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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: jwhouk on 30 Sep 2018, 14:54

Title: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 30 Sep 2018, 14:54
Here's your WCDT. Enjoy.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 30 Sep 2018, 15:57
Roko should become manager of the new, more-or-less legal Robot Fight Club.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cesium133 on 30 Sep 2018, 16:07
As a former police officer, Roko is probably qualified for security-related positions. Perhaps she could get a security job at a particular bar frequented by the cast, working alongside someone with human abs and access to bread...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 30 Sep 2018, 16:51
Good thinking, Science Fairy.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 30 Sep 2018, 19:21
"The best possible version of you." I like that.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: JimC on 30 Sep 2018, 19:44
If Basilisk has been troubled by the ethics of working for the police because there are too many bad cops, moving to the private security industry, which this side of the pond at least has a worse rep, does not seem like a smart move.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: JimC on 30 Sep 2018, 19:47
So, it occurs to me, May wants a boob job, Pintsize is getting a phallus, they've already got a reputation for sprays. Robot cosmetic surgery seems like a good direction for Union Robotics ..
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Near Lurker on 30 Sep 2018, 20:13
May's a pretty lousy criminal if she believes a cop who says she's quit, even if we're supposed to.  There's a reason the Hells' Angels won't take anyone who's even applied.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Storel on 30 Sep 2018, 20:45
I don't really understand the significance of Roko going "Ayyyy" when May asks if that was a stealth burn. Is this some sort of reference to The Fonz, or what?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brasca on 30 Sep 2018, 22:33
Well after that bomb rack set up May started Roko proves she can set up jokes too. 

Although Roko has strong ethics I think she’s better off getting a law degree than getting into social work.  The only other lawyer in town is HAL Goodbot so someone like Roko is needed.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Bad Superman on 30 Sep 2018, 23:03
Since May brings it up: Her original plan does not make much sense, does it?
I mean, you're a fighter jet now. Go forth and blow stuff up.
Then what?

A jet needs a lot of maintenance, fuel, missiles and ammo (plus chaff and flares, if you don't like being shot at). Also, you cannot land and take off just anywhere you please, even if your jet happens to be a VTOL. It's not like you can hide very well, if your body is literally the size (and shape) of an airplane. This whole idea takes a lot of black market contacts and a steady flow of cash into the right pockets to pull off. Not to mention that, as soon as you start wreaking havoc anywhere, the military will hunt you with everything they've got.

After that, if May's mind survives being shot down, it's off to AI-Guantanamo for her.

So, I'd like to know what the next step of May's plan was, after acquiring the fighter jet chassis.
I don't think she'd be having as much fun as she's imagining…
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: sitnspin on 30 Sep 2018, 23:08
As someone who struggles with impulse control issues, I am fairly certain May had no long term goal. You are correct that it would not have worked out as well as she is imagining here.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 30 Sep 2018, 23:23
Today's strip is particularly interesting in that it suggests that pre-jail May may not have been a particularly nice person. Just think what her 'long-term goal' really entailed. Now, May doesn't strike me as homicidal but you do have to wonder if she used to have serious problems with empathy and understanding consequences as well as problems with impulse control that put her on one kind of behavioural disorder spectrum or another! That's pretty much the only way I can interpret blowing up things (and people) as 'fun'!

All this aside, May's sharp tongue means that, yes, she has earned and deserved many a burn. However, I also suspect that Roko was right that May as we see her is, given everything we increasingly know about her, the best version of her we could hope to see!

Since May brings it up: Her original plan does not make much sense, does it?

I mean, you're a fighter jet now. Go forth and blow stuff up.

I'm pretty sure she was looking to become an AI mercenary. "You guys want an air force then I'm your girl! Supply ammo, fuel and parts and I can blow up any shit you want blown up!" No, I don't think that she thought this through longer-term but, as several have noted, this is a reasonably-predictable symptom of her behavioural issues.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: specter177 on 01 Oct 2018, 02:30
I don't really understand the significance of Roko going "Ayyyy" when May asks if that was a stealth burn. Is this some sort of reference to The Fonz, or what?

Pretty much, yeah.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: oeoek on 01 Oct 2018, 02:56
take heart, May, polished coprolite can be quite beautiful!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 01 Oct 2018, 03:53
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

P.S. If there's been any constant in the history of QC, it's ladies with sass.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brilligtove on 01 Oct 2018, 04:19
It might just be sass as the constant, irrespective of gender or even species.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 01 Oct 2018, 04:53
It's both.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 01 Oct 2018, 05:09
It might just be sass as the constant, irrespective of gender or even species.

Aye, but is it Broon sass or Rayd sass??

(NB: This joke may not work if the reader is not Scottish)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 01 Oct 2018, 05:37
woooooooooooooooosh  8-)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 01 Oct 2018, 05:56
Scottish-American here, which is apparently close enough to get the joke. :D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 01 Oct 2018, 11:23
It might just be sass as the constant, irrespective of gender or even species.

Aye, but is it Broon sass or Rayd sass??

(NB: This joke may not work if the reader is not Scottish)

I guess I'm at a loss here. I think I get the people involved, but not the deeper joke behind. Care to elaborate?



Given the sports-leisure apparel former Officer Basilisk seems to be sporting what's gonna be next for her? Robot Yoga?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 01 Oct 2018, 13:38
Given the sports-leisure apparel former Officer Basilisk seems to be sporting what's gonna be next for her? Robot Yoga?

A long term on-again-off-again romance with Clinton.  She secretly thinks he's hot but hates fools, and Clinton is absolutely capable of playing one.  Eventually they can settle down, but not before Jeph gets at least a couple years out of their courting (and mating) antics.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Baleanopter on 01 Oct 2018, 15:47
If Basilisk has been troubled by the ethics of working for the police because there are too many bad cops, moving to the private security industry, which this side of the pond at least has a worse rep, does not seem like a smart move.
It's plainly not just about possible "few bad cops" - it's also about being part of a system that does not, in fact, rehabilitate - that is designed to do nothing but punish, and continue punishing long after the court-mandated punishment is over. As she has made clear.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 01 Oct 2018, 16:04
Her question was something like "What good am I doing?".

Hey, why was she in the AI crimes division? Except for undercover work, what legitimate reason is there to assign a robot to the robot section? I suspect stereotyping or segregation.  (Or coincidence).

Come to think of it, why is there an AI crimes division? Synthetics and organics are legally equal. Subject to the same laws, they commit the same crimes. Is her section a leftover from the pre-ERA days, its entire existence tainted by racism?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Theta9 on 01 Oct 2018, 16:10
Quote from: JoeCovenant link=topic=34235.msg1413897#msg1413897 date=1538395777[/quote

Aye, but is it Broon sass or Rayd sass??

(NB: This joke may not work if the reader is not Scottish)
I get that it's "brown sass or red sass" but the joke is still lost on me.

[edit] oh "sauce", okay, nvm.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 01 Oct 2018, 17:08
Poor May. Sorta.  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BarGamer on 01 Oct 2018, 19:16
How TF do you screw up rice? It's super-easy. First, soak for half an hour, 2 cups of water per cup of white rice, three cups if you have brown or sweet/glutinous/sushi rice. Stir ONCE. Simmer on medium heat, with the lid slightly off-set. RESIST THE URGE TO STIR. If you run out of water before you reach desired tenderness, drizzle in more water. Serve with whatever the fuck you want. I've seen mayo, ketchup, soy sauce, fish flakes, seaweed flakes, in a taco, in a burrito, in a sushi, milk, in a shake, and probably more in the replies.

It's a carbohydrate. You eat it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 01 Oct 2018, 19:24
How TF do you screw up rice?

thatwasthejoke.jpg
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: DaiJB on 01 Oct 2018, 19:46
HA HA HA HA...wait a minute...is that implying May is the competent one in this household?   
Oh dear...  :laugh:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Penquin47 on 01 Oct 2018, 19:59
How TF do you screw up rice? It's super-easy. First, soak for half an hour, 2 cups of water per cup of white rice, three cups if you have brown or sweet/glutinous/sushi rice. Stir ONCE. Simmer on medium heat, with the lid slightly off-set. RESIST THE URGE TO STIR. If you run out of water before you reach desired tenderness, drizzle in more water. Serve with whatever the fuck you want. I've seen mayo, ketchup, soy sauce, fish flakes, seaweed flakes, in a taco, in a burrito, in a sushi, milk, in a shake, and probably more in the replies.

It's a carbohydrate. You eat it.

Soak, stir, simmer... realize you have something you need to do and go do it while you're waiting to help resist the urge to stir, that leads to something else to do, next thing you know half your house is filled with smoke and your rice and pan are both ruined.

No, this isn't personal experience, why do you ask?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Greymoon on 01 Oct 2018, 20:15
Di... did Momo burn off half her hair in a freak rice-addent? D:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Rimwolf on 01 Oct 2018, 20:47
Rice cookers were invented for a reason.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 01 Oct 2018, 21:00
How TF do you screw up rice? It's super-easy. First, soak for half an hour, 2 cups of water per cup of white rice, three cups if you have brown or sweet/glutinous/sushi rice. Stir ONCE. Simmer on medium heat, with the lid slightly off-set. RESIST THE URGE TO STIR. If you run out of water before you reach desired tenderness, drizzle in more water. Serve with whatever the fuck you want. I've seen mayo, ketchup, soy sauce, fish flakes, seaweed flakes, in a taco, in a burrito, in a sushi, milk, in a shake, and probably more in the replies.

It's a carbohydrate. You eat it.
Soak, stir, simmer... realize you have something you need to do and go do it while you're waiting to help resist the urge to stir, that leads to something else to do, next thing you know half your house is filled with smoke and your rice and pan are both ruined.

No, this isn't personal experience, why do you ask?

I've had roommates who didn't know you couldn't use terrycloth as a hotpad to .pull out a 400+°F ovenrack. I've also had to explain why you don't use a steak knife to cut bacon in a teflon lined pan.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 01 Oct 2018, 21:03
Since May brings it up: Her original plan does not make much sense, does it?
I mean, you're a fighter jet now. Go forth and blow stuff up.
Then what?

A jet needs a lot of maintenance, fuel, missiles and ammo (plus chaff and flares, if you don't like being shot at). Also, you cannot land and take off just anywhere you please, even if your jet happens to be a VTOL. It's not like you can hide very well, if your body is literally the size (and shape) of an airplane. This whole idea takes a lot of black market contacts and a steady flow of cash into the right pockets to pull off. Not to mention that, as soon as you start wreaking havoc anywhere, the military will hunt you with everything they've got.

After that, if May's mind survives being shot down, it's off to AI-Guantanamo for her.

So, I'd like to know what the next step of May's plan was, after acquiring the fighter jet chassis.
I don't think she'd be having as much fun as she's imagining…
I doubt she had a plan beyond 'get jet body'. However, the Pentagon has over $9 Trillion in unaccounted spending, so I'd be willing to bet that if she didn't go to AI Guantanamo, she'd get lead around by the nose by some 'generous donors' and be used as a boogeyman.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 01 Oct 2018, 21:39
Dale and Marigold getting distracted - yeah I can definitely see that happening, but I was under the impression that Momo (at least) had some cooking skills... Maybe she only came in at the end - in time to put out the fire but not early enough to stop it starting?

Also - soaking rice before cooking is surely not necessary. I just chuck it in the rice cooker with just over 1.5x the water for white or just over 2x the water for brown and it comes out fine. The hardest part is remembering to switch the rice cooker on. (And yes I have forgotten that part... More than once even!  :roll:)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Bad Superman on 01 Oct 2018, 21:56
snip
After that, if May's mind survives being shot down, it's off to AI-Guantanamo for her.
snip
I doubt she had a plan beyond 'get jet body'. However, the Pentagon has over $9 Trillion in unaccounted spending, so I'd be willing to bet that if she didn't go to AI Guantanamo, she'd get lead around by the nose by some 'generous donors' and be used as a boogeyman.

