They're A Serif Sort Of Person

If so, quick! Somebody start checking all the trees in the area!!!!!

Mooster

They're choosing the bad ending they speculated about in this one https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4596

CassieWasRight

I’m leaving it up to remind me to think.

Sleepy John

I was re-reading the strips where Yay meets Marten and Claire and they actually mention that Bubbles' case was what brought them to Northampton. I wonder where they were before then and whether they started renting the apartment then (or whether that's located elsewhere and they had it before).

enchantedsleeper

*scribbles notes*

enchantedsleeper

Yeah, it may not be nearby but I'm sure it's not that far either. Especially because we've seen multiple Yay bodies all sharing the space, meaning that it's a hub for them physically. (I'm also not sure how well dogs would fare in space).

enchantedsleeper

QC fan meetup when (I'm kidding, well it would be great but I doubt I'd be able to attend one geographically xD)

enchantedsleeper

If somebody does a fanfic about this, please let me know. hahaha

SilverbackRon

The Saddest Face!

SilverbackRon

You could be! I feel like most of the regulars here would make good friends.

Clifton Royston

Thank you!

legobil

Honestly, I am kind of sad that Jeph didn't do that now... as much as it would have annoyed me, it would have also been very funny. Maybe that will be friday's comic.

Bridgette Ryan

they

Minzoku Bokumetsu

Now THAT would be a twist. But I don't think we're going to see any more of Raven given that Emily has very similar energy. What if Emily could find Yay (we also haven't seen Emily in ages)?

enchantedsleeper

Also, they are xD

enchantedsleeper

👀👀 same

Shey

Aye sweah to goahd Jeph! https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3695

ValdVin

I know right, I would be thrilled too! I mean, what kind of cereal? What kind of bowl? You can't just leave us with these sorts of serious questions hanging over our heads!

BookBeard

I swear, Jeph, if you cut to Steve eating cereal....

Bridgette Ryan

We are on the edge of our seats. What creator doesn't want that?

ValdVin

Am I your friend?

Not that Patrick Foltz

We've seen it several times already

Not that Patrick Foltz

Oh :(

Chelsea

Going to be a bit, still being Trash Heroes. Which I also really need to catch back up with.

Peter Jensen

Oh no yay!

James Roy

I see I'm not the only one.

Alias Fakename

I can see reacting very badly to having one’s concealment and defense negated so abruptly, I hope they don’t encyst and hide. Melon will ask and Roko won’t be able to answer.

Sleepy John

Tick, tick, tick - seems like it's taking forever to post!!!

alphanor

Yep. Anxious to see where this is going.

awgiedawgie

Oh, but then again, once the Northampton Yay body claimed to have bought treats for their dogs. Hm.

Lucas Werkmeister

Ohh, is *that* why so many people here are worried about Yay's dogs? I was confused :D In my head, the apartment with the dogs and Yay's other bodies is in space. I don't remember if we were ever shown that of I just imagined it, but I certainly don't expect it to be close to Northampton. So from that perspective, my reading of this comic is that one Yay body has left Northampton, but who knows what the others are doing and whether they're even leaving that apartment.

Lucas Werkmeister

Minutes away from updates…anyone else just kinda refreshing the Patreon to see if an update pops in? Poor Yay Poor Roko Poor Moray

Darren Franzen

@Carrie, yeah that is how I'm interpreting it too. I've known too many severely traumatized people to see it any other way.

Clifton Royston

Hi Stavros, I get around. Being retired, I have lots of time to read comics.

Carl G Knoblock

Would not surprise me.

Thisguy

Why is no one talking about Roko's portrait hanging on the wall?

David Rivette

Jeph, could we at least get the bonus strip of Roko as the hardboiled shamus & Yay as them fatale??

Joe

maybe their multiplicity even confuses themselves ...

Joe

:(

Cass

Mine say UNSUBSCRIBE

David Garrett

Jeph!! nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

Joe

My money is on Raven to drag yay back. It's been years since we've seen her.

Todd Perkins

Misuse of Yay's pronouns hits me twice as a grammar nerd: once for gender, and again for number. Yay is a *plural* sentience. Life experiences as a plural sentience don't map well to pronouns in English. Yay might say, "We are not trapped in the room with him. He is trapped in the room with me", where "we" refers to the collective AI of Yay which exists partially inside and partially outside of the room, and "me" refers to the specific physical body of Yay that is in the room with "him". "He" has noticed the mismatch between "we" and "me", and he is about to start mansplaining grammar when he should be more focused on self-preservation. Despite the exceptional nature of Yay's relationship with pronouns, "they" is still at the center of the Venn diagram for pronouns appropriate to a wide variety of situations.

