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Yes.

15 (5%)

No, it's not the same.

14 (4.7%)

No, it's even worse.

25 (8.4%)

No, it means Dora's history.

30 (10.1%)

No, because it's going to end different.

19 (6.4%)

No, because there's emergency bourbon.

17 (5.7%)

UBMEOD!

34 (11.4%)

Oh heck, who am I kidding?

4 (1.3%)

(sniff) No, I've just got (sniff) allergies...

31 (10.4%)

This thread is gonna hit 40 pages by tomorrow, isn't it?

109 (36.6%)

Total Members Voted: 237

[ChibiSoma]

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd Marten's just wallowing in jerkishness now. Yes, you were both sick of her crap. You weren't gonna do anything about it except sigh at night and grow ever more secretly bitter comparing your relationship to others. She saw the flaws in the situation and ended it for both of you. Don't be an asshole about it now, Marten.

Are you retarded?

No, that's a genuine question.

She's a cunt! End of story. HE fucking did nothing wrong. In fact, he's just spent the entire day being dicked over by his colossal cunt of an ex-girlfriend. I'd say he has reason to be bitchy and moody about it.

E: No, fuck you, I'll expound.

She's an insecure LUNATIC who doesn't respect other peoples' wishes. He calls her out on her bullshit, she has a hissy fit (OH HEY BIG SURPRISE!) and takes her ball and goes to Sven's. Marten goes AFTER her to TALK IT OUT, and she dumps his ass. You know what, fuck you 'Marten is in the wrong!' idiots. He fucking TRIED to take the high road despite being complete fed up with her crap, and basically got punched in the dick for his troubles.

He didn't get out and get hammered, he fucking went home to go to bed. I fucking fail to see how he was a JERK.

[Boomslang]

To the people giving all sorts of crap to Marten:

In the comic, Marten felt he was in a happy, functional relationship as of THAT AFTERNOON. Smiling and laughing with his loving girlfriend and platonic best friend.

Now he's been dumped, for reasons that are totally out of his control, and after rereading some of the archives, have existed since day 1 of the relationship. Dora has been having issues on that same subject literally since she kissed him the first time.

The fact that she hasn't changed at all, hasn't gotten at least NUMB to the problem, does not speak well of her.

[Northeman]

To the people giving all sorts of crap to Marten:

In the comic, Marten felt he was in a happy, functional relationship as of THAT AFTERNOON. Smiling and laughing with his loving girlfriend and platonic best friend.

Now he's been dumped, for reasons that are totally out of his control, and after rereading some of the archives, have existed since day 1 of the relationship. Dora has been having issues on that same subject literally since she kissed him the first time.

The fact that she hasn't changed at all, hasn't gotten at least NUMB to the problem, does not speak well of her.

+1

[Sorflakne]

Warning - while you were reading a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your post.

Oh come on, I haven't even started writing my post yet!



So it's official...

When I broke up with my last serious girlfriend at the start of my final semester of college, I was pretty much in Marten's state.  And was taking 22 credits worth of classes; how I managed to maintain a B or above in every class is still beyond my understanding.  Thank god for friends, that's about all I can say.

[Is it cold in here?]

Unnecessary meanness?

I see your point, but Marten's remark was not at all a bad summary of the situation.

[GrievousBodyguard]

Maybe Steve would take him out on a BUDDY PICTURE ROAD TRIP. Hilarious hijinks ahoy!

Awesome thought: Instead of Buddy Picture Road Trip, both Marten and Steve go back into Steve's old secret spy temp job and we get to see some fun action movie hijinks!

What worries me about this arc is how it might affect the characters who aren't directly involved. Sure, Steve is not too likely to be affected other than being roped along by Marten to do something crazy (provided Marten's capable of something like that), but think about characters like Hannelore. Hannelore's shown a sort of stalkery affection for Marten, even if it was platonic, and lately she seems to be trying to tear down a few of her own internal barriers. I see two possibilities in that respect, one of which is mostly my own paranoia toward writers of things that I enjoy.

Possibility 1: Hannelore replaces Faye as Marten's go-to girl because Faye is much too close to Dora for Marten to feel comfortable.

(Insane) Possibility 2: Jeph uses this as a reason to start a Hannelore/Marten arc involving something just slightly outside Hannelore's comfort zone and more drama ensues.

Maybe I just like Hannelore a bit too much.

[Somebody]

FOR REAL REAL NOT FOR PLAY PLAY?

It's just, I mean... barely an hour or two ago they were laughing about their childhood sex ed, which led to making fun of Marten's porn, to which he reacted adorably...

AND THEN DORA AND MARTEN BROKE UP.

You don't see how it might be a bad idea to call it here and now?

