https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=128.12.122.56explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-05-17T07:48:02ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3246:_Speedrun&diff=4129063246: Speedrun2026-05-16T07:30:33Z<p>128.12.122.56: Added a reference to the subcaption being a case of 3123: Canon. The sentence phrasing is admittedly lacking</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3246<br />
| date = May 15, 2026<br />
| title = Speedrun<br />
| image = speedrun_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 288x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Usain Bolt holds the world record in the 100 meter speedrun.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by a SPEEDRUNNING BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
This comic shows Cueball sitting at a desk complaining that his {{w|Speedrunning|speedrun}} got deleted off of [https://www.speedrun.com/ Speedrun.com], which is a popular leaderboard aggregator for speedruns.<br />
<br />
A {{w|tool-assisted speedrun}} (or TAS for short) is a speedrun that uses software tools to make certain hard or even humanly impossible inputs easily. ''{{w|Lateralus}}'' and ''{{w|Ænima}}'' are albums by the band {{w|Tool (band)|Tool}}. This comic makes use of a pun, where rather than using third party tools to assist him in beating a video game as quickly as possible, Cueball is getting "assistance" from the rock band Tool in the form of background music to help him concentrate. In real life, a speedrun would be unlikely to be removed based on the music one is listening to while completing it, though it may be considered similar to using a {{w|metronome}}, a [https://www.reddit.com/r/speedrun/s/ODqJcAWcKg controversial topic]. The comic could also be referencing Alex Honnold’s ascent of the Taipei 101 tower, during which he listened to Tool.<br />
<br />
The title text is a pun on the word "speedrun". {{w|Usain Bolt}}'s 100-meter dash record is a world-record "speedrun" in the sense that it is literally a speedy run and also an attempt by someone to complete a task as fast as possible (it is common on the internet for people to jokingly refer to a task they are completing very quickly as a speedrun). The notion of such a record being classified as a legitimate speedrun isn't farfetched as Speedrun.com has some leaderboards for [https://www.speedrun.com/series/IRL In Real Life] records. The use of "speedrun" to refer to an actual fast run may be considered to be a case of [[3123: Canon]].<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk with a laptop. Megan is standing behind him.]<br />
:Cueball: Aw man, Speedrun.com removed my world record just because I listened to Lateralus and Ænima to get in the flow.<br />
:Megan: Oh, a copyright thing?<br />
:Cueball: No, they don't allow Tool-assisted speedruns.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Music]]<br />
[[Category:Puns]]</div>128.12.122.56