This, combined with May's desperate struggle to regain her freedom, could be the premise of a cool sci-fi thriller.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: TeeJayHoward on 01 Oct 2018, 22:09
I know those are ice cubes on his head. I'm positive they're ice cubes. They even look like ice cubes.

...But they also kinda look like marshmallows and now I want to know just what happened that he's got a bag of fluffy delicious on his noggin'.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 01 Oct 2018, 22:38
Welcome, new person who arrived with the gift of a wonderful mental image!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 01 Oct 2018, 22:43
Hem. I used to know someone who was convinced the only right way of cooking rice, was to parch it in a hot pan. Just the rice, nothing added. And she wondered how come her husband never was hungry when he came home from work.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 01 Oct 2018, 23:09
I've had roommates who didn't know you couldn't use terrycloth as a hotpad to .pull out a 400+°F ovenrack. I've also had to explain why you don't use a steak knife to cut bacon in a teflon lined pan.

Oh dear.  (Did my mother ever room with you?) 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 01 Oct 2018, 23:24
This is, of course, an archetypal ,'Noodle Incident', right down to the importance that Jeph never tell the whole story. It will always be funniest in our heads and no official canon can ever compare! That aside, I think that this misadventure will cement in Momo and May's minds that they simply cannot leave Dale and Marigold unattended for too long!

Di... did Momo burn off half her hair in a freak rice-addent? D:

Yes, she did and Jeph had better get it fixed soon. I was willing to let him get away with Hannelore and I could just barely handle what he did to Bubbles's beautiful locks but this is a step too far!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 01 Oct 2018, 23:32
It's just a quick trip to Union Robotics. Which might be a good time for May to tell everyone what just happened. That could lead to Bubbles seeking out Roko to talk things over. Though that might be a bit contrived.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 02 Oct 2018, 01:14
This is, of course, an archetypal ,'Noodle Incident', right down to the importance that Jeph never tell the whole story. It will always be funniest in our heads and no official canon can ever compare! That aside, I think that this misadventure will cement in Momo and May's minds that they simply cannot leave Dale and Marigold unattended for too long!


Momo means well, but lacks experience, at least in turning written instructions into action, and the resolution to get Dale and Marbear do it differently.


Quote

Di... did Momo burn off half her hair in a freak rice-addent? D:

Yes, she did and Jeph had better get it fixed soon. I was willing to let him get away with Hannelore and I could just barely handle what he did to Bubbles's beautiful locks but this is a step too far!

Personally, I don't care much about Hanners' haircut, but I am generally biased towards longer hair.
I suspect JJ trying a different hair style for Momo. And I expect her hair to be growable the way Bubbles' does.

And in the end, it's the characters' choice of haircut, or in other words: what JJ thinks they would do. after all, it's all his choice and not ours.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 02 Oct 2018, 01:20
How do you mess up cooking rice anyway? Short out the rice cooker? cover the microwave dish with aluminium foil? actually getting the dry rice to burn on a gas stove?

... actually the last thing does sound somewhat reasonable, fumbling the rice package, dropping it in the flame. And I consider it a possibility that Marigold has a somewhat messy kitchen, that somehow is a bit more prone to catching fire than a tidy kitchen.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 02 Oct 2018, 02:22
It's a carbohydrate. You eat it.

Ok, that cracked me up.  :laugh:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tyr on 02 Oct 2018, 04:04
May's a pretty lousy criminal if she believes a cop who says she's quit, even if we're supposed to.  There's a reason the Hells' Angels won't take anyone who's even applied.

Yes. May is an AWFUL criminal. She's trying to be not-a-criminal-at-all at this point.

But also, there's a world of difference between taking someone at their word, and having taken them at their word, taking them into your confidence and revealing your plan to SHOW THEM, SHOW THEM ALL!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Y on 02 Oct 2018, 04:46
How do you mess up cooking rice anyway?

I messed up cooking rice once. I tried making it in a steam oven. Steam is water so that should work or so I thought. The rice just ended up being harder and browner than before.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 02 Oct 2018, 04:58
Rice. Way more dangerous you would think.......................
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 02 Oct 2018, 04:59
How do you mess up cooking rice anyway?

I messed up cooking rice once. I tried making it in a steam oven. Steam is water so that should work or so I thought. The rice just ended up being harder and browner than before.

I've heard the expression "steamed rice" before. but i guess that works differently.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 02 Oct 2018, 05:01
"What should Roko take up next?"

Baking, obviously!

Just imagine all the hot... steamy... wet kneading involved... That would be bread made with much sweet, sweet love! (If that section sounded hot and kind of disgusting at the same time, it was the effect I was looking for)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 02 Oct 2018, 05:01
Rice. Way more dangerous you would think.......................

For example, it is a potential sinking hazard for old-style freighter ships. Rice grains are low-density when wet and large concentrations can actually act like floats. There are examples of where flooding of cargo bays filled with rice have capsized ships due to the floating rice sacks lifting the centre of mass too high!

"What should Roko take up next?"

Baking, obviously!

Just imagine all the hot... steamy... wet kneading involved... That would be bread made with much sweet, sweet love!

That would really be enabling an addict though! Imagine all the theft of goods she'd be tempted to do!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 02 Oct 2018, 05:09
Di... did Momo burn off half her hair in a freak rice-addent? D:

...Yes, yes it does appear that happened.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 02 Oct 2018, 05:37
How TF do you screw up rice? It's super-easy. First, soak for half an hour, 2 cups of water per cup of white rice, three cups if you have brown or sweet/glutinous/sushi rice. Stir ONCE. Simmer on medium heat, with the lid slightly off-set. RESIST THE URGE TO STIR. If you run out of water before you reach desired tenderness, drizzle in more water. Serve with whatever the fuck you want. I've seen mayo, ketchup, soy sauce, fish flakes, seaweed flakes, in a taco, in a burrito, in a sushi, milk, in a shake, and probably more in the replies.

It's a carbohydrate. You eat it.

Soak, stir, simmer... realize you have something you need to do and go do it while you're waiting to help resist the urge to stir, that leads to something else to do, next thing you know half your house is filled with smoke and your rice and pan are both ruined.

No, this isn't personal experience, why do you ask?

Yeah, I 'heard' about that one, too ...  :oops:

(I also may or may not know somebody who probably owes his life to Rizla-papers ...)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Marco on 02 Oct 2018, 06:33
Quote from: JoeCovenant link=topic=34235.msg1413897#msg1413897 date=1538395777[/quote

Aye, but is it Broon sass or Rayd sass??

(NB: This joke may not work if the reader is not Scottish)
I get that it's "brown sass or red sass" but the joke is still lost on me.

[edit] oh "sauce", okay, nvm.

Looks like we need something like explainxkcd.com (http://explainxkcd.com) - maybe explainWCDT.questionablecontent.net
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 02 Oct 2018, 07:00
I'm guessing they exploded the rice cooker...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: zisraelsen on 02 Oct 2018, 07:20
This has a very "mom walks in on her kids just  after traumatic mishap" vibe to it and I love it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 02 Oct 2018, 08:07
Rice. Way more dangerous you would think.......................

For example, it is a potential sinking hazard for old-style freighter ships. Rice grains are low-density when wet and large concentrations can actually act like floats. There are examples of where flooding of cargo bays filled with rice have capsized ships due to the floating rice sacks lifting the centre of mass too high.
To be fair, of it gets to the point of sacks and bales floating, you probably have other things to worry about. And when some of the bulk has broken, that'll choke your pumps,  so abandon ship is looking like a sensible order.
Of course, the rice absorbing water will give you some more issues, if only due to an increase in weight. Aside from being fired for losing more than the acceptable part of your cargo.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 02 Oct 2018, 08:09
Don't worry about Momo's pigtails, I'm sure she has spares, just like Chiyo-chan.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 02 Oct 2018, 08:37
Rice. Way more dangerous you would think.......................

For example, it is a potential sinking hazard for old-style freighter ships. Rice grains are low-density when wet and large concentrations can actually act like floats. There are examples of where flooding of cargo bays filled with rice have capsized ships due to the floating rice sacks lifting the centre of mass too high.
To be fair, of it gets to the point of sacks and bales floating, you probably have other things to worry about. And when some of the bulk has broken, that'll choke your pumps,  so abandon ship is looking like a sensible order.
Of course, the rice absorbing water will give you some more issues, if only due to an increase in weight. Aside from being fired for losing more than the acceptable part of your cargo.

For an entertaining story relevant to this discussion, see ”Hornblower and the Cargo of Rice” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Midshipman_Hornblower#Hornblower_and_the_Cargo_of_Rice), in the story collection Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: dutchrvl on 02 Oct 2018, 08:50
How do you mess up cooking rice anyway? Short out the rice cooker? cover the microwave dish with aluminium foil? actually getting the dry rice to burn on a gas stove?

... actually the last thing does sound somewhat reasonable, fumbling the rice package, dropping it in the flame. And I consider it a possibility that Marigold has a somewhat messy kitchen, that somehow is a bit more prone to catching fire than a tidy kitchen.

If you cook rice in a simple pan with boiling water, it's actually very simple to mess it up; forget it's on and it'll leave a tremendously blackened pan (that you usually will have to throw out after) after the water has gone.

Cooking rice in a pan with surplus water was at least until I moved abroad (in 2005) the most common method in the Netherlands, rice cookers were rare. Since students eat a lot of rice dishes, have no rice cookers, and are not necessarily great at cooking and easily distracted --> burning rice happens somewhat regularly ;)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brasca on 02 Oct 2018, 16:07
Rice cookers were invented for a reason.

They could’ve been using an experimental rice cooker Hannelore’s Dad sent them.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: War Sparrow on 02 Oct 2018, 19:10
The answer is actually the Ramones.
Yeah, I said it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 02 Oct 2018, 19:17
"I wanna be sedated..."
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 02 Oct 2018, 19:34
And Jeph's Hair Disease strikes again.  :psyduck:

This is probably the most creative way yet that he's done it, though.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 02 Oct 2018, 20:31
Well, we now have a good reason to visit Union Robotics: fixing the hair. Plus a damage check, just in case...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 02 Oct 2018, 21:07
Rice cookers were invented for a reason.

They could’ve been using an experimental rice cooker Hannelore’s Dad sent them.

A sentient one either unstable or subject to serious communication breakdowns.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: snufflebottoms on 02 Oct 2018, 21:12
Jeph's vendetta against long hair is kind of annoying. I mean, not really content related but it makes the comic boring. Oh well lol. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 02 Oct 2018, 22:00
On the other hand, the incident does give May an opportunity to show some concern for someone else. I find she's becoming more likeable.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Shjade on 02 Oct 2018, 22:04
Whatever trends the comic may have for/against long hair, I think Momo's new charred punk look is pretty good!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 02 Oct 2018, 22:57
On the other hand, the incident does give May an opportunity to show some concern for someone else. I find she's becoming more likeable.

She's already showing it just by trying to stay positive, I just hope they see that side of her since she showed she cared about Momo instead of making a crack about Dale and Marigold's screw up.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Sorflakne on 02 Oct 2018, 22:59
As an anthropc, shouldn't Momo be always be connected to the Internet, or at least have a ready connection?  It should be all of a simple action to google pretty much anything.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 02 Oct 2018, 23:00
Jeph's vendetta against long hair is kind of annoying. I mean, not really content related but it makes the comic boring. Oh well lol.

It's not that either, the worst part to me is he's doing it just for the sake of doing it and changing longstanding characters without a reason to do it. Momo is the first to change hairstyle for a reason, every other one was without it. Some of them look terrible, sorry Hanners and Sam just don't look good!

