Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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July 1, 2026

Nope

by David M Willis on September 23, 2015 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - To Those Who'd Ground Me
└ Tags: jacob, sarah

Discussion (222) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 23, 2015 at 12:01 am | #

    Good call, Sarah

    • Nightsbridge
      Nightsbridge
      September 23, 2015 at 12:02 am | #

      Not even the hate was strong enough.

      • Inkblot
        Inkblot
        September 23, 2015 at 2:57 pm | #

        Probably a good thing.

    • feli
      feli
      September 23, 2015 at 12:03 am | #

      I’m happy it turned out this way. Her acting was cringeworthy. :/

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      September 23, 2015 at 12:05 am | #

      The Joyceahol wore off.

      • Justin
        Justin
        September 23, 2015 at 1:43 am | #

        confused

        • Yet_One_More_Idiot
          Yet_One_More_Idiot
          September 23, 2015 at 3:12 am | #

          Sarah rebelled against her own attempt to just be happy.

          Third panel = nope.png xD

          • Screwball
            Screwball
            September 23, 2015 at 8:48 pm | #

            She tried channeling “Shattered Glass Sarah”, but couldn’t take the power of it’s happiness…

    • LittleMountain
      LittleMountain
      September 23, 2015 at 8:56 pm | #

      Good job, Sarah. Now he just thinks you’re _insane_.

  2. Adam Smith
    Adam Smith
    September 23, 2015 at 12:01 am | #

    Oh…. Kay? What just happened?

    • Paul
      Paul
      September 23, 2015 at 12:02 am | #

      I am clueless.

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

        Sarah tried to present herself as someone happier and bubblier (basically what drove Jacob off in the first place), but she couldn’t stand how fake it felt.

        • John
          John
          September 23, 2015 at 12:13 am | #

          I think Sarah got the wrong impression, Jacob didn’t want someone bubbly, he just wanted someone who wouldn’t take the fun out of everything.

        • Chris
          Chris
          September 23, 2015 at 12:52 am | #

          I like to think that Sarah also could not go through with hooking up with Jacob just to spite a former friend.

          • Jordan
            Jordan
            September 23, 2015 at 12:08 pm | #

            I’d like to think that too, but I think it’s more likely that she couldn’t stand the thought of ‘winning’ by being something other than herself.

        • WolfLann
          WolfLann
          September 23, 2015 at 2:28 pm | #

          I think she was genuinely happy but her brain encountered a critical error and had to reboot to a previous backup.

      • Paul
        Paul
        September 23, 2015 at 12:07 am | #

        OK, I thought about it and I suppose she is having second thoughts. But it seems out of character.

        • Lord Stoneheart
          Lord Stoneheart
          September 23, 2015 at 12:20 am | #

          It’s part of her master plan to try and make Raidah miserable. However not even her hate is strong enough to make her act Joycelike.

        • Nyzer
          Nyzer
          September 23, 2015 at 2:24 pm | #

          Everyone’s got their limits. Sarah’s harder on herself than she should be. Note that while she was quick to bash on Joyce in order to have a nice conversation with Jacob as well as vent some of her frustrations, her conscience eventually got the better of her and she owned up to it.
          Plus, Raidah isn’t completely insufferable. She didn’t call for assault or anything after Sarah attacked her before, and as far as the comic shows, she’s pretty much left Sarah alone since then.
          I think it’s just the pressure of Sarah knowing that what she’s doing falls just on the evil side of the line here while also strongly disliking the front she’s putting up. It’s too much and now she’s disgusted with herself for even trying to pull it off.

          • TheGrammarLegionary
            TheGrammarLegionary
            September 23, 2015 at 3:42 pm | #

            Uh, Raidah hasn’t exactly kept her distance… http://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/02-uphill-from-here/taken/

            • Schpoonman
              Schpoonman
              September 23, 2015 at 5:51 pm | #

              This was before Sarah punched her.

          • Biblioholic
            Biblioholic
            September 23, 2015 at 4:38 pm | #

            I sense abuse.

    • Dreadhawk177
      Dreadhawk177
      September 23, 2015 at 12:02 am | #

      No.

      • Kryss LaBryn
        Kryss LaBryn
        September 23, 2015 at 6:55 am | #

        No.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 23, 2015 at 12:03 am | #

      I think Sarah’s having trouble putting on a facade of being perfectly happy and okay with everything. She doesn’t want to change for anything.

    • newllend(henryvolt)
      newllend(henryvolt)
      September 23, 2015 at 12:03 am | #

      I guess this is her emdiat response of, “what the fuck am I doing!? “

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

      She’s fighting the effects of mind-control naturally. 😛

      • Biblioholic
        Biblioholic
        September 23, 2015 at 4:40 pm | #

        Is she winning?

    • EyYoVinny
      EyYoVinny
      September 23, 2015 at 1:53 am | #

      She’s putting up a front to make herself likable. She hates that it is working, and feels fake, not genuine.

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      September 23, 2015 at 3:02 am | #

      I think that Sarah has decided that, no matter how much Raidah pisses her off just by existing, she isn’t going to let her life be defined and consumed by that anger and dislike. She isn’t going to turn into the sort of person who’s life goal is trying to ruin her rival’s life and, in the process, become a far worse person in herself. She’s realised that she’s a better person than that.

