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Tai - Pot

11 (13.8%)

Sven - Luuurrrve

24 (30%)

Marten - Zen

3 (3.8%)

Dora - Coffee

5 (6.3%)

Jim - Muffins

6 (7.5%)

Sam - Cane Toad Secretions

10 (12.5%)

Hannelore - Antiseptic Mouthwash

14 (17.5%)

Dale - Maple Syrup

7 (8.8%)

Total Members Voted: 74

[BenRG]

Well, this Tuesday is clearly ending on a harsh note! Some predictions for Wednesday (in universe):

• Tai is all mopey at work and eventually breaks down on the shoulder of a shocked, embarrassed and confused Claire or Marten (or both);
• Dora is snappy at work and Hannelore (still upset at Faye being fired) tells her off, visibly terrifying all the staff and customers (one of whom says: "Faye's back! They put her brain in Hannelore's body!")
• Dora decides to put her best foot forwards and goes to see Faye; Faye is going out to the support group but Marten is in and the two fall into conversation. Basically Marten does what Faye would have done: He calls her an idiot for risking her relationship with Tai - the best thing that she's had in her life for ages.

What happens after that very much depends on how Dora responds to Marten telling her off. Either she accepts that he is right (more likely) or she responds defensively and storms off after maybe blaming him for getting her into this situation; either way, she storms off, swearing never to talk to him or even acknowledge his existence again.

In the former case, I can see Faye coming home to find Marten trying to comfort a crying Dora. They call Tai and the two drive off together to have the long-overdue talk about their relationship and their future together.

In the latter case, I have a nightmare image of Marten being awoken at a very late hour by Tai on the 'phone. "Uh... Marty...? Could... could you come to the Emergency Room...? I... I came to see Dora to try to talk things over... She... She's been cutting and I think she hit something important... There was blood everywhere and... Please... Please, Marty, I need someone I know here right now..."

[Lubricus]

Tai doesn't call Marten "Marty", does she?

[BenRG]

Tai doesn't call Marten "Marty", does she?

Actually, I can't remember the last time that Tai actually named Marten... 

[Zebediah]

I feel like "diet coke and mentos" and "gaping orifice" are two very different kinds of discovery.

One sincerely hopes so. Because the combination of diet coke, mentos and a gaping orifice is just not something I want to ever see. 

[Omega Entity]

She feels out of control where it comes to them. However, by her actively pushing them away, it puts her in control of the situation in her mind, and forces -them- to come to -her- if they want to beg forgiveness from her.

And the breakup with Marten was because.......he didn't want to be the bitch of the relationship?

Actually, if you recall, -Dora- was the one who pretty decisively ended the relationship. She essentially told him "I love you, but it's over" with Marten staring at her slack jawed, since he went over expecting to patch things up, and didn't expect it to be over if his conversation just be for he headed over to Sven's is to be taken at face value. He had considered the fight as just another step in the usual song and dance that the relationship had become, up until Dora ended it. The 'we're both sick of her shit" comment from him doesn't make the breakup any less of Dora's doing, but is instead post-breakup bitterness after the fact, even if it was true.

[Nepiophage]

Nat's been written out of the strip, according to this.

In that same sentence, he said he wrote out any chance at happiness for Marten. Since Jeph obviously changed his mind about that, there is a possibility that some of the minor characters would come back from their bus trip.

How do we know that Marten & Claire's relationship is going to be happy? It's only a few days old.

[CaptainFish]

I feel like the real crux of this conversastion is panel 3. Tai makes a bare emotional statement, that she cares about Dora and is worried about her after making those decisions. Dora responds in the worst way someone can respond to an emotional statement: by dismissing the person's feelings. "Well, don't," basically tells Tai that she's wrong for feeling worried and thus wrong for caring that deeply about Dora. That's why Tai responds so drastically in panel 4. She's pleading for Dora to give her any sort of emotional connection.

The way I see it, Dora doesn't really want to explore the emotions behind her pragmatic decisions, because she worries they'll be in opposition to what she sees as correct choices. I think that would've worked as a response to Tai. I don't think she was looking for a specific answer, in fact I think panel 3 would've been the end of it had Dora said almost anything else. Instead she dismissed Tai's feelings to avoid thinking about her own. That's not okay! She should've at least said she appreicates Tai's concern.

