#124 - Dedication
Thursday, February 28th, 2008I think I am officially ostracizing myself from the rest of the webcomics community with this week’s story. My chances of getting peer links after this are probably comparable to winning the lottery. C’est la vie! 
Welcome all you diesel sweeties that made it this way!
February 28th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
ARGH
February 28th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Gaaaaaah…
You made me feel so bad… For imaginary people…
Gaaah!!!
Cmon… Nobody would have pushed this far/been such a tool…
And the last panel… soo soo… cold.
I gotta hug someone quick…
February 28th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
You are a real artist Rene!
February 28th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Thanks Dain, that’s really nice of you to say that!
February 28th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Em……
So sad.
February 28th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
You got a link from Diesel Sweeties today
February 28th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
HAHAHAHAHA! This is officially one of my favorite storylines so far.
February 28th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I just won the lottery!
February 28th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Ass sex is wild and causes no child!
February 28th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Holy crap, Ander’ nipples are giving the same expresion Anders is!
(Look at his eyes then nipples at each pannel)
February 28th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
These last few pages have made me wince and feel bad for Tina, but dammit Hec that comment of yours made me LOL. Oh god. XD I can’t look at this page again without seeing that now!
February 28th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Interesting exploration of a theme, Rene. As always, your artwork is beautiful to study and your characters arouse interest, whether that interest takes the form of admiration, pity, or disgust. It is good work. I doubt this story line will ostracize you to an extent worthy of concern. For myself, I am finding it like a terrible accident and I can’t bring myself to look away for wanting to know what will happen next.
February 28th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Tina is super cute in panel 1.
As for not getting links, who wouldn’t love a story like this? You probably won’t get “family friendly” comics, but there are a ton of good, more adult comics out there. =)
February 28th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Yeah that’s true Jeff, although I don’t really consider my comic to be “adult” (read: pornographic).
February 28th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I would describe it as Nordic.
February 28th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Ahahaha! *wipes away a tear*
Rene, the very next time I have sex of any kind, I’m going to say “I think I’m sufficiently relaxed now!” before we get it on.
You’re a genius.
February 28th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
This is really the first time I ever thought Anders seemed like a tool.
February 28th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
He makes sense; if she’s going to be all gung ho about trying it properly, the attitude of ‘relax, and if it hurts, *say so*’. Not everyone’s into crying while they bork, you know?
February 28th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Hahaha, perfect.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Damn. This is a disturbing storyline. I wish Tina wasn’t such a tool. And I wish Anders would get his brain out of his cock, but whate’er. I’m wondering how this storyline will play out.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
This is uncomfortable.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Also, I’m very amused at the people who are outraged at this storyline and are calling Anders a “tool” or “pathetic”.
I personally find it quite cute and awfully telling about Anders and Tina’s core personalities. Certainly, comments like this first one, which basically add up to “oh my god so disturbing” are very confusing! What’s disturbing about any of this?
Either way, I know I say it every time, but Rene, you are super awesome. Keep it up.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Thanks Koosh!
February 28th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
This reminds me of the classic Bloodhound Gang song, “The Lapdance is Better if the Stripper is Crying.”
February 28th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Koosh, I don’t know about everybody else, but the fact that neither of them is enjoying it but they keep doing it anyway disturbs me. Sex out of obligation isn’t incredibly intimate. Well, I guess Anders must be enjoying it. Either that or he has a drug-induced erection.
Rene, I don’t consider your work “pornographic” either, but let’s just say my husband is no longer checking it at work!
February 28th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
So, it’s supposed to be wonderful the first time around and trying it again BECAUSE YOU WANT TO (I really don’t see how this is out of obligation - Tina clearly WANTS it to work) is out of the question?
Also, I really can’t see anyone can take this as being entirely seriously! Jesus, that last panel is hilarious. They finally get the anal to work for both of them and Anders falls asleep because of the booze? Brilliant. I, to coin a phrase, “laughed out loud”.
I always say this one as well in the comment box, but goddamn, be more objective.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
*seriously = serious
I am a master of grammar.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Got here from Dieselsweeties too, went through the whole archive this morning. Really brought back memories from being an Erasmus student in Sweden (OK, it was in Lund, but still). Excellent comic, impressive improvement of the artwork. Sort of makes me think of the late Stuff Sucks.
I don’t get why commenters are pissed off at Anders. Seriously, the guy just had too much too drink; you do know what happens to your erection then, right?
To me, it reads like a pretty standard way of experimenting w/ anal between two polite people, imho (and you know bourgeois Swedes are damn polite).
February 28th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
This weeks strips have been like my sex life in fast-forward. I suppose once in a while events in a comic remind us of our past, well my partner and I are laughing at this. Thanks Rene!