      • Hijean
        Hijean
        September 23, 2015 at 3:11 am | #

        Sarah already defines herself as that person who hates everyone, and seems to have no issue letting that guide her life.

        • BenRG
          BenRG
          September 23, 2015 at 3:18 am | #

          I would define it as “that person who is hated by everyone and doesn’t care”. The reason why she’s so misanthropic is because she tells herself that she doesn’t care what everyone thinks of her so she doesn’t have to be nice; this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy with her resulting abrasive nature driving people away creating a weird kind of confirmation in her own mind that she doesn’t have to try.

          Maybe she’s decided that this has to change?

          • Clif
            Clif
            September 23, 2015 at 8:02 am | #

            Sarah can do no wrong. She even sent Dina to act as the cutest agent in the history of spying.

            • Deanatay
              Deanatay
              September 23, 2015 at 8:10 am | #

              This is true. If Sarah changed her mind, it is because the FUNDAMENTAL NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE just changed, and her mind changed with it, to continue to be flawlessly right.

    • neeks
      neeks
      September 23, 2015 at 12:59 pm | #

      I get that you were actually confused as a reader, but that was basically Jacob’s reaction in the last panel, too :p

  3. Skizz
    Skizz
    September 23, 2015 at 12:01 am | #

    Why does she look like she is upset with Jacob?

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      September 23, 2015 at 12:05 am | #

      I think she’s more upset with herself, really.

      • Biblioholic
        Biblioholic
        September 23, 2015 at 4:43 pm | #

        It’s a problem, certainly, I think.

  4. newllend(henryvolt)
    newllend(henryvolt)
    September 23, 2015 at 12:01 am | #

    Wow……this is hilarious.

  5. Schpoonman
    Schpoonman
    September 23, 2015 at 12:01 am | #

    Damn. So close. Well, I hope this works out better, no one should change themselves like this.

  6. Plasma Mongoose
    Plasma Mongoose
    September 23, 2015 at 12:01 am | #

    “I know the real Sarah is in there, you must fight it”

    • Biblioholic
      Biblioholic
      September 23, 2015 at 4:46 pm | #

      Did she slap the Kawaii out of herself just now? That sucks. He should say something to her.

  7. Kelli
    Kelli
    September 23, 2015 at 12:02 am | #

    Awesome.

  8. inqntrol
    inqntrol
    September 23, 2015 at 12:02 am | #

    Mission failed,the cuteness was too hard for her to handle.

  9. otusasio451
    otusasio451
    September 23, 2015 at 12:02 am | #

    Rahlum: Yessssssss, YESSSSSSSS, take off the jacket for the preciousssss!!
    Sarah: NOOOOOOO, we needses the jacketses!!! We needs it!

    • inqntrol
      inqntrol
      September 23, 2015 at 1:52 am | #

      In the next strip we will see her talking to her other personality in front of the mirror.

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 23, 2015 at 1:54 am | #

        And then we will ship them.

        • Chris Phoenix
          Chris Phoenix
          September 23, 2015 at 3:47 am | #

          Thanks for the laugh!

          • Clif
            Clif
            September 23, 2015 at 8:02 am | #

            It’s funny because you know it’s true.

            • Tenn
              Tenn
              September 23, 2015 at 5:36 pm | #

              We will also ship them both with the mirror.

  10. Catullus
    Catullus
    September 23, 2015 at 12:02 am | #

    Sarah.exe has encountered a fatal error and must shut down

    • saltchocolate
      saltchocolate
      September 23, 2015 at 12:35 am | #

      SmilingSarah.exe

      Regular Sarah is fully operational. 😀

      • Freezer
        Freezer
        September 23, 2015 at 3:45 am | #

        She had to do a hard reboot to uninstall the SmilingSarah patch.

      • timemonkey
        timemonkey
        September 23, 2015 at 9:19 am | #

        SmilingSarah.exe sounds like a creepypasta

  11. Bluesnake462
    Bluesnake462
    September 23, 2015 at 12:03 am | #

    To bad, she looks good with a smile.

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      September 23, 2015 at 10:29 am | #

      She looks good, but she doesn’t feel good!
      She can’t stand how a fake/manipulative smile makes her feel. Go real or go home.

  12. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 23, 2015 at 12:03 am | #

    Sarah has about the same tolerance for cute as Ruth. But daaaaang, she makes those five sseconds count

  13. Zebrathinker
    Zebrathinker
    September 23, 2015 at 12:03 am | #

    Uhm. Sarah must be having quite the internal monologue going on right now.

    • Disloyal Subject
      Disloyal Subject
      September 23, 2015 at 2:46 am | #

      NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
      Could be a dialogue.

  14. Stephen R. Bierce
    Stephen R. Bierce
    September 23, 2015 at 12:03 am | #

    To thine own self be true!

  15. Cephalo the Pod
    Cephalo the Pod
    September 23, 2015 at 12:03 am | #

    Excuse me
    whaaaaaaaat?

