Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT: 2878-2882 (19-23 January 2015)
toffee-skye:
What I've found interesting is how many people have mentioned Tai and Dora in relation to Faye.
We know - hell, we've seen it in action - how Tai frequently goes to work high or under some form of inebriation. What we don't know if it's purely recreational (and just livens up working in a student library which would try anyone's patience) or is closer to a coping mechanism (like Faye's drinking).
I know it's not fully comparable, but look at how Tai's reacted to a similar friend-shock-meltdown situation; "Oh shit, I had no idea about any of this". She straight up apologises, sits down, lets her more-informed friends take the reins. Call this pure speculation but I don't think it'll be in Tai's character to be anything other than understanding and sympathetic towards Dora's position right now. Sure, she's previously advocated drug use at work but there's an implication that it's recreational and whilst she might view drunkness at work from the position of "hey man, I just work here, I'd use it as blackmail material" Also, as mentioned, it's a different environment - Faye works with hot steam, has a sculpture studio in the basement; i.e. is frequently around objects that can and do cause injury. Tai works in a university library, which is probably a bit less high-pressure and (presumably) less dangerous.
Plus, it wouldn't surprise me if off-camera Dora would vent to Tai about her business - she's the sole proprietor of a small business, whereas Tai is working a student job that makes her pretty expendable - and I think Tai would be sympathetic. Comparing Tai's inebriation at work to Faye's inebriation is kind of.. Apples and oranges, as it were. Similarities and differences; similar in that they're both inebriated, different in that.. well, Faye's fucked up, put simply.
Faye followed the course I predicted; she tried to bargain and argue her way out. I still think Dora's in the right here.
--- Quote from: ItsNotATumor ---It gives Faye a potential out for legal action.
--- End quote ---
Honestly? I don't think Faye even has the mental togetherness to fathom that as a reasonable course of action. This sounds very naive I'm sure, but I think something in Faye's (more sober) brain would still go "hey, woah, no, she's my friend" - hence why she tried to bargain for her job back. She might be done with CoD and her employment, but I don't think she's manipulative or vindictive enough to try and get Dora's business sunk.
I can see Marten having to choose between Faye and Claire. Claire isn't as established in the friend group, and whilst she might be a favourite, we've seen her react with volatility to perceived wrongdoings on certain subjects and whilst I doubt Faye would drunkenly come on to Marten, if Claire sensed inappropriate behaviour she would freak out. This isn't even speculating on how Claire would respond to alcoholism, or what Faye could say to Claire, or other stuff. I think it might boil down to who does Marten care about more? Faye, who has been abusive in the past, who has also been a good friend in the past, but is currently struggling and requiring a time-consuming recovery period, or Claire, who he wants to date and cares about? Even if it didn't come to this straight away, I can't help but wonder if Claire would feel neglected if Marten repeatedly said "no, sorry, I need to help Faye" to her.
[also this took freaking forever to write up because I compulsively needed receipts for all the crap I'm referencing. I have a weirdly good memory for these comics so it's like.. oh-god-no-one-else-will-remember-must-find-proof]
themacnut:
--- Quote from: eschaton on 22 Jan 2015, 12:20 ---Faye was very insecure when Marten started dating Dora, but at that time the romantic feelings between them were not fully buried, and they had been friends for a much shorter period of time. While she's going through a bad spell now, I don't think she'll worry about Claire stealing Marten away for quite awhile.
--- End quote ---
No no, that's not what I'm talking about at all. I'm talking about Marten seeing his longtime good friend Faye in trouble, drinking herself half to death, him trying to help her, and Claire being resentful of his efforts, especially once it becomes clear that Faye is taking advantage of that help (as alcoholics do) to get more alcohol and stay drunk.
For example, Faye goes home after her firing, gets drunk and then drunk-dials Marten while he's out with Claire. He picks up, she starts crying into the phone about how unfair Dora is etc, while slurring horribly, making it clear to Marten that she's very drunk. Then she drops the phone and Marten hears gagging and puking sounds as Faye throws up. He's quite naturally going to end his date with Claire early to rush home and check on Faye. Claire's not going to like that. She may try to be understanding at first, but if this kind of thing keeps happening (and it will, Faye 'cause Faye will keep getting plastered for awhile yet) she's going to start speaking out against doing anything for Faye.
This will cause a growing conflict within Marten - listen to his girlfriend, who will demand he cut Faye off, or help his equally demanding and troubled friend Faye, who he fears will destroy herself? His choice will determine whether he keeps his girlfriend and maybe the course of Faye's life; if Marten decides he's sick of her shit, who else can she depend on to put up with her?
