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[sparkneon]

ive pretty much been with qc since the start and loved it (along with everyone contained within)

but over the last few weeks i have been bed-bound with a pretty serious illness.
having the strength to do not much more than click a few buttons on my laptop i decided to go through the whole story again...

and it hit me... FAYE IS A TOTAL BITCH!

seriously, if there was someone like her in my circle of friends then either she would have to go or i would walk... (and dont give me all the 'her father' crap - looking back, thats piss-weak story-telling)
im honestly thinking about giving up on qc. i just can't understand why everyone else in the qc universe puts up with her!

im not religious but this must be what a crisis of faith feels like!

any thoughts?

[Odin]

If you're that upset about a comic having a character that you dislike more than the others, you might want to give some serious thought to re-evaluating where you are in life and possibly seek therapy.

I mean, crisis of faith? Seriously? 

[sparkneon]

If you're that upset about a comic having a character that you dislike more than the others, you might want to give some serious thought to re-evaluating where you are in life and possibly seek therapy.

I mean, crisis of faith? Seriously? 

catch yerself on ya tube - im just having a wee laugh.

but upon re-evaluating qc - its undeniable! Faye is the one with problem's.

[Odin]

If you're that upset about a comic having a character that you dislike more than the others, you might want to give some serious thought to re-evaluating where you are in life and possibly seek therapy.

I mean, crisis of faith? Seriously? 

catch yerself on ya tube - im just having a wee laugh.

but upon re-evaluating qc - its undeniable! Faye is the one with problem's.

It is also undeniable that every single other character in the comic has huge, glaring personality problems that are exploited for a laugh. This is part of what draws people to read it, after all (when they aren't being extraordinarily creepy and fetishistic about cartoon characters).

[Deadlywonky]

I don't want to sound like an ass here, but what does your thread add to the general QC discussion? If anything this should be in the WCDT rather than on it's own. Your views can readily be discussed but do thay really need to be phrased so beligerently?

I recently went through something similar and most of the time found myself bursting into fits of laughter at a forgotten punchlines. i agree with you that Faye is abrasive but it's shown in a lighthearted manner and the comic would be much the poorer without her around.

[IanClark]

seriously, if there was someone like her in my circle of friends then either she would have to go or i would walk... (and dont give me all the 'her father' crap - looking back, thats piss-weak story-telling)
im honestly thinking about giving up on qc. i just can't understand why everyone else in the qc universe puts up with her!

Really? Are you that fucking dehumanizing that you "sanitize" your friends group so that anyone with personality flaws that might make things awkward is excommunicated? Even if said person acknowledged their issues, sought therapy and made it a long way in overcoming them? You want everyone to come prepackaged and issue-free just for your conversational pleasure? And don't give me that "Don't give me that" shit. You clearly know nothing about people with psychological issues if you think that's "weak storytelling" (I know, one of my friends lived through her dad's suicide and came out almost the exact same way), so just because it doesn't serve your agenda, don't subject us all to your "LALALALALA I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT!" bullshit.

As Raven said on the subject (488 for reference), people wouldn't humour Faye if they didn't like her. You can say you read through the archive and saw bitch, but when I do the same thing I also see someone who seems like they'd be a lot of fun to be around, and someone who at a basic level still seems willing to do anything to help her friends, a group she seems to define in the most open-minded and least exclusionary manner possible. May I suggest that you, the one who judges people without explanation and measures their worthiness to be your friend, might actually be the one left with huge personality problems you can't excuse? I don't know whether you're male or female, but in the interest of gender equality, may I regardless suggest that you might be the "total bitch"? Faye might take unnecessary jabs at the flaws of the people around her, but at least she doesn't use it as fuel to exclude them.

To everyone else, holy shit I didn't think I had that in me. It's the "if there was someone like her in my circle of friends" part that gets to me. I'm okay with people judging fictional characters harshly, but when it becomes a hypothetical real person I kind of lose my shit. Sorry.

[Carl-E]

Makes me wonder what you'd do if it was a real  real person, instead of a hypothetical real person. 

And, if you want to give up on a comic, it's not that hard... but if it is  hard, you may want to think about what it is that keeps you coming back.  Especially since that "total bitch" is pretty much the center of the comic!

[Is it cold in here?]

