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NO

Yes

He is a chill bro

No, but the Arbor Day Giraffe is

Clearly not, because townies hate waffles

[Black Sword]

I'm not going to violate copyright law just to win an internet argument. Go buy the books and read them yourself.

I have read them, hence my puzzlement with your breast enhancement statement. That said, that was a bit hostile, don't you think? Even if the Internet was a massive AI out to get you, fair use for nonprofit educational purposes, in combination with minimal amount and insubstantial section (i.e. breasts) of the work as a whole, with minimal if any value detracted from the work put you on the right side of copyright law.

[mike837go]

Even if the Internet was a massive AI out to get you...

Isn't it?

[jwhouk]

I suspect Carl-E extrapolated from personal experience that Padma's parents were professors, mostly for the obvious reason: her name indicates she's not exactly native to the area. One characteristic of many small colleges is that they hire people from outside the immediate area (and, possibly in Padma's parents' case, outside of the country) as professors at their school. This explains why you would see the children of Kenyan natives in a bookstore in a place like Holyoke, or a Pakistani working at a pizza place in Amherst.

And as for location: I suspect tSB is located a block or two from Smif College, whereas CoD is located closer to the Interstate/Amtrak line. It's been speculated by This Troper that CoD is located somewhere over on Pleasant Street, which is a bit further away from the Smif campus, but not far away enough that Smif girls wouldn't end up there for some coffee. My suspicion is that tSB is located on a dead-end street that would be (generally) opposite the way Marten would hoof it to work from home.

(EDITED for clarity - I was rushing before work, sorry.)
 

[Is it cold in here?]

I believe we've never heard what part of California Marten is from. We can speculate that someone like his mom would be more comfortable in southern CA.

[Tiogyr]

I'm not going to violate copyright law just to win an internet argument. Go buy the books and read them yourself.

I have read them, hence my puzzlement with your breast enhancement statement. That said, that was a bit hostile, don't you think? Even if the Internet was a massive AI out to get you, fair use for nonprofit educational purposes, in combination with minimal amount and insubstantial section (i.e. breasts) of the work as a whole, with minimal if any value detracted from the work put you on the right side of copyright law.

It is discussed in depth on the commentary tracks of the newest run of the anime, as well, which is where I got the comment from. As for the hostility bit, I was making a remark that wasn't intended to derail the thread and you're trying to pursue it. Plus I don't think I should have to explain something that is almost well known enough to have it's own page on TVTropes (Hellsing was just the most ready example because it is the most recent anime/only manga I've read, there are others and it's one of the things anime is regularly mocked for).

[Method of Madness]

Crap, I forgot to post the results of the poll.  Raven being sciency = a billion, everything else = much less.  Also, nobody noticed the lack of waffles.  Hell, even I didn't notice until I was making the new poll.  So here you are.

[Emperor Norton]

I live in Athens, Georgia (University of Georgia location) and when we talk about townies, we mean the old 60s 70s hippie guys who are still in the town. And yeah, townie is VERY derogatory. Which is why I hate the "everyone who lives in the town and doesn't go to college there" definition. Screw you college students, I've lived here my whole life, THIS IS MY HOME, you go somewhere else if you have a problem with that. (Not that I hate all the college students, or even most of them, a lot of them are cool guys/gals. I do hate the incoming freshman who can't figure out that you need to stand at the crossing signals and ONLY GO WHEN IT SAYS GO. I have no idea how many times I've had to slam on brakes from people crossing randomly in the middle of downtown, or just ignoring lights at the crosswalks)
 
(Granted, after 10 years as a building contractor, I am back in school, but not at UGA. Also, the students wouldn't dare say anything bad about you when you are fixing their plumbing/roof/etc.)

EDIT: Does it just, occur to anyone else that Padma, even if what she is saying is 100% ACCURATE is just... really flippantly rude.

[Boomslang]

Well, yeah. Padma says things that are rude and hurtful because she's too 'differently clued' to realize that that might not be the best way of saying it. I suffer from a similar problem.

[Method of Madness]

Renee's logic is shit.  If Marten was a student and his ex worked at/frequented a particular coffeeshop, wouldn't he still avoid it after a breakup?

[TheEvilDog]

Look at it as someone who doesn't know Marten or Dora, their respective histories, etc. You have a couple that broke up amicably, no blazing rows, no "I hope you get dolphin sphyllus!" being shouted at the top of their lungs. Its just "Well, this is the end, I'll be out by the end of the day." To anyone outside of that social circle, you'd be a little hard pressed to see what a break up like that would be that awkward that you'd be avoiding C.o.D.

