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Bloop (Patreon)

Published:
2023-02-15 02:13:08
Imported:
2026-06

Content

RIP phone

Files

Comments

Sparky

They need hugs

Spoogle McGee

Seems like this kid is exactly the sort of "problem" Claire is being brought in to solve.

schmod

Oh no. Cubetown doesn't have a therapist on the island, does it?

Grace Serenity

Liz, sweetie, you can ask for help! You really don't need to do everything on your own!

Panic Blitz

I’ve been in work positions like this before, where they don’t give you any guidance, then want updates on projects you didn’t even know were part of your job. The stress is immense, and might have something to do with why sociopaths are so good at business.

nine

What's... been going on with the comic numbers over the past couple days? I feel like I'm shifting back and forth in time.

ValdVin

Moray's aural memory of "phone against a wall" implies a lot about Cubetown.

Andrea Andrew

Wow. She really deteriorated. I hope Liz will be okay.

Tudza

RIP phone. Cell service for the dead. Very low rates.

Zak Reichle

Yeah so far it seems like Liz desperately needs Claire.

Michael Boettger

Ah yes, Elizabeth's slow but inevitable descent into madness.

Grace Serenity

I wouldn't trust a therapist in the Lord of the Flies research island!

Matt Grayson

And THAT is why she can’t take the job. (No, I don’t know what that means, but it sounded appropriate.)

Elberik

Huge case of Gifted Child Syndrome

Nilbog Nerw

So goblins fear change. I thought we knew that though

That Blair Guy

Wow. This is shouting "Mental/emotional health crisis" and "seriously messed up place to work" if she was just given an office and no guidance/boss/someone who is actually responsible enough to check in on her. It's hard to see Cubetown for all the red flag.

Byron Wright

The "I work alone and have nobody to bounce ideas off of" feeling sucks and I feel like she'd benefit from having literally anybody to talk to.

Tinwhisker

This is clearly commentary about how gifted kids take these things upon themselves because they never have peers to work/socialize with. After a while they think that being by themselves is "normal".

Uniquitous

There are tons of people to talk to if she just would though. This ain't Cubetown's fault.

nine

This, all over. One such place I worked, I got the gist of "free" working and took the mantle of some necessary looking stuff. What I didn't realise was that there were a lot of fires that needed putting out as well, so I would spend 75% of my days putting fires out, and 25% on project work. Then was penalised for working on "low value work", things better left to people on a lower pay grade. But they worked on other things, and things would just stop working. I resigned when I found myself fighting such fires on Dec 26th and worked out this wasn't a sustainable job. Slightly over a decade later, still makes me really angry.

kaitou

"Appleboom"? Her name even hints at a cell phone exploding.

Foam0Fett

Two theories: they either have to do with when these events happened in relation to Marten and Claire’s journey to Cubetown, or they’re to help denote the order in which the events of Liz’s story are being related to Marten. Either way can’t wait to hear why Claire can NOT become the Librarian of Cubetown

Zak Reichle

Skin color in panels 1 and 3 is different

Omnithea

Kids shouldn't have jobs.

D

What's on Liz's arms? If it was one side I'd assume insulin pump or something but idk what that's about and I'm curious!

Captain Button

This is all on the first day. Yes, it says "six months", but maybe she came here directly after finals, skipping the graduation ceremony.

YoPaulie!

Homeschooled, no doubt.

awgiedawgie

Not sure what you're looking at, but I even pulled it up in an image editor, and there's no difference.

Zak Reichle

Panels 1 and 3 look different than the others to me.

Photon

"What? Ask for help from people stupider than me?" . . . "Go away!"

Yelling Bird

See, shit like this is why I retired.

Czarzhan

I can see why she tried "Just trust me on this" on Marten. She's grown comfortable in the hole that she's dug herself into, but actually saying that would make her acknowledge just how unhealthy her situation is. Claire taking the job would mean that scariest-of-all-things: change.

Kristopher Killam

I mean, it sounds reasonable. She’ll get found out that’s she’s accomplished nothing for 6+ months and be found out as a fraud.