(moderator)No personal criticisms, please.(/moderator)

I was going through Faye's list of memorable quotes on the wiki and my wife pointed out something interesting. The boasting quotes, like "I am the depleted uranium of femininity", cluster around the earliest comics. Faye, then, has become less insecure and defensive.

EDIT: I can't find a "Faye's fundamental character" thread with either the forum's search function or with Google. Have we really not had  one?

[Carl-E]

The closest we got was this. 

Which I'm going to link in the WCDT as well - seems appropriate! 

[bicostp]

This just in : Faye can be a bitch.

In other news, the sky is blue!

[TheEvilDog]

Next you'll say water is wet you madman!

[horsefish]

I had a Faye in my life 20+ years ago.  She actually wasn't that much like Faye, but there were key similarities:

• Platonic roommates and toyed with my attraction to her (much more than Faye ever did to Marten)
• From the south
• Moody / bitchy
• Violent
• Witty
• Fiercely loyal

We lost touch, as she moved away and had a rather sketchy life - hard to keep track of where to contact her.  Last I heard she just got out of prison in Montana (like I said, not that much like Faye).

Point is, to this day, I can say that she was one of the best friends I've ever had.  In fact, many of my best friends have been people that lots of other people thought were bitches/assholes.

Of course, when I put it that way, maybe it says something about me as a glutton for punishment.  I'll have to remember to mention it to my therapist.  That is, if I ever get a therapist, instead of the guy who talks to me for 15 minutes every three months and refills my meds

[Carl-E]

Lemme guess - he starts writing out the 'scrip while he asks, "So, how's it been going?"

Gotta love the American mental health care assembly line!   

OK, I've deleted the rest of the rant.  Wrong place & time, sorry. 

[jwhouk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHrFEnL9CfM

[horsefish]

Lemme guess - he starts writing out the 'scrip while he asks, "So, how's it been going?"

In all fairness, he waits until the end to write the 'scrip.  But that is exactly the question he starts (and usually ends) with.

[dragontart]

*scratches her head*
Other way round for me. When she popped up at the beginning of the comic I found her annoying (while still highly interesting), but lately I find her really okay.
She's not been like that just for the fun of it, after all, no matter how weak one may find the explanations.

Maybe it hit you like that because you couldn't bear all of her bitching in the few days/weeks you reread the comic, while it actually scatters over years, which might be (or might have been for you) much more bearable.

[DoomMagnet]

Ill be honest, I like rereading the strips where Raven calls Faye out on her bitchiness. Always makes me laugh. However, she may be one but she has gotten lots better. Now more so a smart ass. Dora is kinda dropping as a fav of mine since recent events, but its all cool. Hannelore is still top fav easy though, lol. But yea, little reason to dislike Faye as of late. Shes improved herself.

[fearless_fool]

Tomorrow morning, I'll probably wonder why I chose this thread as my first-post debut.  But two points:

Jeph is a genius at character development -- a trait that too many authors and screenplay writers seem to ignore.  It's deeply satisfying to see the QC characters evolve, even if it is at the same gentle pace and subtlety as a bonsai tree.

As for Faye's character: she's honest and one always knows where one stands with her.  In my experience, that's a rare and honorable trait.

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

Faye is what those of us in the Japanese animes call a "tsundere".

You must not be a fan of the animes, OP.

[Is it cold in here?]

one always knows where one stands with her.  In my experience, that's a rare and honorable trait.

Except in the field of romance. Poor Marten.

[Lupercal]

Well, if you look back at basically every piece of fiction ever written by anyone ever, then  you'll find that emotions actually come through. Characters are shown having a good and/or bad time because hell, nobody is Ned Flanders and we don't shit rainbows and eat apple pie every day. There has to be some sort of reflection on an actual personality. Soaps use the "bitch" card so that people are drawn in to it. And hell, everyone here knows somebody like that. So in essence, its almost exactly like real life.

Even the Bible has stuff going on. Nakedness, murder, mavericks, and yes, people being bitches. You think that soldier who stabbed Jesus in the side while he was being crucified was just having a bad day?

To conclude: Faye has issues, flaws, is human. One of my friends' dad tried to kill her mum on their honeymoon, and since then she's basically been like Faye, defensive but loyal, and pretty terrible with men.

