108

Strain
Posted on October 16, 2016 by David M Willis

108 thoughts on “Strain”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “uh… come…

    here…

    often…?”

    1. Spencer

      “Are those moon pants because when you fell from heaven?”

      1. Pablo360

        “BECAUSE YOU LOOK LIKE AN ALIEN!”

    2. Aeron

      Did… It… Hurt… When… You… Fell- AAH! Forget I said anything! EJECT! EJECT!

      1. BrokenEye, True False Prophet

        Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? Because you’re literally Satan.

  2. AnvilPro

    Jacob should become a life coach if this lawyering thing doesn’t go through

    1. miados

      I could see that.

  3. Derek

    Jacob be appreciative, she almost pulled a muscle

    1. Doctor_Who

      It takes more muscles to smile than to frown. Sarah frowns so much, her mouth muscles can bend steel.

      1. Orion Fury

        So her middle name is Bending?

      2. Disloyal Subject

        Fewer muscles, you mean? Or does she just overtrain frowning until she eclipses the mouth strength of even frequent smilers?

  4. Mr. Mendo

    “I like…cloth…”

    1. A5PECT

      “Did that dude just tell you she likes cloth?”

      1. Sev

        “She likes ‘cloth’?
        . . .
        That’s a good bandname.”

  5. Bluewind

    Her eyeball is trying to run away from the awkwardness! XD

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      She caught wayward eyes from Becky!

  6. Stephen R. Bierce

    *looks for a latter Rolling Stones record to play*

  7. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    The tension between them is so intense it is distorting spacetime!

  8. Wheelpath

    This is just what my hall was discussing last night

  9. Some1

    How are you? said the sarahpillar.

  10. Fart Captor

    C’mon, Jacob, she’s tryin’.

  11. Dandi_Andi

    The fact that she’s trying suggests that she does, in fact, want to. She isn’t very good at it, but she wants to try anyway.

    1. miados

      its hard to change.

      an object in motion tends to stay in motion. an object at rest tends to stay at rest.

      I know its not quite the same but its also kinda why you dont want to go to bed but in the morning dont want to get out of bed.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Unified Field Theory by Tim Joseph.

  12. Ash_Ketchup

    So you make the mouseover text in advance too? So you ever update the mouseover text later on before the comic posts?

    1. Orion Fury

      I’ve seen commenters mention it changing, but sometimes it’s just, what, data overflow, or variable name “reused”? It’s some kind of programming term that I understand, yet can’t impart presently.

    2. trlkly

      I’m pretty sure the entire page is rendered out and ready to go. It just isn’t published.

      Also “mouseover text.” I knew I forgot a name for that. people don’t really use “hover” anymore.

      1. The Chosen One

        I still call it alt-text, myself. Not sure why.

  13. Kernanator

    Relax, Jacob, she’ll only strain herself if she does it repetitively.

    1. Orion Fury

      NOT ENOUGH REPS

      1. Disloyal Subject

        It’s been a while, but yeah, a few sets at low resistance, high reps is standard for a beginner feeling out their limits, right?

  14. Spencer

    Oh dear, another comic I have to file under TooReal.doc. Lately I’ve started stuttering sometimes when I talk, and it ends up with words getting choked out like this.

  15. Leorale

    Change is difficult. 🙂

  16. Reltzik

    Shoulda practiced small talk on Walky when you had a chance.

    1. inqntrol

      Sarah: Sooo… how are y-?
      Walky: I’m completely stressed because I have problems at maths and don’t want to admit it!
      Sarah:….
      Walky: Wait, what did I just say?

      1. Reltzik

        Nonono! Small talk! SMALL talk!

        Something like:

        “How are you?”
        “Well, my mommy and daddy either loved each other very much or at least had momentary lust, so here I am.”

        …. wait, that’s not right either.

  17. Leorale

    This strikes me as really kind of Jacob, to note that she’s very terse, and to let her off the hook. He’s good people.

    1. Spencer

      Jacob’s a good dude. He’s not holding Sarah’s pessimism about his investment in their friendship, and just letting them be friends again.

      1. trlkly

        He’s even better than that. This is his girlfriend’s enemy who she said punched her. The fact that he didn’t assume he got the whole story is amazing.

