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The hospital waiting room?

50 (33.3%)

Faye on a trip down Deriver Denial?

26 (17.3%)

Emergency Cast Meeting?

45 (30%)

The police station, charged with the assault (or even murder) of Pintsize?

9 (6%)

Weird archetype-filled dream sequence for Faye in which she sees her life as a strange Pyroland-like fantasy and is Elightened?

20 (13.3%)

Total Members Voted: 139

[Is it cold in here?]

Aimless, would you like to weigh in on any of the medical arguments?

[vogonford]

I may not be an EMT, but thanks to some... health issues... I have been in the ER more than I would have liked. And, I have never heard the machine that goes beep. I can see it sometimes - it's usually not in easy view, and trying to view it when you're in extreme pain and have wires and tubes everywhere is not exactly easy, but they don't go beep these days. Usually you just end up staring at the ceiling, and trust me, that ceiling gets horrendously boring after a while, which is honestly my main memory of ER visits. Those damn ceilings.

Anyway, I doubt he's killed Faye off. Unless he wants to go full Cerebus syndrome

[Wimblesaurus]

Alright, I'll join in on some postulating. Mainly because I'm bored, tired, and don't feel like going to bed yet.

There's a (remote) possibility that Sven could come into play here. He confessed to thinking he's in love with Faye not long ago, and if he gets wind of this I can totally see him showing up at the hospital to lend support. It'd be an extremely poor decision to make and would cause a shitload of drama, but this -is- Sven we're talking about - he really doesn't think things through, and especially has a penchant for thinking of things from a very self-centric point of view, i.e. not taking others' feelings into account when trying to get what he wants.

That, and I just don't see Jeph having Sven drop that massive confession bombshell and then not having it come into play sooner rather than later.

Who would even contact Sven?  No one in the group is really talking to him, and no good would come of it for him or anyone else.

[Omega Entity]

Things like that have a way of getting around. For example, Cosette could tell Steve, who might in turn tell Sven.

It's not impossible, and I didn't even say that it was likely. Implausible, yes, but not impossible.

[Oilman]

I'm unsure whether FAYE is periodically unconscious or intermittently lucid, with gaps in her memory and/or sporadically delirious. There is no "tequila monster" because that would not be in keeping with the overall tone.

But I don't believe she is dead; the "flat-lining" trope is too well understood for that.

[Jedit]

Well, I hope Jeph's stocked up on anti-depressants and/or doesn't read anything on the web.  He seems to have missed the memo that mocking loss.jpg is an internet tradition - what's going to happen to someone who copied it I can only imagine.

[Is it cold in here?]

Maybe it's not a machine. Maybe Raven is visiting.

[jwhouk]

And the boss wonders why his Twitter feed blew up.

This is gonna be a "20 pages by Tuesday" week, isn't it?

[LilBlueSky]

And the boss wonders why his Twitter feed blew up.

This is gonna be a "20 pages by Tuesday" week, isn't it?

At risk of sounding like I'm from the 90's... uh guh duhhhhh.

Jeph can't post something this big and not expect the QC fandom to blow up.

[pwhodges]

He seems to have missed the memo that mocking loss.jpg is an internet tradition - what's going to happen to someone who copied it I can only imagine.

Who would be dense enough to link this with that?

Jeph can't post something this big and not expect the QC fandom to blow up.

I'm sure he's fully aware; but the story goes where he feels it has to go.

[Akima]

That's a very clever strip. We've all seen those "fading in and out of consciousness" scenes in movies and on TV, and it's interesting to see the idea in a comic.

So Marten called 911. A wise move with two empty (presumably) spirits bottles, and some not-so-good-coloured vomit, lying next to Faye in the previous strip.

[NilsO]

Those damn ceilings.

Agreed. I have also seen too much of them. The hospitals should really put some effort into decorating the ceilings instead of the walls.

Today's strip is really brilliant. I was dead drunk once, but can still remember brief intervals of consciousness, each lasting perhaps a few seconds. But most of the time I was passed out. Thankfully, I learned from the experience, and I have now a very moderate alcohol consumption.

I would not put much significance in Faye punching Marten. Jeph had to put a little humor in an otherwise very dark (pun intended) strip. Faye is in no condition to plan anything, she is just punching someone out of habit.

I would guess she is getting some sedative through the IV line, and that's why the beep is fading out in the penultimate panel. If she is able to punch Marten, she is not going to die.

