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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

[bhtooefr]

Honestly, I think Marten would've refused the invitation if he weren't into Claire. That would just be absurdly awkward if he's about to shoot Claire down.

[Lubricus]

Heh! "Hi, your Mom invited me! I don't want to date you! Bye!"

[TomOBedlam]

That would just be absurdly awkward if he's about to shoot Claire down.

Not just awkward, it would be cruel - hardly in character for Marten, I think.

[Zebediah]

She could easily have a fellowship, or various other forms of professional student income.  But if she gets along with her mum, and it saves money, why the hell not?  (totally OT).  I once knew a professor who originally came from Mexico.  He was actually heartbroken when his son moved out at 18, since he figured that the kid would stay until he was 25 or so.  But since his son came up in American culture, he followed the US cultural "norm" of leaving around the age of majority.

My dad, on the other hand, gave me luggage for a high school graduation present. It was his idea of a subtle hint - I would be using the luggage, one way or another. And at that he felt that the luggage was too expensive.

Yeah, we had issues back then. Still do to a certain extent, but my sisters make him behave, most of the time.

[Miaboop]

Honestly, I think Marten would've refused the invitation if he weren't into Claire. That would just be absurdly awkward if he's about to shoot Claire down.

Agreedo, Normally he would just avoid the situation. He clearly remember the almost-kiss and by going to her home, not "giving her space" says something. And if he was going to tell her that he wasn't interested he would probably not have agreed to come home with her mother. And, again, if he wants to think about it he usually "needs space" so I think the only logical conclusion is that he likes her.

Now, if he knows that, is another question

[Earin]

Heh! "Hi, your Mom invited me! I don't want to date you! Bye!"

"Hi! So, after you left last night, I went for a walk, and bumped into someone who I thought was you, one thing led to another and, well, to cut a long story short, your mom and I are dating now."

[bhtooefr]

I think Faye would help Claire hide the bodies if Marten did that.

(And, Faye knows about good body dumping sites...)

[KOK]

I wish I got on well enough with my parents to live with them still; I frequently desperately miss my mum and I think I'd benefit from having them around more, especially when like today I'm not feeling well. Unfortunately this is outweighed by how much I need to live alone - not just away from my family but away from anyone. I haven't tried living with them since I started on my sanity pills; it might make a difference but at this point I can't see myself moving back in. That doesn't mean that I'm any more ready for a serious relationship than I would be if I were at home, though! Basically I don't think the two are necessarily linked.

This makes me so sad. Your avatar even more so.

[KOK]

We know the Augustus family is decently well off - they've paid ... a new car

Do we actually know that Claire did not borrow the car, from her mom most likely?

[bhtooefr]

Do we actually know that Claire did not borrow the car, from her mom most likely?

Good point, I just checked, we don't know that.

[Barmymoo]

This makes me so sad. Your avatar even more so.

Hehe it's not as bad as it sounds! My relationship with my parents is far better these days, they're my first line of support and the fact that there are four of them means I've always got someone to call on (it helps that the two sets keep opposite schedules, so at 8am on a Sunday morning when I've failed placement because I keep passing out I can call my mum, and last thing at night when I've got a fever and can't sleep I can Skype with my stepmum).

The avatar is actually from way back, when someone posted a whole sheet of different superheros and their secrets. A lot of us took different ones as our avatars for a while, but I kept mine because it's so perfect. I've achieved all this stuff that looks great on paper and I could be a bit of a high flyer but all I really want to do is settle down with a family, a cat and a couple of dogs. It'll come in its own time, I hope.

[TomOBedlam]

Apologies if this is repetitive - I seem to have lost the first version

One thing that I haven't really seen mentioned so far (and forgive me if I've missed it, its been a rough day ) If Claire's relationship with her mother is a good one - and from all the information we have been given so far, it does seem so - then that would surely entail a a strong element of protectiveness where Claire's life choices are concerned.  Which would make Clairemum's endorsement of Marten all the more meaningful (IF that is what she is doing - it does look that way to me).

