- Butterfly: ……… ……… !
- Butterfly: Maybe you’re right, maybe there is another challenge worth fighting for!
- Seeoahtlahmakaskay: As I said.
- Butterfly: I’ll become the first raccoon to ascend K2!
- Seeoahtlahmakaskay: That’s not really what I had in mind…
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“BITCH, YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT DO, EVEREST AND BEYOND!”
“All right then, I’ll be the first raccoon to go into space! …of it’s own will!”
I was going to say why not Everest when I remembered the fact that K2 is considered more dangerous. Also just tell Butterfly what you meant Seeoahtlahmakaskay. She obviously can’t take a hint.
I swear if she settles down after doing that awesome climb, she’ll have a pick of like every guy she wants! Y u no take hint Butterfly!
Butterfly’s diety has just spoken a sentence to her, in person. I hope Butterfly has the sense to listen.
This is a nice punchline, but I know there’s more to the story since we don’t know what she wanted the eagle to do.
there is no bigger challenge of couple life (maybe parent life after,but i think is just karma).
Take a hint lady! sheesh Butterfly you got a lot of male suitors down there and a child that probably going to create a revolution in the raccoon world.
See-Kay: Come on dear, get in the game. I want some grandkits!
Butterfly: I am the one who decides what to do with my life.
See-Kay: Would it help if I told that your kits will lead the masked ones into a new golden age?
Butterfly: Isn’t that what you told my parents?
See-Kay: Hey, every age is a golden age for raccoon kind.
The motherly “I want to have grandchildren, you know.” expression on Seeo-something (sorry, I really can’t remember such long names /o) is REALLY good. =D
GEEZ BUTTERFLY!! Seeoahtlahmakaskay was talking about KITS not K2! Though it is quite the challenge especially from the Chinese side.
HA! NOW SHE ISN’T SMILING FOR ONCE!
And now I’m pretty sure everything in Butterfly’s head is climbing cliffs, well I don’t think thats a good idea since in the beginning she was freaking out… And now k2?
You’re talking to a raccoon who has constantly been avoiding male suitors and climbing things. You either have to tell her straight out or she is going to climb more things. XD
Oh right. So after a unique, death-defying, inspiring and unifying achievement, after overcoming physical, emotional and psychological challenges against-all-odds, we find the denouement of this weeks-long tale to be some last century, patronising nonsense along the lines of “well, that’s all very nice dear. But as a female of the species the most important thing you can do with your life is snag yourself a man and start reproducing and live out the remainder of your days through your family.” Unless this suddenly turns into a true revolution where gender equality overcomes an outdated patriarchal religion (fronted by a goddess – oh the irony!) the utter disappoint is sending me off to find another read. I’d really hoped this comic had something relevant to say.
That seems O- K2 do, to me. But it seems like that’ll be the peak of her career. It’s a slippery slope to go into mountain climbing, really. but I guess there’snowcap for her.Also, I feel like her and Woo will have a rocky relationship after that.
@ Terrene Irdisch:
Wait, are you honestly implying that people who achieve all their life goals should feel ashamed if they then start a family?
Wait…seeoahtlamakaskay imagined two kits with Butterfly. And…kits starts with k. K2 means 2 kits…Novil you subtext slipping genius.
Awwwwwwwwwww I thought she was going to Gensokyo like I suggested.
Anyways
You go Girl!!!!!!!!
@ MawileCeyvis:
What if it just means Kidnergarden to 2nd grade?
Yup… XD I was right…the message wasn’t getting through to butterfly…well one day….one day…
I’ve never heard of K2, but I’ll bet she can do it! XD
@ Terrene Irdisch:
What’s wrong with that? It’s the Coon Goddess we’re talking about. I mean she’s also responsible for Butterfly to be born (by playing matchmaker between Butterfly’s parents). I bet she got a plan for Butterfly in the future because she suggest that.
@ illeatyourself:
K2 is Everest’s most dangerous peak. Also she need oxygen tank since it’s really hard to breath on that height.
I know in all the myths, gods and goddesses love to work subtly, but Butterfly has spent her life working in the grand.
Get a big, 35 pound hammer…
@ Terrene Irdisch:
Yeah I don’t think you really get it.
