Saturday Morning Cartoons: Bad Reception

Welcome to Saturday Morning Cartoons, a segment where four artists take turns delighting you with their whimsy, facts and punchlines on Saturday mornings! Our esteemed cartoon critters are Cameron Glavin, Anna Bongiovanni, Megan Prazenica and Yao Xiao. Today’s cartoon is by Cameron.

BadReception

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Cameron

Cameron is an illustrator hailing from Ohio. When she’s not drawing, she’s probably very, very quietly having loud thoughts about: queer things, her eventual shop, what to watch next on Netflix, food, names for her future pets, and tumblr.

Cameron has written 76 articles for us.

37 Comments

  2. Aw man, I can relate to this so much.

    “You sure are a nice pal… buddy… friend… person.”
    “So we’re dating now, right?”
    “…um.”

  5. This is pretty relatable, I once went on a date with a guy and didn’t realize it was a date until he asked me out a second time…

  6. Every part of this makes me happy, especially the fact that her hair goes through the exact same steps mine has, making her completely indistinguishable from me (I thought he knew I was gay! is something I’ve said way to many times). I’ve been trying to emulate this style in some of my sketches, and it’s really helping with my composition. Thank you for putting your art on Autostraddle, I always enjoy and learn from it.

    • Oh man! Thanks dude! I’m always just like, totally blown away that AS lets me do this.

      PS For your sake, I sincerely hope that your hair history does not include some of the terrible decisions I’ve made for myself between these phases.

  9. Yeah I’m pretty sure this is me too. And like, even when I sort of get it (maybe??) I don’t know what to do about it.

  13. True story, a couple years ago i kinda accidentally had a boyfriend for a week or two? I thought we were just hanging out but apparently him wanting to hang out with me was actually him taking me on dates-ish. I didn’t realize it was anything but friendly til he tried to make out with me.
    I am so bad at reading flirting signals, guys.

  14. This hurt.

    Is asking someone to come for a cigarette with you flirting? Because this girl I liked used to do it all the time and I’m not sure if she was just being friendly or not. Being pansexual is such a minefield, because you never know if somebody is close to you because they want to be friends or because they have a crush on you.

    • To answer your question from personal experience, I have no stinking clue. Someone usually has to tell me when flirting happens in my general direction because I read Flirting as Being Friendly 95% of the time. MAYBE PEOPLE ARE JUST FRIENDLY IDK.

      • Yes, yes, yes. And, sometimes, even when few clothes are involved – maybe people are just hippies – idk?! Egads, why so tricky? Or am I just oblivious/cowardly?

      • BUT then other times people can say “I’ve been thinking about you all day, you’re gorgeous” after taking pictures of you in your underwear and it turns out they’re just Being Friendly. So this shit is HARD TO FIGURE OUT.

  15. I didn’t even realise this was supposed to be flirting until I read the comments. OMG, this realisation is too much. OMG.

  16. “that’s a cute ID photo” – “Oh, thanks dude” – ME. And yet, I found someone who finds my obliviousness adorable, somehow. Haha.

  17. In high school I took my first not-straight-girl crush out for my first ever real date and failed to realize this was an actual date until YEARS later. We got hipster tea and my dad picked me up afterwards and I hugged them goodbye on the sidewalk next to his car and it was so awkward we never spoke again.

  18. This is so me. Being bi, I don’t even have the “I thought he knew I’m gay” excuse. I just get to misread signals from everyone.

    I had a friend in college who told me she had a crush on me and I just kind of thanked her for telling me. Didn’t even occur to me that she was making a move. Ouch.

    My husband and I have different “first date” stories – I thought I was having lunch with a work friend when he thought we were on a date. But we eventually sorted it out.

  19. Oh my god, Cameron. I liked you forever in college and tried everything and you NEVER PICKED UP ON IT. Scurrying across the dining hall to make small talk while somebody puts away their dining hall tray isn’t usually a thing I do.

    …I feel so validated.

    • Oh jesus christ. I didn’t know, Emily! I never know! I honestly thought you were just bored and saying hi. This is worse than I imagined. This is a fascinating revelation.

      I hope this comic serves as at least a bit of consolation? And the firsthand knowledge that college me was awkward af.

  21. I’m convinced this is less the oblivious person’s fault and more the crusher’s. The last girl I liked didn’t tell me she liked me until two months after we’d met, in which time I’d convinced myself she only saw me as a friend because she never said anything. So, for everyone who has a crush: just tell the person! Chances are they aren’t blowing you off, they just need clear verbal communication.

  22. This is so me, except I’m also terrified of being TOO friendly with platonic friends in case they think I’m flirting with them.

  23. Oh man. I get this.
    Subtle moves are completely lost on me.
    And i myself am just about as subtle as a hammer.

  24. This makes me wonder if I’ve missed out on people asking me out/indicating their feels for me over the years but I just NEVER NOTICED. AM I ACTUALLY A REAL CATCH AND I JUST NEVER KNEW IT??

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