Page 57! Good thing that’s taken care of!
I will be taking a week off from updates as I travel to two events. First one is the Queers and Comics conference in New York on May 7, and then I’m tabling at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival on May 9 and 10! Come see me at either of these – I’ll have the new books!
Not sure if that deserves a rim shot or a canned “Ooooooh”. Oh dang, Titus!
Rim shots are for jokes though… Yes, Titus deserves a rim-sho- Wait, that could be a joke also….
Zodiac, get back to class O.O
But I am in a gorilla suit!
Well, it was an ironic moment…hmm…what usually occurs during ironic moments?
Hmmmm. Rim-shots are for jokes, Oooohs are for comebacks. So I think canned laughter kr at least an Mhhhhm.
I love the symbolism of the scarf coming off as Titus opens up to Sulla more. Maybe I’m just reading way to into that because I’m in English class.
Oof.
In private implies that they expect to spend more time with her alone. :3
Ouch! Poor Sulla.
Funny, though. Ty/Titus really looks like Brandan in the last panel.
So I’m wondering if Ty/Titus is trans, genderfluid, agender, or still trying to sort it all out? I’m guessing it’s the last.
Well, they just said not agender. Sounds like genderfluid and/or bigender? which i *think* falls under “trans” used as an umbrella term.
mmm, I think be cautious in naming trans an umbrella term. Like, “trans*” is an intentionally inclusive thing. But, I think genderfluid and bigender more easily go under the category of Queer, if you need to be doing categories at all.
I also believe we the reader do not need to define Titus, nor do they need to define themselves unless and when they want to. Though I do believe it is important to discuss the definitions of all these terms used in consideration to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Queer is one of the most all encompassing terms seeing as it refers to all sexual and gender minorities. Trans* is a term used in regards to people that do not have a gender identity or gender expression that matches the one assigned at birth. Another term, non-cisgender, means exactly the same thing.
However, even as a member of the community, I must say I rarely hear “queer” for anyone trans* and I rarely hear “trans*” for anyone that is not transsexual. (Transsexual being someone that identifies as, lives as, and sometimes has surgical operations to physically be more like the traditional body of the opposite gender that they were assigned at birth with.)
So when it comes to my choices with the terms I use, I tend to use queer for solely sexual minorities, trans* for transsexual and (sometimes) bigender people, and non-cisgender for any other gender minorities. I do this only because I know that most other people don’t have the definitions of these definitions memorized and much like how Titus sees it as easier to let those close to them to recognize them as female, it’s much less complicated for me to use the terms in a manner closer to theirs. Yet I still am at the ready to share my knowledge of words and their usages.
I’m pretty sure Titus isn’t trans, as they admit they have a “girl” side as well as a “boy” side (hello me). Catch-all terms that I know of that could fit them are genderqueer or non-binary (nb or enby, I like this one; don’t use it to describe trans folk though!). I’d stay well away from trans*, with the asterisk, as a term for anybody who doesn’t identify with their birth gender – I’ve seen discussions, and this term was coined by some transphobic guy who didn’t know much about anything, so it’s pretty much fallen out of use (at least in my circles).
I’ve seen a bunch of people use queer to refer to gender minorities too, though since discussion of sexual and not gender minorities is more common, the use of queer to refer only to the former is no surprise.
I must say too that transsexual has been falling out of use in favour of the more inclusive (and less historically charged) transgender. Maybe it’s a generational thing or something, but seeing transsexual kind of irks me (having associated it with old people and transphobic dudebros). Transgender includes everyone who identifies as trans, whether they have done any transitioning or not, and no one associates it with the porn industry, which is always a plus.
I JUST BREATHED IN SHARP AND SLAPPED MY FOREHEAD AND SAID “OH NO” OUT LOUD AT THAT FRIGGIN’ PANEL
IN PUBLIC
SULLA’S FAAAAAACE Blue you’re a terrible person.
Wow, this just got a lot more interesting.
First of all, let me be clear: Titus being a nonbinary character is SO GOOD. As a nonbinary person myself, this gives me fluttery feelings inside c: And their interactions with Sulla here are very well done.
But now it seems like we have Titus expressing a couple of problematic feelings–saying being agender is “weird” (which, like, :/, although maybe I’m reading too much into her use of the word) and then defaulting robots to such (probably reinforcing a stereotype of the time that may or may not be widespread). I’m sure the equation of these two things feels like a smack in the face to Sulla, as bad as Erika’s (also innocent) use of “she” when referring to Titus. I can almost hear the wavering in Sulla’s voice from the bendy speech bubble line in the last panel… (Those little details are fantastic, by the way!)
But I have hope that Sulla will be able to talk to Titus about this, and her own self, later on. Here, we see an opportunity for this problematic character to be corrected, helped by the fact that their new friend is someone who can speak personally about trans stuff and passing as human as a synthetic being. I doubt that these series of words from Titus (however gross they are on the surface) are indicative of any sort of seriously negative feelings about synthetic beings, and I don’t think Blue would want them that way. But I think Titus’s feelings towards them are definitely going to come up later.
