THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: BenRG on 14 Feb 2016, 12:41
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Vote for the top three that you'd like to see this week!
I voted for Dale and Marigold (because it's likely), Clinton and Emily (because I'm genuinely interested) and Cossette and Steve (because they're rarely seen but still seem to be so strongly together).
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Jim's cousin Sean introduced in mondays comic. Dies by wednesday at the latest.
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It's in his contract
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Come on. 'Steve-Cosette, the normal family?' Cosette is, canonically, as coordinated as a drunken chimpanzee, capable of causing destruction to life and limb every time she walks down the street, and Steve is a secret government agent. If he's in the relationship, regardless of Cosette's relative normality, the relationship will not be normal.
Tortura is pretty much 'same old, same old,' in Steve's words.
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I really miss our poor misunderstood poet bartender. I really want Wil to be more than just the person tending the bar again.
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I'd like to see some interaction in the shop between Emily and Hannelore. Given they are both highly intelligent and mathematically inclined, I can see them, one slow afternoon, proving Goldbach's conjecture* on the blackboard -- and then wiping it off and thinking no more about it.
(hey, it's my headcanon . . . )
* every even number is the sum of two primes. This has been shown for every even number up to 4,000,000,000,000,000,000 and everyone believes it is true but no-one has managed to prove it.
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Fermat's Last Theorem would work, too. :-D
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Fermat's Last Theorem was proved back in 1994.
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Fermat's Last Theorem was proved back in 1994.
A proof that fits on the cafe's blackboard would still be pretty impressive.
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Marginally.
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I'm kinda starting to wonder if Jim actually owns more than one shirt. Have we ever seen him wear any other shirt? Archive binging, I see what appears to be this same white shirt with a few different jackets, blazers, yadda yadda, but no other shirts.
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There's something to be said for a wardrobe full of white shirts.
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Can I go live with Sam? Random snakes make life fun!
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What's more interesting is that Veronica actually seems to be afraid of the snakes. That's a new one - I don't recall her showing fear of anything before.
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I'd like to see some interaction in the shop between Emily and Hannelore. Given they are both highly intelligent and mathematically inclined, I can see them, one slow afternoon, proving Goldbach's conjecture* on the blackboard -- and then wiping it off and thinking no more about it.
(hey, it's my headcanon . . . )
* every even number is the sum of two primes. This has been shown for every even number up to 4,000,000,000,000,000,000 and everyone believes it is true but no-one has managed to prove it.
The weak form of Goldbach (we can write any odd number larger than seven as a sum of three odd primes) seems to have fallen. They guy who did it gave a talk about it at our department a bit over a year ago. It was known from some astronomical number onwards by methods of analytic number theory, and up to some very large but less astronomical number by computer check (intelligent brute force), so this huge gap remained. He had new ideas for doing the analysis more carefully, bringing that astronomical upper edge of the gap down. He also had new ideas for doing the brute force search more intelligently (using what is known about strong Goldbach as a stepping stone). Then he got access to massive amount of CPU time, and managed to close the gap. The talk went over my head - needless to say.
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More Hannelore please and thank you. <3
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As I noted last week, a bored or curious teenager with an Internet connection is a dangerous thing! Still, it seems Sam is fairly cool with Veronica for now. Kids can often be very disruptive and even quite viciously conniving in these circumstances; a lack of histrionics augers well for acceptance of her father's relationship
What's more interesting is that Veronica actually seems to be afraid of the snakes. That's a new one - I don't recall her showing fear of anything before.
I'm not sure if she is afraid or if she's just not comfortable. She had no problem with underwear drawer snake, after all!
FWIW, I wonder if Sam may be exaggerating, just to test her stepmother-in-effect's 'worthiness'.
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I like Sam, but gawds, that girl needs a bath.
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There are MFing snakes in this MFing house!
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There are MFing snakes in this MFing house!
You forgot the "[/sljackson]" tag!
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Jim seems to be tired of 'em too.
Honestly, I guess that as long as it's just the Wikipedia page she knows about Veronica, things shouldn't get too weird. I would be looking forward to the pic of Sam with the large dildo and the "my mommy spanks people" tee but she's probably too old for that (compared to when Marten had it taken)
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At home we have geckos. Leopard and crested ones. We had runaway geckos several times. It's not as much fun as one might think. Luckily they usually find their way to the nearest bowl of water and food in under a week. Crested geckos are a little bit easier, because they eat fruit. On the other hand they can run around the apartment in three dimensions, so there's that.
We have runaway crickets and or grasshoppers every other week though. You quickly learn to älways check your shoes after crushing one trying to put your shoes on. Cricket goo is icky.
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What's more interesting is that Veronica actually seems to be afraid of the snakes. That's a new one - I don't recall her showing fear of anything before.
I'm not sure if she is afraid or if she's just not comfortable. She had no problem with underwear drawer snake, after all!
Might just be that she isn't actually afraid of snakes, it's just the thought that they are loose in the house and might appear at any time without notice that makes her uncomfortable. Being woken up by a snake sliding over your face/legs/whatever can make anyone scream.
We have runaway crickets and or grasshoppers every other week though. You quickly learn to always check your shoes after crushing one trying to put your shoes on. Cricket goo is icky.
Probably isn't very fun to find a snake in your shoes either.
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Did anyone else spot the picture of Sam posing with Froglord? :-D
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I missed this on my first viewing (and second) but did anyone else notice the way Veronica is hugging Jim's arm in panels 2 & 3? Especially how they're looking at each other with silent communication in panel 2! It's kind of heart-warming that they have that sort of bond between them and it augurs well for the future of their relationship.
MARTEN: "Three dads? Hell, yeah! Why not?"
SAM: "Just remember: I called dibs on the shotgun seat!"
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Marten's always been a fan of the overabundance of dads.
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3 more couple and we can close the strip down.
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There are motherfucking snakes in this motherfucking house!
