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I know. She’s so utterly filled with joy! Mary couldn’t bring her down even if she tried. Which makes it seem as if her skates are what truly helps her feel complete and non-dysphoric and like nothing can ever stop her.
But, resolving dysphoria is like the opposite of angst. Instead of everything feeling wrong and out of place, you just feel whole and like you remembered what happiness was. It’s pure euphoria.
Yeah, PowerPoint 2013 has a pretty decent ‘Remove Backgrounds’ feature in it’s Picture Tools. I find it works better than most free background removal sites.
It can also be used as an animation tool if you’re patient and/or bored enough. (It got easier after they added tweening tools, so you don’t have to make individual key frames!)
On Windows, I like to use Paint.NET when Photoshop isn’t around but Paint won’t cut it.
If you have a Mac, try GraphicConverter. That’s been a great tool for over 20 years.
On Linux and BSD, GiMP will get the job done as long as you get used to the interface.
Well, hallways would be hard surfaces like Linoleum, and most carpets need to hold up against a lot of traffic so they’d have dense fibers and low pile. It might take extra effort but it’s doable.
Yes!!! Intimidation vs not giving any fucks for the win!
Though I can’t wait to see the rest of this confrontation too. I mean, it’s the ultimate anti-authoritarian punk vs the ultimate rule-worshipping stick-in-the-mud.
On the one hand, I doubt it’s nighttime yet or someone would have mentioned it, so Carla’s probably not even in the top 10 most intrusive noises this hour. On the other hand, she’s a serious safety risk right now and should probably go outside.
However, she’s annoying Mary and that’s not something I can disapprove of, so keep on skating Carla.
There’s also a library – there, quiet is not only a social norm, but /enforced/, and they will always welcome a student who wants a place to open their books/read their tablets.
She looks to me like she’s skating on 1 foot, the other probably in the air to counter-balance herself. That said, not something most people wanna do while wearing a mini skirt…
Oh jeeze, if Mary finds out that way it’ll end so badly. Please tell me Carla wears shorts under her skirts like anyone doing something athletic should.
Plus, the medical system tends to be really douchey about doing much of anything for trans teens, especially things seen as “permanent” like bottom or top surgery and so tend to not even allow them until later in life (don’t know any personally that were able to access it before 18, but I’m sure there are some out there who have). My guess is she’s got HRT and parents who are willing to back her 100% and scream at the school if they give her shit about her gender identity.
Also also, unless something has changed recently, SRS is expensive, and it’s not uncommon for women who are well established in their careers to not be able to afford it, let alone someone who’s still in the middle of paying for college.
Unless she got a full ride, or her family is disgustingly wealthy, it seems rather unlikely she can afford it, even if she lucked out on finding a doctor who would.
IIRC, Carla’s parents are wealthy, and I think they run some kind of technological firm. At the least, she could apparently ask them to build her a replica Johnny-Five.
Her parents /are/ disgustingly wealthy, but you’re right that it’s an unfair assumption in general. Especially for teens. I mean, putting aside what Cerberus said (Which is all 100% true), teens have fewer years under their belt, so it’s harder to meet the effective minimums to get anything done.
I feel like I should chime in here and gently remind folks that not every transgender lady wants or needs surgery to be on good terms with her body, and it shouldn’t be considered shocking or shameful if she doesn’t (or simply doesn’t hide it carefully, as if she ought to).
Based on her higher and build, I’d actually peg her as not starting hormones until late in puberty, so it’s very unlikely she’s had any surgery yet. Docs are very resistant to doing anything for trans people without a TON of proof the person is serious about it, which usually means years worth of delays.
Probably, like, visual art, right? She did so in Roomies!, and Joyce mentioned that one(?) of her courses would beat the animesque compulsions outta her.
Sir? I demand 3 fig leafs be placed on the model, sir. If not, I shall tell the council of concerned citizens that you’re discriminating against conservatives and christians.
I seem to remember her being an art student. Didn’t Joyce show Sarah something Mary had drawn for her? I recall the drawing had a very anime style and Joyce made a remark about the art department eventually beating the anime influence out of her.
Well who would have thought one day I would feel for Mary… well that and art school stamping out her any desire to draw any style close to any anime ever…
Oh it’s always the beginning of the Apocalypse. I don’t even pay attention to it anymore. Instead of running around, I’d rather use my time to do something productive. Like make a sammich or build a pillow fort. *nods*
She’s shown herself to have a very short fuse, when asking Ruth about the ding-dongs, and hateful towards anyone who doesn’t cleave to her particular brand of Christianity.
Plus, she draws anime, so she is clearly the devil.
Huh. Looking back and checked: Mostly a bad/judgmental attitude (most particularly, she was REALLY upset and judgmental about Riley staying the night without notice – which, rude, yes – but Riley slept in Roz’s bed so it shouldn’t be a problem, and upset and calling Roz names for her very-detailed roommate agreement,) and maybe we could make a case for the openly homophobic bit being expressly to make Billie uncomfortable and turn Joyce against her. But… yeah, not really no, I don’t think.
Oh, and in response to the party, “Maybe you two’d get pregnant and have to drop out and I’d know what real quiet is like.” Which, yeah, nasty but not actually anything bad yet. (Though I am wondering why she wasn’t dressed at 3 PM.)
I should also note that it’s not unheard of to have a younger sibling want to stay over for a college visit, as a sort of ‘test’ for the dorm system, hence why I think Mary was overreacting there.
She’s judgmental to a fault. “Everyone is guilty of something.” She thought Riley was a horrible person just because she’s a DeSantos.
I agree that in this case she has a right to be mad, but someone ought to tell her about the seven deadly sins, specifically Wrath. I guess, it maybe doesn’t count since they’re not in the Bible…
Which is in fact an action that harms as we’ve seen in Ethan’s attempt at a closet, Becky’s life experiences, and Sal’s chip on her shoulder. Mary contributes to an environment that is intended to hurt those who are queer or who enjoy sex or are non-Christian and that contributes to genuine harm.
Not that that means she deserves to have her studying interrupted, but hey, college kids do all sorts of loud ass shit in the day/eveningtime hours* (see Carla’s studying interrupted by Ruth and Billie’s loud sex). If Mary wants to be a day studier, then she’s either going to need to hit the library or invest in some headphones.
*Usually dorms have rules about late nights in order to allow students who aren’t wooping it up to get some sleep.
Yeah, she’s definitely contributing to that environment, but in terms of being an actual antagonist in her own right rather than a passive shithead, I think was the point (or at least was mine when I looked it up). So far she’s only just started seeking out people and making them feel like shitty human beings for existing – she HATES Roz, but that’s more the most comically mismatched roommate set ever. (She was also casually using ableist language complaining over Roz, but that one I’m not actually taking out on her yet because it’s so widespread – title of this comic – compared to the actual ableism Raidah’s displayed.) Other than that, there’s the Billie point with Joyce and the outrage over the dingdong bandit. Which, to be clear, is clearly laying the signs of actual active villainy, but on the Shitty Evangelist Spectrum only puts her around the elder Browns compared to Ross. (Again, yet.)