No of course not. The implication here is the tired old sexist meme that it doesn’t matter what a woman does, if it *doesn’t* include a family she’s not achieved her ‘real’ purpose. Why is this even being mentioned in the story? Why isn’t it all about what the character just achieved, or could go on to achieve? It makes me incredibly sad. And I don’t believe it would have come up at all if it had been a male character.
@ Xezlec:
Like I say, tired old sexist meme. She’s a goddess = hearth, home, having babies. What century is this story set in? Not one I want to live, work and achieve in.
@ AckAckAck:
@ lupusFati:
What do you think I don’t get? What is your explanation for why her potential reproductive capabilities are being lauded over her actual physical achievements? And do you think this would happen if it were a male character?
@ Terrene Irdisch:
Quite Frankly I don’t see it as a sexist view. If you think about it where and in what does Seo say that butterfly’s accomplishments are nothing? That a family is more important? All Seo is saying is that Butterfly has accomplished what no raccoon has done before now its time for Butterfly to try something other than climbing for a change. I mean come on. All butterfly has done in her life is climb or prepared for the climb. But has Butterfly ever really lived like a true raccoon? That hasn’t really been seen. All we really know of Butterfly is that she is the best climber of their era.
Do not worry, Seeoahtlahmakaskay. Butterfly will have a better pick of male raccoons if she accomplishes that.
I think this storyline is gonna be more about teaching S a lesson about meddling in mortal’s lives.
Just like how Butterfly cannot seem to take a, hrm, “subtle” hint, I’m guessing Seeoahtlahmakaskay cannot take a hint, either: Butterfly just doesn’t swing that way. She swings from the most dangerous geological formations on Earth. One pawed. (Basically something akin to “married to the thrill.”)
@ Terrene Irdisch:
Too effin true. What saddens me is that some people are work based while others are family based. Perhaps we could say this comic was meant to show the audience how Butterfly is more work than family.
Works for me! From what little I’ve heard on the subject, K2 is actually a tougher mountain to climb than Everest. Granted, that’s in relative terms, but still.
I am so disapointed in the racoon deity.. You have a champion climber and you want her to settle down and make babies? This is such a put-down to women everywhere.
I like this comic very much and I am glad the racoon corrects the deity in this comic.
One year later and the first sucessful human nighttime climbers of K2 find a flag already there…
@ Terrene Irdisch:
You post has merits, but I think you’re drawing conclusions that aren’t evident from the comic itself.
You can rightfully conclude that Seeo (and maybe even Novil) thinks having a family is important, but that it’s the most important cannot be concluded from the context. Also, it’s not that Butterfly decided against having kits, she didn’t even consider it. Finally, there is a very good reason for Seeo to want Butterfly to try something else other than a stereotypical role.
We know that Butterfly has fallen 19 times with a 5% chance of being devoured each. Mathematically, you have a 38% chance of surviving 19 falls in that case. Note that this assumes there’s a 0% chance of the raccoon to fall and make a lethal landing before the eagle even manage to catch it. If we give a lethal landing a 5% chance, the probability of surviving 19 falls sink to 14%. In any case, Butterfly has already beaten the odds.
She must have gotten better at climbing, but if she takes on harder challenges, that cancels out her improved skill and she ends up falling with the same frequency. Continuing climbing will most likely result in Butterfly meeting a premature death (although premature death is pretty much the norm for animals.) Seeing that Seeo cares about Butterfly, she would not want that.
That said, a patriarchal standard may still be part of it. I think you should watch a few more strips, see how this turns out, and then make your decision.
Even going further, Seeo’s job is to oversee Raccoon-kind, to that end it is always in her favor to encourage the betterment of her species. They don’t really seem to read/write, there will be NO monument to speak of in Butterfly’s honor (other than a constellation but those just looks like boxes to me), and oral tradition will eventually cause her to be forgotten. She, Butterfly, has proven herself to be an amazing specimen of a Raccoon… and the best way to immortalize a grand animal is to give her decedents. Pass her physical traits forward, let her teach her kits, and they teach their kits, onward directly. Anyone who oversees animal husbandry knows that, and Seeo is basically guiding the creme-de-la-creme of her species. Hell, if it was a male climber she’d be throwing females as him too. You pass them genes ON. I don’t see it as sexist, it’s just how you breed better critters.
