So the hope is that if you fake being a “normal, well-adjusted human being” for long enough, you’ll eventually become one. Question: has that worked for anybody? Like, ever? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
How long jefbot’s able to keep up his fakery is anyone’s guess. One strip? Two?
😮
i got the strip done earlier than planned tonight, so thought i could get it posted under the radar, and you still tagged it first, AdM!
thusly, here are the Shades of Firsting. wear them well: 😎
I guess I must have sensed a disturbance in the Force. ^_^
plausible.
I don’t remember disturbing anything today.
*diabolical laugh of doom*
Didn’t see that comin’… Well played, sir, well played. ^_^
Anyone else think that Jefbot looks totally adorable in the last panel? He’s got a “cheeky little boy” thing going on, I think. It’s rather cute. ^_^
thanks, AdM! i agree: jefbot’s adorable in the last panel in a “cheeky little boy on the verge of completely losing it” sort of way. 😀
Yeah, he’s definitely vibrating with pent up nerd rage. But he’s trying extra hard, just for Cel, which makes him all the more adorable. ^_^
Hopefully he’ll be able to vent it safely later… hopefully. :/
haha. i agree. jb seems to reek of rage. see him shaking? i want my blood jb.
Blood for the blood god!!!!!
*le gasp!* A worshipper of Khorne! *hiss* Heretic! All hail the Immortal God Emperor!
YES!!! Blood!! The masses are screeching for it!!! Bring the blood!!!!!!!
i had no idea you all were so bloodthirsty! i think i’m gonna have to write up a vampire storyline, just to appease you. (no sparkles, tho.) 😉
If it sparkles, it’s not a Vampire.
Second!! LOL
woo! you get the inviso-spectacles, EvilStepQueen:
OOOoooOOO invisio spectacles!!! Hey AdM…suck it!! 😛 LMAO!! (no worries, peeps, AdM and I are buddies, there will be spankings and jello wrestling later, as part of my punishment hahaha) Ahh good times!
Literal LOL! You cheeky mare! :p
(*nods* She’s right, you know)
*holds up her ticket* I got front row seats! HA Suck it beaches
*holds ticket as well*
I got seat besides Pixie. Front row indeed.
*maniacal smile of doom*
spankings and jello wrestling!? let me know when it’s up on YouTube.
BWAHAHAHAHA Jefbot’s face in panel 3…it hurts ‘bot, doesn’t it? LOL
LMAO @ disapproving CF!!!
But…oh man…too much reading too early in the morning…makes my brain hurt hahahahahaha!!! Have a great weekend, ‘bot and everyone!!
yeah, bot holding that “happy face” while the rage is threatening to come out has definitely gotta hurt, ESQ.
and sorry for all that early morning reading. every so often i have to do a dialogue-heavy strip, just to justify my english degree. 🙂
*giggles* Very sneaky, Jeff! I was just checking in to see the comments from the last strip, and lo and behold! A new strip!
Sometimes it works…I often point out to my real friends that the best part about being an actor is that I can pretend to like someone I can’t stand. See: every day at work…I give bot big kudos for being able to pretend to like someone he hates for the love of Cel. That’s true love, man…
i was trying to be sneaky, Tiana, but apparently, i wasn’t sneaky enough! 😀
and yeah, i think you’re right about the acting skills making it easier to pretend. there’s at least one person at work i have to mask my rage at all the time, too. for bot, yeah, cel’s totally worth it. let’s just see if he can keep it up.
Actually…yes it does work. 🙂 When I got together with my wife, well lets just say people skills weren’t high on my list, nor did I care. The thing is SHE cares about people and what they think of her and thus me. So I learned to pretend to care and learned to pretend to listen to people and be “normal.” Well in the end I am more of a people person now, even able to run a STARFLEET crew (Website is to my STARFLEET crew’s webpage). So yes if you fake it long enough, I’m talking years here, eventually you will start to change cause it’s just too damn hard to keep faking it. 🙂
was happy to read your anecdote, JP, since it’s nice to know people can change! in my experience it doesn’t happen very often but i like hearing that with the right amount of dedication, (i.e. like you said: faking it long enough. heheh) people can change how they think and feel.
oh, and i checked out your site: the USS Chinook looks pretty rad!
Hahaha, as the “axis of evil made of flesh” JB is ready to lauch a DONKEY KONG SUPRISE ATTACK on WW. Nothing can stop him now!
ha! well put, ContableEnorme. someone’s about to get KONG’d!!! (well, hopefully.)
Thats the least he can do for a girl like Cel.
true dat, Eddie. especially since, at this point, cel has no clue why bot hates Wheaton so.
