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Octopus Pie comic #420 wasn’t what you were expecting, was it? Apologies, or perhaps congratulations. Keep in mind the holiday order deadlines are looming, and you have until December 15th to order Octopus Pie T-shirts shipped First Class in the US. After that you’ll have to get your order rushed! Here’s a complete list of T-shirt ordering deadlines at Topatoco.
The December 15th deadline applies to Octopus Pie books as well! Past that point I can’t guarantee you’ll have one in time. So get ’em while you can! |
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Quote of my life…
🙁 I wanted punchlines, but I guess this works too 🙁
the punchline is SADNESS.
hahahahahahahaha
your comment was my punchline :]
"Punched By Sadness" sounds like an AWESOME emo parody band.
"I got punched by sadness
when you broke my heart
now i gotta scream
RAAAAAAHHHH"
I'm glad there was no punchline. Sometimes, a story needs to be a story, that's what I read for.
If everything was punchlines this would be QC and to be honest, I feel like the story is stronger than QC's for the lack of punchlines. Loved it. Thanks.
Haha, I'm also taking Mack's comment as the punchline. I love this strip, and I love that it's not always punchlines! I was just foreseeing one for whatever reason and them bam! sadness.
Thank god.
And here I thought I was the only one who found people trying to cheer me up insufferably annoying.
Agreed
Likewise, Its good to have friends that want to cheer you up, but sometimes you just need some alone time.
But Marigold, you have FRIENNNNNDDDSSSSSS!!!
So good luck with that whole "left alone" thng.
Friends do not let friends go to sleep ever.
I feel like there needs to be a Hanna special immediately after this arc to belatedly commemorate comic #420.
You know, that was exactly the same thought that I had. #420 should belong to Hanna.
When you have sadness badly enough, nobody has sadness but you.
Marigold just Grey's Anatomy'd them both. And I only know that because I watch Grey's Anatomy on Hulu.
I agree with Eve- Mets vs. Jets would be awesome. I also love that she's shocked to hear how she "just shakes her problems off"
That was my reaction, too – especially since I sort of saw Eve as going along with this whole 'cheering Marigold up' thing precisely because she can't shake off everything with Will.
TOBY
The Jets and the Mets?
C.J.
I know the teams. I'm joking when I do this. I'm joking when I do this.
"Octopus Pie comic #420 wasn’t what you were expecting, was it?"
You can do a special comic later on :3
Pwew. I felt this comic. I can't say why. But I know that if I were left alone, problems I'd have would just get worse. Maybe in Marigold's eyes, Eve and Hanna are being worse than distracting?
Thank you, Meredith, for puttin' words on things.
I'll take "That Which Can Not Be Unsaid" for a thousand, Alex.
Ooh. Eve in the fourth panel.
Marigold was never one of my favourite characters, but I guess she's alright.
Eve's reaction is spot on, of course.
"What?"
Apparently Marigold doesn't know Eve like, at all.
Sad Hanna in panel five followed by shaky sad Marigold in panel six is heartbreaking.
Well, hey, good for Mar. Didn't expect that from her.
Also, I've had stuff said to me that is almost exactly like what Marigold said to Hanna, and quite frankly, it pisses me off. I get that Marigold is at an all time low, but that is no excuse to pretend that others have no problems whatsoever. Some people are just better at hiding it.
However, since this -is- Hanna, and what she and Eve were trying to do wasn't that thoughtful (even though the intentions were good), I've got to give Marigold some credit.
Marigold's reaction is the one thing I find so realistic and appealing about her character, especially going back to the story arc of her trailing Will's "shady, outsider, drug dealin'" lifestyle. I totally agree with you! She looks at the great things in everyone else's life, what she envies, what she wishes she had and has blinders on to their problems because she's so wrapped up in her own. But who isn't guilty of that from time to time?
We all see little pieces of ourselves in these characters, but Marigold I can relate to in my most vulnerable and soul-searching. I've been where she's been. Longed to be part of a group that I thought was "cool" even if I didn't believe in the collective beliefs. Been through the kind of break-up where the relationship was one-sided and couldn't admit it *to* myself. Done the haircut, done the friend distractions, but really it was the moments of wallowing that clarity was found. Sometimes in that kind of heartbreak, you have to get so low before you decide "*I* deserve better. *I* want to be a better person. It's time to stand the fuck *up*."
I'm looking forward to how the character grows from this, because this kind of development is what keeps me coming back to Octopus Pie. The drama is interesting, but what they learn (or don't learn) and what happens as a result of that road bump.
Sorry AlmostLiterally, didn't mean to ramble.
No, it was very interesting! I agree, the character development is absolutely brilliant.