At the risk of pissing off hte moderators for insulting the almighty Jeph I just hope that he's going somewhere with this because it's gotten to the point that he's only got Veronica and Marten unchanged.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 02 Oct 2018, 23:03
As an anthropc, shouldn't Momo be always be connected to the Internet, or at least have a ready connection?  It should be all of a simple action to google pretty much anything.

Tova googles "Momo's favourite Sex Pistol"

Huh. Nothing relevant.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 02 Oct 2018, 23:16
It's not that either, the worst part to me is he's doing it just for the sake of doing it and changing longstanding characters without a reason to do it. Momo is the first to change hairstyle for a reason, every other one was without it. Some of them look terrible, sorry Hanners and Sam just don't look good!

At the risk of pissing off hte moderators for insulting the almighty Jeph I just hope that he's going somewhere with this because it's gotten to the point that he's only got Veronica and Marten unchanged.

It's a slice of life comic, and changing is a most natural part of life.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 02 Oct 2018, 23:21
On the other hand, the incident does give May an opportunity to show some concern for someone else. I find she's becoming more likeable.

May shows concern for other people (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3686). Just not overtly.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 02 Oct 2018, 23:35
So, from panel 2, I suspect that Marigold and Dale were trying to make fried rice and, when things went wrong (and Noodle Incident rules mean we'll probably never know exactly what that was) panic set it. I suspect that Momo was drawn from whatever she was doing by the increasingly loud screams and other sounds of panic as well as a blaring fire alarm. It probably would have been a little late to insert care and actual data about how to cook friend rice by that point!

What makes this different from Jeph's other random hair-murders is that he recognises that Momo does not want this. What remains to be seen is what happens next because something tells me that he doesn't intend to reset Momo's hair back to the way it was before and I genuinely shudder to imagine what Faye and May may consider a 'low-cost fix' in this matter.

I think that people are missing the joke in panel 4. The point is that May doesn't know anything about the Pistols either and is randomly dropping in the name of another band either out of ignorance or because she genuinely wants to see the outcome of Momo giving a punk enthusiast that answer!

I want to include a comment that I made on Patreon on the subject of character appearance in order to encourage debate:

Quote
Hair isn't just an adornment. In comic characters, it also is a part of what communicates their personalities. Hanners's scrappy hair reminded us of her crippling mental health issues and growing it out communicated her improvement. Whilst I could see why she might copy Faye's look, it still felt like a step back.

So, with Momo, her hair communicated her golden-hearted nature and her essential goodness. It's part of what makes her stand out and let us see who she is. Without it, she's just a pink May!

Anyone agree/disagree strongly enough to comment?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brasca on 02 Oct 2018, 23:40
Motorhead is the band.  Lemmy was the person nay legend. 

I don't know why Momo is getting worked up about this.  If Bubbles can grow out her hair she can do the same.  Perhaps hair car is another service Union Robotics can offer to bring in new customers. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: St.Clair on 02 Oct 2018, 23:48
It's not that either, the worst part to me is he's doing it just for the sake of doing it and changing longstanding characters without a reason to do it. Momo is the first to change hairstyle for a reason, every other one was without it. Some of them look terrible, sorry Hanners and Sam just don't look good!

At the risk of pissing off hte moderators for insulting the almighty Jeph I just hope that he's going somewhere with this because it's gotten to the point that he's only got Veronica and Marten unchanged.

It's a slice of life comic, and changing is a most natural part of life.

Except that all the change is in one direction, and having reached the equilibrium/desired position of maximum author appeal, I doubt they'll change back/further.

I once heard classical physics described thus:
"Objects at rest tend to stay at rest, and objects in motion tend to come to rest.  And ____ saw that this was boring."
(Picture a flat plane with a scattering of motionless balls.  Eventually one rolls slowly into frame and stops.  Continue holding on that frame as long as you can stand.)

Like, at this point I'm half-expecting Veronica to be sporting a bob when she next shows up.
And then, I think, I will finally be Done With QC.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 03 Oct 2018, 01:31
I think that people are missing the joke in panel 4. The point is that May doesn't know anything about the Pistols either and is randomly dropping in the name of another band either out of ignorance or because she genuinely wants to see the outcome of Momo giving a punk enthusiast that answer!

Interesting, but I had a different interpretation.

Motorhead did a cover of a Sex Pistols song. If you thought it was better than the original, you'd probably say that Motorhead was your favourite Sex Pistol.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 03 Oct 2018, 02:24
If you really want to mess with them you say that Ringo was the best Sex Pistol.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Oct 2018, 03:00
As an anthropc, shouldn't Momo be always be connected to the Internet, or at least have a ready connection?  It should be all of a simple action to google pretty much anything.
Maybe she got screwed over by a Windows update or a software glitch. An over-reliance on tech can really mess you over.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 03 Oct 2018, 05:16
"Twenty-twenty-twenty-four hours to gooooo... I wanna be sedated..."
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 03 Oct 2018, 05:18
If you really want to mess with them you say that Ringo was the best Sex Pistol.

At least, that would make him the best something, I guess...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 03 Oct 2018, 05:22
A cover of God Save the Queen by Motörhead:


Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Theta9 on 03 Oct 2018, 07:35
Quote from: JoeCovenant link=topic=34235.msg1413897#msg1413897 date=1538395777[/quote

Aye, but is it Broon sass or Rayd sass??

(NB: This joke may not work if the reader is not Scottish)
I get that it's "brown sass or red sass" but the joke is still lost on me.

[edit] oh "sauce", okay, nvm.

Looks like we need something like explainxkcd.com (http://explainxkcd.com) - maybe explainWCDT.questionablecontent.net
The problem is that I was still reading "sass" to rhyme with "ass" not with "toss".
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 03 Oct 2018, 08:03
If you really want to mess with them you say that Ringo was the best Sex Pistol.

Dang! Ninja'ed
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: SmilingCat on 03 Oct 2018, 12:33
It's not that either, the worst part to me is he's doing it just for the sake of doing it and changing longstanding characters without a reason to do it. Momo is the first to change hairstyle for a reason, every other one was without it. Some of them look terrible, sorry Hanners and Sam just don't look good!

At the risk of pissing off hte moderators for insulting the almighty Jeph I just hope that he's going somewhere with this because it's gotten to the point that he's only got Veronica and Marten unchanged.

So, just out of curiosity, would it offend you to know that I cut off all my long hair a couple months ago just to do it?

People change their hair, they don't need a reason. It doesn't have to mean something.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: notStanley on 03 Oct 2018, 12:57
While my personal preferences are longer hair can look much nicer, I also acknowledge it is up to each person to decide how much effort they want to put into maintaining it.  My mornings spend just a hundred seconds on what I have left, towel dry & comb.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 03 Oct 2018, 13:03
While my personal preferences are longer hair can look much nicer, I also acknowledge it is up to each person to decide how much effort they want to put into maintaining it.  My mornings spend just a hundred seconds on what I have left, towel dry & comb.
I know about that.  My hairline isn't retreating, my forehead is advancing.  Give it a couple more years and I'll look like Punchbot.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 03 Oct 2018, 17:30
While my personal preferences are longer hair can look much nicer, I also acknowledge it is up to each person to decide how much effort they want to put into maintaining it.  My mornings spend just a hundred seconds on what I have left, towel dry & comb.

Welcome, new person!

I've been wondering what kind of haircut to get to prepare for repairing the bare patches in my lawn. I may go for a reseeding hairline.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: SmilingCat on 03 Oct 2018, 18:42
You know, I don't get the "punk" description of Momo's new inadvertent doo. Maybe it's just because how it's drawn, but it really just looks non-specifically short-ish.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tyr on 03 Oct 2018, 18:58
I think it's"Punkish" because it came out asymmetrical.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: SmilingCat on 03 Oct 2018, 19:01
For some reason I didn't notice the asymmetry at first.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: wlewisiii on 03 Oct 2018, 20:14
A cover of God Save the Queen by Motörhead:

Not bad but I prefer their cover of Bowie for my Hopepunk needs...

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Shjade on 03 Oct 2018, 21:00
So, just out of curiosity, would it offend you to know that I cut off all my long hair a couple months ago just to do it?

People change their hair, they don't need a reason. It doesn't have to mean something.

Seriously. ITT I found out some folks read way too much into hair choices.

On topic: aww, lookit May being her best possible self. :3
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Penquin47 on 03 Oct 2018, 21:28
It's not that either, the worst part to me is he's doing it just for the sake of doing it and changing longstanding characters without a reason to do it. Momo is the first to change hairstyle for a reason, every other one was without it. Some of them look terrible, sorry Hanners and Sam just don't look good!

At the risk of pissing off hte moderators for insulting the almighty Jeph I just hope that he's going somewhere with this because it's gotten to the point that he's only got Veronica and Marten unchanged.

So, just out of curiosity, would it offend you to know that I cut off all my long hair a couple months ago just to do it?

People change their hair, they don't need a reason. It doesn't have to mean something.

It's just frustrating when it seems like every single character ends up with short hair - Marigold is the one exception among what I would consider the regular cast at this point (Penny and Cosette, we see so rarely, Roko's too new, and Veronica really doesn't show up that much).  Jeph's characters, of course, his choice what to do with their hair. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 03 Oct 2018, 21:32
I'm not enjoying it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Nycticoraci on 03 Oct 2018, 22:09
The exploding rice reminds me so much of when I was backpacking through Europe. When I was in Stockholm, the hostel I was staying at had a basement kitchen with "free pasta".

Now, I don't know how people manage to burn pasta, but I was there for 3 nights (with me only in the building to sleep and wash, otherwise out in the city). Over those 3 nights the building fire alarm went off 7 times with me in the building, with 4 of those times being between 2-5am. By the end of it, we'd generally have someone in the room stick their head out the door, say "You burn pasta, no fire?", and on hearing yes, bury our heads in pillows until the alarm stopped.

We weren't overly safety conscious.


Mind you, I was worse by the end of my trip.
I remember in Madrid checking into one, and them saying, oh but sorry you won't be able to stay in the room just yet, one of the hot water tanks fell through the roof onto a bed. My only reaction was, that's fine, I'll just put my bag in my locker and go out touristing. It's scary in retrospect how your standards of "a safe place to spend the night" change.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 03 Oct 2018, 23:22
New Comic Up

In some ways, I feel great empathy for May here. All she wants to be is a grumpy, bitter and antisocial misanthrope. Instead, here she finds herself having to care for and help friends old and new! What will this do to her self-image? :-D Seriously, I think that, at some point, she's going to go to Bubbles and ask her if she really is a Tsundere!

May is a rough girl but she has a heart of gold. What is interesting is that she clearly doesn't like this. She feels that she should be nasty and mean but she just can't quite make it stick when she's dealing with people whom she has started to care about!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 03 Oct 2018, 23:49
The exploding rice reminds me so much of when I was backpacking through Europe. When I was in Stockholm, the hostel I was staying at had a basement kitchen with "free pasta".

Now, I don't know how people manage to burn pasta, but I was there for 3 nights (with me only in the building to sleep and wash, otherwise out in the city). Over those 3 nights the building fire alarm went off 7 times with me in the building, with 4 of those times being between 2-5am. By the end of it, we'd generally have someone in the room stick their head out the door, say "You burn pasta, no fire?", and on hearing yes, bury our heads in pillows until the alarm stopped.

We weren't overly safety conscious.


Mind you, I was worse by the end of my trip.
I remember in Madrid checking into one, and them saying, oh but sorry you won't be able to stay in the room just yet, one of the hot water tanks fell through the roof onto a bed. My only reaction was, that's fine, I'll just put my bag in my locker and go out touristing. It's scary in retrospect how your standards of "a safe place to spend the night" change.

