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Poll

Fayepocalypse! What Next?

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


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Author Topic: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)  (Read 159949 times)

Pilchard123

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #300 on: 26 Jan 2015, 12:43 »

I think there was some discussion a while back, possibly in last week's thread. Not a lot though.
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Channelore HellicottAtham

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #301 on: 26 Jan 2015, 13:02 »

Admittedly it's only one person's experience, but I have a friend who goes for haemodialysis regularly and the IV always goes into their inner arm, above the wrist.

That's because the fistula is placed there, which a device that provides an interface between line and the larger veins of the ac fossa to accommodate frequent dialysis. Faye has only just arrived at hospital and is just receiving fluids & meds if needed through a cannula. And no it doesn't look like she has dialysis running btw, to whomever said that; it's simply a plain ol' IV line going into a cannula placed on the dorsum of her hand and secured with a type of sticky plaster we use. That's all, and nothing in that image indicating anything else. If she doesn't have any urinary output in a few hours or so and/or her bloodwork indicate kidney dysfunction / risk thereof, then they would need to consider managing that in various ways.

Now to whomever was talking about the beep beep, it's likely just the ECG monitor. You're unlikely to hear it for very long / at all if you're in the hospital for anything non-cardiac or metabolic and aren't hooked up to one! Patients are often connected upon arrival to gain baseline ECG observations, but unless they require constant ECG monitoring during their stay this will be disconnected, and a 12-lead just reconnected during scheduled observations if requested. Even those who remain on constant ECG monitored via telemetry aren't subjected to the constant beep beep beep of their own heart rate, the machines in their rooms are quiet unless dysrhythmias are detected. IV pumps / syringe drivers don't continually beep until empty (unless air or obstruction is in the line). Given Faye's presentation she is likely to stay connected to one for a bit (though for her sake I hope they don't leave it beeping incessantly).

No real need to get overly melodramatic and reading beyond what's presented by the basic IV line, nor the blank squares - the strip is dramatic enough. It's dialysis! Her kidneys are shot! She's dying! Somebody fulfilled her last dying wish and clouted Marten for her! Dudes. Chill. Surely the fading beeps are just her falling asleep / unconscious again? She's hella drunk, she's in and out of awareness. The strip shows what she sees & does whilst eyes are open, and blackness representing the interludes between awareness. The beeps fade because she's fading into the blackness of the next unaware period.

Besides, if she was dying wouldn't we see ye olde bright tunnel with a vainglorious Pintsize Thumbhands there at the end, waiting to embrace her with his almighty pollices?
« Last Edit: 26 Jan 2015, 13:15 by Channelore HellicottAtham »
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Falc

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #302 on: 26 Jan 2015, 13:26 »

Long time/first time etc etc

So I doubt Jeph is going to be going for absolute 100% realism in simulation of an A&E department. Seems to me that groggy Faye isn't dying, just fading in and out as she's wheeled into the emergency room. The beepy machine and the IV in the arm are storytelling shorthand for 'in hospital, you dun goofed'
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #303 on: 26 Jan 2015, 13:27 »

Welcome, new people!

Welcome back, old people!

Jeph is probably on the same power grid as the most heavily affected areas.

Faye reacted to the suggestion of getting help with such fury precisely because she knows she needs help.
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sparklemotion

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #304 on: 26 Jan 2015, 14:01 »

Short time lurker/first time poster, hello.

Few disjointed thoughts.

1.  It was almost certainly Faye that punched Marten, & he will almost certainly not hold it against her. She's drunk, he's been a jerk to her before when he's been drunk & she forgave him, & it's just not in his character.  I (probably incorrectly) predict Marten will give Faye a speech along the lines of "Faye, you're my best friend & I love you, but if you don't get help, I can't be around you.  I can't watch you do this to yourself & I can't let it affect me."
2.  Assuming that Faye isn't actually suicidal, she will respond better to Marten's concern than she did to Dora's.  For one, she's in the hospital now.  Two, Marten's a closer friend to Faye than Dora is.  Finally, Dora's concern rang a little hollow after firing Faye & then further berating her.  I'm not saying Dora didn't have cause for these actions, just that she put Faye on the defensive & then told her to get help.  While Faye was drunk.
3.  I'm actually curious what the Marten/Dora fallout will be like.  I suspect (probably incorrectly) that Dora didn't call Marten (or anyone else) to check on Faye.  I'm basing this assumption on the fact that (1) Faye was able to drink herself into this state without anyone but Pintsize (presumably) attempting to intervene, & (2) it's consistent with Dora's recent behavior.  She cut her brother out of her life for, what?  Telling Faye he was in love with her & sleeping around?  Dora seems to be cutting out anything toxic in her life & she may well feel that Faye falls into that category.  While Marten can probably understand why she fired Faye, he may see her inaction after the fact as part of the reason his best friend is in the hospital.  I also suspect that Dora is done with Faye, at least for awhile.  This may be the best thing for her (Dora), but it could upset Marten.  Faye has been a good friend to Dora in the past, so Marten will feel she owes something to Faye because that is in line with his personal morals.  If he & Dora were still close he might try to empathize, but that's not the case anymore.
4.  Isn't it obvious what happened to Pintsize?  Drunk & depressed, Faye finally accepted his propositions.  If her body broke Sven, what chance did Pintsize have?
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Xenologist

