Wouldn’t it be nice if every disagreement could be settled over a game of Joust? When I was growing up, video games and uh, break dancing were presented as peaceful ways to end an argument without violence, at least in the media. I never actually settled any quarrels this way, and I don’t know of anyone that actually did, but it’s comforting to believe that such a world may have existed at some point in the past.
Challenger LOSE.
Cel so win, as usual.
yep, cel took down the young challenger quite handily, Shion963!
and you took down any challengers for first, so you get these, as per the custom:
😎
Second. Damn.
I got a feeling Jefbot figured out what Cel was after. Why else would he smile so widely?
Gamer faces are the best!
ha! yes, let’s hear it for “gamer faces,” Maryz! they can actually get pretty hysterical when you’re watching a friend play an intense, online shooter or a game like Super Mario Bros. Wii with four players. 🙂
and yes, while bot’s gotta be feeling pretty good that cel competed for him, he’s also just being friendly, still oblivious to all the social dynamics that just went down.
Oh, Jefbot. You are so totally clueless. 😉 Can’t you see that you were the prize they were playing for? “I win (Jefbot). Let’s go.” No, I guess you can’t. That Y chromosome can really hamper your understanding of situations from an XX viewpoint. Now that she’s won, what’s she going to do with her Jefbot prize?
That first panel is stellar. It would be so neat to watch how you draw something like that. And Jefbot’s cluelessness in the third panel really made me laugh out loud (literally). Nice one. 😀
Boy Jeff, you must have finished up late if I got 3rd FROM WORK!
indeed! i had a late dinner/meeting before starting on the strip, and ended up working on it all night. i believe it only went up about 15 minutes before your post. as such, i only got about 1.5 hours of sleep before having to leave for work. needless to say, i’m still recovering.
yep, you got it, Shanna: jefbot’s been completely clueless pretty much since he stepped foot into that arcade. in that, he and i are similar, especially when i was in junior high/high school many years ago, since i rarely ever knew when i was being flirted with unless a girl came up to my face and told me so. and even then i was unsure. anyway, as to what cel will do with her prize remains to be seen until the next strip! i cannot give the secrets away. 😉
and glad you liked that first panel since i was inspired to do it at a late hour, and it took me longer to do than i projected. and super glad you liked jefbot’s “goodbye” in that last panel – i debated back and forth on whether or not that would “play” to anyone beyond myself, so i greatly appreciate the validation.
Really??? The cluelessness is one of the autobiographical parts of the strip? I’ve seen pics of you as a youngling, and you were a cutie. There was probably a lot of attempted flirting that went right over your head. Poor girls. They probably thought you didn’t like them, and you just didn’t realize they were even interested. 😛
I think when I was growing up, video games is what lead to the violence, hehe.
She won, and now to claim her prize.
I can definitely attest to that!! What really started fights was pausing the game while Luigi (player 2) was jumping over endless pits in Super Mario Bros. Oh, and trapping people in the corner in Street Fighter probably would cause a street fight or two…
and carrying on in that tradition, try playing Super Mario Bros. Wii with three of your friends, Charles – that’ll get your blood boiling for sure! 🙂
ha! yes, not all my video game experiences from back then were peaceful ones, theBean, but they were far less rattling than logging into XBOX Live is, these days.
Experience triumphs! Well, in Joust, that’s certainly expected by me. I honestly always sucked at that game, though (<— lack of experience), but I LOVED watching folks play it that were good.
yeah, watching arcade “pros” play those classic games is an amazing thing to watch, Stan.
Predictable? I think so.
That’s not a criticism; I think you’d have had a mutiny on your hands if The Pink Usurper defeated cel.
I like the way you handled it, sir. Good job. ^_^
The question now is…
Will cel:
A) tear jefbot a new one?
B) explain to jefbot what just happened?
C) ignore jefbot & act like nothing happened?
D) further mark her territory by making out with jefbot & making him forget that women other than cel actually exist?
E) do something mysterious & cel-like?
On another note: DEAR GODS, MAN! ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU NEED MORE THAN 90 MINUTES OF SLEEP BEFORE GOING TO WORK!
AHEM…in my world, this would usually lead to violent crazy intercourse…ahem…i share way too much with you people…….
uh… wow. 😯
*blink* Dude….INner Monologue is turned up WAY to loud!
