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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: Rghfrgl on 21 Mar 2015, 17:59

Title: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 21 Mar 2015, 17:59
This week Jane and Baroness Coelacanth the Third have their first support group meeting. Meanwhile with no immediate drama to deal with Marigold, Dale, Marten, Claire, Jim, Veronica, Tai and Dora all have lots of sex. Ideally with their appropriate partners.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: cesium133 on 21 Mar 2015, 18:01
This week Jane and Baroness Coelacanth the Third have their first support group meeting. Meanwhile with no immediate drama to deal with Marigold, Dale, Marten, Claire, Jim, Veronica, Tai and Dora all have lots of sex. Ideally with their appropriate partners.
So... Marigold and Marten, Dale and Claire, Jim and Dora, and Veronica and Tai?  :roll:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 21 Mar 2015, 18:06
So... Marigold and Marten, Dale and Claire, Jim and Dora, and Veronica and Tai?  :roll:

I should have added Steve and Cossette. Claire's relationship is tested when Steve, the sexy werewolf to Marten's sexy vampire, invites her in for cereal.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 21 Mar 2015, 18:25
There is no need for a Kosh appearance.

Kosh has always been here.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 21 Mar 2015, 18:28
If you go to Z'ha'dum there will be spathe ham.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: DSL on 21 Mar 2015, 18:39
MANY SUCH JOURNEYS ARE POSSIBLE. LET ME BE YOUR GUIDE.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 21 Mar 2015, 18:44
This week Jane and Baroness Coelacanth the Third have their first support group meeting. Meanwhile with no immediate drama to deal with Marigold, Dale, Marten, Claire, Jim, Veronica, Tai and Dora all have lots of sex. Ideally with their appropriate partners.
So... Marigold and Marten, Dale and Claire, Jim and Dora, and Veronica and Tai?  :roll:

You left out Pintsize and May.

That would, of course, cause multiple simultaneous apocalypses. But it would totally be worth it.  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Aziraphale on 21 Mar 2015, 19:11
This week Jane and Baroness Coelacanth the Third have their first support group meeting. Meanwhile with no immediate drama to deal with Marigold, Dale, Marten, Claire, Jim, Veronica, Tai and Dora all have lots of sex. Ideally with their appropriate partners.
So... Marigold and Marten, Dale and Claire, Jim and Dora, and Veronica and Tai?  :roll:

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Gladstone on 21 Mar 2015, 20:16
This week Jane and Baroness Coelacanth the Third have their first support group meeting. Meanwhile with no immediate drama to deal with Marigold, Dale, Marten, Claire, Jim, Veronica, Tai and Dora all have lots of sex. Ideally with their appropriate partners.
So... Marigold and Marten, Dale and Claire, Jim and Dora, and Veronica and Tai?  :roll:

That's so...mononormative? Monogamonormative?  Monogamousonormative?  Whatever.  Anyway, obviously we've got a Veronica/Tai/Dora thing, while Jim, left out, goes home and makes tacos.

Meanwhile, SKULLMASTER, MASTER OF SKULLS, and Momo fight crime/hunt for frogs.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Omega Entity on 21 Mar 2015, 21:14
There needs to be an 'All of the Above' option up there  :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: diogeneticist on 21 Mar 2015, 23:23
There needs to be an 'All of the Above' option up there  :psyduck:

And a none of the above.

With two mandatory votes.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Endellion on 21 Mar 2015, 23:50
It should be a poll for what would come first, the top three occur every week.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: KOK on 22 Mar 2015, 00:52
Did you mean 1, 2 and 4?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: rfrank dodelijk on 22 Mar 2015, 01:59
oh I am glad that claire is still gone... sorry, sorry, went off a bit quick there.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 22 Mar 2015, 02:10
As I have already posted, it's obvious that this week will be the first support group meeting. This is why it may not happen because Jeph likes playing with our heads!  :-D

It could easily be Clinton 'hanging out' with Emily (with her continually asking if this is a date). Or, maybe Claire could take Marten to a club where everyone is based on people Jeph knows IRL. Or, maybe, Momo meets a nice human who doesn't seem to have realised that she is an AI; should she tell him?

If there is one thing that you can always predict about QC, it is that it can be unpredictable!
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: tywren on 22 Mar 2015, 03:18
If you go to Z'ha'dum there will be spathe ham.

I wonder, is spathe ham made out of spathi?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 22 Mar 2015, 05:47
If there is one thing that you can always predict about QC, it is that it can be unpredictable!

Are you suggesting it's always questionable what the content will be?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Schwungrad on 22 Mar 2015, 06:38
That's so...mononormative? Monogamonormative?  Monogamousonormative?  Whatever.
Poly*-phobic  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: DSL on 22 Mar 2015, 06:55
That's so...mononormative? Monogamonormative?  Monogamousonormative?  Whatever.
Poly*-phobic  :-D
Polyunsaturated.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 22 Mar 2015, 10:36
There is no need for a Kosh appearance.

Kosh has always been here.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7XfyyKYxnU
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: anahata on 22 Mar 2015, 10:53
Did you mean 1, 2 and 4?

I took Endellion's post as meaning the three highest-voted, not the top three in displayed order.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 22 Mar 2015, 11:20
Kosh making a appearance to say he doesn't need to make a appearance? I'm not sure if that's Kosher.  :clairedoge:

*Checks puns off the list*
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 22 Mar 2015, 16:01
Here's an interesting tidbit from Jeph's Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/jephjacques/status/579683073148747776):

Quote
You can thank Fabric 78 by Raresh for basically all of next week's comics. Excellent worktrain music.

Anyone who is familiar with that album and the artist will have to tell the rest of us whether there is any stylistic influence on next week's strips.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: jwhouk on 22 Mar 2015, 16:16
It appears it was just the tempo/beat of the music that kept Jeph going through drawing the strips for the week.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: cesium133 on 22 Mar 2015, 19:11
and... Abyssinia.  :roll:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: osaka on 22 Mar 2015, 19:15
That's my type of moral support. "Hey, even I have made it there, so if you can't there's some stuff going on in your general direction"

But of course, not the best one. Abyssinia is off to a VERY rough start as Jane's "crutch".
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: DrBear on 22 Mar 2015, 19:20
no familiar faces in the part of the group that showed.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 22 Mar 2015, 19:32
Clearly I picked the wrong name when I filed for my name change. :)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Stoon on 22 Mar 2015, 19:33
There is no need for a Kosh appearance.

Kosh has always been here.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 22 Mar 2015, 19:35
Unless someone arrives late, or their appearance has changed radically since Hannelore and/or Faye last saw them, I think we can write off a familiar face being part of the support group.  If there was one there Faye and Hannelore's expressions would probably reflect that fact.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ASB84 on 22 Mar 2015, 19:44
Seems Faye still isn't quite in the right frame of mind to get the most out of the group. Understandable, but hopefully she'll give it an honest try.

I'm glad that we're not seeing any familiar faces at the group (or so it would seem). I think that would be too cliche of a twist, and we don't really need that many characters having too big a role in the strip. Maybe some names can be dropped, one or two might give a little bit of background as a means of getting Faye to open up, but for the most part, they should basically just be extras. Kind of like the Space Station arc, where we met a couple of characters who had a prominent "guest star" role, and a bunch of others who maybe had a line or two as part of the crowd. So yeah, I think it's a good decision.

Of course, the camera could well pan around tomorrow to reveal someone we already know, but as I said, I think that'd be a cliche and corny twist. I'd suggest it would hinder the plot more than help it.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 22 Mar 2015, 19:59
I think we can write off a familiar face being part of the support group.  If there was one there Faye and Hannelore's expressions would probably reflect that fact.

Marten's on the far right mostly off panel. Abby is staring while Jane is looking away pretending not to notice.

Cossette, who's been growing her hair out on the far left.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 22 Mar 2015, 20:05
And the guy with his back to us?


Either Amir or  .......

*Gasp shock horror* Dale!
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Platypodes on 22 Mar 2015, 20:06
Awww, Arthur is such a sweetie.

And apparently as soon as somebody else picks up the role of sweet and supportive grown-up, Hanners is free to return to anxiety and weirdness. 

"Abyssinia" is awesome.  I've got to admit that while Mommy Hanners was heartwarming, I was missing Weird Hanners for a while there.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: CMGeorge on 22 Mar 2015, 20:20
I keep having flashbacks to the Life Support scene from "Rent" going through my head during this plot arc, including Mark's "Oh, I'm not... I'm just here to... I don't have... I'm here with..." lyric.

I'm guessing that people who run support groups must have that kind of thing happen on a regular basis.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 22 Mar 2015, 20:34
Just shows that Hanners is doing her job right as a Support Person 
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 22 Mar 2015, 20:53
I keep having flashbacks to the Life Support scene from "Rent" going through my head during this plot arc, including Mark's "Oh, I'm not... I'm just here to... I don't have... I'm here with..." lyric.

Welcome Abyssinia, let's continue the affirmation.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Omega Entity on 22 Mar 2015, 21:09
Clearly I picked the wrong name when I filed for my name change. :)

As an aside, my supervisor for my summer job decided to go in a unique direction after her divorce. Rather than reclaim her maiden name, she chose a last name that, when combined with her first name, is pronounced the same as a well-known mountain range in the US (though her first name is spelled differently, it's pronounced the same as the first part of the range).
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Ourobius on 22 Mar 2015, 23:24
First thing I thought of (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiJ25zj7Dwg&t=0m23s).
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TinPenguin on 23 Mar 2015, 00:32
Clearly I picked the wrong name when I filed for my name change. :)

As an aside, my supervisor for my summer job decided to go in a unique direction after her divorce. Rather than reclaim her maiden name, she chose a last name that, when combined with her first name, is pronounced the same as a well-known mountain range in the US (though her first name is spelled differently, it's pronounced the same as the first part of the range).

Can't decide if Sarah Nevada or Katherine Skill.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 23 Mar 2015, 00:33
It looks like the first key learning that Faye will get from this session is how to stop Hannelore from suffering a panic attack! What's the bet that, whilst dealing with this mini-crisis, Faye will finally make eye contact with someone.

Now, who's up for a marathon deprogramming session where the main cast get together to convince Hanners that her name isn't 'Abyssinia'? The lesson being that Hannelore is not only bad at deception, she's catastrophically bad at it!

[EDIT]
Here's a thought, though. What if Arthur falls for Abyssinia? Not for Hanners but her pseudonym. I'm sure that Jeph could get some milage out of Hannelore enjoying 'being someone else'. Then, inevitably comes the moment when the truth has to come out and the consequential identity crisis. "I preferred being Abyssinia to being Hannelore!"
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: tywren on 23 Mar 2015, 01:48
Now, who's up for a marathon deprogramming session where the main cast get together to convince Hanners that her name isn't 'Abyssinia'? The lesson being that Hannelore is not only bad at deception, she's catastrophically bad at it!

What do you mean catastrophically bad? When even the person telling the lie is convened it's true, you've hit the pinnacle of deception.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 23 Mar 2015, 02:34
Now, who's up for a marathon deprogramming session where the main cast get together to convince Hanners that her name isn't 'Abyssinia'? The lesson being that Hannelore is not only bad at deception, she's catastrophically bad at it!

What do you mean catastrophically bad? When even the person telling the lie is convened it's true, you've hit the pinnacle of deception.

Typically, in these situations, you want the liar to be able to differentiate between the lie and the truth. If they don't, then it becomes a delusion and, as Gordon the RoboSpider will testify, Hannelore already has too many of those!  :-P
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Nepiophage on 23 Mar 2015, 03:25
If you go to Z'ha'dum there will be spathe ham.

I wonder, is spathe ham made out of spathi?

Spathe ham is made from spathe pigs.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: snubnose on 23 Mar 2015, 03:45
I MISS CLAIRE !

...

(Wait, who is Claire ?!?)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Cpt. Slowloader on 23 Mar 2015, 04:06
Clearly I picked the wrong name when I filed for my name change. :)

As an aside, my supervisor for my summer job decided to go in a unique direction after her divorce. Rather than reclaim her maiden name, she chose a last name that, when combined with her first name, is pronounced the same as a well-known mountain range in the US (though her first name is spelled differently, it's pronounced the same as the first part of the range).