Zygo

Too late

Claudia D.

Nope, I think we’re all engaging in sniffage…

Claudia D.

Hello again, Carl. I knew you read Drive and Sheldon, but I did not know you read QC too. Nice to see you here.

Stavros Karatsoridis

According to Jeph's Bluesky bio the strip is about "robots who want to smooch".

Stephen Wells

I had similar cards printed in case I needed to make a swift exit and watned to avoid goodbyes. Mine read, "Stay fresh, cheese bags!"

Matt Pedone

I came here to laugh not to feel 😭

Michał Matyas

YAY UR NOT LEAVING UR FFIENDS CARE ABOUT YOU, GET BACK HERE

Celeste

Yay seems to alternate between plural and singular for certain pronouns. See #4787 where they use both "ourself" and "ourselves". https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4787

BookBeard

Check at Ollie's daycare first...

Leak

Not a chicken, but an entire coop...

Leak

It's sadly common. Defense mechanisms from earlier trauma run deep.

Carrie

Yes!

Carrie

Jeph is master at guiding his bittersweet symphony.

Carrie

it's too early to call it. 🤞

CaseyAEC

Old joke: Why did the cat eat cheese? So they could wait with baited breath.

Opus the Poet

Why does "bated breath" make me think of sardines'?

Charles Hirst

I'm not crying, YOU are crying...

M.

At least they didnt thank for all the fish.

legobil

My take is that Jeph started out making this comic with two long-term plot arcs in mind. Faye (plus her back-story) and her non-romantic relationship with Marten plus Marten's comic relationship with Pintsize and how it normalized AIs just being a common part of life. Now I think the strip has evolved to the point where *the* long-term plot arc is the impact of super-intelligent AIs on humanity. Ergo, Yay's not going anywhere (but may be gone for a while).

David Durant

I've been thinking about that. AFAIK *no-one* has met more than one of Yay's bodies at the same time. We've only ever seen them in remote locations interacting with each other. We've never seen any of the characters having to actually deal with Yay's fundamental strangeness.

David Durant

Hmm, now... we had an arc where Bubbles dealt with the traumatic loss of her military past (which funnily enough was also Yay's intro to the comic) - maybe this could be a way of dealing with Bubbles' military past in a positive context. Which would also be fitting if it were Yay's reintroduction to the comic.

enchantedsleeper

No, I don't think so (to either of those things). Or not multiple embodiments at once, at least.

enchantedsleeper

Noooo 😭

panpolypuff

Unfortunately, even seasoned readers have lapsed at times (which can be embarrassing when you have corrected someone else the previous day (it has happened, I think)). We all try to be better, but we all stumble at times too.

David Paul

That's the guy that Pintsize's guy know.

David Paul

Cosmo as well. Try to box Yay in with a pincer movement.

David Paul

I'll be using the pitchfork, but if anyone would like to borrow a gardening hoe, let me know.

David Paul

One of my friends used to say "It's been real and it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun." That was cute, but there just aren't too many situations that actually applies to. This might be the one.

Clifton Royston

I'm sad about fictional robots again. Damn it, Jeph!

Stephen Wells

Plus if you misclick on 'Load replies' even slightly, it loads someone's profile and you have to go back and reopen everything to find your place. It's the worst.

Dean Reilly

Seconded!

Clifton Royston

That might work, especially if you can get Aurelia to say it.

Clifton Royston

Oh goddamnit. Get your ass back here to the people who care about you, Yay.

Clifton Royston

I think that's part of why everyone's so sad.

Graydon Armstrong

Oh, I too thought that was Yay's place. Actually, has Roko been to Yay's place? Does she even know where it is? Has she met multiple embodiments?

