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She doesn't have her hair up in a ponytail.

6 (6.8%)

Black really clashes with her eyes.

2 (2.3%)

That wasn't Splenda she put in her coffee.

4 (4.5%)

She got an extra ear piercing since yesterday.

5 (5.7%)

Faye has a scar on her right boob.

9 (10.2%)

Dora's hair was purple.

8 (9.1%)

She doesn't really need glasses.

5 (5.7%)

Pintsize has her entire BDSM collection uploaded into his memory.

24 (27.3%)

That WASN'T Kirk, but his brother Leeeeroooyyyy Jenkkinnnnsss!!!!

8 (9.1%)

Waffles taste better with chicken.

17 (19.3%)

Total Members Voted: 71

[CEOIII]

OK, so Marten should call Dad?

[akronnick]

Certainly, if only to let him know they'll need another flower girl.


Edit:

Wait, are Marten and his mom getting coffee at a :gasp: Starbucks?!?!?!

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

OK, so Marten should call Dad?

No. No, fuck that idea. In fact, I really should have called westrim out on this yesterday and it is starting to bother me that people don't get it.

What would Henry say that's any different? He's busy being in love and getting ready to get married! Hell, he'd be worse to have around; at least Veronica is focusing all her attention on Marty, not mooning over somebody and then looking back all "oh, sorry son."

Nobody can fix this for Marten. That is not how real life works. If you want to laud QC for realism you have to accept this too: welcome to the world of dealing with your own heartbreak. People can be there for hugs and sympathy and embarrassment and all that, but no one is going to wave a magic wand and fix this.

Or do people just want someone to come and punch Dora? Is that what this is? Not to be paranoid but I noticed that the time Ms. Reed's popularity really started dropping was when it became clear she wasn't going to fuck Dora up. Is...Are we that bad, guys? Tell me we aren't.)

[CEOIII]

Nobody can fix this for Marten. That is not how real life works. If you want to laud QC for realism you have to accept this too: welcome to the world of dealing with your own heartbreak. People can be there for hugs and sympathy and embarrassment and all that, but no one is going to wave a magic wand and fix this.

So you concede that people can be around to help Marten through this.

But are you also willing to concede that Veronica's been about as helpful as a kevlar vest against a tactical nuke? Repeated embarassments, dressing him down in front of his friends, that "You'dve been HORRIBLE for my boy" to Faye...........you asked if people wanted Dora punched, and I'm sure I can speak for several readers in this comic when I say, there is a woman in this comic we want to see hit in the mouth, and it ain't Dora.

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

Sure. Veronica has fucking sucked at cheering him up. When she all but said so in today's comic, there's not a lot there to admit.

I think she's really funny and charming regardless, and I've enjoyed her time in town. As to the list of grievances, I got over being embarrassed by my mother as a source of major emotional trauma when I was done being thirteen years old and presumably so did Marten, the dressing down was a little fucked up but hey, and she was completely right about what she said to Faye (sorry OTP crew).

I think if you want to punch V in the mouth for her arc here it says more about you than her.

[pendrake]

Playing catch-up again with QC... How you people manage to post on every (or nearly every) strip makes me wish I had more time not spent working, husbanding, parenting, and trying not to accidentally (or purposefully) unleash Cthulhu or the zombie apocalypse.


1. It did make me sad to read strip Number 1838 and Jeph's comments, but nor was it anything particularly shocking either .


For #1839...

2. Artwork-wise, I really like strip Number 1839, panels 3 & 4 really show Marten's features from his mother's side.  Like strip Number 1519 (panel 4) showed from between Marten and his father.

3. For Marten's feelings of relief and guilt over The Break-Up:  Generally speaking, if you do have a strong &/or solid sense of relief, it probably does made you did the correct (if not "right") decision, regardless of any guilt .

4. Marten and Miss Reed talking about Dora as much as the break-up, I get a feeling Marten may be tentatively walking into Coffee of Doom to hang around the many girls he is fond of and bonded with once again, relatively soon (thinking by the end of January 2011).

