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What is Marigold's fundamental character?

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Is it cold in here?:
One of the problems Marigold has to overcome is that she calls herself names. I like to imagine a therapist or a friend playing the role of therapist (bad idea) pushing her to reframe it: "I have a responsible professional job", "I'll start taking showers every other day", "I'll start getting some exercise by walking with Momo".

TheBiscuit:

--- Quote from: justanotherbrick on 02 Sep 2011, 17:43 ---I identify with Faye...not myself specifically but friends of mine. I have had friends who have had hard lives, or tragic instances in their lives, who end up being a little...prickly. I'm not saying that they're always nice, but friends stick by each other even if they sometimes say or do things that can be interpreted as mean, especially if you know that they may have a reason (justified or not) to act that way. I wouldn't call Marigold a "pathetic, weird, smelly loser" and just the same way, Faye shouldn't be called a "bitch".

--- End quote ---
While I certainly don't identify with Faye or any other QC character, I used to like her a lot. Then somehow in the middle of my second run through the archives, that just changed. I won't deny she has some redeeming qualities, but I do find them massively overshadowed by her bad ones.  She has reasons, but... why should anyone care? If someone treats you that way in real life, I bet you wouldn't stop to find out their reasons. I also bet Marten wouldn't have either if she wasn't the first attractive woman he'd (it's somewhat implied) spoken to in months.

I'm not tryin to change your mind, but have you ever had doubts about your own liking for Faye?

QCFan: Marigold is my favourite character these days. I don't let myself be bothered by what other people think too much, she's a character most people can't relate to. I understand that. I don't go quite as far in my devotion as you do though. :P

Mr. Doctor:

--- Quote from: TheBiscuit on 03 Sep 2011, 12:07 --- She has reasons, but... why should anyone care?
--- End quote ---
The problem that I have is that Faye's excuses and reasons aren't fully accepted which is absolutely fine to me because just like you wrote "If someone treats you that way in real life, I bet you wouldn't stop to find out their reasons". I completely agree with that.
But somehow Marigold has excuses that no one would question, that's kind of, you know... unfair to say the least. They both have excuses or they haven't imo.

justanotherbrick:
I shouldn't have said that I identify with Faye, just that I've had friends like her. I've definitely questioned how "good" of a person Faye is and she's not my favourite character, I guess I just don't think that she's a horrible person. Hasn't everyone had moments where they've been pissed off at people they care about, whether it be family or friends, when they've said or done something we disagree with? I know I have. For me it's just about trying to see things from their point of view too, because we've all done inconsiderate or stupid things. (This should probably be in the "Faye's fundamental character" thread, sorry. Just keeping the conversation going).


--- Quote from: Mr. Doctor on 03 Sep 2011, 12:17 ---The problem that I have is that Faye's excuses and reasons aren't fully accepted...but somehow Marigold has excuses that no one would question, that's kind of, you know... unfair to say the least. They both have excuses or they haven't imo.

--- End quote ---

Well put.

Mari has reasons for being the way she is, I just don't see how "people are mean to me because I'm a nerd, so I have issues interacting with people" is any more legitimate or understandable than "my dad killed himself in front of me, then my boyfriend dumped me because he couldn't handle the tragedy, then I got in a horrible car wreck, then I was kept under observation in the psychiatric ward in a hospital for weeks, then I moved as far away from home as possible because every person and thing in my home town reminded me of my tragedy, so I have issues interacting with people".

TheBiscuit:
Honestly I don't know what Marigold is supposed to need an excuse for. Most of the examples posted above of her supposedly being harsh or nasty to people are what I'd call fairly normal interaction. It's not that unusual to call someone a rude name in those situations. She also said several of those things in the context of an overall good relationship with Angus. He tends to let his mouth run away with him, he admitted this. He provokes her, she responds... they stay friends anyway. Nothing that needs an excuse.

Dale isn't a friend of hers at all, let us remember. While she does take her game a bit too seriously, I don't see why she should be friendly to him in the first place. She obviously doesn't find him interesting as a person or she would have overcome her natural reaction to "alliance scum" by now. The thing with Tai was completly unintentional, almost everyone has said something like that without thinking of the implications. She didn't mean that she'd need to be desperate to consider Tai specifically.

C'mon, tell me something she really needs an excuse for? I want to know, because she seems fairly inoffensive to me. Maybe not very sociable or very adept at interpersonal relationships, but not in any way a bad person. I admit that her constant talking about her low self-esteem could get a bit wearing though.

Now compare with Faye who is physically violent at the slightest provocation, has blamed people for things they had no way of avoiding, took advantage of a friend's attraction to her to obtain a place to live, and has a vanity that almost defies description. She has some good qualities as well, but it often seemed to me in the early days of the strip that she was cynically using Marten. I didn't see it that way at the time, but it eventually came to appear that way to me.

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