How long has it been, really?

[LeeZion]

It seems like Marten and Dora have known each other forever, hasn't it? After all, she first appeared in strip 75, on January, 20, 2004, so WE have known her for more than two years. Which is why some people were surprised how Marten was able to control himself, sleeping in the same bed with her without getting it on -- even though he hasn't gotten any seemingly forever.

But QC time isn't "real time." So the question is, how long have Dora and Marten known each other?

Brace yourself. They met three weeks ago.

Since nearly the beginning of the strip, Jeph has given readers hints to figure out how much time has passed. Characters go to sleep and they wake up, letting us know one day has ended and a new one has begun. They also make reference to something that happened "last night," or something planned for "tomorrow."

The first full day that appears in the strip is 68-80. Strip 68 is the strip in which Marten repairs Faye's glasses, which she broke the night before.

The events of 63-67 are clearly the night before, because that's when she broke her glasses. The events of strips 57-62 could conceivably take place the same day as 63-67, but we have no absolute, concrete proof of that.

Anything from prior to strip 68, we can only guess how much time has passed.  But from 68 on, Jeph has always let us know what day it is. Furthermore, 68-80 is probably a Thursday. How do we know this? Because the following day, as depicted in strips 81-99, Faye says she wants to get a headstart on the weekend, implying that it's Friday. (However, earlier that same day, as Marten arrives at work, Marten's boss asks if his dog died "over the weekend," implying that he's returning to work from a weekend.)

If Faye's statement is true, and if the characters are sleeping normal schedules, then here's the rundown on how much time has passed in the QC world:

DAY 0: 63?-67 WEDNESDAY.
DAY 1: 68-80 THURSDAY. First appearance of Dora.
DAY 2: 81-99 FRIDAY.
DAY 3: 100-118 SATURDAY.
DAY 4: 119-138 SUNDAY.
DAY 5: 139-163 MONDAY.
DAY 6: 164-185 TUESDAY.
DAY 7: 186-213 WEDNESDAY.
DAY 8: 214-236 THURSDAY.
DAY 9: 237-269 FRIDAY.
DAY 10: 270-309 SATURDAY.
DAY 11: 310-350 SUNDAY.
DAY 12: 351-383 MONDAY.
DAY 13: 384-395 TUESDAY.
DAY 14: 396-417 WEDNESDAY.
DAY 15: 418-430 THURSDAY.
DAY 16: 431-463 FRIDAY.
DAY 17: 464-509 SATURDAY.
DAY 18: 510-534 SUNDAY.
DAY 19: 535-569 MONDAY.
DAY 20: 570-580 TUESDAY.
DAY 21: 581-604 WEDNESDAY.
DAY 22: 605+ TODAY.

It's been three weeks for the lucky couple.

[Switchblade]

Actually, I think it's pretty much accepted by most of us that there's a period way back when that there was no day-to-day continuity, and maybe multiple days went past in QC prior to the strip checking in on them again (as evidenced by the characters swapping clothes far more often). It's only more recently that things have started to follow a "day after day" pattern.

Most people reckon the time frame since strip 1 is measured in months (8 or 9, IMO).

For example, I'd say there was quite a lot of time involved between strips eight and nine for Faye to get settled in, find her job at Coffee of Doom and get to know Sara a bit.

And again between strip 21 and 22, the amount of time involved there could be anything from a few hours to a few weeks.

although they get rarer as the strip progreses, there are still a few instances post strip 75 where a day our two could have gone past without being stated.

It's dangerous to take QC time too literally.

[qtownstegy]

Tis true, but LeeZion did go to a lot of work to come up with this. Unfortunately, I would have to agree with Switchblade, simply because the only one who knows for sure is Jeph himself.  I can also see the comic skipping slightly and those skips not having a great impact on the comics feel.

Besides, this comic is set in the northeastish area and since Thanksgiving has been mentioned, that would mean the comic is taking place during winter (where's the snow?) and no one has mentioned a holiday or New Years.

[Tergon]

Sorry, but Switch and Qtown are right.  It's been way more than three weeks.  In fact, Jeph has pretty much stated this.  Simple connections:

Marten and Dora met in comic 75.  This is only 50 comics and a short time after Faye has moved into Marten's apartment.
More than 300 comics later, which was quite a bit of time even in QC-Land, we find that Faye's been staying with Marten for a couple of months now.
On the stealth date, Dora comments on how she wouldn't have picked Marten as her type a year ago.
Conclusion: Marten and Dora have known each other for several months at the least, but less than a year in total.