That said I’m more lowgrading her in that she has not yet done anything as bad as I know she’s capable of. Any ordinary person I’d dismiss as shitty but here Walkyverse Mary’s such a skew that I’m going “… Huh, she hasn’t launched a singleminded crusade to ruin someone’s life while they’re in mourning for no apparent reason yet.”
“Yet” being the key word, since Billie’s clearly in her crosshairs and if she gets angry at Carla I can see things getting ugly fast.
Religious bigotry can be a thought *and/or* an action. It can be both, but it can also be just a thought. In Mary’s case, it’s an action: It’s a thought only if the bigot keeps it to themselves.
I suspected we were on the cusp of a scene change.
I’m conflicted about this one. On the one hand, it would annoy me if I was trying to get stuff done, and there were loud skating noises close by. On the other hand, it’s Mary, and how can I object to seeing her suffer?
I like my Penny avatar. Apparently, she was evil in the other continuity, but her big smile here is inspiring. It’s hard to write anything mean knowing it will appear next to that happy expression.
… Yeah honestly I have no clue how she could skate on a dorm floor I guess this one’s not carpeted you go nuts I guess Carla (I will forgive way more than I should for a cute girl.)
That and it’s a weekend no one’s gonna do anything until you’re breaking quiet hours or can literally be heard from the other side of the building. *Slightly bitter*
These two are turning out to be quite a double act. I love their interaction in the last panel. Mary doesn’t in any way expect Carla to actually stop her indoor skating. She just goes through the motion and hands Carla a punchline. Carla takes the punchline and is gleeful for it.
Mary realized that her two major tactics were going to have little to no effect on her. Carla doesn’t really care about her intimidation or snide looking down, because Carla has perfected portraying absolute confidence and a snarky fuck you and your attitude persona. Nor does Mary currently have anything on Carla to smugly hold over her head and tacitly blackmail her with. The worst she could do is threaten to tell someone in authority, but at the time of day Carla is doing this, she’s not really breaking any rules and the worst that will happen is the RA will tell her to knock it off and go outside and I doubt Ruth intimidates Carla very much, especially since she doesn’t seem to be in that “all hands” meeting that Ruth called on the first day.
Yeah, depending on Ruth’s grade she could very well be older than her, so Carla would just be “Whaaatever.”
I suspect if* Mary finds out Carla’s trans, she’s going to raise one hell of a stink over things, but even then it’s a fight Mary will lose. (Just one Carla I’m sure has better things to do than deal with.)
* “If” here meaning “narrative means she probably eventually will, but our plot’s complicated enough as it is without that so it’ll be a while.”
I do wonder if Mary will ever realize that she doesn’t have to rely on Ruth and Billie being in a relationship to get rid of Ruth. I mean all you really have to say is that Ruth threatens physical harm to her residents, and is willing to act on it. Nothing else is necessary. If I was a in charge of Resident assistants at a college I sure as hell wouldn’t allow one to stay that threatened femur removal, stole residents private belongings, and basically did whatever she wanted. Ruth needs help, but the school has no way of knowing this, and even if they did we can’t use a authority figures demons as an excuse for treating her residents like crap.
Would the authority figures believe the complaints? I’d at least be concerned about going to them with anything less than video evidence, just because if they do decide that it’s in their best interests to ignore you, Ruth could ruin your life.
“Someone skating sideways down the halls? Yeah, right. With a cape and a mask too, you forgot that part. Can’t you at least come up with a more plausible story?”
Strips like this make me long for the future days where trans representation in fiction is more widespread. Call out the one single trans character for being consistently irritating, obnoxious, and smug throughout the strip, and the problem is obviously with *YOU* and *YOUR INTERNALIZED TRANSPHOBIA*. Give me a break.
I mean, the strip itself has characters who frequently call Carla for being consistently irritating, obnoxious, and smug. Being an abrasive jerkface has been her thing since Shortpacked, and it’s why we like her.
It’s totally fine not to like Carla, but don’t be surprised that people can be defensive of a good and representative character. I’m pretty much like that with Danny.
Huh… I didn’t know Carla was trans. *shrug* Must have missed that. Oh well.
I’m more concerned trying to figure out if your screen name is meant to be the Greek myth reference… or a Doctor Who reference (from the 8th Doctor audio dramas).
Ah, I didn’t even click then. I figured the “hate crime” she was referring to was more of a sexual harassment thing.
But that’s probably why not much of an emphasis was put on her… because it’s a fact that doesn’t actually matter. Which is a good thing, I think. Carla is Carla, and that’s all that matters.
Like, the bulk of the characters are annoying in some ways, many in ways we generally acknowledge as annoying. If you take special issue with Carla, maybe reconsider.
I dunno. In a fandom that cheers on Mike as the second-coming of douchebag Jesus, I’m fully okay cheering on a snarky jerk like Carla for my trans ace representation.
Especially since this reboot gives her excellent reasons to be the way she is. Snarky and withdrawn, worried about being forgotten, desperate to project confidence, prone to trying to turn her perceived negatives into hyper-exaggerations (adding to her tallness with skates even though she worries that her height outs her, being loud and obnoxious and visible even though that’s typically dangerous for a trans woman to be).
Her actions make a lot of sense, because now she’s not just a misanthropic robot, she’s a trans girl who grew up in extremely conservative Indiana, who likely came out as trans freshman year or earlier (my bet is on earlier as the older students just note that they forgot they hated her rather than anything relating to her transness). That’s a life experience that trains one into an epic level of snark, bitterness, and desperate need to turn pain into strength.
Yeah, she’s a jerk. But this jerk makes sense. She needs to be a jerk to not be a victim or to be disappeared into the background. And it allows her to avoid a lot of the pain of a lot of other trans stories and just be this utterly ecstatic. She’s on her wheels in her mini-skirt and pink tank top and she couldn’t possibly be happier or more in tune with herself.
And that’s beautiful. Or at least I think so.
To be fair I’m hella biased in Carla’s favor considering she’s probably the only trans ace representation I have ever seen.
Being awesomely Carla. Also, really thin carpet. The carpet in my dorm was so thin it was practically concrete. Concrete that could absorb water from a water balloon fight.
College campuses cheaping out on the thinnest tighest weave because they know students will be spilling all manner of horrifying substances on it before the semester is over?
I wish I didn’t like both those characters, cause then I’d have no qualms with saying that their skulls are clearly just that thick. But I do like them, so I can’t say that except in a round about way.
Marcie? No idea (though she has been shown to wear a helmet coming off of roller derby).
Carla? I dunno, I think it might be a fuck everything kind of thing. Like, she survived coming out as trans in Indiana and whatever nightmare high school experience that entailed, so fuck it, nothing else can hurt her after that. Or something like that.
I think they do wear helmets during competitions/training, but right now it seems Carla is just skating around the hall (to be fair, Carla is _always_ skating), so it’s likely she considers wearing an helmet superfluous, since she probably isn’t going too fast.
I have a feeling Carla can skate on anything.
Carla was a automobile in Walkyverse and a robot in Shortpacked, I think. And now is transgender? I missed that transformation.
Very versatile is Carla.
