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What a talent: to be able to say the most disturbing and reprehensible things in the simplest, nicest ways. Moze may have a career in international politics in his future.
I’ve always loved how Moze deals with confrontation…
And I think the way he handles Tuesday’s outrage is brilliant.
-I sort of think this is his way of “sharing more” with Tuesday
and being more intimate, but right now she’s too mad to notice.
I think it’s sad, and also kind of sweet. Moze lives in a culture with very close family ties, where one’s whole life is determined by patriarchs and priests, and individuals get the most pleasure from doing their part for the family unit. He’s been told since he was a kid he was going to have this wife come from Egypt, and he looks forward to it like kids look forward to being able to drive or drink or graduate high school. It’s not part of his consciousness yet to *not* love this girl.
That said, he’s not in Egypt, and growing up in America means he’s a lot more independent than his folks might like. I hope this storyline does more than just gives him and Tuesday something to fight about. If it’s a fight at all when Moze is involved…
You know, it’s not like he’s said he loves her or wants to sleep with her or anything, all I’m getting from it is that he wants to honor his dead fathers wishes and also bring her to America. We haven’t really heard too too much about the state Egypt is in right now other than that it has people like Shep and his buddies trying to blow things up. Maybe its a terrible place to live and he really would be doing her a favor by getting her out of there. In that case, if he’s giving up a local marriage and waiting SEVEN YEARS just to save some girl he doesn’t know… Good for him, Moze is a good guy. Scuzzy, but good.
As for Moze being older, well, there are a lot of cultures out there that see nothing wrong with husbands being 2-3 times the age of the wives, especially in the Templar culture, where they see the idea of having as many children as possible to avoid extinction as a Really Good Plan. Of course, the fact that when it comes to child-bearing ages, the younger, the better, up to a point. Men, of course, NEVER need to worry about how virile they are…if they can’t procreate, well, the woman was “unworthy”. Typical backwards thinking in that time period up until the nineteenth century.
“Men, of course, NEVER need to worry about how virile they are”
What about older men?
I’d like to think that even a culture like the Jakes’ would be able to figure out that an 80-year-old man generally isn’t as virile as his 20-year-old counterpart.
I was referring to the prideful mentality about men, since the ability to procreate was a measure of status in many cultures, especially those that favor men as important and women as unimportant. If you could no longer father children, the penalties range from loss of reputation to ostracization and exile. So a lot of men in those environments tended to hold onto the image of being virile as long as possible.
On the practical side of things, waiting means Mose gets seven more years of unfettered horndogginess. Tell me you DON’T think that’s a factor in his willingness to wait.
Uncle Shep may not like it, but then he doesn’t much like anything the rest of the family does, and in this case Mose actually has one. A case, that is:
“Thutmose, I order you to give up this ridiculous notion and marry someone here!” “‘S tradition,Uncle Shep, ‘n’ you always sayin’ I needta keep up th’ old ways.”
I agree completely, and I don’t think he cares if she sleeps around, even after she’s brought in to the US. In the meantime, he’s got seven years’ good times (and she’s at least got about five).
I think that’s actually the main thing Mozes sees in this situation. And I’m pretty sure that when Merytre is eventually old enough to be sent to the US, he’ll weasel his way out of this marriage too.
Mose says that “wife” is the closest translation – perhaps she’s a type of life partner, but it’s not our typical husband/wife relationship, something that developed in parallel Egypt’s currrent culture, grown from some sort of religious belief or duty. Perhaps she’s just someone to care for him in his old age!
I’d wait for that. Hell, I could use one now… I’ve started getting arthritis!
I wonder what the mose’s fiance thinks about the situation. Is she happy about the marriage? is she not happy about the marriage but is looking forward to going to America? Does her personality completely clash with Mose? Is she nervous about meeting a man much older then her who she is expected to marry? I know the comic perspective never usually leaves templar, but I sort of want to see alternate reality Egypt so I could get these questions answered and see Mose’s extended family.
See, THIS is the question. People keep going “Oh, Tuesday, you’re such an intolerant jerk” as opposed to “Wait? What does Merythre have to say about this setup? Shouldn’t she have a choice?”
Seriously, people.
Also: I want a ‘we hunt kings’ shirt.
Call me weird, but I find Tuesday’s angry collarbones in the second panel oddly attractive.
