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Now departing the USS MartenClaire *bell rings*

122 (56.7%)

Jephizba trolls us all, hallowed be the trollmaster's name.

32 (14.9%)

Spatheham and Clairemom Pancakes

7 (3.3%)

A solid week of Steve eating cereal

9 (4.2%)

Martenmom and Clairemom team up and fight crime/meddle in their children's personal lives

45 (20.9%)

Total Members Voted: 195

Voting closed: 09 Oct 2014, 22:04

[Orkboy]

Oh god I giggled like an idiot at that last panel.

Go Marten, you surprisingly smooth bastard!

But is he Calrissian smooth?

[ankhtahr]

Ah, I had misunderstood you. Well, if you're a night person, I guess you're not supposed to work in shops then?

[Method of Madness]

Well where else are you supposed to work? Nothing's open that late!

[hedgie]

Oh god I giggled like an idiot at that last panel.

Go Marten, you surprisingly smooth bastard!

But is he Calrissian smooth?

He's more likely to be about as smooth as high-grit sandpaper.  Or Claire might have an anxiety attack.  Or they may have a day off, and decide to get rather "friendly", and are interrupted with Faye having a crisis, or Pintsize… well, just being himself.

[Thedrd0nna]

I hate to be that gal, but...does it look like Marten's going for a handshake? Maybe a "well done on not taking advantage of a drunk" handshake?

[Method of Madness]

Not really, no.

[samuraisc]

I almost loudly exclaimed "YEESSSS!" before I realized everyone else in the house is asleep right now. I quickly shifted gears and let out a low "yeeeeeessss" and creeped myself out. Either way, there is a whole lot of "YES" in today's strip.

[Method of Madness]

THE LITTLE HATS

[hedgie]

Yesssss.  The haaaats.

[CUBErt]

I hate to be that gal, but...does it look like Marten's going for a handshake? Maybe a "well done on not taking advantage of a drunk" handshake?

Not in the slightest.

[samuraisc]

THE LITTLE HATS

CRAP I USED TO HAVE A LITTLE HAT SOMEWHERE IN MY ROOM I COULD'VE TOTALLY DEFUSED MY OWN CREEPINESS WITH REFERENTIAL HUMOR

My life is a series of mostly inconsequential missed opportunities.

[LocoJoe]

That was the first time that I loudly squeeeeeeeee'd in a very long time.

I needed that. Thanks, Jeph.

[Method of Madness]

THE LITTLE HATS

CRAP I USED TO HAVE A LITTLE HAT SOMEWHERE IN MY ROOM I COULD'VE TOTALLY DEFUSED MY OWN CREEPINESS WITH REFERENTIAL HUMOR

My life is a series of mostly inconsequential missed opportunities.

Anything little you can balance on your head can be a LITTLE HAT, YESSSSSSSSS

[samuraisc]

THE LITTLE HATS

CRAP I USED TO HAVE A LITTLE HAT SOMEWHERE IN MY ROOM I COULD'VE TOTALLY DEFUSED MY OWN CREEPINESS WITH REFERENTIAL HUMOR

My life is a series of mostly inconsequential missed opportunities.

Anything little you can balance on your head can be a LITTLE HAT, YESSSSSSSSS

Attempted with nearest cat. Got the mean one. It ended predictably.

[Method of Madness]

Had to temporarily move a few posts.

[DrBear]

Let's see - first Momo and Dale make pancakes for Marigold, and ....

Now - Clairemom makes pancakes for Marten and ...

PANCAKES - IS THERE ANYTHING THEY CAN'T DO?

/i want Jeph's recipe for pancakes.
//so does my wife
///or ... is it the syrup?

[T]

Isn't Jeph Canadian? Them authentic maple syrup is the answer!

[Method of Madness]

According to the wiki, he was born in Maryland and he now lives in Massachusetts.

[T]

So we are back to the recipe.

[Method of Madness]

Recipe?

