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Juicy Stalking

8 (12.5%)

Clintemily? Clintelore? Clintaye? Can any of this be good?

24 (37.5%)

Robot Roommate Hijinx?

15 (23.4%)

Claireten Squee?

10 (15.6%)

Clairetenmom Conspiracy?

7 (10.9%)

Total Members Voted: 58

[Half Empty Coffee Cup]

Hm... Thinking it through a bit: Emily's code would have to have been skilled to warrant an EMP wipe. Unwise, perhaps, but skilled. Maybe there's a hint of awe behind Clinton's hesitation?

[Y]

Hm... Thinking it through a bit: Emily's code would have to have been skilled to warrant an EMP wipe. Unwise, perhaps, but skilled. Maybe there's a hint of awe behind Clinton's hesitation?

Maybe in the QC universe it's easy to mistakenly program skynet in AI 101, especially when watching cat videos at the same time.

[cesium133]

Little-known fact: Cat videos are the method that Skynet uses to communicate between its nodes.

[Pilchard123]

Obligatory XKCD:

[Rghfrgl]

The "computational Demonology"-concept is definately a reference to the Laundry series

It could be, but not definitely. Wikipedias saying those started in 2004 and the concepts been done way before that. Shin Megami Tensei series did it in the early 90s(And I wouldn't be surprised if they stole the idea from something even earlier). Or he saw that one episode of buffy where a demon got in a computer. Or something else. Or he just came up with it himself. 

[lot_jockey]

Wasn't SMIF a women's only college? Why are there males in the classroom?

Is Clinton a graduate student? I don't know specifically about Smif, but I know some women's colleges do accept male graduate students.

In real life, Smith and UMass are part of the Five College Consortium. This program allows students from any of the five colleges in the Pioneer Valley (UMass, Smith, Amherst, Hampshire, and Mount Holyoke) to take classes at any other school (Jeph went to Hampshire and would know about this program). I believe that this attribute extends to graduate programs. Clinton might also be an undergrad in a graduate student class, or Emily could be a grad student in an upper-level undergrad class. The fact that they go to different schools in the Pioneer Valley does not preclude them from taking classes together.

Additionally, maybe this comic is a flashback to undergrad, and Emily went to UMass with Clinton. Also, do we know that Emily is a grad student at Smif? She could be a grad student at UMass.

[osaka]

Emily 'The Dark Lady of Spaghetti Logic' Azuma

Considering my avatar is Osaka, I should change two things and make that my personal text. But I wont. It's not mine.

And could this mean that she was actually invoking FSM and she misread?

[Endellion]

If Clinton doesn't work for them, how did he know about the attack?

Clinton: "So how was your weekend?"
Emily: "Some men from NRO came and EMPed my final project ^_^"
Clinton: "...uh".
Emily: "I also learned some new facts about bunnies!"
Clinton: "..."

I've got a theory, it must be bunnies. </Anya>

Damnit she was the best thing in that show RIP

I was going to write how it's potentially plausible for Clinton to react in the way he did, but 2 people beat me to it. So now I've got nothing. ButtsButtsButtsButtsButtsButtsButtsButtsButtsButtsButtsButts

In addendum:  Hoping for some Emily style weirdness tomorrow, been a good while since she's been in the strip.

[NilsO]

Hm... Thinking it through a bit: Emily's code would have to have been skilled to warrant an EMP wipe. Unwise, perhaps, but skilled. Maybe there's a hint of awe behind Clinton's hesitation?

I imagine all PCs in that auditorium (perhaps on the whole campus) was destroyed by the EMP, because of lack of accuracy from orbit, or out of fear from contamination, or just to make sure. That would definitely have made an impression, and not contributed to Emily's popularity.
As to Emily's skills, I guess it was more of an accident. She would not have made a conscious design choice to disturb the Great Old Ones. But somehow she must have opened a channel.

[dexeron]

Is it required to be a student of the school whose library you're interning for?  Emily might only be interning at SMIF, but attending classes elsewhere.

[Kugai]

I think the NRO is like MIB

But without Neuralisers.

[BenRG]

But without Neuralisers.

HANNERS: "I'm not allowed to talk about it. But we're working on that technology."

[Kairi]

As a note to those saying Clinton's surprise is... surprising: I was the witness to a conversation last month between two people who met at an overnight writing event and discovered while there that they literally sit in the same row on the same side of the room in a college class. And had never noticed each other. So, you can see people and not have it register strongly--in this case, Clinton remembers Emily from class but not from elsewhere. Who knows! (I am of the assume-the-comic-creator-is-always-right-and-try-to-justify-things-for-them camp, if that helps. Just how my brain works.)

[Case]

The "computational Demonology"-concept is definately a reference to the Laundry series

It could be, but not definitely. Wikipedias saying those started in 2004 and the concepts been done way before that. Shin Megami Tensei series did it in the early 90s(And I wouldn't be surprised if they stole the idea from something even earlier). Or he saw that one episode of buffy where a demon got in a computer. Or something else. Or he just came up with it himself. 

I didn't know about Shin Megami Tensei - is it any good?

