The ABL Saga

[Alec Benson Leary]

Wait, so Chris thinks that all cartoons exist in an alternate reality. If so, then how come Sonichu happened, but Asperchu was apparently just a bunch of people being forced to act like the main cast of Sonichu (not to mention the problems it creates with issue 6's whole thing about Chris traveling through the two worlds)?

Chris probably likens himself to God, so whatever he makes his cartoon slaves do is good by definition. He saw me as a Satan-figure, so my exercising power to make the slaves do stuff was inherently evil and a bastardization of the universe. Further crediting the idea that he thinks he's God, he seemed to assume that the original characters I created were still somehow his, not mine.

Slightly off topic but with Chris's theory of an alternate cartoon universe I can't help but wonder what happens to long forgotten characters.

Purgatory. Chris has found them unworthy of his favor, and unlike God, Chris is neither gracious nor forgiving. Bionic Chu will forever wander the white wastes of Sheol, forgotten by God's love.

Im pretty sure Chris doesn't fully believe that.At the time of the Alec call when he states this hes DESPERATELY looking for someway of arguing with Alec and throwing the word 'naive' at him.His mentally would lead people to believe that he thinks that world exists.

Yeah, pretty much. If Chris can't prove he's better than you within the confines of reality, he'll just make up shit and decide it justifies calling you wrong.

 

[shutupman]

Chris probably likens himself to God, so whatever he makes his cartoon slaves do is good by definition.

I see Chris looking at CWCVille and all his characters more like Gabriel Byrne in Cool World than God, per se. ie. He knows he created them, but thinks they have a life unto themselves beyond his control.

 

[pickleniggo]

Slightly off topic but with Chris's theory of an alternate cartoon universe I can't help but wonder what happens to long forgotten characters. I can't help but imagine that they have been shunned by the rest of their society. Or sent into a desert to die like in Judge Dredd. I refuse to believe that they just all live together especially with the risk of overpopulation being a factor (since it seems to be Earth).

They are sent to the moon.

 

[Saney]

Slightly off topic but with Chris's theory of an alternate cartoon universe I can't help but wonder what happens to long forgotten characters. I can't help but imagine that they have been shunned by the rest of their society. Or sent into a desert to die like in Judge Dredd. I refuse to believe that they just all live together especially with the risk of overpopulation being a factor (since it seems to be Earth).

They are sent to the moon.

Canon.

 

[Scarfies]

Slightly off topic but with Chris's theory of an alternate cartoon universe I can't help but wonder what happens to long forgotten characters. I can't help but imagine that they have been shunned by the rest of their society. Or sent into a desert to die like in Judge Dredd. I refuse to believe that they just all live together especially with the risk of overpopulation being a factor (since it seems to be Earth).

According to Ken Giffen and Grant Morrison, they get sent to Limbo, a world on the edge of the multiverse, where nothing ever changes. They stay there until someone decides to try bringing them back. Some fall into despair, some rage against god (the writers/editors) and some just go about their unlives as best they can.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_(DC_Comics)

Animal Man did a few issues exploring it, it was a really interesting arc.

 

[BigBoss]

This is mostly to Alec but anyone can answer what they'd do if they were in Alec's place: Judging by the huge Facebook leak, what would you make Asperchu if you were to pick it up again?

Not to say you will, as you've said plenty of times before that you just got tired of it.

 

[Very Honest Content]

Not to say you will, as you've said plenty of times before that you just got tired of it.

As a parody of and , can any more appropriate ending to the tales of really be crafted than that?

 

[MysticMisty]

Besides, Alec's smooth delivery while Chris gets all prissy is worth the price of admission alone.

I think it was the first or second call where Chris makes a really, really strained stress sigh because he can't figure out how to beat me with his words. I turned it into a ringtone for my phone.

What were you thinking when he impersonated his mommy to get away from the call?

 

[DangDirtyTrolls]

What were you thinking when he impersonated his mommy to get away from the call?

That was so funny, it was so painfully obvious Chris was imitating Barb. I do wish ABL had called Chris out on that to hear his reaction but I'm sure he would have just hung up anyway.

 

[Slander]

They are sent to the moon.

http://youtu.be/l6qpme_m0B0

 

[BillRiley]

Wait, so Chris thinks that all cartoons exist in an alternate reality. If so, then how come Sonichu happened, but Asperchu was apparently just a bunch of people being forced to act like the main cast of Sonichu (not to mention the problems it creates with issue 6's whole thing about Chris traveling through the two worlds)?

It's difficult to tell what Chris really believes and what he's just made up on the spot. Long story short - Cwcville is Chris' "safe place" - an imaginary world where everything makes sense and Chris is god. (This is a pretty common coping mechanism for people with autism.) ABL's Asperchu series upset Chris ("He set me on fire!") because of Chris' apparently weak understanding of the difference between reality and his imaginary world. In order to rationalize ABL's interference, he came up with the idea that Alec caught Sonichus "in the wild" for his comic world and thus has nothing to do with Chris' imaginary hugbox, Cwcville.

Maybe Chris doesn't believe that, and only said it to try to get Evan and Alec off his back about offing Simonla.

This is also entirely possible. Though it's hard to understand why Chris would become so upset about Asperchu if he didn't believe in his "Toon World" concept.

 

[DangDirtyTrolls]

It's difficult to tell what Chris really believes and what he's just made up on the spot.

I'd wager he genuinely believe(d/s) his cartoon world is real. Chris does make a lot of shit up on the spot, but you can usually tell what is the truth and what is a lie by how well he sticks to it. Remember Chloe? He mentioned her once then completely forgot all about her. Whereas Chris has made numerous suggestions that he believes his comic book characters are real before now and stuck to it pretty consistently. It's hard to imagine Chris would get as pissed off as he did with book #10 if he made that belief up. He's a lazy shit, he only puts that sort of effort in when he believes something is at stake.