Can't decide if Sarah Nevada or Katherine Skill.

I was thinking Adira Rondacks
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Lubricus on 23 Mar 2015, 04:22
I MISS PADMA!

Wait, that wasn't an option, was it?  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 23 Mar 2015, 04:26
Spathe ham is made from spathe pigs.
(click to show/hide)

Hey,  I saw the first 20 minutes of that movie once! But I always thought it was some weird hallucination brought on by lack of sleep.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: DrBear on 23 Mar 2015, 05:16
You sure it wasn't Abby Lachens?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: NilsO on 23 Mar 2015, 05:25
I am counting 6 other people besides Jane, Abby, and Arthur. The man in the middle that we see from behind could be Dale, and the shoulder we see to the right might belong to Marten; but of course, this is highly unlikely. My guess is that all the participants are just filler characters, and if anybody new is to be introduced to the regular cast, it is Arthur.

The group as a whole appears quite young, all in their twenties. I guess all us older folks belong in the creepy group.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 23 Mar 2015, 05:30
I was wondering who would be the addition to the supporting cast (if there would be one, if not which of the existing cast would be there) from the support group and I'm betting it's Arthur. I'm just still wondering if there is going to be a protracted sub-plot where Hannelore has this weird double-life thing going as 'Abby'. It just seems the sort of thing that she would do.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 23 Mar 2015, 05:32
Puns, check. Forum spiralling into madness, check. Missing Claire and glad she's gone, check. Things not on the list, check. And it's only Monday morning, check.

So, um... bad people. Uh, Sven. Yeah, that's it. Sven is Bad People. Because he is people, and he is bad. Bad Sven is bad. Bad Sven! Bad! Go to your room!
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: DSL on 23 Mar 2015, 06:58
Raquel Mountains?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: snubnose on 23 Mar 2015, 07:02
So, um... bad people. Uh, Sven. Yeah, that's it. Sven is Bad People. Because he is people, and he is bad. Bad Sven is bad. Bad Sven! Bad! Go to your room!
Gets the girl now, most likely, though.

I mean seriously, Jeph has put him into the ideal place now. Sven has signaled Faye interest and Faye just lost her boyfriend.

Lets hope Sven has to work at least a TINSY WINSY bit to get back on Fayes good side and doesnt screw up as astronomically as the last time.


Quote
Warning - while you were typing the universe suffered heat death. Thus nobody will ever read your posting. You may wish to review your post, maybe insert I dunno something nasty just for fun or a pun only you yourself would understand in the first place anyway.
Nah, I'm good, thanks.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 23 Mar 2015, 07:22
Lets hope Sven has to work at least a TINSY WINSY bit to get back on Fayes good side and doesnt screw up as astronomically as the last time.

No, let's hope that Sven has to work long and hard at getting her back, and that he still fails at it.

Anyway, enough Sven.

Now, who's up for a marathon deprogramming session where the main cast get together to convince Hanners that her name isn't 'Abyssinia'? The lesson being that Hannelore is not only bad at deception, she's catastrophically bad at it!

What do you mean catastrophically bad? When even the person telling the lie is convened it's true, you've hit the pinnacle of deception.

The pinnacle of deception is when the person telling the lie knows perfectly well it's a lie and yet believes the lie anyway.

I could point to plenty of examples of people doing this, but we're not supposed to discuss politics in this thread.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 23 Mar 2015, 07:44
I dunno.. If I ever had to pick a new psuedonym, I'm tempted to go with Abigale Normal. :)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TRVA123 on 23 Mar 2015, 08:12
Abba Lachian?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 23 Mar 2015, 08:14
I dunno.. If I ever had to pick a new psuedonym, I'm tempted to go with Abigale Normal. :)

Boooooring. How about Miss Ann Dree?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 23 Mar 2015, 09:06
I dunno.. If I ever had to pick a new psuedonym, I'm tempted to go with Abigale Normal. :)

Then you wouldn't be a boxer who really loves cats. Or a cat who really loves boxing.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: hedgie on 23 Mar 2015, 09:19
I dunno.. If I ever had to pick a new psuedonym, I'm tempted to go with Abigale Normal. :)

Boooooring. How about Miss Ann Dree?

Personally, I'm a fan of Miss Ann Thrope.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 23 Mar 2015, 09:30
I dunno.. If I ever had to pick a new psuedonym, I'm tempted to go with Abigale Normal. :)

Then you wouldn't be a boxer who really loves cats. Or a cat who really loves boxing.

Actually my name has nothing to do with Muhamad Ali.. It's short for Alison, my real name. Also, it makes me an Alley Cat. :)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Omega Entity on 23 Mar 2015, 10:10
You sure it wasn't Abby Lachens?
Raquel Mountains?
Abba Lachian?
Clearly I picked the wrong name when I filed for my name change. :)

As an aside, my supervisor for my summer job decided to go in a unique direction after her divorce. Rather than reclaim her maiden name, she chose a last name that, when combined with her first name, is pronounced the same as a well-known mountain range in the US (though her first name is spelled differently, it's pronounced the same as the first part of the range).

Can't decide if Sarah Nevada or Katherine Skill.

I was thinking Adira Rondacks

I wasn't expecting so many guesses! The answer: Ciara Nevada, with Ciara sounding -exactly- like Sierra.



The group as a whole appears quite young, all in their twenties. I guess all us older folks belong in the creepy group.


Since the group specified it was for ages 18-30, it's not a surprise  :wink:

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: MooskiNet on 23 Mar 2015, 10:38
I dunno.. If I ever had to pick a new psuedonym, I'm tempted to go with Abigale Normal. :)

Then you wouldn't be a boxer who really loves cats. Or a cat who really loves boxing.

Actually my name has nothing to do with Muhamad Ali.. It's short for Alison, my real name. Also, it makes me an Alley Cat. :)

I can't hear that name anymore without thinking of Sunstone (http://shiniez.deviantart.com/).  If you haven't read it, it's definitely worth a look.

EDIT:  THAT LINK IS NSFW IF YOU ARE LOGGED INTO DEVIANTART.  Sorry about that.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 23 Mar 2015, 10:47
Actually my name has nothing to do with Muhamad Ali.. It's short for Alison, my real name. Also, it makes me an Alley Cat. :)

I'm afraid the headcanon has  already been accepted.

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 23 Mar 2015, 10:51
I dunno.. If I ever had to pick a new psuedonym, I'm tempted to go with Abigale Normal. :)

Then you wouldn't be a boxer who really loves cats. Or a cat who really loves boxing.

Actually my name has nothing to do with Muhamad Ali.. It's short for Alison, my real name. Also, it makes me an Alley Cat. :)

I can't hear that name anymore without thinking of Sunstone (http://shiniez.deviantart.com/).  If you haven't read it, it's definitely worth a look.

EDIT:  THAT LINK IS NSFW IF YOU ARE LOGGED INTO DEVIANTART.  Sorry about that.

I've been following it for quite a while now, I love his work. :) I'm not much like that Allison though... I wish I was in a lot of ways, but I'm not much of a domme. Though people seem to keep wanting to be...
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Half Empty Coffee Cup on 23 Mar 2015, 12:27
You sure it wasn't Abby Lachens?
Raquel Mountains?
Abba Lachian?
Clearly I picked the wrong name when I filed for my name change. :)

As an aside, my supervisor for my summer job decided to go in a unique direction after her divorce. Rather than reclaim her maiden name, she chose a last name that, when combined with her first name, is pronounced the same as a well-known mountain range in the US (though her first name is spelled differently, it's pronounced the same as the first part of the range).

Can't decide if Sarah Nevada or Katherine Skill.

I was thinking Adira Rondacks

I wasn't expecting so many guesses! The answer: Ciara Nevada, with Ciara sounding -exactly- like Sierra.



The group as a whole appears quite young, all in their twenties. I guess all us older folks belong in the creepy group.


Since the group specified it was for ages 18-30, it's not a surprise  :wink:

Awww, I was hoping it was Cass Cade.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: tywren on 23 Mar 2015, 13:28
Quote
The pinnacle of deception is when the person telling the lie knows perfectly well it's a lie and yet believes the lie anyway. I could point to plenty of examples of people doing this, but we're not supposed to discuss politics in this thread.

Ok then, taking it to PMs.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 23 Mar 2015, 14:38
I'm not having this conversation
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TheCallMeFez on 23 Mar 2015, 14:48
So I'm viewing this as the therapy sessions. Characters might recur but not outside of group. I can see the appeal of EVEN MORE CHARACTERS being introduced but honestly, sometimes you wanna have a group outside your group to talk to about things. Having your support group bleed into your friend group kinda defeats the purpose(for someone with a well established and pretty supportive friend group).
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 23 Mar 2015, 14:53
I get the suspicion that with Faye leaving CoD, Jeph may introduce one or two new Characters to expand her circle.

I don't really see her completely breaking from the old crowd, she still lives with Marten after all, but we may see her expand her own circle of friends and acquaintances now that she's no longer working at the Coffee Shop.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 23 Mar 2015, 14:59
I get the suspicion that with Faye leaving CoD, Jeph may introduce one or two new Characters to expand her circle.

I don't really see her completely breaking from the old crowd, she still lives with Marten after all, but we may see her expand her own circle of friends and acquaintances now that she's no longer working at the Coffee Shop.

It would be healthy for her. She doesn't have much in the way of friends, aside from Hanners and Marten, and they won't always be available to keep her from relapsing.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ASB84 on 23 Mar 2015, 17:39
So I'm viewing this as the therapy sessions. Characters might recur but not outside of group. I can see the appeal of EVEN MORE CHARACTERS being introduced but honestly, sometimes you wanna have a group outside your group to talk to about things. Having your support group bleed into your friend group kinda defeats the purpose(for someone with a well established and pretty supportive friend group).

On a meta level, I think this is the perfect way to handle the situation. As it is, certain characters fall out focus for months (or even years) at a time, so I don't think the principal cast needs to get any bigger. I see the therapy group, with the possible exception of Arthur, being occasional "guest stars" with minor roles.

In-universe, I think it works out for Faye, too. She doesn't have a lot of people she can turn to at the moment; she's a long way from her family, she obviously isn't close with Dora right now, she never formed close friendships with the other CoD employees, Angus is now out of the picture, and while Marten is supportive, he's just started a new relationship. On top of that, Marten's not really cut out for the tough love or assertiveness that Faye needs right now. Hannelore definitely is, for all her own issues, and she's clearly willing to help, but she's just one person. Perhaps meeting other people who have had similar struggles, in an environment where she can't openly snark at or bully them, is exactly what Faye needs to at least take the first step in healing and dealing with some of her issues.

I'm still guessing we don't see any familiar faces at the meetings, but I could see Faye and Hanners running into Sven at random on the street after leaving a meeting...probably right after Faye says something about how she felt the meeting helped a bit and she feels like she's made progress.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 23 Mar 2015, 19:01
New... New comic, guys...

Heaviness.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: CaptainFish on 23 Mar 2015, 19:07
Faye is Faye's harshest and most accurate critic. >_>
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 23 Mar 2015, 19:11
Well, now I really a drink, too.

So that happened.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 23 Mar 2015, 19:16
Part of me is glad this strip happened. Faye's being open about what happened, walking through what happened from start to finish. We don't see the group's response, but she's doing what it takes to get the full effect of group therapy. She's really doing it.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Gladstone on 23 Mar 2015, 19:22
"Wow, sounds like you've had a rough couple of months!"

"Yeah, that all happened last week."
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 23 Mar 2015, 19:33
Not that I've been to a substance abuse support group (so if I'm wrong don't hit me with smelly cheese), but I feel like that type of comment happens a lot. Couldn't imagine that the reactions would be offensive or anything like that... Though it'd be pretty weird if a bunch of assholes were in your support group.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 23 Mar 2015, 19:41
Not that I've been to a substance abuse support group (so if I'm wrong don't hit me with smelly cheese), but I feel like that type of comment happens a lot. Couldn't imagine that the reactions would be offensive or anything like that... Though it'd be pretty weird if a bunch of assholes were in your support group.