[RyanW1019]

Pretty sure T is referencing this post:

Let's see - first Momo and Dale make pancakes for Marigold, and ....

Now - Clairemom makes pancakes for Marten and ...

PANCAKES - IS THERE ANYTHING THEY CAN'T DO?

/i want Jeph's recipe for pancakes.
//so does my wife
///or ... is it the syrup?

[Method of Madness]

Oh.

[Toe]

Lotsa people obviously ready to ship this, but I don't know if Claire's ready for this just yet. I'm guessing her relationship experience is approximately zero, which is enough fuel itself to be in freakout mode. And then you have the, ah, Claire-specific reasons she might freak out, and, well, I could definitely see her pushing Marten away. For now, at least...

He also knows that Claire is definitely at risk emotionally right now, and as her friend he wants her to be happy. So he's making his advances politely and openly, trying to make sure there's as little risk of causing a Claire freakout as possible.

Other than doing all of this with her mom present...

The last time we had a character reach for another's hand like that, it (eventually) ended badly...

Amusingly, Jeph's skill in drawing hands seems to have gotten worse since that time. At least Faye had fingernails....

[GarandMarine]

You don't have finger nails on your palm. Martenfriend's right hand is reaching for Claire's left.

[Toe]

You don't have finger nails on your palm. Martenfriend's right hand is reaching for Claire's left.

Uhhh, if that's Claire's left hand in the last frame, either her palm is up and her fingers bend back like a mofo (wouldn't be the first time we've seen joints that bend the wrong way...), or her palm is down and she doesn't have a left thumb.

[Thedrd0nna]

Seriously, if the next comic isn't just Marten saying, "Let's do this," then kissing her so hard the windows and doors blow out, I'm gonna be pretty disappointed.

[Kugai]

*Cue swelling music*

[Indicible]

Or, Marten is simply taking her hand before telling her she is a nice and important person and that he would be happy to consider himself a friend of hers.
(Glad to see I am not the only one with that kind of drama in my life right now...)

[hakko504]

In all seriousness, I like that Marten is taking the emotional lead here. Clearly Claire is freaking out, and we know that she has issues with anxiety. Marten seems to be placing his focus on reassuring Claire/keeping her calm. Definitely an aww moment for me, taking her hand when he sees her panicking is such a powerful gesture. Regardless of which way this is going, Marten definitely appears to be aware that Claire is very vulnerable right now and wants to make sure that he doesn't do anything to hurt her.

Can you smell the character growth? Because I can!

Claire is going to be the one who has issues with this - she'll say it's a professional issue, but it will have more to do with her own self doubt. 

Agreed. But I think that Marten will shoot down the professional issue by saying he doesn't care and with Tai as their superior it doesn't really matter (not to mention the research librarians who like to tell workers that they are janitors).

The comic hasn't even been up for an hour, and all my thoughts have been ninja'd. CURSE ALL OF YOU.
Also, all the squeeing must be causing dogs to have a the biggest freakout ever. Holy crap.

I agree, that's the problem with not accessing a computer/smartphone until 7am CE(S)T when everybody read the strip 3-4 hours ago.

Anyway, I agree with Ryan. Claire is freaking out and Martens way of handling it seems to be the best way forward. I'm guessing he'll say something like "I liked what happened last night, and if you want, we can continue where we left off as soon as you feel you're ready for it". He'll probably use a lot more words, or even a whole dictionary, and hopefully it will end in a big (and not very chaste) hug.

All the stores are closed, it's 03:34 in the morning

Does Germany not have 7-11?

Well, AFAIK, most 7-11 in Europe are actually open, you know, from 7-ish in the morning until like 11 in the evening*.


*Yes, there are exceptions, especially those affiliated with gas stations near major roads which often are open 24h.

[iandanger]

We *have* been waiting for the eating cereal troll post for awhile, it wouldn't surprise me to see something like that any time now

[Capon]

No 7-11 in Germany afaik. No stores which are open at night in general. Worker protection laws and everything.