[Swedish Chef]

OK, so Marten should call Dad?

No. No, fuck that idea. In fact, I really should have called westrim out on this yesterday and it is starting to bother me that people don't get it.

What would Henry say that's any different? He's busy being in love and getting ready to get married! Hell, he'd be worse to have around; at least Veronica is focusing all her attention on Marty, not mooning over somebody and then looking back all "oh, sorry son."

Nobody can fix this for Marten. That is not how real life works. If you want to laud QC for realism you have to accept this too: welcome to the world of dealing with your own heartbreak. People can be there for hugs and sympathy and embarrassment and all that, but no one is going to wave a magic wand and fix this.

Or do people just want someone to come and punch Dora? Is that what this is? Not to be paranoid but I noticed that the time Ms. Reed's popularity really started dropping was when it became clear she wasn't going to fuck Dora up. Is...Are we that bad, guys? Tell me we aren't.)

It would be a good idea to call him, there is a lot less luggage between te two involved and Henry can offer a reasonable, removed, viewpoint.

But granted, nobody can sort it out for Marten but Marten himself.

...
Marten dark grey hood makes him loks like a young Padawan.

[shlominus]

econtent.net/view.php?comic=1519]
3. For Marten's feelings of relief and guilt over The Break-Up:  Generally speaking, if you do have a strong &/or solid sense of relief, it probably does made you did the correct (if not "right") decision, regardless of any guilt .

this.

nevertheless i still think dora and marten might get together again. i don't understand why this possibility hasn't been brought up yet (maybe it has, but i don't read the whole forum.) it wouldn't be that unusual.

ps: i love the portrayal of a disfunctional mother/son relationship. poor marten...

[rje]

Hey I was right! She does just suck at this. xD
You can kind of tell when even the moment she tried a supportive speech it fell into trite cliche'. She just doesn't know what she's doing ~ aw now I kinda feel sorry for her.

I understand why Marten didn't want her coming even more now. I wonder if he got the same sort of '::shrug:: idk...it sure sucks?' thing when his college girlfriend dumped him.

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

Well to be fair, that trite cliché isn't exactly wrong! I mean, sometimes that relief is honestly good, and sometimes it's bad! Who knows? Only Marty.

And if you mean where she said that even though he and Dora didn't work out, things are going to turn out okay: well, that's pretty true too!

[The Seldom Killer]

nevertheless i still think dora and marten might get together again. i don't understand why this possibility hasn't been brought up yet (maybe it has, but i don't read the whole forum.) it wouldn't be that unusual.

I think the lack of discussion would be down to a shortage of timeline and being at a risk of shipping. I think you're right though, the possibility exists, but the odds are largely dependant on the two of them getting through the post break up meeting without burning bridges.

Still waiting to see if Jeph is going to sneak in a Vaccines reference. They've been on high rotation on XFM and it always makes me think of QC when it comes on (all of my friends are boring fuckers in stable relationships, I need more psychos in my clique).

[jwhouk]

Who else can Veronica tick off while she's here?

Jimbo.    - 4 (3.7%)
Steve.    - 4 (3.7%)
Marigold.    - 11 (10.1%)
Dale.    - 1 (0.9%)
Winslow.    - 6 (5.5%)
Cosette.    - 2 (1.8%)
Penelope.    - 8 (7.3%)
Wil.    - 1 (0.9%)
Sven.    - 10 (9.2%)
Everyone.    - 62 (56.9%) (Assuming, of course, that "Everyone" would be "Everyone in the forums".)

Total Voters: 109

[Smoot]

Something puzzles me about today's comic, and there's no other way to put it, so I'm just gonna come out with it:
When Marten says 'do you think we did the right thing', and Veronica talks about the 'right decision'... when did Marten 'do' or 'decide' anything about this situation? What action or decision did he make? Dora broke up with him.  There wasn't any 'mutuality' about it. There's no "we" to it, or am I totally wrong?

