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Like Hannelore, she's travelling on a sort of personal spirit quest

1 (2.4%)

She's enrolled in the Dance and Performance Arts course at Smif

4 (9.5%)

After, like, a year, she's finally checked her mother's messages and found out about Faye's post-Angus breakdown

8 (19%)

She's marrying her girlfriend and wants Faye to participate in the ceremony

14 (33.3%)

She is curious about Faye's Northhamton friends and has decided to vacation in the town

6 (14.3%)

She literally missed Tilly by a couple of days and will have to wait longer still to return their $10

2 (4.8%)

Something told her that there was a barista gig open in Northhampton

0 (0%)

Unbeknown to all, she is someone's pen friend and they have agreed to meet up

1 (2.4%)

Hannelore's old apartment has been put up for a new tenant and she is interested.

1 (2.4%)

Other (please specify in a comment)

5 (11.9%)

Total Members Voted: 39

[BenRG]

I'm pretty sure that there is a larger plot significance to Amanda's sudden appearance on Friday, probably something to do with Faye's ongoing character arc vis her relationship with Bubbles. However, there has to be an in universe reason and this poll is to see what forumites would like it to be.

Personally, I like the idea of her having enrolled at some course at Smif College. It would be interesting to give her reason to interact with Marten and Tai in the library and possibly Claire if, as a senior post-grad, she's been given a role of a counsellor or adviser for freshmen students. I could see Claire as being a well-intentioned but somewhat chaotic influence due to her tendency to ship and her constant need to make puns at random intervals.

As for this week, I'm not expecting anything earth-shattering; just a week of Faye/Amanda interaction with mutual wise-cracks and possibly some introduction to Amanda's SO.


[EDIT]
Corrected error in subject line

[Tova]

I'm refraining from voting, for reasons that may occur to you.

[jwhouk]

They'll figure out about Evie soon enough.

[cesium133]

(click to show/hide)

[celticgeek]

Stupefyingly naive sister, and Evie, have arrived.

[Thrudd]

I figure that the drama is that they are already married, Evie has a job in the area and lil sis needs help getting them settled etc and finding a job for herself.

[TheEvilDog]

I figure that the drama is that they are already married, Evie has a job in the area and lil sis needs help getting them settled etc and finding a job for herself.

I doubt it, Evie is presenting a paper at SMIF and they're only there for the day.

There doesn't need to be any outside drama, Amanda is the kind of person who just generates it wherever she goes, just by not taking a second to think.

[shanejayell]

I can't wait until Evie and Amanda see Faye and Bubbles together.

"They are TOTALLY dating!"

"We are NOT!"

"Hey, is BUBBLES BLUSHING?!"

"I am not!" the blushing Bubbles lied.

[SomeCanadianWeirdo]

Evie seems to have an idea already what she's getting into with Amanda.  Amanda apparently still has some maturing to do.

[A Duck]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

[brasca]

I can't wait until Evie and Amanda see Faye and Bubbles together.

"They are TOTALLY dating!"

"We are NOT!"

"Hey, is BUBBLES BLUSHING?!"

"I am not!" the blushing Bubbles lied.

Exactly.  Amanda will be this chapter's Tilly.  She's an outsider who will be the catalyst for the next stage of Bubbles' and Faye's relationship. 

[Penquin47]

I like Evie.

"That's me.  I'm Evie."  For some reason it just made me laugh.

[OldGoat]

Yep, they're an item alright.

[mercykills]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

Right!? I hate it when people say, "O, you work from home, can't you do "X, Y, Z" for me?" or "I envy you, you can take off whenever you want."

Well, shit, sure I can. That is, if I don't want to meet my deadlines, if I want to lose the trust of my clients, and if I never want to eat, again. WHY NOT!?!

Ok, that last one may be hyperbole since developers are always in demand but if you want to stay your own boss, then, no matter your skillset, you will only be as good as your word. And your word = your work. And, as an independent, good work will always take a significant percentage of your time.

[BenRG]

Ah, the wonders of someone who is still in full-time education and has no conception of how life actually works! I'm not criticising Amanda here; she likely really does have no reason to know just how difficult it is being self-employed.

Evie is an interesting one isn't she? When you're creating a SO for an existing character, the temptation is to make them basically something one-dimensional that makes the established character look good. What is different here is that I suspect Evie is the smart one and Amanda is the adornment who possibly needs help not to get overwhelmed by the world; this is not the normal thing you see in fiction.

