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[Aziraphale]

Okay, a couple of ground rules:
1. These are a matter of opinion, not fact.
2. Try to start from the assumption that someone's dislike of a character you love is a reflection of their dislike of the character and not an assault on you, personally.
3. Don't resort to ad hominem attacks while discussing the merits (or lack thereof) of characters with your fellow forumites. They may be fictional characters; the rest of us are still (last I checked) humans, so keep it cool.
4. Optional, but think on this: if you dislike a character, I challenge you to also find something good about them.

Mmmmkay. So. Who's your least favorite character (or couple), and why?

I'll get things started: I don't particularly care for Penelope.

First, the positive: IRL, I'm sure we'd get along well enough; she seems smart, bookish, and a bit snarky.

But then, there's the negative. The snark crosses too often and too easily into negativity. And there's the prudishness. And a touch of hypocrisy (she looks down on Wil's lack of career ambition,* but hello? Your ambition's to work in publishing, and your steps to get there are 1: quit bookstore, B: work at coffee shop, and 3: complain that you don't have your dream job?) And the fact that it's all wrapped up in a plain brown wrapper. She is, in short, the kind of person with whom you paint the town beige. I don't hate her, but as characters go, she leaves me as warm and fuzzy as, say, a ball point pen, and if you removed her from the story altogether a la Sara, it'd barely make a ripple. In terms of the regular cast (not peripheral/one-off characters like Lt. Potter), she's close to expendable.

*Not without some justification -- I mean, dude hadn't worked a day in his life.

[Somnus Eternus]

Clinton. Oh, Lord, Clinton...if he never reappeared I'd be totally cool with that.  But that's not likely since he's Claire's brother and she's most likely going to be playing a bigger role, so...

The one and only thing going for Clinton is how protective he is of his sister and how he treats her as his sister, not his "brother going through a phase" like some people I know IRL do with their trans family members.  He gets plenty of props for that, but...everything else about him is just repellant.  He's cranky, he's defensive, he's creepily obsessive, and I just get so uncomfortable whenever he appears in a strip.  That's probably the intention, but he's the only character I can't take at all.

(Unrelated, but on the other hand, my newest favorite character is the singing purple dildo prototype. Because of course it is.)

[BenRG]

Huh... That's weird.

I really can't say that I have a 'least favourite' character. I base this on the criteria 'someone for whom I automatically switch off when I see him/her in the strip'. They all have their good days and they all have their bad days.

Faye is someone that I don't think I would like to know IRL, mostly because of her abrasiveness. Sitting in Marten's shoes, thanks to Jeph, we know that this has a reason. However, meeting her as a stranger would be a mostly-negative experience and I doubt I'd want to come to know her on a deeper level enough to come to understand her issues.

Raven, despite being okay really, isn't on my favourites list. This is mostly because fundamentally, women who are always talking about their sexual attributes in mixed company just annoy me (that's a gender-neutral attitude, by the way. Men with that habit equally rub me up the wrong way). That's a shame because I would normally consider a brilliant engineer and physicist like her wonderful company.

Pintsize is, basically, an archetype of the embarrassing friend of your friend whom you endure for your friend's sake but you would never like yourself.

Finally, the only strips for which I immediately hit 'close' are Yelling Bird strips.

[Aziraphale]

Clinton. Oh, Lord, Clinton...if he never reappeared I'd be totally cool with that.  But that's not likely since he's Claire's brother and she's most likely going to be playing a bigger role, so...

The one and only thing going for Clinton is how protective he is of his sister and how he treats her as his sister, not his "brother going through a phase" like some people I know IRL do with their trans family members.  He gets plenty of props for that, but...everything else about him is just repellant.  He's cranky, he's defensive, he's creepily obsessive, and I just get so uncomfortable whenever he appears in a strip.  That's probably the intention, but he's the only character I can't take at all.

I'm willing to cut Clinton some slack; he's been toned down slightly, and I think that some of the protectiveness, annoying and slightly paternalistic as it is, at least comes from an understandable place. As copacetic as Northampton's made out to be, it only takes one bad egg to ruin things, and some of what Clinton's said seems to hint around Claire having had some bad experiences. Most of the rest of the cast has grown in one way or another, so I wouldn't expect Clinton to remain static either.