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #305 on: 26 Jan 2015, 14:13 »

4.  Isn't it obvious what happened to Pintsize?  Drunk & depressed, Faye finally accepted his propositions.  If her body broke Sven, what chance did Pintsize have?

This is my all time favorite theory ever.
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shrike1978

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #306 on: 26 Jan 2015, 14:16 »

4.  Isn't it obvious what happened to Pintsize?  Drunk & depressed, Faye finally accepted his propositions.  If her body broke Sven, what chance did Pintsize have?

Headcannon accepted.  Headcannon accepted so hard.
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grez

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #307 on: 26 Jan 2015, 14:18 »

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2845

To the best of my knowledge this is the first appearance of this relatively scary looking painting. Since then we've only seen it hanging above Faye's head, and of course, it features pretty prominently in 2881.

Maybe it's just for dramatic effect, but I get the sense that "home" in the recent comic titles isn't necessarily Georgia, or any other "home" in the geographic sense as some have suggested.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #308 on: 26 Jan 2015, 14:35 »

Several different readings, all of which work? Good writers strive for that.
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osaka

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #309 on: 26 Jan 2015, 14:47 »

4.  Isn't it obvious what happened to Pintsize?  Drunk & depressed, Faye finally accepted his propositions.  If her body broke Sven, what chance did Pintsize have?

Headcannon accepted.  Headcannon accepted so hard.

SON. That was just excellent.
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MooskiNet

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #310 on: 26 Jan 2015, 14:55 »

4.  Isn't it obvious what happened to Pintsize?  Drunk & depressed, Faye finally accepted his propositions.  If her body broke Sven, what chance did Pintsize have?

As first posts go, this is nothing but win.
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ysth

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #311 on: 26 Jan 2015, 14:58 »

If it's NOT Faye who punched Marten, who did?
Hsu, in a moment of confusion.
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Smallest

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #312 on: 26 Jan 2015, 15:42 »

I personally don't like Faye, I don't think anyone would like her in real life. I don't think it is funny or cute when she punches him, especially when he is saving her from alcohol poisoning. [snip]

(I know, I'm a couple pages behind)

I'm... sort of confused by your post? I don't disagree, I doubt many/any people would like Faye IRL, but your point on today's comic, about the punch. I don't think it's supposed to be cute or funny, and the best I've seen people here interpret it as is "yay, that means she's sorta alive." Also, I think this is pretty much the least time to blame Faye for punching. First, if it was a suicide attempt (may or may not have been, or like the car crash, Faye herself may be unsure), yeah, she's going to be pissed someone is forcing her to do the exact opposite, especially if it means with dealing with a whole bunch of things she both consciously and unconsciously didn't want to (more consciously, her drinking problems etc, less consciously, the general desire not to have to stay in a hospital getting poked with needles)- even if it's an attempt at self harm rather than death, it's pretty normal to react with 'fuck you, I'm doing what I want and you're ruining it and making stuff worse.'

Then, even if it wasn't a suicide attempt, she's not exactly in her right mind. She's full of alcohol, possibly sedated, and fading in and out of consciousness. Although it's a weird reaction, punching was probably more of a messed-up-brain-logic moment- for example, last time I was in a hospital I removed my IV because I thought the nurse was dumb. Does that make sense? Not really. I doubt she would have been any more ore less angry if I had punched her (or my waiting husband- who, incidentally, probably wouldn't be mad either, for the reasons in the above paragraph).

And that aside, on the last part of the bolded line that I'm overanalysing- being so out of it, she may not know she is being saved from alcohol poisoning. She might be punching because a) she thinks punching Marty is normal (especially since she's drunk, old habits and all that), or b) 'agh I'm being kidnapped.' Even though she sorta saw the EMTs arrive, she might not even remember it. So while option A would still mean she was mean, it also would mean that it had nothing to do with ungratefulness.