Apparently so. At least three!every even number is the sum of two primes. This has been shown for every even number up to 4,000,000,000,000,000,000
Except for two and four :parrot:
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Did anyone else spot the picture of Sam posing with Froglord? :-D
Far too puny to be Froglord! Frogsquire, maybe.
There are motherfucking snakes in this motherfucking house!
Apparently so. At least three!
The snakes did what?! Is that on her Wikipedia article too?
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Did anyone else spot the picture of Sam posing with Froglord? :-D
I was too transfixed by the portrait of Sam on the wall opposite the doorway. What parent would hang such a picture of their kid?
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It was probably the best one he got.
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Yeah Sam doesn't strike me as the "pose nicely for pictures" type. I'd bet she's even proud of that picture...at least until she gets older, like 14-15 or so, at which point she'll try to quietly dispose of it.
Only to find out to her utter horror that Dad has copies. Embarrassing the hell out of teenagers - one of the few perks of parenthood. Teenagers tend to be embarrassed by their parents' very existence anyway, so might as well get some mileage out of it. 8-)
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I am intrigued by todays artwork again. So much detail in the backround, Jeph ist getting better and better the last months since he changed to Manga Studio 5.
I imediately noticed Veronica taking Jims arm in panel two. I hope we´re in for something lasting with the two of them.
Three dads for Marten? Why not.
And telling a teenager not to google someone specific is the best way to send her running straight for her computer. But I suppose Sam has already seen more of Veronica than just her Wikipedia entry. And she doesn´t seem to to care much.
TM
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Did anyone else spot the picture of Sam posing with Froglord? :-D
I was too transfixed by the portrait of Sam on the wall opposite the doorway. What parent would hang such a picture of their kid?
Me. Totally. I love it when kids are individual and do things other kids wouldn't. She wasn't hurting anybody and it made a photo that gives me a grin. If she ever doesn't like the photo in the future, she'll think about what is and isn't something she wants to leave a record of herself doing and that decision will stick because she made it for herself and for her own reasons. And if she goes on liking the photo, then it remains awesome (and I remain an awesome dad for posting it) forever.
As far as I can see, this is win/win/win. For me there's a huge difference between acting out in harmful ways (you bean somebody with your textbook or disrupt class by mouthing off to the teacher and you're in serious trobule) and acting out in harmless ways (Oh, hey, that picture is FUN!) and kids really need you to discriminate sharply between them to learn the difference.
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Did anyone else spot the picture of Sam posing with Froglord? :-D
I was too transfixed by the portrait of Sam on the wall opposite the doorway. What parent would hang such a picture of their kid?
same with me. I mean come on thats the picture you tell your kid not to do not the one typically hung up.
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I think you would have to have a pretty good sense of humour to deal with a kid like Sam. So maybe she was goofing off and one of her parents' snapped a photo and liked it.
Or Jeph likes drawing Sam goofing off.
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Four is the sum of two primes.
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It's the sum of one prime and itself. Does that count?
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Yeah, don't they have to be different primes to count for Goldbach?
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I just realized, it's either just two that doesn't apply or two, four and six, since six is also one prime number added to itself.
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The thought came to mind that Jim better hope Sam doesn't get into tattoos, or she could end up being Sam, the gal with the snake on her face.
http://www.sctvguide.ca/programs/a_harry.htm
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Not to mention Froglords Court which now meets weekly in Sams closet
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Also duly noted: An individual who can leave Veronica discomfited, even if only slightly.
Also, count me as one more who'd absolutely frame and display a "picture like that" of my kid (if I had a kid). Except we'd both be in there, with one of us taking the selfie.
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hmmm, this forum seems to be missing a crazy rogues gallery with participant selfies, I think...
(or at least I have not come across it yet)
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You mean this (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,30048.0.html)?
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Did anyone else spot the picture of Sam posing with Froglord? :-D
I was too transfixed by the portrait of Sam on the wall opposite the doorway. What parent would hang such a picture of their kid?
A proud parent!
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I'm wrong!
A Goldbach number is a positive integer that can be expressed as the sum of two odd primes.[4] Since four is the only even number greater than two that requires the even prime 2 to be written as the sum of two primes, another form of the statement of Goldbach's conjecture is that all even integers greater than 4 are Goldbach numbers.
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We're both wrong! Apparently the duplication isn't an issue, otherwise six wouldn't be a Goldbach number either.
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MARTEN: "Three dads? Hell, yeah! Why not?"
SAM: "Just remember: I called dibs on the shotgun seat!"
CLAIRE: "Eeeee little sister!"
(That's one thing that annoyed me about the time-skip. We never got to see Sam and Claire meet for the first time!)
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Did anyone else spot the picture of Sam posing with Froglord? :-D
I was too transfixed by the portrait of Sam on the wall opposite the doorway. What parent would hang such a picture of their kid?
A proud parent!
Sam does not have her own Wikipedia page. But it's only a matter of time.
(http://i.imgur.com/BAhy2hQ.png)
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I wonder what Hannelore's Wikipedia page looks like.
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Sam does not have her own Wikipedia page. But it's only a matter of time.
"(Redirected from Skullmaster, Master of Skulls)"
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I wonder what Hannelore's Wikipedia page looks like.
25 maintenance tags, one sentence of actual article.
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I think you're all missing the bigger news. Miss Hissy's babies hatched!
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So, what happened to the cup of tea?
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It will come back in six months with the PERFECT dinosaur teapot.
Edit-- I just realized I can quote arbitrary QC comics at will. What the hell went wrong with my life?
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So, what happened to the cup of tea?
He DEFINITELY didn't add the cup in midair because he forgot Claire was holding it in panel 2.
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So, what happened to the cup of tea?
It bore the full brunt of the squee energy release and evaporated.
Edit: Oh wait, yes, there it is. Awww.
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Did Veronica bring her own mug to Marten's?
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And then Claire was a anime.
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Was she ever not?
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So, what happened to the cup of tea?
Arrr, gravity be a fickle mistress at times.
