[S.T.O.R.Y. 4/11/02] Denial of reality

[Chaos Priest]

http://www.egscomics.com/d/20020411.html

OK, who else here has done something like that? There's really no need for Elliot to be that embarrassed by it. Besides, that boy tries to pretend too many things never happened, such as blushing around Tedd. I think saying that somebody should never bring it up just makes it stick in their minds even more.

[The Old Hack]

http://www.egscomics.com/d/20020411.html

OK, who else here has done something like that? There's really no need for Elliot to be that embarrassed by it.

I have done this more times than I like to think of, and in all honesty... judging from Sarah's countdown, so has Elliot.

Besides, that boy tries to pretend too many things never happened, such as blushing around Tedd. I think saying that somebody should never bring it up just makes it stick in their minds even more.

I suspect it is for exactly this reason Dan loves to stick Elliot in embarrassing messes. His very stolidity and desperate attempts to cling to his dignity makes him the perfect straight man and fall guy for stories of the 'one big awkward moment' kind.

[Ineluki]

@done something like it:
um, yeah, see title ^^;

@embarrased Elliot:
Oh yes, primary reason why Elliot is the funniest sidekick imaginable - especially for Tedd.
Of course, he wasn't planned to be the sidekick, but that just adds to the irony

[Chaos Priest]

Besides, that boy tries to pretend too many things never happened, such as blushing around Tedd. I think saying that somebody should never bring it up just makes it stick in their minds even more.

I suspect it is for exactly this reason Dan loves to stick Elliot in embarrassing messes. His very stolidity and desperate attempts to cling to his dignity makes him the perfect straight man and fall guy for stories of the 'one big awkward moment' kind.

I think you may be right. Watching something odd and potentially humiliating happen to somebody trying to maintain dignity in the face of chaos is pretty funny (particularly is he still tries to calmly maintain it afterward), whereas having it happen to somebody who acts like a whipping boy is just kinda sad. I think Krusty the Clown actually explained it fairly well in that episode with Sideshow Bob's brother, Cecil. Elliot may not be the best example of this, but he's probably the closest thing EGS has got to dignified.

Well, him or Susan, but I pity the poor soul who tries inflicting shenanigans upon Susan.

[Raging Mouse]

Besides, that boy tries to pretend too many things never happened, such as blushing around Tedd. I think saying that somebody should never bring it up just makes it stick in their minds even more.

I suspect it is for exactly this reason Dan loves to stick Elliot in embarrassing messes. His very stolidity and desperate attempts to cling to his dignity makes him the perfect straight man and fall guy for stories of the 'one big awkward moment' kind.

I think you may be right. Watching something odd and potentially humiliating happen to somebody trying to maintain dignity in the face of chaos is pretty funny (particularly is he still tries to calmly maintain it afterward), whereas having it happen to somebody who acts like a whipping boy is just kinda sad. I think Krusty the Clown actually explained it fairly well in that episode with Sideshow Bob's brother, Cecil. Elliot may not be the best example of this, but he's probably the closest thing EGS has got to dignified.

Well, him or Susan, but I pity the poor soul who tries inflicting shenanigans upon Susan.

... An image of Grace sneaking colorful ribbons into Susan's hair just jumped into my head. It won't go away.

[Nightranger]

...nor should it.

[The Old Hack]

I think you may be right. Watching something odd and potentially humiliating happen to somebody trying to maintain dignity in the face of chaos is pretty funny (particularly is he still tries to calmly maintain it afterward), whereas having it happen to somebody who acts like a whipping boy is just kinda sad. I think Krusty the Clown actually explained it fairly well in that episode with Sideshow Bob's brother, Cecil. Elliot may not be the best example of this, but he's probably the closest thing EGS has got to dignified.

Well, him or Susan, but I pity the poor soul who tries inflicting shenanigans upon Susan.

Well... yes and no. Susan does get hit by shenanigans, but they tend to be self-inflicted. There's the episode with her hair as well as its aftermath here. There's also her various encounters with Jeremy. Grace rather innocently puts Susan under the pressure during the party, whereas Sarah does it quite deliberately later. Of course there's the famous arm-wrestling scene with Nanase, and we have Susan the karaoke star not much later.

A basic rule of thumb for comedy and humour of any sort is that the dignified characters always get hit hardest. They may not be hit always or even very often, but when they catch it, they always catch it harder than anyone else. Susan is not invulnerable to it and has even deliberately targeted herself. (Arguably you could claim that this was also what she did with the line 'I stand by my ridiculous claim.') Nonetheless, a large part of Susan's charm is how she manages to hold on to the tattered shreds of her dignity and salvage them for later. She is at least as good a fall guy and straight man as Elliot. (And in fact, they have more than that in common. Susan is, after all, in her own way as much of a defender as Elliot is.)

[ChronosCat]

== Spring, 2006 ==

Chronos: Man, Sarah sure knows Elliot well, to know he would have forgot his gi. (Or did she see it left behind in the car?)

== Nov, 2008 ==

Nonetheless, a large part of Susan's charm is how she manages to hold on to the tattered shreds of her dignity and salvage them for later.

This is one of the things I love about Susan. Since I have a tendency to over-empathize with characters, I have a difficult time laughing at a joke that is at a character's expense, unless I dislike the character or can easily tell they aren't too bothered by it. If a character can laugh at themselves, that solves the problem, but managing to remain dignified in an absurd situation works just as well, and in my opinion is funnier.

[The Old Hack]

This is one of the things I love about Susan. Since I have a tendency to over-empathize with characters, I have a difficult time laughing at a joke that is at a character's expense, unless I dislike the character or can easily tell they aren't too bothered by it. If a character can laugh at themselves, that solves the problem, but managing to remain dignified in an absurd situation works just as well, and in my opinion is funnier.

In very deed, and it is even possible for a character to do both at the same time. Especially if the character is one not often given to open laughter in any case. I submit that Susan with the remark 'I stand by my ridiculous claim' provides a fine example of this; while on the surface she is not yielding even the smallest part of her dignity and poise, she knows very well that she is being absurd and even confesses to it.