Mar brings her own catastrophizing to the relationship. I had a breakdown very early into my marriage that coincided with some negative, unforeseen side effects of prescription drugs, and that really fueled this bit. I became obsessed with death and disappearance into the ages, how little it all mattered. I needed the reassurance that life was happening RIGHT NOW, that it’s something I was taking for granted (and taking things for granted is a blameless pleasure of youth), and that there’s joy in appreciating the now and the continuity of life. It’s wild to me now how hard I fought all this. Jane wants Mar to know how wonderful it is to submit to the uncertain and uncontrollable, that this love itself was something they couldn’t have predicted, and that their life together is real, no matter how long it lasts. |
There are some tiny moments between two people you have captured so, so well. Better than I've ever seen represented in a comic or elsewhere. The way Jane cups Mar's cheek here is one, Mar looking down a little shamefaced and nervous. I often think back on a moment a little later in the series when Mar comes to meet Jane in the coffee shop – panel 2 here: http://www.octopuspie.com/2017-03-22/995-996-call…
… Jane on tiptoes leaning up over the counter, Mar leaning in to a light kiss, coat half-off, their eyes are closed, both of them letting out the stress of the day for a moment of peace. Maybe it's stuck with me as it's a gesture I can feel when I see my partner after hours away. But it's beautifully and simply rendered and shows you in such control of your lines and character.
god i hope someday i can think up romantic lines on the spot like jane can. that was smooth as fuck
I found the words "I'm not going to mourn something that's alive right now" a bit if a talisman while fighting serious medical concerns of my own.
I hope those concerns are in the past now! <3 How beautiful that Octopus Pie has given us so many talismans, over the years.