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The hospital waiting room?

50 (33.3%)

Faye on a trip down Deriver Denial?

26 (17.3%)

Emergency Cast Meeting?

45 (30%)

The police station, charged with the assault (or even murder) of Pintsize?

9 (6%)

Weird archetype-filled dream sequence for Faye in which she sees her life as a strange Pyroland-like fantasy and is Elightened?

20 (13.3%)

Total Members Voted: 139

[wlewisiii]

Look like we're being set up for the typical "Friday comis relief" strip tomorrow...

Personally, I'd like to see the Pintsize equivalent of Faye's intermittent blackout sequence from earlier this week:

Black screen... Panicked Winslow... Black screen... examined by Marigold... black screen... trying to grab Momo's behind... black screen... being punched by May... black screen... hand plugged to some kind of device... black screen...

Head Canon accepted.

[A Duck]

Look like we're being set up for the typical "Friday comis relief" strip tomorrow...

Personally, I'd like to see the Pintsize equivalent of Faye's intermittent blackout sequence from earlier this week:

Black screen... Panicked Winslow... Black screen... examined by Marigold... black screen... trying to grab Momo's behind... black screen... being punched by May... black screen... hand plugged to some kind of device... black screen...

BLUE Screen =D

[BenRG]

Pintsize's condition is as good a prediction for tomorrow's strip as any. Personally, I think he'll try to mess with Marigold and the other AIs' heads by claiming that his memory has been erased before admitting that he's just 'shitting with them' in the penultimate panel and being hit by May so hard that he yells. "Ow! This time I really might have permanent damage!"

The only other plausible idea I can imagine is Dora arriving at Faye's beside, the two sitting in silence for a panel, refusing to meet each other's eyes. Finally, them both saying "I'm sorry!" with a tearful hug in panel 4.

[gprimr1]

I don't think Dora was wrong to fire her. A drunk employee is a huge liability and a customer service problem. Assuming QC Northampton is economically similiar to real life Northampton, there are a lot of small buisnesses competing with each other. I remember Dora has mentioned that COD isn't a cash cow, just provides enough. A couple of drunk antics and COD could get a bad rep amoung the residents and be done for.

I am interested to see what Dora does, she could offer to help pay for Fayes alcohol treatment, or offer her job back upon successful completion of a program, but I'm not going to fault a small buisness owner for not getting rid of a liability.

[wlewisiii]

Longer term thought.

Faye is fired. Let's presume that Dora sticks to that in a tough love moment.

What if Faye goes to work for the Secret Bakery? This would give her more contact with Samantha, who has been GOOD for her (that responsibility would also help NOW) while not being a "baby sitter" as such. It'd keep Secret Bakery relevant to the main strip, give us more Jim, Samantha (& Veronica??? !) without any weird twists.

Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your post and stop pretending you had a cool idea.

Oh, come on, this is the first time I've TRIED!!!

[NilsO]

As Hanners is not appearing in today's strip, I guess she is currently observing and thinking. She is not good at handling emotions and physical contact, but is surprisingly good at getting people to obey. Actually, Marten and Hanners are a perfect therapy team. Marten can be the comforter, Hanners the enforcer. And with Sam on the team, they also have someone Faye really do not want to let down.

Seeing that Faye is in good hands, I guess the nice lady doctor soon will release her from the hospital. Marten and Hanners will need leave from their jobs to stay with Faye for a while, but I guess this will not be a problem.

However, good therapy requires some change in daily routines. They cannot just stay at home with Faye. I suggest another walk in the woods, where they can pitch a tent, hunt frogs and snakes, and have a good time.

[gprimr1]

I wonder if Dora made Faye sign a non-disclosure agreement.

I do think Faye will come back to COD, I think that Dora wanted to hit home how serious this is by actually firing her, not just sending her to treatment. Firing her gives her real motivation to fix herself.

[Zebediah]

A non-disclosure agreement to work at a coffee shop? 

I've signed NDAs before - they're pretty standard in the tech industry. In food service, not so much.

[bartman]

I wonder if Dora made Faye sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Do you mean non-compete? It's hard to imagine what secret processes or products a coffee shop would need to protect.

[swapna]

Well I hope Faye doesn't go back, even if Dora offered her job back, I really do. Both of their trust has been harmed, and as others have pointed out - Dora stopped hanging out with her in social occasions.
Also - if Dora offers, it will be on condition she'll go to rehab or stop drinking and go to meetings regularly or whatever. Dora likes to control people and her business like that; Faye would always be under the threat of being fired if she drank, at all.
This also isn't the job she should be doing - she's a good barista, but she could be a lot more. If she continues to be a barista, she should work anywhere else but the CoD.