It wasn’t just pirates. Merchants and naval ships did it too. In fact, one of the nominal (I say nominal) reasons for the War of 1812 was that the British Navy was still “impressing” Americans into naval service.
Yup. And in the dorm, this time tends to be filled with all sorts of noises, loud talking in the halls, slamming doors, people blaring music. Carla is just one more in the pile, but unfortunately for Mary, the closest one to her room.
Do the kids now a days not roller skate much? When I was a tot I totally could have skated on that thin sort of shitty carpet often found in hallways, easily
I want to see more of these two. Carla just because shes a laugh riot.
I dont remember UltraCar-La being Cheery and funny.
( although she did throw pies. maybe I just didnt get the joke )
I would even read a spin-off of these two. Carla is Marys perfect foil
Nice work , Willis
Yeah, Ultracar was often defined by her misanthropy and had so few opportunities to experience true unparalleled joy, but Carla has found genuine happiness. She’s happy in herself. She’s happy in her skates. She’s still got a fuck the world attitude, but sometimes, everything’s just perfect in her little world and she just needs to beam brighter than a death laser sweeping over a countryside.
Considering how abrasive she is, even towards people who share her world-view, I’d be surprised if she finds a guy who can stand her for more than a week.
Oh, man, I can’t get over how much I love Carla here. Yes, she’s being a total asshole, but that smile and confidence are just everything. I mean, look at her outfit. A basketball style tank top and a mini-skirt? A shirt designed to minimize her breasts and a skirt at maximum risk of exposure? That’s her nuking the trained fear of “passing” from mother-fucking orbit with Becky’s outing missiles. Carla just doesn’t give a fuck here about what anyone can throw at her.
Here she’s snarking the infamous bigot of the hall and straight up taunting her and it’s a sideshow to her real joy. Her new skates are here and after a week or so of being grounded like a mortal, she gets to roll around and feel powerful again. And she’s going to enjoy that no matter what and no one can take that away from her.
And that’s kind of big, because trans women aren’t typically allowed to have oozing confidence. But Carla just gives the least amount of fucks. And it’s hard not to suspect that that devil may care attitude was hard fought and won and now that she has it, she’s not giving it up for anyone, even a notorious killjoy like Mary.
Giving that my yesterday was plagued by TERFs, this was exactly the kind of thing I needed to see.
I was trying to think why I found this so adorable but wow you articulate things perfectly as always. She’s just so HAPPY here and it’s so nice to see her so comfortable. That it’s coming at Mary’s expense is just fun, especially since it’s a pretty minor irritation all dorm things considered. (If she actually HITS someone, then we’ve got a problem, but day studying? Yeah, best of luck THERE.)
Well, if nothing else, Willis has made me feel sympathy for Mary. Personally, living in an apartment block with non-existent sound-proofing between apartments, I am sometimes driven to the point of madness by people insisting on making irritating noises late at night. So, yeah, trying to study and the noise of skating? That’s something that normally ends with a gunshot.
I mean, it’s at least 10 and probably closer to 10:30-11 am, which indeed is probably late at night for Carla and the other nocturnal students, but regular class time for most everyone else.
After seeing Amber struggling to be a perfect girl, its a perfect follow-up to see Mary and Carla both working on being their vision of perfect. Mary knows what a perfect girl looks like and will defend that no matter how toxic to others or harmful to herself. It’s not any worse that Amber’s version of a perfect girl and one that is probably easier to outgrow. Rooming with Roz will cause her to double down on her conservative upbringing. Roz and Mary are both preachy and self-righteous, thus confirming each other in their current paths.
Carla is a joy because her vision of a perfect girl is self generated rather than imposed or inherited.
100% totally with Mary here. I moved out of the dorms as fast as I could precisely because of jerks who’d do tricks on their skateboards in the hallway at 3 in the morning. Not that you could sleep anyway because of his fellow jerks blasting music next door to you. Carla’s not being as egregious as those guys were, but still.
Okay, that’s a bit far. She’s only being a jerk in that she’s enjoying Mary’s suffering. But then, it’s Mary, and I’m pretty sure the bulk of the wing has generally agreed “Fuck her”. And even if it’s not general policy, Carla probably has it for good reasons!
Am a bad person for kind of liking when Mary shows up…because she’s really good looking? (and that’s saying something with all the attractive people in this comic)
She does actually look visually… nice? Like, if you slotted this design with her earlier personality in Roomies! before she became more of a jerk, I could see it. I wonder how much more effective that makes her, like she actually looks like a pretty okay person before she opens her mouth.
According to Willis’s commentary on the Roomies! reruns, Mary was actually designed as a synthesis of all the traits that he thought, or believed he thought, were attractive – “Total hottie manic pixie dream girl, for Christ,” as he puts it. And then when he started writing her, it turned out that what he’d produced was not the perfect girl he thought he was making, but someone kind of horrible.
But she did retain the “cute” part of her original job description. In her DoA incarnation, she’s one of the handful of characters who has sclera and irises, which helps.
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uh oh, someone’s jelly
[guess it was time to break out the next villain, huh]
Bloody Mary?
are you suggesting that mary will break out? but her skin is so nice and smooth! what a dastardly villain origin…
Skating gives her hives.
hOIVS
hOi temmie!
Other people’s joy gives her hives.
eeeeee carla
eeeeeeeee
Happy Carla yaaay
I know. She’s so utterly filled with joy! Mary couldn’t bring her down even if she tried. Which makes it seem as if her skates are what truly helps her feel complete and non-dysphoric and like nothing can ever stop her.
that’s a fascinating notion.
Dammit, Cerberus, why you always gotta be bringing angst into everything?
But, resolving dysphoria is like the opposite of angst. Instead of everything feeling wrong and out of place, you just feel whole and like you remembered what happiness was. It’s pure euphoria.
It’s skating that makes her so happy.
That, and annoying Mary. That’s some sweet icing on that perfect cinnamon roll.
I’m not a Carla fan. But omg last-panel Carla made me squee. You can’t NOT smile when someone’s that happy!
shipping last-panel Carla with tipsy Walky
Remember when Walky/Becky was a thing? It seemed so perfect.
I’m okay with them being bros and trolling the hell out of Joyce tho.
nah, just shipping the expressions
unless I have to Pshop them MYSELF
AGAIN
they both look like they’re about to start a showtune for squidward
http://flamyangelwings.tumblr.com/post/135096014732
I photoshopped the expressions for you
…Well, I actually used PowerPoint and MS Paint, but is still counts
YESSSSSSS
wait, POWERPOINT?? o_O
Yeah, PowerPoint 2013 has a pretty decent ‘Remove Backgrounds’ feature in it’s Picture Tools. I find it works better than most free background removal sites.
It can also be used as an animation tool if you’re patient and/or bored enough. (It got easier after they added tweening tools, so you don’t have to make individual key frames!)
On Windows, I like to use Paint.NET when Photoshop isn’t around but Paint won’t cut it.
If you have a Mac, try GraphicConverter. That’s been a great tool for over 20 years.
On Linux and BSD, GiMP will get the job done as long as you get used to the interface.
GIMP (remarkably stupid name, you can tell it was named by a male US college student) is also available on OSX and Windows.
