23-12-17 That just happens

Discuss Ma3 here!

Moderators: Dave Zero1, Don Alexander, Giz, midgetshrimp

User avatar
Giz
Site Admin
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 3:32 am

23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Giz »

New strip! http://www.ma3comic.com/strips-ma3/that-just-happens/

Just a quick note that the next update will be December 28th. Happy holidays, everyone! :)

User avatar
worldshaking00
Posts: 1118
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:32 pm
Location: My little slice of Hell in Arizona

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by worldshaking00 »

Too true, Erik. You deserve that little jab of truth... so does Terry. Also, glad he focused on the good in their relationship than Sonya does the bad. It is a refreshing change to witness that not all that Zii turns bad (or weird).

It just occurred to me that Sonya and Erik are going to be close(r) now. I wonder if she is going to have any pangs of guilt... or drunken reveals... about her breaking apart Zii & Erik.

See you 12/28!
"Be excellent to each other." - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
"Like my old grand daddy used to say, 'The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.'" - Chester Rush, Four Rooms
Chivalry isn't dead, it just followed wherever being lady-like went.

User avatar
Spidrift
Posts: 13180
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:11 pm

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Spidrift »

Okay, so I was wrong about the cut away. We got a coda. I'm pretty sure that we'll cut to the wrestling on Thursday, though.

Erik's forgiveness is indeed admirable, but he's had a chance to calm down and get some perspective on the Zii infidelity thing. Who knows what he was like in the immediate aftermath? All we do know is that he dumped Zii and her band -- which is exactly the same as what Sonya did. Maybe Sonya will get some perspective herself some day, and maybe not. So far, she's just shown a tendency to keep moving forward, leaving Zii behind and finding a new outlet for her musical skills rather than fixating on revenge for its own sake. Which is fairly admirable in itself, if she sticks to that approach (which she may or may not), but probably means that she won't go looking back on what she did in the past with any great sense of regret. After all, from her point of view now, she accidentally did for Erik what she deliberately did for Yuki; she showed them both that Zii can't be trusted. Best for everyone to leave Zii as far behind as possible. (Which is a message she could usefully transmit to Angel, if he's still suffering from his unhealthy obsession.)

And we also see one of Erik's less admirable features here; his love of dim-witted "rock and roll" stupidity. Even Zii knows that trashing dressing rooms is dumb, not cool, but Erik is too fixated on the whole manic pixie package.

Anyhow, Happy Christmas one and all.
---------
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.

OllieOrOlly
Posts: 866
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:48 am

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by OllieOrOlly »

Haha! Just jumping to the end - Erik, in spite of his chill demeanour, does seem to hold a little resentment; he doesn't act it out in melodramatic ways, but rather uses some quite possibly helpful truth to Terry, which warns the hapless sap of Zii's temperament, as well as getting out a subtle jab after being perhaps too kind.

As for Zii's appreciation for Erik's kindness: it does seem genuine, though her uncertainty of whether she could be as decent in his position is a tad foolish - if someone did to Zii what she did to Erik, she would destroy their subsequent relationship(s) due to her disproportionate reactions, thus she shouldn't even pretend that her being as forgiving is a possibility (admittedly, her uncertainty probably leans towards her knowing she wouldn't be).