MerMetalBard

I usually just make something up and then fix it later- as the saying goes, "if you cant baffle them with brilliance, befuddle them with bullshit"- which is to say you might be onto something cause I've never felt any emotional response to it 😂

Photon

... and to an office in the basement.

Rich Holmes

At least she got a bigger screen. I mean, it's not very big, but it's bigger.

Photon

How can I possibly bounce ideas off of people stupider than me?"

Zak Reichle

Yeah 2,4,5 are not the same as 1,3

Magic Beans

I feel this. Give me a blank sheet of paper and say “draw whatever you want” and that paper’s staying blank for an uncomfortably long time. Give me a blank sheet of paper and even the tiniest prompt like “draw a dog” and I’ll create a whole scene around that dog.

Photon

A whole generation of QuaranTeens coming down the pipeline...

Kyle

Well, okay, now this is a story about emotional neglect of a child.

Photon

"I'm supposed to tolerate hugs from people stupider than me?" . . . "GO AWAY!"

Photon

Claire's eventual job title: Lady of the Files < ducks >

enchantedsleeper

Yikes. I think she wants Claire to leave because Cubetown is all just layers on layers of this stuff and she's going to get sucked into it and go nuts if she tries to fix everything.

Miyaa

As Duke Ellison once said, “Don’t give me more time, give me a deadline.” Or something like that.

Photon

"Can't accept a diploma from someone stupider than me." . . . I'll go away now.

enchantedsleeper

Remember, Elizabeth has a "normal amount" of social skills. They approached Marten by hiding behind walls. I know at least some of this is self-inflicted but we're also talking about a child prodigy who is hopelessly out of their depth and knows it but can't see an option except to pretend otherwise. No wonder they don't feel they can reach out.

Captain Button

It is one of those "inside-out" non-chronological storytelling techniques, like in "Use Of Weapons."

Zak Reichle

You are right in that 1 and 3 match, but they are different from the other panels. I also pulled up the image in an image editor.

Captain Button

I recall a trick for writer's block where you just start typing stuff. Lists of dog breeds, holidays, rock types, whatever. Sooner or later you find you've started a story just from boredom.

Noah Senzel

It's not exactly crystal clear how old she is in this strip, the start of the flashback she was referred to as "a child prodigy" and she tells everyone that she's not a child anymore, which is a little odd if she's not child age or at least much much younger/has less job experience than her colleagues

Michael Boettger

Marten may wish to talk to as many other humans as possible, to compare their take on Cubetown and if they know any other people like Elizabeth. Just to try to get a handle on what Claire in getting into.

Thisguy

Ok… Couple of takes on this. Not sure why exactly Liz wants Claire to not take the job, could be warning in case the same thing happens to Claire (unlikely, Claire has a goal), could be because she doesn’t want to be caught out (I think she’d be relived if she was), could be because she knows how much shit goes on and is concerned for Claire’s wellbeing (doesn’t seem that considerate of other people). Either way, I think Claire would raise to the occasion.

JCfromNC

I'm not really seeing it, but are you sure it's not just lighting differences?

JCfromNC

She's a prodigy and probably still in her teens, if only barely.

JCfromNC

There's one on each arm, maybe tattoos?

Ben French

Now it all makes perfect sense. Somebody give this child a goal indicative of her degrees and a hug

D

Looked like bandages though... Hm..

Zak Reichle

yes, its ffd8a4 vs fad3b2

Sean Kinlin

@Photon: I appreciate running gags. :)

Sean Kinlin

Looks like tattoos. Maybe Elizabeth is a Finder?

Captain Button

She has two cyborg arms, like Clinton, but more so. She has confused Clinton with his not-twin Claire and fears she will also be enslaved by the Director overriding the cyborg limbs.

Tom @ Magic Chopstick Games

I e been managing people for over a decade now and this strip is pushing me dangerously close to hypertension territory 😠

D

Oh you're right, those must be prosthetics, that looks a lot like a seam.

Abioticgawd

But she keeps rejecting the one (albeit annoying) person who keeps trying.

Captain Button

Now I want to turn this into something about how she is really The Major from "Ghost In The Shell."

