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Faypocalypse Sven

9 (6.9%)

Claireten Snuggles

12 (9.2%)

Clintonhand Naughtyness

3 (2.3%)

Dora fires Faye - Drama and drunkenness ensues

50 (38.2%)

Clairemom and Martenmom accidentally meet

4 (3.1%)

Emily gets weirder (is that even possible?)

4 (3.1%)

Sven rescues Faye - Dora gets wrong end of stick

12 (9.2%)

The surprise return on Angus - Blood and mayhem ensue

5 (3.8%)

Purple Monkey Dishwasher

7 (5.3%)

Whatever it is, it'll be completely unexpected

22 (16.8%)

ALIENS!

3 (2.3%)

Total Members Voted: 123

[Is it cold in here?]

Global Moderator Comment

Everyone please find replacements for sex- or group-based insults like "bitch", "cunt", and their relatives. Being inclusive means not driving people people away by sounding prejudiced against them.

[Kugai]

I mean out time.  I personally wouldn't want to see Fayes decent into self-destruction to drag out more than that - maybe with an extra two weeks thrown in with the odd 'Filler Strip' to give us a breather from all the drama - to do so would be, I think, flogging the proverbial dead Horse Comic and Storyline wise before she's dragged offscreen for a wee while for Rehab.

[eschaton]

I mean our time.  I personally wouldn't want to see Fayes decent into self-destruction to drag out more than that - maybe with an extra two weeks thrown in with the odd 'Filler Strip' to give us a breather from all the drama - to do so would be, I think, flogging the proverbial dead Horse Comic and Storyline wise before she's dragged offscreen for a wee while for Rehab.

Again, Jeph could always surprise me, but I don't see Marten stopping his enabling so quickly.  Or rather, there is nothing I can imagine that Faye would do which is in character (and plausible) that could cause Marten to lay down the law after only a few days of a drunken bender.  If one of his parents was actually an alcoholic at one point, and he knew what he had to do (or stop doing) maybe.  But while they both seem to have had wilder days in the past, neither one of them seems to be a recovered alcoholic.  Marten will try to "do the right thing" and do the wrong thing for quite awhile yet. 

Honestly, I think Sven is more likely than anyone in comic to really try a full-on intervention on short notice.  While he seems to have no issue with social drinking, given his gregarious nature, I am 100% sure that one of his good friends (if not a family member) has struggled with alcoholism. 

[plusorminus]

Aside from Faye jerking Marten around in terms of a potential love interest in the first 500 strips (and a little bit of residual possessiveness thereafter), what exactly has Faye done to this point which is emotionally draining to Marten?  When did she ask him to choose between emotional growth and supporting her?  It would be just weird for Marten to turn his back now, when she's in the wrong but clearly needs support, because it's not like he's been continually fucked over in recent years. 

Edit:  Bottom line is while you might think that Faye is a shitty person, and was a shitty employee, she has been a great friend to Marten since around the thousandth strip.  You cannot undo all that overnight, or even in 200-300 strips.

Sorry, eschaton, I missed this somehow.

I can admit that I am probably overstating the "drag Marten into her mess" thing a tad. I don't mean that Faye is doing it purposely. But their proximity and relationship to each other - as roommates - entertwines their fates a bit whether Faye means to do so, or not. I will own that Faye cares for Marten and has been a good friend to him. She helped him through the Dora breakup and also through the Padma mess. She loaned an ear when he was confused about Emily's intentions and has supported his musical aspirations.

And you're right - to this point, Faye has not asked Marten to choose. He has made some of those choices on his own, most notably, to not form a separate household with Dora without Faye being included. That was not on Faye.

But I think the time has arrived. The difference between then and now is that - not to be unfair to Marten - he really didn't have much "growth" going on. He was just sort of there, rudderless, especially after the Dora breakup. He was in his library job just doing whatever. Now, he is taking steps to really do something musically, he has a girlfriend and he's trying to man up ... just as Faye is falling apart. Faye has always relied on Marten sort of just being there for her. I think subconsciously she has relied on the notion that if things had gone a bit differently, she and Marten would be together and she was Marten's 'first choice.' Marten has grown a lot in this time and I don't know if Faye recognizes this. Just as she spoke in an entitled manner to Dora after being fired, I think that Faye feels a bit entitled to Marten's unwavering support. If she doesn't get it, she may very well press the issue. That won't end well for either of them.