This strip stands out in relief to the earlier strip where Claire asks Marten to expound on what his feelings are being in a relationship with a trans person. It's a strip I didn't get at the time, because Marten's positive emotions are shown in every interaction. Marten could've responded defensively in that vein saying, "don't I seem like I enjoy our relationship," but instead he just acknowledges Claire's need for some discussion and talks about his feelings explicitly. Communication!

One could argue that Tai's inquiry was about Dora's life and thus less worthy of a response than Claire's question about their relationship. However, I think both interactions stem from caring about the other partner and wanting to make sure they're okay. Maybe Tai doesn't deserve to critique Dora's choices, but she certainly deserves to know how she's feeling about them.

[i lost this post once so this version might be worse than the original, imagine it's 14% better than how it appears]

[BenRG]

Just an additional point. I think that today's strip is a direct sequel, in terms of Dora's character, to strip 2897.

Bottom line, Dora is building up pressure in her Guilt Boiler and I think that her snapping at Tai was the safety valve whilstling its warning. The question is, will it be enough to prevent another, more damaging explosion?

[Traptin]

I didn't know what "goatse'd" and "goatse" were. So I googled pictures. Oh my God my eyes can't unsee can't unsee Noooooooooooooooo

To be fair, I am but only 20 years old. So now I will be in that estimated 100% when I am 30.

I feel like "diet coke and mentos" and "gaping orifice" are two very different kinds of discovery.

One sincerely hopes so. Because the combination of diet coke, mentos and a gaping orifice is just not something I want to ever see. 

That can be arranged!

[dexeron]

Pintsize has not yet met May. I suspect she could match him crude joke for crude joke.

This would inevitably end with the two of them on the sofa with a USB cable connecting the two of them, exchanging hot packets all night long.

I so badly misread that, and just had this weird image of May and Pintsize chilling, eating really terrible deathfood.

[ASB84]

While Dora may be disregarding Tai's feelings - and I agree that it's fair to say that she is - Tai is doing the same thing to her, only with better intentions. Dora's current approach to dealing with these issues isn't healthy, but she's also not in a place where she's ready to discuss them at length, or change her stance. If nothing else, maybe she doesn't feel like talking about right now, at this very moment with Tai. Perhaps she just wants to unwind after a day at work, and not think about all that right now.

Tai isn't completely out of line for pushing the issue, and it's fair that she wants that connection with Dora. At the same time, her approach was lacking in tact. Furthermore, if Dora does just want to unwind after a long day at work, and not get into some heavy issues in her life right now, is that something Tai really understands? After all, her approach to work is far more relaxed, and without the same burdens and stress that Dora is under. Her "Would it kill you to open up a little?" could also be read as a bit whiny, as much as it may be good advice. What's more important: that Tai feel validated, or Dora be given some space and allowed to deal with a tough issue in her own time?

It's been brought up already, but I also think it's important to keep the extent of Dora's pushing people away in perspective. We're talking about two people, not a whole lot (to use the word Tai did) or a constant stream of people. Just two. The first is someone who is a family member, yes, but also someone that she does have a strained relationship with. The trigger event was iffy and somewhat of an overreaction, but it's a little more understandable in the grand scheme of things, when their whole history is taken into account. The second person is someone who made a huge mistake and forced her to make a tough but reasonable decision as an employer, which unfortunately had additional ramifications due to them also being friends. Giving Faye her space is not a bad idea, given the circumstances.

As far as the future of Dora and Tai's relationship, perhaps this will be a good thing. Perhaps it will encourage Dora to open up a little. Perhaps they can grow as a couple, because the argument will allow Tai to get over her infatuation - and she's been infatuated for a LONG time - and they can settle into a stable, post-honeymoon period relationship.

I really don't think any of the cast members are in a position to scold Dora, either...least of all Marten. I mean, if he's going to criticise anyone for being passive or passive-aggressive, they've got so much ammunition against him that he'll be apologising for weeks.

