THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: jwhouk on 18 Apr 2021, 19:40

Title: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: jwhouk on 18 Apr 2021, 19:40
No poll, but one big D’awwwwww.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 18 Apr 2021, 20:00
Adorable indeed. Long may it last :)
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: zioninavision on 18 Apr 2021, 20:02
i am very glad to be finally seeing and reading how Jeph will creatively present a long distance relationship! 
Veronica moved to Northampton very quickly, and of course Angus and Faye did not attempt to stay together!  Hanners being on her travels was a type of long-distantly relating, but also quite different! 
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: shanejayell on 18 Apr 2021, 20:20
Brun: "Do I still need to wait in the bathroom?"
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 18 Apr 2021, 20:36
Brun: "Do I still need to wait in the bathroom?"


"People keep giving me funny looks"
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Oenone on 18 Apr 2021, 21:02
Lmao. This is adorable. I can’t wait to see how they both contribute to each other’s growth.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: badbum61 on 18 Apr 2021, 21:22
Brun: "Do I still need to wait in the bathroom?"

How much cocaine does she have, exactly?  :psyduck:

Also, do I really wanna know how the "S game" improves on one's A game?

(yes. yes, I do.)
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: wiserd on 18 Apr 2021, 22:54
At the risk of appearing naive... what is an "S game?" Is it like "giving 110%?"
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: BenRG on 18 Apr 2021, 23:40
Well, we've got to this point eventually (at last).

Jeph should be less gamer. Not all of us are into the lingo, or even recognise it for what it is. Someone on Patreon had to explain this strip to me.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Eversist on 18 Apr 2021, 23:52
At the risk of appearing naive... what is an "S game?" Is it like "giving 110%?"

Correct. Lots of video games have a score rating system with your traditional ABCDF structure, with S being above all; the best of the best.

Probably originally comes from the Japanese grading system in school, but I don't know that for certain.

Jeph should be less gamer. Not all of us are into the lingo, or even recognise it for what it is. Someone on Patreon had to explain this strip to me.

I know you're probably at least being partially sarcastic, but it's okay to not always get the punchline right away. Different characters have different interests so it sorta makes sense in-context, too.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 19 Apr 2021, 00:06
I didn't even get that punch line, just figured that 'S game' meant 'sex game'
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: BenRG on 19 Apr 2021, 00:19
Jeph should be less gamer. Not all of us are into the lingo, or even recognise it for what it is. Someone on Patreon had to explain this strip to me.

I know you're probably at least being partially sarcastic, but it's okay to not always get the punchline right away. Different characters have different interests so it sorta makes sense in-context, too.

Actually, I wasn't being sarcastic. I literally had no idea what Renee was talking about. It's something that an author should be wary of. If your audience can no longer understand your characters and/or follow the story, then there are problems on the horizon.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Eversist on 19 Apr 2021, 00:28
Jeph should be less gamer. Not all of us are into the lingo, or even recognise it for what it is. Someone on Patreon had to explain this strip to me.

I know you're probably at least being partially sarcastic, but it's okay to not always get the punchline right away. Different characters have different interests so it sorta makes sense in-context, too.

Actually, I wasn't being sarcastic. I literally had no idea what Renee was talking about. It's something that an author should be wary of. If your audience can no longer understand your characters and/or follow the story, then there are problems on the horizon.

Ah okay, forgive me. I was assuming in good faith that you maybe were being sarcastic, because I think it's a little silly/unrealistic to think one is always going to understand a punch line in a comic, especially a comic that leans on pop culture occasionally.

QC used to have a lot more music humor and references. I missed out on a lot of those, but I don't feel like it really diminished my enjoyment of the comic or made me feel like it was going in an obtuse direction. Agree to disagree. :)

(Edited for clarity.)
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: sitnspin on 19 Apr 2021, 00:30
I didn't (and don't) know what it was a reference to, but I picked up its meaning from context.

Not every piece of fiction has to be universally digestible by every audience member, and in fact it impossible to be so. And asking a creator to appeal to your specific tastes and perspectives seems a bit presumptuous and entitled.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Tova on 19 Apr 2021, 01:53
Jeph inserted a pop culture reference into today's comic? Heavens.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Oenone on 19 Apr 2021, 04:50
I thought it was a Sailor Moon reference lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Moon_S:_The_Movie?wprov=sfti1
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Marco on 19 Apr 2021, 05:03
Jeph should be less gamer. Not all of us are into the lingo, or even recognise it for what it is. Someone on Patreon had to explain this strip to me.

I know you're probably at least being partially sarcastic, but it's okay to not always get the punchline right away. Different characters have different interests so it sorta makes sense in-context, too.