Hold me AdM, I’m frightened!
can someone hold me too? i’m scared of myself…
*tries to bite back comment about “holding yourself”*
*collapses in a fit of giggles with the immense effort*
*holds Pixie* I’m sorry you had to see that. -_-
I was definitely imagining a jef-cel makeout session at first, but that would be uncharacteristic of cel at least.
right in front of “pinky,” Spaarfor? that would be quite a victory dance! heheh.
nice avatar, AdM!
and yes – definitely predictable, but more importantly, true to the character, which is how i most often gauge these things. believe me, having “Pinky” take down cel did cross my mind, just to add drama, but it would take the story in a different direction than i’ve been planning, and – as you mentioned – i think you readers would have mutinied because it would not have made sense. anyway, probably too much of a behind-the-scenes digression. heheh. glad you liked it! 😀
A) possibly
B) probably
C) maybe, but not likely
D) i hope so
E) not telling.
re: another note. yeah, reality’s still a bit hazy from pulling that almost-all-nighter. going to try and get friday’s strip done at a saner hour. 😉
*blushes* Glad you like. ^_^ This is how I look when I’m wearing more than lingerie and have my contacts in instead of having my glasses on.
Great “behind-the-scenes digression”. ^_^ Muy interesante. I think it’s quite cool to know the thought processes that go into things like this.
You’re such a tease! *winks* :p
Please, please, please get a proper night of rest! Sleep dep. is NOT your friend!
As if there was ever any doubt as to the outcome!
My friends and I usually arm wrestled to solve arguments. Still do—usually over whose turn it is to pick up the restaurant check.
I think the waitstaff at out favorite brewpub take side bets. . .
it would have been a huge upset had cel lost, Sarah W! but i wonder what the young gamer girl would have claimed as her prize if she had pulled off the win? 😉
arm wrestling is totally a legit way to solve arguments! i’ve actually seen my sisters and their friends leg wrestle on the floor to solve arguments and as a test of strength. it’s not pretty.
Ignorance is bliss. I love how happy Jefbot has been in the last few strips… catty females be damned.
yeah, jefbot’s not really smooth around the ladies, 11TN, or maybe he’s just in an arcade-induced euphoria. whatever the case, glad you’re enjoying it. 🙂
Amazing! The first panel is so cool- I love that we see them through the video game screen! Brilliant job Jefbot! I knew Cel would win…
thanks, man – i’m happy you like that first panel (was fun to do but took a while to draw)!
i see more jousting than just the game!
(sorry i wasn’t here on fri..was at the NYCC all weekend long!)
exactly why Joust was the perfect game for this challenge to go down on, t_d!
ooOOh – how was NYCC!? never been, but i’ve heard great things about it and am thinking about getting a table there for JEFbot next year.
lets see,crowded (100,000 plus ppl) ,insane,chaos no matter when you looked…man it was awesome!!
Ehh the way I see it being played out is Jefbot getting scolded for abandoning his post. Cel is a competitive complicated gal. If she’s anything like I think she is,she is NOT gonna profess her feelings towards Jefbot,not now if she has any. This was just a hiccup in some elaborate plan that she’s laid out in her head.I get this feeling things have to be done in a certain way for her.
you’re absolutely right, Prophet – cel has a “certain way” of doing things, and jefbot playing video games with some random girl is not part of that “way.” definitely expect some scolding for that. 🙂
It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of our rival….
Yes, life should have theme music!!
Jefbot’s alittle dense, isn’t he? LOL “Was nice meeting you”….”Ow, Cel, stop pulling my arm so hard” HAHAHAHA… LOVE LOVE LOVE how you made the first panel a reflection of them off of the gaming screen!!!!!
thanks, ESQ – now that song’s gonna be in my head all night! heheh. (but i agree that life should have theme music.)
yeah, jefbot’s totally dense, especially when it comes to the fairer sex. “Was nice meeting you,” was not the proper response to “Pinky” right after cel’s win over her, needless to say. 🙂
and thanks for the compliment on that first panel! wasn’t sure i was gonna be able to pull that off but it ended up working out.
Cel has the classic Gamer-girl battle face. That is the face I make while killing things in WoW.
Young Gamer has the classic Gamer-girl “ARRRGH!!!! I’M LOSING!!!!” face. That is the face I make when I realize I have 10 HP and started another fight with something that has 5K HP.
Yay! XD
yup! cel totally has her “battle face” on, rinthia! you know she means business when she bites her lower lip.
and the next time you’re down to 10 HP let me know, and i’ll throw a healing potion your way. 😉
I tried to descibe Joust to my girlfriend the other night (she had never played it before!) and when I was done she just sort of looked at me and said, “That sounds so stupid.” I repiled, “It was kind of stupid, but oh so much fun!”
