Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

Too much cake-mix

May got too excited with Pintsize

May had a nasty meet-up with Yelling Bird

SOMEONE had to clean up Dale's bed!

The obligatory reference to synthetic ham

MAY IS MELTING FROM ALL THE SQUEE

May found Marigolds stache of sexy dude pictures

butts

[Half Empty Coffee Cup]

Alright... thoughts collated. They both probably go to bed for the night. What's next? In no particular order:

1. Dora calls her parents about Sven in the morning.
2. We hear how Angus did with his callback.
3. Marten and Claire wake up; Claire may or may not stay the night. Faye may proceed to make things awkward. Either way, they gotta see each other at work sometime, and they'll probably talk about this almost-kiss deal we just saw the next time they see each other.
4. The adventures of Marigold, Dale, May, and Momo?
5. Steve and cereal?
6. We could potentially see what Sven's been up to this night, since he's relevant lately.
7. Penelope, Wil, Raven, or some other less-seen character gets a little focus, possibly.
8. We might get Pintsize antics.
9. Yelling Bird.

[Is it cold in here?]

I'm impressed with Claire here.  That was not an easy moment at which to think rationally and exercise self-control. 

Definitely! There are some ways in which she's one of the most grown-up characters.

[reicreature]

I think he means cute as in "cute infant"* rather than "sexually attractive"...

*"Cute baby" would be more natural, but more ambiguous in-context.

D8
no.

[reicreature]

I'm impressed with Claire here.  That was not an easy moment at which to think rationally and exercise self-control. 

I know! that's what gave me the heart pangs. My thoughts after reading the comic were, "Oh, girl... I have been there!"
It's (always) the right decision but, man it can sting in the moment.

[Smashwidget]

Guys help
I'm reading 5 comics at the same time in my wait for the next strip 

[KOK]

Dale and Marigold seem to have gone the way of Wil and Penelope, or Steve and Cosette. Once in a relationship, they are pretty much out of he story.

[Loki]

Calling it now: All Marten takes from this night is "apparently Claire is really into having her head scratched. So what's for dinner?"


Now that I've said it, it won't happen. You are welcome.

[Smashwidget]

Dale and Marigold seem to have gone the way of Wil and Penelope, or Steve and Cosette. Once in a relationship, they are pretty much out of he story.

Well, Marigold was featured not 50 strips ago.  They're still relevant.  Will, Penelope, Steve, and Cosette are all "minor" characters compared to Dale and Marigold.

[reicreature]

I think we've consistently seen more of Steve since he and Cosette started as a couple

[markt]

It might be worth to mention, that Marten's idea of dating an intern goes further than just dating-a-coworker-trouble. It's rather a dating-a-superior-trouble. He's afraid that it might come off as him forcing the intern into a relationship through his position of power as superior.

He is not her superior. He is a lowly unskilled helper. She is on the career track to become a librarian. She has way more status than him. Her superior must be some librarian. Marten has been given the task of showing her the ropes. He is not her boss.

Not a superior in any kind of sense that he's her boss, but he'd still be considered a supervisor by all reasonable definitions.  In 2203, Tai saddled Marten with the responsibility of training the interns, which regardless of his actual job rank, made him their supervisor.  Heck, that's what being a being a trainer *IS*.... and he would remain their supervisor for exactly as long as it remained his responsibility to train them.  Once that responsibility is complete, however, he is no longer their supervisor, since he is no longer responsible for them.   At no point in this does Marten's job rank need to change up or down during this process in any way.... it's just perfectly ordinary job responsibility evolution.  Heck,  I've trained new people at my job all the time that I have absolutely no kind of job rank over... but for the duration that I am training them, I'm still their supervisor, and I have a responsibility to train them to do their job to maximum effectiveness.   It's really less of a superior position and much more of a leadership kind of thing really... but keeping all of the same ethical standards of professionalism would still apply.

[hakko504]

Ya know, we hit page 2 before the comic was even up.  If the ship makes it out of the harbor, we could hit like 50 pages by the end of the week. 

On a more related note, I noticed she isn't standing up to leave yet.   

