Meredith, you are the worst tease. And because Marigold is still in wide-eyed shock and hasn't eaten the baked good, Monday's strip can go in so many different directions. Worst. Tease. >:(
When I got here, I was going to be all like, "Meredith, you're awesome for the amount of these you been churnin' out." But damn. Eve blurting is so great and terrible.
Just wait for next week. She'll tell Mari about the Brownout Cookie, and it'll be all like the Matrix except not crappy…
Actually, I was thinking about this the other day. One of the things that makes OP so great is the main character isn't 'good' or 'special' or 'different'. Eve is an Everyman who stumbles from something that frightens her to something that embarrasses her to something even more horrible. In this, she is infinitely relateable. We are all there, questioning our own value, running from our fears, just trying to make it through a field of bad and worse decisions. Bravo, Meridith, you've created literature.
I agree. Still, that's not to say only bad things happen. She still has her high moments, and her moments where she conquers her fears. —> http://www.octopuspie.com/2009-10-27/338-zoom/
Of course, new anxieties, worries, and troubles pops up later. That helps in making Eve such a realistic character.
I Believe This Is Eve's Attempt To Help Marigold Build Up Her Character, However, Before She Can Help Marigold About Her Issues With Will, She Has To Lay Everything On The Table, SO It Doesn't Come Back And Screw Everything Up Again.
It Would Be Horrible If Marigold Were To Actually Get Over Will, Not Simply Forget Via Muffin Induced Amnesia, And Then Find Out Will And Eve Had A Chance Encounter, As It Would Eventually Get Out.
So Eve Is Telling Marigold, As A Means To Prevent Marigold From Getting Unnecessarily Hurt Further, As It Is More Important To Have Marigold Actually Get Over Him, Not To Keep A Secret.
Don't You Think It's A Little Unfair That Only A Few Words Per Paragraph Get The Chance To Be Something More Than "Lower-case"?
Man But Typing Like This Is Counterintuitive.
Miciah
Look at the name: Humps-Freely.
(If you don't get it, look up CamelCase.)
dunn
Oh! I get it now.
I feel dirty for what I originally thought that name meant….
Humps-Freely
Hmmm, Miciah, Hate To Burst Your Bubble, Since You Were Attempting To Defend Me And All, But I Type In Start Case, Not CamelCase. So, As Much As I Would Like To Take Credit For Such A Claim, I Can Not Do So.
Humps-Freely Is A Nickname That Is Comes From The Fact My Last Name Is Humphrey.
I Type Like This Cause I Have OCD And It Drives Me Insane For Some Reason When I Type In Normal/Sentence Case.
Which might also be part of the reason why she is so devastated after each break up, because what she's doing is having her heart broken for the first time each and every single time- Over and over and over.
Good point. Puts Hanna's simple act of magical friendship in a whole new light! She wants to help so much that she's willing to let her get hurt so badly again, and again, and …
Cri – I will be shocked, SHOCKED if that isn't the aesop that's slipped into the end of this debacle. Sorta cliche, but it looks like the logical place for it to go.
I wonder if her succinct reply was because she really only remembers that he was a nerd and they dated, because she ate one of Hannah's magical brownies? Or maybe i was before she'd met Hannah? Who knows.
Marigold dated a nerd once. She said so in the tag storyline. So presumably, she's had relationships which were mere brush-offs, thus not requiring the brownie treatment. Possibly.
If I'm understanding correctly, and Will and Marigold have been dating for two years, then Marigold really should not flip out. Not if she's an adult anyway.
If Eve and Will had jumped into bed, or had regular make-out sessions, then obviously, that's a different story.
But one kiss at the beginning of the relationship spawned by jealously? Eve has been a good friend to Marigold in the two years after the incident.
If Marigold seriously holds this over Eve's head, if she really allows a minor hiccup such as this destroy their friendship, then I will finally lose all respect for Marigold.
Well, of course Mar may suspect that Will has a soft spot for Eve – it was pretty well known in their circle of friends that Eve and Will used to date, and the only reason they broke up was because Will sells pot to make a living, and Eve couldn't stomach that. (My husband posed it to me: if he sold pot, would I still have married him? Well, after laughing at the hilarity of my slightly preppy, sweet and mostly law-abiding husband selling weed, I said that the weed wouldn't bother me; I think it should be legal. But the fact that his income was from an illegal activity would bother me a great deal. If pot were legalized it would be no problem).
