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the butt grab!
Comments (180)
Ohhh myyyy. *____*
Did Faye get taller or did Bubbles get shorter? Because in comic #3140 her head only goes up to Bubbles' neck but now its several inches higher
Them armored boots musta had thick soles.
I’m enjoying this arc - and we all know creators just love to draw this shit out - but this has felt especially egregious.
It was a long road to get here. But I'm glad we're here.
Martin and Claire are going to have a hard time getting sleep. Also, the local seismologists are going to have interesting new data.
The Present As they were leaving the garden one of the angels bent down to them and whispered I am to give you this as you are leaving the garden I do not know what it is or what it is for what you will do with it you will not be able to keep it but you will not be able to keep anything yet they both reached at once for the present and when their hands met they laughed — W.S. Merwin
Lovely.
Heh. I am walking around feeling good about the world because a fictitious robot got laid.
Same. I'm a mess.
After the above conversation, I'm curious: how important do y'all think scent is to sex?
Well, sex is a really vast realm, and to give answer to question like that would be problematic, because sometimes sex doesn't even involve physical contact (Cybersex doesn't translate smells yet? I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there is research in that area.) Still, for many people, including some pretty experienced sex evangelists, smell is important. It can tip the scales of physical attraction, sometimes drastically. OTOH, the more there are other forms of connection/attraction between people, the less important smell becomes. Like if there is some serious emotional/intellectual/aesthetical attraction, even somewhat unpleasant smell can become attractive too. And after some time, when it becomes more common and familiar, it could actually become somewhat arousing by itself, by association with your person of attraction. My two cents, anyway.
So, time skip forward three months on Monday to Faye and Bubbles wondering whose invitation to a Thanksgiving dinner they should accept?
Yelling Bird's, obviously.
I have been waiting for this for so long. Thank you.
They’re not talking about their feelings, or actions pertaining thereto, they’re talking about Bubbles’ subroutine they keep accidentally triggering which causes her to emit an unidentified pink mist, most likely a chemical weapon. Faye should try not to breathe.
this was a fantastic birthday present jeph, thanks!
Okay... so I am wondering about the conversation they get to have about how they fulfill each other's romantic needs. It's a non-trivial thing. I'm also curious about how a robot AI can experience things like kissing and such -- not for the physical aspect -- curious how a robot can receive the intended affection. I know things were addressed philosophically in the past -- form following function and all that. Is that what is going on here?
I've been thinking a lot about this during the last few days. My take on it is that AI's can obtain emulation software relatively easily. Consider the strip where, as an illustration of how most AI's choose not to bliss out constantly, there was a panel of Pintsize running "weed.exe". Consider the strip where Faye tried to tickle Bubbles, and she said something to the effect that she didn't have the subroutines for a tickle response; I got the sense that she could get them installed if she wanted. So my guess is that Bubbles will... 1. have some damned satisfying sensorium experiences triggered by Faye's scent, while she arranges to... 2. research human hormonal and neurological responses, research pleasure emulation subroutines, contact reputable dealers in emulation software, and purchase a top-of-the-line emulation suite.
I’m just concerned about Faye’s poor glasses
I'm pretty sure that Bubbles could fix them. Admittedly, they'd look like a pair of steampunk tele-goggles afterwards but a free fix is a free fix!
Oh, May, too. <a href="https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3075" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3075</a>
Still, need to cover how AI's can get horny. Perhaps a component of their consciousness is a chameleon generator: what they see, they emulate. Out of curiosity, they watch porn (see Pintsize), and their Cham-generator creates desire that's inserted just below full awareness.
Oh my God/community/Fate/Fortuna/universe, I did not mean to start a troll fest. The universe is telling me, that is I am deterministically compelled to say, time to put a sock in it.
I thought you made a good point, and that the ensuing conversation was pleasant. I don't see any trolls.
Jeph, you're a VERY GOOD MAN. VERY.
there are interesting implications of being able to upgrade your partner.