Oh Man, Joust was dumb as a bag of hammers and weird as a three legged snake. But it was a frakkin’ BLAST.
i second that “frakkin’ blast,” SamuraiArtGuy.
joust….i can hear the noises while they play…I was smillin like crazy when i found it again on xbox arcade ^^
yeah, describing most of those old games to the non-initiated is a losing proposition, Tim. try any of ’em – even Pac-Man or Donkey Kong – and you’ll get blank stares or looks of pity. but yes – OH SO MUCH FUN! 😀
Pity not the players of Pac-Man & Donkey Kong! Pity those who never played such amusing games, for they shall never experience the simple joys in life – such as going up and down supermarket aisles with your friends while repeating “wakka-wakka-wakka-wakka-wakka” over and over…
I like to imagine this was a very short contest. oh there was tension, there was epic build up complete with suspenseful music and determind glares passing between the two ladies (amidst aloof grins from Jefbot “oh hey, cel’s playing. should be a fun contest! hmm, did I eat lunch today?”). then the moment of truth: game on! quarters drop into the machine, it looks like a fierce contest folks, it’s -plink!- oh nevermind, it’s over! cel wins, pack it in, Pinkie!
your description is 100% accurate, Jed! the amount of “taps” in that first panel is the exact number of button presses the two ladies made in the entire game. actually, this strip would be great animated – so we can see all the build up and then see how quickly it’s all over. yep: “pack it in, Pinkie!” indeed. heheh.
First things first my effervescent spring of joy, The first panel = Slice of EPIC win made entirely out of AWESOME!
Now….*sighs* I have to tell ya jeff me love. This was a little anticlimatic for me. I was wanting the Hack Slash Beat down! Like a best two out of three type thing. Maybe it’s just me and the violence that lives inside.. Wait what?
Of course cel was going to win, we all knew that, I just expected a bigger….BOOM i guess.
But I do have to admit, I laughed my behind off when I saw Jeff just sayingbuh bye all oblivious and stuff. It was adorkable!
I suppose we could have seen three versions of panel 1 with pinkie getting increasingly frazzled to indicate an epic struggle, but that would have been the whole comic with no room for a payoff. I think it works just fine as a brutally efficient smackdown from Cel. I do agree that that first panel is inspired.
Now I agree with the stipulation that Jeff has done more than 3 panel comics before. Not that I’m complaining mind you. The only thing I’m good at drawing is a crowd. I completely apreciate the talent. I am merely stating my opinion. Jeff doesn’t normally disappoint so I was genuinely surprised.
don’t worry, Pixie – the battles will get more epic as this storyline progresses! this was just a tiny skirmish as far as cel’s concerned. 🙂
i almost had a few panels showing some parries and near misses, Skeptible, but decided against it for the reason you cited: i just wanted a “brutally efficient smackdown from cel.” especially because, if all goes well, we’ll be seeing more of a “play by play” challenge in a future strip and it’ll be less effective if i repeat it here.
and glad you found that first panel “inspired”! thanks!
this should have been a two part strip. but its probably done this way just to show how good Cel is…..see?
yep! i really had two ways i was considering going with this one, jf#300 – a bigger strip showing more of the battle, or (and this was my thought initially) the last panel of this strip (with cel walking away saying “I win.”) was going to be the first panel, and then the next two panels would be a conversation you’ll see next time. but in the end i decided to split the difference, since i felt i needed to show at least some of the Joust battle.
wow! really getting into my thought process behind the strip this time!
glad you liked that first panel, Pix. “Slice of EPIC win made entirely out of AWESOME!” was totally what i was going for. 😉
and i can see why you’d want more from the battle, BUT: 1) cel destroying “Pinky” so quickly was funny to me (plus she has awesome gaming skillz) and 2) there will be more battles to come in this storyline, and i didn’t want this one to be too big or last beyond this strip. so hold tight! the bigger “BOOM” is still to come. and hopefully, the violence inside you will still have a chance to be satiated.
so happy you found bot’s goodbye “adorkable” (a term i find totally adorable) since i wasn’t sure if i would be the only one to find that funny.
*gives you a hot cocoa and tucks you into bed* now get some sleep MR. You work too hard.
See? I KNEW you would totes understand my frustration. BUt the fact that you will be giving me a major smackdown later on makes me happy and wanna Dance!
now go to sleep!
I love the looks on the ladies faces in the first panel…
“You goin’ DOWN, blondie.”
“OMG this old lady’s kicking my a55!”
And sorry to Pixie, I had a feeling that Cel was going to blow her away without even sweating. Like Duncan McLeod taking out mortals in a fight. “Been here, done this.”
*Swat*
your interior thoughts for the two ladies are right on the money, SamuraiArtGuy! as are your feelings that cel would blow the young gamer right off the Joust machine. *swat!* 😀
My group of friends, whenever we had a disagreement, would without fail turn to video games to decide who was right. I was right a lot. 😀
Except when we decided with Uniracers. I was terrible at Uniracers. I still am.
i commend you and your friends for disagreeing so civilly, Bard! the United Nations could learn a thing or two from your group, methinks. of course, there would have to be some charter or decree that Uniracers could never be used for a deciding vote, right?
ohh the jealousy is soooo obvious…
as a kid, we settled our differences with a very old, very traditional game:
pogs.