    2. darkoneko

      I swear that guy must have a lifelong experience with timid/cranky siblings.

  18. Larkle

    Now, now, Jacob. It’s good for her to test her stamina like this.

  19. miados

    getting out of your comfort zone, even if you want to, isn’t comfortable

    1. Fart Captor

      Indeed. That’s why there’s all that caution tape around it.

      Pushing out of your comfort zone with the intent of expanding it can be even worse. Just ducking outside of it for a moment out of necessity seems easier to me.

      1. miados

        well you need to make it bigger if you want to be able to have others in it sometimes. I know its hard for me to push the limits to allow others in. Well face to face others. online others don’t take up much room.

        1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Data compression for the win!

        2. miados

          so…… pokeball?

        3. Fart Captor

          Yeah, I do it (though I should do more of it), but it’s much harder work to make it stick

        4. miados

          I think my comfort zone has shrunk in the last couple years honestly.

        5. Fart Captor

          I know the feeling. It’s all to easy to retreat back into yourself when a new source of stress pops up

        6. RacingTurtle

          Ugh. It me.

        7. Disloyal Subject

          Seems like it helps when the stakes anchoring the caution tape are getting pounded in by other stressors, deep enough that they won’t come up easily… of course, that often means the zone shifting directions while maintaining size as intense focus on one side leaves another free to be eroded, and if just unwinding the caution tape from the stakes enters the metaphor, then it turns into a clusterfuck as the field is littered with stakes and tattered caution tape clings to a few in the wake of a migrating border.

        8. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          [Posts sign “Warning: Metaphor Storm Ahead”]

        9. Gneseepaws

          Honestly, it’s caution tape. I just step over it. Really! The reason it’s there is that the workers have left, and they don’t want you to Fall into a hole or trip on sommit. If I have my eyes open, nothin’ bad’s gonna happen. The caution tape is just there so I don’t do something stupid. Again. It’s not really an obstacle, just an alert, …just plastic tape warning of pitfalls.

        10. Gneseepaws

          I know they are just people. They’re not dangerous, or scary, they aren’t going to point at me, and laugh. They’re not bullies, well, they’re probably not bullies. Most of them will be nice, and not laugh at me, a few might be bullies. They all look bigger’ me. A few might not laugh at me, even if most are bull…. I’m just going to stay on this side of the tape for now.

        11. darkoneko

          it’s bigger on the inside.

      2. Disloyal Subject

        Some people’s comfort zones are akin to Switzerland.
        Others’ are more like the Mongol Empire.

        1. Lipke the Articulate

          Their comfort zone is the exception!

  20. Bicycle Bill

    Just noticing the insane number of people who wear glasses in this strip.  In the name of vanity (and the old saying about how guys don’t make passes etc.), doesn’t anyone wear contact lenses?

    1. JessWitt

      They probably all have astigmatism.

      I’m all in for the eyeglass-wearing people, breaks spectacled stereotypes and what not.

      1. Marisa Mockery

        Nah they make contacts for astigmatism now, have for a few years. I use them ^^ I hate glasses.

        1. JessWitt

          Do they now? What brand do you use? Maybe I’ll buy them.

    2. Kernanator

      I wear glasses because holy shit I am not putting something directly onto my eyeballs.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Let me guess, you also have some irrational bias against letting someone cut into them with lasers too?

        [/joke]

      2. JessWitt

        Same reason as my dad. But it’s a healthy fear to have.

    3. Fart Captor

      Maybe they do. There’s a bunch of characters whose morning / evening routines we’ve never seen who might have contacts.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Now I am wondering about Amber vs Amazi-Girl and vision issues, but am too lazy to do the archive troll.

        1. Spencer

          Per Amber, they’re really just reading glasses.

        2. Opus the Poet

          Well, from the political rally scene where she spots Ryan from across a crowded room we know her far vision is pretty good, maybe she just needs them to read?

    4. Riku

      Younger people (teens through early twenties I guess?) seem to all need glasses for some reason, I’m really curious what caused this since a lot of older people I know are perplexed by this. I remember in one of my classes in 10th grade a student refused to wear his new glasses because he was embarrassed for some reason so the teacher asked the class who wears contacts or glasses and almost every hand shot up lol.

