Questionable Content 5: Suffers Occasional Outbreaks of Butt's Disease

[Astrella]

Honestly, considering how bad reveals like this have been done in the past(even just the past WEEK) in other comics, this was rather tasteful and

Oh? Where would the last week thingie be?

[Turalisj]

Honestly her dockside conversation doesn't strike me as being all that romantic. She struck me as more trying to apologize for being kind of a bit of a jerk early on.

Marten hasn't really got any interested ladies at the moment. He's just kind of doing his own thing, and I think there isn't anybody in the strip he's compatible with on an emotional level right now, so unless we get a new character he's gonna be single for the next while.

Honestly, considering how bad reveals like this have been done in the past(even just the past WEEK) in other comics, this was rather tasteful and

And what?!? The suspense is killing me!

Too tired... too sick to really contemplate an actual response about this.... But yeah, wasn't expecting that.

[Anecronwashere]

Wait Im confused, is/was Claire a guy or is she going fem->male

[Astrella]

Wait Im confused, is/was Claire a guy or is she going fem->male

Pretty sure the intention is that she was assigned male at birth. So she'd be a trans woman.

[Lamech]

Marten hasn't really got any interested ladies at the moment. He's just kind of doing his own thing, and I think there isn't anybody in the strip he's compatible with on an emotional level right now, so unless we get a new character he's gonna be single for the next while.

But she's so cuute! And so is Emily. Clearly Marten needs to ship out with one of them. Stop sinking our hopes and dreams with your facts. WE DON'T NEED NO FACTS!

[Coidzor]

Pretty sure the intention is that she was assigned male at birth. So she'd be a trans woman.

Just from their age or...?

As in Transgender? Wow, didn't see that one coming.

Considering that they haven't really been portrayed as having gotten to know one another beyond a couple of scenes it feels like it's being blurted out to someone that's barely more than a stranger.

[Comrade]

In Marten's defense though, brevity suits him. The more he says the worse it comes across. Like when he tried to compliment Marigold, as a recent example.

Makes sense.

Totally out of the blue though. Feels a bit...too out of the blue, really. But that wasn't really a big deal for me, and I'm kinda interested to see how this might change things in the future.

[Astrella]

Just from their age or...?

I feel she would've phrased it differently if she was a trans guy. (or someone non-binary I guess.) As far as we know she's living fulltime as a woman, so if she was a trans guy she would've have said more than just I'm trans? Since it's sorta unclear what that would mean gender-wise unless she is the gender she's presenting as.

[Serpentine]

WHAT A TWEEST

Whoah, did not see that coming. Also while Marten's reaction is really good I wish he had said a little bit more you know? Like, it's a pretty big (and risky) thing to come out about after all. Still, didn't expect QC to suddenly have a trans* character which is very neat. We don't really get that much representation after all.

I reckon it'll get more coverage over time. At the very least, I bet Marten puts his foot in it at some point... On the other hand, wouldn't it be interesting if this was like the one area where he performs (socially) perfectly?
I assume it'll drive a plot arc at some point, but mostly I'd personally quite like it if it stayed fairly low-key.

Just from their age or...?

What would her age have to do with it?

[CowMasterTrojan]

Makes sense.

Totally out of the blue though. Feels a bit...too out of the blue, really. But that wasn't really a big deal for me, and I'm kinda interested to see how this might change things in the future.

Steve breaks up with cossette, later decides to pursue Claire, Martin has to tell him the secret. Drama. That's my prediction.

[Astrella]

WHAT A TWEESTI reckon it'll get more coverage over time. At the very least, I bet Marten puts his foot in it at some point... On the other hand, wouldn't it be interesting if this was like the one area where he performs (socially) perfectly?
I assume it'll drive a plot arc at some point, but mostly I'd personally quite like it if it stayed fairly low-key.

Yeah, I would like that too actually. Trans* characters are often very centered around their being trans, which is okay cause it's a story thing to explore, but it's neat to also have trans* characters for who being trans* isn't their central character trait.

[Coidzor]

I feel she would've phrased it differently if she was a trans guy. (or someone non-binary I guess.) As far as we know she's living fulltime as a woman, so if she was a trans guy she would've have said more than just I'm trans? Since it's sorta unclear what that would mean gender-wise unless she is the gender she's presenting as.

Given Questionable Content's track record for awkward people saying awkward things, I could see it going either way, really.

What would her age have to do with it?

A presumption that someone who was old enough to be a grad student would have enough years on them to be somewhere along the transition process rather than not yet started upon it.

