1416 Salted Nut Roll.

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Maybe not everyone will understand what Carol is experiencing, but I certainly do. This is basically what the whole subtext of the prequel Star Wars movies is about. Fear of loss makes us insane. We’ll do all kinds of ridiculous shit to keep from losing something, but end up causing the loss ourselves in a kind of happiness suicide pact. I don’t think those movies do a good job of selling Akakin’s transition from happiness to insanity, but the foundation the idea is built on makes sense. It’s really unfortunate that those stories got told the way they did because it ends up making Anakin almost incapable of redemption in any real sense and fundamentally changes the tone of the other films. I guess on some level we all want to have sympathy for the devil because if he can be redeemed then whatever minor things we do should be easy to forgive by comparison. Honestly, as far as Star Wars goes, if I could edit one small thing out it would be Anakin murdering the children. I would be willing to accept, on some level, that he believes that the Jedi are enemies of the state and he’s chosen to side with the state and become a soldier under that banner. The adult Jedi are on one ideological side and he’s on the other. Not the best reason to kill, but not unlike what countries all over the world send soldiers to do every day. Killing the kids though, that crosses a line for me that sours his character. They weren’t old enough to choose sides. Basically that entire trilogy hinges on his fear of losing what he loved. It was just told in an inelegant way.

My pages for the Muffintop 3 anthology are due on Monday, I think. I’ve been trying to get them done as fast as possible, and I’ve been working on them for ages, but I’m going to go over my agreed upon page count. I doubt seriously that anyone will mind, since someone usually flakes at the last minute, but still. It would have been better all around if I stuck to what I said, and had a clearer idea of how to tell a story with sequential images… I’m not going to have time to ad tone to the thing, which is really a shame because I actually think it’s some of my best line work ever. Not having a short deadline, and not using color, allowed me to do a lot more than I get to for Between Failures. I’m also decent at depecting grass, dirt, and trees, so I played to my strengths for a change. I really want to finish this tonight, or tomorrow so I can still have that time for Splatfest, but I’m not sure I can. In any case, I should at least have it ready by the deadline. I would have rather not waited until this close to finish it, but the hospital stay, as you will all know by now, fucked that all up. I like to get things done as far ahead of a deadline as I can. Some people like the pressure of a deadline, but I am not one. I like buffers.

The Teen got her learner’s permit today. Soon she will be driving around with an adult supervisor. The car she inherited is a Ford Focus, I think. One of their smaller cars. I hate it. I hate all the cars from around that decade of Ford cars. Maybe it’s an Escort… In any case it’s too damn small for me to get in and out of comfortably. It’s made with people around 5 feet tall in mind. I don’t understand how her father ever drove the fucking thing. I can’t stand being that low to the ground and cramped. I hate driving anything with an angled field of vision where you have to look up. I like being high up with as much visual information at my disposal as possible. Which is why I like my little truck. It’s just about perfect as far as those factors are concerned. Also I can enter and exit it easily. It’s from the last few years when Ford made not shitty trucks. And by not shitty I mean not filled with computers and junk. Anyway, at some point I’m going to have to go with her to drive, so pray for me if that’s your thing. If not then… Don’t, I guess.

In closing, before I get another angry note: the GFM link.

43 Comments

Holy crap!! I can’t stop laughing at Thomas’s face!! I know this is a very serious, possibly relationship defining moment, but the shear look of shock is just so well done that it’s making me laugh. It’s the kind of over the top jump reaction that I would have if someone yelled that at me practically out of the blue!

I forget where, but I recall something about a special feature or something where it actually shows Anakin leading the children to safety. It was either a cut scene or just a sort of what if or maybe a way of saving face after the fact?

I believe I detect some tears welling up in Carol’s eyes in the last panel. If Thomas thought he was in an awkward situation when this conversation, that’s NOTHING compared to trying to deal with a CRYING girlfriend!

I guess after so many years of sweet and sour relations with family and peer alike, this reception of unabashed love–and fervent lovemaking–from Thomas is finally overwhelming her sentimental female brain.

Also, I sure hope that a large quantity of condoms or amount of spermicide was involved in their sexual escapades, or we may be observing the first signs of pregnancy. At their current financial status, this will be the death of them.

