Post "Glorified SNES Cartridge" by "jephjacques"

Ron Ron

do the time jump and fill in the blank later to challenge yourself

Zeta

this is still one of my favorite story arcs in the entire comic.

Katie Dunneback

I am REALLY loving this director's commentary, and as someone who writes novels, I completely get you about the "this was supposed to be a gag and now I've got a whole 'nother book to write after this one" turn into left field 😂

Alasdair Mackintosh

Like all good SF, the AI stuff is really all about people ;-)

Christine

These are so much fun to read, I hope you are having as much fun writing this commentary!

David Martelli

I am a fan of a good training arc myself. Love the idea of seeing how people turn into Batman or Goku more than what they do when they get there with no context. Also curious if yay may end up being involved at cube town and how that fumbles forward

Tova_Nator

I love the idea of like multiple time skips. We see them with boxes packing up. saying goodbye and crying. we see them in some sort of unpacked disarray while some silly crisis or diversion comes up. We see them totally unpacked. We see Hanners coming up for a long visit. That sort of thing. Enjoy your break! we will be here when you get back

MercuryBuddha

This eactly.

Bear C. Brown

Jeph, the point of this much deserved break is to relax and retrospect. If you end up enjoying retrospecting and do extra, I’m certainly not complaining. Rest and heal dude.

Nathaniel Tagg

You could time skip and then do flashbacks…

Wild Card

I vote for a time skip. Lets jump ahead to the next major plot point. We knew those changes were going to happen, nothing is coming out of left field. Let's see what is going on now

Sammitch

Yeah there was definitely an extra post on the weekend. If you come up short at the end just post some pictures of Ollie!

Ingrid Nordbø

That is reassuring. 😄

Jorge Reyes-Spindola

Anything you do will be fine. You are batting 300 as far as I'm concerned. Let your muse guide you.

BookBeard

Or Jeph trolls us by making it look like they got married, then zooms out and reveals they are actually at the wedding of Fairy Girl and Floating Black Slab Emitting A Low Hum.

Ryan Barber

FWIW I like the idea of a time skip. I love the length and depth of your comic (hey-oh) but a time skip also gives you the opportunity to do a bit of a reboot. It can make it easier for new readers to digest when this incarnation of the comic is just different enough with just enough character re-introduction that new readers don't feel like they need to start from zero to know what's going on. As a reader who's read every comic - I feel like at this point in the comic you've packaged up every storyline and character arc pretty well, to the point where I was a little worried you were about to wrap the whole thing. It's a perfect time to go fresh because nothing will feel like it's super left hanging.

SilverbackRon

Yes, this was long before the Bubbles encryption story and the introduction of Spookybot (aka- Yay). From the way Jeph talks about it, those parts of the story hadn't even materialized in his brain yet. He was just working out the details of Faye's new job.

AlexKorobeiniki

Aw, i freaking loved this storyline! Personally, you could do a joke about how how fast things can move. 6 panels of moving followed by oof ouch my back bones

Chelsea

You know, Jeff, it is precisely storylines like this that made me SO FREAKING EXCITED in my Master's program. I have an MA in English lit, and focused on how to define humanity and identity in fictional settings with androids/human-like AI. Seriously, if I'd gone on to a PhD, I'd have been using a HECKUVA lot of QC for my dissertation, because I loved the way you built your universe. (I compared/contrasted "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and the "Battlestar Galactica" reboot of the early 2000s. So much fun. Also, bizarrely similar.)

Holly Nelson

I look forward to seeing how the Marten Roast Company shapes up. it wont be a clone of CoD, thats for sure. Quite a different clientele, and a lot of his business decisions offstage will be different from what Dora has to navigate. hmmm…

Carl Fink

Jump around randomly in time! And write commentary on each strip! Oh, wait.

Carl Fink

Other commenters have said that Jeph did all of these commentaries before starting his vacation, and he's actually taking time off. I didn't see him say that, but the commenters here (except for me) are pretty smart.

Alex Blue

Faye crossing her arms under her breasts is sexy.