Non-Disclosure: yeah. If Faye really has those folders of black-mail, probably. (And she wouldn't even need her folders, with all the health violations and unsafe work conditions in the CoD). Also, Dora has some weird secret coffee-roasting technique that she might want to keep for herself - remember the arc about her selling it to the Secret Bakery?

[bhtooefr]

It's also worth noting that Jimmy John's has a quite nasty non-compete...

[swapna]

What's a non-compete?

[bhtooefr]

As in, employees can't work for a company that Jimmy John's considers a competitor for a certain period of time after their employment ends.

And theirs is particularly insane - it lasts for two years, and covers any business within 3 miles of any Jimmy John's that gets more than 10% of their revenue from selling sandwiches: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/jimmy-johns-non-compete_n_5978180.html

[swapna]

Dang, English legal terms escaping me again, thank you for the explanation!
Doesn't the employer have to compensate the employee for lost income, then? The non competing clauses I've heard of were with compensation pay for the duration of the clause (like, half the salary or so)

[bhtooefr]

Legally? Depends on the jurisdiction.

In practice? Probably not (even though there is apparently a lawsuit), because most of the affected workers won't stand a snowball's chance in hell of affording a lawyer or even the time to see a lawyer.

[eschaton]

Again, I don't see AA appearing in the strip.  Jeph didn't need it to get sober, and it's somewhat questionable as an organization due to its philosophy.  By Jeph making it an integral part of the strip, he would be in effect endorsing the whole 12-step process as the way to end addition, which I just don't see him doing. 

Although I may be wrong on the details of it, I still don't see Dora and Faye burying the hatchet any time soon.  Really, Faye needs to confront Dora almost immediately, apologize, and say she doesn't want her job back.  That would get their friendship back on good standing.  But even if Faye might be inclined to say that on the inside, the natural inclination of people is to want to avoid addressing an embarrassing situation where they made a fool out of themselves.  Faye might also be afraid even if she comes back humble Dora will still be in hardass boss mode and not want to talk to her as a friend.  And the longer the two go without talking to each other, the more their friendship is effectively ruined for the semi-long run. 

[swapna]

Man, I keep forgetting how different laws can be depending on which state you're in. I must admit, though, that the ones I've heard of were very specialised employees that had access to real company secrets like technology or something, and it was worth continuing to pay them half their salary for  not working and not fast food employees

On Dora & Faye: yeah.. that would be the reasonable thing to do. I don't think it'll happen, though, even though Faye seems to have sobered up not only in the physical sense. Both are proud, impulsive women, and both let anger, shame and pride come in the way of good communication.

[bhtooefr]

It's basically a way to get even more power over low-wage employees, so they bend over for the giant unlubricated cock of American Megabusiness.

[jwhouk]

I wonder if Dora made Faye sign a non-disclosure agreement.

I think you meant a "non-compete" agreement.

EDIT: They're actually quite common in radio/TV circles, so competing stations can't hire away talent.

I didn't know that about Jimmy John's. I suspect it's so they don't lose their workers to Quizno's or Subway if one opens up in the area.

[DillyDolly]

And here we have a really good step towards healing and personal growth. It takes a hell of a lot of courage to admit you aren't well when you've been trying so hard to "function" for so long. It takes even more to reach out for help. It's a very frightening and vulnerable place to be in, but there's so much hope for change afterwards.

I wonder if Dora made Faye sign a non-disclosure agreement.

I do think Faye will come back to COD, I think that Dora wanted to hit home how serious this is by actually firing her, not just sending her to treatment. Firing her gives her real motivation to fix herself.

I have a feeling should could. I would not be surprised if Dora offers her the job back if Faye's showing some attempt to get help...but maybe this was meant to happen to encourage Faye to actually use her talents. Even with the promotion, it seems like she really hasn't done much with her job at CoD. She made the cool dinosaur coffee dispensers, but then we see nothing more of that. Just the same old, same old every day. And while Faye wasn't terrible as an employee or manager, it really didn't seem like she was super happy there or even content.

[KOK]

There was some talk not long ago of putting Faye on the bus. In these parts to be on the bus (pĺ bussen in Danish) means on antabus. I don't know if antabus is still used, though.

[drewdane]

This week, on a Very Special Episode of QC..

[Lurkomatic3000]

Look like we're being set up for the typical "Friday comis relief" strip tomorrow...

Personally, I'd like to see the Pintsize equivalent of Faye's intermittent blackout sequence from earlier this week:

Black screen... Panicked Winslow... Black screen... examined by Marigold... black screen... trying to grab Momo's behind... black screen... being punched by May... black screen... hand plugged to some kind of device... black screen...

BLUE Screen =D

I need this in my life right now.

[Boomslang]

Regarding a possibility of Claire interpreting something about the hug in the wrong way...

...Faye is in a hospital bed.