Anyway. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Mari genuinely believed that Will and Eve were done-o, and there was nothing left there, and that Eve's revelation came as a huge shock…but she must have known that Will and Eve dated once upon a time.
Two years, though? I don't recall that ever being mentioned in the comic; only the comments.
Nick
Well, 2 years ago was when their relationship was announced via comic. It was the valentines day arc, but I'm pretty sure it started in January.
However Marigold reacts, Eve really shouldn't have brought that up. It may make her feel better to get that off her chest, but who does it help, aside from assuaging her own guilt?
Just out of curiosity, where does the 'two years' come from? I assume I missed some indication of time passing, because I'd have thought it was a lot more recent then that.
I thought so too, until people were telling me otherwise. I checked out when the first comics went up hinting they were dating, it was well over a year ago (when Eve kissed Will, people were posting comments in August 09).
I know the timeline in a comic is different from reality. Two panels can just be one day, and the third can be several days later.
After skimming through the story arcs, I can see why people are estimating now at it being (roughly) two years.
Although, granted, in Marigold's defense, I dated a guy once for about a year, and after our breakup I fell apart. I've dated guys longer and never had that happen before, but it was my first love.
"Octopus Pie" is the only comic I can get through my work's firewall. I'm so glad. I love the heart this comic has, and I'd be sad to miss an update. Or worse yet, wait until I'm home to read it.
I really like how quick and tense this feels in comparison to the preceding strips. Good way to build up suspense over the weekend.
Eve's probably just assuaging her own guilt, I agree, but she's also being honest with Mar, which is more than can be said of Hannah. Even if now's not the right time she's still doing better by Mar just by confronting shit with her instead of making it all disappear.
In the narrative, this is the only meaningful time for Eve to do both things: that is being honest about the kiss (and ongoing attraction) to Will as well as giving her the cure. She's neither completely self-serving nor solely an Agent of Hanna's guilt – there is a social compunction at work, to balance all the priorities Eve has before her, even if it's not ideal.
However – We haven't even asked if Marigold would want the cookie's 'effect', so that kind of spoils the good intentions. And telling Marigold _after_ the cookie is eaten would be more useful as a test of the cookie, than of Eve's determination to be honest.
The brownout biscuit actually does nothing. Marigold is just the sort of person who flips out for a few days, then tries her best to shove the tragedy out of her mind.
As we can see on this page, Marigold has already started to get over things a bit, to gather her thoughts. Had the conversation gone on naturally, Marigold would have cheered up further, and Eve and her would have formed a new bond of friendship. Eve and Hanna would have convinced themselves that it was the biscuit that did it, like every time.
But this time Eve is doing her Major Confession right before Mar eats the buscuit. Eve is hoping she can get it off her chest, and then get away with it because the snack will leave Mar not caring. This might just be the event that will prove that the "magic" of the brownout biscuit isn't really there.
Just a random thought theory. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm totally off-base.
Hmmm. Except…I believe that Hanna believes in the powers of the brownout biscuit, but I am surprised that Eve was convinced so easily. For a character I see as a huge skeptic…
Eve is cynical, and I think she probably *wants* to have a skeptical outlook. But note that in the (albeit non-canon) Halloween arc, she's a little bit afraid of ghosts. Heehee.
I don't think Marigold will eat the cookie, and I think Eve is telling Mar about kissing Will because it would be the honest, no-crap-involving-strange-cookies way to go about things. Hanna is adorable but she's over the top on this one and it's Eve job to kind of counterbalance her craziness.
"The brownout biscuit actually does nothing" Right. Except for the silly Halloween story, there's been nothing supernatural in Octopus Pie. Right? So this isn't either.
Working theory: Marigold takes the "brownout biscuit" as a social signal: "when my best friend Hanna gives me a really foul-tasting baked good, that means she thinks it's time I shut up about my breakup."
Oh, also, if Marigold freaks out too much about the kissing thing, then that'll…that'll be lame. Because she was willing to ditch Will for Victor, like -that-. (snapping finger noise here).
I don't think Victor's coming back. He's legendary; more inclusion of him could spoil his mysteriousness. Also, Marigold is practically shattered by her break-up. She's too unstable right now to just rebound with Victor.
Man, does that sound like a soap opera or what? Octopus Pie is like a soap opera in that if you start reading it, you're mindlessly addicted to it. And I adore that (despite that I'm not fond of soap operas whatsoever).
Sela
Scarily enough, I think Octopus Pie is a little more realistic.
Paul1963
Well, to the best of my recollection, nobody's had a baby who magically became a teenager in two years yet.
