Questionable Content XVII: "My Brain Is Trash And I Live On The Internet"

[Manga Shoggoth]

Sven treated women badly. He wasn't just promiscuous - he cheated on his girlfriends regularly. He'd dump a girlfriend because he saw someone prettier. It's been a little bit since I've read early Sven, but I'm pretty sure he also used to get names wrong and such.

In other words, the problem wasn't his promiscuity. It's how he handled the relationships.

In fact, most of his relationships with women appear to be shown in a bad light. The only two positive ones that I can remember are his lawyer and his relationshop with Hannerlore. The former is exclusively professional, and the date that starts the second is probably his best moment in the comic.

[Traab]

Like, if this was a pity party about how hard it is to be a successful internet content creator, I'd be expecting Marigold to come across as more sympathetic here. Instead, it's mostly been
May: Here is a reasonable and important thing to do.
Marigold: But I don't want to do that. That isn't fun.
May: It's important.
Marigold: Ugh, It is important.

Its honestly been more

May: "Good morning, here are a half dozen complicated things you had no idea were going to be a thing we will take care of today."
Marigold: "Wait what? All of that?"
May: "Yeah its a lot but its important and things will calm down soon."
Marigold: "Ok"

And then a joke about how she needs to get into shape with yoga. There isnt really supposed to be anyone coming off as sympathetic unless maybe its to those of us who have ever started a new business and remember how complicated it was right out of the gate. Nobody is supposed to be coming off badly either. Its totally reasonable to react with shock and dismay when you get blindsided by a lot of unexpected work. Especially when you just woke up.

In fact, most of his relationships with women appear to be shown in a bad light. The only two positive ones that I can remember are his lawyer and his relationshop with Hannerlore. The former is exclusively professional, and the date that starts the second is probably his best moment in the comic.

Honestly I only really remember the one where marten was used as a distraction at the bar. Well that and the thing with faye. Most of the time I got the feeling his relationships were quick hookups, not dating. More like what he was doing with May. No entanglements, just a good time and maybe we will see each other for a followup some day.

[Rodin]

In fact, most of his relationships with women appear to be shown in a bad light. The only two positive ones that I can remember are his lawyer and his relationshop with Hannerlore. The former is exclusively professional, and the date that starts the second is probably his best moment in the comic.

There are two others I can think of. There's the old flame that comes on to him after the first time he swore to mend his ways, and Faye misreads the situation when he tries to use her as an excuse to not hook up again. Then there's the relationship with May, which was a textbook example of how to have a non-commital physical relationship without anyone getting their feelings hurt. Both Sven and May established right at the start that they weren't interested in dating, but were interested in sleeping together. They did that, and neither party became too commited to the relationship. They decided to stop because the power balance between them changed and it felt weird to both of them. The situation sucks, but it doesn't take a sci-fi story to get the same situation. You'd have the same plot if May was suddenly rendered homeless and Sven bought her a house.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I should clarify that I meant "relationships" in a general sense, not specificly romantic relationships.

[Vinyadan]

Sven kicking Marten in the back and sending him to have a concussion actually is the worst I remember of Sven. It was so out there and unredeemable, it loops over and it gets hard to consider (even the characters didn't seem to think much of it).

[Mechalich]

Sven kicking Marten in the back and sending him to have a concussion actually is the worst I remember of Sven. It was so out there and unredeemable, it loops over and it gets hard to consider (even the characters didn't seem to think much of it).

The early comic was much more 'cartoony' in terms of its approach to physical violence, so the impact of anything based primarily in physicality would be seen as less significant in-universe than from an unbiased out-of-universe observer.

[Delicious Taffy]

The early comic was much more 'cartoony' in terms of its approach to physical violence, so the impact of anything based primarily in physicality would be seen as less significant in-universe than from an unbiased out-of-universe observer.

Yeah, plus Faye used to beat the hell out of Marten, and nobody seemed to be all that bothered by it. Woman-on-man violence used to be seen as a lot funnier (or at least more acceptable) due to double standards, and I already don't let it go with Faye, so I'm not inclined to hold it against Sven. More important wrongdoing has happened since then.

[Eldan]

This is the most relatable the comic has been in a while. I have this exact same problem with sport of any kind: "Oh no, if I do this in public, other people will see how bad I am at it". Cut out most possible sports for me. Pretty much anything except gymnastics in my living room.

[Manga Shoggoth]

It seems to be a common response from people trying to get out of doing gym - although I usually hear it phrased as "people who are already fit", which has a ready counter (to whit, "They weren't fit when they started either").

[Eldan]

No, I have genuine social anxiety, and I'm medicated for it. My options for sport are jogging in the forest, preferably at night, or something inside my own room. Just thinking about someone seeing me doing sports makes me nervous. I think if a friend or a colleague from work saw me, I'd die.

