[1511] "cold water and hot lava"

[Mightion]

Anyone who thinks there won't be a scene change next comic, raise your hand.

(But please Fred, let Piro accept Kimiko's "invitation", give us nice guys a faint ray of hope. )

[GreyWolfe]

Anyone who thinks there won't be a scene change next comic, raise your hand.

(But please Fred, let Piro accept Kimiko's "invitation", give us nice guys a faint ray of hope. )

I have a lot of confidence in Fred lately, however with the trepidation about the SFW rating of the current strip, I can't see the next one being anything more racy. It's going to be all clouds of steam and speech bubbles conveniently covering things

That is, unless he scene switches back to Pingko.

[arimareiji]

Please pardon the rudeness, and please understand I have no one in mind (and I hope that remains true).

This just comes from the observation that Internet civility is best modeled by a toilet spiral, and that many in US society (at least) now have the reasoning skills of a toddler when it comes to things they're "right" about. Thaaaaanks, corporate media.

I hope people remember that trying to mandate this, that, or the other direction for the story would be dreadfully misguided. Life is more painful when we don't call all the shots, but if we did it would be crazy boring.

* - Under the loose definition of mandate as "assert or clearly imply that not following one's preferred course of action will have nasty consequences". (If you're worried that this might describe the post you have in mind, it probably doesn't. If you've already come up with good reasons why it doesn't, it probably does.)

~~~~~

Anyone who thinks there won't be a scene change next comic, raise your hand.

(But please Fred, let Piro accept Kimiko's "invitation", give us nice guys a faint ray of hope. )

I have a lot of confidence in Fred lately, however with the trepidation about the SFW rating of the current strip, I can't see the next one being anything more racy. It's going to be all clouds of steam and speech bubbles conveniently covering things

That is, unless he scene switches back to Pingko.

If said event occurs, I don't think we'll see it. I give you two authors, describing the same event from opposite directions.

Victor Hugo, Les Miserables: "And here we must pause. At the door of every bridal bedchamber a smiling angel stands, a finger to his lips."
Whoever wrote the published fanfic Cosette: (Marius, to Cosette) "This is a nipple."

I'd guess (and it's only a guess) that Fred is somewhere in between.

[Invisigoth]

I should like to point out that Piro is in fact remarkably composed and in control despite the fact that Kimi is really pushing all his buttons. She is sensual, sexy and extremely desirable

A beautiful woman

Piro is composed and while no James Bond he's got matters in hand and he will be making any important decisions rationally, not a slave to his raging hormones.

A real man.

I'm sure that in time he can revert to being the waffling, annoying geek we all love to hate but at the moment his true colors show through.

[Liminaut]

You know, we really know almost nothing about Piro, especially his sexuality. Most posters, including myself, have been making a lot of assumptions. The truth is almost anything is possible for Piro.

For instance, I've known several men that didn't want to have sex until marriage, and turned down invitations. Typically these men were very up front about their sexuality, though. Piro is being anything but up front. This in fact is the primary vibe I've been getting from this scene: whatever is going on with Piro, he doesn't have the self-awareness or language to express it.

He may be feeling that he's still in love with Miho. But since there is no formal declaration yet, having a bit of fun is not out of the question (I know a couple that was on-again,off-again for a bit and happily played the field in the off stages. They are married with kids now). One of the possibilities is that Piro has gotten himself impossibly wound up as to how the fist time has to be "right", with an impossibly high standard for what right is.

He might be highly closeted gay, he might be closeted asexual, he might be trans and still discovering it. Since Piro is named after a pet cat, he might have been fixed.

[arimareiji]

I should like to point out that Piro is in fact remarkably composed and in control despite the fact that Kimi is really pushing all his buttons. She is sensual, sexy and extremely desirable

A beautiful woman

Piro is composed and while no James Bond he's got matters in hand and he will be making any important decisions rationally, not a slave to his raging hormones.

A real man.

I'm sure that in time he can revert to being the waffling, annoying geek we all love to hate but at the moment his true colors show through.

I won't blame you if you ban me for this (please make it temporary), but: Would you compare him to the Rock of Gibraltar, a tower of strength, or perhaps a pillar of iron?

(It randomly occurred to me that a lot of our metaphors for strength of character sound dangerously close to phallic innuendo. )

[Invisigoth]

Piro is like the Pine Tree that grows upon the slopes of the great mountain...he's green all year round

[Mightion]

You know, we really know almost nothing about Piro, especially his sexuality. Most posters, including myself, have been making a lot of assumptions. The truth is almost anything is possible for Piro.

For instance, I've known several men that didn't want to have sex until marriage, and turned down invitations. Typically these men were very up front about their sexuality, though. Piro is being anything but up front. This in fact is the primary vibe I've been getting from this scene: whatever is going on with Piro, he doesn't have the self-awareness or language to express it.

He may be feeling that he's still in love with Miho. But since there is no formal declaration yet, having a bit of fun is not out of the question (I know a couple that was on-again,off-again for a bit and happily played the field in the off stages. They are married with kids now). One of the possibilities is that Piro has gotten himself impossibly wound up as to how the fist time has to be "right", with an impossibly high standard for what right is.

He might be highly closeted gay, he might be closeted asexual, he might be trans and still discovering it. Since Piro is named after a pet cat, he might have been fixed.

I refer you to 296. Specifically panel three. EDIT: And 295, now that I look back.

[Liminaut]

I should like to point out that Piro is in fact remarkably composed and in control despite the fact that Kimi is really pushing all his buttons. She is sensual, sexy and extremely desirable

A beautiful woman

Piro is composed and while no James Bond he's got matters in hand and he will be making any important decisions rationally, not a slave to his raging hormones.
<snip>

Except he's not making any decisions. He's going along,but neither enthusiastically participating nor telling Kimiko action time is off. And he's looking like a deer in headlights, not that composed.

Any resolute action here is understandable,but Piro is doing nothing.

[arimareiji]

(snip) Since Piro is named after a pet cat, he might have been fixed.

I refer you to 296. Specifically panel three. EDIT: And 295, now that I look back.

I'll see your 296:3, and raise you a 79:2. (^_~)
~~~
Some day I'd love to see a cartoon of a cat pissing in a shoe, muttering "Fixed? FIXED!? It wasn't broken, you #$%#@!"