Claire is occasionally unaware of things in an amusing way, but if she can travel all the way through a hospital, into the correct room, and not have some awareness that maybe Faye is there for a reason and genuinely in need of a hug instead of making the assumption Marten is trying to get it on, then I give up on her as a character. I really don't think Jeph would cast her in that incredibly negative of a light.

[Zebediah]

Let's also not forget that Faye helped Marten and Claire get together, if only in a small way. I expect Claire realizes that. (Marten may not yet, because he's Marten.)

[pwhodges]

maybe Faye is [...] genuinely in need of a hug

She wasn't there, of course, but he's already hugged Faye since making out with Claire.

[TheEvilDog]

As Hanners is not appearing in today's strip, I guess she is currently observing and thinking. She is not good at handling emotions and physical contact, but is surprisingly good at getting people to obey. Actually, Marten and Hanners are a perfect therapy team. Marten can be the comforter, Hanners the enforcer. And with Sam on the team, they also have someone Faye really do not want to let down.

Hanners could also have stepped outside to phone Dora and the others that Faye has woken up. Most hospitals I know only allow a couple of people to stay with someone recovering, so the others may have gone home or something.

[anahata]

Regarding a possibility of Claire interpreting something about the hug in the wrong way...

...Faye is in a hospital bed.

I know, I know. That's (one reason) why I don't think it will happen.
But people can be irrational, and Clare does get the wrong end of the stick sometimes, and... well, the thought crossed my mind like a shooting star flashing across the sky before burning up in a puff of rationality.

[Omega Entity]

Also, does Claire know Faye's backstory? Because if she doesn't, and she learns it, that could be interesting - both Claire and Faye's fathers aren't in their lives (for very different reasons, but...)

Were we ever shown why Claire's father isn't in the picture? I can't remember.

[Half Empty Coffee Cup]

We were told about Clairedad's infidelity when Claire misinterpreted Tai's dating Dora as "homewrecking".

[DillyDolly]

Apologies if it has already been brought up, but where is Faye's IV? Shouldn't she at the very least have a bandage on her hand (or some kind of puncture wound) if it's been removed?

[Is it cold in here?]

I'd regarded the "emergency bourbon" as being on the same level as the Malayan Battle Spatula and Tai's mono/poly status/history - a throw-away gag involving somethung thst wasn't importsnt at the time.

All long-running series contain this sort of thing <snip>

Another good point. We do go overboard trying to fit funny absurd things into world-building.

(But it's so much fun ...)

[Omega Entity]

We were told about Clairedad's infidelity when Claire misinterpreted Tai's dating Dora as "homewrecking".

Ah, alright. I remember that incident, but I didn't remember that part of it.

Apologies if it has already been brought up, but where is Faye's IV? Shouldn't she at the very least have a bandage on her hand (or some kind of puncture wound) if it's been removed?

If she's been there a number of hours, and she was deemed sufficiently hydrated by the hospital and didn't require any more meds, then it would presumably have been removed. If it was a few hours back that it was removed, the mark would likely be hardly noticeable by now.

[Oilman]

I'd regarded the "emergency bourbon" as being on the same level as the Malayan Battle Spatula and Tai's mono/poly status/history - a throw-away gag involving somethung thst wasn't importsnt at the time.

All long-running series contain this sort of thing <snip>

Another good point. We do go overboard trying to fit funny absurd things into world-building.

(But it's so much fun ...)

See the Larry Niven "Ringworld" and "Known Space" stories for an example of this taken to extremes. The later attempts to wrap up Asimov's stories into a unified whole are pretty bad as well.

God, it's amazing the things you read if you spend enough time in airports, hotels and in the middle of nowhere...
Conan Doyle had it right. There are some major continuity errors in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and he didn't care at all.

[TheEvilDog]

Apologies if it has already been brought up, but where is Faye's IV? Shouldn't she at the very least have a bandage on her hand (or some kind of puncture wound) if it's been removed?

We have no idea how long Faye has been in hospital, Marten looks a little frazzled so it must at least be overnight. Once the doctors were satisfied with Faye's condition, they might have removed the IV while she slept.

Bear in mind as well that this is a setting with AnthroPCs, AI with rights and several other highly advanced pieces of technology as everyday life. Wouldn't surprise me if the hospitals had some sort of dermal spray bandages.

[Oilman]

The doctor told Marten she would be asleep for "quite some time" so I'd assume the time is now sometime during the following morning. Marten has no actual status as far as the hospital are concerned and probsbly spent the night in the waiting room. Hanners - who is generally quite sensible when it matters - probably came during the morning, because the gift shop seems to have been open.

[Smallest]

Also, I've had a few IVs that when removed gently (or, as mentioned earlier this thread, floppily and clumsily by sedated me) left only the tiniest drop of blood, like a small shot or having a little blood drawn does. We probably can't see detailed enough for that, it would just be a tiny red dot on her arm (and the blood itself probably blotted off by the nurse who removed the IV).