I don't know if it is necessary to have a seperate thread for Faye as we could have a seperate thread for every character, which will read basically: "Marten: He's a sap often needs to grow a pair but wears cool t-shirts!". Save that for the weekly discussion.

[dragontart]

Ned Flanders is Ned Flanders o_o


...Sorry.
That's not a written piece of fiction anyways.

[tomart]

Ok, I grant all of the above, and Faye was my favorite character for literally years ... but I can kinda agree with the OP's sentiment, given some of her decisions affecting significant others.  Leaving Marten hanging for so long and then declining, while he was completely polite, generous, nice to her, was kinda unfair, but the punching...!  too much, and much too hard - it wasn't freakin' necessary!  Someone should've punched her like that, every time she did it to that nice boy who loved her. 

and then, after setting ground rules with Sven, that she was gone if he did anyone else, ok, fine, but then when he slid into it in a moment of weakness, it was like the crime of the century, everyone was all trashing him like he'd besmirched and traumatized her beyond belief...   whatever trauma she suffered there, was SELF-INFLICTED. And he got treated like shit.

and yes, she has mellowed lately, snark intact, it's like, growth and maturity!  Cool!  I'm guessing Angus is pretty good for her, with his endless patience.  Why isn't she punching him when she inflicted bodily injury unto Marten several times?  Hmm?  Because it was her own michegas, insecurities, her own shit, right?  And it was cartoon funny, like the roadrunner and Charlie Brown and all, it was right for QC, but if I had a friend who did that, I'd say something.

[horsefish]

...it was cartoon funny, like the roadrunner and Charlie Brown and all, it was right for QC...

I think this is the most salient point.  Of course, if everyone said "meh, it's a cartoon," you'd really hear the crickets in this forum.  And where would that leave us? getting other important things done like the 20 page paper I have due sunday night that i haven't started yet because i'm a slackass motherfucker

[Carl-E]

He got slammed pretty hard in the forums, though.  And to be fair, he had a number of supporters in here as well who were swift to point out the in-comic truth of the matter, as Tomart did. 

It was interesting how that incident polarized the population in here...

[Fig]

I'll take your word for it re the forums, but tomart's post sounds (to me anyway) like it's referring to his in-comic treatment.

Out of interest, when was the last time Faye hit someone?

Right after Marten's breakup with Dora, she slugged Marten pretty damn good after Marten had a bout of drunken verbal diarrhea.  She blamed it on an owl.  I'm sure some of the quicker archivists here will be able to bring up the exact comic.

[Carl-E]

1818, "No Fit State"

And Faye's face in the 3rd panel - never seen her looking sooooo  displeased. 


Anybody know the last time before that?  It has  been awhile...

[Fig]

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1681

Angus gets a shot in the arm after they argue about music.  If we're looking for a serious punch, we may have to back a bit further than that even.

[Smerf]

Right after Marten's breakup with Dora, she slugged Marten pretty damn good after Marten had a bout of drunken verbal diarrhea.  She blamed it on an owl.  I'm sure some of the quicker archivists here will be able to bring up the exact comic.

I think the point behind her blaming it on owls is that she didn't want him to remember being an ass, not because she hit him.

[DoomMagnet]

That's true, he is almost never an ass. And even though he was drunk it was true what he said. Though he completely deserved being floored.

[Coffee_Kaioken]

In regards to people slamming on the creator of this thread, I think he feels embarrassed enough now, reading all the comments and what not.

Plus, the guy made this thread when he was sick, bedridden, and devoid of energy.

Let him recooperate, come back, and regret this so bad he has an anxiety attack XD

[LeeC]

water is wet!

[Carl-E]

...and deep. 

 I see your  and raise you another 

[Is it cold in here?]

"...not a total bitch ALL the time"

[Cartilage Head]

We've had some discussions about Faye not being a very likable character from the point of view of the other characters. Recently she has been a little less harsh, but she still seems to lack many positive traits aside from being funny. The most recent "good thing" she did was support Marten after his night of crazy self-pity and drinking, which lightened up my view of her a little.

[akronnick]

You're forgetting her bodacious curves and her southern charm.

[snubnose]

Next you'll say water is wet you madman!

Water cant be wet. I checked it out ! Ice is absolutely dry, and ice is simply frozen water !

[Carl-E]

Ice feels  wet, it melts at your touch. 

Dry ice is another issue entirely...