Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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June 25, 2026

Healing

by David M Willis on October 6, 2018 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - Flyin' to the Red
└ Tags: carla, ethan, sal

Discussion (185) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    October 6, 2018 at 12:01 am | #

    cue Sal taking one of those XL Sharpies to the jacket arms in 3… 2…

    • Someguy
      Someguy
      October 6, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

      “Annnnnnnnd it’s gone!”

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        October 6, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

        Maybe she’ll just change it from “Rutten” to “Butter”.

        Everyone likes butter, no one would question someone wearing a butter jacket.

        • Kyrik Michalowski
          Kyrik Michalowski
          October 6, 2018 at 12:12 am | #

          Especially not here in the South, we use that crap in basically everything we cook. Which may explain the morbid obesity funnily enough.

          • Some1
            Some1
            October 6, 2018 at 12:14 am | #

            The sugar tea probably doesn’t help either.

            • Doctor_Who
              Doctor_Who
              October 6, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

              It’s not proper sweet tea if the spoon doesn’t stay upright when you let go.

              • desolation0
                desolation0
                October 6, 2018 at 2:31 am | #

                Drop one more crystal in and you have tea flavored rock candy.

                • Annonymouse
                  Annonymouse
                  October 6, 2018 at 12:27 pm | #

                  Sadly more times than not, that won’t happen due to predominant use of corn sugars.

                  Blech

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  October 6, 2018 at 2:10 pm | #

                  I now want tea flavored rock candy. I may need to do this. 🙂

          • motorfirebox
            motorfirebox
            October 6, 2018 at 9:04 am | #

            Hey. HEY! We do not always use butter.

            Sometimes we use bacon grease.

            • Ryek Hvek
              Ryek Hvek
              October 6, 2018 at 10:30 am | #

              ….or even lard

        • butts
          butts
          October 6, 2018 at 12:13 am | #

          butten

          • Deanatay
            Deanatay
            October 6, 2018 at 9:03 am | #

            Somehow, I knew you’d approve that change.

        • Michael
          Michael
          October 6, 2018 at 1:23 am | #

          I’m not really sure how that n could be changed to an r with a sharpie.

          • Reltzik
            Reltzik
            October 6, 2018 at 1:59 am | #

            Use red sharpie and white-out.

          • Geneseepaws
            Geneseepaws
            October 6, 2018 at 7:30 am | #

            Or,… Use a knife. Doesn’t everyone carry a two inch pen knife?

            • Needfuldoer
              Needfuldoer
              October 6, 2018 at 8:57 am | #

              Rule #9: Never go anywhere without a knife.

            • NotPiffany
              NotPiffany
              October 6, 2018 at 8:59 pm | #

              Seam ripper. Easily obtained at Walmart, any store that carries fabric, and some grocery stores.

          • ǝ snow ʍousɐ
            ǝ snow ʍousɐ
            October 6, 2018 at 11:59 am | #

            But it’s a capital N.

  2. Nono
    Nono
    October 6, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    Carla’s nice and all but she needs to get out of here so we can have this genuine moment.

    • Delivery Mcgee
      Delivery Mcgee
      October 6, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

      IDK, it might be better that she PREVENTS this moment. Shit was about to get weird. (In other news, I love how Carla just towers over all the other women and most of the men. Between that and the “silently rolling up on people” ability, I’d wear skates all the time too if I could get away with it.)

      • DailyBrad
        DailyBrad
        October 6, 2018 at 12:12 am | #

        Yeah, even with the skates taken into account, she’s gotta be pretty tall. I think Duncan may still be tallest, but Carla I think is definitely up there even in regular shoes. I forget who is taller, Sarah or Carla, but one of them’s probably tallest girl.

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          October 6, 2018 at 12:16 am | #

          Duncan the jerky Shortpacked customer’s actually appeared here? When?

          • Marsh Maryrose
            Marsh Maryrose
            October 6, 2018 at 1:43 am | #

            One appearance only, not particularly memorable.

            He was tagged, unlike a certain cricket, er, piece of lettuce.

            • Needfuldoer
              Needfuldoer
              October 6, 2018 at 8:59 am | #

              His name is Tag and nobody’s convincing me otherwise.

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          October 6, 2018 at 12:16 am | #

          Rachel’s pretty tall too; her last appearance together with a similarly tall person – Joe – put them at practically almost the same height.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          October 6, 2018 at 12:17 am | #

          Carla’s six feet.