Remember, we have a pseudo-omnipitent view of the QC-world, the characters don't.

As for Padma being "clued differently", some people speak their mind and are simply blunt about matters, simple as that. Some people are also missing that mental filter that makes them think "maybe I shouldn't say that..."

[Method of Madness]

I'm actually not sure if Padma is including herself when she defines townie.

[O8h7w]

Well, yeah. Padma says things that are rude and hurtful because she's too 'differently clued' to realize that that might not be the best way of saying it. I suffer from a similar problem.

As for Padma being "clued differently", some people speak their mind and are simply blunt about matters, simple as that. Some people are also missing that mental filter that makes them think "maybe I shouldn't say that..."

And some of us doesn't even get what that filter is, we take words for truth and we speak just as simple as that. Only when we see the faces of those who heard the faux pas we realize there was some damned innuendo or whatever in what we just said...
 

(for those who wonder, yes I have Aspergers syndrome)

[Tova]

Renee's logic is shit.  If Marten was a student and his ex worked at/frequented a particular coffeeshop, wouldn't he still avoid it after a breakup?

I agree that what Renee said is nonsense, but I think that Platypodes has successfully read her mind. I think I've finally got it. >.>

Using this stereotype, the the phrase "townie drama" does fit a guy hanging around in a coffee shop being angsty about how his romantic woes are keeping him away from the other coffee shop where he used to spend copious amounts of time hanging around.

[Akima]

I suspect Carl-E extrapolated from personal experience that Padma's parents were professors, mostly for the obvious reason: her name indicates she's not exactly native to the area. One characteristic of many small colleges is that they hire people from outside the immediate area (and, possibly in Padma's parents' case, outside of the country) as professors at their school.

I haven't visited Massachusetts, much less Northampton, so I don't know how multi-ethnic the town might be, but Carl-E's hypothesis sounds plausible. Padma's "differently clued" style might also give a hint of growing up in another culture. I know from personal experience that ideas about what is polite,  how one should talk (especially in an different language), physical and mental privacy, and many other things, vary a great deal between different cultures, and I have suffered enough from the "the Chinese are so rude" stereotype to know how this can strike other people. Anyone who thinks politeness is the same everywhere else has presumably never been anywhere else.

I have heard of the "town vs. gown" thing, but having gone to uni in the largest city in Australia* (Sydney has about 4.5 million people), I've never really encountered it. I think Carl-E is correct that it arises where the population of students is large in relation to the total urban population. According to Wikipedia, Northampton has a population of less than 30,000 (but calls itself a city ), so I can imagine that students from Smith and maybe the other Five Colleges do make an impression.

*My home town has a population of over 23 million. Sydney is just a suburb... 

[Carl-E]

I'm actually not sure if Padma is including herself when she defines townie.

This is another reason I supposed that she may be in an "in-between" social circle (i.e. faculty brat).  That, and her extraordinarily diferent way of speaking her mind.  

I'd venture to say that she may well have been home schooled, too...  but that's a reach.  

Edit:  Akima!  I've been ninja'd by the best! 

[St.Clair]

Martin: bussss-ted.

[Tova]

*My home town has a population of over 23 million. Sydney is just a suburb... 

Isn't comparing a city's population to the population of Shanghai setting the bar kinda high? 

[Smoot]

Yeah, no, not gonna play "your city's not a real city". Glad as a grape that your town's big, but it reminds me too much of vacationing New Yorkers who insist that only their hallowed burg can be called "The City". If it's all the same, I'll continue to call my nearest city a city, and if it offends your ears, I'll lend you a Q-Tip and a smile.

Looked up some of the links about 'townies' (googling "townie stereotype" as suggested). I rather like the notion that townies hang out with collegiates to 'better their station in life'. Like collegiates are coated in gold-dust and they're hoping to rub some off.  

I'm a townie of the tourist-area variety, and catch it both ways- I've lived here year-round for 22 years (thus making me a webfooted townie to tourists), but neither I nor my parents were born here (thus making me not-native- a "Washashore", in our dumbass local parlance) to the 'real' natives. Ridiculous crap all around.