Summer

Grrrr... Corpse Witch. There may have been other things too.

Laura Curry

Time jump with flashbacks? Best of both worlds?

Stephen Wells

Also we want to know that Millefeuille and Brun are happy! :) a brief snapshot of their cosy domesticity will keep us going :)

Marty BlackEagle

MORE BUBBLES if you do USA, more MORAY if Cubetown. I enjoy the human/AI interactions. timeskip, just not too HUGE a timeskip.

allanfranta

I knew someone with 4 nipples, bikini's were out.

allanfranta

I'm guessing you want a time skip? Maybe?

allanfranta

Back of her neck (hat tip to weird Al and CNR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLnapb-30hA).

Damion Gundlach

The jump ahead seems like a good idea, but I really want to see how things start out at cubetown! Either way, I love how the sci-fi has been woven into the comic, especially with the AI and human relationships (romantic and otherwise) Cant wait for more!

drij

This arc was 9 years ago? Please, I am but dust.

enchantedsleeper

Yeah, it's a great period (but I think that about a lot of QC xD)

enchantedsleeper

5 minutes!

enchantedsleeper

It seems like if Jeph is considering a time skip at all, it's because he doesn't intend to clarify where Yay is during that time :/ So, Roko will be in the dark no matter what, if those are Jeph's writing plans.

enchantedsleeper

I feel like Marten has solved the "what am I going to do?" question? But I would really like to see him figuring out how to get a coffee shop off the ground, lots of humour potential there xD

enchantedsleeper

But wouldn't it be something if this turned out to be a continuation of the Yay arc (I don't think it's likely, she's definitely been dealt with, but if she re-emerged Yay would definitely NEED to finish her off)

enchantedsleeper

I think that sounds like a good compromise (especially since apparently we haven't even skipped ahead one day since the wedding, so far)

enchantedsleeper

I would love an update on the denizens of the fighting ring!

enchantedsleeper

I don't think Jeph needs to offload drawing work (unless he really wants to take more of a break), it's the necessary reality of a daily comic where a particular interaction represents at most 5 minutes

enchantedsleeper

But this time, it's not because you HAVE to! (At least, I hope that's the case <3)

enchantedsleeper

I think it's the mark of a good (rounded) villain that she isn't *wrong* here, it's just.... all the other deeply shitty behaviour and exploitation and oh yeah, indentured servitude via blackmail

enchantedsleeper

I don't think Yay... has boobs (this may have been your point, but just in case it wasn't)

enchantedsleeper

You have a great backread ahead of you :D

Opus the Poet

Well I want 3 fewer tits than Faye, but yeah a single seat chopper would be nice. And to be honest Faye's rack is a little excessive. Yay's endowment is adequate for me either for an AI or biological woman. I prefer a streamlined profile.

Stephen Wells

So getting the strip number from the image and then setting the ?comic=NNNN part to that number will do it.

Stephen Wells

For now, putting the strip number into the URL will get you there: https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3008

Dave Kekish

Is there any way to put a link in these, so those of us who didn't read it originally (gasp) can jump to that story arc and read?

Stephen Wells

QC before this arc: often horny, sometimes mentions robots. QC after this arc: horny robots 24/7/365.24 :) and we like it that way.

Darnel D Cooper

So perfection is having three tit's and your own helicopter,....

Bailey Doolittle

What if you did flashbacks later? Follow your excitement for the time skip, and show us later what went down in the intervening time

Pejo

I had an immediate reaction of disgust when the image loaded & I saw Corpse Witch (kudos to Jeph). Man, she almost seems on the up-and-up here, as much as she could in that setting. Also, you're updating more than I expected & I'm really enjoying your BTS thoughts & context! Also I'm down w/ time-skips; the first was a little jarring but I can see the appeal as a creator & agree as a reader. SKIP AWAY, OR DON'T

Bill Silvia

Part of me is prepared for the comic to pick up in January and Marten and Claire have gotten married off-panel.

