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$5 bottle of scotch

Human/robot makeouts

Juicy gang

Two-ton Espressosaurus Rex terrorizes the town

Sven vs. Angus cage match!

Harem of Bros

[NilsO]

Hm. Know what? Faye probably will get fired. I'm going further into speculative territory and thinking she won't be hired back. Why? Because after a solution to her drinking issues arise, the best move for personal improvement is diving into her art full-time.

It could lead to a forced personal development and improvement for Faye, but I do not think it is going to happen.

• CoD is central to QC. If one of the main cast leaves, CoD would lose significance.
• While Dora Boss might fire Faye, I guess Dora Friend has enough compassion to try to help her.
• Dora might tell Faye to go on vacation, and try to sober up. But unless she gets help and support, this may make things worse.
• Perhaps it is time for Hanners to invite Faye on a vacation to the Station? She might get the necessary help there. (Bonus: Faye's boobs would look terrific in zero gravity )
• Also, Faye and Hannerdad might cooperate on making the perfect coffee machine (with AI and quantum entanglement), making Faye filthy rich. I would also guess there will be a boost in creativity if they learn to make good coffee at the Station.

[MrNumbers]

I'm seriously sorry for the gif post but, seriously, coherent thought is out the window to make room for the sense of foreboding doom.

[Baphomet]

Never, ever do...what? Drink at work? Drink at work in food service? From my experience in food service, everyone is drunk, or worse, at all times. Cast your stones all you want, but it really helps in dealing with customers.

Oh, wait, I get it. Faye has some expensive booze she doesn't want to share with the whole crew on shift. It all makes sense now.

[Zebediah]

There are two "nevers" here, one of which is "Never drink at work." And by the way, I worked food service to put myself through college and was never drunk at work. And anybody who was got fired quick. 

The other "never" is "Never drink to cure a hangover." You aren't curing it, you're just postponing it and making it worse.

[Tai Fanboi]

The other "never" is "Never drink to cure a hangover." You aren't curing it, you're just postponing it and making it worse.

[Baphomet]

There are two "nevers" here, one of which is "Never drink at work." And by the way, I worked food service to put myself through college and was never drunk at work. And anybody who was got fired quick. 

The other "never" is "Never drink to cure a hangover." You aren't curing it, you're just postponing it and making it worse.

It must depend on where you work, then. I worked food service to put myself through undergrad, and the managers whose job it was to fire people were just as likely to provide, accept, or bring their own alcohol (or other) to the shift as anyone else.

[techkid]

<Quite a lot of possible exposition>

I wonder how Jeph will handle it?

Will Faye allow it to go that far? Will Marten, or Dora, or Hanners be blind-sided to this depression spiral? I don't think so, personally. While it is possible, I don't think Faye would be able to mask it for long without completely withdrawing herself from the group, a move that they will counteract, by force if necessary.

On today's comic, Dora's "Oh really" could be read as "I don't believe you, but I will humour you for now". They have been friends for a long time, and Dora probably knows Faye's "crisis mode". But I think she will be watched carefully.

[aphanisis81]

There are two "nevers" here, one of which is "Never drink at work." And by the way, I worked food service to put myself through college and was never drunk at work. And anybody who was got fired quick. 

The other "never" is "Never drink to cure a hangover." You aren't curing it, you're just postponing it and making it worse.

It must depend on where you work, then. I worked food service to put myself through undergrad, and the managers whose job it was to fire people were just as likely to provide, accept, or bring their own alcohol (or other) to the shift as anyone else.

Yup. In this particular world...20-something hipster types working in coffee shops, brewpubs, trattorias, etc., this is pretty standard stuff. I mean, with Faye, it's made worse because of what we know about her backstory and recent behavior. But I worked in a bustling Northampton bar not unlike Horrible Revelation for two years, and downing nips of whisky in the employee bathroom or smoking one-hitters in the walk-in fridge was only the most mild of behavior. It wasn't condoned, exactly, but if you kept your shit together the managers wouldn't try to bust you. This is just a reality for college town service industries.

[Zebediah]

Well, I guess it was just different in Raleigh NC in the 1980s.

[cesium133]

This is just a reality for college town service industries.

And this is why I don't order from Pizza Shuttle when the university is in session... 

[anahata]

I'm sure Dora doesn't believe Faye for a moment. She knows she drinks, Faye's asked about bringing booze in before, and now she's stinking of whisky.
Drinking in the morning is definitely crossing the line and (IMHO) she's not fooling Dora with that "sweating it out from last night" story.
She won't fire her outright, but she'll deliver an ultimatum if Faye doesn't clean her act up PDQ (with or without outside help).
If Faye quits angrily, it'll be the end of Faye - what would she do then? Working on her sculpture sounds like too lonely an occupation for someone tempted by the bottle. (yeah, not to mention drunk in charge of a welder... stuff of nightmares).

