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A slow and steady healing (in other words, she stops being the focus for a few weeks)

Hides for the rest of the day and refusing to speak to anyone but Faye

Goes to Emily because she thinks she is the key to learning socialisation and sponteneity

Develops a dependency on Hannelore's teas

Develops a crush on Faye

Quits the Fighting Arena and becoming a campaigner for the respect of AI civil rights

Creates a list of all the people she's wronged and does a "My Name is Earl" across the US

Doesn't seem to change much except being prone to hug Faye seemingly at random

Personally fixes Punchbot and is very penitant with him (much to his confusion - he didn't mind the dent)

Becomes a costumed vigilante with the attitude of the Punisher but target list made up of random bigots

Learns who Hannelore is (the Daughter of the Creator) and becomes a disturbingly cult-like fan-girl

[Random832]

Bubbles is incorrect. Gravity can only be blamed for the fall, not the sudden stop at the end. That's on the concrete floor.

[Kugai]

It's not the fall that does the damage Bubbles, it's the sudden stop at the end

And nice going Faye.

[Is it cold in here?]

And kin?

[Lioness]

*clap clap clap clap*

[Somebody]

Hmm.

[swapna]

nice one, Faye! Also, CW was standing by with (presumably) a medkit, actually worried, I think? And she admits to Faye that going in was a better choice than leaving bubbles alone, without being prompted.. too much.

I think this adds another layer to her motivation - she may be a manipulative Witch, but I don't think she wants to hurt Bubbles/make her do anything against her will. She cares for her (in her own, CW way).

[Zebediah]

If not for the hint from Jeph, I would not have recognized that as the theme from Friends. I've never seen more than five minutes of the show at a stretch, but the theme song was all over the radio in the 80s and somewhere in the back of my mind I have some memory of it.

[blt]

Is it just me or is that a really big door?

[mustang6172]

If not for the hint from Jeph, I would not have recognized that as the theme from Friends. I've never seen more than five minutes of the show at a stretch, but the theme song was all over the radio in the 80s and somewhere in the back of my mind I have some memory of it.

I didn't recognize it as the theme from Friends and I've watched every episode.

[cesium133]

Is it just me or is that a really big door?

Bubbles had it installed to fit her stature.

[chaospersonified]

I didn't recognize it as the theme from Friends and I've watched every episode.

Never seen more than a few minutes, recognized it instantly. The theme is about 80% of what I know about the show.

[cesium133]

The show never made much sense anyway. A bunch of young people, who apparently are not insanely wealthy, are somehow able to afford a gigantic apartment next to Central Park in NYC.

[neurocase]

The show never made much sense anyway. A bunch of young people, who apparently are not insanely wealthy, are somehow able to afford a gigantic apartment next to Central Park in NYC.

They hand-waved it as "rent control", even though none of them were old enough to have been living in their respective apartments for long enough to be that affordable when rent-controlled in the first place.

[SubaruStephen]

Dang it Faye, that's not how you accept an apology, especially from the person who signs your paycheck .

[MrNumbers]

Dang it Faye, that's not how you accept an apology, especially from the person who signs your paycheck .

I was more about to say; "Damn it, Corpsewitch, that's not how you're supposed to take the news about Bubbles not being as bad as you thought"

[43mike]

While people are in the military they learn a particular way of dealing with pain. 

"Pain is weakness leaving the body."

That helps keep them effective as soldiers while in physical pain; reciting that mantra they focus on being strong - on continuing to do their duty - and doing that takes their minds off the pain.  Doesn't make it stop hurting, but allows them to think about something else for the duration of the emergency (or until they get killed, whichever happens first).

It keeps them effective as soldiers, but it makes them about a thousand percent more prone to further injuring themselves than people who haven't been through that.  And it leaves them prone to re-injuring themselves by stressing parts of the body that aren't fully healed. 

I've heard that mantra dozens of times now from guys who are out of the service for years and still in emotional pain, and as a long-term strategy for dealing with emotional pain it sucks, for pretty much the same reason it isn't an effective long-term strategy for dealing with physical pain. 

In my not-so-humble opinion, the military organizations of the world should devote at least as much effort training ex-soldiers to be effective civilians as they spend training ex-civilians to be effective soldiers.   Most of them Don't.  To be fair lots of countries have something like the (USA) GI bill that covers college tuition for ex-soldiers, but most of them don't, and even the ones that do don't devote effort to the emotional side of it.