The table you set up, Lee, makes a lot of sense... but it's not quite right.  There have been extra days in there that we haven't seen.  And quite a few of them, by the looks of it.

[LeeZion]

I did think of the Thanksgiving comment, but that happened in strip #48, well before Jeph Jacques began doing the wake-up to bed-time routine with strip #68. So several months could have gone by since 48 and 68. Also, with regards to someone else's comment that Faye has been living with Marten "for several months now," well, she moved in with him in strip 22, so several months could have gone by between stip 22 and 68.

From 68 onward, however, everything has been shown in terms of full days. Each sequence I described above is one full day (minus the guest strips and talking turkeys).

I had not, however, considered one possibility. You see, you guys were correct in saying that just because one daylong sequence happens after another daylong sequence, doesn't mean they were consecutive days. So I went back and did some additional research. Here, now, is the modified list:

68-80: The first time we ever see a full day in the strip. It's also the day Marten and Dora meet.
81-99: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in strip 83, Dora says "Like I said last night, he's a cutie," and she said that in strip 75.
100-118: NOT CONSECUTIVE. Theoretically could be the day after the events of 81-99, but there is no proof. Several days may have passed.
119-138: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Faye and Dora go to sleep in the same bed in 118, and wake up in 119.
139-163: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 138, Faye promises to take Dora shopping, and the next day she does.
164-185: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 163, Pintsize makes himself a beard, and in 164, Faye asks him if he's cleaned off Pintsize's beard.
186-213: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because the head-banging to the testicals happens in 185, and in 186, he's still recovering from that.
214-236: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because yhr pants zipper episode from 213 is referred to in 214 as having happened "last night."
237-269: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Steve and Ellen go out on a double date with Dora and Marten, and in 238, Faye asks how the date with Marten went "last night."
270-309: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 269, Pintsize is recovering from his meltdown (caused by his own actions) and in 270, Marten asks him what he's learned from his experience "last night."
310-350: DEFINITIELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 308, Faye and Marten say they'll be looking at the new place "tomorrow," and on this day, they do. They even pay the money up front (319)
351-383: NOT CONSECUTIVE. Theoretically could be the day after the events of 310-350, but there is no proof. Several days may have passed. But it can't be much time -- after all, how long does it take between between the time you sign the lease for a new place and the time you move in?
384-395: DEFINITIELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 378 they say they'll start moving their stuff "tomorrow," and on this day, they do.
396-417: NOT CONSECUTIVE. Theoretically could be the day after the events of 384-395, but there is no proof. Several days may have passed.
418-430: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because the new mattress was delivered the previous day, and in 418, Marten asks her how "the new mattress" is.
431-463: NOT CONSECUTIVE, BUT.... has to be within days of previous strips, since, in 431, they're still painting the new apartment.
464-509: IS VERY LIKELY TO BE THE NEXT DAY. We can guess this since in strip 464, Faye asks him what he's going to do "now that you have the week off from work," which his mother had given him during the day depicted in strips 431-463. Also, Marten responds to Faye's question by describing the conversation he had with his mom in that same time period. If a day had passed between strip 463 and 464, it is unlikely they would have this conversation now.
510-534: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Faye recounts her powerful talk that she had with Marten, in strips 500-509, saying it happened "last night."
535-569: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because, among other things, Faye says in strip 568 that only "two friggin days" have passed since she told Marten she can't date him.
570-580: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Hannelore wakes up in Marten's apartment.
581-604: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Faye saus in 580 that the taxi will pick her up tomorrow, and in 581, it does.
605+ DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Dora and Marten spend the night together, and also because Faye says she'll visit the grave "tomorrow."

So there you have it. How long has it been, exactly?

[qtownstegy]

Answer (at least to exactness): Indeterminable, mainly for those lapses where more than a day could go by.  
From the point he meets Dora to present seems to suggest at least 3 weeks, but we do not know for sure, could be up to 4 or 5.

I do commend your drive to determine this.

[enattendant]

351-383: NOT CONSECUTIVE. Theoretically could be the day after the events of 310-350, but there is no proof. Several days may have passed. But it can't be much time -- after all, how long does it take between between the time you sign the lease for a new place and the time you move in?

It could be a lot more time than you think. Rental applications have to be processed, and Marten has to give notice at his current place, if he hasn't already done so. Granted, he was on a monthly lease, so it probably wasn't more than a couple of weeks.

I get the impression that there is a lot more of QC-time that we don't see. Plus, I thought I saw a newspost (could be recent, could be a long time ago; I hit "random" a lot) where Jeph said something about six months.

EDIT: oops. I forgot about the security deposit. Looks like they did sign the same day.

