Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

The denouement of Faye & Bubbles' first time

17 (32.7%)

Guest Strips!

0 (0%)

It's a Big Deal (Reaction to Faybles)

1 (1.9%)

Bubbles uses Psych Warfare on Pintsize

6 (11.5%)

Emily ponders mating practices of Dinosaurs

2 (3.8%)

Anthony Jones and Pintsize's group therapy

0 (0%)

"It's YOU who is the dork about it!"

1 (1.9%)

"Screaming Internally" face

2 (3.8%)

Brun, Clinton, Elliott doing the foot-in-mouth tango

3 (5.8%)

Roko: "You have soda bread?"

3 (5.8%)

Clinton explains about his father

0 (0%)

Bubbles gets a makeover!

0 (0%)

"Don't ever get romantically involved with a business partner."

0 (0%)

Swordsmary Stabitha gets a spray!

2 (3.8%)

Permanent Sex Hair

3 (5.8%)

Samantha vs. a Dremel

1 (1.9%)

"She's being brave, you twit." (with disappearing glasses!)

3 (5.8%)

Under the Sea with Hanners and Winslow!

4 (7.7%)

Claire's exam anxiety and Pintsize

2 (3.8%)

Pintsize gives Marten a clue-by-dildo upside the head!

2 (3.8%)

Total Members Voted: 49

[Penquin47]

But Claire, plasma donation saves lives AND gives him that initial funding to open the savings account!  Plus money to put into it on an ongoing basis if he so chooses!

[OldGoat]

Does Claire know about Marty's history with savings accounts and sexy guitars?

Pintsize, you're a pervert and so are your acquaintances.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

... I have a script where I can search for a QC comic by the names of the characters in it.

And you deserve fulsome praise. You have immeasurably enhanced my archive-fu.

[Tova]

Plasma donation is a really good thing to do, and you can donate more often than you can donate red blood cells. But I don't see how donating blood plasma makes you any money. Unless...

*googles*

Silly me.

[bhtooefr]

Does Claire know about Marty's history with savings accounts and sexy guitars?

Yes, and she's mocked him for it: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2431

[Tova]

So, uh, what happens if Claire gets her big break and it involves moving interstate?

[bhtooefr]

...that has so much synchronicity with major QC plotlines, that I now suspect it will happen.

(Namely, Marten following Vicky to Massachusetts, and Faye NOT following Angus to NYC.)

[Undrneath]

Does Claire know about Marty's history with savings accounts and sexy guitars?

Yes, and she's mocked him for it: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2431

More like she was mid mock before Clinton went all Clinton on her.

[zechstyr]

A little late to this, but I'll stick my nose in.

I've got Marten's job, basically.  I'm a library paraprofessional at an academic library.  I got my foot in the door because I was working on a degree related to the academic library's mission and had previous experience at a bookstore and as a student worker at another branch.  I've been employed there for 5 years now.

My job is a somewhat cushy, low-key one but someone in Claire's position would not want it.  They might even be offended if they were offered it.  How do I know?  Because I'm now going to school for an MLIS and have talked about this quite a bit with the head of the Reference department.  If I got my degree now I'd have a major advantage (MLIS and a Masters in a STEM discipline) and could legitimately request 2-3x my current pay as an entry level librarian.  If I didn't have that STEM degree it'd be more like 2-2.5.  I would not ever be considered for a librarian position without my MLIS, even for the super-specialized library I help run.  Librarians are protective about their degrees.

As per salary.com a Library Assistant makes 42.7K, which I find deeply, darkly amusing.  The median for a normal Librarian is 62.5K.

I found the jealousy for Marten's job to be... interesting.  Claire should, upon graduation, be able to find librarian jobs at a public library fairly easily (there are a decent amount out there based on the listservs I've joined).  A position at an academic library is a horse of another color, but Marten wouldn't be at all the hindrance to Claire in this scenario... her problem would be the 75+ year old reference librarians that haven't retired yet.

