3246: Speedrun

2026-05-19T14:17:25Z

31.11.5.218: /* Explanation */ typo

{{comic
| number = 3246
| date = May 15, 2026
| title = Speedrun
| image = speedrun_2x.png
| imagesize = 288x343px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Usain Bolt holds the world record in the 100 meter speedrun.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Speedrunning}} is the sport of completing a {{w|video game}} or a goal within a game (for example, completing the main story) as fast as possible. [https://www.speedrun.com/ Speedrun.com], is a popular leaderboard aggregator for speedrunners.

Apparently, [[Cueball]]'s world-record setting attempt at some achievement was deleted from Speedrun.com because of the music he was listening to at the time. [[Megan]] makes the natural assumption that this was because the submission violated copyright on the music in question. It is common for video streamers to include a music 'bed', which can cause copyright issues if they have not taken care that their selections are cleared for use in this way. However, it turns out that his attempt was removed for being 'tool-assisted'. This is a pun on the word 'tool'.

A {{w|tool-assisted speedrun}} (or TAS for short) is a type of speedrun where supplementary tools are used to manipulate inputs frame-by-frame to perfect a run. Such tools are mostly used for experimenting with new strategies or finding areas where a time can be optimized, but it is possible to cheat a run by passing off a tool-assisted run as a normal speedrun.

''{{w|Lateralus}}'' and ''{{w|Ænima}}'' are albums by the band {{w|Tool (band)|Tool}} (who would be considered 'third-party' if they had no direct relationship to the game). Cueball is apparently considered to have got "assistance" from listening to Tool. In real life, a speedrun would be unlikely to be removed based on the music one is listening to while completing it. It could, though, be thought of as a concentration aid, or similar to using a {{w|metronome}}, which could be a [https://www.reddit.com/r/speedrun/s/ODqJcAWcKg controversial topic] if the game one is playing requires some sort of rhythm or precision where it would be useful.

The comic may be referencing {{w|Alex Honnold}}’s ascent of the {{w|Taipei 101}} tower, during which he listened to Tool. The comic was posted 25 years after the ''Lateralus'' album was released.

The title text is another pun, this time on the word "speedrun". {{w|Usain Bolt}}'s world record-setting 100-meter dash record is a "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 very common for internet personalities to say they are 'speedrunning' when they are doing a task quickly, even when completely unrelated to gaming (e.g. [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sqjRfF2cYoE speedrunning petting a cat]). 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]].

In road races like {{w|marathon}}s, wearing technical devices is severely limited. For example, they are not allowed to transmit any data.{{acn}} Therefore, speedrunning a marathon while listening to Lateralus and/or Ænima is prohibited (at least in serious competitions, where athletes are checked for wearing earphones — amateurs get some leeway and can even carry their mobile phones).

It is possible that speedrunning was on [[Randall]]'s mind due to the recent social media trend of {{w|Scientology speedrunning}}, in which someone attempts to get as deep as they can into a building belonging to the {{w|Church of Scientology}} before being kicked out. In addition, a marathon race was recently {{w|Marathon#World records and_world's best|completed in under two hours}} for the first time (in competition conditions), and {{w|Beijing_E-Town_Half-Marathon#2026_results|robotic competitors}} also beat an established human half-marathon world record (ironically, the best fully autonomous robots being slower than the one being partially human-assisted).

Randall has referred to bizarre speedruns before in [[744: Walkthrough]] and [[3148: 100% All Achievements]]

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is sitting at a desk with a laptop, typing on it. Megan is standing behind him.]
:Cueball: Aw man, Speedrun.com removed my world record just because I listened to Lateralus and Ænima to get in the flow.
:Megan: Oh, a copyright thing?
:Cueball: No, they don't allow Tool-assisted speedruns.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Puns]]

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3246: Speedrun