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Waiting for Cossette to be released from the ER

Pacing her apartment, worrying about CoD

Having Quality Personal Time with Tai

Sipping herbal tea at The Secret Bakery (Traitor!)

Passed out on her bed from exhaustion

Wandering the forest crying out: "Faye, Faye! Why hast thou forsaken me?"

Watching porn on her laptop

Fantasising about [Enter Character Name Here]

[themacnut]

Tht doesn't look like an argument to me, more like a calm discussion. And both Neko_Ali and Dora are right, Tai's "management" style wouldn't work for Dora; not only is she entirely too controlling to do that, but she really doesn't have anyone at the shop she cn trust to take up the slack. Dora's stuck as the one and only manager until she can train up or hire someone to fill the role.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

... is anyone going to clue me in to today's punchline? It's totally meaningless to me! I'm guessing that it's a pot joke (when is it not for Tai)? But, apart from that, I'm clueless!

"Sativa" (cultivated) and "Indica" (of India) are the two varieties of cannabis. Google is your friend.

[celticgeek]

Poor Pen-Pen, the Press-Ganged Barista, just waiting to force Dora into anti-anxiety medicine.

[mustang6172]

Even in a still format, walk & talks make exposition dynamic.

[cesium133]

To be fair, Penelope has attempted to quit on a whim before (specifically, when Faye was promoted to ass. manager*).

*Sorry. Just felt the need to abbreviate a word there. 

[chaospersonified]

... is anyone going to clue me in to today's punchline? It's totally meaningless to me! I'm guessing that it's a pot joke (when is it not for Tai)? But, apart from that, I'm clueless!

"Sativa" (cultivated) and "Indica" (of India) are the two varieties of cannabis. Google is your friend.

More than that, Indica is typified as the body-high. It's effect has been described as putting you in-da-couch, 
 Sativa is more in your head, leaving you more able to do things.

Tai being laid-back, 'lazy' some would call it, she's the indica. Dora likes doing stuff, so she's the strain preferred by people who like DOING stuff when they're high.

[Method of Madness]

Wow, Tai is being uncharacteristically shitty.

Also, I hate her haircut even more now that I've seen the other side of it.

[themacnut]

I'm kinda with Tai here. Dora is being more paranoid than usual, even if her last of trust in Penelope's commitment to the shop is somewhat rational. She still needs to take some kind of chill pill.

She's also forgetting about one fact of press-ganging; it only really works when the victim can't easily escape, as on a ship at sea. Penelope has continued to reliably show up for work since she was hired, even though she never had to leave her previous employment in the first place, and could have quit CoD at anytime.

[SubaruStephen]

Dora is being more paranoid than usual.

Is that something also associated with Sativa?

[Tova]

I can relate fairly strongly to this conversation, on a broad level at least. I have been on Tai's side, though I would never have expressed myself quite so... bluntly as she has.

Dora is a control freak and her trust issues are coming out here. I see how what Tai said could be seen as a little shittty, but she's understandably frustrated.

Dora's business is at stake here, but her health will suffer unless she works out how to trust at least one member of her staff to take on some responsibility.

[chaospersonified]

Dora is being more paranoid than usual.

Is that something also associated with Sativa?

Believe that's marijuana in general, though in what I suspect is the majority of cases, that's a side effect of that being an illegal drug.

[Sorflakne]

Christ, how long ago in real time was Penelope press-ganged into CoD?  Six...eight...ten years ago now?

[BenRG]

Tai has pretty much hit the nail on the head here. Dora's trust issues are crippling to the point of being self-destructive. She literally expects to be betrayed and doesn't see the reason to wait for it to happen. She just acts as if it had already happened. That goes way beyond anxiety and flirts with full-blown paranoia!

This inability to believe that people will not ultimately betray her (indeed, that they are not constantly looking for the most destructive opportunity to do so) destroyed her relationship with Marten, poisoned her relationship with Sven and seems to now be threatening her immediate health. Tai has good reason to be worried.

I just wonder how long Dora has been 'papering over the cracks', as it were - Trying to not confront this?

[Ravenswing]

Err, Tai?  If Dora was on anti-anxiety meds, she might not be with you in the first place, because she might never have sabotaged her relationship with Marten.  Her being a nutcase works in your best interest.

[foolsguinea]

I think Dora is feeling some guilt over the way she and Faye treated Penelope.

[Nepiophage]

Christ, how long ago in real time was Penelope press-ganged into CoD?  Six...eight...ten years ago now?