*frantically pressing the non-existent upvote button*
Yess …
A) that is amazing.
B) enjoyed the first dozen or so posts on your tumblr too.
Thanks ^^
Yeah, it’d have to be the expressions, because I’m pretty sure Carla is still homoromantic.
Skates are wildly impractical to get around campus on when not aided by cartoon physics.
I think it’s filling something deeper for her than the need to get around easily. Something that makes her feel safe, confident, and happy.
I use skates to get around my campus and its great and efficient and fun.
That’s “wheeee, carla! wheeeeeeee!!”
I have to say, I’m enjoying her enjoyment. Panel 5 (and its gravity-defying sideways-skate) is unadulterated win!
Speaking of defying gravity, I recall a preview where she’s upside down with the same smile.
Tomorrow’s strip, maybe?
When she realizes that the comments stream is right—she can’t skate on the carpet—she’s going to shift over to walls and ceilings . . .
Well, hallways would be hard surfaces like Linoleum, and most carpets need to hold up against a lot of traffic so they’d have dense fibers and low pile. It might take extra effort but it’s doable.
WHEN WILL THE DRAMA END WILLIS!?
When Robin gets the drama tag reinserted, duh!
I hope she knows how to sew it back on properly.
That’s not where that goes.
Whoa, hang on, mood whiplash!
At least SOMEBODY’s having a good night.
I think it’s still sometime in the morning. Joyce’s group was off to calc last we saw them.
It’s all about Mary
Do y’all just wait here? Beause when I came on here at 12:02 ther were 7 comments. In 1 minute.
*there
Yes
Some people wait for hours and have messages ready to copy-pasta at a second’s notice.
While others warp the very fabric of space-time ~_~
I prefer softening the fabric of space-time.
It rubs the lotion into the fabric …
That’s…weird
Well there’s something about Mary, at least.
This is not a Doctor Who reference.
Pretty sure it is. Dina’s hat says “Police” and it looks very much like a sideways TARDIS beneath that.
Ha! Yes—the grav. But I meant the comment!
I WOULD not, COULD not, in a box. I WOULD not, COULD not, with a fox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzUdmFecExo
Everything Dr. Seuss leads me back to Kids in the Hall at some point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgILxqN_jxE
I would not, COULD NOT at the Mall
I would not, COULD NOT in the hall
I would not, COULD NOT with my skates
I would not, COULD NOT masturbate
no wait
If I had decent balance on skates, maybe I could, maybe I would…
Wait, this has all been out loud? Forget it, I hate skates. And masturbating.
Don’t take my word for that last one.
You wouldn’t do it at the mall?
Pansy
Would you? Could you? In a car?
Would you? Could you? AS a car?
Touché
As a guy named Sam, this is the only Dr. Seuss book that sends me into a frothing rage. >.<#
That look on Carla’s face though…
she’s walkying it up!
“They see me skatin’, they hatin’ “
Haters gonna hate, I’m just gonna skate…
yay
Y’know, as awful as Mary is, roller skating indoors is firmly in the Don’t Do In A Dorm category.
Yeah. Even monsters need to study.
Mary is actually just researching new ways to blight the people in her dorm.
I was wondering if that’s the Bible she’s reading.
“and a plague upon YOU, and a plague upon YOU…”
dishonor on YOU, dishonor on your COW
I’d rather get a Death Note than a Bible, for that.
It’d be harder in our dorms, what with all the carpeted hallways
roller skating indoors is a do-do in authority’s face
Carla really doesn’t fear Ruth, does she? I would love to see a conforntation between those two.
So much redheaded rage and sass. I would be HERE FOR THIS.
Perfect gravatar is perfect
Yes!!! Intimidation vs not giving any fucks for the win!
Though I can’t wait to see the rest of this confrontation too. I mean, it’s the ultimate anti-authoritarian punk vs the ultimate rule-worshipping stick-in-the-mud.
I figured it was a case of Carla having to piss someone off so it might as well be Mary, a reader favorite.
I had forgotten how evil Mary was until I looked back at teh strips she was in.
my perfect child
your time for angst will come
I am a happy chappie thanks to Carla’s presence today.
Comedy break!
I can’t believe I’m about to say this…
but I identify with Mary in this strip.
No, I agree. Carla is just being a jerk. She can skate outside.
No she can’t, there’s a cilivian superhero spreading drama out there.
GAZOOKS!
On the one hand, I doubt it’s nighttime yet or someone would have mentioned it, so Carla’s probably not even in the top 10 most intrusive noises this hour. On the other hand, she’s a serious safety risk right now and should probably go outside.
However, she’s annoying Mary and that’s not something I can disapprove of, so keep on skating Carla.
Besides, I hear there are these things called headphones that you can put on so you can study without being bothered by other people’s noise
There’s also a library – there, quiet is not only a social norm, but /enforced/, and they will always welcome a student who wants a place to open their books/read their tablets.
So completet non-sequitur
*complete
[Darth Vader voice ] And now the non-sequitur is complete.
Carla is really damn cute. This concludes “Brad states the obvious”
She’s Hell On Wheels/Tellin’ everyone how good it feels…
that perfect girl is mary, since she’s the only one actually revising
Carla in the last panel is all, “Yeah, I’m a cartoon character. Eat it.”
She looks to me like she’s skating on 1 foot, the other probably in the air to counter-balance herself. That said, not something most people wanna do while wearing a mini skirt…
…Not that some people would mind…
Oh jeeze, if Mary finds out that way it’ll end so badly. Please tell me Carla wears shorts under her skirts like anyone doing something athletic should.
Oh yeah, Mary clearly doesn’t know yet or she would have led with a nasty comment about it. This could get very interesting…
I’m pretty sure Carla is post-op at this point.
I dunno, there was this moment:
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/permanent/
Plus, the medical system tends to be really douchey about doing much of anything for trans teens, especially things seen as “permanent” like bottom or top surgery and so tend to not even allow them until later in life (don’t know any personally that were able to access it before 18, but I’m sure there are some out there who have). My guess is she’s got HRT and parents who are willing to back her 100% and scream at the school if they give her shit about her gender identity.
Also also, unless something has changed recently, SRS is expensive, and it’s not uncommon for women who are well established in their careers to not be able to afford it, let alone someone who’s still in the middle of paying for college.
Unless she got a full ride, or her family is disgustingly wealthy, it seems rather unlikely she can afford it, even if she lucked out on finding a doctor who would.
IIRC, Carla’s parents are wealthy, and I think they run some kind of technological firm. At the least, she could apparently ask them to build her a replica Johnny-Five.
http://itswalky.tumblr.com/post/91020669312/i-was-just-wondering-if-carla-had-any-problems
Her parents /are/ disgustingly wealthy, but you’re right that it’s an unfair assumption in general. Especially for teens. I mean, putting aside what Cerberus said (Which is all 100% true), teens have fewer years under their belt, so it’s harder to meet the effective minimums to get anything done.
I feel like I should chime in here and gently remind folks that not every transgender lady wants or needs surgery to be on good terms with her body, and it shouldn’t be considered shocking or shameful if she doesn’t (or simply doesn’t hide it carefully, as if she ought to).