Graydon Armstrong

Nobody has mentioned Yay's message at all. They were having fun!!

alphanor

Them 'tracking down' Yay is an obvious terrible choice. Setting up a scenario where Yay has all the options for their responses is the way to go, if tricky to set in a way that would be acceptable to Yay.

alphanor

Yay doubts almost everybody's good intentions.That's what makes Yay Yay.

alphanor

Yay is so dramatic, they're going to have to make up these feels to their friends. This is going to be a humbling week for them. ~<3

Mitsuki Ayane

Yay actually has a printer in their butt: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4078

Lucas Werkmeister

Yay, Sans

Leak

Yay, Sans

Leak

Lol, true. Although then we could argue that Yay was only introducing one self

enchantedsleeper

I definitely don't read it as malicious, which is why I would pin a reminder - if people were doing it on purpose that wouldn't make any difference at all. I read the original comment as "wild" as in "A WILD misgendering has appeared!" which I now realise isn't correct. Also, we have a lot of different readers and so a lot of potential forgetting. I don't want anyone to feel penalised for that.

enchantedsleeper

I doubt Yay took their dogs. I wonder if Aurelia woke up to two new pointy noses

enchantedsleeper

THIS!

enchantedsleeper

I've got a cello (it's got a spiky bit on the bottom)

Duncan

Hm… guess it’s time to see just how “untraceable” they are, if only to do a wellness check…

AlexKorobeiniki

Yay… =(

Mirage the Fennec

This is the best idea and I am seriously considering fanfic.

Stephen Wells

Light the beacons!

Andrew

Utterly gutted. I can't imagine this is the last of Yay by any means, but - *sob*

kaseido

GOD DAMN IT YAY

Onyx

That's pretty hard hitting there Jeph! I hope you have some good stuff to temper it with.

Anders Rapp

I suspect the Director will have to fix this but I'm no super-intelligent AI so I've not a clue how.

SpookyPenguin

Agreed but it changed back for me after I think a week or so. Just some hope for you although other people are mentioning it anew also

Am Queue

Okay I lolled

Am Queue

o7

Robert L

Man I only just now realized that's Roko's apartment, not Yay's. The pod is for the Yay chassis they kept in Roko's basement. & from reading the comments, I'm not the only one that confused. OK so obviously I hope Yay's not gone forever, & I expect they're not. But I wonder if their role will change drastically, if their appearances will be more like their first one, changing from an omnipotent smarmy goblin childe to something a lot less accessible & more alien. Well done, Jeph. This was powerful, as all our heartbroken comments show.

Pejo

Feels. :(

legobil

Nah, I bet two or three were giving out to the other bodies' contacts.

Am Queue

It's annoying af. Having Load Replies & Collapse Replies in every damn place really slows down my catching up, too.

Pejo

The 15th Doctor crying & literally spitting with heartbroken disbelief in the latest season comes to mind for me, too. (of course I'm gonna reply to a Doctor Who comment, look at my avi)

Pejo

Oh, crud. Or as James Earl Jones (the late great) once said: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Joseph Bonnar

GET EACH & EVERY ONE OF YOUR BUTTS BACK HERE YOUNG ENTITY

Pejo

Or do they have a printer like I do where I also have a loaded gun ready to shoot it if it makes a sound I don't recognize

Pejo

WAIT yknow what, we've been focusing on Yay's friendships with Roko, Melon, and Aurelia, but I also just remembered that they're also friends with Elliot and Hercules and that makes it all worse!!!

Green

I get that Yay's into secrecy, but ffs they've become buddies to a dozen main characters in this comic, walked through large apartment buildings to meet people, walked around in public (albeit maybe only at night), went to a damn crowded nightclub... They've been perceived plenty; I guess it's just this type of perception, especially by surprise, that blew up their world.

Pejo

Yay did not forget to buy new printing paper :-(

Bagge

They wouldn't abandon the dogs wtf

Pejo

You think you've been out-nerded now, wait 'til BookBeard gets here w/ an exhaustive list of the pods' appearances

Pejo

They/themselves? Since they use we/us & are plural...

Pejo

You can edit your comment FWIW

Pejo

how very dare

Pejo

*angrily clicks heart button*

Pejo

Oh, I doubt it's the end of Yay, but that doesn't mean we'll find out what happened before 2030...

Graydon Armstrong

I choose to believe that it wasn't printed, Yay is just able to replicate any font at will while writing as another one of their god-tier skills. It's what's holding me together rn.

Green

In highly doubt this will be the end of the character. I feel Yay has a lot of growth yet to be had. I look forward to whatever shenanigans or adventures get us there. However even on the off chance that is it it, does fit with the character. They've developed a ton through their interactions with the rest of the cast and characters though...... I await with bated breath.

