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$5 bottle of scotch

Human/robot makeouts

Juicy gang

Two-ton Espressosaurus Rex terrorizes the town

Sven vs. Angus cage match!

Harem of Bros

[Gladstone]

Jeph's still in France this week, right?  So we're in for another round of earlier-than-usual comic updates?  Splendid.

Interested/worried about what Faye's going to do next.  More focus on that, or back to the condom hunt at the library?

[ReindeerFlotilla]

This week it's rise of the machines.

[Thrillho]

So Gladstone, are you named in tribute to the Cracked writer or is this a coincidence?

[Gladstone]

Coincidence.  Couldn't decide on a username when I signed up here, and since I use William Gladstone's photo as my profile pic on another site, I just decided to go with that.  Don't read Cracked very often so I didn't realize there was a Gladstone there as well.  Sorry if there's been any confusion!

[Gladstone]

I'm going to repost ReindeerFlotilla's comment from the end of last week's thread, just to continue the discussion:

Depression tells lies. It most often tells lies about how the world must see the depressed person, but it often tells lies about the depressed person's choices.

Faye is depressed.

Alcohol is a depressant. Not exactly the same thing, obviously. It does, however, depress the "Wait-just-damn-minute" function of the brain. It makes it more difficult to see the flaws in a line of reasoning.

Depressed people listen to their depression's lies. Dragged out in the harsh light of day, 60% or more of the lies aren't even based in reality. 30% or so, are based in reality but distort it. The rest are close enough to the truth, that even the healthy mind wrestles with them. That rest carry 30% which. in turn, carry the 60%. If this is true, that must also be true, so that over there is also true, and that means I should kill myself.

It escalates quickly.

Faye is drunk.

A depressed person is already suffering from reason impairment and is also drunk.

I'd love to read something into what she's saying, but I don't think there's a greater truth about her relationship with Angus contained in this. The greater truth is that she doesn't like herself very much right now.

[Gladstone]

For what it's worth, I agree that Faye doesn't like herself right now, especially since her level of enthusiasm over Angus's future didn't match his own and she couldn't even bring herself to try giving it a shot (or even sitting Angus down for a serious discussion about her feelings over this), but I can't see Jeph bringing up suicide as a plot point.  "The Talk" was probably the darkest QC is ever going to get; Faye seems pretty depressed and may end up making some bad decisions in the near future, but I doubt suicide will even be an option.  I could be wrong, of course, but I hope I'm not.  I still hope she looks at how gung-ho Angus was about following his dreams, and tries to channel some of that energy into her welding--if not full-time, then at least more regularly than she's been doing...

...She may need an intervention/kick to the rear first, though.  Pintsize?  Hanners?  Dora?  Marten?  Claire?

[Thrillho]

Coincidence.  Couldn't decide on a username when I signed up here, and since I use William Gladstone's photo as my profile pic on another site, I just decided to go with that.  Don't read Cracked very often so I didn't realize there was a Gladstone there as well.  Sorry if there's been any confusion!

No confusion. I didn't realise there was a famous Gladstone that the Cracked one is presumably named after.

[Gladstone]

No confusion. I didn't realise there was a famous Gladstone that the Cracked one is presumably named after.

Can't speak for that Gladstone; I just liked how serious and grumpy The Right Honourable William Ewart Gladstone, four-time Prime Minister of Great Britain in the second half of the 19th Century, looks.  But if you like, I could slip into something more...comfortable...

[Carl-E]

Up for a bit of truffle hunting, eh? 

As for Faye, I think there will be some more talking with Pintsize, who will surprise her (and the rest of us) by actually helping. 

Not sure how yet, but it's going to be deep. 



And peppered with sarcasm, memes and coarse humor. 

[Rghfrgl]

Interested/worried about what Faye's going to do next.  More focus on that, or back to the condom hunt at the library?

I like how the pacing's been swapping back and forth. It's striking the balance between 'man we sure have been on Marten and Claire for awhile..' and 'when the hell are we going back to Marten and Claire?'

And pacifying my inner shipper aside it seems to be working for him. I don't necessarily like when he breaks mid story for wacky robot hijinks or what have you, but having two stories going at once works well.

[BenRG]

I think that the Condom Hunt has been taken as far as it could be. There might be a strip or two about Marten and Claire discussing what is 'harmless fun' and what is 'sacrilegious defilement of sacred ground' but I suspect that the main focus will be Faye.

You know what? I think that the intervention has already started and it's going to be Pintsize. He's going to give Faye a serious talking to that will make her come to her senses. She'll be so drunk that she blacks out and wakes up tomorrow thinking that she had a dream in which her subconsciousness (using the avatar of Pintsize just to weird her out and make sure she is listening) gave her a metaphorical slap upside the head.