Actually, I wasn't being sarcastic. I literally had no idea what Renee was talking about. It's something that an author should be wary of. If your audience can no longer understand your characters and/or follow the story, then there are problems on the horizon.

I hope we won't need for QC something like "explain xkcd" (which I consult regularly, by the way).
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Tova on 19 Apr 2021, 05:38
Really. Jeph could have left that speech balloon blank, and I am pretty confident most of us, maybe even all of us, would have had no trouble inserting an equivalent joke. Especially Ben. I don't buy for a moment the claim that he had no idea what it meant.

We should have a new type of caption contest, except a fill the blanks contest:

That was my ____. You should see my ____.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 19 Apr 2021, 07:25
Huh. Google wanted to babble about the Oakland A’s and the Xbox series S.
Google is less hip than I thought.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: SpanielBear on 19 Apr 2021, 07:50
Really. Jeph could have left that speech balloon blank, and I am pretty confident most of us, maybe even all of us, would have had no trouble inserting an equivalent joke. Especially Ben. I don't buy for a moment the claim that he had no idea what it meant.

We should have a new type of caption contest, except a fill the blanks contest:

That was my ____. You should see my ____.

“That was my Piltdown Man. You should see my Lucy.”
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 19 Apr 2021, 10:17
eat it nerds

(https://i.imgur.com/jLaSgwJ.png)
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 19 Apr 2021, 18:17
New comic.

Wow, that voice actor won't run out of work anytime soon.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 19 Apr 2021, 18:29
One of the perks of writing your own webcomic is you're VERY familiar with the characters' voice actor.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: shanejayell on 19 Apr 2021, 19:23
Brun: "Can I come back now?"
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: cesium133 on 19 Apr 2021, 19:34
It'll be the new "eaten by an allosaur": Brun is "doing cocaine in the bathroom."
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Tova on 19 Apr 2021, 19:43
I kinda wish Jeph would put less energy into trolling is audience and more into his storylines.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: shanejayell on 19 Apr 2021, 19:57
I kinda wish Jeph would put less energy into trolling is audience and more into his storylines.

Huh?
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Oenone on 19 Apr 2021, 21:23
I kinda wish Jeph would put less energy into trolling is audience and more into his storylines.

I don’t feel especially especially trolled. Voice actors sometimes will take on a lot of characters in one show, like Hank Azaria in The Simpsons.

It’s not trolling if it’s a joke based how an industry works in what seems to the audience to be contradictory or surprising ways.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: DaiJB on 19 Apr 2021, 23:17
Brun: "Do I still need to wait in the bathroom?"


"People keep giving me funny looks"

"Then when I try to do the socially acceptable thing and start up a conversation - usually something about clocks - they leave very quickly. Am I doing something wrong?"
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: BenRG on 19 Apr 2021, 23:25
Well, it looks like we're at the end of this mini-arc at least. I'm expecting a few filler strips before anything else comes along and so this is a good point to make this 'announcement' of sorts.

Questionable Content isn't quite as enjoyable to me as it used to be at the beginning. Maybe Jeph's thinking and the things he enjoys have moved on to places where I can't really understand or enjoy the ideas that direct the strip anymore. Maybe, as some alledge, he's moved on creatively and he's just 'phoning in' the strip because it has been the core of his creative life for so long. Either way, I'm not not getting the interest I used to in thinking about what's happening in the story and following the characters' lives.

I'm not quitting by any means. If an interesting strip comes along, you will probably see me occasionally commenting on an interesting strip. Hell, the next arc might be brilliant and drag me in but, as matters stand, I won't be anywhere near as regular as I used to be. QC simply doesn't engage me as it used to and it is hard to take time out for something that occasionally feels more a chore or social obligation than anything else.

There have been good times and wonderful stories to remember and cherish but those times seem to have passed.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: badbum61 on 20 Apr 2021, 00:37
wait, so Ralph Wiggum does their interior monologue?

Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: awkwardness on 20 Apr 2021, 02:18
Now every time I read their inner monologues I'll hear the voices of Fred Tatasciore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Tatasciore) and Kevin Michael Richardson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Michael_Richardson)...those two are the go-to for deep voiced voiceover actors in my head
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: oddtail on 20 Apr 2021, 02:30
Now every time I read their inner monologues I'll hear the voices of Fred Tatasciore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Tatasciore) and Kevin Michael Richardson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Michael_Richardson)...those two are the go-to for deep voiced voiceover actors in my head

My brain immeditely went to the narrator from The Stanley Parable for some weird reason.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Datalore on 20 Apr 2021, 07:12
Quote
QC used to have a lot more music humor and references. I missed out on a lot of those, but I don't feel like it really diminished my enjoyment of the comic or made me feel like it was going in an obtuse direction. Agree to disagree. :)

(Edited for clarity.)