What happens next is going to be interesting indeed. There are several possible scenarios:

• If Faye is determined to self-destruct, and will not accept any help, there is really not much her friends can do.
• - Unless Sven is able to save her. I guess Faye still has feelings for him.
• Dora will not be of much help. But she might ask Tai to give Marten a vacation or paid leave, to look after Faye.
• Perhaps Marten can take Faye on a trip to Georgia?
• Or Hanners can take Faye on a trip to the Station?
• Veronica may also play a part in Faye's recovery.
• And Sam.

[bhtooefr]

Even if we don't put much significance in Faye punching Marten... what if Marten (or Dora) does?

And, yes, I know that Faye had a history of casual violence especially against Marten, but...

[LilBlueSky]

Even if we don't put much significance in Faye punching Marten... what if Marten (or Dora) does?

And, yes, I know that Faye had a history of casual violence especially against Marten, but...

True. Although I personally do think that her punching him is significant. At least it is to Marten. He may be understanding at first but when she gets upset with him for forcing her to go to the hospital, he may get angry at her.

Cuz ya know, we HAVE been seeing a more take-charge Marty lately.

[Emperor Norton]

I think its more that he couldn't get Faye to respond (on why he called 911), which is what he is trying to do in the first "live" panel. Its the right thing to do in that situation, as she is further than "passed out drunk and threw up". I never had a problem with calling 911, just the idea that it should be immediate before you check on them to see how they are breathing, if they can be roused, and how their pulse is doing.

As for the "doing the right thing by calling 911 rather than chatting with his girlfriend", until he checked on her, he probably didn't realize how serious it was, and... just, I get a little tired of the forum acting like every character has to do the PERFECT thing in every single situation, or there is some blame to throw around. Its understandable. He's a 20-something, and his group of friends drinks regularly. Someone passed out having thrown up is probably NOT something that new to him. Should he have checked first then called 911, then called Claire? Probably, but its understandable and not worth the scorn being thrown at him over it.

Also, jesus guys, Faye isn't dead. What is up with the "is x dead" stuff? First Pintsize is dead oh no, now Faye is dead oh no! It just seems a little premature.

[BenRG]

My predictions for the rest of this arc (at the moment) go something like this:

• Marten's going to call everyone in; Dora will take some convincing to listen because, at first, she won't want to hear anything about Faye;
• Marten and Dora are going to have a screaming argument over whose fault this is and end up crying in each other's arms;
• I'm sticking with my 'hospital waiting room scene';
• When Faye wakes up, we're going to have a few light-hearted strips. She's going to wonder why her vision is blurry ("You haven't got your glasses on.") and may briefly fake amnesia just to freak out her friends ("That's nice but... who are you guys?");
• Marten or Dora will call Faye's mother;
• Faye probably won't be in hospital long but it will still be longer than she wants ("Marty! You've got to get me out of this place!");
• When she gets home, Faye is going to hug Pintsize and beg for his forgiveness; in a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, he'll ask for her forgiveness for not stopping her; this will lead to a general break-down and a teary group-hug.

In the longer term, the doctors are going to tell Faye that she has to stay on the wagon or find a new liver. She'll probably end up in AA and the whole experience will change her considerably. She'll still be Faye but she'll have moments of sad reflectiveness and be a bit less spontaneous.

[jwhouk]

Warning: While you were getting ready to post, the following things happened:

• The sheer number of posters broke Tapatalk, causing it to crash.
  
• The forums themselves crashed, with Cloudflare giving an Error 522 Connection timed out message (Ray ID: 1aeb951e8a3a042a).
  
• People on the forums are in a general state of panic.

You may wish to revise your plans at discussing the comic until, say, next month?

Wait, I don't even HAVE the "red text" warnings activated! 

[Larry of Super Saturn]

Hey, first time poster here.

Genuinely surprised you missed the crossover in the latest strip. Jeph knows his stuff.

(click to show/hide)

[Omega Entity]

Even if we don't put much significance in Faye punching Marten... what if Marten (or Dora) does?

And, yes, I know that Faye had a history of casual violence especially against Marten, but...

Honestly, I don't think Faye's mind would be together enough to even know what she was doing, herself. So, -she- might even be the one to place significance on the punch, possibly moreso than anyone else. It might also be something that, upon hearing about it, would help convince her that she really does need help, if she's punching her friends, meaning to or not.

