Huh. Morgan’s dialogue sorta reminds me of the dynamic between Mae and Gregg from night in the woods, only one sided. Well, panel 7, anyway. In context it comes across meaner. It’s like: “You do care but don’t want to be vulnerable about it, which makes sense when your younger sister relentlessly bullies you because she thinks you’re a bully, why would you want to be emotionally vulnerable around someone who acts that way.”

Making it about you, then glaring and raising your voice, sneering, morbid jokes about her dying… It’s super easy to see just this page in isolation as chill younger sister vs mean older sister because that’s what this particular scene comes across as. …it’s not that simple.

I don’t usually feel a lot of strong emotions about being a middle child, but I’m glad that I am one right now, since I actually understand what it’s like to have both a younger sibling and an older sibling. Since it’s oldest + youngest sibling as the dynamic, they don’t really understand each other’s perspectives intuitively. I remember growing up I had several friends who had all been the oldest child, and they just acted mean in ways that seemed really uncalled for while expecting me to relate to them about having a younger sibling. It’s, like, no that’s embarrassing, “I do have the experience of having a younger sibling but you don’t have the experience of being a younger sibling,” right? It’s like… Morgan probably just didn’t realize how hurtful she was being. :/

Maggie doesn’t really seem to get how hurtful she was being either, not having had the experience of having a younger sibling in the context of that type of dynamic… Yeah, I was the nice one in my family. Somehow. I wasn’t even that nice. My perspective was literally, “I hate that you act that way and I don’t want to be that much of a [word] so I won’t do that to someone else.” I was blunt and judgemental, as a teenager in particular. I’m still pretty judgemental and blunt actually. Whatever. I like talking about myself lol. In any case yeah making yourself out to be the chill rational one and being smug about it when someone’s visibly upset is actually pretty mean, I don’t think most people realize that since they tend to focus on how it feels like winning?

now there’s a hecking point

That line was missing here from Page 3…

Hmmm…

So, I gave it some thought, and, I’m not sure how on-the-clown-nose I am on this, but, here’s what I think.

I think the truth is somewhere in between. Morrigan probably was a very flawed person in High School, but probably not nearly as bad as Maggie is making her out to be. I think the color flashback is more accurate to the truth, and the black and white flashbacks are the perceptive flashbacks. It might not be entirely accurate, but, it’s accurate to how the character feels.

Mustard’s tears might not be inherently an acknowledgement of guilt, but rather, an understanding of how her actions might’ve affected Maggie’s perceptions and sent her down this path.

Just my two cents.

Even if this flashback is accurate, that could still be the case. Mustard, vigilantism aside, has changed from high school.

On the other hand, and idk if I’m reading too much into things, so grain of salt, but in Mustard’s flashback Maggie took a bit out of the corndog.

Yeah I think it’s more nuanced. Some abilities have pretty specific circumstances. Like being born with a bigger body and muscles is different from sleep walking, but neither can be mimicked, yet I don’t think PJ’s sleep quirks can be given through genetic manipulation science like strong man’s. McBell just improvises which can’t really be taught, but learning how to gaslight people could probably be studied. Or even stuff like Fuschia’s tech can be copied but not her intelligence.

I don’t know. It would certainly make sense if Gus was a genetic freak, but I can’t find a page that “explicitly” confirms the source of his ability.

Some relevant pages:
https://clowncorps.net/comic/chapter-5-page-10/
https://clowncorps.net/comic/chapter-5-page-30/
https://clowncorps.net/comic/chapter-5-page-70/
https://clowncorps.net/comic/chapter-5-page-87/

That… seems suddenly incredibly relevant, yes.

Wow. How did I not put that together?