[themacnut]

When you put it that way, I don't see how Claire wins.  In Marten's eyes, Claire's demands will seem petty, cold and self-serving.  Unless he realizes on his own (e.g., independent of any relationship conflict) that he's enabling Faye. 

I do see Marten realizing he's enabling Faye - eventually. But "eventually" is generally a long time, and in that time Marten's budding relationship may die on the vine as Claire backs off to avoid becoming part of the oncoming trainwreck.

[Pilchard123]

If nothing is true, nothing can be right.

But is everything permitted?

[Orkboy]

From a comic-having a dramatic arc perspective rather than a people-having-people-drama perspective, I think the coming story arc revolves around one very important question: Jeph's willingness to ax a core character.  The characters who have been put on a bus or simply disappeared from view so far haven't been core characters to the comic, and Faye's ultimate fate largely depends on whether or not Our Benevolent Comic Overlord is ready to make that choice.  If he is, then we could very easily see this arc end with Faye gone in one way or another.  I don't have any predictions as to the way he would do so, though Bus seems like the cleanest way to make that break.

Another possible long term outcome is what I'm going to call Cast Demotion.  I'm sure there's a term for it, but I don't peruse TVTropes, so I don't know it.  We might see Faye go from core cast to supporting cast once everything blows over.  We've seen Cast Promotions a couple of times, most notably with Claire going from a supporting role to a core cast member almost overnight during the Scritch Event, but other than Cosette kind of fading into the background, we really haven't seen much in the way of characters becoming less vital to the comic.

So, as I see it, we have a few possible long term outcomes, listed in from I feel like is the most probable to the least: 
-Salvage, in which Faye's relationship with the other cast members will eventually recover, or at least reach some sort of equilibrium.  No guarantee she'll get hired back, though.
-Demotion, with Faye getting a lot less face time, representing how her relationship with her friends has suffered and they just don't spend as much time together.  Would probably include her moving out.
-The Bus, probably with Faye either going back south or following Angus.  It might end up being a Bus with a return ticket, but a long absence seems likely if she comes back at all.
-The End, with Faye permanently written out, possibly dead. 

It all comes down to Jeph's plans for the comic, and which outcomes he's willing to use. 

[SomeCanadianWeirdo]

It's interesting to see all the posters who think Tai would be upset at Dora firing Faye for drinking.  That assumes that Tai sees marijuana and alcohol  in the same way.  She doesn't have a problem with people drinking, but she might see weed as a more natural and healthy substance than alcohol.  And as has already been mentioned she might figure being drunk in a coffee shop is a bigger potential problem than being high in the library, as the former has more potential for risk.  As for Dora we have no idea whether she knows that Tai indulges at work or not.

I can't see Faye either killing herself or fatally ODing on booze.  It really wouldn't fit in with the feel of QC.  Yes, Faye's dad killed himself, but he wasn't an actual participant in the series, and we didn't see his death directly or as it happened. 

I suspect we aren't going to see Angus again.  I think he's done.  Part of the thing about Angus is that he never got developed much past being Faye's love interest.  I don't think Jeph ever had the intent for him to be anything but that, and unlike other characters Angus never particularly caught his interest. 

[osaka]

If nothing is true, nothing can be right.

But is everything permitted?

If you're implying that Faye might have hidden blades somewhere I'm moving to another multiverse.

Warning: While you were considering exactly how dangerous a Fayessassin would be (MUCH), there have been two actual responses. You might want to review your post to something meaningful

So, as I see it, we have a few possible long term outcomes, listed in from I feel like is the most probable to the least: 
-Salvage, in which Faye's relationship with the other cast members will eventually recover, or at least reach some sort of equilibrium.  No guarantee she'll get hired back, though.
-Demotion, with Faye getting a lot less face time, representing how her relationship with her friends has suffered and they just don't spend as much time together.  Would probably include her moving out.
-The Bus, probably with Faye either going back south or following Angus.  It might end up being a Bus with a return ticket, but a long absence seems likely if she comes back at all.
-The End, with Faye permanently written out, possibly dead. 

