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The wedding has made mom all Broody.

1 (1.7%)

$#!+! LUBE! I  KNEW I forgot to pack something! (WELP GOOD NIGHT)

5 (8.3%)

I usually sleep in my boxers, is that okay? (Y-yeah, whatev... er...)

0 (0%)

I would've been fine but now you've got me thinking about it and it's awkward

2 (3.3%)

Well excuse me for not just dropping my pants right in front of you.

4 (6.7%)

Claire in the blue dress!

20 (33.3%)

I know it's supposed to be a casual ceremony, but you should at least put on some pants.

1 (1.7%)

I can't remember how to tie a stupid necktie. (Seriously? Here.)

3 (5%)

Uh- IT'S FINE IT'S PERFECT

14 (23.3%)

Marten! Oh, you look so precious in your suit!

1 (1.7%)

Oh, Jane. I thought I smelled a gonorrhea infection.

0 (0%)

I'm impressed, Vicky. 11 AM and you're not at the bar! Or did you drink all their scotch last night?

1 (1.7%)

Last I heard, Henry and Maurice weren't doing pity-invites.

0 (0%)

Good to see you, you horrid old twat.

3 (5%)

You too, darling. You've lost weight! Is that just from sucking #### all day?

2 (3.3%)

Suddenly my taste in friends makes a lot more sense to me.

3 (5%)

Total Members Voted: 55

[Bluesummers]

You look closer to 35-ish...no joke.

[ZoeB]

You look closer to 35-ish...no joke.

A recent - as in taken 5 mins ago - webcam picture. Age 54, I turn 55 in a month.



One thing many Trans and Intersex people get is a bit of clock-reversal from hormones. Extra collagen under the skin too.
Hmmm... time to diet I think, I need to lose some weight.

In looks, I resemble Marigold (though not her figure, darnit). In history, Claire. In personality - Momo, definitely.

Now can we talk about the impending nuptials please? It's their day, after all, not Marten's, not Claire's, not Veronica's.

[Bluesummers]

Now can we talk about the impending nuptials please? It's their day, after all, not Marten's, not Claire's, not Veronica's.

♫♪♫♪♫♪ IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'm the cult of NUPTIALITYYYYYYYYYY ♫♪♫♪♫♪

Yeah, Living Colour going on in the head.

I hope they break the glass under their feet and do the chair dance. ^_^

[Is it cold in here?]

It's their day, but we don't know them well.

By all evidence they will be happy together. It's hard to write comedy about happy people.

[westrim]

It's their day, but we don't know them well.

By all evidence they will be happy together. It's hard to write comedy about happy people.

Maybe Dad Harder will turn out to be straight and fall for MartenMom. Wouldn't that be a plot TWEEST and ironic reversal!

[ysth]

Gah, hate to be the nit-picker, but something was throwing me off about panel 1, and at least if I post it it might help anyone else who's thinking "something's not right there". Claire's legs are reflected incorrectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Dtsx-VGG0

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

You look closer to 35-ish...no joke.

A recent - as in taken 5 mins ago - webcam picture. Age 54, I turn 55 in a month.



One thing many Trans and Intersex people get is a bit of clock-reversal from hormones. Extra collagen under the skin too.
Hmmm... time to diet I think, I need to lose some weight.

In looks, I resemble Marigold (though not her figure, darnit). In history, Claire. In personality - Momo, definitely.

Now can we talk about the impending nuptials please? It's their day, after all, not Marten's, not Claire's, not Veronica's.

Ok one quick compliment and that's it:  daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang.   

Also,  I do not look anywhere near my age.  I am old enough to have children in advanced graduate programs,  yet I am routinely mistaken for a college freshmen.     Try as I might I cannot get my goddamn hair to fall out or go grey.       I am in a pipefitter class on Wednesdays and when I walked into the Vocational School the security told me Freshmen weren't admitted after hours... then I pulled my ID and got an apology.     


BAAAAAAAAAACK to the comic now.   Anti-ship missile battery still on standby.