I came here to make a note of that, only to find I'd been ninja'd by two pages!

And I do hope they are mature enough to talk about it sensibly tomorrow, in a relationship constructive way.

[Leveton]

Will we get an arc with Marten courting and wooing Claire? Cause that would be great.

[samuraisc]

Will we get an arc with Marten courting and wooing Claire? Cause that would be great.

I can only hope! I am sincerely hoping for a completely warm fuzzy coupling here so I can have a big dumb grin on my face every time I check QC.

[hedgie]

Good on Claire being reasonable.  Marten's too drunk.  Not just because of the consent issue (and that *is* an issue), but because I think she wants to prevent them both from getting heart-broken.  The past several strips demonstrate that she's interested, and there's just something in me that thinks that she doesn't want something that doesn't have the potential to last.  Maybe she's inexperienced, maybe she's a hopeless romantic at heart.  I doubt that either way, she would want things to progress further for the first time with someone who is pissed. 

I think that it's the smart thing, and also glad that Claire isn't going to take advantage of Marten here.  She seems to want this, but is aware enough, and sober enough to (at least temporarily) put the brakes on the whole thing.  Whether she's more afraid of getting hurt, or hurting Marten is a potential question, but it's one that need not be answered.

And again, If Marten and Claire do get together, It's easy enough to put Momo or Tai as her supervisor, so there isn't any chain of command issue. 

[reicreature]

It's easy enough to put Momo or Tai as her supervisor, so there isn't any chain of command issue.

I was just thinking that Claire might be offered a paid position that would replace Tai, Marten or Momo. I know that of everyone that works in the library, she's the only one who is actually perusing a degree in Library Science and in general Library boards prefer to hire people with Library degrees (or people in pursuit of those degrees) and will sometimes lay off or demote less qualified employers.
(This happened to my mom actually, she was promoted to a fairly high up position at the library, but ended up getting pushed down when the library board recruited someone who had a masters in library science, my mother's an English major )
Library boards can be a fickle bunch.

[NilsO]

Dale and Marigold seem to have gone the way of Wil and Penelope, or Steve and Cosette. Once in a relationship, they are pretty much out of he story.

Marten and Dora were not, Dora and Tai are not. But in a way you are right, because when two people are in a relationship, they have less time for their other friends. The QC storyline is all about friends interacting with each other.

[sitnspin]

And this is why I never behave reasonably. Of course, I have to admit that it rarely works out well in the long run, but damn that immediate gratification is awesome.

[hedgie]

Agreed.  Happened frequently with a former gf of mine, and anything I'd say further on the subject would belong in the kink or TMI threads.

[anahata]

And this is why I never behave reasonably. Of course, I have to admit that it rarely works out well in the long run, but damn that immediate gratification is awesome.

It certainly can be, but Marten had that with Delilah, and it didn't work out too well for him.
Given what he learned from that experience, I think he'll be quite positive about Claire putting the brakes on. Not to stop completely, but to slow things down enough for both sides to be quite clear about what they want.

[RaineThing]

Will we get an arc with Marten courting and wooing Claire? Cause that would be great.

Oh I'd love that

[sitnspin]

And this is why I never behave reasonably. Of course, I have to admit that it rarely works out well in the long run, but damn that immediate gratification is awesome.

It certainly can be, but Marten had that with Delilah, and it didn't work out too well for him.
Given what he learned from that experience, I think he'll be quite positive about Claire putting the brakes on. Not to stop completely, but to slow things down enough for both sides to be quite clear about what they want.

Oh I agree that it was the right choice to make. I am well aware of the downsides to my particular "fuck it, I'm doing it" approach to life. It has blown up in my face more times than not. The cart might crash at the end, but the ride is usually fun.

I'm actually glad she made the choice she did, it gives things a better chance of working out well and both these kids deserve to have something good.

[Loki]

Agreed.  Happened frequently with a former gf of mine, and anything I'd say further on the subject would belong in the kink or TMI threads.

See you there, then

[Barmymoo]

Yay Claire! I am happy this happened how it did - and that Marten 100% accepted her decision and did not try to pressure her. Claire and Marten: Doing It Right.