Unless we're meant to take his losing his temper once in the entire run of the comic as him actually making a decision to 'make' Dora break up with him?

[kent_eh]

Also, it appears that Marten is pretty much immune to parental TMI bombs.

But I guess he kinda has to be, otherwise he'd be Dr Corrine's most lucrative patient.

[pwhodges]

'do you think we did the right thing'

They  are broken up, even if only one made the actual decision.  I suppose you could also say that he accepted it - though whatever he felt about it, he couldn't choose to stay un-broken-up when she had broken with him!  But essentially, there isn't any other way for him to express it idiomatically - he's hardly likely to ask his mum "do you think she did the right thing breaking up with me?", is he.

[Odal]

Something puzzles me about today's comic, and there's no other way to put it, so I'm just gonna come out with it:
When Marten says 'do you think we did the right thing', and Veronica talks about the 'right decision'... when did Marten 'do' or 'decide' anything about this situation? What action or decision did he make? Dora broke up with him.  There wasn't any 'mutuality' about it. There's no "we" to it, or am I totally wrong?

Unless we're meant to take his losing his temper once in the entire run of the comic as him actually making a decision to 'make' Dora break up with him?

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1800

As for the comic, I think Veronica has been doing the right things, but the only thing left for her to do is to listen to Marten.  She can't really take sides or anything, but she can listen.  And that's what's starting to happen, I think.  Hopefully Marten does go through a few strips of really expressing himself as he needs to.

[Carl-E]

Actually, there was a fair bit of discussion over the last few weeks about what cold have gone differently in the break up.  In particular, Marten could have told Dora that he'd stay with her and see her through getting help with her insecurities, essentially "fixing" their relationship. 

While it probably wouldn't have worked, he decided  not to.  In fact, knowing the type of person he is, he may have even tried after that deer-in-the-headlights moment of 1799, but was reasoned out of it by Dora.  We'll never know for sure. 

And yes, Veronica is doing the best thing right now that any parent can do.  Because it's his  life. 

[Blyss]

Yep, Marten has to deal with it himself - not much to that debate.  It's his life, his experiences.

And yeah, I'm ready to see things from Dora's perspective as well.

[Hinotori]

Nobody can fix this for Marten. That is not how real life works. If you want to laud QC for realism you have to accept this too: welcome to the world of dealing with your own heartbreak. People can be there for hugs and sympathy and embarrassment and all that, but no one is going to wave a magic wand and fix this.

Or do people just want someone to come and punch Dora? Is that what this is? Not to be paranoid but I noticed that the time Ms. Reed's popularity really started dropping was when it became clear she wasn't going to fuck Dora up. Is...Are we that bad, guys? Tell me we aren't.)

I registered, logged in, and delurked just to tell you how much I love you for posting this.

[Carl-E]

Good, he needs it. 

What?  Don't we all? 

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

Pah! Lifejackets aren't necessary, this thing is unsinkable!

I'll alert the Coast Guard.   

[azurite]

Nobody can fix this for Marten. That is not how real life works. If you want to laud QC for realism you have to accept this too: welcome to the world of dealing with your own heartbreak. People can be there for hugs and sympathy and embarrassment and all that, but no one is going to wave a magic wand and fix this.

THANK YOU.  

Was she going to come in and take over his life, putting his ex's lights out, getting his career path on track, establishing some better boundaries in his still impressively convoluted relationship with Faye, finding him a new honey, maybe catching up on his laundry and darning his socks? THAT would've been irresponsible mothering, and really annoying, besides. He's an adult. He can darn his own socks. And he can deal with his own heartbreak, too.

