Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT strips 4146-4150 (2nd to 6th December 2019)
TheEvilDog:
--- Quote from: tbm275 on 04 Dec 2019, 12:10 ---Also sheesh I would be Claire too, the best thing in a relationship is helping each other grow and build each other up. Marten needs someone to say hey I know you can do more, you just have to want it.
Sometimes you don't realize what you really can do until you are literally thrown out the nest and realize you can fly.
--- End quote ---
Therein lies the rub. Yes, helping each other grow in a relationship is a good thing. That's not what with Marten and Claire are doing, not in this instance. Claire is not-so-subtly forcing Marten down a path, that frankly, he's not ready for, that he will never be ready for. Its perhaps time to admit to ourselves that Marten is always going to be passive in the way he lives his life. He didn't change when he crossed the country for a girl who got sick of him. He didn't change when Dora broke up with him. When the chance to develop a relationship with Padma came up. The list goes on. At his core, Marten can't, or won't change. Its not in him.
I think that, along with Claire's attempts to change Marten, will breed a sort of resentment, well in Claire, because Marten is so passive that he can't even hold onto a grudge.
When you're in a relationship, helping each other grow that's healthy, that's normal. But both parties have to want to grow, they want to become more than they were. And that's not going to happen when Claire is trying to force that change and when Marten is, well, Marten.
MrNumbers:
--- Quote from: Castlerook on 04 Dec 2019, 17:02 ---Therein lies the rub. Yes, helping each other grow in a relationship is a good thing. That's not what with Marten and Claire are doing, not in this instance. Claire is not-so-subtly forcing Marten down a path, that frankly, he's not ready for, that he will never be ready for.
--- End quote ---
... the path of enrolling in a trade school?
Penquin47:
Marten's not good at initiating change, with the notable exception of following Vicky from California to New England. He's pretty good at rolling with it when it comes up, though. He likes Faye but she's not in a place where she can date him? That's okay, he'll move on, Dora's cool too, he and Faye are still friends. Gets laid off from his job as office bitch? He's got enough saved up he doesn't need a new one immediately but when something comes along he's happy to go get it. Dora breaks up with him? A couple days drinking, and then he's working on enjoying what he still has with his friends and his job. Padma leaves? Same thing.
Given the nudge from Claire, he'd probably be fine with getting into instrument repair. He wouldn't have to change everything about his life all at once - it's thoroughly doable to work at the library while he goes to trade school, and then maybe he can work out of Union Robotics?
SeattleCrochetWoman:
--- Quote from: BenRG on 03 Dec 2019, 23:37 ---From the first time I saw today's strip (yesterday on Patreon), I've been wondering if we've been misreading Marten all along. He isn't passive, he's just really good at constructing worst-case scenarios and so he's staying in 'safe' territory where there are no serious risks of failure. I can certainly empathise as that's one of my personal greatest weaknesses. It would certainly explain a lot about him if he wasn't just loathe to change but was genuinely afraid that he'll screw up if he does!
Maybe all Claire really needs is to show belief in him and his dreams and he'll feel better about pursuing them.
--- End quote ---
Or maybe he’s living his dream life right now.
cybersmurf:
I wouldn't go as far as calling Claire manipulative. Pushy? Yes.
She is a very driven person - opposed to Marten - and probably doesn't understand how otter people can't be as driven. In my mind, being driven like that, combined with being trans, puts her in a "content is not enough for me. Either I'm happy, or I'll die trying" situation.
Personally, I think Marten is with Claire because she's trying to push him a little. Because he knows he kinda needs it a bit.
Also, there is a lot of possible character development on Claire's side.
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