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[Buttons*]

...just waiting for Marten to snap and self-harm or just tell everyone, "Fuck off, I'm out of here for a while"? I mean, the other characters have been through a lot, but the worst Marten has ever really done is say, "Looks like I always get to be the halfway man" to Faye...drunk.... and that's really not a whole hell of a lot of the frustration the guy would hypothetically feel if he were a real person. Hell, maybe he'll get so angry he'll say, "fuck this" and try to take Deathmole on tour to finally live the dream :p 

[mike837go]

Our lovable little manatee-on-codene?

Not bloody likely!

[dragontart]

It would probably be interesting if one day he said "STFU AND LISTEN you freak(s)" but I'm not waiting for it and don't think he'll do that.
Also I'm not even sure if he's really that  pissed off in general. Well I would be. But I'm not Marten. If I were Marten he wouldn't be in that situation to begin with.

[NotAwesomeAnymore]

Marten "snaps" all the time. But like this: http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1947

He may not act like Faye, but he frequently expresses his emotions in a clear and concise way: By acting mopey and sad.

Also, am I correct in saying people measure how crap Marten's life is by counting up little consecutive misfortunes? Because when I'm sad I don't usually go, "First I was late for class and now I hit my head and my friend was so mean to me two weeks ago and I did so badly on that physics test last month..."

[TheEvilDog]

Also, am I correct in saying people measure how crap Marten's life is by counting up little consecutive misfortunes? Because when I'm sad I don't usually go, "First I was late for class and now I hit my head and my friend was so mean to me two weeks ago and I did so badly on that physics test last month..."

Completing missing the point.

Its been 8 months or so since the break up, but for Marten its been about a month or so, give or take a week or two. So in that time he's had to deal with the breakup, his mother visiting and her actions. He's had to deal with realising that Tai, his boss and friend, was circling his ex (not that she needed his permission to ask Dora out). His best friend has a serious boyfriend, and I'm sure that when that happens and you're newly single, yeah, you might feel a little depressed about yourself. We also can't forget various incidents involving Hanners, Pintsize and Steve's ass and a little too much information. Thats pretty much one thing after another in a very short amount of time. If things like that happened to us, one after another in quick succession, we might rage, shout, punch a couch (Damn bastards!), some might break down, cry and let that emotion out and some might just laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Marten's mechanism is to sit down, mutter under his breath and leave it at that. So which is the healthier one? Or rather, whats the most damaging to Marten?

[pwhodges]

Well, there's the thing, really.  This forum (and the relationship thread elsewhere) sometimes becomes a cluster of people shouting that the only healthy way to be is the way they  were brought up.  Laissez Faire, Protestant Work Ethic, or whatever inbetween.

(I put this in the wrong thread - here it is in the right place where I hope it makes sense!)

[NotAwesomeAnymore]

Completing missing the point.

Its been 8 months or so since the break up, but for Marten its been about a month or so, give or take a week or two. So in that time he's had to deal with the breakup, his mother visiting and her actions. He's had to deal with realising that Tai, his boss and friend, was circling his ex (not that she needed his permission to ask Dora out). His best friend has a serious boyfriend, and I'm sure that when that happens and you're newly single, yeah, you might feel a little depressed about yourself. We also can't forget various incidents involving Hanners, Pintsize and Steve's ass and a little too much information. Thats pretty much one thing after another in a very short amount of time. If things like that happened to us, one after another in quick succession, we might rage, shout, punch a couch (Damn bastards!), some might break down, cry and let that emotion out and some might just laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Marten's mechanism is to sit down, mutter under his breath and leave it at that. So which is the healthier one? Or rather, whats the most damaging to Marten?

This tells me I haven't missed the point at all. I'm aware that the comic moves slower than IRL. It's been weeks since his mother left, meaning he had a lot of time to 'deal' before finding out about Tai. In any case, we don't know what's going on in Marten's head in the moment when bad things happen. For all we know, he has gone through the thought process of resolving it in that short time. We haven't seen him have any traumatic flashbacks (fleshbacks!) to the fleshlight incident. Some people just aren't naturally aggressive and I remember reading somewhere about a lawsuit where a therapist tried to 'get the anger out' and just made a person's depression worse. Is there evidence that anger is a pressure cooker that needs a release valve? Does Jeph think that?