Yeah, same. Maybe it's because I'm younger than the (apparent?) typical forum crowd, but I grew up with QC and the most recent couple years have been the strips I relate with the most. Everything I ever learned about Indie music (or music in general) came from this comic, and of all of that the only thing that stuck through the years was that "Panda panda panda panda pan-- PANDA" song.

Just wasn't [and isn't] an area of interest for me, but I stuck around because the characters were fun and they clicked with my kiddo internet edgelord brain, and they grew at roughly the same rate I did.

Now we have a more diverse cast, and they're starting to talk increasingly about gaming (including V-tubing, of all things) and for once I feel like I'm actually the target audience for the jokes and references. I used to just skim over the last panel because it was usually a punchline that relied on a reference I was 10-20 years too late for. So I wasn't really ever expecting to be in the "gets the jokes" demographic of the readership, but hey! Pleasant surprises do happen.

That said, gaining something you never expected and then potentially losing it is a very different experience from losing something you've always had and had potentially taken for granted. So I can understand how leaving the "gets the jokes" demographic can feel like a bummer and infringe pretty critically on one's enjoyment.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: drewdane on 20 Apr 2021, 07:16
Good to see the requisite hipster backlash against IPAs is covered.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 20 Apr 2021, 08:16
Wouldn’t hipsters be all over new-gen IPA’s? You know, small unknown brewery, extreme hoppiness, fuck actual flavour, sounds like perfect hipster bait to me…
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: drewdane on 20 Apr 2021, 10:25
Wouldn’t hipsters be all over new-gen IPA’s? You know, small unknown brewery, extreme hoppiness, fuck actual flavour, sounds like perfect hipster bait to me…
Naw, IPAs are so mainstream now that even over-hopped garbage from obscure breweries that have no business being in operation aren't edgy enough.  They were supplanted by sours for a while, but now I think those are losing their "I was into it before it was mainstream" cachet as well.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Roborat on 20 Apr 2021, 12:22
Hercules voice actor? Ok, but never Newton.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: awkwardness on 20 Apr 2021, 18:27
Good to see the requisite hipster backlash against IPAs is covered.

It's low-hanging fruit for comic writers, it's like attacking the use of comic-sans. At least it's not her being a snob about beers that aren't European
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: awkwardness on 20 Apr 2021, 18:28
New comic, same obsession with short hair...it ruined a great look for no reason whatsoever

OK I'll bow out before I get banned for not following the herd
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 20 Apr 2021, 18:43
New comic, same obsession with short hair...it ruined a great look for no reason whatsoever

OK I'll bow out before I get banned for not following the herd

No need for that. That's a perfectly legitimate opinion to hold. I happen to like the hair, personally, but I'm not gonna jump on you for it.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: shanejayell on 20 Apr 2021, 19:34
HOW did Beeps get her hand stuck in the printer anyway? 0_o
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 20 Apr 2021, 19:43
Beepatrice has many hidden talents.

And I like Roko's short hair, but I might be biased since my hair isn't long either.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Sorflakne on 20 Apr 2021, 20:15
Yeah, Roku's new hair doesn't fit her character.

Quote
Questionable Content isn't quite as enjoyable to me as it used to be at the beginning. Maybe Jeph's thinking and the things he enjoys have moved on to places where I can't really understand or enjoy the ideas that direct the strip anymore. Maybe, as some alledge, he's moved on creatively and he's just 'phoning in' the strip because it has been the core of his creative life for so long. Either way, I'm not not getting the interest I used to in thinking about what's happening in the story and following the characters' lives.
I've felt this way for awhile. Habit is pretty much the only reason I still read QC, with May getting a new body the first time in awhile where I was looking forward to the next comic.  Relationship arcs do nothing to hold my interest, mainly because in QC the stakes aren't high, if they even exist.

IMO when the Secret Bakery was introduced and the second main cast started becoming prominent, that would've been a good time to have started either planning a spin-off comic or just ending QC altogether and starting a new storyline with them, seeing as they and characters introduced post-SB have become the new cast.  Other than Faye, none of the original cast or original B cast make regular appearances anymore.  The comic has moved from its roots of random arcs of music, silliness, and hints of magical realism to, well, whatever it is today. I get it, long-running works need to evolve and change it up to stay fresh, but going back and reading the early strips even into four digits is like reading a completely different comic, in tone, delivery, pacing, and atmosphere.

