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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

[Akima]

To me, "cot" means the little bed in which babies sleep (cf: cot deaths). Google agrees. I'm aware of its use for a simple bed, as in "three hots and a cot", but it's not how I would use the word normally.

[ZoeB]

Don't boxers meet relevant standards of decency?

That depends: 1230 and 1740

And a thought once thunk cannot be unthunk. Much as Claire would like to. Fortunately, she's really, really tired. Otherwise she might not get much sleep, trying not to speculate about.... I'm going to shut up now, again. How about them Dodgers?

[Arancaytar]

So does this qualify as UST or just regular T?

[Is it cold in here?]

In US English, across a couple of regions where I've lived, "cot" would be the folding bed substitute.

[Arancaytar]

At least Veronica didn't bust out this line when she was playing matchmaker earlier.

[GarandMarine]

I'm glad Marten wasn't "stuck in a cot or something". He's really a nice guy. Maybe I'm too cynical, but the fact that he just assumed that as the alternate arrangement was... gentlemanly? Rare. Sorry, it is rare.

Claire could do a lot worse, is all.  I mean, if... I'll shut up now.

Well... you said it for me. Saves me the trouble!

Claire's blush face in the 4th panel almost put me into a coma it was so freakin cute.

On a side note, I've always used "cot" for any form of folding framed bed. Except when speaking the dialect of English used by the US Marine Corps, in which case all places one sleeps are referred to as "the rack". I'll let you all figure out what Rack PT is on on your own.

Side Note: A field stretcher, body bag and sleeping bag combined together make an incredibly comfortable all weather sleeping environment, but it will get you some looks from one's squad mates.

[Valdís]

And a thought once thunk cannot be unthunk. Much as Claire would like to. Fortunately, she's really, really tired. Otherwise she might not get much sleep, trying not to speculate about.... I'm going to shut up now, again. How about them Dodgers?

Ah, y-yes, you gotta love.. sports? *Coughs*

Claire's blush face in the 4th panel almost put me into a coma it was so freakin cute.

She has a non-blush face?

[Madmartigan]

He could add a t-shirt to his bedtime apparel.

Or athletic shorts, which is how I sleep, sharing a room or not sharing a room.

[jwhouk]

Another awkward zone initiated.

Has someone been keeping track of this? I think the over/under was six or so.

Jeph did a nice job with the door, I thought.

But, do hotel bathroom doors usually open in or out?

They usually open out, especially in newer hotels.

To me, "cot" means the little bed in which babies sleep (cf: cot deaths). Google agrees. I'm aware of its use for a simple bed, as in "three hots and a cot", but it's not how I would use the word normally.

This is what is meant by a "cot" in a room (spoilered for size)

(click to show/hide)

Most hotels have these roll-away, fold-down beds available for travelers with more than two-to-four people.

EDIT: I'm going to consolidate these posts. I'm not a post #####.

[pwhodges]

He could add a t-shirt to his bedtime apparel.

Almost every time we've seen him in bed, he has in fact been wearing a t-shirt and boxers.  He may be intending to do the same, but just let Claire know that he would be stripping down to his underclothes rather than wearing full-on pyjamas (since pyjamas with shorts rather than long-legged bottoms seem to be commonplace these days, it's not necessarily a lot different anyway).

[Redball]

I think this is the standard definition of a cot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cot_%28PSF%29.png

That's certainly my depiction of a standard-issue U.S. Army bunk 50 years ago. When I think of cot, I see the canvas stretched on a folding wood frame.

[Ruhtrax]

Boxers are kinna too roomy ...
I have no idea how to explain it,
It somehow lacks the feeling of  "safety" than underwear ...  .

[westrim]

All this confusion confuses me. Nearly every hotel room I've been in had two beds, yet some speak like it's an aberration. Several hotel rooms I've been in had couches with fold away beds inside- I know because I was the lucky occupant. Such is travel with family. And yes it's technically chivalrous to offer to sleep on a cot instead of with a female friend you do not currently have any romance with, but that's like saying not catcalling someone walking down the street is chivalrous. It's just basic decency mixed with the remnants of patriarchy (since poor, fragile women don't get the cot while strong, manly men get the bed).