FINALLY YES VERY YES
I - no joke - finally became a patreon supporter because I simply could not wait One More Day for the post-kiss strip. All of the squee.
Thats why I joined too. So happy for them.
Well, that just made my day.
So this is beautiful and well done and I've been squeeing almost continuously for the last three weeks. BUT, as someone on the asexuality spectrum, this is incredibly jarring. I know it works differently for most people (apparently including some AIs), but being compelled to the bedroom immediately after a first kiss is giving me all kinds of error codes.
Compelled? I don't read it that way. They are reading each other, and seeing each other's desire. If either one had any doubt of that, it would play out differently. I don't blame you for finding it jarring, though. I can imagine it feels frustrating and lonely not to find representation.
So here's the question: WILL JEFF GOLDBLUM BE INVOLVED SOMEHOW? <a href="http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3369" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3369</a>
Jeff will, uhh, find the way.
Somewhere, Spookybot is smiling (and for once, not smugly).
Devin Manning-Riley: Thanks! I found a link which seems to be broken, but maybe I can get it from the writer.
I am so greatly touched by this comic
A lot of great thoughts all around. This last comment, profound in itself, provoked a pet annoyance I have. I hear “The universe is telling me...” and “The universe has put this opportunity in front of me...” and so on. The universe is a collection of stars, planets, dust, gas, dark matter and dark energy. The universe is not a conscious being. In this context isn’t “the universe “ just a place-holder for “ God”?
You've put your finger on my problem with talking about this stuff. I'm a devout agnostic. I don't think the universe has a consciousness. I know that saying "the universe" sounds kinda woo. And. To express gratitude is of paramount importance. Without gratitude for the gifts we are given, what are we? Primates with an overweening sense of entitlement and self-righteousness, and the latter is the most dangerous of attributes. So we need gratitude, but how do we express it? We lack the language to express gratitude when that for which we feel gratitude does not come from a sky bully. We seem to need a face. I don't believe in a face, but I believe *fiercely* in a need to express gratitude. So how do I go about that? I've been exploring that for years.
For the record, when Faye was fired/quit working at Coffee of Doom, I originally thought it was the dumbest idea ever and worried where the comic was going to go next since all the characters were drifting apart.
I keep thinking back to that, and imagining what's going through their heads. Faye's brokenness is integral to the current storyline. So I imagine her looking back to that time with gratitude that it brought her and Bubbles together. That's one of the many reasons this storyline touches me so deeply. Life isn't fair. Most of it depends on happenstance. So it's not about what we deserve. It's about those moments when the universe is giving us a chance at redemption, and whether we can recognize and accept it. Bubbles and Faye are each limited, each broken. But they are put in each other's path, and each is what the other needed. And now that are choosing to see and accept what the universe has given them, and goddamn it, it's so perfect, I tear up every time.
Seems pretty straightforward. Bubbles gets excited when she smells certain things and Faye make certain smells when she gets excited.... Some assembly required.
Don't forget to lock the doors and close the curtains!
Possible arc coming up: Bubbles erased memory contained the story of her falling in love with a member of her unit, which ended in some sort of catastrophe. Fast forward a hundred QC strips, a relative of a fallen unit member will show pictures.
You are eeeeeevil
I'm expecting the next time we see Faye, she's in a hospital bed covered in bandages and a big ole' grin on her face :D
lol
I am expecting Pintsize to ruin the mood at some point soon.
Their first real date could be taking him out to the park and feeding him to the ducks :D
By the way, Jeph, it isn't a butt /grab/, it's a butt /lift/. Not quite a bridal carry but that may be saved for the journey back to the apartment!
Technically, if Faye jumped on her, and then Bubbles put her arms around her, it could be both grab and lift. If Faye is holding with her legs and Bubbles applies more squeezing than lifting force, then it's definitely a butt grab. Not that I'm against one or the other, it's that you have to be very precise with terminology when you are applying scientific approach to your happy-happy-fun-times.
