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Yarr, what be waitin' out there on the open seas for the Good Ship Claireten?

Wedding bells!...for Veronica and Jim
- 17 (19.3%)
Wedding bells for...STEVE AND COSETTE?!
- 5 (5.7%)
Padma returns, with a bun in the oven
- 11 (12.5%)
"Uh, Marten? Just got a call from Delilah.  She says you should get yourself tested..."
- 7 (8%)
Shakeup at the library
- 11 (12.5%)
Deathmřle hits the road
- 6 (6.8%)
They lived happily ever aftAHAHAHAHA I CAN'T EVEN FINISH
- 6 (6.8%)
No, seriously!  Happily ever after!  Why would you even joke about that, you MONSTER?
- 25 (28.4%)

Total Members Voted: 79


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Author Topic: God Himself Could Not Sink This Ship: Thoughts on Marten, Claire, and the Future  (Read 43977 times)

Gladstone

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Y'know, regarding the "Claire must die!" faction: When Jeph said he wanted to make Claire more than just "the trans character," I'm PRETTY SURE he didn't mean that he was actually planning to pair her up romantically with Marten, the main character in his story, just so he could kill her off in a dramatic way as an excuse to get him together with a "Real Woman" like Faye. 

Because I'm pretty sure that that is precisely the kind of story Jeph doesn't want to tell.

And I realize I'm only the thread creator and I don't have much power here, but I'd still like to say it:

CAN.  YOU.  STOP THAT.

Thanks.
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DSL

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Maybe, in screwing around with Espressosaurus1.0, Raven inadvertently invented the QC version of the Starfleet People Fax, and through some shenanigans involving tachyons and coffee spiders and whatnot, a duplicate Claire was created, certain that she is the original. The shade of James Blish could be summoned to write a novel about it (Today is the day to bring it up ...) What could the title be ...?
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Omega Entity

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Preeeeetty sure that the people (jokingly) suggesting the Claire death plot weren't even thinking about any kind of implications of a 'real woman' or otherwise when it was suggested, and moreso poking fun at the 'OTP' ideas in regards to Marten and Faye.

Sometimes a spade's just a spade, and things get read far more into that was intended, or even imagined.
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Gladstone

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Preeeeetty sure that that's how it would be interpeted, though, if it did happen.

But maybe I've been taking these suggestions a little too seriously.  Still, nope.  Farten ain't happenin'.
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Endellion

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Preeeeetty sure that that's how it would be interpeted, though, if it did happen.

But maybe I've been taking these suggestions a little too seriously.  Still, nope.  Farten ain't happenin'.

But-but-but, this is foreshadowed right here on the bottle! It's meant to be!

(J/k'ing if it wasn't completely obvious)
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Omega Entity

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Preeeeetty sure that that's how it would be interpeted, though, if it did happen.

But maybe I've been taking these suggestions a little too seriously.  Still, nope.  Farten ain't happenin'.

Knowing that there's there's a lot of people who seem to seek out those kinds of interpretations, it wouldn't surprise me. Doesn't mean they'd be right, though  :wink:

In all seriousness, when an artist/writer has to constantly second-guess themselves on if something can possibly be interpreted in a way that in no way resembles what they intended it as, I'd personally not blame the whole lot of them if they gave up their artistic implements of choice. Some people look for ways to be offended by things when no offense or hidden meaning was intended or there in the first place.

None of this is directed at anyone in particular, but as a general commentary on something that seems to come up more and more frequently. It has to be tiring, to constantly be searching for the worst possible way something can be read into and always assuming the worst of people. :psyduck:

Got off-topic a bit there. I'll go back to my corner now.
« Last Edit: 27 Feb 2015, 18:59 by Omega Entity »
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Gladstone

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But-but-but, this is foreshadowed right here on the bottle! It's meant to be!

(J/k'ing if it wasn't completely obvious)

Ah, but that's Fartin.  Meaning, Faye is going to meet someone named Martin (Martin Reid, that is), and spend the rest of the comic enduring jokes about the similarities.  Marten Reed will, of course, be oblivious.
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Aziraphale

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None of this is directed at anyone in particular, but as a general commentary on something that seems to come up more and more frequently. It has to be tiring, to constantly be searching for the worst possible way something can be read into and always assuming the worst of people. :psyduck:


There's been quite a bit of that lately.
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Gladstone

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In all seriousness, when an artist/writer has to constantly second-guess themselves on if something can possibly be interpreted in a way that in no way resembles what they intended it as, I'd personally not blame the whole lot of them if they gave up their artistic implements of choice. Some people look for ways to be offended by things when no offense or hidden meaning was intended or there in the first place.