It all comes down to Jeph's plans for the comic, and which outcomes he's willing to use. 

Considering that Faye appeared on strip 3, I find it hard that any of the last two is possible. It's not like she appeared a couple times and got eaten by an allosaurus.

[Orkboy]

Yeah, but this somehow feels bigger than the Marten/Dora breakup, you know?  I would understand if Jeph decided it was time to shake the QCverse to its core, and this was his method of doing so. 

[xaszatm]

From a comic-having a dramatic arc perspective rather than a people-having-people-drama perspective, I think the coming story arc revolves around one very important question: Jeph's willingness to ax a core character.  The characters who have been put on a bus or simply disappeared from view so far haven't been core characters to the comic, and Faye's ultimate fate largely depends on whether or not Our Benevolent Comic Overlord is ready to make that choice.  If he is, then we could very easily see this arc end with Faye gone in one way or another.  I don't have any predictions as to the way he would do so, though Bus seems like the cleanest way to make that break.

Another possible long term outcome is what I'm going to call Cast Demotion.  I'm sure there's a term for it, but I don't peruse TVTropes, so I don't know it.  We might see Faye go from core cast to supporting cast once everything blows over.  We've seen Cast Promotions a couple of times, most notably with Claire going from a supporting role to a core cast member almost overnight during the Scritch Event, but other than Cosette kind of fading into the background, we really haven't seen much in the way of characters becoming less vital to the comic.

So, as I see it, we have a few possible long term outcomes, listed in from I feel like is the most probable to the least: 
-Salvage, in which Faye's relationship with the other cast members will eventually recover, or at least reach some sort of equilibrium.  No guarantee she'll get hired back, though.
-Demotion, with Faye getting a lot less face time, representing how her relationship with her friends has suffered and they just don't spend as much time together.  Would probably include her moving out.
-The Bus, probably with Faye either going back south or following Angus.  It might end up being a Bus with a return ticket, but a long absence seems likely if she comes back at all.
-The End, with Faye permanently written out, possibly dead. 

It all comes down to Jeph's plans for the comic, and which outcomes he's willing to use.

I think the demotion thing already happened for the main characters. While Marten, Dora, and Faye still are largely important, I feel like the strip has become more ensemble-encompassing. We sometimes don't see one or two of the main three for an arc. What remains to be seen is if this events shakes up this dynamic more and we get one of the three dropped down even further.

Also, I know this is semi-old but I don't see a time skip happening. Even if Faye leaves the shop for a while, there are still other characters the comic could focus on.

EDIT: Somehow lost a bracket. FORGIVE ME OVERLORDS!

[ItsNotATumor]

My prediction for an upcoming comic is Marten comes home from date. He then sees Faye face down on the floor/couch. Unclear if she's passed out or dead...

[BenRG]

My prediction for an upcoming comic is Marten comes home from date. He then sees Faye face down on the floor/couch. Unclear if she's passed out or dead...

That's definitely a possibility and one that I sincerely hope doesn't happen.

[MooskiNet]

To get really meta for a moment, I'd just like to say it takes a hell of a lot of nerve to mess with your bread and butter the way Jeph has - the only paths I can see for this plotline either shake up the cast in a big, big way (Great Schism, anyone?), or get him yelled at for deus ex machine.

I wonder how much he's been gritting his teeth over this one.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

If nothing is true, nothing can be right.

But is everything permitted?

That depends on the system of government you live under. ;p

I'm not in favor of any particular prediction for how Marten's going to process this, because the fact that the second date and the Great Schism fall on the same day is probably super important. How Marten views this, and what he does or doesn't learn from it will depend heavily on how the super important plays out.

[cesium133]

If nothing is true, nothing can be right.

But is everything permitted?

As the professor who taught my graduate electromagnetism course likes to say, "Everything which is not forbidden is required."

He used that statement to justify the existence of magnetic monopoles. 

[Oenone]

Everyone!!!! What if this is the beginning of Cosette's Curse????
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1710

[ItsNotATumor]

It gives Faye a potential out for legal action.

