Page 14. One dumb decision.
With $71 to go until that twice-weekly Patreon goal, a few side projects to complete, and a new apartment to move into, June will be a 1 update/week month but hopefully one of the last. I wanted to take the time to thank all of my readers and backers – both the newcomers and the ones who have been here from the beginning. I seriously can’t thank you enough for making it possible for me to work on comics full time.
Onward through this chapter! :D
Dammit, Brendan. That’s not how you treat your mate.
Brendan, darling. Ativan.
Bren, today is the last day of the rest of Al’s life! Why couldn’t you make it a good one?
BRENDAN WHY ARE YOU THE WORST
Seriously, that kind of talk is emotionally abusive. It’s bullying. I get that you’re frustrated but you’re being realllllly unfair
alright.
now i can admit, that brendan’s being kind of a Non-constructive Dick, at least in the one panel
now, regarding Hennepecken’s taking on the Task Master’s persona, in the last panels: i may chalk this one up to his not knowing that The Final Sickness takes hold in al (which thereby would slow him down).
on the other hand..
..HP does appear already-cognizant, something ails Al.
so, why can’t he grant al a modicum of Leniency, based on just that much information he already has?
.
.
.
brennie, you’re making it hard for me to defend you, here!
l.m.f.a.o.
Because REASONS sometimes… or will Brendan *ever* figure that out?
Well,
It’s refreshing to see Brendan hasn’t changed a bit where it really counts. Just to think he has preserved his inner DOUCHE so well for so many years, almost like it still has the factory fresh plastic smell of the packaging…, it’s nothing short of miraculous.
Won’t that just be a piece of heaven when Sulla finally sees this side of Brendan. She already knows in her subconscious from Al what suffering from abuse feels like, now all she needs to complete her education is to see it first hand from the parent she idolizes.
You’re being too harsh on Brendan. AL’s tragic flaw is not standing up for what he believes or wants, and Brendan’s tragic flaw is ploughing ahead unthinkingly to defend what he believes or to get what he wants. Although they are very similar in other aspects, in that aspect they are each other foils — that’s what makes their story so compelling.
This comic hit me hard enough to hurt, to give me that tight, stomach-deep panic I would get when I would hear this at home. This is the kind of emotional/verbal abuse my dad does to my mom, and *yes*, it *is* abuse, and no, comparing it with Al’s anxiety and introversion is a false equivalence. This is bullying. Al being hesitant to start a relationship and being closeted aren’t about him ‘not standing up for what he believes in’ it’s the aftereffects of being abused and living in a homophobic society.
I would say Brendan’s ‘flaw’ he’s showing here is his tendency to lash out, to externalize stress by harming the person he loves. Instead of talking about how stressful this is (because I have no doubt this is stress from the project), he picks on some minor irritation that he thinks Al has done (accidentally shaved his beard) and turns it into an excuse to tear him down. I don’t believe he is TRYING to be abusive, but this is where it starts.
And Al, who has been hinted quite strongly at being in an abusive relationship with his family (parents), is too easily harmed by this. He’s conditioned to go along with this kind of behavior and in the last panel you can see it. He’s not standing firm with his boundaries (because Brendan actually has a history of ignoring them or being angry when he has them,) he’s not standing up for himself anymore. He’s looking away, his eyes are showing concern and fear (what DID I do?), and he’s trying to defend himself with an attempt at appeasement: ‘the assembly can be refined.’
And then there’s Brendan’s argument choices. Remember he’s starting out making this about the beard, immediately putting Al on defensive with personal insults: “THAT’S what you’re going for? You look like my eighth grade teacher! I hoped you wouldn’t make another dumb decision!” And from there, his tone is not reconciliatory, it’s demanding: “What did you check off yesterday?” Interrupting Al’s attempt to explain: “Anything ELSE?”
No one is being too harsh on Brendan. No one is saying he is thoroughly evil or a villain, just that he’s being a douchebag. This is awful behavior and he has a history of sliding into this because his flaw is not thinking of how his behavior affects others, not understanding Al’s limitations or having patience for them, and processing stress with anger.
He can be a really kind, empathetic person and then there’s this side of him.
Knowing someone close to me is in this sort of abusive relatioship, this comment hit me hard.
You did such a good job of explaining the mechanisms of it. How it starts, how it escalates and how the abuser may not even be aware how manipulative and urtful they are being.
I think Al possible past abuse is very significant because people who grew up in abusive familys or had past abusive relationships in their formative years are especially likely to end up with a partner who has an abusive personality. Abuse victims often have very low self-esteem and think theres no one out there caring and standing up for them, when they think they are too weak to stand up for themselves.
Being in an abusive relationship offers the victim known patterns, a resolve of responsibility for their own lives and stability in a perverse way. To some that’s preferable to feeling lost and alone.
The person I mentioned earlier literally told me they prefer to endure the abuse to ending up all alone in the world.
