# 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:** 74
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1461 "2014-10-10T04:01:36Z")
Thanks, guys. See you in another coupla years. (sigh) ---
**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:** [October 10, 2014, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1462 "2014-10-10T06:33:13Z")
Randomly…I’m really hoping that now that Claire and Marten are together, Clinton shows up to be all protective of his big sis again… I \<3 that aspect of him, so. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1463 "2014-10-10T13:54:29Z")
Um…what does “I ship it” mean? Yes, I’m old and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1464 "2014-10-10T13:59:56Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Um…what does “I ship it” mean? > > Yes, I’m old and stupid. “Shipping” is when fans of a fictional work think that two of the characters should be in a romantic relation **ship**. So Tai saying that she ships Marten/Claire means that she’s fully in favour of the relationship. ---
**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:** [October 10, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1465 "2014-10-10T14:03:53Z")
Funny thing…we already had that discussion on something like page 5 of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1466 "2014-10-10T16:32:19Z")
Aside from being trans-, I just don’t think Claire is very interesting. Emily seems much more fun; that’s the relationship I was hoping for. I agree with others that for Marten this seems really out of the blue. (But not for Claire - she’s clearly had a thing for him since the wedding or earlier). ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1467 "2014-10-10T17:04:26Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Aside from being trans-, I just don’t think Claire is very interesting. Emily seems much more fun; that’s the relationship I was hoping for. Same here but oh well. Hey, Marten should date Intern #3 whose name I can’t even come close to remembering and who I don’t think we’ve seen in months. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1468 "2014-10-10T17:12:11Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Same here but oh well. Hey, Marten should date Intern #3 whose name I can’t even come close to remembering and who I don’t think we’ve seen in months. Gabby. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1469 "2014-10-11T01:05:00Z")
Here I was all set to read the new few dozen episodes, but every time I hit the “next” button I get a little pop-up that says “You’re at the last comic.” What’s up with _that?_ ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1470 "2014-10-11T01:26:45Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Here I was all set to read the new few dozen episodes, but every time I hit the “next” button I get a little pop-up that says “You’re at the last comic.” What’s up with _that?_ [cue satanic cackle] ---
**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:** [October 11, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1471 "2014-10-11T02:39:47Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Aside from being trans-, I just don’t think Claire is very interesting. Emily seems much more fun; that’s the relationship I was hoping for. I agree with others that for Marten this seems really out of the blue. (But not for Claire - she’s clearly had a thing for him since the wedding or earlier). I disagree. I feel Claire is the more interesting character. She’s got a high-strung personality that could match up well with Marten’s lackadaisical personality in an “opposites attract” way. Marten could help her to relax and she could help Marten to get motivated. Emily, to me, is just another Raven/Hanners/Padme. Jacques obviously likes the archtype. ---
**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:** [October 11, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1472 "2014-10-11T02:48:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Emily, to me, is just another Raven/Hanners/Padme. Jacques obviously likes the archtype. [Manic Pixie Dream Girl](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ManicPixieDreamGirl) ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1473 "2014-10-11T03:27:10Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > [Manic Pixie Dream Girl](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ManicPixieDreamGirl) At least he doesn’t kill them off all the time. ---
**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:** [October 11, 2014, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1474 "2014-10-11T03:51:28Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > [Manic Pixie Dream Girl](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ManicPixieDreamGirl) No, none of them are MPDGs. A MPDG is not just a cute and quirky female character, it’s the gender equivalent of a Magical Negro - she’s defined not by being a cute and quirky character, but by her relationship to a man, which is to be the catalyst for him coming out of his shell and experiencing life. The MPDG page does link to a bunch of character type tropes that the girls fit into, and the cast in general has a bit of a [Loony Friends Improve Your Personality](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LoonyFriendsImproveYourPersonality) to it, but there is no MPDG. In fact, this misuse of the term is addressed on the page… > [@](#): > > [Coiner of the term Nathan] [Rabin would later disown the term](http://www.salon.com/2014/07/15/im_sorry_for_coining_the_phrase_manic_pixie_dream_girl/), as instead of creating awareness of the “lack of independent goals in female characters” it instead suggested that women shouldn’t be quirky and fun for fear of being labeled this trope (making the use of the cliche into a cliche itself). ---
**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:** [October 11, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1475 "2014-10-11T04:10:23Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > [Manic Pixie Dream Girl](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ManicPixieDreamGirl) I think closer to [Cloud Cuckoo Lander](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CloudCuckooLander). ---
**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:** [October 11, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1476 "2014-10-11T04:28:11Z")
Emily’s a Cloudcuckoolander, and Padma can be argued as one, but none of the others are. Padma’s more of a Genki Girl whose mouth outpaces her brain way too often, even. Raven’s been portrayed as an airhead, but never detached from reality. Hannelore is none of the above…she’s neurotic, but grounded in the same consensus reality as everyone else, even if she perceives the unpleasantness as writ a bit larger than it really is. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1477 "2014-10-13T04:48:27Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Aside from being trans-, I just don’t think Claire is very interesting. Emily seems much more fun; that’s the relationship I was hoping for. I agree with others that for Marten this seems really out of the blue. (But not for Claire - she’s clearly had a thing for him since the wedding or earlier). _I_ like Emily better, and in some ways she seems like a Marten friend-girl if not girlfriend; because she is a CloudCuckooLander, not unlike Padma and Hanners. But, Emily red herrings aside, I suppose it’s been pretty clear that Jeph was teasing Claire/Marten for a while. In a way, Claire is the new Faye: snarky, insecure, a bit corny, a bit “normal” but also somehow damaged. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1478 "2014-10-19T03:22:26Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > And, if you REALLY want a hopelessly eternal archive-diving project, go check out Sluggy Freelance if you haven’t done so before. > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Thanks, guys. See you in another coupla years. (sigh) The good news is, the Sluggy archive reads really fast. (Way too fast actually, now I’m waiting for the daily updates like everyone else. :() ---
**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:** [October 19, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1479 "2014-10-19T05:00:07Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > The good news is, the Sluggy archive reads really fast. (Way too fast actually, now I’m waiting for the daily updates like everyone else. :() I stopped reading Sluggy altogether around the middle of the interminable Bun-Bun In No-Time self-indulgent twaddle. That’s been at least five years now. And the archive was huge way before even THAT. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1480 "2014-10-19T06:01:45Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I stopped reading Sluggy altogether around the middle of the interminable Bun-Bun In No-Time self-indulgent twaddle. I bailed around the same time. I wonder if it’s recovered any of its former glory? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967.md?page=73) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967.md?page=75)