I just, I get not liking Faye. I get being sick of the punches and whatnot from earlier comic time, or her verbal obnoxiousness. I don't get being so bothered by this instance of punching.
« Last Edit: 26 Jan 2015, 15:48 by Smallest »
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Smallest

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #313 on: 26 Jan 2015, 15:48 »

It struck me that Pintsize being turned off is quite relevant to the plot...

A  companion-AI would almost certainly have been given the ability to recognize and respond to medical emergencies; giving them that ability is only sensible.  For Marten to discover Faye, Pintsize must be out of the picture, otherwise he would have called an ambulance long before Marten returned.

This is an interesting point. That considered, I mean, hell, there's probably a method for anthroPCs to dial emercency services without a phone, since people have cells instead of landlines so much, and out of the house less humanoid anthroPCs wouldn't have pockets, and anyway some would struggle to dial (eg pintsize and winslow's models). Plus, it's probably common for anthroPCs to help shut ins ('probably' refers instances other than Momo and Winslow), the elderly, and the chronically ill.
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Method of Madness

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #314 on: 26 Jan 2015, 15:49 »

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Pintsize had Skype.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #315 on: 26 Jan 2015, 15:56 »

We know that he definitely has IRC.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #316 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:06 »

Can you call actual phones with IRC? That's why I brought up Skype.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #317 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:10 »

Wasn't it mentioned that he was windows based? If he is, he probably got skype when MSN died.
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MooskiNet

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #318 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:10 »

I'd assume anything with internet connectivity  could contact emergency services.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #319 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:13 »

Can you call actual phones with IRC? That's why I brought up Skype.

I forgot skype did that (and on that note, you can with google too). He absolutely should have some sort of phoning program, though, since those are there, although I was referring to something set up specifically for contacting emergency services.

I'd assume anything with internet connectivity  could contact emergency services.

If we're talking IRL rather than just something that seems likely in QC, not really. I mean, the skype/google mail parts, if they work on said device, yes, but if you have to live chat or email them, it'll probably go through their non-emergency line, and have to be seen and directed to another operator to get first responders out.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #320 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:21 »

Ok, here's my (long-winded) interpretation:

Hospital-Bound: title is foreshadowing (esp. obvs. now that we know she's in the hospital :P)

Homeward-Bound: title is probably more foreshadowing, I highly doubt she WOULDN'T go home after this if her mom were already aware of what happened, and I can't imagine her not being notified of this. OTOH, if her mom doesn't know, then Faye may be too ashamed of herself to go home.
Dora's angry right now, and for good reason. Faye's been warned about drinking on the job, and she has a business to run. Firing Faye was in the heat of anger, though it was still the right choice, both professionally, and as a friend — the firing is what Faye needs to realize how bad her alcoholism is. And it IS alcoholism — we've seen this build up over the course of the entire comic. She's even gone sober before, and relapsed. It's pretty common for relapses to start out moderate, and then over time get worse again.
P1 & P2: Faye knows she's in the wrong. That's about as guilty a face as ever there was in QC.
P3: Faye's expecting to be sent home. It stings, but she's arrogant (and drunk) enough to think Dora would never fire her over this.
P4: The look of shock on her face, with just a touch of "OH SHIT" is priceless! Jeph's talent shines in this panel. The "you're fired" is a punchline, a play on the phrase "go home, you're drunk."

The Great Schism: foreshadowing. Faye and Dora will not be able to reconcile, at least not for a very long time. Whether that will spill over into other characters taking sides, I don't know. Probably.
P1: Faye's arrogance showing again, with an attempt at bargaining. Who wouldn't beg for their job at this point?
P2: Dora's still angry here, but it's actually quite the mature, measured response, especially for her. There's some growth for Dora here.
P3: Dora's still Faye's friend, and cares enough about her that even through her anger, she wants to see Faye deal with her alcoholism. Dora needs to be given credit here. Faye, on the other hand, is drunk and an alcoholic. The whiplash from begging for her job to this reaction is typical for addicts and alcoholics. Alcoholics tend not to react well when told they need help. If there was ever proof that Faye is an alcoholic, this is it here.
P4: Continuation of Faye's denial that she has a problem. Dora's now just fed up with Faye's behaviour at this point. She's reached her limit with Faye.