        • Foxhack
          Foxhack
          October 6, 2018 at 1:00 am | #

          Anyone know what Carla’s height (in her humanoid body) was in Shortpacked?

      • Tan
        Tan
        October 6, 2018 at 8:56 am | #

        Re: “it might be better”

        Disagree vehemently. Yes, the conversation was going to be (will be?) awkward, because it has to be, but Sal knowing is An Immensely Good Thing(tm) for Sal, for Ethan, and for Amber, and it is far better that Ethan explain it than Amber/AmaziGirl attempt to.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 6, 2018 at 9:06 am | #

          Though hopefully Ethan won’t tell her about Amber because that’ll be worse if Amber doesn’t know Sal knows. And certainly doesn’t tell her about Amber/Amazi-Girl.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      October 6, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

      Couldn’t resist.

    • Stu
      Stu
      October 6, 2018 at 2:40 pm | #

      Well, she DID fuck that moment.

    • Amazi-Stool
      Amazi-Stool
      October 6, 2018 at 7:58 pm | #

      Carla’s nice and all but she needs to get out of here so we can have this genuine moment.

      There must be some kind of way outta here
      Said the Nono to the Sal
      There’s too much confusion
      I can’t get no relief

  3. Mada
    Mada
    October 6, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    goddammit Carla

    • Someguy
      Someguy
      October 6, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

      *In dan avidan voice* Goddamnit, Carla.

      • Kyrik Michalowski
        Kyrik Michalowski
        October 6, 2018 at 12:09 am | #

        Hey NSP/Grumps fan~ Up top! *high fives*

      • FacelessDeviant
        FacelessDeviant
        October 6, 2018 at 6:11 am | #

        Ageed, goddamnit, Carla.

  4. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    October 6, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    Who had CarlaXMoment in the prediction pool for next major ship?

    I was way off, my guess was MaryXGalassosChefToque.

    • SpaceshipPilot
      SpaceshipPilot
      October 6, 2018 at 5:18 am | #

      You mean, this moment?

  5. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    October 6, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    People fuck, but I’d definitely blow this moment.

    • butts
      butts
      October 6, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

      moments blow, but i’d definitely fuck these people

      • LeslieBean4Shizzle
        LeslieBean4Shizzle
        October 6, 2018 at 12:24 am | #

        That’s my motto.

    • Dean
      Dean
      October 6, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

      Carla has already fucked this moment.

  6. Someguy
    Someguy
    October 6, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    Oh boy, here it comes, time for the revelatio-DAMMIT CARLA!

  7. jeffepp
    jeffepp
    October 6, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    “And the moment is gone”

  8. Rex Vivat
    Rex Vivat
    October 6, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    So, who wants to bet that Ethan just gave her enough data for her to know what he’s talking about without him having to finish the sentence?

    • Bathymetheus
      Bathymetheus
      October 6, 2018 at 1:16 am | #

      That would require her to care enough to make the effort to figure it out.

      I’d say the odds are poor.

      • abysswatcher1993
        abysswatcher1993
        October 6, 2018 at 12:00 pm | #

        Sal isn’t an intellectual that connects dosts. She just punches and has a cynical world view, like Guts form Berserk.

        • Amazi-Stool
          Amazi-Stool
          October 6, 2018 at 8:05 pm | #

          In english there is always a chance that your accidental mistyping forms a real word. Well, I looked it up:

          “Dost” is not english. but in my langugage it’s a rather obscure form of “oregano”.

          Yeah right, Sal doesn’t connect (collect?) oregano.

          • TheBenenator
            TheBenenator
            October 12, 2018 at 11:40 am | #

            Thou dost not truly believe that?! http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dost 😀

  9. Defensor
    Defensor
    October 6, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    Why does Sal call Ethan “apples to apples”? Is it some slang I’m not familiar with?

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      October 6, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

      They met while playing Apples to Apples at Joyce’s dorm party.

      • Someguy
        Someguy
        October 6, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

        my Reply being below bbcc’s makes me look dumber than I really am

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          October 6, 2018 at 12:16 am | #

          Nah, it happens. People post at the same time. We call it getting ninja’d.

