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Bubbles and Faye trying to help eachother heal

Renee and Brun - Odd Couples Don't Get Odder!

Brun Rebuilding Her Life

Clinton and Claire trying to rebuild a few burned bridges

Dora trying to persuade Hanners and Emily to actually WORK (Barn fart! Baaarrrnnn fffaaarrrt!)

Clinton and Brun's incomplete business

[Tova]

>I am a juvenile Corrections Officer

You seemed pretty mature to me ...

*snerk*

I know, I'm easily amused.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

With some coaxing and a resolute seamstress I could see her in 1890's masque ball finery, china mask, black lace bonnet, silk gloves et al...

First I wanted to see Bubbles in a tux. Now I want her to have her own dress montage.

[jwhouk]

>I am a juvenile Corrections Officer

You seemed pretty mature to me ...

Ba-dum-bump.

[Phaedrus_schmaedrus]

Croissants are really good. Everyone can agree on that. The important question is: are croissants the best pastry?

[Tova]

With some coaxing and a resolute seamstress I could see her in 1890's masque ball finery, china mask, black lace bonnet, silk gloves et al...

First I wanted to see Bubbles in a tux. Now I want her to have her own dress montage.

If you mean this, then yes, this must happen.

Croissants are really good. Everyone can agree on that. The important question is: are croissants the best pastry?

Excellent question.

I do not think there is a best pastry, because all people and all moods demand different pastries.

Now I've got that waffle* out of the way, I think it should be clear to every one that, actually, the kouign amann is the best pastry.



Because butter.

And canelés are the best pastry for people with far too much time on their hands (or who know someone else who does and is actually willing to part with one for a lot of money).

But if you exclude sometimes foods, croissants are definitely the best pastry.

* I don't think waffles are a pastry.

P.S. Bugger, now I am hungry.

[BenRG]

Wow! I could never eat that many croissants in one sitting! The pastry is too dry; my mouth would end up like it was made of sandpaper! Still, Brun definitely likes this part of Renee's cooking skills, even if she's no fan of the presentation end of her casseroles!

Meanwhile, we learn that Brun is a devotee of the Ruby Rose school of eating baked goods!

Hrm... 'toasty'. I can't help but wonder if this is the first time in a long time that Brun has eaten some decent, fresh food. Maybe the old boss didn't pay very well or maybe she just wasn't all that good at feeding herself. However, her expectations do seem to have been more like: "Yay, more throw-out stuff for breakfast." I might be reading too much into it but I'm thinking that the destruction of the bar may yet turn out to be a serious blessing for her.

[Clubman8]

Random thought 1: We haven't heard about Margold and Dale in a while, I feel: pregnancy scare.

You know, in over 3000 entries I feel like that topic is long overdue. As long as it doesn't end in loss.jpg 2016, we could have a good arc on our hands. With so many characters to dwell on, a baby wouldn't necessarily derail any progression in the overall comic.

[Akima]

If your croissant is dry, it was made with insufficient butter. I don't think I could eat a dozen either though, because they are so rich.

[BenRG]

Random thought 1: We haven't heard about Margold and Dale in a while, I feel: pregnancy scare.

You know, in over 3000 entries I feel like that topic is long overdue. As long as it doesn't end in loss.jpg 2016, we could have a good arc on our hands. With so many characters to dwell on, a baby wouldn't necessarily derail any progression in the overall comic.

FWIW, I always got the impression that Jeph wasn't so much opposed to the idea as much as he felt that he couldn't write or draw a baby character in any way that avoided self-parody. However now he has a baby relative on the way (a niece or nephew; I don't think that's been publicly confirmed) he might have a different mindset and approach. QC has enough autobiographical elements that I could see him inserting a secondary-level character pairing (such as, say, Dale and Marigold) having a child just to reflect his own experience of unclehood.

Whether that happens? Well, that's up to him, isn't it?

[brasca]

I would also add that she seemingly devoured a dozen croissants in such a short amount of time without any beverage on hand.  That's quite a feat!  Sometimes I forget to take a sip of my coffee after eating my toast, but I could never get through that many pastries without a drink. 

[MooskiNet]

I would also add that she seemingly devoured a dozen croissants in such a short amount of time without any beverage on hand.  That's quite a feat!

If there is one word I could use for Brun, it would be 'focused.'

[JimC]

Think we can be reasonably confident that Brun is not suffering from Hannelore's eating problem...

I'm sure there's a deliberate contrast there, even if I have no idea where it will go.