Brooks Moses

Actually I think homeschooling really helped me with avoiding this as much as I did (which was only somewhat).

Daniel S

Well clearly this place needs a mental health department if she’s been left in isolation with no direction and has clearly gone feral.

Drazi

Speaking as a gifted, homeschooled person, I can relate.

AttilaTheMom

IQ of 300, EQ of 10. Poor poor baby.

Carl Fink

Like Joseph Cotton says, the lighting is different. Look out the window -- it's night in some panels, snowy in one ....

Luce Sab

A strip rich in emotion and detail :)

Zak Reichle

Lighting would not explain why the skin color changes between the first two panels. They're similar enough that it should not change anything. The color also wouldn't be the same from panel 2 and when it is night or snowing if it were from light changes.

Carl Fink

I've been Liz. Not exactly, of course. (Cubetown didn't exist in the 1970s.) I was a bright teen who dug myself a big hole after early (high school) graduation, though.

Clifton Royston

Which doesn't mean they'll accept hugs, but you're right.

Minzoku Bokumetsu

people's skin colour is allowed to change based on blood pressure elevation levels

Finvaara

Moray is the boss checking on her who would probably try to provide guidance if she wasn't banished immediately in every conversation

William Cole

I'm not sure Dr. Goblin the necessary empathy for that to be the motivation, but IS one hundred percent true.

MisterVimes

So, like, another PhD program right after finishing two of them way too young?

That Blair Guy

That’s my point. Moray isn’t responsible enough to be in that role.

Lisa

My concern is that she's self-medicating with something injectable. My best guess is something meant to give her more energy and focus. Which, if anything, is probably enabling her to prolong putting off developing actual healthy coping mechanisms and habits.

D

I think Captain button is right and those are prosthetics. Which is much less concerning 😊

wargrunt42

I can just picture how this conversation is going in real time: "I've been staring at a blank screen with no sense of purpose or direction for the last two years. I'm frustrated with myself because I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy in this time and have too much pride to ask for help. I've made no friends and have been actively avoiding my family like the plague because I'm secretly ashamed of myself for not living up to their expectations. I have two PhD's, but neither have helped me learn how to adult. I keep hoping that one day I'll make or discover something innovative and exciting, but so far that day has yet to come. The only reason I keep going is because I have zero accountability for my time and productivity. I am but a lowly goblin and do not wish this existence on anyone else. That is why Claire should turn down this job!"

Ktulu

I have a feeling that you missed the last point. I don't think she doesn't want Claire to experience what she did. She doesn't want Claire to uncover that she's beed doing nothing for so long. She's afraid of being discovered as a "fraud" and not a genius

legobil

I’m sure Moray would happily take that role! 🤪

legobil

Are we interpreting this a Elizabeth telling Marten about all of this? I mean, I can see it. Marten is totally the listening in kind of person who one might confide in.

JCfromNC

TBH, they looked a little like bandages to me, too. Although the "cyborg arms" theory is quite intriguing.

SpookyPenguin

I think we're still missing a few steps between this and "now", that's the hint of the comic strip numbers. She hasn't found a goal yet but I'm a little worried by the whiteboard which suggests she eventually makes up her own goal.

Bagge (edited)

Comment edits

2026-09-07 23:00 HONEY! &lt;3
2023-02-15 07:18 HONEY! <3

HONEY! <3

Dean Reilly

One of the scientists tried coding an AI chatbot therapist. That's where the Director came from.

David Durant

I mean... It seems very unlikely that someone like that would suddenly open up emotionally about all the problems they've been having for the last two years to a complete stranger...

Dean Reilly

If Claire takes the job, everyone will find out how much Liz has screwed up. She's never really screwed up before, and doesn't know how to deal with it.

David Paul

Unfortunately for Liz, she is stuck that deep in the hole that she thinks anyone who takes a look at the place from a managerial standpoint would likely use an excavator to scoop her out of it, without considering that maybe she can still be rescued. We can figure that Claire would give her direction and incentive, and maybe utilise her talents and knowledge constructively, instead of the "go forth and science the shit out of it" approach that seems to have been bestowed upon her so far.

ellafine

There is snow falling in one panel, which I take as an indication of time passing, and the six months comment is another indication

Stephen Wells

I really, really hope that in the background, Claire is explaining to Moray that this particular gap in her organisational flowchart really needs to be filled by a stealthy feral science goblin.