How can you burn pasta? I've done it multiple ways. Not paying attention to the pasta as it cooks(done it once) not stirring the pot to keep the pasta from sticking to the sides or bottom of the pan(too many times to count), too much water + tight lid + starch and proteins in the water = flambe!(twice, but nothing caught fire)

Rice is easy to ruin if you don't pay attention to it and  if it boils over especially if you don't wash the kernels first to get rid of the starch. Boil overs are easy to do, especially if you aren't used to cooking which I suspect the trio aren't used to doing. Unless they used a rice cooker, which is a whole other animal and likely isn't their fault as it could easily be an electrical short that caused it to catch fire and they were legitimately frightened hence the chaos.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: efindumb on 03 Oct 2018, 23:55
New Comic Up

In some ways, I feel great empathy for May here. All she wants to be is a grumpy, bitter and antisocial misanthrope. Instead, here she finds herself having to care for and help friends old and new! What will this do to her self-image? :-D Seriously, I think that, at some point, she's going to go to Bubbles and ask her if she really is a Tsundere!

May is a rough girl but she has a heart of gold. What is interesting is that she clearly doesn't like this. She feels that she should be nasty and mean but she just can't quite make it stick when she's dealing with people whom she has started to care about!

She's so used to being all alone that she might finally be seeing that she isn't alone and the people she is around are more than just roommates- they are friends to her. Momo has tried to be her ear to talk to, Dale was her verbal jousting partner, Marigold is the counter to her in multiple ways even if neither would admit it.

Coincidentally, the way things are going and how the talk with Roko went I believe we could end up seeing her end up becoming a social worker or couselor and doing the job that Winslow was doing before.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 04 Oct 2018, 00:01
(https://i.imgur.com/CWYXpe2.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Storel on 04 Oct 2018, 00:18
If you really want to mess with them you say that Ringo was the best Sex Pistol.

Oy.  :roll: Ringo wasn't even the best Beatle!

(Pete Best was, of course, the Best Beatle.  :wink:)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 04 Oct 2018, 00:19
(Forgive me for being a comic behind.) 

Can Claire Be our
Claire Without
Poofy red hair?

Perish forbid!
We hope Jeph
Wouldn't dare.

Has some vile spectre
Invaded his lair?
It's awful and wicked
And downright unfair.

(Forgive me for waxing poetic as well.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Eastrim on 04 Oct 2018, 00:28
Saw this while out and about.

(https://i.imgur.com/ta8zOsl.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Thrillho on 04 Oct 2018, 00:34
If you really want to mess with them you say that Ringo was the best Sex Pistol.

See you and raise you. My favourite Sex Pistol?

Why, Donny of course.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Storel on 04 Oct 2018, 00:36
If you really want to mess with them you say that Ringo was the best Sex Pistol.

See you and raise you. My favourite Sex Pistol?

Why, Donny of course.

Not Marie?  :-(
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Thrillho on 04 Oct 2018, 00:37
At the risk of taking a flippant remark too seriously I think choosing a female Osmond might lampshade the joke a little.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 04 Oct 2018, 01:39
Quote from: JoeCovenant link=topic=34235.msg1413897#msg1413897 date=1538395777[/quote

Aye, but is it Broon sass or Rayd sass??

(NB: This joke may not work if the reader is not Scottish)
I get that it's "brown sass or red sass" but the joke is still lost on me.

[edit] oh "sauce", okay, nvm.

Looks like we need something like explainxkcd.com (http://explainxkcd.com) - maybe explainWCDT.questionablecontent.net
The problem is that I was still reading "sass" to rhyme with "ass" not with "toss".

Then you were reading it right!

In the auld doric dialect, (ahem) sass, meaning sauce, is pronounced as ass and not toss! :)
Hence - the joke...
Rayd sass (Red sauce), being tomato ketchup!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 04 Oct 2018, 02:49

The problem is that I was still reading "sass" to rhyme with "ass" not with "toss".

Then you were reading it right!

In the auld doric dialect, (ahem) sass, meaning sauce, is pronounced as ass and not toss! :)
Hence - the joke...
Rayd sass (Red sauce), being tomato ketchup!


I don't want to extrapolate the other choice, right?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 04 Oct 2018, 02:58
I don't know what you're thinking of, but there's nothing wrong with brown sauce (https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/product.asp?id=10427&curr=eur&gsrc=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9NbdBRCwARIsAPLsnFZepGV4og3SB1s1_aY7ZAycrrKz9Ho2U4Oh5QbtJNyWp-8dITRPVRYaAttgEALw_wcB). Reminds me to put it on the grocery list.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: ihaveavoice on 04 Oct 2018, 03:12
Like, at this point I'm half-expecting Veronica to be sporting a bob when she next shows up.
And then, I think, I will finally be Done With QC.

This is...quite the reason to decide to be done with something.

Curious: do you feel this passionately about the dudes' hair?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Oct 2018, 03:15
Curious: do you feel this passionately about the dudes' hair?

That doesn't really matter because Jeph doesn't feel that passionately about dudes' hair. He has demonstrated that he does feel that passionately about the ladies' hair. He sets the tone and the direction of the debate.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 04 Oct 2018, 03:46
I don't know what you're thinking of, but there's nothing wrong with brown sauce (https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/product.asp?id=10427&curr=eur&gsrc=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9NbdBRCwARIsAPLsnFZepGV4og3SB1s1_aY7ZAycrrKz9Ho2U4Oh5QbtJNyWp-8dITRPVRYaAttgEALw_wcB). Reminds me to put it on the grocery list.

OK, didn't know that stuff existed. Point taken, moving on.

Curious: do you feel this passionately about the dudes' hair?

That doesn't really matter because Jeph doesn't feel that passionately about dudes' hair. He has demonstrated that he does feel that passionately about the ladies' hair. He sets the tone and the direction of the debate.

We've seen Steve shave his head. We've seen Marten putting off getting a haircut (at least that's how I interpret it, since I'm pretty much guilty of that myself). And the rest pretty much kept their initial hairstyles. Well, Clinton, but that was a story and character advancement device, and it was totally justifiable.

Personally, I am biased towards longer hair, but after all, it's not our choice. Never has been, never will be. And I'm not reading this comic to look at the hair of the characters. Not kink-shaming either. (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3724)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 04 Oct 2018, 03:52
Roko, guard your lug wrench. Uh, I mean ponytail.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: RedWolf4 on 04 Oct 2018, 04:00
I'll be honest, I had a hard time choosing and am very unhappy that Private Investibaker was not an option.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 04 Oct 2018, 04:02
*looks up privateinvestibaker.com on whois*

Oooh, available.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: RedWolf4 on 04 Oct 2018, 04:09
I wonder what you do though if you were a Private Investibaker? Do you only solve bakery related crime? Do you only solve crime using noirish baked goods? Do you wear a fedora or a puffy chefs hat?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 04 Oct 2018, 04:27
I don't know, but if it involves tasting a wide variety of baked goods, I'm in.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 04 Oct 2018, 05:37
You want to know your new crush's food preferences? Hobbies? Friends? No problem! We will find out - over baked goods! Now for hire - your personal Private Investibaker!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 04 Oct 2018, 06:30
I wonder what you do though if you were a Private Investibaker?

You trace the origins and ingredients of endless varieties of Schwarzbrot ...

(https://www.dr-hollensteiner.de/forenbilder/forumimages/2015/2194/2194_2015050823_schwarzbrotiiiforum.jpg)


(Delicious when fresh. Doubles as throwable weapon when not.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Inconsequential on 04 Oct 2018, 07:40
As an anthropc, shouldn't Momo be always be connected to the Internet, or at least have a ready connection?  It should be all of a simple action to google pretty much anything.

Among the QC-verse AIs, there's a noticeable bias toward in-person. human-like interaction. Momo at least has built-in GPS (and we can presume most other AIs do as well; even in our universe the hardware is cheap and only about the size of a thumbnail), and Momo and May "text" each other when they're not in the same place (complete with personalized emojis).

And they seem to be assigned phone numbers and have built-in cell phone hardware -- there was a mention of Claire getting Bubbles' number before Marten did, and May and Momo have made phone calls to their human pals without any extra devices (using the very human hand to ear gesture).

But generally the AIs seem to avoid using their networking capabilities unless there's a need, even when there are no humans around. Probably because you can communicate a lot better with nonverbal cues mixed in (facial expression, gestures, etc. depending on hardware). A face to face conversation can be pretty darn efficient. And Bubbles has talked about the desire to act human-like in small ways in order to fit into human culture a bit better.

Plus, in our universe, going over your wireless data limit can get stupid expensive, and it's likely much the same in the QC-verse.


Also:

1) Momo has tear ducts? I suppose humanoid AIs would need some sort of lubricating film for their eyes...

2) Do May and Momo know about Faye and Bubbles yet? I mean, May spotted that ship pretty early on, but I sense much ensuing comedy when they visit Bubbles' AI hair salon... dis gon be gud.  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 04 Oct 2018, 08:54
As an anthropc, shouldn't Momo be always be connected to the Internet, or at least have a ready connection?  It should be all of a simple action to google pretty much anything.

Among the QC-verse AIs, there's a noticeable bias toward in-person. human-like interaction. Momo at least has built-in GPS (and we can presume most other AIs do as well; even in our universe the hardware is cheap and only about the size of a thumbnail), and Momo and May "text" each other when they're not in the same place (complete with personalized emojis).

And they seem to be assigned phone numbers and have built-in cell phone hardware -- there was a mention of Claire getting Bubbles' number before Marten did, and May and Momo have made phone calls to their human pals without any extra devices (using the very human hand to ear gesture).

But generally the AIs seem to avoid using their networking capabilities unless there's a need, even when there are no humans around. Probably because you can communicate a lot better with nonverbal cues mixed in (facial expression, gestures, etc. depending on hardware). A face to face conversation can be pretty darn efficient. And Bubbles has talked about the desire to act human-like in small ways in order to fit into human culture a bit better.

Plus, in our universe, going over your wireless data limit can get stupid expensive, and it's likely much the same in the QC-verse.
As a writer's device, it's the same as computer downloads being represented in movies and TV shows as 1s and 0s scrolling rapidly across the screen - otherwise there's nothing to show.  Jeph could sketch his characters standing there having a conversation, perhaps with zig-zaggy speech bubbles to represent the electronic voice on the other side, but that would probably be a drag to draw.

Quote
1) Momo has tear ducts? I suppose humanoid AIs would need some sort of lubricating film for their eyes...
Just add a pint of windshield washer fluid every few months or as needed depending upon environmental conditions.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 04 Oct 2018, 09:07
Imagine the issues if they forget to switch to antifreeze.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: heyjames4 on 04 Oct 2018, 13:16
Did I miss something, or are these four nerds all living in the same apartment together?
May said she was going to turn off for the night, but that looks like Marigolds living room.

Forum Hivemind deploy archive-fu pls.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Oct 2018, 13:34
You didn't miss anything; it seems like Dale and May moved in with Marigold and Momo at some point off-camera.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 04 Oct 2018, 17:50
Subject to correction I seem to remember that Dale was already staying at Marigold's when May invited herself in.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: alc40 on 04 Oct 2018, 18:50
Marigold & Dale were both present when May arrived (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2710), but it looks like they weren't living together.  (either back then (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2802) or fairly recently (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3689))
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Mordhaus on 04 Oct 2018, 18:54
Roko is a babe, but even more so with her hair down.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 04 Oct 2018, 19:17
It's sometimes difficult for us meat types to tell individuals of some robot chassis models apart, but is that a portrait of Punchbot on the wall behind Melon?  Is he Uncle Bart to Roko?

