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Skip forward ten years and tell everyone to 'use your imagination to fill in the blanks'!

Jim proposes to Veronica!

Clairedad doth returneth! QC's answer to Amazi-Girl is born!

Angus's job flops and he comes crawling back to Faye!

Faye gets a new job!

Deathmøle demo tape is a hit! Stardom awaits!

Dora vs Sven, to the victor the family acceptance!

"Clin-ton... I'm... not a real girl!"

[celticgeek]

Or maybe as her boyfling.

[jheartney]

Nice way to reintegrate COD, especially with the sly reference to Faye. BTW, wasn't Faye's method of making a banana smoothie to just hammer a banana, peel and all, into a cup? Emily is weird.

[Omega Entity]

That's precisely what Faye's rendition of a banana smoothie was, yes.

[Neko_Ali]

And why Emily loved going there. She liked the smushed banana smoothie

[ReindeerFlotilla]

Clinton isn't in love. He's in, "Look! A girl!"

He want's to like Emily. That's not exactly a bad thing. We all want to like somebody. Whether he can like her is something else.

Only Beard knows what Emily wants. She is, after all, weird. Still, I think she finds Clinton interesting, on some level. I'm not saying it is romantic, at all. (Not saying it isn't.) Just saying that she thinks about him when she doesn't otherwise have to. (Her Megaman question being the first example, in that she had a list of questions for him.)

I'm tabling my previous assessment that they aren't compatible, thinking about that. Sure, Emily was odd for thinking of that, but Clinton matched her by asking which Megaman. Which either implies that he is of similar, if less intense, weird or his hand does turn into a blaster. Either of those would fit in with Emily, just fine.

[wlewisiii]

Yeah, I agree it's not love yet, certainly not at the level of his sister and Marten. That said, he's trying really really hard to keep this first real relationship going. They may fail. They may simply become friends. Perhaps they will become lovers. Eh. The journey is far more important than the destination right now and he has, however fumblingly, taken the right first step on his own initiative.

"I mean - is it ... cool if I ... come with you?" is, in it's way, as important for his place in life and growing up as "W - well, this - this is me" was for his sister. Not as dramatic a moment, to be sure, but just as critical a moment on the way for Clinton turning from cliche to adult.

[Game and Watch Forever]

Just saying that she thinks about him when she doesn't otherwise have to. (Her Megaman question being the first example, in that she had a list of questions for him.)

Actually, that's a good point... didn't she only get through one question in the list? What if after a bunch of odd questions, there was her asking him out to coffee, but that sudden Megaman revelation blew her mind and she forgot to even ask in her rush to (presumably) replay the game? I doubt it, but the thought amuses me.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

I think it was probably just a list of questions. I was just thinking about the psychology of bonding. They say (which doesn't make it true, but they say) that part of bonding is thinking about the other person. Which is why people are apt to become infatuated with people they don't quite understand.

It's certainly possible to spend time thinking about someone you don't feel positively toward, but you probably wouldn't make a list of questions and attach it to clipboard to keep handy in case they show up again.

While I think it was mostly Emily just being Emily, and doesn't signify anything in particular, it is a sign that she doesn't think lowly of him. He's at least intellectually interesting to her. It's interesting, also, to note that she has a pet name for him that she hasn't stopped using, but generally respects that he prefers his name sans hyphen.

Getting into full overanalysis mode, it's easy to chalk Clinton's stammer up to nerves, but I see potential for more than that. He, in fact, started with aggressive enthusiasm, totally in keeping with his social cluelessness. But he may have stumbled over a clue. As in, "it's not quite cool for me to invite myself along." From there it's a short step to "what if she rejects me" via the "I should ask her" expressway. So, there's nerves and puppy love confusion involved, but also signs that Clinton is, actually, trying to be a better version of himself.

[BenRG]

Well, that's one question answered! Weirdness or no, Clinton wants to go out with Emily again. He just needed to be placed into a scenario where he couldn't avoid her and let his indecisiveness nervousness do the thinking for him.

As for the rest? Well, Jeph does seem to be about to give us a treat! We're going to see post-Faye CoD, no matter how briefly (it could be as little as them leaving after getting their smoothies). It might be interesting to see if post-Faye, the place is more friendly (I doubt it; sassing customers seems to have been Dora's policy).

Finally, can someone tell me what Emily said in panel 1 before Jeph changed the word to 'dogs'? The text is different enough to suggest a re-draw.