Huh... That's weird.

I really can't say that I have a 'least favourite' character. I base this on the criteria 'someone for whom I automatically switch off when I see him/her in the strip'. They all have their good days and they all have their bad days.

Faye is someone that I don't think I would like to know IRL, mostly because of her abrasiveness. Sitting in Marten's shoes, thanks to Jeph, we know that this has a reason. However, meeting her as a stranger would be a mostly-negative experience and I doubt I'd want to come to know her on a deeper level enough to come to understand her issues.

Raven, despite being okay really, isn't on my favourites list. This is mostly because fundamentally, women who are always talking about their sexual attributes in mixed company just annoy me (that's a gender-neutral attitude, by the way. Men with that habit equally rub me up the wrong way). That's a shame because I would normally consider a brilliant engineer and physicist like her wonderful company.

Pintsize is, basically, an archetype of the embarrassing friend of your friend whom you endure for your friend's sake but you would never like yourself.

Finally, the only strips for which I immediately hit 'close' are Yelling Bird strips.

I don't dislike Raven, but her lack of a filter is a bit annoying; I don't need to know that much about anybody's sex life if I'm not directly involved with them myself. Faye has redeeming qualities and seems to be someone who cares deeply about her friends, though I've come across porcupines who were less prickly. And like everybody, I've known people like Pintsize. The times I've liked him in the strip have either been when he's been so creatively but ludicrously over-the-top that it's funny, or when he says something that's unexpectedly insightful. Speaking about the strip more generally, I wish sometimes that the insights, when they come, weren't usually undercut with a punchline in the next panel. I mean, I know that's the convention of the form and all that, but to me, it almost comes across self-deprecating, or as if Jeph doesn't trust his own insights enough to let them stand on their own, if that makes any sense. Maybe it's because I like my humor with a serious undercurrent (I grew up on MASH, for god's sake), but I don't think it has to be funny all the time.

And I'm with you 200% on the Yelling Bird strips (though every once in a while, the profanity is creative enough to get a good laugh out of me). I understand that Jeph needs filler every so often, but I like some filler better than others (like the times when he's posted a bit of work in progress, or shown experiments with drawing style).

[Zebediah]

Least favorite? Hmm. I'd go with Nat, except she was written out years ago and we're unlikely to see her again. I just found her incredibly annoying and useless.

Other candidates: Sven is the type of self-indulgent douchebag that I really can't stand IRL. Although he does have a couple of redeeming qualities (or used to, anyway).

Clinton has precisely one redeeming quality that we've seen - he cares for his sister. Other than that, he's like a gnat: small and annoying and difficult to swat away.

I have no opinion of Cosette. Literally. She does nothing for me, but I can't say I dislike her either.

I actually like the Yelling Bird strips most of the time. It's a glimpse into Jeph's unrestrained id. And I kind of like that there's a whole alternate universe inhabited by YB, Randy, Shelby, Shame Orb and Harriet/Sweet-Tits, even if we only get a brief dose of it once a year or so.

[Aziraphale]

Other candidates: Sven is the type of self-indulgent douchebag that I really can't stand IRL. Although he does have a couple of redeeming qualities (or used to, anyway).

I was talking to a friend of mine about a mutual... well, at this point, she's barely a friend to either of us. A remark I made in reference to her comes to mind with Sven, as well: It's a shame when someone's best qualities turn out to be just a phase they were going through. I'm not ready to write Sven off yet, but the way he acted the last couple of times we saw him were a big step backwards.

I tend to forget Nat, even on the increasingly rare occasions we see Amir in the strip.

[Mlle Germain]

I think this is a rather unpopular opinion, but mine would be May - it's good I don't know her in real life, because she annoyed the hell out of me in the first ark she showed up in.

But I have to say that I like her a lot more now than when she was first introduced and when she first showed up at Dale's again due to the ark where she tries to find a job (making a stand against AI discrimination) and also moderates her behaviour (trying to make friends with Marigold and Momo, for instance). I do think she needs to learn to take others' feelings into account more, but she's probably on a good way. Still, I wouldn't like her to be a main character; she does tend to push everyone else (who I like more) totally into the background wherever she shows up and she is still pretty obnoxious, which causes me to not enjoy story arcs that feature her very much.