Gah, I remember staying overnight in a small township near Saarbrucken when I got the major case of the munchies. Biked around everywhere at 2 AM and completely horrified there were no 7/11s or Tim Hortons-style all-night diners. I live in a university town, where there are as many night marts as churches.

[BenRG]

Well it looks positive. I don't want to be a downer, however this could go bad, depending on Claire's reaction. She could:

• Jump away like a scalded cat;
• Burst into tears, say it can't happen and then beg Martin to leave;
• Smile gratefully and then launch into the "we're better as friends" speech;
• Claire shakes her head and says: "I'm not ready".

That said, it's nice that Marten is trying to reassure her. I'm thinking that Marten is going to suggest dating to see if there is more than physical attraction. Claire will agree, they'll start to make out and that is when pre- coffee Clinton staggers past and has to come back for a second look before he absorbs enough even to do a double-take! Mrs A will stop him acting out but I think she will have a list of reasonable rules for the house.

Long-term, who knows? I do expect Claire to blush whenever she says "boyfriend" for a while, if she takes the plunge!

The point is that Marten has decided, one way or the other. The ball is very much in Claire's court.

[TuRmz]

I know many people are expecting Marten to initiate here, but for some reason I can't help feeling that he considers Claire a close friend more than a potential girlfriend

I fear that he may be coming over to apologize or otherwise defuse a dangerous situation he thinks that he put himself into with a good friend

There was just no hint of a more-than-friendly emotional lead-up on Martens side of the situation, only a rushed very drunken lead-up

ohgodihopeimwrong

[Honkytonk]

I reckon Claire's head will explode.

RIP Claire

[BenRG]

I think that Marten recognises that there is a mutual attraction. The question is how he wishes to address it. After all, he wasn't that drunk! He remembered it clearly. He is also being very tender, which isn't typical for him. If he wanted to let her down , I'd actually expect him to be more nervous!

[Is it cold in here?]

Welcome, new person!

I doubt that even Marten and Claire know what they're feeling.

[Lubricus]

Really? It looks to me like Marten has made up his mind for once.

[ysth]

Now Claire's Mom's strategy is clear; she had to get Marten eating before calling Claire down because she knew he'd have no chance to after.

[TuRmz]

I don't know. I guess the main thing that is throwing me off is that if this is really happening then Marten is in the midst of making an important adult decision about his relationship with Claire and DOESN'T SEEM FREAKED OUT OR HESITANT AT ALL

The QC universe might implode

And thank you for the welcome!

[anahata]

I'm not sure that Marten has made up his mind, other that that he wants to clear the air about last night. The beauty of the hand-holding gesture is that it could go either way from that point onwards, but it means that whatever is going to be said or done is going to be honest.

Seriously, if the next comic isn't just Marten saying, "Let's do this," then kissing her so hard the windows and doors blow out, I'm gonna be pretty disappointed.

That might happen, but it's very important for Claire that Marten gives her the chance to back out if she wants to, or else it'll be like last night again. They need to talk first.

[Dazhbug]

To be perfectly frank, no matter which way things go I just have to be quietly happy at the level of openness and maturity Marten's using here. No silliness, just openly and clearly dealing with/progressing the situation. Hats off for the character writing here, Jeph.

(Yep, registered to post this. Back to lurking!)

[ElsaStegosaurus]

Marten may be a cool, collected customer for once in his life (and frankly his extreme zen is starting to damage my own calm), but I can see Claire possibly pulling away and/or freakin' out.  Stupid anxiety.

[Lubricus]

I don't know. I guess the main thing that is throwing me off is that if this is really happening then Marten is in the midst of making an important adult decision about his relationship with Claire and DOESN'T SEEM FREAKED OUT OR HESITANT AT ALL

The QC universe might implode

And thank you for the welcome!

Maybe each scene has a maximum total of freakoutness, and Claire has used it all up, leaving Marten without any freakoutness left?