I referred back to when I had my ambulance ride. In that brief moment when I was semi-conscious, I had no idea what the hell was going on, only that I was trying to obey the commands that were being given to me. With Faye being drunk, and with her natural disposition, it could have been a visceral fear response as much as anything else.

I highly doubt she had any conscious thought of what she was doing or what was going on, especially considering how utterly loaded she is/was, and how little she was seeing of the big picture considering how brief her periods of semi-consciousness - and it -is- semi-consciousness; there's no such thing as snapping to clear lucidity from out cold, and the panels pretty much indicate that she's barely coming to the surface before dipping under again. Otherwise, she'd be registering speech, and we'd be seeing the speech bubbles since we're looking at things from her perspective right now.

As for the "doing the right thing by calling 911 rather than chatting with his girlfriend", until he checked on her, he probably didn't realize how serious it was, and... just, I get a little tired of the forum acting like every character has to do the PERFECT thing in every single situation, or there is some blame to throw around. Its understandable. He's a 20-something, and his group of friends drinks regularly. Someone passed out having thrown up is probably NOT something that new to him. Should he have checked first then called 911, then called Claire? Probably, but its understandable and not worth the scorn being thrown at him over it.

Honestly, I read it more as a 'here we go again' expression from Martin, as he gets some quick damage control out of the way before addressing the problem at hand. He was standing over her right by the couch, so it'd be pretty obvious she was breathing. If they're breathing, they're good for the moment.

[LilBlueSky]

My opinion is that Faye will go to rehab but won't go without a fight. I see Dora slapping her and telling her that she's going to die if she doesn't stop.

I too see the need for a new liver.

[Omega Entity]

Hey, first time poster here.

Genuinely surprised you missed the crossover in the latest strip. Jeph knows his stuff.

(click to show/hide)

Ugh. Really? You seriously went there?

[jwhouk]

Hey, first time poster here.

Genuinely surprised you missed the crossover in the latest strip. Jeph knows his stuff.

(click to show/hide)

 

{Presses CTRL+ALT+DELETE on his keyboard}

[LilBlueSky]

Is anyone else hitting refresh every so often to keep up with the postings?

[jwhouk]

Is anyone else hitting refresh every so often to keep up with the postings?

Can't. I wasn't kidding about the "broke Tapatalk" or the "Server Error" thing.

[LilBlueSky]

Is anyone else hitting refresh every so often to keep up with the postings?

Can't. I wasn't kidding about the "broke Tapatalk" or the "Server Error" thing.

Weird cuz I'm currently using Tapatalk without issue.

[jwhouk]

I went to look at the next page, and suddenly BRPT and I'm back on my homepage on my iPad. 

[sluthy]

Weird cuz I'm currently using Tapatalk without issue.

I was getting "server not responding" for a while there, seems good now.

True. Although I personally do think that her punching him is significant. At least it is to Marten. He may be understanding at first but when she gets upset with him for forcing her to go to the hospital, he may get angry at her.

Cuz ya know, we HAVE been seeing a more take-charge Marty lately.

The punch might put him in Dora's tough love camp but I don't think any further.

What's the general protocol for how long alcohol poisoning patients stay in a bed? Are they generally turfed once they sober up and get a "drugs are bad mkay" talk, or would they hold onto Faye longer for observation if Marten mentions the recent breakup and history of drinking? I'd like to see everyone give her a bedside intervention while she's still strapped down (she could wake up groggy and cranky enough to yank her cannula out and try to leave, or start swinging again).

[LilBlueSky]

I went to look at the next page, and suddenly BRPT and I'm back on my homepage on my iPad.  [emoji14]syduck:

Man that sucks. I'm on Android... idk if that'd make a difference or not.

[LilBlueSky]

Weird cuz I'm currently using Tapatalk without issue.

I was getting "server not responding" for a while there, seems good now.

True. Although I personally do think that her punching him is significant. At least it is to Marten. He may be understanding at first but when she gets upset with him for forcing her to go to the hospital, he may get angry at her.

Cuz ya know, we HAVE been seeing a more take-charge Marty lately.

The punch might put him in Dora's tough love camp but I don't think any further.

