A lot of people have said (not without justification) that one of the reasons that we don't see a lot of Marten, Dora, Pintsize or Hannelore is that their story arcs have dried up. A lot of their 'issues' have been resolved or at least shown to be under control and Jeph possibly is finding it a challenge to write for them anymore; there simply isn't a lot left to say about them. Thus, we've seen all four increasingly becoming occasionally-seen background characters.
What I'd like this thread to do is to encourage forumites to talk about what stories they feel remain to be told for the veteran characters. I'll start with a few ideas of my own.
Marten the JournalistWhatever happened to
Questionable Content - Marten's blog about all things modern music (indie and otherwise)? We haven't heard about it for thousands of strips now!
I'd like for it to come out that Marten is still updating it and it has a certain on-line following. I'd like this addressed by Claire encountering a few of her fellow MLS students (or Emily and Clinton hearing some MSc CompSci students) talking about it. One thing comes to another and Marten comes to the attention of the current editor of Smif's on-line student newspaper. Now, normally, it would be forbidden for the site to use external contributors. However, as Marten works at the library, he is technically staff and therefore republishing his blog is permissible.
This arc would allow for multiple strips of Marten writing his column on Pintsize with his little buddy's inevitable off-colour commentary and suggestions for pornographic sidebars and illustrations.
Does Marten get noticed by a larger media agency? Or do other news agencies in Massachusetts also ask for republishing rights? Maybe Marten
can find a career in music after all, just not in the performing end.
DeathmøleWhy not get back to it? Maybe even freshen up the line-up by having unanticipated musical skills emerging (maybe Emily as a keyboardist). Deathmøle actually manage to get a gig at a club somewhere in Northampton (with Elliott guest-starring as door security). The reception is warm enough that they are able to shift their entire load of CDs of their first album! Meanwhile, Claire enjoys playing the leather-clad 'rock chick' for the night and is flattered by hearing some of the audience identifying her as 'the lead guitarist girl' and that he is a 'lucky dude'.
ThanksgivingThanksgiving - the holiday weekend where people remember the things for which they are thankful. I think that this could be used as the basis for a couple of arcs.
The Reed-Whitaker ThanksgivingNormally, Marten and Faye don't make much of a thing of Thanksgiving, neither really having the patience or culinary skill to have more than a slight upgrade to their usual dining. This year, there have been some vague plans for him to celebrate the day with Jim and Veronica. However, very much at the last minute, Jim, Veronica and Sam are going to be going to the Bean family celebration out-of-state.
Similarly, Claire would normally celebrate the day with Clinton and her mother. However, Clinton is going to be going to an all-student 'do' and their mother is visiting one of her sisters. Also, when Faye mentions the holiday to Bubbles, Bubbles notes that Thanksgiving was a big thing for her unit and that she hasn't seriously celebrated the day since she was discharged.
So, over the course of a few strips, Marten and Faye decide to have Claire and Bubbles over at the apartment for the Thanksgiving weekend (which, AFAIK is four days). This would feature:
- Faye insisting that Bubbles recharge in her bedroom; blushes ensue, especially when Faye offers Bubbles the teddy bear that Hanners bought her when she was in hospital;
- Faye teasing Claire about her being 'the lady of the house' for this long weekend (she's a far better organiser than Marten or Faye);
- Pintsize nearly getting stomped by Bubbles (and Faye) after making one too many 'foursome' comments;
- A Black Friday shopping experience; something that is new for Bubbles and, perhaps not so surprisingly, Claire.
More than anything, this would be an exploration of the relationships and 'off duty' lives of the two original characters in an extended domestic/social interaction. Claire maybe deciding that she
can see herself living at the apartment and Bubbles realising that she can and does enjoy being part of a social circle that is so close, it might as well be a family.
The Bianchi ThanksgivingThe Bianchi Thanksgiving is always a toe-curlingly embarrassing experience for Dora and Sven. However, this year, Dora is making an effort to be nice to Sven and he is making an effort to be more grown up and less obviously his parents perfect pet child. When Mrs B demands that both her children bring dates ("You are both too old to be unattached!") Dora reluctantly invites Tai along. Sven, much against Dora's better judgement, invites Hannelore. Hanners is quite firm that she is more than capable of enduring a social gathering, including sitting on other people's furniture and eating off of their plates. She's even been to bars where there is a lot of smoking (including of semi-legal blends) and she's handled that! She's not the phobic mess she was a few years back!
It's a disaster, of course. The Bianchi parents just can't stop embarrassing their kids and making their dates uncomfortable with open come-ons and inappropriate questions about their personal lives and sexual preferences. Surprisingly, Sven is even more annoyed than Dora, possibly because he's worried that his mother will freak out Hannelore. Actually Mrs B is nowhere near as disturbing and unsettling a familial figure as Beatrice Chatham and Hannelore is more than able to hold her own (even though her rate of hand-washing goes up).
Finally, the Bianchi kids blow their top at their parents. There is an ugly argument and they storm out after the Bianchi parents make it clear that they are not happy with children who they can't manipulate with either extreme preferential generosity or neglect. The final strip that I can see in this is Dora, Sven, Tai and Hannelore at Sven's house, eating take-out at his dinner table and remarking that they are thankful for their
real families and friends.
The Stevecette WeddingIt's been long in coming and I think it would be interesting to see how Marten handles the Best Man duties (as well as Dora as Matron of Honour and the rest of the CoD girls as bridesmaids). A basically Marten & Steve story arc would take us right back to the very earliest days of the strip and allow for all manner of call-backs.
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Topic: Veteran Characters - Untold Stories (Read 6063 times)