They'd be sent across the hall immediately to the creeps group. I'm less concerned they'll actively be a bunch of dicks towards her than I am that she'll allow her insecurities to get the best of her. Like she'll leave thinking everyone was pitying her, even though from their perspectives, they were relating.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 23 Mar 2015, 19:45
I know I have trouble when people are acting nice. It seems fake to me, but maybe that's because I live in New England and everyone treats each other like dicks. It almost feels like if people are more rude they seem more comfortable with me, which makes me feel at ease. Maybe Faye is like that too, I dunno.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 23 Mar 2015, 19:52
I know I have trouble when people are acting nice. It seems fake to me, but maybe that's because I live in New England and everyone treats each other like dicks. It almost feels like if people are more rude they seem more comfortable with me, which makes me feel at ease. Maybe Faye is like that too, I dunno.

Well, I'm pretty sure she distrusts everyone there by default. She wouldn't have given a fake name, otherwise.

 I feel like they'd have to be perfect in their responses the way Marten's been towards Claire. And that's a suspicious level of perfection to someone who's looking for an excuse to bail. Hanners and her crowbar may easily factor into her reappearance at future meetings
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: wlewisiii on 23 Mar 2015, 20:00
New... New comic, guys...

Heaviness.

That is the most honest he has ever written Faye.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and still want that shot glass.

That is perfect.

Thank you, Jeph.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 23 Mar 2015, 20:02

That is the most honest he has ever written Faye.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and still want that shot glass.

That is perfect.

Thank you, Jeph.

Would, uh... Would a shot glass really be the best way to recognize this particular strip?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: wlewisiii on 23 Mar 2015, 20:04
Hanners and her crowbar may easily factor into her reappearance at future meetings

Of course it will.

Do you think she gave that crowbar to Hanners only for tonight? No. She knows she needs, desperately, the threat of something she can't intimidate out of the way and Hanners has already proven she is that for her.  There is a part of me that wishes I had a Hanners I could give a crowbar to...
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: wlewisiii on 23 Mar 2015, 20:07

That is the most honest he has ever written Faye.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and still want that shot glass.

That is perfect.

Thank you, Jeph.

Would, uh... Would a shot glass really be the best way to recognize this particular strip?

I have more in common with Faye than any other character right now...  Yeah, I'd still rather have the shot glass in my hand than to do what she is being shown doing. It's a courage I lack.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 23 Mar 2015, 20:11
Here's the thing... I've been in similar groups like that. After Faye's sharing, pretty much everyone is likely going to be acting like Arthur is. Or nodding in agreement and understanding. That's the good thing about groups like that. Everyone there (unless they are there for support.. Like Abyssinia) has been through similar things. They know the pain and what can drive people to those ends. Dismissal and snark really aren't things you see a lot of in support groups, except in cases where someone is court mandated to be there against their will.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 23 Mar 2015, 20:19
Here's the thing... I've been in similar groups like that. After Faye's sharing, pretty much everyone is likely going to be acting like Arthur is. Or nodding in agreement and understanding. That's the good thing about groups like that. Everyone there (unless they are there for support.. Like Abyssinia) has been through similar things. They know the pain and what can drive people to those ends. Dismissal and snark really aren't things you see a lot of in support groups, except in cases where someone is court mandated to be there against their will.

I know you're right, but I'm worried Faye will take their nodding, their legitimate compassion, and interpret it as condescension. I might, were I in her situation, and I see a lot of myself in Faye.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 23 Mar 2015, 20:47
Anyone else impressed by how well the nonverbal components worked? You could blank out the dialog bubbles and the strip would still communicate what Faye was saying.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 23 Mar 2015, 21:02
Nothing like a little self truth to get things started

Heavy
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 23 Mar 2015, 21:04
For a moment I though a punchline wasn't setup properly. Like he was supposed to go 'Well if you change your mind you're..' *rant* '..Welcome'.

Then I realized I was dumb and he was welcoming her to the group.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 23 Mar 2015, 21:10
Anyone else impressed by how well the nonverbal components worked? You could blank out the dialog bubbles and the strip would still communicate what Faye was saying.

Everything about today's strip is.... delightfully uncomfortable. Major feels.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Gladstone on 23 Mar 2015, 21:11
For a moment I though a punchline wasn't setup properly. Like he was supposed to go 'Well if you change your mind you're..' *rant* '..Welcome'.

Then I realized I was dumb and he was welcoming her to the group.

Hannelore is showing remarkable restraint, this time.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7589/16886891306_9ed0e9b60c_n.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: bunnyThor on 23 Mar 2015, 21:19
I think that Faye is being a little bit hard on herself. Sure her drinking cost her her job and landed her in the hospital, but on the plus side, it allowed her to hang onto her resolve to let Angus get on the bus and go away, and I think we can all agree that is for the best--especially as it opens the door for Sven, who admittedly still needs a few more life's lessons to knock off some of the rougher edges, but on the whole was a lot more interesting presence in Faye's life and the strip in general.


And, yes, I know some people will disagree strongly, but I am not trolling.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 23 Mar 2015, 21:25
Hannelore is showing remarkable restraint, this time.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7589/16886891306_9ed0e9b60c_n.jpg)

'We don't have a paddle.'

'Well, I have this crowbar...'
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Dark Matter on 23 Mar 2015, 22:18
Faye's sentiments are definitely understandable, and are probably inevitable given what's happened, but I think in the long run this kind of self loathing is not going to be helpful for her to recover.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 23 Mar 2015, 22:48
I think that Faye is being a little bit hard on herself. Sure her drinking cost her her job and landed her in the hospital, but on the plus side, it allowed her to hang onto her resolve to let Angus get on the bus and go away

That wasn't resolve though. She literally just said she didn't go with Angus because she's a coward. That's the opposite of resolve.

Quote
and I think we can all agree that is for the best--especially as it opens the door for Sven, who admittedly still needs a few more life's lessons to knock off some of the rougher edges, but on the whole was a lot more interesting presence in Faye's life and the strip in general.


And, yes, I know some people will disagree strongly, but I am not trolling.

Yeah, gonna have to disagree on that being for the best. Maybe for the readers sake it's better, since she isn't getting wrote out of the comic that way, but it's absolutely not best for her. Best thing for Faye is moving to new york with Angus. Not so much for the sake of love, but for the sake of moving forward with her life.(I'd say there's love there, but not like 'It's destiny! One true love!' love, which isn't to say they couldn't live their lives together happily)

Of course, NOW it's not so simple as just calling him up. Now she's got shit to work out. Hopefully he'll still be there when she does.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Tova on 23 Mar 2015, 22:59
Faye's sentiments are definitely understandable, and are probably inevitable given what's happened, but I think in the long run this kind of self loathing is not going to be helpful for her to recover.

But she won't get there unless she starts with complete honesty regarding how she sees things right now. And her summary was 100% accurate.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Dark Matter on 23 Mar 2015, 23:05
But she won't get there unless she starts with complete honesty regarding how she sees things right now. And her summary was 100% accurate.

That's definitely true, but I think there's also a difference between recognizing a difficult truth and being overwhelmed or consumed by it. I'm not saying that that's what is happening now, just that it's a possibility if she isn't able to move on from where she is now.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 24 Mar 2015, 00:32
Well, at least she worked up the courage to say something. That was a huge journey of courage all of its own! Overall, it was an accurate one-strip summary. The problems is that she characterised an emotional illness as a character flaw. It is that self-loathing that triggered self-harming behaviour, namely her drinking so heavily. There is probably a chemical or psychological dependence there too from that last comment.

Eventually, Faye is going to have to tackle her crippling insecurity and fear of change. Before then, she's going to have to learn to accept that her past has left emotional scars and that it is this, not any moral failing on her part, that led to the failure of her relationship with Angus. If you don't know the problem, you can't fix it.

That's all for the future. Right now, I think that she 's going to look up and be shocked. There is no contempt, no condemnation and no mockery, only sympathy and understanding.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: anahata on 24 Mar 2015, 00:57
I think there's also a difference between recognizing a difficult truth and being overwhelmed or consumed by it. I'm not saying that that's what is happening now, just that it's a possibility if she isn't able to move on from where she is now.

I don't think Faye is one for wallowing in self-pity. She's impulsive and impatient, and she's jumped in to the therapy process with both feet, because she genuinely wants to move on.

To me it seems the greater danger is that she'll soon get angry with herself because she's not feeling better yet. And then do something stupid...
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Storel on 24 Mar 2015, 02:14
Clearly I picked the wrong name when I filed for my name change. :)

As an aside, my supervisor for my summer job decided to go in a unique direction after her divorce. Rather than reclaim her maiden name, she chose a last name that, when combined with her first name, is pronounced the same as a well-known mountain range in the US (though her first name is spelled differently, it's pronounced the same as the first part of the range).

Can't decide if Sarah Nevada or Katherine Skill.

Adair Ondack.

Edit: Aw, I should have read the rest of the responses before posting.  :x
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: NilsO on 24 Mar 2015, 02:26
Because we do not see the contributions from others in the group, this storyline is all about Arthur. The others are just fillers. Now, who is Arthur? He looks open and supportive, but that could just be his professional appearance. In private, he could be a creep. Of course, it would be deeply unprofessional for Arthur to take advantage of Jane in her vulnerable state, but you never know what Jeph is planning.

I am disliking Arthur already :grumpypuss:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 24 Mar 2015, 02:37
Because we do not see the contributions from others in the group, this storyline is all about Arthur. The others are just fillers. Now, who is Arthur? He looks open and supportive, but that could just be his professional appearance. In private, he could be a creep. Of course, it would be deeply unprofessional for Arthur to take advantage of Jane in her vulnerable state, but you never know what Jeph is planning.

I am disliking Arthur already :grumpypuss:

It depends on exactly what's going on in Jeph's twisty brain right now. Personally, I would consider it unethical to approach one of the group members romantically. So, Arthur + 'Jane' is unlikely unless Jeph wants to write Arthur struggling with his professional ethics vs. his attraction.

My favourite idea is that, as 'Abyssinia' isn't a group member, per se and he admires the loyal friendship she is showing with 'Jane', Arthur tries to start a romantic relationship with her. This idea is the origin of my comments yesterday about Hannelore having an identity crisis or starting to live a lie to the point she has a difficulty finding her way back to the truth. I'm thinking that she's interested in turn and manages to suppress her anxieties by telling herself that those are Hannelore's fears, not Abyssinia's.

I'm not saying that she'd go MPD but I think it would be interesting if she starts liking Abby's life more than she likes Hanners' life.

Anyway, back to topic, I'd say that Jeph would be stretching credibility a bit if he tries to have Arthur be anything but a supporter, counsellor and friend to 'Jane'.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TinPenguin on 24 Mar 2015, 02:49
For a moment, in panel four, I thought she meant Marten and she was starting this story a looong way back. But that notion was rapidly dispelled.

It is true to say, though, that she could start this story further back. She has had a bad relationship with alcohol for a while. But I suppose that's like starting to explain a car crash by describing your first driving lesson.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: NilsO on 24 Mar 2015, 03:47
Re: Alternate/new identities. I am on thin ice here, but I imagine it might help to distance yourself from the problems you have in your life. Has there been any research on this? Do some people change their name just for this reason?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: WareWolf on 24 Mar 2015, 05:14
Clearly I picked the wrong name when I filed for my name change. :)

As an aside, my supervisor for my summer job decided to go in a unique direction after her divorce. Rather than reclaim her maiden name, she chose a last name that, when combined with her first name, is pronounced the same as a well-known mountain range in the US (though her first name is spelled differently, it's pronounced the same as the first part of the range).

If she was an older lady, she could be Gran Tetons.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: DrBear on 24 Mar 2015, 05:23
Given Faye's large step today, she should be named Alps.
Because the Lord Alps those who Alp themselves.