Mark Eichin

I'm amused at the idea of having a timeskip, but writing a few selected comics in the gap... so that next time you take a break you can do another flashback set like this one, but with the gap comics as if they're selected out of an actual sequence that we all missed :-) (For proper trolling the timeskip would also need a comic-number skip...)

Ingrid Nordbø

*stern voice* Jeph? Are you sure you're ACTUALLY taking a break?

pseudoclever

Take a break from creative project; spend all your time thinking about creative project. Yeah, I feel that. It's the circle of life~

Jason Roberts

I know I wouldn't object to a time jump with flashbacks where appropriate.

Graydon Armstrong

Hmm, if you're a little frustrated with how slowly time passes, would you maybe consider hiring another illustrator so we could have 7–10 QCs a week? You'd still control the story and the style, would just take some of the drawing time off your plate. You could swap off illustrating each mini-arc, or potentially sometimes even do an A strip and a B strip running in parallel, for what different characters are up to at the same time, with some intersections. It'd be a change, but would also help you stress less about taking time off, because there'd be someone else to take up some workload.

legobil

”I don’t have three tits and my own helicopter, so no.” With an “everything is awful” shirt. Brilliant.

Munchkin Threats

"I don't have three tits" is a combination of words that I had to reread more than once to make sure I was seeing it right. XD

Jasper

I had completely forgotten about this part of the arc! Might be due for a reread soon

Kevin Symonds

Get them back, we hear her plans and then have a time skip. But doesn’t need to be a big one atall. Things would surely just get done under her control so maybe a week or two?

Angie Penrose

Like interleaved establishment montages, sort of? I agree that sounds like a great compromise. [nod]

BobC

What about calling the move to Cubetown (well, departure from Northampton - no arrival) the end of "QC 1.0"? If we were to think of Alice as "QC 3.0", then what happened in between? Given Cubetown's Director, Station and Yay, there's lots fodder for anchoring a huge time leap, beyond the lifetimes of the QC 1.0 humans, relying on the AIs for continuity. In the hobby writing I've done, I've had stories I intentionally killed off just because the step-by-step pace got to me, and I saw no faster path to the end I envisioned. The story was made of good parts, but the parts were too small and detailed, clicking together like Legos. Killing them off was a mercy to myself, becoming creative fertilizer for the next story. But one such story (a novel-length ST:TNG kidnap-mystery fanfic) reasserted itself in my dreams, the protagonist I had killed off somehow managing to be resurrected, living a life totally unlike, but intimately connected to, the prior story. It's like the character was saying to me, "I'm not dead, you know", then leaving it to me to figure out how the hell that could have happened, then write a story (another novel) to make it so. Needless to say, I didn't kill that character off again. No way. I'd already made that mistake once! Instead, I sent him off on a journey of self-discovery and growth, leaving us behind. Fortunately, he hasn't returned or checked in yet. There are many ways to skin this cat, then cook this goose. QC 1.0 has been a truly fun and wild ride. QC 2.0 will do the same, but in its own unique way.

ValdVin

So, are we ever getting the Punchbot of Theseus?

William Cole

Bookbeard has all the strips stored in his Memory Palace.

Matt Cortez

Maybe both? Interleave two time skips that focus on different portions of the cast during the week?

Joseph Loder

It could be funny to jump ahead and then have a Black Widow/Hawkeye gag about something that happened that's never seen... :-P

BookBeard

After some... "encouragement" from Yay, Corpse Witch confessed her crimes to Roko. She is now in robot jail, presumably for a *very* long time. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3413

Ohh Crap Guy

I think from the context of the commentary, this may actually be from *before* Bubbles' encryption backstory was determined?

Ohh Crap Guy

to be clear, in that example, it's the "who is going with them?" that's the easily changeable detail. with a cast of characters numbering in the... I'm going with nondecillions? that sounds right... surely SOMEONE is going to decide to move with them, or at least that's the kind of "teased information, but not so impactful that it will cause issues" idea I mean.