I think we can call mind fallacy on this one. I'm pretty sure I don't try to grapple with everything that's bothering me all at once. Apparently a lot of forumites tend to look at 'the bigger picture' and become overwhelmed.

Also, I feel like you're going to call me on this by bringing up Marten and Dora and the strip where he talks about "the same old song and dance". With his mother, however, he does retort and object often and then takes a nap to get away from her. In fact, I think his doormat behaviour with Dora began shortly after Faye slept with Sven and Marten told her she was being irrational. Steve (the ladymaster) essentially tells Marten it was his fault for standing up to her, and so it begins...

[Tiogyr]

Is there evidence that anger is a pressure cooker that needs a release valve?

Yes, though what is defined as a constructive release differs for each person.

[Akima]

Is there evidence that anger is a pressure cooker that needs a release valve?

Just letting anger out is destructive and self-indulgent. Letting your anger go is different from letting it out. It's more like taking the pot off the stove, as opposed to letting the pressure build until it blows the top off.

P.S. Cryptic threat thread titles are silly. <--- Edit: Stupid spelling error fixed.

[Is it cold in here?]

I was slow to realize that you meant "cryptic thread titles". It was confusing for a while.

[AbsentiaFall]

It seems like every other character in QC has some control over their own destiny. Marten is the only character that the plot happens to, as opposed to driving the plot. Refresh me if I'm wrong, but the only decisions I remember Marten taking a big part in would be buying a guitar and deciding to quit his job (only to be fired right away to make the point moot) So...if anything...I'm just hoping he'll finally take initiative and start driving his own story. It wouldn't be a moment too soon, what with the comic almost past 2,000 strips....

[jwhouk]

I'm sorry, but when it comes to this strip, I'm a strong believer in predestination.

[Carl-E]

It seems like every other character in QC has some control over their own destiny.

Yeah, it's not like they'd get shanghaied into changing jobs against their will... 

To be fair, Pen-el-ope came back on her own.  She says  she had no choice, but she could've sought employment elsewhere...

Something must've been attractive about working at CoD.  Probably the insubordination benefits. 

[stoutfiles]

Also, am I correct in saying people measure how crap Marten's life is by counting up little consecutive misfortunes? Because when I'm sad I don't usually go, "First I was late for class and now I hit my head and my friend was so mean to me two weeks ago and I did so badly on that physics test last month..."

Completing missing the point.

Its been 8 months or so since the break up, but for Marten its been about a month or so, give or take a week or two. So in that time he's had to deal with the breakup, his mother visiting and her actions. He's had to deal with realising that Tai, his boss and friend, was circling his ex (not that she needed his permission to ask Dora out). His best friend has a serious boyfriend, and I'm sure that when that happens and you're newly single, yeah, you might feel a little depressed about yourself. We also can't forget various incidents involving Hanners, Pintsize and Steve's ass and a little too much information. Thats pretty much one thing after another in a very short amount of time. If things like that happened to us, one after another in quick succession, we might rage, shout, punch a couch (Damn bastards!), some might break down, cry and let that emotion out and some might just laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Marten's mechanism is to sit down, mutter under his breath and leave it at that. So which is the healthier one? Or rather, whats the most damaging to Marten?

Are we concluding that Marten needs therapy?

[pwhodges]

Not really.  He might well benefit from it (as many of us could), but equally, he'll probably get along well enough without it (as most of us do).  Trying to say more than that is probably a waste of time.

[wrwight]

He might well benefit from it (as many of us could), but equally, he'll probably get along well enough without it (as most of us do).

This is by far the most honest assessment of therapy that I've ever seen.

[Buttons*]

Is there evidence that anger is a pressure cooker that needs a release valve?

Just letting anger out is destructive and self-indulgent. Letting your anger go is different from letting it out. It's more like taking the pot off the stove, as opposed to letting the pressure build until it blows the top off.

P.S. Cryptic threat thread titles are silly. <--- Edit: Stupid spelling error fixed.

If you don't like them, don't read them. I don't like making crazy long thread titles, just mah style.

[Buttons*]

Thanks for some interesting points of view on this one. I suppose you're right, Marten just handles things differently, which is good, because it makes him a unique character. If every character in the strip acted the exact same way or was into the exact same things it would be pretty boring.

So yeah, he does "act out" by moping, rather than blowing up. That's just part of his character, for better or worse.

I still kind of wish it would happen though, lol... guilty pleasure of mine, seeing someone who gets kicked around enough actually do something about it eventually.