That’s got to be so rough for sal and marcie. Did marcie seriously have no dreams of her own, other than to be with sal? How will sal feel knowing her friend followed her for that instead of genuinely being a friend?
I don’t think she had no dreams of her own or that she wasn’t genuinely Sal’s friend. She isn’t Danny following a love interest like an ambitionless puppy. But she is likely only now considering that lingering feelings may have influenced her decisions to a degree rather than it just being friendship.
Or she realised her feelings influencing her actions earlier but went, NOPE not dealing with that right now!
Sam
Given that she isn’t sure right now if she still has feelings, I’d say it’s more she wasn’t realising they were influencing it or possibly still influencing it.
Oh gosh, I’m having flashbacks to my now-husband’s off-and-on crush on me when we were besties in HS, and the occasional awkward conversations that happened bc of it. (He was never a pushy Nice Guy about it, more “okay, so if I’m acting sorta awkward, that’s why and I’ll try to get over it bc Friendship Is Most Important.”)
Gosh, they BOTH feel so awkward about this rn and I wanna hug ’em.
Emo Management for Guys, when you seriously like girls/women as friends BUT ALSO as girls/women: the overlap in the Venn diagram of that is HELLA place, both if you can’t come to resolution and get whipsawed AND if do & can live there with a lover-friend: hence orange roses & hearts: red for passion + yellow for friendship.
*infomercial voiceover guy* Don’t you hate it when latent feelings from before you could fully understand them resurface and your brain gets hit by the Fuck Truck
Had the realization that, huh, Sal doesn’t sign that often I can recall, but can clearly read it. (well, usually, a bit of the nuance was lost on her on Marcie saying she wanted to “hit it” on Malaya)
Then it occurred to me, this is probably faster and less ambiguous for her on her end, but also, her hand might make some signs difficult. Speaking of, she’s got her gloves back on. Wonder if that’s due to the outfit or what.
I mean, we know for a fact that Marcie isn’t deaf at all. She’s mute due to an accident, so it’s not nearly as important to sign to her as it would be if she was deaf or hard of hearing.
I know she can hear, but still, we do see her have conversations with both sides doing signs sometimes, which seems like it could often be considerate, but yeah, guessing maybe that’s more of a thing that’d be handy if eavesdroppers are an issue.
I’m pretty sure Marcie going mute wasn’t an accident, that kid was hitting her in the throat with a rock. Sal was then trying to raise money for the repair operation, but I’m guessing it may be too late for that now…
Khyrin
Technically it’s still an accident if Leland was trying to bash her head with the rock and Marcie managed to get her head out of the way.
Also, thank you for reminding me that Leland is maternal-copulating garbage. I had forgotten that the rock wasn’t thrown, but rather Leland was using it as a force multiplier.
Screwball
“Sorry I sent you mute, I was trying to bash your head in “? Would that count as a “happy” accident? Some people aren’t very nice, no matter what species…
Khyrin
Probably a ‘happy’ accident as far as Leland is concerned in the end? he ‘only’ permanently disabled her, which is easier to ‘boys will be boys! He was provoked!’ in court.
One would hope you don’t get off scot-free after an actual death.
I don’t think that miscommunication had anything to do with sign language or not. For Sal, the idea of being attracted to Marcie was so absurd that the meaning of “put a fist to her face” made much more sense than “hit on her” though I don’t believe for a minute that Marcie tends to beat people up.
I’m still trying to figure out what’s up with the transparent background panels. They are clearly telling us something important, but I don’t yet understand.
I think the Joyce & Becky isn’t even a case of opposing sexualities. There have been ample clues that Joyce CAN be attracted to the womenfolk, even if she’s able to ignore it because she’s DEFINITELY attracted to men as well.
It’s sadder then that.
Joyce isn’t attracted to Becky, because to Joyce; Becky is her SISTER.
I think you’ll find Joyce is very straight, but growing up with someone who was/is attracted to her, and considered that person to be her Sister, Joyce’s behavior was somewhat influenced by that. Pretty sure it’s Word Of God Joyce is very straight…
And it seems I just shocked Daniel the Human with my intellectual insight….until he remembered HE told me all that…
thejeff
I’m not sure if it’s actually Word of God – though I think the clues otherwise are often taken a bit more seriously than they really should be.
That her notion of platonic female friendships has been distorted by Becky’s basically subconscious crush has been mentioned in canon and covers most of those clues well enough, I think.
They really look different enough each panel, from where I’m looking.
The last panel seems to suggest that Sal has given a full body shiver (or a similar tensing action) in response, and that her hands are tightening into claws because of it. It seems reasonable for Rycan to assume that isn’t exactly the most favorable of signs.
That said, Sal isn’t the type to give up on Marcie, and she seems to want to try handling the matter straightforwardly, so at least their current relationship should manage to pull through. Rather, we already knew Sal wasn’t up for a romantic/physical relationship with Marcie, and Marcie was probably also full aware of that herself. In a way, it’s rather unproductive drama but, well, that’s pretty normal for relationships, after all.
In any case, Willis’ art nuances do seem to make it clear that Sal definitely doesn’t seem to be comfortable with the current conversation topic.