Now, am I the only one who thinks that Jeph had been staring at his pile of bills and his very long 'to do' list when he wrote this comic?

[oeoek]

Wait until these two get a whiff of Faye's business partner. I expect great things from them for the bubbles-Faye thread. Terrible perhaps, yes. But great nonetheless.

[oddtail]

But that's EXACTLY how it works! Clearly.

If you need some free time, you give yourself a day off.

And if you're short on money, you give yourself a raise 

(also, personally, I couldn't be exclusively self-employed. I'd get fired.)

[Near Lurker]

Somewhere between girlfriend and handler.

[BenRG]

Wait until these two get a whiff of Faye's business partner. I expect great things from them for the bubbles-Faye thread. Terrible perhaps, yes. But great nonetheless.

I'm guessing that Amanda will do something like dare Faye to 'dress up' tomorrow, in universe. Amanda's argument will be that, if Faye and Bubbles are just 'best friends' as Faye insists, then Bubbles' most likely reaction will be: "Why on Earth are you all dressed up like that?" Faye agrees and the outcome is... instructive, one way or the other.

Somewhere between girlfriend and handler.

Which, when you think about it, is something of a theme in QC. In the main cast, Tai, Claire and Marten both have similar roles in their SO's lives. In the background cast, Penny is a bit like that for Wil and Steve for Cossette.

[Gyrre]

Good morning, all! () [or whatever time of day it happens to be for you]

If you happen to live in the continental United States or in Canada, there's a good chance your roads are frozen over thanks to yesterdays precipitation.
Might I suggest driving slower, giving yourself extra space between you and the car ahead, along with giving yourself at least an extra 50 ft to stop?

[TinPenguin]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

Right!? I hate it when people say, "O, you work from home, can't you do "X, Y, Z" for me?" or "I envy you, you can take off whenever you want."

"Oh, you work nights? Must be nice to have all that free time in the day!"

[A small perverse otter]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

Right!? I hate it when people say, "O, you work from home, can't you do "X, Y, Z" for me?" or "I envy you, you can take off whenever you want."

"Oh, you work nights? Must be nice to have all that free time in the day!"

Or you work at home and people don't realize you've taken your lunch hour off to attend a meeting, and now must get "back to work"

[Neko_Ali]

The truest statement I've heard about self employment is 'You get to choose what 16 hours a day you work!'. Though honestly that depends on what you actually do for a living.

[JimC]

The other problem is that you never get any time to yourself away from the boss...

[dutchrvl]

The other problem is that you never get any time to yourself away from the boss...

^This. My main problem, and why I don't want my PT freelance business to become anything more than just some side income, is that I would find it extremely challenging to actually step away from the work and just relax without thinking constantly about everything that needs to be done.

[Thrudd]

If you happen to live in the continental United States or in Canada, there's a good chance your roads are frozen over thanks to yesterdays precipitation.
Might I suggest driving slower, giving yourself extra space between you and the car ahead, along with giving yourself at least an extra 50 ft to stop?

50 feet?     [calls up the translation app] Ah so 15 meters

Also you better have snow tires or slow down even further because your stopping distance increases to guardrail, lamp post, ditch or the ever popular police car fender.

I normally use the 3 second rule under regular driving conditions

(click to show/hide)

please note that driving in the city of Toronto never comes anywhere near the definition of the word NORMAL

but with today's weather and road conditions it is supposed to be at least 9 seconds when traveling at speed .... that translates into about [does some higher math] 2 meters on average or just far enough behind to see their tail lights flicker off when they take their foot off the brake pedal to start to move and yet close enough not to encourage the [censored] to nose in after passing everyone on the right exit lane. This is one of the many reasons why a very specific vehicle is on my must get list for city driving. 

[OldGoat]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

Right!? I hate it when people say, "O, you work from home, can't you do "X, Y, Z" for me?" or "I envy you, you can take off whenever you want."

"Oh, you work nights? Must be nice to have all that free time in the day!"

Or they call at 10:00 AM.  "Oh!  Did I wake you?"

[Clovis Man]

My first (and probably lasting) impression of Amanda is that of a First Class Ditz.[1]  I doubt she has any clue about how the real world works (or the consequences of stealing Mom's credit card)... Just a moment...  Just a moment... Can we say 'dropped in at the deep end', boys and girls?

