338: Future

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Future
But the past was much too cramped!
Title text: But the past was much too cramped!

Explanation[edit]

Cueball is in the last panel (the future) but somehow manages to get his message into the first panel (the past). Megan answers in the first panel, but somehow her message gets to Cueball in the last panel.

This comic can be interpreted in several ways. First, it is not clear if Cueball's question is intended for Megan alone, for Hairy alone, for both Megan and Hairy, or at the past world in general. If the question is intended for several people, the comic is just about how one could sometimes desire to know the future without waiting for it; however, time flows at its usual rate, and there's no way around this.

If the question is intended only for Megan, it likely means Cueball is asking Megan to become his girlfriend. She answers she can't, maybe because, as before, time runs at its usual rate and she can't go faster; or maybe because she's already with Hairy (they're shown holding hands), and she's not leaving Hairy for Cueball.

Finally, the Cueball in the future could just be the very same person as the Hairy in the past, having become bald as he gets older. In this scenario, Cueball is just missing Megan, who was with him in the past but no longer is, maybe even because she has died in between.

In the title text, Cueball seems to be considering going back to the past, but he rejects doing so because, having seen the future, now the past doesn't look attractive.

Transcript[edit]

[The comic has three panels. In the first panel, Hairy and Megan are holding hands. There is a voice bubble originating from Cueball standing in the third panel.]
Cueball: Come explore the future with me!
[Megan says something, which goes to the third panel.]
[The two voice bubbles cross in the middle of the second panel.]
[Megan's voice bubble:]
Megan: I can't.


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Discussion

I think the explanation with Megan not able becuase she could be dead wrong. It is because she is in love with Hairy. Cueball is in my oppinion just in the other side of a larg frame that has been split to make the time issue clear. The future is what Cueball wish to enter together with Megan but she do not wish to do so. I have written an alternative explanation - but will leave it to other to decide which is more true to the intent of the comic. Kynde (talk) 18:58, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Please discuss this first before editing the explain. And try to understand the explain first. I'm doing a revert on your edit. --Dgbrt (talk) 19:52, 30 April 2014 (UTC)
WP:BOLD. I'm reverting your autorevert. You've already been warned about this in the past. At least try to understand the content of an edit before undoing it. Davidy²²[talk] 20:29, 30 April 2014 (UTC)
Please let's do discuss major edits BEFORE it's included into the explain. This one wasn't helpful. I do change AND not undo by always all my edits. And I did mention that edit here at the discussion page right before.--Dgbrt (talk) 20:45, 30 April 2014 (UTC)
Your unwillingness to read/disagreement with the content does not make his additions valueless. Davidy²²[talk] 21:25, 30 April 2014 (UTC)
Please let's do discuss major edits BEFORE it's included into the explain. --Dgbrt (talk) 19:49, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

She says "I can't" not "we can't"

Imo, this comic needs two axes of time to make sense lol. AzureArmageddon 02:26, 6 October 2023 (UTC)