[cesariojpn]

Dubstep.......MY EARS, THEY HURT!!

[Ashtagon]

I was waiting to change in the bathroom.

Is this a thing in the USA? Round here, the bedroom is the more usual place to get dressed.

[reicreature]

In mixed company in a standard hotel room the bathroom would be the only sufficiently private place to change clothing.

[cesariojpn]

In mixed company in a standard hotel room the bathroom would be the only sufficiently private place to change clothing.

What about a closet?

[Sidhekin]

Much too prone to "coming out" jokes ... even if they're big enough, bright enough, and equipped with mirrors.

[westrim]

Looks like we have some tie tying awkwardness. From media experience, that results in either relief if a relative does it, a quick kiss if a wife does it, and sexual tension if a friend does it.

I never did get the hang of ties. The dozen or so times I wore one consisted of me looking at a chart and fumbling for 10 minutes, then one of my parents fixing it. It's fascinating to me that they still haven't died out.

[pwhodges]

You need the ultimate guide.

The scientific papers that led to the book are here and here.

[reicreature]

I've never stayed in a hotel where there was an actual closet. Just a clothes rack near the door.

As for ties, I can only tie one around my own neck.
I prefer a fluffy cravat.

[bhtooefr]

When I've had to tie a tie (which isn't something that happens often - job interviews, basically), I googled for how to tie it.

[reicreature]

Oh goodness. Is Martin sympathy blushing in the penultimate panel?

[Nighthawk700]

Looks like Claire picked up the "Dom Voice" and has it pretty nailed down.   

[WAYF]

Looks like we have some tie tying awkwardness. From media experience, that results in either relief if a relative does it, a quick kiss if a wife does it, and sexual tension if a friend does it.

Okay, it's starting to look a little bit like Jeph's intentionally leading us up the garden path, as it were. We've had just enough clichéd situations to make it look like they're getting closer, but not enough that it's just being shoved down our throats.
Odds of Claire passing out at some point, from hypothermia or otherwise?
Just to make it more awkward.


For the comic itself: As if they could BOTH forget how to tie a tie! I mean, first you flip it 'round, and then you... up through the ... or was it... but then...
Damnit.

[Nevinz]

Ties aren't that bad. My high school did a bunch of formal things, so I had to learn. I tie ties for other people too.

[de_la_Nae]

How come I didn't remember that Discworld reference? >_< I have failed nerds the world over with my lack of dedication!

Also...*looks over comic*...*yoink!*

[GarandMarine]

Claire's blushing so hard she'd be the FIRST target for a Predator. No mud is hiding that heat!

There is something awfully intimate about having a woman tie your neck tie... maybe it's the chance for her to murder you via strangulation? Nah it's probably how close you have to get to do it properly and it's a great position for a smooch before you head out the door.

Personally I loath neck ties with a passion. I prefer a mandarin collar. Pardon a military example of a mandarin collar for those who don't know  as I couldn't find a civvie photo I liked (me on the right, much younger and way dumber). Spoiler tags are to shield you from my motardedness.

(click to show/hide)

Honestly neck ties are an anachronism in the modern age, their original purpose was to attach your collar to your shirt. We can let them die now. We have the technology!

For a full explanation on why I'm a classless fuckwit who shouldn't be invited to anything nicer then a hog wrestling competition or perhaps your next hunting trip, behold! The only website I've ever seen that's managed to convey a pretentious tone in text: http://www.blacktieguide.com/ for every formal wear question you could possibly ever have.

[PixelMoose]

Man, I can never get my Ties right, I know your pain Marten!

[Soulsynger]

I learned tieing the double windsor knot in about 5 minutes. It's really not that hard and there's tons of "tutorials" on the web. In the age of smartphones one should think Marten could get it right on the third or fourth try at least.

But this strip really made me smile. I've tied one for a girl friend of mine once and we ended up a giggling like two idiots. Nice memories, always worth a chuckle.

And Claire really blushes easily. I don't think she'll return to a normal skin color all through the wedding.
(Or maybe red IS her normal skin color... hmm...)