Now all I have to do is persuade myself I don't need the croissant that I seem to have a sudden urge for...

[BenRG]

Think we can be reasonably confident that Brun is not suffering from Hannelore's eating problem...

I'm sure there's a deliberate contrast there, even if I have no idea where it will go.

A possible future strip where Brun is sitting opposite Hannelore and coaching her on how to eat pastries without using your hands (a skill that Hannelore wants to learn for a variety of reasons, most of them hygienic)?

[TheEvilDog]

I get the feeling that Brun didn't so much eat the croissants, as that she inhaled them.

[jheartney]

Random thought 1: We haven't heard about Margold and Dale in a while, I feel: pregnancy scare.

You know, in over 3000 entries I feel like that topic is long overdue. As long as it doesn't end in loss.jpg 2016, we could have a good arc on our hands. With so many characters to dwell on, a baby wouldn't necessarily derail any progression in the overall comic.

FWIW, I always got the impression that Jeph wasn't so much opposed to the idea as much as he felt that he couldn't write or draw a baby character in any way that avoided self-parody. However now he has a baby relative on the way (a niece or nephew; I don't think that's been publicly confirmed) he might have a different mindset and approach. QC has enough autobiographical elements that I could see him inserting a secondary-level character pairing (such as, say, Dale and Marigold) having a child just to reflect his own experience of unclehood.

Whether that happens? Well, that's up to him, isn't it?

Babies are tricky to fit into a long-form narrative that hasn't had them before. Part of this is that real babies take a long time to develop any sort of individual agency, so their impact on storylines is kind of like a boat anchor. And even once they start being individuals, it's often kind of cutesy in a way that wouldn't fit with a story form hitherto dedicated to at-least-somewhat adult issues.

I could see a pregnancy scare for Dale and Marigold working with the fact that they (especially Marigold) are not at all ready for parenthood. We could see them wrestle with issues relating to their passage to adulthood, but at this point I think the only real choice would be for them to terminate the pregnancy. Not sure how you'd generate punchlines out of that, but if anybody could do it it'd be Jeph.

[hedgie]

And here I thought that marigold gave birth to a baby Hanners

[Thrudd]

The croissants I usually end up getting, even if very fresh, are low on the butter content BUT I make up for that with the following.
Split horizontally, place on a pizza pan, grate a firm cheese on the open faces then place in either oven or BBQ [house AC can't handle the oven in summer]
Once the cheese is melty but before the pastry starts to darken I drop finely sliced double smoked pork loin on top and leave just long enough to have the pastry brown nicely and the meat warm up.
Close and eat while warm. [insert homerjsimpson arglbargle]

Note, I use one of several varieties of non-creamy goat cheeses due to my lactose issue.
Also hard aged cheeses, which I dont have the lactose problem with,  don't go all melty before the pastry gets too brown and crispy or black and ashy.

My favorite baked good is still hands down an authentic Pączki aka krepel aka Polish Doughnuts though Krapfen aka Berliners come in as a close substitute.

[FunkyTuba]

anyone else getting a new look to the site, sort of a plain look? I guess Jeph's working on the look+feel?

[sitnspin]

Ugh, ruining perfectly good baked goods with animal carcass. Sacrilege.

[anahata]

anyone else getting a new look to the site, sort of a plain look? I guess Jeph's working on the look+feel?

Yup, getting it here too. The forum link will be much easier to click if if stays like this; it used to be too small and surrounded by false targets.

[explicit]

Ugh, ruining perfectly good baked goods with animal carcass. Sacrilege.

Idk, I had taco ingredients (beef, onions, peppers) shoved into croissants yesterday and it was pretty good. Although, I think my intestines hate me right.

[sitnspin]

Ugh, ruining perfectly good baked goods with animal carcass. Sacrilege.

Idk, I had taco ingredients (beef, onions, peppers) shoved into croissants yesterday and it was pretty good. Although, I think my intestines hate me right.

To be fair, I consider animal carcass to ruin everything it touches. Personal bias. The onions and peppers sound pretty tasty though. Roasted red peppers and grilled onions would be pretty awesome in a pastry.

[explicit]

Beans or lentils may also work as a beef substitute in what I had. Most of the flavor comes from the peppers and spices.

[Nepiophage]

With some coaxing and a resolute seamstress I could see her in 1890's masque ball finery, china mask, black lace bonnet, silk gloves et al, rendering patrons assistance when not standing by the end of the bar, silently watching and observing.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d3/6b/73/d36b734b19a746b6ade3df42b64722b5.jpg

[gopher]

anyone else getting a new look to the site, sort of a plain look? I guess Jeph's working on the look+feel?

