Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

WCDT 30 August- 3 September 2010

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themacnut:

--- Quote from: douggerel on 31 Aug 2010, 11:11 ---Personally I like some drama. It keeps a comic from becoming Peanuts or Family Circus. Couples fight, usually over inconsequential shit. Some people, like Dora, are prone to spates of irrational anger.

--- End quote ---

That's the bottom line here. Jeph has created real human characters (or as close to real as possible), and real humans, even the more level headed ones, have been known to say and do really dumb irrational stuff on occasion. Relationships turn on how you deal with friends and SOs when they're being dumb and irrational too, not just when they're being nice. Yes, today's comic was hard to read, but I say let's wait and see how it turns out before leveling judgment.

Tergon, I stand with you, but I still can't bring myself to touch the dick broom, sorry.

Moxie:

--- Quote from: imaginaryideals on 31 Aug 2010, 11:07 ---Think about this: Faye knocked on a door which belongs to both Marten and Dora, but she only asked for Marten. Marten, or Faye, or both, could easily have given Dora a shake when Faye is panicking hard and talked it all out together--Dora -does- do comforting well when given the opportunity. Marten was in his room--he had pants handy, he could easily have pulled a pair on before walking out, though I understand why he didn't. Instead, Dora wakes up in the middle of the night to find her boyfriend gone, she walks out into the living room and sees him hugging a girl she knows he used to like.
--- End quote ---

To give an alternate perspective: Faye is freaking out and knows she needs to talk to someone. Faye knocks on the door belonging to both Marten and Dora knowing one, the other, or both will help her. Marten awakens by the knock, sleepily opens it, and sees Faye in full panic mode. Faye asks him to talk to her, he immediately says yes, and goes out to talk (in the living room, not Faye's room).
If Dora can sleepily wake up, go out of her room and immediately draw conclusions that may be influenced by her sleepy state, I see no reason why Marten couldn't also have done the same. Sure, his pants may have been handy, but he was sleepy and worried about a very panicked Faye. Sure, they both could have asked for Dora, but Faye just needed someone to talk to (if it had been Dora who answered, I'm not sure they would have thought to wake up Marten either), and again, Marten was just focused on getting his obviously panicked friend calmed down.

I feel like the overall point is that, sure, lots of things could have been done, but no one was in a state to really do them. And really, it shouldn't have mattered. I agree with someone else who posted in here, that Dora makes every issue about herself, whether or not it is. Until she can recognize that, and work on that, she still will, and eventually it is going to alienate herself from everyone (I think).

Everything about her reaction in today's comic left me wondering if I'd really read everything correctly. Someone else posted that Dora hates herself so much/thinks herself unlovable that she'd rather push people away than be hurt by them (when her warped view sees them possibly hurting her). I think there's probably a lot of truth to that. I really hope that she realizes her extreme reaction to the situation is unwarranted, but I'm not sure that's something she can figure out by herself.

foolsguinea:
OK, now I've had time to think about this more, I think we're reading this wrong. Dora isn't so much scared of what it looks like as what it is. "Emotional cheating," anyone? Dora wanted Marten to move in with her; but instead he convinced her to move in with him & his not-quite-gf Faye. He keeps strong emotional ties to Faye. Faye is in a sense like the older wife in his harem. What Dora sees now isn't silly sexy time, it's heavy emotional stuff, & that gets Dora in the heart.

Also, Dora doesn't know how things went with Angus. It's not inconceivable that a date with Angus could somehow lead Faye into Marten's arms in the same day, in a, "this is who I really need to be with," sense. Dora is being completely rational given the information available to her, & has no reason to trust what from her perspective are Marten & Faye's excuses.

We see it differently, because this scene has so far been from Marten's point of view, & to some degree Faye's, so we're identifying with them. But Dora is operating on limited information, & is behaving rationally, if not nicely.

bicostp:

--- Quote from: foolsguinea on 31 Aug 2010, 13:19 --- But Dora is operating on limited information, & is behaving rationally, if not nicely.

--- End quote ---

What comic are you reading?

Yes, Dora is running on limited information. However she is actively shutting out all additional information and is instead overreacting to her own conclusions (as always). She's clearly not thinking anything through, and doesn't particularly want to. She's essentially taken the two people she's afraid of getting together and giving them several opportunities to do just that. Locking Marten out of their room for the night, putting Faye on administrative leave (or outright firing her, the dialogue is unclear at this point) so she essentially has more time to spend at home alone with Marten...

This is going to wind up with Dora getting a good yelling-at from a third (fourth?) party. Most likely it's going to be Hannelore, the comic's resident expert on freaking out. (Of all people she'd know that in a panic attack you usually run to the nearest available confidant.)

Lost Coastlines:
It doesn't bother me that she kicked Marten out of bed.  She's been living there for awhile and paying her share of rent.  If she's mad, she has the right to make him sleep on the couch.

I think telling Faye not to come into work the next day is far worse.  She gave Faye at least a one-day suspension, maybe more.  That's essentially financially penalizing her for a transgression in their personal lives.  If Dora can't stand the sight of Faye for the time being, she's in the position to give herself a paid vacation.  Hopefully when/if she comes to her senses, she'll let Faye make up those hours.

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