What's the general protocol for how long alcohol poisoning patients stay in a bed? Are they generally turfed once they sober up and get a "drugs are bad mkay" talk, or would they hold onto Faye longer for observation if Marten mentions the recent breakup and history of drinking? I'd like to see everyone give her a bedside intervention while she's still strapped down (she could wake up groggy and cranky enough to yank her cannula out and try to leave, or start swinging again).

She may have to stay in bed until her alcohol turns back to blood, and until she stabilizes. So maybe a day or two.

[hakko504]

Is anyone else hitting refresh every so often to keep up with the postings?

Can't. I wasn't kidding about the "broke Tapatalk" or the "Server Error" thing.

Weird cuz I'm currently using Tapatalk without issue.

Another tapatalk user without problems here. Fastest way of following all new posts when the forum goes crazy like this.
I must admit that I didn't realize at first that it was Faye that punched Marten, but after reading the strip a couple of times I see that there can't be another explanation for the fist. I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow. I hope we'll see how the other characters react when they find out, especially Dora.

Sent from my Xperia Z3

[hedgie]

What's the general protocol for how long alcohol poisoning patients stay in a bed? Are they generally turfed once they sober up and get a "drugs are bad mkay" talk, or would they hold onto Faye longer for observation if Marten mentions the recent breakup and history of drinking? I'd like to see everyone give her a bedside intervention while she's still strapped down (she could wake up groggy and cranky enough to yank her cannula out and try to leave, or start swinging again).

They generally won't release her until she's medically stable.  If she's deemed to be a danger to herself/others, at least in CA, she'd then be sent to a mental hospital.

[Omega Entity]

The site crashed for me, and I was on a computer.

[SeaWoodStage]

I've been reading QC for years, but this is the comic that finally compelled me to join the forum, just because this is the first time a strip has ever provoked a genuine, strong emotional response in me, and I absolutely had to have an outlet to say so. Silly I know but there you go. It's Marten's face in panel one that does it for me - I think it's the best thing Jeph's ever drawn because it's so completely expressive.

Also, gaaaahhhhhh.

[jwhouk]

Oh yeah, I've been getting 404 errors on my computer on the forums, too...

If it's gonna be like this all week... 

[LilBlueSky]

I've been reading QC for years, but this is the comic that finally compelled me to join the forum, just because this is the first time a strip has ever provoked a genuine, strong emotional response in me, and I absolutely had to have an outlet to say so. Silly I know but there you go. It's Marten's face in panel one that does it for me - I think it's the best thing Jeph's ever drawn because it's so completely expressive.

Also, gaaaahhhhhh.

Yeah same. I joined the forum a long time ago, but only really started posting today because "GAAAAHHHH!!!"

[jwhouk]

Oh hell...

Internal Server Error

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, [email protected] and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

[LilBlueSky]

Heh well there's the aforementioned error. Lets try to post this again...

My other guess is that Faye isn't going to see that she has a problem at first, then she may break down Because she's going to re-live her father's suicide.

I feel so bad for her and the QC gang right now. This is some serious "adulting" stuff here.

[ASB84]

I wasn't sure if the arc would end up going this way, but without wanting to sound ghoulish, I'm glad that it did. I think it's showing way more respect to the characters and the subject matter not to play it for laughs or downplay the severity of the situation. Having Faye simply wake up with the mother of all hangovers just wouldn't be as powerful or captivating storytelling. This was very well executed.

I know I'm late to the party on the whole "Close to Home" debate, but I'll just add...who's to say that it doesn't have a double or triple meaning, encompassing all of the suggestions thus far? And even if Jeph intends it to be one thing, it certainly lends itself to other interpretations.'

As for the future, count me in as someone who believes this is going to be a scary moment, not a tragic one.

[Wildroses]

My parents and I have been emailing each other about this storyline. Over the weekend we were emailing each other phrases like: "The ripple effects in the cast should be interesting" and "I see Faye spreading angst and hard decisions among the social circle" and then on Monday this comic gets posted. I'm torn between feeling proud at how well we appear to have called it and vowing never to email my parents about QC storylines ever again.

I was more upset when Faye got furious at Dora not because she was fired but because Dora told her she needed help. I'd been hoping getting fired would have Faye realise she needed help, but the fact she was angry indicated it wasn't enough. So when this posted I was: "Woo hoo! This is great! NOW maybe Faye will realise she needs help!" Needless to say, this would not have been my reaction if someone outside of fiction land got themselves a visit to hospital with alcohol poisoning.