Ugh, this makes me like Mer a less and I already didnt like her. Oh boo hoo you got dumped, it happens. You didnt live with him, have kids with him, were even engaged to him he was just some guy you were dating. I can't even recall them exchanging "I love you's"
You mean Mar! Mer is the one who drew the comic!
Whoops! That among many many other typos I made. Buuut I looked through the other posts and I'm not the only one who made that error :]
The collective impatience with Marigold's situation seems an indication that perhaps a) lots of us can relate and it's not pleasant or b)quite a few of us might not be very supportive of friends in 'real' life.
I really hope it's the former.
For fiction, this is a pretty true situation – tip o'the hat to Mer/Mar!
huh. if this was RL, i might be a bit frustrated with mar for being so self absorbed when her pals are just trying to be good friends, and for ignoring the fact that everybody has their own internal struggles. but since its a fictional story, and she's only a minor character, she's right. eve and hanna are the main characters, of COURSE they're gonna end up more interesting, and probably more fulfilled and satisfied. sucks to be a sideliner.
…you haven't been through many harsh break-ups, have you?
Lots of people here haven't, it seems.
in the mets vs the jets, who would drop more balls? hard to say
Don't be silly. You don't drop balls in a hockey game.
I would pay good money to see them try skating, oh yes. That would be the awesomest sporting event ever.
…..Merry Christmas?
I would be frustrated with Marigold, in real life but thing is, I would be considerate and not say anything-probably an eye roll, would happen however- and while I understand where she is coming from, that be no excuse to yell. being at wits end is no excuse sometimes, but understandable however criticizing how to deal with problems, is a little bit line crossing. which is something we learn.
I don't think Mer is being inconsiderate, and calling her self-absorbed is sort of silly considering the circumstances. If anything, you can accuse Eve and Hannah of that, since neither of them once asked Mer what she needed and what they could do to help her. Instead they presumed to know what she "needed" to feel better and to get through the break-up with Will. In point of fact, they never once asked her what she needed or wanted– they just dragged her off to Times Square. (Alternately, Mer never told either of them what she needed, apart from a hair cut, but I'd argue that the greater failing lies with Eve and Hannah.)
No one cares about what Mer needs to have in order to get by, much less get better. This seems kind of natural since Hannah tends to think she knows what's best for everyone. She and Eve have good intentions but they're absolutely deserving of a tongue-lashing from Mer; for all of their goodwill, they're not being particularly charitable or compassionate.
Perhaps they are dealing with their own guilt re: Will by overwhelming her with this attention? :/
Oh, absolutely. Hannah feels guilty for setting them up in the first place. Eve feels guilty over her own feelings for Will. Both of them, in indulging and addressing their own remorse, ignore Mar's feelings.
They genuinely think they're doing the right thing but they're not.
What Marigold wants is friends to whom she can say that she wants to be alone.
YES.
why is Chicago a guilty pleasure?! i saw them on someone's GP list recently, and now it's here!
Maybe you should… listen to Chicago? You would understand why they are a guilty pleasure. [Their first album was good. I said it.]
Wow, I've got to say this is one of the best web comics I've read in a while. Really original and fun characters. I sat down and read all the way up this weekend. Awesome comic and great job not to have a 420 comic, wouldve been awesome but I like how you kept the current arc going.
I would pay so much money to see the Mets vs. the Jets.
SO MUCH MONEY.
That said, the faces here really make the comic. So expressive! Reading it, you really get how overwhelmed Marigold feels right now.
Poor Mar, needs to go to one of those parlors where you can break things for cash.
Oh man, I need to go to one of those and I'm not even upset about anything…!
Dear Ms Gran, i have just read through all of Octopus pie in one sitting. Let us celebrate your wonderful work and my complete lack of a social life. Thank you for fantastic comic
Eve is being a little self-serving, imo. She's using this situation to diffuse and avoid her own overwhelming sense of guilt. She's not really thinking about Marigold, I don't think. Been there (ouch, I know.)
While it isn't excusable behavior on Marigold's part, it's understandable. Breakups are hard. I'd give her a little bit of a break. I'm not a Marigold fan from what I've seen, but I can empathize.
awww nothing special on the 420th comic 🙁
Aaaand Marigold takes the prize again as my least favorite character. I would never get along with somebody like that in real life. Can we please focus on someone else now? Like Will?
Just in case no one else decides to say it, that's an awful attitude to take with someone else's story. Let the woman tell it – if you hate part of it, don't read it.
Mixing the Sinner (Eve), the Savior (Hanna), and the Spurned (Marigold), will never leave a good taste in anyone's mouth.