(once again, thanks Groucho)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TRVA123 on 24 Mar 2015, 05:51
That wasn't resolve though. She literally just said she didn't go with Angus because she's a coward. That's the opposite of resolve.

Best thing for Faye is moving to new york with Angus. Not so much for the sake of love, but for the sake of moving forward with her life.(I'd say there's love there, but not like 'It's destiny! One true love!' love, which isn't to say they couldn't live their lives together happily)

Of course, NOW it's not so simple as just calling him up. Now she's got shit to work out. Hopefully he'll still be there when she does.

I disagree that the best thing for Faye would be moving to New York with Angus, for a couple of reasons.

-Faye genuinely enjoyes her life and her friends in NoHo, she's comfortable there, she had stability, and she seems to genuinely like living in that area.

-Faye has said repeatedly that she doesn't like cities. Why would she want to move to an area she doesn't like?

-Even before Angus had the callback, Faye had doubts about the strength of their relationship ( I tried to find the comic, but my archive fu isn't up to par, apparently) I think Faye likes Angus, and probably appreciates an easy way to satisfy her libido, but I don't really think they have much in common in terms of goals, preferences, or interests. Basically I'm saying that moving to another city for a boyfriend that you aren't certain about is a bad idea.

-Faye has tried the whole "pack up your life and move somewhere completely new" thing before. It didn't help her with her issues, and I don't see why following Angus to New York would have.

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 24 Mar 2015, 06:01
@TRVA123,

Agreed. I think that the opportunity was lost when the 'Where do you see yourself in a year's time?' conversation got side-tracked. Faye should then have told Angus that she saw herself in Northampton; not necessarily doing the exactly the same things or being in exactly the same place but, nonetheless, in Northampton. Why? Because it's her home and there are people there who are her family. She's happy there and that is something that can't be easily cast aside, even if she is falling for Angus.

Angus told Faye explicitly on at least one occasion that Northampton was just a stop on the way to greater things for him. That should have been Faye's sign to back off because that was the difference and barrier that could never have been crossed.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? I think that Angus was the most exciting and emotionally intense thing that had happened to Faye in a long time and, because she's human, she couldn't just walk away so long as she could fool herself that the problems and conflicts in the future could be put off forever.

It's sad, but it happens RL relationships too.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TRVA123 on 24 Mar 2015, 06:18
I hate that Faye is characterizing her reluctance to drop everything and move to NY with Angus as cowardice. Idk, maybe a part of that is fear of change.

But I never thought Faye was afraid of change, I mean, she dropped her previous life in the south to go to NoHo. I think she is afraid of abandonment. Angus was obviously aware of this, and he did absolutely everything possible to reassure her.

I wish Faye had looked back at the situation and realized that it was a step forward for her. She realized that she would rather be "abandoned" by a lover than go with him and sacrifice her life in NoHo. She may still have issues with abandonment, but they aren't crippling, and she isn't so afraid of losing her lover that she would give up what she wants to keep him.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Honkytonk on 24 Mar 2015, 06:40
How can people be pro or anti Arthur at this stage when he's literally only been in 3 comics? 13 panels, in which he speaks in 9.  Tad early.

That said I quite like BenRG's idea about Hannelore being able to use 'Abyssinia' as a proxy. I don't think it'll happen, but it's a nice concept.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Somnus Eternus on 24 Mar 2015, 07:20
How can people be pro or anti Arthur at this stage when he's literally only been in 3 comics? 13 panels, in which he speaks in 9.  Tad early.

Because sometimes, you just know.

You just...know.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 24 Mar 2015, 07:22
How can people be pro or anti Arthur at this stage when he's literally only been in 3 comics? 13 panels, in which he speaks in 9.  Tad early.

Because sometimes, you just know.

You just...know.

Except for the part where we don't, yes, precisely.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 24 Mar 2015, 07:38
How can people be pro or anti Arthur at this stage when he's literally only been in 3 comics? 13 panels, in which he speaks in 9.  Tad early.

Because sometimes, you just know.

You just...know.

Except for the part where we don't, yes, precisely.

It's called projection. And believe me, enough of that goes on that we could show movies...
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 24 Mar 2015, 07:52
How can people be pro or anti Arthur at this stage when he's literally only been in 3 comics? 13 panels, in which he speaks in 9.  Tad early.

Because sometimes, you just know.

You just...know.

Except for the part where we don't, yes, precisely.


It isn't what you don't know but what you wrongly think you know that ends up getting you.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Aziraphale on 24 Mar 2015, 09:56
I am disliking Arthur already :grumpypuss:

(http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/353/279/e31.jpg)

At this rate, Arthur will make Antichrist before Friday. :P
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: mikmaxs on 24 Mar 2015, 10:11
Okay, this comic is one of the reasons why I love QC so much, in spite of many problems that I've consistently had with it. Jeph Jacques doesn't shy away from handling sad or dramatic moments, and even if I don't like what moments he chooses to include, he handles them so well. I've seen other daily-panel comics try dramatic moments, but it fails when they tell jokes that, funny or not, don't mesh well with the tone. Pretty much every time Jeph wants to go the depressing route, though, he either forgoes the joke or writes one that doesn't rob the drama of its punch.

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ysth on 24 Mar 2015, 10:26
Really disconcerting to see people speculating about Faye's next relationship.  She isn't in any place for that and knows it.

What I'm wondering, is if she wants to drink so badly, why isn't she?  What's motivating her to have stopped?  And when did it hit?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 24 Mar 2015, 10:32
Winding up in the hospital is what hit her. Getting over alcohol addiction isn't as simple as deciding not to drink any more and then stopping. Otherwise support groups and alcoholics wouldn't exist. The problem is having that need to drink and knowing you shouldn't, then resisting that urge. That's why she's not drinking. She knows she can't continue down that road and is taking steps to keep her away from what she most wants... drunken oblivion so she can avoid her pain.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: mikmaxs on 24 Mar 2015, 10:32
What I'm wondering, is if she wants to drink so badly, why isn't she?  What's motivating her to have stopped?  And when did it hit?

I don't know if you've read The Shining, but the early chapters are a good insight into the mindset of an alcoholic who hasn't had a drink in a while. (At least, I assume it is. It feels realistic, I don't know from experience.) She logically knows it's bad, she can see that it's killing her (both literally and figuratively,) drinking is ruining her life, but the desire to drink is still present because she's addicted.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 24 Mar 2015, 10:33
What I'm wondering, is if she wants to drink so badly, why isn't she?  What's motivating her to have stopped?  And when did it hit?

Waking up with Marten and Hanners sitting at her bedside, looking as if their world was coming to an end... and realising that she had done this to them by her drinking herself almost to death.

Yes, Faye wants and craves to keep drinking; there is a part of her that needs it and is screaming at her 24/7 to drink. Strip 2893 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2893) proves that. This strip is, IMHO the turning point, by the way. It clearly shows the moment when Faye decided that, as far as she has power over her impulses, she's going to be dry from now. At the start of that strip, I'm convinced that she intended to sneak a shot or six of hard stuff. Then, in panels 4 & 5, we can see the internal struggle, her desires and her desire never to hurt her friends like that again warring each other in her head. Finally, she decides that isn't going to hurt her friends and family with her weakness. So, she poured the whole bottle down the sink as that weak, alcohol-dependent part of her screamed abuse at her for doing so.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 24 Mar 2015, 10:53
Arthur's ultimate goal is to lure individual members back to his apartment where he'll knock them out and steal their livers to sell on the black market.

That's why the group has a age limit, he wants to get those things out before they destroy them with their drinking.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: APersonAmI on 24 Mar 2015, 15:18
Trigger warnings: Abuse, r*pe

Re: Alternate/new identities. I am on thin ice here, but I imagine it might help to distance yourself from the problems you have in your life. Has there been any research on this? Do some people change their name just for this reason?

You are describing Dissociative identity disorder, a disorder most commonly found in people who suffered severe physical and/or emotional abuse as children, who imagined the pain and horrible things as happening to someone else, in self defense. Currently, the "multiple personality" disorder considered to have the most merit, and have the most people vouching that it is a real thing. Especially common in people who were sexually abused by family members at a young age.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 24 Mar 2015, 15:32
I'm worried we'll find out his last name is Dent.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: gopher on 24 Mar 2015, 15:49
I'm worried we'll find out his last name is Dent.
I hope not, because Arthur Philip Dent is a complete jerk, an asshole.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 24 Mar 2015, 16:01
I'm worried we'll find out his last name is Dent.
I hope not, because Arthur Philip Dent is a complete jerk, an asshole.

Wow. Okay, Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, it's not OUR fault you're immortal now
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Mr. Skawronska on 24 Mar 2015, 16:16
Hey!  I don't care about Arthur.  I am enjoying the...uh..."progress" that Faye is making.

:popcorn:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 24 Mar 2015, 16:20
*Hits you with Thor's Hammer*
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 24 Mar 2015, 16:30
*Hits you with Thor's Hammer*

*Melts Thor's Hammer*

Finally vengeance for all those innocent lug wrenches.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ProphetDK on 24 Mar 2015, 16:48
I wonder if Hanelor's fake name is a reference to MASH. Col. Blake leaves on the episode: "Abyssinia, Henry"
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 24 Mar 2015, 17:09
Probably not. I suspect "Abyssinia Coelocanth" is just two pretentious-sounding words that sounded funny when Jeph put them together in his head. And I seriously doubt Hannelore is about to exit the strip in a dramatic and shocking fashion.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 24 Mar 2015, 17:22

Probably not. I suspect "Abyssinia Coelocanth" is just two pretentious-sounding words that sounded funny when Jeph put them together in his head. And I seriously doubt Hannelore is about to exit the strip in a dramatic and shocking fashion.

OR PERHAPS HANNERSMOM IS TRULY DESCENDED DIRECTLY FROM MAD EUROPEAN ROYALTY

Or landowner. Whatever the frak a baroness is.

I so want this to become canon.

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: osaka on 24 Mar 2015, 17:24
Baroness is royal family. Source: Baroness Tita Cervera of Thyssen - Bornemisza.

Celebrity in spain, somewhat. Just don't ask.

We do know that Hanners is wealthier than the average arab sheik, and Beatrice's behavior doesn't look like one from someone who hasn't been filthy rich for several generations. It could be a long shot, but Abyssinia Coelacanth could have existed in the QCverse. While John Elicott has probably made a fortune as well with his genius, his behavior is much different. As if he worked hard to get ze fundz and is now making sure he doesn't lose it all.

Warning - while you were typing, chaospersonified has exposed a similar point. You might wish to scrap your post

Nah, I won't. To be fair, I also want that to become canon.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 24 Mar 2015, 17:29
Would an insane baroness be good with her funds? It seems mad financial management could lead to the family's fortune disappearing, and seeing as I still think the mad baroness side must be on Beatrice's side, it would stand to reason that after seeing her mother squander the family's wealth, Beatrice might have found ways to ensure it could never happen again.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: grez on 24 Mar 2015, 17:36
what actually gave me the most feels from today's comic was the support group host's response. Something about unwarranted compassion gives me a sad
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: osaka on 24 Mar 2015, 17:41
Would an insane baroness be good with her funds? It seems mad financial management could lead to the family's fortune disappearing, and seeing as I still think the mad baroness side must be on Beatrice's side, it would stand to reason that after seeing her mother squander the family's wealth, Beatrice might have found ways to ensure it could never happen again.

An insane Baroness could also have enough money to buy a mansion made of several smaller mansions every day of the year. In fact, the latest playable Borderlands the presequel character is literally that. The Wealthiest Woman Of All Galaxy, and also an insane sociopath with a kink for freezing things to death.

This post is brought to you by Borderlands References.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: jwhouk on 24 Mar 2015, 18:17
Comic.

The feels.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Aziraphale on 24 Mar 2015, 18:21
Alright, I like a joke or gag strip as much as the next person, but I'm glad this one wasn't played for laughs, and it's also nice to see Faye resort to openness and compassion instead of snark. Pitch perfect all 'round.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Gladstone on 24 Mar 2015, 18:22
Is that Marigold's dad (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2198) in panel 5?  Whatever he's using for his hair, it's working.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: osaka on 24 Mar 2015, 18:24
So 4 different support group members add up to a single Faye Whitaker. Truly an impressive unit of measure.

