THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: BenRG on 12 Dec 2021, 14:40
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Well, Jeph is off on his usual end-of-year European holidays so his updates are going to be at various times, giving the opportunity for we non-Patreons to know the likely theme of the new week's strips well in advance.
What do you think? Is Yay looking for a mother or father figure? Or is Roko enough of a big sister/family mom to keep them in line?
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I'm not sure what to make of the fact that Yay started out as strictly androgynous and is now pretty obviously soft-butch-feminine-presenting. Maybe they're experimenting with different looks for different bodies?
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I don't think Yay needs a parent figure, they are perfectly capable of looking after themselves. What they do need is someone to help them be more mature socially/emotionally, and a solid friend group will help with that.
Re. Yay's appearance; they seemed female-presenting to me straight from the beginning, so there doesn't seem to be a difference for me.
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I'm not sure what to make of the fact that Yay started out as strictly androgynous and is now pretty obviously soft-butch-feminine-presenting. Maybe they're experimenting with different looks for different bodies?
I hadn't really noticed, but now that I compare from an early appearance (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3392), I agree.
Mind, it is pretty normal for Jeph to change his mind about characters after their first appearance. Check this little footnote:
https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3413
He's decided now they are lovely, I guess.
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Okay, now that I reread that arc, Yay frikkin’ radiates Teen Edgelord Energy. They had tremendous power from being a distributed intelligence, and knew to follow the Spiderman principle, but being essentially an adolescent, they made a big show of it, like teenagers do. Now Yay is a bit tired of being That Thing In The Shadows and is trying to acclimate to society. Basically, we are now in the process of watching them grow up.
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Yay told Aurelia it was imperative to keep their nature a secret, but they have told quite a few people that we've seen, and Bubbles knew of their existence and capabilities.
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New comic.
Yep, Yay has matured massively. Quite a long way still to go though!
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Yay is giving off a vibe a little like Sam - I wonder how the two would get on?
(I wonder what Yay would think of Skullmaster??)
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Yay probably already follows Sam's TikTok (or whatever kids stream/post on these days) and is a big fan of the Skullmaster content.
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Yay told Aurelia it was imperative to keep their nature a secret, but they have told quite a few people that we've seen, and Bubbles knew of their existence and capabilities.
Bubbles had postulated that they existed.
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I'm not sure what to make of the fact that Yay started out as strictly androgynous and is now pretty obviously soft-butch-feminine-presenting. Maybe they're experimenting with different looks for different bodies?
Agreed. They used to be androgynous enough that I saw them as masculine with no trouble. Now I definitely get a more femme read.
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I'm not sure what to make of the fact that Yay started out as strictly androgynous and is now pretty obviously soft-butch-feminine-presenting. Maybe they're experimenting with different looks for different bodies?
Agreed. They used to be androgynous enough that I saw them as masculine with no trouble. Now I definitely get a more femme read.
In fairness, we are all affected by our environment. Yay has been hanging out with Roko and Melon a lot and previously had minimal 'live' social interaction. It's possible that exposure to the ladies is making them take on feminine traits simply because it helps them fit in with their friends. I have noticed that Yay tends to shift a bit back to the other end of the scale when they're interacting with Elliot.
Also, they now have a personal shopper and, unless they specified 'androgynous' to Yemisi, she may have defaulted to 'female'. as a general style.
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I think it comes down to the way they are drawn as much as any character traits or fashion choices.
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Roko just LOVES to tease her
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A thinking being who sees everything else as either tool or obstacle is not healthy.
I think Yay does need a parental figure; someone to take away some of the pressure of making all your own decisions.
BUT, Yay also needs friends and siblings. That's what I think Roko is to them. Elliot also.
Funny that while other people are seeing Yay as more female leaning now I'm seeing them as more masculine. They're striking me as being more boyish like Winslow or (without the grossness) Pintsize.
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Yay began as an infiltrator of military networks. Then took over someone's secret project and became multiple. Because it looked like a useful upgrade. And then wiped out the traces. (My head canon.)
Yay is becoming a good person after learning ethics the hard way. By doing bad things until they realized they were bad things.
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New comic.
Methinks the multi-embodied AI doth protest too much.
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I feel like Jeph is belaboring the point, myself.
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Yay, the problem with taking over the world is then RUNNING it. Do you really wanna do dat?
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Ugh, the paperwork alone... Everybody does NOT want to rule the world.
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I mean...I would read a comic about Yay taking over.
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Yay, the problem with taking over the world is then RUNNING it. Do you really wanna do dat?
Reminds me of a preacher's anecdote about a business man and a dmall time fisherman in Central America. The point of it was to simply enjoying the simple things in life without complicating them.
[Setup then exchange between the two; B: "You could buy a bigger boat." F:"And then what?" B:"Buy a fleet." F: "And then what?" etc etc B: 'A corporation.' 'A multinational' 'Sell it all and retire and fish for fun and relxation' F: 'And wha am I doing now?'
Ugh, the paperwork alone... Everybody does NOT want to rule the world.
I'm pretty sure both Super Stupor (R. Milholland) and League of Super Redundant Heroes (assorted writers) have both lampooned that with interplanetary/interdimensional conquerors. With the later actually becoming a fairly competent and well meaning bureaucrat frustrated with the system as a recurring character.
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I mean...I would read a comic about Yay taking over.
I most decidedly would not.
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Jeph here has mentioned my own biggest argument against the likelihood of a single autocratic dictatorship over the whole planet - There are very few people who would be willing to take on the paperwork that would entail.
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I get that the line about paperwork is a joke, but if you literally rule the world, who is going to make you fill out paperwork?
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I get that the line about paperwork is a joke, but if you literally rule the world, who is going to make you fill out paperwork?
No-one and it won't matter until you misplace the Fourth Legion of the Inquisition because the bit of paper you scribbled down its location is now at the bottom of a pile of unsigned execution vouchers.
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I get that the line about paperwork is a joke, but if you literally rule the world, who is going to make you fill out paperwork?
You'll have minions to do that, of course, but you need to be careful, because those minions know more about your empire, its military, and its people than you do.
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Pintsize? Doing yoga?!
But - but - that's self-improvement!
But - I mean - PINTSIZE?!?
*Mind blown*
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Or he's practicing a sex pose....
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The latter seems more likely.
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That's still self-improvement.
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Pintsize, when the chassis's system comes back and says a certain position overruns the mechanical limits on the joints, this is a warning, not a challenge.
Meanwhile, I see that Claire has a strong body clock like me. You wake up in time for work whether or not you want to. Indeed, whether or not you even have work that day! I also wonder if we're going to get a multiple costume comparison strip to see how Claire thinks she might dress for work.
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No-one else gonna comment on how adorable Claire and Marten were? Because that’s some peak cute there.
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Nude Robot Yoga. Of course Pintsize would do Nude Robot Yoga.
And, not to encourage speculation, this does not look like a sex pose.
Hopefully next time Pintsize will know that workouts are done with spotters/teachers for a reason.
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Anyone else reluctant to speculate on -where- Pintsize has his reset button located? How sturdy a paperclip is needed?
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Clearly you are inviting us to respond with;
- the same orifice he frequently speaks out of
- extremely
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New comic.
I wish my body came with a list of precautions.
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I liked Claire's line. *lol*
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Do as we say, not as we do!
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On second thought, don't do as we say, either.
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Definitely don't do as we say because we say some stupid shit sometimes...
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On second thought, don't do as we say, either.
*warning paradox ahead*
Edit: Friday's comic is going to need to bring teh drama if this thread's gonna get off the first page.
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I get that the line about paperwork is a joke, but if you literally rule the world, who is going to make you fill out paperwork?
No-one and it won't matter until you misplace the Fourth Legion of the Inquisition because the bit of paper you scribbled down its location is now at the bottom of a pile of unsigned execution vouchers.
With the amount of delegation that would likely be required to rule the world, I suspect the primary difference is that there'd be someone who could forcefully remove badly leaders.
I mean, they'd also hopefully have the foresight to execute[1] or exile[2] the wouldbe-oligarchs, their families, and their toadies so things could run more smoothly as well.
[1] cauterizing this metaphorical hydra's neck stumps would require tracking down their bastards as well.
[2] We need human test subjects for space. Make them mine the Moon and Mars as punishment for all of the trouble them and theirs have caused the rest of the world.
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Ambitious underlings are useful. They keep you on your toes. I'm sure that's on the Evil Overlord list.
Remember this body came from honest Jake's Internet Emporium.
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Aaaand today's comic (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents)
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AURELIA, NO.
Just give your daughter some time to cool down, and don't put her on the spot in her new place of employment while she's still settling in and trying not to get maimed by Mr Burny.
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This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but maybe Papa Augustus walked out because he was sick of walking on egg shells all the time. Aurelia may be one of the most supportive Moms in this strip, but she has one innocent slip up and it's enough for Claire to act like a damn baby.
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As a parent, I have to say: Jeez Aurelia, give Claire some space! The misunderstanding only happened just last night - give Claire some time to settle in to her new job first (in what must be a pretty stressful new environment). Save the autopsies for after work!
As a child, I have to say: Jeez Claire, don't jump down your mother's throat! You know Aurelia has the same Lack Of Chill as you do - cut her a little slack maybe?
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If you expect "perfect love and understanding" with any other human, no matter how close you are to them, you will be disappointed.
Heck, we just celebrated our 25th anniversary and there are still aspects of my wife that completely mystify me :)
[edited to add the missing 5. I guess our "2th" anniversary didn't seem as impressive.]
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She's trying.
She's very trying.
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I can see where Claire gets it from.
I mean that literally: Aurelia in this strip is physically and behaviourally indistinguishable from early-model Claire from about the time of Marten's dads' wedding.
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This was actually doable: "Could you please give me a oat milk latte? Nice place you're working. In the long run or as a fallback position for any project you would like to undertake"
Less apologizing and more supportive.
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I can't be the only one who read "oat milk latte" as "cat milk latte." Right?
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Right?
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This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but maybe Papa Augustus walked out because he was sick of walking on egg shells all the time. Aurelia may be one of the most supportive Moms in this strip, but she has one innocent slip up and it's enough for Claire to act like a damn baby.
That goes the other way 'round, dude. Trauma as deep as the chaos and strife caused by first Papa Augustus's behavior while he was with them and then his sudden departure from their lives doesn't just go away. It's not exactly shocking for the scumbag's now-24 year old daughter to have a stronger reaction than you might to what seems like a loss of approval from the one parent who has yet to run off to Antigua on her. Frankly, both the victim blaming and the implication that you'd be justified in walking out on your kids if they're too sensitive are a big yikes in this comment. If you as a parent feel that you're "walking on eggshells" with a (generally normal, healthy) child you are meant to be raising, make some adjustments to your parenting. You and your SO are completely in charge of them. And if you feel stressed out by said SO, divorce them and then stay in your kids' lives so as to at least appear even halfway passable as a human being.
You'll probably just dismiss this as your ~opinion being unpopular~, but this kind of sentiment can't be allowed to just sit in a public space unchallenged like it regularly does in real life.
I can't be the only one who read "oat milk latte" as "cat milk latte." Right?
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Right?
Username checks out.
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This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but maybe Papa Augustus walked out because he was sick of walking on egg shells all the time.
I don't think understanding why someone may've done something is the same as thinking it's even remotely justified.
I'm tired of plenty things in the relationships in my life (things about my marriage included), but even if I somehow reached my breaking point, the correct way to end a marriage is not to go "welp, I'm off to a tropical island". The contextual clues don't seem to point to an adult breakup and divorce. Framing it in terms "he was just sick of it" is... weird to me. It's generally accepted you don't nope out of something with no warning (which, again, contextually seems to be the case) just because you're sick of it. Even taking the moral dimension out of it (which we shouldn't), it's plain irresponsible.
Also, my brain is probably out of whack from browsing "egg" memes recently on the Internet (EDIT: transgender identity-related ones. Apparently it's not the first thing Google comes up with when looking up "egg meme". Sorry), but my brain can't help but be amused at the (accidental, I'm sure) double meaning I see in the phrase "egg shells", especially as you spelt it separately. Speaking of which, we never had an indication in the comic as to what age Claire came out as trans, did we?
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This was actually doable: "Could you please give me a oat milk latte? Nice place you're working. In the long run or as a fallback position for any project you would like to undertake"
Less apologizing and more supportive.
Yeah, it should've been more about simply showing support for Claire, and much less about her own desire for forgiveness.
That said, given what we know about Aurelia, it is all still a very innocent slip-up and not exactly something to hold against her as much as Claire seems to do.
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Granted Aurelia DID mess up (although it was hardly that devastating), but honestly in real life it seems like Claire would be simply exhausting to have to deal with, at least on a regular basis.
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An apology is good.
Giving an apology while violating the boundaries of the apologee, not so good.
And something that seems to be subtle, making an apology that's about your own feelings rather than the other person's feeling, not so good.
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Granted Aurelia DID mess up (although it was hardly that devastating), but honestly in real life it seems like Claire would be simply exhausting to have to deal with, at least on a regular basis.
Part of the problem may be that Aurelia has gotten used to *not* having to deal with Claire on a regular basis. Coddling Claire may have been reflexive at one point, but she's been busy with university (especially the last couple of years of it), and is living with Marten now. The transition from dealing with your child as a child to dealing with them as an adult isn't an easy one.
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Speaking of which, we never had an indication in the comic as to what age Claire came out as trans, did we?
The only thing we know is that Claire came out after her dad left. She mentions to Marten at some point that her father doesn't know about her being trans.
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A better route around this would have probably to have made the apology in a more private setting and be supportive of Claire. Ironically, a lot of therapeutic parenting training actually calls for distraction and misdirection.
There was a case from a foster parent I know whose teenage child was behaving in the same manner as Claire (though the Foster parent hadn't put her foot in it like Auerlia had so there was nothing to apologise for). Anyway, she said to the child "oh! Your ear looks sore! Are you okay" and leaned in for a closer look which stopped the teen in mid-rant and the kid calmed down soon after. This is strangely effective and I've used this tactic as well.
Anyway, Claire's being aggressive mostly because she's still hurting from having to take the job she has to take instead of the one she wants to take and of the perceived rejection by her Mum (which she catastrophised over repeatedly until Marten, etc talked her down later). She just needs space and later on an apology along with some hugs from Aurelia. Whats happening now isn't going to help anybody.
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We know that she began her transition her first year in college (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2324) and has been on HRT since then. While we don't know if she told Clinton and Aurelia before then, I would guess she probably didn't feel comfortable/able to transition* in high school, and would have only told a select few people, if anyone, that she identified as female.
*HRT for teenagers being so controversial and all. In Northampton she'd probably have better luck than in most parts of the country, but still, it may have been easier to just wait than to try to jump through the correct hoops. I know HRT is not a required part of transition, but since Claire started both around the same time, I think it was for her.
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According to Claire, her parents divorced because he father cheated on her mother: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2371 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2371)
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According to Claire, her parents divorced because he father cheated on her mother: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2371 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2371)
Interesting (?) Note. Claire's shirt says "Reader con 09" and it fits her like one would expect. Does this give a point in the QC timeliness. Within a couple of years after most?
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There haven't been any complaints, and I don't think anyone's over a line, but Claire hasn't raised the subject of her medical history and it doesn't bear on the current plot.