I don’t neccissarily think that would be the case with Al though. In fact whatever happened between this point in time and his return, Al came back a diffrent man from the one were seeing here. One that has nothing to loose anymore and isn’t afraid to speak his mind or defend himself when Brandon get’s out of line. Nothing could make this clearer than the fight they had at the end of lasts chapter.
Brandon has changed as well, but I feel like he still has an unfortunate tendency to prioritize the wrong things and be dismissve of peoples feelings.
i feel that it bears noting, for all who may be interested, al managed to pull at my heart strings, in the last panel
as Al did not go Aggressive, back at brendan, as i had expected al to.
rather, allie looked quite vulnerable.
quite, like a man who was showing Remorse (whether al should have expressed Remorse, on this specific occasion, or no).
like a man who did not want to Cause Further Trouble, nor be subjected to Further Punishment.
brendan had been punishing our Big Polar Bear?
SC,
I understand it’s part of a good story, But no, I’m not being tough on Brendan.
Having lived through someone very much like him, I have a very healthy distrust and disgust for smart people who think their intelligence/skill/whatever makes them so indispensable that it absolves them from treating the people they broadside like bugs on their windshield of accomplishment. It’s pretty much always Brendan driving the car (so to speak) over Al, not the other way around. Seeing Al begin to doubt himself because of Brendan chipping away at him hits way too close to home for me. Al puts on the façade of being gruff and tough because it allows him hide his fear and self doubt from people who would hurt him. Brendan knows this, he pried his way into Al’s life, his secrets, and his heart, and yet he can’t stop himself from being condescending to the person he claimed to love and admire every time he gets in the driver’s seat.
Al is in decline…and the best Brendan can do is ignore Al’s distress (he has been hacking for weeks…he even said so himself) and in vanity’s name tell him how stupid and old he looks? No. I wasn’t being too Harsh on Brendan.
This is a very good response, and encapsulates everything I feel/think about this page and the response to it. Thank you for writing it!
I spent ten seconds reclicking the next button until I realized I’d finally caught up after starting yesterday. Great comic. Can’t wait to see what happens.
Oh man.
I am just preparing myself for the guilt and regret that we know is coming. It is going to be intense…
Why, Brendan? You are going to regret these words for always!
But I’ve worked under pressure like this before on a multi-billion dollar proposal, and witnessed a group of people who are normally kind and respectful to each other turn into back-stabbing asses to the point I turned down the offer of being permanently hired by them after the project was over. I can only imagine it’s 40 times worse when you are doing something like that with a spouse/lover.
Okay, Brendan, we get it. A lot of work and stress. But that is NO excuse for you to treat Al this bad. Don’t be such a douchebag just because of the new ‘fame’ you have got up high in your head.
Whelp, easy to see that Brendan really hasn’t forgiven Al for all the shit he’s been pulling, which is nice, but unfortunately, combined with Al’s deteriorating state and inability/choice not to communicate is leading this to a complete disaster.
I think you and I have not been reading the same comic. What ‘shit he’s been pulling’ were you referring to?
Al has his reasons for being an emotional recluse, he was hurt very badly by someone who was once close to him. Now Brendan has attacked his appearance, his age, his mental competence and ability, and followed up with condescending “What have you done for me lately?” snark.
Please remember the only reason Al is in this high pressure business venture at all is because Brendan wanted it. Al went along with the whole military contract because he was trying to please the man he loved.
When your loving partner falters, you DO NOT kick them.
Brendan has taken his frustrations out on Al far too much, true, but between the two of them, while Al may be far more Emotionally fragile, it’s Brendan that’s been the most open and invested the most into this relationship, not to mention the business partnership. I have a very very sore spot for people that stay in relationships but don’t give their all, or allow certain issues to rise or continue because they can’t be open.
Yes, Al does have many issues, and I have a feeling it’ll be even harder to deal with if it ever goes more in depth, but unfortunately, the best person to know what you need is typically (not always) yourself. Brendan is quite possibly the only person Al can trust, but he chooses not to, regardless of his issues and past pain, it’s his choice. Too often have I seen and dealt with that kind of damaging action, when saying something, or ending the relationship were obviously alternate choices.
However, you’re right. Brendan is doing far too much venting/taking out his frustrations on Al, because he has taken for granted Al’s stalwart nature, and not factored in just how much Al’s keeping inside. This really is a relationship in need of lots of work, lots more openness, and way more patience.
When someone shows you and tells you what they’re about (in Brendan’s case, about the end over the journey – f*ck that the other parties involved would settle for the journey as long as you’re along), believe them.
Wow Blue, you really aren’t afraid to pull the punches.
The story requires Brendan to be an unlikable prick at this point? You make him one.
I really admire this quality in writers. If can make your characters not only flawed but downright unlikable if the story requires them to be, without anything seeming forced, you’re one of the best in my book.
Can’t wait to see where it all goes.
Calc teacher at eighth grade?