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Faye sees stars when Bubbles attempts to stop her from drinking

Faye sees everything red, white and blue-shifted

Faye gets convinced not to take a drink by Bubbles

Marten finds out about Faye's drinking - and is disappointed

Marten finds out about Faye's drinking - and beats her ass

Marten finds out about Faye's drinking - and Claire beats her ass

Pintsize slips Bubbles a few Bitcoin after convincing Faye not to drink

CorpseWitch finds out Faye was drinking on the job - and fires her

Bubbles then fires CorpseWitch into orbit

Hah ha ha ha... like Jeph's going to do any of that?

Waffles, spathe ham, and maple syrup

Purple Monkey Dishwashers on Elephants

None of the above

[DashaBlade]

I'd say any time her first reaction isn't to punch the poor fella, it's an improvement. Of course, it might be that she just used up all her punching energy at Bubble's place, but score one for not putting bruises on her roommate lately.

[TRVA123]

Honestly, people on the forum have been fighting about who they don't like (primarily Faye, Dora, and Sven) for years. The conversation is a bit stale to the older forumites, which is probably why most of us don't engage you in that discussion. There are only so many times you can retread that same path.

Analyzing the characters, artwork, narrative, or pacing of the story, or the worldbuilding implications of something new that Jeph has just introduced, is much more interesting.

However, if you want a good dose of Faye debate and drama, you might enjoy finding the thread where Faye was fired from CoD, it had a lot of back and forth about Faye.

I'm not trying to shut down your conversation, but I am trying to give you (my) perspective on why your comments aren't sparking a stimulating discussion.

[jwhouk]

And if you want to see the anger directed at Dora, just go and try to find the threads from around the time of The Breakup.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Thanks to Bubbles, Faye has reclaimed her inner strength.

'Ethanol, in aqueous solution, with minor impurities', muses Bubbles.

[Is it cold in here?]

And if you want to see the anger directed at Dora, just go and try to find the threads from around the time of The Breakup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6X9KcrXHwg

[Mr. Skawronska]

And if you want to see the anger directed at Dora, just go and try to find the threads from around the time of The Breakup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6X9KcrXHwg

I saw that movie in the theaters and I thought it sucked then, too.

But yeah, he's right.  Don't touch that...it's evil.

[Tova]

Nope. Hate on Faye all you want. But hate on Time Bandits? I'm afraid we can never be friends, that's all I'm saying.

[brasca]

And if you want to see the anger directed at Dora, just go and try to find the threads from around the time of The Breakup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6X9KcrXHwg

I saw that movie in the theaters and I thought it sucked then, too.

But yeah, he's right.  Don't touch that...it's evil.

Time Bandits is still a weird film after all these years, but I expect nothing less from Terry Gilliam. 

[brasca]

Strip is up!

Seems that Brun is sticking with her old routine and if Renee is this overbearing then I can definitely see her wanting to find a new roommate soon enough. 

[BenRG]

Yeah, Renee is being a bit overbearing but some things are better done sooner rather than later. I think that Brun will ultimately thank her for her help and not letting her stay in an inactive comfort zone.

Brun working late shifts for a long time confirmed. "Renee, what's that bright light in the sky? It's too bright to be the moon!"

[brasca]

Yeah, Renee is being a bit overbearing but some things are better done sooner rather than later. I think that Brun will ultimately thank her for her help and not letting her stay in an inactive comfort zone.

Brun working late shifts for a long time confirmed. "Renee, what's that bright light in the sky? It's too bright to be the moon!"

I'm not saying Renee isn't being helpful, but Brun's routine is important.  Clinton understood that quickly enough, but Renee whose a friend who knows her longer seems to want her to adopt hers.  It would be one thing if Brun procrastinated for over a week, but seeing as how she could still get shelter at the motel which I imagine would be a very limited basis I would estimate that this is one day after moving in, two tops. 

