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Enceladus

Aldebaran

Arcturus

Something closer to home like Europa

Station

Chiron Beta Prime

Anywhere on this blue marble but no further

The Moon

other [please specify]

Sven, drink more spathe ham.

[BenRG]

Now, will Jeph actually allow there to be consequences of some sort (because, no matter how adult, people make dumb decisions when they're mad) or will he succumb to his desire for none of his characters to be hurt and just make this go away?

I can appreciate why some wouldn't want this. Heck, I was one of the early adopters of the Fayebles ship when it was considered an over-interpretation of their interactions. However, having something break and them having to risk hurting more by having to repair it again together would make for interesting writing and might teach us a lot more about how Faye and Bubbles have changed over the 3-4 in-universe months since they moved in together.

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

words words words you’re a sociopath words

stay mad though

today’s comic

ha ha ha yes let’s goooo

[oddtail]

I really like today's comic, because it's such a good way to portray how many arguments can work.

Faye is legitimately surprised Bubbles is upset with her, and seems to think she did nothing wrong. Even when Bubbles says what her specific problem with her behaviour is. Since she thinks something is no big deal, she thinks that's how Bubbles should feel, as well, and any suggestion to the contrary feels like an attack and unfair.

[hedgie]

The people I know in healthcare make jokes all the time.
Usually not in earshot of the patients, though.

Aye, I do know what things like GOMER and CTD are, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the earshot of patients that has something to do with this.  But also, I’m wondering if Bubbles is thinking that Faye is seeing all of this as “just parts”, and taking it too lightly, when to Bubs, all of it is like those wobbly bits inside organic life forms.

[Potato Farmer]

Bubbles has probably had a long-simmering resentment of Faye's cavalier and, frankly, irresponsible attitude about safety (see, pretty much every time Sam has been in the shop) and integrity of work (if she had just slapped the repair on there, it had failed later and Melon were a more litigious AI, she could sue them into the ground). Faye's attitude has never been cut out to be a managing business partner. She's an employee at best.

My first thought about this was that, if memory serves me, Faye has a habit of letting Bubbles take care of all the more complicated work.

If Bubbles has the same impression then, combined with Faye's apparent lack of concern when she messes up, she might feel like Faye is relying too much on her picking up the slack.

It's good to trust your partners and colleagues since that improves cooperation, but Faye might have let it affect her work ethic and Bubbles is getting tired of it.

[John Allenson]

This looks like a pretty healthy disagreement to me.
A lot of the resentment right now is due to them reacting badly - and half way through working on someone who can hear you is a poor time to thrash out issues.

Faye made a mistake that she considered to be minor.  Bubbles knows the mistake was not minor.  Faye thinks Bubbles is over-reacting while Bubbles thinks Faye is being dismissive.  This type of conflict happens all the time in Real Life.

And both Faye and Bubbles have a lot of disfunctional behaviours in their pasts that wouldn't have just magically disappeared.

[oddtail]

This looks like a pretty healthy disagreement to me.

I tend to agree.

They're not handling it flawlessly, but also as well as they reasonably can, right now. Which is something, and may be enough.

[Pseudowolf]

This looks like a pretty healthy disagreement to me.

I tend to agree.

They're not handling it flawlessly, but also as well as they reasonably can, right now. Which is something, and may be enough.

Really I think Faye going to lunch early is the best thing here. Things are getting heated and it's best for them to sort of "go to their corners" before they say something they don't mean in the heat of the moment. Not saying they shouldn't talk about it, but they should probably let things cool for a bit (and finish the work on Melon) then come back and talk about what they are upset about.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Also I would want to check Melon's software. If standby mode isn't working properly, that could be a symptom of corruption elsewhere.

[Elder Sign]

words trolling words toxicity words

Well then, as someone else put it so short and simple for your comprehension:

[Pulls out spray bottle]

No. Bad. No.

[Elder Sign]

Also I would want to check Melon's software. If standby mode isn't working properly, that could be a symptom of corruption elsewhere.

I'm not so sure it's software corruption so much as Melon being so impulsive that she just can't resist coming out of standby mode in the middle of the robot equivalent of extensive reconstructive surgery.

[Farideh]

I did read it as 'Melon not going into standby mode because she wants to know what is being done to her' because, well, she's Melon.

[Tova]

hi it’s me

Just a reminder that people around here identify strongly with some characters, so don’t act surprised if expressing glee at their pain or defending that by saying “they’re just fictional characters” provokes a reaction.

But also, calling someone’s behaviour sociopathic isn’t healthy conflict resolution.

bye now

[Is it cold in here?]

Global Moderator Comment

We have, in fact, gotten one moderation report about it already. Time for a reminder about the forum's "play nice" rule. I do understand and respect the idea that a Faye crisis could be good writing, and also the idea that looking forward to it is distasteful. As long as people debate it in those terms all will be well.