That's something I would seriously change about the military. I had a really really bad combat tour. So I had to go to a shrink at least once a month. I was disabled but they let me finish out my contract as a section leader and an instructor. So if someone was in a bad way, I'd send them to mental health. I'd have soldiers going "No, it's not that bad. It could be worse".

I'd say "My headache isn't as bad as an aneurysm, but I'm still going to take an asprin. Pain is pain."

[mustang6172]

The show never made much sense anyway. A bunch of young people, who apparently are not insanely wealthy, are somehow able to afford a gigantic apartment next to Central Park in NYC.

They hand-waved it as "rent control", even though none of them were old enough to have been living in their respective apartments for long enough to be that affordable when rent-controlled in the first place.

Monica's apartment technically belonged to her grandmother, whom never took her name off the lease.

[Tova]

Dang it Faye, that's not how you accept an apology, especially from the person who signs your paycheck .

It wasn't really an apology.

[Morituri]

I had a really really bad combat tour. So I had to go to a shrink at least once a month.

I'm very very sorry to hear that.  I can't make it better, but I can tell you you're not alone.  I wasn't there, but people I cared about went over there.  Not all of them came back, and some of the ones who did .. well, had really really bad combat tours.   One of them still has PTSD panics whenever he's surprised by the smell of gasoline.  Don't know what happened, but I can tell it was bad. 

[Morituri]

nice one, Faye! Also, CW was standing by with (presumably) a medkit, actually worried, I think? And she admits to Faye that going in was a better choice than leaving bubbles alone, without being prompted.. too much.

Now I don't know whether you're a naive idealist, or I'm a cynical bastard.

When I saw her with that purse-looking object raised and held at the ready, I immediately thought, "Oh, that must be where she keeps some kind of weapon." 

I don't know what it would be if she thinks she can defend herself from Bubbles, but I imagine it's something special.  Probably not physical.

[Is it cold in here?]

@43Mike,

I didn't know what to say until someone on the subreddit posted something I could plagiarize.

You have my respect.

[BenRG]

Two things arise in my mind as a result of today's comic:

• Corpse Witch has a purse (colour-coordinated, of course); I wonder where she's going?
• Faye has finally realised that her life is an eccentric post-college sitcom!

That aside, I wonder what gossip will be made up about what Faye and Bubbles did in that room? From what we've seen previously, the AIs who work at the arena have the maturity of teenagers!

[anahata]

I don't know what it would be if she thinks she can defend herself from Bubbles, but I imagine it's something special.  Probably not physical.

Herbal tea spray? (if only she knew)

[katsmeat]

Anybody else think it feels slightly weird that a universe that's so different to ours shares a precisely identical aspect of pop culture [1] - to me it feels almost like seeing two  Game of Thrones characters sharing a chuckle over a woodcut print of a cat with an amusing caption.

Yes I know Jeph makes constant music references. Though since they're inevitably of bands I've never heard of [2], they may as well be in-universe ones. So this wierd feeling is likely just me.

[1] Betcha Friends in a universe with Ais would for sure include an episode in which one of them gets an AI co-worker, acts like a jerk towards the AI in some way, But sees th error of their ways and is reconciled in a manner that somehow  still manages to be a bit patronizing in the portrayal of the AI.   The AI character is never seen or mentioned again in any following episode.
[2] ie... petty much all bands - I had to do a search to find out who "Toto" was. I find I choose to listen to music, in total, about 8-10 time a year, that's generally hardcore punk which works as a good way of blocking out the world when I have  a deadline.

[Lubricus]

Well, hopefully, the QCverse's version of Friends has an AI character in place of Ross, to make it more tolerable...

[BenRG]

I don't know what it would be if she thinks she can defend herself from Bubbles, but I imagine it's something special.  Probably not physical.

Suggestion (based on something I saw in a sci-fi tabletop RPG rulebook): An RFID 'bot repellent. It generates a strong RF 'ping' detectable by all AIs and triggers a strong hard-coded aversion response, forcing the AI to back away out of its area of effect to avoid serious disorientation and something analogous to a major headache. The technology was originally developed early in the AI program when the military and civil government both requested non-lethal AI control methods to stop those in heavy-duty chassis from entering restricted areas or engaging in criminal activity which normal police officers would be hard-pressed to stop. It is described by Elicott-Chatham Robotics as 'Pepper Spray for Synthetics'.