While there are quite a few more characters I would not become friends with in real life (the majority, probably. I think I'd have really good chances to be friends with Claire, Hanners and Penelope, though), I like them as characters in the comic and I love reading about them.

[Aziraphale]

I think this is a rather unpopular opinion, but mine would be May - it's good I don't know her in real life, because she annoyed the hell out of me in the first ark she showed up in.

But I have to say that I like her a lot more now than when she was first introduced and when she first showed up at Dale's again due to the ark where she tries to find a job (making a stand against AI discrimination) and also moderates her behaviour (trying to make friends with Marigold and Momo, for instance). I do think she needs to learn to take others' feelings into account more, but she's probably on a good way. Still, I wouldn't like her to be a main character; she does tend to push everyone else (who I like more) totally into the background wherever she shows up and she is still pretty obnoxious, which causes me to not enjoy story arcs that feature her very much.

While there are quite a few more characters I would not become friends with in real life (the majority, probably. I think I'd have really good chances to be friends with Claire, Hanners and Penelope, though), I like them as characters in the comic and I love reading about them.

I doubt if it's that unpopular an opinion -- people were pretty sharply divided when she showed back up. I think she's got potential, and she's trying -- in her own skewed way -- to figure it out and reach it.

The only characters I think I'd have issues with if they were real people are Clinton and Sven. I don't mind them as characters, but as real people, I'd have to keep them at arm's length most of the time for my own sanity.

[Thrillho]

I would say Sven, but at least I remember him.

QC has had a LOT of characters over the years and given its often slow pace characters who've not been seen for like a few weeks in QC time can go missing for years at a time. So I'd say my least favourite is equally all of the ones who are no longer in it, apart from Raven, who I miss.

[JLM]

This is hard, because I totally wanted them to get together, but Emily reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago, in a bad way. The type of person who still TyPeD LiKE ThIS well into her twenties, and did her best to shut down any chance to get to know the real her (all surface, no substance, more or less). I'd hoped that we'd get to see the real side of her in a potential relationship (and we may still yet get some of that in the potential fallout once she finds out about Marten and Claire), but it seems she's destined to be a perpetual weirdo. I do like her occasional bursts of sass though.

[swapna]

I'm with Gareth, there are loads and loads of characters and I'd have to go through to find the ones that pissed me off the most in "QC history", so I'll just mention the ones that grate me at the moment:

Clinton. A thousand times Clinton. He's obnoxious, creepy, mean and has obvious boundary issues especially with his sister. Even his protectiveness (which could be a good thing) plays out as incredibly condescending and patronising. It reminded me of super-paternalistic societies where the brother can order around and is supposed to "protect" even older sisters, and worst, Clarie puts up with it. While we're on the topic - Claire. She was OK as one-time or secondary character, but she's also condescending, will be in your face for just about anything and likes to jump to conclusions (she should be glad Tai's so chill otherwise she probably wouldn't work at the library any more).

Dora, a little bit, although she has been getting better. I think trying to fire Faye for cuddling kind of sets the mark.

Marigold - she's a jerk, plain and simple and doesn't get any more sympathy for being a 'nerd'.

[valkygrrl]

Clinton. His interactions with Claire are all related to one subject, one she doesn't much talk about. Clare's neat, I prefer the focus to be on the parts of her self she presents to the world rather than the aspects she chooses not to, Clinton gets in the way of that.

That being said it will still be fun to see Clinton's reaction to his sister's new boyfriend.

[Aziraphale]

While we're on the topic - Claire. She was OK as one-time or secondary character, but she's also condescending, will be in your face for just about anything and likes to jump to conclusions (she should be glad Tai's so chill otherwise she probably wouldn't work at the library any more).

I tend to see Claire as more "unfiltered" than condescending; she's certainly opinionated, and she'll say the first thing that comes into her head without much thought as to the consequences (q.v. the incident with the beer can), but I don't really get "condescending" from that. I'm curious -- why do you think she wouldn't be at the library any more if not for Tai? I haven't seen her do anything in-comic that'd be a firing offense.