Ohh Crap Guy

I think one interesting possible approach to the time skip is to show a few big changes in the interim, not fleshed out, as a montage. Like "here's a picture of Claire and marten saying goodbye to their friends but one, who's going with them! *gasp* *shock* *intrigue*" yeah, that writing's terrible, but I'm not a writer. or comic artist. if you ended up going that way, I'm sure you could write a better caption ...by dropping a typewriter onto an iPad... anyway yeah, basically like 3-6 full page single panel strips showing things we already know are going to happen, each (optionally) with a tease of some detail (vague enough that it doesn't act as a constraint on future writing). Honestly, I just don't want to miss Claire and Marten actually *leaving*, that's kind of it, lol

John

I mean, we could jump to a week into the move... see them still settling in and dealing with the Gremlin and the Slime... :D

BookBeard

The comment about the participants in the fighting ring having fewer legitimate options is an interesting point, one which was later reiterated by May. Hopefully Punchbot's new legal fighting ring is filling the same need. Perhaps we could revisit him along with Seven and Jeremy at some point to see how that is going. Not a full story arc or anything, just a check-in. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3089

will davison

Wow was there some irony in what Corpse Witch explains here. Was that intended subtext? Hey, what if you timeskipped Marten and Claire into Cubetown, but scenes in Northhampton plod along in the past until they meet up again and Dora has a glaring Eye Patch of Character Development and the audience realizes there was some time left unexplored? That’d be fun, but honestly I’d love to see more Dora and Hannelore and Emily and Aurelia and Roko. If Claire has to sit on the backburner because watching her be nervous packing for an extended time isn’t really a ‘character arc,’ while Marten sits idle because Marten, so be it.

Derek Benson

I really like the behind the scenes stuff, you should do this more often!

Shey

THERE'S ALWAYS FLASHBACKS lol

Barty

What about four?

Leaflemming

The robots (and the queer-friendliness) were what drew me to the strip — but I started from the beginning and spent a very long time going, this is mostly indie rock jokes with one robot who doesn’t do much? Faye’s backstory reveal was where the story took off for me, the space station arc was where I started telling other people to read it, and the Bubbles and Faye story which starts here remains my all-time favourite. (I mean I guess it starts with Faye drinking herself out of a job, but whatever).

Some Ed

Personally, I recommend a very small time skip. I don't think we need to see the trip back to Cubetown. But I think we would like to see them moving in at Cubetown and getting set up. It may be more appropriate to do a time skip after they've gotten settled there a bit.

Packy Anderson

Time Jump: if you did it, folks would accuse you of copying Willis.

Bacon Lord

I'm pretty neutral to a time skip overall, I just want to see em crying as they depart. I will not keep it together.

Packy Anderson

"For a long time I had sort of shied away from the robot stuff in the strip..." Aw, because the robot stuff in the strip is my favorite stuff!

Some Ed

She wants three tits because she doesn't have three tits. Few people with three tits want three tits. If the extra tit is in the middle, stuff is cramped. If the extra tit is out of line with the others, it's going to be difficult to support it. They do make bras for just one tit, but generally they're made assuming th solo tit is aligned as is normal for one tit in a pair and will have a fake tit in the place of the other. But they aren't designed for another pair of tits above or below the extra tit. They are absolutely not designed for two other tits on the other side. Or, I should say, on another side, because even though the sides with the arms are much thinner than the other two, the tit could still be there. And then it's in the way of doing just about anything with the arm over it. Based on exactly where the third tit ends up, someone with three tits will probably want to have either two tits or more than three tits. Personally, I tend to think that either two or six is probably best. For six, the ideal placement for the third through sixth tits are probably in pairs under the first and second, close enough to touch. The reason I'm suggesting six might be better than four is either way, one needs to get custom bras, and the customization for the two is basically the same, you just have to do it again for six. And then you have six tits. Eight tits feels like it would be too much of a good thing. Even if we're talking about more reasonable sized breasts, like Dora and Aurelia, eight tits in a parallel down arrangement, you're probably down on the abdomen. With Faye sized breasts, eight tits is probably going to go down to her waist, making sitting awkward. Another possible good arrangement would be to have pairs of tits on both the front and back. This would be guaranteed to be awkward for sitting on chairs with backs and laying down in bed, so I don't think any such arrangement could compete with either two or six in the front like I previously described. I'm merely admitting to having seen arguments for such an arrangement. Specifically, looking for a total of 12. I do not find those arguments at all compelling. But they were prominent enough I thought I should at least mention them. Honestly, I feel like attempting more than the basic two is probably not worth it. While it's possible that six might be a little better than two, two is pretty amazing, and it's where most of us start. I think I would personally have to recommend only trying out six if you're really bad at starting conversations and think that it would be easier if a lot of guys approached you and asked if you knew that you had six tits. I man, not that you'd want to talk to *them*, but it would make it even more clear than it is to most women already just how bad guys are at talking to women they find attractive.