(And if you think I'm being hard on Faye: Read the archives. The only things we haven't been told are if she drunk in high-school and if she was drunk driving when she may or may not have tried to kill herself. She has done the stressful job chore (even if her job wasn't stressful), we can't be 100% sure her parents weren't alcoholics at some point in time, and the last dude has been Faye's last 2 days).
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: jwhouk on 24 Mar 2015, 18:26
So 4 different support group members add up to a single Faye Whitaker. Truly an impressive unit of measure.

(And if you think I'm being hard on Faye: Read the archives. The only things we haven't been told are if she drunk in high-school and if she was drunk driving when she may or may not have tried to kill herself. She has done the stressful job chore (even if her job wasn't stressful), we can't be 100% sure her parents weren't alcoholics at some point in time, and the last dude has been Faye's last 2 days).

Close on all five, but not quite. Faye, though, could see bits of herself in each of the five.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ASB84 on 24 Mar 2015, 18:31
Fantastic comic, I love Faye's expression in the last two panels. I know it's a strange thing to say about a fictional character, but I'm glad to see that this looks like it'll be something that's really good for her.

I hate that Faye is characterizing her reluctance to drop everything and move to NY with Angus as cowardice. Idk, maybe a part of that is fear of change.

"Cowardice" is a strong, harsh word, with negative connotations and context. To that end, Faye's probably not being completely fair to herself, but I see where she's coming from. Not doing something she didn't want to do or didn't feel comfortable with doing doesn't necessarily make her a coward, nor does deciding not to pursue a relationship that she's not sure enough about to make such a big change and take such a big risk. However, I think it's more about what the situation represents and how she dealt with it that makes her feel cowardly.

Specifically:


Fear is definitely a motivation in all of that, but it's understandable, so calling herself a "coward" is a very blunt and harsh assessment. I do think the underlying sentiment is accurate though, even if the word isn't. She was afraid to deal with the situation, afraid to try, afraid that trying might result in failure and heartbreak, so she ultimately bailed before she could get hurt. Only, that was going to happen either way, and because she was afraid to work through those issues, she sought solace and distraction, and arguably confidence and self-esteem, in a bottle. It's a harsh thing to say about herself, but I think it shows she's aware of what she did and how she could've handled things better, as well as a willingness to get better.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: War Sparrow on 24 Mar 2015, 18:43
Quote from: Tolkien
"And the Dwarf, hearing the names given in his own ancient tongue, looked up and met her eyes; and it seemed to him that he looked suddenly into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding. Wonder came into his face, and he smiled in answer."

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: CaptainFish on 24 Mar 2015, 18:43
Weird, I just assumed that this happened before the last strip. I guess they decided to open up beyond just weekly check-in stuff after Faye told her tale.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Omega Entity on 24 Mar 2015, 18:55
Gotta say, it's rare that a comic gives me hugely good feelings, but this is one of them. Not just the realization on Faye's face when it clicks that there's other people struggling as much as she is, but at the utter wonderment that she's not alone.

... we can't be 100% sure her parents weren't alcoholics at some point in time

Not sure about her mom, but her dad was seen in-strip doctoring his milkshake with what is very likely booze. So there's certainly a possible familial precedent for alcoholism in her family.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 24 Mar 2015, 19:20
Faye's father used to sneak a drink when they went out for their weekly milkshakes because her mom didn't like drinking. So it's unlikely they were active alcoholics, and I doubt they were at all. One drink a week doesn't make a problem. Being a tea-totaller could be an indication that Faye's mom or someone close to her was one... But there is no other indication, and it's as or more likely that she just didn't approve of drinking.

Faye calling herself a coward is unfair and counter productive to healing. Everyone fails sometimes, everyone has problems. That doesn't make you a failure though, which is how Faye's been feeling more and more since she found out Angus might be leaving, and crystallized when he got the part and she realized she couldn't go with him. Not wanting to uproot her life for her boyfriend doesn't make her a failure, but that's how she felt. So she climbed into a bottle and pulled the cork closed until she nearly drowned in it.

Today's comic, hearing other people's stories and realizing that they were all, including herself, just people with problems. Problems they tried to hide from with alcohol. And which all caused even more problems. That doesn't make them failures... It makes them human. In a way, she's found her people. People that she can understand where they are coming from, and they can understand her as well.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Aziraphale on 24 Mar 2015, 19:29
Faye's father used to sneak a drink when they went out for their weekly milkshakes because her mom didn't like drinking. So it's unlikely they were active alcoholics, and I doubt they were at all. One drink a week doesn't make a problem. Being a tea-totaller could be an indication that Faye's mom or someone close to her was one... But there is no other indication, and it's as or more likely that she just didn't approve of drinking.

Faye calling herself a coward is unfair and counter productive to healing. Everyone fails sometimes, everyone has problems. That doesn't make you a failure though, which is how Faye's been feeling more and more since she found out Angus might be leaving, and crystallized when he got the part and she realized she couldn't go with him. Not wanting to uproot her life for her boyfriend doesn't make her a failure, but that's how she felt. So she climbed into a bottle and pulled the cork closed until she nearly drowned in it.

Today's comic, hearing other people's stories and realizing that they were all, including herself, just people with problems. Problems they tried to hide from with alcohol. And which all caused even more problems. That doesn't make them failures... It makes them human. In a way, she's found her people. People that she can understand where they are coming from, and they can understand her as well.

A drink a week doesn't make an alcoholic, but someone sneaking it does tend to raise red flags.

I'm curious to see how this changes her relationships with the main cast. She may come to the realization that not only the drinking but also a lot of her other defense mechanisms hurt her and the people around her. I can't help but wonder whether we'll see a more vulnerable (or at least more open) Faye... with lots of puzzlement and "What have you done with the real Faye?!!?" from various main cast members.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Penquin47 on 24 Mar 2015, 19:42
A drink a week doesn't make an alcoholic, but someone sneaking it does tend to raise red flags.

I'm just guessing here, but there are a lot of churches in the South that advocate abstaining from alcohol completely, to the point where even the communion "wine" is actually grape juice.  (I'm sure they have them up north, too, but... Bible belt.)  My guess is that Faye's mom is or at least was a member of one of these churches.

So sneaking a drink a week to avoid getting in trouble with a religious wife... less of a red flag than it might otherwise be.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TRVA123 on 24 Mar 2015, 19:55
We probably will never know much more than we currently know about Faye's dad's drinking. However, the fact that he drank in secret, coupled with Faye's own alcoholic tendencies, is very suggestive. I don't see why it should be just dismissed out of hand as an inconsequential thing.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Omega Entity on 24 Mar 2015, 20:08
A drink a week doesn't make an alcoholic, but someone sneaking it does tend to raise red flags.

I'm just guessing here, but there are a lot of churches in the South that advocate abstaining from alcohol completely, to the point where even the communion "wine" is actually grape juice.  (I'm sure they have them up north, too, but... Bible belt.)  My guess is that Faye's mom is or at least was a member of one of these churches.

So sneaking a drink a week to avoid getting in trouble with a religious wife... less of a red flag than it might otherwise be.

There's also entire denominations that abstain completely from alcohol (the church I was raised in being one of them, that being Seventh-Day Adventist). We certainly had grape juice to go with our communion bread - which I somehow managed to get even though I was never baptized  :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 24 Mar 2015, 20:11

An insane Baroness could also have enough money to buy a mansion made of several smaller mansions every day of the year.

"I'll take your largest mansion. With your second largest mansion in the front hallway."
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 24 Mar 2015, 20:16
We probably will never know much more than we currently know about Faye's dad's drinking. However, the fact that he drank in secret, coupled with Faye's own alcoholic tendencies, is very suggestive. I don't see why it should be just dismissed out of hand as an inconsequential thing.

I'm not dismissing it out of hand. I just don't feel the evidence we have supports the theory that Faye's dad was an alcoholic. Since we're almost certainly not going to find out more evidence, all we know his he had one drink a week away from his wife who didn't approve of drinking. If he drank at other times that Faye didn't know about, maybe. But the evidence we have doesn't say he was hiding his drinking since it was an open secret with Faye. He was just hiding it from his wife.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: YourBuddyBill on 24 Mar 2015, 20:46
New comic refutes (note: refutes, not disproves) some prior theories/hypotheses about the group (aside from Arthur) being inconsequential. Not that I've read all the discussion, cause I gotta go to bed.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 24 Mar 2015, 20:59
I suspect if Jeph does have one of Faye's parents as an alcoholic it will be her mother.  Her father having a booze problem would be a bit too obvious, and her mother is alive, allowing for more storyline possibilities.

In general I'd like to see her mother and sister turn up.  Especially since it's possible they don't know about Faye's overdose, since they didn't turn up in person, or have an uncomfortable conversation with Faye over the phone.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: tywren on 24 Mar 2015, 21:19
I suspect if Jeph does have one of Faye's parents as an alcoholic it will be her mother.  Her father having a booze problem would be a bit too obvious, and her mother is alive, allowing for more storyline possibilities.

Except that it's already established cannon, that her father is the one who was sneaking drinks behind the mothers back. But then, i guess it could be that Faye's mother is a Dry Drunk, and getting on her husbands case about drinking could be part of the "I can't drink, so ON ONE can drink!" mindset.

Also, did anyone else notice that she slipped back into her southern drawl in the last panel, Something she rarely does, sober? Odd that.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Consilium on 24 Mar 2015, 22:06
Also, did anyone else notice that she slipped back into her southern drawl in the last panel, Something she rarely does, sober? Odd that.

I did notice that, but remember that earlyFaye abstained from contractions as a conscious effort; her use of "y'all" here seems to me like she's realizing she's not alone in her struggle and she just isn't thinking about language at the moment.

The look on her face between the last two panels makes me smile. It really shows her defenses coming down in regards to the group as she begins to understand that it's a group of real people. The Buddhists call that kind of realization "satori."
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Mr. Skawronska on 24 Mar 2015, 22:19
Fantastic comic, I love Faye's expression in the last two panels. I know it's a strange thing to say about a fictional character, but I'm glad to see that this looks like it'll be something that's really good for her.

Wow.  Way to kill my buzz, pal.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Energia on 24 Mar 2015, 22:21
Satori?  I like that.
I also like that Jeph included the guy who doesn't have an easy narrative to explain his problem.  Is he getting advice about how to manage this arc?  People seemed to be very appreciative of how he handled the alcohol poisoning strips.  It's not that we expect a cartoonist to be an expert on human affairs and support services, but a lot of us do value what Jeph writes.  I read XKCD with an expectation that I'll learn something, but not Dilbert.  I'd kinda put QC more in the former camp.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Aziraphale on 24 Mar 2015, 22:22
A drink a week doesn't make an alcoholic, but someone sneaking it does tend to raise red flags.

I'm just guessing here, but there are a lot of churches in the South that advocate abstaining from alcohol completely, to the point where even the communion "wine" is actually grape juice.  (I'm sure they have them up north, too, but... Bible belt.)  My guess is that Faye's mom is or at least was a member of one of these churches.

So sneaking a drink a week to avoid getting in trouble with a religious wife... less of a red flag than it might otherwise be.

There's also entire denominations that abstain completely from alcohol (the church I was raised in being one of them, that being Seventh-Day Adventist). We certainly had grape juice to go with our communion bread - which I somehow managed to get even though I was never baptized  :psyduck:

Yeah, my in-laws are Seventh Day Adventists. Well, my MIL is. My FIL cuts some corners (loves his beer and pernil too much). :)

We probably will never know much more than we currently know about Faye's dad's drinking. However, the fact that he drank in secret, coupled with Faye's own alcoholic tendencies, is very suggestive. I don't see why it should be just dismissed out of hand as an inconsequential thing.

