Marigold and Dale (happy), Veronica and Jim (happy), Marten and Claire (happy happy happy), Faye and Pintsize (punches).
I'm an old softie but I'd like the last panel to be divided in two: Faye on her own in a bar of some kind and the last panel her looking up with a surprised expression at a new male character who has stepped up and is trying to start a conversation with her.
The message? Life goes on.
Nah, I don't see that happening--not for a bedtime strip, at least. 1328 and 2554 both showed the major relationships going on at the time, along with Pintsize bothering one of the single characters, and with the latter comic showing the changes since the first:
1328: Marten & Dora, Faye & Sven, Penelope & Wil, with Hannelore & Pintsize as a punchline.
2554: Dora & Tai, Faye & Angus, Steve & Cosette, with Marten & Pintsize as a punchline.
- Wil & Penelope were still together as of 2554 (and are still together)(and Penelope hasn't been seen much lately), so there's no need to depict them in any hypothetical Sleeping Montage #3.
- Hannelore remains single, ditto.
- Dora broke up with Marten and got together with Tai--which, barring fallout from the Svenectomy, is unlikely to change, so they're out too.
- Steve & Cosette became a couple between those two strips and aren't likely to change.
- Meanwhile, Marten went from dating Dora to being single to dating Claire, so they're obvious candidates whether or not they end up having sex anytime soon (doubtful--they'll probably take things slow, but I can still see them spending a few nights together before getting too intimate).
- Faye & Sven imploded, and now she & Angus are crumbling, so unless she gets back together with Sven, she gets to be the Pintsize punchline.
- Meanwhile, the only other new relationships since 2554 are Marigold & Dale and Veronica & Jim.
So my original outline--Marigold & Dale, Veronica & Jim, Marten & Claire, Faye punching Pintsize--still stands. It took over a thousand strips for all the changes between Sleeping Montages #1 & #2 to occur, but less than 300 for these new developments to happen. Whether or not Jeph eventually depicts these changes in Sleeping Montage #3 is another thing entirely. Hope so. Otherwise this post is just going to look silly and obsessive for
nothing.