[Loki]

Redeclaire is becoming the new Tannelore 



...This is not catchy enough. Reclaire? Claired?

Are we allowed to ship Claire with the color Red?

Ow... Okay, who sent the Space Owls at my head?

[Tai Fanboi]

Occupation always had me wear clip ons for safety concerns (IE if I got into an altercation a tie is a liability)  But as I worked my way up the chain to wear I am now, tie's sadly became a way of life.  I cheat and use the 4 in hand.  Long Torso so if I use the windsor they come out way too short on me, four in hand allows the tie to hang long in the front while I usually only have a very miniscule amount of fabric in the underside, which doesn't really matter with a tie clip or pin.

It is a piece of knowledge that is slowly fading out though.  After hours functions, business dress.  Usually see the older higher ups in suit and tie, younger ones are suit sans tie.  Then you've got the ones with the clip ons, clip on in my opinion is better then no tie but it's still easy to spot.  Most of the new guys  I get in their late teens early twenties couldn't even tell you where to begin with a tie.  I usually have to perform a demonstration before business dinners actually.

To be fair though, I don't even know which end is up on a bow tie.

[Border Reiver]

I've been tying a full windsor since I was in cadets, so about 30 years now and after about three or four tries, I don't think I could forget how to tie a tie. 

That being said Jeph is having fun with putting MArten and Claire into the stereotypical sexual tension scenarios, probably before he does something else and has his wicked way with us.

[Soulsynger]

[ ... ] That being said Jeph is having fun with putting MArten and Claire into the stereotypical sexual tension scenarios, probably before he does something else and has his wicked way with us.

Not sure if that counts as a jinx or not... REALLY confused now.

[bhtooefr]

You know, I wonder if this is a Chekhov's Gun: http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2324

If Jeph is setting up the "Claire falls for Marten, Marten rejects Claire" scenario, I could totally see Marten talking to someone (I'm thinking either Faye or Steve - and Faye would have more comedic/dramatic potential for the comic as a whole, given that Steve isn't as tight with the rest of the social circle, and I think Faye has less tact) about it. And accidentally outing Claire. (Or, he follows her wishes to the letter, but not quite the spirit. Think something along the lines of, after a shot or two of Midnight Hobo... Faye: "Come on, she's cute and you two get along really well, why WOULDN'T you date her? What, does she have a penis or something?" Marten: "Um... actually... she did say that she's trans, so she might...")

The other thing is, I really don't think Marten is open-minded enough (and he said he wouldn't consider dating one of the interns, but he was disappointed when Emily's invite to the lake house party wasn't a love note), but Jeph might invert the tropes at play here. Marten falls for Claire, Claire rejects him, and Marten decides to go get drunk. Then the Chekhov's Gun becomes Chekhov's Gatling Gun.

[Akima]

Knot theory? Where is Carl-E when we need him?

I've never actually worn a tie (it was not part of my school uniforms), but I would imagine that tying one on someone else from in front could be a challenge? Claire might have been better to sit Marten in a chair and do it from behind.

[Madmartigan]

Aww, forgot the neck tie loop.

It's one twist, two twist, under, and through!

[idontunderstand]

I walked into this international lawyer student mingling thing uh... a soiree or something? Anyway this huge Chinese guy that I was talking took one look at my tie and said in a very deep voice "LET ME FIX THAT FOR YOU" and reached over and pulled up my miserable attempt at a windsor and made me a perfect knot in 5 seconds or something. I think he could have murdered me even quicker. Pretty sure of it, actually..

[pwhodges]

I had a tie as school uniform from age 9 (worn with a wing collar from age 14), so I've had plenty of practice.  I have no reason to wear one now, except weddings or funerals. 

When I was once ordered to wear a tie (for a specific visit) at Norsk Data in the mid 1980s, I wore the naffest string tie I could find (brough back from America by my brother in the 1960s), and tied a formal tie round the base of my VDU, hanging over the front of the desk.  Nothing was said, sadly, so I couldn't have an argument over subverting the requirement, but at least my colleagues approved.

