SS4 154 A mutual agreement
skyangel on Nov. 21, 2012
Sad page I know, but not quite the last we see of Janey just yet.
Just to comment on all your views last week, in many ways I'm very relieved that we all agree that at this point at least it's better that they part. I felt Sarah's acceptance would have been a cop-out over an issue that is really so pivotal in any relationship. I know two of my readers at least forgave and managed to deal with it as I think I would myself, but as Royce pointed out that forgiveness would be unlikely to come so easily, so it was nice to show how Sarah's valiant attempt crumbled over the following weeks. This is sad stuff and SS has had enough of that over it's course to not make me want to dwell on the aftermath too much, so this is kind of a summing up of the points I think would have put the most strain on the pair without having to drag it out slowly over many pages. Just a few more pages to go to the end and then we can begin the special Xmas story which hopefully you'll really enjoy.
Anyways, next week we find out how the amicable seperation affects Sarah's friends!
Have a nice week everyone! :)
elusive chaos at 9:04PM, May 5, 2013
The first time I read through these breakup pages, it broke my heart, especially after so much has been invested in their relationship but you know what, Sarah is still young. I hope Sarah can find someone so much more awesome than Janey and I want to see some awesome intimate scenes between she and her new gal before the comic comes to an end. I see some people here suggesting Sarah be paired up with some current acquaintances but I'd like to see some new faces. Maybe Sarah can experiment a little, have a little fun, before she meets the right one or maybe she will meet the right one when she least expects it, isn't looking. Of course, she needs some time to get over Janey first, before she moves on. I'm excited to see where Sarah's life takes her after this chapter of Janey comes to an end. Bittersweet.
Lopriest at 12:35PM, Dec. 1, 2012
Great page.
skyangel at 2:30AM, Dec. 1, 2012
Prairienymph: It's really nice to see you've been thinking about that because I've been giving it a lot of thought too and you'll get to find out in a couple of weeks time what change of direction Janey goes in at least. Sarah's future career is still pretty hazy but my thoughts have all been along the same lines you have suggested apart from the record cover, which is an excellent idea!
oldironside at 11:57PM, Nov. 30, 2012
Bear, you're not the only one.
BearinOz at 10:53PM, Nov. 30, 2012
"SRN" over there (State Registered Nurse)....here to see this week's page...waiting...waiting.... B-/
prairienymph at 7:09AM, Nov. 30, 2012
This may seem a bit off topic, but I'm excited to see what the girls do career-wise as they probably won't want to keep working together. Janey may be content to work at the dress shop but I'd like to see Sarah use her art. Collaborating with Nikki maybe? Cover art for Leo? Or maybe Janey will surprise us and go back to school for LPN (licensed practical nurse) or something.
skyangel at 4:04PM, Nov. 29, 2012
Royce: Yes I remember those words and kept the lovely email you wrote me which almost made me feel bad for Sarah not giving her a second chance. As they have no children to consider though the split seemed easier and I know you yourself were also pretty unhappy with the idea of Sarah forgiving so easily so this will really be the start of the coming to terrms period you were speaking of. I did reply to your email btw! I hope you found it :)
skyangel at 3:57PM, Nov. 29, 2012
Arici: Yes, as I said to Kaitia below I want to cover the dating scene and all the lovely chattting up, 'does she, doesn't she?' frustration, and making first moves which are such a big part of all our relationships, so part five will probably be the lightest and sweetest chapter of all. We still have Richard's death to cover but generally a lot of it should be fun.
skyangel at 3:52PM, Nov. 29, 2012
marrog: With Claire I really feel the readers have to make their own mind up about her. I've portrayed her as a girl who lost her best friend to love and then failed miserably in her own relationships, so has to be a fairly lonely person at times and also with the mutual friction building between her and Sarah I could she certainly wouldn't care much about Sarah's feelings, but I'll leave it to the reader to make up their own minds about her true intentions in bedding Janey I think.
skyangel at 3:44PM, Nov. 29, 2012
Kaitia: Yes I double posted the page last week thanks to the erratic DD loading so I was forced to remove a page along with a few comments. Much as I said to Didi just now, yeah It feels right doing this. I hesitated right through chapter four about whether or not to finally have this happen but the one thing I regretted never doing was having Sarah play the dating game as I had so much fun doing that myself in real life, and this now allows me to cover that area in chapter five.
skyangel at 3:39PM, Nov. 29, 2012
Comic Didi: Yes, everyone seems much happier with this outcome for now at least. Last week when it appeared Sarah had let it pass so easily I think practically everyone felt I was going to cop out and have everything back to normal but I felt we needed a change of situation so chapter five feels like it will be a lot more interesting now, than if they were together.
skyangel at 3:32PM, Nov. 29, 2012
Jon 71: I agree. I'm a big romantic at heart and I think these two have what it takes to miss each other enough to be able to get over this. I know several people in real life who managed to forgive and move on and I think probably with age your perspective is more mature in weighing up the gains and losses. I felt they needed to split up to be able to look back after many months or even years and realise that between them they had a love which was something special and worth coming back too.
skyangel at 3:26PM, Nov. 29, 2012
Tommym: You're absolutely right about the friendship angle and I've covered that as best as I can in this coming Saturday's page.
skyangel at 3:24PM, Nov. 29, 2012
DV: Some good points there. I think Nikki is far more likely to stick with Sarah though after this as they've been closest ever since the girls moved in.