@ Luke:
Why does she gotta PICK when she can get ALL THE MALES? 😛
@ Terrene Irdisch:
Er, as I recall, Seo remarked that it was always great when your hard work paid off, and then gestured to the screaming fans, implying both that Seo considered this (ascending one of the most difficult routes known to coon with over a hundred thousand watching) her destiny. And then Butterfly asked what she would do next, dismissing the idea of looking for another spot to climb since her ascent that day was “perfect”, and Seoh said there was more to life than climbing.
The implication isn’t ‘oh, nice job, but you’re worthless if you don’t get laid’, it’s ‘well, you’ve accomplished your goals, why not get laid?’.
And then she responds to that with ‘I’m gonna go climb something else!’… even though she just admitted that climbing something else would be a waste of time.
The only reason this would be a bad thing is if kits were detrimental to one’s life or if Butterfly didn’t want to have kits… and frankly the latter happens in human society more than it does animal.
(plus, as someone else remarked, raccoons don’t have any form of historical record other than descendants and what you teach them. Seo’s just looking out for her species by trying to pass on Butterfly’s climbing ability.)
@ Terrene Irdisch:
Eh, it’s less misogynist, more ‘breeder-brainswashing’ (I can’t think of a good term for it)
A single man is considered a looser too, especially if they’re someone who should have been able to get a girlfriend.
The overall assumption is that everyone wants to settle down with kids, and if someone hasn’t done so then something’s wrong with them.
Ordinarily I’d be against the pro-family propaganda… Except that they’re raccons. We’ve got enough humans, but the raccoons aren’t really in a position to have any real power in the world and so could probably get away with several times their current number.
It appears obvious that Seeoahtlahmakaskay can either forsee the future, or see the possible outcomes that a racoon’s decisions may lead to. She might know that Butterfly would not survive her attempt to climb K2. This would prevent her from passing her genes to another generation of raccoons, one of which may be the one that does conquer K2 (or the smooth front panel of a refrigerator).
@Terrene Irdisch:
Midare wrote:
This. Men can achieve immortality by going down in history, or through family. Same thing for women. Raccoons… not so much. When the male hero saves the day and becomes king, his next assignment is creating an heir. I agree with Aerion Snowpaw, it’s not specifically misogynist, if anything, it’s against non-breeders. But I don’t think it necessarily is:
The point of this strip is probably Seo’s meddling in mortal affairs, apparently through some kind of ‘breeding program’; I see parallels to Dune (both the Bene Gesserit and Leto II breeding programs). Which way this story will go, we will see.
HalfTangible wrote:
Truly spoken from the male perspective. 😉
A lot of people pouncing me because they think I’m sexist :/
What I want to say is that as a deity Seo can obviously can see the future of the Coon world. Why do you think she want Butterfly to have a family? I bet she know something Butterfly doesn’t. Butterfly children may bring a big change to the Coon world in the future.
@ Iron Ed:
Well yes, not gonna deny I’m male (though i AM celibate and asexual, so I’m mostly guessing based on the fact that women apparently like sex too) :p and now that I think about it, if her goal is to have kits she probably WOULD have to be picky… but I said it mostly as a joke anyway.
@ Valkeiper2012:
She could borrow Malice’s see here
@ Terrene Irdisch:
I just don’t really see it as being sexist, so much as saying that she may want to concentrate on the finer things in life, rather than spending the rest of her life doing life risking stunts or climbs. The way I see it, Butterfly doesn’t seem to have many close friends (sure, she has countless fans, but still few close friends have been shown in the comic except Lily and Woo. Therefore, I think it’s about focusing on passing on what you know, and being with those you care about, more so than the stereotypical Nuclear Family. Either way, I still see your point. I just wanted to offer my opinion.
Well, if miss Raccoon goddess was a successful matchmaker for butterfly’s parents, she can do the same with Butterfly again. GOOD LUCK! PERSEVERANCE IS KEY!
Don’t downvote Terrene Irdisch just because you disagree with her. It makes her post invisible. We are engaging her in discussion already, we don’t want to silence her.
I voted for her post to try and balance out the downvotes a little.
@ Grah:
… Personally I down voted her because she looked to be creating an argument that this comic is sexist where none existed =/