[Yl33 D4 N00b]

That expression on Kimiko's face in panel 5 says it all.....

Kinda hard to get all steamy in the shower when the water is supposed to be ice cold(of course, the warming up comes afterward)....

[GreyWolfe]

Kinda hard to get all steamy in the shower when the water is supposed to be ice cold(of course, the warming up comes afterward)....

Doing anything more than heavy petting in the shower is pretty much impossible without some 'assistance'. The movies make it out to be far, far less awkward than it is in reality

[Rapierman]

Yanno, Parf, I have to disagree. The way that comic went, yes, it's an out that Kimiko offered, but those latter panels suggest that Piro ditch his old behavior and go for it. Possibly like she's following along but really hoping that Piro would make the move for once in his life. That last panel like that would be like some girl attempting to seduce/tempt the guy into sharing a bath/shower.

Is this misbehavior on Kimiko's part? Maybe. However, in the privacy of that room and the way the decorative theme goes, things happen, and girls have needs (though the circumstances may differ from person to person). She wants something and it came in the form of Piro, though he is a little bit shy and awkward about it.

Speculation at this point, but would it be possible that Kimiko is giving Piro the chance to choose herself over Miho, like she thinks she's in a love-triangle fight?

Nothing personal, but this is just me wanting the "poor schmuck" to win something for a change in terms of personal relationships. I suppose I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic in a sense. Can't fault me for that now, can you?

[GreyWolfe]

Nothing personal, but this is just me wanting the "poor schmuck" to win something for a change in terms of personal relationships. I suppose I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic in a sense. Can't fault me for that now, can you?

The problem here is that Fred is determined that Piro should never 'win' in MT, whilst Kimiko is having other ideas about it.

[darrin]

Holy Zarquon. If Kimiko is "dumping Piro to get him back together with Miho" she sure is going about it in a seriously freaky deaky way. Not sure how much more blatant she could be than panel one. "See anything you like, squire? " She just said last strip that it's time to "stop being her" (to whatever extent you believe that even means). There Is No Miho Here, this is 100% Organic Free Trade Cane Sugar, certified to contain not a drop of HFCS. (Really hard to take the eyes off panel 1 but panel 5 sure doesn't look like any "you are about to get dumped" face I would expect to see from her.)