Of course, at no point IN THE ACTUAL STRIP did I get a sense that she was coming to visit Marten to become the co-dependent fixer of his life. Marten didn't seem to be operating under that assumption, either, unless I missed a few panels. This latest strip, he's actually starting to talk about the breakup in constructive language, too, which I think might be evidence of what his mother's visit has done for him. Her going to CoD was actually very smart--it gave Marten an opportunity to see Dora vicariously and opened the topic for conversation in a different way. It also kept Dora human, avoiding that particular brand of drama some breakups take on: "s/he whose name can not be spoke, the hell creature that lives across town."

I'm puzzled as to why so many posters think Veronica is being a terrible mother. She's listening, keeping a healthy distance, trying to give him some perspective and probably adding a few years onto the longevity of his liver by distracting him from multiple rounds of binge drinking, besides. Micromanaging him or his situation would be way more damaging right now.

I've enjoyed this storyline and seeing Veronica again, too.

[westrim]

I went to sleep early so I missed everything said since and before this comic was posted, but my impression is hell, it's about time. They're finally acting like something happened in his life, not ooh, mom's visiting and embarrassing him and wacky hijinks hyuk hyuk hyuk. The aforementioned hijinks still haven't been addressed, but hey, if the writer and characters want to ignore them (aside from bringing up the Dora visit), I will. Also, why is hijinks not in Firefox's spell check?

[steveb]

Nobody can fix this for Marten. That is not how real life works. If you want to laud QC for realism you have to accept this too: welcome to the world of dealing with your own heartbreak. People can be there for hugs and sympathy and embarrassment and all that, but no one is going to wave a magic wand and fix this.

Absolutely right! I'm so glad you said that.

Actually I think Marten IS starting to deal with this. Asking how Dora was doing rather than asking what she said is a good sign in my book. Describing the break-up as something they did jointly is also good.

[Border Reiver]

Always a hard thing to admit as a parent that you don't have all the answers - or that the ones you do have may not be the best.

[rje]

Well to be fair, that trite cliché isn't exactly wrong! I mean, sometimes that relief is honestly good, and sometimes it's bad! Who knows? Only Marty.
And if you mean where she said that even though he and Dora didn't work out, things are going to turn out okay: well, that's pretty true too!

Yea...but they're so true everyone knows them. I mean really, honestly, if there's anything we all know about life is that it keeps going on. And sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad, and time heals all wounds, and generally everything works out in the end, or at least something else comes up to take it's place. We don't want to hear that sometimes that cos it doesn't feel like it at all, but we do know it. Maybe trite isn't the word I was looking for (I meant something that meant more 'commonplace knowledge, no extra insight.)

I was just commenting upon the fact that Veronica doesn't have any concrete advice or insight to give Marten, and it's just because she doesn't have any. I didn't say that was bad! When I said 'sucky' I didn't mean 'sucky mother' as in 'someone call CPS' I just meant she's sucky at knowing what to say/to to give him some clarity. My mother was awesome at it, because she spent a lot of time talking to me in depth, analyzing things with me, including my own reactions and emotions and sometimes even opening my eyes to things I was doing/thinking and didn't realize. But some people aren't good at that. It's not a bad thing, it's just a realistic thing.

I still think the majority of her behavior in the last few comics is inappropriate. But it's all good ~

[Is it cold in here?]

If Marten salvages a friendship with Dora, it will be the first time he's managed it with an ex. 755, and look how he practically hid from Vicky. He could have a growth opportunity, or he could take the easy way out and dismiss her as "crazy".

[Insectile]

I think Faye might to go out with Marten to prove a point to his mum

[Cybit]

I think Faye might to go out with Marten to prove a point to his mum

Yeah...I get the feeling between her insecurities about Angus, the "Marten" option now being thrust into view (Marten is single, so now she has to confront it mentally somewhat), and Veronica's jarring comment...as well as Faye's sometimes immature attitude...oh yeah, I can see this happening. 

Basically, something like this happens...?