  16. Rob
    Rob
    September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

    he does look cute with those glasses

    • Schpoonman
      Schpoonman
      September 23, 2015 at 5:53 pm | #

      I’ve been binging Shortpacked! since Sunday, so to see Jacob introduced and sent off without once wearing glasses made coming back to DoA REALLY weird.

  17. Mada
    Mada
    September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

    Oh god I feel so bad for her right now…

    • inqntrol
      inqntrol
      September 23, 2015 at 1:46 am | #

      That she didn’t let the hate consume her?

    • KingoHrts
      KingoHrts
      September 23, 2015 at 7:38 am | #

      Consider this: Sarah would not change who she was and how she acted when Jacob was actively trying to get close to her, even though she admitted to being wildly attracted to him.

      Now she was changing who she was to get Jacob away from her enemy. It may have seemed like a good idea when she thought of it, but sitting there with the reality of how much of her self-respect she was risking she decided that the petty revenge was not worth it. Good for her.

      • merbrat
        merbrat
        September 23, 2015 at 9:45 am | #

        Good summary!

  18. Foxhack
    Foxhack
    September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

    … is she doing a :3 face

    gah

  19. gkheyf
    gkheyf
    September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

    ……sooo…is that what it looks like when someone tries to put their arms in both sleeves at once? i always figured that it seemed less slick from an outside perspective

    • begbert
      begbert
      September 23, 2015 at 2:54 am | #

      My preferred way to put a coat on awesomely is to hold it up in front of me with both hands, facing away from me (so I’m looking at its back), and then suddenly flipping it up and back over my head and sliding my arms into the sleeves at the same time, so that by the time it swings around and lands on my back I’m wearing it properly. It probably looks dumb as heck, but it’s fun as all get-out to do. (Presuming you’re outside or in a space with a high ceiling, anyway.)

      • Deanatay
        Deanatay
        September 23, 2015 at 8:17 am | #

        So, like Martin Sheen.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV2fXoYmELA

        • begbert
          begbert
          September 23, 2015 at 9:05 pm | #

          No, that’s putting a jacket on normally, which I do myself when not feeling flamboyant or when the ceiling is low (or, well, normal). My more creative approach flips it straight up so that at the top of the arc the coat is vertically upside-down over my head, pointing straight up, and so both my arms go into the sleeves at exactly the same time as it swings back down. (It’s also substantially faster than putting it on the normal way, give or take the time to straighten the collar, since I’m whipping it back fast enough that it stays fully extended.)

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        September 23, 2015 at 2:45 pm | #

        I do the around the shoulder swirl, while inserting my arms as it swirls. Don’t know what it looks like, but it is quick and easy to put on, assuming I don’t whack anybody else around me as I do it.

        • John
          John
          September 23, 2015 at 10:24 pm | #

          This is significantly more awesome with cloaks or capes.

  20. JessWitt
    JessWitt
    September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

    From then on, Sarah only spoke in no’s.

  21. Edupoet81
    Edupoet81
    September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

    Wow…. ummm …. that went well. Not at all awkward. Not in the slightest. Nope. No no no no

    *Wanders out of the comments section muttering vague non-sequiturs to no one in particular*

  22. Kaunisenkeli
    Kaunisenkeli
    September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

    That was… interesting. :/

  23. feli
    feli
    September 23, 2015 at 12:04 am | #

    I’m so happy we’re back to the old honest Sara.

  24. Twilightomens
    Twilightomens
    September 23, 2015 at 12:05 am | #

    <3

    • Twilightomens
      Twilightomens
      September 23, 2015 at 12:18 am | #

      But seriously this is one of those DoA comics that makes me genuinely happy at the end of a long day.

  25. Romanticide
    Romanticide
    September 23, 2015 at 12:05 am | #

    well that was short… she looked really well without the jacket though XD

  26. Tacos
    Tacos
    September 23, 2015 at 12:06 am | #

    So even Sarah couldn’t withstand her own smile.

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      September 23, 2015 at 1:03 am | #

      Seems that way…

  27. AgentKeen
    AgentKeen
    September 23, 2015 at 12:07 am | #

    No one was as weirded out by Sarah acting like that then Sarah.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 23, 2015 at 1:01 am | #

      Profound

  28. Mr. Mendo
    Mr. Mendo
    September 23, 2015 at 12:08 am | #

    Game face, Sarah!

  29. Cephalo the Pod
    Cephalo the Pod
    September 23, 2015 at 12:08 am | #

    I like to imagine that the first “no” was said with the smile, as if she was still attempting to maintain the act.

  30. SAMANTHA
    SAMANTHA
    September 23, 2015 at 12:09 am | #

    I’m really starting to dislike Sarah I like that she’s smart and the voice of reason I just grow tired of her being bitter and anti-social l. Suppose that’s just who she is. I hope she starts softening m ok really soon because so far she is a bit grating for me. I’m loving Becky/Dina and Billy/Ruth I also really want to get the Sal/Amber confrontation too.

    • timemonkey
      timemonkey
      September 23, 2015 at 1:12 am | #

      Why wouldn’t she be bitter and anti-social? The friends she made her first year have spent the last year bullying and insulting her for saving the life of her roommate. Her goods deeds are largely punished, and she remains socially ostrisized. Of course she’s bitter and anti-social.