[NilsO]

Well it looks positive. I don't want to be a downer, however this could go bad, depending on Claire's reaction. She could:

• Jump away like a scalded cat;
• Burst into tears, say it can't happen and then beg Martin to leave;
• Smile gratefully and then launch into the "we're better as friends" speech;
• Claire shakes her head and says: "I'm not ready".

Excellent analysis for us non-shippers. I guess Marten is just trying to calm Claire down. Marten is happy just to be a good friend, and perhaps a regular back-scratcher.

Besides, imagine what would happen at the library if they hook up? Fast forward about 30 years, and we have a repeat of this scene.

[Tub]

Hi everyone.

So... who's this Jeph guy, and why does he keep breaking the no shipping rule without consequences? Don't we have mods to handle such behaviour?

Instead of squeeing, let me just address a few questions about stores in germany. I'm sure marten and claire will work out their issues just fine without us.

No 7-11 in Germany afaik. No stores which are open at night in general. Worker protection laws and everything.

There are exceptions to the protection laws of course: hospital staff, night guards, gas stations, .. and gas stations are allowed to sell snacks and other packaged food. It's quite pricey (so avoid when possible), but if you're ever in germany, at night, and you're hungry: find a gas station on a busy road.

Cities can grant special exceptions to opening hours, either for festivities or even permanent exceptions. I was stuck at cologne main station one night (missed the last train around 1 am, had to wait until 5 am for the next). I tried to stay at McDonalds, but they closed around 3 and re-opened at 5. I guess someone was really insistent on not allowing 24/7, but it's still the longest opening hours I've ever seen.

In some ways, that seems good, but what about workers who are night people? I guess they're right fucked, eh?

Ahh, sleeping at day, the luxuries of the single student days..
As part of growing up, one is expected to become a day person, I think. For me, it took some getting used to, but it worked. I still hate mornings, but I hate those anyway - no matter if they're at 7 am or 7 pm. If I eventually want to have a family (and I do), there's no way to stay a night person, anyway..

Nobody needs to work a day job AND a night job. Worker protection laws actually forbid anyone from working more than 10h per day (except in very special emergency situations), because if you don't have a proper recreational phase between shifts, both your health and your work performance suffer.

There are still night jobs, but usually organized as shift-work, with specific rules in place that one must not work more than X night shifts in a row. No, a worker cannot voluntarily forfeit those protections, because otherwise companies would apply pressure to workers to "voluntarily" do so.

So if you really really want to sleep all day and work all night, and you just cannot afford to stay at university until you're 65: get self-employed.

[Lubricus]

GAH! The weekend went well enough - I didn't have much trouble waiting for monday's strip. But now? It's agony having to wait for tomorrow's fix! THE PAIN! 

[BrusselSprouts]

Can I just express how wonderful it is to see Marten so at ease and relaxed about this? He's had some really shitty luck romance wise, and it's so good to see such a natural, healthy progression with him and Claire. Happy Marten is the best Marten.

also: Squee

[Lubricus]

You certainly can. I'm worried that Claire's reaction to all this might not be quite as healthy and level-headed. We'll see.

[snubnose]

I hate to be that gal, but...does it look like Marten's going for a handshake? Maybe a "well done on not taking advantage of a drunk" handshake?

Uh, no ?

He accepted an invite for breakfast.

As a dude, I definitely wouldnt do that, unless I'm actually interested into the girl.

Seriously, if the next comic isn't just Marten saying, "Let's do this," then kissing her so hard the windows and doors blow out, I'm gonna be pretty disappointed.

Since when are you supposed to kiss HARD ? 

Well, AFAIK, most 7-11 in Europe are actually open, you know, from 7-ish in the morning until like 11 in the evening*.

Cant speak about other countries, but here in germany the shops open around 9 and close about 7 in the evening.

[Saral]

I feel that the necessary caution has forced Marten to take the lead, and be comfortable to set the pace he's comfortable with. Now he's trying to move ahead in the relationship. Still this is only one step forward.