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Planes.

1 (2.7%)

So who's taking him down to the airport, just to fly back up to Burlington? #FAIL

2 (5.4%)

Trains.

1 (2.7%)

The station is a bit out of the way (Amtrak line is up in Amherst).

1 (2.7%)

Automobiles.

4 (10.8%)

But *whose* automobile? Marigold? Steve? EMILY? CLAIRE??????

14 (37.8%)

Hitchiking? Walking?

0 (0%)

Uhm, no. Skinny indie boy legs won't get him out of NoHam.

0 (0%)

Spaceship? Stealth blimp?

1 (2.7%)

Hannelore's sick, remember?

0 (0%)

Bus?

1 (2.7%)

Like he would last on a Greyhound.

3 (8.1%)

Bike?

2 (5.4%)

Harley's aren't his style.

1 (2.7%)

AnthroPC?

0 (0%)

Okay, now you're just getting silly.

6 (16.2%)

Total Members Voted: 33

[Valdís]

I haven't seen any "let's explore gender issues" stuff with Claire outside of the arc where she came out as trans* to Marten. I've just seen her be the same snarky, tightly-wound character she was when she was introduced with no new plot interest in her gender identity.

Yeah, I was gonna post basically this reply but ihaveavoice beat me to it. Amazing, really, isn't it, how simple knowledge can so distort someone's perceptions that they start inserting things that not only aren't there, aren't even close to being hinted at.

Claire, who happens to be Trans: "[Pun]Talky[/Pun]"

Marten: "That was a weak pun, Claire"

Forum: "Why are you shoving Gender Issues in our face!?"

 

By the way, did anyone get that Faye was doing the double-entendre with Hannelore there?

i am not a clever woman, pls explan

[Mad Cat]

But such improbabilities only happen in reality, they're far too implausible to use in a comic strip.

Of course, all us LGBT peeps know one another from the annual meetings of the homosexual agenda steering committee.

[Barmymoo]

The cougar reference - Faye wasn't talking about wild cats.

[Valdís]

The cougar reference - Faye wasn't talking about wild cats.

Oh, it was that he meant? Nevermind then, thought I was missing some double entendre, since cougar is just a word for the older women getting it on with younger guys.

[Bluesummers]

It's more of a "hidden" double entendre with Hanners because it just goes over her head.

[Soulsynger]

If this was real-life rather than QC.... Claire goes with Marten, recognises Maurice as her father* (who she rather despises). He doesn't recognise her though, as he's unaware of her transition.

But such improbabilities only happen in reality, they're far too implausible to use in a comic strip.
[ ... ]

Life is stranger than fiction, eh?


Dora: For reasons, no.
Faye: Away with Angus.
Tai: Dora stays, she stays.
Marigold: No time to buy a dress, too many neuroses to battle down in two weeks time.
Momo: AnthoPC, so probably not.
Hanners: Neuroses. Many people she doesn't know. Probably not.
Penelope/Wil: Not really close, probably not.
Steve/Cosette: Only available in pair, so no.
Jimbo: If he could find him. Might not be fit for weddings.
Sven: Dunno what's happenin' with him. Maybe.
Gabby: No real contact, it seems. No.
Emily: Probably not able to hold her act together long enough to get through a wedding without something weird happening. Definitely a possible +1 story-wise.
Claire: Great smalltalk with Marten. +1 possibility.
Tequilla monster: Do hallucinations count as a +1 if the alcohol level is constantly kept at level?
Pintsize: NO!
Yelling Bird: For obvious reasons ...

Did I forget anyone important? Oh yeah.

pwhodges: Responsible adults at a wedding? Pffffffffff!
DSL: Great at parties. I think. So possible +1.
And many more: You figure it out.

The cougar reference - Faye wasn't talking about wild cats.

Oh, it was that he meant? Nevermind then, thought I was missing some double entendre, since cougar is just a word for the older women getting it on with younger guys.

Isn't that more like "seeking to get it on with ..."?

It's more of a "hidden" double entendre with Hanners because it just goes over her head.

A SNEAKtendre.

[cesium133]

Dora: For reasons, no.
Faye: Away with Angus.
Tai: Dora stays, she stays.
Marigold: No time to buy a dress, too many neuroses to battle down in two weeks time.