Almost_EVL

I found the oldest first in the comments easy to follow, but now they are newest first and I don't like it. How can I change it back. I can still read oldest first but it takes a lot more work to do so. They changed when it wasn't broken.

Carl G Knoblock

I have scissors and an electric torch

Minzoku Bokumetsu

Hate to be the voice of, "You know the odds that things will come in threes? One in three!" but that always bugs me and trivialises the actual loss

Minzoku Bokumetsu

My heart sank :(

Rachel Baarda

nooooo i love yay

Ashley Thomas

BRB bawling my eyes out

Aerin Moriarty

Cue the "team of friends go forth to seek Mr. Nutt" trope. No lead pipe required.

Holly Nelson

Or the immortal rose on the beach.

Wildfyr69

That *would* be pretty awesome. "Of all the charging pods in all the towns in all the world, they had to plug into mine…"

William Cole

I was going to say Floating Black Slab Emitting a Low Hum, but then again I always say that.

adrian koren

I hope we see Yay again soon. They certainly make things interesting.

Yelling Bird

I'm 34 and didn't know that. English is so annoying. Thanks!

DemonLordSparda

"It's" can also be a contraction of "it has", which is how it's being used here.

BookBeard

I'll be the one to push past the sadness and say, its*. It's would be it is. I just think it's important for the card. Great work Jeph.

DemonLordSparda

:(

Julie Chan

Aw, honey. :'(

Mandy Hoskins

Yay has had a traumatic response to being outed?

Sleepy John

I stand corrected, thank you.

Sleepy John

Why? I think Claire would respect Yay's agency.

Carl Fink

Will the greyhounds be delivered to Aurelia with another printed note? I can't think of any other dog moms in the strip.

Carl Fink

I try to be careful about Yay's pronouns, but at the same time, they are probably the least likely being in the universe to be offended. We're too trivial to offend them.

Carl Fink

I'm with some others here and thinking that the misgendering isn't malicious in this case. As someone who was well over 50 50 before he needed to actively think about the right pronouns for friends, I can attest the change can be really hard at times. Fortunately, the gender diverse people in my life are patient with my occasional lapses. It takes time to rewire an old brain.

Andrew Mitchell

Even if Pintsize has a contact that could do so (a big "if"), he still meets only one of the three criteria. He has no personal link to Yay, and a dubious history with Roko. And while the Director almost certainly could find Yay, given the nature of their freakout that would likely make the situation much much worse.

BookBeard

I see what you did there

James Anthony

I feel as though Yay will return, though perhaps only aftersome time.

Davus Otho

Same. 😭😭😭

Andrew Mitchell

There is actually another character who could do it: Pintsize. Also the Director, probably. I'm pretty sure that Pintsize knows a guy who knows a guy who knows how to track down a clandestine AI.

Davus Otho

So help me, Jeph, that card had better not be the end of this storyline for now. And if Yay's going to disappear for years, you at least owe us Iris and Willow getting together as consolation.

Graydon Armstrong

Boo. :(

Summer

I have a (plastic) trident! We ride at dawn! (Depending on your time zone)

Ingrid Nordbø

Me too. Oh, I'm so sad.

jonesnori

I don't think it's malicious. Almost every time I've seen a correction given, the person making the error has said thank you, and usually gone back to edit their comment. That argues failure of memory to me.

jonesnori

I don't think the Director needs a stern talking-to. Their message was delivered through the most chill of channels. And it probably wouldn't be helpful for them to actively assist in a search, that'd just freak Yay out, like when people try to catch an animal by chasing it like a big scary idiot. I think the only thing the Director could do would be something passive, like leave a clearer and more thorough assurance of peace somewhere Yay will get it before they do anything more rash.

Graydon Armstrong

I hear you, but I genuinely don't think it's deliberate, at least not most of the time. Pronoun assumptions are a deeply ingrained social construct and not everyone has spent the same amount of time unlearning it. If I may misquote Hanlons Razor: Do not attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by ignorance.

BookBeard

I have a spork!

David Martelli

If I could put a gif here to represent my feelings on this, it would be the one of Doctor Who in the rain with a sad face.

Hawkeye

I don't think Yay would necessarily be listening. Their previous snooping was noticed by the Director, so they'd be extra wary about doing anything outside their own network right now.

Graydon Armstrong

Damn, I've been out-nerded

Skye

We've seen them on at least one other occasion, with Yays in some of them even.

