04-09-17 Save you the trouble

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Giz
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04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by Giz »


OllieOrOlly
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by OllieOrOlly »

Must admit, it is enjoyable to witness Zii face some consequences. True, they are relatively minor repercussions in the form of annoyance and awkwardness, but it is welcoming all the same.
Got to give Sonya some credit for swatting away Zii's mediocre effort to "console" her, especially since Zii's *best effort* is merely trying to defuse the situation for her own benefit without having to, you know, apologise or empathise with the increasingly hysterical Sonya (the latter may love and seek melodrama, but she still wanted Zii more).
Sometimes, I find the drama tedious, however, for now it feels rather engaging. Perhaps I'm being petty, but I'd prefer thinking it is just enjoying the fact that Zii seems to face a kerfuffle that she created and isn't able to weasel her way out of it. I mean, even if she rationalises her obvious but possibly subconscious "road to dating DiDi," it is still scummy that she still hasn't apologised for breaking a simple and clear promise, then lied about it, then tried to dodge blame or responsibility; this is, to my knowledge anyway, keeping to her character, yet it seems especially egocentric and near callous this time.
Also, pretty stupid (if understandable due to lack of alternatives) of Zii to try to use DiDi to *stop* drama; even if, for argument's sake, Zii was oblivious to Sonya's affection, she did know that Sonya strongly dislikes DiDi, and DiDi herself is basically fuel to any emotional fire.

Regardless, kudos to Giz for managing to effectively deliver the mood of the scene with penciling alone. :)

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Spidrift
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by Spidrift »

Zii has always been completely and utterly useless at dealing with emotional complexities, if only through lack of practise; she usually reacts to problems by running away from them. Even things like her attempts to act as Gary's wingman, which implied no great cost to herself, were damp squibs, because something like that involves a little persistence and subtlety. Hence, here, of course she tries something blatantly pointless and useless, like asking DiDi for help; she has no idea what else to do. And although she must have known this would happen - why else did she try lying to avoid it? - she was clearly totally unprepared for it.

Which said, the fun thing here is watching Sonya flooring the melodrama pedal. I'm not saying that she's insincere - her feelings for Zii have always been transparently sincere, if possibly shallow - but she's also got her head around the drama thing now. She gets positively Victorian in the first couple of panels ("I gave you my heart ... Is second fiddle all I'll ever be to you?"), and then hits Zii really hard where it actually hurts in the third.

And yes, DiDi remains useless. It's unlikely to put Zii off her just yet, but one wonders if she'll overstrain Zii's tolerance in the end.
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jish55
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by jish55 »

I do hope that Peggy doesn't get kicked out after this (since if Zii wants to move back in, then Peggy has to move out unless they tell her no). Also, I have no sympathy for Zii or Didi in these last few chapters, they ignore the the reasons for why it went that way, with Zii feeling sorry for herself and acting selfish. Didi is getting what she wants and doesn't understand the real reasons for what happened. The only person who isn't guilty in this is Gary.

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Shinjischneider
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by Shinjischneider »

OllieOrOlly wrote:
Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:46 am
Must admit, it is enjoyable to witness Zii face some consequences. True, they are relatively minor repercussions in the form of annoyance and awkwardness, but it is welcoming all the same.
Until she gets kicked out of the appartment, the band and hopefully even gets a fist /slap in the face, i see no real consequences here.

Being stuck with that brainless bimbo Didi doesn't count.

KittyHat
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by KittyHat »

Sonya's hurt and angry but also pouring on the melodrama while she's at it.
Zii is caught in her lies and doing a very clumsy job of trying to wriggle out of it.
DiDi has no clue what's going on, but whatever it is, it all seems very sad somehow!

As with others, the thing I like best about the scenario is that, so far, Zii seems to be cornered and unable to just worm her way out of this. Granted, I'm not sure yet whether she'll actually suffer any real consequences, but it's at least a step in the direction of that possibility.

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rogermart
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by rogermart »

Zii is not going to get kicked out of Zii and the Troublemakers... It's like Jon Bon Jovi getting kicked out of Bon Jovi, or Dave Grohl getting kicked out of Foo Fighters. Now Sonya can quit the band (and seeing this strip she might)...
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Quinlan1973
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by Quinlan1973 »

Sure she could. If she can convince the others that Zii is the one holding back the band, the "The Troublemakers" could book a gig all on their own.
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Granted, that will NEVER happen, but it COULD.....in theory.