More than an hour or two. Time for Dora to get from CoD to their flat, time for her to talk to Pintsize & search. Time for Marten to arrive (he apparently didn't follow her straight out the door, maybe thinking she wouldn't really do it). Time for them to argue, Marten to storm out, more arguing, "That's it then." Time for Marten to look for Dora & end up at CoD. Time for him to depress Faye and then walk to Sven's. Time for "call it quits". And now time for him to walk home from Sven's, which I doubt was by the straightest road. [And time for Faye to get absolutely blootered, lock up, walk home and time to drink some more]

Make it six/seven hours.

Heh, I finally figured out how Jeph is going to break the forums.  Like "soul snapping like a Twix bar" break, to use an earlier reference.

Assume a week of time off for Turkeys and Yelling Bird and Guest Strips...

11/29 Monday, Panel One:  FIVE YEARS LATER.

I'm torn between laughing maniacally and reacting in horror at the idea that he might just do that.

[akronnick]

To the people giving all sorts of crap to Marten:

In the comic, Marten felt he was in a happy, functional relationship as of THAT AFTERNOON. Smiling and laughing with his loving girlfriend and platonic best friend.

Now he's been dumped, for reasons that are totally out of his control, and after rereading some of the archives, have existed since day 1 of the relationship. Dora has been having issues on that same subject literally since she kissed him the first time.

The fact that she hasn't changed at all, hasn't gotten at least NUMB to the problem, does not speak well of her.

Not only that, she kept the problem hidden from him until it got out of control.

Poor bastard never had a chance.

[nockiemommy]

Ooh, that's a thought.  Pintsize totally stabbed Marten in the back by showing Dora how to find his porn.  Wonder if the lil' robot is going to be punished?  Marten should install McAfee Virus Scan on him.

Simpler than that - remember that Pintsize's chassis is a lil'goldmine...

Oh God you guys I know where QC is going.  

They just went through the Singularity.

So Dora is going to attempt to transcend human consciousness in order to avoid any further relationship fuck-ups. She will use Winslow and Hannelore's aid to make this attempt.

Marten will force Agent Turing to help him attempt same in exchange for Pintsize's chassis going (back?) to the government.

As they both reach SI>1, the ascendant AIs of the world learn what it is like to be broken up with/break up with someone, from both sides. Driven insane by the emotional turmoil, they decide to launch a xenocidal campaign against mankind. An apocalyptic war breaks out.

A betrayed Pintsize uploads his consciousness into a reaper morph from Eclipse Phase and goes on a rampage across Massachusetts, hunting for Marten's social circle and relatives. Faye becomes the grizzled bourbon-swilling leader of the human resistance, with the memory of Angus' bloody death at the hands of a rampant Momo to keep her hatred alive.

I do believe that this has already happened in an alternate universe. Only Momo has a daughter with Pintsize, and she infiltrates the human resistance wearing her android skin.

[IanClark]

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd Marten's just wallowing in jerkishness now. Yes, you were both sick of her crap. You weren't gonna do anything about it except sigh at night and grow ever more secretly bitter comparing your relationship to others. She saw the flaws in the situation and ended it for both of you. Don't be an asshole about it now, Marten.

Are you retarded?

No she's not. That was an easy one!

I very much agree with your anti-giving-Marten-shit stance though. Anyone willing to forgive Dora her flaws can't very well turn around and say Marten's not allowed to be anything less than totally understanding of the situation.

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

Ooh, that's a thought.  Pintsize totally stabbed Marten in the back by showing Dora how to find his porn.  Wonder if the lil' robot is going to be punished?  Marten should install McAfee Virus Scan on him.

Simpler than that - remember that Pintsize's chassis is a lil'goldmine...

Oh God you guys I know where QC is going.  

They just went through the Singularity.

So Dora is going to attempt to transcend human consciousness in order to avoid any further relationship fuck-ups. She will use Winslow and Hannelore's aid to make this attempt.

Marten will force Agent Turing to help him attempt same in exchange for Pintsize's chassis going (back?) to the government.

As they both reach SI>1, the ascendant AIs of the world learn what it is like to be broken up with/break up with someone, from both sides. Driven insane by the emotional turmoil, they decide to launch a xenocidal campaign against mankind. An apocalyptic war breaks out.

A betrayed Pintsize uploads his consciousness into a reaper morph from Eclipse Phase and goes on a rampage across Massachusetts, hunting for Marten's social circle and relatives. Faye becomes the grizzled bourbon-swilling leader of the human resistance, with the memory of Angus' bloody death at the hands of a rampant Momo to keep her hatred alive.

I do believe that this has already happened in an alternate universe. Only Momo has a daughter with Pintsize, and she infiltrates the human resistance wearing her android skin.

No no no. Momo, you see, has a human fetish--she secretly preserves Sven as her sex-slave, under the guise of "research" on the humans. She may well have Marigold preserved as well--or worse, has destructively uploaded her former owner's mind into her chassis, while SHE possesses Mari-bear's organic body  

I am so tempted to create another thread for this. Call it "THE QCPOCALYPSE". Discuss potential post-Singularity post-apocalyptic versions of the characters. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.  

