So wait, is Bandana a woman?

[Keltest]

Haley...

Grey Wolf

Yeah, I always felt that fell flat. Short hair aside, Haley was still very visibly female.

[dtilque]

Possibly, but pronouns are (1) quite indistinct in English (at least when compared to my own language) and therefore I tend to miss them (and misuse them - just yesterday I managed to refer to my own cub by the wrong one), and (2) they are more "filler" than "information-sensitive" when it comes to scan-reading, so they are in general easy to miss when not focusing completely on the text, which I tend not to do with comics, since I'm taking in the picture as I read the words.

So you're like V in that you usually don't pay attention to pronouns?

[JohanOfKitten]

It's not that hard to understand in this particular case:
1) Character is purposely designed with a slim body type, making her harder to visually identify
2) Character is referred to with an alias which is neither male nor female (i.e. she's not e.g. "The Pirate Queen", just "Bandana")
3) Character is gynosexual, which would more often than not indicate it is male (i.e. "most characters with girlfriends are guys"*).

I've been trying to remember what told me she was a woman, but as far as I can recall I never had any problems identifying her as such.

Grey Wolf

*This kind of assumption has plenty of ramifications into th equal representation and public expectations and so on, but whatever your position on what it means for these topics, it is unavoidable that, at this time, the statement is broadly true.

In the very same panel we learn Bandana sexual preference, Haley strongly implied that she thought the female armor was Bandana's.
Why would Haley think that if Bandana wasn't a female?

(source : http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0959.html )

[Knaight]

Yeah, I always felt that fell flat. Short hair aside, Haley was still very visibly female.

So is Bandana, and yet we have this thread.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

In the very same panel we learn Bandana sexual preference, Haley strongly implied that she thought the female armor was Bandana's.
Why would Haley think that if Bandana wasn't a female?

(source : http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0959.html )

Because it was in her closet? I mean the confusion works for both "B is male" and "B is female". Haley is surprised she fits so well in an armour designed for a {man | small-breasted woman} and B clarifies it was never hers to wear, but her ("his") girlfriend's. No matter what assumption you have made going into the comic regarding B's sex, the conversation still fits both.

GW

[Keltest]

So is Bandana, and yet we have this thread.

bandana wears much bulkier clothing and her female body shape is less pronounced because of it. Furthermore, her earlier appearances all had her in a smaller panel, standing at the wheel. If you didn't notice it then, I can see how an assumption could form that would cause you to not look at her that closely to see for sure.

[Kish]

You've got an ironic screen name.

[Gnoman]

This is pretty clearly a troll account. I suggest we not feed it.

[2D8HP]

This is pretty clearly a....

Thank you for the advice, I needed it!

[littlebum2002]

I would have thought it would have been obvious when it was revealed that Bandana's birth name is Beatrix, which is a very typical female name.
But yes, there are plenty of women with more curves in the comic...

I didn't realize until now that Beatrix was actually a real name. The only Beatrixes I know of are Secundus, Lestrange and Kiddo, which are all fictional characters.

[Quebbster]

I didn't realize until now that Beatrix was actually a real name. The only Beatrixes I know of are Secundus, Lestrange and Kiddo, which are all fictional characters.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Beatrix Potter are most certainly not fictional characters. Then again, I mostly know the Queen since she got name dropped in an old Simpsons episode... And Potter because of her fictional characters...

[Peelee]

I didn't realize until now that Beatrix was actually a real name. The only Beatrixes I know of are Secundus, Lestrange and Kiddo, which are all fictional characters.

No Potter?

[Grey_Wolf_c]

No Potter?

Beatrix Lestrange is from Harry Potter.

ETA: Unless you literally meant Beatrix Potter, who I understand is well-known, but I have never read anything by her, so presumably neither did Littlebum.

GW

[2D8HP]

...Beatrix Potter...

...Beatrix Potter...

I had her books as a child (and so does my son), but from an episode of

Rick Steve's Europe

I learned that there's a



theme park

based on her books.

[Vinyadan]

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Beatrix Potter are most certainly not fictional characters.