Just got to add: I love Clinton's body language in this, especially in panels 3 and 4. He's regressed about five to eight years and is a high school nerd asking out one of  the cheerleaders again!

[edit]
Clinton is a bit indecisive but, in this case, I think it was pure nerves that was holding him back.

[wlewisiii]

is a high school nerd asking out one of  the cheerleaders again!

Yes, that's true. And yet, he's asking because, unlike me in 1982, he thinks he has a chance. That's more brave than I ever was. Good for him.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

is a high school nerd asking out one of  the cheerleaders again!

Yes, that's true. And yet, he's asking because, unlike me in 1982, he thinks he has a chance. That's more brave than I ever was. Good for him.

1982? Cool. I'd just discovered today that one of my favorite random scientists is 8 years younger than me, and I was feeling old. ;p

[Energia]

Given how precious a word-count is in a comic, could Faye be selling banana smoothies from a newly-welded up gizmo soon?

[Akima]

He's regressed about five to eight years and is a high school nerd asking out one of  the cheerleaders again!

The stereotype is not part of my culture(s), so I could be wrong, but Emily doesn't strike me as the cheerleader type. Clinton is definitely a nerd though.

[Thrillho]

No you're totally right. Emily is not at all cheerleader like.

[Mr_Rose]

Far too tall for a start. Cheerleaders have to all be the same height or the pyramid collapses. Or something like that anyway… 

[BenRG]

He's regressed about five to eight years and is a high school nerd asking out one of  the cheerleaders again!

The stereotype is not part of my culture(s), so I could be wrong, but Emily doesn't strike me as the cheerleader type. Clinton is definitely a nerd though.

I think that people are reading too much into my metaphor. I'm not saying that she is like a cheerleader. I'm saying that she is, in his eyes, a beautiful woman far out of his league. Because of this, he is nervous and is having a difficult time communicating with her and expressing his feelings to her.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

People are reading too much into something?

In a WCDT?

Naw. Couldn't happen.

[Method of Madness]

Certainly not.

[Random832]

Finally, can someone tell me what Emily said in panel 1 before Jeph changed the word to 'dogs'? The text is different enough to suggest a re-draw.

I noticed the different font, but a re-draw didn't even occur to me - QC isn't hand-lettered, so it would be easy enough to re-typeset the whole bubble. And it doesn't account for the difference in line spacing, whereas having originally put that word in a different font would.

[Method of Madness]

His change from "rape" to "hump" from back in the day is visibly noticeable, but I think in this case it's just how she says the word "dogs".

[snubnose]

He's regressed about five to eight years and is a high school nerd asking out one of  the cheerleaders again!

The stereotype is not part of my culture(s), so I could be wrong, but Emily doesn't strike me as the cheerleader type. Clinton is definitely a nerd though.

Oh dont worry, we have no cheerleaders here in germany (or europe in general, as far as I know) either. Thats a completely riddiculous tradition, is it not ?

Its just one of the many things that are weird in US movies, they expect you to know and care about stuff thats just weird and foreign and they dont even bother explaining them because yeah, there is no world outside the US territory, is there ?

Like I have no friggin clue how the US school system works. "Highschool" is in there somewhere, I think. That one gets mentioned a *lot*. Not sure what would be the german equivalent, if there is even one.

Or these US specific sports, like baseball. I've seen tons of movies that have baseball in them and still have no clue what that game is supposed to be about. Or American Football. I have the dim impression its about getting a ball into your enemies field, though.

Or these weird US style marriages. In germany, bride and groom enter the church together. In the USA, the father of the bride "gives" his daughter to the groom, or some such patriarchic crap from ages long past. Makes no sense to me in any way at all, why would one ever do that anymore.

[Method of Madness]

To be fair, high school in US movies isn't really anything like high school in the US, either.

[Omega Entity]

[/snip]

Wow, lotta US hate there. The reason there's no explanation of those things is because those movies are made in the US, and are by and large consumed by US audiences - therefore, since the things you mentioned are things that just about every American knows, it be silly to explain them to them, and could, in fact, be taken as the filmmakers being insulting in treating their audiences like daft idiots that don't know their own country or its cultural quirks. It's not a case of 'Those US pigs make everything about them and expect everyone ever who watches their movies to understand everything', it's filmmakers knowing who their main, targeted audience is and making it relatable to them. If it's US-centric, it's because of those reasons, not because they're purposely trying to make their movies unrelatable to a foreign audience.

