# I don't quite get today's "Questionable Content" strip **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [April 13, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967 "2010-04-13T17:48:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 64
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1261 "2013-04-14T06:31:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Okay, I got everything about today’s [strip](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2424) except Faye’s final line. She’s saying “I actually fell for that? Well, there goes my reputation as a cynical, jaded hipster…guess I’ll just chuck it all in and run away.” ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1262 "2013-04-15T15:27:53Z")
Well, [now](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2425) we know that Claire is aware of the NCS on her part. The question is: wistful, regretful, or simply confused? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1263 "2013-04-15T15:42:32Z")
“NCS”? Non-consensual snuggling? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1264 "2013-04-15T17:20:36Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > She’s saying “I actually fell for that? Well, there goes my reputation as a cynical, jaded hipster…guess I’ll just chuck it all in and run away.” I guess it was the barge reference that confused me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1265 "2013-04-15T17:24:37Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > “NCS”? Non-consensual snuggling? [NCS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCS). I’m guessing it’s either nerve conduction study or National CAD Standard. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1266 "2013-04-15T17:51:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I guess it was the barge reference that confused me. Unless I’m missing something that’s too hip for me, it’s just another way of saying “in a van by the river”. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1267 "2013-04-15T20:42:11Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > “NCS”? Non-consensual snuggling? Nailed in one. Sorry, I forgot not everyone on this board ALSO reads the QC forums, where that is a common acronyms. mea culpa :smack: ---
**Author:** ![lyssla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@lyssla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lyssla)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1268 "2013-05-17T04:56:06Z")
I don’t quite get the last panel of [2435](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2435), where Marten is hugging Claire and then coughing something about hair. What did I miss? She and her hair seemed perfectly huggable in [2410](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2410), including an extended edition with Marten’s new step-dad. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1269 "2013-05-17T05:14:35Z")
[Her hair is like mine.](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2360) It gets places it shouldn’t be able to, it tangles… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1270 "2013-05-17T05:44:02Z")
I think Jeph was stuck for a punchline for the final panel of 2435 and used Hack! Cough! Hair! for that purpose. Lame finish for that strip, but I’m glad Marten and Claire snuck in a good hug just before. Now I’m curious if Claire showing up at COD + pizza + beer will lead somewhere interesting re Claire + Marten. Probably not, and I should stop shipping them, right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1271 "2013-05-17T07:11:42Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Now I’m curious if Claire showing up at COD + pizza + beer will lead somewhere interesting re Claire + Marten. Probably not, and I should stop shipping them, right? 🙂 I’m pretty sure Claire has an Interest in Marten. I don’t think she would have outed herself to Marten, otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1272 "2013-05-17T12:28:32Z")
Claire is in that unfortunate position of finally being open about her sexuality way later than most of her peers. While most straight people figure out how to handle interactions with the opposite sex somewhere in high school, she didn’t have that opportunity because she was still physiologically male. I saw this in college with a few gay friends. They didn’t really get to figure out the whole dating thing in high school because they weren’t out yet, so when they did finally come out in college they made all the usual mistakes someone makes when they start dating. Which, while I was his friend, the dating drama got annoying fast. So I think Claire is very uncertain of herself and may simply not be sure how to express her attraction, plus she’s in that vulnerable state where a guy paying attention to her can be mistaken for attraction more so than regular friendship. I think Marten only sees her as a friend, and since he’s her boss (more or less), he’s probably wary of dipping his pen in the company ink. Then again, it’s been a long time since Padma was in town… I’m sorta interested to see how the Faye/Angus situation resolves itself. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1273 "2013-05-17T18:37:26Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > she was still physiologically male. Good post, but I don’t think we should make assumptions about what her physiology is currently. It seems likely that all she’s done is take hormones and grow her hair, but who’s to say? But I take your point that she’s a different person than she was a few years ago, which can be a mess to figure out socially, on many levels. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1274 "2013-05-17T19:29:22Z")
“Still presenting as male,” would be the most accurate term to use there. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1275 "2013-05-17T20:54:24Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Good post, but I don’t think we should make assumptions about what her physiology is currently. It seems likely that all she’s done is take hormones and grow her hair, but who’s to say? But I take your point that she’s a different person than she was a few years ago, which can be a mess to figure out socially, on many levels. It’s possible she hasn’t had the usual genital surgery, but I would tend to think she has. While her swimsuit [here](http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2299) isn’t exactly formfitting, it would be obvious if she had something there. And she seems to wear [skinny jeans](http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2377), which again isn’t impossible to have male genetalia with, but seems unlikely. But then, in [this strip](http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2324) she only mentions hormone replacement therapy. And I just realized I wrote out a whole post obsessing over a webcomic character’s penis or lack thereof. I think I need help. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1276 "2013-05-17T21:01:22Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > So I think Claire is very uncertain of herself and may simply not be sure how to express her attraction, plus she’s in that vulnerable state where a guy paying attention to her can be mistaken for attraction more so than regular friendship. > > I think Marten only sees her as a friend, and since he’s her boss (more or less), he’s probably wary of dipping his pen in the company ink. Then again, it’s been a long time since Padma was in town… Yup, my take is that she is into him but he isn’t interested in her that way - he sees her as a buddy, not a potential lover. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1277 "2013-05-17T23:07:38Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > I think Marten only sees her as a friend… Remember how thoroughly passive Marten is. They will have a relationship if and only if Claire decides upon one. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1278 "2013-05-18T04:13:34Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > It’s possible she hasn’t had the usual genital surgery, but I would tend to think she has. While her swimsuit [here](http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2299) isn’t exactly formfitting, it would be obvious if she had something there. And she seems to wear [skinny jeans](http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2377), which again isn’t impossible to have male genetalia with, but seems unlikely. But then, in [this strip](http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2324) she only mentions hormone replacement therapy. > > And I just realized I wrote out a whole post obsessing over a webcomic character’s penis or lack thereof. I think I need help. Agree. 🙂 Also, it’s worth pointing out that there are transwomen who have a penis and are perfectly happy keeping it. We can’t know at this point what Claire’s plumbing situation is, or what her ideal plumbing might be. I think it’s possible Jeph may never tell us. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1279 "2013-05-18T07:24:45Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > We can’t know at this point what Claire’s plumbing situation is, or what her ideal plumbing might be. I think it’s possible Jeph may never tell us. So we need to wait for him to take a vacation and Trudy Cooper to do a guest strip. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1280 "2013-05-18T23:21:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So we need to wait for him to take a vacation and Trudy Cooper to do a guest strip. Yelling Bird might also fill us in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967.md?page=63) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967.md?page=65)