Besides, that's the wrong tact. Dora needs to be offered a calm and logical perspective, or asked a question that is firm but non-confrontational; something that will prompt her to evaluate the situation and help her move forward in dealing with it. Confrontation and lectures are not going to be effective, they're only going to trigger defenses and cause insult.

Come to think of it, Dora and Faye are basically opposites in how they should be helped by the rest of the gang. With Faye's abrasiveness and preference for intimidation, it takes a stern remark (such as the one Hanners delivered last week) or blunt question/statement (see some of her early interactions with Raven) to cut through her defenses and get a message through. With Dora's temper and insecurities, letting her calm down and appealing to her common sense and rationale seems a more effective approach.

[TRVA123]

Now that I'm thinking about it, did Dora ever open up to Marten? I mean, they dated for at least a year, yet Sven is the one who told Marten about Dora's relationship history. I'm not saying people are obligated to disclose past relationships to their lover, but usually if you've been dating for a long time you will talk about those kind of topics.

Dora just might not be used to a relationship where your partner wants to know what motivates you. Or maybe she is too used to it, and someone she dated in the past, and opened up to, used that as a way to abuse her.

[CaptainFish]

While Dora may be disregarding Tai's feelings - and I agree that it's fair to say that she is - Tai is doing the same thing to her, only with better intentions. Dora's current approach to dealing with these issues isn't healthy, but

[1] she's also not in a place where she's ready to discuss them at length, or change her stance.

[2] she doesn't feel like talking about right now, at this very moment with Tai.

[3] she just wants to unwind after a day at work, and not think about all that right now.

I think these would all be great responses to Tai's statement in panel 3, and I think Tai would've acquiesced. Of course she would understand needing time to get over a trust issue with a close friend. 2 would've lead to some more relationship trouble, but in a more civil manner. The problem is she didn't say anything about her emotional condition.

All your statements have a time aspect to them that is accurate to how I believe the comic will play out. With time and some intervention from friends, Dora will be able to deal with this stuff. But nothing about her answers to Tai convey that she feels like this is something she needs to manage over time. She made the decisions in the past and now she doesn't want to think about them anymore. If she actually said that to Tai it would still be a better answer than 'stop worrying about me,' but would've revealed how unhealthy her way of dealing with the situation is.

[Half Empty Coffee Cup]

Goddamnit, Dora. That's not how you relationship.

[eschaton]

It's interesting to consider that Jeph has never portrayed a "bad" relationship in strip.  I don't mean one devoid of conflict.  I mean a character getting involved with someone who was manipulative, abusive, etc.  We *know* Dora has a past like this, but we didn't see it in the comic, which makes it somewhat distant.  It might just be that Jeph isn't a sadist, and doesn't like to see his characters suffer needlessly. 

Actually, that makes me think about the real reason that Dora dislikes Sven so much, despite him not doing anything that bad to her.  I bet Sven's antics with the ladies remind her a lot of at least one, if not more, horrible exes she had.  Sven is selfish and self-absorbed, but he isn't manipulative or abusive.  But I could see Dora considering his declaration of love an attempt at entrapment - him trying to play mind games with Faye to get her under his control again.  Given how control-obsessed she is, that's how I think she'd read the situation anyway. 

[Aziraphale]

But Dora's actions seem like those of someone who's been asked, or asked themselves, which is more important: control, or people.

Presenting a dichotomy like that is odd. "People" seems to be being defined as people other than Dora. Doesn't "people" include Dora? Are not her interests just as important as those of Sven and Faye? Is Dora being offered the same sort of consideration that people seem to be asking of her?

You're presenting a feature as a bug. The whole point of this argument is that Dora is creating the dichotomy, not others. She doesn't want to deal with her brother's entitlement issues. She doesn't want to take the initiative to rebuild the bridges with Faye. She seems to need to set the terms of her every interpersonal interaction. With her troubled (bordering on abused) background, this need isn't surprising. However, empathy for her troubles and understanding that Tai isn't exactly brilliant at getting through walls doesn't in any way change the fact that Dora has her own troubles to address.