If you needed space from someone because of feelings about a week or so(?) ago, you most definitely still have feelings. They don’t go away that fast.
Has sal already learned that friendships get unstable when feelings are involved? That they usually collapse or grow more distant when said feelings go away? She once called Marcie the one friend who stayed around. This friendship will change.
.. It is good that sal started making other friends. Does marcie has close friends she doesn’t have feelings for?
108 thoughts on “I don’t know”
Ana Chronistic
“Do… you WANT… feelings? Ah gotta huge sack fulla feels here” *holds out arms*
Doctor_Who
Ruth runs up, buys them all.
With her new ability to feel, she’s basically Data after he got the emotion chip installed.
Kyoulkoa
Do to want feels, because that’s how you get feels
Dana
Feels: Not Even Once.
BBCC
Oh, you two sweet, ridiculous children. I love their friendship.
And yes, I am jotting down that confirmation Marcie went to Tennessee with Sal. Called it back in 2016.
https://newcanonsofage.tumblr.com/post/143046159168/school
ValdVin
You’re Newcanonsofage? Neat.
BBCC
No, I just submitted a bunch of stuff there.
ValdVin
Oh, you too.
BBCC
Yeah! Newcanonsofage is really fun though. We’re tumblr friends.
Axel
I feel Marcie so much. Not on the unrequited crush, but on the answers she’s giving Sal.
Fogel
Yes, though, isn’t the full answer “I don’t know? Maybe? Probably? Some? Um? … I don’t know?”
Sambo
Yep. I too have trouble figuring out what my emotions are
Yumi
Ouch. I feel for both of them.
Artschoolrage
That’s got to be so rough for sal and marcie. Did marcie seriously have no dreams of her own, other than to be with sal? How will sal feel knowing her friend followed her for that instead of genuinely being a friend?
Delicious Taffy
It can be both.
Sam
I don’t think she had no dreams of her own or that she wasn’t genuinely Sal’s friend. She isn’t Danny following a love interest like an ambitionless puppy. But she is likely only now considering that lingering feelings may have influenced her decisions to a degree rather than it just being friendship.
Hazel
Or she realised her feelings influencing her actions earlier but went, NOPE not dealing with that right now!
Sam
Given that she isn’t sure right now if she still has feelings, I’d say it’s more she wasn’t realising they were influencing it or possibly still influencing it.
Foxhack
Can you repeat the question?
ǝ snow ʍousɐ
Malcolm in the Middle theme song reference?
Sazazezer
You’re not the boss of me now!
butts
“let me just take a peek at your butt real quick”
ǝ snow ʍousɐ
i mean, fair
Stephen Bierce
I’m the Number One fan of the Sal from Tennessee—
*Animal belts me and silences the Muzak*
Clif
Animal is my favorite Muppet.
ian livs
Oh gosh, I’m having flashbacks to my now-husband’s off-and-on crush on me when we were besties in HS, and the occasional awkward conversations that happened bc of it. (He was never a pushy Nice Guy about it, more “okay, so if I’m acting sorta awkward, that’s why and I’ll try to get over it bc Friendship Is Most Important.”)
Gosh, they BOTH feel so awkward about this rn and I wanna hug ’em.
Fogel
Emo Management for Guys, when you seriously like girls/women as friends BUT ALSO as girls/women: the overlap in the Venn diagram of that is HELLA place, both if you can’t come to resolution and get whipsawed AND if do & can live there with a lover-friend: hence orange roses & hearts: red for passion + yellow for friendship.
Sporky
Extremely helpful, Marcie, thank you
TrueVCU
OH NO
Deathjavu
All these new revelations really giving new context to strips like this one: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/04-vote-for-robin/scoot-scoot/
Now we know that Marcie’s brain was boiling during this comic.
Moon
*infomercial voiceover guy* Don’t you hate it when latent feelings from before you could fully understand them resurface and your brain gets hit by the Fuck Truck
Sporky
Just make the comic black and white and have Marcie falling over and the informercialization is complete
Needfuldoer
THAT’S a lotta damage!
Fogel
Isn’t that from a commercial from Pharma for The Magical Science Sauce that you should ask your Doctor about?
DailyBrad
I’m really glad they’re talking.
Had the realization that, huh, Sal doesn’t sign that often I can recall, but can clearly read it. (well, usually, a bit of the nuance was lost on her on Marcie saying she wanted to “hit it” on Malaya)
Then it occurred to me, this is probably faster and less ambiguous for her on her end, but also, her hand might make some signs difficult. Speaking of, she’s got her gloves back on. Wonder if that’s due to the outfit or what.
Lexi
I mean, we know for a fact that Marcie isn’t deaf at all. She’s mute due to an accident, so it’s not nearly as important to sign to her as it would be if she was deaf or hard of hearing.
DailyBrad
I know she can hear, but still, we do see her have conversations with both sides doing signs sometimes, which seems like it could often be considerate, but yeah, guessing maybe that’s more of a thing that’d be handy if eavesdroppers are an issue.
