119

Barbell
Posted on November 23, 2023 by David M Willis

119 thoughts on “Barbell”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    [✓] not take eyes off Jacob
    [✖] have a conversation
    [✖] make sure the barbell doesn’t land on Jacob’s face

    1. Thag Simmons

      that’s the important one right

    2. Needfuldoer

      She has priorities.

    3. jflb96

      To be fair, he did agree to the terms with ‘neck’ as the specified body part, and they are studying law

  2. RassilonTDavros

    Don’t blink. Blink and you’re Jacob’s dead.

    1. Laura

      Amazing episode.

      Today my partner asked me to make the noise the TARDIS makes ‘when it’s flying through wormholes and stuff’. I began to whistle the treble melody of the theme song. “No, that’s not it at all!” they protested. So I switched to the bass line (bum ba dum da dum bum da dum da dum…) “That’s it!” they shouted triumphantly. Funny, who notices what.

      1. RassilonTDavros

        Can’t wait for the new episode Saturday! It’s only been, what, 13 months?

        1. Laura

          Have fun!

        2. Masumi

          DID YOU SAY NEW EPISODE?!

          Yay!

        3. Psychie

          Yup, the 60th anniversary special is three parts, part one airs on the 25th. If you’re in the US it will be available for streaming on Disney Plus, although I don’t know at what time specifically. David Tennant is back as the 14th Doctor for these specials, and somehow Donna Noble is returning as his companion. I am excited for it.

        4. Mark

          In linear time.

        5. Opus the Poet

          And 60 years…Dr. Who shares an anniversary with JFK. First episode broadcast the day JFK got shot.

      2. StClair

        IMO, it’s both! But it’s very hard for one person to do both at once.

      3. Needfuldoer

        I thought it was that grinding, scraping, Speeder-Bike-on-Endor sound. (Or did the Doctor finally remember to release the parking brake?)

        1. Laura

          Well, yes, that is the ACTUAL sound effect used. But my partner talks in shorthand and mixes words, so I was pretty sure they just meant the theme song.

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Can’t blink, Jacob won’t eat me…

    3. ValdVin

      Welp, that’s a signal for me to hunt up the fan music video of this episode and ELO’s “Turn to Stone”.

      1. Taffy

        This one?

        1. Laura

          Rock on!

        2. NGPZ

          Okay now this music video is just frickin PERFECT ? ??

        3. ValdVin

          Yep!

  3. Yeet

    sarah you’re doing amazing sweetie

    1. Decidedly Orthogonal

      She’d rather be doing Ja… no, you’re right. Too wholesome. Sarah is doing amazing isn’t she? You got dis Sarah!

      1. Mym

        I love Sarah so much!!!!

  4. Osopescado

    Sarah is confronted by the crushing weight of her feelings.

  5. NGPZ

    Damn, gym basically be torture, but Sarah certainly didn’t expect this kind! ??

    *plays “JoJo Torture Dance” on hacked muzak*

  6. Nono

    Jacob is clearly going too light, all my conversation if I’m doing that involves grunting and swearing.

    1. Thag Simmons

      Perk of being a fictional character is that talking is (usually) a free action.

    2. shrub

      Unfortunately I train in my garage so I certainly don’t get the view Jacob’s getting

      On the plus side I choose the music, the toilets close by and no one hears me breaking wind when squatting or deadlifting ?

    3. Inahc

      warmups. always good to do warmups.

      1. Inahc

        …oh, but he’s talking like he’ll be able to continue a conversation the whole time. I get it now. yeah, at higher weights my counting was barely recognisable as words, and I’d mainly be doing it so I can’t forget to breathe.

        1. Proxiehunter

          Low weight with a higher number of reps is a thing.

        2. Proxiehunter

          A quick check to make sure I got it right says it’s for endurance and tone while high weight and low reps is for bulking up.