      1. maxyai

        I have an irrational fear of one of those little tiny clear parabolas getting lost and spending the next 2 hours on my hands and knees looking for. I’ve gotten to watch my father do that on multiple occasions.

      2. rectilinearpropagation

        We read screens all the time now so we’ve all got eye strain.

    5. Bluewind

      We know Billie wore contacts before the semester started, but had to fall back on glasses. Jacob got his glasses after the semester started (and only main male I can think of that wears them) as did the girl he is dating. Amber has astigmatism and only needs them for viewing her computer screen and reading without getting a headache. I’m not sure what Dorothy’s vision issue is or Roz. Ruth needs hers. I’m not even sure if what Marcie wears are glasses or just filters (I know some people wear pink tinted glasses for migraine prevention and not vision) or something else. Robin wears fake ones to look smart… it’s well less than half, so not unbelievable.

      I wear glasses when I’m driving because I’m nearsighted. I can drive without them, but I get a headache if I drive for long. My cousin wore contacts and even with her cleaning regimen she kept getting pink eye, so she went back to glasses after a year.

      1. BBCC

        Marcie wears goggles, presumably to protect her eyes while she skates. She wore ’em when she was as young as 5 though, so presumably those lens have some sorta prescription in there.

        1. BBCC

          “Wore ’em” meaning glasses. D’oh!

        2. Bluewind

          I’d forgotten about that flashback. The red tint is since adulthood though. Any idea why? She wears them all the time including at work.

        3. BBCC

          Well, there are a few reasons she might:

          – Aesthetic. She IS a human being after all – maybe red is simply her favourite colour?

          – They block out blue light, which helps see clearly (maybe useful for skating at night)

          – They’re known to be soothing to the eyes – some people wear red tinted sunglasses while driving because of that.

          – They help people stand out. Marcie may have a harder time getting folks attention due to her disability, so it might be a way to stand out.

          – Here is an interesting one – they help reduce migraines. Obligatory joke about that coming in useful when you’re friends with Sal aside, that might be handy with someone with a head injury or brain damage – potentially, say, the type that can cause muteness.

        4. ischemgeek

          There are certain types vision disorders which anecdotally claim help from colored lenses (e.g., something called Irlen syndrome), though currently the science is controversial in the same way the science for CFS and Morgellons was controversial about a decade or two ago – and when dealing with such ambiguous science, it really can go either way (hence why I chose the two – not to equate CFS with Morgellon’s but to point out that sometimes controversial science settles out in favor of a thing and sometimes it really doesn’t). CFS turned out to be a physical condition as people with it were claiming, as opposed to a psychological one (like some novel psychosomatic presentation of depression, as some were claiming it was at the time), even if it’s poorly understood at this point – but Morgellon’s is now believed to be some variant of delusional parasitosis and not a physical disorder, unlike what those who have it claim.

          And then I do have friends with dyslexia who say that colored lenses help them with reading.

        5. BBCC

          Those are also possibilities!

      2. RacingTurtle

        I actually wondered if Jacob got glasses in the comic specifically because Mr. Willis noticed that there were no dudes with glasses and decided to fix that. (And that it was Jacob specifically because he’s “The Hot Dude”. Willis thinks ladies with glasses are attractive, which is why Danny-the-onetime-main-character does; therefore it makes sense that Ethan, another onetime main character, would also find glasses attractive.)

    6. Reltzik

      I’ve said before, it’s related to whatever condition gives them inhumanly large eyes.

  21. Orion Fury

    Am I the only one thinking Jacob seemes cross/irritated by Sarah suddenly?

    1. Mr. Random

      Can’t really blame him, all he sees is her alternatingly be extremely reserved and then caustic towards people she doesn’t like. And when she does seem to try she almost immediately goes to one of the other common states.
      This is from his perspective mind, look up the sarah+jacob tag.

    2. Riku

      Their last 1on1 interaction didn’t end on a high note and she has a bad history with Jacob’s girlfriend. I’m surprised he was being so nice to begin with. He’s made it pretty clear that he doesn’t like how mean Sarah acts I think

    3. Badgermole

      He seems irritated because conversation with her is going to be painfully awkward? Also because (to him) it doesn’t seem like she Wants to talk to him at all or has anything to say but is doing the social niceties thing.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        That was more or less the impression I got, too.