[BenRG]

To me, today's strip reminds us of Marten's neuroses and sense of inadequacy in many areas. I don't think that he believes that he can get another job particularly easily, if at all (only getting the library job by luck probably doesn't help here). So, on a certain level, his brain isn't wired to think about finding his 'dream job' is possible or even plausible.

Poor Claire, though! She's learning the hard way that being a supportive girlfriend with a personality like Marten involves walking him through the steps sometimes!

That aside, am I the only one who thinks that Barry is going to turn out (a la Jimbo) to be someone important? I'm thinking that he's a researcher into reproductive genetics and that he's just very hands on in getting his samples!

[SeattleCrochetWoman]

I'm going to be surprised if this arc leads to Marten doing anything new to change his work/career path. Marten has always been pretty much been the anti-ambitious, non-career-focussed, no-ladder climbing dude who tends to go where the winds blow since the beginning of the comic. The opposite of Claire, pretty much. He may occasionally realize that drifting where the work/career winds blow means he's at the mercy of those winds, but I think it's going to take him actually being booted out of his present job (again!) for him to really do something about it. Or perhaps some extra nagging from Claire - if Marten drags his feet after that, there's some potential for conflict between them.

I think that'd be shitty. I mean I get not liking your partner lacking ambition but this is the man she chose to date. If he likes his job and doesn't want to quit for something else, that's valid too. He pays rent, he's a good boyfriend and friend. He does purse his music with the band even if it's not for acclaim. Marten leads a good life and while having goals is important, I don't think this is a giant flaw. 

Encouraging him is great but nagging wouldn't be.

Yes, this. I’ve been thinking this right along.

[Eternal_Newbie]

So, uh, what happens if Claire gets her big break and it involves moving interstate?

That's been something I've been wondering for a while. When you are a librarian you go where the work is, even when it's halfway across the country.

[BenRG]

I'm wondering if we're going to have an odd arc following on to this.

I'm expecting Claire to decide that Marten needs motivation but her experiences with Clinton suggest that her usual methods are probably wrong on some level. So, she goes to Dora who, as an ex, ought to have some suggestions. Dora admits that she never had any handle on Marten in a constructive way but refers Claire to Tai who, much to Claire's surprise, knows lots of constructive motivational tricks for Marten (as his boss, she needed to work out where those buttons were).

Meanwhile, Marten is smart enough to know that he's not responding in the way Claire expects. At work, he asks Tai's advice and she tells him that goal-seeking is something she's only done in relationships, not careers, so she's not the best font of advice. She suggests he talk to Dora who, as an entrepreneurial businessperson, ought to be a subject-matter expert.

Basically, we have a long arc, probably mixed through Fayebles and Brintoliot arcs running for several hundred strips. The arc is basically Dora mentoring Marten on finding his dream career track (with plenty of humourous missteps) and Tai trying to teach Claire how to motivate her boyfriend in a way that isn't nagging or manipulative. The end of this? Well, I'm not sure but Strip 3749 made me realise that Dora/Tai and Marten/Claire have somehow developed into bizarre reflections of each other (the neurotic sensible one and the excitable shipper). I've just can't help but wonder what will happen if all four of them suddenly realise this; maybe a weird strip when, briefly, Marten and Dora realise that they confused Tai and Claire (maybe Claire borrowed Tai's phone and the two of them didn't realise it was Claire with whom they were interacting) and the girls admit that they confused Marten and Dora for a moment too (because, from a distance, it really is difficult to tell the two of them apart).

The above is really a bit of stream-of-consciousness on my part; I'm sure with time I'd be able to make it sound a bit more coherent but, as of now, it's just a summary of my feeling of where this may go.

[Jakk Frost]

I get that it's to keep the comic PG and all, but ladies, if you sit up in bed while having a discussion with your significant other, do you really feel the need to cover your boobs with the sheet the way this comic depicts, and the way all TV shows seem to depict?

Sadly the advertisers demand it.  Adult situations, profanity, and violence will slide, but no nudity no matter how tasteful. 

Things were getting heavy since I last visited.  Glad there’s still a message board to return to.

Yeah, like I said, I get why it's that way in the comic, that much is obvious.  I was just wondering if women really did it that often in real life?