I never learnt to knot a bow tie, so I use a ready-made for concerts.  My son, on the other hand...

[slydon]

I have about a 50% chance of tying one right. 25% of a "good enough" and another 25% of "argh it's all wrong! Help me, internet!".
Side note: as a person who didn't need glasses until his 20s, the trope of "remove glasses, suddenly cute" rings pretty true from experiencing the contrapositive.

[Seripham89]

The intimacy of having your tie fixed by another human being comes from its subtext imo.  You are essentially saying, "I care enough about you as a person to help you look your absolute best."  The person wearing the tie has to allow this to happen, and for a moment at least leaves their vanity completely in the hand of the fixer.  It's intimate regardless of the situation, and was actually a little awkward when my soon to be father in law asked me to look at his tie and fix it if it was messed up.

I'm going to let that sink in.

It is also worth noting that this can be seen as a form of performance for the tie tyer(whatever you get it). 

It's only sexual tension if the people involved or outside observers feel there is and Claire may be falling into the so awkward it is adorable category.  Plus a fit young man is sexy as hell.  That's my two cents anyway, but I think a number of commentors had it right as well I just didn't want to include allllllll of them in the post.

[ZoeB]

I've never actually worn a tie (it was not part of my school uniforms), but I would imagine that tying one on someone else from in front could be a challenge? Claire might have been better to sit Marten in a chair and do it from behind.

I had to wear ties. "Professional Image" and all that. Also since boarding school in the UK.

So now I don't (Hurray!) but do sometimes have to wear makeup *SIGH*.

And when I first attempted to tie a guy's tie.... I mean, I'd tied ties for ages, of course I could do it.... exactly the same thing happened to me as happened to Claire.

This one made me laugh out loud.

UPDATE - by the way - I interpret that blush not as embarassment, but as anger. She's got the traditional fiery redhead temper. She doesn't get angry at others though, just herself for not being able to ferschlugginer potrzebie tie a fararckling TIE grrrrrrr.
It's FINE, OK?  Fine. (mutter mutter)
(married men will recognise that as a danger signal....)

[Welu]

My secondary school had ties in the uniform. I think it was a half-windsor I tied and did it almost everyday for five years and don't remember how at all. Although if I relax and let muscle memory take over it works pretty well. I can only tie them on myself so if I've had to do one for someone else it didn't get American TV sitcom on the situation.

[Barmymoo]

I also wore a tie every day for six years for school (at primary school my tie was on elastic) and I think I do the four in hand knot. I've worn a bow tie a few times but wouldn't remember how to wear it. I wear a necktie for choir which you tie by doing half the steps for a four in hand - round your neck, cross one end over the other, bring it behind, up and over the knot and tighten. So ties, yea, I can do those.

But tying one for someone else? I have to stand behind them and put my arms round to tie it like it was on myself.

The choir spends a lot of time readjusting each other's ties and surplices, so I'm fairly comfortable with that these days. I hate people touching my neck, but I don't find it at all intimate to straighten someone else's necktie or widen the knot or pull it up to cover more of their skin.

[jwhouk]

Half-Windsor, I can do. Full Windsor, I suck.

I have no idea what that is that Claire did to Marten.

And I'm getting more and more of a vibe that Claire just did NOT like "dressing up" as a male.

[Method of Madness]

I don't know, when I was in high school girls seemed to be more likely than guys to know how to tie a tie. I used YouTube for a while before finally being confident enough to tie one without it. But yeah, I don't see why Marten doesn't just pull out his phone, YouTube "how to tie a tie" and just do that.

Also I object to the "Four in Hand" being called "cheating", that's the only one I use.

I agree with Barmy, I don't think fixing someone's tie is inherently intimate, I think it'd mostly just be intimate if there was already something between the two people.

Ha, damn it, red text, then when adjusting my post to include Barmy's, our original poster pops in.

[Bluesummers]

I've always used the half windsor...it's the only way I know.


Also: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She DOES crush on him!