I seem to remember that she has a dress that her rack looks amazing in.

Momo: AnthoPC, so probably not.
Hanners: Neuroses. Many people she doesn't know. Probably not.
Penelope/Wil: Not really close, probably not.
Steve/Cosette: Only available in pair, so no.
Jimbo: If he could find him. Might not be fit for weddings.

Future Jimbo: "I ain't ever allowed in Florida again."

[jwhouk]

Dad's Wedding - Who will be invited?

"Marten - Plus one"    13 (21.7%)
Marten and Dora get their own separate inivtes (Dora's got misplaced by her move.)    2 (3.3%)
Faye gets her own (but without a date)    0 (0%)
Dora gets to be the flower girl!    7 (11.7%)
Veronica is giving the groom away!    5 (8.3%)
Tai and Angus are both left on the sidelines.    1 (1.7%)
It doesn't matter - the wedding was last week.    4 (6.7%)
Hannelore is SPECIFICALLY requested to attend.    7 (11.7%)
"You can bring anyone you wish, except for that scary AnthroPC of yours."    6 (10%)
(Why your mother PAID for that thing is BEYOND me.)    0 (0%)
Claire recognizes his Dad's boyfriend's name! It's her UNCLE!    11 (18.3%)
Other (something WAY too weird)    4 (6.7%)

Total Members Voted: 60

[ink slinger]

He's gonna bring... Gabby!  Did you want something unexpected? There you go.

Beat me to it.

Marigold: No time to buy a dress, too many neuroses to battle down in two weeks time.

I seem to remember that she has a dress that her rack looks amazing in.

Indeed. And I imagine that wearing white to this particular wedding would be acceptable, since neither of the grooms will be wearing a white dress.

[slaufer]

forget all that gender issue shit, as a resident of buffalo i have only one question

what the shit is a buffalo scone

also take claire, i want shit to get real weird

[pendrake]

For comic #2374...

1. Woo, new extended story-arc incoming.  It will be nice to see both Reed parents again.

2. Loved Faye's expression in panel #4, it really appealed to me art-wise.

3. While I also have my doubts to Hannelore being Marten's companion/date to Henry Reed's wedding, I think it would be and excellent & ironic turn-around from Hanners' taking Marten up to Station to meet her own father.  (Also, still wondering if her skin-tone is a permanent thing now?)

4. As for a non-Hannelore option...  Claire would be the apparrently obvious choice since she is not work-bound to Coffee of Doom, and Jeph enjoys drawing her.  And as a transsexual, Claire would probably mesh well with the likely crowd make-up of Henry Reed's wedding.

5. Marigold would be another viable choice, also not work-bound to Coffee of Doom, and another character Jeph enjoys drawing.  Whether Momo also accompanies will be an interesting story-factor too, Marigold flying "solo" for once (relatively speaking).

6. Whomever Marten brings to Henry Reed's wedding, I am certain it will be an entertaining interaction between the Reed parents towards Marten's perceived date , even if he brings a guy-friend.

7. Ghost Pepper Mocha.  That is one form of coffee that will probably wake you up, one way or another.

8. @Slaufer...  Buffalo Scones.  Scones hard-baked with buffalo wing sauce stuffed with buffalo meat-filling...obviously .

[Carl-E]

8. @Slaufer...  Buffalo Scones.  Scones hard-baked with buffalo wing sauce stuffed with buffalo meat-filling...obviously .

That's one possibility.  The other is a scone made left behind by a buffalo, baked in the prarie's summer sun...

AKA buffalo chips. 

[A_Polite_Noise]

I have been reading QC for years and also stalking these messageboards (and getting angry at a lot of you) for almost the same amount of time.  I just signed up for no reason other than to say I like Claire and hope Marten takes her and I hope they date each other and make out.

[ScoutX]

It has to be Hanners or alone.

I just can't see him taking an intern as a wedding date. He barely knows any of them.

His ex and his ex-infatuation who are both in relationships shouldn't have needed extra reasons to not be his date.

How comfortable would he be asking his dad to not only pay for his flight, but also for the flight of someone he isn't especially close to? Hanners is the only one that's been around long enough to be a friend date. She's also the only one (other than Faye and Dora) that's been around long enough to actually meet the couple.