I'm not dismissing it out of hand. I just don't feel the evidence we have supports the theory that Faye's dad was an alcoholic. Since we're almost certainly not going to find out more evidence, all we know his he had one drink a week away from his wife who didn't approve of drinking. If he drank at other times that Faye didn't know about, maybe. But the evidence we have doesn't say he was hiding his drinking since it was an open secret with Faye. He was just hiding it from his wife.

It's also possible that  neither of her parents are, but that another close relative (a grandparent, for instance, since I don't think we've heard aunts or uncles mentioned) is. I know people who won't touch alcohol because of what they grew up with, or because they're concerned about genetics. It could be that Faye's mother just didn't want to be reminded of someone else's habit, or didn't want to see someone else go down the same road.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 24 Mar 2015, 22:35
That cheered her up
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Tova on 24 Mar 2015, 22:37
Just a note regarding Faye's Dad, just because I find this topic interesting... of course we have no evidence that he was alcoholic, but neither do we know the correctness of Faye's assertion that he only had one drink per week.

Edit: this possibility had already been mentioned, but I'll leave my support for this theory anyway.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 24 Mar 2015, 22:38
There is that.

One drink a week is probably what she knew about, but that doesn't mean it was all he had.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 24 Mar 2015, 22:39
I liked it. HELLO EVERYBODY.

Just a note regarding Faye's Dad, just because I find this topic interesting... of course we have no evidence that he was alcoholic, but neither do we know the correctness of Faye's assertion that he only had one drink per week.

Unreliable narrator, sure, but we have no reason not to trust her on that as of yet. I feel like if she didn't lie about her dad shooting himself she wouldn't lie about him drinking a bit more, but who knows.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Penquin47 on 24 Mar 2015, 22:49
I liked it. HELLO EVERYBODY.

Just a note regarding Faye's Dad, just because I find this topic interesting... of course we have no evidence that he was alcoholic, but neither do we know the correctness of Faye's assertion that he only had one drink per week.

Unreliable narrator, sure, but we have no reason not to trust her on that as of yet. I feel like if she didn't lie about her dad shooting himself she wouldn't lie about him drinking a bit more, but who knows.

Lie, no, but she might not have known.  If he snuck drinks at work, for instance.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Omega Entity on 24 Mar 2015, 22:50
We probably will never know much more than we currently know about Faye's dad's drinking. However, the fact that he drank in secret, coupled with Faye's own alcoholic tendencies, is very suggestive. I don't see why it should be just dismissed out of hand as an inconsequential thing.

I'm not dismissing it out of hand. I just don't feel the evidence we have supports the theory that Faye's dad was an alcoholic. Since we're almost certainly not going to find out more evidence, all we know his he had one drink a week away from his wife who didn't approve of drinking. If he drank at other times that Faye didn't know about, maybe. But the evidence we have doesn't say he was hiding his drinking since it was an open secret with Faye. He was just hiding it from his wife.

It's also possible that  neither of her parents are, but that another close relative (a grandparent, for instance, since I don't think we've heard aunts or uncles mentioned) is. I know people who won't touch alcohol because of what they grew up with, or because they're concerned about genetics. It could be that Faye's mother just didn't want to be reminded of someone else's habit, or didn't want to see someone else go down the same road.

My uncle was an alcoholic, or at the least a very heavy drinker. It's part of the reason why I only very rarely have a glass of wine, and didn't have my first (and only) buzz (unintentional!) until I was 29. I now know not to chug the leftover half a glass of wine after dinner, that I felt guilty about wasting since my employer at the time had paid for my meal.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 24 Mar 2015, 22:51
Maybe, but I feel like we should go by the assumption that he didn't unless told otherwise. We really have no reason to suspect that he did other than we weren't explicitly told that he didn't.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Dark Matter on 24 Mar 2015, 23:13
New comic refutes (note: refutes, not disproves) some prior theories/hypotheses about the group (aside from Arthur) being inconsequential. Not that I've read all the discussion, cause I gotta go to bed.

I agree. For one thing, the designs of these new characters seem too detailed and distinctive to be for throwaway characters. If anything, they oddly seem more unique to me than Arthur's design, which is more "generic QC guy/Clinton clone." Maybe I'm just imagining it, though.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 24 Mar 2015, 23:17
I dunno, Jeph never seems to half-ass his characters, regardless of how brief their appearances (at least once his artwork improved). It would be highly unlikely for him to introduce that many characters at once.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ZoeB on 24 Mar 2015, 23:19
OK, I'm weird.

I have this strong urge to give hugs. To complete strangers. In a comic strip.

To try and make it all better.

I can't. So I'll try to do what I can in Reality instead. Messier, but Real.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 24 Mar 2015, 23:30
(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/helping.png)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 25 Mar 2015, 00:23
For Faye, I think that the great revelation in today's strip is that she isn't alone. She's not a unique failure or has any special weakness or flaw; there are lots of people who share similar stories and intractable problems which they will be fighting all their lives. Is she turning the corner? Perhaps but she certainly has been given the gift of hope. I'm sure that there will be no question about whether she will attend another meeting now.

Her smile in panel seven is perhaps the happiest expression that she has worn for some time.

We probably will never know much more than we currently know about Faye's dad's drinking.

I don't think that he was necessarily an alcoholic or even a problem drinker. However, his doctoring his milkshakes is indicative of a wider continuum of problems that contributed to his suicide. That he felt the need to do it in secret is a clue to problems for which he felt unable to reveal to his family.

New comic refutes (note: refutes, not disproves) some prior theories/hypotheses about the group (aside from Arthur) being inconsequential. Not that I've read all the discussion, cause I gotta go to bed.

I disagree. These members have already fulfilled their one plot function. We may see them at future meetings or Faye may meet one on the street but we may not even get names! Arthur  is most likely to fill the 'sponsor/support' role right now.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 25 Mar 2015, 01:57
Ah fuck, now that I'm drunk, is it weird that I wanna contribute to that circle?

Goddamn it.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: rfrank dodelijk on 25 Mar 2015, 02:16
faye's dad may just have enjoyed having a secret from his wife. faye might have joined the deception because she enjoyed excluding her mother.

like faye, the support group seem to have some actual problems. being around those people rather than just a bunch of self obsessed idiot children who spend all their time staring up their own backsides, may well do faye a lot of good.

excellent comic today.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: APersonAmI on 25 Mar 2015, 02:41
I, too, am glad to meet the people in today's comic. I like them a lot.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ZoeB on 25 Mar 2015, 02:52
Ah fuck, now that I'm drunk, is it weird that I wanna contribute to that circle?

Goddamn it.
Maybe it is. If so - join the club. We are a circle here, you know. If you could do with some help, a sympathetic ear, free advice (only if you ask for it and worth what you pay for it) but mostly someone to listen and tell you you're not alone - we're here. Part of humanity, as you are.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Pilchard123 on 25 Mar 2015, 02:53
A couple pages late, but I also don't think we'll see Farthur. He shot himself.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: bhtooefr on 25 Mar 2015, 03:11
Is he getting advice about how to manage this arc?

http://jephjacques.com/post/11016004407/high-and-dry

I suspect that Jeph is writing from personal experience right now.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 25 Mar 2015, 03:27
Ah fuck, now that I'm drunk, is it weird that I wanna contribute to that circle?

Goddamn it.
Maybe it is. If so - join the club. We are a circle here, you know. If you could do with some help, a sympathetic ear, free advice (only if you ask for it and worth what you pay for it) but mostly someone to listen and tell you you're not alone - we're here. Part of humanity, as you are.

Hey, yall are good people, that's why I stay here. We disagree on a lot (hey look down there in the discuss subforum!), but for the most part everyone is very respectful and that's freakin' wonderful.

I think this last comic hit home for me a lot because my brother died last year as a passenger in a drunk driving accident. I do the opposite that Faye does in these comics. I drink to actually feel something.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: WareWolf on 25 Mar 2015, 06:01
We probably will never know much more than we currently know about Faye's dad's drinking. However, the fact that he drank in secret, coupled with Faye's own alcoholic tendencies, is very suggestive. I don't see why it should be just dismissed out of hand as an inconsequential thing.

I'm not dismissing it out of hand. I just don't feel the evidence we have supports the theory that Faye's dad was an alcoholic. Since we're almost certainly not going to find out more evidence, all we know his he had one drink a week away from his wife who didn't approve of drinking. If he drank at other times that Faye didn't know about, maybe. But the evidence we have doesn't say he was hiding his drinking since it was an open secret with Faye. He was just hiding it from his wife.

Remember, all we know about Faye's dad's drinking is what she's told Marten.  Sneaking booze into a milkshake--in front of your kid, no less--is ominous, and could be only that tip of the iceberg that Faye has allowed us to see. But as noted elsewhere, it's only a hint, not real evidence.  So far. It'll be interesting to see if Faye opens up more about this.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: osaka on 25 Mar 2015, 06:03
I would believe that's all she knew about, if there's anything more. People who want to hide that kind of stuff get surprisingly good at it.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TinPenguin on 25 Mar 2015, 06:18
Personally, I'd rate the 'sneaking booze into milkshake' alongside 'asking the barman to tell your wife you left five minutes ago'.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 25 Mar 2015, 07:07
Anyone else think Faye's word choice says something about her comfort level? She doesn't say "Y'all" all that often. In the early days of the strip, she had to get wasted before her southern accent came out, but here she is, sober for more than 24 hours and using southern vocabulary.
Is he getting advice about how to manage this arc?

http://jephjacques.com/post/11016004407/high-and-dry

I suspect that Jeph is writing from personal experience right now.

That explained a lot of the stuff before this particular arc, but I'm pretty sure he's said in some Q & A's that support groups were never his thing
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 25 Mar 2015, 09:33
I don't know whether or how much Jeph researches things before writing but it looks certain that he did for the Claire arc at least.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Daniel Patrick Moynihan on 25 Mar 2015, 10:42
Anyone else think Faye's word choice says something about her comfort level? She doesn't say "Y'all" all that often. In the early days of the strip, she had to get wasted before her southern accent came out, but here she is, sober for more than 24 hours and using southern vocabulary.
Is he getting advice about how to manage this arc?

http://jephjacques.com/post/11016004407/high-and-dry

I suspect that Jeph is writing from personal experience right now.

That explained a lot of the stuff before this particular arc, but I'm pretty sure he's said in some Q & A's that support groups were never his thing

Fear of being forced into a support group is what finally got me to start managing my own drinking.  In Faye's situation I'd have taken the crowbar blows and been through the window by now. 
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: emilygrrl on 25 Mar 2015, 10:55
Anyone else feel the last two comics are out of order? Before Faye tells her story, Arthur says "we've heard from everybody." Then in the next comic, all the others tell their story? Weird.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Aziraphale on 25 Mar 2015, 11:03
At first I thought it might be on purpose, kind of like the out-of-order strips when Marten showed up at Claire's. But that wouldn't make sense, because I can't see her going from how she looks in the most recent comic to very grudgingly telling her story in the comic before it. People may have shared progress reports of sorts before she spoke ("Had an argument with my boss today right before lunch, and it took everything I had not to grab a beer.") and may have shared their stories after she shared hers precisely so she wouldn't feel quite as awkward having told it as she did beforehand. She probably felt kinda like the odd man out before she shared her story, and realized after others' stories were so similar to hers that she's not quite as alone in all this as she's likely felt up to this point.

Just my take. YMMV.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 25 Mar 2015, 11:25
Anyone else feel the last two comics are out of order? Before Faye tells her story, Arthur says "we've heard from everybody." Then in the next comic, all the others tell their story? Weird.

I assumed he meant they'd checked in on everyone. Then Faye told her story and everyone felt the need to share theirs. Like, everyone else had described their problems since the last meeting, not their whole history, then they wanted to make sure Faye knew her story wasn't abnormal
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 25 Mar 2015, 11:31
Yeah, this is how these groups go. First a brief round where everyone checks in a bit and briefly introduces themselves for the benefit of any newcomers. Then they get to the heavy stuff.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 25 Mar 2015, 12:30
I think that after Faye put herself down so hard, some of the other members volunteered their own stories to show that she shouldn't be so quick to consider herself a unique, despite-worthy case.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Noxx on 25 Mar 2015, 13:46
For Faye, I think that the great revelation in today's strip is that she isn't alone. She's not a unique failure or has any special weakness or flaw; there are lots of people who share similar stories and intractable problems which they will be fighting all their lives. Is she turning the corner? Perhaps but she certainly has been given the gift of hope. I'm sure that there will be no question about whether she will attend another meeting now.