Heavy Stuff: not much to read into here. This is heavy stuff, after all (and a painful cliffhanger to end the week on, but at least Jeph didn't leave us hanging with Close To Home).
P1: Marten's home. He doesn't look to surprised to see the scene that lies before him. Faye's (and Marten's) casual abuse of Pint-Size is well documented. Marten doesn't seem too concerned about Pint-Size's state, which indicates Pint-Size has just been turned off. No scary "is he dead?" scene here.
P2: Pint-Size, turned off. He doesn't even have a scratch on him, much less a dent. Recall that Pint-Size has a military-grade chassis, and has taken huge physical damage from Faye (punching a huge dent in his head) and Marigold (a matching dent on the other side of his head after checking to see if Pint-Size was being abused and Pint-Size playing with her boobs).
P3: Faye, passed out. Assuming for a minute, we haven't seen Close To Home yet, there's no sign she's dead. Marten would be freaking out a LOT more if there were a chance that were the case. In fact, he looks even less surprised at the scene than seeing Pint-Size, and even just looks resigned. Marten's not blind to Faye's alcoholism, so he must have known that this was coming at some point. As for the vomit, those aren't pills (just chunks of food) and there's no blood in there — mostly it just looks to me like she puked up a whole lot of bourbon.
P4: Courtesy call to Claire. Probably off-panel telling her Faye needs to go to the hospital, but not much more than that. Also, the call would have been made before calling 9-1-1, as the operator would have kept Marten on the phone until the paramedics arrived.

Close To Home: I don't know much about Jeph's personal life (I don't read his blog or anything) but I do recall him mentioning getting sober at some point in the comic comments. I don't know if he was ever hospitalized as a result of his drinking, but given the title, I think it's likely he has. Can anyone clarify this?
Written entirely from Faye's perspective. Bravo, Jeph!
P1, P3, P5, P7, P9: Faye, unconscious. Not just memory-based blackouts.
P2: Marten trying to get Faye's attention and keep her awake long enough to know she's alright. Probably hasn't called 9-1-1 yet, he's not yet aware of how serious of a state Faye is in until she passes out again. If he had called, he'd have the phone in his other hand, possibly even up to his ear still. Faye's still on the couch at this point — you can see the entrance to the apartment behind Marten.
P4: Paramedics arrive, checking her pulse. Pretty standard stuff. Based on POV (she's facing the kitchen now, at an angle), she's now on the floor.
P6: Arrival at hospital. Marten rode in the ambulance with Faye. He's concerned, nervous, wondering what's going to happen next. Waiting for someone to come tend to Faye. Given that she's repeatedly in and out of consciousness, there's no way she could get there standing. She's on a gurney (too high up for a wheelchair, she's almost at head level with Marten). Judging from the placement of Marten's arm, he's pulling the gurney himself.
P8: The punch. Not surprising for Faye, drunk or not, but especially given her state. An extension, really, of her state of mind in The Great Schism, P3 & P4. Faye punching people has been a running gag throughout the strip; this is just an extension of this. The truly great comedy writers know how to inject a little bit of humour into serious storylines, and in this case a little black humour is almost necessary for the mental health of us readers. I applaud (and thank) Jeph for including this. Marten's definitely pulling the gurney. He's still holding it in this panel, and judging from the position of the overhead lights, he's pulled the gurney further down the hall now. The door frame at the end of the hall is also bigger now.
P10: They've just poked her with the IV. The pain of the needle going in has just awoken her and/or grabbed her attention. The little bit of blood in the tube is what happens when first getting poked — the blood rushes to fill the vacuum before any fluid starts flowing through. At this point the hospital staff hasn't yet injected anything yet. The beeps are presumably from a heart monitor. Aside from it's stereotypical use in media in hospital settings, it's logical that Faye would be hooked up to one, since the combined effects of alcohol and the soon-to-be-injected sedative/anaesthetic can have a depressing effect on the heart, and needs to be monitored.
P11: The sedative has been put into the IV now. Yes, angry drunk people with alcohol poisoning do sometimes have to be sedated. In a hospital setting, there are trained anaesthesiologists who are fully capable of figuring out which sedative and/or anaesthetic is appropriate given the situation. The beeps fading are an indication of the sedative/anaesthetic taking effect. If she were dying and/or in cardiac arrest, we'd be seeing a longer beep.
P12: Faye is now in a drug-induced sleep. She won't be waking up until treatment is over.

I honestly don't read a whole lot of webcomics anymore, though I used to read a large number of them avidly, including CTRL+ALT+DELETE (when the miscarriage scene happened — great job with the parody btw (can't remember who posted it). I just don't have the time to keep up. However, based on what webcomics I have read, I agree this latest comic is the best in webcomic history. And I would actually extend that to the entire storyline, from Hospital-Bound until now (and probably including the rest of the comics this week, and maybe even into next week).

Predictions
No one's dying or being put on the bus. The webcomic's not ending soon. Stop being so damn dramatic. Faye, Pint-Size and Dora are major characters — they pretty much define the strip, along with Marten & Hanners (and possibly Claire & Marigold now). It would be fan-base (& income) suicide to write these characters out. Same goes for ending QC at this point. Alice Grove has not yet built the fan base necessary to sustain Jeph's income, and after years of solely earning money off QC, it would be very difficult to go back to a "regular" job, psychologically speaking. He'd be bored outta his mind in any office.