Graydon Armstrong

The movie scene playing in my head for both of them in ST: Picard S2 Finale. (In this case, Yay is Picard and Roko is Q). Not exact words but close enough to get it. {Roko hears Yay's voice and walks around and finds them sitting there sullenly} Roko: I've been looking for you. I've been worried about you. Yay: Why? Roko: Well isn't that the eternal question. Yay: I ask you once again, after what has just happened...why...me? Roko: Must there always be some all-important reason? You ask why it matters...it matters to me. {Roko touches Yay's cheeks} YOU matter to me.

Bartley J Drood

I have a shovel I'm bringing. It's not so much the implement, more the possibilities.

Anthony Gaglianese

Or they may have had it preprinted as part of their bugout plan.

Graydon Armstrong

you too huh T_T

Ragtime

Noooo. 😭

Graydon Armstrong

i spent the past 4 days or so rereading the ENTIRETY of this comic and now im so sad bc i got a refreshed love of yay and 🥺🥺🥺

Logan Nix

Hugs to all my friends.

SilverbackRon

I'm sorry for our loss.

Uniquitous

No, you did not! lol Break my heart twice why don't you?

SilverbackRon

that moment when them becoming a single-bodied ai, effectively cutting off huge parts of their mind and leaving them a shell of what they were, is the best possible option here. im genuinely trying not to cry but its hard

Tamara Macadam

… *whimper* … Yay, no. :(

Katrina Urmson

I want to see this as a side project story so badly.

SilverbackRon

Yay, quit being such a drama baby and go get tea with the super smart and powerful and adorably awkward psychedelic robot jellyfish. And then get your ass[es] to therapy.

Julia Allen-Hesse

This is literally the worst way to find out about James Earl Jones 😭 No offense Yay, but I'm much sadder now than I was 3min ago.

Kristina

Yay is multiply embutted

SilverbackRon

They sure can try though.

Jason Roberts

Yeah I saw that... Through the tears!!!! :(

SilverbackRon

I don't have a pitchfork but I do own a plastic rake. It just doesn't carry that same tone of menace.

SilverbackRon

Yay is hiding out in a bakery, an absolute them-fatale for Roko, the ex-cop. 10/10, the fanfic is absolutely writing itself here 😌

Kristina

:<

5099 5618

Ok, kinda love 'them fatale'

Matthew Delahaye

Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh my god, it even has a watermark.

Noah

Silly Yay, you can't run from your feelings

Christine Hottinger

This better not be the last time we see Yay, or I'll....be very disappointed.

Paul Baker

Good point - the gang will each reach out to their friendly superAI (who wants to bet Pintsize knows one he hasn't told anyone about?)

ArtemisFolly

😟

Claudia D.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo

Brittany Huckey

That is an outstanding typo (unless it’s not, in which case it’s simply outstanding).

Noah

God dammit, Yay!

Matt Grayson

>:(

Kristina

That part is confusing, I agree. Maybe we've yet to learn what specifically it was in the directors message that set them off

djellafine

:(

It's Lina

I did not come here to have my heart broken on this day

JD

Hey homie. Given that Yay's pronouns have been used multiple times in the last few comics and the odds of anyone starting with just this one specific one and having the context to know who Yay is - yeah, it's malicious.

Chloe Cartwright

I could totally imagine Claire marching straight back to Cubetown and giving the Director a stern talking to.

BookBeard

:(

Mason Williams

I love Jeph's talent for making his fan base love him dearly while at the same time making them want to storm his house with pitchforks and torches. Excellently done, Sir.

kupo

And here I thought you were going to say Melon.

Celine Chamberlin

"Purr! Purr like you've never purred before! Purr like your life depends on it!"

Mad Marie

Sad face

The World Famous Chocomerican

No, that couldn't possibly be. It's misgendering, therefore it must be malicious. /s

Daryl Sawyer

Yay only wants to be seen on their own terms. They weren't expecting to be treated like a cat that's just wandered in through an open screen door.

Dean Reilly

someone find Hercules, stat.

Mad Marie

I wonder if for some AI, their "handwriting" looks like it came from a professional print shop.

Mad Marie

It says "Roko" on the back.

Mad Marie

Seems to me what we need here is a character who A. Has the necessary skills and abilities to track Yay. B. Due to their personal history, might feel an obligation to help them. C. Roko trusts enough to go to for help. The more I think about it, the more I think there is only one character in QC that fits the bill: Bubbles.

