Faye Whitaker

Faye Whitaker
Faye in 3926: Talk The Talk.
Info
First appearance	Number Three: True Professionals
Latest appearance	4961: Multilingual
Nicknames	Assface
Gender	Female
Twitter	@fayewhitaker

Faye Whitaker is Marten's roommate and Bubbles' girlfriend. During her time as a barista in Coffee of Doom, she dated Angus McPhee, until he moved to New York City for a job. Faye worked as a mechanic in Robot-Fighting Ring, when an incident with Corpse Witch has forced her out. After Spookybot's intervention she and Bubbles opened Union Robotics.

Biography

Background

Faye is a native of Savannah, Georgia, child of David Whitaker and Mrs. Whitaker. She has one sibling, Amanda.

Not much is known about Faye during the early days of the comic, although aspects of her personality are more than apparent. She is a sarcastic, strong-willed, intelligent, and often brash person. She has somewhat of a southern accent but in the earlier comics decided to hide it, assuming that a southern drawl would lead people to stereotype her. After a few strips it is pointed out that she has a scar on her chest, but she does not explain where she got it from and it is not until her sister Amanda shows up that it is implied that something rather significant has happened in her past before she moved up north.

Religion

Faye was raised Baptist, but her family was not particularly religious. Her current religious beliefs are unknown. She dislikes the "pervasive religious conservatism" of her birthplace.

Education

Faye graduated from high school with a straight A average. Faye did attend college and majored in Art, specifically Sculpting. However she did not complete college due to her psychological breakdown between sophomore and junior year.

Employment

Faye was employed at the robot fighting club in the old skate park, utilizing her welding skills. Before that, she had worked at Coffee of Doom with her boss Dora and co-workers Raven, Cosette, Hannelore, and Penelope, and formerly Sara. Faye was fired from Coffee of Doom after drinking at work. She recently started her own robot repair company - named Union Robotics - along with Bubbles, whom she had worked with at the robot fighting club.

Meeting Marten

Faye met Marten and Steve in a bar. She later became Marten's roommate; after accidentally burning down her apartment she approached Marten to ask if she could stay a few days on his couch, which ultimately led to them becoming roommates.

"The Talk"

In a rather emotional story arc due to the "will they, won't they" situation regarding the tension in Marten and Faye's relationship, Faye breaks down and admits what happened. When she was younger she was really close to her father David, and has many fond memories from her childhood of them together. When she was a teenager she awoke one morning and found the back door of the house open. When she went to investigate she found her Father with his back to her, holding a gun. Without any warning or turning around, he lifted it to his head and shot himself. Faye witnessed it all and was quite traumatized by it - there was nothing to indicate her father was unhappy, ill or anything that could be remotely seen as contributing to him committing suicide.

A few months after the funeral Faye was driving home and appeared to have an emotional breakdown in which she blacked out and crashed into a tree, resulting in her scar. She spent a few weeks in a hospital with Acute Stress Disorder before being released and sought to move to have a new start in a place without so many painful memories. She cites this as the reason she has such a tough exterior and why she doesn't feel she can enter in to a relationship with Marten. She subsequently decides to see a counselor to help her deal with her problems after telling her other close friends about the incident and apologizing for her sometimes harsh behavior.

After a length of time, during which Marten and Dora become a couple, Faye finally decides to return home to Georgia for a visit. She spends time with her mother and little sister Amanda before finally visiting her Father's gravestone, something she had been reluctant to do. In a moment of true character development she admits she was angry, sad and confused at him for killing himself, for not allowing them to help him and the state he left the family in with his actions. Despite this she also mentions that she can't be angry at him anymore and states that she still loves him (and promises not to curse about him during her therapy sessions).

Sven

Faye eventually met Dora's promiscuous older brother Sven and was initially disgusted about his approach to women and using others as scapegoats for his behavior. Despite this they developed an apparent physical attraction to each other and eventually slept together after a few drinks at his apartment.

They began a "friends with benefits" type of relationship, although Faye gave an ultimatum that if he slept with anyone else, she'd leave. Their "relationship" went on for a few weeks (months?), until Sven slept with fictional country music singer Gina Riversmith. He admitted this transgression to his intern who urged him to tell Faye the truth about his cheating, which he did.

Too prideful to actually admit she might feel more for him, Faye screamed her frustration out in the street. Eventually, she admitted what Sven did hurt her, for which Dora aggressively and violently reprimanded her brother. Faye is consoled by her close friends, especially Marten. This series of events lead Sven himself to reconsider his lifestyle, and he and Faye eventually patched things up as well once he apologized to her.

