Editing 2437: Post-Vaccine Party

{{comic
| number    = 2437
| date      = March 15, 2021
| title     = Post-Vaccine Party
| image     = post_vaccine_party.png
| titletext = [Future update] Well, someone accidentally dropped an M&M in their cup of ice water, and we all panicked and scattered.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.

As more and more people are getting [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|vaccinated]] against COVID-19, and as the CDC has released guidelines suggesting vaccinated people can start gathering in larger groups, there is increasing excitement about the possibility to resume get-togethers, and have a party. However, being very cautious, [[Randall]] is cutting down the scope for his first "post-pandemic" party from that of a normal party. Not all of the scope reductions make sense.{{Citation needed}}

===Drinks===
* Instead of serving the alcoholic or sugary beverages that would be typical for a party, the scope is reduced by serving plain ice water.
* Instead of serving the ice water in ordinary-sized cups, the scope is further reduced by serving it in small cups.

===Food===
* A person holding an ordinary party might provide large quantities of foods of various sorts. Randall is reducing scope by serving only two types of food, {{w|M&M's|''m&m's''}} and {{w|saltine cracker}}s.
* He is further reducing scope by limiting the quantities: each guest will be provided with three individual pieces of candy and one single cracker.

===Entertainment===
* Instead of party music, Randall's party has slower-paced {{w|ambient music}}.
* {{w|Karaoke}} has been eliminated completely.
* The big-screen TV has been reduced to a standard TV, and instead of showing sports games, it will show painting lessons by {{w|Bob Ross}}.

===Activities===
* Board games have been replaced with {{w|52 pickup}}. Having already downsized to a single game, he further reduces the scope by reducing the number of cards involved from 52 to 3.
* His original notes indicate that the party might include both video games and ping pong, but he has reduced scope here as well by merging these activities and offering only a single video game, {{w|Pong}}.
* Finally, while conversation will be allowed, Randall is reducing scope by reducing quality. This element of the party plan is qualitatively different from the others because it's generally the guests themselves that provide the majority of the conversation at a party, so it's possible that Randall is simply acknowledging [[2424|the effect]] that the pandemic has had on peoples' ability to converse normally.

The title text mentions that even the incredibly mild disruption of 'an m&m' falling into a cup of water caused the party-goers to panic and flee, much as Cueball and Ponytail did in [[2330: Acceptable Risk|a similar situation]].

==Transcript==
:[The comic consists of four underlined headings, two by two grid, with three or four lines of text beneath each. Almost all of the original lines of text have been fully or partially crossed out (marked with &lt;del> markup below), and five new items have been added (marked with &lt;ins> markup below), plus some brackets and one arrow. Even one of the added items has been modified.]
:<u>Drinks</u>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Soda</del>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Wine</del>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Beer</del>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Cocktails</del>
:* <ins style="color: red">Small cups of ice water</ins>

:<u>Food</u>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Pizza</del>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Nachos</del>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Various snacks</del>
:* <ins style="color: red">Three M&Ms and a saltine per person</ins>

:<u>Entertainment</u>
:* Music <ins style="color: red">(ambient)</ins>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Karaoke</del>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Big screen</del> TV showing <del style="text-decoration-color: red">sports</del> <ins style="color: red">Bob Ross</ins>

:<u>Activities</u>
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Board games</del> <ins style="color: red"><del>52</del></ins> <ins style="color: red">3-card pickup</ins>
:* Video Games
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Ping</del> <ins style="color: red">(</ins>Pong<ins style="color: red">)</ins> [A red arrow points from "Video Games" to "(Pong)"]
:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Good</del> conversation

:[Caption below the panel:]
:We're planning our first post-vaccine party, but we want to start slow.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]] <!-- the plural-s of "M&Ms" -->