[Honkytonk]

In the 'Claire's parents were broken up by Marten's Mom' hypothesis, it would be delightfully awkward to see Claire's mom and Veronica meet for the 'first' time.

Veronica :Hi! Nice to meet...
Clairemom : YOU! (Leaps at Veronica)
*Fight ensues*
Any Character: What the hell's going on?
Pintsize (with video camera): I have no idea, all I know is I'm going to make a lot of money off of it!

Although I'm sure Clairemom, being the kind of person who invites people round for pancakes despite not actually knowing them, wouldn't do that.

Back on a slightly more realistic hypothetical, it will be interesting to see Clinton's reaction to Marten being in the family home (don't know if he lives there or not, but regardless, him coming in to see Marten eating pancakes and Claire in Pyjamas, particularly if Clairemom's out of the room, will likely lead to robotic hand-based aggression towards Marten).

[LackOfGrace]

This makes me so sad. Your avatar even more so.

Hehe it's not as bad as it sounds! My relationship with my parents is far better these days, they're my first line of support and the fact that there are four of them means I've always got someone to call on (it helps that the two sets keep opposite schedules, so at 8am on a Sunday morning when I've failed placement because I keep passing out I can call my mum, and last thing at night when I've got a fever and can't sleep I can Skype with my stepmum).

The avatar is actually from way back, when someone posted a whole sheet of different superheros and their secrets. A lot of us took different ones as our avatars for a while, but I kept mine because it's so perfect. I've achieved all this stuff that looks great on paper and I could be a bit of a high flyer but all I really want to do is settle down with a family, a cat and a couple of dogs. It'll come in its own time, I hope.

Know the feeling.
Hang in there!

[Neko_Ali]

Wow, a lot has happened since I went to bed... This doesn't surprise me at all. (squee)

In regards to the conversation about lips earlier... That sort of thing is problematic and made me more uncomfortable the longer it went on. Finding or looking for physical evidence of a person's trans status is icky at best and outright rude and demeaning at worst. I think we went though similar things during the 'Does Claire have an adam's apple' conversation as well. Not only is it an inaccurate way of telling... People have a mix of feature, and you can't tell someone's biological, genetic or cis/transgender status just by taking a few cues from a small sample size. Even more so because we are talking about drawn people here.  And the whole subject is dangerously close to 'You're not really X gender because you have Y features' dismissive arguments that trans people here all the time. For people suffering from body dysphoria the whole subject can be a quick ticket to depression town or anxietyville.

As far as Claire living at home, I don't see that as a big deal. I mean she's going to college in the same town her mother lives in. Given her age and the fact that she's in grad school, she probably entered college right after high school. Why not live with her mother then? it saves her a lot of time and money. And when you talk about having a sheltered upbringing, or not having the same life experiences that Marten has had... We nobody has the same experiences. I would think the fact that Claire has never dated before would have a bigger impact. And Marten knows that fact. But you've got to start sometime.

Northhampton is a pretty small place, and Marten and Claire have been friends for a while. I'd be surprised if he hasn't met Clairemom before, walking Claire home from work, or just on their trips through the town, going from work to the coffee shop or any number of places. It just hasn't been relevant to show until now.  Randomly inviting him back for pancakes is kind of out of left field.. so I suspect either Marten of Claire (more likely) told Clairemom what happened last night and she's trying to play matchmaker... Slightly more subtly than Veronica does with Marten.

[Zebediah]

The avatar is actually from way back, when someone posted a whole sheet of different superheros and their secrets. A lot of us took different ones as our avatars for a while, but I kept mine because it's so perfect. I've achieved all this stuff that looks great on paper and I could be a bit of a high flyer but all I really want to do is settle down with a family, a cat and a couple of dogs. It'll come in its own time, I hope.