[Chronometry]

I'm going to be in the looking for my first job ever soon, so I'm interested to see how Brun handles this.

Then again, I do live in England so the jobseeking process might be different over here compared to across the pond.

[DashaBlade]

I know some Renees (not the name, the personality), and I suspect that in her mind, Renee is being very supportive and trying to help her friend get back on her feet as soon as possible.

I know some Bruns (again not the name), and I suspect that in her mind, Renee is going out of her way to show that Brun needs to get out of her home.

See, my mom is a Renee type, and my husband is a Brun type, and after my husband and I got out of the Air Force, my parents offered to let us stay with them until we could find jobs and a place to live. My mom all but pushed us out the door to motivate us into getting our shit together. My husband felt entirely unwelcome, even though I know for a fact that my folks love him to bits. Fortunately, I live in the middle of the extremes so I could act as an interpreter.

Perhaps Clinton could serve in that capacity, some day. Not that I'm shipping Brun/Clinton or saying that Renee is his mom, but when a Brun and a Renee interact, sometimes they do need an interpreter.

Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been interpreted.

[mikmaxs]

Renee is new worst character. Anyone who interrupts sleep is the Devil, it's as simple as that.
Srsly though, depending on how long it's been since the fire and Brun's subsequent sleeping at Renee's house, this could range anywhere from 'Seriously, Renee, you're kind of being a dick right now' if it's only been a couple days, to 'The exact right push she needed' if it's been a couple weeks. Without a clear timescale, it's hard to comment.

[gopher]

Going to trust Renee is dealing with this right until proven otherwise. I know I can need pushing in the right direction, especially during my dark phases.

[USS Martenclaire]

....It might just be me but in that second panel, Brun looks like a half-asleep version of Chelle from Portal.

[mikmaxs]

....It might just be me but in that second panel, Brun looks like a half-asleep version of Chelle from Portal.

It's the color scheme. Orange blanket, white top. Matches the Portal 2 Chell's costume.

[blue5]

This is a complex situation. Are the events happening concurrently? Like the faye situation happened at the same time as brun reaching the apartment at 4? If so reneee is a bit assholish. If this is a fresh night of sleep then brun is lazy. I don't have alot of sympathy for her but lets see where it goes.

And jeez renee is bossy. Being helpful is one thing, but turn it DOWN to 11. Its currently at 46.

[Penquin47]

This is a complex situation. Are the events happening concurrently? Like the faye situation happened at the same time as brun reaching the apartment at 4? If so reneee is a bit assholish. If this is a fresh night of sleep then brun is lazy. I don't have alot of sympathy for her but lets see where it goes.

And jeez renee is bossy. Being helpful is one thing, but turn it DOWN to 11. Its currently at 46.

Brun's not necessarily lazy.  If she's used to working a late shift and sleeping 6 am to 2 pm, that's not lazy, that's just an alternative sleep schedule for those who work while normal people are sleeping.  Given that Brun seems to *need* routine in her life, Renee is a bit assholish no matter what.  If it's been a while, then pushing Brun to start job/apartment hunting is fine, but disrupting her routine to do it?  Not so much.

[oddtail]

This is a complex situation. Are the events happening concurrently? Like the faye situation happened at the same time as brun reaching the apartment at 4? If so reneee is a bit assholish. If this is a fresh night of sleep then brun is lazy. I don't have alot of sympathy for her but lets see where it goes.

And jeez renee is bossy. Being helpful is one thing, but turn it DOWN to 11. Its currently at 46.

Brun's not necessarily lazy.  If she's used to working a late shift and sleeping 6 am to 2 pm, that's not lazy, that's just an alternative sleep schedule for those who work while normal people are sleeping.  Given that Brun seems to *need* routine in her life, Renee is a bit assholish no matter what.  If it's been a while, then pushing Brun to start job/apartment hunting is fine, but disrupting her routine to do it?  Not so much.