James A. Whitney

Didn't we just have a time skip for the wedding? Not saying you can't do another one. Hell, there can be a time skip between every arc, no matter how minor. Your story, your rules! I hadn't realized it at the time, but I agree with the assessment that this was definitely a turning point where the AIs became more prominent in the comic. It's not that we didn't have them and that they weren't fully realized characters before, but they had always taken side billing to the humans. This arc (and Bubbles in particular) really started to explore them in the context of the world.

Doc Gumby

That would probably be the best, balance-wise.

Drazi

I assumed Bookbeard had one on tap.

jonesnori

There's also this, but it is not quite up to date: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1wqTgvVxV0GE1EoKnR0pxVChHUo4ZYtal/htmlview?pli=1#

jonesnori

https://questionablecontent.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline

Daryl Sawyer

Dorsal boob.

Captain Button

For a second I thought your avatar was Animal from the Muppets. Certainly would have fit.

Diptych

That was the solution suggested by Roisin Conaty and Fred the Swede...

Chris Giesy

I saw Corps Witch on your patron and thought "She's BACK?!?!" before I realized it was an old strip. Scared me half to death.

Lyman Green

I feel a time skip would be great! You’ve been very judicious with them so I trust you using them. I’ll read either way of course !

Edward Engle

I am not going to complain about you posting too many times this week. But I think you deserve it. Do you know how many times have gone back to look at a comic… and then I hit next to see the next one…. And then 3 hours later I am caught the whole may back to now and I am like damn it. Where did my afternoon go.

Indigo

Oh I was literally the first to say Jeph deserves whatever time off he wishes. But if Jeph feels like updating I am not going to complain is what I meant.

Steve McSheffrey

I vote no time jump BUT am cool with either choice since you've earned my trust.

Steve McSheffrey

It'd be more interesting anywhere besides the middle. Small of the back maybe?

Melissa Wilson

Hush! (please) Of course we’re all needy fiends here, but our QC’s beloved creator’s DECADES of uninterrupted effort demands some time off, at long last!

Gamera

Idk how well that'd flow tho. QC far as I remember doesn't do many extended flashbacks. Unless I forgot, or if Jeph just wants to try it. It's free/a dollar a month, i'm cool with him experimenting

Melissa Wilson

Sounds like a great assignment for a future intern for Jeph! (One who could, ideally, also manage to hold down the fort in order for him to take more well-earned future breaks)

Doc Gumby

Most likely Robot Jail.

Diptych

Middle, I assume.

rhekke

There's always flashbacks and montages to cover events passed over.

Doc Gumby

Where would the third one even go? You could be so unbalanced... The helicopter I can see though.

Ron Hamann

I definitely want to see the Cubetown adjustment process, especially continuing Marten’s “what am I going to do” phase. That’s my vote. But I also want to vote for “enjoy your break, Jeph!”

Rosilin

I'm immensely enjoying these commentary bits, as it's fun to see how far we've come. 💜

Michael Boettger

Wonder what ever happened to Corpse witch? Dissembly? Memory wipe?

Dan Weiss

I am very interested in Cubetown however you get there. But please do get there.

Olaf

Is this going to be a 3D2Y situation?