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.

It's Not a Tumor, none of that will fly... (snip)... Faye has no case.

Yeah, I agree that Faye the character won't do that (or think of it), and that even if she did it would likely not succeed.

With that said, from a business standpoint, Dora should have just been quiet after "You're fired". When Faye started to protest, she should have continued with "I need you to go now, you're fired".

[aliensporebomb]

Wow - fireworks.

I expected this.  But somehow it's a little more brutal than I expected.

[grez]

The most awkward (but possibly most entertaining) option: Faye builds her current drunk to blackout drunk, forgets that any of this happened, and comes in to work the next day. 

[plusorminus]

I hit "random" and came across this one here.

I think that might be one of my points of criticism of the strip as a whole. Jeph has the characters make these wonderful and necessary insights, and then they just sort of get glossed over when they become most appropriate.

[Endellion]

Counting down to Fridays comic, Faye might lose it in the street, although I'm hoping for snuggles to keep the blues away for this weekend. However it'll probably be something like this.

[themacnut]

My bet's on a cute romantic interlude with Marten and Claire. Maybe interrupted by a phone call from Dora or Faye, or we may not get back to Faye until Monday or later.

 

[Is it cold in here?]

Another forgotten insight.

[Truec]

but other than Cosette kind of fading into the background, we really haven't seen much in the way of characters becoming less vital to the comic.

How quickly you forget that Steve used to be a main character.

[SomeCanadianWeirdo]

I suspect how you perceive Steve depends on when you started reading QC.  Or any other character for that matter.

[Endellion]

I started reading somewhere in the 1400's and I always considered Steve to be a main character...although I read the previous comics from the start in rapid speed (my at the time gf was reading it so I had to as well)

[TheEvilDog]

You know, I just realised - everyone who has been coming up as to how Faye will go off the rails, seems to have forgotten one key aspect of Faye's personality: she's a fighter.

I wouldn't be surprised if rock bottom involves Faye's pugnacious predilections landing her in trouble with the law. A night in the drunk tank or being stood in a court might shock her enough to snap out of this, or it might push her deeper into the bottle.

[Conzy]

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.

I don't think it's necessarily weird or fucked up to hate a fictional character. Now, let me be clear, there is a point where that goes too far. But being rational and saying 'in the world that character resides, based on his or her actions, I hate them' isn't anything unheard of. In fact, it's what fiction has done for a long time. Think of literature, I had to read 'The Catcher in the Rye' while at school. On talking to people about the book, one of the most common responses was that people hated Holden Caulfield. That was the exact word a lot of people used. I thought it was an entirely reasonable response, even though I felt differently. My reaction to that was 'and?' Just because you love or hate a specific character isn't indicative of the merit of the work, which is the most important thing. I have reasons for liking and not liking certain characters in QC and I will readily admit that Faye is my least favourite character person-wise. By that I mean if I were to meet someone with Faye's characteristics in real life I would do my best to have nothing to do with them, which one could define as hatred. However, as an excellent, well developed, entertaining and believable character, I would rank her among the best, if not the best in QC, and I salute the writer for it.

Aimless, I'm fairly sure you meant the melding fiction and reality type hatred that is conveyed sometimes (I always (wrongly, probably) assume a degree of hyperbole) and this isn't really aimed (sorry, horrible pun) at you, but quoting your post gave me an easy way to convey some points that have been rattling around my head since seeing views on characters by people (myself included) on these forums. Woo, that was a long sentence.

Edit: I think this line of thought can be useful when thinking about and discussing the events of the comics in terms of who is right and wrong. In my relatively short time on th forums, I have seen many posts (to take Faye as an example) making up ridiculous excuses as to why she is at fault in situation A. At the same time, I've seen many posts making up ridiculous excuses as to why it's ALL her fault in situation B. What I'm basically saying is that I think it's okay to hate a fictional character, but don't let it cloud your judgment.

[Orkboy]

I find it very difficult to really hate someone on a personal level when that someone is a fictional character

I don't think it's necessarily weird or fucked up to hate a fictional character.