BookBeard

Comic Avec

Sean Kinlin

Bubbles will be only too happy to provide this service.

Daryl Sawyer

Things come in threes. Who's next? Sid Vicious?

Mad Marie

If Roko is the hard-boiled detective, would Yay play the role of them fatale?

Sean Kinlin

Fuckkkkkk I feel so bad

Axl Angulo

Boo, Yay!

Simone Bernhard

😭

djellafine

Perhaps we have some new readers

djellafine

This is technically a Comic Serif

Mad Marie

It's been shown on the wall in her apartment previously (I only know this because other commenters remarked on it). It looks like a "younger" self, which raises interesting questions for an AI

enchantedsleeper

Plan B. Track the dogs.

Thisguy

Is that a picture of Roko in panel 2?

Czarzhan

(lol)

Mad Marie

*butts

Mad Marie

Oh my

enchantedsleeper

EXCUSE ME?! YAY, GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE, DON'T BE A CHICKEN!

Rosilin

It's embossed.

Tudza

Aurelia got the other 399

enchantedsleeper

I wish friendly relationships could just be straightforward.

Nick Schmalenberger

I think it is - because I don't remember believing that Bubbles had left at that time, but I believe that Yay has done SOMETHING drastic here.

enchantedsleeper

Ok, so this begs the question: Does Yay have a printer like I do, where I own a printer and it is its own device, or does Yay **have** a printer?

Likeablejerk

It seems that Yay doubts Director's good intentions

Jan Szejko

Oh hell no. :|

Joe Bocanegra

Yay leaves and their last words are from a George Pal movie?

Seth Aaron Hershman has they she pronouns

They have been the epitome of stealth, secrecy, and observation. For them to be perceived had to have shaken them to their core.

Mordaeus

That's unfortunate. But if they don't want you to find them...odds are you won't. But who's going to take care of the dogs?

Daniel S

Very true...

enchantedsleeper

Messy in what way?

enchantedsleeper

YAY CAN'T LEAVE. I LOVE THEM.

Mordaeus

I guess Yay wanted the relationship to be entirely on their terms. They assumed they had the upper hand and that Moray would have no idea who they were, allowing them to dictate the whole encounter. When that turned out not to be the case, they were initially pleased to have a ~reputation but then couldn't handle the full ramifications of the Director's message: - I was already on their radar - because I was DETECTED - they want to have an ONGOING RELATIONSHIP* error error error nope nope nope *friendship, not romantic

enchantedsleeper

And now I'm sad. This is very interesting.

Maurice Kessler

Meh, this is too messy to be one of Yay's planned exits. They're panicking. Which, is probably *worse* than a planned exit, now that I think about it...

voyager-ngc5195

*they

djellafine

<:'(

Logan Nix

Didn't the Director just ask if they want to be friends y/n ? So if Yay says yes, is that such a big deal? They seemed freaked out about it before, so seems like it would be a reiief to agree.

Nick Schmalenberger

*they

djellafine

*they

djellafine

oh constantly. i only delve into the comments when a page especially hits me bc i got tired of seeing people be weird

Logan Nix

On one hand, the Director would almost certainly have the resources to do so. On the other, being found by the Director is what freaked them out so bad in the first place. That same entity "tracking them down" could trigger an even more drastic response.

BookBeard

My god, what have I started?

Bridgette Ryan

I always wish I could pin a note about Yay's pronouns to the top of the comments for every comic that features or mentions them

enchantedsleeper

nuuuuu, I already miss them

Mindscrambler

Calling it now that Yay will resurface at Cubetown. OR: their dogs will track them down.

Elberik

At least they didn't use Comic Sans.

kaitou

They had to fall, to lose it all...

enchantedsleeper

As did Danny. https://www.dumbingofage.com/comics/2016-05-07-longtimecoming.png

ValdVin

Oh snap.

Will Weaver

Yayn't

Dalmeir

They/themself - but yes, that threw me off, too. I initially interpreted their reaction to the Director's message as disappointment that it was so mundane. But I suppose it was the "noticed you sneaking around" part that got to them...

enchantedsleeper

I should not have put my trust... In... Jeph.

Bridgette Ryan

Has anyone ever seen Yay and The Director in the same room? Just sayin'. Could they be two sides of the same coin? Does The Director love dogs? So many unanswered questions!