Ben gets at most of what I would've said, so I'm going to add one small thing: Of course it's an "odd" dichotomy. Most of us wouldn't view it as one or the other; we control what we can, let go of what we can't (with varying degrees of difficulty), and try to understand and deal with people whose motives, experiences, and issues may be nothing like our own. It's a balancing act, and nobody gets it 100% right 100% of the time.

And of course Dora matters; my point, though, is that her actions are ultimately hurting her every bit as much as the people around her, at least in part because she comes down on the wrong side of the line between self-interest and selfishness every bit as often as the people she's so angry at.

[anahata]

While Dora may be disregarding Tai's feelings - and I agree that it's fair to say that she is - Tai is doing the same thing to her, only with better intentions. Dora's current approach to dealing with these issues isn't healthy, but

[1] she's also not in a place where she's ready to discuss them at length, or change her stance.

[2] she doesn't feel like talking about right now, at this very moment with Tai.

[3] she just wants to unwind after a day at work, and not think about all that right now.

I think these would all be great responses to Tai's statement in panel 3, and I think Tai would've acquiesced.

Yes, and I think I've just realised it's Dora's dismissive reply that was ringing alarm bells for me. Simply "Well don't (worry)" is not reassuring in this context, as Dora is obviously under some stress and does need to talk to someone about it, and if not Tai, then who?
Or she thinks everything is just fine, when it's obviously not.

[Zebediah]

Pintsize has not yet met May. I suspect she could match him crude joke for crude joke.

This would inevitably end with the two of them on the sofa with a USB cable connecting the two of them, exchanging hot packets all night long.

I so badly misread that, and just had this weird image of May and Pintsize chilling, eating really terrible deathfood.

Well, they might do that too. Pintsize is into some pretty kinky stuff.

[aphanisis81]

Tai doesn't call Marten "Marty", does she?

Actually, I can't remember the last time that Tai actually named Marten... 

I don't know if it's the most recent time, but shortly after the big Dora/Marten breakup, when the latter is trying to decide where to go for lunch, Tai calls him "poor emo Marten." Why that leapt into my brain the moment I read your post, I have no idea....

It's also one of few strips that outright name-checks Northampton.

[Endellion]

Well, this Tuesday is clearly ending on a harsh note! Some predictions for Wednesday (in universe):

• Tai is all mopey at work and eventually breaks down on the shoulder of a shocked, embarrassed and confused Claire or Marten (or both);
• Dora is snappy at work and Hannelore (still upset at Faye being fired) tells her off, visibly terrifying all the staff and customers (one of whom says: "Faye's back! They put her brain in Hannelore's body!")
• Dora decides to put her best foot forwards and goes to see Faye; Faye is going out to the support group but Marten is in and the two fall into conversation. Basically Marten does what Faye would have done: He calls her an idiot for risking her relationship with Tai - the best thing that she's had in her life for ages.

I can see Tai stopping off at Marten's to get some relationship advice/compare notes on Dora's behaviour.

[aphanisis81]

I think the world's pretty nice... And people have tried murdering me (that's not hyperbole), so I think that gives a bit of weight to my opinion...

Thinking the world is already a bad place is no excuse for acting like a dick.

If there's ever a phrase I would be willing to get tattooed on my arm, that's it.

[Is it cold in here?]

Administrator Comment

The Report to Moderator button is 100% justified in cases like the jerk upthread. If you're new and not sure when to use it, that situation was a good example.

[Khazgar]

Thank you for wielding the banhammer with such skill and sensitivity. I read all of that guy's posts and they made me either sad or angry, not sure which. Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity!

[Aziraphale]

The Report to Moderator button is 100% justified in cases like the jerk upthread. If you're new and not sure when to use it, that situation was a good example.

I came a bit late to that situation, and figured that he'd already been reported. Also figured, given that he'd been reported and the mods had already interacted with him, that if he hadn't been banned by then he probably wasn't going to be.

[aliensporebomb]

Feel kind of bad for Dora.  She's an expert at protecting herself by pushing people away but someday she's going to come home from her successful coffee shop and wonder where all her friends and loves went. 