      • SAMANTHA
        SAMANTHA
        September 23, 2015 at 1:51 am | #

        I disagree. They were bad friends if they think Sarah did the wrong thing when that girl was going to end up dying from an OD and literally saved her they are bad friends. There is no reason she could not find supportive and mature friends and yeah being a bitter unlikable bongo doesn’t make you mature and it means people avoid you and dont want to be around you including hit dudes your attracted to. She seems unable to be happy and by now I think it’s purposeful. I think the thing with Dina is positive and if she stops pushing Joyce who I’d genuinely loving sweet and positive away then maybe I’ll start to like her more.

        • begbert
          begbert
          September 23, 2015 at 3:01 am | #

          Sarah was never social to start with, and the first time (that we’ve seen) when she tried to open herself up to a group of friends it ended up self-destructing with nuclear force. She has literally no reason to believe that any other group of friends could be supportive and mature; in her experience the appearance of such just results in backstabbing later. (For example, Jacob. He’s now dating her nemesis – that attempt to open up *really* went well.)

          All that said she’s still willing to associate with other people who she feels she should be supporting, like Joyce and Dina. But expecting her to jump headfirst into friend-making would be like expecting her to leap into an actual minefield.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          September 23, 2015 at 9:21 am | #

          Raidah and co. were positive, supportive friends until Sarah did something they considered wrong. Now Sarah has it in her head that actually opening up to people is going to explode. Joyce is the only person who unequivocally loves her, and even she threw Dana in her face.

      • BenRG
        BenRG
        September 23, 2015 at 6:34 am | #

        FWIW, I suspect that this strip represents the point from which she is at least going to try to move beyond that hurt. We’ll see if she can do it and who she chooses to hang out with if she wants to reboot her social life.

        I strongly suspect that it won’t be Joyce or anyone in her circle. Something tells me that Sarah doesn’t have the sucrose tolerance to handle that.

        • timemonkey
          timemonkey
          September 23, 2015 at 9:13 am | #

          I’m not so sure about that. She’s willingly hung out with Joyce’s circle of friends and enjoyed it before. And she’s said outright she likes Dorothy and Dina. She doesn’t even seem to mind Joe as long as he’s not hitting on her.

      • Spencer
        Spencer
        September 23, 2015 at 8:55 am | #

        This.

        Yeah her bitterness is frustrating for people to deal with, but I imagine the person hurt the most by it is Sarah herself. Going through life thinking everyone is that close to just completely despising you? It’s heavy for anyone to deal with.

        • SAMANTHA
          SAMANTHA
          September 23, 2015 at 3:18 pm | #

          Yeah it is just too mucheap for me. Like j said I think she’s moving in the right direction and true she super young and as you said her attempts to move past that and make friends and open up have backfired even with Joyce but I just find this kind of person so so so so unlikable I just want to smack them with a newspaper the reason you’re lonely and bitter is your fault.
          I like where she is going I like that she’s smart and actually thinks things out and is driven. I like that but I guess it is asking a lot to move past this that fast but still can she keep progressing to not being an ass or at least become more entertaining to make up for it. I liked that she actually tried to smile and be happy for a moment even if for a crappy reason.

          • Spencer
            Spencer
            September 23, 2015 at 4:10 pm | #

            With Sarah it’s not that she tries to go out of her way to be miserable, it’s that her pessimistic, introvert nature is going into overdrive because of all her bad experiences in the past. She genuinely cannot conceptualize that anyone can actually like her for who she is, except possibly Joyce.

    • nightsbridge
      nightsbridge
      September 23, 2015 at 6:26 am | #

      How dare she be a bit grumpy and abrasive!

  31. Packy
    Packy
    September 23, 2015 at 12:09 am | #

    I predict she’s going to wind up telling Jacob the whole story, and he’ll wind up dumping Raida, but NOT dating Sarah.

    • poppaboo2electricboogaloo
      poppaboo2electricboogaloo
      September 23, 2015 at 12:21 am | #

      You’re assuming that he’ll just believe Sarah.

      She might try to explain her side of what happened, but it’ll get screwed up and only make things worse. Like, “Wait, you didn’t report that your roommate was heavily addicted to drugs until AFTER your grades dropped? You scoundrel!”, and then he throws his monogrammed handkerchief on the floor and leaves.

      • David M Willis
        David M Willis
        September 23, 2015 at 12:25 am | #

        great, SPOILERS

        • poppaboo2electricboogaloo
          poppaboo2electricboogaloo
          September 23, 2015 at 12:38 am | #

          You’ve been telegraphing the handkerchief for months, you shrewd shrew you.

          Or is it sly fox?

          • Clif
            Clif
            September 23, 2015 at 1:59 am | #

            See, even Willis thinks the spoilers are great.

          • Deanatay
            Deanatay
            September 23, 2015 at 8:21 am | #

            THANKS, poppaboo, you’ve just RUINED EVERYTHING. now he has to shut DoA down. I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY.

      • Tacos
        Tacos
        September 23, 2015 at 12:33 am | #

        Who carries around monogrammed handkerchiefs?