As for Piro still being in love with Miho, he literally says "Miho who?" in the first panel. (Cue Peter Billingsley in "Christmas Story": "Uh... football? What's a football?" (needed a more slack-jawed emoji here, ha))

Yes, I know that Fred would never follow her (them? ) into the shower, and we are about to get a scene change, but boy am I reminded of the Ilia-probe shower scene in Star Trek the Motion Picture. "Uh, Kimi, what's with all the steam? I said to use cold water till the toner's out, right?" "Oh, hee hee, it's plenty cold coming out of the faucet..."

[Rapierman]

Nothing personal, but this is just me wanting the "poor schmuck" to win something for a change in terms of personal relationships. I suppose I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic in a sense. Can't fault me for that now, can you?

The problem here is that Fred is determined that Piro should never 'win' in MT, whilst Kimiko is having other ideas about it.

Welcome to "romantic tension".

[arimareiji]

Welcome to "romantic tension".

I think Kimiko's romantic tension is giving Fred a different kind of tension... headaches.

And some of the readers seem to be getting Rocky-Horror-style dynamic tension. (^_~)

[Paint85]

I understand where Piro is coming from but I've been reading too many rom com light novels as of late and I was kind of hoping that he'd give in. If for no other reason than to create even more of a charlie foxtrot. He is probably completely blindsided but the "You two are dating" line hit him pretty hard. Maybe he wants to make the relationship clear before he acts? I understand the hesitation he has with going with the moment and then possibly losing her as a result.

Stuff like this reminds me of why I've stuck with this comic for almost a decade and a half. There are so many manga tropes out there and, though I love them all, I have zero idea of how this story will end and that's always been exciting. I just made myself a little sad thinking that I actually started reading this at 18.

[cidjen]

Nothing personal, but this is just me wanting the "poor schmuck" to win something for a change in terms of personal relationships. I suppose I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic in a sense. Can't fault me for that now, can you?

The problem here is that Fred is determined that Piro should never 'win' in MT, whilst Kimiko is having other ideas about it.

It's been said somewhere in comments a few strips ago, that Kimiko is a '"boss level" in the game'... While this may be deliberate misinformation - in broader sense, Piro the player, will have to 'win' with Kimiko, to move forward in the game. In some sense he already is winning (he's going to get the Lockart job, work on Kotone together with her; even if only for some short-term situational happiness (Piro still intends to make the money and fly back to the 'States); What life would he want to go back to in the 'states anyway? away from the beating heart of manga, jobless (maybe for short but still - EDIT: well he'll probably have better prospects in the art departments after landing the Lockart job, than in the IT industry - remember it's still 2001 there, the stock bubble of the '00s either has already started to burst, or will be burst... by Dom's pulling Sega under ), probably homeless by now ... living the mundane ... ).
(edit: either that - or the real Kimiko 'Boss Battle' will occur when he has to decide on his impending return)

Miho tried to prevent him from winning before (he's not going to lose, but he's not going to win either) - her story was 'pre-programmed' to do that?, but now that Piro actually saved Miho, that part of her story is being ninja (and foxgirl)-edited; IN THIS SENSE, if Miho was one of the 'bosses' too, her pre-determined purpose to 'kill' Piro has failed, so he actually 'won' something here.

Can't wait for the Ping boss battle

[Teddy-Werebear]

Doing anything more than heavy petting in the shower is pretty much impossible without some 'assistance'. The movies make it out to be far, far less awkward than it is in reality

Sez you!

A great deal is possible with a tub insert sized shower, sez aye!!

[klange]

I just want to take this opportunity to say: y'all are weird.

[GreyWolfe]

I just want to take this opportunity to say: y'all are weird.

https://youtu.be/QYmPXD7OCmk

[GreyWolfe]

Doing anything more than heavy petting in the shower is pretty much impossible without some 'assistance'. The movies make it out to be far, far less awkward than it is in reality

Sez you!

A great deal is possible with a tub insert sized shower, sez aye!!

This is Japan dude, everything is tiny.

[arimareiji]

Doing anything more than heavy petting in the shower is pretty much impossible without some 'assistance'. The movies make it out to be far, far less awkward than it is in reality

Sez you!

A great deal is possible with a tub insert sized shower, sez aye!!

This is Japan dude, everything is tiny.

Given that the subject is sex, it's really hard to see this and stay good.

Something that might help clarify matters: The biggest problem isn't the area, it's if the shower is on and water is washing over you.

[BetaCygnus]

This is Japan dude, everything is tiny.

…except for Tokyo.