[Morquard]

Ok, that wasn't what I was expecting either.
But really what was Marten supposed to say? His reaction was sort of a "Oh yeah? Cool. Now, we were going inside, right?" not making a huge deal out of it.

[Astrella]

Her being trans* certainly adds a bit of weight to her line in the last panel.

[Eurus]

Huh. So Claire and whassisname robot-hand are probably identical twins? Never mind, forgot that they're actually not twins, heh.

Unexpected reveal, but it looks like it might be pretty much a nonevent. Nice, though. She obviously considers him a decent friend, anyway.

And man, between Emily and Claire, Martin really is doing that whole "adopting a whole not-harem of quirky friendless girls" thing. I think Dora might need to open a second shop.

[Astrella]

Huh. So Claire and whassisname robot-hand are probably identical twins? Unexpected reveal, but it looks like it might be pretty much a nonevent. Nice, though. She obviously considers him a decent friend, anyway.

And man, between Emily and Claire, Martin really is doing that whole "adopting a whole not-harem of quirky friendless girls" thing. I think Dora might need to open a second shop.

I thought about that for a moment, but then I remembered this.

[Blackdrop]

I thought about that for a moment, but than I remembered this.

Ugh, Jeph's note at the end of the page seems oddly prophetic given the events of the last 2 weeks.

[CowMasterTrojan]

wow... that is a tad creepy.

[Cikomyr]

wow... that is a tad creepy.

How so?blablablaneedmoretexttopost

[CowMasterTrojan]

Weeks before hurting his hand, he made a off handed comment about how screwed he would be if he ever hurt his hand... which just happened.

[Cikomyr]

Oh! I though you we're commenting on Claire's.. (outing?).

There is a lot of irony to be taken in Jeph's comments. I just finished rereading it all, and oh my is it funny at times

[Radar]

Totally out of the blue though. Feels a bit...too out of the blue, really.

Now that I think about it, it was not without a foreshadowing. Claire and Clinton are pretty much identical twins, which indicates they are monozygotic twins. This leads to a conclusion, that one of them had to ondergo a gender change (or how you name it). I do admit, that I didn't see it coming, but it fits the facts in hindsight.

[Morph Bark]

Now that I think about it, it was not without a foreshadowing. Claire and Clinton are pretty much identical twins, which indicates they are monozygotic twins. This leads to a conclusion, that one of them had to ondergo a gender change (or how you name it). I do admit, that I didn't see it coming, but it fits the facts in hindsight.

Claire is 24. Clinton is 21. If they're twins, one of them must be a time traveller.

[John Cribati]

Hm hm, it was a pretty fitting reaction coming from Marten. Like, that's a really good response to get to coming out; it was only a minor remark.

Next comic consists of Marten in the bathroom looking in the mirror and going "holy s**t what do I do now?"

[Cikomyr]

Claire is 24. Clinton is 21. If they're twins, one of them must be a time traveller.

No offense, but seeing the level of sci-fi seriousness we have experienced in the comic, it's not entirely out of the question.

We already had time-travelling Espressosaure.

[Traab]

In all honesty, that is probably the absolute best case scenario for reactions period. Instant acceptance, a feeling of a total lack of mattering beyond a quick mental checkmark so he knows for the future, and lets move on. After all, considering his list of friends and their quirks and hangups, having a friend who is transgendered isnt that big of a deal. Hell, I found this exact same thing about someone I know recently and my reaction was more or less the same, "So, wait, Paris was born a guy named Vinny? Ok." (Yes that was pretty much word for word my reaction)

[Radar]

Claire is 24. Clinton is 21. If they're twins, one of them must be a time traveller.

Huh? I must have missed that. There goes the theory then, unless we don't rule out cryogenics.

[Coidzor]

Claire is 24. Clinton is 21. If they're twins, one of them must be a time traveller.

Or involved storing an embryo for later implantation. I think we can do something like that anyway.

[Starbuck_II]

Do you think Claire has yet to change to male through hormones or is she okay with being the wrong gender?
She didn't say pre-op or post op so it is possible.

[Morquard]

Maybe she just wanted to get it out there, in lights of Faye's "makeout spot" talk in the previous strip.

"I dunno if you were going for that or not, but just FYI I was born a dude. I know some guys think that's gross."

That's assuming this was the way it went, as the other way doesn't make too much sense. She would still be using a female name, female hairstyle, female clothing, female everything - "But I want to be a guy" - that just doesn't seem that likely.