If she doesn't go, I can't see him bringing anyone else without it feeling forced. We may even get a little talk where Faye and Dora have to explain to him why it'll be good for him to go off and do his own thing without his little harem.

[ukrayf]

I assumed it'd be Claire. Does anyone know if a Claire/Marten fanship is at all prominent? They seem somewhat set up tbh.

If not Claire, it'll be Emily and the wedding'll be a comedy sideplot, as opposed to a romantic one. Is Gaby still alive?

@ScoutX Emily invited him to her beach house and implied he was basically one of her only friends. It's also pretty much fully set up that he and Claire are firm friends at this point.

[StevenC]

If this was real-life rather than QC.... Claire goes with Marten, recognises Maurice as her father* (who she rather despises). He doesn't recognise her though, as he's unaware of her transition.

But such improbabilities only happen in reality, they're far too implausible to use in a comic strip.

So I'm going for.... Sven. Outside chance, Marigold.

* - or father's ex-boyfriend...

If this was a soap opera, Claire goes with Marten, recognises Maurice as her father's ex-boyfriend who she had a single night of passion with before he had to leave for Antarctica on an exploration during which he fell into a coma for a year which drove Claire to drinking. After he awoke from the coma in a field hospital in central Africa, he suffered from Amnesia, not knowing anything about his past, only driven by a weird feeling of "I have to go there" to Miami, where he met Mr. Reed. Seeing Claire at his wedding, he recognises her even through the transition, again falls head over heels in love with her despite her now being a woman inside and out, and elopes with her.
A week later, Marten gets cut out of Mr. Reed's will.

[K1dmor]

Emily invited him to her beach house and implied he was basically one of her only friends.

 Thanks. Now i remember that and i'm like "Awww, Emily  "

[hobo386]

Amazing, really, isn't it, how simple knowledge can so distort someone's perceptions that they start inserting things that not only aren't there, aren't even close to being hinted at.

Now, be fair – while these things "aren't there" in the comic, they've certainly "been here" in the forum.

I don't blame anyone who reads the forum for holding the idea that we're getting "let's explore gender issues" with Claire.

(The comic has handled it in a nice, calm way, rather low tone perhaps.  The forum was, for a while, a train crash, and could easily revert to that form.)

This may be what I was thinking.  But I feel the comic is still trying to explore them in the "trans-people are just people" way.  And that her coming out being placed at the climax of the party arc kindof made it important to some extent (though it did handle it well).

Personally, I don't understand most of the trans-community, and I don't think I ever will.  I can't really get beyond "people are people," so I can't really wrap my head around why people place so much importance on the distinction between things like cis, trans, pre-op, post-op, gender, sex, bi, bi-curious, genderqueer, queer, gay, pansexual, asexual, or whatever.  It's all too much to worry about.  And even though it don't understand the differences between half of them, I feel that the labels are somewhat harmful for people who identify with them because it pidgeonholes them into a category rather than letting them just be people.  However, this really isn't something I feel like discussing in the forums, so I'm gonna keep my mouth shut for the next week or so (And y'know, discuss at your own risk).

[Is it cold in here?]

Welcome, new people! No Marten/Claire shipping, please. All we've seen is a Trusted Friend dynamic and Marten has already ruled out doing something as unethical as dating an intern.
---
It's sad that people aren't flexible enough to use a different running gag. It's the rigidity.

[westrim]

Anyone Jeph can ship, we can ship better, we can ship anyone better than Jeph.
No we can't!
Yes we can.
No we can't!
Yes we can.
No we can't!
Yes we can, yes we can, yes we caaaaaaaaaaaaan!

My opinion is that for a ship to be sunk (even by word of god) it has to have already been out of drydock and set sail, and therefore all ships are valid, even gaudy top heavy ones like the Wasa. For my own use, I mostly don't because I think shipping is ridiculous when we have planes.

[ScoutX]

@ScoutX Emily invited him to her beach house and implied he was basically one of her only friends. It's also pretty much fully set up that he and Claire are firm friends at this point.

I thought the point was that it was strange that he was one of her only friends.

It feels to me that all of the interns are too young, too recently introduced, and too much like his employees for it to be appropriate.

