Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT 18-22 Apr 2011 (1906-1910)
Tergon:
Almost anything can be described as a reaction to a situation. Right down to Marten's reaction to "I don't have any soup" or Faye's reaction to "Sven is good-looking and I am horny". The difference is that there are passive reactions and active reactions.
I do actually grant that for the vast majority of the strip Marten's been giving us passive responses. He lets Faye move in when she needs a place to stay, then he lets Faye turn him down after The Talk, then he accepts Dora's advances when she kisses him, he does nothing but say "Aw shucks" when he loses his job as Office Bitch, he accepts the position at the library when he wins it by accident - nobody else applied and he passed Tai's secret test without knowing it was a test at all. All of those and many others are passive responses.
But when things started to go sour with Dora, Marten found something he considered worth fighting for. He actually made an effort to keep the relationship going, and fought to stay with her. When they finally broke up, he was bitter about it and not just passively accepting. And since then, well, there's all the examples listed.
Again, I'm not saying that he's gone out and changed the world with these small things. What I am saying is that he's become a far more assertive person than when the strip started, and his character has evolved. And that in the last few hundred strips, it's become more obvious than ever.
Odin:
I would argue that he's become a hell of a lot less assertive and only strives to maintain whatever he considers to be status quo at the time and that what we're seeing now is not so much any sort of bouncing back and forth on assertiveness so much as a widening of what he considers permissible variety in his life.
I mean, the last major breakup Marten had resulted in him moving across the country trying to keep it from happening and in this one he's moping and whining around about it, but not doing anything drastic. It is a marked improvement, in that light.
DSL:
--- Quote from: Odin on 18 Apr 2011, 11:30 ---I would argue that he's become a hell of a lot less assertive and only strives to maintain whatever he considers to be status quo at the time and that what we're seeing now is not so much any sort of bouncing back and forth on assertiveness so much as a widening of what he considers permissible variety in his life.
--- End quote ---
Odin sort of sums up what was going to be my reply to the replies. Yes, Marten does fight to preserve. Will we see him fight to grow? I would not mind seeing his next mopery answered by a good, old- fashioned yellin'-at from Hanners. Those seem to hit their targets.
jwhouk:
--- Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 18 Apr 2011, 10:29 ---
--- Quote from: DSL on 18 Apr 2011, 09:22 ---Have we ever seen him initiate a relationship -- of any kind?
--- End quote ---
Not that I can think of. The point is well taken.
In fact, has he ever taken initiative on anything except getting soup? Amir and Natasha were already jamming when he joined them. Even in the case of The Secret Bakery, Hannelore picked it out.
OK, recruiting Hanners as a drummer counts. Anything else?
--- End quote ---
That's about it, actually - recruiting Hanners as a drummer is about it. And, as we already know, that wasn't a relationship initiation. Everyone that's come into his life has not done so by his choice (save, perhaps Pintsize, who we've already speculated may have been given him by mom).
iduguphergrave:
I interrupt this meaninglessful discussion to bring to your attention this:
http://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/4736554766/this-started-here-and-then-went-here-and-here-and
Your welcome. :-D
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