[Oenone]

Soooooo did Faye mean to call Melon May??? Because  not knowing who you’re working on is definitely unprofessional.

[Farideh]

My guess is more that Jeph made a small mistake on that panel


Also, Faye: don't downplay your problems. Yes, it will worry Hanners, but she is always willing and able to talk things through with you.

[TV4Fun]

Soooooo did Faye mean to call Melon May??? Because  not knowing who you’re working on is definitely unprofessional.

Probably. Enough of us pointed it out on early access that Jeph had plenty of time to fix it if it was a mistake.

[justaguy]

Faye made a mistake that she considered to be minor.  Bubbles knows the mistake was not minor.  Faye thinks Bubbles is over-reacting while Bubbles thinks Faye is being dismissive.  This type of conflict happens all the time in Real Life.

That's very well put.

My job involves leading teams in high pressure situations (high pressure re: reputation/financial disaster, not somebody's going to die  ), and eliminating these kind of problems is both difficult and crucial to a well-functioning team. But even in successful, experienced teams they can still crop up, especially if other stresses are going on in people's lives.

[Cornelius]

My guess is more that Jeph made a small mistake on that panel

Looks to me like it might be part of a story line he designed before May got her new body.

[DaiJB]

Soooooo did Faye mean to call Melon May??? Because  not knowing who you’re working on is definitely unprofessional.

Probably. Enough of us pointed it out on early access that Jeph had plenty of time to fix it if it was a mistake.

I dunno - Jeph used to have trouble remembering Nelson's name... 

[Farideh]

Looks to me like it might be part of a story line he designed before May got her new body.

That sounds plausible

[derris_kharlan]

IMO Bubbles needs to be the one to go for a walk if she feels the need for a break (totally valid). Telling the other person to leave THEIR OWN SHOP (or house, or whatever) just escalates the situation and is unfair. 

[Oenone]

IMO Bubbles needs to be the one to go for a walk if she feels the need for a break (totally valid). Telling the other person to leave THEIR OWN SHOP (or house, or whatever) just escalates the situation and is unfair.

Pretty cruddy for the person getting a treatment whose body just got messed up. I’d rather have the thorough treatment by Bubbles than the half assed one by Faye… why should the person who will be careful and good at their job be the one to leave?

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Melon's 'job':
Somewhere on the Internet there exist those who are amused/entertained/turned on by the spectacle of a robot weltering in vermin and are willing to pay for a livestream of it.

( i am definitely not one of those people )

[Gyrre]

This looks like a pretty healthy disagreement to me.

I tend to agree.

They're not handling it flawlessly, but also as well as they reasonably can, right now. Which is something, and may be enough.

Really I think Faye going to lunch early is the best thing here. Things are getting heated and it's best for them to sort of "go to their corners" before they say something they don't mean in the heat of the moment. Not saying they shouldn't talk about it, but they should probably let things cool for a bit (and finish the work on Melon) then come back and talk about what they are upset about.

It's been awhile since therapy and the psych courses I took for funsies in college, but I'm pretty sure that's 'avoiding enmeshment'. Which, from personal experience with two brothers [1], is usually best to avoid if you can.

[1] One older, one younger. The younger being the brat of the three of us.

EDIT: removed overshared venting.

[notStanley]

'fraid I would put 63% of the problem on Faye.  When the issue with her work was pointed out, she went on defense, instead of acknowledgement and requesting help to improve :{

[jwhouk]

Aldebaran. Specifically, Aldebaran City on Tau Alpha II.

Lovely place, especially Aldebaran City. A bit dry in the winter, but the Casino next to the ballpark and stadium is nice. You definitely don't want to wander into The Zone, though. Real lawlessness. The Federation says they're trying their best to keep things from getting out of hand, but it's real hard sometimes to believe them.

Anyways, it's really crappy how the A's season ended at the hand of the New York Grays. They lost what, six straight to end the season, and then lost one more before winning game two of the Wild Card series. Shame they got blown out in game three.

So, yeah, the Bulls of the NFL really screwed the pooch with the renovations to Bulls Stadium next door. I mean, imagine having a major sewer line not only burst, but then flood out not just your stadium, but the baseball stadium next door - AND the casino! Gawd, what a mess.

The A's are planning on playing off-world at their Spring Training site in Arizona, but I'm not sure they're going to recover. The Bulls were forced to play at University of Aldebaran City Stadium for the rest of the 2241 season - no surprise, they ended the year 3-15.

So... what was the question again?

[Drunken Old Man]

All relationships get tested sooner or later. I've actually been expecting this for a while, considering how much eye-rolling Bubs does at Faye's shenanigans.  it's time to find out just how invested in each other they really are.  I'm only a couple months away from my 22nd wedding anniversary and I can tell you, my marriage has survived shit that makes what's going on with Faye and Bubs look like rehearsal for the debate club.  It's all a matter of priorities: are we willing to scrap the whole relationship over this issue or not?

For me and mine, the answer has always been "no". I bet Faye and Bubs answer similarly.

