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WCDT: 2626-2630 (Jan 27 - 31 2014) Weekly Comics Discussion Thread

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Technetium:

--- Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 27 Jan 2014, 20:08 ---Marten has been creeping away from being directionless. He has a career path now, granted one that Tai imposed on him, and is beginning to take the band seriously.

--- End quote ---
The library job? He's a glorified intern. And to move up significantly he needs a degree (Library Science or something close to being called that depending on what school).  More importantly, has there ever been a time where Marten has said "you know, I think I'd really like to be a librarian, I can see myself doing that for the rest of my life."? Never. This is just a job he took because he needed the money. He's also a long way from being able to make a living doing music. They have no demo album, are only just talking about the possibility of performing in front of people, and nobody outside of Northampton (or whatever Jeph is calling it in QC universe) knows about them. His band is at the same place that many early-teen bands are at.

Anyway, with regards to today's comic, I'm kind of disappointed to see that so many readers have changed their view about whether or not it was lame what Marten had said, simply based on the knowledge now that it worked. I mean, it's like saying that slipping a girl a drug in her drink is less creepy if she ends up not pressing charges afterward. And honestly, where is this going? What are Marten's expectations, and what are Delilah's expectations? What if Delilah is looking for "tonight only"? Does Marten have a history that indicates that he easily emotionally detaches from women he has close relations with? He hasn't really thought about this at all (again, this goes back to the whole "directionless" thing) and he's probably going to end up with some big regrets when it doesn't end up how he would like. Of course, Jeph can choose to write the story so that everything magically works out, but he seems to like tormenting his characters so I don't expect that to happen. And if it does, it would be what Annie Wilkes in Misery refers to as "cheating" in writing.

Is it cold in here?:
Welcome, new people!

NilsO:

--- Quote from: Technetium on 27 Jan 2014, 16:24 ---And I kind of feel like this is all a symptom of a much bigger problem, which is that Marten seems to be completely without direction in his life. I don't really pay attention to this forum much and I'm sure it's been discussed elsewhere, but this guy is going absolutely nowhere in his life. When you strip out all the funny from the comic, it's depressing.

--- End quote ---
Faye and Dora have discussed this previously (Link). Basically, Marten is a nice guy, but without ambitions in his life. Being modest may attract certain girls (Link). However, modesty and lack of ambitions is not the same thing, and over time, lack of ambitions will make potential partners loose interest.

cabbagehut:

--- Quote from: aphanisis81 on 28 Jan 2014, 03:26 ---
Oh man, seriously? To each his own, but their subplots just fall completely flat for me. ...some much needed Dora character development instead of two weeks of Dale being harassed by the specter living in his glasses. Marigold practically became the strip protagonist since her introduction, and she is just not interesting enough to carry the strip. But again, to each his own, I guess.

--- End quote ---

I completely agree.  Though honestly, I've found the romantic relationships the least interesting part of the comic (part of that might be that I have always very strongly disliked Angus and felt he really shoved his way into Faye's life, and that is creepy to me).  I really enjoy the friendship parts, because they seem realistic.  I may find Dale and Marigold not-so-interesting because I know so many people like them in real life, so they just don't catch my attention the same way.

NilsO:

--- Quote from: Technetium on 28 Jan 2014, 05:14 ---The library job? He's a glorified intern. And to move up significantly he needs a degree (Library Science or something close to being called that depending on what school).  More importantly, has there ever been a time where Marten has said "you know, I think I'd really like to be a librarian, I can see myself doing that for the rest of my life."? Never. This is just a job he took because he needed the money. He's also a long way from being able to make a living doing music. They have no demo album, are only just talking about the possibility of performing in front of people, and nobody outside of Northampton (or whatever Jeph is calling it in QC universe) knows about them. His band is at the same place that many early-teen bands are at.

--- End quote ---
Basically, Marten is a loser, without education and career opportunities. And he has no ambitions, other than a rather unrealistic wish to be a successful musician. That should be a put-off for most potential partners. His good looks and (mostly) nice manners may help in the short term, but it is not enough for a lasting relationship.

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