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          October 6, 2018 at 1:29 am | #

          In general, me and BBCC commenting on the same post makes me look just as dumb as I am, which is rarely flattering.

    • Someguy
      Someguy
      October 6, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

      I thought it was like… uh, balls to balls? Fuck it, I don’t know either.

    • RicardtheDragoon
      RicardtheDragoon
      October 6, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

      He was at the party Joyce hosted playing Apples-to-Apples. Someone else can find the link.

      • Cholma
        Cholma
        October 6, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

        Ta-da! http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/tall/

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          October 6, 2018 at 1:30 am | #

          Let’s not forget about how Sal lost her virginity – or the face Joyce made upon finding out.

          vhttp://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/applestoapples/

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      October 6, 2018 at 9:12 am | #

      Sal rarely calls anyone by their real names (Malaya and Marcie being notable exceptions). Sal just realized here that she didn’t have a handy nickname for Ethan, so she dug one out of their most memorable interaction, for her.

      • Larkle
        Larkle
        October 6, 2018 at 9:38 pm | #

        I was thinking that it was because Sal often can’t remember people’s names, so she uses a nickname instead.

  10. butts
    butts
    October 6, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    FUCK YOUR DRAMA iiiiiit’s CARLA

    • butts
      butts
      October 6, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      iiiiiiit’s CARLA come to FUCK YOUR DRAMA

      • Someguy
        Someguy
        October 6, 2018 at 12:09 am | #

        FUCK. IT. HARD.

        • McBogue
          McBogue
          October 6, 2018 at 12:41 am | #

          Your drama will be walking bow-legged for a week!

      • Amazi-Stool
        Amazi-Stool
        October 6, 2018 at 8:14 pm | #

        It’s FUCKFACE come to MAGICALLY MINDCONTROL your CARLA (when sitting on Joyce’s head)!

        • Amazi-Stool
          Amazi-Stool
          October 6, 2018 at 8:15 pm | #

          Not sure what went wrong. Heres the link.

    • Emily
      Emily
      October 6, 2018 at 6:07 am | #

      Fuck your actual interesting plot development it’s Carla and a stupid joke that’s only gotten more annoying since the first time.

  11. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    October 6, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    Today’s strip is sponsored by the Honda Fourtrax. Ride Red.

  12. Nikolai Geier
    Nikolai Geier
    October 6, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    I want the next Slipshine to just be Carla doing a joyous dance through this moment.

    • butts
      butts
      October 6, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

      Carla solo could work

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        October 6, 2018 at 1:36 am | #

        Now you’ve got me imagining Carla dancing in a Han Solo outfit.

        • Roborat
          Roborat
          October 9, 2018 at 5:13 pm | #

          Doing the Snoopy dance.

  13. ShinyNeen
    ShinyNeen
    October 6, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    Well it was basically guaranteed that they would be interrupted at least once.

  14. Yumi
    Yumi
    October 6, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    Never thought I’d say this, but NOT NOW, CARLA.

  15. cbwroses
    cbwroses
    October 6, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

    Carla, this moment is not about your parent’s company’s jacket.
    This is about Ethan dealing with some teenage trauma he had.
    Quit (for lack of a better phrase) cock blocking his trauma!
    (Trauma blocking?)

  16. Beef
    Beef
    October 6, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

    Is this the first in comic reference to Carla being Ace?

    Also I’m wondering if Sal recognized Ethan and Amber and is choosing to not say anything just in case they forgot and she doesn’t want to remind them.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      October 6, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

      I get the feeling she doesn’t really remember them, she had(has had) other things on her mind. But I could be wrong.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      October 6, 2018 at 12:11 am | #

      It’s come up before – when the whole situation with Ruth’s depression finally came to a head, Carla was telling Billie to “get in [Ruth’s room] and do gross things to your girlfriend!”

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/grossthings/

      • jeffepp
        jeffepp
        October 6, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

        She keeps offering to do gross things to Malaya. So, that doesn’t mean much.

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          October 6, 2018 at 12:31 am | #

          Carla’s ace, so pretty sure I’m going to need a citation on that – a quick search through their combined tags doesn’t reveal anything.

          (And remember, potential romantic attraction =/= asexuality.)