Every time a child says, 'I don't believe in Beatrixes', there is a little Queen somewhere in the Netherlands that falls dead. Do you believe in Beatrixes? If you believe, clap your hands! Don't let Queen Beatrix die!

[2D8HP]

...If you believe, clap your hands! Don't let Queen Beatrix die!

[littlebum2002]

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Beatrix Potter are most certainly not fictional characters. Then again, I mostly know the Queen since she got name dropped in an old Simpsons episode... And Potter because of her fictional characters...

No Potter?

*Googles that name right quick

OOOH, I DO remember than name now! Wow that is from a long time ago...

I feel incredibly American that there was a Queen who reigned for 33 years and only abdicated 4 years ago and I had never heard of her.

[Alcore]

She was a "she"?

Missed that completely. Must be the apron. I also didn't realize her hairstyle was a bun.... OK, it's a fair cop, I was reading the dialogue and not paying attention to the art.

Not quite....

Ōetsu Nimaiya, famous sword smith, ties his hair in a bun too. Sword smiths often deal with fire and often take measures to prevent burning.

[2D8HP]

Moral of this thread: If you don't show cleavage, people might assume you are a man. Bandana, the swordsmith, Andi, V... The list can probably go on a bit.

It's easier to tell when Andi/Andromeda isn't wearing a heavy coat:

[littlebum2002]

Moral of this thread: If you don't show cleavage, people might assume you are a man. Bandana, the swordsmith, Andi, V... The list can probably go on a bit.

I mean, it's a stick figure comic. It isn't exactly clear who is what. I thought Miko was a man at first due to her square torso.

[Koo Rehtorb]

Nah she's a fictional character.

[2D8HP]

I find it curious that no one has posted that "I didn't know [character] was a man", instead.of, "I didn't know [character] was a women."

Why?

While I'm curious, since it's more fun this way, I hope that Inkyrius and Vaarsuvius, who have no definite pro-nouns stay that way!

[SaintRidley]

I didn't realize until now that Beatrix was actually a real name. The only Beatrixes I know of are Secundus, Lestrange and Kiddo, which are all fictional characters.

Beatrix Lestrange is from Harry Potter.

ETA: Unless you literally meant Beatrix Potter, who I understand is well-known, but I have never read anything by her, so presumably neither did Littlebum.

GW

There is no Beatrix Lestrange. There's a Bellatrix Lestrange, whose name comes from the third brightest star in the Orion constellation.

[littlebum2002]

There is no Beatrix Lestrange. There's a Bellatrix Lestrange, whose name comes from the third brightest star in the Orion constellation.

Ugh, total rookie mistake.

[Vinyadan]

It's easier to tell when Andi/Andromeda isn't wearing a heavy coat:

In general you can use chin size and eye height relative to the head circle. Which is why V is now ambiguous, and, back then, was imho drawn like a male.

[Jormengand]

But yes, Bandana's a lesbian. Or a gay woman, since there's no such place in OOTS-World as Lesbos for a Sappho-or-Sappho-like person to create that association.

Though since the characters are probably all actually speaking in Common most of the time anyway, it doesn't really matter which word you use since neither of them has any more right to exist in-setting than the other.

[littlebum2002]

I'll admit, until I looked at the comic again today, I had completely forgotten that her birth name had even been mentioned, much less what it was.

But yes, Bandana's a lesbian. Or a gay woman, since there's no such place in OOTS-World as Lesbos for a Sappho-or-Sappho-like person to create that association.

Though since the characters are probably all actually speaking in Common most of the time anyway, it doesn't really matter which word you use since neither of them has any more right to exist in-setting than the other.

Relevant XKCD

[Riftwolf]

In a related note, there's a book called 'Breed' by an author i once met, which is specifically written to leave the main character gender neutral. People who reviewed it imposed their own ideas as to what gender the character was; when i first heard it, I assumed the character was female, but others heard it as a male character.
I can't remember thinking of Bandana as non-female, even before her part got bigger.

[Vinyadan]

I can't remember thinking of Bandana as non-female, even before her part got bigger.

I have a dirty mind

[Riftwolf]

I have a dirty mind

Wow less than fifteen minutes gotta be a new record for my word choice going against me :p