AlmostLiterally
Oh, not saying she would rebound. I don't want Victor to come back – it would crush his mystery. I'm saying she was about to ditch him. Though I guess Humps-Freely is kind of right. That WAS Victor.
100 thoughts on “#422 – a good friend”
Earl
Meredith, you are the worst tease. And because Marigold is still in wide-eyed shock and hasn't eaten the baked good, Monday's strip can go in so many different directions. Worst. Tease. >:(
Taylor Lopez (TeaLo)
But is she not also the BEST tease?! I love how this part of the story is finally coming back out! I had almost completely forgoten about that ^_^
Great story-telling once again Meredith!
Rufus
When I got here, I was going to be all like, "Meredith, you're awesome for the amount of these you been churnin' out." But damn. Eve blurting is so great and terrible.
StJason
Just wait for next week. She'll tell Mari about the Brownout Cookie, and it'll be all like the Matrix except not crappy…
Actually, I was thinking about this the other day. One of the things that makes OP so great is the main character isn't 'good' or 'special' or 'different'. Eve is an Everyman who stumbles from something that frightens her to something that embarrasses her to something even more horrible. In this, she is infinitely relateable. We are all there, questioning our own value, running from our fears, just trying to make it through a field of bad and worse decisions. Bravo, Meridith, you've created literature.
AlmostLiterally
I agree. Still, that's not to say only bad things happen. She still has her high moments, and her moments where she conquers her fears. —> http://www.octopuspie.com/2009-10-27/338-zoom/
Of course, new anxieties, worries, and troubles pops up later. That helps in making Eve such a realistic character.
Hoo-ya
RIGHT on the mouf…
NextChamp
I love where this could go.
Either Eve is saying this now because she want's to admit it before her memory is wiped.
Or she's so wracked with guilt that she hopes she doesn't eat the thing and try to mend her friendship.
Or it could just get very 'Terms of Endearment' and it becomes a weep fest.
Bring on Monday!
Humps-Freely
I Believe This Is Eve's Attempt To Help Marigold Build Up Her Character, However, Before She Can Help Marigold About Her Issues With Will, She Has To Lay Everything On The Table, SO It Doesn't Come Back And Screw Everything Up Again.
It Would Be Horrible If Marigold Were To Actually Get Over Will, Not Simply Forget Via Muffin Induced Amnesia, And Then Find Out Will And Eve Had A Chance Encounter, As It Would Eventually Get Out.
So Eve Is Telling Marigold, As A Means To Prevent Marigold From Getting Unnecessarily Hurt Further, As It Is More Important To Have Marigold Actually Get Over Him, Not To Keep A Secret.
Shannon
You Provided Some Very Valid Points But I Do Not Understand Your Very Peculiar Capitalization Techniques.
jenna
I'm With Shannon On This. Sorry, Buddy.
Nathan
Don't You Think It's A Little Unfair That Only A Few Words Per Paragraph Get The Chance To Be Something More Than "Lower-case"?
Man But Typing Like This Is Counterintuitive.
Miciah
Look at the name: Humps-Freely.
(If you don't get it, look up CamelCase.)
dunn
Oh! I get it now.
I feel dirty for what I originally thought that name meant….
Humps-Freely
Hmmm, Miciah, Hate To Burst Your Bubble, Since You Were Attempting To Defend Me And All, But I Type In Start Case, Not CamelCase. So, As Much As I Would Like To Take Credit For Such A Claim, I Can Not Do So.
Humps-Freely Is A Nickname That Is Comes From The Fact My Last Name Is Humphrey.
I Type Like This Cause I Have OCD And It Drives Me Insane For Some Reason When I Type In Normal/Sentence Case.
The Count
No you don't.
Randall Drew
…with tongue?! Can't wait for Monday!
becky
wow, the pacing of this strip is incredible! i love the first panel
Pattom
Awkward!
MGreen
On the mouth.
I wonder if that muffin is truly the love-amnesia muffin?
Matt
Best alt text ever.
Niallsb
Remember, as far as Marigold knows, this was her first real relationship.
Cri
Which might also be part of the reason why she is so devastated after each break up, because what she's doing is having her heart broken for the first time each and every single time- Over and over and over.
Carl-E
Good point. Puts Hanna's simple act of magical friendship in a whole new light! She wants to help so much that she's willing to let her get hurt so badly again, and again, and …
StJason
…wait…
…wait…
Do we know if Hanna has ever used the Brownout on anybody else..? How do we know that Eve hasn't had some help getting over other boyfriends…?