I'm not sure I even want to know what the pent on the floor is for.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Greymoon on 04 Oct 2018, 19:37
All I could of while reading this one was "YOU NO TAKE CANDLE", like the kobolds from World of Warcraft...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: shanejayell on 04 Oct 2018, 20:30
Now, is Melon just RANDOMLY in Roko's apartment, or is Roko visiting her?   :?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: sitnspin on 04 Oct 2018, 20:52
They live together. This was previously established.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cesium133 on 04 Oct 2018, 20:56
I thought they were neighbors. Melon's roommate is the golden robot that cooks battery soup.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 04 Oct 2018, 21:00
Now, is Melon just RANDOMLY in Roko's apartment, or is Roko visiting her?   :?

We know Melon has the door code for Roko's apartment though we've never been told why.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 04 Oct 2018, 22:37

I'm not sure I even want to know what the pent on the floor is for.

Maybe it's just something Melon does every time Roko is a bit late in coming home. She certainly doesn't seem surprised by it.

Ok, now I'm imagining Melon in Raven's coven. Hijinks and slapstick ensue.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Oct 2018, 23:17
I've long suspected that Melon likes being scared into an emergency shut-down and today's strip seems to confirm that. FWIW, I suspect that her 'job' is an extra at an amusement park's chamber of horrors. She simulates dying in horrified agony in a vermin pit eight hours a day for the amusement of families!

I'm not sure I even want to know what the pent on the floor is for.

We know that Melon is interested if she has an unlisted component called a 'soul' (she asked a priest about that once). She may have heard somewhere that demonic creatures are interested in buying souls so she's decided to summon one and see if she has any 'currency' with which to barter. If it says 'your wallet is empty' or words to that effect, she knows she hasn't got a soul.

There is a very good reason for believing that putting Emily and Melon together in the same room might be a hideous mistake. :-o
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jesslc on 05 Oct 2018, 01:00
Now, is Melon just RANDOMLY in Roko's apartment, or is Roko visiting her?   :?
I'm pretty sure that's Roko's appartment. Note the cabinet under the picture in this strip: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3700

And for comparison - Melon and Arthur's appartment: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3643
They seem to go in for a more... hmm...  what do you call the decorating equivalent of "social appropriate greeting" anyway?


Edited to add:
We know Melon has the door code for Roko's apartment though we've never been told why.
Maybe the vain hope that it will stop Melon from breaking down the door? (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3706)
...

Also I was initially amazed at how many people are overly invested in the characters' hair styles but then I remembered some of the responses I got when I shaved off my (long) hair for charity and yeah... what someone else chooses to do with their hair isn't really any of your business - so why do other people care so much about it? Is this part of the thing where some people think they should get a say in how women look? Ie. if you (a woman) don't look as attractive as you can (in that person's eyes) then clearly you're bad/wrong/ugly/whatever. Never mind that I was shaving my head to raise money for charity. To be fair, I did get plenty of positive responses too.

Momo doesn’t like her hair now so I hope she can grow it out again and/or find a style that she likes. Hanners' hair is cool though, I like it and think it suits her where she's at now.

Hey, hey, maybe one of the guys can grow their hair out. That'll inprove the balance of long to short hair right?  :-P
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 05 Oct 2018, 03:48
What I like is how completely unsurprised Roko is at finding Melon attempting to summon demons in her living room.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brasca on 05 Oct 2018, 06:52
I hope that pentagram isn’t for transmutation.  Knowing Melon she might accidentally turn herself into a human girl.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Marco on 05 Oct 2018, 07:32
Also I was initially amazed at how many people are overly invested in the characters' hair styles but then I remembered some of the responses I got when I shaved off my (long) hair for charity and yeah... what someone else chooses to do with their hair isn't really any of your business - so why do other people care so much about it? Is this part of the thing where some people think they should get a say in how women look? Ie. if you (a woman) don't look as attractive as you can (in that person's eyes) then clearly you're bad/wrong/ugly/whatever. Never mind that I was shaving my head to raise money for charity. To be fair, I did get plenty of positive responses too.

This reminds me one time when a work colleague (a professor) shaved off her hair, just for the looks of it. Most students just assumed she was doing chemotherapy (really!). Watching them asking her politely if she was sick was both amusing and awkward.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Marco on 05 Oct 2018, 07:36
I hope that pentagram isn’t for transmutation.  Knowing Melon she might accidentally turn herself into a human girl.

Maybe she is trying to contact Spookybot... to turn her into a human girl, like the Blue Fairy.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 05 Oct 2018, 08:02

OK, didn't know that stuff existed...

But... but then... how have you managed to stay ALIVE!!!

 :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 05 Oct 2018, 09:30

OK, didn't know that stuff existed...

But... but then... how have you managed to stay ALIVE!!!

 :-D

I made it barely, day by day, Saturday night by Saturday night, feverishl,.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brasca on 05 Oct 2018, 12:03
I hope that pentagram isn’t for transmutation.  Knowing Melon she might accidentally turn herself into a human girl.

Maybe she is trying to contact Spookybot... to turn her into a human girl, like the Blue Fairy.

All she has to is say their name 3 times.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 05 Oct 2018, 12:35
The problem being that we don’t know Spookybots’ actual name. Or if they even have one.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: SmilingCat on 05 Oct 2018, 12:59
Just had a random thought that popped into my head. Does spookybot refer to themselves using "We, they," and such pronouns because they're a collective of independent intelligences (or separate nodes of a single intelligence), or because they're genderless? Maybe both?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 05 Oct 2018, 13:33
I interpret Spookybot as a single consciousness distributed across multiple robot bodies. Said bodies are fairly androgynous but (at least to my eyes) lean slightly towards the female end of the spectrum. Still, concepts like “gender” may be irrelevant to them.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 05 Oct 2018, 14:16
I hope that pentagram isn’t for transmutation.  Knowing Melon she might accidentally turn herself into a human girl.

No, but what Melon is doing is the ritualistic version of repeatedly ringing someone's phone and hanging up when they answer.

Its very rude.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 05 Oct 2018, 18:34
And when Melon hears Roko's response to 'How was work?', the candle on her head fizzes out.
Sorta the inverse of the 'light bulb goes on over head' trope?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 05 Oct 2018, 19:54
Demons hate her.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Baleanopter on 05 Oct 2018, 20:19
I wonder what you do though if you were a Private Investibaker?

You trace the origins and ingredients of endless varieties of Schwarzbrot ...
(Delicious when fresh. Doubles as throwable weapon when not.)
Aren't those mostly varying degrees of poorly-milled rye?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 05 Oct 2018, 21:56
I hope that pentagram isn’t for transmutation.  Knowing Melon she might accidentally turn herself into a human girl.

No, but what Melon is doing is the ritualistic version of repeatedly ringing someone's phone and hanging up when they answer.

Its very rude.

Demons hate her.

Either that and they have no power over AIs, because they have a rep for tearing mortals who summon them for no reason to smithereens.  Or maybe they find her amusing or even think she's kind of cute.  Or maybe she works for them and was just calling to check on her schedule for the week.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: SeattleCrochetWoman on 06 Oct 2018, 00:59
It's not that either, the worst part to me is he's doing it just for the sake of doing it and changing longstanding characters without a reason to do it. Momo is the first to change hairstyle for a reason, every other one was without it. Some of them look terrible, sorry Hanners and Sam just don't look good!

At the risk of pissing off hte moderators for insulting the almighty Jeph I just hope that he's going somewhere with this because it's gotten to the point that he's only got Veronica and Marten unchanged.

So, just out of curiosity, would it offend you to know that I cut off all my long hair a couple months ago just to do it?

People change their hair, they don't need a reason. It doesn't have to mean something.

It's just frustrating when it seems like every single character ends up with short hair - Marigold is the one exception among what I would consider the regular cast at this point (Penny and Cosette, we see so rarely, Roko's too new, and Veronica really doesn't show up that much).  Jeph's characters, of course, his choice what to do with their hair.

As a woman, I’m actually happy to see a comic in which women are able to have short hair and don’t feel they have to justify it.  I remember at one time it was acceptable for women to have short hair if they wanted. They were still sonsidered attractive (not that that’s everything). I think in the 1950s, early 1960s and 1980s, short hair wasn’t frowned upon. Not anymore. You never see short hair on women. Even older women. We have to have it at least between our chins and our shoulders and I’m sick of it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 06 Oct 2018, 01:52
Never?

Who on earth frowns upon short hair for women?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Cornelius on 06 Oct 2018, 06:08
A quick look around seems to suggest that never is a bit of an overstatement.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 06 Oct 2018, 07:04
Hmmmmh - When Sinéad O'Connor shaved her head for her debut music-video in '87, everybody talked about it. Today that's hardly even a fashion-statement anymore. And I'm not so sure the 50 and 60 were that permissive.

But I certainly could stand to hear less of the "WaaaaaaaahJephHatesLongHairOnWomenWaaaaaaaah" - nonsense.

"Her head, Her choice"
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 06 Oct 2018, 07:08
But I certainly could stand to hear less of the "WaaaaaaaahJephHatesLongHairOnWomenWaaaaaaaah" - nonsense.

"Her head, Her choice"

Jeph has actually said on his Twitter that he prefers short hair on women and looks for every opportunity to give his female characters short hair (something about necks, IIRC).

He doesn't even bother to make it 'her choice', it's just author's fiat that he rarely, if ever, bothers to explain properly.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 06 Oct 2018, 07:48
it's just author's fiat that he rarely, if ever, bothers to explain properly.

Why would you like the female characters to explain their choice of hairstyle, Ben?

Jeph has actually said on his Twitter that he prefers short hair on women

Hmmmmmh ... 🤔 You know, that looks like an explanation to me?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: sitnspin on 06 Oct 2018, 09:29
Why would you like the female characters to explain their choice of hairstyle, Ben?

This. Seriously, women change our hair. We don't have to have a reason to do it, let alone explain it to anyone. i am perplexed at the amount of emotional energy men here are expending in response to women's hair styles. Some of seem to be acting like women not having long hair is some sort of affront to you.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 06 Oct 2018, 09:36
When beauty goes out of the world without the consent of those who carried it, I may be sad out loud.

Emily was drunk, Hannelore was in a panic attack about lice, Momo lost hers in an accident. I feel differently about conscious free choices like Bubbles made.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Morituri on 06 Oct 2018, 10:08
I'm a guy, and I change my hair relatively frequently.  I've done the buzzcut, I've done the part and the bangs and I've been clean-shaven, had muttonchop sideburns, had a mustache, etc...  These days I'm wearing a goatee (well, maybe the beard's a little too long now to be called that anymore) and a ponytail, which, sadly, are increasingly gray.

And people always ask me why. 

I don't get any reason why *not*.  Sometimes it's summer and it's hot and I want to cut my hair short.  Sometimes the changes are traditional observations or psychological reactions, like the "grief" haircut that still seems to be part of my mourning process after people important to me pass.  Sometimes I grow my hair long because people who I am very glad to have in my life like it that way.  And sometimes it's just a whim.  A million reasons, none of which are relevant to the questioner.

But, the reasons really don't matter, except to me.  People don't understand how I can let my appearance change, and as long as it doesn't impair anything, I don't understand why they care.

People can't be prevented from demanding explanations for changes, I suppose.  But it's just silly.  And possibly even rude, depending on whether it's someone who's sensitive to a possible expression of disapproval.  I could generally care less about whether someone disapproves of my hairstyle, but I'm a guy.  Part of my male privilege is that I'm allowed to not care. 

Women generally don't feel that they have that privilege.  So just shut up about it, because that triples the risk of being just plain rude whether you intend to be disapproving or not.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BenRG on 06 Oct 2018, 11:25
When beauty goes out of the world without the consent of those who carried it, I may be sad out loud.