[Blood-Tree]

Y'know this is all kinda interesting...

The problem with developing your characters is that, if you're not careful, they lose all the flaws and quirks that make them interesting and become normal well-adjusted people; Faye, Dora and Hanners have all grown and there isn't much to explore about them anymore.

For the sake of the narrative, Marten will pick one of the interns so they can join the main cast. Emily has been established as a 'Ralph Wiggum' now, so it probably has to be Clare. I agree that it does feel forced and that Marten hasn't really known Clare long enough to invite her to a family wedding.

[A_Polite_Noise]

This may be what I was thinking.  But I feel the comic is still trying to explore them in the "trans-people are just people" way.  And that her coming out being placed at the climax of the party arc kindof made it important to some extent (though it did handle it well).

I know you just tried to avoid this whole thing at the end, by saying you don't want to discuss it and are going to keep your mouth shut, but I'm sorry I really have to respond to some of this=)  There is just something strange and...troubling...about the phrasing "trying to explore them in the 'trans-people are just people' way", because...you know.  They are just people.  The idea that it is some strange diversion to have a trans character introduced as trans and then act as other characters do - i.e. like "just people" - is understandably off-putting as it seems to suggest that such a notion is forced, or so jarring that it disturbs the story.

Personally, I don't understand most of the trans-community, and I don't think I ever will.  I can't really get beyond "people are people," so I can't really wrap my head around why people place so much importance on the distinction between things like cis, trans, pre-op, post-op, gender, sex, bi, bi-curious, genderqueer, queer, gay, pansexual, asexual, or whatever.  It's all too much to worry about.  And even though it don't understand the differences between half of them, I feel that the labels are somewhat harmful for people who identify with them because it pidgeonholes them into a category rather than letting them just be people.  However, this really isn't something I feel like discussing in the forums, so I'm gonna keep my mouth shut for the next week or so (And y'know, discuss at your own risk).

...and the thing is, the thing you don't understand (in my opinion) in this instance isn't the trans community  but transphobia.  It wasn't the trans community, or any aspect of the LGBT community, that up and decided "let's label ourselves differently and distinguish ourselves and act like people aren't just people!"  It was bigots who created the divide, and new labels that aren't slurs and are created by and owned by disenfranchised groups, as well as distinctions that are beacons of solidarity and positive thought rather than the negative stereotypes and condemnations of hate, are a reaction to bigoted divisions, not a schism of the trans community's own making and devising.  That's my opinion on the whole thing, anyway.  I hope this didn't come off as attacking you!  I just thought I could respond to some notions in your post=)  Apologies if this at all feels like I'm "dragging" you into a discussion; I've said what I was compelled to say and I'm glad your post gave me the opportunity to =D

[DSL]

Jimbo officiates. The Elvis costume just got back from the cleaners.

@Soulsynger: I have been assured I am not great at parties. Thanks though.

[Qwert2401]

Ship Hanners and Marten... die of daawwwwwness

[Loki]

*cough* Shipping is generally frowned upon here. Shipping Hanners with anybody is grounds for slow disembowelment, because it gets really creepy really soon, and we wouldn't want any of that.

[Pilchard123]

OT: Loki, have you changed your avatar recently? Come back from a fairly long absence? I don't seem to remember you posting much until recently, but you've been around since long before I was.

[ukrayf]

The problem with developing your characters is that, if you're not careful, they lose all the flaws and quirks that make them interesting and become normal well-adjusted people; Faye, Dora and Hanners have all grown and there isn't much to explore about them anymore.

Developed characters are thoroughly preferable to one-dimensional gag characters...

[DSL]

... The problem with developing your characters is that, if you're not careful, they lose all the flaws and quirks that make them interesting and become normal well-adjusted people ...

I would say exactly the opposite. "Developing" a character doesn't mean eliminating the flaws and quirks that make them interesting; it means exploring in more depth the history and reason for said flaws and quirks (and hopefully weaves such exploration and the results thereof into the story in an artistically pleasing way)  -- in other words, makes the characters and story *more* interesting.