That aside, I find myself liking Moze more and more. Either he thinks she’s pretty darn cute and wouldn’t mind the wait (which I wouldn’t be entirely surprised at) or he believes he’ll doing a good thing for Merytre by getting her out of there via the ‘marriage’.
Am I the only one who suspects that Moze may be neither creepy nor sweet, but instead might be playing family politics? Thutmose’s family’s pressure to “marry local” likely isn’t just out of some desire to see him settle down and start churning out grandkids. They want him to start living up to the family name (whatever that entails, it seems to include breeding “within the race”).
By sticking with Mertyre, he honors his father’s word – which they can’t entirely fault him for – and defer the issue for seven more years.
Personally, I think age IS a significant issue for Moze, which is why a distant eleven-year-old s preferable to a local fourteen-year-old: http://templaraz.com/?p=430
Moze mentions a dislike of the idea of marrying local Nile folk due to the fact that all the women are related to him in one way or another.
Waiting for this girl means he gets a girl that isn’t related to him, is still Nile, and plus lives up to his father’s promise. So he covers all the family bases minus the cousin squick.
Yes, but he also says, in http://templaraz.com/?p=430, when Shep criticizes him for not coming to see the temple dancers, “They all fourteen. And still my cousins.”
Wait, Moze is only 24? Or maybe 23 or 22, given how the picture of “baby” Mertyre looks more like a toddler than an infant. That’s…less creepy than the 30-35 I was thinking he was! And an 11-13 year age gap is not unworkable in a relationship, though it’s trickier when one partner is very young.
Regarding the age gap- When I was eleven, my man was nineteen/twenty. Creepy to think in those terms, 8ut seeing as I’m certainly not eleven anymore, and we met when I was 20.. *shrug* It doesn’t matter until we’re talking a8out pop culture from our childhoods. Not a huge pro8lem.
You know? 13 years isn’t a terrible age gap—especially once the younger person gets into their 20s. And lots of people still get married (or at least pop out kids) in their late teens. For Moze, seven years is probably enough time to get out his ya-yas and get himself together to be a “presentable” husband. He’s kind of a slob now, but he’s only in his early 20s. People can change a lot between that point and when they turn 30.
Obviously, he’s got lots of reasons to go along with the arrangement (including one person mentioning that waiting for an 11 year old in Egypt to turn 18 is better than marrying a 14 year old cousin), but I sense the biggest one is that he wishes to honor his dead father’s wishes. He seems sentimental and even proud of doing it.
I agree. My grandparents have a ten year age gap. Thirteen isn’t too bad, if the gap is set in the right years (20ish to 30ish, but not 10ish to 20ish).
Loving Tuesday and Moze. He’s such a sweet guy, and Tuesday is losing her cool all over the place. It is fun to watch.
What’s beautiful about Tuesday and Moze’s relationship is that it’s this subtle dance of two lunkheads who appear to be medically incapable of realizing that the culture they grew up in isn’t universally understood.
Seriously, though, you can tell Tuesday has nearly zero experience with people who aren’t desperate to win arguments.
Man, Tuesday’s got a legit position. I would not be automatically understanding OR thinking my lover was sweet for having an imported eleven year old child bride. That said, love the dynamic of the argument. The two entirely different personalities are clashing nicely.
Mmmmm, yes… But will she?
actually she’s safer married than single if this universes egypt is half as bad as the real one
What a talent: to be able to say the most disturbing and reprehensible things in the simplest, nicest ways. Moze may have a career in international politics in his future.
Man, my favourite part of this is Moze’s shirt. “WE HUNT KINGS.” Badass.
Also, Moze is saying he’ll wait until she’s eighteen… I don’t think it’s entered into his mind that HE’LL be older, too.
Agree about the shirt!
But I think you’ve got it backwards about Moze. He knows they’ll both be older, he just doesn’t care how old she is.
I think it’s kinda sweet to see Moze care about something that much. Also Tuesday flipping her shit is a nice perk.
I can’t figure out whether I find this romantic or disturbing
Exactly what I was going to say. Literally can’t make up my mind. Huh.
So they were married when Mose was thirteen and Merytre was…zero. And they were engaged when Mose was zero and Merytre was minus thirteen.
Long engagements are *totally* romantic.