Her smile in panel seven is perhaps the happiest expression that she has worn for some time.

This here.

The big revelation for most people with substance problems is that simple recognition that they are not alone. This is why a speaker "pitches" or "Qualifies" at meetings, so that people can identify and realize "Hey, I'm not the lone fucking ranger living in a special and unique misery, this shit happens to *everybody*". It seems so simple, but it really can be a life altering moment.

I thought it was handled very well.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: gprimr1 on 25 Mar 2015, 13:51
They do appear out of order, but then I had a thought.

What if today's panel the members of the group introducing themselves to Faye by telling their stories? They aren't sharing for support at that point, but mearly introducing themselves to Faye?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 25 Mar 2015, 15:41
I think that line about the other people going it was just a error/oversight rather than uploading things in the wrong order. She's happy in the last panel of todays, but defensive looking in the first panel of yesterdays. She told her story THEN got reassurance from the group.

Jeph is working ahead though, so probably get some misuploads in the near future  :-P
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 25 Mar 2015, 15:56
 There's no discrepency at all.

They started by checking in with everyone and hearing about their struggles since the last meeting. We don't know Jerry, and we don't inherently care that he was tempted really strongly last tuesday.

So we skipped that part.

Each person who was already known in the group said something about their time since the last meeting. Then Arthur introduced Faye.

Everyone heard Faye's story, saw how bad she felt, and wanted to tell how they came to this point in their lives. They welcomed her, made her feel like part of the group.

Pretty sure you don't tell your entire backstory with drinking at every single meeting.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Platypodes on 25 Mar 2015, 16:48
Yes, that sounds right to me.

Faye spat her story at them with a tone of "Here's how shitty I am, so now you can all look at me with contempt, fuckheads."  It makes sense that they'd respond by showing her that they've all got stories that make them understand and empathize with her.  It's exactly what she needed, and it was probably clear to others in the room that she needed it.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Noxx on 25 Mar 2015, 17:05
Was yours dead or alive?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 25 Mar 2015, 17:30
Was yours dead or alive?

*Looking back for context and finding none*

Whose and what might be dead or alive?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: jwhouk on 25 Mar 2015, 18:11
Let's go through this, panel by panel:

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Truec on 25 Mar 2015, 19:27
We probably will never know much more than we currently know about Faye's dad's drinking. However, the fact that he drank in secret, coupled with Faye's own alcoholic tendencies, is very suggestive. I don't see why it should be just dismissed out of hand as an inconsequential thing.

Well for one thing, it doesn't count as "in secret" if he was doing it while out with Faye. 
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Noxx on 25 Mar 2015, 19:46

Was yours dead or alive?

*Looking back for context and finding none*

Whose and what might be dead or alive?

It's an old AA joke, I'll relate it next time I'm on a desktop.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: TRVA123 on 25 Mar 2015, 20:18
We probably will never know much more than we currently know about Faye's dad's drinking. However, the fact that he drank in secret, coupled with Faye's own alcoholic tendencies, is very suggestive. I don't see why it should be just dismissed out of hand as an inconsequential thing.

Well for one thing, it doesn't count as "in secret" if he was doing it while out with Faye.

Yes, clearly a secret is only a secret if only one person knows about it.
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=503 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=503)

Faye specifically refers to her father's weekly bourbon milkshake as a secret between the two of them.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 25 Mar 2015, 21:24
First comment about new strip?  I love Hannelore's expression in the final panel.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Consilium on 25 Mar 2015, 21:27
Mini-poll: is Arthur going to be a lasting character? If so, will he be confined to appearing in the group?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ZoeB on 25 Mar 2015, 21:44
S'OK Hanners. You're just not hardened to it yet. Cry away, it's healthy. It's those who remain unmoved that are the worry - those we can't help, they've lost their humanity.

And that saddens me too, I wish there was something we could do for them, difficult though it may be to be around them.

Compassion for good people who have had to struggle is the Basic course. The Advanced one is compassion for the toxic and obnoxious, those who would gladly see you dead and work towards that goal. They're human too you see - just neutralise their threat first, compassion doesn't mean being a doormat or victim.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 25 Mar 2015, 21:49
After being tied down in a rubber room for years you really have to wonder what it takes to get to Hannelore.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Energia on 25 Mar 2015, 22:04
I suspect Faye's 'Mm' has a different meaning to mine in similar social circumstances.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Energia on 25 Mar 2015, 22:07
The Advanced one is compassion for the toxic and obnoxious, those who would gladly see you dead and work towards that goal. They're human too you see - just neutralise their threat first, compassion doesn't mean being a doormat or victim.

Would love to take that course.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Zog on 25 Mar 2015, 22:25
I suspect Faye's 'Mm' has a different meaning to mine in similar social circumstances.

I saw it as more of a thoughtful and partly subvocalized uhuh than an ummm.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 25 Mar 2015, 22:47
I suspect Faye's 'Mm' has a different meaning to mine in similar social circumstances.

I saw it as more of a thoughtful and partly subvocalized uhuh than an ummm.

I read it as distracted, because she is looking off towards Hanners, who's crying hysterically
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Platypodes on 25 Mar 2015, 23:03
That's how I read it too.

Hey, it finally occurred to me to wonder--what did Hanners do with the crowbar?  We last saw it before they went inside.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 25 Mar 2015, 23:13
I figured Hanners left it at the door because otherwise, she'd scare people off
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Storel on 25 Mar 2015, 23:43
She probably put it in the umbrella stand, if they had one.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 25 Mar 2015, 23:59
You mean the crowbar hole?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 26 Mar 2015, 00:16
Poor Hannelore! Still, it proves what a wonderfully compassionate and empathetic woman she is. It might be necassary for Faye to find out if she really wants to come again if it's affected her so deeply! Anyway, I'm predicting a hug in her future... Oh, who am I kidding? I'm the one that wants to hug her!

The group is fairly subdued as they all go their ways. Is that normal or are they so disturbed by Hanners' crying jag that they're reluctant to talk lest they make her feel worse? :wink:

After being tied down in a rubber room for years you really have to wonder what it takes to get to Hannelore.

Probably very little; lack of socialisation and experience has probably made her hypersensitive to emotional stimuli.

Mini-poll: is Arthur going to be a lasting character? If so, will he be confined to appearing in the group?

I'd say that Arthur will definitely be back. I'm not sure of the context yet. I know what it is that I want but I don't know how likely it is yet.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: anahata on 26 Mar 2015, 01:49
If Hannelore's obvious need for a hug right now overcomes her aversion to physical contact with other people's bodies, that would indeed be a breakthrough.

(yes, I know it happened with her dad at the space station party, but that was definitely a one-off)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 26 Mar 2015, 02:05
If Hannelore's obvious need for a hug right now overcomes her aversion to physical contact with other people's bodies, that would indeed be a breakthrough.

(yes, I know it happened with her dad at the space station party, but that was definitely a one-off)

FWIW, it was my impression that Hannelore had been psyching herself up to hug her father for a while, probably starting even before the flight to the space station. It is the ability to accept and give spontaneous physical contact that would be a major breakthrough for her.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ASB84 on 26 Mar 2015, 02:25
Hannelore is too kind-hearted for this grim world of ours.

Chiming in on David Whitaker possible being an alcoholic: I agree that there's no hard evidence and it's purely speculation, but I think it's a theory with a lot of merit. If it was ever revealed to be the case, then I think it's been foreshadowed very well, even if that wasn't the original intention (and of course, Faye herself insisted (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=503) that he wasn't an alcoholic). It should be noted that Faye's mother did mention that he didn't have anything unusual (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=591) in his system, though a negligible blood-alcohol level may not be classed as unusual, compared to hard drugs or the like. It's possible that given her strong anti-alcohol stance, Faye's mother simply glossed over that detail in that chat, or it could reasonably be retconned as such. It's one line of dialogue in what is now fairly early on in the strip, so it wouldn't be a particularly awkward retcon, especially since the rest of the backstory would fit together quite well...again, if Jeph decides to make that canon.

As for Arthur, I'm guessing he'll mostly just appear whenever Faye is at the meetings, along with the other members that we briefly met. I don't think the strip needs another principal cast member, and I think it's better for Faye - in-universe and from a narrative perspective - if that particular part of her arc is separate from her more familiar social circle, with the possible exception of Hanners.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Nepiophage on 26 Mar 2015, 02:50
FWIW, it was my impression that Hannelore had been psyching herself up to hug her father for a while, probably starting even before the flight to the space station. It is the ability to accept and give spontaneous physical contact that would be a major breakthrough for her.

Actually she hugged Marten spontaneously (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1709) when she was hired by Dora. And she jumped on a fireman once. (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1224)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: snubnose on 26 Mar 2015, 04:03
Hannelore is too kind-hearted for this grim world of ours.
Most people are, I think.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: War Sparrow on 26 Mar 2015, 05:55
Poor Hanners. Other people's pain can be pretty overwhelming.

I kind of hope we get a story arc about some of the group members. Drunk driving guy-is he a former Bro, who graduated before the others? Or is he an older brother of one of the Bros, who tries to mentor them all and make sure they do not end up in his position?

Or are they all just random generic characters created to give Faye a framework for therapy? Probably that one.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: DSL on 26 Mar 2015, 06:33
FWIW, it was my impression that Hannelore had been psyching herself up to hug her father for a while, probably starting even before the flight to the space station. It is the ability to accept and give spontaneous physical contact that would be a major breakthrough for her.

Actually she hugged Marten spontaneously (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1709) when she was hired by Dora. And she jumped on a fireman once. (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1224)

She seems to do better with the spontaneous stuff, at least when she initiates it. It's like she forgets to have inhibitions, and realizes afterward the world did not, on fact, come crashing down. (I know I can talk myself out of a lit of things, good and bad, by overthinking. And some of my best decisions have been the result of an "Oh, f**k it/this" moment, and plunging ahead.)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Isyrion on 26 Mar 2015, 12:12
OMG Jeph damn you! You made Hanners cry!  Just kidding but damn right in the feels...
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: CaptainFish on 26 Mar 2015, 12:36
It's not an actual error, but I do feel like hearing the check-ins could've had some value. I'm guessing they were really uneventful because Faye delivered her story as if she was worse than everyone else in the room, but even then, seeing Faye react to mundane check-ins and become more hesitant to share might have been interesting. Also, contrasting the everyday issues with the 'heartbreaking tales of personal struggle' would've shown some hope.

I'm sure it just didn't fit into the pace Jeph is trying to establish, and he did hit the most dramatic moments, so no biggie.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: St.Clair on 26 Mar 2015, 13:14
Hannelore is too kind-hearted for this grim world of ours.
Most people are, I think.

A couple of years back, I briefly imagined warning labels for the "Easily Sad".  Only briefly, because I soon realized that you'd have to put them on just about everything.
Probably much simpler to turn it around and put those on us, as a warning to others.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 26 Mar 2015, 19:50
Comic, there are so many ways that punchline could come from something really disturbing.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 26 Mar 2015, 19:54
Will the return of old style Pintsize please the commentatoriate?  Stay tuned.

(This post brought to you by Cabaret Voltaire.)
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: DrBear on 26 Mar 2015, 19:57
It's about time the QC Wiki had an entry for dildoes.