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Read the tag at the bottom 'And it never came down again..." :)
Apparently Marten and Claire have moved into the 'we coordinate our outfits' stage of relationship. And I find it amusing that, considering her job and friends, Veronica has some very traditional views when it comes to dating. Once again she worries about what Marten will think about her dating Jim, even though he's clearly already passed the 'he's a cool dude' test.
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Upstairs, Hannelore recoiled at the tea mug that suddenly erupted through the floor of her apartment -- then took a cautious sip. (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1776)
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Did Veronica bring her own mug to Marten's?
Since it says "Worlds Gothest Mom", that's a good assumption.
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Meanwhile, Hannelore is wondering how that coffee mug ended up in her apartment.
Considering the same thing happened to Faye and Angus at one point, I'm going to assume there's something quantum going on between those two apartments.
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Actually it's a result of the Space Dimensional Coordination Complex their landlord has hidden in the basement.
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Apparently Marten and Claire have moved into the 'we coordinate our outfits' stage of relationship.
If by coordinated, you mean the coincidence on two individuals of both pants and long-sleeved tops, then sure, they're coordinated. He's wearing a zip-up hoodie with pockets. She's wearing a low-rise turtle-neck. The colors don't even match. And clearly, Claire is more petite than Marten, so, while she can do the wearing-my-boyfriend's-clothes thing, there's no way, even if their style senses meshed, that Marten could wear anything that Claire's ever worn, boy-mode or otherwise.
And why do I find it distressing to learn that Claire's a thrower?
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I just want to mention that I dearly love Jeph's beautiful capture of a teenager's body language. The poses of Sam in the two strips prior has just nailed it. (why yes, I have a 14 year old son).
Today's was just icing on the cake and proof that Claire and Marten do belong together even though the drama now needs to be from the outside. She's just too precious for words.
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Hey, free glass! (https://what-if.xkcd.com/6/)
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I thought that Veronica would be more worried about Marten's reaction than Marten was worried about her relationship with Jim. Honestly, if he was chill about his dad remarrying, why should it matter with his mum?
Claire, meanwhile, seems to have something of an emotional stake here! Was she promised a bridesmaid spot? Or is she just an incurable romantic? The latter would certainly explain her matchmaking Clinton with Emily.
I agree with every poster with everyone who thinks that Jeph is working towards a wedding. Given how Jim and Veronica have been shown to be so spontaneous in their relationship, I could see them just suddenly deciding to just do it and it all happening in a rush over a couple of days.
[EDIT]
Actually, the phrase "Epic-Length Spontaneous Double Wedding Arc" has just jumped into my brain but it may just be me.
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You mean this (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,30048.0.html)?
Ah, yes, thank you! I will add my share.
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So...does the perspective in panel 2 seem a little...off to anyone else?
Panel 1 establishes there's distance between them, but in 2-4 it looks like they've more or less closed that gap. And yet, in 2, there's still an odd sense of scale between Marten & Claire (though particularly Marten) and his mother, especially given he's looking directly across the panel rather than at an angle toward us (to suggest she's closer to the foreground than he is).
Maybe it's just me.
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Panel 1 also establishes that Veronica is waiting on something to be poured that Marten is pouring and Panel 2 has Veronica holding her "World's Gothest Mom" mug, so we could assume that Marten got close to, well, give his mother the mug.
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So...does the perspective in panel 2 seem a little...off to anyone else?
Panels 1 and 2 have different POV positions. The 'camera' in panel 1 is in the middle of Marten and Claire's kitchen; Veronica is leaning on the door-frame. In panel 2, the camera has moved to the middle of the main room of the apartment, looking towards the bathroom and the corridor to the front door. So, there is a significant movement between the two panels.
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Actually, the phrase "Epic-Length Spontaneous Double Wedding Arc" has just jumped into my brain but it may just be me.
I assume your idea is along the lines of "Veronica getting married and then Marten proposes but the Reed family is always so delightfully opulent that before Veronica's wedding is actually done Marten's is all ready so they just get married at the same time, hilarity ensues"? Would be fun.
However, considering that Veronica has confirmed that her wedding won't be next saturday, I wouldn't expect this to happen within the decade in real time.
:parrot:
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AW
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Claire is a bit of a romantic (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2481) who might feel a personal investment in Jim and Veronica's relationship.
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Actually it's a result of the Space Dimensional Coordination Complex their landlord has hidden in the basement.
So where DO those checks go when you slide 'em under the door? Straight into the secret numbered account at the First Bank of Espressosaurus?
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So, what happened to the cup of tea?
It is now sitting next to a bowl of Petunias as they plot their terrible and protracted revenge.
Or is Keeping the Stealth Roomba fueled.
What? You never heard of Cloaking Devices??!
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Why would Marten care about his mom living with a man who is not his father when his dad is living with a man who is not his father? :psyduck:
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Why would Marten care about his mom living with a man who is not his father when his dad is living with a man who is not his father? :psyduck:
By Veronica's own admission at the wedding, she hasn't been outside of the bondage/fetish scene in a long time, and didn't know how to meet people outside of it. This is likely the first non-client relationship she's had since Henry. She has no personal reason to believe that Marten would take issue with it, but due to her unfamiliarity with her own circumstances, she's making sure to ask, just in case. After being in the line of work she was in for so long, I imagine she often overcompensates with polite questions in her day-to-day interactions at times. Her accidentally slipping into her "dom-voice" when talking with Claire at the wedding might be an example of why she'd do that.
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Her accidentally slipping into her "dom-voice" when talking with Claire.
I got the sense alcohol was key in that whole thing happening. Any case, it's still something most parents would do, I think, telling their child about this. If she didn't actually look kinda concerned, I'd say the 'asking him' was just a courtesy, not actually important.
I think what's happening here is Veronica's unsure if she wants to do it, which I think is what you were saying, Neurocase, before I cut all the relevant parts to make a point about something unimportant. She's not asking for permission, she's mostly just saying it out loud to decide if it's what she really wants. Some people do that, I know I do, voice vague questions like that because I'm unsure.
