WCDT Nov 28 - Dec 2 (strips #4926 to #4930)

[shanejayell]

Moray is ALSO a crash balloon?

That's... comforting? I guess. 

Poll added, 2 votes per user.

[St.Clair]

Given how easily she seems to have sprung a leak in a previous strip, I have considerable doubts about her external membrane's ability to stand up to the stresses of an automobile collision at any significant speed.

[Gyrre]

Other; Try to go jelly cat to reduce risk of injury.

[Farideh]

Other: convert to any religion quickly and pray.

Re. the comic: does this mean that Moray doesn't have a membrane, or just that the membrane is very stretchy? Like how you can push your hand through a balloon if it's party deflated.

[BenRG]

I think that today's strip shows that Moray doesn't have a 'membrane' of any kind but it made entirely of a fluid whose viscosity she can consciously control and every molecule of which she can purpose as she likes. Need light-sensitive bits! Okay. Need sound-detection membrane? Put it there. I'm wondering if, like the T1000, she doesn't have a central brain core but her intelligence comes from the interactions of these billions of individual molecules interacting with each other.

[Mr_Rose]

I like how Moray assures Claire that it doesn't hurt her at all, coincidentally entirely failing to address the effects on the person sticking their hand in her goo. Which sounds way more dubious than I intended, reading it back. Oh well.

Why is the mother apologising to Marten though? The kid didn't stick his hand through Marten's face....

[Farideh]

I feel like the mom is apologizing to Marten since he's the only one currently available to apologize to. Moray is quite busy and Claire is too far away.

[traroth]

In a previous comic, Moray kind of... leaked...

[baronvonfritz]

Whoa.... Did not expect that level of squishiness...

I also read the poll wrong in the worst way.

[notStanley]

>function as a safety device

Does that only work if she is already sitting on your lap?  (though that can get a ticket by itself)  Or are her reflexes fast enough to spread throughout the cabin when a crash occurs?

[Perfectly Reasonable]

While Moray has eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes, and teeth, I suspect their chief use is for communication with humans. She is able to talk without lungs, think without a visible brain. Her body is translucent protoplasmic goo with lumps suspended in it. I like the idea that her life functions are an emergent phenomenon. Calling her a 'robot' is stretching the word -- we'll need a new word for what she really is.

( cue the scarecrows lament )

[dutchrvl]

Did anyone read Moray's comment in Raymond (i.e. Rainman) voice? "I am a very good driver"

Edit: yes I know in the movie he said "I'm an excellent driver". Nonetheless this reminded me immediately of that movie.

[Ampersand8888]

Other: see if Moray can eat the car like in the latest Kirby game. Then switch the radio for some happy jamming tunes and drive onward to Halifax.

[Storel]

I like how Moray assures Claire that it doesn't hurt her at all, coincidentally entirely failing to address the effects on the person sticking their hand in her goo. Which sounds way more dubious than I intended, reading it back. Oh well.

"It doesn't hurt me at all!"

*kid starts screaming as his arm starts smoking*

"Oh, I forgot it would hurt you..."

[Near Lurker]

...is that a Gallicization of "doner"?

EDIT: Yes, yes it is.

[shanejayell]

You don't have donair in the US?

[Near Lurker]

We have [doner] kebabs and gyros... is there a substantial difference?  (I'm a vegetarian anyway.)

[Farideh]

It seems like Marten and Ol' Boaty have a lot to talk about.

[Wombat]

You don't have donair in the US?

I've actually never the term donair before. Like, I tried to guess what it is when reading the comic-- which admittedly is not that much context-- and I was not close. I know food that is (from what I'm seeing) very similar to/the same as donair, but yeah, didn't know it by that term. Certainly didn't know that donair is the official food of Halifax, or that we're getting close to National Donair Day (December 8th). So today's comic ended up leading to a bit of education.

[badbum61]

It's 'doner kebab' here in Oz too.
Near as I can tell, 'donair' is strictly Canadian.
Have discussed this in depth with a bud in HFX, so I feel like my intel comes from the source...

[Stoon]

I never liked Donairs.  The sauce is WAY too sweet. 

[Timemaster]

Döner Kebab ist really common here in Germany, but I had never heard of Donair before. But apart from the german Ö vovel it is pronounced mostly the same. Fun fact: the doner or döner with it's more elaborate salad, garlicy yoghurt sauce and hot sauce seems to have turkish roots, the donair with it's sweet creamy sauce rather greek roots.

[traroth]

Döner Kebab ist really common here in Germany, but I had never heard of Donair before. But apart from the german Ö vovel it is pronounced mostly the same. Fun fact: the doner or döner with it's more elaborate salad, garlicy yoghurt sauce and hot sauce seems to have turkish roots, the donair with it's sweet creamy sauce rather greek roots.

It's pretty common here in France too. It somehow crossed the Rhine...

In Strasbourg, we call them Döner Kebab, like in Germany. But in the rest of France, they are called "greek sandwich", which is not historically accurate.

I, for one, had too much as a student, and I avoid them now.

[snubnose]

I cant comment on Döner Kebab. I was already vegetarian when they became common. The only Döner Kebab I ever had had merely salad. As in the vegetable itself, not the type of food. Not even any sauce. Unsurprisingly not the greatest food I've ever eaten.

I think that today's strip shows [...]

... that Jeph will do with his characters whatever he fancies and doesnt care too much for consistency.

[immortalfrieza]

I didn't expect such an incredibly old QC strip reference. Marten, nobody likes to be thrown up on.

Of course, such a statement is a cue for the contrary to show up.

[notStanley]

I didn't expect such an incredibly old QC strip reference. Marten, nobody likes to be thrown up on.

