique wacky hijinks, and falling back on this old chestnut feels beneath it.
Then again, Giz writes Archie Comics professionally, so maybe she's just advertising.... or maybe even expanding her universe and Gary might actually end up in a 4-some with Peggy, Betty and Veronica?

[Discus-Spinner]

Do note that the core joke about Gary is that he's a geek. Geeks have this terrible habit of taking the media they love as a guide to the social interactions at which they are crap.

So Gary thinking "I'm just like a character in an Archie comic", and then proceeding to carry through that exact sort of Archie comic plot, even though Archie comics themselves would tell him that this will end in disaster, is horribly plausible.

[-D-]

even though Archie comics themselves would tell him that this will end in disaster, is horribly plausible.

You mean it will end (in) Menage a 3?

[AMX]

Yeah, just... Call her back and say "Sorry I was cut off before I could answer - I can't go tonight because <insert generic, preferably non-pegging related excuse>, is tomorrow okay instead?" or something?

But if she decides to simply go watch the movie without him, she'll "catch him with another woman!"

Truthiness might work better - "we'll probably run into my new roommate, she mentioned she wants to watch that one as well."

[Kato]

But if she decides to simply go watch the movie without him, she'll "catch him with another woman!"

Truthiness might work better - "we'll probably run into my new roommate, she mentioned she wants to watch that one as well."

Which is just what happened.... I guess the whole truth would have been the best path.


Also: What the hellis happening in DC and SotR??

[Olinser]

Proposed Gary comeback line:

"Eh? Oh, I'm sorry, you must have misheard me. I said I had someONE else to do".

[Kato]

Proposed Gary comeback line:

"Eh? Oh, I'm sorry, you must have misheard me. I said I had someONE else to do".

That would be pretty good... except he fails to remember the name of his effing date. Which is pretty bad... And also, while it's totally something I would do because I'm a moron... that invitation is a stupid move, man. Not sure what the last line is about, though. How would that help you exactly?