Quote
HOW did Beeps get her hand stuck in the printer anyway? 0_o
Printers are of the devil.  Never underestimate their diabolical machinations and ways.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Elder Sign on 20 Apr 2021, 20:45
New comic, same obsession with short hair...it ruined a great look for no reason whatsoever

Oh, there's always a reason, but these days it seems to me that Jeph does it more to just periodically troll the audience (i.e. us) rather than out of any actual need to change a character's look.

Count me in with those who preferred Roko's former 'do, but we may as well get used to it.  This is the way.

At least Jeph didn't revamp her to have a near-brush-cut, unlike multiple other characters.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 20 Apr 2021, 20:50
-snip-
Relationship arcs do nothing to hold my interest, mainly because in QC the stakes aren't high, if they even exist.
-snip-

Who needs stakes and storylines? Pure fluff, especially fluff with well-developed and relatable characters, is one of my favorite things to read.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 20 Apr 2021, 21:01
Just goes to show that we all enjoy different things. I quite like the current story arcs, since it's nice, lightweight entertainment and I have enough to worry about in my day-to-day life. I need my escapism. Like Datalore, I didn't really get many of the punchlines in the earlier strips (even if I was the right age group) because I've never been into Indie music. I listened to some of the bands mentioned and didn't like them much.

Then again, if Jeph could put a bit of 'random riffing on a subject' back into the comic, I'd love that. Tiny hypoallergenic cows (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=711) bring a smile to my face :)
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Gyrre on 20 Apr 2021, 21:08
I kinda wish Jeph would put less energy into trolling is audience and more into his storylines.

I don’t feel especially especially trolled. Voice actors sometimes will take on a lot of characters in one show, like Hank Azaria in The Simpsons.

It’s not trolling if it’s a joke based how an industry works in what seems to the audience to be contradictory or surprising ways.

Look up Scott McNeil's VA credits. He was 3/4 (or more) of the Ruby Spear's Megaman cartoon cast and at least 3 separate characters in Beast Wars.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: SeattleCrochetWoman on 20 Apr 2021, 22:00
I like Roko’s hair too. I get so tired of the idea that women have to have long or at least shoulder-length hair. It used to be acceptable for women,mercenary young women, to have short hair. Now if you’re a woman under 70, your hair has to be at least shoulder length or you get negative comments. And the same thing if guys let their hair grow. I’m sick of it. Why do we all have to have the same hair length?
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: St.Clair on 21 Apr 2021, 01:11
My problem is not that any one person has short hair.
It's that, over time, all of them end up with short hair.
It reduces the diversity of character design.
To return to an extreme example I've used before, imagine if everyone was represented by circles of various colors and/or sizes, otherwise featureless and identical.  Just... circles.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: St.Clair on 21 Apr 2021, 01:24
now, as to another aspect of the latest comic:
I'm honestly not sure this is a case of discrimination against AIs.  IMO, it's an entirely different sort of bullshit.  I imagine a human employee (with a similarly high performance rating) would have been just as fired.  Whoever had that job was going to lose it so the owner could give it to their boy.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: oddtail on 21 Apr 2021, 01:45
I like short hair on women, but I don't like the new hairdo on Roko specifically. I much preferred the older look.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: DaiJB on 21 Apr 2021, 03:39
I like short hair on women, but I don't like the new hairdo on Roko specifically. I much preferred the older look.

True - but there's no reason to assume that Roko will want to keep a hairstyle based on an accident any more than Momo did. Maybe some more much-needed business for Union Robotics*?

*Minor trivia: A "Union Robotics" exists in this universe too...**

** Somebody else may have mentioned this already, but I've probably been too inattentive to notice   :roll:
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Potato Farmer on 21 Apr 2021, 07:08
I like Roko’s hair too. I get so tired of the idea that women have to have long or at least shoulder-length hair. It used to be acceptable for women,mercenary young women, to have short hair. Now if you’re a woman under 70, your hair has to be at least shoulder length or you get negative comments. And the same thing if guys let their hair grow. I’m sick of it. Why do we all have to have the same hair length?

I just like the way long hair looks on women.

Of course I don't think it's a big deal if a woman decides to wear their hair short either. Just means that for me personally their attractiveness has decreased unless they wear it really well.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: sitnspin on 21 Apr 2021, 07:40
My problem is not that any one person has short hair.
It's that, over time, all of them end up with short hair.
It reduces the diversity of character design.
To return to an extreme example I've used before, imagine if everyone was represented by circles of various colors and/or sizes, otherwise featureless and identical.  Just... circles.

None of them even have the same hairstyle, they look nothing alike.