  22. Riku

    Their last 1on1 interaction didn’t end on a high note and she has a bad history with Jacob’s girlfriend. I’m surprised he was being so nice to begin with. He’s made it pretty clear that he doesn’t like how mean Sarah acts I think

    1. Riku

      Of course I’d put this in the wrong place

  23. Badgermole

    Great sequence of Sarahfaces, hilariously expressive contrasting with the generic thing she’s saying.

  24. adamrocketblack

    For years now Ive been reading this comic.
    And I constantly have to fight back the urge to say things, which I know will offend someone. ( there is always someone ) . At least 3 or four times a month. I’m starting to feel like a saint over it.

    And I dont even want to talk about it. Its not even my idea. I dont even really care about it.
    But Just because Ive been instructed, that this entire subject is Taboo, I unnecessarily have to fight back these overwhelming urges. Thats not fair.

    But still I fight on. And I dont say it. I just keep my head down, and move on.
    But One day I know the urges will just overwhelming. There will be no stopping it. I did my best, but every person has their breaking point.

    And On that Day I’m going to slip up, and Finally Say:
    ………………..
    ………………

    ………..

    ……..

    …..
    …
    ………………..”Willis , How do you pronounce Dina?”

    1. Lipke the Articulate

      I think he’s answered that like a bunch. I remember seeing something about it. I don’t quite recall…
      *quickly looks around website*

      Oh, shit, there it is.

      In the FAQ.

      If it weren’t for the fact that my first couple lines were legitimately my response, this would be a great setup for a “ur dum hur hur” kind of joke a la sarcasm.

      1. Orion Fury

        And his tumblr.

    2. Skater Girl (@syleegrrl)

      Dee-nuh.

    3. trlkly

      Kee-OH-ree-OO.

      (No idea if anyone will get this.)

  25. hueloovoo

    I feel Sarah in my soul here. Words are hard.

    1. adamrocketblack

      Words are hard.
      This comic punches me right in the Nominal Aphasia.

      —But not as bad as having to google “nominal aphasia” every week because of that thing I keep having to look up over and over again.

      words hard

  26. Pl0x

    Oh no…this is too relatable.

  27. Doom Shepherd

    Familiar, in a way.

    I am really uncomfortable conversing.
    I am really, really uncomfortable conversing with strangers.
    I am really, really, REALLY uncomfortable conversing with strangers like celebrities, who surely have better things to do than listen to me blather.

    So I try, on a level that is almost subconscious, to end nearly all conversations as quickly as possible. Which makes me rude. Well, I say rude because seeming rude to people who don’t know you is functionally indistinguishable from actually being rude.

    It’s also why it took 8 Star Trek conventions before I got my first autograph.

    1. Kathleen

      Remember: humans are social creatures. You are not being annoying.

      Also pro tip: people LOVE talking about themselves. So maybe instead of ending conversations too quickly, try asking them questions instead?

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        At least with celebrities the worry is that you will be asking them the same stupid questions they have heard a million times before.

  28. BenRG

    I’m with Jacob; Sarah is under so much agonising strain here that you’re expecting something to explode and spray debris everywhere at any second!

    1. Orion Fury

      I just did laundry.

  29. Eldritch Gentleman

    She’ll break her social bone if she keeps straining it.

  30. Keulan

    I understand this too well. I’ve never been good at small talk. Instead there just ends up being an awkward silence between me and whoever I’m sitting next to, unless they’ve got something they want to talk about.

  31. Idontcarenomore

    Jacob is being cautious perhaps because of their last encounter ending on a sour note. And Sarah’s (understandable) dislike of his girlfriend. And her obvious problems conversing right now.

    I think he would be fine talking to her, if she wasn’t having such an obviously hard time.

    I hope she doesn’t give up. And if so, I hope she sits right up front anyway.

  32. Bagge

    Share company in silence?

  33. Tomas

    Keep on practicing for that Turing test, Sarah. You’ll pass it sooner or later.

  34. Jhon

    OK, you’ve established that neither of you is naked.
    Now, build on that!

  35. a snow ʍousɐ

    I just saw Zootopia yesterday, I suppose Sarah is Flash 😛

Leave a Reply to Idontcarenomore Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.