However, we won't hear from Dora for a while. She shut out Sven when she finally got fed up with him, and now she's fed up with Faye. We might catch someone telling her Faye's in the hospital, but while she'll care, she's going to want to stay away from Faye until she cleans up. I don't think Tai will take Faye's side; I think she understands well enough that Faye's drinking has become problematic.

Claire and Marten will face some tension as a result of this, and Marten's attention toward Faye. However, it's not going to break them up, for a few reasons. First, from character aspects: Claire is (presumably) new to dating as a girl, so she'll be insecure, but will also want to hold on to the relationship. It's not uncommon for trans women to feel the need to hold on to a partner, fearing the difficulty of finding someone else who will accept them as who they are, especially one as decent as Marten, and especially early in their transition (I'm a trans woman myself; speaking from experience here). She's also the type to react badly initially, but then recover and correct her mistakes (the library incident is a prime example of this). From a story writing perspective, Marten dating a trans woman is too good of a storyline to give up. Jeph has barely even touched on any issues yet wrt her being trans.

I doubt Sven will come to Faye on his own — he's smart enough to understand the situation. However, if Faye does decide to go sober, she very well could replace one maladaptive coping mechanism with another — and Sven fits the bill. I can definitely see Faye running to him in a time of need. And this time, it might just be for sex on Faye's part, with Sven wanting more. The role reversal would be interesting (and funny) to watch.

I definitely don't see a quick recovery for Faye in the near future. I think she'll stop drinking for a short while, given the scare this hospital stay will give her. But she'll relapse. And descend into alcoholism more and more. There's a whole recovery process for Faye ahead of her, and one I think Jeph will be exploring frequently. Don't expect a permanent recovery* for Faye for at least a few more years yet (in real time). This is something that's going to take time to explore fully. In the more immediate future, I see a short stay in the mental health ward for Faye before she gets out of the hospital this time. And AA, though whether it's when she gets out, or later on, closer to her permanent recovery, is anyone's guess. I honestly want it to be the latter though, it would be more realistic. Most people have tried everything else they can think of before they encounter AA, unless under court order. The worse her drinking will get, the more her social life will suffer. Expect to watch Faye push everyone away over time. Once she reaches permanent recovery, she may or may not get her job at CoD back. She will if she asks for it, but if she develops her art (more likely) she won't need nor want her CoD job back.

If we don't see a Faye's Dad/NDE sequence soon, I'll be pleasantly surprised to see Jeph resist the temptation. This would be a perfect time for some revelation about him, but the NDE trope is so overdone. Then again, given the superb quality of Jeph's writing lately, a dream/NDE subplot is looking less and less likely.

Meanwhile, Marten has to deal with the consequences of Faye losing her job. He won't be happy being saddled with all the rent while having to play babysitter with her (of course, he doesn't HAVE to, but knowing Marten, he will, at least for a while before he gets fed up too). Faye will eventually have to move out. Whether he kicks her out or she goes voluntarily, I don't know. But Faye will be moving out and finding a place of her own (where, when she relapses, she will descend into heavier drinking, at home alone). In the meantime, I don't see Marten putting up with Faye's drinking anymore — he'll be wanting to see Faye get help too, which she'll continually reject. This is going to be a huge issue for the two. Expect to see a blowout occur between them, probably about 6 months to a year from now (in real time). Marten will find a new roommate. Claire and Marten are just too early in their relationship for her to move in, and they'd want to share the bedroom anyway. They'd still need to fill the now-empty room. If it's any of the regular characters, it will be either Marigold or Hanners. Hanners seems the most likely choice of the two. She's had enough personal growth now that I think she'll be ready to move into an apartment with someone else, where the place isn't spotless. However, both choices are unlikely; more likely is for a new character to move in with Marten.

Hanners is going to flip when Faye gets out of the hospital. Both out of concern for Faye's well-being, but also because she's going to be the one to clean the couch. You just know there's going to be at least one joke about Hanners' cleaning prowess. The couch will be replaced, but not before Hanners deals with it. They're not just going to take the couch to the dump without at least getting rid of the fresh puke. Given her propensity for worrying, Hanners will be the one most worried about Faye, and will also be the one to finally get it through to Faye that she needs help.

Penelope will get promoted to Assistant Manager — she's been there longer than anyone except Raven, but of the two, Penelope is the only one competent enough to do the job (or maybe Jeph will assign Raven the job, just for the amount of mishaps he can write into the comic  :laugh:). Penelope's going to revel in the schadenfreude before she finds out Faye's in the hospital.