Not now, though, apparently. Nothing’s more moment-breaking than an interjection from an outside party… (Not that it’s bad. It’s used very well here. But the ends of personal interactions like this are always a bit sad…)
As much as it hurt, I too really appreciate this turn of events. It’s an unfortunate fact that simply finding other non-cis people does not mean you’ve found a safe space. There are definite hierarchies in place due to history and the like, and us agender types are often the weirdos at the bottom of the non-cis pile. I’ve found it incredibly rare to be completely accepted for who I am by anyone- even non-cis people are likely to look at me sideways.
Oh no. Oh, gosh, I know that face. It’s the same face I get, the same momentary frozen expression, when someone calls me by my dead name or assumes the wrong gender. Oh, Sulla. :( Heartbroken for her right now.
I can relate to Titus so much. like, it’s kinda hard to find the courage to tell everyone about this kind of thing. gender identity is hard to explain to some people, and they aren’t always accepting.
Hmm, am I seeing a parallel to the communication breakdown between Al and Brandon that’s already been referenced? And dang, wow, I feel like the cultural evolution of society is pretty apparent here between the two generations we’ve seen; it’s like you see the little steps people take to discover and surpass assumptions about things like sexuality, gender identity and race/ethnicity (in the case of A.I.s here–or at least I would consider it that in this instance), and the intersectionality inherent in those things. We’re looking at two sets of people from two separate generations with their own unique sets of problems revolving around a sense of self. It’s pretty fucking spectacular.
Sulla be like http://i.imgur.com/pu3LZN9.png
Ouch.
I’m just confused as to where Titus is coming from.
I don’t know what Titus’s gender or even sex identities are. That’s what makes it an ambiguous problem understanding life from behind their eyes.
I’d just like to know what the angle is to understand what Titus’s assigned biology is and what makes what so genderqueer/fluid.
I don’t really think their biology it’s anyone’s business but Titus’ and anyone Titus chooses to date or be sexual with.
Gender is an expression of ones self. Titus feels like both a man and a woman. Neither side of the binary really resonates with them. That’s all.
I kind of find it completely odd that you’re defending a comic character as if they were a real person.
I’m only asking for metadata, not a moral standpoint.
Neither side of the binary really resonates with me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t say, “biologically male, gender – never really thought about.”
I think the important takeaway here is that Titus sees himself (or herself) as being both a boy and a girl.
There are a whole host of nomenclatures associated with gender identity. Titus hasn’t claimed any of them yet, so labeling her as a specific gender identity is speculation at this point. But I think what is clear is that she is comfortable being seen either way, so if you were to meet Titus, you could use either pronoun and be considered correct.
As for his sex Titus has said that his parents consider him a girl, which suggests that Titus is biologically female.
People and snowflakes are all different. You don’t need to know the whole wiring diagram to be someone’s friend. I don’t think Titus has it figured out yet either. I think we’re seeing someone impatient with female biology and roles trying to break out of the box and look around. I also think the friends know more than they are saying.
Well…I’m just trying to figure out the backstory. I’m not trying to be their friend…they are a comic character.
This has nothing to do with individual snowflakes. I am literally just wanting to know the CliffsNotes: “considered a biological BLANK, identify as a BLANK”
did sulla’s world go Dark for a moment in panel #3?
This is veeery interesting. I’m not agender, but I identify (when I have to) as asexual. Titus’ comments ring true for me in a different way… I totally understand their attitude, especially as a young person. I was very self-critical and felt like being A was in some way making me like a robot. It’s both a common crit towards Agender/sexual people, but also a slur people turn towards themselves, like ‘I’m not a real human! I don’t have real human feelings!’ To link this whole issue to a world where ACTUAL PROPER ROBOTS exist adds a whole new and intriguing dimension to what it means when we use/abuse these sorts of words..and to get overly philosophical on y’all- what it actually means to be ‘human’. POW
I love this comic more and more every update.
Now I am wondering about the existing robots – some of them seem gendered but is it just habit from their previous human existence? Do they feel desire still? Sulla is probably one of the most advanced, and Brendan obviously, but how about the ones on the street? Is Titus stating a fact about robots or just assuming? Don’t worry, robots, Brendan is coming to save you.
Very ironic how Ty views Sulla as someone to confide in more than to their other friends, while Sulla clearly can’t do the same with Ty…
I gather Sulla has had bad experiences about telling people she is an android. I do not doubt while most are nice about it they still treat her different. It would be devastating to Sulla to have Ty do that to her. So Sulla avoids it the only way she knows how. By avoiding saying anything about it. I think Ty will have to force the truth out of Sulla. Because Sulla is just like her origin. So socially awkward she will never find the words to express herself on her own. The poor thing.
This comic is amazing! I just discovered it. I LOVE science fiction, and you do the genre so much justice! I can’t wait to read more!
We’ve got to get this nominated for a Hugo next year. It could cause the Sad Puppies heads to explode, and that would be a Good Thing. If you don’t know why, google “sad puppies.”
i think about this page a lot and wonder if the negative associations of being trans and being robots for titus stems from when titus attempted to come out to erika and erika said something equating the two with dismissive disgust. and that made titus quietly retreat into ‘this is fine’ closeted denial with those they already know.