        • Agemegos
          Agemegos
          September 23, 2015 at 12:58 am | #

          Someone must. You can buy them by the box-full, even here.

          My father was once given one by a grateful patient, with an ‘F’ on it because that was the closest she could find to ‘E’.

          • Clif
            Clif
            September 23, 2015 at 2:15 am | #

            Many people carry around monogrammed handkerchiefs, initially.

            ((They get better.))

            • Clif
              Clif
              September 23, 2015 at 8:05 am | #

              Pretend the word initially is bolded and italicized.

          • Random832
            Random832
            September 23, 2015 at 1:27 pm | #

            I thought it didn’t count as a monogram unless it was a unique symbol incorporating more than one of your initials.

            • Clif
              Clif
              September 23, 2015 at 10:41 pm | #

              If it has two initials, wouldn’t it be a duogram?

      • Someone
        Someone
        September 23, 2015 at 12:34 am | #

        My guess is that, it will be reveled that Jacob is secretly a member of a hidden ninja tribe. Dana is also part of this tribe and the whole thing has been a hidden set up. The main characters will have to battle an army of ninjas while Sarah and Radiah team up against Jacob and Dana. During the fight Dana will perform a heel face turn (after Sarah reminds her of being dorm mates) which leads her to pulling a heel-face turn and dragging Jacob with her of the Indiana dorm buildings roof. Also while Dana is hanging of the roof, Sarah will try to save her
        and reach out her hand. Dana will shake her head and let go leaving Sarah to go NOOOOOOOOOO!

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          September 23, 2015 at 12:47 am | #

          I hope these are the real spoilers.

  32. Keroshino
    Keroshino
    September 23, 2015 at 12:11 am | #

    Well…shit! pack it up, folks

    No fun allowed Sarah has returned. 🙁

    • begbert
      begbert
      September 23, 2015 at 3:04 am | #

      She allows fun. She just doesn’t want to be present for it, and she certainly doesn’t want to put on an insipid act to be part of it. And frankly I agree with that.

  33. That Damn Rat
    That Damn Rat
    September 23, 2015 at 12:14 am | #

    And she was never seen again.

  34. Megatron
    Megatron
    September 23, 2015 at 12:15 am | #

    Has she been taking advice from Starscream?

  35. detective boomwolf
    detective boomwolf
    September 23, 2015 at 12:15 am | #

    My reaction when I saw Hotel Transylvania 2 was becoming a thing.

    (Prolly spelled Transylvania wrong…)

    • Someone
      Someone
      September 23, 2015 at 12:42 am | #

      Good news!

      you didn’t!

      • Megatron
        Megatron
        September 23, 2015 at 1:15 am | #

        A friend once marveled at my ability to spell crucifixion right on the first try, but not ‘having’. The weirdness of fleshling languages.

        • inqntrol
          inqntrol
          September 23, 2015 at 1:57 am | #

          Blame diversity.

          • Clif
            Clif
            September 23, 2015 at 7:42 am | #

            Personally, I blame the French.

            It’s not actually their fault, but I enjoy blaming the French.

            • KHNO
              KHNO
              September 23, 2015 at 12:24 pm | #

              It’s always our fault. If not, it’s still our fault. It gives us a purpose.

            • John
              John
              September 23, 2015 at 4:25 pm | #

              English’s wacky orthography is actually largely the fault of the French.

              • Clif
                Clif
                September 23, 2015 at 10:46 pm | #

                Initially, yeah. But they didn’t make us retain the bad parts and invent new ones. All they were doing was trying to do was pick up native girls.

                • Clif
                  Clif
                  September 23, 2015 at 10:49 pm | #

                  That last sentence mutated somewhere along the way. I think if you eliminate the “doing was” it works.

                  I blame the French for a lack of edit capability.

  36. Arkantos
    Arkantos
    September 23, 2015 at 12:18 am | #

    Oh, because that’s not going to make things worse. That being said, this was basically my reaction to her change in the last strip, so I’m not really sure where I’m going with this.

  37. Kraken
    Kraken
    September 23, 2015 at 12:27 am | #

    Aww. I was hoping she’d actually try and have a conversation like that, since, she actually struggles with that. I wonder how much of this she’s noping, the attitude, or her plan altogether?

  38. Professor Fate
    Professor Fate
    September 23, 2015 at 12:28 am | #

    “Must smile, must be nice, must be pleasant, must be … ARRRGHH!”

  39. Idon'tcarenomore
    Idon'tcarenomore
    September 23, 2015 at 12:30 am | #

    Congratulation Sarah.

    Glad she couldn’t make herself go through with the phony bullshit. I do hope she realized how hot she can be when she wants to – just for herselfs own sake, not for some vengeance scheme.

    Jacob however, seems to be taking it calmly…he may not know what ‘it’ is, but he’s still sitting there.

    • Marc in MN
      Marc in MN
      September 23, 2015 at 12:33 am | #

      Jacob seems like a man who accepts what he sees because he’s expecting to wake up. 😉

    • begbert
      begbert
      September 23, 2015 at 3:05 am | #

      Why shouldn’t he stay there? She left. He’s in the one place where he knows she isn’t.