Surely the next step is phone calls being made, friends coming to the rescue and professional help being enlisted. And a dramatic struggle all the way, with all sorts of sidelines.

[pwhodges]

I'm pretty sure Dora knows the score exactly and is now considering offstage how best to proceed.

[cesium133]

Something that came to mind this morning: Dora has never (on-screen) told anyone other than Marten and Tai about her shunning Sven. So as far as we know, Sven himself doesn't know. It could get interesting if Sven shows up at the shop (as in Dora completely flying off the handle when Faye drunkenly starts making out with him).

[TheEvilDog]

Either way, there's going to be a lot of shouting and tears before the end.

[Arancaytar]

Wow, this arc seems to be getting pretty dark. More drama than even Marten and Dora's breakup, and that was a pretty big twist.

I'm pretty sure Dora knows the score exactly and is now considering offstage how best to proceed.

Dora is a great person, but I suspect she's not all that perceptive.

[themacnut]

What happens next is going to depend on whether or not Dora accepts Faye's excuses. If she does, the arc of Faye's Alcoholic Downfall may go on for some time, probably interspersed with the happier tale of Marten's growing relationship with Claire and other happenings within the group. Since Faye appears to be a functioning drunk, this could go on for some time. On the other hand, if Dora didn't buy Faye's rationalizations, then it may be confrontation/ugly explosion time within the next comic page or two.

[TheEvilDog]

Jeph does like to let the other boot come crashing down on Fridays but I think in this case it's going to stew for another week. To use a rollercoaster analogy, this week kind of feels like we've only just started the big approach, we've really only had the tension build up from yesterday, Monday notwithstanding.

[Half Empty Coffee Cup]

Jeph does like to let the other boot come crashing down on Fridays but I think in this case it's going to stew for another week. To use a rollercoaster analogy, this week kind of feels like we've only just started the big approach, we've really only had the tension build up from yesterday, Monday notwithstanding.

In other words, you're saying we're going to be left at the top of the rollercoaster's big drop all weekend, and then it's all downhill for the rest of next week.

Also, BenRG, that is by far the darkest (and at the end of your suggestion for Friday, touching) suggestion anyone's made thus far. My only complaint is that it's fit into the space of a week while this looks like the sort of plot that could last for some time.

[Gladstone]

Comic's up.

Jeph does like to let the other boot come crashing down on Fridays but I think in this case it's going to stew for another week. To use a rollercoaster analogy, this week kind of feels like we've only just started the big approach, we've really only had the tension build up from yesterday, Monday notwithstanding.

^ Called it ^

 A break from Faye's problem for more adorable Claire stuff.  I would almost say it's too soon (I'm all d'awwwwed out after their last date), but it gives Marten another chance to be oblivious about Faye's shit while she spirals further out of control.

[sluthy]

Comic - completely unrelated to Faye. Damn it!

Although if Marten's going over to Claire's for a movie night, Faye's gonna be home alone. Or at least with Pintsize again.

[Endellion]

Attention: The Faye drama llama bomb has been rescheduled for next week because of cuteness.

[Conzy]

Wow, this arc seems to be getting pretty dark. More drama than even Marten and Dora's breakup, and that was a pretty big twist.

I'm pretty sure Dora knows the score exactly and is now considering offstage how best to proceed.

Dora is a great person, but I suspect she's not all that perceptive.

I'd disagree, she's pretty much the most mature person in the whole cast, aside from her sibling-rivalry issues, when it comes to friends she's usually really on the ball. I'd imagine that people saying Dora knows exactly what's going on have it nailed. Think about it, what would it have accomplished if Dora had called bullshit on Faye? Faye would have denied it and gone into hyper-defensive mode, achieving nothing. My guess is that Dora knows what's going on, but also knows in order to intervene effectively she has to catch Faye in the act, where there's no room for denial. This would also seem to indicate that Faye won't be fired, as it shows that Dora has every intention of helping her.

[MooskiNet]

Moar dates = cuteness, which is cool.  However, dates at Claire's house = cuteness + Clinton, which is a bloody negative integer.

No ice cream kisses in the near term, methinks.  I'm guessing Marten arrives home after watching a movie about book binding to find Faye blind drunk.

Or worse.