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chaospersonified:
Saying something out loud definitely helps some people. Along those lines, I've heard it suggested that the real value of a coin as a decision-making device is that, when it's in the air, you become more aware of any latent desire for it to fall one way or the other.
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New comic!
I laughed at the last line (and then wondered what her singing range is).
Also:
I feel for Faye, yes I do.
I am absolutely certain that magazine already exists, though perhaps not with that title.
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Manga Studio has really done wonders for the strip. Jeph's art has been looking streets ahead of late.
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streets ahead
Pierce?
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Marten seems pretty chill about his girlfriend and his mother planning a wedding together, but that's probably because he thinks they're still talking about Veronica's.
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Marten seems pretty chill about his girlfriend and his mother planning a wedding together, but that's probably because he thinks they're still talking about Veronica's.
I feel like as long as they're looking at a magazine titled 'Goth Bride,' Marten's in the clear.
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Also, they've been dating for how many months? I understand some people jump to weddings within the first year, but I can't imagine Claire being in that group
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Yes, Manga Studio ist really great, my daughter always tells me the same since she switched from Paint Tool Sai.
Faye is very happy that she finally went back to CoD and made up with Dora. I suppose she has talked about the topic with Marten before. Maybe he encouraged her to take that step.
And look at Claires body language in the last panel. Veronica surely opens a new world for her. I wonder if she devellops a taste for it. Gothclaire would look marvellous.
TM
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streets ahead
Pierce?
You caught me. I just came off a full marathon of all 110 episodes.
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Y'know, I don't think that Punchbot is a jerk. He's just got near-zero impulse control. That is something about which Faye should have a certain degree of empathy!
As for Claire and Veronica's 'harmless fun', Marten should get over there, monitor and intervene, if necessary. After all, they might start liking some of these 'hypothetical' ideas and he'll find himself having to participate in them sooner than he thinks!
I feel like as long as they're looking at a magazine titled 'Goth Bride,' Marten's in the clear.
I'm afraid that I can't agree. Remember that Claire likes the cyberpunk aesthetic. It's quite possible that she'll find a dress that she likes in that catalogue; Marten would be wise to get a say now. I also think that (as I and many others predicted) Veronica will start influencing Claire's sartorial style. The 'sexy librarian' is, after all, one of the classics; Veronica likely knows it well.
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streets ahead
Pierce?
You got that from the ordinary expression "streets ahead"?
*googles* ...
*click*
"“Streets ahead” is a phrase coined (and minted) by Chevy Chase’s character ..."
WHAT
I really doubt that.
I have to add... I've never heard of amatrimonial corset, AND I haven't watched Aladdin either, so I really am feeling old and out of the loop now.
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Don't be so quick to intervene, Marten. You might even look good in that corset.
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Y'know, I don't think that Punchbot is a jerk. He's just got near-zero impulse control.
Faye needs to think of him as Job-Securitybot.
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Also, they've been dating for how many months? I understand some people jump to weddings within the first year, but I can't imagine Claire being in that group
I dunno. I can see her turning out a bit like Ellen, getting so excited over the relationship that she jumps to early commitment. Plus, there's no drama if BOTH characters are reluctant, and we all know Marten will be.
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It would seem to me that anytime a woman is discussing her hypothetical wedding with her son's girlfriend inevitably the discussion will turn to the son's hypothetical wedding.
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What does everyone think? Would Veronica tell Claire to call her 'mom' or would she insist on being 'Veronica' because "'Mrs Reed' is Henry's dear old mom"?
Also, they've been dating for how many months? I understand some people jump to weddings within the first year, but I can't imagine Claire being in that group
FWIW, Marten and Claire strike me as the sort of couple who'd sit down one day and say: "Is there any reason why not?" If they can't come up with anything, they'd jump straight to "Let's do it". However, I can't see that happening until after Claire graduates. As matters stand, Marten and Claire both wouldn't want her to have the distraction from her studies. After that? Well, I can see a summer wedding being the graduation present, IMO.
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It would seem to me that anytime a woman is discussing her hypothetical wedding with her son's girlfriend inevitably the discussion will turn to the son's hypothetical wedding.
My technique for dealing with that is to steer the conversation towards Game of Thrones.
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streets ahead
Pierce?
You got that from the ordinary expression "streets ahead"?
I have never heard the expression "streets ahead" outside of your use of it here.
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streets ahead
Pierce?
You got that from the ordinary expression "streets ahead"?
I have never heard the expression "streets ahead" outside of your use of it here.
The OED marks it as specifically British.
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OK, now I want to see Jeph do one of those "Claire picks a dress" multi-panel comics where she's comparing matrimonial corsets.
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streets ahead
Pierce?
You got that from the ordinary expression "streets ahead"?
I have never heard the expression "streets ahead" outside of your use of it here.
Then you're streets behind. It would seem to me that anytime a woman is discussing her hypothetical wedding with her son's girlfriend inevitably the discussion will turn to the son's hypothetical wedding.
My technique for dealing with that is to steer the conversation towards Game of Thrones.
I should point out that the wedding you're referring to is her brother's wedding, not her son's.
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streets ahead
Pierce?
We Polked 'em in '44, we'll Pierce 'em in '52?
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I was unaware it was a British term at all. That... actually fits perfectly with the character who 'invented' it.
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Veronica's boots. Specifically, the curled up pointy toes.
Elven Goth?
It just grabbed my eye, that's all. Move along. Nothing to see say here!
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Meanwhile, Hannelore is wondering how that coffee mug ended up in her apartment.
Considering the same thing happened to Faye and Angus at one point, I'm going to assume there's something quantum going on between those two apartments.
Perhaps Hannelore and Raven set it up. Knowing Raven, it's probably part of the refrigerator.
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And as the supreme fabulous one, I decree that "Goth Bride" be made a real magazine.