By your logic, Jeph's comics are US-centric since he doesn't explain every nuance that a person of another country wouldn't understand, and doesn't do so because he has no respect for his international readers. Bollywood movies favor Indian audiences and are selfish to not explain the points of culture that are complete mysteries to western audiences. I think you can see where  I'm going with this.

[Stoutfellow]

Its just one of the many things that are weird in US movies, they expect you to know and care about stuff thats just weird and foreign and they dont even bother explaining them because yeah, there is no world outside the US territory, is there ?

Well, I had a similar (though converse) reaction the time I watched Der blaue Engel, so I got in touch with a friend who had studied German and Germany in that era, and she explained it to me. It wasn't exactly an insuperable obstacle.

[DSL]

He's regressed about five to eight years and is a high school nerd asking out one of  the cheerleaders again!

The stereotype is not part of my culture(s), so I could be wrong, but Emily doesn't strike me as the cheerleader type. Clinton is definitely a nerd though.

What's a cheerleader "type"? Though it's true that the cheerleaders at the last game I attended of my alma mater had a similar appearance, I put that down to uniforms, a uniform hairstyle and hair-decoration nearly the size of then head, and a big helping of cross-generational blindness (one of them was the daughter of a classmate). The cheer squad during my high school days was in all shapes and sizes, and the girl who was then captain is now head of nursing and a nurse-educator at a metro hospital. I suppose I know what thenpop culture definition of a cheerleader-type is, but I've never seen one myself. (And M.O.M. is right: I don't think my high school ever had a "Breakfast Club," though Saturday mornings in the Driver's Ed car could get interesting.)

[Stoutfellow]

If it comes to that, the most successful cheerleader at my high school (early 1970s) was a large, heavy, African-American male. Someone who was more dissimilar from Emily would be hard to find....

[Is it cold in here?]

Stereotypically, whatever they're like, cheerleaders are imagined as at or near the top of the social hierarchy and not to be approached by Clinton-like people.

[chaospersonified]

I read it like 'Cheerleader type,' like the general stereotypical cheerleader.

Same way people hear 'southern gentleman' and think Col. Sanders, not trailer trash dude with a beer gut and five broken down cars in his yard, AKA the typical dude in my area who self-identifies as such.

The average person in a group almost never fits the stereotype, yet the stereotype continues.

[Zebediah]

As it happens, my wife was a high school cheerleader, and she married me, a guy closer to Clinton than he'd like to admit.   

[Method of Madness]

Did you guys know each other in high school?

[jheartney]

As it happens, my wife was a high school cheerleader, and she married me, a guy closer to Clinton than he'd like to admit.   

Smart gal. Nerds are generally better husband material than football stars.

[Penquin47]

Like I have no friggin clue how the US school system works. "Highschool" is in there somewhere, I think. That one gets mentioned a *lot*. Not sure what would be the german equivalent, if there is even one.

The US school system is divided into 3 "stages" (4 if you count university): elementary school running from kindergarten to fifth or sixth grade (5-11/12), middle school or "junior high" running from 6th/7th to 8th/9th (11/12-14/15), and then high school from 9/10-12 (14/15-18).  Many school systems now offer "pre-K" programs for younger kids, especially those from poor families, which are encouraged to help give those kids a better start in school.

High school is most like the German Gymnasium.  Unlike in Germany, though, ALL American students go to high school, so a lot of high schools will incorporate programs that are more similar to a trade school.  I can't speak for every state, but Texas's intent is to have every student graduate high school ready to go to university, junior college, AND a career. (Any given student would pick one of those options, but they would have all three to choose from.)  All schools require every student to take English, science, social studies (history and civics, most schools include geography), mathematics, and a foreign language.  They'll also offer elective classes, including arts, trade classes (for example, my school offers welding), home classes (such as child development or cooking), etc.

However, high schools also offer a lot of extracurricular activities - sports being the most obvious, but also drama, band, academic competitions, student council, minority advocacy groups, religious groups sometimes, at a big enough school whatever you can think of they probably have a club for.

My third year of high school, I worked out that between class, academic competitions, and band, I was at the school for ten hours a day or more, and then would usually have a couple hours of homework each night.  A typical school schedule will have between six and eight classes that you go to every day, or sometimes you'll have six to eight classes that you go to three/four one day and the others the next.