[Smallest]

If there's a conflict with Claire, I think (especially in the short-term), it's less likely to have anything to do with jealousy (even over time being spent elsewhere), and more likely to be because Claire might think Faye is a harmful thing in his life. I'm pretty sure everyone gets annoyed when their friend, significant other, etc, gets completely sucked into someone else's problems, and talks about them all the time, to the point where it is negatively effecting them. Based on Claire's reaction to cheating and so on, I do think it's fairly likely that sort of thing would bother her. On the other hand, that would depend how much Marten got involved.

[eschaton]

But I think the time has arrived. The difference between then and now is that - not to be unfair to Marten - he really didn't have much "growth" going on. He was just sort of there, rudderless, especially after the Dora breakup. He was in his library job just doing whatever. Now, he is taking steps to really do something musically, he has a girlfriend and he's trying to man up ... just as Faye is falling apart. Faye has always relied on Marten sort of just being there for her. I think subconsciously she has relied on the notion that if things had gone a bit differently, she and Marten would be together and she was Marten's 'first choice.' Marten has grown a lot in this time and I don't know if Faye recognizes this. Just as she spoke in an entitled manner to Dora after being fired, I think that Faye feels a bit entitled to Marten's unwavering support. If she doesn't get it, she may very well press the issue. That won't end well for either of them.

Remember, it can be argued that Faye set Claire and Marten up.  At least, Faye confronted Claire about her feelings for Marten, which may have played a role in why things happened later that night. 

More broadly, this gets back to the point that out of all the main characters, Faye really does seem to have the highest "emotional intelligence" when it comes to others.  She just sucks ass at understanding why she does things.  Which is why I think Faye should be aware of Marten's "growth" - even if it makes her insecure when compared to her own stagnation.

other than Cosette kind of fading into the background, we really haven't seen much in the way of characters becoming less vital to the comic.

Totally untrue.  There's lots of examples of characters falling into the background.  People brought up Steve, who used to be a pretty well rounded, interesting character.  Remember the Meena arc?  It was refreshing.  There's also Raven, who was also unquestionably part of the core comic, and basically has been written out.  Arguably Penelope counts as well, although the period she was a major character in the comic only lasted a few years.  Hanners has receded a lot as well - she was a main cast member, and has more been a supporting cast member lately, mostly seen only as Marigold's friend.  Hell, Pintsize, although he's still seen, really only makes appearances a handful of times per year now.   

[Conzy]

I find it very difficult to really hate someone on a personal level when that someone is a fictional character

I don't think it's necessarily weird or fucked up to hate a fictional character.

Not going to lie, that came to mind while writing the post. Decided to go with the Caulfield analogy as I though he and Faye were more comparable in terms of reasons why people might hate them. 

[Cattus]

I'm amazed at some of the negative comments here about Faye and Dora.  Lets have a quick look at Faye.  When young and impressionable, Faye witnessed the violent suicide of her best friend and Dad.  The trauma took years to overcome and she never really got over it.  She distanced herself emotionally from everyone, learning in the process that booze numbs the emotional senses and allows her to cope.  She FINALLY lets a person into her emotional psyche and he proceeds to leave her behind.  It is true that she could have gone with him but that would have meant leaving all her friends behind in exchange for a possibly uncertain relationship.  So now she has lost two people she loves.  She is certainly in most ways, broken, and booze is her glue.  I think all her friends understand that to some degree and Dora especially.

But Dora has her own life and business to protect.  She gave Faye a huge amount of latitude over the 'years' (?) but also realized that staff drinking on the job could ruin her business.  She did what she had to do and I'm sure she hopes that Faye WILL get some help and at that time I have no doubt they will work things out.  It's 'tough love' in action here.  Faye will likely fall further before she gets better and her friends and family will likely help considerably.

I find that Jeph is quite insightful when it comes to what's right for his 'family'.  I don't think he's going to kill off or otherwise dispose of a loved member.  The drama in QC is the drama of real life - exaggerated to some degree, for sure, but not the extent it could be.  I anxiously await the next chapters in this story arc.