Clinton. His interactions with Claire are all related to one subject, one she doesn't much talk about. Clare's neat, I prefer the focus to be on the parts of her self she presents to the world rather than the aspects she chooses not to, Clinton gets in the way of that.

That being said it will still be fun to see Clinton's reaction to his sister's new boyfriend.

I'm with you on Claire. I like her character, and I'm hoping this means seeing more of her. Clinton, on the other hand, is grating, and I fully agree with Swapna about the annoying and (especially) paternalistic part. I think that part of it is that he seems to have bought lock stock and barrel into the idea of being the "man of the house" (and all the noxious baggage that goes with it) with his father out of the picture. With that said, I also wonder to what degree he is his father's son. Ms. A seems chill and accepting, and Claire seems to take after that, her anxiety issues aside. We've only heard of, and not seen, Clairedad, but I'd wager that Clinton takes more after him than his mother, and I'm curious to see both how that informs his relationship with his sister and what that might mean in-comic later on.

As for his reaction? He'll overreact operatically, the same as he has with everything else. The fact that A: it's none of his business who his sister dates, B: Mom already approves, and C: it's not like there's anybody else for him to commiserate with among the existing cast means he can either get with the program, or stew... but should STFU in either case. If I had to guess, I'd say he'll get with the program; Claire's placed a lot of trust in Marten, and up to this point, he's repaid that trust admirably.

[Is it cold in here?]

why do you think she wouldn't be at the library any more if not for Tai? I haven't seen her do anything in-comic that'd be a firing offense.

Insubordination and destruction of paperwork.

[Aziraphale]

why do you think she wouldn't be at the library any more if not for Tai? I haven't seen her do anything in-comic that'd be a firing offense.

Insubordination and destruction of paperwork.

Forgot that bit. More accurately, remembered the freakout, forgot the destruction that came with it.

[BenRG]

why do you think she wouldn't be at the library any more if not for Tai? I haven't seen her do anything in-comic that'd be a firing offense.

Insubordination and destruction of paperwork.

Forgot that bit. More accurately, remembered the freakout, forgot the destruction that came with it.

For what it's worth, I, personally perceived that as close to being a fit, triggered by emotional trauma. That said, I would have privately told her to learn self-control and that her neuroses have earned her a 'strike one'.

[Aimless]

Not long ago I'd have said Dale, but I think it's Clinton. He does nothing for me as a person and I hate both his robot hand and his hair. Raven is, I think, a close second, for similar reasons (only beauty-mark instead of robot-hand). No, wait, Delilah. Definitely. I've come to accept Jim and Padma. Hanners mom... er... eeeerrr...

[Aziraphale]

Not long ago I'd have said Dale, but I think it's Clinton. He does nothing for me as a person and I hate both his robot hand and his hair. Raven is, I think, a close second, for similar reasons (only beauty-mark instead of robot-hand). No, wait, Delilah. Definitely. I've come to accept Jim and Padma. Hanners mom... er... eeeerrr...

So if we could squeeze them all into one day's comic, you'd be transformed into a festering ball of rage, then? 

[jwhouk]

I'm working on this. Right now Pintsize has a clubhouse lead.

EDIT: Okay, you asked for it:

• Marten Reed – As hapless as he can be, I don't see him as a negative character. He is doing the best he can, with what he can, when he can.  Like Rating (Scale of 1 to 10): 9. He is the main character, after all.
• Faye Whitaker – She has a lot of negativity, but we see so much of the vulnerability in her, and we also know the source. Lesser persons would not be able to live through the crap she's seen.  Like Rating: 8. 
• Dora Bianchi – She has neuroses and family issues. "Relationship Implosion" is not a superpower (as Pizza Girl suggested once), though. There's something more to her issues, but I don't think she wants to confront them. That takes her down a few pegs.  Like Rating: 5.
• Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham – Let's admit it – she's the woobie. She has shown strength and courage, all the while as she's contained her neuroses (and she has BILLIONS of them). Of course, she also "viscerally scares the crap out of me" as well (to quote Bud from Wapsi Square).  Like Rating: 9.
• Pintsize – His antics are tiresome, and he's getting to be a one-trick pony (Evangelion? Really?) But, in a way, he's like the one puppy that no one has taken at the Humane Society – and in walks Marten, who actually manages to tame him.  Like Rating: 3.
• Marigold Farmer – Admit it: there are things about her that you can relate to. Insecurities about relationships, about self-appearance, about self-worth.  Like Rating: 7.
• Tai Hubbert – She actually has a good head on her shoulders. A pity she's stoned most of the time nowadays (or appears to be). I have a thing about stoners (goes back to HS), so she loses points for me.  Like Rating: 6.
• Steve – He's the buddy you have that has done millions of interesting things in his life, but he can't tell you about them. Kinda "meh" about him.  Like Rating: 5.
• Angus McPhee – He truly is the "straw man": kinda there just to reflect what others are. Went from being a borderline creepy stalker to a halfway decent being. Then he got so wrapped up in the acting gig that he basically got on the bus all by himself.  Like Rating: 5.
• Sven Bianchi – He deals with his mixed-up family better than his sister (and, if they both considered it, almost to the same level as how Marten does with his parents). The major drawback for him, though, is his pining for Faye. And how he did it is major uncool.  Like Rating: 6. (Though both Bianchi siblings could meet in the middle on any day at 5.5, IMHO.)
• Raven Pritchard – The Idiot Savant. I fully expect her to come back to the strip to wave her PhD in Rocket Science at Dora and Faye, give them both a PHHHHBBBBT! and then walk out.  Like Rating: 7.5.
• Momo – Prim, proper, zealous about AI/human relationships, a hard worker – but has to deal with Marigold. And May. And Dale. And…  Like Rating: 7.5.
• Claire Augustus – Marten likes her. The puns, however…  Like Rating: 8.
• Penelope Gaines – Her character development has gone by the wayside.  Like Rating: 6.
• Dale – Somewhere between Momo and Marigold.  Like Rating: 7.
• Veronica Reed – This lady is probably the most impulsive person in the strip. Yet the wedding arc made her more likeable – and the subsequent dating of Jim brought that down a few pegs.  Like Rating: 8.
• Emily Azuma – Cloud Cuckoolander. She is essentially Hanners without the OCD and huge backstory.  Like Rating: 7.
• Winslow – Admission: I have a stuffed Winslow. He's the Booboo to Pintsize's Yogi Bear.  Like Rating: 8.
• Ellen – I still hold she died in a horrible car wreck. The way she dumped Steve was major uncool.  Like Rating: 5.
• Samantha – See "Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen."  Like Rating: 6.
• Padma – Like a meteorite that shoots across the sky, her air-headedness flamed out after Marty dumped her. She has that loyalty to family thing going for her – unless she was lying about that. If so, drop that rating down to about negative-100. Meanwhile:  Like Rating: 7.
• May – Okay, she has some really bad sociopathic tendencies. Dale seems to have rehabilitated her a bit, but her personality seems to be a shade worse than Pintsize. You would NEVER want to see them in the same room together.  Like Rating: 3, though that could change at any moment.
• Wil – See Penelope.  Like Rating: 6.
• Cosette Hurlbut – Flanderization: She's clumsy. She's also the girlfriend of a "ladies' man" (Steve), and she seems to always be getting into weird situations with Marten.  Like Rating: 6.
• Jim – His character is now "Veronica's squeeze". Or whatever it is the young'n's call it these days. Which is slightly better than "Distraught Divorced Dad".  Like Rating: 7.
• Amir Afridi – Think about this: he's living out of a space that is essentially nothing more than a room with a couch and music equipment. A Loser Is You? Maybe.  Like Rating: 5.5.
• Natasha – "Yo, holmes, smell ya later!" Her impulsiveness and "rich little punk girl" vibe was too much for even this comic.  Like Rating: 5.
• Clinton Augustus – Creepy factor knocks his rating down, despite the fact that he's essentially a mirror image of Claire.  Like Rating: 6. The hand keeps his rating above mid-point.
• Elliot – Quiet. Didn't do what was expected after the Padma incident. Only know a bit more about him because he works at the Horrible Revelation.  Like Rating: 6.
• Henry Reed – Marten Dad 1. Not a lot of backstory.  Like Rating: 6.
• Amanda Whitaker – She's the sane one in the family? We could use some more backstory here, too.  Like Rating: 6.
• Gabby – Token African-American Girl. (sigh) Like Rating: 6.
• Maurice Duplantier – Marten Dad 2 (Two Dads! #### yeah!) Not quite as good as Dad 1, of course.  Like Rating: 6.
• Lydia – See Gabby. (sigh) Like Rating: 6.
• Spacestation – You see where Hanners got her personality from. I like him.  Like Rating: 7.
• Meena – See Lydia. (sigh) Like Rating: 6.
• Jimbo – He's taken the one-joke "redneck drunk" and run with it. The act's getting a bit stale, though.  Like Rating: 7.
• Mieville – Dora wasn't the only one who forgot about the cat. Poor kitty.  Like Rating: 6.
• Beatrice Chatham – Okay, we have the evil overlord female Bond-villain here. She's not likeable because of what she is; she's likeable because of her faults and foibles.  Like Rating: 6. That might be a bit high.
• Delilah – "Two ships that pass in the night."  Like Rating: 6.
• Roomba – One gag pony.  Like Rating: 5.
• Lieutenant Potter – Nice gal, but getting drunk and disrupting a party aren't exactly ideal situations. Her sticking up in the harassment situation was a good character move, though.  Like Rating: 6.
• Francis York – He just stepped off the set of Big Bang Theory, right? The whole thing with the DS was a smooth move, though.  Like Rating: 6.
• Vespavenger – This had to have been the goofiest plotline in the history of QC.  Like Rating: 4.
• Doctor Corrine Buenvenida – Someday, she's going to write a book about all this, and she's going to make a fortune.  Like Rating: 7.
• Mrs. Whitaker – After the one-side conversations we heard to begin with, she turned out to be pretty normal. Though she has something in common with her daughter: dealing with the sudden, unexplained suicide of her husband.  Like Rating: 6.
• John Ellicott Chatham – Absent-minded Genius Trope #476. He truly cares for Hanners, but he's got things to do! (Cue "Cats In The Cradle".) Like Rating: 7.
• Peter Bianchi – A cross between Hunter S. Thompson and your Uncle Jerry – you know, the one who brings the vodka to Thanksgiving dinners. It's no wonder why Dora and Sven were so messed up.  Like Rating: 4.
• Elssa Bianchi – It's one thing to be clueless as to Sven's heritage. It's another thing to light up a joint in front of your daughter. It's a whole other thing when she lusts after her daughter's boyfriend.  Like Rating: 3.5.
• Sara – Allosaurus Food.  Like Rating: 4.