[Zebediah]

In my experience, no, not often. Usually once you get naked together they are happy to stay that way. Sometimes, however, they have body image issues and need some extra reassurance that yes, you really do want to see their naked body and aren’t turned off by it.

[War Sparrow]

Depends on how cold it is.

[ianrbuck]

I can relate to Claire's assessment of how lucky Marten is to have gotten his job. I graduated with a Computer Science degree, and before I even got around to looking for a job my mom found out that the high school she works at needed to hire a Computer Tech teacher. Normally I'd be totally unqualified, but at the time in Minnesota there was no way for anyone to get a license to teach Computer Tech. The school was so desperate that my "interview" consisted of the Principal immediately showing me the classroom and asking, "do you think you can work with this?"
And now here I am, starting my fourth year of teaching.

[jeph]

Personally, I've got the feeling Claire is overreacting a bit, but that's on par with her current stats of mind.
Marten didn't have a friend in the building at the time, he just reacted to a job posting in a newspaper, and found the iambic pentameter, that's about all he did. Of course Claire is a bit, well probably both jealous and annoyed, to a good extent rightly so. I would consider it funny if Tai quit for whatever reason and Claire got her position.
Also, I wouldn't call Marten getting that job "privilege", it's just sheer luck. And given Claire being Trans everything probably feels like an uphill battle, even if it didn't have to be, and that adds to the whole situation. Fighting all those battles probably brought her to a better position than taking the easy route, but you're allowed a breather every now and then.

Even though she has the qualifications on paper, I would not recommend her to replace tai. She is ill suited for management role. I know her life has been rough, but when you are a manager you have to be fair, regardless of your battles.

I never said it was a good idea. Might still work out since Marten probably would stand up to her and correct her ways. But that's something we'll probably never see anyway. Maybe she'll take a position in a NY theater library and run into Angus regularly. that's something I consider as probable as my previous idea.

This is a chance for her to grow as a person.  As it stands,  she is barely tolerable.  She is manipulative,  treats her Trans like a disability,  and rolls with a chip on her shoulder.

All of the attributes which make a terrible boss.  Or a perfect boss who is a tyrant

holy shit this is a bad post. you should be ashamed of yourself

[pwhodges]

(A formal warning was issued at the time of that post)

[Jeemy]

Aaaandd..This is why I stopped coming here. I lurk, same as I did for the last 10 years.

When I popped my head above the parapet to try and discuss a topic relevant to my heart and feelings, my feelings were shot down for being unprogressive.

I was told by a forum member here, if I remember correctly, he/she would "like to take a shit on my life".

Its always been a problem for authors that their readers like to imprint their own fallacies and fantasies on the author's work.

Whether or not your work is meant to inspire discussion, the wrong kind of discussion is just, well, wrong.

I don't even think the main culprits got the blame.

I said my piece ages ago, but it was edited away from the justice-fare this place has become. Apologies to all those who just wished to enjoy a comic.

Maybe don't take something that has happened in a COMIC and put the character's traits onto one of your own bugbears.

Or maybe don't take something that has happened in a COMIC and extrapolate it out into a tenous connection from your own life, then argue about it.

Jeez people, just enjoy a COMIC. Its 1m per day to read. Does it really bear 24 hours per day of introspection and breaking down?

[bovinity]

A little late to this, but I'll stick my nose in.

I've got Marten's job, basically.  I'm a library paraprofessional at an academic library.  I got my foot in the door because I was working on a degree related to the academic library's mission and had previous experience at a bookstore and as a student worker at another branch.  I've been employed there for 5 years now.

My job is a somewhat cushy, low-key one but someone in Claire's position would not want it.  They might even be offended if they were offered it.  How do I know?  Because I'm now going to school for an MLIS and have talked about this quite a bit with the head of the Reference department.  If I got my degree now I'd have a major advantage (MLIS and a Masters in a STEM discipline) and could legitimately request 2-3x my current pay as an entry level librarian.  If I didn't have that STEM degree it'd be more like 2-2.5.  I would not ever be considered for a librarian position without my MLIS, even for the super-specialized library I help run.  Librarians are protective about their degrees.