I suspect that she'll go to Dora or maybe Hanners and ask for help. She'll never realise that it really was Pintsize but that is entirely in line with his plans.

FRIDAY STRIP SUGGESTION
Panel 1: (Extreme close up of Faye's sad, ashamed eyes)
Panel 2: (slight zoom-out to full face)
FAYE: "Fuck. I... I don't even know where to start."
OTHER PERSON: (speech bubble from off the side of the panel) "Take your time; there's no rush."
Panel 3: (Faye is sitting in a simple metal-framed deckchair in a room)
FAYE: "My... My name... My name is Faye Whitaker and... and..."
Panel 4: (Wide angle; Faye is sitting in an arc of chairs with serious and sympathetic people sitting around her, applauding; Faye is covering her face with her hands; there are 'AA' posters on the wall behind her).
FAYE: "... and... and I'm an alcoholic."

Is she? Frankly, I'm not sure. If she is, she's a mild one but it is clear that she is a problem drinker. She certainly tries to use alcohol to avoid dealing with her problems. So, AA or not, I can see this arc finishing with Faye signing up to a self-help group because she's finally realised that there is no shame in admitting that you have problems (emotional as well as chemical)  and that you aren't automatically strong enough to deal with them on your own.

[edit]
Fixed two tehs

[Gladstone]

She should probably go and visit Dr. Corrine first.  The FDA may have approved a swift kick in the rear as a valid treatment option by now.

(Also, we haven't seen Dr. Corrine in a while...)

[Is it cold in here?]

I miss her.

[BenRG]

Comic's up!

Aaaannnd... I could be completely wrong and Pintsize could just get his jollies by encouraging Faye to do silly things. Not dangerous things, just silly things (which, I suppose classes a little like keeping her safe, in a way).

It looks like Jeph's going to have the main cast realise that Faye is going off the deep end one-by-one and then a mass intervention either at the end of this week or filling next week. Can you say 'marathon deprogramming session'?

[DonInKansas]

And pacifying my inner shipper aside it seems to be working for him. I don't necessarily like when he breaks mid story for wacky robot hijinks or what have you, but having two stories going at once works well.

Inner Shipper is my Jefferson Airplane  tribute band.

[Loki]

This really has the feel of one of the earlier strips.

[Rghfrgl]

But does it end with Faye punching and/or throwing up on Marten?

[Gladstone]

I could be completely wrong and Pintsize could just get his jollies by encouraging Faye to do silly things. Not dangerous things, just silly things (which, I suppose classes a little like keeping her safe, in a way).

He's also managed to steer her away from self-pity and towards a more cheerful form of drunkenness.  Although that "Mayyyyybe" in panel 2 looks a bit flirtatious to me. 

DANGER DANGER KEEP AWAY THIS SHIP AIN'T SEAWORTHY

[MooskiNet]

Although that "Mayyyyybe" in panel 2 looks a bit flirtatious to me. 

This.  The good news is, he's sober and happy.  The bad news is it may not end up mattering to Faye.

[hedgie]

But does it end with Faye punching and/or throwing up on Marten?

There's still time for that.

Also, obviously we all have an inkling of why Faye is drinking, but it is fair to note, that she may have worked the morning.  When I used to have to get up at 0430, damned right I'm going to be having a G&T at 1400, since I just finished working, and that was my "happy hour".

[ysth]

"The seriousness of this whole discussion is beautiful. It reminds me of Talk:Lateral coital position"

[Rghfrgl]

Although that "Mayyyyybe" in panel 2 looks a bit flirtatious to me. 

This.  The good news is, he's sober and happy.  The bad news is it may not end up mattering to Faye.

I'm sure Hanners is eavesdropping. She'll step in before things get dark.

[eschaton]

This really has the feel of one of the earlier strips.

I can totally hear Faye's southern drawl coming out in the third panel!

Although that "Mayyyyybe" in panel 2 looks a bit flirtatious to me. 

Damn.  Faye can't be drunk/stupid enough to make a move on Marten, right?  Marten turning her down is assured (even if he wasn't with Claire, he's too much of a standup guy to let anything happen while a friend is drunk/depressed. 

But if Faye makes a move, and is scorned, where can she possibly go to be assured comfort?   

[ReindeerFlotilla]

Just want to say that I don't think Faye is suicidal, atm. I was trying to illustrate how depression progresses from logic to illogic in a continuous manner.

How Faye deals with being depressed is an unknown--though I think we're learning, now. We know she's had to deal with bad stuff before, but her descriptions sound less like a depression and more like a break--That she doesn't remember her accident isn't surprising, but that she is confused enough about her state of mind that she doesn't know if it was an accident suggests a confused state of mind.