I’ve always loved how Moze deals with confrontation…
And I think the way he handles Tuesday’s outrage is brilliant.
-I sort of think this is his way of “sharing more” with Tuesday
and being more intimate, but right now she’s too mad to notice.
I think it’s sad, and also kind of sweet. Moze lives in a culture with very close family ties, where one’s whole life is determined by patriarchs and priests, and individuals get the most pleasure from doing their part for the family unit. He’s been told since he was a kid he was going to have this wife come from Egypt, and he looks forward to it like kids look forward to being able to drive or drink or graduate high school. It’s not part of his consciousness yet to *not* love this girl.
That said, he’s not in Egypt, and growing up in America means he’s a lot more independent than his folks might like. I hope this storyline does more than just gives him and Tuesday something to fight about. If it’s a fight at all when Moze is involved…
You know, it’s not like he’s said he loves her or wants to sleep with her or anything, all I’m getting from it is that he wants to honor his dead fathers wishes and also bring her to America. We haven’t really heard too too much about the state Egypt is in right now other than that it has people like Shep and his buddies trying to blow things up. Maybe its a terrible place to live and he really would be doing her a favor by getting her out of there. In that case, if he’s giving up a local marriage and waiting SEVEN YEARS just to save some girl he doesn’t know… Good for him, Moze is a good guy. Scuzzy, but good.
As for Moze being older, well, there are a lot of cultures out there that see nothing wrong with husbands being 2-3 times the age of the wives, especially in the Templar culture, where they see the idea of having as many children as possible to avoid extinction as a Really Good Plan. Of course, the fact that when it comes to child-bearing ages, the younger, the better, up to a point. Men, of course, NEVER need to worry about how virile they are…if they can’t procreate, well, the woman was “unworthy”. Typical backwards thinking in that time period up until the nineteenth century.
“Men, of course, NEVER need to worry about how virile they are”
What about older men?
I’d like to think that even a culture like the Jakes’ would be able to figure out that an 80-year-old man generally isn’t as virile as his 20-year-old counterpart.
I was referring to the prideful mentality about men, since the ability to procreate was a measure of status in many cultures, especially those that favor men as important and women as unimportant. If you could no longer father children, the penalties range from loss of reputation to ostracization and exile. So a lot of men in those environments tended to hold onto the image of being virile as long as possible.
What time period? Templar is 21st century.
Was referring to the beginnings of the aforementioned cultures, so I apologize if I did not make myself clear.
On the practical side of things, waiting means Mose gets seven more years of unfettered horndogginess. Tell me you DON’T think that’s a factor in his willingness to wait.
Uncle Shep may not like it, but then he doesn’t much like anything the rest of the family does, and in this case Mose actually has one. A case, that is:
“Thutmose, I order you to give up this ridiculous notion and marry someone here!” “‘S tradition,Uncle Shep, ‘n’ you always sayin’ I needta keep up th’ old ways.”
I agree completely, and I don’t think he cares if she sleeps around, even after she’s brought in to the US. In the meantime, he’s got seven years’ good times (and she’s at least got about five).
Exactly! Mose gets another seven years of freedom, and then the chance to marry an 18-year-old? What’s NOT to like?
I think that’s actually the main thing Mozes sees in this situation. And I’m pretty sure that when Merytre is eventually old enough to be sent to the US, he’ll weasel his way out of this marriage too.
No, he’ll honor the marriage… then keep smiling and doing his own thing, and let her get a boyfriend her own age.
Aww. That’s actually really sweet.
I agree.
And another thing…
Mose says that “wife” is the closest translation – perhaps she’s a type of life partner, but it’s not our typical husband/wife relationship, something that developed in parallel Egypt’s currrent culture, grown from some sort of religious belief or duty. Perhaps she’s just someone to care for him in his old age!
I’d wait for that. Hell, I could use one now… I’ve started getting arthritis!
I wonder what the mose’s fiance thinks about the situation. Is she happy about the marriage? is she not happy about the marriage but is looking forward to going to America? Does her personality completely clash with Mose? Is she nervous about meeting a man much older then her who she is expected to marry? I know the comic perspective never usually leaves templar, but I sort of want to see alternate reality Egypt so I could get these questions answered and see Mose’s extended family.
See, THIS is the question. People keep going “Oh, Tuesday, you’re such an intolerant jerk” as opposed to “Wait? What does Merythre have to say about this setup? Shouldn’t she have a choice?”