  7. Thag Simmons

    I feel like you could design these so that if the Barbell drops it catches the rests, but I guess it’d still be dangerous without a second person and you maybe don’t want to encourage people to take chances like that.

    1. shrub

      I train in a power rack at home but I also don’t make big jumps in the weight I’m lifting ’cause safety and all that

      Something similar to this one (its a bit fancier looking than mine)

      https://i.pinimg.com/originals/90/a0/8a/90a08ab8de073d32b7c56de29d9777a6.jpg

    2. Throwatron

      There are machines that do exactly that, but by virtue of being (usually) fixed onto a larger structure, they have a different range of motion, and so many people still prefer free weights, because they feel their form is better and that they exercise a greater amount of muscles.

    3. Angel

      it’s always good to have a partner but it just makes me think of that Hitman (game) assassination technique

  8. BBCC

    Well she’s been very clear with her boundaries. XD

  9. DailyBrad

    I love that Jacob isn’t oblivious to the subtext of the whole situation. It’s kind of a fresh angle to approach this from, that Jacob knows she likes him, she knows he knows, and I guess the question here is if he wants to be friends with her or if this is him basically floating that he’s receptive to her interest if she’ll stop with the cynical approaches. That’s kind of fascinating in a work of fiction where we don’t really often get the post-mortem on hijinks in this kind of fashion.

    1. True Survivor

      It is a fun dynamic. I also like it when what appear to be one off bits or comedic adventures lurch out of the morgue dragging consequences behind them.

      1. David DeLaney

        Chekhov’s babell has been placed upon the mantelpiece, lift? [ynqAAAIEEE]

        –Dave, a text-and-pics adventure

  10. M!a

    Aw Sarah. You can manage that one more thing. We believe in you!

  11. Yotomoe

    God I wish that were me.

    1. True Survivor

      I also wish I had the mental and physical strength to lift weights with healthy regularly.

    2. Nono

      Which one, there’s good views either way.

    3. Schpoonman

      It occurs to me now that the angle is pretty much dead-on for laying in someone’s lap.

  12. True Survivor

    I like that Sarah – the ostensibly most spiteful, cantankerous, and emotionally dismissive of the gang – is the one that struggles hardest to just talk to her crush. Its nice to see her not merely as the hardball schemer, noncommittal grump, or savage protector, but a character with a soft goopy inside (metaphorically, that is. We all soft and goopy on the inside in the letteral sense).

  13. Yotomoe

    As promised
    A bit of a rush job. I was busy making Mac & cheese for tomorrow.

    1. Amós Batista

      Great.

      Poor Joyce. Sarah is distracting her from imagining someone groin

      1. Yotomoe

        Haha it’s meant to be two seperate pics. (also that was meant to be a butt oops)

        1. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Looks like a butt to me. ?

          Thank you Yoto, for your (fan) service.

    2. Jeff K!

      GOODness!

    3. NGPZ

      A rush job? For it’s evident purpose of melting me, I say it’s a rather GOOD job. ??

      Enjoy a well deserved feast!

    4. Angel

      nice

      and enjoy ur mac lol i’d be too tempted to eat it right away

    5. milu

      Uh-oh is Joyce g-g-g-g-gettin bi???

    6. Needfuldoer

      Random onomatopoeia that doesn’t correspond to an actual sound is one of my favorite comic devices. “Butt!”

      Did you remember to follow the directions on the box of macaroni and cheese to the letter?

      1. Yotomoe

        Haha boxes. Where we’re going we don’t need “boxes”.
        I’m making it from scratch

        1. Needfuldoer

          [Horrified Joyce creeper face dot tga]

        2. Roborat

          Wow, where do you find the room to cultivate the wheat?

        3. NGPZ

          I mean, Mac and Cheese is really just macaroni pasta covered in cheddar-based mornay sauce, it ain’t that hard to make from scratch

        4. Alan Lafond

          Unless you’re referring to Kraft Dinner, in which case they forego the macaroni noodles and replace them with little hollow tubes. If they aren’t curved, they aren’t macaroni!