[est]

You've also forgotten that comic time is completely weird.  I mean, even if you look at something as solid as http://www.scarygoround.com/?date=20060504">Scary Go Round today you'll see that a simple conversation can span an entire walk to a fish & chips shop + waiting for the fish & chips + sitting down and eating it.  The timing is totally wrong if it were a real-world consecutive conversation, but in the comic it works.  When did they order? Did they order "off-screen" at some point in-between panels?  Does that mean that there's been other conversation in-between panels that wasn't necessary to convey the gist of the conversation?  Possibly!

I think that the same kind of thing can be applied in a more general sense to any comic, including QC.  The on-screen time may seem contiguous, but I'm not sure that it's meant to be.  This isn't supposed to be a realistic rendering of every single second in the life of the characters.  I mean, how could it be?  There's probably plenty of stuff that happens off-screen that just isn't very interesting.

[Tergon]

Agreed.  It's like that show 24.  They don't show him spending five minutes taking a dump in the mornings, or having a conversation about football, or the time it actually takes to travel from one place to the next.  Why?  Because it's not relevant to the storyline, and it's just more entertaining if we get rid of it.
If nothing else, look at the characters.  Jeph has spent a lot of time setting up the characters, but it's supposed to work that someone as defensive as Faye would come clean on her issues after only three weeks?

Est wins with the simple argument here - comic time is wierd and not designed to be taken literally.

[Bunnyman]

Spoken in somewhat fewer words...

         Comics != Star Trek.

[Switchblade]

I went back and did some additional research. Here, now, is the modified list:

68-80: The first time we ever see a full day in the strip. It's also the day Marten and Dora meet.
81-99: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in strip 83, Dora says "Like I said last night, he's a cutie," and she said that in strip 75.
100-118: NOT CONSECUTIVE. Theoretically could be the day after the events of 81-99, but there is no proof. Several days may have passed.
119-138: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Faye and Dora go to sleep in the same bed in 118, and wake up in 119.
139-163: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 138, Faye promises to take Dora shopping, and the next day she does.
164-185: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 163, Pintsize makes himself a beard, and in 164, Faye asks him if he's cleaned off Pintsize's beard.
186-213: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because the head-banging to the testicals happens in 185, and in 186, he's still recovering from that.
214-236: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because yhr pants zipper episode from 213 is referred to in 214 as having happened "last night."
237-269: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Steve and Ellen go out on a double date with Dora and Marten, and in 238, Faye asks how the date with Marten went "last night."
270-309: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 269, Pintsize is recovering from his meltdown (caused by his own actions) and in 270, Marten asks him what he's learned from his experience "last night."
310-350: DEFINITIELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 308, Faye and Marten say they'll be looking at the new place "tomorrow," and on this day, they do. They even pay the money up front (319)
351-383: NOT CONSECUTIVE. Theoretically could be the day after the events of 310-350, but there is no proof. Several days may have passed. But it can't be much time -- after all, how long does it take between between the time you sign the lease for a new place and the time you move in?
384-395: DEFINITIELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because in 378 they say they'll start moving their stuff "tomorrow," and on this day, they do.
396-417: NOT CONSECUTIVE. Theoretically could be the day after the events of 384-395, but there is no proof. Several days may have passed.
418-430: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because the new mattress was delivered the previous day, and in 418, Marten asks her how "the new mattress" is.
431-463: NOT CONSECUTIVE, BUT.... has to be within days of previous strips, since, in 431, they're still painting the new apartment.
464-509: IS VERY LIKELY TO BE THE NEXT DAY. We can guess this since in strip 464, Faye asks him what he's going to do "now that you have the week off from work," which his mother had given him during the day depicted in strips 431-463. Also, Marten responds to Faye's question by describing the conversation he had with his mom in that same time period. If a day had passed between strip 463 and 464, it is unlikely they would have this conversation now.
510-534: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Faye recounts her powerful talk that she had with Marten, in strips 500-509, saying it happened "last night."
535-569: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because, among other things, Faye says in strip 568 that only "two friggin days" have passed since she told Marten she can't date him.
570-580: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Hannelore wakes up in Marten's apartment.
581-604: DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Faye saus in 580 that the taxi will pick her up tomorrow, and in 581, it does.
605+ DEFINITELY HAPPENS THE NEXT DAY. We know this because Dora and Marten spend the night together, and also because Faye says she'll visit the grave "tomorrow."

So there you have it. How long has it been, exactly?

Please don't take this personally mate.... but you REALLY need to get laid.