Monday's strip: Marten and Claire are in bed, sweaty and obviously post-coital. Their pillow talk is interrupted by a shout from off-panel of: "Oh sweet Turing Faye! YES!" Marten dryly remarks that he thinks he knows what choice Faye has made.
And then Marten develops tinnitus and hearing loss from an ear piercing "Squee" right next to his ear.
Looks like somebody is going to FAQ all night. :p
Sign left on the door: " Gone Fuckin' "
Better yet - hired May to hold this sign so she couldn't comment on their... activities.
I think you just melted the internet
Did Faye's glasses just explode off her face :3c
Yeah, you two lovebirds do that. Just... don't forget to hang a sock on the bedroom door. Also, you might want to close down Pintsize.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
The interesting thing about this is that with the other relationships in QC there is precedent that you don't get to know the mechanics of the sexytimes. I believe the mechanics question last came up with Martin and Claire. My assumption is that this precedent will continue. Yet for the human-human sexytime relations we all know how it works, it doesn't need to be stated - is this any different?
We know about some of their sexytimes. Like USB cables being burned out from anthroPC sex. Or the fact that Pintsize gets off on asphyxiation.
Here I was worried the kiss yesterday would have been a short fantasy sequence what with the sort of smokey effect going on. Now I'm worried it's a super long fantasy sequence!! :P
The stylized and washed out(?) pink backgrounds have me worried this is all a fantasy sequence! Haha. Thankfully Jeph is never quite THAT cruel. ;) Now, I just wanted to say that while I'm sort-of not really a fan of this arc (partly because I prefer them as just pals, but mainly because Faye and Angus are forever! *sobs uncontrollably*), this is still great, and has been so well paced! While many joke about how long you draw these things out, I feel it works very well, as we see these characters grow from acquaintances to friends, and to something more over a long period of time. After all, falling in love isn't usually a switch being flipped but rather two people enjoying their company and spending time together, before eventually developing a romantic connection. I feel you've accomplished that with Faye and Bubbles so well, Jeph!
Damn Jeph. YAY!
I say again: "D'awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"
There is something wonderful about the reverse piggyback smooch fest. Also these two folks finding each other. But if this pulls a chobits ending I will be impossibly pissed.
YASS QUEENS. GO GET IT.
I can't help but picturing them as the people in the beginning of an infomercial, desperately struggling like they're tryin' to assemble ikea furniture using chopsticks "WHAT? HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO FIT THERE? I THINK WE SKIPPED A STEP" "FUCK, WHERE DID THAT ALLEN WRENCH GO?"
Allen? I think it is too soon to be bringing other robots into the relationship.
Pintsize apparently can see the future <a href="http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2262" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2262</a>
Impressive! Do you have a perfect memory? Or did you just decide to re-read the entire serie?
squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeheheheheh *wheezes* *deep breath* eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
OH MY FUCKING GOD. BLESS YOU JEPH. MY HEART IS SO FULL.
omgg omg omg....
Punchbot in the background: "Oh, I guess this hole in my head can wait until tomorrow then..."
Considering what his injury would be interfering with he might get more than a hole in the head and that's just what Faye would do.
As I type this it is 90 minutes before yesterday's early strip posts to the main site. So right now I'm sitting on two days of unpublished Faybles awesomeness and I've never felt so smug about spending five bucks on anything in my life.
Well said!
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Meanwhile in a motel on the other side of town. Marten: "Yes, we would like to stay one... no, two nights." Pintsize: "NOOOO, I WANT TO STAY AT HOOOOOME!" Marten: "I'm doing you a favor. You do NOT want either of them catch you leering, let alone both."
Yeah, I was wondering about Pintsize surviving this.
WOO
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Fell into a QC rabbit hole and found this awesome strip wherein Claire totally calls this.: <a href="http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3341" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3341</a>
Started a re-read from #1 a week ago. Man, the feels. There are so many premonitions and callbacks to earlier strips it makes my mind boggle. I'm only 8 *years* behind now, and wow. Just got through the Marten/Dora breakup. Funniest part - Gotta Pee is about the only constant in the whole series!