  Was wondering if something was broken, everything on it seems wrong.

[Kugai]

So, it would appear that we have found a relative of Cookie Monster - Brun, the Croissant Monster 



I was wondering if there'd been a change to the Front Page of the Comic.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Yay, Renée!

I love the smell of croissants in the morning --- it smells like ... VICTORY!

[Clubman8]

anyone else getting a new look to the site, sort of a plain look? I guess Jeph's working on the look+feel?

Yup, getting it here too. The forum link will be much easier to click if if stays like this; it used to be too small and surrounded by false targets.

Whatever happened, it totally destroyed mobile. http://m.imgur.com/BxKVeYI,sLl0pQy

[Welu]

When I looked on mobile earlier, the comic was squished to the size of the browser.

Fair play to Jeph. It's not the first time he's edited the live site and it's always a ride from this side of the screen.

[cesium133]

New comic...

"I was pissed off about my mom last wee."

That sounds like something to be careful about being pissed off about. If you're not careful, urine trouble. 

[heyjames4]

Well. That settles that bit of speculation. I'm excited to see what happens next for Elliot and or Brun

[SubaruStephen]

Elliot = dog personality.

Renee= cat (obviously)

[Phaedrus_schmaedrus]

Ugh, ruining perfectly good baked goods with animal carcass. Sacrilege.

Idk, I had taco ingredients (beef, onions, peppers) shoved into croissants yesterday and it was pretty good. Although, I think my intestines hate me right.

seconded; savory pastries are underrated.

not so fancy, but a brazilian place in town sells these little cheese buns, where the cheese is somehow baked into the bread (?!). they're just perfect little bites of hot flaky bread and cheese, and i could probably eat a bag of them.

quick google search for "brazilian cheese buns" yields this: http://www.oliviascuisine.com/authentic-brazilian-cheese-bread/

[Tova]

I love savoury pastry, though I strongly disagree that they are underrated. I would cite, for example, the popularity of meat pies and pasties.

However, the whole premise of the croissant is that it be buttery and flaky. Any croissant that has had some kind of filling shoved into it, in my experience, is inevitably stodgy.

Stodgy croissants are the worst pastry. If I can't get one fresh from a good bakery, then I'd rather have something else. Yes, you can call me a snob if you want. 

For some reason, ham and cheese croissants are popular in Sydney. FSM knows why.

Breaking: chouquettes may actually be the best pastry. I need to make some soon.

[brasca]

It seems like Renee craves validation, but on her terms only.  Brun devours an entire bag of her croissants in record time, but she's irked because she didn't get a verbal compliment about her it.  Now she's complaining about not getting a pat on the head even though Elliot listened to her complaining about her Mom and when he offers to do so belatedly she refuses. 

[mad hands murphy]

Renee is just super pushy all the time isn't she.

She's like neo Dora now that Dora is on her journey of self-discovery.

[Tova]

It seems like Renee craves validation, but on her terms only.  Brun devours an entire bag of her croissants in record time, but she's irked because she didn't get a verbal compliment about her it.  Now she's complaining about not getting a pat on the head even though Elliot listened to her complaining about her Mom and when he offers to do so belatedly she refuses.

If you take another look at the last two panels, you will see that she was not, in fact, complaining about not getting a pat on the head. That was only the way Elliot interpreted it*. She's trying to imply that Elliot wants to pat Brun on the head because he has a crush on her.

Now I've gone and explained the joke again. Sorry.

* Not only Ellliot, I guess.

[jheartney]

The new page design needs styling. At the moment you have lots of loose type on white, with no structure to help organize it. A few tint boxes and/or rules in the right places would make it much more appealing.

[BenRG]

So... Basically, what we're learning here is that Elliott has no real ability to express himself with women nor any instinct for it... at all. He also has a huge reserve of denial about his emotions and whether or not he is attracted to someone.

Actually, he is more like Marten than I thought. Indeed, it's as if Jeph took early model Marten's inability to deal with attractive women as anything other than sisters and turned it up to eleven!

FWIW, the main page is offline right now, although the archive page for the strip is up. Jeph's last Tweet was that he had been playing a video game and it left him unable to sleep so he might be working on the formatting of the new page design software a bit more. Aaannnd, just to screw with me, the main page starts working immediately after I post!