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Spidrift
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by Spidrift »

Sonya might just possibly quit the band temporarily (though I'd currently bet against it), but I find it extremely unlikely that it'd stick. From both the comic's and Sonya's points of view, the point with either the threat or actually quitting would be the drama -- putting Zii under as much stress as possible (and also probably making Yuki decide how she really does see Sonya these days). Once Zii has been run through the wringer for a while, and Sonya has milked things for all they were worth (and she has every right to feel bitterly betrayed, and to enjoy the ensuing drama something rotten), they can get back together, with Zii hopefully having learned something and Sonya having decided a bit more about what she really wants. And the band will be, paradoxically, the better for the experience, and do blitzing performances of songs of anger and betrayal.
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JoybuzzerX
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by JoybuzzerX »

I feel Zii is playing dumb on the whole casual talk Sonya did. She knows what Sonya said before and she questioned it all again, in a way that felt "I know it's not true, but I ask just to hear you say it."

Best option is for Zii to just admit she was a horrible roommate and friend to Sonya and that she just didn't want the serious relationship with her.

suranae
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by suranae »

That would require maturity on Zii's part & the writing cabal to actually take a scenario to it's end & show permanent growth.

Usually they glad hand through a physical gag then drop the matter like a hot rock never to be mentioned again, which leaves a graveyard of orphaned plot threads.

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Vitocap
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by Vitocap »

I honestly can't tell what's going to happen now. Especially since Giz has a penchant for surprising her readers. What story will the next strips tell? Some ideas off the top of my head:

1) Sonya has had enough of this shit. She kicks Zii and Didi out. Zii and Didi start living together in Didi's room at the old apartment.
... a) and Sonya leaves the band.
... b) and Sonya & Yuki expel Zii from the band.
... c) and the band stays together, but the mood turns really sour.

2) Zii has had enough melodrama. She ditches Sonya, leaving her in tears. Zii and Didi start living together in Didi's room at the old apartment.
... (a) to (c) as before.

3) Didi decides she can't stand the idea of breaking up Sonya and Zii. She tells them to reconcile and leaves with an "Adieu forever, Zii!" (ignoring Zii's desperate hysterical screams). Go figure what happens with the band.

4) Someone arrives. Yuki or Gary or Matt or Peggy or Kiley. Perhaps more than one. They either try to mediate or jump into the fray. Things get more complicated.

5) The three girls reach an agreement and start living together at Sonya's place, in a polyamorous threesome with Zii as the pivot. One day, Sonya and Didi try having sex with each other... and they like it so much, they kick Zii out. Zii returns to Gary for comforting, romance ensues. (Heeey... I love this one!)

6) We leave the trio here and move to another storyline. Something with the wrestlers, perhaps. We won't see Sonya, Didi & Zii again for like fifty strips.

Anyone has other ideas? :YMDAYDREAM:
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worldshaking00
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by worldshaking00 »

Ouch to #6. Sadly it rings true considering some past cliffhangers.

I agree Sonya is pouring it on, but she is in the right (mostly) here to defend herself and ask Zii her rationale. You can't even call ZIi a roommate; she was staying there to not be homeless, and apparently did a good enough job at taking up bed space/not respecting boundaries that Peggy had enough of it. Sonya was only telling Zii that they were casual sexually to try to not scare/pressure Zii away, and the way her speech bubbles were specifically emphasized leads me to think that Sonya was really laying it on thick but poorly. If Zii had selective hearing, then she's just as guilty as Didi was in rebuffing Zii's advances. In essence, Zii is treating Sonya almost like how Didi treated Zii when Didi was orgasm chasing to Gary's room. And to make matters worse, she lied and broke her word to a good friend.
Image

As far as the future of the band and living arrangements, I just don't see how Sonya's drama and emotional range (from rage to despair) would make Zii's presence at Sonya's place bearable. I'm really surprised Sonya hasn't kicked Didi out in order to corner Zii on her own terms; or, kick both of them out. I know that there has to be some sort of conversation/argument in the strip proper, for us to get the gist of what is going on... and that slammed doors tend to not be good punchlines. But still: some cheaters get their winkies cut off, or they get chased around houses with frying pans, or dishes get thrown and dodged. And the band: well, I got nothing. Too much crazy in the band as it is. Will a little more hurt or help?

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Last edited by worldshaking00 on Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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edisnooM
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by edisnooM »

I continue to be unsure where this is all heading.

I personally feel like Sonya doesn't have much of a leg to stand on here. She was scheming, it backfired, and even now when she's getting mad at Zii for her scheme failing and supposedly "coming clean", she's still sort of trying to keep up her facade.

Given how Didi has been acting the last few strips I really have no idea how she'll react to this, deciding to stay out of their way is possible, but given how she ended up staying out of Gary and Zii's way who knows how that would end up.

I'm also curious if Zii's reaction in the last panel is exasperation at Didi, or worry that Didi is going to start going off on her own narrative again.

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rogermart
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Re: 04-09-17 Save you the trouble

Post by rogermart »

Somenthing to take into consideration:

There are 8 strips left in this volume, we don't know the layout of the next seven, but we do know at least part of the 8th one's...

Image

Assuming that this arc is the volume's final, it should be interesting how this layout is gonna merge with the current situation...
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