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It would seem to me that anytime a woman is discussing her hypothetical wedding with her son's girlfriend inevitably the discussion will turn to the son's hypothetical wedding.
My technique for dealing with that is to steer the conversation towards Game of Thrones.
♪ It's a nice day for a red wedding... ♪
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It would seem to me that anytime a woman is discussing her hypothetical wedding with her son's girlfriend inevitably the discussion will turn to the son's hypothetical wedding.
My technique for dealing with that is to steer the conversation towards Game of Thrones.
♪ It's a nice day for a red wedding... ♪
WELL, that escalated quickly. I feel like jumping to murdering people from wedding talk is making The Mountain out of a molehill. Stark change of subject. Arya sure you wanna go there?
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No need to Hound us. Be Sansable. :claireface:
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No need to Hound us. Be Sansable. :claireface:
Oh, you're Jon-ing us with the punds now? Snow need to be accusing me of acting repetitive, you're just Robbing the world of more GoT-connected puns!
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It's a whole new world for Claire
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I love Faye's expression in panel one.
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I'm terribly sorry for accidentally starting that string of awful puns.
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"Accidentally"
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I'm terribly sorry for accidentally starting that string of awful puns.
Genuine remorse is the first step to rehabilitation.
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I'm terribly sorry for accidentally starting that string of awful puns.
Not your fault. Happens all the time here, and you never know what's going to set it off.
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I'm terribly sorry for accidentally starting that string of awful puns.
NEVER apologize for puns.
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Claire had never heard of a matrimonial corset? Bookish Claire? Access to Victorian Pornography Claire? Infinite Wardrobe Claire?
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I'm terribly sorry for accidentally starting that string of awful puns.
NEVER apologize for puns.
Some people believe that no-one should ever apologise for an awful pun, and I respect that.
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Claire had never heard of a matrimonial corset? Bookish Claire? Access to Victorian Pornography Claire? Infinite Wardrobe Claire?
Up until now, it was purely academic.
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Art note: Faye's new oval glasses make her facial expressions more accessible. The rectangular frames nearly always hid her eyebrows and turned just about every expression into a glower. When Jeph used to livestream his drawings, it always seemed to me Faye's expression changed and her face closed up as soon as J. added the specs. I wonder if that's why he gave her the style change.
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Was I the only one who thought after Faye's comment in the first panel that this would end up with her (Faye) moving in to Veronica's apartment?
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Still an open option...
Who else do we know that needs a place?
Bubbles? :psyduck:
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Still an open option...
Who else do we know that needs a place?
Bubbles? :psyduck:
I no longer care who else needs a place because this is the only option I want.
But also possibly Claire? We can pretty safely assume that she still lives at home; I seriously doubt Jeph would have moved her in off-screen. She's probably spending a lot of time at Marten and Faye's place, yes, but girl needs a place of her own! ...if she can afford it. It'll also give Marten the option of spending time with her out of Faye's way for...shenanigans. Though that might be a little weird for him to do in his mom's old apartment.
...especially if the big ol' whale phallus is still on the coffee table.
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They're making up all of those sites, aren't they? I mean, they don't even exist in-universe. The whole thing is just them teasing Veronica.
Understandably, she's leaving the 'children' to their games.
Who else do we know that needs a place?
Clinton, maybe?
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I'm not sure I want to know if those Sites exist or not.
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Still an open option...
Who else do we know that needs a place?
Bubbles? :psyduck:
Dora could shorten her commute.
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Well, if she wants to update her jokes, I recommend Titter - crappy jokes told in 140 characters or less. :claireface:
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New comic!
I laughed at the last line (and then wondered what her singing range is).
I would guesstimate Veronica as a contralto: a deep, slightly husky voice, though not deep enough or husky enough to be mistaken for a man. Faye, Claire, and Dora: probably altos, although Claire might be a low soprano. Hanners: a slightly squeaky soprano.
Marten I would guess as having a baritone singing voice, but sounding more like a tenor in his speaking voice - I've known mild-mannered men who sound like that. (In fact, I am one.) Steve probably croaks like a frog when he dares to sing anything, in what might be describable as a baritone-bass if one were feeling charitable. Marten's dad Henry, hmm... a passable whiskey tenor?
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Claire really ought to have known that Veronica was cracking wise, because she was doing that thing that all QC characters do when cracking wise, which is to point their index finger towards their chin and kind of cross their eyes. :clairedoge:
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Who else do we know that needs a place?
Clinton, maybe?
Possibly also Emily. First, I don't think it has been said how/where she lives and since the time-skip we haven't seen if she and Clinnn-tonnn continued dating or not after their talk in 2999 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2999)-3000 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3000).
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The last confirmed details we had were that Clinton was still living at the dorms and Emily with her parents. I could see Jeph deciding to use them as the protagonists when writing "The Odd Couple - The Nerd and the Cloud-Cuckoolander". As nice as Marten, Claire and Faye are as roomies, they've become somewhat predictable; Clinton and Emily's domesticity (whether or not there is a romantic angle) would be a new place for the strip to go. :wink:
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Anyone else have a "wait, when did Tai get there?" moment in panel four before realizing that it was Faye?
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"problematic"
"fragile masculinity"
can't tell if characters are becoming tumblr clichés or are mocking tumblr clichés.
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Pretty sure they're mocking them.
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Seems a bit risky for Jeph to quote random URLs that are neither real sites nor owned by him. I mean, before you can say goatse.cx, anyone could register them...
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twitter.com/jephjacques/status/700358997061275648
Ok people, I guess someone has to make the horses thread now.
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You can show the tweet, you know, like this:
[tweet]700358997061275648[/tweet]
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WHAT'S THIS BLACK MAGIC?
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It's that ol' style one
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powerdads.cool redirects to QC. I, as a dad, am sad it is not a real thing.
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"problematic"
"fragile masculinity"
can't tell if characters are becoming tumblr clichés or are mocking tumblr clichés.
Assume "mocking."
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Comic.