Love the little expressions throughout: Izz's reassured smile, as her "hero" is receiving consolation, as well as Terry's sort of nervous and then entirely nervous face; also, Erik's aloof nature is appropriately apparent.
A double note of sorts: Zii's solemn yet calming expression emphasises Erik's help was supportive - though, unfortunately in my opinion, it seems to indicate Zii's requisite few moments of sadness has almost passed, before she most likely returns to her usual attitude; even with the shock of losing her promising band and friends, again, I doubt she will *grow up* since she still has the DiDi trophy in her lustful possession.
On that tangent, perhaps losing DiDi is the next step for her to start self-improvement? Though, their "relationship" cannot possibly last much longer, as it lacks any solid emotional foundation (a while ago, the few memories Zii thought about to *justify* her supposed love shows that they are at most friends, and even that is a stretch at times)- even someone as lascivious as Zii would become bored, and someone as cluelessly hedonistic as DiDi would find a brighter lure to grab. Neither of them are "in love," but simply sharing the same delusion, which will hopefully end sooner than later.
Spidrift wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 11:16 am
Erik's forgiveness is indeed admirable, but he's had a chance to calm down and get some perspective on the Zii infidelity thing. Who knows what he was like in the immediate aftermath? All we do know is that he dumped Zii and her band -- which is exactly the same as what Sonya did. Maybe Sonya will get some perspective herself some day, and maybe not. So far, she's just shown a tendency to keep moving forward, leaving Zii behind and finding a new outlet for her musical skills rather than fixating on revenge for its own sake.
True. Though, Erik's moving on to Angel's band seemed to be a "business" decision, in that being a manager for Zii's band was impossible for him due to their relationship breaking apart, so he moved on to the other most promising, up and coming band; perhaps he knew that Zii and Angel hated each other, but his decision seemed to be, as noted, just business. Though, this is conjecture...
On the other hand, it feels heavily implied that Sonya chose Angel's band strictly because Zii hates Angel, and vice versa, as she wanted to strike further back at Zii more than simply leaving her band, but also joining her, well, archenemy. Sonya stating that she doesn't care about Zii in anyway appears to be posturing, due to the fact of her joining a hated rival, as well as taking Yuki away with her - granted, it seemed to be a spontaneous opportunity, yet it did appear that Sonya took it to further retaliate, rather than simply enlightening a frienemy/former hatef**k buddy about Zii's strong failings.

It is going down memory lane a bit too far for me to be sure, nevertheless, I think Erik and Zii starting dating when they were both in relatively "good places." Zii's last sexual encounter with Sonya was when Zii was feeling her most depressed (at that point), and she knew Sonya was still desperately pining after her, yet still f**ked Sonya to make herself feel better; then, promptly discarded her, and breaking an explicit promise, to screw DiDi.
Both Erik and Sonya suffered the sting of betrayal, however, it seems more cutting in Sonya's case; Zii's infedelity was terrible, so Erik realised their relationship was a dud and moved on, but in the later case - in spite of Sonya's ulterior agenda - Zii treated the only person who could comfort her as nothing when a hotter piece of arse came along. Also, Zii knew she screwed up by cheating on Erik and was immediately remorseful, however, she didn't bother to care about her casual disregard and broken promise to Sonya - Zii wouldn't have even considered how hurt Sonya was if the latter didn't make a grand show of quitting the band.

Double post merged. The DAMNed

samtheman
Posts: 640
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:59 pm

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by samtheman »

The look on Terry's face in the last panel made me chuckle. And unfortunately I too get the feeling we are going back to the wrestling subplot after this. Even if it's just 20 strips or so the comic will only update twice a week starting next month which means we'll be stuck on the wrestling plot thread for at least ten weeks or between two and three months. I hate webcomic time because of situations like this.

And yes I know Dillon's comic will return next month which means the return of Ruby but that will only update once a week. Webcomic time intensifies.

User avatar
Spidrift
Posts: 13180
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:11 pm

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Spidrift »

OllieOrOlly wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 11:20 am
Erik, in spite of his chill demeanour, does seem to hold a little resentment; he doesn't act it out in melodramatic ways, but rather uses some quite possibly helpful truth to Terry, which warns the hapless sap of Zii's temperament, as well as getting out a subtle jab after being perhaps too kind.
Actually, I think that you're reading too much sarcasm into Erik's tone there. I think he's 100% sincere. Remember, when Zii and the band actually trashed the rehearsal room, (the scene to which this strip is calling back), Erik approved, enthusiastically.