[Loki]

To be honest, I still fear Marten is simply at that pleasant state of drunk when you just feel well with whatever and everything seems like a good idea - including, for example, scratching a girl's head or going to bed when told to.

[Masterpiece]

THE NAME IS MARTEN WITH AN E PEOPLE

[davedig]

I do hope this thread isn't put on the back burner for at least too long if it is.

If there is one past thread I hoped was put on for a long pause it was that whole snuggle thing from the wedding. I was hoping other things would come into play for a good longer while then Marten brings it up to a friend and then...turns out Claire remembered it too some hundreds of strips later or rather we learn she knew it all along. I dunno I expected it to be a founding stone of something bigger. Then again with these last few strips maybe I was right in a different way.

Y'know up until Claire's comment of 'well at least you'll stick around here' and all these strips I was sure Claire and Marten were just going to be like brother and sister. I did humor the possible romance but went 'yeah right I don't think they'll go there'. Super happy that there is a slight chance after all.

But I could be super wrong.

[Fenriswolf]

I find it difficult to believe that you can have your arms about someone's waist and staring into their eyes and have that not signal attraction - though that doesn't preclude sober second thoughts. I choose to believe otherwise of course. 

[reicreature]

THE NAME IS MARTEN WITH AN E PEOPLE

I keep trying to tell that to my phone, but it isn't listening.
 

[lightsabermario]

[Blatantly rule-breaking content removed]

[hedgie]

I'm not a mod, but discussion of what's going on with Claire's lady-parts is verboten.

[Smashwidget]

LSM, we JUST had this conversation in the last WCDT, and it very nearly erupted into a flamewar.  Don't start it again, please.

[Loki]

I'm not a mod, but discussion of what's going on with Claire's lady-parts is verboten.

I *am* a mod, and discussion of what's going on with Claire's lady-parts is verboten.

(For those of you not speakig German, that means forbidden.)

The reason is that the topic is really complicated (since it goes far beyond logistical considerations) and is bound to cause hurt feelings. After we made some really bad experiences with is last week, we decided to ban it.

[lightsabermario]

Got it. I didn't mean to start anything, or insinuate anybody's sexual preferences or anything like that.  (removed by moderator)I am perfectly fine letting that conversation stay private and off-panel.  We don't need to know such things, as long as Marten does, because it's his rule, not ours.

[Loki]

Thank you for the explanation. I think it is best if we continue this discussion in private.

[anahata]

I hope this won't be interpreted as prolonging that crass anatomical discussion, but one of the things I find particularly endearing about this episode is that Marten apparently likes Claire for what she is: because she's attractive, clever, witty, likes him being around... whatever his reasons for being attracted to her, rather refreshingly it's NOT because of the expectation of a specific kind of sexual relationship. It might progress to some kind of mutually acceptable physical intimacy, but the details are irrelevant and none of our business.

[hedgie]

I'm not a mod, but discussion of what's going on with Claire's lady-parts is verboten.

I *am* a mod, and discussion of what's going on with Claire's lady-parts is verboten.

(For those of you not speaking German, that means forbidden.)

For some reason, it just seems to have more gravitas in German than it does in English.  Edit:  The German term has also pretty much made it into English, as much as things like "angst", "weltschmertz", and "zeitgeist" have (yes, and I'm ignoring proper capitalisation here).

Marten apparently likes Claire for what she is: because she's attractive, clever, witty, likes him being around... whatever his reasons for being attracted to her, rather refreshingly it's NOT because of the expectation of a specific kind of sexual relationship. It might progress to some kind of mutually acceptable physical intimacy, but the details are irrelevant and none of our business.

We'll all see where it goes.  I didn't like this potential ship at first, but I've warmed up to it.  I just hope that no one gets hurt, no matter which way this goes.

[reicreature]

I like how relaxed and happy he seems with her in just about every scene they have together. There's just a nice chemistry to their personalities.

Regardless of potential romance, his connection with Claire seems to be Faye and Hannelore levels of deep.