roycemarie at 1:57PM, Nov. 28, 2012
This is so sad. I hate the sadness. You are so great at telling the story, Skyangel. The last two panels are heart breakers. P.S. You never forget. You can learn to forgive.
oldironside at 1:28PM, Nov. 28, 2012
It's quite clear that Sarah needs someone to drag her out of herself. Otherwise she'll just spend the rest of her life mourning her (not quite) perfect love. She needs to go out and meet people. As for Janey and Claire, maybe they'll make a go of it, but most neurotic people (like Claire) tend to destroy anything positive they touch because they can't believe they're worthy of it. Anyway, I'm looking forward to Sarah finding the positives and negatives of looking for a new love.
tommym at 8:55AM, Nov. 27, 2012
Dear Sky,@DarkVisor Good advice I won't change,but will go on to new topics.Seems alot will be comming up. Who will be Sarah's next girlfried? I like Dawn ,maybe she will switch sides, so to speak. I am also looking forward to the opinions of the girls @arici mentions. Hope to say "See LV ! Gerry agrees with me! and so does..." :) tommym
DarkVisor at 3:44AM, Nov. 26, 2012
Hmmm, would be nice if Janey _did_ go on tour with Leo, maybe even do a side-story/mid-chapter catchup showing what happens. Re: tommym: don't change your opinion if you still believe in it
arici at 11:49PM, Nov. 25, 2012
I'm all in for the introduction of a new character. This story needs some new spices! Really, who is currently in for girlfriend material? Nikki? Married. Stacy? Has enough crap to deal with already. Gerry? Might abandon Sasha and seize her chance but is too boring for my personal gusto. Dawn or Leo? Straighter than raw spaghetti. Besides, it'll do Sarah good to stay single for a while and do the occational snog instead.
tommym at 8:32PM, Nov. 25, 2012
Dear Sky, @LV Damn...You make such a compelling, impassioned, convincing speech! I am near wordless, prehaps I should just change my opinon! I was going to point out that @marrog brings out the human side of Claire and Claire's reasons for doing what she did, but I will hold off. Thinking of @Bearinoz It would be funny if Claire is truely madly in love with Janey and wants Janey back feeling she is better for Janey than Sarah. Anyways...I am looking forward to joining in on all the up girlfriend gossip:) tommym
BearinOz at 4:26PM, Nov. 25, 2012
...and wouldn't Claire - now rejected again (presumably, if Janey stuck to her word) - not want Janey back anyway? Just a thought...
Lunaris Victoria at 9:35AM, Nov. 25, 2012
@marrog That's what I'm saying, though. For Claire, it was all about Claire. Her ego, her needs, her wants, and to hell with anyone else. Sure, there's probably more to her, but there's more to everyone. Doesn't mean she can't be a monster of sorts. Janey doesn't need a relationship now anymore than Sarah does. They need time apart, and they need time single. Especially if she ever wanted to show Sarah that she could behave if they got back together down the line. Janey doesn't need Claire anymore. Claire did what Claire did for Claire and only Claire. It might not have happened with anyone else but Janey, but Claire wasn't concerned in the least with the consequences Janey would face, and didn't care about her friend's feelings after being caught out. Does Claire have a good side? Maybe...but if she does she'll do the right thing and stay away from Janey. ~Liz
marrog at 9:20AM, Nov. 25, 2012
I'm actually going to come to Claire's defence here. I genuinely don't think her shagging Janey was as much about either Janey OR Sarah as it was about feeling wanted by someone at a low time of her life - someone who's always fancied you, enough that (their own relationship being a bit stale, admittedly) they'll actually CHEAT with you? Massive ego-trip; a pretty tempting feeling when you're just broken up with someone and your ego is bruised. And one one even decent people do fall into. Remember, we've only seen one side of Claire, all from Sarah's POV. I doubt Claire is the 2D monster we see on the page (though she's obviously self-centered; but we all are sometimes). Which is not to say I think she and Janey will have a relationship btw (though who knows, they might try and I suspect it would be 'messy'). @dragonrider: I think I know what you're hinting at, and it's an interesting thought, though not one I'd considered... hrm...
Lunaris Victoria at 7:38AM, Nov. 25, 2012
@tommym Claire most certainly is -not- what Janey needs. Claire knew exactly what Sarah meant to Janey, and she still took advantage of 1) Janey's latent crush, 2) Janey's unfulfilled needs, and 3) Janey's inebriation, and 4) Janey's guilt. She knew what Sarah meant to her 'best friend' and yet she still did what she did, knowing what it would do to said best friend should Sarah ever find out. That is -not- a friend, and it is -not- someone who has anyone else's best interests, love, or affection in mind. That is a snake in the grass, waiting for any opportunity to strike. Janey needs someone that isn't going to pursue her or use her or cling to her. Claire, therefore, counts for absolutely nothing. She'd be better off touring with Leo and enjoying some free concert shows or something. But Claire? Claire is no friend. So much of it was said when they were caught. Janey is clearly distressed, but Claire was more concerned with rubbing it in Sarah's face. ~Liz
tommym at 7:05AM, Nov. 25, 2012
Dear Sky, @DarkVisor, You are right that Janey needs support,and I did forget about her brain injury. Altough Claire knew sex with Janey would hurt Sarah, I still think Claire's primary interest was mostly having sex with Janey. Janey probably does have friends not co-shared with Sarah but I don't know of any. Does Claire count as a good friend? No. However she count's for something. I mean look how she affected the Sarah-Janey relationship. tommym