[TheEvilDog]

Yeah, no, not gonna play "your city's not a real city". Glad as a grape that your town's big, but it reminds me too much of vacationing New Yorkers who insist that only their hallowed burg can be called "The City".

See, I just go with the European definition of what a city is...if its an urban settlement with a cathedral, it can be called a city...as long as they have the appropriate charter. Works easily enough.

[Smoot]

Sooo... if it doesn't have a charter from a European country, it doesn't count? Got it.

I'm not so sure I see Padma a 'differently clued' as much as... okay. Dora loves Marten (now in a 'friend' way, but whatever). Faye loves Marten (c'mon... we all know she'd risk jail time for him if need be). Hanners somehow got to know him via stalking and he's one of her dearest friends. And so on. I could go further, but for one reason or another, virtually all the cast we've seen have a reason to care about Marten.

To Padma, she's some guy she's served coffee to a few times and saw in a bar. He told her his life story (which, lemme tell ya, customers do a LOT- I don't mind, but please don't expect me to pass a quiz on it an hour later), but afaict has never taken an interest in her beyond being a recipient of "Oh, so, as I was saying about my ex at the other place..."

I just don't know that she's "on board" with the Marten-love, and thus owes him much in the way of brainspace. (Not saying anyone's bad or anything, just... he's this guy who buys coffee sometimes, and knows Steve whom she thought was cute that one time.)

[akronnick]

Well, t least she remembers his name now, that's something.

[themacnut]

Marten may grow on Padma if he continues spending most of his off-work time there. Now Renee on the other hand...

[Method of Madness]

If it's all the same, I'll continue to call my nearest city a city

A city?  Sure.  The city?  Probably not. [laugh] (I live about half an hour from the city...yes, that one, so I'm just used to it.  I remember visiting Colorado College in high school and trying not to laugh when they called Denver "The City".  Sure, it's definitely a city, but it's hardly earned a "the".)

[Smoot]

Marten sure seemed to think there was something wrong with being a townie, though- given how much he was kicking about having the term applied to him.
What's the matter- Amherst's good enough to live in, but not good enough to let people think you're from there?

Though, with a college-library job, he might be enough of a remora on the Smif shark to legitimately consider himself not-a-townie. Question is: does he now sigh in relief?

[Tova]

If it's all the same, I'll continue to call my nearest city a city

A city?  Sure.  The city?  Probably not. [laugh] (I live about half an hour from the city...yes, that one, so I'm just used to it.  I remember visiting Colorado College in high school and trying not to laugh when they called Denver "The City".  Sure, it's definitely a city, but it's hardly earned a "the".)

The word "the" isn't limited to the sense of superlative or unique.

[BlueMark]

Back in my university days (when dinosaurs roamed) a townie was anyone who wasn't part of the college community - so we didn't consider professors and most employees to be townies - but their families were.  Under that definition Marten is not a townie, but he's pretty damn close.

[Boomslang]

Maybe because I'm from the west coast, but I've never actually heard the word spoken aloud. Of course, why you would disparage the majority of people you'll meet, I don't quite get. If you're not going to go into academia, you're going to BE one of the townies as soon as college is done. And the differences between the two, besides age range, are rather minimal when you get down to it.

[Sorflakne]

If it's all the same, I'll continue to call my nearest city a city

A city?  Sure.  The city?  Probably not. [laugh] (I live about half an hour from the city...yes, that one, so I'm just used to it.  I remember visiting Colorado College in high school and trying not to laugh when they called Denver "The City".  Sure, it's definitely a city, but it's hardly earned a "the".)

In Minnesota, the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area is commonly called the "Twin Cities" or just "The Cities".  If I'm talking about activities in or travel to The Cities, I get some hilarious 'WTF are you smoking?' looks from people that are from states that don't border Minnesota (with the exception of Illinois and Michigan).

[DSL]

It's all part of making yourself feel superior to some undiffrentiated Other.
Just to throw more fun into the mix, where I'm from, any incorporated (that is, legally self-governing with a legislative body of its own) area with a population of 5,000 or more is a city; under 5,000 and incorporated is a village. The nearest such agglomeration to one's location is referred to as "into town" or simply "town." Some of us are aware of the capital-C "City" conceit of some, repeat some, Manhattanites and don't give it much thought.

[Carl-E]

Ooooh, an "up-stater"!

[Kugai]

A breakthrough! Padma remembered his name!   

As for the rest . . . . .


DAMN!!

