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Walk boldy in and make your order because you want croissants now not later

7 (18.9%)

Try to lighten the mood with some "witty" quip

3 (8.1%)

Walk in and pretend that nothing unusual is happening

11 (29.7%)

Prove your emotional maturity by walking in and delivering a one-liner solution

0 (0%)

Hide outside until the awkward situation has resolved itself

3 (8.1%)

Leave and buy supermarket pastries instead

1 (2.7%)

Walk in and do something random to break the deadlock

3 (8.1%)

Walk boldly in and tell Clinton and Elliot to snap out of it and deal with it when Elliot is not on the clock

3 (8.1%)

Other (please specify in the comments)

6 (16.2%)

Total Members Voted: 37

[BenRG]

Well, that's quite a dilemma that Renee, Brun and Dan found themselves in on Friday, wasn't it? I mean, no-one wants to get in the middle of an awkward situation like that. On the other hand, they're hungry and something plastic-wrapped from the Convenience Store somehow seems less likely to hit the spot! So, what would you do?

I'd probably just walk in an place my order. This is because I can be pretty oblivious sometimes. However, it's also because I've got a tendency to try to ignore problems like this until they go away on their own. In any case, the likelihood is that any 'advice' I'd have for Clinton and Elliot would be wrong!

What do you think? If you vote 'other' remember to tell us what it is in a comment!

[Gnabberwocky]

It would depend on whether I knew them. If I didn't, I hate being a fly on the wall in awkward situations, and I honestly wouldn't really want to bust into a stranger's conversation and offer unwarranted advice, so I'd probably just wait outside until someone left. If I did know them, I'd be more likely to wait inside patiently and offer advice throughout the conversation if it seemed like it was needed.

[Farideh]

If I don't know them: walk in and place my order. Don't get between me and my carbs!

If I do know them (reasonably) well: walk inside and place my order, while engaging in some off-hand chitchat. I'd only offer advice if I was asked to.

[Gyrre]

Regardless of whether I know them: place order, then "um.......did someone die or something?"

[Dandi Andi]

Walk in and politely greet my friends and order my pastries. If the awkwardness of the situation is obvious or they bring it up, acknowledge it and sympathize but don't offer advice unless they ask for it and I feel confident in giving it. Because I recognize my friends as adults who are capable of handling their own problems and don't need me to solve them and they are not so fragile that they need me to pretend their problems don't exist so they can avoid dealing with them.

But that doesn't fit in a poll answer.

[Penquin47]

Leave and go to Coffee of Doom because I know they have the same baked goods because of the deal between Jim and Dora.  Just this once, it's not a betrayal.

[Farideh]

Comic's up.

It's probably for the best Brun. Since Elliot is upset with Clinton about Clinton talking to you about him (and men in general), there is not much you could say here that would fix things.

[Oenone]

I’d honestly place my order by phone then send Dan in to get them. That way I could pretend I was completely unaware of the awkward situation.

[shanejayell]

Poor Brun. 

[Case]

I note that Brun, upon realizing she didn't have anything smart and/or helpful to say, chose to shut her yapper.

Which raises imminent questions about her membership in the species homo sapiens...

[Gnabberwocky]

Have we ever seen Brun blush before? It seems so unusual for her.

[BenRG]

Today's strip is a reminder that comedy can be entirely silent, done purely with gesture, posture and expression. I can't help but wonder what Elliot and Clinton think just happened. I also wonder what Brun was going to say before she realised that it sounded stupid and/or counter-productive!

Dan, meanwhile, is keeping his focus. I don't know if that's a good sign or a bad sign, at least when it's about croissants instead of, say, the quality of the pipeline he's overseeing.

[MrNumbers]

[Farideh]

Have we ever seen Brun blush before? It seems so unusual for her.

Hmmm, not sure. It's not easy to rattle Brun.

[Gyrre]

Nobody's said it yet, so I will. Brun looks badass in the first panel.

I note that Brun, upon realizing she didn't have anything smart and/or helpful to say, chose to shut her yapper.

Which raises imminent questions about her membership in the species homo sapiens...

It's called self-awareness.

When I manage it, I admittedly say something akin to 'nevermind I thought I had something' before I stop talking and walk away.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Having crossed a threshold, Brün is now aware of the power that is hers to wield. Will she use it for good or ill?