Corpse Witch's Repeller Gun is a second-generation model marketed to Synthetics that generates a directional cone rather than a spherical area of effect. Just the sort of thing a relatively weak early-generation administrative model would want to level the playing field with her collection of semi-indentured heavy-duty gladiatorial combat 'bots. Along with Momo's taser/tesla gun it strikes me as the sort of thing that would be standard inbuilt armament for high-end chassis.

[swapna]

nice one, Faye! Also, CW was standing by with (presumably) a medkit, actually worried, I think? And she admits to Faye that going in was a better choice than leaving bubbles alone, without being prompted.. too much.

Now I don't know whether you're a naive idealist, or I'm a cynical bastard.

When I saw her with that purse-looking object raised and held at the ready, I immediately thought, "Oh, that must be where she keeps some kind of weapon." 

I don't know what it would be if she thinks she can defend herself from Bubbles, but I imagine it's something special.  Probably not physical.

Thought about that too - but she offers the thing to Bubbles. If she was aiming at her, there are better ways to hold it (especially if the weapon is in the purse, not the purse itself).

Also, CW organises an underground fight ring. I'm pretty sure she's capable of organising weaponry/armour that helps against Bubbles. I also think she knows her by now, at least well enough to predict when the violent phases are over; she also wouldn't employ her if she thought she was in serious danger.

[Akima]

I didn't recognize it as the theme from Friends and I've watched every episode.

I didn't recognise it as anything. Pop-culture fail, I guess. About the only thing I know about Friends is that their "rent control" is a trope.

I really like Faye's expressions in the last couple of strips.

[Tai Fanboi]

The show never made much sense anyway. A bunch of young people, who apparently are not insanely wealthy, are somehow able to afford a gigantic apartment next to Central Park in NYC.

Going by market, location, features, size.  Rough guestimate, if you wanted an apartment like that you'd be paying around $5,300 a month in rent.  (But that's just speculation on my part after recently helping a friend search for a place in NYC lol)

[dexeron]

The show never made much sense anyway. A bunch of young people, who apparently are not insanely wealthy, are somehow able to afford a gigantic apartment next to Central Park in NYC.

They hand-waved it as "rent control", even though none of them were old enough to have been living in their respective apartments for long enough to be that affordable when rent-controlled in the first place.

Someone else mentioned that Monica inherited it from her Grandmother (whose name never got taken off the lease) but the other apartment (where Chandler and Joey lived) was smaller, and Chandler, who had a fairly well paying six-figure office executive job* pretty much paid most/all of the bills while Joey struggled to get his break as an actor.  Ross's teaching and museum and other various paleontologist jobs aren't the highest paying, but it also wasn't really that absurd that he'd make enough money to have a relatively nice place (especially since his papers are, in the show, mentioned as being groundbreaking.)

No, the real mystery is Pheobe.  Her job as a masseuse cannot pay that much, and she lives alone in what is depicted as a fairly nice place, so all I can imagine is that she has all kinds of whacky shenanigans happening on the side to make cash.  She's either secretly some kind of government sleeper agent, someone who works in organized crime, or is some sort of demon orchestrating the happenings of the entire series for the nefarious purposes of trans-dimensional masters of indeterminate motive.  The sad things is, none of those possibilities really falls all that out-of-character for her, either.


*as a Transponster!

[BenRG]

FWIW, My headcanon is that Phoebe and Hannelore are more alike than most realise. Both are backed up by hyper-rich and hyper-powerful and generally-unseen and -unmentioned parental figures.

[cesium133]

At the end of Friends, Phoebe released the virus. We are all dead; we just don't know it yet.

[Nepiophage]

No, the real mystery is Pheobe.  Her job as a masseuse cannot pay that much, and she lives alone in what is depicted as a fairly nice place, so all I can imagine is that she has all kinds of whacky shenanigans happening on the side to make cash.  She's either secretly some kind of government sleeper agent, someone who works in organized crime, or is some sort of demon orchestrating the happenings of the entire series for the nefarious purposes of trans-dimensional masters of indeterminate motive.  The sad things is, none of those possibilities really falls all that out-of-character for her, either.

Or else her job is not a masseuse but a "masseuse" . . . . 

[Deadcoder]

In a weird way, this reminds me of early QC. You have a little emotional progression and then a reference to a random song or band! I feel nostalgic about this.

[WareWolf]

nice one, Faye! Also, CW was standing by with (presumably) a medkit, actually worried, I think? And she admits to Faye that going in was a better choice than leaving bubbles alone, without being prompted.. too much.