My money would still be on the Laundry series though, since there are indications that Jeph likes Charlie Stross' work (Stross was one of the guests at MartenDad's wedding, e.g.). He seems to be well-versed in all the contemporary SF-bigwigs and builds in references to Herbert (Dune - e.g. the Iiiiiiiiiiih-Cha! ), William Gibson (The name of the store that sold Momo's upgraded chassis is 'Idoru' - the same as the last book in Gibson's Bridge trilogy) - I'm still waiting for a Doctrow reference ...

Stross is a master at repurposing ideas & making them his own, though - He does Cyberpunk, near-future SF, Space opera, you name it - I wouldn't be surprise if he got the idea for the Laundry from Shin Megami Tensei.

[Is it cold in here?]

I can fail to recognize someone if I see them in a new context.

[MooskiNet]

(I am of the assume-the-comic-creator-is-always-right-and-try-to-justify-things-for-them camp, if that helps. Just how my brain works.)

Put more baldly, I don't just assume they're right - they simply are.  I don't say that to defend Jeph or attack anyone else; it's just a fact of our relative positions.  He puts something on the digital page for QC, and it's canon.  Just like that.  It may not make sense, but unless he changes it for the sake of continuity or retcons it, what you see on the page is what happened.

That we are here reading it and doing the occasional contortion to satisfy the hobgoblins of consistency says more about his long-term staying power as a storyteller than it does about about the current plot line.

[Natswash]

And how many of your classmates do you even remember the name of? especially in what looks like one of the larger lecture classes? It's really not that unusual.

As an aside I'm going to have to pick up this book series now, I'll read it the only place that makes sense, the laundry room!

[DSL]

I think the NRO is like MIB

But without Neuralisers.

You just don't remember the Neuralisers.

[Neko_Ali]

The thing of it is, Emily had made quite an impression on him during the class prior to the party at the lake house. Enough that he remembered and is telling stories about her months later, at least. And he's been around her a fair bit since then, even interacting directly at the library. So why now is it suddenly a thing that he freaks out meeting her? It isn't a case where you met someone and found they happen to attend the same class and you never noticed them. He sure noticed her in class, and he talked with her for sure at the library, and most likely at the lake house party.

[lot_jockey]

Yeah, and she also hosted the lake house party, where only fourteen people were present (Emily, Clinton, Claire, Marten, Tai, Gabby, Dora, Faye, Marigold, Hannelore, Angus, Steve, Cosette, and Momo).

[Kairi]

Put more baldly, I don't just assume they're right - they simply are. 

Yup. I need practice shaving my ideas. Thank you. That is what I meant.

[Penquin47]

Is it possible that Clinton just didn't know Emily-the-classmate's (first) name?  I'm particularly asocial, I know, but in a college class, I rarely knew the names of more than three or four classmates.

Then he fails to recognize her at the party because "huh, she looks kinda like that girl who got EMP'ed, can't be her though because she works at Smif with Claire and that girl was at UMass with me."

[zmeiat_joro]

Yep, probably a reference to the Laundry as a Charlie Stross expy was one of the guests at Marten's dad's wedding.

I'm a bit surprised at the amount of people being surprised at Clinton's reaction.

There's already been discussion that that SMIF might not exactly OTL Smith college already. And also the discussion above.

"The NRO EMP'd her laptop" is a perfectly comprehensible sentence to me... Especially in context. :/

I thought of something else to comment on but I forgot, it's late here. I think I made up some headcanon but I forgot about it by the time I came back to my laptop. Which sucks as it was the main reason to post in the first place at this hour.

[Gladstone]

Is it possible that Clinton just didn't know Emily-the-classmate's (first) name?  I'm particularly asocial, I know, but in a college class, I rarely knew the names of more than three or four classmates.

Then he fails to recognize her at the party because "huh, she looks kinda like that girl who got EMP'ed, can't be her though because she works at Smif with Claire and that girl was at UMass with me."

That, plus he's viewing her in a different light.  When she was just a friend-of-his-sister and someone he only briefly socialized with, sure, she may have been that weird person whose project nearly raised the Old Ones, but he wasn't going to rudely bring that up in conversation--but now that she's a potential love interest, you expect him to date HER?!

That said, it's a minor continuity glitch at worse (and hey, The Simulation can't be completely flawless), so I'm willing to overlook it and move on to Awkward Clinton/Emily Conversations.  So...what other attachments and settings does your robot hand have?

[AprilArcus]

Is it possible that Clinton just didn't know Emily-the-classmate's (first) name?  I'm particularly asocial, I know, but in a college class, I rarely knew the names of more than three or four classmates.

Then he fails to recognize her at the party because "huh, she looks kinda like that girl who got EMP'ed, can't be her though because she works at Smif with Claire and that girl was at UMass with me."

But what about their conversation at the library?

Oh well, it's not as much of a continuity nightmare as Hanners first appearance.

[zmeiat_joro]

Oh well, it's not as much of a continuity nightmare as Hanners first appearance.

I take you also have not been trying different kinds of powerful anti-anxiety medication. I don't find either remotely unusual.