Marigold will be pissed at Faye for her treatment of Pint-Size. I can see her encouraging Pint-Size to lay charges against Faye, but I can't see Pint-Size following through. He's just too used to Faye's (and Marten's) reactions to his antics. If it were to happen though, it would be done to set up a court-ordered trip to AA for Faye.

Winslow and Mo-mo (and possibly May) will rally to support Pint-Size. He could still be quite shaken up by being non-consensually turned off. If May is included, then she'll be the one to go after Faye for turning him off.

Steve will make a reappearance at some point, as a source of support for Faye, though I can see him being an enabler, possibly even a new drinking buddy.

Angus will probably hear about what's happened. We'll see him deal with guilt. He might even return to try to make it work with Faye, but then realize too late that Faye is a sinking ship. By then he'll have lost his opportunity in NY, which will leave him embittered and angry at Faye before he fades into the background.

Padma is out of the picture and will not be coming back. Marten's with Claire now, and they're going to have enough tension between them without adding Padma to the mix.

We might see a bit of Jim and Samantha in the near future. Samantha will be upset when she learns Faye was fired from CoD, but she won't understand or be told much about why it happened.

I don't know how likely this scenario is, but I can see Marten going to his mom for advice on how to deal with Faye's drinking. At which point, she will put the Fear of God in Faye.

Finally, once the heavy stuff has died down, Yelling Bird will make an appearance to make highly inappropriate fun of Faye, alienating a small number of readers who will find it highly offensive toward alcoholics and addicts.


*by "permanent recovery" I don't mean to imply she'll be all better and no longer an alcoholic — just that she'll finally establish a sobriety that will last.



Ok, now that I've finished this very comprehensive essay (seriously, this is longer than some of the papers I write for class!), I'm looking forward to you all destroying my arguments! :laugh: I'll try to add and update to this as each new comic comes out.



Warning - while you were typing 2 more pages were posted, and you could have done something productive like clean your apartment, study for your test, or go to that class you missed. You bad student, you.

Edit: added paragraph responding to discussion around NDE subplot idea
« Last Edit: 26 Jan 2015, 16:35 by emilygrrl »
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Quote from: Faye, strip 1462
Aww, it's been FOREVER since I've had to punch you! What a delightful wave of nostalgia!

emilygrrl

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #321 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:22 »

WTF — I almost hit 3000 words.  :-o
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Aww, it's been FOREVER since I've had to punch you! What a delightful wave of nostalgia!

TheEvilDog

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #322 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:28 »

Go big or go home I suppose. :-D
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #323 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:31 »

Go big or go home I suppose. :-D

 :angel:
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Aww, it's been FOREVER since I've had to punch you! What a delightful wave of nostalgia!

TieDyeKat

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #324 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:32 »

4.  Isn't it obvious what happened to Pintsize?  Drunk & depressed, Faye finally accepted his propositions.  If her body broke Sven, what chance did Pintsize have?

Headcannon accepted.  Headcannon accepted so hard.

And now I am scared, because Rule 34.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #325 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:34 »

WTF — I almost hit 3000 words.  :-o
16 more like that and you win NaNoWriMo.

emilygrrl

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #326 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:37 »

WTF — I almost hit 3000 words.  :-o
16 more like that and you win NaNoWriMo.

I like that idea :)
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osaka

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #327 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:37 »

4.  Isn't it obvious what happened to Pintsize?  Drunk & depressed, Faye finally accepted his propositions.  If her body broke Sven, what chance did Pintsize have?

Headcannon accepted.  Headcannon accepted so hard.

And now I am scared, because Rule 34.

I mean... It's probably been done before? I don't go actively looking for it tho.
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plusorminus

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #328 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:50 »

Short time lurker/first time poster, hello.

Few disjointed thoughts.



Can we at least confirm that Dora didn't call Marten/anyone before you commence taking a massive dump on her and implying that she is the sole reason why Faye drank herself into the hospital? Thanks.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #329 on: 26 Jan 2015, 16:54 »

Terrific write-up, Emilygrrl. I think you're pretty much spot on with analysis of past strips, and we'll have to see how the predictions pan out. I'm thinking Dora will have to face some real onscreen guilt (undeserved) for her part in this, but you may be right that she'll be scarce. I'd also like to think that Claire, rather than being alienated by Marten's concern for Faye, may see what a tremendous guy he is, and be drawn closer. Faye's prickly, and Marten will need someone to help him through this experience. Someone like Claire.

