It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that Billie was there.
Also, I am beginning to thing that Dina has been giving teleportation lessons to people. Sign me up, I’d love to do away with my commute even if it means my boss just finds me behind the door every day.
I agree with Sarah, this many things going right on my birthday or at my own party would make me paranoid. Which relatedly is coming up in like 6 days or so.
The two incidents, on the same night: About half a minute interrupting the news on WGN, then two hours later, ninety seconds interrupting Doctor Who on WTTW.
It was a guy in a rubber mask imitating Matt Frewer’s Max Headroom voice and saying pretty much nonsense things. Here’s one video discussing it.
Needfuldoer
“GOODEVENING HBO
FROM CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT”
Oddity Archive is amazing.
I like the zombie apocalypse EAS alert from 2013, because it’s a comedy of completely believable errors. You wouldn’t believe how much broadcast equipment out there just uses a simple default password.
Oddity Archive’s collection of electronic esoterica is what I’d have if I really let my hoardingness run rampant. I’m glad someone’s doing what he does, but I’m grateful it’s not me (and so is my wife).
Needfuldoer
Started hoarding old tech junk after I bought a place, can confirm. It easily gets out of control when there’s nobody to stop you.
I try to scratch that itch by watching tech YouTube channels like Oddity Archive, LGR, 8 Bit Guy, and Techmoan, but it’s not the same as being surrounded by leaking capacitors and yellowing plastic.
To quote Grandpa Simpson:
“A little from column A, a little from column B…”
Fun fact, I was going to link to a Youtube clip of that line, and I even had the HTML tags all done… and then I was like “wait, how do you close a href link again?”
If there was an edit button on these comments, I would have gone for it. Alas, I shall leave linking to others less likely to fuck it up.
he wasnt celibate, just not interested in casual sex. He probably would have been interested in sleeping with Raidah had the relationship gone on longer and become serious
I don’t think there’s any real reason to think so. As zee says he was just not interested in casual sex. Their relationship may well have been sufficiently non-casual.
The only direct clue we’ve got is that he suggests going to “fool around” at one point. She declines, but casually, not as if it’s a surprising request.
I feel Ruth just really wanted to do something fun and normal-ish with her girlfriend. Like way back when she made the drunk people in Joyce’s room watch a movie so she could (secretly) hold her girlfriend’s hand during.
Billie just came because of love, and will surely throw up sometime during the party.
I appreciate that Sarah really is enjoying the things she said she’d enjoy. It’s nice to have personal preferences respected in fiction. I half expected Joyce to be “right”, even though I know this comic is not written by an obligate extrovert, just because it’s such a common setup. People in fiction want/need the opposite of what they say they want/need far more often than real people do.
Agreed. That was well-said, too, so thanks for commenting. I hadn’t noticed that respect for personal preferences was going on here until I read your comment, but I have noticed the problem elsewhere in fiction, and agree with your sentiments. Thanks for pointing out the occurrence here so others could also enjoy it. 🙂
Silly question — how would “the Dads” know about going to an off-campus party? I would expect they’d try to go to Read Hall to locate Joyce and Becky, only to find them not there. Sure, maybe someone there knows “Oh, she went to a party” — but WHERE?
yo book 8 is in the online store, in time for *robot voice* HOLIDAY SEASON 
90 thoughts on “Paranoid”
Ana Chronistic
I mean, gotta balance out the cat
like, cat on my birthday would be winning the damn lottery
(ok, I had one before, but Hubs is cat-averse and like 90% perfect otherwise so “no cat” is my trade-off for “clean spouse”)
Clif
90% perfect is pretty damn good.
BBCC
Poor Sarah. Shoulda tried sooner. XD
Doctor_Who
It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that Billie was there.
Also, I am beginning to thing that Dina has been giving teleportation lessons to people. Sign me up, I’d love to do away with my commute even if it means my boss just finds me behind the door every day.
ValdVin
Eh, I didn’t really catch on quickly either. I’m wondering how much napping Sarah got between panels five and six.
Felix
looking at the windows could be 5 minutes, could be 5 hours.