[Khazgar]

Back on topic - Dora has got a lot to work through at the moment. It's interesting that she refuses to look at Hannelore in strip 2886 when asking her to give a message to Faye in the hospital, and then also looks away from Tai in today's strip while saying "not my fault, they forced my hand". My interpretation would be that deep down, she knows that she is wrong, and doesn't want to even look into the eyes of her friend and girlfriend to see their reaction when she says what she, herself, knows to be wrong.

I think inside she is a big bundle of doubt and fear and the only way she can cope is to build a shell to protect herself from the world. Anyone that she can't cope with or that threatens to damage the shell gets pushed away.

I think I said it a week or so ago, I'm guessing Dora might be the next breakdown.

[Rghfrgl]

Actually, I can't remember the last time that Tai actually named Marten... 

She thought he was Mark all this time. That's where that hippy got it.

[aliensporebomb]

Meanwhile, the thought of Faye's brain in Hanners body cracks me up.  And vice versa.  Imagine the hijinks.  But seriously.

[Elder Sign]

I think I said it a week or so ago, I'm guessing Dora might be the next breakdown.

In a sense, it would seem she already is, if mildly.  She's retreated from contact with others and is wallowing in guilt, denial, self-doubt, etc. -- anyone's threshold will vary, but it doesn't have to be a Faye-esque life-threatening medical episode to be termed a breakdown.

Of course, we do have Thread #3000 in the relatively near future, so what kind of wham that milestone will entail is debatable.  It seems likely to be directly or at least tangentially related to the Faye/Sven/Dora/Tai ball of drama, since the only other main plotline active in recent times has been Claire/Marten, and short of them exhibiting substantial strife (too soon for that much whiplash) or marrying (REALLY too soon), Jeph already expended pretty much any conceivable relationship growth developments for them during the Squeepocalypse (c. #2800 to c. #2900).

It really does seem to me like there is some Law of Conservation of Happiness amongst the QC cast, and the sheer cartoonish rainbows-and-unicorns of Clairten has not only consumed and replaced Faye/Angus but is now inexorably drawing Dora/Tai towards its event horizon as well.

Meanwhile, the thought of Faye's brain in Hanners body cracks me up.  And vice versa.  Imagine the hijinks.  But seriously.

Great, now I have this mental image of Faye-Hanners (Fanners? Haye?) as some kind of melded eldritch entity akin to an Archon.  POWER OVERWHELMING

[Kugai]

Either this Friday or next, I expect to see Dora finally crash.

[TheCaffeinatedPanda]

Meanwhile, the thought of Faye's brain in Hanners body cracks me up.  And vice versa.  Imagine the hijinks.  But seriously.

[chaospersonified]

Feel kind of bad for Dora.  She's an expert at protecting herself by pushing people away but someday she's going to come home from her successful coffee shop and wonder where all her friends and loves went.

This. I read her recent comics and everything about her expressions looks to me like someone who's barely holding it together right now. Her need to control others is controlling her and her stubbornness to admit she was wrong is controlling her.

I think she knows where this is all heading; I don't think she wanted it to be like this, but her pride is getting too much in the way.

She's definitely breaking down. Marten's going to come into CoD sooner or later, and there's going to be talk.

[mary tyler murder]

honestly anyone who tells you some shit like "would it kill you to open up" is someone i aint ever opening up to at all

you can deal with me bein as open as i need to be at the moment and i'll pay you the same courtesy

[mary tyler murder]

i'll  be the voice of disagreement here for real though, by which i mean voice of bein correct:

Dora's right, faye was a sloppy drunk and fucked up

Everyone calling Dora "controlling" is wrong and dumb, she runs CoD with the loosest hand ever and only asks that people not be sloppy drunks on the job? WTF job has anyone ever had where being a sloppy drunk on the job was okay?

The controlling one right now is Tai for giving some twatty lecture on Opening Up instead of payin attention to Dora and what she needs right now.

