Not sure if I want him set straight regarding Penny or not. Part of me wants to see how he'd react, but there's really NO point...

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I don`t think she`s the type to do this, they were never close.

He's the first person she's seen in person that she knows. And right now, she has good reason to believe he's not a plant. He's not playing her. (hopefully) Having to watch what you say all the time is pretty stressful-I imagine she's breaking down just because this was the first time she could. Everything she's felt since getting there may be coming out right now.

RD wrote:

Not sure if I want him set straight regarding Penny or not. Part of me wants to see how he'd react, but there's really NO point...

Yeah, it's water under the bridge. Penny seems to have long since moved on, and even if Rich were to return to Belleville and try to win her back (which is very unlikely to say the least), I think she has enough perspective and maturity now to realize that if a relationship has fallen apart due to trust and ego issues twice already, the third time's not going to be the charm.


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I'm just...open. Whatev, you know? Screw labels.

what the fuck is going on in this page?

It seems like the writing has gotten a lot more random lately because I'm actually having trouble following what's going on. At first I thought I missed a page entirely.


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Coming down to the ground

This and the last page have been pretty emotionally intense. I'm really enjoying this... there's a lot of feeling in both the writing and the art. Nice job!

Ollie wrote:

what the fuck is going on in this page?

It seems like the writing has gotten a lot more random lately because I'm actually having trouble following what's going on. At first I thought I missed a page entirely.

I'm actually in the same boat. It isn't so much that I'm not getting the situation, or even the emotions of it all. It's just...where is this going? What the hell does Sara expect Rich to do? And why does she expect HIM to do it? Is it just because they went to school together (and he dated her best friend) that she's reaching out to him? That seems a bit flimsy, atleast for the teary desperate reaction I'm seeing right now.

...Is it the lusting for other cast members, the paranoia, the daily grind of trying to dance to a reality show's tune that's getting to her?

I guess what I'm getting at is that so far we've been given alot of different things. One moment I thought I was seeing where this was going, the next something else was put out for me to process. It's not just a simple matter of this story arc's ending being nebulous--it's just...there doesn't seem to be a solid understanding of the central conflict for me. So I find it hard to root for Sara (as sympathetic and awesome as she is) when I don't know where this is going.


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My online fiction

My original thought was actually that Sara might be faking the breakdown. I mean, she ordered the sandwiches just to get to see Rich, and maybe she thought the only way to make him stay and listen was to hook him with the "crying female" act. She is a pretty good actress.


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(The girl in the brackets)

I figure she's thinking of bringing Rich into the show, getting him some "attention" which could help with his plans for fame'n'fortune, and also taking some of the heat off her and her boobalicious temptations. He could be the bad boy that breaks through her lesbian-ness for the cameras, but everyone back home would know it was BS. That would also let Penny know where Rich was....


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Bulls*** makes the flowers grow and that's beautiful.

Great writing here!

Although she's one of the stronger characters in this comic, I think the breakdown is real. I don't think it's about her sexuality at all but about her trying to form some kind of alliance with Rich to get control over her character on the show by maybe bringing him on it somehow. The reality show, not the fake show they are shooting for Sara's benefit since she's apparently the only one not in on it. This seems like it would be a big deal to her as she will show a forceful and marketable personality here or become a laughingstock all across the world, enough to produce some emotional tears as her Hollywood career dies before getting off the ground.

The recurring theme there is who is controlling her image, her or the producers pulling the puppet strings on her. This theme goes all the way back to the daily hair and accessory changes so they can't splice together footage and was touched on again just recently.

Of course I'm a terrible misanthrope and totally oblivious to social cues in real life which is one reason I like this comic, makes me think without explaining itself ever.

I wish I had the links back to the original Rich arc since I forgot how he and Sara related/left off but my available time and bandwidth suck right now to go looking.

Who else is she going to turn to? She's 2400 miles away from home, her communications may be tapped/monitored, she might not have time to build social contacts off-set, her co-workers might all be actors, and her producer might be trying to seduce her. It's not so much that Rich is the best person for the job, but he's the only one in-town she doesn't distrust.

Sara... *huggles her Sara plushie*


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"Her technique was the gangster's technique -- she toted a breast like a man totes a gun." - Graham Greene on Jean Harlow

Can I just comment on Sara's full (p?)leather outfit? BADASS!


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Karp wrote:

I mean, jeez, we've never seen any of the characters take a crap either, and we don't go OH MY GOD, how can they SURVIVE why do they not EXPLODE?!

Sara's got a lot on her mind. Finding out she likes girls, for one thing, and her mother's reaction to it, and the whole rape accusation video and the problems that brings. (Which apparently has never gone away, it's just not been in focus much). Add to that being alone in a setting with a lot of people who does NOT have her best interests in mind but control her environment (Well, Hillary, The Plant, etc. etc.) and troubles with the relationship with Daphne, but first and foremost, most likely a profound feeling of being lost at sea.

I am not sure how 'tight' Rich and Sara are, I don't remember them being more than 'penny's other friend' to each other. However, that counts for a lot more when you're stuck all alone in an unfamiliar place.

I have to agree with a few other comments, that I don't quite get the transition between the last two pages. That being said, the last page didn't really need elaboration. But I can completely see why Sara definitely needs a big shoulder right now.

As for whether or not she's faking the tears, panel 4 makes me think about some actors that I've noticed make their eyes very wide when they need to fake tears. That *could* be what that panel is showing us, but I'm not at all set on that interpretation. I really have no prediction.


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Karp wrote:

I mean, jeez, we've never seen any of the characters take a crap either, and we don't go OH MY GOD, how can they SURVIVE why do they not EXPLODE?!

Those who think Sara's faking her tears should read the previous strip ("Daphne. Daphne. I love you.") again. And also the third panel of this one. In both cases we are reading her innermost thoughts. Those tears are as real as those of Aggie curled up on the sidewalk, or those of Helen cutting herself with her glasses. I wouldn't say Sara has been harbouring thoughts of self-harm or worse, but she's definitely reached a breaking point, a bottom line. So I don't think there's anything affected about her crying as she reaches out to Rich for help. Sara's a good actor, but she ain't that good.

CBrachyrhynchos wrote:

Who else is she going to turn to? She's 2400 miles away from home, her communications may be tapped/monitored, she might not have time to build social contacts off-set, her co-workers might all be actors, and her producer might be trying to seduce her. It's not so much that Rich is the best person for the job, but he's the only one in-town she doesn't suspect is a fink trying to play her.

Whoops that was supposed to be an edit, not a quote.