        5. David M Willis

          but how do you make the powder

        6. Needfuldoer

          Powdered cheese comes from powdered milk, doesn’t it?

        7. NGPZ

          I’m pretty sure that’s just freeze-dried cheddar Mornay sauce with a few extra ingredients to preserve flavor and extend shelf-life

        8. Suet

          but did you serve it Dorothy-style (loaded with pepper) or Joyce-style (plain)?

  14. Amós Batista

    The idea is Sarah to hold the bar to Jacob guard it or to her quickly lift it if the bar falls on him?

    Also, I ship them, but I like to divert into another related-but-not-really discussion.

    1. Nono

      You generally quickly grab the bar to move it to a safe position if the other person looks like they’re slipping (or ask for help).

      1. Alanari

        Shouldn’t those weights be way too heavy for Sarah to move them? Jacob looks like he can lift her entire body weight.

        1. LiamKav

          Usually the other person would be helping. Also Jacob (or whoever) will have lifted them multiple times. Sarah only has to move them once. And she’s already standing so she just has to deadlift rather than do a press.

        2. David DeLaney

          Joyce can help! *grabs around Sarah from behind*

          –Dave, Dina: Oh, this is a socialization activity! *chompfs all of them*

          ps: she was behind the weight machine ther WHOLE TIME, obviously

        3. Yumi

          Yeah, the spotter generally doesn’t need to be able to lift the whole weight. Even if it becomes too heavy for the lifter to manage, like if they’re getting worn out, it should be only a fraction of the weight that they need help to get up to the rack.

        4. Inahc

          this. you only have to help lift a few pounds of it to get them unstuck

        5. Needfuldoer

          I think she just has to steer the bar to the rests if necessary.

  15. HueSatLight

    she’s so cute

    1. Needfuldoer

      indeed

  16. Laura

    Sending caring wishes to all who may be so affected, especially in the USA, for
    National Day of Mourning,
    Unthanksgiving Day,
    Friendsgiving,
    Día de Acción de Gracias,
    Buy Nothing Day (tomorrow),
    Gratitude month, etc.

    A day of pain for many, joy for some, and acute awareness of both excess and privation.

    Be well, stay safe, everyone. May you find support in community and/or respite in solitude, today and tomorrow.

    1. NGPZ

      Awe thanks for the support as always Laura!

      For me, it’s just another weed holiday LOL. Might eat a turkey burger with cranberry mustard sauce and maybe get a back-up pair of noise-cancelling headphones while they on sale (I can’t live without them), but that’s about it.

  17. Formerly Glenn

    Man, I really do ship these two hard.

    I think they could be good for each other, if they work out their differences.

    1. Mym

      W…was that a pun?

  18. Suet

    Breathing. You also need to manage your breathing. How can you look at him if you’ve fainted!?

    *plays “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Lauryn Hill*

    1. Laura

      Love that one!

  19. shrub

    Now if Jacob was to take Walky under his wing and get Walky into lifting it’d do a world of good for Walky

    Wouldn’t help Jacob all that much though…

    1. Throwatron

      I don’t know that for sure; Jacob could just lift Walky, that would probably be good exercise.

      1. shrub

        Could be good for sure, especially if Jacob is on a sports scholarship because I’d imagine that training with a body could have some cross over benefits if you were wrestling

    2. Yotomoe

      Do we really want to make Walky more powerful?

      1. shrub

        Might do him good to learn consistency, patience, make some male friends and it might even help build some confidence in him (proper confidence I mean, not his fake confidence)

        1. Sirksome

          He does need some guy friends. Maybe he could just watch them workout while he eats nachitos in the corner?

    3. Sirksome

      Knowing Walky’s weird physiology that lets him stay trim on a pure fast food diet, working out is just as likely to make him less healthy. As in he’ll probably hurt himself trying.