As per salary.com a Library Assistant makes 42.7K, which I find deeply, darkly amusing.  The median for a normal Librarian is 62.5K.

I found the jealousy for Marten's job to be... interesting.  Claire should, upon graduation, be able to find librarian jobs at a public library fairly easily (there are a decent amount out there based on the listservs I've joined).  A position at an academic library is a horse of another color, but Marten wouldn't be at all the hindrance to Claire in this scenario... her problem would be the 75+ year old reference librarians that haven't retired yet.

Yeah, over in this neck of the woods a Library Assistant makes about 22k/year. We go through them like crazy sometimes because it's literally on the same level as any other "starter job" and there's no real advancement possible unless you're REALLY committed to the field and go get the applicable degrees. You can't just "work your way up" because there is no "up" from shelving books. The only qualifications are being physically able to move a book cart and knowing the alphabet for the most part.

Even in the current job market, someone with library science related degrees wouldn't even want that position, it'd only look poor on a resume. (Source: Interviewers telling me exactly that when seeing it on my resume. )

[War Sparrow]

Honestly, that sounds kind of great. Untenable for me due to location restraints, but a girl can dream.

[Is it cold in here?]

I can relate to Claire's assessment of how lucky Marten is to have gotten his job. I graduated with a Computer Science degree, and before I even got around to looking for a job my mom found out that the high school she works at needed to hire a Computer Tech teacher. Normally I'd be totally unqualified, but at the time in Minnesota there was no way for anyone to get a license to teach Computer Tech. The school was so desperate that my "interview" consisted of the Principal immediately showing me the classroom and asking, "do you think you can work with this?"
And now here I am, starting my fourth year of teaching.

Welcome, new person!

You didn't even need to recognize iambic pentameter?

[Is it cold in here?]

I was told by a forum member here, if I remember correctly, he/she would "like to take a shit on my life".

Global Moderator Comment

Everyone, please hit Report to Moderator if you get abuse like that.

[Thrillho]

Say what you want about our mods being over enthusiastic but we absolutely would not tolerate anybody telling you the want to take a shit on their life.

Unless Jeph said it, since he owns the place.

[jwhouk]

End of the Month! What's been the highlight of the summer so far?

The denouement of Faye & Bubbles' first time   17   (34%)
Bubbles uses Psych Warfare on Pintsize   6   (12%)
Brun, Clinton, Elliott doing the foot-in-mouth tango   3   (6%)
Roko: "You have soda bread?"   3   (6%)
Permanent Sex Hair   3   (6%)
"She's being brave, you twit." (with disappearing glasses!)   3   (6%)
Under the Sea with Hanners and Winslow!   3   (6%)
Emily ponders mating practices of Dinosaurs   2   (4%)
"Screaming Internally" face   2   (4%)
Swordsmary Stabitha gets a spray!   2   (4%)
Pintsize gives Marten a clue-by-dildo upside the head!   2   (4%)
It's a Big Deal (Reaction to Faybles)   1   (2%)
"It's YOU who is the dork about it!"   1   (2%)
Samantha vs. a Dremel   1   (2%)
Claire's exam anxiety and Pintsize   1   (2%)

Total Members Voted: 50

[Case]

Aaaandd..This is why I stopped coming here. I lurk, same as I did for the last 10 years.

When I popped my head above the parapet to try and discuss a topic relevant to my heart and feelings, my feelings were shot down for being unprogressive?

<stuff>

Maybe next time you want to be accepted into a community, you don't compare them to the Hitler-youth.

[zechstyr]

A little late to this, but I'll stick my nose in.

I've got Marten's job, basically.  I'm a library paraprofessional at an academic library.  I got my foot in the door because I was working on a degree related to the academic library's mission and had previous experience at a bookstore and as a student worker at another branch.  I've been employed there for 5 years now.