 

[BillRiley]

It's difficult to tell what Chris really believes and what he's just made up on the spot.

I'd wager he genuinely believe(d/s) his cartoon world is real. Chris does make a lot of shit up on the spot, but you can usually tell what is the truth and what is a lie by how well he sticks to it. Remember Chloe? He mentioned her once then completely forgot all about her. Whereas Chris has made numerous suggestions that he believes his comic book characters are real before now and stuck to it pretty consistently. It's hard to imagine Chris would get as pissed off as he did with book #10 if he made that belief up. He's a lazy shit, he only puts that sort of effort in when he believes something is at stake.

That would be my guess, too. It seems probable that his imaginary world, which eventually evolved into "Cwcville", predates Sonichu. Just when he began to have difficulty distinguishing between the two is difficult to say, though it was probably a gradual process. Going on the admittedly scanty information that we have, it's possible a major break came after his traumatic High School graduation, as evidenced in both his comics and his behavior in Mary Lee Walsh's office.

When he came up with the "Toon World" idea is anyone's guess.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

In order to rationalize ABL's interference, he came up with the idea that Alec caught Sonichus "in the wild" for his comic world

I forgot about that part. Jesus, he tried to convince me to accept that my 'chus were all caught in the wild. Instead of, you know, drawn on a computer after I made them up while drunk.

 

[DangDirtyTrolls]

Just when he began to have difficulty distinguishing between the two is difficult to say, though it was probably a gradual process. Going on the admittedly scanty information that we have, it's possible a major break came after his traumatic High School graduation, as evidenced in both his comics and his behavior in Mary Lee Walsh's office.

When he came up with the "Toon World" idea is anyone's guess.

I think the blurring came before his graduation. Check out these two pages from Sonichu issue #7: here and here. Magi-chan talks about how Bionic 'jumped out of a locker' at Manchester High School and gives way too specific of a date and time for Chris to be making it all up. Plus the date he gives vastly pre-dates his graduation.

I think rather than at some point he started to believe cartoons were real, it's the other way round. He has never believed they're not real.

 

[Himawari]

When he came up with the "Toon World" idea is anyone's guess.

Well he was into Yu-Gi-Oh! for a time, wasn't he?

 

[BigBoss]

What still gets me is just unwavering sense of entitlement and butthurt Chris had about Asperchu. He felt as though it were an attack on his very identity and that Sonichu genuinely is, in a way, his son.

And then we have Alec who just did whatever the fuck he wanted and gave less than "two red cents," as Chris would put it, about Sonichu.

It's obvious, of course, but it's still amusing just how childish and naive Chris is.

 

[Anchuent Christory]

In some ways it makes me think of the concept behind the Toy Story films, where the toys are alive when we're not around. This is based on how when we're kids, we imbue things like toys with personality and consciousness and form emotional attachments to them. I'm sure we all did it, I know I did.
Possibly what we're seeing with Chris and his "toon world" is another symptom of his reluctance to grow up. He has to create these fictions to rationalize his emotional attachments to childish things and justify why he still spends his days surrounded by toys whilst drawing Sonic recolors.

It's almost like he's trying to convince himself as much as others that these things that form the backbone of his happy childhood are still relevant and he can still believe in them.

One thing that's always struck me about Chris, is that despite the fitting "manbaby" moniker, he's never really been somebody with the physical body of a man and the mind of a child. Just an adult male who acts like a child.

 

[teheviltwin]

Doesn't he mention Roger Rabbit to Alec in the call? I can see OPL watching that film when he was 6 or 7 and having that fantasy stick.

Couple of random 'tism quotes:

Any child diagnosed with a social disorder suffers from an inability to pick up nonverbal cues and social nuances. If the communication impairment is not addressed, it can lead to bullying, rejection, and more serious mental health issues. Eventually, the behaviors become odder and the fantasy world richer as efforts to break into a clique are thwarted, repeatedly.

Once an interest is established, it becomes ingrained, a frequent topic for conversation even if peers don't seem interested. A teen with Asperger's does not know how to take another perspective and believes his peers think like he does.

All children diagnosed on the autism spectrum have a social disorder and need communication skills to survive. Despite their intelligence and verbosity, the social environment in school is a confusing and even frightening place. If not taught, or pulled out of their world of fantasy, they will experience frequent rejection, retreat further,engage in activities they are not always healthy or appropriate. They need to be drawn in. If left to their own devices, teens on the spectrum are at higher risk for developing co-occurring disorders, or dwelling too much in fantasy so that the lines become blurred.

 

[NobleGreyHorse]

One thing that's always struck me about Chris, is that despite the fitting "manbaby" moniker, he's never really been somebody with the physical body of a man and the mind of a child. Just an adult male who acts like a child.

I'm not disagreeing necessarily, but what do you think the difference is? How would somebody genuinely have the mind of a child, given that developmental delay or cognitive disability doesn't stop puberty? There's a documentary, I forget the title right offhand (shame, because it's quite moving), about two people with Down syndrome who are getting married. (I think the woman in the couple is the filmmaker's sister.) Both bride and groom definitely have a lot of optimism, and both still have their wishes for an ideal family -- they'd love to live completely independently and have kids -- but both of them also know that they are not equipped, financially or cognitively, for that kind of life. They're still going to be supported in a lot of ways by their parents and social workers their whole lives, and they're fully aware of that. To me, "mind of a child" would imply that the couple think taking care of a baby is totally easy and they're absolutely ready anytime.