(original art by Herta Burbe)

  • @[email protected]
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    1 year ago

    The people on the couch don’t exist. It’s an unrealistic expectation nobody actually has.

    Edit: the unrealistic part is that they have so few corners to fit and they fit perfectly. It’s more complicated than that.

    • @[email protected]
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      11 year ago

      It is impossible to find a perfect match, but it’s also possible that couples can grow closer and around each other.

    • NickwithaC
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      231 year ago

      I thought that was the point. Looking at other people and thinking “it looks so simple so why can’t I…”

      • @[email protected]
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        71 year ago

        There is nothing in the art that provides evidence for the interpretation of the “simple” couple being in his imagination. For all we know, that is how they exist in their true form.

        But I suppose the point of artwork like this is to get us to talk about it and discuss various interpretations, so who am I to suggest only one way of viewing it.

    • @[email protected]
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      31 year ago

      Maybe not that phrasing, but there is the phrase, “You’ll find someone”. There’s the belief that there’s somebody for everybody out there, parents eventually seem to want their kids to find someone and make grandkids. I mean, given that there’s billions of us on the planet, there’s bound to be somebody compatible out there, maybe not in your zip code or country, but they’re out there.

    • @[email protected]
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      461 year ago

      I don’t think that’s entirely true, but even if it is, they could be accurately interpreted as one’s expectation of oneself.

      Not a healthy expectation, but a real one.

    • @[email protected]
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      261 year ago

      I don’t quite agree. Yes, it’s not as pronounced as it is displayed here, but there’s still definitely a difference in statistical compatibility amount. If you have a very unusual life situation, with a non-neurotypical mental structure, the amount of compatible partners gets smaller and smaller compared to people that have a more “common” (specifically not using the word normal here) setup going.

      • Dharma Curious (he/him)
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        31 year ago

        LGBTQ+ and non standard life situation gets ya basically zero partners, too. The dating pool for MLM is already tiny compared to cishet dating. Add into that being a caregiver for your parents and it’s basically zero dudes that are willing to even consider you as a partner. :/ But I ain’t throwing mama under the bus (or from the train) for no dick. Lol

        • @[email protected]
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          21 year ago

          While I have argued tor this comic being true/realistic, I vehemently reject a possible conclusion of dating pessimism based on it. I wholeheartedly believe that it’s worthwhile to try to find compatible people in any situation and no matter what kind of person you are.

          I think being gay and being a caregiver for your parents is a combination that doesn’t reduce your dating pool too much :)

          • Dharma Curious (he/him)
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            11 year ago

            I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting any incel shit or anything. I just mean outside of major cities, MLM dating pools are tiny. It is reasonably possibly in many areas to personally know every single out queer person on a first name basis. So a much smaller dating pool than that of cishet daters.

            The caregiving aspect of it also complicates things. I don’t mean “I’m a caregiver so no one loves me!” Or anything like that. It’s more “I’m a caregiver, and it’s unreasonable to expect others to work or even be able to work around my schedule.” I can’t leave the house for more than two hours at a time, I can’t have someone stay over, and I can’t stay over at theirs. Dates are limited to activities that can be done within an hour within half an hours drive, and I have to vet their non-covidness beforehand. My life just isn’t conducive to dating/romance.

            I just wanna clarify, no incel shit. Just “life is complicated” shit. Lol. We all must sacrifice certain things for others, and I willingly sacrifice that aspect for time with my parents. I love them and wouldn’t trade that time for anything else. I’m happy with my choices.

            I do, however, have a mostly thriving hookup life. Lol. Gay community comes through for me there. Lmao

  • @[email protected]
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    61 year ago

    Life is complex. Being compatible just requires a partial match. It’s sweet that a piece of him matches up well with another life.

    • @[email protected]
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      11 year ago

      You know I didn’t think the original was about sexual compatibility, but now I’m second-guessing that…

    • @[email protected]
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      531 year ago

      I think it’s just that having a four legged friend provides some companionship. (Not that the idea of soulmates is at all useful anyway)

    • @[email protected]
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      1 year ago

      I don’t think so?

      I think it’s alluding to people having different needs, with this dog playing one small part of their complete picture.

      Maybe the other shapes are filled by friends to come, a beloved family member, more dogs, a lot more dogs, oh geez that’s so many dogs.

  • @[email protected]
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    551 year ago

    The notion of there being someone out there who matches you perfectly or completes you is bullshit. Relationships are complex things that require hard work and compromise if you want then to work.

    This is some whiny, self-pity emo cringe and is frankly insulting to people who have made relationships work like the two on the couch who I guarantee you didn’t just fit together easily without the aforementioned hard work and compromise.

    Or it’s just a comic about a fucked up dog.

    • @[email protected]
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      161 year ago

      What counts is not so much how compatible you are but how you deal with incompatibility.

      • Leo Tolstoy
  • @[email protected]
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    121 year ago

    So this dude had multiple pieces missing. Is he planning on having a haram with the missing parts, or is this guy just old school Mormon over here?

    • @[email protected]
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      31 year ago

      Yk that there’s nothing wrong with polyamoury, it exists outside of Mormonism. The only problem with Mormon polyamoury is that it only allows men to have multiple partners, and the women aren’t allowed to ask their husbands to be monogamous.

    • @[email protected]
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      91 year ago

      Even without a polyamorous relationship angle, there’s something that resonates about the comic. It’s hard to expect one single person to fulfill every need you may have. Sure, it happens, but I imagine it’s far more rare than we’d like to believe.

      • @[email protected]
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        31 year ago

        LMAO! Well, they said “soul mate”. I thought, “that’s an odd standing position for a soul mate”! Thanks for clarifying that for me!

  • Sagrotan
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    281 year ago

    Take the scissors and nail file and get to work, you lazy puzzle piece.

  • @[email protected]
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    251 year ago

    I get what this is saying, but I also feel like you can work on yourself to make it easier to connect with others.

    • @[email protected]
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      71 year ago

      Definitely, at least when it comes to most people.

      While everyone should do it in some capacity, working on yourself can only go so far if you struggle in social situations because of the symptoms of disorders like autism or ADHD. Sometimes the difficulty to connect stems not from a problem with what the person is doing or saying, but others’ perception of it.

      But of course, the types of people they’re surrounded by can affect things a lot, too, especially when there are differences in background, culture, or belief.