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            October 6, 2018 at 1:24 am | #

            We also know she’s still sex repulsed (at least with people) – it’s why Willis said she wasn’t going to be in slipshines. He also said he wasn’t going to do her posing sexily, masturbating, etc. because, again, that’s how her repulsion worked.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 6, 2018 at 9:13 am | #

          Probably a reference to this sequence, but that’s more Carla wanting Malaya to be mean to her, than actually offering gross things.
          And I’ve still got no idea what that was really all about.

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            October 6, 2018 at 9:34 am | #

            My guess is probably a reference to how Ultra-Car and Malaya were an item in the other ‘verse – note how Carla lost interest later in the chapter once Malaya propositioned Joe.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              October 6, 2018 at 2:03 pm | #

              It was just weird and apparently out of character for Carla. It came out of nowhere. Carla was essentially pleading for abuse. And then it stopped.
              I’m sure it was set up for something that hasn’t yet paid off, but I’ve no idea what.

          • autogatos
            autogatos
            October 6, 2018 at 2:36 pm | #

            Carla is basically asexual but Malaya-romantic and is into Malaya’s meanness. It’s not an uncommon attraction. It’s why the “girls like bad boys” stereotype exists. Some people find themselves attracted to snark (whether it’s healthy or not).

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              October 6, 2018 at 5:10 pm | #

              I guess. But as I said, it came out of nowhere, with no previous hints I’d seen and seemed to have vanish just as quickly.
              And while the “girls like bad boys” thing exists, it’s rarely as blatant as publicly begging for it to be directed at them. Without a relationship even having started.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      October 6, 2018 at 12:13 am | #

      Handful of references, most of them oblique, yeah.

  17. BBCC
    BBCC
    October 6, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

    I am torn between angry yelling because Carla interrupted and laughing because she’s a delight and is still on about Sal wearing a shirt with her name on it (albeit in kinda an ass-y way since Sal’s already said it made her self conscious).

    And I am SO PROUD OF ETHAN <3333

    • lilyliv
      lilyliv
      October 6, 2018 at 12:14 am | #

      I second the entirety of this comment. 🙂

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      October 6, 2018 at 12:15 am | #

      Like. Carla. You blew the mood. We were SO CLOSE!

      But yes. So proud of Ethan. He’s trying so hard.

    • ShinyNeen
      ShinyNeen
      October 6, 2018 at 12:21 am | #

      You’re just going to have to process all the emotions at once, like the rest of us : P

      (But ditto emphasis on the Ethan-pride!)

    • chris73
      chris73
      October 6, 2018 at 1:44 am | #

      t seems to me that Ethan has started to “improve”, be less wishy-washy and be a bit more decisive ever since he had sexy times with Mike.

      I’m glad he’s improving I’d just have preferred it if the sexy times was with someone other than Mike.

    • Emily
      Emily
      October 6, 2018 at 6:11 am | #

      There’s nothing about Carla’s behaviour here that’s delightful. She’s just forcefully interjected herself into a private conversation literally just to harp on about something that Sal has already told her she is uncomfortable with. What part of her blatant disregard for others is cute?

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        October 6, 2018 at 9:55 am | #

        Her expressions mostly But you’re right, this is also definitely jackass-y.

  18. Goki
    Goki
    October 6, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

    Welp, this was pointless….

  19. Rabid Rabbit
    Rabid Rabbit
    October 6, 2018 at 12:17 am | #

    Carla.

    Stop. Touching.

    Seriously, we just went through a month of trying to teach that lesson to that fucking bird in Wilde Life, we don’t have the energy to start all over here.

    • Darkoneko
      Darkoneko
      October 6, 2018 at 12:25 am | #

      heh.

    • Miri
      Miri
      October 6, 2018 at 2:21 am | #

      Nah, it’s fine. We just need to learn from our earlier success: summon the spiders!

      • Rabid Rabbit
        Rabid Rabbit
        October 6, 2018 at 3:36 am | #

        Blowjob spider?

        (Yes, there is of course a relevant Oglaf. No, I can’t be bothered to find it.)

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          October 6, 2018 at 10:36 am | #

          I’m angry that I know the exact strip you’re talking about.

          • Rabid Rabbit
            Rabid Rabbit
            October 6, 2018 at 5:40 pm | #

            I’m pretty sure it’s one of the most unforgettable ones. Whether you want it or not.

      • Khyrin
        Khyrin
        October 6, 2018 at 7:45 am | #

        A red wolf runs through the quad, chased by an enthusiastic brunette. In the distance, a bear roars.