[1] One example, from my days as a convenience store manager.
Image: Two teenage girls trying to figure out how to open the fuel filler door on the brand new Mustang convertible daddy just bought one of them.
My comment to co-worker: "They do outgrow that, don't they?"
Co-worker: "Ghod, I hope so."

[Akima]

Well, shit, sure I can. That is, if I don't want to meet my deadlines, if I want to lose the trust of my clients, and if I never want to eat, again. WHY NOT!?!

And if you're self-employed you're always, always insecure about continuity of work. And your boss is always in the room, looking over your shoulder.

[Gyrre]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

Right!? I hate it when people say, "O, you work from home, can't you do "X, Y, Z" for me?" or "I envy you, you can take off whenever you want."

"Oh, you work nights? Must be nice to have all that free time in the day!"

Then there's being expected to keep "normal people hours" on the weekend.

Not to mention the hassel of having upstairs neighbors. Especially if they have young kids that love to run full tilt through the apartment, or lawn care guys that show up everyday during the weekend.

*just falling asleep*
*THUMP THUMP THUMP! THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!*

[Gyrre]

If you happen to live in the continental United States or in Canada, there's a good chance your roads are frozen over thanks to yesterdays precipitation.
Might I suggest driving slower, giving yourself extra space between you and the car ahead, along with giving yourself at least an extra 50 ft to stop?

50 feet?     [calls up the translation app] Ah so 15 meters

Also you better have snow tires or slow down even further because your stopping distance increases to guardrail, lamp post, ditch or the ever popular police car fender.

I normally use the 3 second rule under regular driving conditions

(click to show/hide)

please note that driving in the city of Toronto never comes anywhere near the definition of the word NORMAL

but with today's weather and road conditions it is supposed to be at least 9 seconds when traveling at speed .... that translates into about [does some higher math] 2 meters on average or just far enough behind to see their tail lights flicker off when they take their foot off the brake pedal to start to move and yet close enough not to encourage the [censored] to nose in after passing everyone on the right exit lane. This is one of the many reasons why a very specific vehicle is on my must get list for city driving. 

I drive in Kansas City°, myself (most of the worst drivers have Missouri plates), so I understand wanting to 'Mad Max' one's own vehicle with some well placed meter long (3ft) spikes and a pneumatic ram on either side.

°Both sides of the state line are counted as one entry for the 10 worst cities to drive in in the USA.

[DaiJB]

I like Evie.

"That's me.  I'm Evie."  For some reason it just made me laugh.

I like Evie too. Also, "Isn't she adorable?" sounds more like Evie has adopted a puppy rather than gained a girlfriend 

edit: Oh, also voted "other" simply because I don't think there's anything particularly significant about this visit.
Something like: Evie tells Amanda about presenting her paper at SMIF, Amanda says, "SMIF's in Northhampton? My sister lives in Northhampton! Haven't seen her in years - what say I tag along?"

[TheEvilDog]

Ah those Whitakers, missing the obvious when its smacking them in the face.

[SomeCanadianWeirdo]

Anyone think there's a chance Evie is Renee's sister?  After all when she first appeared Renee was Faye's Secret Bakery analog, so it would kind of make sense for her to have  a lesbian younger sister.

[A Duck]

Anyone think there's a chance Evie is Renee's sister?  After all when she first appeared Renee was Faye's Secret Bakery analog, so it would kind of make sense for her to have  a lesbian younger sister.

This is my headcanon now.

[jwhouk]

Anyone think there's a chance Evie is Renee's sister?  After all when she first appeared Renee was Faye's Secret Bakery analog, so it would kind of make sense for her to have  a lesbian younger sister.

Nope.

She's Padma's sister.

Sent from my NXA8QC116 using Tapatalk

[professor_iago]

Um, is "psychology" misspelled in 3652?

[Elder Sign]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

The truest statement I've heard about self employment is 'You get to choose what 16 hours a day you work!'. Though honestly that depends on what you actually do for a living.

The other problem is that you never get any time to yourself away from the boss...

And if you're self-employed you're always, always insecure about continuity of work. And your boss is always in the room, looking over your shoulder.