None of this is directed at anyone in particular, but as a general commentary on something that seems to come up more and more frequently. It has to be tiring, to constantly be searching for the worst possible way something can be read into and always assuming the worst of people.

Yeah, I get what you're saying.  But my point was that killing off the only trans character, in a comic in which no member of the cast has ever been killed off (and the only actual death depicted was in flashbacks), would be received rather poorly, and for good reason, because LGBT characters have a habit of being killed off for dramatic purposes in other media.  Claire adding to the count would forever cement her as "the trans character who died so that Marten and Faye could get together," which is probably not something Jeph wants to be known for, unless he wants 4chan to like him.

But yeah, I think I've said enough on this topic, so I'm going to go away for a bit to calm down.
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Endellion

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But-but-but, this is foreshadowed right here on the bottle! It's meant to be!

(J/k'ing if it wasn't completely obvious)

Ah, but that's Fartin.  Meaning, Faye is going to meet someone named Martin (Martin Reid, that is), and spend the rest of the comic enduring jokes about the similarities.  Marten Reed will, of course, be oblivious.

Nonono, Martin Reed is Marten Reed's clone made from this blood sample and genetically aged by Ellicott-Chatham technology. In about 50 strips time he'll replace Marten in a diabolical scheme involving an aardvark and dumped in the Stony River Quarry (used earlier to dump Angus' body when he was going back to patch things up with Faye).
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Omega Entity

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In all seriousness, when an artist/writer has to constantly second-guess themselves on if something can possibly be interpreted in a way that in no way resembles what they intended it as, I'd personally not blame the whole lot of them if they gave up their artistic implements of choice. Some people look for ways to be offended by things when no offense or hidden meaning was intended or there in the first place.

None of this is directed at anyone in particular, but as a general commentary on something that seems to come up more and more frequently. It has to be tiring, to constantly be searching for the worst possible way something can be read into and always assuming the worst of people.

Yeah, I get what you're saying.  But my point was that killing off the only trans character, in a comic in which no member of the cast has ever been killed off (and the only actual death depicted was in flashbacks), would be received rather poorly, and for good reason, because LGBT characters have a habit of being killed off for dramatic purposes in other media.  Claire adding to the count would forever cement her as "the trans character who died so that Marten and Faye could get together," which is probably not something Jeph wants to be known for, unless he wants 4chan to like him.

But yeah, I think I've said enough on this topic, so I'm going to go away for a bit to calm down.
Yeah, I see where you're coming from too. I myself am not a fan of over-the-top dramatic deaths in things in an otherwise-mostly-lighthearted comic.

But I guess my concern is, will the status (sex, gender, ethnicity, disability,etc. and so on) of a fictional character ever be inconsequential and not even be thought of in regards to plot devices (outside of where it has significant relevance to the plot itself, of course), or will we never reach a point where a person who is different than the majority, in one way or another, isn't treated by the creators and their mediums as a precious vase on a pedestal, that can never be removed (be it death, written out, or otherwise) without fear of being accused of some rather unsavory and unfair judgments about their motivations in doing so?

Obviously it's a very sensitive subject, and rightly so - a lot of these things are only just beginning to become accepted in the mainstream, there's a lot of hurt associated with it, and there's a long way to go. But I also feel that -over-sensitivity can do a fair deal of damage in how situations are perceived by the masses as a whole, and in the long run will make such things harder for said masses to embrace.
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Aziraphale

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But-but-but, this is foreshadowed right here on the bottle! It's meant to be!

(J/k'ing if it wasn't completely obvious)

Ah, but that's Fartin.  Meaning, Faye is going to meet someone named Martin (Martin Reid, that is), and spend the rest of the comic enduring jokes about the similarities.  Marten Reed will, of course, be oblivious.

Nonono, Martin Reed is Marten Reed's clone made from this blood sample and genetically aged by Ellicott-Chatham technology. In about 50 strips time he'll replace Marten in a diabolical scheme involving an aardvark and dumped in the Stony River Quarry (used earlier to dump Angus' body when he was going back to patch things up with Faye).

