443: Know Your Vines
| Know Your Vines |
 Title text: Friggin' modern tents don't have a single piece of rope. |
Explanation
Randall points out that the Virginia creeper is a plant with 5 green leaves that can be used as a rope. He then points out that poison ivy is another vine-like plant with 3 green leaves that also grows near camping areas - but causes skin rashes. His girlfriend is into light bondage (being tied up or tying up another for erotic purposes), yet the area around their tent was too dark to differentiate between the two vines when they went looking for some impromptu rope.
The implication: Either Randall, his girlfriend, or both spent some time that night wrapped in poison ivy. The resulting painful rashes were likely blamed on the one who harvested the wrong plant, and the relationship suffered.
The title text refers to the fact that many modern tents are self-supporting and no longer require rope to put up. Had there been tent rope on hand, there would be no need to look for vines.
Transcript
- [Picture of a green, five-leafed plant:]
- Virginia creeper: Vines useful as impromptu rope
- [Picture of a green, 3-leafed plant:]
- Poison ivy: Grows in same habitat as Virginia creeper
- [A woman with long hair standing:]
- Girlfriend: Into light bondage
- [A dark image of a tree, the top of which extends above the panel, with light green vines near the base of the tree trunk:]
- Area around campsite: Too dark to see
- [Caption below the panel:]
- Relationship after camping trip: Strained
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But the vines were still needed for bondage! Guru-45 (talk) 02:18, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
- IRIA the unavailable alternative being tent guy-ropes retasked towards... fun purposes... Not that vines were in any way needed for canvas support/tensioning. Of course, for the duration of such entertainment, the tent may be at most partially supported so probably only a fair weather activity. 178.107.249.215 14:01, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
Am I the only one who sees this comic's structure paralleling the MasterCard Priceless commercials?68.15.128.10 05:28, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
Randall is SO right in that poison ivy and Virginia creeper like to grow near each other. But I don't know what type of creeper he has growing around his house, but in the mid-Atlantic states Virginia creeper the vine itself has a burred or jagged surface that not only gives it a high level of resistance in trying to pull it out of overgrowth but that surface secretes something that leaves the skin with a mild burn and/or itching sensation for a few hours after. So, more appropriate for moderate bondage, I would imagine…--108.22.204.203 18:11, 23 September 2013 (UTC)
As I understand it, the leaves are what cause the allergic reaction. Wouldn't Cueball, in stripping the leaves from the vine, suffer the reaction first? If so, then proceeding on and transmitting the poison to Megan's skin is a nasty thing to do. 108.162.249.237 02:48, 18 April 2014 (UTC)
- On the wiki page it states that it can take up to a week before the rash develops, and also that 15-30% do not shown any reaction to the leaves. So if Cueball rushes out to grab some vines and rush back to tie Megan up they would be done long before the rash sets in. Kynde (talk) 20:30, 19 June 2014 (UTC)
Given the nature of BDSM, there would be people who'd be into the sadomasochistic aspect of the poison ivy. International Space Station (talk) 22:05, 7 January 2016 (UTC)
Randall should've bought the right tent. *If* modern tents have rope, that rope is soft and round - ideal for bondage without lasting pain.