[bartman]

Even with the promotion, it seems like she really hasn't done much with her job at CoD.

Mind you, that's a central part of the story isn't it. The comic is a slice of life centered around people not doing very much. Raven and Angus got put on a bus as a consequence of wanting to do more. At the end of the day there's probably not that many good stories around people working long hours in an office then coming around too tired to hang around the bar/coffee shop angsting.

[NilsO]

Look like we're being set up for the typical "Friday comis relief" strip tomorrow...

Personally, I'd like to see the Pintsize equivalent of Faye's intermittent blackout sequence from earlier this week:

Black screen... Panicked Winslow... Black screen... examined by Marigold... black screen... trying to grab Momo's behind... black screen... being punched by May... black screen... hand plugged to some kind of device... black screen...

BLUE Screen =D

YES! Please, please, please...

[Meilu]

I'm sure the IV being gone is more an artistic mistake unless she's already going through the discharge process, which I doubt we'll be shown. They don't remove the IV needle until discharge regardless of your condition if you're still admitted. Source: been through enough (more than 20) hospital and ER stays across the US to know. I asked a nurse why once, and she said if anything at all happened, it's far better to have it there than not. Purely precautionary.

[TheEvilDog]

How about we all just agree to stick with the MST3k mantra regarding the little details - Relax, it's only a webcomic.

[Isyrion]

How about we all just agree to stick with the MST3k mantra regarding the little details - Relax, it's only a webcomic.

You sir get a cookie!   

[Is it cold in here?]

Overanalysis is one of my favorite games though.

[jwhouk]

Actually, I think this is more Bellisario's Maxim ("Don't look at this too closely.")

[hedgie]

Man, I keep forgetting how different laws can be depending on which state you're in. I must admit, though, that the ones I've heard of were very specialised employees that had access to real company secrets like technology or something, and it was worth continuing to pay them half their salary for  not working and not fast food employees

IIRC, non-compete agreements and many NDAs can't be legally enforced in my state.  They're just there to scare people into complying, and most do.  I'd love to see them rise from the level of "not-enforcible" to flat-out fucking illegal with massive damages awarded as punishment to the spunk-stains who try it.

[Oilman]

The UK term is "gardening leave" whereby key employees are specifically constrained from working for anyone else and are paid in lieu for a period of time, which they notionally spend gardening. British and European law generalky contains some version of "notice" and time-related severance pay, but there is no legal reason you can't collect your notice and severance (redundancy) and go straight into another job UNLESS the employer keeps employees under notice on the clock - there is often no severance element if you resign, and notice periods can be waived by mutual consent, especially if a business is winding down anyway.

[Zebediah]

IIRC, non-compete agreements and many NDAs can't be legally enforced in my state.  They're just there to scare people into complying, and most do.  I'd love to see them rise from the level of "not-enforcible" to flat-out fucking illegal with massive damages awarded as punishment to the spunk-stains who try it.

A fast-food company would have a hard time enforcing a non-compete agreement anyway. They would have to take each and every ex-employee to court individually. The legal fees would add up fast to the point where they would be pissing away all their profits on lawyers.

Now, my wife used to be subject to a rather intimidating non-disclosure agreement because her former employer had a business relationship with a large technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California. But this was the sort of situation where an NDA makes sense and is to be expected. She had access to the specifications for some of their products while they were still in development, and this carefully unnamed company is notorious for jealously guarding its trade secrets. If she had ever violated her NDA then that company could have and would have gone after her with the scariest and most expensive lawyers they could muster.

[Oilman]

The main enforcement of NDA provisions comes by way of non-employment. I sign various agreements from time to time but the main incentive/sanction is that if an individual gets a reputation for disclosing sensitive information, the work dries up

[Smeagol]

...
Personally, I'd like to see the Pintsize equivalent of Faye's intermittent blackout sequence from earlier this week:

Black screen... Panicked Winslow... Black screen... examined by Marigold... black screen... trying to grab Momo's behind... black screen... being punched by May... black screen... hand plugged to some kind of device... black screen...

I'm not even an artist, but if this doesn't happen, I feel tempted to draw it/compose it myself.


Anyway, I don't think Dora will re-hire her. Dora has her own issues, and she made the decision to cut Sven out of her life, for her own health. I suspect Faye has a sort of toxic effect of some sort on her, without realizing, but Dora couldn't exactly cut Faye the same way. Now she's had it, and although she'll probably contact Faye and explain this, I doubt she'll rehire her. Her therapist may even have suggested the breaks.

[Is it cold in here?]

Welcome, new person! There is a fan art thread where that would be a great contribution.