Action/Reaction

OKAY COMIC OVER NOW

(Not really. We'll be back to the funny on Monday.)

82 thoughts on “Action/Reaction

  1. Well that was uncalled for one Rose’s part.

    1. Poor man, his sense of humour is totally inappropriate for these situations.

    2. No, I’d say that it’s pretty much called-for. He’s being a cowardly douche. Don’t get me wrong, I think that he should keep his distance, crotchally, from her, but running as he did just ain’t cool. He wants her, that’s obvious, but he doesn’t want to be face with his desire. He needs to talk to her instead of running. 😛

      1. She’s not mature for 17/18 at all. She’s like a little baby, acting out when she doesn’t get what she wants. It doesn’t matter that her actions are seen as “mature content,” but any idiot can get naked in a desperate plea for attention. In reality, she has a lot of growing up to do, and I think he’s right to look elsewhere unless she gets her act in gear.

        1. Meh, what’s mature exactly? People don’t act reasonable when they get emotional or hurt feelings. That she reacts this way is because she cares for him so much.

          I don’t like coming down on her harshly like this, a lot of us forget what it’s like to be limited from freely doing what you want to because of irrational generalizing legal restrictions.

        2. Still, he could just date her for a year and then when she’s legal they can have sex.

    3. No, I would say Rose is completely in the right to slap him up some. As she put it before, it’s not even about the sex anymore, he’s just being a cowardly douche about this, “Date someone my own age” – She should have hit him more/harder.

      1. nooneinparticular

        i agree…totally had that coming

    4. Made a girl cry on her birthday.
      Worth a slap on general principle, even before you get into his shitty reasons.

  2. Huh, you might actually think she has feelings for him.

    But I have to say a slap is more than justified with how casual he was about that.

  3. Hmm…I actually wouldn’t mind not seeing Rose for a while…

  4. Oh wow. What a douchebag thing to say. Nate is lucky she hit his face and not his sack. That was probably the most self absorbed horrible hurtful thing he has ever said to anybody and he doesn’t even understand why. What a fucking arrogant sack of shit. Fuck you, Nate! You cocksucking asspirate! I hope you never get laid again and your dick turns black and falls off!!!!

    1. Well said.

      Except for that whole Dick remark…that’s just cruel and uncalled for…I mean ouch.

      But, try telling a women or man this and you will get off lucky with only a slap in the face.

      1. No, a man would just walk away.
        Then go find a tree/wall/vehicle to destroy.

        1. IN SOVIET RUSSIA TREE/WALL/VEHICLE DESTROY YOU!!!!!

        2. In soviet Russia, chopper gets to you! No, wait, that’s useful. In soviet Russia, chopper EXPLODE!

    2. Has no one ever heard of being cruel to be kind? Yes, what he said was asinine; yes, he earned the face slap; but yes, this should provide closure to Rose. He is running away from the commitment, so he deserves some alone time too. Or maybe, he deserves random hook-ups with of-age insane women, such as Rose’s mom. Maybe not as pretty.

      1. He is no humphrey bogart.

        I agree that letting her down easy is the best thing to do, she was getting too serious. He just needed to do it sooner.

        but he lead her on for so long and then he drops her like this.

        1. Btw, really enjoying the story so far. And I love the fact that its getting a rise myself and everyone else reading it.

        2. Thanks Cody! Yeah, it’s tempting to respond to comments, but I can’t risk tipping anyone off!

  5. Uh, Happy Birthday?

  6. Val Kilmer Batman

    Okay, I know I was supporting him in the last strip, but DAMN! He deserved that.

    1. I was with him till the “My own age” coment. Still he’s makeing the rite choice.

      1. I agree. Saying he should date other women on the break isn’t cool. Slap warranted. (I might have thrown more than one. Or five. >_> )

        She loves him, damnit. He should understand that by now, and she should be able to understand his side as well.

        Both of them are a little off in understanding, but Nate is more in the wrong than Rose at the moment. (Sorry for the redundancy. XD)

        1. Yeah, I can’t help but agree to some extent. I think he kind of wants to show some respect by showing some restraint? As he even put it, it’s not easy for him to keep saying no like he is.