Methinks CORPSEWITCH has had some kind of influence on the way that Bubbles has been sequestering herself since returning to civilian life. Maybe I'm jumping the gun a little quick, but given that she hasn't shown any express dislike for humans in the past, this particular interaction leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
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Indeed. Manipulative as fuck, and this doesn't appear to be anything new. Bubbles seeing herself as deserving better? That seems to be new, and pretty much entirely thanks to Faye.
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The plot thickens!
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1. Yes, Bubbles is being manipulated, and I think she is smart enough to see that.
2. Does manipulative boss lady robot have a name? I don't recall seeing one.
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It seems the next drama in the strip will come from an unexpected direction.
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2. Does manipulative boss lady robot have a name? I don't recall seeing one.
CORPSEWITCH (Stylized without a space) as referenced in the title of this strip (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3007).
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Indeed, CORPSEWITCH is in fact, a manipulative, emotionally-abusive technically-mechanically-functional piece of garbage, as we've learned today. Perhaps I'm speaking too soon on calling her garbage, but absolutely not on the emotionally-abusive side of this. I think this outweighs most positive aspects she might have. I liked her until this, dammit.
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What a bongo.
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In the past, Faye has struck me as the consistently manipulative one (which made her match with uber-manipulator Angus an interesting one to watch). Now that we see Corpse Witch's skill at button-pushing (and it appears perhaps Bubbles is seeing it in a new light) -- I think conflict between the Pugnacious Peach and the Purple One, with Bubbles in the balance, provides much story potential.
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Hmmm I can almost see Bubbles renting Veronica's Apartment for some reason. I know farfetched as all hell but fun to think about. However I do see a change in Bubbles' perspective and her relationship with C.W.
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hmmmmm indeed Bubbles, hmmm indeed. I wonder now how much of that 'humans will react badly when they see me' came from CORPSEWITCH now. I'm sure she's had a few bad experiences by people just seeing her on the street, based on size alone. Look at what Elliot goes through. But definitely seeing some emotional/psychological manipulation here. Which makes me wonder how many other bots at the fighting arena are under the impression there's no life for them 'out there'. After all, CORPSEWITCH is probably the one who makes the most money out of this arena. It's in her best interest to have a steady stable of fighters and mechanic to keep them running. A little psycho-manipulation will do wonders in convincing people to stay in an abusive relationship....
Of course, if this is all true, and it comes out... Bubbles and Faye may well wind up walking out of there. Along with some of the fighters. And It's probably a bit to crowded in the apartment for a fifth person... Fortunately Faye happens to know of this really nice place that needs to be sublet... Of course it would mean she and Bubbles would need to find new work. Or maybe start their own business together? I wonder how much money Bubbles has put away? She might very well be getting a pension from her military service, depending on how she was discharged. Presumably she was paid by the arena, but she doesn't have a lot in the way of expenses... She currently seems to own one piece of clothing, didn't go out much if ever. Doesn't seem to have a book habit or anything like that. It's quite likely she has a nice sized nest egg she hasn't really had a reason to touch.
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2. Does manipulative boss lady robot have a name? I don't recall seeing one.
CORPSEWITCH (Stylized without a space) as referenced in the title of this strip (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3007).
I'm obviously missing something. There's a space in that title...
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Maybe I'm being a little TOO nice to CORPSE WITCH, but is there any chance that she legitimately believes what she's saying and isn't trying to manipulate Bubbles? She may be wrong, but that doesn't mean she's trying to be hurtful.
(Also, yay I finally decided to join the forum and now have another addiction I have to check every day. Stupid Jeph and his stupid good comics.)
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That is the "Hmm" of someone finally considering the possibility they're being gaslighted.
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Maybe I'm being a little TOO nice to CORPSE WITCH, but is there any chance that she legitimately believes what she's saying and isn't trying to manipulate Bubbles? She may be wrong, but that doesn't mean she's trying to be hurtful.
There is every chance.
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WoaLG raises a good point.
An emotionally damaged and cynical person might say things like what Corpse Witch is saying without malice.
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WoaLG raises a good point.
An emotionally damaged and cynical person might say things like what Corpse Witch is saying without malice.
Are you suggesting someone who organizes an illegal underground (rink?) fight club isn't entirely emotionally healthy?
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Why, are you suggesting that they couldn't possibly be?
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The big problem with trying to induce paranoia to control people is that it can just as easily end up directed at you!
FWIW, I'm not expecting any immediate fallout but it might start happening if Corpse Witch decides to double down when she realises her words aren't working. Things could actually get quite nasty. I wonder how Momo would react to the worst excesses of human history but with a synthetic face?
What am I expecting?
- Faye getting fired;
- Attempted daytime fire-bomb attack on CoD to try to create anti-AI sentiment and make Bubbles feel unwelcome.
I suspect that the second will backfire spectacularly because of the number of AIs who volunteer to help fix any damage. Further action may be stymied when most of the fighters walk out in protest at Faye's dismissal.
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Maybe I'm being a little TOO nice to CORPSE WITCH, but is there any chance that she legitimately believes what she's saying and isn't trying to manipulate Bubbles? She may be wrong, but that doesn't mean she's trying to be hurtful.
I'm with you on giving her benefit of the doubt. I could see her lines in Panel 4 being simply the words of a pessimist, helpfully reminding her that life is awful in a real attempt to avoid disappointment.
On the other hand, the 'manipulative' angle is so easy to push. It wouldn't be a first.
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It is also possible that she both believes what she said AND is being manipulative. The two are not mutually exclusive.
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Did anyone else here a generic villain theme play in there head during this page?
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It is also possible that she both believes what she said AND is being manipulative. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Very much, but using a "truth" in a manipulative way turns it into...well, not a lie exactly, but it changes the value of that "truth".
CORPSEWITCH may believe the Kool-Aid she is feeding Bubbles but she is still a fucker for feeding it in the first place.