No matter how many times you repeat that argument, it won't get any less ridiculous.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: dutchrvl on 21 Apr 2021, 10:00
My problem is not that any one person has short hair.
It's that, over time, all of them end up with short hair.
It reduces the diversity of character design.
To return to an extreme example I've used before, imagine if everyone was represented by circles of various colors and/or sizes, otherwise featureless and identical.  Just... circles.

I dunno, XKCD seems to be pretty well-accepted and -respected :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: sitnspin on 21 Apr 2021, 10:06
I like short hair on women, but I don't like the new hairdo on Roko specifically. I much preferred the older look.

To be fair, I don't think she likes it, either.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: dutchrvl on 21 Apr 2021, 10:17
Yeah, Roku's new hair doesn't fit her character.

Quote
Questionable Content isn't quite as enjoyable to me as it used to be at the beginning. Maybe Jeph's thinking and the things he enjoys have moved on to places where I can't really understand or enjoy the ideas that direct the strip anymore. Maybe, as some alledge, he's moved on creatively and he's just 'phoning in' the strip because it has been the core of his creative life for so long. Either way, I'm not not getting the interest I used to in thinking about what's happening in the story and following the characters' lives.
I've felt this way for awhile. Habit is pretty much the only reason I still read QC, with May getting a new body the first time in awhile where I was looking forward to the next comic.  Relationship arcs do nothing to hold my interest, mainly because in QC the stakes aren't high, if they even exist.

IMO when the Secret Bakery was introduced and the second main cast started becoming prominent, that would've been a good time to have started either planning a spin-off comic or just ending QC altogether and starting a new storyline with them, seeing as they and characters introduced post-SB have become the new cast.  Other than Faye, none of the original cast or original B cast make regular appearances anymore.  The comic has moved from its roots of random arcs of music, silliness, and hints of magical realism to, well, whatever it is today. I get it, long-running works need to evolve and change it up to stay fresh, but going back and reading the early strips even into four digits is like reading a completely different comic, in tone, delivery, pacing, and atmosphere.

Quote
HOW did Beeps get her hand stuck in the printer anyway? 0_o
Printers are of the devil.  Never underestimate their diabolical machinations and ways.

It makes sense though, just like pretty much any long-running slice of life comic you will see the effect of real-life developments, as well as the personal development of the author. Jeph started QC when he was what, very early 20s? That's a very different mindset and outlook on life than when you're in your late 30s/early 40s. I think we see that reflected in how QC evolved from silly gags, hipster arcs, indie music, and few longer story arcs, to more rounded out characters, a much more diverse cast, relatively limited hipster gags and silly jokes, and longer story arcs and lots of social commentary and addressing those social issues that Jeph likely ponders a lot.
And lets not forget that ALOT has happened in our society over the past 18 years or so and various issues have come more to the forefront (as they should), which affect a comic like QC as well. 

And this is not even mentioning how we as readers evolve. I am myself more or less Jeph's age, and my interests and way of thinking are vastly different from when I started reading QC. So, we cannot expect us as readers to generally evolve in the same direction as Jeph, and as such a portion of readers will probably let go of QC, just like others will finally start enjoying QC. And that's fine.

Personally, I feel the same as several above, in that the story arcs do not hold my attention like they used to, I am less invested in the 'new cast', and I miss the original cast for whom I feel there are still plenty of stories left to tell. In addition, although I highly appreciate that Jeph addresses social issues, I think succesfulness in the way they're inserted into QC varies wildly. SOmetimes it just feels hamfisted, which getting the point across less effective, IMHO.

This all said, it's his comic, and I still largely enjoy it, so...
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 21 Apr 2021, 11:32
HOW did Beeps get her hand stuck in the printer anyway? 0_o

She was trying to use the manual feed.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Tova on 21 Apr 2021, 14:17
I was obviously spoiled by the Faye/Bubbles story because nothing since has measured up for me.

The cast issue is less a problem of missing the old cast than it is characters getting paired off and then immediately dropped when the focus moves to yet another ship. How is that sustainable? Hello new new cast?

I’d love to see a social issue put at the centre of a new story. Let’s go.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: hedgie on 21 Apr 2021, 14:19
I like short hair on women, but I don't like the new hairdo on Roko specifically. I much preferred the older look.

To be fair, I don't think she likes it, either.

I just think that Jeph really wanted to troll life-long longhairs like me. 
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Wombat on 21 Apr 2021, 14:25

I just think that Jeph really wanted to troll life-long longhairs like me.
There's been a few comments about Jeph "trolling" with this, and I really don't see how it's trolling?
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Tova on 21 Apr 2021, 14:45
Well, two.
 
Hasn’t Jeph been open about putting stuff in his comic to annoy the haters?
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 21 Apr 2021, 15:07
Granted, the Clinton/Elliot romance was a looooong time coming.

I have the feeling that Jeph might be moving back to the 'socialized body care for AIs (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4305)' arc now, with Roko's disassociation added in as well? I was wondering yesterday if her accidental haircut would exacerbate things.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: pwhodges on 21 Apr 2021, 15:52
There's been a few comments about Jeph "trolling" with this, and I really don't see how it's trolling?

Some people use "trolling" to describe something they happen not to like or agree with, is all that is.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Tova on 21 Apr 2021, 16:13
Oh?

I’d really prefer you cast aspersions directly rather than obliquely.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Penquin47 on 21 Apr 2021, 16:21
Can anyone think of a case where a character was introduced with short hair and let it grow out?   The only one I can think of is Dora, and that ended up being rather temporary.  (I know it's harder to do because of the time, but still, it's been a few years in-comic.)

That's what annoys me so much, really.  It's unidirectional.

And people call it trolling because Jeph appears to be aware that readers have this same discussion every time he cuts off a character's hair.  In this case, he even lampshaded that in the strip title and author's note.  That lampshading is what makes it feel like trolling to me.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 21 Apr 2021, 16:42
Momo's hair ended up a lot longer than what she started with. Same with May when she switched bodies.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Tova on 21 Apr 2021, 17:41
I feel like those examples still fit the trope of introducing a new character (or chassis in this case) with long hair then later having it chopped in a zany accident.

Tai is probably a rare example of short hair by choice.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: cesium133 on 21 Apr 2021, 18:32
New comic up.

What are the odds that the next time Clinton runs into Marigold, she recognizes his voice as LilBeef? (Then again, it looks like it's been a long time since they've run into each other (http://cesiumcomics.com/qctags/?tag=clinton_marigold), but QC Northampton seems to be a fairly small place...)
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 21 Apr 2021, 18:44
I think the odds are fairly small. They aren't terribly well acquainted, Clinton's voice would sound different through the microphone and speakers, and Marigold won't be actively trying to figure out if he made a guest appearance on his mother's stream.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: hedgie on 21 Apr 2021, 19:06
There's been a few comments about Jeph "trolling" with this, and I really don't see how it's trolling?

Some people use "trolling" to describe something they happen not to like or agree with, is all that is.

It is originally a fishing term, and he has got us to bite, at the least.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: shanejayell on 21 Apr 2021, 19:40
Poor Clinton.

I DO like the idea of Marigold instantly recognizing him as 'Lil Beef.'  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: sitnspin on 21 Apr 2021, 19:40
It is originally a fishing term, and he has got us to bite, at the least.
That's "trawling".
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 21 Apr 2021, 19:56
There is both 'trolling' and 'trawling' in fishing, and they are two separate methods. Trolling uses fishing lines, whereas trawling uses nets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolling_(fishing) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolling_(fishing)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trawling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trawling)

Fixed link - Gnabberwocky
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: hedgie on 21 Apr 2021, 20:13
Yup, and I’m old enough to remember the original use of the term online.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Oenone on 21 Apr 2021, 20:19
Can anyone think of a case where a character was introduced with short hair and let it grow out?   The only one I can think of is Dora, and that ended up being rather temporary.  (I know it's harder to do because of the time, but still, it's been a few years in-comic.)

That's what annoys me so much, really.  It's unidirectional.

And people call it trolling because Jeph appears to be aware that readers have this same discussion every time he cuts off a character's hair.  In this case, he even lampshaded that in the strip title and author's note.  That lampshading is what makes it feel like trolling to me.

Renee. She had her hair very short in her first SB appearance.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: sitnspin on 21 Apr 2021, 20:27
There is both 'trolling' and 'trawling' in fishing, and they are two separate methods. Trolling uses fishing lines, whereas trawling uses nets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolling_(fishing) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolling_(fishing)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trawling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trawling)

Fixed link - Gnabberwocky
Touché. I stand corrected.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: neurocase on 21 Apr 2021, 20:33
Time to place bets on if this unplanned 'haircut' will have some form of effect on Roko's disassociation issues. Personally, I think even if it does, it'll moreso just be a convenient plot device built from Jeph's long-term propensity for shearing his female characters, even if not by them making the choice to do so :-P
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Penquin47 on 21 Apr 2021, 20:38
I feel like those examples still fit the trope of introducing a new character (or chassis in this case) with long hair then later having it chopped in a zany accident.

Tai is probably a rare example of short hair by choice.

May I'll agree with.  She was introduced with short hair and chose to go long and so far has kept it (although I'm sure she's due for a zany accident in the nearish future, you know, maybe 2023 real time?).  Momo on the other hand was introduced as a doll rather than a humanoid chassis, so I wouldn't count that.

Renee's hair is certainly long*er* than when she was introduced, but it's still a short style.  Unless she just has it in a bun or something?
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Gyrre on 22 Apr 2021, 02:18
I was obviously spoiled by the Faye/Bubbles story because nothing since has measured up for me.

The cast issue is less a problem of missing the old cast than it is characters getting paired off and then immediately dropped when the focus moves to yet another ship. How is that sustainable? Hello new new cast?

I’d love to see a social issue put at the centre of a new story. Let’s go.

Sounds like Wapsi Square's calander arc for me. Atsali's introductory arc did come close. But then things started getting ...uncomfortable. I haven't read it for some time now.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Oenone on 22 Apr 2021, 15:26
I feel like those examples still fit the trope of introducing a new character (or chassis in this case) with long hair then later having it chopped in a zany accident.

Tai is probably a rare example of short hair by choice.

May I'll agree with.  She was introduced with short hair and chose to go long and so far has kept it (although I'm sure she's due for a zany accident in the nearish future, you know, maybe 2023 real time?).  Momo on the other hand was introduced as a doll rather than a humanoid chassis, so I wouldn't count that.

Renee's hair is certainly long*er* than when she was introduced, but it's still a short style.  Unless she just has it in a bun or something?

Isn’t hair getting longer part of growing it out? Unless there a time jump, she’s not going to have her own long hair instantaneously.

I’m also like, ??? Her hair curly, so it might be longer than it looks. Shrinkage is real. Tbh it’s entirely possible Brun and Dale have long hair as well. My hair is certainly longer than you’d think.   :cry:

https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/learn/what-is-natural-hair-shrinkage-why-do-i-care
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: shanejayell on 22 Apr 2021, 18:23
New comic.

I can't see Melon cutting hair ending well.....
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: WAYF on 22 Apr 2021, 18:25
For anyone who's wondering about Jeph's "long day" comment, the current day has lasted for a minimum of 72 strips (since #4439), or more realistically, 117 strips (since #4394). The previous record was 61 strips so he absolutely shattered it either way.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 22 Apr 2021, 18:37
so like 800 times faster than dumbing of age
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 22 Apr 2021, 18:39
Is the title of Claire's book actually 'The Sexual Dwarf'? I have trouble reading the last word.

Either way: loooooooooooooooooooooooooong day.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: WAYF on 22 Apr 2021, 18:45
Is the title of Claire's book actually 'The Sexual Dwarf'? I have trouble reading the last word.

Either way: loooooooooooooooooooooooooong day.

First of all, that's Aurelia.
Second of all, I believe it is "The Sexual Duke". A historical fantasy for sure.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: David F on 22 Apr 2021, 18:47
For anyone who's wondering about Jeph's "long day" comment, the current day has lasted for a minimum of 72 strips (since #4439), or more realistically, 117 strips (since #4394). The previous record was 61 strips so he absolutely shattered it either way.

Pretty sure it's "just" 72 - before 4394 both Brun and Faye were wearing different outfits.  Still faster than El Goonish Shive, where the most recent 'long day' took 238 strips... at 3 per week, instead of 5, so it took 20 months, as opposed to a mere 14 weeks.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 22 Apr 2021, 18:56
First of all, that's Aurelia.
Second of all, I believe it is "The Sexual Duke". A historical fantasy for sure.


'Duke' makes more sense, thanks. I do think the person could be either Aurelia or Claire, very hard to distinguish like that. Mother and daughter look a lot alike.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 22 Apr 2021, 18:58
i had to zoom in alllllllllllll the way, and pretty sure it's Duke, yeh
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 22 Apr 2021, 18:59
It's Aurelia; she has the lines under her eyes as well as thicker, more angled glasses frames.

I have to say, despite the simplicity, this is one of my favorite styles of QC strip.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Wombat on 22 Apr 2021, 19:03
It also makes more sense as being Aurelia. I say this having first thought it was Claire and going, "Okay, just throw some Claire in there, we've got Steve so why not."
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: DaiJB on 22 Apr 2021, 19:05
 :-o MELON haircut?!
Welp, I think that clinches it - a trip to Union Robotics and Bubbles' hair-growing soup tomorrow...probably with Roko wearing a hat :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 22 Apr 2021, 19:11
I completely overlooked the lines under her eyes... Multiple times. Maybe I need new glasses :D
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Sorflakne on 22 Apr 2021, 19:12
I wish I knew what cereal Steve eats to maintain that physique.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: SubaruStephen on 22 Apr 2021, 19:27
I wish I knew what cereal Steve eats to maintain that physique.

Beefy-Os, because breakfast starts with protein!
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: WAYF on 22 Apr 2021, 20:33
For anyone who's wondering about Jeph's "long day" comment, the current day has lasted for a minimum of 72 strips (since #4439), or more realistically, 117 strips (since #4394). The previous record was 61 strips so he absolutely shattered it either way.

Pretty sure it's "just" 72 - before 4394 both Brun and Faye were wearing different outfits.  Still faster than El Goonish Shive, where the most recent 'long day' took 238 strips... at 3 per week, instead of 5, so it took 20 months, as opposed to a mere 14 weeks.

I'm not saying you're wrong - it is very ambiguous - I'm just saying it seems kinda weird to me for us to have a morning phase (#4394), a lunchtime phase (#4409) and an afternoon phase (#4439) all in sequence, but have them be on different days. Particularly since Samantha left Union Robotics in #4437 and also happened to not be there when Clinton and Willow showed up in #4456.

I just think it's a tad more likely that Jeph forgot what various people were wearing.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Mordhaus on 22 Apr 2021, 22:09
Melon is meloning Roko's melon!
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: David F on 22 Apr 2021, 23:47

I'm not saying you're wrong - it is very ambiguous - I'm just saying it seems kinda weird to me for us to have a morning phase (#4394), a lunchtime phase (#4409) and an afternoon phase (#4439) all in sequence, but have them be on different days. Particularly since Samantha left Union Robotics in #4437 and also happened to not be there when Clinton and Willow showed up in #4456.

I just think it's a tad more likely that Jeph forgot what various people were wearing.

The way I see it: 4394 morning, 4409 lunch, yes.  But then we see quite a lot of activity at Union Robotics - after lunch, Millefeuille gets her femur replaced, then Samantha goes through multiple clients.  To me, 4437/4438 reads like "end of a busy day".

Forgetting one person's outfit, maybe.  Two?  Less likely.  Five?  No.  Claire's outfit changes (still pink top, but T-shirt to spaghetti straps).  Marten's changes (white shirt for library work to T-shirt in 4466), Hannelore's changes (4400 vs 4466).  Bubbles' outfit is the same, though.  Not sure that's something I'd read much into, I don't think she has a lot of outfits and doesn't have to contend with her clothes getting sweaty.   May, Momo and Roko all change outfits during the first block, so that's more complicated... but Roko's outfit in 4408 does not match the one in 4470.  Other than Bubbles, I think every character we see in block A (4394-4438) and block B (4439-present) are wearing different clothes.  Yemisi too (4406/4464), but given her job as a personal shopper I wouldn't give that as much weight, it's quite plausible she routinely changes clothes during the day.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: badbum61 on 23 Apr 2021, 01:09
I spy the Steve Eating Cereal meme and I claim my $100...
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 23 Apr 2021, 02:21
How long has it been since we’ve seen Cossette(‘s hair/eyebrow at least) exactly? Years real-time at least…
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 23 Apr 2021, 05:49
After Melon is done trimming Roko's hair, it looks longer than before.
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: SpanielBear on 23 Apr 2021, 06:00
After Melon is done trimming Roko's hair, it looks longer than before.

This makes sense, how else would you expect “Melon cuts hair” to go?
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 23 Apr 2021, 08:20
After Melon is done trimming Roko's hair, it looks longer than before.

This makes sense, how else would you expect “Melon cuts hair” to go?
Hey, if Robert de Nero can do it…
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Farideh on 23 Apr 2021, 15:10
Hey, if Robert de Nero can do it…


"Shake! Spear!"


I love that movie 😀
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 23 Apr 2021, 19:51
This makes sense, how else would you expect “Melon cuts hair” to go?

No hair remaining, both of them dead on the floor, surrounding city in ruins, Earth thrown out of its orbit...
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: DaiJB on 24 Apr 2021, 21:17
Roko, have you been drinking (or the AI equivalent)? What possessed you to allow Melon near you with a pair of scissors?!

Don't let Melon near a human with sharp objects! That could lead to anything from an amputated finger to a lobotomy  :-P
Title: Re: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510)
Post by: Gyrre on 24 Apr 2021, 23:37
This makes sense, how else would you expect “Melon cuts hair” to go?

No hair remaining, both of them dead on the floor, surrounding city in ruins, Earth thrown out of its orbit...

So the scissors were a big enough lever for her?