Very much true. It's not like a person can switch their sleeping patterns around in a day or two, anyway. And judging by Brun's reaction, Renee surprised her by this with no forewarning.

[oeoek]

Fantastic first panel today (2620); being ripped from slumber...

[Tova]

Wait. 2620?

That makes me think. With Jeph in Europe, I wonder if the idea for this comic came from real life. Jet lag can be a real buggerance.

[MrNumbers]

Friendship Order of Operations

Gratitude comes after coffee.

[blue5]

Crap, I forgot that. Yeah, if its a late shift, your sleep patterns tend to reflect it. Renee does gym? Looking like she needs to commit to it a bit more.

The art in this one a bit better than the last strip.

Off comment: You know, with Dora actively trying to improve her life, she can make up with Sven. None of her problems had to do anything with Sven. I really hated that Dora and Faye were demonizing his life. He is actually the most grounded of most of the cast. I am hoping that Martin and Dora get back together and have a better relationship.

[bhtooefr]

Off comment: You know, with Dora actively trying to improve her life, she can make up with Sven. None of her problems had to do anything with Sven.

Which she did: http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3025

I am hoping that Martin and Dora get back together and have a better relationship.

Doesn't that run afoul of the shipping rule? And, Dora seems to be happy with Tai (and their relationship seems to be healthier - Tai pushes Dora to be a better person) and vice versa, Marten seems to be happy with Claire (and their relationship seems to be healthier - Marten's forced to take the lead and therefore work through his passivity). So, wanting Marten and Dora to get back together means wanting those relationships to end (considering nobody involved is poly, as far as we know - not even Tai, as her promiscuity was attempting to fit in with her poly crushes, but she was completely unsatisfied with that).

And, I mean, Marten and Dora's relationship was really unhealthy - Dora was basically an emotional abuser to him when they were together, and Marten was effectively an enabler for all of Dora's bad habits through his passivity. (That doesn't mean that Dora's a terrible person, it just means that they're terrible together.)

[blue5]

I agree it does run afoul or even a fowl of the shipping rule. They did patch things up. Sven returning to a life which made him happy (the old one) will be a good change.

Tai and Claire are too immature for their respective partners. Got nothing against them, but their role of long term partners seem a bit "meh". Tai is a bit moody at times and Claire, well is prone to alot of immaturity. As a long term option, not that great a partner.

Now matin and Dora can enter a relationship as helthier partners. Dora will be a lot more stable and martin can express how they feel. The is always ClaireTai when  Clearatin fails.

[oddtail]

I agree it does run afoul or even a fowl of the shipping rule. They did patch things up. Sven returning to a life which made him happy (the old one) will be a good change.

Tai and Claire are too immature for their respective partners. Got nothing against them, but their role of long term partners seem a bit "meh". Tai is a bit moody at times and Claire, well is prone to alot of immaturity. As a long term option, not that great a partner.

Now matin and Dora can enter a relationship as helthier partners. Dora will be a lot more stable and martin can express how they feel. The is always ClaireTai when  Clearatin fails.

Is there any even semi-reasonable in-story reason why Marten and Dora would get back together? They seem happy with their current partners, they have expressed no regrets regarding their breakup, they don't seem to be interested in each other anymore, and each of them seems to have moved past the relationship emotionally. The debate of whether they would fit together is immaterial, not anymore than any other hypothetical pairing of characters. No story element hints at them being anything but satisfied with having broken up, nor are there any indications that the story intends to go there for whatever reason.

Which makes the speculation pure shipping, doesn't it...?

[Thrudd]

I saw that movie in the theaters and I thought it sucked then, too.
But yeah, he's right.  Don't touch that...it's evil.

Time Bandits is still a weird film after all these years, but I expect nothing less from Terry Gilliam.

How can anyone not love that film - it has LEGO.