[Barmymoo]

I don't see why people keep suggesting that Claire is the obvious choice because she's trans. Being trans and being gay do not mean that people will automatically be friends. That's like saying "hey, May [that's me, by the way], you will really like my friends, because they are also female!" or "I want to introduce you to my friend Dwayne. You'll get along great because you're female and he's black". It is possible to be gay and still transphobic. It is possible to be trans and homophobic. It is possible to be gay or trans and just not a very nice person. It is possible to be trans and not want to go to a wedding between two men you have never met at which you will have to interact with a lot of other people you have never met, with someone who is technically your employer.

[cesium133]

Going by what Jeph is saying on Twitter, there's a pretty good chance it'll be Claire going with Marten.

[DSL]

Speaking only for myself, I'm not saying Claire's a good choice to accompany Marten to the wedding because she's trans*. I'm saying she's a good choice because the tightly-wound personality Jeph's given her gives the opportunity for plenty of conflict. From conflict a good storyteller (and a receptive audience) can derive humor, pathos, insight ... any number of things expected by those who appreciate a good story.
Jeph is a good storyteller.
His audience is, for the most part, receptive.
So, yeah. Unrealistic though it might be (they just MET, f'cryin'outloud) I hope Claire goes to the wedding with Marten.

[Near Lurker]

There's a "no shipping" rule, yeah.  It seems to operate under a narrow definition of "shipping," however, restricted to the obviously unlikely, but for that Hannelore/foo is the canonical example.  Still, I'm a little nervous even talking Marten and Claire, since we haven't really seen much evidence of an attraction between them, but no one seems to be complaining yet.

No, I don't think anyone is saying "because she's trans," more just because there's been a lot of interaction between the two of them lately.

[quix0te]

Geez, DSL, you're old!

That joke is a freaking classic.

[Redball]

TBH, I wasn't sure of the age of the joke. But Pete Seeger recorded "This Old Man" in 1953, and it was popular in a movie in 1958. So I wondered how many Questionables would have heard of it.

[riccostar]

Marten plus one ^///^ we shall not see a Dora throwing flowers though.

My hopes are for Hanners. She's just such a wonderful character and I think she'd make the arc much more enjoyable than Claire. 

[jwhouk]

I wonder if Claire would take it more as an "anthropological experience". You know, try to figure out what goes on in a gay wedding and all that - just for future reference.

And I'm betting Tai will encourage Marten to take Claire.

[quix0te]

Every now and then how much Jeph hates his focal character is kind of off-putting.  If HE isn't willing to invest in the character, why should anybody else?
Marten's either such a screw-up he didn't open a letter/card from his Dad, or he's so passive-aggressive he didn't open a letter/card from his Dad.  I don't much care for my dad, but I'd certainly do that. 
As for who he should take, well, I'd like to see Marigold.  I think she's stealth cool.  I think it would make her feel like a pretty princess (although it would stress her out as well)  I think it would be a huge mistake to take Claire as its pretty clear she likes Marten and I don't get much of a reciprocal vibe.
TBH, taking ANYBODY at this juncture would be a huge mistake.  His dad is springing for a hotel room.  Unlikely he's springing for two.  This means close quarters.  Even if there was a mutual spark of interest, it would be wrecked by too much, too soon.
An AWESOME plot I'd love to see would be if he went alone (as he should). Then, one of the aforementioned cougars locks onto Marten and he goes with it.... and it wasn't so bad for either of them.  She could validate him and be supportive from a distance, and he could have a calmer relationship at a remove. 
But that lacks the hilarious 'Marten catches a line drive to the nuts' vibe that seems to be QC.

[Method of Madness]

Marten's either such a screw-up he didn't open a letter/card from his Dad, or he's so passive-aggressive he didn't open a letter/card from his Dad.

Or maybe he was in the middle of something when he got it, put it aside, and forgot to open it later. And maybe he expected an actual invitation to follow anyway.

[K1dmor]

 Marten and Claire will go to the wedding. Marten's dad was expecting Dora to be his date, so she could be the flower girl.
 Instead, and after saying no at first, Claire will be the flower girl! 

[Kugai]

Anyone Jeph can ship, we can ship better, we can ship anyone better than Jeph.
No we can't!
Yes we can.
No we can't!
Yes we can.
No we can't!
Yes we can, yes we can, yes we caaaaaaaaaaaaan!