          At this point, it’s pretty obvious she’s in it for a relationship, not, as I’ve hear it before, “he’s in it for a long time, she’s in it for a good time” type relationship. She’s put up with this guy and his stone wall abstinence of her for 6+ months, any girl just looking for a good time would have been gone in the first few weeks.

          My verdict – Nate is by far in the wrong, deserved the slap, and hopefully over the next few strips, he learns from that smack as it hopefully knocked some sense into that dome of his.

  7. wow that is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. This sucks now I am all sad.

  8. Wow, what a douche thing to say, Nate >:(

  9. Rose is a kind and merciful girl. I would have crushed his nuts and made him feed them to a stray cat after that “date someone my own age” remark.

    1. Would you really want to give that poor cat indigestion?

  10. yah he was outa line, he’s gettin of lucky if a slap is all he gets

  11. Whoa, whoa, whoa, Nate. Since when are you on the ‘Neanderthal’ level in dealing with women? Seriously, at least go for Homo Erectus, dear lord. Y’know, before this comic, I was sort of on the same page with this man, who was conflicted about the age dilemma, that you all did a wonderful job of discussing in comments, but DAMN.

    At this moment in time, you can really tell who really is the adult here. Here’s a hint; it’s not the man with the red cheek. Although, one could argue that he really deserves so much more.

  12. Sometimes we know just the wrong thing to say. And we say it anyway. *facepalm*

    1. Val Kilmer Batman

      Now, you made me wonder if he was TRYING to piss her off. Maybe he figured if she was pissed at him, she’d go for some guy her own age, whatever. BUT he’s still a dipshit if that’s his goal, because now she’s either going to hate him and slash his tires, or go and do something stupid for spite like go out with other older guys, or she’ll go do something stupid because she’s angry and confused.

      Of course, he might just be a dumbass. All speculation, with no real basis in fact.

  13. In soviet Russia a bitch slaps you

  14. Nate’s better off without a bitchy whore like her anyway. Good riddance I say. Age doesn’t even factor into this, I wouldn’t touch that girl if she was the last female on earth. A guys got to have some standards.

  15. Poor Rose, she must be really upset/sad atm, Nate backed the wrong horse on this one, and he should pop out an “I’m Sorry” quickly

  16. Seriously, Nate… That was some retarded stuff spewing out of you pie hole. Give her some kind of warning before you stomp on her heart like that. I agree that she might be a little bit whorish but she’s sworn off other guys for him for six months… and on her birthday?!?

  17. Meh…Kinda saw it coming when i read the previous strip, predictable but still had to be done.

  18. Okay, I’m single and even “I” knew that was a dick move.

  19. Don’t stop there Rose, punch the fucking shit out of him.

  20. Anything but the Goatee!

    1. Val Kilmer Batman

      Not the appendix! That’s where I keep my pride!

  21. Just a gentle off-topic warning for our dear author: I friggin LOVE your comic, and it’s been on my bookmarks forever, but if you go the Questionable Content way of “guy-chasing-girl with CONSTANT DRAMA WITHOUT RESOLUTION FOR A GAZILLION YEARS” I will murder you myself. Seriously, that wouldn’t be funny at all, it causes heart attacks n’ shit to your fans 🙁

    Nate’s a douche, like many people here I feel sympathy for him, but she should follow up the slap with a swift kick to his genitalia anyway.

    1. I was about to say that I had no problem with QC’s approach to the girl boy thing but then I remembered that I read 1400 strips in two days so maybe I didn’t really grasp how long it was.

      1. The “main” boy-girl drama has taken a span of YEARS. It started on the very first strips,and it ended just a little while ago (in fact,depeding on how you look at it, it ended just a few days ago…and seeing very recent developments,it might start all over again)

        I don’t want to derail this discussion too much, so, in direct comparison with QC, I think I like this more. Probably because it’s much more different than other webcomics: most webcomics either avoid NSFW imaginery like the plague, or base the comic on that. And like it has been said around here, the protagonist (and most of the characters) isn’t a saint, or instantly likable.