[94ssd]

I just realized, is Brun's friend Renee the same one that works at the Secret Bakery (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1845)

They are indeed both short, black, curvy, and have gauges. But did she get contacts? And if it is the same person her personality around Brun is a lot different, which I suppose isn't that unlikely.

[QuestionableIntentions]

And if Clinton had done any of these: "Oh my god he is such a creepy weirdo!"

[DSL]

"Now I'm going to complain about how nobody appreciates the things I do for them that they didn't ask me to do or even asked me to not do!" Yep, I've got a few of those.

[sitnspin]

And if Clinton had done any of these: "Oh my god he is such a creepy weirdo!"

The difference being that Brun and Renee have a preexisting trusted friendship.

[MrNumbers]

Re: Claire/Marten and Tai/Dora breakups--  's biggest problem is she currently suffers and benefits from the role of "Creator's Pet". Or has until recently. The solution, then, is not for Dora and Marten to get back together, because they are -- what we in the shipping business call -- a "burned bridge". They've only just put out the fires on that one, there's no need to go trying to run a trainline back over it just because you like how it used to look.

Tai also consistently seems to be more mature and level headed than Dora in the specific ways Dora needs. She's a very good counter to her specific brand of bullshit. Which I'd love to see more of because they've been very heavily offscreened for quite a while. But it's so hard for an author to just focus on the lives of characters that are going well because "I am relatively happy and content with my life and the choices I am making to improve it" doesn't have much in the way of dramatic tension...

[KOK]

Irwin Troll is writing his memoires:
"I was born long ago and have lived quietly ever since."
Gaylord Buzzard: "No, no, no! You need tension! Drama! Suffering!"
"PS. In 1966 I bit my tongue."

[Oenone]

Sometimes the best friends push you to get your shit together.  The two pm wake up isn't good because a lot of this stuff needs to happen during business hours.

ETA: also to me this solidifies that Renee doesn't want Brun dependent on her; these are all necessary steps to Brun becoming INDEPENDENT once again.

[Thrillho]

Renee does gym? Looking like she needs to commit to it a bit more.

Moderator Comment

And you need to not say anything like this on here again.

[blue5]

okie okie..it was a little mean

[pwhodges]

I agree it does run afoul or even a fowl of the shipping rule.

Global Moderator Comment

Also, rules are rules. Saying you're aware you're breaking them is not a perverse get-out-of-jail-free card. Keep to the rules or be prepared for the consequences.

[jheartney]

The two ongoing storylines make an interesting contrast in approaches to being a helpful friend. Bubbles played it sensitively, just present enough to give support, but letting Faye do the heavy lifting in her internal demon battle. Renee has no idea what "sensitive" is, so she's pushing way past the limit, trying to censor Brun's friendships, and bulldozing Brun into forging ahead with future plans before she has a chance to process all the sudden changes she's experienced.

It's possible that this is what Brun needs; she may have the instinct to hold back and stay in her comfort zone even when she needs to think about next steps. But I kind of doubt it. Renee as overbearing comic relief could end up a foil to Clinton (who used to be Mr. Overbearing But Means Well) as he grows a bit and experiences the downside of someone else being overbearing.

While you were typing like a slowpoke, two others added their thoughts to the thread. So will you be overbearing and just put down what you've already written, or will you be a wuss and keep responding to faster typists till you're defeated by a special case of Zeno's Paradox?

[JimC]

or will you be a wuss and keep responding to faster typists

Thread drift is your friend here. Before long the faster typists will be wibbling about something entirely different and you may gain plaudits for dragging the thread back on topic...

[blue5]

I think brun will work at the robot fighting arena. A bar at a fighting pit? Now things will pick up!

[Thrudd]

I doubt there is much if any audience at the arena itself and Robots don't drink per se.
Makes for questionable security as well.

My guess is that it is web televised and to circumvent the gambling laws the League works through subscriptions for the live streams and some version of Patron for the Fighters. Secondary sources would be all sorts of memorabilia and ephemera that are normally associated with such activities. Mind you gambling might happen through third parties in another jurisdiction, though the IRS will still want its cut despite any application of logic.