The rest of the cast is pretty much benign and full of one-shot characters, so their rating is "incomplete".

So there you have it: Pintsize, May, and Mrs. Bianchi.

[Aziraphale]

I'm working on this. Right now Pintsize has a clubhouse lead.

EDIT: Okay, you asked for it:

• Doctor Corrine Buenvenida – Someday, she's going to write a book about all this, and she's going to make a fortune.  Like Rating: 7.

So there you have it: Pintsize, May, and Mrs. Bianchi. [/list]

That was... impressive.

The reason I excerpted that particular part: Truth be told, I've always wondered if this wasn't secretly Faye's comic all along. Which obliquely brings up another possibility -- maybe Dr. B wrote the book after all, and we're reading it?

[eschaton]

The reason I excerpted that particular part: Truth be told, I've always wondered if this wasn't secretly Faye's comic all along. Which obliquely brings up another possibility -- maybe Dr. B wrote the book after all, and we're reading it?

Faye is still in Georgia, and still psychotic.  She invented the Marten personality as a dependable yet submissive friend who could help her to become more functional in the world. 

[Aziraphale]

The reason I excerpted that particular part: Truth be told, I've always wondered if this wasn't secretly Faye's comic all along. Which obliquely brings up another possibility -- maybe Dr. B wrote the book after all, and we're reading it?

Faye is still in Georgia, and still psychotic.  She invented the Marten personality as a dependable yet submissive friend who could help her to become more functional in the world.