I also find the dancing around shipping more annoying than any actual shipping, especially since Jeph himself is putting so much focus on their relationship. It's only logical to speculate on whether he intends for this relationship to become a ship. To unfurl canvas. To slip out of drydock. To hit the water.

[Is it cold in here?]

In US English, across a couple of regions where I've lived, "cot" would be the folding bed substitute.

And a baby's bed would be a "crib"?

In my formative dialects, yes.

Everyone's missed how the Principle of Maximum Awkwardness could play out.

What could be worse than Claire passing out halfway through changing clothes, Marten having to tap on the door and ask whether she's all right, then have to decide whether to go in and check on her?

The only thing that could be worse would be if she woke up at that point.

[bhtooefr]

In most hotels in the US, there's a mix of rooms with one king bed, and two queen beds.

If they had been put in a room with one king bed, then a rollaway bed or similar (or the couch) would be required.

Also, damn, Claire is cute: http://jephjacques.com/post/43488595021/asdfasdfasdfasdfasdf-so-cute-asdfn-dsfgsdgjl

[Valdís]

Also, damn, Claire is cute: http://jephjacques.com/post/43488595021/asdfasdfasdfasdfasdf-so-cute-asdfn-dsfgsdgjl

Eeeee! :3

(Also: "altered-blackbird said: Sorry to point this out, but Claire’s reflection looks like she’s stepped out of the mirror." Oh Masking, thou art a fickle mistress.)

[Arancaytar]

Also, damn, Claire is cute: http://jephjacques.com/post/43488595021/asdfasdfasdfasdfasdf-so-cute-asdfn-dsfgsdgjl

...squeeee...

[K1dmor]

Also, damn, Claire is cute: http://jephjacques.com/post/43488595021/asdfasdfasdfasdfasdf-so-cute-asdfn-dsfgsdgjl

 

[Madmartigan]

All this confusion confuses me. Nearly every hotel room I've been in had two beds, yet some speak like it's an aberration. Several hotel rooms I've been in had couches with fold away beds inside- I know because I was the lucky occupant. Such is travel with family. And yes it's technically chivalrous to offer to sleep on a cot instead of with a female friend you do not currently have any romance with, but that's like saying not catcalling someone walking down the street is chivalrous. It's just basic decency mixed with the remnants of patriarchy (since poor, fragile women don't get the cot while strong, manly men get the bed).

I also find the dancing around shipping more annoying than any actual shipping, especially since Jeph himself is putting so much focus on their relationship. It's only logical to speculate on whether he intends for this relationship to become a ship. To unfurl canvas. To slip out of drydock. To hit the water.

Agreed.  The tiptoeing forcing of the Marten/Claire ship is more tiresome than actual full on shipping.  It's grating.  Then again, I'm of the opinion Marten will never entertain such thoughts and merely view Claire as a very close friend, which is better than entangling them into anything more.


All said, I miss me my Hanners cuteness on this arc.


On the subject of boxers.  I can't stand regular underwear, which I refer to as whitey-tighties.  Way to constrictive.  It's either regular boxers for every day use or boxer-briefs for working out.

[bhtooefr]

Boxer briefs FTW.

A little more freedom than tighty whities, but not so much that there's a testicular torsion risk. Because that's no laughing matter.

[TimO]

The canvas folding bed that someone posted earlier, reminds me of MASH, I don't think I've ever seen a bed like that in real life!

To me, from a UK English point-of-view, I have to support the definition that Cot equals a babies bed.  I'd call a bed that folds away a folding bed.  I've had to use one once in a hotel room many years ago, but then again, I don't care much about what I sleep on, I can sleep on the floor relatively comfortably!

Still from context, cot as a folding bed made sense in this strip.

... and yes, Claire does look cute in those pictures of Jeph's!

[bhtooefr]

Like I said before, I predict that Claire will fall for Marten, but Marten will sink the ship.