[Oenone]

Lmao I really hope there’s not a line or people trying to have brunch in there at the lil tables. A popular bakery in college town is rarely not busy.

[Case]

Nobody's said it yet, so I will. Brun looks badass in the first panel.

I note that Brun, upon realizing she didn't have anything smart and/or helpful to say, chose to shut her yapper.

Which raises imminent questions about her membership in the species homo sapiens...

It's called self-awareness.

When I manage it, I admittedly say something akin to 'nevermind I thought I had something' before I stop talking and walk away.

[DaiJB]

"Other":-
I would be myself - that is, walk obliviously up to the counter and make an order (thereby breaking the mood), then finally notice that something was wrong:  "Oh - sorry, was I interrupting something?" 

Yeah, I do that 

[Farideh]

New comic.

The air has been cleared, apologies have been issued and accepted. Time to move forward! Good job Brun, that tension breaker was just what they needed

[shanejayell]

Well, it worked!

*lol*

[MrNumbers]

[Case]

Second-to-last panel is pure daaaaaw

[sitnspin]

Shouldn't the font of yoga be Sanskrit?

[Gyrre]

Shouldn't the font of yoga be Sanskrit?

Which form?

[St.Clair]

Honestly, sometimes "nothing" is exactly the right thing to say.

[Gnabberwocky]

Shouldn't the font of yoga be Sanskrit?

Legend has it that the Vedic texts were actually written in Comic Sans.

[BenRG]

There is always a certain healthy aspect to realise that all those tropes you see on TV shows and the movies actually don't happen in real life. That includes that trope of the 'wise passer-by' who has some pithy advice that solves all your problems neatly in one shot.

Meanwhile, Brun is going to have to take a while to process this, I suspect. No, she didn't say anything but human interactions are rarely that simple, linear or even logical. Sometimes all you need to do is to be there to make people realise that they've been ridiculous!

Dan, you're not fooling me. You're reading a bit from an adventure summary for Advanced D&D. Which was printed in Papyrus font.

[Mr_Rose]

Poor Brun; she has psychically absorbed the stress of the situation – they are free but now she is stressed out. Her best move is to recognise it as foreign and reject it, possibly with the aid of ice cream.

[Oenone]

At this point they should just go some place else for breakfast.

[St.Clair]

At this point they should just go some place else for breakfast.

Yes, but sunk cost fallacy.

[Tova]

They would only be committing a sunk cost fallacy if they decided not to go somewhere else due to time already invested where they are.

[hedgie]

Poor Brun; she has psychically absorbed the stress of the situation – they are free but now she is stressed out. Her best move is to recognise it as foreign and reject it, possibly with the aid of ice cream.

She does like beer, and if there’s anything the past four years have taught me, is that there’s nothing wrong with day-drinking.

[shanejayell]

She does like beer, and if there’s anything the past four years have taught me, is that there’s nothing wrong with day-drinking.

Faye: "In my personal experience, BAD IDEA."

[Farideh]

New comic.

Yep, you only think of the perfect thing to say after the fact. It's one of those things.

I wonder if Renee got banned from any other bakeries because she punched the owners (like Padma did to Faye)?

[Gnabberwocky]

Calling it now, they're going to get baked goods from CoD.

Second guess: they're going to go to a different bakery, where we will once again meet Burrito Girl and friends.

[shanejayell]

Yeah, you always think of what to say LATER...

[Gyrre]

Poor Brun; she has psychically absorbed the stress of the situation – they are free but now she is stressed out. Her best move is to recognise it as foreign and reject it, possibly with the aid of ice cream.

She does like beer, and if there’s anything the past four years have taught me, is that there’s nothing wrong with day-drinking.

'Context context context'

A little bit and stopping at a mild buzz is fine. Stumble down blackout drunk isn't.

[Akima]

I'm left wondering how to pronounce Papyrus font...

[BenRG]

I really love this strip because of what it says about the interactions between the three characters and what it says about their relationships.

Brun really does want to help her friends but we're reminded again the degree to which Renee is her social appropriateness adviser and how quick and gentle she is with these reminders. We see a little of it in panel three two with how Renee takes Brun's hand. She's not restraining her but reassuring her and reminding her what way to go to get what she wants. You are left wondering just how bad things sometimes got with Brun when she was left to guess.