Among all the things I didn’t think when I posted, this would probably top the list. I feel so silly for assuming it would be so simple.
Based on her higher and build, I’d actually peg her as not starting hormones until late in puberty, so it’s very unlikely she’s had any surgery yet. Docs are very resistant to doing anything for trans people without a TON of proof the person is serious about it, which usually means years worth of delays.
Waaaait, Carla is transgender? How did I miss that?
Willis has mentioned it on his Tumblr/Twitter, but in comic it’s only been alluded to.
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/permanent/
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/introductions/
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/purpleandskates/
Looking back, I was left dumbfounded by these allusions; I just didn’t get what Willis was getting at.
I now feel like a gigantic idiot for not realizing sooner.
A tuck’d also work, unless Mary spent an excessive amount of time scrutinizing what’s under Carla’s skirt.
This is Mary. She’ll scrutinize anything that’ll let her be judgmental at someone.
Carla gives absolutely zero fucks.
Possibly less than zero.
infinitely negative fucks
I wonder what Mary is studying at university.
I was thinking… Drama.
Probably, like, visual art, right? She did so in Roomies!, and Joyce mentioned that one(?) of her courses would beat the animesque compulsions outta her.
If so I’d hate to be her prof if her class requires her drawing a nude model.
Sir? I demand 3 fig leafs be placed on the model, sir. If not, I shall tell the council of concerned citizens that you’re discriminating against conservatives and christians.
“B-but… It’s a /male/ model. Why you want to cover his nipples?”
Nipples are the gateway to the Anti-Christ!
And now I’ve got this mental image of a guy with horns emerging from the nipple of some random guy.
Thank you, Cerberus!
I seem to remember her being an art student. Didn’t Joyce show Sarah something Mary had drawn for her? I recall the drawing had a very anime style and Joyce made a remark about the art department eventually beating the anime influence out of her.
Yes. Art school. So i guess another aspect of Willis’ life is reflected in one of his characters?!?
Words cannot properly describe how much I love Carla.
So true.
Well that’s unexpected after what happened in the last strip.
theres way too much mary on this page
Then you need to use emoji. ^_^
Well who would have thought one day I would feel for Mary… well that and art school stamping out her any desire to draw any style close to any anime ever…
Mary being unhappy is my aesthetic.
#same
Wow a comic where Mary appears and not only is she not completely awful, she’s actually in the right?? *twilight zone music plays*
IT’S THE FIRST SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE!!!
*Runs around, arms flailing….*
Oh it’s always the beginning of the Apocalypse. I don’t even pay attention to it anymore. Instead of running around, I’d rather use my time to do something productive. Like make a sammich or build a pillow fort. *nods*
At least you will perish with a full belly and feeling comfortable.
…but I ate all my sammiches… T_T
*Continues running around, complete with flailing arms…*
Oh god I agree with Mary on something. That would annoy the fuck out of me
God yes. I had people throwing oranges at the wall at my dorm. “We’re just having fun lighten up.” Go throw yourselves in a juicer.
Man, has Mary even done anything wrong yet in this comic?
I mean, yeah, she’s openly homophobic, but that’s not really an action.
She’s shown herself to have a very short fuse, when asking Ruth about the ding-dongs, and hateful towards anyone who doesn’t cleave to her particular brand of Christianity.
Plus, she draws anime, so she is clearly the devil.
Huh. Looking back and checked: Mostly a bad/judgmental attitude (most particularly, she was REALLY upset and judgmental about Riley staying the night without notice – which, rude, yes – but Riley slept in Roz’s bed so it shouldn’t be a problem, and upset and calling Roz names for her very-detailed roommate agreement,) and maybe we could make a case for the openly homophobic bit being expressly to make Billie uncomfortable and turn Joyce against her. But… yeah, not really no, I don’t think.
Oh, and in response to the party, “Maybe you two’d get pregnant and have to drop out and I’d know what real quiet is like.” Which, yeah, nasty but not actually anything bad yet. (Though I am wondering why she wasn’t dressed at 3 PM.)
Maybe she’s a closet nudist?
like that girl in ano natsu de matteru ? naaah.
Possibly?
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/05-media-rumble/dressed-2/
Oh-ho.
I should also note that it’s not unheard of to have a younger sibling want to stay over for a college visit, as a sort of ‘test’ for the dorm system, hence why I think Mary was overreacting there.
That last quote is really ironic if you’ve read Roomies!
She’s judgmental to a fault. “Everyone is guilty of something.” She thought Riley was a horrible person just because she’s a DeSantos.
I agree that in this case she has a right to be mad, but someone ought to tell her about the seven deadly sins, specifically Wrath. I guess, it maybe doesn’t count since they’re not in the Bible…
She no longer associates with Joyce because Joyce was willing to associate with an atheist. (gasp!)
Joyce’s parents pretty much wanted her to do the same.
And the only person who says Joyce’s parents are good is Joyce. Dorothy and Walky were surprised at how hateful they were.
Well she’s deeply and actively hateful.
Which is in fact an action that harms as we’ve seen in Ethan’s attempt at a closet, Becky’s life experiences, and Sal’s chip on her shoulder. Mary contributes to an environment that is intended to hurt those who are queer or who enjoy sex or are non-Christian and that contributes to genuine harm.
Not that that means she deserves to have her studying interrupted, but hey, college kids do all sorts of loud ass shit in the day/eveningtime hours* (see Carla’s studying interrupted by Ruth and Billie’s loud sex). If Mary wants to be a day studier, then she’s either going to need to hit the library or invest in some headphones.
*Usually dorms have rules about late nights in order to allow students who aren’t wooping it up to get some sleep.
Yeah, she’s definitely contributing to that environment, but in terms of being an actual antagonist in her own right rather than a passive shithead, I think was the point (or at least was mine when I looked it up). So far she’s only just started seeking out people and making them feel like shitty human beings for existing – she HATES Roz, but that’s more the most comically mismatched roommate set ever. (She was also casually using ableist language complaining over Roz, but that one I’m not actually taking out on her yet because it’s so widespread – title of this comic – compared to the actual ableism Raidah’s displayed.) Other than that, there’s the Billie point with Joyce and the outrage over the dingdong bandit. Which, to be clear, is clearly laying the signs of actual active villainy, but on the Shitty Evangelist Spectrum only puts her around the elder Browns compared to Ross. (Again, yet.)
That said I’m more lowgrading her in that she has not yet done anything as bad as I know she’s capable of. Any ordinary person I’d dismiss as shitty but here Walkyverse Mary’s such a skew that I’m going “… Huh, she hasn’t launched a singleminded crusade to ruin someone’s life while they’re in mourning for no apparent reason yet.”
“Yet” being the key word, since Billie’s clearly in her crosshairs and if she gets angry at Carla I can see things getting ugly fast.
Um what?
In nearly every strip she’s in. Religious bigotry, gay-shaming, attempted shunning, Bullying, These arent thought-crimes, these are actions.
Religious bigotry can be a thought *and/or* an action. It can be both, but it can also be just a thought. In Mary’s case, it’s an action: It’s a thought only if the bigot keeps it to themselves.
Well most other comedy settings have a sassy character that is a master of witty, sharp jokes.