And, in en_US, a cot is a temporary bed with a (usually canvas) surface over a (usually wooden or metal) frame, designed to be collapsed for portability, and often associated with the military or camping. A rollaway is the normal name for the temporary beds used in hotels when 2 beds aren't enough, and a crib is the normal name for what a baby sleeps in (or, in Ebonics, the name for a home).

[Is it cold in here?]

Claire probably doesn't have much relationship experience.

[Valdís]

Claire probably doesn't have much relationship experience.

[Tabfan]

Sad Lain is Sad 

[Carl-E]

Claire probably doesn't have much relationship experience.

Probably not.  On the other hand, she doesn't strike me as someone who's just out to get some experience points to "level up", either. 

[Is it cold in here?]

Agreed, but it may increase vulnerability to crushes (cf. Marigold).

[HeavyP]

The amount of discussion over an offhand comment is simultaneously entertaining and weird.  Marten is American and extrapolating from that, he's familiar with American English and the common usage of the word "cot" (correctly or incorrectly) as a temporary bed, regardless of form.  I'd probably make the same statement in that situation, even being aware that a rollaway is the correct term for what you'd get in a hotel, because "cot" gets more usage (also it's like midnight and they've been drinking so I expect mental faculties aren't in full swing).

[Near Lurker]

Google agrees.

Only localized.

[cesariojpn]

Question in relation to the comic abit: A transgendered girl I met last year told me during her change, her penis doesn't have any "feeling" nor she can't get an erection anymore, and because of this, she pimps herself out as a BDSM painslut slave (her words, not mine). Am I bad to think that Claire is getting aroused down there or not given her facial expressions and her eye look?

[Near Lurker]

It probably doesn't bear thought either way.  I can read her as aroused, but if she is, it's best to leave it at that rather than go down that road.

[Merdrak]

Google agrees.

Only localized.

I'm going to assume they meant the military style one, based off the fact that they're in the U.S., and that they wouldn't be talking about a crib.    Also, it seems that this whole storyline is leaving awkward-waves behind it, but it's definitely been amusing. 

And Marten has the best response to Claire having awkward-thoughts now:  "Well, excuse me for not dropping my pants right in front of you".

[pwhodges]

The amount of discussion over an offhand comment is simultaneously entertaining and weird.  Marten is American and extrapolating from that, he's familiar with American English

So what's weird?  Many people in this forum are not American, and so discussion over the meanings of words used in the comic (or simply in discussions on the forum itself) is commonplace.  Indeed there are people here with a particular interest in language and words who relish these discussions.

[bhtooefr]

That reminds me, I should look for a military surplus cot. Those are so much nicer than the crappy ones that have the same basic design as a military cot (folds into a small, thin, rectangular package, and folds out such that rods are inserted on either end to tie it all together), but are cheap Wal-Mart grade.

[Welu]

This comic eerily reminds me of the first time my partner and I shared a bed, which happened to be in a hotel.

[mustang6172]

I highly doubt that Henry would book his own son into a cot for his wedding.

But come to think of it, I've seen plenty of hotel rooms with two separate bedrooms.
That said, I think the only unjustified assumptions about Marten or Claire are going to come from the forums.
The other wedding guests probably won't care. Or if they do, they are apparently incredibly nosy for no reason.

The REAL problems and unjustified assumptions would arise if Claire caught the bouquet...

I think when multiple bedrooms come into play, it ceases to be a hotel room and becomes a suite.

[Zebediah]

Like I said before, I predict that Claire will fall for Marten, but Marten will sink the ship.

I think, to a certain extent, Claire already has fallen for Marten. Or at least is starting to. Marten seems completely oblivious to this so far.

[Emperor Norton]

The amount of discussion over an offhand comment is simultaneously entertaining and weird.  Marten is American and extrapolating from that, he's familiar with American English

So what's weird?  Many people in this forum are not American, and so discussion over the meanings of words used in the comic (or simply in discussions on the forum itself) is commonplace.  Indeed there are people here with a particular interest in language and words who relish these discussions.