My job is a somewhat cushy, low-key one but someone in Claire's position would not want it.  They might even be offended if they were offered it.  How do I know?  Because I'm now going to school for an MLIS and have talked about this quite a bit with the head of the Reference department.  If I got my degree now I'd have a major advantage (MLIS and a Masters in a STEM discipline) and could legitimately request 2-3x my current pay as an entry level librarian.  If I didn't have that STEM degree it'd be more like 2-2.5.  I would not ever be considered for a librarian position without my MLIS, even for the super-specialized library I help run.  Librarians are protective about their degrees.

As per salary.com a Library Assistant makes 42.7K, which I find deeply, darkly amusing.  The median for a normal Librarian is 62.5K.

I found the jealousy for Marten's job to be... interesting.  Claire should, upon graduation, be able to find librarian jobs at a public library fairly easily (there are a decent amount out there based on the listservs I've joined).  A position at an academic library is a horse of another color, but Marten wouldn't be at all the hindrance to Claire in this scenario... her problem would be the 75+ year old reference librarians that haven't retired yet.

Yeah, over in this neck of the woods a Library Assistant makes about 22k/year. We go through them like crazy sometimes because it's literally on the same level as any other "starter job" and there's no real advancement possible unless you're REALLY committed to the field and go get the applicable degrees. You can't just "work your way up" because there is no "up" from shelving books. The only qualifications are being physically able to move a book cart and knowing the alphabet for the most part.

Even in the current job market, someone with library science related degrees wouldn't even want that position, it'd only look poor on a resume. (Source: Interviewers telling me exactly that when seeing it on my resume. )

Sounds about right, good insight!  Come to think of it saying that I have Marten's job is a bit false:  I actually do a hell of a lot more than just stack books.  That's because my boss is actively encouraging my development and I know the subject matter so well.  I'm more or less a mini-librarian, I just lack the degree to get the pay and title.  I do reference work, weeding, collection development, handle large scientific donations, make and edit libguides, etc.- of course all with my boss's supervision, but it's a ton of latitude for a paraprofessional.  Even then someone with a degree wouldn't want my actual position... I know as soon as I get mine I'm jumping right to a higher one, no looking back.

[anahata]

we absolutely would not tolerate anybody telling you the want to take a shit on their life.

Unless Jeph said it, since he owns the place.

In this case it was Jeph.

Let's not forget that this forum is not a public service - it's Jeph's private territory and none of us is entitled to anything while we're here.

[Thrillho]

we absolutely would not tolerate anybody telling you the want to take a shit on their life.

Unless Jeph said it, since he owns the place.

In this case it was Jeph.

Let's not forget that this forum is not a public service - it's Jeph's private territory and none of us is entitled to anything while we're here.

Ha! I did wonder. Didn't search.

[Tova]

Jeez people, just enjoy a COMIC. Its 1m per day to read. Does it really bear 24 hours per day of introspection and breaking down?

Maybe this comic discussion forum isn't for you.

[Jeemy]

we absolutely would not tolerate anybody telling you the want to take a shit on their life.

Unless Jeph said it, since he owns the place.

In this case it was Jeph.

Let's not forget that this forum is not a public service - it's Jeph's private territory and none of us is entitled to anything while we're here.

Ha! I did wonder. Didn't search.

No, it wasn't Jeph!! Way to spread misinformation to prove your agenda. Point proven.

Jeez people, just enjoy a COMIC. Its 1m per day to read. Does it really bear 24 hours per day of introspection and breaking down?

Maybe this comic discussion forum isn't for you.

It certainly isn't.

[pwhodges]

No, it wasn't Jeph!! Way to spread misinformation to prove your agenda. Point proven.

What point?  You could just tell us when this happened, if it still matters to you.

It certainly isn't.

You've said so before, but you're still here saying it again.  Why?  If you want us to put something right that you think is wrong, then help us by explaining; then perhaps you'd feel able to stay after all.

[NemesisDancer]

Reading the posts in this thread about library jobs and wishing it was that easy to get one here in the UK (and, indeed, that they paid quite so well). Libraries here are government-funded and due to the government insisting on giving as little money to local councils as possible, it's near-impossible to become a librarian/library assistant here (unless you want to be on a zero-hours contract as a relief librarian and get maybe four hours of actual library work per month if you're lucky) as most libraries are severely underfunded or even closing down altogether.