Jefbot is going to break his teeth if he doesn’t let up on the “cheeky, little boy grin” pretty soon.
ha! yes, i can totally see bot doing a “Ren & Stimpy,” teeth-shattering grin soon, Sarah W!
if jefbot was holding a lump of coal in his hand,it would have turned into a diamond!
totally, t_d! 😀
QUICK! somebody hand bot some coal!!!
Cel knows very well what is going on. She might even appreciate it.
Third panel is awesome, but it was Jefbots face in second that made me laugh most.
yep: after bot’s outburst a strip or two back, cel will know jefbot’s at least trying to be on his best behavior. heheh.
and you and i are on the same page with panel two, Maryz: that blank, fake, not-quite-looking-at-the Cornfather look, makes me laugh most, too. 🙂
*smirks* I work in customer service I think by the very nature of my job it’s impossible for me to be well adjusted and normal.
i feel for ya, Jack Faire! i always try and be nice to customer service people, cuz i know how much crap they have to deal with, daily. 🙂
Oh Jeff! You are adorkable! You care enough to swallow your feelings to make Cel happy. That’s incredibly sweet and caring. Hurray for the mancub Jeff. *pitter patter lil heart*
The Hubby did this for me with a former friend. Of course when I kicked her and her big bucket of crazy to the curb, Hubby was there wil I TOLD YOU SO! But i didn’t begrudge him that.
Don’t hold those feelings in for too long JB, it’s not good for the ummm…plumbing so to speak.
As far as the fake it til you make it thing goes, I can only do it for so long before the Crazy Latina with Tude comes shining through. As a performer I believe I have the ability to pull it off longer than others but maybe that’s just my wishful thinking.
I think the thing that freaks people out the most is when I get angry. I don’t scream or shout or make a fuse. I get very quite and I speak very clearly. To people who have known me for a while, this is a signal to back away slowly cause it’s about to hit the fan!
people usually back away when I use my patented glare of doom. It makes them skirm… which makes ME happy.
*evil laugh of doom*
if i heard your *evil laugh of doom* i don’t think i’d even wait around for your glare, Sonitan. i’d already be squirming.
yay! still “adorkable”! and another yay! for your husband being so cool with your former friend. hope it didn’t hurt too badly when you kicked her to the curb. heheh. would be nice if jefbot got an “i told you so!” moment in this storyline, but since most of his rage is self-created, it looks doubtful. 🙂
and good point about holding feelings in; wouldn’t want to have any… uh, pipes get clogged. heheh.
these days, i’m pretty good at holding feelings in (at least i’m better at it than bot is) but woe be unto those that get the focus of my rage when it finally gets unleashed. i suppose i have a Crazy Hapa with Tude in me, just waiting to be let out. he should meet your CLwithT.
I faked it enough that I became normal.
I was overly shy (like a lot of geeks/nerds). But moved to a new school. I faked being open and friendly. I talked with everyone. I hated it. But in the end, I’m better for having done it. I’m not as open as I was at that new school, but I’m not as shy as I once was. It was tough keeping up the appearance of being Mr. Outgoing, but now when in social situations, I’m not overly awkward.
glad to hear it, SQLGuru! i think if one has the presence of mind to know that he/she needs to work on social skills, then that person is one step ahead of the socially inept who are too far gone to know they have a problem. at least that’s what i tell myself when i try to be more social. 🙂
P.S. I also LOVE JB expression in the last panel. Definately the “cheeky lil boy” look. Well drawn and well written Jeff.
gracias, Pixie! he’ll try and keep that face on for at least a couple more panels. 😀
I didn’t see this coming either. At least Jefbot is a good actor. He looks perfectly normal while talking to Wil. He may be able to pull it off – at least until he blows and has a total freak out. I can NEVER pull off this kind of stuff. You can see exactly what I”m feeling all over my face. I imagine I wouldn’t be very good at poker either. Luckily my gaming runs more toward Euro Board Games that usually don’t require stealth.
So Bot isn’t going to say anything about them going to school together? Well, maybe that’s a good idea. That would probably lead to him letting out the part about how HE was supposed to get that Stand By Me role! Great strip as always, Jeff.
Wooot! Congrats on booking another movie! I didn’t read my Jefbot e-mail until now, so I am a bit late on the congrats.