It will come. It did for me. I found my love relatively late in life, but I found her. And today happens to be our tenth wedding anniversary. When you find the right person, you'll know it.

And in an opportunistic segue back onto topic: I think Marten has found the right person, and knows it. But then I might just be projecting a teeny tiny bit. 

[RyanW1019]

Congratulations on your anniversary!

[Border Reiver]

In the 'Claire's parents were broken up by Marten's Mom' hypothesis, it would be delightfully awkward to see Claire's mom and Veronica meet for the 'first' time.

Veronica :Hi! Nice to meet...
Clairemom : YOU! (Leaps at Veronica)
*Fight ensues*
Any Character: What the hell's going on?
Pintsize (with video camera): I have no idea, all I know is I'm going to make a lot of money off of it!

Aaaannnnddd, Rule 34 just kicked in.

Am I a bad person for thinking this would be funny?

[Omio]

I suspect either Marten of Claire (more likely) told Clairemom what happened last night and she's trying to play matchmaker... Slightly more subtly than Veronica does with Marten.

Veronica's way of playing "matchmaker" makes me facepalm, shake my head whilst facepalming, and sigh. There's no "slightly" here.

[LackOfGrace]

What do we know about Clairdad btw?
Since Clair and Clinton obviously takes after their mom, maybe we have been introduced to him unknowingly?
Could we see a return of Jimbo in the nearish future?

[unholy]

So... I am super curious as to where this is going to go with Marten and Claire... it's obvious they like each other, but I don't think we've ever really been given any deeper insight into claire's current status... and we've never seen anything but a vanilla sexual interest from Marten... The suspense is mounting =O

[Barmymoo]

unholy, if you are referring to Claire's genitalia by "current status" I would like to point out that such discussion is strictly off limits due to the high potential of offending members of this community who are trans. You're new, so I would suggest a careful reading of the rules and a trip to the DISCUSS section to read the Trans thread if you have questions - they will almost certainly already have been answered there.

(IICIH speaking. You'll find the mod team unanimous and emphatic about this. It's also off limits due to explicit opinion from the owner of the forum.)

[HeavyP]

And we're likely not going to get any more insight into Claire's current status.  She's a woman, that's all we need to know.  If Marten and Claire have a relationship, they'll have a relationship, and anything we see will likely be the same sheet-covered post-coital snuggles that other couples have demonstrated when the story calls for it.

Edit: this could also lead to Claire's hair murdering Marten when he tries to be the big spoon.  QC reboot in the making?

[Fig]

What do we know about Clairdad btw?
Since Clair and Clinton obviously takes after their mom, maybe we have been introduced to him unknowingly?
Could we see a return of Jimbo in the nearish future?

As far as we know (and to my recollection) the onl knowledge we know of Claire and Clinton's father is that he cheated on their mother and now they're divorced.

[Barmymoo]

I seriously doubt Jimbo is Claire's dad, but I'd not be at all surprised to find out that he has a kid he rarely sees, in Canada or Arizona or France or somewhere. He seems like the sort of person with a complex and rarely-discussed past.

[unholy]

unholy, if you are referring to Claire's genitalia by "current status" I would like to point out that such discussion is strictly off limits due to the high potential of offending members of this community who are trans. You're new, so I would suggest a careful reading of the rules and a trip to the DISCUSS section to read the Trans thread if you have questions - they will almost certainly already have been answered there.

Understood, no offense meant, and I hope none was perceived. I'll leave it at that. Thanks for the insight.

[KOK]

If Marten and Claire have a relationship, they'll have a relationship, and anything we see will likely be the same sheet-covered post-coital snuggles that other couples have demonstrated when the story calls for it.

We do know some details about Dora and Marten's sex life. E.g. http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1044

But that does not mean we will get to know as much about Claire and Marten's, if any. We shall see.

Edit: trimmed quote

[bhtooefr]

You know, one thing I've noticed with the art style... Jeph seems to draw mothers as taller than their (adult) children.