[BenRG]

Although if Marten's going over to Claire's for a movie night, Faye's gonna be home alone. Or at least with Pintsize again.

Exactly. Marten will be enjoying the weird domesticity of the Augustus household and thus be out of circulation for another night whilst Faye's crisis is ongoing. That's a deliberate plot device on Jeph's part. Whatever happens to Faye in the immediate in-comic future, Jeph wants Marten out of circulation.

I loved Claire's attempts to put it off and then literally having to squeeze out the invite! Clinton and Mrs A might not necessarily be there. Claire is almost certainly smart enough not to invite her boyfriend over when her family will be around. I suspect what Faye calls 'sexy shenanigans' will occur.

FWIW, I think we'll be back to Faye on Monday and have Marten come back from his date in time to find himself wading into the resulting debris field on Friday.

[DSL]

The movie is "Interstellar." There's plenty of space in it.

[TheEvilDog]

A watched pot never boils....actually, it does, it just takes a while.
Point is, this storyline isn't going to be the kind of one where it opens and boom! intervention for Faye. Right now Faye is functioning and thus able to lie through her teeth. Everyone who knows Faye knows she likes to drink and she's just broken up with (I just realised) the first stable boyfriend she's had since her father's death, they are going to give her a little leeway. This is just build up, and the kick off is going to be when Faye's want for alcohol is going to start interfering with her life.

[ysth]

To use a rollercoaster analogy, this week kind of feels like we've only just started the big approach, we've really only had the tension build up from yesterday, Monday notwithstanding.

In other words, you're saying we're going to be left at the top of the rollercoaster's big drop all weekend, and then it's all downhill for the rest of next week.

Nope.

[FunkyTuba]

this is not a complaint, but it definitely seems that we're going to remain in this week for a significant chunk of 2015

[Neko_Ali]

Flustered Claire is cute Claire.  Annnd Jeph has gotten another weekend of us hashing out Faye's problems... well played sir. Well played.

[MooskiNet]

The movie is "Interstellar." There's plenty of space in it.

Speaking of well played...

[jwhouk]

BenRG, if your scenario comes to pass, pwhodges will need to shut down the forums for a week.

[HauntedNorth]

This comic sort of feels like that time I got to go get ice cream right before I had my tonsils taken out. Something wonderful and sweet right before incredible yet necessary pain that will have residual effects for a while.

[Natswash]

All aboard for the train to angst-burgh as Marten once again will have to play a bit of catch up on Faye's issues

[Method of Madness]

BenRG, if your scenario comes to pass, pwhodges will need to shut down the forums for a week.

I really hope it doesn't, because holy shit that went dark fast.

[jwhouk]

Also, I don't think Jeph would go that dark that fast.

[Lubricus]

Claire is cute as hell in this one. I hope we get to see the date soon, instead of having to suffer along with Faye for several weeks. I'm beginning to feel that her friends should just stage an intervention and force her to deal with things. But I'd much rather enjoy Claire and Marten and their wonderful, budding relationship.

[NilsO]

Hmm. Marten ought to stay home and help Faye through her problems. On the other hand, he may not quite realize the seriousness of the issue yet. However, he should be concerned by now, and indicate to Claire that he may need timeouts to help Faye. But of course it is difficult to turn down a date with his girlfriend.

As for watching a movie at Claire's house:

• Claire thinks she is incredibly lame for still living with her mother. So why does she suggest a date at her house?
• Why would she suggest a movie, instead of reading an old book together? 
• Clairemom is certain to be there. No sexy shenanigans. Marten would not mind, but Claire will be hugely uncomfortable.
• Marten should bring his mother. I am sure Clairemom and Veronica have a lot to talk about (and perhaps Marten and Claire can get a little privacy while they talk). Wedding plans will of course be discussed.
• Clinton might or might not be there. It has not been established yet if he lives by himself, or with his mother and Claire.
• However, Clinton may have a "date" with Emily. And he might also be lame enough to suggest watching a movie with his mother.
• BTW, I really hope S/S Clemily never sails. Emily is a nice (but quirky) person, Clinton is not.

[BenRG]

Hmm. Marten ought to stay home and help Faye through her problems. On the other hand, he may not quite realize the seriousness of the issue yet. However, he should be concerned by now, and indicate to Claire that he may need timeouts to help Faye. But of course it is difficult to turn down a date with his girlfriend.

It suddenly occurs to me that we're taking it as read that Martin accepts Claire's offer and does not say: "Actually, we're having a 'Friends of Faye' crisis meeting at the coffee shop after work." It's a fair assumption on our part (I'm not convinced that anyone has actually seen through Faye's problems except Pintsize, who is more likely to handle it either on his own or with Winslow, Momo and May's help).