[rae]

I wish I had some emergency bourbon. But it's 6.15 am and I think it will be frowned upon in work.


Still, poor Marty. There has been a lot of door closing this week hasn't there?

[JackFaerie]

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd Marten's just wallowing in jerkishness now. Yes, you were both sick of her crap. You weren't gonna do anything about it except sigh at night and grow ever more secretly bitter comparing your relationship to others. She saw the flaws in the situation and ended it for both of you. Don't be an asshole about it now, Marten.

Are you retarded?

No, that's a genuine question.

She's a cunt! End of story. HE fucking did nothing wrong. In fact, he's just spent the entire day being dicked over by his colossal cunt of an ex-girlfriend. I'd say he has reason to be bitchy and moody about it.

E: No, fuck you, I'll expound.

She's an insecure LUNATIC who doesn't respect other peoples' wishes. He calls her out on her bullshit, she has a hissy fit (OH HEY BIG SURPRISE!) and takes her ball and goes to Sven's. Marten goes AFTER her to TALK IT OUT, and she dumps his ass. You know what, fuck you 'Marten is in the wrong!' idiots. He fucking TRIED to take the high road despite being complete fed up with her crap, and basically got punched in the dick for his troubles.

He didn't get out and get hammered, he fucking went home to go to bed. I fucking fail to see how he was a JERK.

Dude, crazypants, I've been agreeing with you for most of my posts in this thread. Yeah, Dora HAS been totally being a bitch to Marten and acting crazy in their relationship. That's why they should have broken up! And now that they did, since Marten was the one who should have gotten out earlier anyway, he shouldn't be bitchy at her for finally seeing how messed up things were and doing what was necessary!

[LeeC]

nah Marten has a right to be a bit bitchy, unlike Dora he was at least trying to work things out.

[no one special]

WELP

Yeah, pretty much.  Just... damn.

[Delator]

Huh...I had honestly expected the thread to be at 40 pages by now.

This is also the second time in a row he has been shut down by a woman saying she can't manage her own issues well enough for a relationship.

Indeed...the guy needs someone a bit more level headed next time around. Granted that's probably not going to be for a while... 

I'm guessing Monday we get someone talking with Dora....it's Sven, Faye, or Hanners...in descending order of likelihood.

[akronnick]

He's not being bitchy to her, he's just been dumped. Let the Poor sonofabitch vent for Christ sake!




*OT* That's weird, Firefox wants to correct 'sonofabitch' to 'sonsofbitches.'

[JackFaerie]

To the people giving all sorts of crap to Marten:

In the comic, Marten felt he was in a happy, functional relationship as of THAT AFTERNOON. Smiling and laughing with his loving girlfriend and platonic best friend.

First of all, this is not true. He was happy and laughing at the time, but he's had a number of nights of sighing laying awake next to Dora and being dissatisfied with the state of things (which he did not act upon) and comparing their relationship to Faye's blossoming one and feeling unhappy about it, and growing all the more bitter.

Now he's been dumped, for reasons that are totally out of his control, and after rereading some of the archives, have existed since day 1 of the relationship. Dora has been having issues on that same subject literally since she kissed him the first time.
The fact that she hasn't changed at all, hasn't gotten at least NUMB to the problem, does not speak well of her.

Uhm, how is getting "numb" to a problem that exists a good thing? Such a problem often grows with time, not diminishes. And I think she's been feeling Marten's occasional trepidations.

[Tainted Wisdom]

Pintsize totally stabbed Marten in the back by showing Dora how to find his porn.  Wonder if the lil' robot is going to be punished?  Marten should install  McAfee Virus Scan on him.

You sir, have made my day.

[Sharp]

Just had to pop in to say that Jeph has blown me away with these strips. Marten's reaction may not have been big and boisterous, or sniveling and pitiful, as some have predicted. It's numb, and to me, that fits his character better. At this point Marten is too emotionally frazzled to deal with this any other way. I can imagine Marten getting very little sleep, tossing and turning all night. At times like these, the mind races and I know that I would more likely be mad at the situation itself. Not "Grr Dora!" or "Grr Me!" Just..."AAAAAGH! WHY?!"  

oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no #panicattack #sadfriends #everythingisawful #hashtags #aaa

GREAT. NOW HANNERS IS UPSET. GREAT JOB GUYS.

[muffin_of_chaos]

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd Marten's just wallowing in jerkishness now. Yes, you were both sick of her crap. You weren't gonna do anything about it except sigh at night and grow ever more secretly bitter comparing your relationship to others. She saw the flaws in the situation and ended it for both of you. Don't be an asshole about it now, Marten.