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        September 23, 2015 at 10:35 am | #

        Plus he’s waiting for class to start.

  40. Arianod
    Arianod
    September 23, 2015 at 12:32 am | #

    Wow! That was… close. Talk about a last-minute save.

    • DarkoNeko
      DarkoNeko
      September 23, 2015 at 2:52 am | #

      That’s relative, the rest of the room must be watching the scene with weirded eyes.

      Or maybe Sarah arrived pretty early and there aren’t many people in yet. We’ll see.

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        September 23, 2015 at 10:36 am | #

        Establishing shot yesterday made it look like they were the only two there that early.

        • DarkoNeko
          DarkoNeko
          September 23, 2015 at 11:56 pm | #

          Phew.

  41. Shanunu
    Shanunu
    September 23, 2015 at 12:32 am | #

    I’m curious. It seems like Sarah has a crapton of super curly hair. Any chance we ever get to see her do anything with it? It probably would have lasted this long if she just threw it in a ponytail every day.

  42. Ashley
    Ashley
    September 23, 2015 at 12:33 am | #

    Sarah, stop making me feel second-hand embarrassed at you.

  43. StClair
    StClair
    September 23, 2015 at 12:37 am | #

    There’s that stubborn conscience and moral center asserting itself and getting in the way of a perfectly good Revenge Plan.

    • Cerberus
      Cerberus
      September 23, 2015 at 12:42 am | #

      Yup. It’s why she’s awesome. She sets herself up to be the bad guy to give in to spite or indifference and then a comic or two later she’s bailing on the half-cocked vengeance plan or beating a rapist with a baseball bat. She just doesn’t have it in her to sustain anything intentionally terrible for long.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        September 23, 2015 at 1:00 am | #

        Pesky morals

      • BenRG
        BenRG
        September 23, 2015 at 5:07 am | #

        +1 Ditto

    • timemonkey
      timemonkey
      September 23, 2015 at 9:06 am | #

      I figured she just couldn’t keep up the charade.

  44. caesaria82
    caesaria82
    September 23, 2015 at 12:41 am | #

    lmao I’m getting whiplash from you, Sarah.

  45. Palamdrone
    Palamdrone
    September 23, 2015 at 12:42 am | #

    No one else attends this class.

    • Tacos
      Tacos
      September 23, 2015 at 1:26 am | #

      They all saw Sarah smiling and went, “Nope!” and bailed.

      • DarkoNeko
        DarkoNeko
        September 23, 2015 at 2:53 am | #

        Can’t blame them.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      September 23, 2015 at 8:26 am | #

      Actually, they were all huddled against the far wall of the classroom. IN FEAR.

      Now that Sarah’s not smiling anymore, they’ll return to their seats.

  46. Lan Mikoto
    Lan Mikoto
    September 23, 2015 at 12:51 am | #

    Wait she’s got a escape plan for that kind of situation? Damn she’s good. I could’ve used that in high school during home economics. “Something seems different about your stitching pattern…” “NO. *safely and sanely ejects instead of being that asshole who ignores to continue work*”

  47. Toasty
    Toasty
    September 23, 2015 at 1:04 am | #

    …Wait, is Sarah an actual crazy person? Because this is a thing actual crazy people do.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 23, 2015 at 2:03 am | #

      I understand that breathing is also a thing actual crazy people do. Do you suppose Sarah is breathing?

      • Tacos
        Tacos
        September 23, 2015 at 2:46 am | #

        So’s existing.

        • Clif
          Clif
          September 23, 2015 at 7:47 am | #

          Well, there it breaks down. She is a comic strip character and doesn’t actually exist. Except in Willis’s mind. And Willis is far too implausible and unlikely to be real.
          And who would go by the name Tacos?

  48. Historyman68
    Historyman68
    September 23, 2015 at 1:05 am | #

    Way to commit, Sarah.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 23, 2015 at 2:05 am | #

      Wait. Are you saying Sarah committed herself?

  49. Smiling Cat
    Smiling Cat
    September 23, 2015 at 1:14 am | #

    An attack of conscience, or are you going for the old “Fake a major mental illness” gambit? I hear some guys are into that.

    Horrible horrible guys.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 23, 2015 at 2:05 am | #

      The best kind.

    • Disloyal Subject
      Disloyal Subject
      September 23, 2015 at 3:14 am | #

      So long as she doesn’t start butchering people to protect her crush from their potential ogles she should be fine.

  50. Liz
    Liz
    September 23, 2015 at 1:14 am | #

    Aww, Sarah. At least Jacob (probably?) won’t believe she’s evil after that….right?

    • begbert
      begbert
      September 23, 2015 at 3:08 am | #

      He probably thinks she just visualized an unburned orphanage, and that she just cannot stand the possibility.

    • nightsbridge
      nightsbridge
      September 23, 2015 at 9:59 am | #

      I figure he probably figured out that she had problems she’s working through

  51. Fairyth
    Fairyth
    September 23, 2015 at 1:14 am | #

    It was not sustainable…

  52. Bicycle Bill
    Bicycle Bill
    September 23, 2015 at 1:22 am | #

    Never try to run before you’ve learned to walk, Sarah.