Even in the face of much and more evidence to the contrary, when your normal is being alone and unloved, the experience of being loved is quite alien. All your own self doubts begin to creep in and convince you that you don’t deserve it, that it can’t be real, that it will be lost.

And so you go through crazy shit like this, which totally freaks people out. I don’t think its just us girls who do this though.

I know it’s not just girls.

Absolutely true, both guys and girls go through this. I went through it with my current relationship as well, my Lady being from a more happy, independent situation and me being from a very unhappy situation made being with her almost surreal. It was indeed very frightening, the self doubts were the worst part.

You know sometimes i wonder if the old ways need to be brought back. These days people seem to learn more about relationships from tv, movies, and the internet than actually getting to know people, take risks and stay committed. Not to mention common knowledge that’s been lost because it’s not past down or seems too old fashioned….

That doesn’t have anything to do with what we were talking about, though.
I come from relationships founded in the ‘old ways,’ specifically ‘my father drank and abused his kids so I’m going to drink and abuse my kids’ old fashioned isn’t any better than what’s modern, what makes relationships work or fail are the people who work on them.

Firgured that old arguement would be brought out. Abuse happens in any timeline so… yeah

What i am talking about is if you take away the tech (cell phones, etc), the “enlightened” state of mind ( watch words etc…) and force people to deal with each other in person… how well would they manage? Particularly if they see them every day and can’t send them away or hide. I am not talking about at work but everyday life.

I think that Zac’s point is that the problem we’re looking at on this page and the last one is one that predated the “issues” you’re pointing out. From what a number of us have seen, the devices you’re wanting to step back from are actually *helpful* to the people in these situations, because they broaden the number of people that we can be exposed to in a safe manner.

People talk about the disconnect our devices cause us – but the people I find most of the people I know disconnecting from are those presenting as hostile. I will admit, a lot of parents are in that set. A lot of parents are a significant part of the problem we’re talking about here.

If your children are not opening up to you about their problems, maybe your approach to parenthood is problematic. Are you treating your children like people, or like pets? The most common parenting issue I’ve witnessed is the stunt my parents pulled: treating their kids like they were monkeys to train. Except I’m not really certain that’s the right analogy, because I think some monkeys resent not being treated like people also.

I realize that this is an ancient post, and it’s not really a place for discussion or debate. It was never a place for debate on this particular topic. I’m not wanting to discuss this, I’m wanting the people who feel like cyberspooked here to reflect on my words and answer the question for themselves. You’re almost certainly not my parents, and that’s a moot point now anyway. If you have kids and they’re distancing themselves from you, think about it and work it out with them. Don’t take away my coping mechanisms.

“I’m not used to being so happy. It’s freaking me out!”

“Now stop it!” Or at least, that’s what I’m guessing her next line would be. This has happened to me. I had a girlfriend who was so freaked that I treated her well that she eventually pushed me away. She just wasn’t used to not being pushed around, beat up, belittled and criticized. Oddly enough, her name was Carol, too.

My niece will also be getting her driver’s license this year. I haven’t asked my brother-in-law how that’s going. My sister had declined to get involved as of Christmas; I don’t know if that situation has changed.

“Don’t drive like my brother!”
“And don’t drive like my brother!”
“And whatever you do, don’t drive like our sister!”

Finally. Got caught up on one my old fav webcomics. Man miss this. Always interested in this relationship. Anyway for my comment on this moment is as follows.… oh damn Carol, no no dont cry. U shouldn’t be like this. Dirty innuedoes and clever wordplay is you!?……at least i am banking on Thomas making some reference to that concept hopefully lol. But that expression he makes reminds me of the faces i make when my girl gets super happy and she starts crying. Should be used to it but damnit how women tend to make us guys spaz out cuz they’re crying!

*looks at recent Between Failure plot points*

*looks at recent Center Lane plot points*

This is most likely coincidence but I swear I have not stolen peeks at your plot notes/scripts. Not that I have that kind of skill to begin with.