[techkid]

There are very few times that a fictional work has had me in tears. This is one, and I am just... stunned. I hope this resolves in a positive way, but we (and Faye) are entirely at Jeph's mercy.

(click to show/hide)

The last time was when I was watching Avatar while drunk. It is hard to watch when your emotional defences are down.

[FilliamHMuffman]

I personally don't like Faye, I don't think anyone would like her in real life. I don't think it is funny or cute when she punches him, especially when he is saving her from alcohol poisoning. I am certain that Faye is not dead, probably just passed out as the alcohol continues to be absorbed into her bloodstream. I will say that I think her death would be a benefit for the comic in multiple ways. I have felt for a long time that there are too many characters anyway and that many characters don't show development because of this.

[dsvella]

Ok, dusting off the old account again:

Firstly: Bloody Hell.

Secondly: Well done Jeph, *Tips hat*

[ReindeerFlotilla]

I personally don't like Faye, I don't think anyone would like her in real life. I don't think it is funny or cute when she punches him, especially when he is saving her from alcohol poisoning. I am certain that Faye is not dead, probably just passed out as the alcohol continues to be absorbed into her bloodstream. I will say that I think her death would be a benefit for the comic in multiple ways. I have felt for a long time that there are too many characters anyway and that many characters don't show development because of this.

Yes! YYYESSSS!

Embrace your hate! Soon your journey towards the dark side will be... Complete.

[tmofee]

I've had a friend who has had similar things happen to her.

If the doctors there think that Faye is a threat to herself, she'll end up in the psych ward. if its a silly drunken escapade a serious talking to and notfiying next of kin etc...

they saw her attack marten. i have the feeling she's not going anywhere....

[aphanisis81]

Y'all know what's really frustrating? There's a blizzard en route to the northeast that's predicted to be "historic." 2+ feet of snow and hurricane-force winds. Last time that happened, Jeph lost power - as people in western Mass tend to - for like 5 days and we had a slew of guest strips in the middle of a Padma arc.

Fingers crossed that doesn't happen this time. Having QC updates at this point in the story would be a nice way to break up the monotony of being snowbound.

[pelotard]

Faye's very unlikely to be dead. Alcohol poisoning kills you by knocking out the brain stem, which stops the breathing reflex. That's why you're advised to check the breathing of anyone drunk and unconscious: if they breathe normally, there's a fair chance they're just sleeping; if they're not, dial your local emergency number NOW. (But don't take their breathing as gospel: try to wake them up, which is what Marten does in panel 1. If the say "Get lost", or anything intelligible and relevant at all, they're fine. If you can't make contact, again, call the local emergency number, which is what Marten did. Well done. By the book.) Faye stopped drinking some time before the last panel, probably a couple of hours or so, meaning her blood alcohol isn't going up any more, so she should be fine. And if she isn't, they'll put her on a ventilator and she will be fine. Except that she'll have a mother of a hangover when she wakes up.

All of this assumes that Jeph isn't messing things up further by Faye having a pre-existing medical condition like an aneurysm or whatever, but that's a bit like "and then the ambulance careened off the edge of Grand Canyon on the way to the hospital", which, er, No.

And she punched Marten simply because the weirdest things can look like a good idea when you're drunk. Trust me on that last one, said the bloke who once got himself locked up under a particle accelerator.

[Wildroses]

Come to think of it, are Faye's doctors going to be able to access enough of her medical history to see that she ended up spending two years dealing with a mental health issues after a serious car accident that may have been intentional? That could have some impact on how long they decide to keep her in hospital.

[katsmeat]

It struck me that Pintsize being turned off is quite relevant to the plot...

A  companion-AI would almost certainly have been given the ability to recognize and respond to medical emergencies; giving them that ability is only sensible.  For Marten to discover Faye, Pintsize must be out of the picture, otherwise he would have called an ambulance long before Marten returned.

[tmofee]

the heart monitor machine is pretty standard.

my first panic attack they hooked me up to one as well. she's not dead.

she MAY have had charcol/ stomach pump, IV drip to get fluids back into.

[tmofee]

A  companion-AI would almost certainly have been given the ability to recognize and respond to medical emergencies; giving them that ability is only sensible.  For Marten to discover Faye, Pintsize must be out of the picture, otherwise he would have called an ambulance long before Marten returned.

my guess he probably said something smart and copped faye rage...