Peter Jensen

Honestly, I can see how that would be easier to do. Marten isn't the one she's been avoiding for years. Barriers like that stack up and it gets ever harder to come clean with what's been going on.

Stephen Wells

Marten is the first person Liz has met in two years who isn't part of the Cubetown science madness. So he's getting two years' worth of emotional download in one go.

wargrunt42

I had considered the rightfully being fired aspect, but I'm under the impression that Liz would fail to see and deflect any blame on their part for their situation, so that's what I went with.

Fart Captor

Truly exceptional goblining tho

Mark

The look on Marten's face when Liz has finished dowloading should be interesting.

Drakoo Dreamer

Cubetown needs to invest in a therapist.

Leak

And here I always just assumed comics grew on a tree, or something...

Jonah Eisenstock

I love how Liz's eyes go all lizardy when she's showing negative emotions!

OldGoat

Tendonitis splints or whatever they're called?

Robert L

So did CubeTown dye the black cubes white at some point between panels 1 and 2? Or is that a lighting mistake?

LaPrimaNerda (Sarah Davis)

It's Cubetown. Although, it *could* be a mistake, I think Jeph can just as easily blame "rogue science experiment(s)" and have it be believable here.

Ruth Merriam

A shower and clean clothing would do her wonders.

enchantedsleeper

Sure! I'm not saying these are good choices but they're young and naiive and really shouldn't have been put in this position.

enchantedsleeper

If Liz is afraid of being found out, though.... Why tell someone? (Much less The Librarian's significant other?) I don't think it's going to be quite that.

Clifton Royston

Looks to me like some months elapsed already between panel 1 and panel 2, so Cubetown might have changed their colors during that time. (Nothing so mundane as painting them, of course.

Clifton Royston

In my experience, yeah, that's exactly how it can happen - almost the only way it can happen. I've been the person suddenly unloading, and sometimes I've been the confidant that someone suddenly decides to bare their soul to. It would be easier or more likely if she got a drink in her first, but even without that it happens. Once the dam cracks and the first leak comes trickling out, the whole mountain wall of defenses comes down very fast and all at once - because once you've started admitting to yourself or anybody that you've screwed up everything, what's there to hide any more?

Clifton Royston

It's the red scribbles "STUPID" at the bottom of the whiteboard which get to me. Sometimes we make our own hell. (I'm a lot better at not doing that, these days, but I still do.)

Stephen Wells

The horror of this is that Liz has convinced herself that she's a failure when in fact she has been failed.

awgiedawgie

I don't know that she thinks she's a failure. She just has no idea what it is she's supposed to be succeeding at. Without a target, it's hard to know which way to shoot.

David Paul

I always thought Jeph peered into an interdimensional rift and drew what he saw on the other side.

Clifton Royston

In "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - still a great book on a lot of levels, the author/narrator talks about his time teaching English in college. He'd have a class full of students all saying they couldn't think of anything to write about, so he'd tell them "Write about something specific in this room"; many of them would still be stuck, so he'd ask them to take out a coin and tell them "Write about just what's on *this* side of this one coin." They'd start writing about that coin, and suddenly find they were filling pages and pages about it.

Michael Voorhis

I think the scene and colors outside the window are changing to show the passage of time. This might be a reason for any skin-color changes as well. Typically ones skin color is darker in the summer when you spend more time outdoors in the sun. Um, unless you're a skiier, etc... :-P

Conrad Rogers

This is not unlike my experience at grad school. In fact, I'd go so far to say that every grad student feels these feels.

Michael Voorhis

It can be quite frustrating when your job is "FIX THE THINGS" or "DO YOUR THINK-STUFF."

Jon Guyer

Grad school was OK, but man, did it come on strong as a postdoc

Conrad Rogers

That's what the equations on the white board are for

Izzy Omega

Robot arms! I can't believe I missed it, AND missed that you guys figured it out already! Good eyes.