You live through a point where you don’t just feel you shouldn’t be happy or satisfied with yourself, you’ve been ‘told’ this. You may be told you otherwise by someone close, but you look at them as ‘biased’ sources when a larger amount of people is telling you the opposite, especially by a majority of peers and possibly even by family. I’ve been through it. I’m putting David through it and it’s freaking him out that there’s actually someone that actually wants him to an extent, mainly because he’s believed it shouldn’t happen. He’s his own biggest wall, but he’s had years of ‘help’ building it.

First of all, we believe you, mate. The central theme is one universal enough that lots of creators have come up with it based on their own life experiences, without having to stealing peeks of what others have been doing. Plus, looking through your latest strip, your comic deals with the central theme in such a different manner anyway. :)

Secondly, I started checking out your comic as a result of this comment, and now I’m going through the archives, since it looks interesting.

your comic does look very intresting thanks for posting it on here im always looking for new comics to read.

Totally get what Carol’s going through – the “looking for the flaw” stage. Problem is, it’s pretty easy to slip from “looking for the flaw” to “creating situations where the flaw will show up” and/or “overanalyzing situations to try to find the overlooked flaw”. That’s when you have to step awaaaaay from the crazy button.

My first car was a Ford Escort. I loved it – but then I’m 5’0″, and it was nice to find a car where I could actually reach the pedals comfortably.

My ex and I have both been there before many times in our relationship. I always said that I never deserved her. She said that she always does something to screw up the relationship she is in. I believe I (and possibly her) were proven right when the relationship ended.

That said, Thomas will need to reassure Carol that she does deserve her happiness. My ex and I definitely did this for each other a lot.

Glad the teen has her permit. Driving is fun and liberating (mostly). I hope she learns how to drive a manual car as well either during or after the licensing period. Whenever she will have to in the future, she will be glad she did.

My 5′-3-1/2″ lady friend has a 2014 Toyota Corolla. At 5’11”, It’s tight for me just sitting in the passenger seat, let alone behind the wheel. When we go anywhere, we take my ’12 Camry. My ex is her roommate, and at 6’2″, they always take her Camry whenever they go somewhere together!

So cuuuuute <3 oh I love this comic. It's one of the only webcomics I've never taken a hiatus on and I'm so glad I haven't. Every update is a treat!

If I could edit one small thing out of the prequels? Most people would probably say Jar Jar Binks… but I wouldn’t take him out, he’s not a small character either so taking him out would change the story… so I would just make him less annoying. The small thing I would edit out is the annoying voices, particularly the battle droids… however they were marginally more amusing in the Clone Wars animated series.

This hits very close to home with me. Had a thing like this happen in a relationship and it’s hard to really pin down, but it’s a strange internal struggle of feelings and fears.

The Episode III NOVEL actually sells Anakin’s fear of loss. He’s a fearless hero, a dauntless savior of the Republic in the public eye… yet he cowers before his nightmares of Padme dying, so much that he just stops sleeping altogether. When Palpatine turns him, he’s a mess of stress, fear, anger and sleep deprivation mixed together.

I grasp what Carol is saying because I rarely feel happy. The number of times I’ve smiled while in pain/misery is numerous. I’ve never told that before. My typically self-depreciating sense of humor is more of a veneer for masking my truest emotions (similar to Deadpool/Wade Wilson in some regard). Not to mention my self-esteem level is quite low. And once I am “happy” the feeling is temporary. Comics, cinema, cartoons, and video games provide me with fleeting happiness too: some last longer than others, I never know for sure.

I mean, I don’t get romantic relationships. But I do value sturdy platonic friendships I’ve made over time. The very thought of losing some of those brings me to very knees, honestly. I need friends like a drowning person requires air: I hope that made sense.
Whenever life is going well, beneath that are always thoughts of “Something’s going to happen and the good part of my life will be gone. Snatched away from me. Nothing is forever.” Like losing my beloved job at MovieStop due to Hastings closing them all down…More than a job, gave me focus and motivation, let me continue towards goals. It is has only been a week and the despair, the lack of doing anything, is so damn
strong.

I used to work for Hastings, but I never knew they had anything to do with movie stop. A lot of rental stores are closing, or changing focus though. The world has changed too much for that to work well anymore. I can understand what losing a job like that is like though. I had a bad time after I left mine. The disaster that followed is what caused me to write this comic.

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