This is super consistent with Faye's current behavior from an author's POV. It's all thematically "Faye." When facing painful realities, Faye runs away. Her father commits suicide, Faye flees into mental breakdown. People Faye unconditional love, she gives them punches in return. Indeed, as creepy as Angus's courting of her was, given her general attitude, his willingness to get verbally and physically beaten probably made him the most likely candidate to begin with. Angus is very difficult to push away or run from.

See? it even sounds creepy.

One could imagine that The Nightly Show (with Larry Wilmore?) was the excuse she needed to go back to old habits. It's possible. But that would suggest that it is a habit, because it wasn't a plan.

People get into habits like these because the bad things that result are indistinguishable from their status quo. Pushing people away is painless if you've created a lonely life. Letting people in removes the lonely. If you are in the habit of pushing people away, you may create lonely when you had none.

It's clear that Faye was used to a certain lack of intimacy. Being friends with Marten changed that, somewhat. But Angus was a big change for her. It's very likely that she balked at the long distance thing out of habit, without any idea of how painful it would be.

I'm not suggesting that staying with Angus was her best choice. For all we know, her fears of LDR point to very real issues that would have been even more painful. But I am saying that Faye didn't realize how much this would hurt.

As to whether Faye would put a move on Marten--Faye is more selfish than Marten. There's a bit less of the old morality in Faye than Marten.

Drunk Marten made a (Terrible) pass at Faye during a depressive mood. If he could do it, she certainly can.

But I'm not expecting that. Faye's like that when she's enjoying herself. That kind of exaggerated action can be indicative of flirting--Someone trying to be super obvious--or it could be that she's trying to convince herself that she's having a good time. (Or it could be that she's having a good time. Pintsize might be better at this companion thing than anyone imagines.)

[tragic_pizza]

I didn't see the "maaaybe" as flirtatious. It's Faye trying to be funny.

Marten and Faye are 'way beyond drunken passes, 'way beyond that kind of thing crossing either of their minds. It would be - to both of them - like making out with your sibling.

Warning - while you were typing a new shipper has posted. You may wish to give up and go learn macrame.

[ysth]

My take on Faye's current struggle:

Faye decided to not try to make the relationship with Angus work (at the time, it seemed to me like that was deciding not to try to have a long distance relationship work; from what we see now it seems more like deciding not to move to make it work, but that may be her editing after the fact).  It seems clear to me that that was because she truly didn't feel she was in a place to do it.  Obviously to some extent that is a self-fulfilling feeling, but I don't know that that makes it any less valid.  And if that's what she felt, she made the right decision.

I don't think her angst now is (directly) about things with Angus not working out or even her second guessing that decision; it's about her having to step back from a "hey, I'm really getting things together; look, I'm dating this guy and it's going well" to a "have I made any progress at all in dealing with my issues?  doesn't feel like it to me".  And what she needs to do is admit to herself, not that she made the right decision (she did), but that this doesn't mean she's back to square one.  She has made a lot of progress in a lot of ways.  Doesn't mean her first try at a relationship was guaranteed to stay within the range of what she could do.

[NilsO]

...She may need an intervention/kick to the rear first, though.  Pintsize?  Hanners?  Dora?  Marten?  Claire?

Marten should alert Hanners right away. She really knows how to kick ass when required.

As for Faye's current behavior, we already know too well her use of alcohol as an anti-depressant. It is not the recommended medication, of course, but it has a certain calming effect. I think Jeph illustrates beautifully how some people may slip into alcoholism.

Left to herself, Faye would soon get into deep trouble. Fortunately, she has good friends that will help her.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

I don't think her angst now is (directly) about things with Angus not working out or even her second guessing that decision; it's about her having to step back from a "hey, I'm really getting things together; look, I'm dating this guy and it's going well" to a "have I made any progress at all in dealing with my issues?  doesn't feel like it to me".  And what she needs to do is admit to herself, not that she made the right decision (she did), but that this doesn't mean she's back to square one.  She has made a lot of progress in a lot of ways.  Doesn't mean her first try at a relationship was guaranteed to stay within the range of what she could do.

IAWTC.

I supposed I'd have said that, instead, had I thought of it. That's the core pain of going against old habits. When you fall back into them, you question whether you've changed at all--whether you "deserve" to have the benefits of change.

Faye is sliding, a small step at a time, into alcoholism. She seems to be doing it as a means of avoidance. From our position, as metaviewers, it's easy to see. From inside the story, it may be less obvious. Though, if one of the team doesn't react to it soon, I think the suspension of disbelief is going to get...strained.

[BenRG]

A lot depends on how much drama Jeph wants in this. I could see Marten destroying all the booze in the apartment and forcing Faye to stay home with him tomorrow in-universe and try to flush out her system with coffee and water. This may end up with her fighting him to try to get out (and to booze) or it might end up with her breaking down into a blubbering mess and she spills out her heart to him.