[iduguphergrave]

From what we've seen so far I wouldn't be surprised if Padma's been calling him "Marcus" and "Marvin" for the past three weeks.

[akronnick]

At least she didn't call him "Martin."

[St.Clair]

"The City.  My The City."

[SirDudley]

At least she didn't call him "Martin."

To be honest, that would be an understandable mistake, all things considered.

[Sorflakne]

I just now noticed the full title of this week's WCT thread.  Talk about your coincidences 

[snubnose]

At least she didn't call him "Martin."

Why ? Is that an ugly name ?

[JackFaerie]

Y'know, if we go by the idea that one can only be called a "townie" in a small college town (like, if you go to school in George Washington in DC or University of Chicago, the natives/non-students can't be called "townies" because the city's existence doesn't depend on the university), it makes sense that it would be derogatory. Ie, if you live in DC and Chicago and aren't going to school there, you're doing things with your life! You have an exciting reason to be there! If, on the other hand, you're living in a small college town and aren't a student, and the whole town basically revolves around the college/university, then you're a deadbeat who hasn't been able to get out and go to a "real city" and do anything with their life.

Not saying I agree with this worldview, but it kind of makes sense that it exists.

(And actually, I used to live in a college town, and most of my friends who graduated and didn't move away relatively soon really have ended up in pretty dead-end jobs just kinda passing the time and not doing anything much with themselves... so maybe I agree a little. I feel it's different if you were raised there, though--then you have family and history. And NoHo is a much nicer place to live in than the town I am speaking of.)

[akronnick]

Angus has some real balls starting that conversation with Faye while she's holding the Malaysian Battle Spatula.

Also, Raven: Yay!

[Gerardic]

Funny enough, I recently started dating a girl that we get on freakish well, the problem is we both read each other so well and often ask each other even though we know the answer - only because we like hearing it.

However we confirmed to be dating and probably in a relationship, but we don't see ourselves as boyfriend or girlfriend just yet cos we are dating, despite the fact we both know we have gone a lot further than that and is often subject of some jokes and teasing between us.
Is this an opinion shared by others or just me? Dating doesn't mean boyfriend/girlfriend, relationship does and that require commitment in someways.

Oh and we are currently playing a game of who would say the L word first often try to trick each other to say it by using friends' statements such as "Damn XXXX, she is right, I am indeed falling for you". All in good humour.

[noteventhesameguy]

Is it wrong that the only thing I thought of at the end was "Gelfling? I want a Gelfling!"

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

Faye: Declare relationship status.

You cannot do it. You cannot say the word "boyfriend."

Instead, you flail about in an adorable manner befitting your tsundere status. And there is much rejoicing.

Angus: Delight in having trolled Faye.

Truly, you are victorious this day.

[Near Lurker]

Well, if that's what she wants, I've heard there's a skinny, dark-haired, pushing thirty, meat-eating, inexplicably feminine boy who's into ex-goths and has recently become available...

[themacnut]

Heh Faye sounds like one of those commitmentphobic player-type guys finally having to admit they've got a steady girlfriend. I know Faye has her own issues with commitment but damn. Still, good on Angus for making her say it.

[pwhodges]

So the Pugnaceous Peach is now a Cute Coconut.  (Cute Custard-apple, Cute Cucumber, Cute Courgette?  the options are really limited it seems.)

Oh, and it seems that Raven got back behind the counter OK.

[Blackjoker]

For some reason Raven looks really odd, however I fear that if Angus makes any other comments after 'this is cuter than I expected' he may in fact be boyflung, or have to face an angry Faye wielding a Malaysian battle spatula.


(mod: moved to correct week's thread)

[0kamisama]

Yes, Raven seems to be the expert on boy-flings.

[0kamisama]

Hey, we're up to 1943! The Germans have lost North Africa, and the Russians are turning the tide in the east!

[Dust]

Angus has some real balls starting that conversation with Faye while she's holding the Malaysian Battle Spatula.

Also, Raven: Yay!

Is this the first time we've seen it? If so, yay for us.

Regardless, yay for Raven.

[Akima]

At last we see the legendary Malaysian Battle Spatula! And tongue-tied Faye is funny.

And new-art Raven reveals a retcon. Her tattoo now reads 姫 which is Japanese kanji meaning "princess" whereas on its first appearance, it was two Chinese characters 公主 which mean the same thing. Did Jeph think we wouldn't notice?