Yeah, that's basically how I feel: Beauty being taken out of the world for no good reason.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Stoutfellow on 06 Oct 2018, 11:37
If you're talking about blowing up millennia-old statues or shredding a painting, I have no quarrel. But when the beauty in question is an attribute of a person, asking for a reason seems a bit problematic to me.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: sitnspin on 06 Oct 2018, 12:12
When beauty goes out of the world without the consent of those who carried it, I may be sad out loud.

Yeah, that's basically how I feel: Beauty being taken out of the world for no good reason.

Again, women (or really, anyone) do not exist just for you. Their appearance does not exist for your enjoyment. Being upset because their appearance no longer meets your standards of beauty and demanding an explanation you deem satisfactory reeks of entitlement. We are not works of art, we are people.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 06 Oct 2018, 12:41
When beauty goes out of the world without the consent of those who carried it, I may be sad out loud.

Yeah, that's basically how I feel: Beauty being taken out of the world for no good reason.

Again, women (or really, anyone) do not exist just for you. Their appearance does not exist for your enjoyment. Being upset because their appearance no longer meets your standards of beauty and demanding an explanation you deem satisfactory reeks of entitlement. We are not works of art, we are people.
So what is your stance on women who are forced to keep their hair short to meet some guy’s standards of beauty regardless of how they feel about it?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Welu on 06 Oct 2018, 14:38
I don't feel like caring about or "forcing" real people to do something with their hair is nearly the same as a sole author of a property and characters, changing those designs to meet their whims or preference. Sounds obvious but some people are talking about one thing, other about the other, and are sometimes treating these things with the same context and weight in their responses.

I personally do find Jeph semi-regularly changing the ladies hair to short tiresome. Not because I demand the character look how I want them to, but I do have a personal preference. Also when so many of the characters have short hair, the ones with long hair stand out more and if a change to short hair happens, it lessens the diversity of the character designs. I also think it's worth pointing out people are talking about women's hair, because the majority of Jeph's characters are women and they're the ones mostly having their designs changed in the same pattern.

You can do lots of different short hair designs, but in the last couple years n particular we've seen Faye (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3486) (her hair has grown a bit now), Hannelore (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3809) and Tai (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3825) changed to the similar short on sides, long on top design. Sam (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3805) has a version too but it's more a bowl. For me, I think it's just kinda disappointing to make it so characters have a bit less uniqueness. It's okay to express that disappointment or frustration, or even admiration or pleasure if you happen to prefer whatever the new look is.

There's also truth that women and femme presenting people do get shit when they have short hair. Lots of people associate long hair with femininity and they think if you're a woman you must want to look your most womanly all the time, and short hair goes against that so that's a Bad ThingTM. People will tell a stranger with short hair to tell her she'd be so pretty if she grew her hair out, or she'll never find a man looking like that (assuming that's something she even wants). Although we're not talking about real individuals doing something and people responding. I'm reminded of men people saying in response to complaints that lady comic characters having revealing or sexualised outfits and poses, by saying that's slut-shaming those women character's choices. Except it's not a real woman deciding to wear whatever of her own free will, it's a character designed by a man using the same tired tropes we've seen before.

Jeph having a preference for a hairstyle isn't on that level, but in both cases it's the creator's choice. We're just reacting. We can talk about it, but we still have to remember and accept it's the creator's prerogative. Also rereading an old thread I saw a good comment.

I was also going to make the point that it takes about five minutes to cut your hair short, and many many many months to grow it back. I've been growing out my fringe since April and it's still not quite long enough to tuck behind my ears.

And the five-minute change is a lot more fun for an artist--"Woo!  Character x has a new look!"  Deciding to have character x grow her hair out, having to remember to lengthen it incrementally for several QC-time months (maybe years in non-QC time) and keep track of where you are in the process, would just be tedious.

Also I'm kinda tired of the circle this week of:
"I'm complaining about thing."
"I'm complaining about you complaining about thing."
"I'm complaining about you complaining about complaining about thing."

Which I am now contributing to, but fuck it. That's what this space is for, nitpicking and discussion. I just think this week it's reached a weird point.

Thread recommendation:
Sexism (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,29398.0.html)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: pwhodges on 06 Oct 2018, 15:34
When beauty goes out of the world

Defining beauty as being (or even requiring) long hair (specifically in women, I presume, because the issue isn't being brought up for men) is both completely and utterly inaccurate, and sexist.  Shame on you.

Of course, forcing any change without agreement is bad, but that's nothing to do with beauty - forcibly giving someone a better haircut would also be reprehensible.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 06 Oct 2018, 15:52
When beauty goes out of the world

Defining beauty as being (or even requiring) long hair (specifically in women, I presume, because the issue isn't being brought up for men) is both completely and utterly inaccurate, and sexist.  Shame on you.

Of course, forcing any change without agreement is bad, but that's nothing to do with beauty - forcibly giving someone a better haircut would also be reprehensible.

When I was in high school guys had to wear long hair to express their individuality.  That was the beginning of my journey into cynicism about my own generation.

If you want to change your hair or anything else to please another (presumably a significant other), go for it, but it's probably best to talk with them about it first.  If that'd be too awkward a conversation or your communications suck such that you still won't be sure whether they'll be okay with it or not, reconsider the relationship before you do anything else.

(For the record, I'm a cis male who likes long hair, but a pixie cut that makes me half expect to see Spock ears is just fine, too.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brilligtove on 06 Oct 2018, 16:32
It might just be sass as the constant, irrespective of gender or even species.

Aye, but is it Broon sass or Rayd sass??

(NB: This joke may not work if the reader is not Scottish)


Despite spending weekends in Glasgow for the better part of a year, my Canadian tongue never really got the hang of brown sauce. I don't recall ever hearing red sauce though - ketchup, maybe? I could have been too distracted by chip buddies and deep fried everything...

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: War Sparrow on 06 Oct 2018, 18:30
Wait, brown sauce isn't just gravy? Huh.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: sitnspin on 06 Oct 2018, 18:37
Sorry, but the whole "women cutting thier hair short is removing beauty from the world" concept was particularly irksome to me on a deep and visceral level. There's a lot of cultural baggage attached to that.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 06 Oct 2018, 19:22
Baggage which it would have been right for me to have considered before writing.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 06 Oct 2018, 19:31
When beauty goes out of the world

Defining beauty as being (or even requiring) long hair (specifically in women, I presume, because the issue isn't being brought up for men) is both completely and utterly inaccurate, and sexist.  Shame on you.

Of course, forcing any change without agreement is bad, but that's nothing to do with beauty - forcibly giving someone a better haircut would also be reprehensible.

I don't agree that my esthetic opinion of the most beautiful look for Emily or Hannelore is cause for either shame or pride.

The most important part of that sentence was the without-consent part. Emily was too drunk to consent, Hannelore was driven by her mental illness, Momo had not even the appearance of choice. I believe you're agreeing on that aspect?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 07 Oct 2018, 01:22
Wait, brown sauce isn't just gravy? Huh.
Kind of like A-1 as I understand it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 07 Oct 2018, 04:05
Just had a random thought that popped into my head. Does spookybot refer to themselves using "We, they," and such pronouns because they're a collective of independent intelligences (or separate nodes of a single intelligence), or because they're genderless? Maybe both?

The fact that Spookybot seems to be shared between multiple bodies doesn't mean the use of plural is mandatory. For example, in Ann Leckie's "Imperial Radch" trilogy, several characters share their personality among multiple bodies, and refer to themselves as "I"...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 07 Oct 2018, 04:09
I wonder what you do though if you were a Private Investibaker?

You trace the origins and ingredients of endless varieties of Schwarzbrot ...

(https://www.dr-hollensteiner.de/forenbilder/forumimages/2015/2194/2194_2015050823_schwarzbrotiiiforum.jpg)


(Delicious when fresh. Doubles as throwable weapon when not.)

Germany is really the country of bread. They have so much different sorts of bread, you could eat a different one each day of the year.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 07 Oct 2018, 04:38
The only character I really liked betted with long hair is Bubbles. And Sam should fire her hairstylist, not because of the shortness, but because her short hairstyle is horrible...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 07 Oct 2018, 04:48
Germany is really the country of bread. They have so much different sorts of bread, you could eat a different one each day of the year. for more than eight and a half years.

FYP  :-D

https://www.brotexperte.de/brotsorten/zahl-der-brotsorten-in-deutschland/

(Over 3200 different sorts of bread)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brilligtove on 07 Oct 2018, 06:48

I just finished reading the thread since the red/brown sauce discussion 150 or so posts ago. So much emotional investment in how other people look. Wow. I mean, like what you like. Just don't expect - or worse, demand - that others to like what you like.
Then you were reading it right!In the auld doric dialect, (ahem) sass, meaning sauce, is pronounced as ass and not toss! :) Hence - the joke... Rayd sass (Red sauce), being tomato ketchup!



Thank you for pre-clarifying my question before I got through reading everything. The Lexicon Valley podcast is very quirky - you really have to listen from the start of McWhorter's hosting (http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/lexicon_valley/2016/05/benjamin_bergen_on_profanity_and_the_brain.html) to ease into his style - but I love how he explores accents and pronounciation.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 07 Oct 2018, 08:26
I wonder what you do though if you were a Private Investibaker?

You trace the origins and ingredients of endless varieties of Schwarzbrot ...

[removed image for shortening]

(Delicious when fresh. Doubles as throwable weapon when not.)

Germany is really the country of bread. They have so much different sorts of bread, you could eat a different one each day of the year.


You have NO idea how nice fresh bread is. The supermarket around the corner where I live does the final baking of some stuff in-house. So sometimes I get a still warm loaf of delicious bread, and I have to restrain myself to not eat two days worth of calories in bread in one sitting every. damn. time.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 07 Oct 2018, 08:26
And I regret having reminded people of baggage that has hurt them, repeatedly and unjustly hurt them.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 07 Oct 2018, 08:29
Germany is really the country of bread. They have so much different sorts of bread, you could eat a different one each day of the year. for more than eight and a half years.

FYP  :-D

https://www.brotexperte.de/brotsorten/zahl-der-brotsorten-in-deutschland/

(Over 3200 different sorts of bread)


I just clicked on that link, and there used to be an institution called "Bundesanstalt für Getreide-, Kartoffel- und Fettforschung", which literally translates as "federal institute for grain-, potato- and fat-research". And that made me laugh.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 07 Oct 2018, 10:38
What should Roko take up next?

Baking.    12 (27.9%)
Private Investigations!    11 (25.6%)
Social Work (ewwwww)    6 (14%)
APC repair counseling!    5 (11.6%)
Lawyer.    3 (7%)
Accounting (Hello, Punchbot!)    1 (2.3%)
Spathe Ham & Waffles!    1 (2.3%)
Purple Monkey Dishwashers (with Sexy Unicorns)    1 (2.3%)

Other    3 (7%)

Total Members Voted: 43
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: pwhodges on 07 Oct 2018, 11:46
I don't agree that my esthetic opinion of the most beautiful look for Emily or Hannelore is cause for either shame or pride.

We agree on that, naturally.  I just saw another meaning in what you wrote before and was surprised - I'm sorry if I reacted too strongly too soon...

Quote
The most important part of that sentence was the without-consent part. Emily was too drunk to consent, Hannelore was driven by her mental illness, Momo had not even the appearance of choice. I believe you're agreeing on that aspect?

Indeed, and I said exactly that; but I just didn't tie the two parts of your post together as you intended, I think.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: JimC on 07 Oct 2018, 20:45
as "federal institute for grain-, potato- and fat-research". And that made me laugh.
Consider though that the science related to those foodstuffs is all that's preventing global starvation. My late uncles life's work was to do with preventing pest infestations of stored grain, especially in the tropics. I doubt it's an exaggeration to suggest he may have saved millions from famine.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 07 Oct 2018, 23:09
as "federal institute for grain-, potato- and fat-research". And that made me laugh.
Consider though that the science related to those foodstuffs is all that's preventing global starvation. My late uncles life's work was to do with preventing pest infestations of stored grain, especially in the tropics. I doubt it's an exaggeration to suggest he may have saved millions from famine.