[anahata]

what she needs to do is admit to herself, not that she made the right decision (she did), but that this doesn't mean she's back to square one.  She has made a lot of progress in a lot of ways.  Doesn't mean her first try at a relationship was guaranteed to stay within the range of what she could do.

This is my take on things too. She came into the story pathologically unable to get into a relationship. She's way past that stage, but she can't expect it all to work out perfectly the first time (or second, if you count Sven).

And FWIW, I don't anticipate any Marten/Faye shenanigans at this point. Both of them are far too sensible for that, sober or not.

[Undrneath]

I didn't see the "maaaybe" as flirtatious. It's Faye trying to be funny.

Marten and Faye are 'way beyond drunken passes, 'way beyond that kind of thing crossing either of their minds. It would be - to both of them - like making out with your sibling.

Warning - while you were typing a new shipper has posted. You may wish to give up and go learn macrame.

But with the combination of being both drunk and depressed her judgment isn't exactly what it should be.

[BenRG]

But with the combination of being both drunk and depressed her judgment isn't exactly what it should be.

I could see this as being the ultimate bittersweet Fayten moment. She grabs Martin, kisses him hard and steps back with a mournful expression. "I don't have a brother but I think I know now what it would be like to kiss my brother."

To which (to keep a light atmosphere) Marten will reply: "I think that's what it would be like to kiss a bottle of cheap whiskey!"

[ItsNotATumor]

I can see Faye drunk coming on to Marten, mirroring his drunk come ons to her early in the strip. He rebuffs her, and it gets really awkward.

[Kugai]

Coming up next

Sobbing and Hangovers

[cesium133]

New comic...

Well, that's what you get when you eat Cheetos and beef jerky right before going to bed...

[SomeCanadianWeirdo]

Actually I'd guess it came from reading some fanfic.  You just know that in our world someone has written a fanfic where character X gives birth to their best friend in canon character Y, so I have no doubt someone in the QCverse has written that same sort of fanfic.

[Rghfrgl]

I think baby Hanners is going to have problems drinking something that came out of a person.

[BenRG]

New comic...

Well, that's what you get when you eat Cheetos and beef jerky right before going to bed...

I think that about sums it up. It also says several alarming things about how Marigold's subconscious works (or, more accurately, doesn't work). Jeph is also giving us a warning about what is to come ahead: Nothing is off the table anymore; it can only get more psychedelic from here on in, f... f... folks!

Seriously, something tells me that Marigold has a fear of responsibility and a fear that Dale will dump her. Both completely explicable, given what we know about her!

[Method of Madness]

Dale doesn't seem too fazed.

[Zebediah]

Nothing fazes Dale. Particularly not an extremely ridiculous anxiety dream his girlfriend had. "Not gonna happen, Marigold; go back to sleep."

[DSL]

Probably nowhere near the strangest thing Marigold's told Dale.
Wonder what planted the idea in M's subconscious of her being parental to Hanners, instead of vice versa.
Wonder how Hanners would react to learning of this.
Wonder how Hanners would turn out as the product of a Marigold-Dale genetic combination done nature's way (I'm assuming, I know  ... ) and upbringing.
EDIT: Wonder if Momo realizes the degree to which she has succeeded in becoming Marigold's conscience.

[St.Clair]

oh, anxiety dreams.  been there.

They tend to be the most absurd when viewed by the light of morning, 'cause your subconscious has abandoned any attempt at subtlety to smack you with the thing you should be (already are) Very Worried About.

[Rghfrgl]

it can only get more psychedelic from here on in, f... f... folks!

Tai's smoking something new, everyone's getting second hand high. Claire's burning library books. Marten thinks he's a bear. Emily remains unchanged.

oh, anxiety dreams.  been there.

I miss traditional scary nightmares. They break suspension of disbelief and the dream goes lucid and I can basically be Goku or something.

[Kugai]

They really are going to have to give up those Horror/Anime binges.

[Dr. Desperate]

Upon reading today's strip, my other half remarked that Baby Hanners would be 'so cute as a plushie'.

Me, I find the thought a tad too freaky.

[Rghfrgl]

They really are going to have to give up those Horror/Anime binges.

I'd totally watch a Azumanga Daioh horror anime.

[MrNumbers]

I want to be mad at Jeph for cutting to this comic, because we have so many balls hanging in the air waiting for resolution.

But I can't be mad at Jeph for this comic.

Because just look at it.

[Gladstone]

Wait...why are we all so certain that this is Marigold's dream?

[Method of Madness]

It is Marigold's dream, but is it real-life Marigold or the Marigold who just woke up but is still in FAYE'S DREAM? (Inception chord)

[Gladstone]

It is Marigold's dream

But there's nothing there that clearly indicates that it's her dream.  Maybe Dale had the dream, woke up, told Marigold about it, and then had to reassure her that he would never do such a thing.

That's my headcanon now.