Now I don't know whether you're a naive idealist, or I'm a cynical bastard.

When I saw her with that purse-looking object raised and held at the ready, I immediately thought, "Oh, that must be where she keeps some kind of weapon." 

I don't know what it would be if she thinks she can defend herself from Bubbles, but I imagine it's something special.  Probably not physical.

Tasp.

http://larryniven.wikia.com/wiki/Tasp

[Kugai]

At least she was there for her

[jwhouk]

Who does Faye think she is, Rembrandt?

[mustang6172]

No, the real mystery is Pheobe.  Her job as a masseuse cannot pay that much, and she lives alone in what is depicted as a fairly nice place, so all I can imagine is that she has all kinds of whacky shenanigans happening on the side to make cash.  She's either secretly some kind of government sleeper agent, someone who works in organized crime, or is some sort of demon orchestrating the happenings of the entire series for the nefarious purposes of trans-dimensional masters of indeterminate motive.  The sad things is, none of those possibilities really falls all that out-of-character for her, either.

Or else her job is not a masseuse but a "masseuse" . . . .

There is an episode in which Phoebe's estranged brother makes that same assumption.  A comedy of errors and sexual harassment follows.

[comicalArchitect]

So Pintsize and Claire are beginning to form an interesting dynamic.

[mustang6172]

It seems like Pintsize should have said, "It has been forever!  The year is 12661.  Letter grades have been abolished.  All classes are pass/fail and the only criteria is class participation.  Oh, and don't go out at night.  Damn Morlocks are ruining the neighborhood!"

I think that's the second Morlock reference I've made in the forum this month.  Wells don't run dry, do they?

[Is it cold in here?]

I wonder if the little guy was doing exactly the right thing to comfort Claire, reminding her that she's working hard because she's doing the right thing.

[Penquin47]

I KNOW THAT FEEL, CLAIRE.

It's mid-April.  School's out in 6.5 weeks.  I CAN MAKE IT.  (Especially since I teach half seniors, and because of senior activities and stuff, there's not nearly as much grading anymore.)

[jheartney]

Claire is one of those dedicated souls convinced she has to play by the rules, in the teeth of inescapable evidence that playing by the rules is for chumps. Eventually she may persevere and triumph, gaining at the last the same job that Marten stumbled into by accident.

P.S. Has anyone noticed that this thread features last year's date in the title?

[chaospersonified]

P.S. Has anyone noticed that this thread features last year's date in the title?

I certainly did not

[USS Martenclaire]

Everyone gets a B, along with a small jar and some flowers for it to feed from.

[cesium133]

Everyone gets exactly the grade they deserve.

(Everyone deserves an F.  )

[Fen]

It's why I like teaching younger kids. You tend to focus on how cute they are when they're wrong but at least they try, since you have a different set of expectations. The ennui still kicks in after 10-15 papers, though; I wonder if kids realise how much their grade might be affected by where they put their paper on the stack at the end of the test.
If everyone else is bad -> they get a way higher grade as expectations plummet
If everyone else is really good -> they get a lower one as expectations rise
If they're all kind of the same -> they get evened out
If they're the first paper the prof reads -> they pretty much set the mood for everyone else's grading expectations.

[BenRG]

Poor Claire! That said, maybe those actually doing the TA role IRL could enlighten us: Are you really saddled with all the hard and monotonous stuff that the professor can't be bothered to even look at himself/herself or is this just another one of those 'everyone knows' tropes that isn't actually reflected in real life?

Meanwhile, I sense a 'weird party-like event' in the offing. Faye wants to encourage Bubbles to socialise more and Marten will want to give Claire a break before something snaps (probably her sanity followed by someone's neck). So, we may yet have another one of those awkward QC social events where much philosophical discussion occurs and certain secondary/background  characters behave like idiots. As always this would end with one major character development.

[ZoeB]

The one thing I didn't like about teaching was marking exams. I taught postgraduate courses, hard ones, with 3hour exams. 30 in the class, and to mark one properly took over 3 hours. 100 hours of marking in the 2 week break was grueling. I did manage to cut down the work a little by making a marking guide for the simpler questions, and getting some tutors to mark those separately, but the subtle questions with multiple correct answers, and requiring evidence of evaluation of each..needed an expert.

[gopher]

If the answer seems about the right size you give them the same mark you did for the last piece of work +/- 5%.