Populuxe

I genuinely want to see Marten and Claire establish themselves at Cubetown.

Minzoku Bokumetsu

clearly she wants three birbs

Magic Chopstick Games

*shouting from the back of the crowd* ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴄᴄᴀꜱɪᴏɴᴀʟ ꜰʟᴀꜱʜʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛʜʀᴏᴡɴ ɪɴ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪᴅᴇ ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇxᴛ

Magic Chopstick Games

TIME. SKIP. TIME. SKIP. TIME. SKIP. [pounding on table] TIME! SKIP! TIME! SKIP! TIME! SKIP!

Curtis Cahoon

Asking the important questions

SilverbackRon

I never understood the appeal of that particular desire. but a helicopter sounds fun!

Aerin Moriarty

God this was another fantastic arc

SilverbackRon

I think the biggest surprise he has given us via time skip is when Marigold bought a house and Momo got her third chassis. But the house thing had already been discussed, the only real surprise was Momo, who has barely been mentioned since. It would be odd for characters to suddenly be settled into a new job.

Matt Grayson

Roko and I still have Yay shaped holes in our hearts. Or maybe heads. Just sayin'.

Diptych

Precisely!

September Dexter

I'm just wondering why Faye would want a third tit. She's got some pretty big tits and a third one is just asking for more back pain and expensive, custom, 3-tit bras.

Paracog Steadham

...and a very fine villain she turned out to be. So fun to hissssss!

alphanor

like MommyMilkers!!

Roger Judd

One thing I always liked was when comic compilations are released with author commentary. Great way to pass some lower stress time with your audience!

THE Kordepen

If I had to vote, it would be against a time skip. It would be more interesting to see Marten and Claire adjust to cubetown life, as well as Faye, Hannerlore and the others adjust to life without them. Besides we have had 2 time skips recently. Before Claire’s interview and the wedding. I think it would b better without one.

Madeline Hunter

I am also loving all these details, but please be spending the vast, vast majority of your break time, actually having A Break!

Taigan

Just my two cents: my only problem with a post-break time skip is Rokko being left in the dark regarding Yay’s status for that long. Well.. that’s not my *only* problem, but it’s the only one I see being an actual issue. I don’t think Jeph would come back and be like “oh, by the way, Willow and Ayo hooked up, Marten and Claire broke up, Faye and Bubbles adopted three kids, and Pintsize is now human. And you don’t get to hear how any of that happened.”

Cozy

I believe in you Jeph!

Jeremy Davis-Turak

Has anybody made a kind of index that list which strip? That would be a good way to read up on character /story arcs

Swaggy

Just how much time *has* passed?

SilverbackRon

I really hope Jeph has all these lined up to auto-post and he doesn't have to log in every day! Enjoy that time off sir!

SilverbackRon

I love this arc! I was coincidentally re-reading a portion of it (leading up to the introduction of Officer Basilisk). There were a LOT of serious world altering developments in this time!

Scott

The thought of Faye with a) 3 breasts or b) her own helicopter (or both) is simultaneously oddly arousing and mildly terrifying…

Diptych

How are we all feeling about having three tits as the mark of a perfect world? I feel like four would be better than three. Two rows of two.

William Callanan

Do what feels right for you, but I have to say personally I hope you don't do a time skip

at0m

I dig these but I hope they're queued and you're out drinking a mai tai or something my guy

Antonio

I love reading these details, keep them coming! I'm excited to read whatever you do, it's been a fun ride so far. A time jump might be cool. whatever you do, I'm all for it. As long as it's continuing the comic.

John Fiala

I have to agree with Faye. I don't have three tits and my own helicopter either.

Sage Johnson

As a writer, I can really see the benefit of choosing somewhere sort of in between. Say it's a month into life at cube Town or maybe even a year or two. And you do flashbacks as necessary. But giving it a chance of established but not still allows for a lot of shenanigans and hijinks! And obviously take this with an ocean's worth of salt because it is your work and I have been following you since damn near the beginning and I will continue right up until The end.