Mary is different, she specialises in blunt puns.
Also “The DeSantoses are ALL MONSTERS!”
I’m seeing a noticeable lack of crippling despair in today’s strip.
This pleases me.
Shh! Don’t jinx it!
I suspected we were on the cusp of a scene change.
I’m conflicted about this one. On the one hand, it would annoy me if I was trying to get stuff done, and there were loud skating noises close by. On the other hand, it’s Mary, and how can I object to seeing her suffer?
Carlaaaaaaaaaa. Love of my life skater babe rockstar. Let me love you.
Not you, though, Mary. Go away, Mary. (… I still have a Mary avatar don’t I? Damn :p)
Yes, yes you do still have a Mary Avatar. She haauuunnts you…
I’ve gotten so used to her as my avatar and she’s so rarely actually present in the comic (thankfully tbh) that seeing her gave me a jolt lol.
We’re probably overdue for some new auto-avatars here.
I’m up for it. Alice is kinda a jerk.
Why use the auto-avatars, when you can get your own. For example, it’s December, a festive gravatar would be better.
I like the randomness. It’s a Deadpool avatar in spirit.
I’m lazy. On the other hand I could use some Undergrads avatars.
I like my Penny avatar. Apparently, she was evil in the other continuity, but her big smile here is inspiring. It’s hard to write anything mean knowing it will appear next to that happy expression.
More Penny in DoA please, Mr. Willis?
No “for a Penny” jokes!
Get Alice Groove’s alice instead ?
She’s kind of a bigger jerk.
Hehehehe true.
oh thank god it’s mary
… Yeah honestly I have no clue how she could skate on a dorm floor I guess this one’s not carpeted you go nuts I guess Carla (I will forgive way more than I should for a cute girl.)
That and it’s a weekend no one’s gonna do anything until you’re breaking quiet hours or can literally be heard from the other side of the building. *Slightly bitter*
Our residence had carpets in the halls and you could skate on them. They were very thin carpets.
These two are turning out to be quite a double act. I love their interaction in the last panel. Mary doesn’t in any way expect Carla to actually stop her indoor skating. She just goes through the motion and hands Carla a punchline. Carla takes the punchline and is gleeful for it.
SKFF
Mary realized that her two major tactics were going to have little to no effect on her. Carla doesn’t really care about her intimidation or snide looking down, because Carla has perfected portraying absolute confidence and a snarky fuck you and your attitude persona. Nor does Mary currently have anything on Carla to smugly hold over her head and tacitly blackmail her with. The worst she could do is threaten to tell someone in authority, but at the time of day Carla is doing this, she’s not really breaking any rules and the worst that will happen is the RA will tell her to knock it off and go outside and I doubt Ruth intimidates Carla very much, especially since she doesn’t seem to be in that “all hands” meeting that Ruth called on the first day.
Yeah, depending on Ruth’s grade she could very well be older than her, so Carla would just be “Whaaatever.”
I suspect if* Mary finds out Carla’s trans, she’s going to raise one hell of a stink over things, but even then it’s a fight Mary will lose. (Just one Carla I’m sure has better things to do than deal with.)
* “If” here meaning “narrative means she probably eventually will, but our plot’s complicated enough as it is without that so it’ll be a while.”
Now I am having Solarbabies flashbacks.
Damn you, Willis!
It’s interesting how many of the cast actually had reasonably successful careers: Jami Gertz, Peter DeLuise, Adrian Pasdar
Oh, why hello Mood Whiplash. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.
So her new skates have Swedish bearings. Good.
Ah. So the next scene will be Mary yelling at Ruth to make Carla stop, and when Ruth doesn’t care, threatening to blackmail her. Should be fun.
I do wonder if Mary will ever realize that she doesn’t have to rely on Ruth and Billie being in a relationship to get rid of Ruth. I mean all you really have to say is that Ruth threatens physical harm to her residents, and is willing to act on it. Nothing else is necessary. If I was a in charge of Resident assistants at a college I sure as hell wouldn’t allow one to stay that threatened femur removal, stole residents private belongings, and basically did whatever she wanted. Ruth needs help, but the school has no way of knowing this, and even if they did we can’t use a authority figures demons as an excuse for treating her residents like crap.
So you think Ruth was bluffing here?: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/04-the-bechdel-test/strike/
I consider it even odds, because it’s exactly what you’d need to say, but it also doesn’t seem to me that Ruth lies very often.
Would the authority figures believe the complaints? I’d at least be concerned about going to them with anything less than video evidence, just because if they do decide that it’s in their best interests to ignore you, Ruth could ruin your life.
“Someone skating sideways down the halls? Yeah, right. With a cape and a mask too, you forgot that part. Can’t you at least come up with a more plausible story?”
Mary yelling at Ruth to do something?
That has worked so well the last time!
this is my favorite strip now
Ugh.
Strips like this make me long for the future days where trans representation in fiction is more widespread. Call out the one single trans character for being consistently irritating, obnoxious, and smug throughout the strip, and the problem is obviously with *YOU* and *YOUR INTERNALIZED TRANSPHOBIA*. Give me a break.
Well at least you can look forward to seeing the other trans girl in the strip next storyline!
I mean, the strip itself has characters who frequently call Carla for being consistently irritating, obnoxious, and smug. Being an abrasive jerkface has been her thing since Shortpacked, and it’s why we like her.
It’s totally fine not to like Carla, but don’t be surprised that people can be defensive of a good and representative character. I’m pretty much like that with Danny.
Huh… I didn’t know Carla was trans. *shrug* Must have missed that. Oh well.
I’m more concerned trying to figure out if your screen name is meant to be the Greek myth reference… or a Doctor Who reference (from the 8th Doctor audio dramas).
She was in the Walkyverse, so I think someone asked Willis if she was here, too, and he said yes.
Oh, hey, it did sorta indirectly show up in this comic, too: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/permanent/
Ah, I didn’t even click then. I figured the “hate crime” she was referring to was more of a sexual harassment thing.
But that’s probably why not much of an emphasis was put on her… because it’s a fact that doesn’t actually matter. Which is a good thing, I think. Carla is Carla, and that’s all that matters.
Also notable: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/introductions/
Meh. She gets a free pass this time. Giving Mary grief should never count as doing something wrong.
Uuuh.
Im sure Carla is not the only Trans character in the strip.
There must be plenty we arent aware of.
NO, I take that back. She simply isnt.
http://www.dumbingofage.com/tag/jocelyne/
Why arent you calling out Mary for also being “irritating, obnoxious, and smug” and hateful?
Carla is at least self-aware and has a sense of humor. You may not like her , but I’d be her friend.
two very nice points/catches there.
Like, the bulk of the characters are annoying in some ways, many in ways we generally acknowledge as annoying. If you take special issue with Carla, maybe reconsider.
I dunno. In a fandom that cheers on Mike as the second-coming of douchebag Jesus, I’m fully okay cheering on a snarky jerk like Carla for my trans ace representation.
Especially since this reboot gives her excellent reasons to be the way she is. Snarky and withdrawn, worried about being forgotten, desperate to project confidence, prone to trying to turn her perceived negatives into hyper-exaggerations (adding to her tallness with skates even though she worries that her height outs her, being loud and obnoxious and visible even though that’s typically dangerous for a trans woman to be).