“Called it.” -Aesop
You mean Sappho?
This just feels too good to be true...
And here I didn't even know I wanted a Faybles tattoo.
Haha the glasses flying off.
I'm so damn happy
*runs in from the other room, having not yet stopped since yesterday* eeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! <3***
OMG, SAME!!!!
I am dead and Jeph killed me. But I want you to know that I DIED HAPPY.
"Uh, Hi Hanners. Marten here. Sorry to bother you, but the apartment is wrecked, the entire building is threatened, and we REALLY need Faye to get a jack implanted. Is this something your Dad can do?" "What happened?" "Faye & Bubbles finally figured it out." "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I'll ask and get right back to you!"
"Hi, Station. Does Daddy know how to put jacks in people?" "Hello, Hannelore! He's done human brain interfaces, but he didn't see any need for a standard dataport jack. Is a physical jack required, or will a wireless interface suffice?" "What!?! Daddy can do wireless brain interfaces!?! How long has he been able to do this? Do they work? Are there many of them?" "Hannelore, I thought you knew! Two of your friends have them! Well, they have the brain interfaces, but the radio may be disabled, or may never have been installed." "WHAT!!! Who?" "Clinton Augustus, for one. He thinks his hand is controlled by the nerves in his wrist, but it actually took a partial brain interface to make it work right." "Who else!?!" "Your friend Emily Azuma. She has one of the first successful full interfaces, and she helped develop the algorithms that made it work." "Thanksgottagobye!"
as is traditional, tomorrow will be Steve eating cereal
Those Bedroom eyes though!! Soooooo Happy!!!
Learning is half the fun! (And the emotionally scaring phobias.)
It'll still be rough going while those two figure this out, but this is gorgeous.
I am sooooooo happy right now!
This is the best Faybles fan art I've ever seen!
MY HEART IS EXPLODING STILL IT WON'T STOP
I'm such an ingrained glasses wearer. Panel 3 I was all "Argh! Catch the glasses!"
The next story arc will involve repairing them.
Marten and Claire return home to a destroyed door, smashed couch, door to Faye's room in splinters.
Wowza! I’m blushing over here!
OH MY GOD THIS IS SO CUTE
Pintsize is going to end up in the freezer again
"Another heart attack. What the hell is going on."
Figure what out? Seems to me they've got the basics down.
All the hearts! Thank you, Jeph!
Now I have all sorts of questions. Does Bubbles feel the kiss differently? I know that AIs can switch on the "happy chemicals" as it were, but what kind of "release" do they get? The strip with the robots talking about filling up hard drives with sex activity, what's going on exactly? If there's a guide to robot sex that Jeph wrote that I missed, please share! Oh, and YEAH BABY GO HOME AND CLIMB THAT SEXY ROBOT LADY
I wonder how many USB cables will be used. <a href="http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3500" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3500</a>
I. AM. OVER. THE MOON!!!
Having loved Faye since 2005, I’m so flapping happy for her right now, I could scream. Thanks Jeph for your amazing art and story development.
Well, it's not quite the 8-bit Theatre 10 Year Set Up, but congratulations on paying off a joke from six whole years ago! <a href="http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2262" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2262</a>
I was going to point this out too! Pintskze called it!
May completely called this. Faye owes her photos…
May asked for photos out of the armor. She’s seen Bubbles out of her armor irl
My favorite part of the climbing is that it just arose naturally from their first kiss. Their hands entwined. Bubbles bent down a little as Faye hyperextended one ankle to raise her head as high as possible possible. As they kissed, Faye realized she could just do an overhand pull-up on Faye's hands. From there, wrapping her legs around Bubbles was a natural. I can see it all, and it's all perfect.