Warning - while you were typing someone much smarter and funnier than you posted. You may wish to crawl under a rock.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #330 on: 26 Jan 2015, 17:02 »

Quote from: EmilyGrrl
I don't know much about Jeph's personal life (I don't read his blog or anything) but I do recall him mentioning getting sober at some point in the comic comments. I don't know if he was ever hospitalized as a result of his drinking, but given the title, I think it's likely he has. Can anyone clarify this?

That was an amazing post, by the way.

Jeph has been pretty open about his problems (mod) but I feel more than a little uneasy being the one to talk about them in public (/mod).
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #331 on: 26 Jan 2015, 17:10 »

WTF — I almost hit 3000 words.  :-o
Walls of text are built one brick at a time.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #332 on: 26 Jan 2015, 17:30 »

Welcome, new people!

Welcome back, old people!

Jeph is probably on the same power grid as the most heavily affected areas.

Faye reacted to the suggestion of getting help with such fury precisely because she knows she needs help.

Hello! Thank you for the welcome!

This is all going to be very crazy and probably not completely predictable as it can go 400 ways (except for Hannelore disposing Marten's couch). Faye knows and is friends with pretty much the entire cast. It will be odd if she is written out of the story for a while. Wondering how will this change her. A lot of people predict (and hope) this is her "rock bottom" and she is a main character so it is probably the case as it'd be heart-breaking to see her continue down that path...but do people in real life always pull them out after such a thing? I've see too often it continues the other way...but this often was with people who didn't have a very broad support network of (mentally-healthy) family and friends that Faye does now.
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MaggieChascarillo

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #333 on: 26 Jan 2015, 17:32 »

Another looooong time reader here - I had an account for QC forums at one point, but I either picked such an obscure screen name that my older self isn't with it enough to remember or it was a previous incarnation of these forums.  Anyway.

Obviously like so many others this current story arc has brought me back here; not necessarily because I have my own profound insights to add, but after following along with these characters for close to a decade, I've found myself wanting to surround myself with others who have seen them through all their ups and downs.  There's talk about which characters from the QC universe will band together around Faye to comfort her and each other, and I think it says so much about Jeph and his writing that many of us have flocked here to participate in our own version of that.

And to respond to the person who questioned whether it's better to have no memory of events or have snippets of lucidity during a blackout...I'm firmly in the 'no memory' camp.  I don't drink anymore, after having my own terrifying moments of rock bottom, and I still find myself kept awake some nights with flashes of memories of moments I wish I could take back.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #334 on: 26 Jan 2015, 17:36 »

What Jeph's been willing to say in public about his history.

Old people returning, if you're looking for the set of people who were active in the old days, they migrated en masse to a site called pocketjury, and there's been one more move since then and I've lost track.
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Awsyme

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #335 on: 26 Jan 2015, 17:50 »

First time poster like several others.... :)

Just wanted to post and say how much I've... not exactly enjoyed but appreciated how the last few story arcs have worked out.

The situation with Faye, Dora and Angus strikes me as Jeff simply having a really good idea of how each character works as a person and, much as he wishes otherwise, watching all those personality traits collide into a horrible avalanche.

I remember years ago my girlfriend and closest friend got into a horrible 'never to be fixed' arguement over a very petty thing.  From my point of view the issue was minor and I'd have apologized just to reduce the tension even if I felt it wasn't my fault.  Imagine my suprise when the two of them obviously saw they were beginning to act horribly towards each other but their base natures couldn't let them back down or react in a way that would defuse the situation.

I mention this because reading firstly Angus/Faye and then Faye/Dora falling out struck me as moments where I could imagine Jeff grimacing, shaking his head then writing the plot the way he felt his characters would react not the way he or we would like it to. 

Faye has a history of abandonment and deep seated insecurity.  With Angus she was finally feeling in a safe place when he announced his plans.  When they came through she freaked out and forced a breakup. I'd guess she feels people leave her, possibly that she's unloveable and that she might feel she's the reason.  She drinks (a lot) and post breakup naturally drank more as she felt so awful yet couldn't back down or admit to him how much she loved him.

Angus was always pretty driven and focused on his goals.  He loved Faye and is largely a kind person but never gave the impression he was particularly empathic (notice him not really picking up on marigold's crush).  He assumed 'things will work out' and was puzzled when Faye reacted so badly.  My impression during the break up scene is him genuinely saying 'but... its everything I've wanted and hey... it will be fine! It's just a few hours away!' without realizing the hollow at the centre of his girlfriend. To him he's being reasonable.  To her she's being abandoned.  Neither listens when the other is talking and hopes things will work out in their favour without offending the other.