        I definetely love the originality, can’t wait for the next strips!

        1. Even so I been reading QC constantly now and it’s definitly one of the best webcomics out there according to me.

          But you’re probably right about the drama being long and I don’t hope it turns out that way here.

          Nice to be chatting with you.

        2. Haha, yeah, I’m here griping about that but I love QC too, I still follow it every M-W-F. I just said that because that particular thing is quite frustrating, obviously QC pulled it off with great brilliance, but there are many other comics out there that try to do that kind of stuff and fail miserably.

          Yeah, nice chat. Cool to see everyone really thinking and theorizing around here, it shows interest in the comic so it’s definitely good.

      2. Well, I’ve been reading QC since about a month after it started (summer ’03, I think) and I didn’t mind the gradual development of the central relationships – that is the point of the story, but there’s funny stuff each day (it hasn’t been M-W-F for years) to keep everyone (or at least me) interested and amused!

    2. Yeah, I like QC too (obviously) but I have no intention of letting it drag out like that. TG’s not an open-ended project. I do have a conclusion in mind, and it won’t take 1400 comics to get there.

      1. Nice to know that, I think most drag there stuff out becuase they dont know how to end it.

  22. He deserved that.

  23. That was a hurtfull thing to say from his side, but I can understand “him” (he is fictional). He obviously likes her, and she hurt him by “showing off” to his friends. But he feels the age difference is a little too much. You know a good way to get someone off your back? Make them hate you. One problem though, that doesn’t work on females 😉 They will be on your back even more, but in a worse way ^_^
    No one in this strip is more mature then the other. He went too far, and so did she. Violence is just plain stupid and isn’t even good for a “last resort”.
    I am intrigued by this story. Keep it up!

    1. Yeah I have to agree, both are in the wrong at one point throughout this night.

      Nate is in the wrong by what he said, how he said it, and how he played it off, and most definitely WHEN he did it all.

      Rose is just as much in the wrong, if not even more so in the wrong for showing herself off to his friends like that, even despite her ‘reason’ because most guys seeing a girl that like/love them stripping in front of his friends… well I can tell you I for one would have walked out the door too, except I would have vacated the whole building instead of gone to the patio. If he really likes her like it seems, that shock he saw was just as much an, “Oh wow she’s practically naked(and F%#%ing hot too)” kind of look as it was a, “I don’t believe she’s actually doing this for my friends….” kind of look.

      Regardless, they’re both in the wrong, and the night’s gone to hell in a handbasket this time around. They need to give it a few days to chill and think things over before continuing.

  24. Perhaps there’s a nugget of revenge for the striptease she just did in front of Nate’s roommate buried in the middle of this dirtpile of legal maneuvering. Send her back to high school and let’s go back to the store!

  25. Nate, you are officially an idiot. Here’s a girl who loves you, who’s willing to wait for you, and granted she did a dumb thing, but is definitely willing to give you a chance, and you pull this “my own age” crap? Rose is definitely in the right to slap you, and if I were her, I’d do a lot worse(and I’m a guy). Being a gentleman is fine, but this is crossing the line, dood. You’d better hope she forgives you, you say you’re sorry, and figure out some way to make your relationship work.

  26. Poor Nate! I wish he had said “Maybe you’ll get a chance to date someone your own age.”

  27. Date someone my own age? Slap is justified. I totally hate Rose and everything (sorry Rose fans…) but WOW. I’m on her side right now. I had to read that twice. They may be unhappy, but if he wants to date her, he should wait for her without dating other people. Honestly.

  28. Haha, stupid protagonist is stupid

  29. Said it before, said it again.

    Nate is a self-serving hypocrite. He’ll happily break the law when it suits him. He talks about his freedom and independence at 17 but then dictates to her at the same age. And he really wants some sex but not with her.

    It’ll be a proper case of ‘don’t know what you’ve got till its gone’ and he deserves everything he (won’t) gets.

    BTW, how bizarre is this, a comic that seems to be setting us up to DISLIKE the protagonist?