I'm pretty sure she can tie a necktie with ease, but perhaps her proximity to Marten is...limiting her faculties.

[bhtooefr]

Technically, it could be explained away as her becoming increasingly embarrassed at her inability to tie the tie despite her confidence.

(Personally, I don't believe that, but it is a rational explanation for what's going on.)

[judemorrigan]

Also I object to the "Four in Hand" being called "cheating", that's the only one I use.

Absolutely.  While there are certainly plenty of people who disagree, there's a school of thought which holds that the four in hand is actually the most formal tie knot.  Fun historical fact: the actual Duke of Windsor did not wear a windsor knot.  Rather, he worse a four in hand with a particularly thick tie.  If, on the other hand, you'd like an example of an individual who wears a full windsor knot, I offer you Vladamir Putin.

Finally, allow me to note that James Bond didn't trust men who wore Windsor knots.  He noted in From Russia With Love that it was often the mark of a cad.  James.  Bond.  Game, set, match. 

 

[Zebediah]

That being said Jeph is having fun with putting MArten and Claire into the stereotypical sexual tension scenarios, probably before he does something else and has his wicked way with us.

Jeph is DEFINITELY messing with us now. Whether or not Claire and Marten hook up, he's having fun keeping us all hanging.

All I can say is, poor Claire. She is trying so hard, and Marten is still oblivious.

New prediction: Marten will figure out he actually does want Claire - about five minutes too late.

[Lubricus]

Finally, allow me to note that James Bond didn't trust men who wore Windsor knots.  He noted in From Russia With Love that it was often the mark of a cad.  James.  Bond.  Game, set, match. 

BAH! That barbarian who drinks his Dry Martinis SHAKEN? Double Windsor FTW!

[Bluesummers]

All I can say is, poor Claire. She is trying so hard, and Marten is still oblivious.

New prediction: Marten will figure out he actually does want Claire - about five minutes too late.

That will be PAINFUL for me to read. PAINFUL.

[Valdís]

Finally, allow me to note that James Bond didn't trust men who wore Windsor knots.  He noted in From Russia With Love that it was often the mark of a cad.  James.  Bond.  Game, set, match. 

 

Because James Bond could never be called a cad, of course!

Glass houses, mister Bond. Glass houses.

[bhtooefr]

Yeah, the Marten oblivious factor is actually part of why I don't see anything being inverted, and it being Marten pursuing Claire.

We already know Claire finds someone who essentially looks like Marten plus 20-30 years or so to be so attractive that she can barely speak, too. And, she's so defensive of Marten that she destroyed work that her boss assigned her, when she believed that her boss did something to hurt Marten.

Poor girl is head over heels for Marten, I suspect. (Hell, she might've been attracted to him quite early on, and that's why she came out to him.)

[TimO]

Presumably the implication is that Claire has tied ties previously for herself (himself?  I'm not sure which gender to use in this context), but now having to tie one for someone else, and from the wrong perspective, is what's confused her.  I take that red face as relating to frustration rather than embarrassment at being too close to Marten.

Whilst I did my own tie for four years at secondary school, and over a decade whilst working in the Civil Service, and can still easily tie one now (for Weddings, Funerals etc), I think I'd be stumped trying to do it from that perspective, and I'd also need the big-end on the right, the opposite way to how Marten has it.  Wearing open necked shirts and T-shirts for work is sooo much easier, and far more comfortable.

[Zebediah]

All I can say is, poor Claire. She is trying so hard, and Marten is still oblivious.

New prediction: Marten will figure out he actually does want Claire - about five minutes too late.

That will be PAINFUL for me to read. PAINFUL.

Well, yes. That's the point. I'll let you in on a little secret from the standard author's toolkit: You always do the worst things to the characters you like the best. Your audience will scream bloody murder about it, and then demand more.

Seriously though, there's a reason why "happily ever after" comes at the end of a story. I've learned to beware a happy ending that comes too soon - you're just being set up for a tragedy. So we have a choice: Claire and Marten live happily ever after, and QC ends; or they don't, and QC continues to document Marten's tragic love life.