Her actions make a lot of sense, because now she’s not just a misanthropic robot, she’s a trans girl who grew up in extremely conservative Indiana, who likely came out as trans freshman year or earlier (my bet is on earlier as the older students just note that they forgot they hated her rather than anything relating to her transness). That’s a life experience that trains one into an epic level of snark, bitterness, and desperate need to turn pain into strength.
Yeah, she’s a jerk. But this jerk makes sense. She needs to be a jerk to not be a victim or to be disappeared into the background. And it allows her to avoid a lot of the pain of a lot of other trans stories and just be this utterly ecstatic. She’s on her wheels in her mini-skirt and pink tank top and she couldn’t possibly be happier or more in tune with herself.
And that’s beautiful. Or at least I think so.
To be fair I’m hella biased in Carla’s favor considering she’s probably the only trans ace representation I have ever seen.
All this, and a pie to the face.
One day
Don’t worry, Willis will find a way to ruin it soon.
+1
” Mike as the second-coming of douchebag Jesus” hahaha
Cerberus, this and your other comment on this page have made me happy all day. Fuck yeah.
Yay! more Carla! drama time is officially over, so let the good times roll!
The drama tag came pre pulled, and it cannot be replaced. Drama will be back.
sorry, I can’t hear you over the good Carla times rolling all over the place. XD
What magic enables Carla to skate on carpeting??
The magic of annoying the hell out of Mary.
Being awesomely Carla. Also, really thin carpet. The carpet in my dorm was so thin it was practically concrete. Concrete that could absorb water from a water balloon fight.
Low pile tight weave?
Quality gypsy magic.
Are the floors carpeted? My dorm’s weren’t, probably to make cleanup easier.
College campuses cheaping out on the thinnest tighest weave because they know students will be spilling all manner of horrifying substances on it before the semester is over?
“… give less of a fuck!”
I like how she it’s not beer or soda she’s drinking, but rather its just water. Have some bread to go down with it.
“Would not you, could not you, with a skate,
Would not you, could not you, through the gate?”
“Yes I could, yes I would, with a skate,
Yes I would, yes I could through the gate!”
Sam-are-I.
I do not care if I make you cry.
That will not stop me, Sam-Are-I.
As someone who plays roller derby, this speaks to me on a deep personal level. Though I always wonder – why don’t Carla and Marcie wear helmets?!
I wish I didn’t like both those characters, cause then I’d have no qualms with saying that their skulls are clearly just that thick. But I do like them, so I can’t say that except in a round about way.
Marcie? No idea (though she has been shown to wear a helmet coming off of roller derby).
Carla? I dunno, I think it might be a fuck everything kind of thing. Like, she survived coming out as trans in Indiana and whatever nightmare high school experience that entailed, so fuck it, nothing else can hurt her after that. Or something like that.
That “nothing more can hurt me. i don’t need a helmet” sounds eerily similar!
Same, although I REALLY hope they have a separate set of outdoor wheels.
I think they do wear helmets during competitions/training, but right now it seems Carla is just skating around the hall (to be fair, Carla is _always_ skating), so it’s likely she considers wearing an helmet superfluous, since she probably isn’t going too fast.
Yay more Carla!
I have a feeling Carla can skate on anything.
Carla was a automobile in Walkyverse and a robot in Shortpacked, I think. And now is transgender? I missed that transformation.
Very versatile is Carla.
Yeah, there’s just a couple references to it that are easy to miss.
“get a single room for some reason” — Joyce.
about the dingdong bandit: “That’s a hate crime! Oh wait, every whiteboard has one. That’s hilarious!”
‘You’re tall.’ ‘There’s a reason for that.’
no, no. There’s a reason she doesn’t join the derby team. Nothing about being tall lol.
Sounded like a reference to the height *and* not joining to me.
Yeah. Sal’s followup (‘Yeah, Ah know. They wouldn’t care.’) doesn’t make sense if it’s about the reason for Carla’s not wanting to do Derby.
Unless the local Derby league are like pirate crews, who shanghai random chicks onto the teams against their will. But that seems very unlikely.
It wasn’t just pirates. Merchants and naval ships did it too. In fact, one of the nominal (I say nominal) reasons for the War of 1812 was that the British Navy was still “impressing” Americans into naval service.
As much as I love Carla, this reminds me of the worst parts of living in a dorm.
During studying?
Nuh-uh, bongo.
It’s the middle of the day, and just over a month into the school year.
This isn’t ‘quiet time’.
Yup. And in the dorm, this time tends to be filled with all sorts of noises, loud talking in the halls, slamming doors, people blaring music. Carla is just one more in the pile, but unfortunately for Mary, the closest one to her room.
Best response.
This is my second favorite comic you’ve ever done
Fuck studying lets get skating.
That’s what everyone’s does when they don’t wanna study…or get new skates.
Do the kids now a days not roller skate much? When I was a tot I totally could have skated on that thin sort of shitty carpet often found in hallways, easily
is it raining outside or.. ?
It’s a drama storm out there. Carla wants nothing of that.
Can’t blame ‘er
Yay! Fun!
AHHH CARLA THAT’S MY GIRL
Mary and Carla:
Mary , the Girl we all love … to hate.
I want to see more of these two. Carla just because shes a laugh riot.
I dont remember UltraCar-La being Cheery and funny.
( although she did throw pies. maybe I just didnt get the joke )
I would even read a spin-off of these two. Carla is Marys perfect foil
Nice work , Willis
Yeah, Ultracar was often defined by her misanthropy and had so few opportunities to experience true unparalleled joy, but Carla has found genuine happiness. She’s happy in herself. She’s happy in her skates. She’s still got a fuck the world attitude, but sometimes, everything’s just perfect in her little world and she just needs to beam brighter than a death laser sweeping over a countryside.
Oh no. They can’t become a couple. My head would explode.
an Odd-couple.
But Carla would find your head exploding funny.
( and Mary would blame it on your sins or something )
ha…
Zat vaz funny.
A NEW SHIP, IS BORN.
Mary will probably end up marrying some Ralph Reed type the week after she finishes college. Or some up and coming young media evangelist.
Considering how abrasive she is, even towards people who share her world-view, I’d be surprised if she finds a guy who can stand her for more than a week.
Go Go Carla roller skates!!
Oh, man, I can’t get over how much I love Carla here. Yes, she’s being a total asshole, but that smile and confidence are just everything. I mean, look at her outfit. A basketball style tank top and a mini-skirt? A shirt designed to minimize her breasts and a skirt at maximum risk of exposure? That’s her nuking the trained fear of “passing” from mother-fucking orbit with Becky’s outing missiles. Carla just doesn’t give a fuck here about what anyone can throw at her.
Here she’s snarking the infamous bigot of the hall and straight up taunting her and it’s a sideshow to her real joy. Her new skates are here and after a week or so of being grounded like a mortal, she gets to roll around and feel powerful again. And she’s going to enjoy that no matter what and no one can take that away from her.