Screwball
I’m pretty sure Marcie going mute wasn’t an accident, that kid was hitting her in the throat with a rock. Sal was then trying to raise money for the repair operation, but I’m guessing it may be too late for that now…
Khyrin
Technically it’s still an accident if Leland was trying to bash her head with the rock and Marcie managed to get her head out of the way.
Also, thank you for reminding me that Leland is maternal-copulating garbage. I had forgotten that the rock wasn’t thrown, but rather Leland was using it as a force multiplier.
Screwball
“Sorry I sent you mute, I was trying to bash your head in “? Would that count as a “happy” accident? Some people aren’t very nice, no matter what species…
Khyrin
Probably a ‘happy’ accident as far as Leland is concerned in the end? he ‘only’ permanently disabled her, which is easier to ‘boys will be boys! He was provoked!’ in court.
One would hope you don’t get off scot-free after an actual death.
CJ
I don’t think that miscommunication had anything to do with sign language or not. For Sal, the idea of being attracted to Marcie was so absurd that the meaning of “put a fist to her face” made much more sense than “hit on her” though I don’t believe for a minute that Marcie tends to beat people up.
CJ
Ups, I meant “being attracted to Malaya”, she also couldn’t imagine being attracted to Marcie but for other reasons.
Marsh Maryrose
I’m still trying to figure out what’s up with the transparent background panels. They are clearly telling us something important, but I don’t yet understand.
Clif
They’re the moments when the rest of the world ceases to exist.
Shen Hibiki
Thanks, I saw it that way too and then wondered if I was reading too much into it XD
Newllend(henryvolt)
Sal & Marcie, Joyce & Becky, Amber & Ethan, all childhood friends who would have probably got together if not for opposing sexualities.
Maybe they should all form a club?
Screwball
The “I’d bang my bestie if they were into my gender” club? They would have to think of a better name…
neeks
The Biologically Gonad-blocked Club?
ego
they could call it “damn you, Willis!”
Kammon
I think the Joyce & Becky isn’t even a case of opposing sexualities. There have been ample clues that Joyce CAN be attracted to the womenfolk, even if she’s able to ignore it because she’s DEFINITELY attracted to men as well.
It’s sadder then that.
Joyce isn’t attracted to Becky, because to Joyce; Becky is her SISTER.
Screwball
I think you’ll find Joyce is very straight, but growing up with someone who was/is attracted to her, and considered that person to be her Sister, Joyce’s behavior was somewhat influenced by that. Pretty sure it’s Word Of God Joyce is very straight…
And it seems I just shocked Daniel the Human with my intellectual insight….until he remembered HE told me all that…
thejeff
I’m not sure if it’s actually Word of God – though I think the clues otherwise are often taken a bit more seriously than they really should be.
That her notion of platonic female friendships has been distorted by Becky’s basically subconscious crush has been mentioned in canon and covers most of those clues well enough, I think.
Reltzik
Apparently having Fucktimus Prime drive through your brain results in total paralysis below the mouth.
Screwball
XD That is an awesome name!! I so wanna make that now!!
Just gotta avoid using Daniel the Human’s Optimus Prime figures, he REALLY didn’t like it last time…
Rycan
Sal’s hands in the last panel give away her reaction.
Poor Marcie.
Lacuna
I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean.
Sal’s hands look more or less the same in each panel.
Jed!
I can’t see it clearly, but it looks like her fingers are curling up in the last panel.
Shen Hibiki
Yup, her hands and posture changed just a bit, she’s tensed up in the last panel~
HeySo
They really look different enough each panel, from where I’m looking.
The last panel seems to suggest that Sal has given a full body shiver (or a similar tensing action) in response, and that her hands are tightening into claws because of it. It seems reasonable for Rycan to assume that isn’t exactly the most favorable of signs.
That said, Sal isn’t the type to give up on Marcie, and she seems to want to try handling the matter straightforwardly, so at least their current relationship should manage to pull through. Rather, we already knew Sal wasn’t up for a romantic/physical relationship with Marcie, and Marcie was probably also full aware of that herself. In a way, it’s rather unproductive drama but, well, that’s pretty normal for relationships, after all.
In any case, Willis’ art nuances do seem to make it clear that Sal definitely doesn’t seem to be comfortable with the current conversation topic.
Alanari
If you needed space from someone because of feelings about a week or so(?) ago, you most definitely still have feelings. They don’t go away that fast.
Has sal already learned that friendships get unstable when feelings are involved? That they usually collapse or grow more distant when said feelings go away? She once called Marcie the one friend who stayed around. This friendship will change.
.. It is good that sal started making other friends. Does marcie has close friends she doesn’t have feelings for?
FLUFFYWOLF
“maybe”
The endless struggle of being friends with someone you were SERIOUSLY attracted to at one point, am I right fellas
Lacuna
Third base!
Lacuna
(By which I mean, an Abbott and Costello reference and one of Marcie’s potential relationship goals.)
Lacuna
Dammit just the “and” was supposed to be in italics sorry
He Who Abides
Ah yes, Who’s on First. Scientifically the funniest thing ever. That bit never gets old.
Bagge
Good talk
Clif
Is it? I’m not sure how I feel about it. Much less how Sal feels about it. Or how Sal should feel about it.
tyersome