My opinion is that for a ship to be sunk (even by word of god) it has to have already been out of drydock and set sail, and therefore all ships are valid, even gaudy top heavy ones like the Wasa. For my own use, I mostly don't because I think shipping is ridiculous when we have planes.

"Fireing point proceedures. Make Tube One ready in all respects."

[henri bemis]

Marten's either such a screw-up he didn't open a letter/card from his Dad, or he's so passive-aggressive he didn't open a letter/card from his Dad.

Or maybe he was in the middle of something when he got it, put it aside, and forgot to open it later. And maybe he expected an actual invitation to follow anyway.

Yeah.  I just assumed Marten is a bit like me when it comes to mail - If it's not from my landlord, or otherwise potentially panic-inducing, I often just put it aside somewhere until later, and it slips my mind entirely until I remember I need it.  Which is obviously what happens at the end of 2372.  I'm only slightly better at it than at cashing paper checks in a timely fashion.

[cesariojpn]

Marten and Claire will go to the wedding. Marten's dad was expecting Dora to be his date, so she could be the flower girl.
 Instead, and after saying no at first, Claire will be the flower girl! 

And cue Veronica Vance making inappropriate remarks to Claire!!

[westrim]

*cough* Shipping is generally frowned upon here. Shipping Hanners with anybody is grounds for slow disembowelment, because it gets really creepy really soon, and we wouldn't want any of that.

I remember the days when she was getting paired with Marigold and people were screaming creepiness for all sorts of bad reasons (they aren't lesbians!, etc), so excuse me for being skeptical. She's an adult and fully capable of making her own informed decisions, even if those decisions are made in the minds of fans, Jeph, and his guest strip writers (who have happily flaunted ships that are declared nuclear).

The only bona fide creepiness I recall was REAL!Hanners and people making rapey comments, which is absolutely not okay if my calling it bona fide didn't make that clear.

"Fireing point proceedures. Make Tube One ready in all respects."

Joke's on you, I'm in an ekranoplane!

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

Anyone Jeph can ship, we can ship better, we can ship anyone better than Jeph.
No we can't!
Yes we can.
No we can't!
Yes we can.
No we can't!
Yes we can, yes we can, yes we caaaaaaaaaaaaan!

My opinion is that for a ship to be sunk (even by word of god) it has to have already been out of drydock and set sail, and therefore all ships are valid, even gaudy top heavy ones like the Wasa. For my own use, I mostly don't because I think shipping is ridiculous when we have planes.

"Firing point procedures. Make Tube One ready in all respects."

Nuclear-tipped anti-ship missile standing by.   Moderator attached to core.

Seriously.  Don't ship.  It attracts moderators, who moderate and YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE MODERATED, FOO.

[westrim]

Nuclear-tipped anti-ship missile standing by.   Moderator attached to core.

Seriously.  Don't ship.  It attracts moderators, who moderate and YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE MODERATED, FOO.

As I said (but now more directly and less jokingly) I don't ship because I think it's ridiculous (I'm perfectly fine with what Jeph sketches out for us, unless it's cruel like the Veronica visit), but I do defend all manner of speculation, since that's what we do. The strip is mostly about relationships, so allowing people to speculate about anything EXCEPT relationships is also ridiculous.

Basically, ridiculousness, relationships, and speculation are all fine by me, though I don't do some of it.

How can the moderator moderate if they were attached to the exploding missile? Regardless of their corporeal status, I do hope they practice moderation moderately.

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

Moderators are an essential part of nuclear operations.  Quit splitting hair over the rules (NO SHIPPING) and go read up on nuclear technology lest you enrage the Beltsander... for he is tired tonight.  And full of rage.  But mostly tired.

[Method of Madness]

[moderator]Speculation is fine within reason. You'll know when you're not within reason.[/moderator] (Apologies to cold for stealing his bracket thing)

[cesium133]

Nope, guess it's not Claire after all. I think Jeph may have changed his mind after jwhouk tweeted him to remind him Marten's dad lives in Florida. 

[Method of Madness]

I don't think Jeph forgot, I think he's having the wedding in Vermont because same sex marriage isn't legal in Florida. Also maybe Marten's future father-in-law is from Vermont originally? Who knows. I just hope Marten's dad can get a refund on those plane tickets.