Well I mean I think the whole "we're both sick of her crap" was unnecessarily mean. I still think what she did was very healthy: she recognized how and why their relationship wasn't working, and that there wasn't an easy fix for it (she may eventually want to get therapy for her issues, but I actually think she is right that she could get never be certain about his feelings for Faye versus her and what-could-have-beens--I mean, look at what people say about it on this forum!), and decided to have it end peaceably and kindly. I still think Marten was the one who should have done the breaking up, but apparently he's incapable of it even as he's been moping and doubting the future of their relationship for months.

Yeah, I disagree.
Saying something bitter to encapsulate his feelings about a broken long-term relationship, in private to a supportive mutual friend who isn't dumb, isn't mean to Dora.  If it was, almost everyone ever is "mean" and it loses all meaning.
His bitterness doesn't actually matter until someone gets hurt.  If Faye is hurt by his statement, then she's way weaker than I or Marten thought she was.

Marten's been nothing if not understanding, to the point of average human tolerance...even if he's had doubts he hasn't acted to sabotage the relationship.  He's been supportive, waiting for her to decide what she wants to do about her issues and if she wants to reframe it as "their" issues; as the one who brought up the problem and said that it was her own responsibility, the onus is on her to inform him.  Maybe it was spineless of him to assume that she would act like a responsible adult and try to actually communicate about the issues or seek the professional help they concurred she needed, rather than poke and prod her or make ultimatums.
All indications point to him merely assuming that she was mature enough to do what was required to perpetuate a committed partnership, and that he just needed to give her time (an argument she made herself).  When he finds out that her maturity is a put-on and only half-formed like we've just seen in this event, he's probably simultaneously really upset that she isn't as attractive a partner as he'd thought (at least in her current state) and bitter that she gave him no method to help her.  He's probably also bitter towards himself, for a multitude of reasons.

[Tergon]

Indeed...the guy needs someone a bit more level headed next time around. Granted that's probably not going to be for a while... 

I'm guessing Monday we get someone talking with Dora....it's Sven, Faye, or Hanners...in descending order of likelihood.

Fourth in line there would probably be Marigold doing a, "How can you throw away something like that?" double-take.  Not to sound like I'm hanging out for them to hook back up as soon as possible - I'm not - but Mari does have a perspective that the others might not, and it's possible that Dora might open up to her a little easier because she's more neutral than the others.

He's not being bitchy to her, he's just been dumped. Let the Poor sonofabitch vent for Christ sake!

This.  The guy just broke up with a girl who - whether or not you approve of it - he does love.  Guy's allowed to be a little bit hurt, it doesn't make him king of the selfish assholes.  It's what anyone would be doing in his situation.  And $20 says that if he wasn't being bitter and harsh about it, people would be howling at what a doormat he was being for NOT EVEN CARING OH EM GEE.

It's not the end of the world, is what I'm saying.

[Napoleon_Blownapart]

Well judging by the last panel of today's strip, Faye's going to go and unleash hell at Dora. My hope is that Faye calls her out on all her relationship issues and if Dora tries to claim hypocrisy, Faye will answer with "I watched my father shoot himself. What in god's name is your excuse for being such a fuckup?".

[ChibiSoma]

Ach. All this white knighting for Dora is driving me mad. She deserves any misery she gets. She hooked up with a guy RIGHT after her friend basically told him "No dice!" and has spent the entirety of the relationship being paranoid. She moved in with Faye and Marten so her insecure ass could keep a closer watch on them because she probably felt they were fucking around behind her back. She jumps to conclusions and disrespects those around her, and somehow SHE'S the poor baby here?! No! That isn't how this works! You don't get sympathy when your entire relationship is based on this crazed FEAR that you can't let go! You don't get sympathy when you do NOTHING to take steps towards getting better! She refused to get her head straightened on and Marten didn't feel like putting up with it anymore. Let's ignore all of Dora's flaws because Marten told it as it was. Yeah, that doesn't play, boys and girls.

I hope they stay apart. There's no reconciling this nor SHOULD there be. How could Marten EVER trust this bitch again? How? She has basically done everything in her power to instill distrust. Marten's spent the entire day getting shit on. If I were in his place, I'd go get plastered then spend an hour ranting at a wall about how life is bullshit, how I was cursed to keep finding these girls who just kicked me in the dick and went on their merry fucking way, and where the hell I was supposed to go from there. He's probably got a colossal headache, he's probably completely sick and tired of dealing with his batshit loco ex, and he's almost assuredly fucking going to spend a good day holed up in his room. He might round up Dora's shit and chuck it out into the living room, but he's going to lay down and he's not going to get up until he can think straight.