Speaking of Chekov's Gun, the blood sample's a huge one if it wasn't a throwaway gag. I'm guessing it was, but it does leave the door open for some interesting possibilities.
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Endellion

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But-but-but, this is foreshadowed right here on the bottle! It's meant to be!

(J/k'ing if it wasn't completely obvious)

Ah, but that's Fartin.  Meaning, Faye is going to meet someone named Martin (Martin Reid, that is), and spend the rest of the comic enduring jokes about the similarities.  Marten Reed will, of course, be oblivious.

Nonono, Martin Reed is Marten Reed's clone made from this blood sample and genetically aged by Ellicott-Chatham technology. In about 50 strips time he'll replace Marten in a diabolical scheme involving an aardvark and dumped in the Stony River Quarry (used earlier to dump Angus' body when he was going back to patch things up with Faye).

Speaking of Chekov's Gun, the blood sample's a huge one if it wasn't a throwaway gag. I'm guessing it was, but it does leave the door open for some interesting possibilities.

If Jeph brings it up again it will probably be for reasons that Hanners outlines here.
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Masterpiece

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Not relevant at all to this thread, but I feel weird seeing Endellions posts and thinking "wait when did I write this?"

This message is coming from Tapatalk inside my phone!

Endellion

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Not relevant at all to this thread, but I feel weird seeing Endellions posts and thinking "wait when did I write this?"

This message is coming from Tapatalk inside my phone!

Well this is awkward, it's like turning up at an event in exactly the same outfit as someone else :oops:

Time to find another claireface for m'self
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bhtooefr

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Kill off Marten, then have Claire and Faye get together.

It's just as plausible as the other way around. (That is, not at all.)
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explicit

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Look, fellas, I'm pretty sure I'm drunk as all can be, it's 6am where I am, and all I gotta say is.... .... .... .... ....

DAFUQ

nah one's gonna die. Too easy writing plot.

Though to be fair, I may be too drunk to read other people's posts correctly. This post took my 10 minutes to write. I hope I did this right..
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rfrank dodelijk

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I think they will just come to a slow halt in the relationship. once the novelty of new experiences for both of them wears off.
I wouldn't really like it if the character Claire were to die.
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Carl-E

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She won't die. 


No redhead would ever wear a red shirt...
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jwhouk

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Maybe, in screwing around with Espressosaurus1.0, Raven inadvertently invented the QC version of the Starfleet People Fax, and through some shenanigans involving tachyons and coffee spiders and whatnot, a duplicate Claire was created, certain that she is the original. The shade of James Blish could be summoned to write a novel about it (Today is the day to bring it up ...) What could the title be ...?

"Spock Is Dead"?
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Storel

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Maybe, in screwing around with Espressosaurus1.0, Raven inadvertently invented the QC version of the Starfleet People Fax, and through some shenanigans involving tachyons and coffee spiders and whatnot, a duplicate Claire was created, certain that she is the original. The shade of James Blish could be summoned to write a novel about it (Today is the day to bring it up ...) What could the title be ...?

"Spock Is Dead"?

Wow, I haven't seen a "Spock Must Die!" reference in several eons. :-o Thank you, DSL; I always knew you had good taste. (That novel contained the one explanation of Star Trek's transporter that actually made scientific sense. Unfortunately, ST:TNG ignored that explanation and canonized total baloney instead. :x )

Jwhouk, nice subverting of the title that DSL was obviously fishing for.  8-) Just so DSL doesn't feel too disappointed, I'll supply it: "Claire Must Die!"
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Gladstone

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Jwhouk, nice subverting of the title that DSL was obviously fishing for.  8-) Just so DSL doesn't feel too disappointed, I'll supply it: "Claire Must Die!"

The following information is a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT from Claire's little brother:

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KOK

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She won't die. 

No redhead would ever wear a red shirt...
(click to show/hide)
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Rghfrgl

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She wears pink. And pink is just faded red!
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Omega Entity

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She won't die. 

No redhead would ever wear a red shirt...
(click to show/hide)
I totally read the 'red shirt' comment as an old-school Star Trek reference  :mrgreen:
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bhtooefr

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That was the joke.
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Omega Entity

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Oh good. I'm a bit dense sometimes.
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Half Empty Coffee Cup

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That stuff aside, nice picture.  :-D
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She wears pink. And pink is just faded red!