Dating Angus

Throughout the comic a regular patron to the Coffee of Doom appears frequently simply to banter with Faye, finding her rapier wit challenging and enjoyable despite her rather aggressive reactions to his compliments. His name is revealed to be Angus McPhee

It is later revealed that he is roommates with Marigold, a shy girl who is paired with Momo, an anime style AnthroPC and friend of Pintsize and Winslow who previously helped Marten out with Pintsize.

One night Hannelore, Marten and Steve begin a session of a drinking game involving sledding ("Speed Beer"), and Hannelore tells Faye to close the shop early so they can join them. Angus accompanies her and they continue to chat until Faye sees Sven attending the street party that has developed from the game. He acts quite coldly, asking if Angus is Faye's new "Fuck buddy" to which she replies that Sven is "still an asshole" and leaves.

Marten, trying to gauge what type of guy Angus is, invited him on a night out to a bar, The Horrible Revelation. They get drunk and while playing pool, talk about Faye. Marten and Angus bond, leading Marten to give Angus advice concerning her attitude.

Angus later invited Faye out to watch films in a simply friendly gesture and Faye seems to warm up to him. Some time later, Angus, along with Faye and Marigold, get drunk at his apartment and Marigold alludes to having a crush on Angus. As a result, Faye is put in an awkward position to which she quickly leaves. Dora remarks afterward on the lapse in judgment of leaving two drunken people alone when one has admitted to crushing on the other (to which Faye screams "Fuck" upon her realization).

Angus unintentionally tells a joke with a suicide reference, which Faye is uncomfortable with. She asks him if he would refrain from doing so in the future, explaining her father's suicide. Unfortunately Angus assumes this is a joke and initially does not believe her, leading to an awkward situation as he leaves.

While walking home with Faye the same night after work, Marten asks why she was so open about her father's suicide to just tell Angus, explaining that he is slightly hurt that she was so open with Angus but not with him about the incident. Faye tries to explain to Marten that when they met she still hadn't come to terms with what had happened and didn't know how to handle it and apologizes for what she put him through, but explains that it is because of him that she can now talk about it, saying that he is her Best Friend and helped her through a lot of bad times in the past. Marten is happy with her transition and hugs her (Faye remarks that he smells like flowers which he explains as he had to use Tai's deodorant and Faye calls him "Flower Pits".)

Angus returns and apologizes for his remark and Faye accepts, but Angus asks that if its not cool to reference suicide then Faye shouldn't tease Marigold as often as she does, which she agrees to.

Later, Faye shyly invited Angus (and Marigold) to her and Marten's apartment for a night of drinking with the others, to which he accepts. While Faye was under the impression that she would see how things develop, Marten urged her to just go out on a date instead of just seeing if things will play out in their favor. However Angus and Faye spent the night bickering about which music to play, resulting in Marten putting them in "Time Out" much to their chagrin.

Although this minor conflict is resolved by the end of the night. Angus later asks Faye out on a date (after awkwardly kissing her at Coffee of Doom, leaving Faye speechless). The date actually goes well and ends with Angus and Faye sharing a tender moment at Angus's door.

This eventually blossomed into a full-fledged relationship which worked out very well for both Faye and Angus. While the relationship seemed to work well, it became strained when Angus received an audition to host a talk show in New York, which would require Faye to either move with him or engage in a long-distance relationship. Faye initially tried to be supportive of Angus, hoping that she would be able to handle the long-distance relationship if it came to that, but when Angus learned that he had passed the audition, Faye realized that she couldn't continue the relationship with Angus living so far away, and chose to break up with him.

Following the breakup, Faye returned to her heavy alcohol use, preferring to spend her waking hours intoxicated, even at work, leading to her being fired.

The breakup of Marten and Dora

When Marten and Dora break up, Faye is visibly shaken. She is genuinely shocked when Marten reveals the news but immediately reacts badly when he explains what Dora has told him is the reason they broke up. She threatens violence on her, despite her being a close friend and her boss. However Marten swears her not to pursue the matter further and she promises not to go through with her plan.^{[citation needed]}

She does however confront Dora, enveloping her in a hug and directly telling her that she broke up with Marten for stupid reasons and needs to address her insecurities. if she does not then she will "Put you (Dora) in the emergency room" but hugs her when she breaks down. She later gives Dora a number for a therapist referral service, as Faye's own therapist, Doctor Corrine Buenvenida, will not see anyone else in Faye and Hannelore's social group.^{[citation needed]}

Although Dora tries to put off calling, Faye implies physical harm and Dora suggests that the therapist would not appreciate the fact that she was forced to call, while Faye ironically retorts that it's "Something my therapist says I should work on".^{[citation needed]}

Despite the fact that Faye and Angus had previously clashed over their musical tastes, they kiss after the revelation that they both like the band Toto, and agree that "Africa" is their best ever song. When she later returns home she questions Marten over his particular favorite, which he believes is "Rosanna". This seems to be a measure of compatibility. This claim can be reinforced by the break-up of Marten and Dora and be viewed as foreshadowing. When Marten asks Dora which song by Toto is her favourite, she replies disdainfully, adds that "Toto sucks", turns over and falls asleep while Marten looks forlornly at the ceiling.