Hanna = Evil mastermind. 😀
scabby
Cri – I will be shocked, SHOCKED if that isn't the aesop that's slipped into the end of this debacle. Sorta cliche, but it looks like the logical place for it to go.
DavidMcG
She remembers at least one relationship:
http://www.octopuspie.com/2008-05-14/144-concern-…
Cri
I wonder if her succinct reply was because she really only remembers that he was a nerd and they dated, because she ate one of Hannah's magical brownies? Or maybe i was before she'd met Hannah? Who knows.
Cri
These comments need an edit button. *It, not i.
halifax
I found another little easter egg way back in strip #302. Marigold seems to have an uncomfortable shudder for missing memories of a past boy.
Will
Meredith, I love your work beyond. But if you choose THIS moment to take another month break…..
Sonny-D
Does anyone else think Eve looks like 2D in the last panel?
Mark
Well, she is . . .
mrscriblam
the gorillaz member, he means
CLR
Gap FTW!
Tessa
dun dun dunnnnn
Jones
Aw, you beat me to it!! I concur nonetheless, tho!
BaronHaynes
December 2010: National 'Fallout From Webcomic Characters Break-Up' Month
(also, the page layouts in this storyline are delicious)
Cece
Awwww! Eve's short lil' pins…
annonymous
Marigold dated a nerd once. She said so in the tag storyline. So presumably, she's had relationships which were mere brush-offs, thus not requiring the brownie treatment. Possibly.
Heidi
If I'm understanding correctly, and Will and Marigold have been dating for two years, then Marigold really should not flip out. Not if she's an adult anyway.
If Eve and Will had jumped into bed, or had regular make-out sessions, then obviously, that's a different story.
But one kiss at the beginning of the relationship spawned by jealously? Eve has been a good friend to Marigold in the two years after the incident.
If Marigold seriously holds this over Eve's head, if she really allows a minor hiccup such as this destroy their friendship, then I will finally lose all respect for Marigold.
Nick
I'd agree, they kissed once- 2 years ago.
That said, Will has always had a soft spot for Eve, and there's a chance Marigold has already had her suspicions- or if not, may now notice it.
Also, Marigold is really sensitive right now. It's already been mentioned that Will is (technically) her first love.
As everyone already said, this comic could go any way, but for now, this arc may be my favourite.
jenna
Well, of course Mar may suspect that Will has a soft spot for Eve – it was pretty well known in their circle of friends that Eve and Will used to date, and the only reason they broke up was because Will sells pot to make a living, and Eve couldn't stomach that. (My husband posed it to me: if he sold pot, would I still have married him? Well, after laughing at the hilarity of my slightly preppy, sweet and mostly law-abiding husband selling weed, I said that the weed wouldn't bother me; I think it should be legal. But the fact that his income was from an illegal activity would bother me a great deal. If pot were legalized it would be no problem).
Anyway. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Mari genuinely believed that Will and Eve were done-o, and there was nothing left there, and that Eve's revelation came as a huge shock…but she must have known that Will and Eve dated once upon a time.
Two years, though? I don't recall that ever being mentioned in the comic; only the comments.
Nick
Well, 2 years ago was when their relationship was announced via comic. It was the valentines day arc, but I'm pretty sure it started in January.
Chris
However Marigold reacts, Eve really shouldn't have brought that up. It may make her feel better to get that off her chest, but who does it help, aside from assuaging her own guilt?
nothings
Just out of curiosity, where does the 'two years' come from? I assume I missed some indication of time passing, because I'd have thought it was a lot more recent then that.
Heidi
I thought so too, until people were telling me otherwise. I checked out when the first comics went up hinting they were dating, it was well over a year ago (when Eve kissed Will, people were posting comments in August 09).
I know the timeline in a comic is different from reality. Two panels can just be one day, and the third can be several days later.
After skimming through the story arcs, I can see why people are estimating now at it being (roughly) two years.
Although, granted, in Marigold's defense, I dated a guy once for about a year, and after our breakup I fell apart. I've dated guys longer and never had that happen before, but it was my first love.
Happily, I eventually found a much better person.
MerchManDan
Oh, for the love of….
*facepalm* Really? Marigold hasn't even reacted yet, and you already hate how she's reacting? SERIOUSLY??
Patricia
"Octopus Pie" is the only comic I can get through my work's firewall. I'm so glad. I love the heart this comic has, and I'd be sad to miss an update. Or worse yet, wait until I'm home to read it.