The comic where it happened is copyright 2006. So nine years.

[swapna]

I'm kinda with Tai here. Dora is being more paranoid than usual, even if her last of trust in Penelope's commitment to the shop is somewhat rational. She still needs to take some kind of chill pill.

She's also forgetting about one fact of press-ganging; it only really works when the victim can't easily escape, as on a ship at sea. Penelope has continued to reliably show up for work since she was hired, even though she never had to leave her previous employment in the first place, and could have quit CoD at anytime.

Well, Penelope got fired from her last job (and blamed the CoD employees), so there's that. I also hope that she does find other employment, for the simple reason that she doesn't seem too happy there. Yes, it's kind of her personality to be cynical and grumpy, but with her interest in literature and her enjoyment of books, the library might be a much better fit.

And then... I don't know, it's very much Dora's own fault that she can't trust the people at CoD. On the one hand, she has a very hard time delegating (Faye had overcome a lot of resistance - she had to assign herself the tasks she had to do, and she had to basically force Dora to hire Dale), and the way she picks her employees is questionable at best.
She hired Corsette and Penelope, (after consulting a witch and bullying the future employee, respectively), and Faye talked her into hiring Hannelore and Dale (who do have their problems, but are the more responsible/trustworthy ones).
I'm not saying Faye is great at being an assistant manager, but Dora is certainly worse at hiring people.

Tai makes way better hiring decisions - Marten and Momo are very responsible-minded, as is Claire. She can trust them to pick up the slack when she's high, and there's very little drama between the employees (nothing like Penelope and Faye throwing stuff at each other)

And yes, Tai's comment about anti-anxiety medication is.. insensitive at best, but the sentiment is a good one. Faye didn't screw over Dora on purpose. She had problems, but she never intended to hurt Dora or her business. If you do expect your employees to undermine/screw you over because they feel like it, either you fucked up in hiring them or you have a serious problem. In Dora's case, maybe both.

Tai's haircut: looks exactly like mine.

[TheEvilDog]

I wouldn't hold up Tai to be a paragon of good management. Marten basically walk into the library, noticed the application was written in iambic pentameter and got hired. Momo walked in and got hired straight away without even really applying. Even Tai admitted that as long as she doesn't burn the building down or go over budget, she can do as she likes. She's shown up repeatedly to work high or under the influence of something.

The thing is, other than just having a job, Tai doesn't really have that much at stake with the library. But Dora? Coffee of Doom is literally her life. Her life savings are in Coffee of Doom. Its her job, her livelihood and in her mind, what proves her to be more than just "Sven's little sister". While Tai might raise some good points, its still only words to Dora because its her life and future at stake. Right now, to Dora, Coffee of Doom is more important than her health.

But it is interesting to see that every time we see Dora and Tai nowadays they do seem to be talking about work or Dora's cutting Sven out of her life, always verging on the edge of an argument or actually having an argument. So maybe we're slowly building up to something between the two.

[Stanistani]

I can relate fairly strongly to this conversation, on a broad level at least. I have been on Tai's side, though I would never have expressed myself quite so... bluntly as she has.

Dora is a control freak and her trust issues are coming out here. I see how what Tai said could be seen as a little shittty, but she's understandably frustrated.

Dora's business is at stake here, but her health will suffer unless she works out how to trust at least one member of her staff to take on some responsibility.

Hey, I caught the joke, even if nobody else did... sativa or indica...

[Neko_Ali]

Tai is being insensitive, of course. No denying that. But then again.. This is Dora. Subtle hints get bulldozed over by her paranoia. And really, that's what I think we have to call it. It's why she's had so few friends and decent relationships in her life. Because she's constantly expecting the worse of people. Those she has come to trust, at least somewhat is mostly due to their persistence in not being pushed away. And the incident with Faye has seriously shaken her trust in people.

Tai is not really known for subtle anyway. She's always been blunt, to the point of being rude sometimes. But that is what Dora needs from time to time. Not a gentle nudge, but a kick in the ass. Working 60-70 hours a week, plus the worries of running her business is going to break her eventually.

[Welu]

I think Tai's hair would look a bit better if it wasn't pushed behind her ear. It's not quite translating right for me. I think this would be a close real life equivalent.

I hope this conversation actually leads to Dora talking to Penelope. I've missed her interactions beyond one or two panel gags.

[sitnspin]

I think Tai's hair would look a bit better if it wasn't pushed behind her ear. It's not quite translating right for me. I think this would be a close real life equivalent.