1) Marten starts doing his own thing, and starts feeling / being more confident as time goes on, and becoming perhaps even more empathic / nicer then before
2) Faye doesn't forget what happened the fifth of bourbon night, nor what Veronica said
3) Faye maybe mentions something about this new Marten...which puts Angus back in the same position Dora was in
4) Angus & Faye have a blow up
5) Faye goes on a date with Marten to prove Veronica wrong, or she talks to Marten about it, Marten goes WTF??, Faye gets super angry at the unexpected rejection (due to the bourbon night perhaps making her think Marten really still wanted her), and things blow up.

Marten & Dora ending their relationship could cause Angus to feel threatened the same way Dora did...oooh boy. 

[sitnspin]

@Cybit - Nah, I don't see Angus getting insecure as easily as  Dora. Angus has always shown himself to be extremely confident. Too much so, some would argue.

[pwhodges]

Marten is single, so now she has to confront it mentally somewhat

Or simply remember that the change no longer affects her.

which puts Angus back in the same position Dora was in

No, because Dora's position came from inside herself; Angus is, as far as we know, different.

the bourbon night perhaps making her think Marten really still wanted her

It's pretty clear that her reaction to the bourbon was more understanding than that, and there's no reason for her mind to lose that clarity in the cold light of day.

----------------

It'll take better arguments than these to convince me that this idea is not heading down the shipping route...

[CEOIII]

I still think the majority of her behavior in the last few comics is inappropriate.

MY POINT.

[Is it cold in here?]

I took the hair-tousle to mean that Pugnacious Peach has moved on emotionally.

[steveb]

If Marten salvages a friendship with Dora, it will be the first time he's managed it with an ex. 755, and look how he practically hid from Vicky. He could have a growth opportunity, or he could take the easy way out and dismiss her as "crazy".

From todays comic I think he is going to salvage the friendship (as long as Dora lets him).
He is expressing concern for her in asking how she was doing rather than thinking only of himself.
He is presenting the breakup as a joint action not as a "crazy" girlfriend dumping him.

[Cybit]

Eh, that was just my opinion of how it could break down.  All of your guys' points are true, but two things

1) This is expecting a whole lot of maturity out of Faye, not all of which is necessarily earned. 
2) Regarding Angus: Usually guys who come off too confident are the most insecure of them all. 

People may be one way 90+% of the time, but it's the other 10% of the time that usually blows things up.  Jeph's been really good about showing that although people have personalities, sometimes they go against their "typical" personality, and show more depth.  (Faye not obliterating Dora, for one)

[Kugai]

And the circle is now complete.

[maddness]

Eh, that was just my opinion of how it could break down.  All of your guys' points are true, but two things

1) This is expecting a whole lot of maturity out of Faye, not all of which is necessarily earned.  
2) Regarding Angus: Usually guys who come off too confident are the most insecure of them all.  

People may be one way 90+% of the time, but it's the other 10% of the time that usually blows things up.  Jeph's been really good about showing that although people have personalities, sometimes they go against their "typical" personality, and show more depth.  (Faye not obliterating Dora, for one)

Actually, Faye has been acting quite a bit more mature since the whole "break up" with Sven. She's been handling her interpersonal relationships a whole lot better than she used to. As for Angus, I don't know about him being too confident, but I don't see him as the type to sit around and stew when something makes him feel insecure. He seems to me to be the sort of guy who would ask outright about anything that might be concerning him. He reads as a bull-by-the-horns type to me.

Edit:  Also, since they just got together, I'd like to see the relationship develop more before there are any im/explosions.

[Somnus Eternus]

I took the hair-tousle to mean that Pugnacious Peach has moved on emotionally.

Yes, we're doing this?  This is a thing now?

Because PP makes for fantastic initials.

[TheEvilDog]

Because PP makes for fantastic initials.

Or unfortunate initials, depending on your prespective...

[Akima]

Marten's Mum understands her limitations! How cool is that?

Or do people just want someone to come and punch Dora? Is that what this is? Not to be paranoid but I noticed that the time Ms. Reed's popularity really started dropping was when it became clear she wasn't going to fuck Dora up. Is...Are we that bad, guys? Tell me we aren't.)