Oh, and I’m going to use this opportunity to pester you again about getting the new shirts up in your store so I can get one. I just really can’t do olive or I’d get one of the original designs.
thanks for the congrats, Shanna! i’ll blog about it soon after i talk to the people involved to find out how much i can say. i don’t think they’ll have a problem with me revealing too much since it’s an indie film and my scene is only 2 1/2 pages long. still, i’m totally excited about getting on another set! can’t wait to start shooting. 😀
keep pestering me as it’ll keep the fire under me lit! this month’s crazy because i’m in the process of moving, but i’m gonna try and get a couple things up before the end of the month!
i’m happy you didn’t see this coming, shanna! while it was very tempting to continue seeing how far jefbot could go with his Wheaton Rage, i thought it would be more interesting (and truthful) for him to try and suppress that for cel. he’s at least gotta try, right? 🙂
ooh, euro board games! i don’t have a lot of experience with them, but i’ve liked the ones i’ve played on XBOX Live, like Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne. any others (offline) i should check out? i’ve been wanting to get some buddies together for a board game.
you’re right: bot still has some ‘splainin to do with cel, but they got interrupted before he could do so. expect that conversation soon!
My absolute favorite is Dominion. It is a card game where you select 10 different possible action card types from about 30 or so choices (or WAY more if you start adding the expansions – I think there are 4 expansions now). Then there’s also money and victory points. You have to build your deck as you go by buying cards. There are many different strategies depending on what the cards are that you are playing with and what the other players are doing. Every time you play, it is different. It’s really fun – a family favorite. I don’t think I know anyone in our gaming group who dislikes it, although there are a few who burned themselves out on it by playing it constantly.
ooh, sounds cool, Shanna! what’s the learning curve? is it something friends will be able to pick up and figure out immediately, or is it something that’s going to take a lot of time to learn? if it’s the latter, maybe i’ll pick it up as a long-term project. got any pick-up-and-play games? i’m thinking of getting the real Settlers of Catan board game (as opposed to the digital version), which should be pretty fun and easy to get into.
As amazing as JB’s face is in the second and third panels, I do believe that it is Cel’s expression in the first panel that is key here. But anyways, here is my prediction of what will happen… well, an approximation of it anyways.
JB:*pretending to be a normal person*
Wil:*puts first quarter into the Donkey Kong machine*
JB: *puts quarter on the corner of the top of the arcade machine*
Wil: It’s on.
absolutely correct about cel’s expression in that first panel, Ryurei: she’s a little surprised and curious as to bot’s greeting of Wil, especially after his blow up, previously. i think bot might’ve scored some points with her…
and as far as your predictions go, i won’t say exactly what’s going to happen, but i will say that if you’re hoping for a DK Showdown, you won’t be disappointed! 😀
Stay on target…
it came from behind!
THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!
Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhh I couldn’t resist and no one else took the shot so I had to! It’s not my fault! I just fixed this thing!
Cornfather’s expression in the last panel is priceless–the very picture (literally!) of skepticism.
heh. yep! turns out the Cornfather knows jefbot too well, Menapace. 🙂
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
How many times have I used that line? I don’t know, but it’s just an awesome line no matter what. Well done Bot! I love it!
thanks, TCG! yeah, that line works in so many situations, it’s nice to have ready to pull out of your pocket at all times. 😀
do i see little horn holdign up your devios halo
i think you do, Drakeye! looks like the halo isn’t big enough to hide those horns. 😉
I LOVE your face in the last frame! …and The Cornfather’s one eyebrow lifted… Busted! Great job Jefbot!
thanks! glad you liked it, Funnyshaffer. yes, the Cornfather’s always judging jefbot with that one eyebrow!
Haha, I doubt jefbot’s going to leave it like that. Maybe he’ll get some ideas from Xinda…
And no, pretending to be normal and well-adjusted never works for me, I’m no good at it. Trying to be normal and failing gets you weirder looks than just being strange all the time 🙂
you’d be right in assuming that bot won’t leave it like that, Anonymous! he should definitely give Xinda a call, though. wellll… maybe not if he wants to keep things cool with cel. 😉
and yeah, if you’re trying too hard to be normal, you just come off as weird. heheh.
Who needs to be well adjusted? I am fully functioning without that thanks 🙂
Firefox forgot my sign in ><
true dat. i guess “well adjusted” is relative anyway, DJ. “All Dysfunctions Normal,” right? 😀
I’m guessing one strip.
heh. good guess, Stan. 🙂
I like asking Xinda for tactics… she’d know a good satisfying way to strike out at Wil and avoid angering Cel. But its all in the execution… “The best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry”
Excited about the next couple of strips.
i don’t know about that, 11TN – Xinda’s more a bomb than a scalpel! she’d be great to ask for advice on how to destroy Wil, but there would definitely be collateral damage! 😀
It’s a lie, I’m tellin’ ya, Bot!
A lie!!!! LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!!!!!
*diabolical laugh of doom*
8D
Blood! There should be blood!! The gods of video games require human sacrifices every now and then!!!