[DashaBlade]

And if Clinton had done any of these: "Oh my god he is such a creepy weirdo!"

The difference being that Brun and Renee have a preexisting trusted friendship.

This just made a lightbulb click on for me. The reason Renee is suspicious of Clinton without ever meeting him is that by helping Brun, he's moving in on her territory. 

[comicalArchitect]

And if Clinton had done any of these: "Oh my god he is such a creepy weirdo!"

The difference being that Brun and Renee have a preexisting trusted friendship.

This just made a lightbulb click on for me. The reason Renee is suspicious of Clinton without ever meeting him is that by helping Brun, he's moving in on her territory. 

That makes a ton of sense. Renee is like that kid on the playground who got upset when her best friend wanted to play with other kids (spoiler alert: I was that kid too, so I get it).

[Kugai]

I give Renee 9/10 for trying, but minus several thousand for being overbearing

And Brun definitely has the right alarm clock noise

[War Sparrow]

"My friend needs a routine for her wellbeing! I will help her find one as soon as possible, by waking her up before she wants to be awake and slamming her with things immediately afterward! I am helping!"

Renee needs to calm her farm. *

*There is a Marigold pun here. I am not clever enough to construct it.

[brasca]

And if Clinton had done any of these: "Oh my god he is such a creepy weirdo!"

The difference being that Brun and Renee have a preexisting trusted friendship.

True and as a trusted friend Renee should be more than familiar with Brun's need for routine.  It would be like Margiold cleaning up Hannelore's apartment.  Sure she did something helpful, but with her OCD being what it is she has to do the cleaning her way.

[swapna]

Sometimes the best friends push you to get your shit together.  The two pm wake up isn't good because a lot of this stuff needs to happen during business hours.

ETA: also to me this solidifies that Renee doesn't want Brun dependent on her; these are all necessary steps to Brun becoming INDEPENDENT once again.

I think you're right on the money here - if Brun's waking up at two, she won't have enough time to file the paperwork before business hours end. In Bruns line of work, calling for jobs later in the day might not be that big of a problem, but I don't know if Renee's thought of that. All in all, I think she knows Bruns routine, and she knows how much strain it puts on her to live with another person (when she described her routine, she joked that Brun might follow it, but she obviously knows that won't happen).

Also, yes, she wants Brun independent, which contradicts the earlier assumption that she tries to keep her away from any potential friends like Clinton just to have her for herself. I also think Renee knows Brun very well, and she knows that adjusting to a new routine is hard for her; we've seen how difficulties she had (forgetting to shower, or forgetting to put Clintons number somewhere dry..). To help with this, Renee started making a routine for Brun, and while Brun might complain about it's a structure she can cling to until she re-establishes her own. So, it's more like Marten distracting Hanners with the Worry Hat; of course it's not the perfect solution, but it'll work until Hanners figures it out herself.

[Akima]

I'm one of those people who "wants to help", and be organised, and do things for other people, so I sympathise with Renée's impulse, but I've learned that behaving like that can feel very overbearing and unempathic and "not listening" to the person on the receiving end. Especially when you've just jerked them awake out of their normal sleep-cycle. And laying a guilt-trip on people for their lack of gratitude when you do something for them is not really cool ever.

So yes, I'm in the "Don't walk away Renée, but dial it down a few notches, OK?" camp.

[jheartney]

Actually I suspect Renee likes being bossy. She may come up with a number of excuses that she's doing it for Brun's own good, but in the end bossy people like being bossy. Brun's an adult, and capable of being responsible for her own life.

I could be wrong, but this looks to me as if this is the next day after Brun moved out of the hotel. If so she's working on a 36 hour sleep deficit, and could well have used those additional two hours of sleep. We'll see how long this crashing-at-Renee's thing lasts.