[Omega Entity]

Stereotypically, whatever they're like, cheerleaders are imagined as at or near the top of the social hierarchy and not to be approached by Clinton-like people.

Another common trait of the stereotypical cheerleader is the sense of superiority due to their high rank in the high school hierarchy, and is often the girlfriend of the star football player (invariably, the quarterback) - which generally means that at best, she doesn't know the nerd exists, and at worst, can be one of the nerd's antagonists, or turns a blind eye to the torments the nerd faces from her entourage.

[Zebediah]

Did you guys know each other in high school?

Actually no, we met in our mid-30s.

My wife was also a non-stereotypical cheerleader in that she was also her class valedictorian, despite graduating two years early.

[Method of Madness]

How is that even possible? She graduated after 10th grade?

[Zebediah]

No, she skipped the 10th grade. After having skipped 3rd grade. In both cases because she was so far ahead of her peers academically that they didn't know what else to do with her. This was in a small school in the North Carolina mountains where advanced placement classes simply weren't offered.

If she'd grown up in a large city, like I did, she would not have skipped any grades but likely would have graduated high school with enough college credit to skip her first year of college.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

Cheerleaders travel in packs. Vicious hungry packs. This is one of the reasons all Americans carry automatic weapons and have so many explosions (that we walk away from without reacting to. Preferably in slow motion). Another reason for all the explosions is that our motor vehicle engineering is not German, but that's not related to high school.

Sometimes Cheerleaders stack. This allows them draw more patriotism from the Nation's leylines giving them a boost in speed and strength. Sometimes Cheerleaders are boys. For some reason they are issued pants by the authorities. It's not clear why.

Should you encounter a cheerleader, do not make eye contact. Try not make any sudden movements. Back away, but do not run. If a cheerleader becomes hostile, try to make yourself look bigger than you are. One way to do this is standing next to a skinnier/shorter friend. Cheerleader hostility is characterized by backflips, gesticulating with pom-poms, and demands that you join them in spelling simple words.

[Method of Madness]

Cheerleaders annoyed me, but only when they would interrupt our playing with an inane chant. (I was in marching band if you couldn't tell)

[cesium133]

Did you guys know each other in high school?

Actually no, we met in our mid-30s.

My wife was also a non-stereotypical cheerleader in that she was also her class valedictorian, despite graduating two years early.

My class had a lot of overachievers... there was a six-way tie for valedictorian.  I was seventh, because I chose to take a computer programming course instead of AP Biology (the way they counted it, AP courses counted for extra).

[Mr_Rose]

Did you guys know each other in high school?

Actually no, we met in our mid-30s.

My wife was also a non-stereotypical cheerleader in that she was also her class valedictorian, despite graduating two years early.

My class had a lot of overachievers... there was a six-way tie for valedictorian.  I was seventh, because I chose to take a computer programming course instead of AP Biology (the way they counted it, AP courses counted for extra).

So… did they make them all give valedictory speeches and make you salutatorian as well?
(For those playing along at home, being made valedictorian is how high school teachers punish the brainy kids for giving them more paperwork to do. I understand the pin on the badge is unnecessarily long and sharp…)

[amykathleen]

Did you guys know each other in high school?

Actually no, we met in our mid-30s.

My wife was also a non-stereotypical cheerleader in that she was also her class valedictorian, despite graduating two years early.

My class had a lot of overachievers... there was a six-way tie for valedictorian.  I was seventh, because I chose to take a computer programming course instead of AP Biology (the way they counted it, AP courses counted for extra).

This kind of thing happened so many times at my school that they eliminated class rank, starting with the year before mine.  I hate it when forms ask for my class rank, because I'm just like... well, I know I was in the top 10%, because I got a medal, and I know I was lower than the top 2%, because I didn't get a gold stole (is that how this word is spelled?) or a special certificate, but I can't tell you anything more detailed than that, so... sorry?

[cesium133]

So… did they make them all give valedictory speeches and make you salutatorian as well?
(For those playing along at home, being made valedictorian is how high school teachers punish the brainy kids for giving them more paperwork to do. I understand the pin on the badge is unnecessarily long and sharp…)

No, none of the students were allowed/required to give a speech.

This kind of thing happened so many times at my school that they eliminated class rank, starting with the year before mine.  I hate it when forms ask for my class rank, because I'm just like... well, I know I was in the top 10%, because I got a medal, and I know I was lower than the top 2%, because I didn't get a gold stole (is that how this word is spelled?) or a special certificate, but I can't tell you anything more detailed than that, so... sorry?