      1. shrub

        So its basically a win-win situation then

      2. HueSatLight

        “trim” is not a good measure of health.

    4. Thag Simmons

      Getting Walky to exercise regularly would be a more herculean feat than lifting any of the actual weights in that gym.

    5. Roborat

      Careful with that, you might end up with Walky having abs on his abs.

  20. CallynD

    Jacob looks like he bench presses more than he weighs. Having Sarah (~125lbs) spot him when he’s lifting 250lbs seems suspect. Now a spotter only has to help the lifter finish the list, but still.

    1. shrub

      If you can talk while pressing then its probably just warm up sets

      1. Masumi

        Orrr Jacob is doing low weights so he can have Sarah spot him?

        1. shrub

          He doesn’t strike me as the type that would make up an excuse (in this case using deliberately light weights) just to talk to Sarah

          He seems a pretty confident type of guy

        2. Big Z

          Or he’s doing low weights because he’s on a high-reps low-weight day as opposed to maxing out low/single reps?

          Or, like a lot of chiseled guys, he’s not as strong as he looks to the layman?

          Or, he trusts Sarah to be able to help him if he loses the weight but not necessarily to take the whole weight herself?

          Really, there are a lot of reasons.

  21. DarkoNeko

    Nice angel

  22. milu

    Howdy dowdy yowdy!
    …As y’all’s’es say in America, with your banjos and your possums and such.

    Good morning!/night!/non-binary time descriptor!, freaks ????‍☠️
    (if not freak, please disregard)

    “Make Love Not War”, part 5 (NSFW)

    (note: ongoing series of sorts! there’s a plot of kinds! Perhaps you wish to start with part 1?)

    1. Yotomoe

      BABOING.

      1. milu

        Indeed! …Ouch?!

  23. butting

    Staring at someone who’s doing work, but not contributing anything? That’s basically a cat’s job, yesterday’s comments were bang on.

    Just don’t lean too much into that, Sarah, it’s all too easy to get the roles confused and then every time he strains upwards you might wind up telling him “biiiiiiiiiig stretch” and he’ll never fall for you if you do that, right?

    1. Amelie Wikström

      Cats like to copy what you’re doing. I think that’ll end with Sarah bending over on her back on Jacob’s face pushing at the bar along with him, or maybe grabbing a nearby set of weights on her own. . .

      1. John Campbell

        I dunno, my experience with cats suggests that climbing on the barbell and sticking her butt in his face is more likely.

  24. jortathan

    i have CAUGHT UP, after FOUR DAYS :]

  25. Kim

    Those are some Hot perspectives!

  26. Da Boy

    I don’t think Sarah has enough presence of mind to do this job XD

    1. David DeLaney

      philosophical mind-body division HIGHLIGHTED

      she’s getting ahead of herself, it’s usually the sophomores that spend subjective hours on that

      –Dave, she definitely has presence-tation of body, thinks Jacob

      1. Mark

        IIRC Sarah is a sophomore? Her problems with Raidah started last year.

        1. Needfuldoer

          Correct. She’s at least a year ahead of the principal cast.

  27. ValdVin

    The twist is that Jacob needs to pay attention to his barbe more than he does to Sarah’s form, so to speak. The distraction can go both ways.

    1. foducool

      I doubt it, he’s man of focus, commitment and sheer friggin’ will!

    2. Needfuldoer

      Maybe he has more available bandwidth to multitask.

  28. Sharaku

    Just gonna assume Joyce is still holding her off screen.

  29. Rabisch

    So nice to see Sarah have to occasion to use her fantasy at the maximum level. This seems like a new experience for her.

  30. Amós Batista

    I want to be on Jacob’s place, and Sarah’s place, at same time.

    1. Mym

      You could take the middle: the bar

  31. ADLegend21

    Sarah looking extra foine in these panels.

    1. ADLegend21

      hilarious that it gave me Joe for this comment

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