  53. Ancestral Hamster
    Ancestral Hamster
    September 23, 2015 at 1:30 am | #

    It’s good that she has bailed on the fake persona, but running out of a classroom shouting, “No No!” is not going to help her score points with Jacob. Unless he’s the kind of guy who likes sticking it in the crazy.

    • Agemegos
      Agemegos
      September 23, 2015 at 1:34 am | #

      Delicately put!

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 23, 2015 at 2:07 am | #

        Out of sheer curiosity, how would you put it indelicately?

        • Agemegos
          Agemegos
          September 23, 2015 at 8:30 pm | #

          “Never fuck anyone crazier than yourself.”

    • Ste Rose
      Ste Rose
      September 23, 2015 at 8:54 pm | #

      Should we perhaps not refer to relations with literally anyone in the world as “sticking it in the crazy” though becuase that’s horribly mean and unnecessary?

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        September 23, 2015 at 10:34 pm | #

        There is a great deal in what you say.

  54. sps48
    sps48
    September 23, 2015 at 1:42 am | #

    (Jacob) “Yep. Even in college, they’re all crazy.”

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 23, 2015 at 7:50 am | #

      They being future lawyers? That’s what you meant?

  55. David
    David
    September 23, 2015 at 1:43 am | #

    Well, if this does not get him thinking about her, nothing will.

  56. MrZombieScordo
    MrZombieScordo
    September 23, 2015 at 1:50 am | #

    Fake smile are a DEALBREAKER. Shut it down.

  57. Sporky
    Sporky
    September 23, 2015 at 2:04 am | #

    Sarah smiling lasted literally three panels. Amazing.

    • inqntrol
      inqntrol
      September 23, 2015 at 2:07 am | #

      It’s a new record!

  58. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 23, 2015 at 2:07 am | #

    Well, Sarah. The downside is that Jacob probably now thinks that Raidah is right and that you are quite insane. The upside is that, by deciding that you are better than this, you have very likely saved your own soul. So, overall, today’s a win. Congratulations on that.

  59. Clif
    Clif
    September 23, 2015 at 2:09 am | #

    Panel 2 Jacob — Master of Understatement.

  60. B.D
    B.D
    September 23, 2015 at 2:20 am | #

    So. She will never turn to the Dark Side; she is a Jedi, like her parent(s) before her.

    • StClair
      StClair
      September 23, 2015 at 5:54 am | #

      So be it… Jedi.

      • B.D
        B.D
        September 24, 2015 at 3:53 pm | #

        Zap! Sizzle! Acid Magne- no, hang on.

  61. Torra
    Torra
    September 23, 2015 at 2:25 am | #

    awwwkwwarrrd

  62. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    September 23, 2015 at 2:34 am | #

    Well that deflated quickly.

  63. Nanchatte
    Nanchatte
    September 23, 2015 at 2:38 am | #

    So is all the hover-text going to be 30 Rock quotes from now on?

    Because that is something I am very okay with.

    • Disloyal Subject
      Disloyal Subject
      September 23, 2015 at 3:12 am | #

      No wonder I didn’t get it.

  64. MiaKitty
    MiaKitty
    September 23, 2015 at 2:42 am | #

    Well that lasted exactly as long as I thought it would.

  65. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 23, 2015 at 2:59 am | #

    So, what next for Sara? I’m hoping that she will mentally flip of Raidah and just move on. That’s difficult for a young person but, as she’s unlike to ever meet Dana again, it’s kind of unhealthy to try to live her life in penance for what happened between them.

  66. Freezer
    Freezer
    September 23, 2015 at 3:53 am | #

    That escalated randomly!

  67. dmaxx
    dmaxx
    September 23, 2015 at 4:33 am | #

    Feel requiered by interwebs law to post this now http://www.is.gd/noooope

  68. Cheryl
    Cheryl
    September 23, 2015 at 4:41 am | #

    so close

  69. Nono
    Nono
    September 23, 2015 at 4:42 am | #

    She forgot her book! Now Jacob has a reason to go after her.

    You sly dog, Sarah you.

    • 0kami
      0kami
      September 23, 2015 at 6:45 am | #

      Sarah, you magnificent b—h*, I read your book!

      *Substituted another ‘b-word’ because the original seemed too out-of-place.

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 23, 2015 at 7:53 am | #

        I believe the proper pronunciation is b—o.

  70. hikaru
    hikaru
    September 23, 2015 at 4:49 am | #

    okay. yeah thisll probably go fine actually

  71. Rycan
    Rycan
    September 23, 2015 at 5:14 am | #

    Sarah depleted her ‘happy face’ reserves.

  72. Yotsuyasan
    Yotsuyasan
    September 23, 2015 at 5:41 am | #

    Hey, Willis! Pardon the somewhat off topic comment.

    I don’t know how tight your schedule will be this weekend, but if you have any extra time of signifigance and you’re looking for something to do while you’re in the area, then you should check out the Eastern States Exposition (a.k.a. “The Big E”). It is like a state fair, except it covers all of New England rather than just one state.

    http://www.thebige.com/

    Lots to see and do there. It can be a pretty fun time.

  73. m2iCodeJockey
    m2iCodeJockey
    September 23, 2015 at 5:51 am | #

    The alt-text.