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DSL

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It's either gold-and-white, or black-and-blue.
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Gladstone

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There's a bit of a kerfuffle over in the timeline thread due to the revelation in today's comic that the date is Tuesday, several days later than previously thought.  Part of the debate has to do with how the academic schedule matches up with Marten and Claire's work schedule, which led me to wonder something regarding the What Does Claire Want?/What Next? questions:

With classes in session and the library busier, the conversation she and Marten had in 2366 comes back into play.  What happens when Claire's expectations about library life meets reality?  She's more passionate about the job than Tai or Marten, and wants to make it a career, but those two are old hands at the job by now; can Claire put aside her philosophical differences with Tai (re: the sanctity of libraries) enough to learn how to survive the daily grind?  It's something else I hope Jeph decides to explore.

And while I'm not suggesting that Tai introduces Claire to recreational drugs to help her mellow out and deal with the stress, you have to admit it would be hilarious...
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BenRG

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And while I'm not suggesting that Tai introduces Claire to recreational drugs to help her mellow out and deal with the stress, you have to admit it would be hilarious...

Claire already uses a prescription antianxiety drug. I agree that her experience of a college library at peak usage times is going to be a shock. I can see her over-medicating and Marten having to take the resulting zombie home until she regains voluntary body control. I can also see Tai telling Claire that it's okay to be rude to troublemakers and giving her tips on the zingers to use on them.
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big89

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I'm going to take this in a different direction and say that I'm honestly surprised that Marten went for Claire after expressing how he doesn't care to have sex with a trans woman (Read comic 615). That is of course assuming that he was being serious and not simply joking(which he appeared to be doing). So at the bare minimum he made a joke saying how sleeping with a trans Dora would "Shatter my mind". Maybe this points to Marten having issues that he isn't dealing with due to his infatuation with Claire. Just so I don't accidentally get some label I don't want, I have no problem with any relationship in this story, plus Claire and Marten are cute together.
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Gladstone

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615 was well over a year ago, in-comic, and over ten years ago in our time, so either Marten has matured since then, or Jeph has, or both (answer: it's both).  I would suggest reading this discussion on Marten's evolution as a character from someone who could make/participate in a transphobic joke to someone who is clearly comfortable dating a trans person.
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Is it cold in here?

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A secondary point is that Marten now has a real trans woman to think about, not some generic imaginary one.

Marten may simply have been playing the same game Dora was, also.
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anahata

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I'm going to take this in a different direction and say that I'm honestly surprised that Marten went for Claire after expressing how he doesn't care to have sex with a trans woman (Read comic 615).

He didn't exactly say that. The hypothetical scenario being acted out by both Dora and Marten was Dora announcing her status after they've had sex and are well into their relationship. It would be the revelation of a deception, which is a very different matter from mentioning it before the relationship has even started, as happened with Claire. In the latter case his mind isn't shattered because he's had plenty of time to mentally adjust to the idea.

And anyway, they were just joking around and over-reacting for comic effect...
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plusorminus

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I love Claire. I don't see her and Marten stating together mainly because this is her first relationship. Ultimately those rarely ever last. It's a good fot for Marten, but in my view because of her lack of experience it isn't a good fit for her.

I forsee a break-up (eventually) followed by a reconciliation (way in the future). Then maybe wedding bells and what have you...

I apologize for brevity and grammar, stuck on a phone due to burglary.

I don't see this, really, any more than I see this happening for Marten and Dora. I do see this happening for Marten and Padma, though.

I think that Claire will start to chafe at Marten's lack of ambition (or the perceived lack of it) and Marten may try to "do stuff" to please her and feel annoyed or something along those lines, but it will lead to a "It's not you it's me" situation. They likely will stay friends. Alternately, Claire might get a gig in a high-powered archive halfway across the country or the world, and just as Marten was loath to move in with Dora without Faye, he likely will not be ready or willing to move with Claire.

I know the Padma question has been tabled for now, but I don't think it was an accident that she is made to have been from California and she throws out the "I wish I'd met you a year earlier," which is something that could have happened if Marten had tried to wait Faye out and/or Dora hadn't asked him out. I feel she is Marten's One and he is hers, and she will appear again.