Jhon
Cat needs to snuggle beside her. That would make it perfect.
Jamie
I didn’t realize it until I read your comment.
Keulen
I didn’t notice Billie was there until I saw the tags.
Some Ed
It’s not teleportation. She just takes short cuts.
Roborat
Oh, that is Billie? I couldn’t figure out who it was, I thought Dina at first, but it didn’t look right.
Suet
Trust yourself, I guess? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Joyce must be giving out trade secrets to those two. Or Sarah’s monologuing took too long
Sunny
But what if you know from experience that you’re unreliable? Should you really be trusting yourself then?
Kernanator
I have a feeling my paranoia is out to get me.
He Who Abides
My paranoia tells me I can’t trust anyone else.
Someguy
Paranoia, Paronoia, somebody’s coming to get me
Kyrik Michalowski
I agree with Sarah, this many things going right on my birthday or at my own party would make me paranoid. Which relatedly is coming up in like 6 days or so.
BarerMender
Happy birthday!
vitalProximity
…or is it??
Stephen Bierce
*plays the Art of Noise’s “Paranoimia” on the clock radio*
(Whether the Max Headroom version or the one without him, your call.)
StClair
With, please.
(“How do I get to sleep?“)
Doctor_Who
Clearly the superior version, and quite appropriate for someone who wants a nap.
StClair
“Come sweet slumber, enshroud me in thy purple cloak… huh. Doesn’t even rhyme.”
Deanatay
“Is that my teaspoon?”
“I can’t stand tea. Tea. (tea). TEA.
ValdVin
Someone dressed as Max Headroom hijacked a Chicago broadcast TV almost exactly 32 years ago.
What could be more Paranoimia than the Max Headroom version?
ValdVin
…copyedit: Chicago TV broadcast.
Literally showed up on the air of thousands of viewers.
Doctor_Who
That’s weird. Does anyone know what show
ValdVin
The two incidents, on the same night: About half a minute interrupting the news on WGN, then two hours later, ninety seconds interrupting Doctor Who on WTTW.
It was a guy in a rubber mask imitating Matt Frewer’s Max Headroom voice and saying pretty much nonsense things. Here’s one video discussing it.
Needfuldoer
“GOODEVENING HBO
FROM CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT”
Oddity Archive is amazing.
I like the zombie apocalypse EAS alert from 2013, because it’s a comedy of completely believable errors. You wouldn’t believe how much broadcast equipment out there just uses a simple default password.
ValdVin
Oddity Archive’s collection of electronic esoterica is what I’d have if I really let my hoardingness run rampant. I’m glad someone’s doing what he does, but I’m grateful it’s not me (and so is my wife).
Needfuldoer
Started hoarding old tech junk after I bought a place, can confirm. It easily gets out of control when there’s nobody to stop you.
I try to scratch that itch by watching tech YouTube channels like Oddity Archive, LGR, 8 Bit Guy, and Techmoan, but it’s not the same as being surrounded by leaking capacitors and yellowing plastic.
Andrew_C
Didn’t realise Max Headroom was a thing in the States
Stephen Bierce
He had two different TV programmes and everything.
ktbear
And there was me thinking Enter Sandman would fit nicely here.
Yotomoe
…Threeesome?
3-way?
Menage e trois?
Hold back Billie’s hair as she vomits?
Keulen
Most likely the last one.
LeslieBean4shizzle
To quote Grandpa Simpson:
“A little from column A, a little from column B…”
Fun fact, I was going to link to a Youtube clip of that line, and I even had the HTML tags all done… and then I was like “wait, how do you close a href link again?”
If there was an edit button on these comments, I would have gone for it. Alas, I shall leave linking to others less likely to fuck it up.
Mra
I don’t think Radiah ever was banging Jacob, wasn’t he celibate?
RacingTurtle
Huh, you’re right. Sarah’s projecting, I guess, since she finds Jacob eminently bangable.
ValdVin
I thought that was never determined, but correct me as needed.