I think its more over the implication the word is WRONGLY USED that is weird. From searching using google.au to prove their usage (if they were really interested in figuring out the usage in context of the strip, why wouldn't they you know, use the general google search) saying they would have to put "support behind cot meaning baby bed" people seem to be trying their best to avoid the fact that neither matters, the meaning in the US for cot = foldaway canvas bed thing.

Now, it may be a bit of sensitivity, but I know I get tired of the "oh you silly americans and not knowing what words mean", and I'm sure that isn't what people intend here, but it really comes off that way when there is a history of arrogant Englishmen claiming you can't even speak the language.

[Ph2]

Considering the high levels of awkward thus far, I couldn't wouldn't be suprised if something unpleasant happens tommorow.

[Kugai]

I'm sure Veronica could give Marten some tips on 'Stripping To Please Your Friends'     

[Ph2]

Considering he knows Japanese Rope Binding, I'm pretty sure he already knows the tips.

[Bluesummers]

Boxer briefs FTW.

A little more freedom than tighty whities, but not so much that there's a testicular torsion risk. Because that's no laughing matter.

Geez, now I'm afraid to sleep naked...I haven't had a torsion incident since I was 16. Now you've got me all worried...
thanks, bhtooefr-Obama.

Like I said before, I predict that Claire will fall for Marten, but Marten will sink the ship.

I think, to a certain extent, Claire already has fallen for Marten. Or at least is starting to. Marten seems completely oblivious to this so far.

Marten is the epitome of oblivious. He could look in the dictionary under "Oblivious", and it would be a picture of him...only he wouldn't notice, because he's too oblivious.

[Method of Madness]

It was an unjustified assumption to book Marten and his "plus one" into the same bedroom.

Other guests will be making unjustified assumptions about Marten and Claire.

Don't boxers meet relevant standards of decency?

I'm going to assume it wasn't so much an asumption as it was cheapness.

Yeah, the unjustified assumption would be booking a room with a single bed. A single room with two beds just assumes that Marten and his guest get along, and why would he invite someone he didn't get along with?

Modified portion - Egads, I missed the second page. Well, if I repeated something someone already said then sorry, I'll go catch up now and post the results below.

Boxers are kinda too roomy ...
I have no idea how to explain it,
It somehow lacks the feeling of  "safety" than underwear ...  .

Oh god, I had to wear non-boxer underpants for a few days (that fit otherwise) a few months ago when the airline lost my bag and...what you call safety, I call imprisonment

Boxer briefs FTW.

Fuck no, I think those were the types I wore, since they were called boxers on the lying packaging. They had the disadvantages of both boxers and briefs. (Then again, this was in Israel, where if you ask for an "iced coffee" they give you a blended milk and coffee thing rather than just...ice and coffee, as the words imply. I found out the day before I left that I was supposed to ask for a "cold Americano" to get what I wanted. Kind of frustrating.)

[celticgeek]

Well, Claire does look very pretty.  And, yes, Marten should probably wear pants. 

[Method of Madness]

And, yes, Marten should probably wear pants.

This ain't the Ritz.

[celticgeek]

Also, Marten has gone pantsless before.

[Bluesummers]

ズボンなし!!

I can't wait for Panel 4 to become a QC Captions frame. Aww yeah.

[Tabfan]

Question in relation to the comic abit: A transgendered girl I met last year told me during her change, her penis doesn't have any "feeling" nor she can't get an erection anymore, and because of this, she pimps herself out as a BDSM painslut slave (her words, not mine). Am I bad to think that Claire is getting aroused down there or not given her facial expressions and her eye look?

Kinda hard to say, since we don't know for certain whether she's pre-op or post-op.  Though I imagine if Claire and Marten end up going to Makeout Town, we'll soon find out.

[helloandgoodbye]

CLAIRE'S SHOULDER FRECKLES

[Is it cold in here?]

Well-calibrated choice, Claire! It's nice enough to be respectful at an allegedly casual gathering, and not so fancy as to be showing off.