All of this and more is why I hope to never touch self-employment and the "entrepreneurship" world with a 40-kilometre pole.  It's a massive ball of 24/7 overwork, overstress, insecurity, perpetual instability, and general not-having-a-life-anymore that, even with the fleeting moments of accomplishment mixed in, it just isn't worth it.

I know everyone in the business world seems to be pushing the "gig economy" as the one true way to be successful, but from where I stand, no amount of independent cash flow is worth driving yourself crazy and utterly exhausted in the process.

The people who legitimately enjoy and derive satisfaction from living on the edge can go right ahead, but I'll stay over here.

[BenRG]

Okay, relationship bad sign here: Amanda didn't think to mention Evie again, even though she has apparently guessed Faye doesn't read her electronic messages. I mean, I can be absent-minded so I don't have grounds to stand and preach. However, I would have expected Amanda to have gushed about her new girlfriend at least once to her big sister during their conversations. Either Amanda is easily distracted or Evie isn't that big a deal for her.

That aside, I am going to make a controversial prediction: Evie is going to be joining the cast in at least a supporting role. The fact that she's studying AI psychology makes her ideal as a foil and driving force for Jeph's current interest in exploring the lore of AI in his universe. I'm guessing that Amanda and Evie will have an argument and break up (possibly in the current arc). Meanwhile, the professors at Smif are so impressed that they offer her tenure as soon as the paperwork is done on her PhD, so she stays in Northampton when Amanda goes back to Savannah.

[mercykills]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

Right!? I hate it when people say, "O, you work from home, can't you do "X, Y, Z" for me?" or "I envy you, you can take off whenever you want."

"Oh, you work nights? Must be nice to have all that free time in the day!"

YEP! 'Cause people who work nights are robots who don't need to sleep, at all. 

Well, shit, sure I can. That is, if I don't want to meet my deadlines, if I want to lose the trust of my clients, and if I never want to eat, again. WHY NOT!?!

And if you're self-employed you're always, always insecure about continuity of work. And your boss is always in the room, looking over your shoulder.

Right?!!? And Fate forbid, if you have any anxiety issues or other mental disorders because everything gets dialed up to eleven in your head. Your boss(brain) screams, "you're always neglecting the details and missing the bigger picture!". All you do is wrong. 

Ugh. To be left alone with my own thoughts was one of the scariest things to deal with,  BEFORE I left school. Now, it's just a waking nightmare that breaks me, more often than not.

Um, is "psychology" misspelled in 3652?

Yes. Yes, it is.

[Bad Superman]

This is more of a gut reaction than actual critique but I’m a little ticked off about Faye’s choice of words.

"How long you been bangin’ my sister?"

Really? Is that how you talk to someone you’ve just met? Especially if it’s the new SO of your sibling?
'Nice to meet you.' - 'What do you do for a living?' - 'How long have you been fucking my sister?'
I mean, yes, Faye is a little bit blunt most of the time, and Evie seems to be cool with the question, but come on…

And also, yeah, I could never be self-employed. I can’t even organise my hobbies properly. Me being my own boss would be pure horror…

[BenRG]

"How long you been bangin’ my sister?"

Really? Is that how you talk to someone you’ve just met? Especially if it’s the new SO of your sibling?

This is just how Faye talks to everyone, including people she's only just met. It's the way she is, for better or for worse.

That said, she is in a bad mood because of Amanda being... well... herself and another unfortunate personality characteristic of hers is she spreads her bad mood around everyone.

[JimC]

I know everyone in the business world seems to be pushing the "gig economy" as the one true way to be successful,

Don't confuse the "gig economy" with self employment. The "gig economy" is just the old evils/abuses of piece work/casual labour revisited, its nothing to do with proper self employment. [at this point I was starting to type a long political diatribe, but this isn't the place].

There is a lot to be said for self employment for the right person in the right situation.

[TinPenguin]

Okay, relationship bad sign here: Amanda didn't think to mention Evie again, even though she has apparently guessed Faye doesn't read her electronic messages. I mean, I can be absent-minded so I don't have grounds to stand and preach. However, I would have expected Amanda to have gushed about her new girlfriend at least once to her big sister during their conversations. Either Amanda is easily distracted or Evie isn't that big a deal for her.