Academic libraries are still an option, but even then you're competing against hundreds of other applicants, and in both cases knowing the right people and having people skills are more important than knowing about books, IT systems, and libraries themselves. As a failed prospective librarian myself I can relate to Claire's feelings a lot in the current arc (incidentally I've ended up working in music now instead, thus rendering my English Literature degree useless) - and I disagree with the notion that Claire would turn her nose up at a Library Assistant job, given how hard these jobs are to get even if you have work experience and/or the right qualifications.

[jeph]

if you don't like the comic discussion forum you could just, not post here

[TheEvilDog]

Common sense on the interwebs?

Its madness, madness I tells ya! Madness!

[Pilchard123]

No, that's Jeph. Madness posted further up.

[cybersmurf]

Common sense on the interwebs?

Its madness, madness I tells ya! Madness!

Common sense in general. I sometimes feel a general lack of people "wasting" a millisecond of thought on what they say or do.

"How should I know what I'm thinking without hearing myself talk?"

[Nepiophage]

Basically, we have a long arc, probably mixed through Fayebles and Brintoliot arcs running for several hundred strips.

Brintoliot is a splendid word. I vote we make it canon.

[Thrillho]

Also if I was spreading things I knew were false it would be disinformation. 

I like the direction the story is taking. Claire and Marten have had quite a charmed relationship and that's great, I needed some sweetness in my life. This isn't really an issue between them but I like a life issue becoming a problem for them. That I think breaks more relationships than people realise; not that I think this will break them, but how they deal with it will possibly help give them the tools to deal with bigger issues in the future.

[Carl-E]

Basically, we have a long arc, probably mixed through Fayebles and Brintoliot arcs running for several hundred strips.

Brintoliot is a splendid word. I vote we make it canon.

Consider it done. 




On another note, I still have the pit-scars on the inside of each elbow from the years of plasma donations when I was in college.  $25 for two donations a week ($10 for the first, $15 for the second) helped keep me going through those years, and gave me a couple of hours of reading time each week. 

It's 35 years later, but at least when I need blood drawn, he phlebotomist has a target. 

[hedgie]

I like the direction the story is taking. Claire and Marten have had quite a charmed relationship and that's great, I needed some sweetness in my life.

I'm just glad to see them back in the comic.  Hopefully they'll work out the current difficulty they're having as a couple, and actually start working on life stuff without hopping whatever bus Hanners is on.

[dutchrvl]

I’m fairly certain that this was a case of Jeph not remembering the minutiae of comics he drew years ago. It’s happened before. Strange as it may seem, Jeph doesn’t seem to be as obsessed with QC as some of his fans are.

I dunno, Jeph usually is pretty good in dropping the other shoe later on, as he did with Hannelore going to May in the "Winslow's privilege" arc.
Yes, Jeph may simply have forgotten some details from long ago, but I find it equally plausible that Claire ends up discussing her job prospect anxiety with Tai, with the latter ending up pointing out to Claire that she was unfairly labeling Marten's job as a case of privilege.

Yay, I think this is the first time I have ever called anything correctly! 

[dutchrvl]

By the way, I am glad I did not post too soon after Jeph started posting here last week.

When I initially read his posts, it sounded an awful lot like nobody was allowed to have a bad opinion of Claire and as if he hated the discussion surrounding privilege in the comic in general.
After re-reading the thread, I'm pretty sure he posted as a reaction to 1-2 specific users, and his comment regarding "bad opinions about Claire" was also about a specific post (I believe about her using her trans-status as a disability?).

After all, I believe Jeph intends us to view and discuss every character equally, including discussing possible behavioral imperfections as they may occur (which they do, for every human being).

[Thrillho]

Jeph historically has been fairly relaxed about criticism of the comic and characters because he writes them as people with flaws. You picked up on the correct issue he had.

[dutchrvl]

Did he slightly modify what Marten's saying in the last panel of #3819?

I could've sworn that originally it was something like " I'm not quite sure what her deal is anymore" (or very similar)

Now he says "It's never been entirely clear what her deal is."

Just curious.