[Zebediah]

It's clear that Clinton's memory has been... edited. Yes, that's the word for it. ECtech probably has the technology to do that.

But why? What did Clinton see that he wasn't supposed to?

Steve knows - but Steve isn't telling.

[zmeiat_joro]

Clinton's reaction is understandable to me even without resorting to a theory that there was a geas but it wasn't very high-level or that it's failing a bit due to proximity (in either direction) to the CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN event, if that's what you're implying.

[Markhat]

I think it's less that he doesn't know/remember her, but more that he didn't make the connection between Emily, who works at the library and almost doomed the world, and Emily, potentially attractive girl that Marten knows.  Hence the "Wait that Emily".  My assumption is that Clint just assumed Marten knows a different Emily, it's not like they hang out all the time and Emily is a fairly common name.  Granted, he should have made the connection after they popped into the library, but where's the fun in that.

[J]

still not seeing anything that warrants dismissing emily as a potential romantic partner.

[SubaruStephen]

Comic!

Either Emily is having the beginnings of an orgasm, or "Clinton" is the code phrase for her shutdown sequence.

[stephber]

Coming up next week on Questionable Content.... Emily's still saying 'Cllllllllinnnnnnnnntooooooooooooon.' Will it ever end?

[Near Lurker]

Made for each other.  If nothing else, they should start a tech company together.

[Gladstone]

CLIN-TON

[cesium133]

If nothing else, they should start a tech company together.

One which summons the robot revolution and destroys mankind.

[SubaruStephen]

You mean counter-revolution? The QC universe already had one and it turned out pretty well. (Despite Pintsize)

[jheartney]

My guess is we never hear anything further about the NRO/EMP etc. as all that was intended to do was to make Emily more intimidating to Clinton, and to float the suggestion that beneath the weirdness Emily is very bright. Which is probably just as well; a deep techie storyline isn't a good fit for QC.

Despite all the harsh things that have been said about Clinton, I'd have to say he's showing some real courage talking to Emily. Not only is she capable of writing scary code, she's also half a head taller than him, and sometimes downright inscrutable. I predict that if they get together, Clinton will become a better person while Emily stays just as weird, but still benefits from the relationship.

I'd been wondering what happened to Emily after the Marten cheek kiss episode. Glad to see she's back, and in fine form.

[Estron]

What I'm hearing in my head is, of course, "muskrat muskrat muskrat . . . ."

[MrNumbers]

There is real fear in the eyes of Clinnnnnnn-tonnnnnnnn in that last panel.

That was a clin-ton of n's. 

[Undrneath]

I can only imagine that Emily is committing CLINNN-TONNNN's name to memory.

[Gladstone]

That, or she's remembering something.  The thing inside her laptop wasn't killed, it just changed hosts and went into deep slumber, but now...now...IT HAS AWOKEN.

[ASB84]

Is it possible that Clinton just didn't know Emily-the-classmate's (first) name?  I'm particularly asocial, I know, but in a college class, I rarely knew the names of more than three or four classmates.

Then he fails to recognize her at the party because "huh, she looks kinda like that girl who got EMP'ed, can't be her though because she works at Smif with Claire and that girl was at UMass with me."

But what about their conversation at the library?

Oh well, it's not as much of a continuity nightmare as Hanners first appearance.

Not to mention, we never did get an answer to that question. Does Clinton's robot hand have a blaster attachment, a la Mega Man?

It's important to note that Clinton never said that it didn't. He merely asked for clarification on what kind of blaster Emily was referring to.

Logical conclusion: The "murder mode" for Clinton's robot hand is truly frightening.

[Blackbird]

Along a similar vein: Doesn't Clinton go to UMass?

Maybe Emily transferred after that incident.

Since Emily is a grad student, she could have done her undergrad at UMass.  Simplest explanation: both were at UMass when they had a class together.  Emily was a year or two ahead of Clinton.  She graduated from UMass last year and now she's at Smif for grad school.

[Blackbird]

She's already moaning his name.  Clinton is so in!

[Undrneath]

[Gladstone]

Somebody more skilled than me needs to make some fanart of Emily doing the Exorcist spider walk while chanting Clin-ton's name.

[Near Lurker]

Geez, it just hit me that if he's 21 in 2014, Clinton would actually have been born during the Clinton administration.

[Natswash]

Geez, it just hit me that if he's 21 in 2014, Clinton would actually have been born during the Clinton administration.

I could make a really bad pun off of that, but I'm not sure if it would break the forum rules.

Do you think Clinton's hand has a setting where he could plug it into a computer or other machine and interface with it?

[Undrneath]

Geez, it just hit me that if he's 21 in 2014, Clinton would actually have been born during the Clinton administration.

I could make a really bad pun off of that, but I'm not sure if it would break the forum rules.

Do you think Clinton's hand has a setting where he could plug it into a computer or other machine and interface with it?

So would that be considered jacking on?

[SubaruStephen]

Do you think Clinton's hand has a setting where he could plug it into a computer or other machine and interface with it?

Don't you go giving Pintsize any ideas now...