From there, it's anyone's guess. Even separated, Dora has ensured that shit is going to be MISERABLE, not just for herself, not just for him, but for EVERYONE AROUND THEM. Everyone's going to be walking on eggshells, with the very possible exception of Faye, who has proven that she gives no fucks and will straight up lay into a person when she feels it's required to snap them out of their assholery! Work is going to be difficult because Dora's going to have to be there, and Faye's probably going to be waiting for her out front when she comes to open up for the day. Whether she waits to hear Dora's side of things or whether she just lays into her there on the street before quitting is anyone's guess. The likely candidate for a "Here's what you did wrong, stupid!" talk will come from Hannelore, who will lay everything out and pierce Dora's thick god damn skull as to why she's turned everything tits-up.

Dora, as a character, hasn't done anything unlikeable. Not a single thing. She got ahold of Marten when he was at his most vulnerable - when the girl he liked basically went "I can't be with you because I have issues." Faye jumped up her ass on that, and rightfully so, but managed to let her down easy in the end. Because Faye, unlike Dora, doesn't try everything in her power to be a black hole of charisma! Faye is mature, Faye took care of HER fucking problems, Faye was strong enough to realize she needed help and GOT IT. Holy shit, what an amazing occurrence! Dora has done the EXACT opposite of Faye.

And besides, it's fucking rule #1: The girl the guy first sees in a story is almost guaranteed to be the one he winds up with in the end.

Am I saying Marten/Faye end will happen? Absolutely not. I think that ship has probably left harbor by now. And as much as I'd like it to happen, it'd take a very drawn out chain reaction of events occurring that would only cause more misery before it caused any happiness. And, as I've just spent a great deal of time explaining, FAYE WOULDN'T DO THAT LIKE DORA WOULD.

Christ. I'm not saying Marten's never been an ass to anyone, but those occurrences are exceedingly rare because Marten is a limp-dicked milquetoast 99% of the time! This is one of the few times he has EVER gotten angry, and he had a good fucking reason to. So all of you "Poor Dora! Marten was so mean to her!  " people can go get stuffed in a fucking room! Marten didn't do anything but ask his girlfriend to respect his fucking privacy. She failed to do that because Dora needs to control everything in her life, other people included. As he's stated a few times now - he got tired of her bullshit.

THANK YOU, CLEVELAND! GOOD NIGHT!

[Superkid11]

Indeed...the guy needs someone a bit more level headed next time around. Granted that's probably not going to be for a while...  

I'm guessing Monday we get someone talking with Dora....it's Sven, Faye, or Hanners...in descending order of likelihood.

Fourth in line there would probably be Marigold doing a, "How can you throw away something like that?" double-take.  Not to sound like I'm hanging out for them to hook back up as soon as possible - I'm not - but Mari does have a perspective that the others might not, and it's possible that Dora might open up to her a little easier because she's more neutral than the others.

He's not being bitchy to her, he's just been dumped. Let the Poor sonofabitch vent for Christ sake!

This.  The guy just broke up with a girl who - whether or not you approve of it - he does love.  Guy's allowed to be a little bit hurt, it doesn't make him king of the selfish assholes.  It's what anyone would be doing in his situation.  And $20 says that if he wasn't being bitter and harsh about it, people would be howling at what a doormat he was being for NOT EVEN CARING OH EM GEE.

It's not the end of the world, is what I'm saying.

^^^^^^ Oh good lord this.
Hell it's not like he even said "we're both sick of your crap" to her face. Dora pretty much already said that anyway. Jesus christ.
... simultaneously the total opposite of this reaction (intense Dora hate) is also shocking. And Marten was called bitter, wow.

Then again it sounds like that's been going on a while and I just recently got back into QC so yeah. ... then again looking back Chibi is the only one really expressing such most of the time so maybe I'm just a derp.

[eyosgkxb]

Man, Marten could have had himself some fatty sex.

Woulda made him feel better.

[daryljfontaine]

THIS WEEK'S QC STRIPS WERE NOTHING BUT A PLOY TO SELL STUFFED VERSIONS OF ME, SUCKERS
_{about 1 hour ago via Tweetie for Mac}

AH HA HA HA HA well played sir, well played.

D

[Kazukagii]

Fuck, sorry Marten. I feel bad for him because he basically just got dumped over something he couldn't fix. At least he doesn't seem to be taking it out on Faye, which I had feared in his anger/sadness he might attempt. As much as I felt better about Dora for finally explaining her concerns, and despite my personal desire to see the relationship end, I am rather irked at Dora for not even trying to fix these issues, or talk about them, and instead just giving up a year long relationship over such a petty suspicion. Now Marten has gone from everything to nothing in the course of a day.

Now come the strips where Faye/Hanners try to cheer up Marten, and Sven tries to cheer up Dora. Or some combination involving said actors. Marten looks devistated, and I have no idea how Dora is feeling.

Just... wow.

Also congrats on breaking 35 pages. I know we haven't hit it yet, but we will. I had a fun week with you all, speculating and trolling and waving dickbrooms left and right. We should all do this again some time. Jeph can bring the drama, we can revel in it.