I think Claire will experience a lot of growth and be less afraid to approach cis males in future, but I don't see her and Marten as endgame and I don't see her dying, either. :/

ETA: Sorry about the burglary!
« Last Edit: 10 Mar 2015, 11:12 by plusorminus »
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jwhouk

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I don't think Marten has a "one". The OTP that we were led to believe would happen got torpedoed after strip 500-511.
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plusorminus

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I don't think Marten has a "one". The OTP that we were led to believe would happen got torpedoed after strip 500-511.

I don't mean to be contrary, but did you really believe that? I'm genuinely curious. I discovered this comic I believe through an LJ thread and I was intrigued because I, too, lost my father unexpectedly when I was about Faye's age (not to suicide), and the LJ chatter happened in the aftermath of The Talk. I had not ever seen grief of a daughter for a father in a webcomic and so I was intrigued and read through those strips. I then decided I needed context and spent the next couple of days binge-reading the comic, and I have to say at no time did I believe that Marten and Faye were going to be together. I actually thought Marten was going to hook up with Raven in one of those pairings of a zany dreamer and a sort of straight-laced dude, a Dharma and Greg sort of thing I guess. And considering the women that seemed to capture Marten's attention and the way she treated him, I often had to suspend my disbelief that Marten would be interested in Faye in the first place. But I came in after the blood had been spilled, more or less, and I don't know how I'd feel if I'd started reading from the beginning or if I'd started at another point in the comic (i.e. the Marten/Dora breakup).

But, topic: Maybe Marten doesn't have a one, but if he does, I think it's Padma. She's the only really loose thread in his dating history. Faye closed the door, Dora and California Girl dumped him, the Space Soldier wasn't interested and Delilah only wanted an ONS, and Claire is an open question. With Padma, stuff just ... ended. Neither of them wanted it to, but it did, and Marten turned the page because there wasn't really anything he could do. *shrugs* JMO.
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Gladstone

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I think Marten and Faye were set up in the beginning to do the will-they-or-won't-they dance, but as jwouk said above, that ship has sunk. 
But, topic: Maybe Marten doesn't have a one, but if he does, I think it's Padma. She's the only really loose thread in his dating history. Faye closed the door, Dora and California Girl dumped him, the Space Soldier wasn't interested and Delilah only wanted an ONS, and Claire is an open question. With Padma, stuff just ... ended. Neither of them wanted it to, but it did, and Marten turned the page because there wasn't really anything he could do. *shrugs* JMO.

I liked Padma too, thought that she and Marten could've made a good couple, and was a bit disappointed that their fling ended (just imagine if circumstances had been different and they were still together when Veronica decided to move to Northampton with Jim.  That would've been fun), but I think they've both accepted that things are over between them, and I can't see anything that would cause Padma to move back to give Marten another try, short of baby drama, which Jeph doesn't do.

Quote from: plusorminus
I think that Claire will start to chafe at Marten's lack of ambition (or the perceived lack of it) and Marten may try to "do stuff" to please her and feel annoyed or something along those lines, but it will lead to a "It's not you it's me" situation. They likely will stay friends. Alternately, Claire might get a gig in a high-powered archive halfway across the country or the world, and just as Marten was loath to move in with Dora without Faye, he likely will not be ready or willing to move with Claire.

[...]

I think Claire will experience a lot of growth and be less afraid to approach cis males in future, but I don't see her and Marten as endgame and I don't see her dying, either. :/

That's always a possibility.  Claire's ambitions and Marten's own are something I hope we get to explore for several years (our time), and it's moments like these that I wish I had access to a time machine so I could jump ahead and binge-read all the comics I missed in between, rather than waiting for them one day at a time like everyone else. 

"All of time and space, anything that ever happened or ever will, where do you want to go first?"
"Uh, do you mind popping ahead to, say, 2020?  I wanna see if my favorite webcomic is still running."

I would make a terrible Companion.
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jwhouk

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I don't mean to be contrary, but did you really believe that?

Yes I do. The reason is simple: the comic ends there if Marten and Faye get together. Jeph stated it in Volume II of the DTE of comic.

As for Padma: I almost think that Padma had a reverse of what happened to Marten. Instead of chasing after his girlfriend across country, she retreated across country to her family. I'd bet that her grandmother is actually hale, hearty, and kicking ass at bingo right now.

"All of time and space, anything that ever happened or ever will, where do you want to go first?"
"Uh, do you mind popping ahead to, say, 2020?  I wanna see if my favorite webcomic is still running."