That girl's hair is awesome and she is adorable

[Kugai]

Tai is reacting perfectly to Dora.

Remember, Dora has trust issues and insecurities that, I think, have sorta taken a front seat since the whole thing with Faye blew up.  That really hasn't been settled between them and I think Dora is kinda still feeling down over how the whole thing blew up and ended up, and Faye blowing her off when she tried to talk to her when she left CoD probably didn't help.

I don't think that matter is going to be truly resolved until Dora and Faye finally sit down and talk about what happened,

[sitnspin]

Personally, I think Tai is right. Dora is being completly irrational and it's obvious she needs more help than she is getting. I don't know that ant-anxiety medication specifically is what she needs, but she needs something. One of the best things about their relationship is Tai's willingness to call Dora out on her shit, and Dora's willingness to, eventually, listen to said call outs.

[Kugai]

That's part of the reason I think Tai is a perfect fit for Dora.  Granted, she's not perfect, but at least she's gonna call Dora on her bullshit a lot more bluntly than I think Marten would.

[Tova]

Marten was quite capable of being blunt, but only when he was completely pissed off, which was never going to work out well.

[jwhouk]

I'm just gonna say this: Dora is not endearing herself at the present time.

[Is it cold in here?]

The disturbing thing is that Dora tends not to take action until there's a crisis.

[chaospersonified]

Oh Dora. I get where you're coming from, I reallly do, but you gotta take care of yourself, and you are currently not at all.

[Method of Madness]

The disturbing thing is that Dora tends not to take action until there's a crisis.

And perhaps doesn't realize when one is already there.

[wlewisiii]

It seems to me that Dora is just as self destructive in her way as Faye. She's just working her way into an early grave (as a way to avoid facing her demons) instead of drinking her way there (likewise).

[Neko_Ali]

Denial is a river on which Dora sails, steadfastly ignoring the waterfall she is paddling towards.

[RetroRefractive Noodle]

I had a conversation disturbingly like that one -- If I take the medication I won't be wracked with anxiety and I can put in longer hours.

Hahahaha.   

Hoooboy.   

Long story short it didn't work even a little bit.   

[BenRG]

I have to agree that Dora is heading for a crisis: both in her mental health and in her relationship with Tai. She's avoiding confronting her problems and ignoring that Tai may ultimately decide that she doesn't want to hang around for the eventual crash. Dora needs to realise that if she doesn't take action, she could lose everything anyway.

Jeph did a great job in capturing Tai's frustration with her lover here.

[Timemaster]

Interesting conversation here. It is obvious that Dora tries to avoid confronting her issues. An medication is always the easier way, therapy means actually dealing with her problems.

And Jeph uses Manga Studio 5.  My daughter uses the same software for her manga.

[TheEvilDog]

And closer to the maelstrom we hurl, closer to the edge of the abyss and to oblivion.

Either that or Tai is going to realise that she's just going around in circles.

We could be getting closer to an ultimatum from our young librarian. Tai or Coffee of Doom. And as much as it saddens me to say, Tai might find herself a very distant second place.

[sitnspin]

Tai has no interest in making Dora choose between her and the business. That's not what this conversation is even remotely about. Tai wants Dora to take care of herself and prioritize her own health. How you could interpret this conversation to be about a competition between Tai and the business is beyond me.

[TheEvilDog]

Tai has no interest in making Dora choose between her and the business. That's not what this conversation is even remotely about. Tai wants Dora to take care of herself and prioritize her own health. How you could interpret this conversation to be about a competition between Tai and the business is beyond me.

Of course Tai is concerned about Dora's health and rightly so, but at the same time one can only spend so much time headbutting a brick wall before realising its not going to budge. Given that the last few times Tai and Dora have appeared in the comic more often than not its has been about Dora's unhealthy work hours and wilful ignoring any suggestion get help of any kind, I can see Tai getting to the limits of her patience. Its not a competition but more an attempt to putting a brake on Dora hurtling towards her self destructive end. Tai outright says that she loves Dora, she wants her to be healthy. Now, if I was in Dora's position, I would smile and say "I love you too". Instead, we see Dora thinking that if she was on medication, she wouldn't have to go to therapy and just spend that time working. Not only did Dora disregard what Tai was saying, she also disregarded Tai saying she loved Dora. Its not healthy, not for Dora, or Tai or their relationship.

[sitnspin]

"I love you too" is not the automatic response every time those words are uttered, especially when they are part of a longer sentence. It is not inappropriate when the phrase is spoken followed by "but" to respond to the qualifier rather than the declaration as that is the actual point being put forward.