[Call me Ms]

Cattus -- yes, finally, someone said it.
I've been a reader for a few years now, and gone through large swaths of the archive, including the first 500. And while I e-mailed Jeph over a story line or character once, it's the QC events of the last few days that prompted me to find the forums.  Have been reviewing comments for the last two days, and this is the first, I think, that I found what I've been wanting to say (it's been eye-opening, actually, to read everyone's take on things... so different!).

Faye's in a bad place, definitely, and quickly spiraling down. But I don't think it's where she has been up till the break up. And as annoyed as I was by her presumptuous, wide-eyed "aren't I kinda cute"-ness when Dora found her drinking, I do feel for her. After all -- she acknowledges her issues.  Comes clean and releases Marten. Takes it admirably -- and honestly -- when her friend and boss starts dating her love interest. Does a lot of work, goes overboard on the other end (Sven), does some more work, and finally is capable of, and has, a real relationship.

The long distance question is always tricky, and usually difficult to pin blame solely on either party. To many people, an announcement of leaving feels like abandonment. Regardless of what the facts are, on some level I think Angus' departure has triggered Faye around her father's suicide: the first man she trusted & let in romantically, and he leaves (just like her Dad did). Of course it's set spiraling back into her prickly shell, with a vengeance.

And none of her friends seem to be noticing. She's turning into her father -- I see a suicide attempt coming up -- and the times she's showing her alcoholism I read as those "cry for help" moments.

And I do fault Dora here. Of course it's in her right to fire Faye here. But she's acting in a flying-off-the-handle, I'll-show-you fashion, not a professional, sorry-but-you-give-me-no-choice manner. Much less in a tough-love mode. And in pulling the "insubordination" etc., ish, she is completely changing the narrative the tone & character of the work-friendship relationship she and Faye have.

I'll come back to this point a little later; felt like I've said plenty, for now, especially for a first post.

I hope Faye gets the help she needs, but I do see a suicide attempt -- or something approaching one -- coming first.

Anyway it was good to find this forum!  Some really great points & discussion.

 

[wlewisiii]

I see it's slowed down, suddenly. It's as if we're all holding our breath waiting for the Friday comic to be posted.

I don't have much to add in the interim; tho discussion has been good to read however.

[Is it cold in here?]

Welcome, new person!

Maybe to put us all in our place we will get five panels of Pintsize eating cereal.

[Rghfrgl]

 I miss euro time updates.

[AnnathEawesoMe]

Or someone eating cereal out of Pintsize!

Though I think that's been done before.

[jheartney]

I'm rooting for some sweet Clairten to end this very sour week.

[Arkantos]

It's Up.

nooooOOOOOOOOOOO

[A Duck]

F***!

[Method of Madness]

Fuck!

Agreed

Also I do like to think Pintsize tried to stop her, which is why he's off.

[stephber]

Ooooooooooook. Comic's up. Seems like date night is being somewhat derailed.

[lot_jockey]

Ugh. That's how Hendrix died.

[TRVA123]

 I feel bad for Pintsize, I mean, AI are supposed to be autonomous entities, right? I feel like thier off switches should be hidden or removed, or something.

It looks to me like he objected to how much Faye was drinking, so she turned him off, preventing him from going for help when things started to get bad.

Or are they implying that Pintsize drank so much that he also passed out?

[Method of Madness]

Or are they implying that Pintsize drank so much that he also passed out?

If he did, then he very well may have saved Faye's life.

[jmucchiello]

At least Marten didn't get kicked in the crotch this time.


Yet.

[Smallest]

I feel bad for Pintsize, I mean, AI are supposed to be autonomous entities, right? I feel like thier off switches should be hidden or removed, or something.

It looks to me like he objected to how much Faye was drinking, so she turned him off, preventing him from going for help when things started to get bad.

Or are they implying that Pintsize drank so much that he also passed out?

First thing I said after was 'wonder what happened to pintsize?'

I was assuming the drinking idea, but seeing as my partner looked at it and said "looks like he told Faye to stop drinking and she threw him at the wall," so if that was the apparent answer for both of you, I'm starting to lean in that direction too.

[Zalder]

I am having so much trouble sympathizing with Faye, she's causing so much damage.


Did she kill Pintsize?