Yotomoe
C’mon, you’re not leavin’ that body lyin’ around.
zee
he wasnt celibate, just not interested in casual sex. He probably would have been interested in sleeping with Raidah had the relationship gone on longer and become serious
thejeff
I don’t think there’s any real reason to think so. As zee says he was just not interested in casual sex. Their relationship may well have been sufficiently non-casual.
The only direct clue we’ve got is that he suggests going to “fool around” at one point. She declines, but casually, not as if it’s a surprising request.
RacingTurtle
It’s sweet that Ruth thought they should be there, but it really is okay to call out sick for a birthday party, you poor depressed dears.
Hazel
I feel Ruth just really wanted to do something fun and normal-ish with her girlfriend. Like way back when she made the drunk people in Joyce’s room watch a movie so she could (secretly) hold her girlfriend’s hand during.
Billie just came because of love, and will surely throw up sometime during the party.
Bagge
Yeah, I’m surprised it took this long for someone to sneak into the quiet room for some boinking.
He Who Abides
Pretty sure Ruth brought Billie in there because she’s too sick to be around a ton of people, and/or the smell of pizza.
Bagge
True enough, sadly. They could do with some boinking.
Romanticide
I am guessing she sleep for a while as there was enough time for Billie and Ruth to arrive and for the first to lay down.
LeslieBean4shizzle
Dumbing of Age Book 10: Paranoia has never let me down… which makes me paranoid.
King Daniel
Dumbing of Age Book X: …and It Only Destroyed Joyce a Little Bit
Keulen
DoA Book 10: Could The Universe Really Let Me Have This?
Emperor Norton II
That sort of sounds like Joyce had her first la petite morte.
Tan
Dumbing of Age Book 10: I Have a Cat.
mrnoidea
Why is everybody teleporting into the room?!
Also, damn Billie, no chill in taking the bed that’s already (partially) occupied.
Marsh Maryrose
You can trust Friend Computer. Those who don’t trust the Computer are traitors and are likely to be used as reactor shielding.
UniqueSnowflake2
…and mutants and Communists.
Illithid
And members of secret societies.
RacingTurtle
I appreciate that Sarah really is enjoying the things she said she’d enjoy. It’s nice to have personal preferences respected in fiction. I half expected Joyce to be “right”, even though I know this comic is not written by an obligate extrovert, just because it’s such a common setup. People in fiction want/need the opposite of what they say they want/need far more often than real people do.
vitalProximity
Agreed. That was well-said, too, so thanks for commenting. I hadn’t noticed that respect for personal preferences was going on here until I read your comment, but I have noticed the problem elsewhere in fiction, and agree with your sentiments. Thanks for pointing out the occurrence here so others could also enjoy it. 🙂
Hazel
Sarah and Billie cuddles!
Sporky
I genuinely can’t recall the last time these two interacted aside from when Ruth caught her skipping the meeting at the beginning of the comic.
Sporky
I searched the tags for Ruth and Sarah (did you know you can search for multiple tags at once?) and it’s this.
So yeah. They’re aware of each other’s existence and that’s about it. I guess we’ll have to see where this goes.
abysswatcher1993
Wow, Sarah. Just when I thought you were different from your scifi counterpart. Joyce messed up, but she admitted she did wrong about the Jacob thing.
The universe isn’t letting you get away with anything, so have a Ruth.
abysswatcher1993
And a Billie because I just noticed after reading the comments.
Airyu
“only destroyed Joyce a little bit”…
abysswatcher1993
That is a big understatement.
Shane
Don’t worry, there’s still lots of room for “The Dads” to try some bullsh** at the party.
Or, since a lot of people expect that, slightly AFTER the party to surprise everyone.
Although, some people might expect THAT, in which case the surprise is… it happens anyway!!
Bicycle Bill
Silly question — how would “the Dads” know about going to an off-campus party? I would expect they’d try to go to Read Hall to locate Joyce and Becky, only to find them not there. Sure, maybe someone there knows “Oh, she went to a party” — but WHERE?
Seregiel
Sillier question. Do you think Sarah brought a baseball bat as her comfort item to the party and it’s stashed in the coat closet? No? TOO paranoid?