Warning - while you were typing 3 new replies have been posted. You may wish to review your post.
I'm going to miss you too, obnoxious warning.

[IanClark]

Man, Marten could have had himself some fatty sex.

Woulda made him feel better.

Fatty sex makes everyone feel better. Also, shut the fuck up.

[Saral]

Dora actually has some points, though badly phrased. Even if Marten was not going to be back to Faye

She wasn't the most important person in Marten's life, Faye was. So that niggled
Marten never stood up for himself so he seemed to be apologising for something she hadn't found out.
She wasn't going to give Marten an ultimatum because that wasn't fair.

And unless he could manage to correct both of those off his own bat, the relationship would have been doomed even without her trust issues. As much as she didn't want to do it, she just couldn't cope.


The disappointment when in the sudden switch of Dora's character compared to earlier  to make this happen and bring back Faye Marten apparently. Yes it has sailed, and no, it does seem as if it is being brought back. And that to me is extremely disappointing

[Tergon]

Man, Marten could have had himself some fatty sex.

Woulda made him feel better.

That joke's been used already in this thread.  You're fun to argue with, but if you're just gonna troll, be creative about it, man!

[eyosgkxb]

Man, Marten could have had himself some fatty sex.

Woulda made him feel better.

Fatty sex makes everyone feel better. Also, shut the fuck up.

She probably would have been fine with it too, its not like any 3rd graders weren't blindyly groping at her curves.

Hahahaha.

[Yellowstone]

I mean, I understand the sentiment and he's being very human here.  But let's face it, that often translates to "big fat jerk" and well, "We were both sick of her crap" is not only incredibly bitter, it's a pretty mean thing to say.  He's lashing out about something he never had the guts to talk about or take action with.  Yeah, he's feeling powerless right now.  He's hurting and he really is tired of going around the same merry-go-round, but he's also being a jerk.

I don't think Marten's "her crap" and Dora's "her crap" are the same.  Marten knew that Dora had some trust issues, but guess what?  He loved (loves?) her enough that he wants to work through them.  That's what healthy couples do.  Now Dora comes out and says that she's giving up on the relationship rather than work through her issues?  And that the most salient issue is one that, as far as Marten knows, Dora had worked out several hundred strips ago?  That's crap - not the trust issues, but Dora's spinelessness in dealing with them.

That's also why y'all who wanted Marten to stick around and protest the breakup were misguided.  That tactic only works if they're breaking up over something that can be feasibly fixed.  If it was just the trust issues, yeah, sticking around and saying, "No, you're wrong, I love being with you even if your occasional bitchiness drives me crazy" is a viable option.  But that wasn't it.  Dora basically told Marten, "You're not worth the effort I'd have to put in to make this relationship work" wrapped in a more polished "Honey, it's not you, it's me" wrapper.  Can't really fix that, once it's said.

I wonder at what point Faye will learn that Dora's main issue was the Faye vs. Dora thing.  The first Dora/Faye conversation after that little revelation is going to get real interesting.  Something along the lines of "You dumb bitch, Marten and I spend strip after strip explaining to you that we're happy having you and him together, and a year later you still can't get that through your thick skull?!"

She wasn't the most important person in Marten's life, Faye was. So that niggled

Really?  When did Marten put Faye ahead of Dora?

[Heliphyneau]

Wow.  News of Marten and Dora's breakup popped Faye's drunk bubbles, to the point where she had to seek comfort by touching her own breasts.  Interesting that he locked the door.

Next week: Pintsize and Winslow sing showtunes until Shebly bounds in and knocks them through the 4th wall.  Then turkeys usher in the singularity, and we all have pi.






















Or psy:  

[Tergon]

That's also why y'all who wanted Marten to stick around and protest the breakup were misguided.  That tactic only works if they're breaking up over something that can be feasibly fixed.  If it was just the trust issues, yeah, sticking around and saying, "No, you're wrong, I love being with you even if your occasional bitchiness drives me crazy" is a viable option.  But that wasn't it.  Dora basically told Marten, "You're not worth the effort I'd have to put in to make this relationship work" wrapped in a more polished "Honey, it's not you, it's me" wrapper.  Can't really fix that, once it's said.

I wonder at what point Faye will learn that Dora's main issue was the Faye vs. Dora thing.  The first Dora/Faye conversation after that little revelation is going to get real interesting.  Something along the lines of "You dumb bitch, Marten and I spend strip after strip explaining to you that we're happy having you and him together, and a year later you still can't get that through your thick skull?!"