Yeah, actually I think we are, or at least a sizeable sub-set is. Certainly the "a real man is an angry man" crowd.

[CEOIII]

Because PP makes for fantastic initials.

Or unfortunate initials, depending on your prespective...

Valid point. In that "You and Marten would've been a nightmare" pane, Faye did look a little flushed.

[Is it cold in here?]

Give her a moment for it to sink in and she'll be pissed.

[Boomslang]

I think that even though Faye is aware that Veronica is probably right, and had almost certainly come to that conclusion herself, it's incredibly rude of Veronica to say so, especially in those terms.

V's got some serious hypocrisy going regarding being rude to people. And it does explain a lot about Marten that he's unable to even confront her about it.

Anyway, I'd say Marten really should talk to his dad. They have a lot more in common, personality wise, and his dad at least is TRYING to find 'the one', and I think Marten would appreciate a bit less jaded and biased perspective.

[seaflower]

 I just want to say that I never been a big Marten fan. He is far too passive about his relationships and merely takes what comes along. To be fair to Dora, I think it took great strength for her to admit that how she hooked up with Marten wasn't ideal and she made a mistake by not waiting. He was obsessed about Faye for ages, it doesn't work out and he quickly gets together with Dora? Of course there would be consequences for these actions.
Their relationship always felt unstable to me because of how it was set up. Dora has issues and is a bit screwed up but I love the fact that she doesn't shrink away from what happened and broke up something that was rotting away from the core.
First Marten is annoyed and upset by Dora breaking up with him and now he is slightly relieved....he is such a passive wank!

[akronnick]

I took the hair-tousle to mean that Pugnacious Peach has moved on emotionally.

Yes, we're doing this?  This is a thing now?

Because PP makes for fantastic initials.

You have to say it like a Boxing announcer,

To wit:

I this corner, weighing in at One hundred and *mumble-mumble* pounds, from Savannah Georgia,

The Pugnacious Peach,

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaye

Whitakrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre!

[TheEvilDog]

My thought was more if you added 4 e's to the initals. 

[parvles]

Veronica was rude to Faye. Even if what she said is true (and I think it is), it's totally not ok for her to say that. Remember again, Veronica does not really know Faye. People I have been interested in in the past or ex-boyfriends I have remained friends with are sensitive for me sometimes, not because I am still interested in them, but because we have a relationship that is more complicated and involved than other people would necessarily understand. If someone told me that "oh yeah, i never saw you guys working out. you would have been awful," I would be really offended. Especially if that person did not really know me. Maybe it's true, but it's not someone else's place to tell me that in harsh language with no regard to the fact that there WAS something there.

I don't think people dislike Veronica's visit because she didn't punch Dora, but because she rushed all the way over to "help" Marten, and then did nothing to help him. I never really liked the Dora/Marten match, but that had a lot to do with how their relationship started, (which was always more an issue with Marten than Dora for me), but that doesn't mean I dislike Dora herself. I think she is fine. I don't have any desire to see her hurt or anything like that. I dislike Veronica's actions because she is supposed to be there for Marten and she isn't.

[AnAverageWriter]

I don't think people dislike Veronica's visit because she didn't punch Dora, but because she rushed all the way over to "help" Marten, and then did nothing to help him. [ ] I dislike Veronica's actions because she is supposed to be there for Marten and she isn't.

I think quite a few people here would echo that sentiment.

[iduguphergrave]

Faye could totally be a boxer. Seriously.


In fact that would make for quite an entertaining story arc.

[Kugai]

I took the hair-tousle to mean that Pugnacious Peach has moved on emotionally.

Yes, we're doing this?  This is a thing now?

Because PP makes for fantastic initials.

You have to say it like a Boxing announcer,

To wit:

I this corner, weighing in at One hundred and *mumble-mumble* pounds, from Savannah Georgia,

The Pugnacious Peach,

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaye

Whitakrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre!

Cue Michael Buffer.