[Manga Shoggoth]

That's fair enough - you have a genuine condition, and by the sound of it, are actually seeking alternatives (and can I say how envious I am that you get to run through forests - it's roads (and one small park) where I am at the moment). Most of the people I deal with just don't want to do it.

Oh, and Marigold has now trapped herself. Although she is going with Miss Anxiety herself, which could end up being interesting, to say the least.

[Willie the Duck]

Oh, and Marigold has now trapped herself. Although she is going with Miss Anxiety herself, which could end up being interesting, to say the least.

I give it even odds that Marigold ends up thriving and Hanners has some kind of problem (isn't a natural, anxiety causes problems, or becomes manically obsessed in some way).

[Rodin]

That's fair enough - you have a genuine condition, and by the sound of it, are actually seeking alternatives (and can I say how envious I am that you get to run through forests - it's roads (and one small park) where I am at the moment). Most of the people I deal with just don't want to do it.

Oh, and Marigold has now trapped herself. Although she is going with Miss Anxiety herself, which could end up being interesting, to say the least.

I'd say Marigold has social anxiety as well - or at the very least had it, as QC characters tend to outgrow their broken brains in an unrealistic way. I've certainly never been able to beat my social anxiety over 30 years (at least) of having it. The scene where Marigold hesitates on the door of the bar was extremely relatable to me - going into a bar full of people I know would be terrifying, going into a bar full of people I really didn't know would have me heading for the hills.

[VoxRationis]

You know, I have to say (and this is something I had been pondering before this strip, and for reasons unrelated to QC), our cultural media really have to get past the notion that the idea of women's professional success is somehow new and deeply unsettling to men. (I mean, any woman entering the workforce when 9 to 5 came out is getting ready to retire, if they haven't already!) I've probably had more female supervisors than male in my professional career, and neither I nor any man I've worked with even really considered it worth noticing. I have no doubt that there are atavists who would balk at their girlfriends' making more money than they do, but I don't know any and I wouldn't consider it a mainstream opinion.

[Mechalich]

You know, I have to say (and this is something I had been pondering before this strip, and for reasons unrelated to QC), our cultural media really have to get past the notion that the idea of women's professional success is somehow new and deeply unsettling to men. (I mean, any woman entering the workforce when 9 to 5 came out is getting ready to retire, if they haven't already!) I've probably had more female supervisors than male in my professional career, and neither I nor any man I've worked with even really considered it worth noticing. I have no doubt that there are atavists who would balk at their girlfriends' making more money than they do, but I don't know any and I wouldn't consider it a mainstream opinion.

Indeed. While income imbalances within relationships absolutely can and do cause conflicts (research suggests they are one of the greatest sources of such conflicts), they can absolutely happen totally irrespective of any ideas about gender roles, as evidence from same gender friendships where such conflicts also emerge ought to make quite clear.

Marigold's sudden success absolutely does impose a power imbalance in terms of the financial aspects of her relationship with Dale, it's simply inherent to the circumstances. This would be very obvious if Marigold actually did want to do something substantial with her newfound wealth that impacted both of them - like purchasing a house or perhaps moving to a more entertainment business friendly environment.

[Max_Killjoy]

You know, I have to say (and this is something I had been pondering before this strip, and for reasons unrelated to QC), our cultural media really have to get past the notion that the idea of women's professional success is somehow new and deeply unsettling to men. (I mean, any woman entering the workforce when 9 to 5 came out is getting ready to retire, if they haven't already!) I've probably had more female supervisors than male in my professional career, and neither I nor any man I've worked with even really considered it worth noticing. I have no doubt that there are atavists who would balk at their girlfriends' making more money than they do, but I don't know any and I wouldn't consider it a mainstream opinion.

Same here, I've had more women bosses than men, and the split in who makes more money is pretty much 50/50 among my married friends.

Personally, I think this is more about media repeating itself long after it's discussing a widespread thing.

[Manga Shoggoth]

You know, I have to say (and this is something I had been pondering before this strip, and for reasons unrelated to QC), our cultural media really have to get past the notion that the idea of women's professional success is somehow new and deeply unsettling to men. (I mean, any woman entering the workforce when 9 to 5 came out is getting ready to retire, if they haven't already!) I've probably had more female supervisors than male in my professional career, and neither I nor any man I've worked with even really considered it worth noticing. I have no doubt that there are atavists who would balk at their girlfriends' making more money than they do, but I don't know any and I wouldn't consider it a mainstream opinion.

When we were newly-weds, my wife was working as a beauty therapist. We worked out that if she was booked fully each day with the right customers (admittedly an unlikley scenario) she could easily make more than me. My wife was more worried about the prospect than I was.