He's a nice guy, and seems smart in a lot of ways, but he also seems to be far too keen on the stupid bits of rock and roll mythology, like the mindless vandalism. Which is quite plausible, if you think about it; why would some rich trust fund kid spend his time managing unsigned rock bands, unless he was a hopeless rock fanboy? There are safer ways to prove yourself.
OllieOrOlly wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 11:49 am
On the other hand, it feels heavily implied that Sonya chose Angel's band strictly because Zii hates Angel, and vice versa, as she wanted to strike further back at Zii more than simply leaving her band, but also joining her, well, archenemy.
I didn't say that Sonya was completely immune to the desire for revenge, just that she was being surprisingly cool and forward-looking about it. Living well's the best revenge, but discovering that she can live well by joining Zii's enemy and taking Yuki with her is the best revenge with a cherry and chocolate sprinkles. Business and pleasure combined.
Sonya stating that she doesn't care about Zii in anyway appears to be posturing, due to the fact of her joining a hated rival, as well as taking Yuki away with her - granted, it seemed to be a spontaneous opportunity, yet it did appear that Sonya took it to further retaliate, rather than simply enlightening a frienemy/former hatef**k buddy about Zii's strong failings.
Sonya's never really said that she doesn't care about Zii at all, just repeatedly said that she's glad to be away from her. Yuki then became a target of opportunity, and making that move has turned out really well for Sonya -- and for Yuki, it seems. Maybe Sonya can go on from there to leave Zii behind her completely (the way that Erik has), maybe the whole thing will continue to rankle. We'll see.
It is going down memory lane a bit too far for me to be sure, nevertheless, I think Erik and Zii starting dating when they were both in relatively "good places."
Erik was getting over being dumped by DiDi; Zii was basically at a loose end.
Zii knew she screwed up by cheating on Erik and was immediately remorseful, however, she didn't bother to care about her casual disregard and broken promise to Sonya - Zii wouldn't have even considered how hurt Sonya was if the latter didn't make a grand show of quitting the band.
The difference would be that when Erik dumped her, Zii lost a hot, rich boyfriend and a helpful band manager, and gained nothing good; she cheered up a bit when Jung offered to help the band. When Sonya dumped her, despite the shock and despite being chewed out by Peggy, Zii gained DiDi.

It's important never to underestimate the addictive quality of the sex goddess. Even if you insist that it's not DiDi's fault and she's some kind of nice person, she has an effing awful effect on the people she shags. She's sexual crack cocaine. It took losing Sonya and Yuki, to her arch-enemy, to make Zii realise that she wasn't in a wonderful place now -- and she may yet forget the next time she gets between DiDi's legs. And yep, if and when they break up, Zii will doubtless crash as hard as all DiDi's other exes.
---------
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.

User avatar
Vitocap
Posts: 326
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 5:02 am

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Vitocap »

worldshaking00 wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:55 am
It is a refreshing change to witness that not all that Zii turns bad (or weird).
... what?
Finish your sentence, Ron.
worldshaking00 wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:55 am
It just occurred to me that Sonya and Erik are going to be close(r) now. I wonder if she is going to have any pangs of guilt... or drunken reveals... about her breaking apart Zii & Erik.
No, because she didn't do a thing. Whatever plans she had dissolved in alcohol and were forgotten. Zii confessed her love to DiDi all by herself, without anyone's prodding.
Spidrift wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 11:16 am
Which is a message she could usefully transmit to Angel, if he's still suffering from his unhealthy obsession.
You forgot toxic, harmful, sick, abnormal, noxious and stalker-like.
Le sigh.
God knows there's few enough of us ghosts as it is, no need to turn this dead forum into a preaching station.
Spidrift wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 11:16 am
Anyhow, Happy Christmas one and all.
Same to you. Try to make your New Year's resolution a promise to be less judgmental.
We, the old ghosts of Pizen Bluff, who still roam about this dead forum screaming imprecations at the characters and whatnot.

User avatar
rogermart
Posts: 608
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:04 pm

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by rogermart »

Spidrift wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 12:17 pm
The difference would be that when Erik dumped her, Zii lost a hot, rich boyfriend and a helpful band manager, and gained nothing good; she cheered up a bit when Jung offered to help the band. When Sonya dumped her, despite the shock and despite being chewed out by Peggy, Zii gained DiDi.

It's important never to underestimate the addictive quality of the sex goddess. Even if you insist that it's not DiDi's fault and she's some kind of nice person, she has an effing awful effect on the people she shags. She's sexual crack cocaine. It took losing Sonya and Yuki, to her arch-enemy, to make Zii realise that she wasn't in a wonderful place now -- and she may yet forget the next time she gets between DiDi's legs. And yep, if and when they break up, Zii will doubtless crash as hard as all DiDi's other exes.
Also, she really cared for Erik, at first she thought it was only fun with a hot guy who took her to Cheap Trick concerts (and like you said, he is really a hopless rock fanboy, as soon as Zii started singing "I want you to want me" during sexytime, he was sold) but then she started to get jealous, which was a surprise for her, next thing you know she is into him big time.

With Sonya she always had the hots for her (who wouldn't) and she considered her a friend and a bandmate but she never had strong feelings for her.