Andrew
I really like how quick and tense this feels in comparison to the preceding strips. Good way to build up suspense over the weekend.
Eve's probably just assuaging her own guilt, I agree, but she's also being honest with Mar, which is more than can be said of Hannah. Even if now's not the right time she's still doing better by Mar just by confronting shit with her instead of making it all disappear.
PersonalGenius
…And I liked it.
Phil
on the lips with my lips?
http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/index.php?c…
Krimson
EVE THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME TO REVEAL THAT.
Memory-erasing food first, self-damning secrets later. Duhhh.
damien walder
In the narrative, this is the only meaningful time for Eve to do both things: that is being honest about the kiss (and ongoing attraction) to Will as well as giving her the cure. She's neither completely self-serving nor solely an Agent of Hanna's guilt – there is a social compunction at work, to balance all the priorities Eve has before her, even if it's not ideal.
However – We haven't even asked if Marigold would want the cookie's 'effect', so that kind of spoils the good intentions. And telling Marigold _after_ the cookie is eaten would be more useful as a test of the cookie, than of Eve's determination to be honest.
Patch
Panel 4 Eve: Epic.
Also the alt text is the best alt text.
Taylor Lopez (TeaLo)
lol i love Eve's little legs under the table in the last panel ^_^
Heidi
Haha, I was thinking that too.
StephenM3
Prediction:
The brownout biscuit actually does nothing. Marigold is just the sort of person who flips out for a few days, then tries her best to shove the tragedy out of her mind.
As we can see on this page, Marigold has already started to get over things a bit, to gather her thoughts. Had the conversation gone on naturally, Marigold would have cheered up further, and Eve and her would have formed a new bond of friendship. Eve and Hanna would have convinced themselves that it was the biscuit that did it, like every time.
But this time Eve is doing her Major Confession right before Mar eats the buscuit. Eve is hoping she can get it off her chest, and then get away with it because the snack will leave Mar not caring. This might just be the event that will prove that the "magic" of the brownout biscuit isn't really there.
Just a random thought theory. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm totally off-base.
David
I really hope that's where this is going.
jenna
Hmmm. Except…I believe that Hanna believes in the powers of the brownout biscuit, but I am surprised that Eve was convinced so easily. For a character I see as a huge skeptic…
Mayday
Eve is cynical, and I think she probably *wants* to have a skeptical outlook. But note that in the (albeit non-canon) Halloween arc, she's a little bit afraid of ghosts. Heehee.
CLR
I don't think Marigold will eat the cookie, and I think Eve is telling Mar about kissing Will because it would be the honest, no-crap-involving-strange-cookies way to go about things. Hanna is adorable but she's over the top on this one and it's Eve job to kind of counterbalance her craziness.
Also, best plot twist ever.
lil
i love you, ning.
….and meredith, i'm quite fond of you.
ed g.
"The brownout biscuit actually does nothing" Right. Except for the silly Halloween story, there's been nothing supernatural in Octopus Pie. Right? So this isn't either.
Working theory: Marigold takes the "brownout biscuit" as a social signal: "when my best friend Hanna gives me a really foul-tasting baked good, that means she thinks it's time I shut up about my breakup."
AlmostLiterally
Oh, also, if Marigold freaks out too much about the kissing thing, then that'll…that'll be lame. Because she was willing to ditch Will for Victor, like -that-. (snapping finger noise here).
Humps-Freely
Ummmm, Who Wouldn't Want Victor?
AlmostLiterally
That's beside the point.
Sebastian
I don't think Victor's coming back. He's legendary; more inclusion of him could spoil his mysteriousness. Also, Marigold is practically shattered by her break-up. She's too unstable right now to just rebound with Victor.
Man, does that sound like a soap opera or what? Octopus Pie is like a soap opera in that if you start reading it, you're mindlessly addicted to it. And I adore that (despite that I'm not fond of soap operas whatsoever).
Sela
Scarily enough, I think Octopus Pie is a little more realistic.
Paul1963
Well, to the best of my recollection, nobody's had a baby who magically became a teenager in two years yet.
AlmostLiterally
Oh, not saying she would rebound. I don't want Victor to come back – it would crush his mystery. I'm saying she was about to ditch him. Though I guess Humps-Freely is kind of right. That WAS Victor.
DCN
10 bucks, Eve didn't even put the Brownout Cookie on the plate, but bought a similar cookie from the coffee shop.
poot
OH SHIIIIIIIII-