February 28th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Bwahahahahahaha!
Oh man Rene, you make me laugh. Thank you
February 28th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Nicolas has it down, and that large paragraph one should be appended to my own arguement.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Ewws. As if enough alcohol could make butt sex not hurt… =(
February 28th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
who needs alcohol?
February 28th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Rstevens sent me this way. I’ve read the whole archives now, and plan to stick around. This is GREAT! I may even get to meet you at the UK Webcomics thing, so the timing is perfect. ^_^
February 28th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
if you’re needing ot get liquored up before attempting a sex maneuver, them MAYBE IT’S NOT FOR YOU. c’mon tina, it’s getting a little embarassing
February 28th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
“who needs alcohol?”
tina and anders, apparently haha.
kooshkoosh, i can see where you’re coming from. i thought this was a great story arc, i loved it!
i can, however, see where people are coming from when they get annoyed with tina and anders. just like how people get annoyed with bjorn and maria. tina obviously doesn’t like it but wants to keep doing it, and what makes it hilarious is that the, erm, fruits of her labor are ruined when anders passes out.
i personally think anders is an asshole for demanding she not cry. it’s her first experience with anal, dammit. she should be able to do whatever the damn hell she pleases.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Got here from Diesel Sweeties as well and went through the whole archive. Very awesome! Now to get some work done…
February 28th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
du teegner veldig mye nakenhet nå for tia
February 28th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Humanoftheyear:
1) When was it implied this was her first time doing anal? Even people who do it often sometimes have off days. I know bringing up my own sex life may seem attention-whorish, but I only do it to establish experience and give my points relevance. But every now and then, there are days when it just isn’t going to work, even when you are experienced.
It could easily be the fact that Anders is QUITE ENDOWED, as has been pointed out several times before. Size matters in this sort of thing, as you can probably imagine. So she could very well be experienced and enjoy anal alot, but this new partner requires getting used to.
Course, that’s all speculative. It could easily be her first time — but there’s nothing substantial to back that idea up and base opinions off of it.
2) I don’t understand the opposition to her not crying. He’s saying she can kick and hurt him, just don’t sob and whine. That makes alot of sense. for one, crying for alot of people is a major turn-off — and seeing the look on Anders face when she bawled, it seems to be the case with him. She’s the one who keeps insisting, but the crying thing isn’t working for Anders … so to get what she wants, she should make some sacrifice and suck it up.
——-
Anyway, I’m still so confused by the outrage at this story line. It’s so… amusing to me. And a nice break from the awkwardness between Bjorn and Maria… which in turn was a nice break from the hot young-Bjorn on young-Maria action (Have I yest to mention how awesome some of those scenes were as it progressed? Well. They were. Good job.)
Maybe the outrage is that being the receptive person during anal represents submission to most people? Could be. And since everyone feels Tina is a doormat (She kinda is. as cute as she may be… can I have her?), they see the submission as an extention of that.
ANYWAY, it goes without saying that I’m loving all of the recent arks for so many different reasons. I don’t see how anyone can be disgusted with any of the characters as-a-whole right now. And this story line really makes me smile. :3 Good job Rene!
February 28th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
hur hur ’suck it up’ *insert joke here*
February 28th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I
February 28th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I’m also here from Diesel Sweeties. I’ve read through the whole archive this morning/afternoon instead of writing an essay. This is the first new comic that I’ll be adding to my list this year.
Also, though this will make me sound like an ass, your comic has convinced me to drop my secret grudge against all of Sweden.
February 28th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Neil that’s good to hear. Sweden is OK! Curious as to what the grudge can be about. You’re not Norwegian are you?
February 28th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
awww.. my post didn’t show. I was going to say how I for one would love MORE comics about polite anal sex.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
No, I’m Canadian, but basically long story short Sweden stole my girlfriend.
But yeah, you have a great comic here, I really like it!
February 28th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
More and more, I think my initial reaction to the situation was a bit overblown. It just bothers the shit out of me to see two people who are on two completely different pages, with two completely different desires for the relationship, who are with the other for different reasons, just borkin’ away.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I know so many Swedes with Canadian girlfriends!
February 28th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I just found out about your comic today, from rsteven’s dieselsweeties, and have gone through the entire archive.
I love your comic. It is without a question one of the most amazing things I’ve ever, ever seen. Your art is original, your stories make sense, and, you’re talking about things that matter.
Plus, you have done something no one else, ever, has done: You’ve made me want to learn Swedish.
Keep going.