    I’m sorry. It’s been nearly 20 years and still reminds me of the movie Dark City…

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 23, 2015 at 8:47 am | #

      God I love that movie.

      It’s like the Matrix but not terrible.

  74. Shadow12000
    Shadow12000
    September 23, 2015 at 6:03 am | #

    Crisis averted, back to your stations.

  75. Nick Piers
    Nick Piers
    September 23, 2015 at 6:38 am | #

    Soooooo….that’s a no, then?

  76. Taigan
    Taigan
    September 23, 2015 at 7:11 am | #

    Attagirl. Back from the brink.

  77. Jimmy
    Jimmy
    September 23, 2015 at 8:02 am | #

    Glad she changed her mind about it. Jacob’s doesn’t deserve being used like that. Of course, not many people do.

  78. DudeMyDadOwnsADealership
    DudeMyDadOwnsADealership
    September 23, 2015 at 8:25 am | #

    She came to her senses! Yaaay! Now if she can get the hell out of there without running into Raidah, she’ll have avoided disaster….So she’s not out of the Forest of Doom yet…

  79. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    September 23, 2015 at 8:31 am | #

    Looks like Sarah couldn’t keep the bait on the hook.

    Or, could she? Maybe this is all part of her plan.

    Honestly, Jacob seems more aware of her, now, than before. Way to get his interest by acting crazy!

    • m2iCodeJockey
      m2iCodeJockey
      September 23, 2015 at 8:50 am | #

      If he were any more aware, he’d do Forth-Wall breaks.

      I thought this is their previous interaction:
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/02-threes-a-crowd/effort-2/
      which was just a couple days ago. He’s probably completely aware of her motivation and all he has to do is let her go.

      Don’t do it, Jacob. Let. Her. Go.

      • m2iCodeJockey
        m2iCodeJockey
        September 23, 2015 at 8:51 am | #

        That was supposed to be a reply to someone else.
        Not sure what went wrong.

  80. hof1991
    hof1991
    September 23, 2015 at 9:43 am | #

    Love the Jacob side-eye. You can see that this seeming Stepford Sarah is weirding him out. Like some pod person has replaced Sarah. I bet he’s not into pod people. Maybe if she tried the Cool Girl, she could pull it off, but not the Joyce look.

  81. Aislashu
    Aislashu
    September 23, 2015 at 10:11 am | #

    She left her book behind, thus causing Jacob to have to be the nice guy and bring it to her. Clever plan or?

  82. Ryek Hvek
    Ryek Hvek
    September 23, 2015 at 10:14 am | #

    “Cap’n! I can’t maintain the shields!!”
    then the last two panels segue into a musical number

  83. Toes14
    Toes14
    September 23, 2015 at 10:14 am | #

    Cue Jacob following her out to make sure she’s ok (because he’s a stand-up kinda guy). Sarah spills the beans about wanting to get him to dump Raidah, which leads to an explanation of why and Jacob hears her version of the story. Over the next date or two with Raidah, he notices little things about her that seem to indicate that Sarah’s story is true, and eventually stops seeing Raidah. Then begins the slow process of actually getting to know Sarah.

  84. Theluxland
    Theluxland
    September 23, 2015 at 11:14 am | #

    Phew, mission aborded

  85. Tomas
    Tomas
    September 23, 2015 at 11:35 am | #

    Sempai noticed ME once. I hated it.

    -Grumpy Neko

    • Biblioholic
      Biblioholic
      September 23, 2015 at 4:50 pm | #

      Somehow senpai never fails to notice me too much. I have a hard time telling him off just right.

  86. Arianod
    Arianod
    September 23, 2015 at 11:38 am | #

    “I tried being nice once. It was awful.”

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 23, 2015 at 10:57 pm | #

      I know, right?

  87. Tomas
    Tomas
    September 23, 2015 at 11:46 am | #

    Those last three panels are comedy gold. Just add them to the end of anything.

  88. Kinzvlle
    Kinzvlle
    September 23, 2015 at 12:54 pm | #

    …………………………………….how short are those shorts?

    It`s still nice to see her rejecting the facade didn`t expect it this soon.

  89. hack
    hack
    September 23, 2015 at 3:12 pm | #

    girl has issues like heinz got pickles.

  90. Charles RB
    Charles RB
    September 23, 2015 at 3:57 pm | #

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZAxO-za3KU

    • Andrusi
      Andrusi
      September 23, 2015 at 4:39 pm | #

      More like this, I think:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IXCK1EyP4s

  91. Anima
    Anima
    September 23, 2015 at 4:50 pm | #

    This is the most awkward moment in the entire comic, thus far. And we just got through a chapter about Dina.

  92. Biblioholic
    Biblioholic
    September 23, 2015 at 4:54 pm | #

    Why hello there elephant, I think Sarah is feeling something with her vocal cords. And possibly something else, did he smell wrong? The eight ball I think would say “Not in the Least. He was too right. She was utterly distraught.”

  93. Thor
    Thor
    September 23, 2015 at 10:17 pm | #

    Was that Sarah looking all happy there for a second?

    Nope! Chuck Testa.

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