We know that Claire's mother has weak appreciation of boundaries. I can see her about to go out just after Claire and Marten arrive. She gives Claire a little farewell kiss on the cheek and presses a few condoms into her hand. "Just in case things go well, dear."

Claire's whispered response? "Mooommm!!!"

[Doc]

The correct answer is 'two dates' obviously.
That is, if she's from the 'no sex on the first date' species.

[snubnose]

"You could have just said so !"
"But ... that would have made sense !"

[BenRG]

"You could have just said so !"
"But ... that would have made sense !"

It will be a long time before Claire is entirely or even partially cured of the fear that Marten will one day say 'no'.

As an antidote to my post at the top of this page, here's my way I'd like to see Marten/Claire intimacy confirmed:

PANEL 1 (half-height): Extreme close up of Claire asleep, head pillowed on one hand;
PANEL 2 (half-height): Claire awakes, suddenly, eyes wide;
PANEL 3 (half height): Wider frame, Claire is lying on a man's naked chest, she looks surprised and maybe a little afraid;
PANEL 4 (half height): Claire is looking up at her sleeping partner's face; her face has relaxed into a lazy, happy smile;
PANEL 5 (full width): Claire is lying on Marten's chest on a bed with tussled sheets. She's closed her eyes again and has tucked herself closer into him, his arm curled around her back and his other hand curled up to touch her face.

No dialogue, no awkward consideration of anatomy, just that simple moment and it need never be directly referred to again.

[ZoeB]

Re Faye.
"Houston we've had a problem".

[ReindeerFlotilla]

Marten is blissfully unaware that Faye has a problem, as is Dora. That's a prediction.

Nothing else makes sense, unless they've been planning an intervention off screen. Jeph's got nearly 11 years of material that's trained us to expect the dots to be connected for us in fairly short order. But he's been leaving dots out more and more since just before the squee bomb went off. Since since the Fangus dropped over the falls, he's really been doubling down on bringing things right up to potential crisis point and then skipping to a new thread.

He used to do that just to drags thing out but lately he's not picking up the old threads.

There are two possibilities (that seem likely): This is how he rolls now. Or, He's struggling with a difficult subject.

Alcoholism--especially in a gag-a-day--can degenerate to bad trope at superluminal speeds. And that's if you're being careful. This might just be hard to write.

What Faye is doing is friendship ending stuff. I know from experience. I expect we've got at least another day (in comic) before this becomes fully realized.

Date night is the appropriate setup, so the Dora side of the conflict could go off and leave Faye alone and under stress. But I wouldn't bet on it right now.

[NilsO]

Scenario: Clinton and Claire start a sibling fight over which movie to watch. Neither back down. Meanwhile, Emily and Marten look deeply into each other's eyes, and realize there are better options...

[Neko_Ali]

*gets out the squeehammer and waves it threateningly* No! Bad NilsO!

[Bologna]

Marten is blissfully unaware that Faye has a problem, as is Dora. That's a prediction.

Nothing else makes sense, unless they've been planning an intervention off screen. Jeph's got nearly 11 years of material that's trained us to expect the dots to be connected for us in fairly short order. But he's been leaving dots out more and more since just before the squee bomb went off. Since since the Fangus dropped over the falls, he's really been doubling down on bringing things right up to potential crisis point and then skipping to a new thread.

He used to do that just to drags thing out but lately he's not picking up the old threads.

There are two possibilities (that seem likely): This is how he rolls now. Or, He's struggling with a difficult subject.

Third possibility: he's going to have all of these bombs explode at once, like a fireworks show finale extravaganza of drama.

[Zebediah]

Scenario: Clinton and Claire start a sibling fight over which movie to watch. Neither back down. Meanwhile, Emily and Marten look deeply into each other's eyes, and realize there are better options...

"The Hours!" "I, Frankenstein!" "The Hours!" "I, Frankenstein!"
"Hey, guys, why don't we watch Pacific Rim?"

[jwhouk]

Fronk-en-steen.

[cesium133]

Do you also say Froderick?

[DSL]

"You could have just said so !"
"But ... that would have made sense !"

It will be a long time before Claire is entirely or even partially cured of the fear that Marten will one day say 'no'.

As an antidote to my post at the top of this page, here's my way I'd like to see Marten/Claire intimacy confirmed:

PANEL 1 (half-height): (written equivalent of storyboard follows)

Have you ever considered linking up with an illustrator and starting your own comic?