Dora's avoiding people's eyes right now cause she knows everyone around her wants to get her into another stupid fight over some shit that needs to be settled and done with cause it aint her job to fix Faye bein a fuckup, shit's real simple n the other people in this imaginary comic of imaginary people need to R E S P E C T

[chaospersonified]

i'll  be the voice of disagreement here for real though, by which i mean voice of bein correct:

Dora's right, faye was a sloppy drunk and fucked up

Everyone calling Dora "controlling" is wrong and dumb, she runs CoD with the loosest hand ever and only asks that people not be sloppy drunks on the job? WTF job has anyone ever had where being a sloppy drunk on the job was okay?

The controlling one right now is Tai for giving some twatty lecture on Opening Up instead of payin attention to Dora and what she needs right now.

Dora's avoiding people's eyes right now cause she knows everyone around her wants to get her into another stupid fight over some shit that needs to be settled and done with cause it aint her job to fix Faye bein a fuckup, shit's real simple n the other people in this imaginary comic of imaginary people need to R E S P E C T

I never said she was in the wrong. She was absolutely right to fire Faye.

HOWEVER:
Being a chill boss is not the same thing as not having control issues. Look no further than her relationship with Marten to see she has those.

 She couldn't keep Sven from being himself, so she cut him out of her life.

Tai wants her to TALK. Yes, she was too pushy, but clearly this is a thing that has happened before in the relationship and Dora never did open up before. There is a pattern and it's that Dora hides in her shell, pushing people away who don't want to hurt her.

[cesariojpn]

Also, there are other interpretations of that scene.

Oh, you saw the one with the raptor, huh?

We don't know which one's correct, there are ways for any interpretation to actually fit, it's incredibly rude to speculate (and hurtful to trans people that have a lot of shit to deal with), speculation is not allowed here, and Jeph will never say what her status in that regard is.

To be fair, Jeph kinda sho.......um.....wrote himself into a very weird position with the strip. While he can control what goes on here, he can't exactly control what happens elsewhere. He put out a strip, and invited unsolicited discussion about it, whether he likes it or not.

How do we know that Marten & Claire's relationship is going to be happy? It's only a few days old.

People want it to be happy, but have attached such unrealistic expectations to it that I wouldn't be surprised if down the road it does implode. Several heterosexual relationships have sunk (Marten/Dora, Marten/Padma, Amir/Natasha, Sven/Faye, Angus/Faye, there was one more, whos names escape me....), and now we have a Lesbian relationship on the rocks. 

Bottom line, Dora is building up pressure in her Guilt Boiler and I think that her snapping at Tai was the safety valve whilstling its warning. The question is, will it be enough to prevent another, more damaging explosion?

Why do I have a feeling Sam will be the one that makes her explode? She hasn't had a stellar track record with Dora. Guessing it'll take Sam to go thru the doors of CoD, asking where Faye is, and Dora trips her shit.

In the latter case, I have a nightmare image of Marten being awoken at a very late hour by Tai on the 'phone. "Uh... Marty...? Could... could you come to the Emergency Room...? I... I came to see Dora to try to talk things over... She... She's been cutting and I think she hit something important... There was blood everywhere and... Please... Please, Marty, I need someone I know here right now..."

Or she breaks down the door instead of jimmying the lock.

[Elder Sign]

i'll  be the voice of disagreement here for real though, by which i mean voice of bein correct:

I may not have posted here much, but whether your points are correct or not, I can tell you that kind of attitude gets no one far at all.  Read the last couple of pages of this thread for a fresh reminder.

... Tai ... twatty ...

Ditto.  That can easily be taken as outright misogynistic.

We don't know which one's correct, there are ways for any interpretation to actually fit, it's incredibly rude to speculate (and hurtful to trans people that have a lot of shit to deal with), speculation is not allowed here, and Jeph will never say what her status in that regard is.

To be fair, Jeph kinda sho.......um.....wrote himself into a very weird position with the strip. While he can control what goes on here, he can't exactly control what happens elsewhere. He put out a strip, and invited unsolicited discussion about it, whether he likes it or not.

While I too would inherently like questions to be answered instead of being left ambiguous, Claire's physical/biological status is ultimately trivial and of no material importance to the plot.  The way QC has been written and run, Claire could be a straight cis-gendered woman instead of trans* and it would make virtually no narrative difference at all.