BobC

💔

Morgan Byrd

And she would 100% do it for her mother's sake even if she doesn't have a reason to be invested in Yay's wellbeing

enchantedsleeper

Hanners doesn't really have any pull over the Director 🤔 but Claire might...

enchantedsleeper

Lot of wild misgendering going on in this comment section tbh

Chloe Cartwright

I don't think Cosmo could bring them back either, however, not if their greyhounds weren't enough to keep them from vanishing.

enchantedsleeper

Yayhounds?

Jaron Mortimer

At least it wasn't Papyrus

Todd Ellner

Probably not the most salient thought at this rather poignant moment, but I kinda want this to turn into an old fashioned "Noir Detective" style story. I'm imagining grayscale Roko in a trench coat and fedora, standing under a streetlamp in the rain, internally narrating as she runs down clues to Yay's whereabouts.

BookBeard

What you did there, I see it.

Sorastro

I wonder if this might lead to Roko going to confront Moray and/or the Director (Claire can give pointers!) and demanding that since they caused this, they help track down Yay

enchantedsleeper

Oh no!

Mark

Yay, no.

Sean Kinlin

Option 4: Roko gets to Yay just in time to stop them from consolidating down to one self and/or disappearing Option 5: Yay DOES consolidate down to one self and we meet them again in that guise

enchantedsleeper

Well shit, that ain't good

Aditya Rameshan

Option 2 is very Yay.

Eleanor

I ammmmmm

enchantedsleeper

Oh no 🥺🥺🥺

enchantedsleeper

I am NOT emotionally invested in a cartoon AI 😤

chili sunrise

My one thought of hope: Cosmo could find Yay, and probably not spook them.

Sean Kinlin

Relatable. “The mortifying ordeal of being known” and all that. I hope this turns out to just be an episode. Yay has it in them to face that vulnerability and come back stronger.

chili sunrise

Can we track their dogs?

Leaflemming

What about Yay's greyhounds? I hope they're okay.

Doc Gumby

cool to see the pods for the first time though

Skye

Alright, who wants to start a betting pool? Option 1: Yay will be back in the future as something even stranger and more secretive Option 2: Yay is in the closet hiding to listen to their friends say their grief of their untimely demise so they can spring out in a surprise party Option 3: Yay shuffles off to trade barbs with Yelling Bird, never to return!

Nikki

I reject this reality, do a spell or something!

Skye

I did not know about Jones' death until now. ☹️

Sean Kinlin

NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOO!

Jose Alfredo Villalobos

:(

Olaf

Gorram it - last thing before bedtime and we get this. There's no-one left who can find them that wouldn't also make their freak-out even worse. They're only coming back if and when they decide to do so on their own terms. I really don't think Jeph would write out such an important character but I don't see how they come back now in the short term. I don't even have any idea who'd they'd talk to if it's not Aurelia.

David Durant

</3

William Cole

Once again, Jeph outdoes himself, by finding a way to make an unpleasant message even more unbearable, with the use of serif. Ick!

Melissa Wilson

yay,,, come back,,,

Silver-OPs

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO

Tamara Macadam

Calling it now - Hanners is gonna call on station and The Director to find Yay and bring them back - cue the montage!

ArtemisFolly

No. I refuse to accept this outcome.

ACasualObserver

Oh no! Poor Yay. And poor Roko!

Runhildr Zaetl

I feel like we're being misled here. Yay was actively excited to show off for Moray, they were as much as introducing themself.

pseudoclever

I knew Yay is a Garamond Premier Pro kind of typeface.

Miyaa

Melon's going to be so upset if she's gone.

Sleepy John

Well now it's Nay, Nofriend.

Logan

Oh god... No! Yay tried so hard, and has come so far, don't tell me it doesn't even matter!

Bridgette Ryan

Hope

:(

Spacey02111

This isn't on the level of "Oh no!" as Faye wondering if Bubbles left. But it is very close.

ValdVin

They better not actually be gone 😔

Adarsh Nednur

NOOOO

Ashbury Haight

YAY, YOU DINGUS

Fart Captor

Probably had to do the 400 pack of cards, but plans to use them all anyway.

Timothy Roller

I cri

Terry Parry

No please no.

Liz Play

Damn it!

Shivani Seth

Noooooooooooo!

Tannerbot

Oh no. Please, Jeph.

Doc Gumby

Uncool Yay.

GrumpyRage

First James Earl Jones, now this.

Uniquitous

:'(

Scarlet Shepard