So losing a guy she cared for (even loved) and gaining nothing vs losing a girl she only wanted to bang and play with and gaining Didi... not even close in Zii's mind...
Last edited by rogermart on Sat Dec 23, 2017 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
That's what i do... i drink and i know things...

User avatar
Azrael
Mischief Maker
Posts: 24097
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:48 am
Location: Down below, where the dead men go

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Azrael »

Giz wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:19 am
Happy holidays, everyone! :)

Indeed, I hope everyone has a very Happy Merry Christmachanukwanzasaturnalisolstiyulekkah. :ymparty:
Grand Low Maker of Mischief, Claw of Chaos, Fang of Anarchy

politics: n. pl. from the Grk polis, meaning many, and the OE ticia, meaning blood sucking insects.

bridgetvoid
Posts: 49
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:54 am

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by bridgetvoid »

i still really want to see erik and zii ride off into the sunset...or at least see more of erik since he's one of the few characters in this comic that isn't too stupid to live

User avatar
Bat-dork
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 6:26 am

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Bat-dork »

This feels satisfying enough to qualify as Erik's last appearance in the comic. If we don't see him again, then that's that. Good run, old boy!

As for the wrestling plot, to be honest, since it is the closest we have been to seeing the faces from EC so far, I don't mind it. If Gary managed to move from call center employee to video game artist, and Zii MIGHT finally keep a band together if she doesn't screw up, then why shouldn't DiDi become a successful rookie wrestler?

User avatar
Storm-forge mystique
Posts: 2258
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:34 pm

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Storm-forge mystique »

"But the orgies are nice."

User avatar
worldshaking00
Posts: 1118
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:32 pm
Location: My little slice of Hell in Arizona

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by worldshaking00 »

Vitocap wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:29 pm
worldshaking00 wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:55 am
It is a refreshing change to witness that not all that Zii turns bad (or weird).
... what?
Finish your sentence <snip>
Thanks for catching my typo from earlier this AM. "It is a refreshing change to witness that not all that Zii TOUCHES turns bad (or weird)." Better now, yes?
Vitocap wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:29 pm
worldshaking00 wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:55 am
It just occurred to me that Sonya and Erik are going to be close(r) now. I wonder if she is going to have any pangs of guilt... or drunken reveals... about her breaking apart Zii & Erik.
No, because she didn't do a thing. Whatever plans she had dissolved in alcohol and were forgotten. Zii confessed her love to DiDi all by herself, without anyone's prodding.
Sonya planned to break up Eric and Zii, so Sonya could have Zii all to herself (or at the very least, remove serious competition for affection.) I don't know if she really forgot it completely, despite her drunkenness. Four women is a room, shagging (or trying to get shagged in Didi's case), is a bit of a feat even for this webcomic, without some ulterior motive from some character.
"Be excellent to each other." - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
"Like my old grand daddy used to say, 'The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.'" - Chester Rush, Four Rooms
Chivalry isn't dead, it just followed wherever being lady-like went.

User avatar
Don Alexander
Dr. Ebil SithMod
Posts: 28238
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Under the arms of the ancient oak, where daylight hangs by a lunar noose...

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Don Alexander »

TERRY! X(

What kind of wimp are you??? Trashing hotel rooms is the essence of rock 'n' roll! :-L

And I now wonder if Erik wears those glasses all the time because his eyes actually show that he's not human but some seraphim or so. Yes, I kid, but he seems pretty angelic at times. Smart, straight-talking, forgiving, supportive...

But maybe he is really the Lord of Darkness. :ymdevil:
ImageImage
Sithlord of the Sithling and best customer of McLovecraft's Image, in the business of keeping the little Platypus in business
Moderations in GREEN and signed by the DAMNed. I am not anonymous! Also, MODSMACK!! Image
Winner of the... 2010 Kilopost FRANKIE; 2010 Mad March Nom Off; 2010 Joker Cleavage Contest; 2010 Fan-Thing Contest; 2010 Mimic Contest (tied); 2011 Joker Cleavage Contest; 2011 Contest-for-the-next-Contest (tied)

User avatar
Spidrift
Posts: 13180
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:11 pm

Re: 23-12-17 That just happens

Post by Spidrift »

Or maybe he’s an ordinarily decent bloke in a world full of sex-crazed thoughtless twits?
---------
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.

Post Reply