I applaud Jeph for handling it that way and resisting the temptation to make her character and storylines revolve around her trans* status (even if I think she's getting way too much focus lavished upon her because of it).  The only way we will truly achieve equality in trans* issues is for us to learn not to care about someone's trans*/cis status in the first place.

[Is it cold in here?]

Everyone calling Dora "controlling" is wrong and dumb

Including her therapist?

There aren't a lot of dumb people here ...

[Omega Entity]

i'll  be the voice of disagreement here for real though, by which i mean voice of bein correct:

Dora's right, faye was a sloppy drunk and fucked up

Everyone calling Dora "controlling" is wrong and dumb, she runs CoD with the loosest hand ever and only asks that people not be sloppy drunks on the job? WTF job has anyone ever had where being a sloppy drunk on the job was okay?

The controlling one right now is Tai for giving some twatty lecture on Opening Up instead of payin attention to Dora and what she needs right now.

Dora's avoiding people's eyes right now cause she knows everyone around her wants to get her into another stupid fight over some shit that needs to be settled and done with cause it aint her job to fix Faye bein a fuckup, shit's real simple n the other people in this imaginary comic of imaginary people need to R E S P E C T

My, what an ego we have. I can't tell if you're being serious or glib in that first line.

Y'know, if you're going to ramble on about respect, you miiiiight want to practice what you preach by not calling people who disagree with you dumb.  Bonus points if you can have a serious discussion without throwing female-based derogatory slurs around.

[Natswash]

I think the problem Dora is experiencing is she feels like she doesn't have much control over the comic anymore by virtue of no longer being dating the main protaganist and is lashing out at those around in a desperate attempt to steal control of the strip from the author.
Faye getting fired? Dora's choice and radically altered the plot because it sent Faye to the hospital.
Sven no longer being seen? Sibling love is real and she's trying to make him a part of the cast again b creating drama around him
This lashing out at Tai? creating drama with the protaganist's friend/boss is an excellent way to gain time in the strip.
It's all a very clever ruse to steal control from Jeph

Warning - while you were thinking of zany hijinks more suited to a strip with little to no fourth wall a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review the mood of the forum and be serious.

[Gladstone]

In the former case, I can see Faye coming home to find Marten trying to comfort a crying Dora. They call Tai and the two drive off together to have the long-overdue talk about their relationship and their future together.

In the latter case, I have a nightmare image of Marten being awoken at a very late hour by Tai on the 'phone. "Uh... Marty...? Could... could you come to the Emergency Room...? I... I came to see Dora to try to talk things over... She... She's been cutting and I think she hit something important... There was blood everywhere and... Please... Please, Marty, I need someone I know here right now..."

Next week on QC, shocking revelations about Faye's real father, Hannelore's evil clone returns to finish the job, and Marten receives another call from the hospital...

STEVE: "Marten, I--I don't have much time.  The nurse is saying it's time to go.  I had to talk to you before--before it happens."
MARTEN: "Steve..."
STEVE: "No, don't say anything.  Listen, man, if I don't make it out of this--"
MARTEN: "Steve..."
STEVE: "No, LISTEN! Take care of my girl for me, Marten.  I love you like a brother, man, and you're the only one I know can make her happy--"
MARTEN: "STEVE!"
STEVE: "WHAT?!"
MARTEN: "IT'S JUST A COLONOSCOPY!"

And more!  Don't forget to tune in next week for more exciting stories on...QUESTIONABLE CONTENT!

Brought to you by Hot Pockets.

[Mr. Black Licorice]

In the former case, I can see Faye coming home to find Marten trying to comfort a crying Dora. They call Tai and the two drive off together to have the long-overdue talk about their relationship and their future together.

In the latter case, I have a nightmare image of Marten being awoken at a very late hour by Tai on the 'phone. "Uh... Marty...? Could... could you come to the Emergency Room...? I... I came to see Dora to try to talk things over... She... She's been cutting and I think she hit something important... There was blood everywhere and... Please... Please, Marty, I need someone I know here right now..."

Next week on QC, shocking revelations about Faye's real father, Hannelore's evil clone returns to finish the job, and Marten receives another call from the hospital...