        • Roborat
          Roborat
          October 9, 2018 at 5:15 pm | #

          Hey, I am part of the hip crowd, I got that reference.

  20. Agemegos
    Agemegos
    October 6, 2018 at 12:20 am | #

    I dunno which sucks worse. Self-centred jackasses who roll in to other people’s conversations and talk about themselves right over the top of what anyone else was saying. People people who talk loudly about personal stuff in public places. People blow.

  21. abysswatcher1993
    abysswatcher1993
    October 6, 2018 at 12:21 am | #

    FUCK OFF CARLA! We were close to the awkward revelation moment and you blew it over! You blew it worse than Fin the Human in 2013. YOU BLEW IT!!!!!

  22. Darkoneko
    Darkoneko
    October 6, 2018 at 12:25 am | #

    Stop Carla-ing it up !

  23. MatsuoTanuki
    MatsuoTanuki
    October 6, 2018 at 12:43 am | #

    MOTHERFU– *cuts to color bars and unconnected signal tone*

  24. Bagge
    Bagge
    October 6, 2018 at 12:48 am | #

    Re: Alt text. I think she’s just bad at remembering names.

    • 3oranges
      3oranges
      October 6, 2018 at 2:12 am | #

      Can you be bad at remembering names but great at remembering nicknames? I know, that’s the premise of that trick to remember names by relating to them to something about the person, but I thought if you were really bad at it that didn’t work.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        October 6, 2018 at 2:25 am | #

        It’s different for different people. In this case “Apple-to-apples” refers to the specific situation where they met, so I think Sal would have an easy time remembering that one. She doesn’t have to connect the nickname with an association – the nickname IS the association (just look at some of the things she has called Joyce)

        I have no idea why she would associate Danny with ‘Wonderbread’, though.

        • Khyrin
          Khyrin
          October 6, 2018 at 7:47 am | #

          Wonderbread is the whitest bread I can think of…
          It’s also frequently used as a synonym for milquetoast.

          • Rabid Rabbit
            Rabid Rabbit
            October 6, 2018 at 5:46 pm | #

            Not just whitest — it’s also flavorless and easily malleable. There’s nothing there. It epitomizes blandness. It’s inoffensive to basically everyone, except people who care about bread. Nobody begs for it, but almost no one actively hates it. Those who do hate it, however, hate it with a passion.

            I would argue, in fact, that it’s Sal’s most accurate nicknaming.

      • Felgraf
        Felgraf
        October 6, 2018 at 4:16 am | #

        I would say yes?
        While I don’t nickname people, I can VERY EASILY remember a lot about a person, including a detailed history of the first time we met, etc-
        But when I try to call up their actual *name*, my brain blanks on the issue.
        If instead I created a nick-name based on the circumstances of our meeting, Is suspect I’d have a much, much easier time remembering that.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 6, 2018 at 9:21 am | #

      I’m not so sure. She seems to use them over much for that, even when she should have eventually picked up a name.
      It’s also an interesting parallel with Walky – who we’ve seen make up names for Jason and Amber, despite knowing full well what Amber’s name was at least.

      A distancing mechanism, maybe?

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        October 6, 2018 at 9:58 am | #

        Maybe she just likes nicknaming people, at least at first? Most of the time when she uses nicknames, she’s either not known the person well or, in the case of calling Joyce ‘Pollyanna’ a little bit ago, because she was mad at them and being snarky.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        October 6, 2018 at 11:14 am | #

        Sal, distancing herself from people? I never! *faints*

  25. Keulen
    Keulen
    October 6, 2018 at 1:00 am | #

    Dammit Carla, I wanted to see how awkward this would get and you went and ruined the moment!

  26. Keulen
    Keulen
    October 6, 2018 at 1:02 am | #

    Sal’s superhero name should be The Nicknamer.

  27. 0kami
    0kami
    October 6, 2018 at 1:03 am | #

    “CARLAAAAAAAA!

    What’s your sole purpose in this storyline?!?”

    “To ruin a perfectly good moment of character development and dramatic tension!”

    “Dammit, Carla… You’re a goddamn genius! That is the most outstanding answer I’ve ever heard! You must have a goddamn IQ of 160!”

    • SillyGoose
      SillyGoose
      October 7, 2018 at 1:52 pm | #

      It’s over 9000!