[carnex]

If you take another look at the last two panels, you will see that she was not, in fact, complaining about not getting a pat on the head. That was only the way Elliot interpreted it*. She's trying to imply that Elliot wants to pat Brun on the head because he has a crush on her.

Now I've gone and explained the joke again. Sorry.

* Not only Ellliot, I guess.

If you take another look at it you can see her nearly equating her being pissed of at her mother to her friend losing her job, stuff and roof over head. That is textbook definition of unhealthily self centered. Even if it was to make a point on big guy not accepting his feelings, it's way, WAY to much.

And she didn't even refuse pat politely, she is drawn with clearly disgusted expresion. That drives the point even further.

[Wildroses]

Well, Renee's not crazily protective about Brun's romantic life. She didn't seem unhappy with the idea of Elliot crushing on her precious vulnerable friend until he tried to muss up her carefully crafted hairstyle.

[BenRG]

Another minor thing from this strip: Some eagle-eyed readers have noticed that the doors in Northampton tend to magically raise themselves to the height of the most vertically-exaggerated characters, such as Bubbles and Elliott. Well, no longer! We can definitely see today that Elliott has to duck when entering The Secret Bakery unless he wants to ANH-Stormtrooper Blooper his forehead on the crossbeam!

[Tova]

If you take another look at the last two panels, you will see that she was not, in fact, complaining about not getting a pat on the head. That was only the way Elliot interpreted it*. She's trying to imply that Elliot wants to pat Brun on the head because he has a crush on her.

Now I've gone and explained the joke again. Sorry.

* Not only Ellliot, I guess.

If you take another look at it you can see her nearly equating her being pissed of at her mother to her friend losing her job, stuff and roof over head. That is textbook definition of unhealthily self centered. Even if it was to make a point on big guy not accepting his feelings, it's way, WAY to much.

And she didn't even refuse pat politely, she is drawn with clearly disgusted expresion. That drives the point even further.

Why is this directed at me? My post had nothing to do with whether she is self-centered or not. It was specifically in response to someone claiming she wanted a pat on the head, which was a misinterpretation.

Having said that, I don't think she is actually equating the things you think she's equating. She's trying to prove to Elliot that he has a crush, that's all. Probably misguidedly.

I have no comment on whether she is self-centered.

[Oenone]

Idk if it's self centered to give your friend fresh pastries....

[BenRG]

Idk if it's self centered to give your friend fresh pastries....

It is self-centred if it's done so with the implicit assumption that you'll get some ego-stroking thanks and praise for doing so. I'm not saying that this was Renee's motive but clearly a lot of people do think that.

To me, the big joke in today's comic is that Elliott is so desperate to deny that he's attracted to Brun in any way that he's proposing to engage in an entirely inappropriately intimate behaviour with Renee so as to try to prove to himself that what he wants to do with Brun is nothing indicative of attraction. I can't exactly blame her for being freaked out by this.

[Oenone]

I think she might have wanted to both be nice and show off a little; it's fun to bring your friend to work and show them the things you're good at, especially when it's food related and especially when it's a part of your world you don't normally get to share because of scheduling.

I also think Renee's teasing backfired with Elliot; she wanted to tease him about his crush, not get a head pat!

(Tho im curious what she was upset about re: her mom. If she's reverse Faye, I wonder how she's "lost" that parent? Drugs, maybe?)

[Welu]

The art today is nice, especially the angle in panel 2.

[USS Martenclaire]

A thought occurred to me. This is the first time we've seen someone show romantic interest in Brun. Look back through Clinton's interactions with her; there's concern, banter, friendship but no sign of romance. Granted, the situation was rather...fraught...but even when he's talking to Claire afterwards, there aren't any hints at romantic attraction.

[Tova]

Reading others' interpretations of a comic is endlessly fascinating. You don't realise you're even making assumptions until you see someone else's.

Idk if it's self centered to give your friend fresh pastries....

It is self-centred if it's done so with the implicit assumption that you'll get some ego-stroking thanks and praise for doing so. I'm not saying that this was Renee's motive but clearly a lot of people do think that.

To me, the big joke in today's comic is that Elliott is so desperate to deny that he's attracted to Brun in any way that he's proposing to engage in an entirely inappropriately intimate behaviour with Renee so as to try to prove to himself that what he wants to do with Brun is nothing indicative of attraction. I can't exactly blame her for being freaked out by this.

I don't even have time to describe how differently I saw the exact same scene.

[Method of Madness]

"entirely inappropriately intimate behaviour"

...you got that from a friendly head pat?