[maneyan]

NGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*ahem* Now I see why they backed off. It'd be nice with one relationship that didn't start thanks to alcohol. But all the same, how frustrating to behold. Put me down for hoping this goes somewhere though

[Aimless]

Kiss!

KISS damn you!!!

Argh!

Cuddle moar!

[neurocase]

Tomorrow can't come soon enough!
Also, the next person to reference "poo-poo on the pee-pee" in regards to Marten and Claire is going to get punched so hard in the face, Hannelore's dad is going to need to get station to clean the remains of their impact off the window. That's right folks, I'll wollop 'em so hard they end up in a FICTIONAL VERSION OF SPACE.

[Akima]

It might or might not be reasonable, but it is certainly sensible.

[ZoeB]

If any sexual relations happen between the two, that is bound to come up between the two of them

Nope. Wrong. It might, but not every gal is into that.  Even if they're in love, and if Jeph isn't portraying that, he's not the artist I know him to be.

Regarding anatomy, only Claire and Marten would have NTK - need to know. I see no reason why they should share that with voyeurs in the readership. I for one will not speculate on Marten's length, width, number and size of testes etc and if you wouldn't either, please grant the same respect for Claire's anatomy, whatever it might be.

I'm an educational activist, and a member of SAGE - Sex And Gender Education (Australia). So I do sometimes share details of my own anatomy, past and present, with medical students, and those with similar NTK. I don't share them here, even though I'm Intersex, so never had anything remotely resembling "normality" before surgical reconstruction. If anyone has a professional interest in the effects of CAH and 3BHSD, there are medical pictures on the web, and you can PM me if you're credentialed.

I'm also not interested in your anatomy, come to think of it. Such details are private, personal, and often sensitive. Please do not share them.

Finally...the mods have made it clear that there is a banhammer, and it will be used if needed. And unless I miss my guess, it's in mid-swing now unless the topic closes.

[ZoeB]

Now onto the IMPORTANT stuff.

Claire - you have to be the responsible adult now. That's difficult when the guy you find unbearably yummy is massaging your scalp so you're melting.
But.. he's not thinking clearly. OK, you aren't either.
Falling asleep in each other's arms is appropriate at this point though.

Yup.

[snubnose]

It might or might not be reasonable, but it is certainly sensible.

Is there such a thing as a decision thats sensible, but not reasonable ?

[Honkytonk]

This is probably the most 'Claire' thing that could have happened. Even though she's opened up to Marten, trusts him, and sees him as a good friend, she's still overridingly cautious and analytical about everything she does, especially in this kind of situation. Plus he's drunk, albeit not quite at Men at Work level.

Edit: I'd forgotten how weird that video was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s

I would kind of explode if they were woken up next morning by Faye in each others arms on the sofa though. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[KOK]

I *am* a mod, and discussion of what's going on with Claire's lady-parts is verboten.

(For those of you not speaking German, that means forbidden.)

For some reason, it just seems to have more gravitas in German than it does in English.  Edit:  The German term has also pretty much made it into English, as much as things like "angst", "weltschmertz", and "zeitgeist" have (yes, and I'm ignoring proper capitalisation here).

Interesting that you would think it has more gravitas in German. We have a couple of those in Danish, but I thought they were caused by the occupation.
If you will excuse my spelling: "am strengsten verboten" and "dan haben wir andere methoden". "Most strictly forbidden", and "then we have ogther ways". Sounds more threatening in German.

[BeoPuppy]

[...]
Regarding anatomy, only Claire and Marten would have NTK - need to know. I see no reason why they should share that with voyeurs in the readership.

God, I hope that it remains unadressed in the comic. By not discussing it Jeph could show that it is none of our bloody business and that none of it matters to outsiders.

[evilQuälgeist]

That was just beautiful 

[Rimwolf]

Guys help
I'm reading 5 comics at the same time in my wait for the next strip 

Bad Machinery
Something Positive
Girls With Slingshots
Octopus Pie
Multiplex
Girl Genius
Wapsi Square
Tweep
Schlock Mercenary
Dinosaur Comics
One Way
Sinfest
Nimona
Monster of the Week

[Smashwidget]

no stop it, I only read like three of those

and you forgot Between Failures