Eh, I didn't discuss my partner with my sister for well over six months, until one day she asked me "So, have you still got your girlfriend in [region]?" and it turned out the grapevine is more proactive than I am. Sometimes, a new relationship is none of anybody's business. On the other hand, Amanda had made the first step of trying to tell Faye, so you'd think she'd have crossed the mental line of keeping mum.

[blt]

That seems like an unusually rude way to phrase it, even for Faye.

[Cornelius]

Okay, relationship bad sign here: Amanda didn't think to mention Evie again, even though she has apparently guessed Faye doesn't read her electronic messages. I mean, I can be absent-minded so I don't have grounds to stand and preach. However, I would have expected Amanda to have gushed about her new girlfriend at least once to her big sister during their conversations. Either Amanda is easily distracted or Evie isn't that big a deal for her.

Eh, I didn't discuss my partner with my sister for well over six months, until one day she asked me "So, have you still got your girlfriend in [region]?" and it turned out the grapevine is more proactive than I am. Sometimes, a new relationship is none of anybody's business. On the other hand, Amanda had made the first step of trying to tell Faye, so you'd think she'd have crossed the mental line of keeping mum.

Personally, I think the family resemblance remark may be a worse sign.

[Neko_Ali]

In my case my self employment is born of necessity rather than desire. I worked for the same company I was working for before starting it... but I was moving cross country and I'm not physically fit enough to do the 8-5 thing in an office anymore. So now I typically work 10-14 hours a day plus some weekend time at home technically as an 'independent contractor' for my job. I don't particularly like it and I never really sought it out but it's what I stumbled into/got stuck with and it's better than being unemployed or literally hobbling into work every day hoping I don't collapse.

[themacnut]

Oh god, this thing about self employment hits WAY too close to home, specially the comment at the bottom of the comic.

The truest statement I've heard about self employment is 'You get to choose what 16 hours a day you work!'. Though honestly that depends on what you actually do for a living.

The other problem is that you never get any time to yourself away from the boss...

And if you're self-employed you're always, always insecure about continuity of work. And your boss is always in the room, looking over your shoulder.

All of this and more is why I hope to never touch self-employment and the "entrepreneurship" world with a 40-kilometre pole.  It's a massive ball of 24/7 overwork, overstress, insecurity, perpetual instability, and general not-having-a-life-anymore that, even with the fleeting moments of accomplishment mixed in, it just isn't worth it.

No doubt self-employment is more difficult than working for someone else in many ways, hence why people generally prefer, and tend to be better at, working for someone else. But there are a growing number of people, like Neko-Ali above, for whom it's either self-employment or unemployment. The way the economy keeps changing, with increasing automation everywhere and employers of all types and sizes trying to keep their payroll at the absolute minimum, the ranks of these people will only grow. And any one of us could find ourselves joining them at any point in the future; secure employment is so last century.

Faye's sister, poor naive soul that she is, may find this out the hard way herself.

[OldGoat]

"How long you been bangin’ my sister?"

Really? Is that how you talk to someone you’ve just met? Especially if it’s the new SO of your sibling?

When you're Faye Whitaker, abso-freakin'-lutely.

The Whitaker clan is a steaming kettle of unresolved dysfunction - her father suicided in front of one of his kids, for cryin' out loud.  Wherever two or more of them are gathered, there is chaos, or at the very least very high volume disorder, and it will always be that way.

(I'm having a Scott Adams Dilbert moment with this arc, the distinct feeling that Jeph is writing about people I've had to deal with all too often.  I can't help but wonder if he knows these families, even though that's impossible.)

[brasca]

Okay, relationship bad sign here: Amanda didn't think to mention Evie again, even though she has apparently guessed Faye doesn't read her electronic messages. I mean, I can be absent-minded so I don't have grounds to stand and preach. However, I would have expected Amanda to have gushed about her new girlfriend at least once to her big sister during their conversations. Either Amanda is easily distracted or Evie isn't that big a deal for her.

Eh, I didn't discuss my partner with my sister for well over six months, until one day she asked me "So, have you still got your girlfriend in [region]?" and it turned out the grapevine is more proactive than I am. Sometimes, a new relationship is none of anybody's business. On the other hand, Amanda had made the first step of trying to tell Faye, so you'd think she'd have crossed the mental line of keeping mum.

It’s also possible Amanda didn’t want to to talk about her love life just after Faye’s came to an abrupt end and lead to a downward spiral she’s still climbing out of.