That'd explain Marten, but how do you explain the rest of the cast then, especially the stuff that happens outside Faye's sphere of knowledge? It's not like Hanners saying it's all a simulation designed to teach her how to interact with the world (which explains everything in one fell swoop). Not saying you're wrong, just trying to figure out how that scenario would play out.

[BenRG]

That'd explain Marten, but how do you explain the rest of the cast then, especially the stuff that happens outside Faye's sphere of knowledge?

Maybe they're all Jungian archetypes of different aspects of her psyche? And remember - in a dream, you usually can only act in line with the dream's demands. So, whether or not catatonic!Faye is aware of events happening away from her, she would be compelled by the nature of the hallucination to act as if she is not.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

That'd explain Marten, but how do you explain the rest of the cast then, especially the stuff that happens outside Faye's sphere of knowledge?

Maybe they're all Jungian archetypes of different aspects of her psyche? And remember - in a dream, you usually can only act in line with the dream's demands. So, whether or not catatonic!Faye is aware of events happening away from her, she would be compelled by the nature of the hallucination to act as if she is not.

Funny. My dreams don't work like that.

[Aziraphale]

That'd explain Marten, but how do you explain the rest of the cast then, especially the stuff that happens outside Faye's sphere of knowledge?

Maybe they're all Jungian archetypes of different aspects of her psyche? And remember - in a dream, you usually can only act in line with the dream's demands. So, whether or not catatonic!Faye is aware of events happening away from her, she would be compelled by the nature of the hallucination to act as if she is not.

Funny. My dreams don't work like that.

Nor mine, at least/especially as regards that last part.

[NemoX]

Mmmm, I don't think there is a character I can say I "dislike" per se. At most I could say there are some I just don't care for, but that would be mostly to them being minor characters or irrelevant ones on one level or another.

If I were to have to choose tho, I'd say it Ellen. You could scratch it to her being young, not knowing any better, impulsiveness or whatever, but it still sucked what she did and I have gone thru something similar, so not really fond of the character past that point.

Most of the cast, despite their faults that may make them unlikeable at times, tend to have redeeming qualities that make them go to at least a "meh, they are ok people".

There are more I'd like to see more of if anything else, but it's hard to fully dislike most of them.

[swapna]

I tend to see Claire as more "unfiltered" than condescending; she's certainly opinionated, and she'll say the first thing that comes into her head without much thought as to the consequences (q.v. the incident with the beer can), but I don't really get "condescending" from that. I'm curious -- why do you think she wouldn't be at the library any more if not for Tai? I haven't seen her do anything in-comic that'd be a firing offense.

Yeah, I meant the 'Not taking orders from a homewrecker' thing. A less chill boss would probably have told her that this is none of her business and if she doesn't want to take orders from her boss, she can just stay home. On the topic of 'unfiltered' vs 'condescending'... She's pretty rude, whether it is to friends or to people who she really doesn't know that well, and while a lot of people are unfiltered on stuff, they won't say 'are you kind of dumb' to a friend of a friend.

With that said, I also wonder to what degree he is his father's son. Ms. A seems chill and accepting, and Claire seems to take after that, her anxiety issues aside. We've only heard of, and not seen, Clairedad, but I'd wager that Clinton takes more after him than his mother, and I'm curious to see both how that informs his relationship with his sister and what that might mean in-comic later on.

As for his reaction? He'll overreact operatically, the same as he has with everything else. The fact that A: it's none of his business who his sister dates, B: Mom already approves, and C: it's not like there's anybody else for him to commiserate with among the existing cast means he can either get with the program, or stew... but should STFU in either case. If I had to guess, I'd say he'll get with the program; Claire's placed a lot of trust in Marten, and up to this point, he's repaid that trust admirably.

Interesting theory about Clairedad! I hadn't thought of that, but you're right - even though we haven't seen a lot of Clairemom, she doesn't seem like the type. I hope we get some kind of scene where Clinton starts to make a fuss, and Clairemom tells him nicely that she thinks they're a cute couple and that he should eat his pancakes and stop acting up

[ReindeerFlotilla]

After several days of consideration, I think my least favorite character has to be Homestar.