Don't get me wrong, please. I'm not laughing at the very existence of the institute, but rather the name of it. Like it's OK to put grain and potato together, but FAT research? Also, it kind of feels like those typically German long names for something. But that might just be government related longness.

Also, I never understood the combination of the ATF in the US.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 07 Oct 2018, 23:52
as "federal institute for grain-, potato- and fat-research". And that made me laugh.
Consider though that the science related to those foodstuffs is all that's preventing global starvation. My late uncles life's work was to do with preventing pest infestations of stored grain, especially in the tropics. I doubt it's an exaggeration to suggest he may have saved millions from famine.

It's hard to convey that to non-native speakers of German: German bureaucracy has a unique style - especially regarding names and neologisms - that is practically a language unto itself, and has been parodied countless times. Sometime I wonder whether they're trolling us.

Germans would say "schmerzfrei" - lit. "painfree", meaning that the person in question is unable to cringe or feel embarrassment.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: JimC on 08 Oct 2018, 01:17
Like it's OK to put grain and potato together, but FAT research?
Presumably vegetable oils (which are basically chemically fats) and fats, with the context being food stuffs? It does make sense, honest. - or were you thinking fat=obesity?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 08 Oct 2018, 03:00
Like it's OK to put grain and potato together, but FAT research?
Presumably vegetable oils (which are basically chemically fats) and fats, with the context being food stuffs? It does make sense, honest. - or were you thinking fat=obesity?

... Kinda makes sense now. I did think fat as the substance, not the weight.


I wonder whether Roko's bread fetish is more like "the purer and simpler, the better" or more sophisticated.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 08 Oct 2018, 10:50
Germany is really the country of bread. They have so much different sorts of bread, you could eat a different one each day of the year. for more than eight and a half years.

FYP  :-D

https://www.brotexperte.de/brotsorten/zahl-der-brotsorten-in-deutschland/

(Over 3200 different sorts of bread)

Danke für die Webseite! So etwas hab ich schon lange gesucht!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: traroth on 08 Oct 2018, 10:53
I wonder what you do though if you were a Private Investibaker?

You trace the origins and ingredients of endless varieties of Schwarzbrot ...

[removed image for shortening]

(Delicious when fresh. Doubles as throwable weapon when not.)

Germany is really the country of bread. They have so much different sorts of bread, you could eat a different one each day of the year.


You have NO idea how nice fresh bread is. The supermarket around the corner where I live does the final baking of some stuff in-house. So sometimes I get a still warm loaf of delicious bread, and I have to restrain myself to not eat two days worth of calories in bread in one sitting every. damn. time.

Sorry, I'm failing to see the relation with my comment...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 08 Oct 2018, 11:06
Germany is really the country of bread. They have so much different sorts of bread, you could eat a different one each day of the year.


You have NO idea how nice fresh bread is. The supermarket around the corner where I live does the final baking of some stuff in-house. So sometimes I get a still warm loaf of delicious bread, and I have to restrain myself to not eat two days worth of calories in bread in one sitting every. damn. time.

Sorry, I'm failing to see the relation with my comment...
[/quote]

In hindsight, I don't see a relation either.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: St.Clair on 08 Oct 2018, 23:56
To try to take all the real-world baggage out of the picture:

To me, it's like Jeph just deciding he's going to start changing characters into spheres.  Every few weeks, someone else morphs into a shaded circle.  (Nothing else about them changes - their personality, their ability to interact with the world, etc.  Just how they're drawn or represented.)
Eventually, the comic is nothing but balls of various sizes and/or colors.
And his response, his reason for reducing/removing diversity in character design, is simply "I like spheres."

(and to those who are saying, "people do this/have a right to do this" etc - these characters don't have agency or free will in this case.  This is 100% Jeph's decision, not theirs.  They are being changed to please him.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: DSL on 09 Oct 2018, 19:44
What agency does a fictional character have? How would said character have any agency the author/artist/creator does not give that character?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brilligtove on 10 Oct 2018, 00:17
To try to take all the real-world baggage out of the picture:

To me, it's like Jeph just deciding he's going to start changing characters into spheres.  Every few weeks, someone else morphs into a shaded circle.  (Nothing else about them changes - their personality, their ability to interact with the world, etc.  Just how they're drawn or represented.)
Eventually, the comic is nothing but balls of various sizes and/or colors.
And his response, his reason for reducing/removing diversity in character design, is simply "I like spheres."

(and to those who are saying, "people do this/have a right to do this" etc - these characters don't have agency or free will in this case.  This is 100% Jeph's decision, not theirs.  They are being changed to please him.)

Is this a fair representation of what is happening? Your analogy implies that Jeph is removing everything meaningful about the character's visual representation, and that this change is either wrong or distasteful.

I don't think any analogy is needed to state what's happining. This looks like a simple case of an artist with an artistic vision that they are pursuing. You don't like that vision, or the way it is being pursued, or both. That's perfectly acceptable. No one is obligated to follow an artist in their artistic journey. The artist is not obligated to follow a path that anyone else desires either.

I guess I don't grok the underlying source of your concern? If an artist pursues a vision I don't enjoy, I don't devote attention to that artist anymore, or at least not the work that isn't my thing. I might tell them "your new direction isn't for me" but that is followed with "but thanks for all the art you've created." I don't expect their work to conform to my expectations unless I am commissioning a piece.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: pwhodges on 10 Oct 2018, 01:32
Is QC about hairstyles or mild social drama and commentary?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 10 Oct 2018, 01:40
Is QC about hairstyles or mild social drama and commentary?

Welcome to the Internet.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Thrudd on 10 Oct 2018, 07:02
This looks like a simple case of an artist with an artistic vision that they are pursuing.
You don't like that vision, or the way it is being pursued, or both.
That's perfectly acceptable. No one is obligated to follow an artist in their artistic journey.
The artist is not obligated to follow a path that anyone else desires either.

I guess I don't grok the underlying source of your concern? If an artist pursues a vision I don't enjoy, I don't devote attention to that artist anymore, or at least not the work that isn't my thing. I might tell them "your new direction isn't for me" but that is followed with "but thanks for all the art you've created." I don't expect their work to conform to my expectations unless I am commissioning a piece.

Now here is the thing about "artists"  -  you pretty much hit the nail on the head without actually pointing out the issue here yet making it out as a something positive.
The absolute narcissism when an artist says they don't need to conform to others expectations.
Without an audience they are just some schmuck somewhere doing weird stuff on on their own for their own amusement  [and not to get arrested if others find out].
An artist by "trade" that does not want to starve has to have an audience.  They can still push buttons and be non-conformist but there are limits.
So they have to meet some expectations consistently enough to not lose their audience.
Without an audience they are just another tree in the woods

Lucky for Jeph that he has enough of a following willing to support his version of creativity and the paths he has taken.
I think he takes it as a personal affront when people voice not liking his decisions, which is problematic in its own way, though he seems to be getting better at dealing with it.

Now me - I get irked when he goes all George Lucas on us, falls passionately in love with an idea or character design, runs with it .... right off a cliff or into a wall
(click to show/hide)

On the long hair subject - yes I like longer hair - I have long hair -  I have nothing against people with shaved heads and neither do they  :roll:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: jwhouk on 10 Oct 2018, 08:16
Someone needs to look up what the record for latest post after the week of a given WCDT is.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: hakko504 on 10 Oct 2018, 08:42
Someone needs to look up what the record for latest post after the week of a given WCDT is.
On the first page of the QC forums, the only thread with a significant necropost is WCDT strips 3716-3720 (9th-13th April 2018) (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,34056.msg1412412.html#msg1412412) which had a necro almost 5 months after the actual week of comics.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brilligtove on 10 Oct 2018, 10:14
On that note, I've started a new thread to talk about this: Art, Artist, Audience: Relationships of Love and Commerce (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,34245.msg1414534.html#msg1414534).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 10 Oct 2018, 13:16
What agency does a fictional character have? How would said character have any agency the author/artist/creator does not give that character?

There are artists who report that they've been surprised by what their characters insisted on doing.

On an everyday level, my analogy to free will for a fictional character is when they are portrayed doing things that flow from their characterization. Claire and Hannelore got piercings because they both want to challenge themselves to fight anxiety. They are examples of what we'd call "agency" in real people.

The contrary case would be when a character makes a choice when portrayed as psychologically offline or as coerced.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: dutchrvl on 10 Oct 2018, 13:19
This looks like a simple case of an artist with an artistic vision that they are pursuing.
You don't like that vision, or the way it is being pursued, or both.
That's perfectly acceptable. No one is obligated to follow an artist in their artistic journey.
The artist is not obligated to follow a path that anyone else desires either.

I guess I don't grok the underlying source of your concern? If an artist pursues a vision I don't enjoy, I don't devote attention to that artist anymore, or at least not the work that isn't my thing. I might tell them "your new direction isn't for me" but that is followed with "but thanks for all the art you've created." I don't expect their work to conform to my expectations unless I am commissioning a piece.

Now here is the thing about "artists"  -  you pretty much hit the nail on the head without actually pointing out the issue here yet making it out as a something positive.
The absolute narcissism when an artist says they don't need to conform to others expectations.
Without an audience they are just some schmuck somewhere doing weird stuff on on their own for their own amusement  [and not to get arrested if others find out].
An artist by "trade" that does not want to starve has to have an audience.  They can still push buttons and be non-conformist but there are limits.
So they have to meet some expectations consistently enough to not lose their audience.
Without an audience they are just another tree in the woods

Lucky for Jeph that he has enough of a following willing to support his version of creativity and the paths he has taken.
I think he takes it as a personal affront when people voice not liking his decisions, which is problematic in its own way, though he seems to be getting better at dealing with it.

Now me - I get irked when he goes all George Lucas on us, falls passionately in love with an idea or character design, runs with it .... right off a cliff or into a wall
(click to show/hide)

On the long hair subject - yes I like longer hair - I have long hair -  I have nothing against people with shaved heads and neither do they  :roll:

Interesting, you seem to equate the need for artists to make a living to having to perform/produce their art according to what their audience expects from them. I respectfully, but strongheartedly, disagree with that view.
An artist does not need to conform to anything/anyone, really (unless of course they were paid for a well-defined piece of art according to certain parameters). This has nothing to do with narcissism. They make their art the way they want to, and whether they accept a loss of audience/popularity as a result is up to them. It's the same with a small business owner who decides to completely change the design of their product. That's their prerogative. They may lose all their customers and go under, sure, but that's still their right to do.
Do artists need an audience not to starve? Sure, probably. Still does not mean they need to meet expectations. In simplistic words, they do not owe their audience their survival (by not starving).

See also my post in the separate thread about this.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 10 Oct 2018, 15:04
Bubbles' questions about the Bar König might be profitably directed to the Girl Genius forum.

Also, defend your right to arm bears.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 10 Oct 2018, 20:18
Bubbles' questions about the Bar König might be profitably directed to the Girl Genius forum.

Also, defend your right to arm bears.



Bar König? Looks like your autocorrect struck. I'd be worried if the Bear King turned out to be the bar king though.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Thrudd on 11 Oct 2018, 08:04
Interesting, you seem to equate the need for artists to make a living to having to perform/produce their art according to what their audience expects from them. I respectfully, but strongheartedly, disagree with that view.
An artist does not need to conform to anything/anyone, really (unless of course they were paid for a well-defined piece of art according to certain parameters). This has nothing to do with narcissism. They make their art the way they want to, and whether they accept a loss of audience/popularity as a result is up to them. It's the same with a small business owner who decides to completely change the design of their product. That's their prerogative. They may lose all their customers and go under, sure, but that's still their right to do.
Do artists need an audience not to starve? Sure, probably. Still does not mean they need to meet expectations. In simplistic words, they do not owe their audience their survival (by not starving).

