PTC 09-05-19 Terrible idea

[Giz]

New PTC comic on Ma3! http://www.ma3comic.com/strips-ma3/terrible-idea/

[Spidrift]

Not sure that Ramona ought to be encouraging that rage. Tranquil fury is better for a person's physical and emotional health.

And is it me, or is Jung being meaner in this comic than we've seen him before? I get the impression that he doesn't actually like Aaron very much. I mean, I know geeks who manage to be so annoying about it that they sacrifice all claims to geek solidarity -- but I don't hire them to work with me just so I can humiliate them.

[worldshaking00]

Don't think he is meaner, as much as having fewer 'victims' for him to be opportunistic with. And to make it even better, Aaron was/is making a right ass of himself... on Jung's dime... in his store... in front of his girlfriend/business partner. I think Jung is more than entitled to exact a pound of flesh "Jungham style" out of the pipsqueak.

Aaron has gotten on a lot of readers' nerves, by design apparently. His personality leaves a lot to be desired, and I really am hoping to not have to suffer through 200+ strips of his asshattery. I don't find him protagonist-worthy enough to want him to get character development into making him a better person. I just want him gone, or getting a swift asskicking in order to get a Peggy or Aishani cameo.

[brasca]

And is it me, or is Jung being meaner in this comic than we've seen him before? I get the impression that he doesn't actually like Aaron very much. I mean, I know geeks who manage to be so annoying about it that they sacrifice all claims to geek solidarity -- but I don't hire them to work with me just so I can humiliate them.

Check the archive. While I like him and Ramona I'm glad she hasn't softened him.

And speaking of people who changed. If Gary hadn't changed at all in the course of this webcomic all he'd have to do is stand next to Aaron. He'd be sauve by default.

[Spidrift]

Mmm. One does hope that this comic finds some use for Aaron beyond him being an annoying ass for Ramona and Jung to kick around with a clear conscience. Though as so often with Giz characters, he behaves fairly realistically -- for someone five years younger than his actual age. Heck, Giz even lampshaded it this time.

[JoybuzzerX]

Aaron is being an idiot. That seems par for the course.

However, I don't think Ramona comes off any better here. She comes off as a terrible person here. For all she knows Zadie could be the cause of it all. Maybe she cheated and expected to be forgiven. Maybe she's a manipulator. We've already seen evidence of that.

Either way, at least with Zadie being upset, I can see it. She got cheated on and I'm willing to go with the idea she didn't cause it. Ramona however, yeah, terrible.

Jung, I always got the feeling he was that way. Willing to humiliate people for his own amusement. Especially those in need.

[Spidrift]

Who has Jung ever humiliated who was “in need”?

[worldshaking00]

"Humiliate (those) in need" is a bit harsh. Jung enjoys dumpster fires and watching drama unfold in all its glory and ruination (presumably not his own, of course; but then he is running a comic shop nowadays so one has to question his sanity).

He hasn't done too much, as far as I can recall, of being completely generous with himself or his time. He usually expects something out of it. His managing stint with Zii & The Troublemakers was more of a way to model his clothing. The real talent was the band; Jung just found a venue and used a little razzle-dazzle to book a gig or three. Jung gave Zii a place to stay (in the back storage room) in return for some free work out of her. Jung doesn't kick and belittle those who are down on their luck; he will exploit a situation slightly into his favor in order to not suffer a complete loss for his time/effort/money. Not altruistic in the least, but not a total @-hole either.

[Valkog]

If you stand in front of a mirror and say Aaron's name three times, he fucks off and let's you finish brushing your teeth.

[brasca]

Aaron is being an idiot. That seems par for the course.

However, I don't think Ramona comes off any better here. She comes off as a terrible person here. For all she knows Zadie could be the cause of it all. Maybe she cheated and expected to be forgiven. Maybe she's a manipulator. We've already seen evidence of that.

Either way, at least with Zadie being upset, I can see it. She got cheated on and I'm willing to go with the idea she didn't cause it. Ramona however, yeah, terrible.

Jung, I always got the feeling he was that way. Willing to humiliate people for his own amusement. Especially those in need.

It's not like Aaron needs those comic books. Those are things he wants and in exchange for the credit to buy it he has to comply with Jung's wishes which in this case involves modeling the clothes he designed. If he vauled his dignity that much he could say no and not get the credit. That's how tranactions work.

And I don't think Ramona is really encouraging violence seeing as how she had to break up Angel and Zii enough times. Zadie found out her boyfriend is cheating on her and is angry. Ramona could provide a bunch of platitudes like being the better person, but sometimes it's good to get that out of your system. It's just moral support.

[JoybuzzerX]

Zii needed a job, Aaron needed money. Willing to help them with a bit of humiliation. Maybe less so for Zii.

We'll see how Ramona plays out.

[brasca]

Jung might've been nicer about giving her a job, but do keep in mind she gave him a black eye when they first met. And like Aaron she hasn't been that good of an employee.

[samtheman]

Aaron is a socially clueless idiot and deserves whatever pain that's coming his way.

As for Zadie, now that she's kicking her cheating boyfriend out of the apartment will she need a roommate to help pay for the rent?

[Alice Macher]

Jung might've been nicer about giving her a job, but do keep in mind she gave him a black eye when they first met. And like Aaron she hasn't been that good of an employee.

Agreed on the black eye bit; that was simply measure for measure on Jung's part. But apart from being upset when Jung made her wear a costume she hated (and upsetting her was his intent; see: black eye), was she really a bad employee? Jung soon appreciated having her around: her antics with Yuki, according to Jung, soon "doubled [the shop's] clientele." As a result, Jung called her a "keeper." She even later voluntarily, and enthusiastically, cosplayed as Nekomimi Mimi to make up for being late to work, and that brought in even more customers. (To be sure, she also committed no-nos such as reading yaoi on the job, but when Jung called her on it, she pointed out that the boss wasn't paying him to eat jerky on the job either. So he let it go.)

Aaron, in contrast, seems to be dead weight so far. (Unlike with Zii, even having him in costume doesn't contribute to the business, other than keeping Jung amused I guess.) The only reason I say "so far" is that there's the possibility he'll surprise everyone by coming up with a genuinely good superhero idea for the publishing imprint. But based on what we've seen of him, I doubt it.

[Spidrift]

Aaron serves the minimum requirement for a shop assistant; looking after the counter when no one else can. If he doesn’t actually lose stock or steal from the till, and he works cheap, I can see why Jung keeps him around. But it wouldn’t be hard for him to burn that job.