I'll actually throw a bone in Marigold's court in this case: yes, she is a "D to the r to the a-m -a" Queen in this case, she is in genuine pain (if she weren't, she would deliberately be pulling a pity party for herself).
Poor Mari. She needs to grow up a bit and get her act together, but I totally empathize. Been there at an earlier life stage (when I was about her age. Now I'm ancient and I know better).
She is in genuine pain, she is admitting how vulnerable she feels – and I'm with her on that, having worried about how pretty I am (not), where I am (not) going in life and all that.
I refuse to jump all over her for feeling this way – and I am surprised that so many commenters are doing so. It's common at that age, it's human, and it happens to the best of us. Sure, she's being a bit blind to the problems of others (Hanna never seems to have any – but Will, Eve and everyone else?) but I do like how she says at the end that she wants neither pity nor validation. I think that shows a growing inner strength that I'd like to see more of in Mari.
It's really not just this. Marigold has managed to be very annoying on more than one occasion. To be honest, I think most people who are annoyed with Marigold are actually being a little more sympathetic to her than usual.
Not everyone's opinion that she's been annoying in the past. I don't share her taste in movies and I find her to be a smidge vapid, but not annoying. I'd look at her kind-of-not-too-mature nature and think "meh, so? We've all got flaws and she may grow out of it".
If I were to choose a least favorite character, it'd be Olly. Honestly.
I just noticed the Mets vs Jets line.
In that game, nobody wins.
This comic actually reminded me a little bit of myself. I had just gone through a rough break up after 3 years, and my friends were trying to cheer me up by distracting me with as many group activities as possible. I remember just feeling sick, like I wasn't allowed to feel sad about it when I was hanging out with them, and I would leave early to go home, because honestly I think it made me feel worse.
I don't think she's being selfish – she could have not exploded on them, but sometimes feeling alone in a crowd of happy people can feel worse than just being alone.
There are few things worse than feeling alone in a crowd of friends, especially when they're trying to change how you feel.
Mets Vs Jets
Round one: Baseball
Round two: Football
Tiebreaker Round: Twister.
She needs some Victor in her life…
We all need a little Victor in our lives.
again – hats off to you meredith. Absolutely brilliant storytelling that mixes familiarity and emotional depth with absurdist, deadpan humour and surreal comedy.
Scooter – Ahah! You're onto something!
Wow at the strong reactions against Marigold here. I've said before that I agree she is reacting poorly, and what she said to Eve and Hanna was blind and insulting, but she had to say something pretty strong to get through to them that she doesn't want their pity. She's genuinely hurt. I've never been a Marigold fan, but I still feel sorry for her here.
Really, she just needs to give up knitting.
Nothing's going to be awesome? comic #420 is! This one is awesome! Thanks Mer for this arc on Mar.
I think they should just leave her the hell alone before she gets all stabby stab stab on them
The whole frenetically-happy-post-break-up-montage! only works in really shitty movies, I think.
And satire.
Good grief, Mar. Are you 12 or something?…
Full disclosure: I've been Eve in panel 4. Just because you don't throw tantrums doesn't mean you don't feel or grow; you're just doing it on the inside, and processing, and evolving. Something Marigold needs to do…
Man, Meredith, your storylines sucks me in completely 🙂
Yes, Marigold needs to keep things bottled up and lie about how she's feeling. That will totally work.
Don't twist my words, that's not what I said at all. I didnt say she needed to keep it all inside and lie; if anything, she needs a bit of introspection and hard truths. If she wanted to be left alone, she didn't have to go with them. I understand that unbearable low, the feeling that nothing will be good, ever, the annoyance at people who think they can "fix" this. But wallowing and lashing out won't do anything productive and she might find herself having to fix her friendships. I don't like Marigold's character because she constantly gives up control and then feels sorry for herself and her situation. I hope to see some growth from her, in any case. She's a good person at heart but man, she's a leeeeetle bit intense.
And we're always totally lucid and logical when we're at that worst possible low, right? Give her a break. What she said may not be right, but sometimes we make mistakes. It doesn't come off as like a bratty tantrum, imo. Adults are not always emotionally composed.
Just callin' it like I sees it.
Yeah, me too.
And the girls really should have backed off earlier, yes. But I think this is pure Marigold, and although I think she's a great character, I just don't like her personally.
What's snotty, sarcastic for the sake of sarcastic and reading webcomics at two in the morning?
Just callin' it like I sees it, brah. Don't hate.
poor Goldimar :/
I don't really understand how anyone can read this comic and come down on Marigold. I think she's flighty by nature and that can occasionally read as petulance, but she's not out of line here.
:((( aww, I know that feeling
The mets vs. the jets, winner takes on the nets