And Dale's a "good egg"? There's an old phrase...

[Gnoman]

This strip feels a lot like Old QC. Don't know exactly why, but I could picture this yoga conversation taking place between Dora and Hannelore 15 years ago.

[Morquard]

This strip feels a lot like Old QC. Don't know exactly why, but I could picture this yoga conversation taking place between Dora and Hannelore 15 years ago.

True. I'm frankly surprised Jeph has stuck with this story for as long as he has. It's been... *checks* ... 9 updates. Thats nearly 2 weeks. I fully expected him to switch back to Yay being obnoxious a lot sooner.

[Delicious Taffy]

True. I'm frankly surprised Jeph has stuck with this story for as long as he has. It's been... *checks* ... 9 updates. Thats nearly 2 weeks. I fully expected him to switch back to Yay being obnoxious a lot sooner.

I give it three more, tops.

As a side note, I was worried we'd be stuck with no-glasses Dale until that last panel. The always-on anime glasses help him stand out, so I'm anxious they'll be gone soon.

[Rodin]

I give it three more, tops.

As a side note, I was worried we'd be stuck with no-glasses Dale until that last panel. The always-on anime glasses help him stand out, so I'm anxious they'll be gone soon.

Having the glasses off softens him and helps show emotions. PvP did this with Brent when it started moving him away from the arrogant jerk role into a more parental one.

The problem is as you say - it takes away from their unique character design and makes them look just like everybody else. Having Dale turn off the glasses now and then for serious scenes is fine, but he should keep them active most of the time as part of what makes him stand out.

[Vinyadan]

Tedd in EGS also started out with high-tech glasses and a jerk attitude, and lost them as he matured (the glasses also turned into something of an introvert's shield he needed to overcome, and he acquired special vision abilities afterwards).

[Mr Popo]

I have been following the comic for many years, and have read the entire archive since the first comic. It is quite possible the fault is mine, but I am having trouble keeping up with all the plot threads, and I am not sure where the current story arcs began, or if they will end any time soon. I can't recall the last story arc that began and finished cleanly. Perhaps it is because there are so many threads my brain space can't keep them all sorted properly. Is this a problem anyone else is having, or just me?

[Manga Shoggoth]

Probably the best thing is not to worry too much about past plot threads, just keep a general idea about what the characters are like.


Is it just me, or are the faces starting to take on a distinct "Augustus" look - Marigold looks almost Clintonesque in the last panel today...

[Wraith]

Time continues to compress into meaninglessness in the QC universe. Marigold apparently had a bunch of stuff to do today, but instead is sacking it off to visit Hannelore, who in turn can stand around looking up yoga classes on her 'phone at work. She's not even behind the counter, just hanging out in the middle of the floor.

Also, Hannelore got back from travelling 600 strips ago - that's almost 2 years IRL - and still has the exact same tan. This is after Millefuille got her leg broke, fixed, ordered and recieved her butt-implants, and Claire waited for (twice) and eventually received her exam results, Roko met with the body-assignment drone and got promoted to AI Authority Overlord, Yay moved into Roko's building, Brun and Rene moved to a new apartment, Elliot and Clinton dithered multiple times and finally arranged their date night, Yay met and befriended Elliot/Hercules... A couple of weeks? I'd say a couple of weeks. And that's just up to 4047 to 4250.

Is it just me, or are the faces starting to take on a distinct "Augustus" look - Marigold looks almost Clintonesque in the last panel today...

Now that you point it out, I see what you mean - She has spontaniously developed a slight over-bite.

[Keltest]

I mean, she could just like the tan.

[Max_Killjoy]

I thought Marigold always had a bit of a bucktooth thing going on.

Let me go look.

[Traab]

I get the feeling getting marigold setup with yoga is judged as more important to handle right now because its what she is least motivated to do. Like hanners said, if she puts it off till next week she will lose her nerve and end up canceling it all. She isnt dreading doing all the meeting stuff to the same extent so no reason they cant handle it after lunch or whatever.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Hmmm.... Yup, she does: Not in the early days (1457 last panel), but it seems to be developing later (2035 and 2071 fourth panel). Given the proximity of Clinton in the last example, perhaps it's contagious...

...Or perhaps Clinton's father really got around... Yup, epileptic tree territory there...

[theNater]

Time continues to compress into meaninglessness in the QC universe. Marigold apparently had a bunch of stuff to do today, but instead is sacking it off to visit Hannelore, who in turn can stand around looking up yoga classes on her 'phone at work. She's not even behind the counter, just hanging out in the middle of the floor.

How long do you imagine this conversation is taking? May explicitly budgeted 45 minutes for drinking coffee and ****ing around on phones, but they segued immediately into the yoga conversation, so I don't think Marigold's used that.