Mr. Skawronska:
--- Quote from: LeGrande on 22 Jan 2015, 05:13 ---What if Faye follows in her father's footsteps and commits suicide? After being fired and going on another drinking binge, she might think everything is hopeless. Even though she has a possibility of being rescued by Sven, who might decide to put up with Faye's issues because he's blinded by love/lust.
I could imagine a scenario where Marten and Claire come back from their date and find Faye's lifeless body on the sofa or in the bathroom. If Faye kills herself, the repercussions on the cast will be huge. The funeral would be a way to bring old characters back in an ensemble setting.
It's also possible that they find Faye so drunk and passed out that they call an ambulance and she goes to the hospital. Again, it would be a way to bring older characters back as they visit Faye.
--- End quote ---
Oh, now you're just teasing and making me want more popcorn.
--- Quote from: Gareth on 22 Jan 2015, 05:18 ---I'm quite surprised at how resentful so many people are about Faye as a character, and even more about Dora.
One thing I'd say is that we have to keep in mind the slightly more comedic and, for lack of a better term, slightly less 'enlightened' circumstances of the earlier comics.
Jeph is an educated, sensitive gent, but in the early days he was playing Faye's violent tendencies for laughs, perhaps due to a lack of consideration or simply because the comic was a bit more cartoony in those days - either way I think he is nowadays far less likely to end a comic with the punchline being someone getting punched in the face.
--- End quote ---
Even with this being the case, and yes, I fully understand playing Faye's violent streak for hyperbolic humor, Faye has treated her FRIENDS in an emotionally abusive manner, indicative of malignant narcissism, and deserves every bit of misery visited upon her. I won't call her names. In fact, when I call someone a "Faye" it's far worse than any commonly used derogatory epithet.
--- Quote from: gopher on 22 Jan 2015, 00:44 ---Pretty much from her introduction Faye has been an entitled leeching thug. Her interactions with others are rarely pleasant, nearly always to her benefit and usually joyless. At leaast Pintsize has the excuse he was programmed that way, Faye is just an extremely self-centred jerk and frankly "wah wah, I saw my dad kill myself" doesn't hack it.
--- End quote ---
And thank you for putting that so succinctly. Faye's antics have reduced me to a sputtering rage for years, and so her comeuppance is especially cathartic to me. Thank you for distilling my reasons behind that so well.
Better than I could.
--- Quote from: eschaton on 22 Jan 2015, 08:56 ---Finally, I think it should be noted there's an outcome that people haven't considered - that Faye "recovers" for a time, dialing back the drinking without addressing the underlying issues. I could see her rationalizing the reason she went to work drunk was not because she was an alcoholic, but because she actually started to hate working at CoD, and was looking for an excuse to leave.
--- End quote ---
That would DEFINITELY be a very Faye thing to do. You're right. She needs to fall a lot farther.
A LOT.
And I see my popcorn is running low.
--- Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 22 Jan 2015, 11:24 ---Addressing the speculation about how bad it could get, Faye IS committing suicide right now. She's doing it on the installment plan instead of all at once.
--- End quote ---
And I appreciate the ability to savor every bit of it.
S
Warning - while you were composing that mishmash you call a post, a new reply has been posted because this thread is like a runaway train. You may wish to review your post and cut out a bunch of crap from it because it may be seen as utterly irrelevant by the time you actually hit "post". Or you may not care or actually realize you hate Faye because she reflects many of the negative aspects of your own personality. Either way, you really ought to re-read it and decide, but whatever you choose, own those feelings. That'll be 500 bucks. Next Tuesday?
Kugai:
It may be that this is the proverbial 'Kick in the pants' that Faye needs (both from Dora and others if I read this right) to finally get her act together.
I can see Jeph sending her back home, maybe back to her mother and away from all that's happened recently in order to start getting herself back together, but I also think I can see her dropping further into the hole she's digging for herself at the moment before she finally hits bedrock and admits she has a problem.
I don't see Jeph writing her out of the comic, but that's just me.
Aimless:
I find it very difficult to really hate someone on a personal level when that someone is a fictional character created and written by someone trying to tell a story. There are characters I dislike seeing, but I have a hard time forgetting that they do not themselves have much in the way of agency and that makes it very difficult for me to let myself fill my head and my heart with the purest most malign kind of hatred. It just feels weird and fucked-up I guess.
I thought I'd dislike the coming arc but I think I'm going to enjoy seeing Jeph's take on Faye's descent into drunkenness.
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