I would make a terrible Companion.
Hannelore's not going to let you anywhere near her TARDIS.
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Gladstone

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The reason is simple: the comic ends there if Marten and Faye get together. Jeph stated it in Volume II of the DTE of comic.

Mostly because even Hannelore realizes how implausible it is, and ends the simulation right there.
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Half Empty Coffee Cup

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"All of time and space, anything that ever happened or ever will, where do you want to go first?"
"Uh, do you mind popping ahead to, say, 2020?  I wanna see if my favorite webcomic is still running."

I would make a terrible Companion.
Hannelore's not going to let you anywhere near her TARDIS.
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Gladstone

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(Shameless bump!)

I'm renewing my wish for access to a time machine so I can read the next 5-10 years (fingers crossed!) of QC in one go, rather than a day at a time, because I keep forgetting that my essay above talks about what I want to see happen in Marten and Claire's relationship months or years down the road--screw waiting, I want all that to happen NOW!, goshdarnit.  Maybe I need to take a break and go binge-read some other long-running webcomic.

Anyway.  I keep bringing this up in the WCDTs, but since those discussions are quickly lost, I thought I'd say it here instead.  Basically: I want Claire to meet Sam.  Too lazy to explain why again, so I'll just leave these here:

I just want Sam to meet Claire so she can have another big sister to hang out with.

Although Faye lets Sam make swords, so Claire is already at a disadvantage in the "cool older sister" competition.

Sam worships frogs and is outdoorsy. Claire likes libraries. Also adding to the evidence that Claire doesn't work as a 'cool, older sister,' She's ALREADY an older sister, and not a cool one, especially, at least not to Clinton.

Hey, it's not Claire's fault she has a dorky little brother!  Although that dorky little brother has a robot hand, so Sam's loyalties may be further tested.

I actually agree that Clinton's a dork, but it's genetic. They are BOTH dorks. Sam is NOT a dork, though she might get into the hand, you bring up a point. Oh god, and she knows how to use a blowtorch now. I want them to meet just so I can see what happens.

And considering Sam's fascination with robotics, plus the fact that she has a big sister/little sister relationship with Emily, who is also fascinated with robotics AND might be dating Clinton in the near future...oh god, Claire doesn't stand a chance.

That's it, I want a Sam-meets-Claire-and-Clinton arc and I want it NOW VERY SOON.

[...]

Any scenario that allows Claire to meet Sam is fine by me. 

"Eee little sister!"

Faye starts officially babysitting Sam at the apartment and Claire stops by? I mean Faye's going to need some source of income, and Jim needs someone who can handle Sam.... Seems like a good match.

Dunno about that.  Faye taught Sam how to weld, so Claire wouldn't stand a chance.  Probably best if she and Sam got to hang out once without Sam's cooler older sister ruining things.  Maybe Marten and Claire spend a day with Veronica, Jim, and Sam, just some sort of proto-family gathering.  As long as Clinton doesn't tag along and ruin things by having a cool robot hand.

I mean, it'll happen eventually, once Marten and Claire are sufficiently established as a couple and start spending time with their families more.  And I get that there are other stories to tell in the meantime, like Faye putting her life back together, so I'm not gonna be too impatient about it.  But at some point Marten's mom is going to insist on having dinner with the new couple (which I hadn't thought about before now, and now I'm a bit worried for the two), and there will be other opportunities for family gatherings (last year's time-skip passed over Thanksgiving and Christmas, but perhaps one or both holidays will happen this year?), and at some point in the near future Claire will get to meet Sam.  It's the one meeting between two characters I'm actually excited about... 

Just, why can't it happen noowwwwww?

Sorry, rambling.  I just saw this thread getting too close to the bottom of the page, and panicked a bit.
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NilsO

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Yes I do. The reason is simple: the comic ends there if Marten and Faye get together. Jeph stated it in Volume II of the DTE of comic.
My guess is that Jeph has finalized the Endgame, and is ready to publish whenever he gets sick of QC. Let us hope he keeps going a few more years.

The Endgame must necessarily close unresolved issues, and give us a satisfactory final view of the main cast. A good sign of the Endgame would be the main cast settling down, getting married, and having kids. I guess there will be false Prophets (myself included), but the Truth belongs to Jeph alone.