That being said, putting the brakes on Dora's downward slide doesn't have to, nor should it, involve ultimatums, especially not ones that have nothing to do with the issue at hand. The issue Tai is addressing is Dora's health. She's not complaining that Dora isn't spending enough time with her, which would be the only way a "the ship or me" would make any sense. Even if that was the case, ultimatums are still inherently shitty and manipulative. I don't see Tai doing that.

[J]

I agree with you for the most part, however Tai would be fully within her rights if she were to say that she doesn't want to be in a relationship with someone whos behavior is ultimately self-destructive.

I don't think things have gotten anywhere near that point yet, but an early warning would be fair-game.

[swapna]

That being said, putting the brakes on Dora's downward slide doesn't have to, nor should it, involve ultimatums, especially not ones that have nothing to do with the issue at hand. The issue Tai is addressing is Dora's health. She's not complaining that Dora isn't spending enough time with her, which would be the only way a "the ship or me" would make any sense. Even if that was the case, ultimatums are still inherently shitty and manipulative. I don't see Tai doing that.

Agreed - Tai has a lot of faults, but being manipulative is usually not one of them. The only time I remember was when she bullied Marten into giving her relationship advice. Also, she knows that she comes a distant second to the Coffee of Doom - 70 hours a week mean that Dora really can't spend any time with Tai (she still has to sleep and eat, and she has a half-hour commute to Amherst). Tai is not complaining about that, even though the only reason she can actually talk to Dora is because Doras employees forced her to take a half-day off.
It still could blow up in her face, though, because Dora gets defensive really fast and I'm surprised that she let Tai go that far. I don't think she sees a way out - she doesn't have a 'we're hiring' sign out (at least I didn't see one), the employees at the CoD work at full capacity and she is afraid to promote anybody. It would be difficult, too, because we never see her actively training employees beyond the very basics, so the only people she actually can promote are those who might have picked up more over time, like Penelope.
(yes, Tai is by all standards not a good manager, but she still manages to be better than Dora. She at least tries to encourage her employees to do more/better.)

[BenRG]

I've got a horrible feeling that, given the current direction of events and Dora's inability to understand why this is a bad thing, Tai is going to end up uttering the horrible words: "I've tried but I can't keep doing this anymore". That isn't in any way imminent but it's a growing possibility and I don't want to try to guess just how badly this may affect Dora.

[TheEvilDog]

I never said that Tai was in any way being manipulative, merely that she is being frustrated by her girlfriend constantly blowing off her concern. My point about Tai saying "I love you" was more that Dora didn't acknowledge what was said and instead so focused on work and trying to figure out more ways to get hours down. I've been on both sides of the discussion that Tai and Dora are having (while not about work, it was about health) and experience tells me that when it gets to that stage, one person will leave, if only for the sake of their own health. Tai might love Dora, but that doesn't mean she has to be buckled in for the inevitable ride to hell. Love will only go so far when there is only one person invested in the relationship.

[sitnspin]

You didn't say Tai was being manipulative, you suggested she might give an ultimatum. I said ultimatums are inherently manipulative.

[Method of Madness]

I've got a horrible feeling that, given the current direction of events and Dora's inability to understand why this is a bad thing, Tai is going to end up uttering the horrible words: "I've tried but I can't keep doing this anymore". That isn't in any way imminent but it's a growing possibility and I don't want to try to guess just how badly this may affect Dora.

I can't see Tai ever giving up on Dora, even if she should. And Dora is probably gonna be very hesitant about ending another relationship.

[Neko_Ali]

In any case she's not showing any signs of being frustrated like that. She's worried about Dora and her health, and trying to get Dora to see what she's doing is hurting her, so that she'll take steps to address it. As far as manipulation goes, that's about as low key, above the board and based out of concern for her lover as can be.

[Kugai]

I don't think Tai would give up on Dora unless things got real bad. 

At this stage, Dora's just in Denial Mode again, but she also, deep down, knows she's got issues that need to be sorted.  Tai's enough of a strong personality to get Dora to do what she needs to get done to sort herself out.

[Is it cold in here?]

Tai is also taking a positive and loving approach, however tactless.

[jwhouk]

You didn't say Tai was being manipulative, you suggested she might give an ultimatum. I said ultimatums are inherently manipulative.

And the question, sitnspin, is what would you do in Tai's shoes?

[Perfectly Reasonable]

I hope Tai does push Dora back into therapy. I'd like to see more of Corinne.