Seriously, people.
Also: I want a ‘we hunt kings’ shirt.
Dude gets more like Gene every page. This is totally gonna be a running theme isn’t it
Call me weird, but I find Tuesday’s angry collarbones in the second panel oddly attractive.
That aside, I find myself liking Moze more and more. Either he thinks she’s pretty darn cute and wouldn’t mind the wait (which I wouldn’t be entirely surprised at) or he believes he’ll doing a good thing for Merytre by getting her out of there via the ‘marriage’.
Am I the only one who suspects that Moze may be neither creepy nor sweet, but instead might be playing family politics? Thutmose’s family’s pressure to “marry local” likely isn’t just out of some desire to see him settle down and start churning out grandkids. They want him to start living up to the family name (whatever that entails, it seems to include breeding “within the race”).
By sticking with Mertyre, he honors his father’s word – which they can’t entirely fault him for – and defer the issue for seven more years.
Personally, I think age IS a significant issue for Moze, which is why a distant eleven-year-old s preferable to a local fourteen-year-old:
http://templaraz.com/?p=430
Moze mentions a dislike of the idea of marrying local Nile folk due to the fact that all the women are related to him in one way or another.
Waiting for this girl means he gets a girl that isn’t related to him, is still Nile, and plus lives up to his father’s promise. So he covers all the family bases minus the cousin squick.
AND he’s waiting for a girl of legal age. Far less squicky than marrying a fourteen-year-old cousin.
Knowing Mose (or knowing TAZ), it’s because he’s all bent out of shape watching her… grow up.
Fun fact: Voldemort played the part of Tuesday in panel 2.
I love all you optimists that hope Moze is creeped out by her age. “You bet against my dick, you gonna lose.” ‘Nuff said.
Yes, but he also says, in http://templaraz.com/?p=430, when Shep criticizes him for not coming to see the temple dancers, “They all fourteen. And still my cousins.”
I like that Ms. Free Spirit there is being quite the square about the arrangement.
Wait, Moze is only 24? Or maybe 23 or 22, given how the picture of “baby” Mertyre looks more like a toddler than an infant. That’s…less creepy than the 30-35 I was thinking he was! And an 11-13 year age gap is not unworkable in a relationship, though it’s trickier when one partner is very young.
Still. A little weird.
Regarding the age gap- When I was eleven, my man was nineteen/twenty. Creepy to think in those terms, 8ut seeing as I’m certainly not eleven anymore, and we met when I was 20.. *shrug* It doesn’t matter until we’re talking a8out pop culture from our childhoods. Not a huge pro8lem.
Respect for cultural differences only occasionally seems to take into account just HOW different other cultures can actually BE.
I fucking hate Tuesday. But it’s a good kind of hate.
You know? 13 years isn’t a terrible age gap—especially once the younger person gets into their 20s. And lots of people still get married (or at least pop out kids) in their late teens. For Moze, seven years is probably enough time to get out his ya-yas and get himself together to be a “presentable” husband. He’s kind of a slob now, but he’s only in his early 20s. People can change a lot between that point and when they turn 30.
Obviously, he’s got lots of reasons to go along with the arrangement (including one person mentioning that waiting for an 11 year old in Egypt to turn 18 is better than marrying a 14 year old cousin), but I sense the biggest one is that he wishes to honor his dead father’s wishes. He seems sentimental and even proud of doing it.
I agree. My grandparents have a ten year age gap. Thirteen isn’t too bad, if the gap is set in the right years (20ish to 30ish, but not 10ish to 20ish).
Loving Tuesday and Moze. He’s such a sweet guy, and Tuesday is losing her cool all over the place. It is fun to watch.
What’s beautiful about Tuesday and Moze’s relationship is that it’s this subtle dance of two lunkheads who appear to be medically incapable of realizing that the culture they grew up in isn’t universally understood.
Seriously, though, you can tell Tuesday has nearly zero experience with people who aren’t desperate to win arguments.
Man, Tuesday’s got a legit position. I would not be automatically understanding OR thinking my lover was sweet for having an imported eleven year old child bride. That said, love the dynamic of the argument. The two entirely different personalities are clashing nicely.
If you made “We Hunt Kings” t-shirts, I would definitely buy some.