Panel two has these lovely little touches about Renee and Dan's burgeoning relationship. There is a bit of light glare between them that suggests that Renee is flirting with Dan by mimicking his 'Yoga Instructor' voice. Not only is Dan a geek but Renee likes his geek and she likes them being geeky together! I'm left wondering if Brun has a growing file on 'how to relationship' based on their interactions. FWIW, I'm not sure how widely applicable those lessons are beyond the unique dynamics that Renee and Dan seem to have!

I'm left wondering how to pronounce Papyrus font...

Sing-song, quiet and breathy, or so years of British TV sitcoms have taught me.

[BrassFossils]

I really love this strip because of what it says about the interactions between the three characters and what it says about their relationships.

Brun really does want to help her friends but we're reminded again the degree to which Renee is her social appropriateness adviser and how quick and gentle she is with these reminders. We see a little of it in panel three two with how Renee takes Brun's hand. She's not restraining her but reassuring her and reminding her what way to go to get what she wants.

Oh no, hard disagree!  I won't assume if you are  neurodivergent or not. If you are then I don't want to invalidate you, and you don't have to disclose, and I'll certainly give your perspective some thought.

I am neurodivergent, and I'm involved in advocacy and activism about it. I did not like the way Renee treat Brun at all, it seemed ableist and infantilizing. She didn't even let Brun finish her sentence before telling her what to do. That's not "teaching" Brun anything except that she shouldn't talk or do things, because she's always going to get it wrong. You can teach someone the logic behind social cues, which many many neurodivergent people figure out.

Touching someone without consent is never gentle, especially someone coded as neurodivergent like Brun.

"Reassurances" and "reminders" about behaviour are what neurodivergent people later report as trauma and abuse.

This is not to demonize Renee (or your comment) at all. It's a really common attitude. And it is hard work to find the line between being supportive and patronizing, for any marginalized group. I hope that this arc ends with Brun telling Renee what she actually wanted to do/say, and Renee realizing it was actually a very good idea, and that she should have listened to Brun more before assuming.

Who knows, maybe Brun will pass out from low blood sugar on the way to a different bakery. We have no idea what she was trying to say.

[awkwardness]

Is Renee one o the bakers? I thought she was just the sales clerk with Eliot and Jim did baking...why would a clerk be banned from other bakeries unless their owners are so insecure and jealous of Jim that they refuse to allow someone who's buying baked goods who works for the competition to buy any. It's money that they're kissing goodbye.

Then again, Jim is a great baker and has a connection to good coffee that the others lack...I guess they could have that against Secret Bakery

[traroth]

Yeah, you always think of what to say LATER...

In french, we call that "l'esprit d'escalier", which would translates to "staircase wit", because you only think about it once you're in the staircase, leaving.

[sitnspin]

Television and movies have us so accustomed to scripted snappy dialog that realistic dialog sounds awkward and fake to us.

[SpanielBear]

Is Renee one o the bakers? I thought she was just the sales clerk with Eliot and Jim did baking...why would a clerk be banned from other bakeries unless their owners are so insecure and jealous of Jim that they refuse to allow someone who's buying baked goods who works for the competition to buy any. It's money that they're kissing goodbye.

Then again, Jim is a great baker and has a connection to good coffee that the others lack...I guess they could have that against Secret Bakery

Renee and Elliot both bake. Padma I don’t know/can’t recall, but she and Faye had a semi-serious duel regarding muffins on one of their first meetings. In the Q.C.verse, loyalty to your baked goods provider is *serious business*.

[Gnabberwocky]

Comic's up.

This suggests that there's such thing as a baguette chicken, which sounds both frightening and adorable.

[Farideh]

This comic is very random, and I love it

Comic's up.

This suggests that there's such thing as a baguette chicken, which sounds both frightening and adorable.

Ah, but which one came first?

[TheEvilDog]

Hhmmm, end of a baguette? Wouldn't that just be a mini petit pain?

[shanejayell]

Yuck.

Now did Elliot do that to Clinton intentionally, or was it a honest "it MIGHT be good" moment?

[Gnabberwocky]

Ah, but which one came first?

The bread egg, of course, just as the chicken egg would have to have existed for the first chicken.

However, scientists suspect that the baguette chicken evolved from the bagel raptor.