But Marten is a master!  That is why he prefers slip-on shoes instead of sneaker or boots.  No laces makes for much easier cleanup :}

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Aww... I wanted to see Moray eat a donair.

This must be the Boaty McBoatface I've heard about.

[shanejayell]

New comic

WELL. I'm SURE this will turn out well.

[ihaveavoice]

merely salad. As in the vegetable itself, not the type of food.

May I ask what country you're from? This was very confusing to me until I had a vague memory of hearing an English(?) person referring to lettuce as salad at some point.

[snubnose]

May I ask what country you're from?

Germany.

Dict.leo.org says "Salat" translates to "salad". "Lettuce" is also given as an option, but since the german word is "Salat" unsurprisingly "salad" is the one in my active vocabulary.

[BenRG]

Doesn't Driscoll look a lot like Marten's friend the pulp romance writing trucker? Probably just a coincidence.

Meanwhile, I suspect that Claire and Marten are about to find themselves the token normal folk in a floating lunatic asylum. So, more or less just like home but with more salt-water corrosion.

[Gyrre]

I like how Moray assures Claire that it doesn't hurt her at all, coincidentally entirely failing to address the effects on the person sticking their hand in her goo. Which sounds way more dubious than I intended, reading it back. Oh well.

Why is the mother apologising to Marten though? The kid didn't stick his hand through Marten's face....

Here's hoping it's not a situation like with Unity's nanite blood (Skin Horse, by Shaenon K. Garrity & Jeffrey C. Wells with colors by Pacha Diaz).

EDIT: fixing citation

Also, strip stating such. https://skin-horse.com/comic/todays-comic-795/ That goop gets injected into a mountain goat and various other animals in this arc (a nod to The Sword in the Stone (1963). Unity's blood also comes into play in the werewolf story arc.

[Mr_Rose]

Doesn't Driscoll look a lot like Marten's friend the pulp romance writing trucker? Probably just a coincidence.

Almost certainly, what with Jimbo having been permanently banned from Canada. Fairly sure it was him, anyway.

Besides, I’m pretty sure “scruffy trucker dude” is a Look now rather than just a coincidence of circumstance.

[Storel]

Doesn't Driscoll look a lot like Marten's friend the pulp romance writing trucker? Probably just a coincidence.

Almost certainly, what with Jimbo having been permanently banned from Canada. Fairly sure it was him, anyway.

Yes, he had to escape Canada by hiding in the trunk of his agent's car.

[cesium133]

Doesn't Driscoll look a lot like Marten's friend the pulp romance writing trucker? Probably just a coincidence.

Jimbo was banned from Canada for impersonating Driscoll.

[pendrake]

For comic #4929...

Always worth a good chuckle to see a Callback Joke. 

And to save Time for those who will be wondering/asking... [Comic #3152: Yer a TA, Harry]. 

[Stoon]

Heilung calls their concerts The Ritual.  Just sayin'.

[badbum61]

Marten's expression in the last panel is pure manga. Nice.

[shanejayell]

The RITUAL...

OoooEEEEooooo....

[immortalfrieza]

I didn't expect such an incredibly old QC strip reference.

And today makes 2. Don't tell me old strip references are going to be a thing with this storyline.

[St.Clair]

For comic #4929...

Always worth a good chuckle to see a Callback Joke. 

And to save Time for those who will be wondering/asking... [Comic #3152: Yer a TA, Harry]. 

Wow, I'd forgotten that era/segment of Jeph's style evolution.

I didn't expect such an incredibly old QC strip reference.

And today makes 2. Don't tell me old strip references are going to be a thing with this storyline.

Okay, we won't tell you.

[JimC]

Well, I got inspired to find an on line recipe for this Donair... That sauce is *weird*. It really didn't work for me. I ended up making my normal burger sauce and using that instead. Maybe my implementation of it was no good...

[Cypher]

Good grief, does Claire have to be so... stern? Severe? Such a killjoy? He's hardly saying anything out of line, is he?

[hedgie]

She's probably stressed/nervous, and isn't in the frame of mind where a repeat joke is appreciated.

[JimC]

He's hardly saying anything out of line, is he?

Well that depends... Nothing is signed yet is it? Doesn't this still have aspects of a job interview? And (apologies if you've already discussed this) it could well be  that the only potential employment for Marten in Cubetown might be as Claire's junior...

[Mr_Rose]

She's probably stressed/nervous, and isn't in the frame of mind where a repeat joke is appreciated.

He's hardly saying anything out of line, is he?

Well that depends... Nothing is signed yet is it? Doesn't this still have aspects of a job interview? And (apologies if you've already discussed this) it could well be  that the only potential employment for Marten in Cubetown might be as Claire's junior...

Yes this, plus maaybe a wee hint of the green eyed monster there. Nowhere near Dora-level but I'm sure she doesn't have room in her head right now, between the other things, to appreciate her boyfriend getting along famously with this random girl they just met.

[shanejayell]

Hi, Boaty! *lol*

[Near Lurker]

...I'm going to assume Moray-21 is approximately as buoyant as a human, but would Boaty have made Momo wear a life jacket if she'd been on board, since we know it wouldn't do anything for her?  (They're typically rated at, what, 50 N?  Not enough to hold up Little Miss Metal Mario.)

[Farideh]

I'm surprised Moray is wearing a life jacket. Is she doing that because Ol' Boaty insists on it, or to make Claire and Marten feel less awkward? I assume she floats really well, so...

[Wombat]

I'm surprised Moray is wearing a life jacket. Is she doing that because Ol' Boaty insists on it, or to make Claire and Marten feel less awkward? I assume she floats really well, so...

Well, he does say they're mandatory.