PS–re: getting things done with little kids in the house. Get an office.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
@CMEulacrum: I have a lovely studio actually, I’m just renting it out at the moment because I am poor. No one told me making a living off webcomics was HARD.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
I don’t know but from the comments it seems people maybe think Tina is crying about the sex. But really I think she’s probably crying mainly for other reasons…
The way she sometimes looks at Anders makes me think that she feels pretty powerless in this relationship and feels that Anders’ heart isn’t really in it. And let’s face it, if you’ve got someone else carrying your baby it’s quite likely that your heart isn’t in it, right?
February 28th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
It’s official anal sex week! It’s a good thing a few weeks ago was sexual responsibility week at my college. A week when pamphlets, condoms and tubes of lube are thrust upon you by the school.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Lol, omg, I can’t beleive he fell asleep during sex XD
Poor tina.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
… >_
February 28th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
… !!! Anders … alcohol is NOT a solution!! ^^
anyways Rene Great Comic, wonderful art… but there’s ONE thing that “bothers” me…
everytime I notice anders pubic hair… I think his balls are on TOP of his Penis.. (which in my eyes… is not usually the case =P)
I love the story…so human!! keep it up! =D
February 28th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I’ve always wondered about the Swedish/Danish/Norwegian rivalry thing, if there’s some factual basis to it.
To quote Stig Helmer from The Kingdom: Danskjävlar!
February 28th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Nice. I actually just found a clip of the scene on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlTukY9fV9Y
February 28th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I love Kingdom!
I love pretty much all Lars Von Trier
February 28th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Dear Rene:
I just want to tell you that I love your comic probably more than any other comic I’ve seen, and I read about 50+ a day. (yes, I’m a nerd, so shoot me.) It’s possible I even love it more than chocolate, but not quite as much as bunnies.
The world in general needs more honest people like you to portray relationships and sex realistically. ^_^ So please, keep ruining your chances to get a peer link.
Love,
me!
February 28th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
So, care to summarize the relationship of the Nordic countries? Like I would summarize central European relations “Germans like Austrians; Austrians think Germans are louts; etc.”.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:03 am
I think the relations between the Nordic countries is good. We take the piss out of eachother but that’s about it. Sweden is sort of the butt of many jokes. I think the Norwegians and Danes can think we are a little “dry” and “by the book-ish”. The Finns think we are pussies. Those are the stereotypes.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Aurs: Thanks so much
Everybody saying such nice things: Thank you. I feel guilty that I don’t have time to respond to everyone and tell them how nice it is to hear that you like the comic so much. I promise to always keep it honest.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:40 am
I miss seeing Maria and Anders naked together.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:41 am
I just finished reading your entire archive, after getting here from Diesel Sweeties. Your art is awesome, and I see a disturbing amount of myself in Anders. The strip is excellent, and you just got yourself one more regular reader. Thanks!
February 29th, 2008 at 12:41 am
the only ‘outrage’ i feel at anders is because how is this supposed to fix anything? okay you messed up your relationship and you are angry that your partner has moved on to someone else. so the way to fix the problem is to keep doing what caused it in the first place?? come on, how’s that supposed to encourage maria that you aren’t a jerk? like too lazy to even try to pursue anything?
anyway i love this comic because it’s 100% real life experiences with no censorship. don’t worry ’bout that none
February 29th, 2008 at 12:45 am
@ alexander! I was thinking the same thing about the pubes/testicles yesterday and it made me giggle..
February 29th, 2008 at 12:45 am
I like Sweden: lots of the large-scale green living experiments in Sweden get much foreign publicity… which has influenced my (otherwise totally uninformed) opinion to the positive.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:25 am
…speaking of Tina and Anders’ ‘relationship’… what’s going on with Maria and Bjorn?
Seriously though, I think I might have to go into ALM rehab, or a 12 step program. I check for updates ALL DAY LONG. Just on the offchance that awesome Rene Canadian/Swedish artsyfartsy goodness has magically appeared.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:35 am
in the first panel anders looks sexy. tina looks pretty strange..
February 29th, 2008 at 6:44 am
AHAHAHA!!!
Finally, just when it works, he falls asleep!
Ah, I love it. Rene, you’re an artist.
- Caroline aka DubDub
PS If my BROTHER is reading this, I have the right to read whatever comics I like. It’s not porn, it’s a bloody cartoon.
Sorry about that.
XD
February 29th, 2008 at 9:26 am
I love your comic. Read the archive today and have decided to make it a ragular read. Keep up the amazing work!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I’m loving your comic. I read it all in one sitting! I appreciate it that your comic isn’t composed of punchline after punchline. You’ve helped me see that its okay. This will be inspiration for my own webcomic.
I found this through Octopuspie.
This isn’t pornographic. And i’m not offended.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:18 pm
MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
God, how many times does that happen to a girl?
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Oh gosh. How awkward.
I really am glad I came across this comic.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Ah, the “buttsechs” arc, cornerstone arc of all epic (at least this one) webcomics. Keep up the good work.