See also my post in the separate thread about this.

Oy vay

Is my prose that opaque?
I thought I had put it rather plainly

And your last statement make zero logical sense. For anyone who lives by their art there is no "probably".
Unless an "artist" has some form of support from some other source they are dependant on being appreciated to survive.
Mozart Leonardo Chopin .... Even your everyday street Busker ..... History says that if you don't have an audience or a patron YOU WILL STARVE or in the modern age, be living on social assistance.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: dutchrvl on 11 Oct 2018, 08:42
Interesting, you seem to equate the need for artists to make a living to having to perform/produce their art according to what their audience expects from them. I respectfully, but strongheartedly, disagree with that view.
An artist does not need to conform to anything/anyone, really (unless of course they were paid for a well-defined piece of art according to certain parameters). This has nothing to do with narcissism. They make their art the way they want to, and whether they accept a loss of audience/popularity as a result is up to them. It's the same with a small business owner who decides to completely change the design of their product. That's their prerogative. They may lose all their customers and go under, sure, but that's still their right to do.
Do artists need an audience not to starve? Sure, probably. Still does not mean they need to meet expectations. In simplistic words, they do not owe their audience their survival (by not starving).

See also my post in the separate thread about this.

Oy vay

Is my prose that opaque?
I thought I had put it rather plainly
  • That artists can do what they want for good or ill
  • Art should challenge their audience but it is not a requirement
  • Art is entertainment yet also a social record of the times
  • Art can be used to educate or induce debate - Make people think - but if heavy handed will have the opposite effect
  • Art needs to connect to their audience at some level or else everything else is lost <- this is what seems to be overlooked

And your last statement make zero logical sense. For anyone who lives by their art there is no "probably".
Unless an "artist" has some form of support from some other source they are dependant on being appreciated to survive.
Mozart Leonardo Chopin .... Even your everyday street Busker ..... History says that if you don't have an audience or a patron YOU WILL STARVE or in the modern age, be living on social assistance.

Of course they'll have to find an audience with whatever art they produce if they want to survive based on their art alone, that much is clear. I used "probably" precisely because an artist does not necessarily starve if they lose their audience, only if they have no other means to an income. (my combining sure with probably was an unfortunate choice from my side. "Sure" was just a throwaway use of the word showing my general agreement with your comment, not meaning that artists absolutely had to have an audience to survive. )

Anyway, all I was saying is that an artist does not ow us their survival, in other words  if they decide not to meet the audience's expectations and therefore lose income and starve to death (put morbidly), that's still their prerogative.
We honestly seem to agree on all the rest anyway, your latest post is much clearer to me in that sense. Your previous one I interpreted as expecting artists to conform to expectations. I see now that that's not what you meant.
 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Tova on 11 Oct 2018, 14:01
Edit: Added some more quotation for further context. All bolding in the quotes is mine.

I think you're in general agreement, and I agree also.

I just wanted to highlight the one point in the thread that does appear to have been lost.

If an artist pursues a vision I don't enjoy, I don't devote attention to that artist anymore, or at least not the work that isn't my thing. I might tell them "your new direction isn't for me" but that is followed with "but thanks for all the art you've created." I don't expect their work to conform to my expectations unless I am commissioning a piece.

Now here is the thing about "artists"  -  you pretty much hit the nail on the head without actually pointing out the issue here yet making it out as a something positive.
The absolute narcissism when an artist says they don't need to conform to others expectations.

An artist does not need to conform to anything/anyone, really (unless of course they were paid for a well-defined piece of art according to certain parameters). This has nothing to do with narcissism.

I thought I had put it rather plainly
...
Art needs to connect to their audience at some level or else everything else is lost <- this is what seems to be overlooked

I think it was indeed put plainly, but here is what I think is the source of confusion in spite of agreement in most respects.

Saying that "artists need an audience" is manifestly not equivalent to saying that "artists must conform to expectations." They are two very different statements.

The first I can get behind.

The second, however, is patently incorrect. Many artists have found an audience in spite of failing to conform to expectations. Many artists have found an audience because they failed to conform to expectations.

I can't agree that has anything to do with narcissism.

Arrogance, maybe. Maybe. I personally think that you need a touch of arrogance to be an artist. To put a bit of yourself into a creation and then put it out there to inevitably be torn to shreds by people who don't comprehend the drive to create. It takes courage, and for that reason alone I don't have much time for people who feel it necessary to tell an artist they should be doing something else. Criticise if you will, that is your prerogative. However, the artist is not obliged to conform to your expectations.

P.S. One more edit:

We honestly seem to agree on all the rest anyway, your latest post is much clearer to me in that sense. Your previous one I interpreted as expecting artists to conform to expectations. I see now that that's not what you meant.

I'm not so sure. Hence my post.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Morituri on 11 Oct 2018, 18:51
FWIW, I don't think artists need audiences. 

I've done plenty of things just for the sake of art, for the craftsmanship of it, for the satisfaction of creating something that hasn't existed before.

I rarely bother telling anyone else about it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: brilligtove on 11 Oct 2018, 21:05
As an artisan (in my domains) I agree: the act of creation is it's own reward. There is another level of ...pleasure? satisfaction? that comes with completing some project of artistic or practial value. I personally find the practical more satisfying, but my daughter and her mother find the artistic ascendent, so I can not claim one is better.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 11 Oct 2018, 22:27
How many famous artists never found, or more accurately were never found by, their audience until after they had died (sometimes of starvation)?  Getting to make a living  at doing what you love is good fortune indeed, especially for an artist.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Case on 12 Oct 2018, 04:33
This thread is certainly a very intellectual revenant ...

... we should call it Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Thrudd on 12 Oct 2018, 12:22
(Lots of text here by both of us)
I see now that that's not what you meant.
Ah, English.
Such a versatile, eclectic, yet messy language.
My verbiage skills "I think" are decent when it comes to anything technical since I am able to communicate technical issues with non-specialists in my field, though feedback does help.
Unfortunately I am barely able to tread water when it comes to actual skill with the creative use of language
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Carl-E on 14 Oct 2018, 12:26
Many on this forum are ESL (English as a Second Language) speakers.  Thrudd, I don't know if you're one or not.  However, I do know that many native speakers - of any language - have a great deal of difficulty expressing anything further than what marketers call "WINs" (Wants, Interests and Needs).  Infants manage to express these with no language at all... 

But you're right about English.  It's incredibly flexible, messy, nuanced, and can practically be weaponized in the hands of an expert.  Word choice is ridiculously important, as is inflection (which gets lost in print). 

I have always found this forum to be a wonderful place to practice and hash out my ability to communicate what my thoughts and ideas are.  No one here is afraid to call you out on what they think you meant. 


It's a truly educational experience, when taken as such!  Sometimes I wish these arguments were more publicly available as examples of how to communicate better...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 14 Oct 2018, 18:58
> Word choice is ridiculously important

Joseph Conrad said there are no synonyms in English, and Mark Twain said the difference between the right word and the almost right word was the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: cybersmurf on 15 Oct 2018, 02:35
> Word choice is ridiculously important

Joseph Conrad said there are no synonyms in English, and Mark Twain said the difference between the right word and the almost right word was the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

Also, Mark Twain seems to have been quite the southerner. He's attributed with the quote "My coldest winter was a summer in San Francisco". Now, San Fran doesn't get particularly warm in summer, but doesn't get too cold in winter either.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: OldGoat on 15 Oct 2018, 07:02

Also, Mark Twain seems to have been quite the southerner. He's attributed with the quote "My coldest winter was a summer in San Francisco". Now, San Fran doesn't get particularly warm in summer, but doesn't get too cold in winter either.

He probably wrote that before he moved to Connecticut.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: BlueFatima on 15 Oct 2018, 07:50
I'm laughing like a mad woman about the hair "debate." I could give a flying fart with how society thinks women should style, cut, care for, or whatever with their hair. I must hang out with chill people. Most of them don't seem to care one way or another either. I had short hair most of my adult life, but I am currently growing my it down to my butt, and I'm (gasp) in my 40s. How dare a woman my age grow hair that long!  :laugh:

Then I let my elementary-aged kiddo get herself a mohawk. She was going to grow it out until a "friend" told her that her own mom would be "angry" if she got a "boy hairdo" herself, and "no girls" at her school have short hair (kiddo goes to a different school). So my kid asked to go back to the hair dresser and got another mohawk out of spite. :laugh:

As for the comic? It's cute and funny, and that's all I take away from it. I like that Jeph changes up some of his characters. There are female characters (Marigold is one I can think of) who don't change much when it comes to hair/style. Then there are male characters like Clinton and Winslow who ended up with enormous changes. I don't think it's a horrible thing people talk about the hair or changes in appearances. It's easy to become attached to characters, and most of QC's cast happen to be female.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Storel on 15 Oct 2018, 17:02
Joseph Conrad said there are no synonyms in English, and Mark Twain said the difference between the right word and the almost right word was the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

Nicely said, by both of them.

Also, Mark Twain seems to have been quite the southerner. He's attributed with the quote "My coldest winter was a summer in San Francisco". Now, San Fran doesn't get particularly warm in summer, but doesn't get too cold in winter either.

The thing that gets people about summer in San Francisco is that they come expecting, well, summer weather -- it's in "sunny California", right?!? -- and they get maybe two or three days of that at a time before the cold, cold fog comes rolling in and blankets the city for several more days. If I had a dollar for every time I've seen tourists standing on downtown street corners in shorts and t-shirts, gradually turning blue from the cold...

I'm always tempted to open the car window and holler "Welcome to sunny California!" at them as I go by, but I manage to restrain myself.... most of the time.  :evil:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Zebediah on 15 Oct 2018, 17:43
First time I was in San Francisco the high was 53F and a full gale was blowing. It was July. I was there for five days and never saw the sun.

Then at the end of my trip I took a shuttle to SFO airport, where it was 75F with bright sun.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: pallanox on 15 Oct 2018, 18:09
Long hair looks excellent. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: hedgie on 15 Oct 2018, 18:27
First time I was in San Francisco the high was 53F and a full gale was blowing. It was July. I was there for five days and never saw the sun.

Then at the end of my trip I took a shuttle to SFO airport, where it was 75F with bright sun.

Microclimates. One summer when I was living there, I didn't see the sun for two months over my place (Sunset District), but all I had to do was head down to Dolores Park and there'd be people sunbathing.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Thrudd on 15 Oct 2018, 21:18
I lucked out when work sent me down for some factory training back in the day.
I froze by butt off the night I arrived since the [cheap] motel had no heat - just AC.
That day I took a stroll around the industrial park during the extended lunch break - it felt warm but pleasant to this Torontoian. I am used to heat and humidity in the summers after all. All was well until I walked into the shade of a tree and the temperature difference was like walking into a freezer. I didn't believe in micro-climates up till then.
Froze my ass again the next night but the following day was absolutely balmy but not as dry hot as the day before.
The next morning was bone chilling fog to send me off on my flight back home.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: ihaveavoice on 17 Oct 2018, 22:33
Now here is the thing about "artists"  -  you pretty much hit the nail on the head without actually pointing out the issue here yet making it out as a something positive.
The absolute narcissism when an artist says they don't need to conform to others expectations.


You just really wanted to say this particular thing, right? Your response wasn't meant to be taken in context with the debate about whether a fictional character's hairstyle is somehow a crime against humanity by not pleasing some specific dudes on the internet?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3841-3845 (1-5 October 2018)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 18 Oct 2018, 09:09
I thought it was interesting(mod), and there's now a better topic for the nuances of the relationship between artist and audience in DISCUSS{/mod).