*runs away laughing maniacally*
Bwuahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
the video game gods do require blood on occasion, Sonitan! but if jefbot makes that deal then he might be sacrificing cel to them, too…
would it be worth it?
I don’t even think jefbot would be able to sacrifice Cel at all… she may sacrifice jefbot instead!
*diabolical laugh of doom*
Can’t you just sacrifice Will or Michael?
Bwuahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
Ahem… use your lovely imagination, jef. It could be just any “innocent” bystander that was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the gods of video games decided to collect their due offerings.
*whistling innocently*
No destroying Jef, Cel, CF or Wil. We can haz blood on the next story arc? And I TOTES vote for a vamp arc that don’t sparkle cause that’s just wussy pansy BS!
amazing
thanks, Annie. 🙂
next comic jebot explodes lol. Figuratively or literally lol. At least he didn’t steal sisters weapons lol. Run Wil Run. lol
he just might, Will B! Scanners style! heheh. the Cornfather better cool him down, quickly.
I imagine that Jefbot was wanting to break Wil’s hand off and beat him with it every moment they were shaking hands, but will wait until a more opportune moment to do so.
absolutely, Fijiman – i’m sure it took every ounce of bot’s acting skillz to pull off that handshake and greeting without doing what you just described to Wil!
Hi, Jeff. I’m still slowly making my way through all the earlier strips, but decided to go ahead and leave this first comment. Actually, the first thought I find irrelevantly distracting me is that just above this box, it says “Leave a Reply” but just below, the button says “Submit Comment” and at the top of the page, it says “47 Responses” so now I can’t decide if I’m writing a reply, a comment, or a response! Okay, just kidding… sort of. Anyway, I love your use of facial expressions, especially that totally phony grin in the last panel! Yes, that’s my entire… remark… except to say your work is great to look at, and a lot of fun to read!
glad to get your comment, Kim! or the reply. or response. whatever. heheh. your post went through so that’s all that matters. 🙂
and thanks! always happy to hear people are enjoying the writing as well as the art of the strip. hope to see your thoughts here again!
Wow he is gonna pop a vessel, NO ONE CROSSES JEFBOT AND LIVES!(without bein slightly annoyed by his various shenanigans aka Donkey Kong challenge? :OOO)
yeah, if bot doesn’t let out some steam soon, he just might have a stroke, o0Edit0o! maybe that DK challenge will be just the thing for him to do just that…
Very smart psychoanalysis. We need brain samples to get that far!
heheh. yes, sometimes the Cornfather is wiser than he looks, rinthia.
Restraing your hatred, the sweetness of victory, and Cel, is only hours away.
yep! if only he can resist going to the dark side for a few more hours, Anime fan!
but we have cookies….
ha! 😀
meh to that, I’d have punched him in the kidney if that was me.
he still might, John! but then he risks losing cel.
Noo Bot has feelings to his face!! Lol that reminds me of my friend, she always says how she hates the person but the second they’re near her she feels bad for them and feels the need to be nice. Jeff, I spelled your last name right for once when I was looking for your site. (: I deserve a sticker. <3 Anywhho, next time you're at your parents' can you bring your ds so we can trade? (If that's okay) I love Bot's face in the last panel, he looks so cuute.
-Bwaah
yeah, expect bot to be nice to Wil’s face, at least for the time being, Nat. as Anime fan, above, said – the sweetness of victory is only hours away! if bot can last that long, that is.
and if you forget how to spell my last name, just go to: jefbot.com. that address will forward to here.
saw your message too late! i was totally just at my parents’ last night. guess we’ll have to trade later. oh, and: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 😀
Thanks bot! I knew that jeffbot.com worked but I decided to be a rebel and tried spelling your name. Victory is sweet.
Awww…
This won’t end well. ^_^
heheh. your feelings serve you well, Char.
I’m a little disappointed. I thought Jefbot would at least challenge Wil Wheaton to Donkey Kong or ask why he never accepted his challenge.
the day’s festivities are just beginning, emberwest! there’s still time for challenges. 😀
I love these comics! They are so funny. I accidently discovered these while looking up Hamster God(Long story) and spent most of my night reading through the Archives to this point I am now a fan! Jefbot can not become well edjusted those people are so boring!!! 😀
that’s awesome that Hamster God got you here, Meggy! (someday you’ll have to fill us in on why you were looking that up.) thanks for staying awake to read through the archive and i think it’s great that you’re now a fan! hope to see more of your feedback here in the future. 😀
and yeah, don’t worry about bot becoming well adjusted. if that happens, i’ll have no reason to do the strip anymore. heheh.
Ha! Very funny, bot. And your face in the last panel is priceless.
thanks, MC! people are liking the Cornfather’s performance in this one, as well. 🙂