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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com ⋅ 15h
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Little does Malaya realise that doing the exact opposite of someone else is STILL letting someone else dictate your actions!
I hate you because this comment is both a joke AND completely true.
I’m truly amazed at how few people seem to grasp that.
What kind of superiority is there in letting your actions be governed by randomness? You might as well pretend to do something out of spite and lull your opponent into a false feeling of superiority. And this exploratory move is particularly great: however it turns out, Malaya gets to rub Sal’s nose in something.
True superiority would be letting your actions be governed by research and smart decisions, acknowledging that the other person has almost nothing to do with the best choices for you
Though Marcie’s hoping Malaya will finally let her rub HER nose in something…
This was *actually* what I was supporting. Being governed by randomness is about as dumb as being governed by contrariness.
AKA Hipster Logic™
Malaya’s a gold medalist in mental gymnastics.
Cartmen logic
Daw…
it’s double reverse backwards rebellion
I’m going to do what Sal really wants me to do just to spite her IS kind of awesome in it’s own way.
But Marcie, don’t go to bed with crazy. It’s never worth it in the long run.
in the long run, we’re all dead. most kinds of crazy aren’t really _mean_. so go on, smash it.
Malaya is progressing! She can now choose the level of meta she is spiting someone in, so whatever she does, it’s spiting anyone she chooses to SOMEHOW. GOD MODE
If all your friends (sic) didn’t jump off a cliff, Malaya…
I… uh… fuck it, whatever works.
<- Marcie's thoughts exactly
Fraid so.
is anyone other than Danny allowed to get dumped on those steps
I’m sure it’s a traditional dumping ground.
And sometimes relationships end there too!
Ten points from Hufflepuff.
Malaya as a ‘Puff… Yeah, I can see it.
50 points to Hufflepuff.
Who says this ISN’T about to be a dumping? Or at least a ‘gently letdown’ at any rate.
If so, I’d say that the hand contact is misleading.
I dunno, I once did a handhold as part of a “It’s not me, it’s you” dump.
(Actually a typo, I meant to write it the other way around, but it still kinda sorta fits.)
Ah, the old reverse-reverse-reverse-reverse-reverse-reverse psychology trick.
Missed it, by that much.
IUnderstoodThatReference.gif
Also that alt.text
Did you just get here? I knew you knew I knew all along, all along, all along.
Looks like we got a REEEAL Mexican Standoff here, boys!
Woo! All this talk of double cross is making me hungry! For a slice of blueberry pie!
Huh? Neither one of them is Mexican.
“I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. We know Henry knows, and Henry knows we know it. We’re a knowledgeable family.”
“I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool; you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.”
“The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!”
But what about the flagon with the dragon?
The piece without the parsley is the piece without the poison.
“Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!”
I like Hercule Poirot’s approach when he decided to drug the evil mastermind in a case he decided to conclude unorthodoxically: he just laced every possible choice with a sedative he had acquired some tolerance level to over years of use and disposed of him while he could still stay awake.
Man, those steps are *popular*.
Are you, are you
Sitting on the stairs,
They say dreams were dashed here,
Beaus caught unawares
Sad things have happened here,
Just say a couple prayers
If we meet together
On the Dumping Stairs
Well yea, you hang out on the other steps, you get stabbed.
Point.
Pixar’s next film: Inside Out 2, except we’re in Malaya’s head and the emotions are just as confused as we are.
They’re all on pommel horses and the uneven bars, or doing endless floor routines.
Except Nice. Nice is locked in the broom closet, bruised and sobbing.
4 versions of Spite, 1horniness, dash of gender confusion.
“malaya how even does your mind work”
It doesn’t. Next question?
I remain unconvinced her mind works.
*plays The Monkees’ “You Told Me” on the hacked P.A. speakers*
Know it by heart you say? Prove it!
I don’t like Malaya, so I don’t fully understand why I want this to happen, but I do, soooo…
It’s because Marcie is so cute when she gets what she wants!
>5 years ago
It’s crazy to me that different parts of Dumbing of Age mark completely different points in my life
I want this to happen for Marcie’s sake, not for Malaya.
See I don’t want it to happen, because Malaya isn’t a great gf for anyone other than maybe Carla who enjoys the jerkiness.
I could start groaning at the nanosecond of the birth of this universe and continue to the present day and it would still only be a fraction of my disgust at this turn of events
i want to like this comment so badly
What are you, Marvin the paranoid android?
Yup yup. Marcie deserves much better. Someone introduce her to the cute newspaper girl
Could be fun, though Marcie has said she has a type.
Kinda sad thing is, it’s still better than Les’s type has been demonstrated to be at this point.
D’oh!
You insult with the pointed truth.
I feel like I’d just get a headache trying to figure out how Malaya’s mind works.
Then imagine what Sal feels?
I’m filing the workings of Malaya’s mind under “things humanity was not meant to know”.
Even in an otherwise touching moment, Malaya remains one of the worst characters
Hey, whatever reason works. I want this conversation. <3
I needed this after tonight.
oh no :c
Sympathy through light virtual contact? Appropriate gesture of support*?
(I always picture this as Obi-Wan’s mind trick hand wave.)
It’s nothing that bad, just saw something stressful. I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. <3
Also, that Obi-Wan image is delightful.
A great victory for reverse-reverse psychology!
…but isn’t that just what she wants you to think?
DANGIT!
I love how Malaya has to describe even advice that she does follow in the most petty terms possible.
Malaya is gender confused and spiteful. So when she does good things for bad reasons, we hate her anyway.
This is definitely not a statement of hate.
Sal’s not the boss of me, so I guess we have to do it now.