Lastly Dora is... very volatile.  She comes across as the type of person who makes snap decisions and once she decides on something sticks with it, rightly or wrongly.  I'm also suspecting her brother was right when he called her a mess with a cool exterior.  Her decisions aren't always fair and they can be particularly selfish (Martin is the obvious one but her decision to cut her brother out of her life for... declaring his love for a friend is ironic given she then fired said friend instead of getting her help).  She strikes me as someone who rationalizes to herself why her actions were right; when she fired Faye she threw up some legalize such as bad attitude, rudeness etc when that will have been accepted coffee house behaviour for years and nothing she's ever complained about before.

I've genuinely no idea where the story will progress next but I suspect Martin will be Martin and be there for Faye when she wakes up.  I doubt the punch means much nor would he react badly to a friend flailing about. 
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Oilman

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #336 on: 26 Jan 2015, 17:53 »

The little tubular fitting they stick in your hand is called a cannula, not a fistula. It's amazing the things predictive text will come up with at times...
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sparklemotion

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #337 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:00 »

Short time lurker/first time poster, hello.

Few disjointed thoughts.



Can we at least confirm that Dora didn't call Marten/anyone before you commence taking a massive dump on her and implying that she is the sole reason why Faye drank herself into the hospital? Thanks.

Interesting that you interpret it this way as I don't actually feel this way.  I was speculating (something that seems to be okay to do on this forum) that Marten (not me) would consider Dora not calling "a part of the reason" (not the sole reason) that Faye was able to drink herself half to death.

I stand by the reasons for my assumption that Dora didn't call anyone, but hey, I could totally be wrong & I'd have no problem with that.

*Personally* I have no problem with Dora's actions whether or not she called anyone.  She's not Faye's keeper & if Dora feels she needs to put number one first, hey, more power to her.  Marten, on the other hand, is loyal to & protective of his friends to a fault.  At this point in the story, Faye is a lot higher up on his friends list than Dora is & she is in more apparent need of support.  Not to mention that, friends or not, Dora is his ex & people aren't always reasonable when interpreting their ex's behavior. 
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tmofee

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #338 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:04 »

to be fair, i dont think dora expected faye to drink herself into a coma.
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Method of Madness

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #339 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:05 »

there's been one more move since then and I've lost track.
They moved here, I think.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #340 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:12 »

Ahem. Public Service Announcement.

(Sorry, not a mod, but it might need to be stated since we have new people on here.)
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #341 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:22 »

If I've spelled Marten's name wrong in my recent posts, apologies. My brain knows how it's spelled, but sometimes the fingers decide to do their own thing. I have the same complicated relationship with my brain and mouth, too  :psyduck:
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #342 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:25 »

While we're on the subject, it is a key courtesy not to call Jeph "Jeff".
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CasAttack

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #343 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:27 »

I definitely haven't forgotten about Claire in all of this. It's a spot that would make anyone uncomfortable just because Claire is not in that "pocket" in terms of familiarity and friendship with Faye, Dora, Hanners, Merigold, etc. Sure that isn't CRUCIAL in a relationship, but it's just one of a series of things that kind of begin to happen as relationships start. On top of that, Claire's new to dating, and definitely probably is fighting some added insecurities on top of wanting to do everything 'right' that a couple should do. Should she take this in stride, and I believe she will, I think it could be a nice moment of bonding for her and the others down the road in that she didn't run or evade the situation when so many (myself included) might.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #344 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:27 »

We find out in this arc that Yelling Bird, Sweet Tits, and Randy were all figments of Faye's drunken imagination...

...BUT in all seriousness - I'm wondering if we're about to see a day or two time skip with Faye's mom and sister suddenly appearing at bedside. If she was being sedated, the next day or two would be a blank for her, anyway.
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MooskiNet

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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #345 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:28 »

Since the Marten/Claire arc, I've mostly worn the paint off the F5 key.  I mention this because F5 F5 BLOODY F5.

Thank you for the opportunity to get that out. 
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #346 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:30 »

I don't see why this would cause tension between Claireten.  When Marten found Faye, who was the first person he called?

Warning - while you were typing someone was shouting F5.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #347 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:33 »

it wouldnt. claire is pretty chill. im sure theyve had chats about their friends behind closed doors. she'll understand.
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #348 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:35 »

is anyone else obsessively hitting F5 or whatever "refresh" is on your browser of choice?
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Re: WCDT: 2882-2886 (26-30 January 2015)
« Reply #349 on: 26 Jan 2015, 18:40 »

We find out in this arc that Yelling Bird, Sweet Tits, and Randy were all figments of Faye's drunken imagination...


Now there's a disturbing thought for a "vision quest" or whatever you might want to call Faye confronting some of her issues while comatose:  A journey with Yelling Bird as her guide. 

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