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How do I see this ending? I see the fighters being the deciding factor. If Corpse Witch tries to strengthen her influence over Bubbles by firing Faye, she might find that a lot of her performers prefer the "nice welder lady" to her. I think that this arc may end up with Faye essentially in charge of the URFL with a very, very weirded-out Momo acting as her administrative assistant. Depending on how far Jeph wants to take it, Faye may even try to make the League legit and legal, which would practically be a spin-off story all of its own.
A bit of speculation on Corpse Witch's possible motives: We've all seen how strong and lethal Bubbles would be in a hand-to-hand fight. She'd be a star draw to the URFL and there's no doubt of that. I think that Corpse Witch has been trying to strengthen Bubbles anger, resentment and sense of isolation to make her willing to fight just to have something to take it out on. However, to date, she's failed to break through Bubbles' hatred of violence; Faye is disrupting this plan and this is why she may take further measures.
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A bit of speculation on Corpse Witch's possible motives: We've all seen how strong and lethal Bubbles would be in a hand-to-hand fight. She'd be a star draw to the URFL and there's no doubt of that. I think that Corpse Witch has been trying to strengthen Bubbles anger, resentment and sense of isolation to make her willing to fight just to have something to take it out on. However, to date, she's failed to break through Bubbles' hatred of violence; Faye is disrupting this plan and this is why she may take further measures.
I can't see that ending well for CORPSEWITCH, at all. Pretty sure that if Bubbles believes CW is fucking with her for her own good, CW might just as well be a piece of garbage since she would get compacted to a trashcan. I sincerely doubt that frame of CW's is stronger than a house, or Punchbot's, or Barry's (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3018). And Bubbles is clearly way ahead of the competition in terms of destruction force.
So yeah, if that were to happen and Bubbles got really, profoundly pissed, the following course of action would probably be complete termination of CW's chassis (as in "decomposed into its base chemical components"), then proceed to turn the AI core in to the authorities for running an illegal fighting ring, then start a(n illegal) fighting ring of their own in a different skate park, with the same people but better.
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So if Corpse Witch is as manipulative as this strip seems to suggest, what really was her deal in giving Faye a job?
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If their entire mechanics body was Bubbles and she wanted Bubbles to fight, even if I doubt that anyone in that ring can give her a scratch, you need somebody to fix Bubbles, preferrably someone who wouldn't enter a fight. Then a carbon-based life form entered looking for a welding job without having to do any type of advertising (shady or not). It was basically something that fit within her scheme nicely.
What didn't fit within her scheme so nicely is Faye being interested in bringing the best out of Bubbles, which is something CW probably didn't expect.
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So if Corpse Witch is as manipulative as this strip seems to suggest, what really was her deal in giving Faye a job?
I imagine that, if Corpse Witch has a natural talent, it is in identifying the unstable and/or desperate. In hiring Faye, she hired a competent metal-worker who was desperate enough to go into the black economy and therefore unlikely to pester her with demands for holidays, health care and the like.
Last week, someone posted at least twice that they wondered if Jeph is setting the game board for the cast to confront an external threat. It is possible that Corpse Witch and her exploitative ways may be it.
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Corpsewitch is't deliberately evil, but to my mind she's damaged. Yes, she can identify desperate and unstable people, but also she wants to surround herself by such people to make her feel better about herself. Today's cartoon shows Bubbles demonstrating some genuine inner strength and happiness, and Corpsewitch is terrified that her own mask as the benevolent mother-figure is going to break and reveal her insecurity. As she responds to that threat, the artificial sweetness starts turning creepy. She looks scared to me.
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So if Corpse Witch is as manipulative as this strip seems to suggest, what really was her deal in giving Faye a job?
I imagine that, if Corpse Witch has a natural talent, it is in identifying the unstable and/or desperate. In hiring Faye, she hired a competent metal-worker who was desperate enough to go into the black economy and therefore unlikely to pester her with demands for holidays, health care and the like.
Last week, someone posted at least twice that they wondered if Jeph is setting the game board for the cast to confront an external threat. It is possible that Corpse Witch and her exploitative ways may be it.
Then again, do never mess with Momo-sama.
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God-damn.
This is not a page to check out when drunk in a train back home. After a farewell party for a friend.
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Did anyone else here a generic villain theme play in there head during this page?
No, I didn't hear a generic villian theme play, I heard Corpse Witch break into song, "Moooother knows best!"
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God-damn.
This is not a page to check out when drunk in a train back home. After a farewell party for a friend.
There are very few that are.
I recommend kittens, or perhaps puppies. Nothing too emotionally taxing.
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I wonder if Corpse Witch has considered the implications of making a top-of-the-line combat droid like Bubbles EXTREMELY angry.
Especially when Bubbles has been keeping herself under strict control for so very long. Discovering or realizing that someone has been deliberately making your life nasty for their personal gain can be ... cathartic? Yes, cathartic is a good word.
And honestly, Corpse Witch is wearing a chassis that looks quite fragile.
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Hmmmm.
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Corpse Witch is everyone's passive aggressive mother.
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Methinks we've found the Lady Macbeth of the comic.
Or at least Iago.
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Lady MacBeth was far more direct in her manipulation. She wasn't subtle at all.
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Hence the Iago.
More subtle and more subversive.
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Come on CORPSE WITCH, don't be that kind of person. Just don't. It disgusts me, in the truest sense of the word.
I used to be that kind of person. I wish I hadn't.
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Hence the Iago.
One of my school textbooks defined Iago as "one of the few Shakespearean characters who can be justifiably defined as 'evil'." I'll always remember that turn of phrase.
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There's another way this could break.
Suppose Corpse Witch is emotionally abusing Bubbles.
If that comes to her attention, it will outrage the Pugnacious Peach. Corpse Witch would be well advised not to get on her bad side.
Remember how Faye has reacted to people hurting her friends.
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So if Corpse Witch is as manipulative as this strip seems to suggest, what really was her deal in giving Faye a job?
I think the deal is that she really needs the hired hands. It's hard to find good help these days, and that goes at least double at underground robot fighting venues.