It's held true for Veronica, Beatrice, and now Clairemom.

The only exceptions I've seen are Mrs. Whitaker, and Elssa appears to be between Sven and Dora in height.

[MooskiNet]

Understood, no offense meant, and I hope none was perceived. I'll leave it at that. Thanks for the insight.

Not to extend the discussion this applies to, but that is damn near the perfect response.  Don't know you, but you just got +10 to awesome in my book.

[LackOfGrace]

I seriously doubt Jimbo is Claire's dad, but I'd not be at all surprised to find out that he has a kid he rarely sees, in Canada or Arizona or France or somewhere. He seems like the sort of person with a complex and rarely-discussed past.

True, i guess i just miss the guy.
In times like these where every character interaction is an emotional minefield, Jimbo could act like a counterforce (giving me some breathing room between the daily gasp-attacks)

[katsmeat]

As far as we know (and to my recollection) the onl knowledge we know of Claire and Clinton's father is that he cheated on their mother and now they're divorced.

Well we know Jim's ex-wife  lives locally, in fact within walking distance of Jim's house - http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1957.

 And siblings do sometimes live with different parents after a divorce....

Meh, there's nothing to contradict the theory, but it doesn't feel very likely..

[Barmymoo]

I am pretty much certain that Sam would have mentioned that she had a much older brother with a robot hand when she met Momo, if that were true...

[AprilArcus]

You know, one thing I've noticed with the art style... Jeph seems to draw mothers as taller than their (adult) children.

I just mentally filled in that Veronica is always wearing 5" platform stilettos; and Claire is probably barefoot in today's kitchen scene. But now that you point out the trend, it does seem to infantilize the main cast a bit, in the same way that a driven 24 year old grad student living at home also feels off.

[KOK]

I am pretty much certain that Sam would have mentioned that she had a much older brother with a robot hand when she met Momo, if that were true...

It will be interesting how she reacts to him as an in-law. If it comes to that.

[bhtooefr]

Claire living at home actually doesn't feel off to me, to be honest - yes, she's a driven grad student, but she's also the kind of person that wants some stability to come home to, and having a supportive family to come home to is a huge plus especially in her situation. And, there's the financial advantages, with how expensive education in the US is.

My remarks about her not having the life experience of living on her own are in regards to what it may mean if she were to move in with Marten (having known couples who have had problems with one partner moving straight from living with their parents to living with their partner, and effectively expecting their partner to take the role of their parent(s) as far as home life). Basically, fights over simple domestic stuff. (And I don't want this to be taken as "her role is to be a good housewife for Marten" - the most prominent example in my mind is a former friend whose boyfriend had moved straight from home in with her, and didn't carry his own weight and expected her to be a good housewife for him, rather than an equal partner.)

And, yes, Claire having zero relationship experience is a bigger hurdle, but even after clearing that one, the hurdle of not having lived on her own is still there.

[eschaton]

Agreedo, Normally he would just avoid the situation. He clearly remember the almost-kiss and by going to her home, not "giving her space" says something. And if he was going to tell her that he wasn't interested he would probably not have agreed to come home with her mother. And, again, if he wants to think about it he usually "needs space" so I think the only logical conclusion is that he likes her.

I could see Martin being socially retarded enough to think he needs to come there to stop Claire from thinking he was freaked out about what happened (due to the idea of making out with a trans girl or otherwise), but not really having any solid intentions/ideas about the next step.  Or even just thinking "It was mutual drunk snuggling, but there's no way she likes me in *that* way!"  and thus preemptively saying something like "I'm not ashamed of what happened, but I think in the light of day we can both see it wouldn't have been the best thing."

Not that I think this is the most likely outcome, but Martin has bent over backwards to try and be a good friend to her.  So I could see him being so concerned about being a good friend/being a trans ally that he doesn't consider the more basic issue here - that a girl likes him. 