And that’s kind of big, because trans women aren’t typically allowed to have oozing confidence. But Carla just gives the least amount of fucks. And it’s hard not to suspect that that devil may care attitude was hard fought and won and now that she has it, she’s not giving it up for anyone, even a notorious killjoy like Mary.
Giving that my yesterday was plagued by TERFs, this was exactly the kind of thing I needed to see.
I fricking love that outfit and I want it. Even just the skirt/socks combo there… Wait, would that be cosplay?
I know, it’s super cute.
Wow, that is super good luck on the timing then. Sorry about the day, though.
I know, right, like holy providence, batman!
I was trying to think why I found this so adorable but wow you articulate things perfectly as always. She’s just so HAPPY here and it’s so nice to see her so comfortable. That it’s coming at Mary’s expense is just fun, especially since it’s a pretty minor irritation all dorm things considered. (If she actually HITS someone, then we’ve got a problem, but day studying? Yeah, best of luck THERE.)
Wow! That is such a great point. Carla has no fucks to give, and she loves every movement of it.
Is Mary a vampire? Her room seems very dark and it’s daytime.
I feel like Willis is channeling a bit of Peanuts on Carla’s expressions here. And I like it.
Well, if nothing else, Willis has made me feel sympathy for Mary. Personally, living in an apartment block with non-existent sound-proofing between apartments, I am sometimes driven to the point of madness by people insisting on making irritating noises late at night. So, yeah, trying to study and the noise of skating? That’s something that normally ends with a gunshot.
To be fair, it’s the middle of the day:
http://walkypedia.wikia.com/wiki/Dumbing_of_Age_Class_Schedule
I mean, it’s at least 10 and probably closer to 10:30-11 am, which indeed is probably late at night for Carla and the other nocturnal students, but regular class time for most everyone else.
a gunshot. uh.
*slowly steps away*
Would you like me to define “hyperbole”?
The hyperbolic nature of a statement does not automatically excuse it.
As far as shown, we haven’t had a gunshot for four days.
-> We are terribly understaffed with gunshots!
NRA to the rescue.
</sarcasm>
Happy skates!
Happy Carla!
Yay Carla and Mary! Dis gun b good.
Adorable Carla. Annoyed Mary (albeit for an understandable reason). What are you going to do to make this horrible, ever-damned Willis?
Ah, nothing like an upset Mary to lighten the mood.
Waiting for Asma to pop out and say skates aren’t allowed in the dorm.
Or not. Just been too long since we’ve seen her is all.
Asma’s going to be returning in March according to the preview panels. Which means we probably won’t see her for two years after that.
Comic relief is the second best kind.
After seeing Amber struggling to be a perfect girl, its a perfect follow-up to see Mary and Carla both working on being their vision of perfect. Mary knows what a perfect girl looks like and will defend that no matter how toxic to others or harmful to herself. It’s not any worse that Amber’s version of a perfect girl and one that is probably easier to outgrow. Rooming with Roz will cause her to double down on her conservative upbringing. Roz and Mary are both preachy and self-righteous, thus confirming each other in their current paths.
Carla is a joy because her vision of a perfect girl is self generated rather than imposed or inherited.
Yeah, it’s self-generated and self-won and now that she has it, she’s going to enjoy it.
Oh Carla, how I adore thee! Let me count the ways…
Yaaaaaaaay.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaay.
I hope this doesn’t go to a horrible place tomorrow.
Well Carla maaaay run into Amber for reasons.
Rather, I’d love for their two to deepen their connection/friendship.
As much as I like Carla and dislike Mary, I’m with Mary on this one.
I feel Carla on this one. I always get pumped when I get new skate parts.
People who expect complete silence in communal living arrangements are the fucking worst.
There’s complete silence, and there’s skating in the wing corridors.
100% totally with Mary here. I moved out of the dorms as fast as I could precisely because of jerks who’d do tricks on their skateboards in the hallway at 3 in the morning. Not that you could sleep anyway because of his fellow jerks blasting music next door to you. Carla’s not being as egregious as those guys were, but still.
Considering it’s not even noon, Carla is /decidedly/ not being a jerk here.
Okay, that’s a bit far. She’s only being a jerk in that she’s enjoying Mary’s suffering. But then, it’s Mary, and I’m pretty sure the bulk of the wing has generally agreed “Fuck her”. And even if it’s not general policy, Carla probably has it for good reasons!
Where, oh, where, are people getting the idea that this is happening at night?
Mary’s a vampire who can’t stand the sun. I mean, look at her room! It’s dark!
Favorite strip?
Favorite strip.
Where does Carla get her legwarmers? I need me some of those.
“Can you knot?” “No, I can not knot.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMxcAaR0oHU was the first thing I thought of.
Carla rules.
Flash foward 25 years. We see Dorothy sitting in her office, annoyed as can be, as she watches Carla’s Presidential inauguration.
Should have included the following: Now Carla definitely rules.
On the one hand, she really should go skate outside and let people study.
On the other hand, Mary’s really mean.
I feel conflicted here.
Let me help: It’s daytime, not night, so there’s no actual expectation of quiet
The library is open right now.
This made me not like Carla. Rude.
Why did my brain immediately jump to Green Eggs and Ham?
Best birthday present ever.
Am a bad person for kind of liking when Mary shows up…because she’s really good looking? (and that’s saying something with all the attractive people in this comic)
She does actually look visually… nice? Like, if you slotted this design with her earlier personality in Roomies! before she became more of a jerk, I could see it. I wonder how much more effective that makes her, like she actually looks like a pretty okay person before she opens her mouth.
i do really like her design. i cant really appreciate it much though, because im tensely anticipating her being less of an ineffective villain
According to Willis’s commentary on the Roomies! reruns, Mary was actually designed as a synthesis of all the traits that he thought, or believed he thought, were attractive – “Total hottie manic pixie dream girl, for Christ,” as he puts it. And then when he started writing her, it turned out that what he’d produced was not the perfect girl he thought he was making, but someone kind of horrible.
But she did retain the “cute” part of her original job description. In her DoA incarnation, she’s one of the handful of characters who has sclera and irises, which helps.
Oh yeah, I remember that commentary.
I’d say more characters in DoA have sclera than don’t though.
Where is this preview thing everyone keeps mentioning?
You mean the DoA tumblr account?
http://dumbingofage.tumblr.com
He posts character models, backgrounds, wordless single preview panels from the future, reblogged fan art and other stuff there.
On his personal page (http://itswalky.tumblr.com) you’ll get some of that but also Transformers and Mary Worth and babies and stuff.
It’s on his tumblr (http://dumbingofage.tumblr.com/). Look for hashtag “preview panels”.
Thanks!
I must have come to the wrong site – this comic made me smile.
I’m sure God loves Carla’s skates, Mary, white can’t you?
I love you, Carla. <3
Mary x Carla = Love+Slipshine
*mind sizzles like a frying egg*
And we have our winner for most appropriate gravatar ever!
Pester Mary as much as possible, Carla.
She has a muppet face!
And now for something completely different: A happy person on roller skates!
Carla just hopped *wink* to the top of my favorite character list.
That smile at the end is just too cute.
Carla seriously doesn’t get seen enough!