Wait. Does she mean Sal told her not to do it, or does she mean Sal told her to do it but she’s copped wise and is doing it anyway?
Sal told her that Marcie likes her and asked if there was any chance of it happening.
Malaya has worked out that Sal had been using reverse psychology on her earlier on so she’s saying Sal told her to do it, to stop her from doing it, but she’s doing it anyway. Sal was actually having a straightforward, direct conversation with her at that point…
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Yeah except I bet that Malaya decided she does actually want this with Marcie, and all that is the explanation she gives herself/others to cover up that she has actual feels and pretend it is totes consistent with her rebellion against Sal and the world.
Pretty much this. Malaya’s kinda a knee jerk contrarian.
And then everybody fucked. >:(
YellingBird.gif
God dammit, Malaya
Briar patches are cozy this time of year, so I hear.
I imagine Malaya’s mind is a warped funhouse mirror.
And this warped funhouse features Chuckie.
Malaya is like one of those AIs that you can paralyze with a logic paradox, isn’t she?
This sentence is a lie.
Don’tthinkaboutitdon’tthinkaboutitdon’tthinkaboutit.
Ummm… True.
This is easy!
Norman, coordinate…
Message: “Message two follows.”
Message two: “Ignore message one.”
Are you saying this is just a cheesy Star Trek episode?
She’s not actually saying this to Marcie, unless Marcie is really good at reading the backs of people’s heads.
Marcie isn’t deaf, she’s mute as a result of a horrific throat injury she couldn’t afford surgery for…
Marcie can hear.
Malaya’s brain is so twisted that she would do something counter intuitive just to “show off” to those that are trying to help her.
I’m in favor of this ship. I have a notion Malaya has never had any love in her life, and that ain’t right. Some love will do her good.
You can give jerks all the love in the world, and it won’t change them. They gotta find a reason to change themselves
I think the thing that bugs me so much about Malaya is she has just a completely fucked up personality.
I’d like to ship it; I can’t ship it. Fuckin’ is ok, but I don’t want Marcie getting hurt.
It would be a well-used cliché if being with Marcie helped Malaya find some balance in her life. The question that Willis obviously would have had to address when plotting this arc would be: Is it a good enough well-used cliché to put in the story?
Amber, Sal, and Walky
(zzzzt)
Now we’re at Galasso’s, with Ruth, Billy, Jason, and Sydny Yus
(zzzzt)
Cut to Marcie and Malaya outside Read Hall
All hail Willis, maestro extraordinaire of the smash cut!!
Keep you hooked and crying 24/7
No just a few minutes/7
Getting whiplash yet?
Yo, I don’t think she’s here to ask her out guys I’m pretty sure she’s here to let her down gently and tell Marcie about her gender identity issues she’s been mulling over. I mean, these ARE the breakup steps
THAT’s what I want to hear about! Shine a little light on the inside of Malaya’s psyche for once!
Either way, I wanna see this convo!
I’m trying to work out if Malaya’s story is the excuse she’s telling to maintain face or whether her motivations really are that tangled up in her head!
Marcie, seriously, this one is a train crash; more so than Sal, which is a pretty amazing thing when you think about it. Are you really sure that you want to make the investment, emotionally and mentally, that being in a relationship with her will demand?
Even a couple bonings could provide happy memories for future playback.
So Sal now basically has the cheat codes to Malayas head.
I am sure she’ll be a wise and noble ruler.
Side observation–Marcie went out there for a good long time to think or just feel sad, and either Malaya is observant enough to realize this, or much more likely, Sal knew Marcie well enough and told Malaya what “not” to do.
… Is Malaya actually a tsundere?
It’s beginning to seem that way, isn’t it? It all depends on whether or not she actually is crushing on Sal!
Malaya’s so great.
Aww. How sweet! But I don’t know … the fact that the very insecure Malaya needs to pull Sal in the middle of everything, is it comical or creepy?
comically creepy?
Creepily comical?
Creepical!
I feel as if Malaya could be easily tricked so long as you tell her not to do something….
Hey, remember that comment section where everyone told Sal not to do things after she was told not to pull the Fire Alarm and said now she wants to do it? Lets apply that to Malaya and see if it works.
Unsure if this is what Marcie wants any more. The revelation of her long time crush on Sal, her too obvious thirst for Malaya, her fleeing the scene.
But I want Marcie to have something she wants, since she almost never gets anything nice. Crappy job, crappy roommates in a crappy apartment, dismal future prospects, especially compared to the college kids she is marginally involved with. Her situation is so fragile – so DWY give her something she wants.
Im pretty sure Marcie doesnt know what Marcie wants anymore either
what is free will?
Personally, I’m more excited to see Malaya figure out her gender identity as opposed to the Malaya/Marcie ship.
Being a lesbian out of spite doesn’t work.
Depending on how things go, lesbian spite might not even be a factor here.
Lesbianship for spite sounds at least as good a basis for a romantic relationship as mutual suicide pact.
When in college tutor course, I met one mechanical engineering student (who had worked as a bike mechanic previously) who related that she decided to turn lesbian since she was tired of men whose egos would not stand for a woman much more competent to keep stuff working in the household than they were. Her partner was also in the course and they seemed pretty happy with one another.
Now that sounded more like being a lesbian out of exasperation rather than spite, but it seems somewhat related and at least for the time being appeared to turn out pretty well.
Now while I considered the related insecurity of my co-members of the unfair sex ridiculous, I haven’t really been in a similar position myself and may underestimate the toll it would take on my self-confidence (though I’d guess that my laziness would prevail anyway).
alt text : it’s simple : it does not
So cute. I already loved Malaya, but this strip really solidifies her place in my heart ^^