Hospitalization

Following her breakup with Angus, Faye falls into an alcoholic binge, spending every waking hour drunk whenever possible. This eventually leads to her drinking at work, which Dora chastised her for. Undaunted, Faye continued to sneak alcohol into work, and upon being caught drinking in the supply closet, was fired by an angered Dora over her intoxication and insubordination.

Losing her job at Coffee of Doom proved to be Faye's tipping point, and later that evening, Marten found her almost completely comatose on the couch, covered in vomit and surrounded in empty alcohol bottles. She had also, at some point in the course of events, turned off Pintsize, presumably so that he would not intervene in her self-destructive behavior. The ensuing scenes showed brief glimpses of awareness from Faye's point of view as she was rushed to the hospital, implying that she was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning.

Support group

After coming home, Faye discusses her situation with Claire Augustus. While Hannelore tries to keep Faye busy with knitting, she recommends looking for a job in a paper, where Faye stumbles upon a Substance abuse support group advertisement.

Faye goes to Coffee of Doom to take her welding gear home. On the same day, she asks Hannelore to accompany her to the Support Group meeting, where both of them use fake names.

When Hannelore scratches her seborrheic keratoma and it bleeds, Faye takes her to the hospital. Thinking that she deserves a break, Faye drinks again. Claire and Marten help Faye talk through some of her issues, and she resolves not to give up.

Working in Robot-Fighting Ring

Pintsize helped Faye find a job in the Robot-Fighting Ring. She performed mostly chassis repairs for the fighters.

After some time, she decided to visit Coffee of Doom again. Bubbles has accompanied Faye for moral support. After an emotional reunion with Dora, Faye gave her replacement, Emily Azuma, a barista test.

An epiphany about her smell hit Faye and she decided to wear perfume, which has relieved Bubbles.

Opening Union Robotics

After arrest of Corpse Witch, Faye together with Bubbles added new limbs to Jeremy's chassis.. After getting a lease with help from Dora they opened a robot repair shop Union Robotics.

Dating Bubbles

Faye has just entered an intimate relationship with an AI named Bubbles. Bubbles served in the military, and was first seen in armor—which she wore both literally and figuratively.

Personality

Faye is an exceptionally sarcastic individual who is prone to bouts of violence. She is very strong willed and very stubborn. Her tough exterior seems to have been present but to a lesser degree before her father's death and her attitude is a defense mechanism to protect her from being emotionally hurt again, a defense mechanism which became her only way of interacting with others. Over the course of the comic she has become less physically violent but still remains sarcastic and brash.

She is capable of feeling guilt about her verbal hostility to others.

Though she is regularly difficult to her friends, she reacts fiercely when they are mistreated, for example in the Vespavenger arc. Her friendships run deep, but a look at her cellphone address book suggests they are few in number.

Faye has developed considerably as a character over time, and is now capable of self-insight and showing vulnerability.

Sex and drugs and rock&roll

Sexuality

Faye was initially presented as exclusively heterosexual; however she develops a romantic interest in Bubbles, a female robot. While initially in denial about her feelings for Bubbles, she eventually admits them and starts an intimate relationship with Bubbles. She has come out to her mother. Despite her childhood background she is fully accepting of gay people. Faye remembers spending a lot of time looking at Amy Anderson in eighth grade swim class, but she's unsure if this could have been attraction since she was also jealous of Amy's abs.

Her ideal man is apparently Mister Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.

Drugs

Faye regularly drinks caffeine and used to drink a lot alcohol. She was very fond of drinking, to the point that her friends and therapist became concerned. She had a particular love of Bourbon (it being her emergency drink of choice). Faye would be considered a "happy drunk," not a mean one.

After one night of heavy drinking, she was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Since then, she has tried to stay sober, but she has relapsed at times. She has joked about marijuana but does not seem to use it in real life.

Faye takes omega-3 supplements, as prescribed by her psychiatrist, to counter her depression.