POGS, Steve!? wow. i worked at a collectible store that had access to pogs on the cheap, but spent all my money on X-Men and other nerdy trading cards. but i was thisclose to getting into the world of pogs! did i dodge a bullet or miss out on something cool?
Bout 50/50 I’d say. I knew one guy who had four jumbo tubes of friggin pogs and slammers… Good god… good times though, good times.
Aw, how cute. A brave knight fighting for her maans hand. This is my, LOL COPTER!! lololololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololollololololololololololololololollololololol
ha! can i take a ride in that ‘copter, Anime fan? looks fun.
and yes, cel swooped in on her mighty steed and saved jefbot once again. 😀
I love cel!! I just love her and hope jefbot gets what is going on. He is so clueless!!! He reminds me of my high school boyfriend 🙂
JB is not clueless. remember the strip back then where he pondered what does Cel mean to him?
true, jf#300 – jefbot seems to ponder a lot, just maybe not as much as he should when it comes to young gamer girls and how their presence might irritate the object of his affection. 😉
and i was definitely channeling my high school girlfriend when i wrote cel’s part in this one, cindy. hmmm… 😉
ahhhh, shucks……
I have no idea what just happened…
cel pwnes, thats the shortest version possible.
ever played Balloon Fight on an NES, dJ? same game. or, doesn’t DSiWare have Joust yet? hmm… well, if you can’t find the game to play, refer to Anime fan’s explanation above. 🙂
Hehe. Cel for the win!!! Bot better not goof up this time!
jefbot? goof up!? nah… that could never happen, TCG! 😉
Oh but to see it actually happen would be, well, AWESOME! Maybe the aliens will get him now. xD
Cel is someone you don’t want to anger :D…watch out JB…i don’t think it is the best idea to make her mad…or jealous..
jefbot doesn’t mean to do make cel mad or jealous, nicobot! not that it matters to cel at this point, though. heheh.
In our house, we had the “Tekken” rule; if there was an argument, a Tekken 3 match would decide who the right one was.
Worked brilliantly until one of my older brothers spent three weekends straight practicing so he could call all the shots.
It was still label “The Tekken Rule”, but now it consisted of whatever game a 3rd part agreed on.
See? Even brawlers have their purpose.
i like the Tekken rule a lot, likeacupcake! especially since i became pretty good at 1 & 2. not so much on 3 though, so your brother could probably take me. okay, forget Tekken. i guess i’d have to hope that 3rd party would pick Soul Calibur or Power Stone. 😉
Nice! I was refreshing like crazy early this morning (I work a graveyard shift, so your updates are usually on my schedule) just to see what would happen. Really, not surprised at how easily Cel took Pinkie down…it is an older game, and Cel had home-court advantage. Cel’s expression in the reflection is awesome….
Off-topic: Hey Jeff, I head down to Anchorage tomorrow to start filming that Drew Barrymore movien on Friday! Wish me luck…so nervous and excited!
Good luck Tiana. Hope to c u in that movie….
i’m glad this webcomic supplies a little online entertainment while you’re working the graveyard shift, Tiana! and yeah, cel most definitely had the “home court” advantage. “Pinky” should’ve known not to mess with an old school arcadian on her own turf!
WOO! break legs in front of the camera, tell Drew we said “hi,” give us set reports and have a blast! 😀
facerolled!
YUP! she done got JOUSTED, Edit!
and as usual Cel never ceases to impresses me…..:x
i’m happy cel is still capable of doing that for ya, jf#300. 🙂
Just realized that one of my best friends looks exactly like a real life version of Cel, ‘cept with red hair :O freakeh
what!? send pictures, Edit! 😀
Cel just took that girl down.
Like a boss.
hell yeah, Professor_Kraven. then she grabbed jefbot’s hand.
like a boss.
Not to be superficial or anything, but cel is WAY hotter than the new kid.
ha! (i think so too, Spaarfor. those smoky eyes are irresistible.)
Ha! Settling arguments over video games. Love it. Where I come from, we used to settle arguments over a plate of spaghetti. …I guess that’s sort of the same thing. 😉 Love the artwork on this bot, especially the first panel. And I love how aggressive Cel is getting. 😉
settling an argument over a plate of spaghetti is also approved behavior, MC. especially when that spaghetti has your mom’s homemade meatballs in it. 😀
Ok now I want spaghettis for breakfast…Damn it.
What media showed that, jef?? Over here the “adults” keep complaining that video games are the reason for all the violence the “kids” have these days!!
*evil laugh of doom*
I yearn for a day when disagreements can be settled with pokemon battles.
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org/
was there kicking ass with Double Dragon.
ah yes… the…. mysteries of Cel….. or maybe the mysteries of all women!
“oooh snap”… ahem… yes well…does she make sandwiches? if so are they nice?