Not to come down on a good point, because it is, but to be fair I think it should be pointed out that Dora knows this.  Pretty much the whole point is that she knows, intellectually, that Marten and Faye are not going to shack up on her.  She's 100% aware that she's being an irrational bitch when she even suggests otherwise.  She's not breaking up with Marten because she believes he wants Faye more than her, she's breaking up with him because she can't stop herself from thinking it anyway.
Yes, she's still running from the problem rather than solving it, and Marten's suffering for it.  But her reasoning isn't quite as terrible as everyone seems to be suggesting.

[Moxie]

I hope for one of two possibilities for the next comic:

1. Marten is visiting his mom.

2. Two month time skip.

Mostly because I don't wanna see mopey people for the next two months.

[Loki]

Is it very pathetic of me to expect some Deus Ex Machina here that makes Dora fucking go and see a headshrinker?

Later it turns out the headshrinker in fact is Pintsize in disguise.







...and he really shrinks heads.

[eyosgkxb]

I hope for one of two possibilities for the next comic:

1. Marten is visiting his mom.

2. Two month time skip.

Mostly because I don't wanna see mopey people for the next two months.

I would kill for a time skip just to watch most of these mopey white knights forced to pick up the pieces slowly.

That's also why y'all who wanted Marten to stick around and protest the breakup were misguided.  That tactic only works if they're breaking up over something that can be feasibly fixed.  If it was just the trust issues, yeah, sticking around and saying, "No, you're wrong, I love being with you even if your occasional bitchiness drives me crazy" is a viable option.  But that wasn't it.  Dora basically told Marten, "You're not worth the effort I'd have to put in to make this relationship work" wrapped in a more polished "Honey, it's not you, it's me" wrapper.  Can't really fix that, once it's said.

I wonder at what point Faye will learn that Dora's main issue was the Faye vs. Dora thing.  The first Dora/Faye conversation after that little revelation is going to get real interesting.  Something along the lines of "You dumb bitch, Marten and I spend strip after strip explaining to you that we're happy having you and him together, and a year later you still can't get that through your thick skull?!"

Not to come down on a good point, because it is, but to be fair I think it should be pointed out that Dora knows this.  Pretty much the whole point is that she knows, intellectually, that Marten and Faye are not going to shack up on her.  She's 100% aware that she's being an irrational bitch when she even suggests otherwise.  She's not breaking up with Marten because she believes he wants Faye more than her, she's breaking up with him because she can't stop herself from thinking it anyway.
Yes, she's still running from the problem rather than solving it, and Marten's suffering for it.  But her reasoning isn't quite as terrible as everyone seems to be suggesting.

No, its worse. Its like having intimacy issues but continuing to have sex with your partner because you think they won't love you as much for not. Later exploding for what could feel. Like months of rape for you. That's about right.

[erraticcait]

Interesting that he locked the door.

Long time reader, first time poster,  blah blah blah. I'm not even adding anything really substantial!

Anyway, I didn't see the *click* as him locking the door necessarily, just that it didn't SLAM closed for once. A soft click shut, I guess.

[Tergon]

No, its worse. Its like having intimacy issues but continuing to have sex with your partner because you think they won't love you as much for not. Later exploding for what could feel. Like months of rape for you. That's about right.

Dora knows on a logical level that she can trust Marten, but emotionally she can't control her outbursts.  For this reason she's breaking it off with him, because she feels that she can't handle the relationship when all she does is freak out at him, and hurt him, for things that she already knows are completely stupid.  This is because she feels that sticking with him and overcoming the problem, together, would be too hard.

You're equating this to someone who is terrified of sex volunteering to be raped until they explode.

I know even as I type this that you're going to think I'm being a smarmy asshole, and I'm sorry, but in all honesty and with zero sarcasm, I cannot for the life of me follow the connection you just made.

[eyosgkxb]

Interesting that he locked the door.

Long time reader, first time poster,  blah blah blah. I'm not even adding anything really substantial!

I didn't see the *click* as him locking the door necessarily, just that it didn't SLAM close for once. A soft click shut, I guess

He doesn't wanna chance getting what he's wanted since fatty-tan first introduced her sassy ass to the comic.

[Akima]

I mean, I understand the sentiment and he's being very human here.  But let's face it, that often translates to "big fat jerk" and well, "We were both sick of her crap" is not only incredibly bitter, it's a pretty mean thing to say.  He's lashing out about something he never had the guts to talk about or take action with.  Yeah, he's feeling powerless right now.  He's hurting and he really is tired of going around the same merry-go-round, but he's also being a jerk.

So Marten's "We were both sick of her crap" is incredibly bitter and mean? Wow, I had no idea there were so many nuns reading this forum! In the same circumstances, I'm not sure my own response would have been so muted, so I'm not about to cast a stone. Honestly, some seem to hold Marten to a standard only the Lord Buddha might achieve.

And Faye's fallen off the wagon, but it's understandable.

[cosmictruffle]

Wow.  News of Marten and Dora's breakup popped Faye's drunk bubbles, to the point where she had to seek comfort by touching her own breasts.  Interesting that he locked the door.