Musical preferences

Faye is an indie rock aficionado. Her favorite bands are Neutral Milk Hotel, The New Pornographers, Pavement, Modest Mouse, and a tie between Spoon and Slayer. She is also a fan of Iron & Wine, The Unicorns, Broken Social Scene, Daft Punk and Wolf Parade. She considers 1997 as the best year for music.

Faye is known to play some sort of epic music during her bowel movements, possibly Wagner or the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack.

She does not like James Taylor, and selectively enjoys songs from Toto, her favorite being "Africa".

She does not like country music at all, and particularly hates the music of Gina Riversmith. She associates Death Cab for Cutie with shitty teen dramas. She does not "get" Deerhoof, though she seems familiar with their song Panda Panda Panda. She also dislikes techno remixes of Joy Division songs, possibly exacerbated by Dora playing them all day.

She owns a T-shirt of the experimental rock band Liars.

Art

Espressosaur!

Faye has resumed sculpting under prodding from Dora and has made some espresso producing dinosaurs and a cat. Her other sculpting endeavors include a giant steel phallus for Pintsize and "Sculptural Snickerdoodles".

Appearance

Faye is full-figured but not obese. She has a scar on her chest from a car crash precipitated by her psychological breakdown. She has been considered attractive by the other characters since her first appearance.

She almost always dresses casually and cheaply. She fantasizes about new shoes but doesn't buy them or new clothes in general.

Memorable quotes

See Faye Whitaker/Quotes

Trivia

Redrawing of Faye's first appearance in 1601.

• Faye has appeared in the most strips of any character.
• Before Marigold Farmer, Faye was Jeph Jacques's second favorite character, in a tie with Penelope. However, he has said that he probably wouldn't get along with her if she were a real person.
• Faye's full name is an anagram of "Awake thy fire", a clear reference to her personality.
• Her first appearance in Number 3: True Professionals is one of redrawn comics — the updated version is 1601.
• Faye hit her head on Bubbles' armor twice: in Number 3276: Shaped Armor and Number 3461: This Keeps Happening.
• Faye needs glasses with a powerful prescription.
• In early strips Faye sometimes avoids using contractions in her speech to hide her Southern accent but this has abated and almost disappeared in recent comics. She is very proficient in making baked goods and eating ice cream. She likes to give people haircuts, which are praised for their quality.
• Faye has no pets and no AnthroPC but does have a stuffed giraffe.
• She has a high resting body temperature.
• Her breasts are powerful sedatives.
• She likes to try to set things she does not like on fire with the power of her mind.
• While not explicitly confirmed in the comic, Faye was depicted driving a white 4-door car when she took a worried Hannelore to the clinic. Since it's unlikely she rented a car just for this errand, it's likely she owns one.
• Faye is allergic to cashmere.
• The bed Faye bought in Number 398: She's Going To Break That Table—Number 401: Just Because You're Paranoid lasted till 3765: Like A Rock.
• The first Faye's appearance without her glasses is in Number 67: Right Behind You.

Speculation

Faye's fighting stance reminded one of the characters, one person on the forum and another on Twitter of muay thai. She may have had formal martial arts instruction.

Her hair-trigger reactions to sexual advances are explained in the comic as post-traumatic fear of intimacy, but the level of suspicion she showed toward Marten early on is consistent with what we'd expect if she had been subjected to sexual assault at some point in her life.

Her car crash was so serious that the EMTs wondered how she survived. Forum user Mr_Rose points out that if Faye had to be fitted with robotic prostheses, it could explain her superhuman feats of strength.

She may be able to pursue an art career now that she has been exhibited in a prestigious gallery.

Gallery

Jeph has published progression of Faye's look as the art style of Questionable Content has evolved (archived). High resolution version is hosted on the website: random/fayeprogression.png (archived).

Faye as she appeared in 3–66

Faye in 67–77

Faye in 78–88

Faye in 89–111

Faye in 112–163

Faye in 164–185

Faye in 186–219

Faye in 220–303

Faye in 303–404

Number 687: I Would Too

Faye throwing Pintsize in Number 1829: Magic Touch

One of the high school yearbook photos from Jeph Jacques's Livejournal

• Jeph tried a portrait of Faye in Manga Studio: https://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/71358665177/i-have-no-idea-what-i-am-doing-with-manga-studio (archived)

Apartment Layout

This is a general layout of how Faye and Marten have their apartment set up. The area between the two rooms is the closet for each individual room.

We do not know the orientation of the apartment but one of the walls must face south since it gets a lot of light during the day.