Pardon if the above seems incoherent.Im living jp to my handle tonight

[snufflebottoms]

I'm actually wondering if the ability to tell if that spot was discoloration versus warped is a matter of ability of eyesight that someone with not so great human eyesight would miss. 

[Is it cold in here?]

it's time to find out just how invested in each other they really are.

There is a difference between taking vows and living up to them, but we did hear

I would never leave unless you asked me to.
I would never ask you to.

That, to me, was a commitment ceremony.

Plus I believe it was Faye who used the word "forever".

[Drunken Old Man]

Easy words to say, tough principle to live by. I've seen more strongly-avowed commitments abandoned for lesser reasons than these.

Having said that, I believe in Faye and Bubs.  I think this situation us going to end up more resembling a speed bump than a roadblock...IF THEY OPENLY AND HONESTLY COMMUNICATE THEIR ISSUES.  When it comes to building a life-long relationship, there is no substitute for communication and compromise. None.

[DaiJB]

'fraid I would put 63% of the problem on Faye.  When the issue with her work was pointed out, she went on defense, instead of acknowledgement and requesting help to improve :{

The way I see it, Faye did acknowledge it: "Huh. Okay."
She didn't deny it or make an excuse.
She was concentrating on getting a useable video of the process for Melon, so I can understand why she didn't say more.
It wasn't an apology, but it was in character - I expect she would have said something more to Bubbles later, something like "Oh yeah, thanks for dealing with that thing I f***ed up today Bubs..."
From my viewpoint, the snark from Bubbles was understandable, but regrettable.
Understandable because Bubbles has that built-in military attitude that won't accept a mistake.
Regrettable because no-one is perfect and mistakes will happen regardless of one's best efforts to prevent them.

Also, snufflebottoms has a point - how long has it been since Faye had her vision checked? New glasses maybe?

[flondrix]

I need some help.  In which strip did Faye say that she could hear the quotation marks in Bubbles speech, and Bubbles explains how she does it?  Even a general plot location would help.  Is it right after they have sex for the first time?

[Farideh]

Found it! https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3753

[derris_kharlan]

IMO Bubbles needs to be the one to go for a walk if she feels the need for a break (totally valid). Telling the other person to leave THEIR OWN SHOP (or house, or whatever) just escalates the situation and is unfair.

Pretty cruddy for the person getting a treatment whose body just got messed up. I’d rather have the thorough treatment by Bubbles than the half assed one by Faye… why should the person who will be careful and good at their job be the one to leave?

More cruddy to kick someone out just because YOU are the one in a bad mood.  Tell them you need to focus on the task of it needs to be finished now, put off the task til later if possible, ask them politely for some space if you really need it, or suck it up and be angry and deal with that later if the customer is so important.  There was no grounds for Bubbles forcing Faye to leave.  And Bubbles taking a break doesn’t mean Faye has to finish the job while she’s gone either.  Bubbles massively overreacted. 

[oddtail]

IMO Bubbles needs to be the one to go for a walk if she feels the need for a break (totally valid). Telling the other person to leave THEIR OWN SHOP (or house, or whatever) just escalates the situation and is unfair.

Pretty cruddy for the person getting a treatment whose body just got messed up. I’d rather have the thorough treatment by Bubbles than the half assed one by Faye… why should the person who will be careful and good at their job be the one to leave?

More cruddy to kick someone out just because YOU are the one in a bad mood.  Tell them you need to focus on the task of it needs to be finished now, put off the task til later if possible, ask them politely for some space if you really need it, or suck it up and be angry and deal with that later if the customer is so important.  There was no grounds for Bubbles forcing Faye to leave.  And Bubbles taking a break doesn’t mean Faye has to finish the job while she’s gone either.  Bubbles massively overreacted.

She didn't force her to leave. She suggested it, albeit a bit passive-aggressively, and when she tried to circle back to talking about work, Faye decided to leave on her own. Her subsequent claim that she was "kicked out" is simply untrue.

[hedgie]

I'm pretty sure that Bubbles didn't want Faye making things worse.

[flondrix]

Found it! https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3753

Thank you very much.  For what it's worth, here is the fruit of your labor:

(The two panels were originally in different rows, and are not quite the same height, so I had to jigger things.)
The whole point was to explain how a character without hands might use "air quotes."

[Emperor Norton]

I think that it’s Faye’s cavilier/joking attitude about the whole thing (particularly with AIs being a minority that faces serious discrimination).  If they were doctors, and the patients human, most people *wouldn’t* like someone joking around like that.

The people I know in healthcare make jokes all the time.
Usually not in earshot of the patients, though.

My mother used to be a floor nurse in a hospital, and apparently they had to hide one doctor's charts when compliance came around because he would write things like "The Vulture Of Death is Perched Upon His Headboard" on them. Apparently he was a very brilliant and skilled doctor though. With the strongest southern rural accent you can imagine.