On a second reading of the comic, I get the impression from her behaviour that she wants to make sure that Bubbles isn't tempted to leave. That her strong desire for Bubbles to stay put is driving every word of that conversation.
Corpse Witch is everyone's passive aggressive mother.
Possibly apt, in that case?
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One can definitely see the wheels turning in Bubbles brain
It's going to be interesting to see where this goes
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Methinks we've found the Lady Macbeth of the comic.
Or at least Iago.
Or Bobby Boucher's mother.
FOOSBALL'S THE DEVIL
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One can definitely see the wheels turning in Bubbles brain
Actually, I think it's probably safe to assume that her brain is solid-state. A separate cooling impeller from the rest of her chassis may service her CPU, though.
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Come on CORPSE WITCH, don't be that kind of person. Just don't. It disgusts me, in the truest sense of the word.
I used to be that kind of person. I wish I hadn't.
[Sympathy through light Internet contact?]
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Which raises an interesting question: What part of a synthetic person is analogous to an organic person's brain?
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Corpsewitch just joined Ruth "Ruthless" Lessig from DoA as characters I will now hate with a burning passion, no matter how sympathetic they may become in the future.
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Which raises an interesting question: What part of a synthetic person is analogous to an organic person's brain?
I was thinking, especially since processors, storage, and RAM have all been mentioned before in comic WRT AnthroPCs, a desktop tower is a good analogue. The display and speakers allow it to communicate in meat-space, whilst network connexions allow it to communicate online. Cameras and microphones would provide "sensory" data, as do input devices. The brain in a box itself would be the tower, and inside components like CPU, RAM, and storage, unconnected to anything else. Assuming the box is plugged in, it would be in a pretty horrible "And I Must Scream" situation, were it sentient.
I suspect that robot prison in the QC verse basically has these poor AIs sitting in a data centre, with LAN connectivity but no unsupervised WAN access. I can see why May thought it so hellish (aside it from just being prison, it's probably worse for AIs).
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Which raises an interesting question: What part of a synthetic person is analogous to an organic person's brain?
I think this was addressed in comic no. 3008:
"Triple-reinforced AI drives. You could run them over with a tank and they'd be unharmed. Our combatants may sustain significant chassis damage, as you've seen, but their drives, their core selves, are never in any danger."
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3008
(CORPSE WITCH is holding up an example of the hardware in question, and it appears to be about the size of a soda can.) The implication is that everything other than the "AI drive" is the "chassis" and can be replaced without changing the "core self". The processor does not appear to be considered part of the "core self". Perhaps compatibility is so finicky that the processor must be 100% compatible, no BS, I mean it, really 100% compatible right down to the designers initials that they worked into the chip as a joke, or the AI won't run at all?
All this applies only to the "robot" style AI's that inhabit a single body and function like one person in one place at a time. Momo mentioned once (I think it was to Emily) that the really intelligent AI's run a human-like personality as only one of many tasks that they have going on simultaneously. I assume that "Station" is an example of one of these. Since "Station" was Hannelore's childhood friend, this implies that the really intelligent distributed AI's have been around for more than a decade.
I suspect that the Anthro-PC's are a distraction invented by the more powerful AI's so that the bulk of the human race will associate "artificial intelligence" with quirky ineffectual beings like Pintsize, May, and Punchbot and not think about the real AI's that run their world.
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So it stands to reason that those AI drives roll processor, storage, and RAM all into one handy device, since even lacking one of those things would make a computer inoperable, let alone an artificial person.
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Well, assuming a physicalist/monist position I'd say that these AI drives are only that: drives. Hard disks/SSDs, which are used as long term memory. Because in my opinion that is the basically only thing defining a person's personality. It requires a "compatible brain" to function, but the memories are what makes the "core self". However with unified instruction sets finding a "compatible brain" for a memory backup should be far easier for AI. So I'd guess that these AI drives are only memories, but the "brain" of an AI is the combination of memory and CPU. Probably still a typical Von Neumann architecture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_architecture).
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The "self" is more than just memories. It is an emergent property of various interacting processes. In humans this includes neurotransmitter levels, the endocrine system, the nervous system, and other electrochemical reactions and systems. The self is not a "thing" it is a process, a continually fluctuating state. Change any of those processes and you change the personality.
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@mountevans,
Welcome, thoughtful new person!
They're post-Singularity, so you're right to describe the big AIs as running the world.
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Well, assuming a physicalist/monist position I'd say that these AI drives are only that: drives. Hard disks/SSDs, which are used as long term memory. Because in my opinion that is the basically only thing defining a person's personality. It requires a "compatible brain" to function, but the memories are what makes the "core self". However with unified instruction sets finding a "compatible brain" for a memory backup should be far easier for AI. So I'd guess that these AI drives are only memories, but the "brain" of an AI is the combination of memory and CPU. Probably still a typical Von Neumann architecture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_architecture).
The 'self' may, in large part, be the contents of the hard drive, but without the processor to interpret those files and the RAM to be able to execute the function, you're still just left with the storage part of the brain, when other areas are just as important for it to fully function.
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New comic!
I laughed at the last line (and then wondered what her singing range is).
I would guesstimate Veronica as a contralto: a deep, slightly husky voice, though not deep enough or husky enough to be mistaken for a man. Faye, Claire, and Dora: probably altos, although Claire might be a low soprano. Hanners: a slightly squeaky soprano.
Marten I would guess as having a baritone singing voice, but sounding more like a tenor in his speaking voice - I've known mild-mannered men who sound like that. (In fact, I am one.) Steve probably croaks like a frog when he dares to sing anything, in what might be describable as a baritone-bass if one were feeling charitable. Marten's dad Henry, hmm... a passable whiskey tenor?
Pintsize would be like the very deep bass voice at the end of "So You Wanna Be a Boxer?" from Bugsy Malone.
Let me have him Jooooooooooooooooe.
:clairedoge: