Questionable Content 14: "I Deserve A Fancy Butt Emblem."

[Willie the Duck]

That applies to action show and many dramas, but it doesn't really apply to most sitcoms. Most sitcoms don't even have an antagonist, much less a villain.

Of course, some people might not agree with you that QC is the webcomic equivalent of a sitcom, but even accepting that it is, I still can't agree with the rest of your analysis.

Everyone else has moved on, so I won't belabor it. However, I think we simply have a different definition of villain. Using the current 'get laid' trope we're now seeing here, in Friends or HIMYM, the Joey/Barney character, when trying to get laid without much concern for the person behind the body, is generally treated as a villain, and the audience laughs at them getting a comeuppance (even when they generally root for the character in other situations).

RE: today's comic: I'm guessing both May and Jeph are speaking in generalities, rather than suggesting actually saying that.

[Vinyadan]

RE: today's comic: I'm guessing both May and Jeph are speaking in generalities, rather than suggesting actually saying that.

If they choose a definitive formulation, they should make it easy to remember, like something you can chant. That would be interesting to look at.

[Kato]

Everyone else has moved on, so I won't belabor it. However, I think we simply have a different definition of villain. Using the current 'get laid' trope we're now seeing here, in Friends or HIMYM, the Joey/Barney character, when trying to get laid without much concern for the person behind the body, is generally treated as a villain, and the audience laughs at them getting a comeuppance (even when they generally root for the character in other situations).

You might be shocked how many people see nothing wrong with most of barney's schemes / behavior...

Not much I feel like saying about today.. I thought it was quite clear May isn't literal. But I feel a bit offended the girl who managed to get herself into jail for stealing a fighter jet feels entitled to belittle our intelligence.
But Sven has a good point, ****ing is an essential part of human survival. But we don't have to be good at it.

[Willie the Duck]

You might be shocked how many people see nothing wrong with most of barney's schemes / behavior...

Maybe, but I still think they slot into the same position a villain plays in other types of stories. In general, people get a good laugh out of when their antics get them petard-hoisted. This is really getting far afield from my original point though. The alcoholism/reformed crook storyline doesn't have the same transgression/just-desserts/done-with-individual narrative we see in other stories, and I think that's why it isn't working for Wraith.

Not much I feel like saying about today.. I thought it was quite clear May isn't literal. But I feel a bit offended the girl who managed to get herself into jail for stealing a fighter jet feels entitled to belittle our intelligence.

Entitled? More like who's going to stop her?
May reads to me like a few people I know who have a bit of an 'isn't it hilarious how much of an <donkey analogue> I can be?' She's irritable, grumpy, people (humans and otherwise) are stupid for not being like her. I'm sure she'd frame as her just saying what others are afraid to say, or the like, but she's a bit of a deliberate jerk (as opposed to the rest of the cast, whose jerk traits tend to be in the 'thoughtless' range) and more than a little proud of it. Mind you, I wouldn't like her in person much at all, but it actually makes me think her portrayal as being all the more realistic as a young adult-analogue with impulse control problems and a checkered past.

But Sven has a good point, ****ing is an essential part of human survival. But we don't have to be good at it.

More than I read into his comment, but a good point.

[Shadow of the Sun]

shipping intensifies

[Kato]

shipping intensifies

Yeah, I'm not sure how sarcastic they are... I half expect Sven to wake up with a clown nose somewhere next week...

Also, last bubble : understatement of the year.

[Wraith]

Shipping aside, I'm enjoying the May/Sven dynamic. They're both *******s, but they're allowed to revel in it and get creative, which turns out to be a lot of fun. I hope we see more of them together.... Although Sven and May being friends might just cause Momo to explode.

[jwhouk]

...cue the dramatic music...

[The Glyphstone]

Wasnt May's lack of anything that needs to be censored the punchline of a strip?

[Cikomyr]

Wasnt May's lack of anything that needs to be censored the punchline of a strip?

I guess we'd need a patron of Jeph to tell us.

[Shadow of the Sun]

...I can confirm that there's nothing down there.

[otakuryoga]

well, that happened....

[Kato]

Well, this happened. And faster than I expected. And that's a lot of toys and... Stuff. Am I prude if I don't know what you would do with half these things?
Also, no clown nose. Too obvious ?

[Iruka]

Well, this happened. And faster than I expected. And that's a lot of toys and... Stuff. Am I prude if I don't know what you would do with half these things?
Also, no clown nose. Too obvious ?

That would be in the censored part, if he brought one.

[VoxRationis]

I feel as though Dora's espoused feelings are something of a revisionist characterization of her (and others') relationship with Sven, where there was clear condemnation of his promiscuity in and of itself. In 640 (it's actually amazing how long ago most of Sven's character arc took place), Sven makes it clear that it's the act of hooking up that Dora disapproves of.

Also, based on what we see of May's body and the fact that it appears to have the same sorts of articulation seams as her hands (implying that the artificial muscle tissue and dermal covering is limited to her face), I would not imagine that tactile contact with her is particularly fun. Pinching aside, the unyielding hardness would be somewhat uncomfortable, like sleeping on a park bench.

[Wraith]

I feel as though Dora's espoused feelings are something of a revisionist characterization of her (and others') relationship with Sven, where there was clear condemnation of his promiscuity in and of itself. In 640 (it's actually amazing how long ago most of Sven's character arc took place), Sven makes it clear that it's the act of hooking up that Dora disapproves of.

I wouldn't say revisionist, but rather it has evolved a little.
The defining trait of Dora's relationship with Sven has been jealousy - when talking with her therapist, Dora revealed that she believed him to be the favourite child, that everything came easily for him, and that he succeeded without any apparent effort.
She also revealed that she had a string of crappy, occasionally abusive, relationships before she was with Marten, while also struggling on her own to get her business off the ground which at best provides only a modest lifestyle for her. The conclusion that I drew is that Sven was irresponsible, but also Dora was jealous of how easily he could get over a break up and move on to having fun, unlike her. Her disapproval of his love life felt like she wasn't necessarily critical of his lifestyle, but just slightly spiteful because he was having fun and she wasn't. That's not meant to be a criticism of Dora, labelling her as some kind of vengeful harpy or something; it's not at all an unexpected reaction between two siblings where one is miserable and the other isn't.

Nowadays though, Dora has realised that some of her opinion of her brother is from her projecting her own insecurities onto him. Him being successful made it easy to use him as a target - "I think he's a jerk, so everything he does must be jerk-ish behaviour" sort of thing. Now that she has realised that, it's less about disapproving of his multiple/disposable partners and more that he should be more careful lest he upset another girl who will take it personally, chase him into a bar and sick the Vespa Avenger on him.

[Willie the Duck]

Also, based on what we see of May's body and the fact that it appears to have the same sorts of articulation seams as her hands (implying that the artificial muscle tissue and dermal covering is limited to her face), I would not imagine that tactile contact with her is particularly fun. Pinching aside, the unyielding hardness would be somewhat uncomfortable, like sleeping on a park bench.

You probably are subconsciously remembering this strip.

[truemane]

I guess we'd need a patron of Jeph to tell us.

Sven has a watermelon (rind?) covering his No-No Square. May has the impolite slang term for breasts written on her, otherwise Barbie-doll bland, chest. And, indeed, she has nothing about the crotch area that would merit any actual concern, even from the most pearl-clutchingest consumer.

And yes, this means that I've already read tomorrow's comic.

[Traab]

I think what happened is, may finally got the chance to actually do all the stupid crazy sex things she has been thinking about, and sven got the chance to get his rocks off while trying every kinky silly dumb thing an AI with no working knowledge of sex beyond the internet could come up with. I dont think this will go much of anywhere between them, though I do expect some momo drama and possibly an absurd setup where dora finds out and freaks for whatever reason her strange mind can jump to. Possibly something like "What, faye finds happiness with an AI so you gotta go out there and try to copy her?" Something irrational to jump on for a yelling strip or three.

[Mith]

I think what happened is, may finally got the chance to actually do all the stupid crazy sex things she has been thinking about, and sven got the chance to get his rocks off while trying every kinky silly dumb thing an AI with no working knowledge of sex beyond the internet could come up with. I dont think this will go much of anywhere between them, though I do expect some momo drama and possibly an absurd setup where dora finds out and freaks for whatever reason her strange mind can jump to. Possibly something like "What, faye finds happiness with an AI so you gotta go out there and try to copy her?" Something irrational to jump on for a yelling strip or three.

I hope you are wrong about the second part. That will make me stop reading until that arc's over.

The Momo drama may be amusing. Especially if done using the AI VR communication, so it all happens in the course of 10 seconds in complete silence from the human perspective. And key moments are publicly broadcasted so Bubbles is blushing for no apparent reason and Pintsize pulls out some party horns.

[halfeye]

no working knowledge of sex beyond the internet

Eh, there's sex the internet doesn't know about?

[Grek]

I'll have you know that my fetish is the set of all fetishes never mentioned on the... damn, now I have to start over.

[Cikomyr]

There is probably some sort of emergency services for robots. After all, a robot with no power left and no cable accessible is effectively in a state of powerlessness (pun nonintended), one that you can't just hope to get better by itself. Someone would need to intervene to save the AI.

So Sven... Call 911, and ask what are the options.

Maybe put some pants on her first to limit questions.

[Agi Hammerthief]

better than „oh ****, I forgot to take the pill the last two days“ /waves package.

[Max_Killjoy]

And now he feels he has no choice but to call Faye and Bubbles, and drama ensues.

[mucat]

So Sven... Call 911, and ask what are the options.

Before calling 911, and subjecting the probably-uninsured May to the robot equivalents of an expensive ambulance ride and a long, tedious, soul-killing stint in the ER waiting room, maybe he can call the bar and see if they know where she left her power cable. Or ask Momo if May has a spare.

If it's too awkward to let May's friends and coworkers wonder why she passed out at Sven's house, he can also get the cable specs from the internet and run to Worst Buy for a spare. If May doesn't want yet another cord to trip over or worry about losing, Sven can keep it at his place. After all, a gentleman always has the essentials onhand for an unexpected overnight guest. Anything less would be inconsiderate.

[dps]

Everyone else has moved on, so I won't belabor it. However, I think we simply have a different definition of villain. Using the current 'get laid' trope we're now seeing here, in Friends or HIMYM, the Joey/Barney character, when trying to get laid without much concern for the person behind the body, is generally treated as a villain, and the audience laughs at them getting a comeuppance (even when they generally root for the character in other situations).

I didn't say that no sitcoms have a villain, just that villains or antagonists aren't necessarily the norm. In MASH, for example, Frank Burns was definitely an antagonist, and I wouldn't argue with anyone who called him a villain. But when he left, his replacement, Charles Winchester definitely wasn't a villain, and was only an antagonist sometimes. But MASH was an exception. Who was the villain in Happy Days? Or Friends? Or I Love Lucy? Or Green Acres? They didn't have a villain.

[Kato]

I think by searching the internet he's already making the smartest move and by most accounts it should somehow solve his problem.
But I'm somewhat concerned what kind of crap bodies are apparently issued to criminals if they don't even give a warning before turning off, and then leave them completely paralyzed. I sure hope they have some kind of emergency beacon built in...

[Wraith]

But I'm somewhat concerned what kind of crap bodies are apparently issued to criminals if they don't even give a warning before turning off, and then leave them completely paralyzed. I sure hope they have some kind of emergency beacon built in...

I would imagine that her battery life is a part of her sensory feedback - in the same way that Bubbles talked about 'remembering' the temperature rather than having a little pop-up in front of her eyes, May 'remembers' that her battery is down to 5%.
I suppose the closest equivalent would be for a human being feeling hungry or faint, and knowing that they have an hour or so before their stomach starts to hurt if they don't eat.

That her battery jumped from 5% to 0% in a few seconds... Well, May's chassis is cheap and inefficient, that's what you get with third-party off-brand electronics.

[John Cribati]

There's something to be said (again) about how society expects ex-cons to properly reacclimate into society without the proper tools to do so.