::wall slides::
I'm so glad this went up early. I made a sound somewhere between a murloc and a teakettle... it's...it's best not to imagine. The Stories are so good! This arc has had me on the edge of my seat. But now...what's gonna happen on Monday? I want more Claire! I want more Hannelore! I want more Faybles!
I legit clutched my chest
I do hope Bubbles' ports are clean and well oiled.
Instead of consutling the FAQ this seems like the perfect time to RTFM. ;)
Of course you mean Read The Fine Manual.
Oh my! *fans self*
... I'll be in my bunk...
😆
I concur with Geo. I am dead and OK with being dead because what a way to go.
But actually seriously SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! This is utterly, perfectly wholesome and pure. 15/10.
So, hey, Jeph, should you make that desktop wallpaper I suggested yesterday, could you include the third panel, too? And maybe the forth. Or maybe multiple wallpapers. I do have three monitors.
cue yelling bird "and then they fucked"
At some point, she's going to remember the conversation she had with her sister and friend. And FINALLY realize what was going on.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh yes finally!!
Oh, that poor damned bed. Maybe the wall too. I guess a machine shop isn't the place for a romantic tryst or idyll, but it has certain structural advantages when one of them is a war machine. Oh what the hell. Faye just went for it!
At least Pintsize won't complain about the noise like Momo. <a href="http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2952" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2952</a> (He will be holding up point rating cards.)
Hannelore, Claire and Tai are like... never going to get anything productive done ever again...
Shoot, *I'm* never gonna get anything done again, and it's only the middle of my work day... Yesssssssss
Now, AT LAST we can cut to Steve eating cereal. (Predicton: Jeph will never cut to Steve eating cereal ever again. Steve Eating Cereal gag may have been worn a little thin in the comments)
It's a double fake out! We've asked so much that the odometer has rolled back to zero and it's funny and unexpected, again!
I AM SCREAMING AGAJN AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH
I can't figure out if this is real or someone's day dream. But I am happy for them :)
Bubbles in panel 1 is officially the cutest character drawing in QC history
There are several panels with Bubbles in the latest strips that can compete for that title. As soon as she let her hair down most people's cute-meters were overloaded and couldn't function properly since (just read the other comments).
I'm just really happy right now. TvT
I was very expecting Steve and/or cereal.
That's exactly what I just said to my son.
The Pink Dreamskcape behind them faded for a panel, so that reassures me that this isn't a daydream. They're just very caught up in the moment, not paying attention to their surroundings.
Aaaaaaaa. ::dies:: ::is kinda ok with that::
Very nice payoff. 10/10 on this whole arc Jeph
440Hz
😍😍😍
Meanwhile, Claire is emitting a sound only dogs can hear and Tai melted into a puddle. Marten and Dora are attempting to stabilize their respective partners.
and Bubbles is just gonna carry her home like that, right?
Bubbles is very climbable, like Dale. <a href="http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2550" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2550</a>
THANK YOU!
That’s one hell of a cliffhanger. 😍
Aaand everyone explodes
I think my upstairs neighbours may now be worrying about the loud noise I made when I got to panel 3 😏
Please stop, my heart is too weak for these levels of cute
*Cheering* IT WASN'T A DREAM OR TAI'S IMAGINATION HALLELUJAH
*FAN BOYING INTENSIFIES* SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Yayyyy!!!!
This afternoon I noticed with delight that Faye's glasses got raised a bit by Bubbles's nose, and wondered when she'd lose them. And now I have my answer, and couldn't be more pleased.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Cue a week of comics of the two of them walking through town, trying to act natural, feeling like everyone’s looking at them.
Or they'll run home while trying to keep their clothes from bursting into flames!
I'm so happy
I'm terrified that we will suddenly get a cut away comic in which this will all been revealed to be bubbles or Faye dreaming, or a close friend daydreaming about them getting together.
Oh nooooo. Nooooo :(
Butt
*gasp* I am for real breathing heavily.
Having to suppress a little hyperventilation, yeah. Wooooooah.
I squealed
All the squee!
Squee?