Well we know Jim's ex-wife  lives locally, in fact within walking distance of Jim's house - http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1957.

 And siblings do sometimes live with different parents after a divorce....

Meh, there's nothing to contradict the theory, but it doesn't feel very likely..

Jim's 41, way too young to have a 24 year old daughter, unless he was still in high school at the time. 

[katsmeat]

We know the Augustus family is decently well off - they've paid ... a new car

Do we actually know that Claire did not borrow the car, from her mom most likely?

I think it's very likely the car belongs to her,  given the way Clair offered Marten a lift and then immediately went dress shopping - http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2377.

I mean, I certainly wouldn't make such a firm offer if it was dependent  on me first borrowing the car. Which might easily not happen if the car's owner happened to need it that weekend.   

[ZoeB]

To me, Marten's look is even warmer than during the drunk hair/cuddle incident, plus a little shy and insecure.

D'Accorde. (I agree)

[Orkboy]

To me, Marten's look is even warmer than during the drunk hair/cuddle incident, plus a little shy and insecure.

D'Accorde. (I agree)

[HES]

Okay, just try and tell me I'm wrong. But Claire in panel two looks perfect if you replace her background with an explosion. Soooooo cooool!

I can't believe no-one did this yet.

[DrBear]

Thought 1: Just remember, sometimes a pancake is just a pancake.

(oh, and we have a restaurant called The Pancake Place just a short walk from my home, pancakes the size of a dinner plate. Restaurant pancakes are not necessarily a bad thing.)

Thought 2: Of course, Jeph is trolling us. It would just seem ridiculous for Clairemom to invite Marten over for cereal. That wouldn't make any narrative sense. Unlike pancakes.

[ankhtahr]

Hey, Masterpiece, your WCDT already has more replies than the last one, and there's even a weekday left! 

Also I'm jealous for you Americans for having breakfast restaurants and such.

[cesium133]

What, restaurants in Germany don't serve breakfast?

[bhtooefr]

I think I'll go to IHOP for dinner tonight.

They may not be international, and it's a chain restaurant, not a house, but they do serve pancakes. (Not great ones, but hey.)

[ankhtahr]

cesium133: Not really. Most restaurants won't open until lunch. Some restaurants serve breakfast, but that's usually just a few breadrolls, butter, and spreads. Maybe a cooked egg. One might be able to find a place which will serve scrambled eggs. But pancakes, waffles, bacon and what else? Not really.

[Orkboy]

Generally, the places that serve breakfast are specialized in serving breakfast.  All day, in some cases.

[Meilu]

unholy, if you are referring to Claire's genitalia by "current status" I would like to point out that such discussion is strictly off limits due to the high potential of offending members of this community who are trans. You're new, so I would suggest a careful reading of the rules and a trip to the DISCUSS section to read the Trans thread if you have questions - they will almost certainly already have been answered there.

I'm a long time reader who happens to be trans, and registered simply because the implication was there and it bothered me. Gosh, I get all worked up and have to say something, but because I'm not at home and have to use a phone this stuff takes forever! I guess I'm lucky so many people like you are around here to keep this place nice for everyone, not just those who are of a cis/het nature.

As an aside, all the talk about Claire's hair is much like my own; it's wild, wavy, poofy, and red (though considerably darker). Many jokes are had at the expense of my Medusa-like locks killing and/or maiming those around me.

[Thrillho]

Fuck it I am going home and cooking myself a full English breakfast for my dinner.

[Thedrd0nna]

Another thought about Marten's intentions by at least accepting Clairmom's invitation: he knows Claire has anxiety issues. It's kind of tone-deaf for him to be there either way, but I can't imagine he would intentionally surprise her with a preemptive brush-off first thing in the morning, given all that.

[bhtooefr]

Really, most sit-down places that have breakfast are diners or are somewhat inspired by diners. And, yes, usually it's all-day breakfast at those places.

Also, fast food places often have breakfast during breakfast hours.