  28. Catman
    Catman
    October 6, 2018 at 1:08 am | #

    So Sal’s face in panel 5 looks a lot more like “oh shit that thing I did.” rather than “oh shit that jacket I’m wearing.”

    Maybe.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      October 6, 2018 at 2:12 am | #

      I read that as “wait what’s happening now?”

  29. Marsh Maryrose
    Marsh Maryrose
    October 6, 2018 at 1:15 am | #

    Well, it’s not the worst superpower ever, but is “having nicknames ready to go for everyone” the lamest superpower ever?

    I’m trying to remember the nicknames she bestowed, but this is one of those searches for which tags aren’t particularly effective. These are what I’ve been able to recall/find:

    Danny: Wonderbread
    Joyce: Blue Eyes
    Jason: Bow Tie

    Others?

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      October 6, 2018 at 1:22 am | #

      Dorothy – Lisa Simpson
      Joyce – Pollyanna

      • Nono
        Nono
        October 6, 2018 at 2:36 am | #

        Does ‘Bro’ count? It was her first…

    • Wraithy2773
      Wraithy2773
      October 6, 2018 at 4:13 am | #

      She’s certainly no Varric…

    • Amazi-Stool
      Amazi-Stool
      October 6, 2018 at 9:30 pm | #

      I knew there would be a nickname for Jason, but here’s what I found:
      peewee herman
      bowtie
      scrawny
      scrawns
      the stick
      stick-assed motherf–

  30. Fart Captor
    Fart Captor
    October 6, 2018 at 1:18 am | #

    Carla is the most glorious jerkass and I love her expression in the last panel

  31. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    October 6, 2018 at 1:38 am | #

    Dammit Carla.

  32. Lingo
    Lingo
    October 6, 2018 at 1:38 am | #

    She definitely fucked the moment, that’s for sure.

  33. chris73
    chris73
    October 6, 2018 at 1:40 am | #

    I know its not on purpose but it could be mistaken as domineering position what Carlas doing right now, both hands on shoulders and leaning in to someones personal space

    Reminds me a bit of this: https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dbcwe.jpg

  34. Bagge
    Bagge
    October 6, 2018 at 1:41 am | #

    And for the rest of the day, Carla fluttered around Sal like a lovesick and very annoying puppy.

  35. JessWitt
    JessWitt
    October 6, 2018 at 2:13 am | #

    Carla, your presence is always welcome with this exception.

    Ethan, persist with your moment.

  36. BenRG
    BenRG
    October 6, 2018 at 2:20 am | #

    So, it’s confirmed that Sal doesn’t know who Ethan (and, or so we must assume) Amber are.

    Carla, I love you girl but your timing stinks. We can deal with your self-esteem issues late. Right now get lost, Ethan and Sal are having a life-critical moment here.

  37. Ainara
    Ainara
    October 6, 2018 at 2:47 am | #

    Aw, I like Sal’s faces in panels 1 and 3

  38. CJ
    CJ
    October 6, 2018 at 2:57 am | #

    I’d say third panel Sal has a “wait, where does this go?” moment with more than a touch of “shit” in it.
    That said, Ethan, wow.
    Carla, get your ass out of there.

    But, this being DOA, probably Ethan will slink off leaving Sal with a vaguely disturbing idea that someone is around who recognizes her from one of her robberies.
    Though, don’t we always hear Sal robbed supermarkets and from what I alsways thought and Ethan confirms here: Ethan and Amber were involved with a robbery in a gas station?

    • Ainara
      Ainara
      October 6, 2018 at 6:21 am | #

      Sorry if I’m misreading what you said, but Ethan and Amber WERE involved in Sal’s (attempted) robbery of a gas station. We got the whole flashback eventually.

      • CJ
        CJ
        October 6, 2018 at 10:59 am | #

        The point is, we saw lots of flashbacks about Ethan and Amber involved in a robbery at a gas station. It looked like one an Ethan’s words here say so, too.

        But from the Sal side of the equation, we only heard of the robbery of, thanks for the correction thejeff, convenience stores.

        A gas station is no convenience store in my understanding. I’m not a native speaker, though, so can they be two different words for the same thing?

        • Elisto
          Elisto
          October 6, 2018 at 11:29 am | #

          Gas stations often have a convenience store attached.