[Alegis]

Perhaps there are better things in life than getting laid 24/7 so you can't do other stuff.

Anyways, interesting research. But as it is a comic, can't take it too literally.

[Nick Cave's Havalina]

Holy shit! My eyes almost bugged out when I saw that chart of QC chronology. My mind has been blown.

[Switchblade]

Perhaps there are better things in life than getting laid 24/7 so you can't do other stuff.

....I wonder why people always seem to assume I'm invariably being serious....?

Or is it just that I'm assuming that they assume I'm serious?

[Alegis]

Or is it just that I'm assuming that they assume I'm serious?

Yes! It is so confusiong we need to make use of sarcasmbbcode or something.

Anyways, people take a talking AnthroPC like Pintsize for granted, but not the time issue.

It's an interesting read Leezion, but I don't think it needs any more updates

On the stealth date, Dora comments on how she wouldn't have picked Marten as her type a year ago.

That's because she was a Goth back 'then'.

[Delirious Lab]

431-463: NOT CONSECUTIVE, BUT.... has to be within days of previous strips, since, in 431, they're still painting the new apartment.

I'd change that to "very, very likely to be the next day".  This is the second day of redecorating at Coffee of Doom (not the apartment).  Highly unlikely that any small business owner would have let this go on more than a couple of days, so I wouldn't think there were any extra days in between that we didn't see.

Also, in strip 398 Dora remarks that Faye has been "sleeping on a couch for the last couple of months".  So that's how long since she moved in with Marten.

[alyosha]

Semi-trivial topics that get discussed in the forums ad nauseum tend to be answered in the body of the comic itself.  I say we wait for the obscure "timestamp" in next week's comix...

[Cartilage Head]

THE POINT IS IT DON'T FUCKIN' MATTER GAWD!!!1111111oneoneone

[butmyrobotloves]

Has Jeph ever commented on any of these flailing attempts at QC time?  Or does he prefer to remain veiled in mystery, watching all of us paw desperately at his comic trying to figure out something so trivial?

[Luke]

Comments on flailing attempts at QC time? http://forums.questionablecontent.net/viewtopic.php?t=3726&highlight=couple%20months">Yep.

Seriously, hey_there_fatty. You've gone from obnoxious to obnoxious-and-jackassy. It hasn't been a good trend.

[Schmendrick]

Has Jeph ever commented on any of these flailing attempts at QC time?  Or does he prefer to remain veiled in mystery, watching all of us paw desperately at his comic trying to figure out something so trivial?

Perhaps it is amusing ?

[Cartilage Head]

I was being sarcastic. It was meant to be a humorous summary of the discussion,seeing as how there were many opposing viewpoints.

 I really have no opinion about it whatsoever. I apologize if it was perceived in a way that I didn't intend.

[Sythe]

Dongz lol.

[Makeout_Hobo]

This is the coolest thing ever.

[Manta Ray]

I think the real question we should be asking is, will Marten ever go back to work?

[indianna_gurl]

I've been curious about this as well....  His lack of at-workiness is the strongest case for the period of time having passed since his mother being terribly, terribly short.  Either that or his blog has been doing remarkably well  and earning him a secret income

[Switchblade]

Well, yeah, his mother-induced time off work falls inside the portion of QC time that is most definitely sequential. In fact, he's due to go back to work "tomorrow"

The odds are, however, that his work exploits will not be shown as his job is supposed to be boring as hell.

[yggdrasil]

Ie. jeph doesn't feel like drawing it, which is fair enough. I do think that even though the majority of the story takes place during M's free time, it would be nice for a strip to be set at work every rare once in a while. I guess it would make M's life seem a bit more real and relatable.

[Luke]

I doubt we're at a point where Marten's life could become realistic, what with the little robots running around causing havoc and whatnot.


And yeah,  Jeph has addressed the Marten-going-to-work question http://forums.questionablecontent.net/viewtopic.php?p=203261#203261">before.

Man, I've been using the search function a lot lately.

[Switchblade]

You notice how every five weeks or so, people come along and ask the same old questions all over again?

Not that it's a bad thing - at least they're interested in the comic...

[Linds]

this should go into the FAQ section. that hasn't been updated in a while.

[LeeZion]

Remember way back around strip 432 when Marten's mom got him the week off of work? If you clicked on that link you probably do now! A lot sure has happened in 7 days of comic time, huh.

Ah-ha!

[Switchblade]

Or is it just that I'm assuming that they assume I'm serious?

Yes! It is so confusiong we need to make use of sarcasmbbcode or something.

Note to self: Sarcasm is not exclusive to Switchblade.