Jeph seems to have killed off CoD already (last appearance here). The Library could come next. With Tai, Marten, Momo, and the interns Claire and Emily, the library is way overstaffed. There will be budget cuts and layoffs. My guess is that Tai will quit (she is not very motivated anyway), Marten will be fired (no formal job qualifications), Claire will get Tai's job, Momo will continue in her job (robots are very good librarians), and Emily will be out when her internship ends.

Possibly, Marten getting fired will be a Good Thing. He has been stuck in the library for way too long, and has no career development due to his passivity. He can perhaps get a better job, or even get serious with his musical career. What this will mean for his relationship with Claire, is more difficult to tell. I guess Claire is not going to be very interested (or supportive) of his musical career, perhaps leading to a breakup in the future.

hakko504

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Yes I do. The reason is simple: the comic ends there if Marten and Faye get together. Jeph stated it in Volume II of the DTE of comic.
My guess is that Jeph has finalized the Endgame, and is ready to publish whenever he gets sick of QC. Let us hope he keeps going a few more years.

The Endgame must necessarily close unresolved issues, and give us a satisfactory final view of the main cast. A good sign of the Endgame would be the main cast settling down, getting married, and having kids. I guess there will be false Prophets (myself included), but the Truth belongs to Jeph alone.

Jeph seems to have killed off CoD already (last appearance here). The Library could come next. With Tai, Marten, Momo, and the interns Claire and Emily, the library is way overstaffed. There will be budget cuts and layoffs. My guess is that Tai will quit (she is not very motivated anyway), Marten will be fired (no formal job qualifications), Claire will get Tai's job, Momo will continue in her job (robots are very good librarians), and Emily will be out when her internship ends.

Possibly, Marten getting fired will be a Good Thing. He has been stuck in the library for way too long, and has no career development due to his passivity. He can perhaps get a better job, or even get serious with his musical career. What this will mean for his relationship with Claire, is more difficult to tell. I guess Claire is not going to be very interested (or supportive) of his musical career, perhaps leading to a breakup in the future.
I don't think Jeph has killed off CoD yet. It's only been 30ish strips since the last appearance, and there is still (at least) 3 characters working there that will continue to interact with the rest of the cast both in- and out-side of the café. We've seen much longer streaks without the café earlier as well (the whole space sequence, the lake-house party etc.) We might see less of it in the future, but unless you're right in your assessment that the comic is starting its endgame, we will see it again.
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Lubricus

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I think it's still too early for the endgame. There are many issues left to resolve, and wrapping them all up in a concentrated endgame story will feel forced. I expect to see separate complete stories about Marten's professional life, the development of his relationship with Claire, something about a lessening or other resolution of Hannlore's issues, definitely something resolving Faye's issues, something about Faye's art or eventual new employment, some resolution of Dora's issues with her brother, more about the fate of the various AnthroPCs and their rights, something about Marigold and Dale, and probably something about the further lives of Tai. At the very least. I can't see all of that resolved in one sitting, so to speak.
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NilsO

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@Lubricus: Very good summary of outstanding issues. There are quite a lot, and of course it will take time to resolve them all. The question is rather if Jeph starts to "wind down", by handling existing issues, but avoiding introducing new issues. Possibly there are too many issues at the moment, so a reduction would not necessarily be a Sign of the End Times.

I would also add the Faye/Sven relationship to the list of unresolved issues. And May.

If the day comes that everybody in the main cast are in stable and happy relationships (including Hanners, in a platonic relationship with Station), this would surely be The End? Steve/Cosette and Will/Penelope have pretty much disappeared already, and Dale/Marigold may soon follow, even Marten/Claire may fade away someday.

Nepiophage

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I have always felt that the very last QC arc will be Marten getting married -- but to whom? 
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BenRG

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I have always felt that the very last QC arc will be Marten getting married -- but to whom?

Not necessarily married but moving out of the apartment and into a larger home, one that's somewhat family-ready. The whole point of QC has seemed to be how Marten is growing up, leaving behind the guy who was so traumatised by the extremely bad end of his relationship with Vicky that he was trying to avoid doing anything significant and instead taking charge of his life.

The whole point of the last strip would be: "I'm home from work; it was a good day and now I'm going to spend time with my friends and, tonight, make love to my significant other. All things considered, I have a fairly good life." Essentially the exact opposite of Strip 1.
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