    1. Nate admits to hypocrisy early in the comic, but where has he comfortably broken the law? He uneasily does so regarding drinking (the unease presumably being in proportion to the potential consequences) but where does he do it happily?

      On a pedantic note, the protagonist is, by definition, the most important character in a drama. It doesn’t have to be a sympathetic character.

  30. Yeah ROSE!

    Metalangel is right, Nate is being a hypocrite.

    Hey, if he’s scared of jail, fine – personally I think he’s over reacting, but I don’t live there, maybe wherever he is, he’s (hypothetically) known people who went up for that.

    But no matter what, man up for Christ’s sake and don’t put all the other shit around it – especially the crap he was spewing on Wednesday. That was why I was saying he was being a girl, niot because he wouldn’t bang Rose, but because he’s being a total pussy about the entire thing! Don’t moralize or anything, be honest with her.

    Do or do not, there is no talk about it.

    So he’s being a pussy, he’s jerking Rose around, he’s being kinda shitty to her, he strung her along, and he deserved to get slapped.

  31. She’s kinda the one who deserved that slap….. :l

  32. …Wow. Nate’s a total craphead. I myself, think that Sex and Love are two different things. Just because they can’t do each other doesn’t mean that they can’t love each other!! Urgh…This makes me so mad…
    I say that Rose should get revenge and totally screw every guy she sees, or at least one of Nate’s friends.

  33. Gotta give the author credit for making you all post, though, right?

    Sad thing is, his behavior is totally realistic. I was once a self-righteous, know-it-all douchebag, too.

    While nothing has changed, I’m not that way about lovely women. It’s not worth it.

  34. Never ever ever ever break up with a girl on her Birthday. You could kick her grandma in the crotch and cause her less pain. Marginalizing her and saying maybe now you can date girls your own age is F***ing cruel dude.
    Now go hand in you dick and balls and sit in the corner and think about what you have done.

    BTW i like cheese do you like cheese well then GFFY lol
    Love the comic .

  35. Ah, good to see him getting precisely what his behavior has been calling for.
    Good on ya, Rose.

  36. I think he would’ve been slapped here anyway, but that last bit certainly earned it

  37. What state are they in where AOC is 18? It would be funny as shit if they go through all this drama and find out that their state’s AOC is 16 or something.

  38. By the spirits that’s a lot of comments!

    1. It still hasn’t eclipsed Boob Day.

      1. Nothing will ever eclipse Boob Day. I’m a heterosexual female and I clapped for that strip!

  39. I should have done the same thing when I got dumped at 18 by a guy because of a three year age difference. But I had been rendered numb by the shock of the situation.

    I really liked the emotion in this strip, especially the fourth panel. While both parties have behaved shamefully, Nate could have been a bit more tactful and avoided the bitch slap.

    And on a final note, the comments are just as entertaining as the comics!

  40. GO ROSE!

    Aw, poor thing, though. She really had strong feelings for him. I understand him letting her down easy– but not being friends at all for a year? And mentioning he may date other people during that time?

    Aw… this strip made me sad.

  41. Jack Sparrow: Scarlet.
    [She slaps him]
    Jack Sparrow: I’m not sure I deserved that.
    [a blond woman approaches]
    Jack Sparrow: Giselle.
    Giselle: Who was she?
    Jack Sparrow: What?
    [She slaps him]
    Jack Sparrow: I may have deserved that.
    –from “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” 🙂

  42. PERFECT thing to say, man.

    It’s always hard to tell at what point you should stop talking before you get hit in the face (actually, maybe THAT’S the point).

  43. …Happy birthday to you… 0.0

  44. I really like this comic but I can’t help feeling uncomfortable when it comes to Rose and Nate. First of all, why is she thinking about sex and alcohol at all? She should be having a normal teenager life, even with a mom like hers and she totally lacks of self respect.

    1. It was the predominant mindset for most of the people I knew at that age.

      1. I’m surprised you answered, you have my respect and my admiration , not all webcomic artists do so.

        And it’s quite sad people that young worry about that. But you are right. It still depresses me a little.

  45. Last sentence was a bad idea…

Leave a Reply to Eric Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*