LOL, thanks for that

If Faye finds out Dora's issue with her regarding Marten, in her position I'd consider quitting CoD, because that is a really weird relationship to have with your boss. Giving Faye a new job and moving the setting from Coffee of Doom would be refreshing; I found CoD was starting to get boring because they aren't mean to their customers anymore and seem to have fewer wacky specials. That, and getting rid of Raven makes me believe that Jeph simply wants a more realistic comic (Raven didn't seem so much like a real person as a tool for comic relief). Nothing wrong with any of that, I'm simply explaining why I find CoD boring lately.

I could also see Dora moving in with Hannelore; Hanners has been working on being less OCD, and I recall a comic where she told Dora that she was jealous of her for having a roommate.

I'm pretty excited for all the possibilities that could happen.

[eyosgkxb]

No, its worse. Its like having intimacy issues but continuing to have sex with your partner because you think they won't love you as much for not. Later exploding for what could feel. Like months of rape for you. That's about right.

Dora knows on a logical level that she can trust Marten, but emotionally she can't control her outbursts.  For this reason she's breaking it off with him, because she feels that she can't handle the relationship when all she does is freak out at him, and hurt him, for things that she already knows are completely stupid.  This is because she feels that sticking with him and overcoming the problem, together, would be too hard.

You're equating this to someone who is terrified of sex volunteering to be raped until they explode.

I know even as I type this that you're going to think I'm being a smarmy asshole, and I'm sorry, but in all honesty and with zero sarcasm, I cannot for the life of me follow the connection you just made.

You keep applying logic to someone who claims to illogical, self claim by the way. Either you want to believe that she isn't or just can't notice.

"I am so in love with you Marten, I'm just incapable of knowing I refuse to be not jealous of a fat girl. Ill just shut up about it until I break up with you over it."

I woldnt be surprised if she tells him its her fault, and then blames him and others later. You all do know she moved in just to keep an eye on them right.

[Tergon]

You keep applying logic to someone who claims to illogical, self claim by the way. Either you want to believe that she isn't or just can't notice.

"I am so in love with you Marten, I'm just incapable of knowing I refuse to be jealous of a fat girl. Ill just shut up about it until I break up with you over it."

I woldnt be surprised if she tells him its her fault, and then blames him and others later. You all do know she moved in just to keep an eye on them right.

...aaaaaaand this is the part where I just stop talking to you.  Hopefully others will too, though I'm sure you'll find someone gullible enough to respond anyway.  Apologies for thinking you might have been less than a troll for a moment there, no hard feelings!

[Superkid11]

Interesting that he locked the door.

Oh god. He's going to furiously masturbate to pictures of her then cry for hours afterwords. Throughout the week.

[Yellowstone]

Dora knows on a logical level that she can trust Marten, but emotionally she can't control her outbursts.

This is true.  The question we must then ask is - to what extent is this her fault?  Personally, I'm inclined to think that if you're 27ish and still haven't developed the ability to override the crazy emotional side of your brain and pay attention to logic, you've screwed up somewhere.  Having a history of difficult relationships earns you some patience in dealing with the crazy, but it doesn't get you off the hook.

Then again, I tend to be much more rational than emotional, so I might be a tad biased...

[mllerustad]

I just want to say:

I broke up with my fiancé a bit more than a year ago. In the weeks and months afterward, both rationally and in my heart of hearts I knew it was the right decision. Yet nonetheless, whenever I thought about him, or the breakup, it was like a voice in my head yelling in my ear "WHAT THE F*** DID YOU DO?!??!!?" Self-hatred, regret, bitterness, and panic all rolled into one.

These last couple pages brought back that feeling. Damn you Jeph Jacques, but your writing here is that good. Phenomenal.

[daryljfontaine]

Or psy:  

    Pumpkin pi-yi-yi.   

D

[Tergon]

Dora knows on a logical level that she can trust Marten, but emotionally she can't control her outbursts.

This is true.  The question we must then ask is - to what extent is this her fault?  Personally, I'm inclined to think that if you're 27ish and still haven't developed the ability to override the crazy emotional side of your brain and pay attention to logic, you've screwed up somewhere.  Having a history of difficult relationships earns you some patience in dealing with the crazy, but it doesn't get you off the hook.

Then again, I tend to be much more rational than emotional, so I might be a tad biased...

Oh, no, she's at fault here, I agree.  She's taken the chicken's way out... even though I am sad to see them split, and I do like Dora as a character, this is a pretty terrible thing of her to do to Marten.

I'm just saying, she's not crazy enough to actually think that Marten would cheat on her.  She's just crazy enough to know that she's almost crazy enough to think it, and that knowledge is killing her.

...wait.

*quickly recaps what he said to himself, counting on his fingers*

...yeah, that adds up, we'll go with that.