STEVE: "Marten, I--I don't have much time.  The nurse is saying it's time to go.  I had to talk to you before--before it happens."
MARTEN: "Steve..."
STEVE: "No, don't say anything.  Listen, man, if I don't make it out of this--"
MARTEN: "Steve..."
STEVE: "No, LISTEN! Take care of my girl for me, Marten.  I love you like a brother, man, and you're the only one I know can make her happy--"
MARTEN: "STEVE!"
STEVE: "WHAT?!"
MARTEN: "IT'S JUST A COLONOSCOPY!"

And more!  Don't forget to tune in next week for more exciting stories on...QUESTIONABLE CONTENT!

Brought to you by Hot Pockets.

And we come full circle, ladies and gentlemen... From alcoholism to goatse references and back again.

^{Mmm!  Hot Pockets.}

[cesariojpn]

While I too would inherently like questions to be answered instead of being left ambiguous, Claire's physical/biological status is ultimately trivial and of no material importance to the plot.

Humans are curious by nature. Just live with that fact and move on now.....

[Elder Sign]

While I too would inherently like questions to be answered instead of being left ambiguous, Claire's physical/biological status is ultimately trivial and of no material importance to the plot.

Humans are curious by nature. Just live with that fact and move on now.....

Did I not just admit as much myself in the exact same sentence you just quoted?

I really don't care and can't control what people debate on here, on Tumblr, on 4chan or [insert hipsters' mass flavour-of-the-month medium].  I just don't think that the subject matters, nor that it should matter in the first place, if we ever want to get to the truly progressive societal end result that we supposedly want to get to.

Characters' actions, reactions, choices, personalities, attitudes, consequences on the plot, etc. are all very valid and applicable questions and issues to pursue.  The specifics of their genitalia are not.  In this forum's case, the mods have strict rules on appropriate and inappropriate discussion topics for good reasons, which generally boil down to sparing everyone more trouble than the subjects in question are worth.  Don't like it?  Take it up with them.

[valkygrrl]

There aren't a lot of dumb people here ...

Ahem *raises hand*

[Traptin]

To be honest, in comic 2897, it feels to me like Dora is rationalising, Faye being fired, to herself. Which means that she does have some guilt and doubt over this. Personally I do think it is a no-brainer to fire Faye after such a thing and Dora did kinda warn Faye here and she were also clear with the rules, so she had to fire Faye. On the other hand, the one firing Faye was Boss Dora, not Friend Dora* (who we can see here: 2676 ) I am sad that Dora was not able to let go of her boss persona in comic 2886 and went inside to check up on Faye herself. She does look sad and stuff though, but still. One of her closest friends was close to die. Maybe it is guilt and some kind of embarrassment that hindered her to go inside.

On another note, I wonder if Faye will blackmail Dora now when she got fired.

*Admittedly, it could be seen as a good move from a friend as well. That is up for debate.

[explicit]

There aren't a lot of dumb people here ...

Ahem *raises hand*

I know, I thought it was kinda mean for him to do that to us dumb people. We may be the minority, but we are proud people!

[valkygrrl]

There aren't a lot of dumb people here ...

Ahem *raises hand*

I know, I thought it was kinda mean for him to do that to us dumb people. We may be the minority, but we are proud people!

Then there's a pair of us — don't tell! They'd banish us, you know.

[MooskiNet]

I know, I thought it was kinda mean for him to do that to us dumb people. We may be the minority, but we are proud people!

I think maybe you're confusing pushing the boundaries of sanity with dumbness. 

You ain't dumb, is what I'm sayin'.   

The other thing?  Yeah, you're that, alright.

[TheCaffeinatedPanda]

It amuses me that lately we always seem to swing back around to the subject of ambiguous genitalia, regardless of the subject of the latest comic.

For my money, I liked Dora a lot more earlier on in the strip, especially when she and Marten were heading into the highs of their relationship. I still like her, as I like all of the characters (Hanners and Sven being my top two, although Sven's confession to Faye didn't quite seem to fit his character - he may be self centred, but I would argue that he's no more selfish than most of the other characters.), but it seems to me that her control issues have actually been getting worse, not better, of late.

I like that the humour's back on form, though