I found the class rank think kind of useless, considering I was lowered on the ranking because I took a class I wanted to take rather than the class that I was expected to take.

[Thrillho]

Class ranking seems like a bad idea to me.

[Penquin47]

Class rank is such a silly thing anyway.  I was top 10% of my class but not top 5%.  Had I been in my brother's grade, with the same transcript I had, I'd have been challenging for valedictorian/salutatorian.  Had I gone to another school in the city, I'd probably have had better grades and less competition, because my school was known as being one of the ones for "smart kids".

Had I gone to school in Texas all four years, it might have helped or hurt.  See in Texas, you're given a numerical grade 0-100.  In Maryland where I did my first two years, it's letter grades.  So in computing my GPA and class rank, they had to convert that to a number.  95 was picked as average for A, 85 for B, etc.  (Dunno what they did with Fs, as it wasn't relevant to me.)  So if I got an 89 in a class I got screwed, whereas if I got a 90 I got helped.  Dunno how it would've shaken out as I never cared whether I had a 90 or a 98 in Maryland since it didn't matter.

And then there's class size.  My class was 575 students.  The school I teach at, we tend to graduate 50 students a year.  Which salutatorian's more impressive?

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Given how precious a word-count is in a comic, could Faye be selling banana smoothies from a newly-welded up gizmo soon?

Faye's banana smoothies are not merely a dessert. They are Performance Art. And a metaphor for the political process in Central American countries. The Ultimate Murder Chassis will be snake-shaped and able to make coconut smoothies. Pineapple smoothies. Durian smoothies. Faye style.

[cesium133]

Given how precious a word-count is in a comic, could Faye be selling banana smoothies from a newly-welded up gizmo soon?

Faye's banana smoothies are not merely a dessert. They are Performance Art. And a metaphor for the political process in Central American countries. The Ultimate Murder Chassis will be snake-shaped and able to make coconut smoothies. Pineapple smoothies. Durian smoothies. Faye style.

And unless the customer specifically requests a durian smoothie, the customer will receive a durian smoothie.

[Energia]

Given how precious a word-count is in a comic, could Faye be selling banana smoothies from a newly-welded up gizmo soon?

Faye's banana smoothies are not merely a dessert. They are Performance Art. And a metaphor for the political process in Central American countries. The Ultimate Murder Chassis will be snake-shaped and able to make coconut smoothies. Pineapple smoothies. Durian smoothies. Faye style.

And unless the customer specifically requests a durian smoothie, the customer will receive a durian smoothie.

I had never considered the possibility of a durian smoothie.  Is there an emoji for "fighting-the-urge-to-barf"?

[Method of Madness]

Awwwww. I'm sure she would've shared if she weren't concerned.

[ZoeB]

It's been a little while since I was in school....

The system my son is going through - year 1-6 primary school, 7-10 High School, 11-12 College, then University probably. Or the Defence Force Academy.

The system(s) I went through - year 1-6 primary/preparatory boarding school, years 7-12 grammar (high) school, then Uni. My teens were a bit complicated - the school was a 2 hour public transport bus trip, then a subway trip, away. Average 5 hrs commuting. Worst case - 3am bus to be at school by 7am (bus was all stops at that hour), then cadet range day firing light machine guns till 5pm, then a break before debating at 7pm, then catch the last bus home at 11:30, gettting me home at about 2:30am. But that was only on Fridays.
At age 15, I switched to the Air Training Corps, which I enjoyed a lot more. Better hours, no 7am start, finished by 5pm.

Meanwhile.... Clinton. Oh Dear. An older sister who, shall we say, may be a little bossy, and now a potential G/F who is showing tendencies of taking him under her wing.

[BenRG]

New comic and whatever culinary horrors that Clinton is about to go through are his own fault for making a lame excuse to go to CoD with Emily.

We also get re-confirmation that Hannelore is a romantic, right up to the 'One smoothie, two straws' cliché. What's the bet that, when at home, she's watching old romantic movies from the 1950s and 60s on cable all the time?

Now, did anyone else see what's missing today? Yes, the blackboard menu at the back of the shop is gone! It's a glaring enough change in the background that I saw it immediately and made it harder for me to mentally 'get into' the characters being in CoD.