They've made more appearances in the comic than Sara and Gabby combined.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 26 Mar 2015, 19:58
I don't trust Pintsize, but I could really use that wish...
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 26 Mar 2015, 20:07
What if it... what if touching it was my wish?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 26 Mar 2015, 20:23
The Dickicorn will only approach you if you're pure, however if you touch the horn you won't be pure anymore and he won't grant the wish. It's kinda a catch 22.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Dark Matter on 26 Mar 2015, 20:24
Hopefully this will allay some of the complaints people had that Claire was no longer being written as her previous funny self.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 26 Mar 2015, 20:26
Pintsize is officially a dickhead now.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: SubaruStephen on 26 Mar 2015, 20:33
Well....now we know what Faye did with her welder before she and Hanners went to the group.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 26 Mar 2015, 20:39
Pintsize really loves penis. I just wanted to have everyone acknowledge that I acknowledged that.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Akima on 26 Mar 2015, 20:48
The Buddhists call that kind of realization "satori."
Well... That depends on the Buddhist, but speaking as a Chán Buddhist myself, that something of a trivialisation. It is comparing a bursting balloon to a nuclear bomb going off; satori is not a realisation; it is the realisation. As Wumen Huikai famously wrote:

"A thunderclap under the clear blue sky;
All beings on earth open their eyes;
Everything under heaven bows together;
Mount Sumeru leaps up and dances."


In the Telling Stories strip (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2924), I thought the group member sounded a bit... stereotyped, until it came to moustache-and-soul-patch guy at the end. Somehow, he had the ring of truth.

Poor Hanners. Other people's pain can be pretty overwhelming.
Yes, especially as so often there is nothing one can do.

And descending from drama to farce; Pintsize with a dildo welded to his head. Does it represent his character, or is that a phallusy?

Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: ASB84 on 26 Mar 2015, 21:06
I'm torn. On one hand, I'm glad to see Marten and Claire just hanging out together as a couple and being involved in strips that involve humour and a punchline instead of being pure squee fodder; balancing out the cuteness and cutting through the treacle is important. On the other hand, I'm finding myself feeling a bit sorry for Clinton these days, so it kind of bugs me to see Claire dumping on him again, further establishing him as the resident butt-monkey/punching bag.

Actually...you know what? We have Pintsize with a dick on his head. That's a win for us all, a good day for humanity. All is right in the world.

It's his head cannon, and we must respect it. :claireface:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: jheartney on 26 Mar 2015, 21:48
When did Marten start wearing Day-Glo shirts?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 26 Mar 2015, 21:52
Too bad Pintsize's addition is gray. If it matched his existing chassis I'd be able to make a pun about blueballs.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: valkygrrl on 26 Mar 2015, 22:35
It seems we've skipped right past the 'you didn't come home last night dear' part of Claire's story, which is a shame because I want to see her suffer through the safe sex lecture my mother felt the need to give after I'd already done the nasty.*

*My first time was actually unsafe because I'm a huge fucking idiot who put my life at risk just because I was horny. Don't be me.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 26 Mar 2015, 23:10
Claire's way ahead of you (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2453).
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 26 Mar 2015, 23:57
Pintsize's Upscale identity


Richard Head
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 27 Mar 2015, 00:03
Okay, am I the only one who wants to hear the beginning of that joke? As it stands, it's meaningless and just a verbal lead-in to Pintsize's new body mod. Who would mistake Clinton for a dildo and why? Ah, I don't know; maybe I'm just thinking too hard about something that was always meant to be a throwaway.

Reading Jeph's note and following the link suggests to me that making Pintsize literally a dick-head is Marten and Faye's code for: "I've been in a bad place but I'm going to be okay."

FWIW - This is Claire's real initiation into the full insanity and surreality of Marten's everyday life.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: explicit on 27 Mar 2015, 00:10
It seems we've skipped right past the 'you didn't come home last night dear' part of Claire's story, which is a shame because I want to see her suffer through the safe sex lecture my mother felt the need to give after I'd already done the nasty.*

*My first time was actually unsafe because I'm a huge fucking idiot who put my life at risk just because I was horny. Don't be me.

If it makes you feel smarter I've used protection abouuuuuttttt 40ish% of the time. In all fairness, a couple of past exes have been pretty dumb too.


I also didn't have a sex talk, my parents trusted the internet.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Nepiophage on 27 Mar 2015, 00:48
Okay, am I the only one who wants to hear the beginning of that joke?

I want to hear it too.

Also, the dildo is probably just held on by a suction cup. Google it if you dare.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: rfrank dodelijk on 27 Mar 2015, 01:09
great strip. dildo on a robot's forehead is the funniest thing the author has managed in months.
is claire telling an enter the dragon joke? han and his interchangeable weapons hand sprung to mind as soon as I saw the first panel.
marten's shirt is horrible.
it's nice to see a strip that features claire but does not inspire the terrible noise.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Lubricus on 27 Mar 2015, 02:45
I also didn't have a sex talk, my parents trusted the internet.

 :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Half Empty Coffee Cup on 27 Mar 2015, 02:49
FWIW - This is Claire's real initiation into the full insanity and surreality of Marten's everyday life.
Wasn't that the paddle?  :mrgreen:

it's nice to see a strip that features claire but does not inspire the terrible noise.
The noise of people complaining?  :mrgreen: (Yeah, I know you meant "squee", but I find the predictable complaining to be pretty terrible, too.)

I also didn't have a sex talk, my parents trusted the internet.
What?  :psyduck: I guess that's why you're so explicit?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 27 Mar 2015, 02:53
FWIW - This is Claire's real initiation into the full insanity and surreality of Marten's everyday life.
Wasn't that the paddle?  :mrgreen:

Nah, that's just standard newbie hazing stuff. She probably went through that at whatever college she got her BLS and likely at Smif when starting her MLS course. Her body language in that strip tells the story: She's obviously thinking: "Well, shit! This crap again!"

FWIW, I think that, if Pintsize could cry, he would have been crying tears of gratitude when Claire let him paddle her. He's a simple being and he has simple needs. :evil:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Omega Entity on 27 Mar 2015, 05:50
Honestly, it's the expression on Pintsize's face in panel 2 that made me giggle like a schoolgirl he just looks so... Not specifically happy. Content? Proud? One with the world, and having reached the ultimate nirvana that is having reached his full potential?

The dickicorn lines just amplified it.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 27 Mar 2015, 06:32
Today's comic makes me happy.

Pintsize being Pintsize...

Claire in a context other than her relationship with Marten...

Dildos...

Who could ask for more?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: tywren on 27 Mar 2015, 09:24
The noise of people complaining?  :mrgreen: (Yeah, I know you meant "squee", but I find the predictable complaining to be pretty terrible, too.)

People complain because every strip she's been in sense hooking up with Martin has suffered from sacran stigmata, which gets old reeeeeeally. With that said, i too am happy to see a strip with these two that isn't sickly sweet.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: hedgie on 27 Mar 2015, 10:11
And now it dawns upon Claire that her life has taken a turn for the surreal.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Pilchard123 on 27 Mar 2015, 10:13
What do you mean 'now'?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 27 Mar 2015, 10:49
What do you mean 'now'?

Up until now, it's been mostly run-of-the-mill college town stuff for her. Then she saw the Anthro-PC with a dildo apparently welded to his forehead.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: hedgie on 27 Mar 2015, 11:48
Pintsize and his head-dildo are just the tip of the iceberg.  Hanging around Marten seems to cause strangeness.  Aside from anthroPC mishaps, his whole relationship with Dora was a bit odd.  Fighting monks, the Vespa Avenger, etc.  Then there is how he became friends with Hanners, and friends/flatmates with Faye.  I think that one of the reasons that he is so accepting is that his life is just so odd that nothing can faze him.  Sure Claire has had to deal with almost her entire life with Clinton as a brother, but he's not as bizarre as Martenworld.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: osaka on 27 Mar 2015, 15:49
Marten: "We're still looking for a word for those brief moments of clarity in which you realize how profoundly weird your life is. I hope you don't mind jumping into my world"

Claire: "If this is a setup for "Fifty Shades of Reed" I want no parts"
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 27 Mar 2015, 15:50
I went back through the archive so I could say that Marten's shirt is the worse half of Angus' awful shirt. (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2614)

But it turns out that's actually a perfectly fine shade of purple and his current shirt is much worse.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Gladstone on 27 Mar 2015, 16:04
his current shirt is much worse.

Marten was a bit annoyed that Claire wore one of his shirts (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2899) the day before, but he didn't actually want to say anything about it, so this is just his way of making sure that she never, ever borrows his clothes again.

It's like he's being AGGRESSIVELY passive.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Half Empty Coffee Cup on 27 Mar 2015, 17:32
The noise of people complaining?  :mrgreen: (Yeah, I know you meant "squee", but I find the predictable complaining to be pretty terrible, too.)

People complain because every strip she's been in sense hooking up with Martin has suffered from sacran stigmata, which gets old reeeeeeally. With that said, i too am happy to see a strip with these two that isn't sickly sweet.
And I agree. That "too" at the end is an agreement. Doesn't mean that the sentiment needed to be repeated thirty times in prior threads.  :-P
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 27 Mar 2015, 20:11
his current shirt is much worse.

Marten was a bit annoyed that Claire wore one of his shirts (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2899) the day before, but he didn't actually want to say anything about it, so this is just his way of making sure that she never, ever borrows his clothes again.

It's like he's being AGGRESSIVELY passive.

I don't know where you got that. There's not even a side-eye glance at Claire's shirt to support it. It goes straight to squee, for better or for worse
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Gladstone on 27 Mar 2015, 20:33
Yeah, I'm just making shit up.  Although you could argue that THE LOOM (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2896) was actually Marten, speechless with anger, trying to telepathically communicate to Pintsize that "CLAIRE. IS. WEARING. MY SHIRT," and Pintsize just misinterpreted the signals...but you're right, it doesn't fit the comics that followed.  Unless Marten successfully bottled his rage until later, when he had an opportunity to rage-shop for shirts that would clash horribly with Claire's hair if she ever dared to wear them.
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 27 Mar 2015, 20:59
You could argue exactly that, though not that Pintsize misinterpreted anything. I'm concerned I missed something and you're just fucking with me, but it's late and I can't be bothered to check.

The Marten's shirt = anti-Clairehair hypothesis is a possibility. I see nothing to disprove it, though the only support for it is common sense in color combination
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: questionablydiscontent on 28 Mar 2015, 08:10
Wait a sec... Is that Clinton on Pintsize's head? :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Traptin on 28 Mar 2015, 12:30
Wait a sec... Is that Clinton on Pintsize's head? :psyduck:

Maybe it's both? :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: questionablydiscontent on 29 Mar 2015, 06:17
You mean it's Clinton, who is a dildo?
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Storel on 29 Mar 2015, 13:38
Will the return of old style Pintsize please the commentatoriate?  Stay tuned.

(This post brought to you by Cabaret Voltaire.)

I "liked" your post just for the pleasure of the word "commentatoriate".  :lol:

It's about time the QC Wiki had an entry for dildoes.

They've made more appearances in the comic than Sara and Gabby combined.

You have a good point.

Then again, so do most dildoes...

Okay, am I the only one who wants to hear the beginning of that joke? As it stands, it's meaningless and just a verbal lead-in to Pintsize's new body mod. Who would mistake Clinton for a dildo and why? Ah, I don't know; maybe I'm just thinking too hard about something that was always meant to be a throwaway.

Could have sworn I saw someone else mention this, but I can't find it now. There's a similarly weird punchline that's become a long-term running gag in  Least I Could Do (http://www.leasticoulddo.com): "And that's when I bought the horse a prostitute!"

Even if this one doesn't become a running gag, I'm pretty sure we'll never hear the beginning of the joke. I doubt that Jeph even wrote it -- he probably only wrote the punchline, knowing that he'd drive the readership crazy trying to figure out the rest of the joke. The actual joke could never live up to the mystery created by just the punchline.

You mean it's Clinton, who is a dildo?

Claire could have been mistaken when she said "That's no dildo, that's my brother!"

Maybe her brother IS a dildo and she just never realized because, hey, who pays that much attention to their little brother?

Although he doesn't really look much like a dildo to me...
Title: Re: WCDT 2922 to 2926 (23-27 March 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 29 Mar 2015, 14:33
His robot hand may have a "vibrate" mode.

Just sayin'.

 :-D