        • Mehri
          Mehri
          October 6, 2018 at 11:32 am | #

          Some (but not all) gas stations have convenience stores attached. So it IS a gas station but if you’re not getting gas and you just want to go in the store, you might refer it as a convenience store. (For example, before I stated driving, I’d often walk up to a local gas station to buy candy or something and just called it a store.

          Because Amber’s dad had stopped there to get gas, that’s probably why Ethan thinks of it as a gas station. (And in Sal’s case she may have robbed normal convenience stores and at least one attached to a gas station. So “convenience store” describes both)

          From an English language standpoint, just call it a gas station regardless of whether or not it has a store attached and you’ll be correct. 🙂 hope this helps and didn’t end up being too much information

          • CJ
            CJ
            October 6, 2018 at 12:11 pm | #

            Ah, ok, so it isn’t the big clue that the stories don’t match.
            Thanks:-)

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 6, 2018 at 9:31 am | #

      I think it’s normally been referred to as a convenience store. At least from the Walkerton side.
      I don’t remember supermarket.

  39. Wraithy2773
    Wraithy2773
    October 6, 2018 at 4:12 am | #

    Ugh, I really hope this doesn’t turn into one of those “Psych! You thought you were getting character and plot development, but instead we’re delaying that for some wacky hijinks!” bits.

    Because, honestly, I don’t know how much more can be gained by having Sal remain oblivious to Amber and Ethan. It’s a good time for her to learn about it, and maintaining the status quo only really serves one point: Making it Amber who tells Sal instead of Ethan.

    And sure, women having agency in critical info about their stories, I’m normally all for that. But Amber’s had that opportunity like fifty times by now, she’s avoided it every time. I think it’s fine for someone else to broach the subject.

    • Nono
      Nono
      October 6, 2018 at 5:55 am | #

      Same? This Sal thing’s been dragged out too long. At least the ‘Danny thinks Sal is Amazi-Girl!’ was mercifully brief in comparison.

      Also, I’m finding Carla really annoying lately, and she’s doing herself no favours right now.

      • abysswatcher1993
        abysswatcher1993
        October 6, 2018 at 11:58 am | #

        I agree! Carla has become as annoying as Bloo from Foster’s Home for Imnaginbary Friends. She is selfish, narcisistic and is aware she is a jerk and continues to be.

  40. GUIGUI
    GUIGUI
    October 6, 2018 at 4:23 am | #

    Willis, I swear if you are weaselling out of that conversation, I will make a point to locate and obliterate your Hot Rod shrine. There will be no survivor.

  41. Lone Duck
    Lone Duck
    October 6, 2018 at 4:43 am | #

    Obviously, we’re being set up for a twist that it was Carla, with a wig, colored contacts, and blackface, who robbed that gas station so many years ago. Everything else was coincidence and misdirection.

    • Clif
      Clif
      October 7, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

      I like your universe. Let’s burn it to the ground.

  42. SpaceshipPilot
    SpaceshipPilot
    October 6, 2018 at 5:26 am | #

    Carla, we all love you, but please stop.

    • Phil
      Phil
      October 6, 2018 at 3:53 pm | #

      No, we don’t all love her.

  43. Emily
    Emily
    October 6, 2018 at 6:04 am | #

    This is why I don’t like Carla. There’s a line between having a healthy sense of self worth and being an insufferably arrogant douchebag and she’s about 17 miles on the wrong side of it and whether or not it’s a facade is kinda irrelevant because it’s goddamn annoying either way.

    • JBento
      JBento
      October 6, 2018 at 7:08 am | #

      My issue here isn’t where (or how distant) she is from the line, it’s how she’s clearly interrupting someone’s conversation to make it about a completely different topic. 8/

    • timemonkey
      timemonkey
      October 6, 2018 at 7:32 am | #

      When people treat you like you’re not even a person sometimes you react by forcing people to acknowledge you. It makes you annoying but that’s part of the point.

      • HMH
        HMH
        October 6, 2018 at 8:24 am | #

        I’ve actually known someone with the exact complex Carla has. It’s an exceedingly accurate character.

        • Schpoonman
          Schpoonman
          October 6, 2018 at 11:05 am | #

          Realism and accuracy can only make up for a story-derailing nightmare so many times.

          For the most part I like Carla. But when she’s this invasive with people who already give her respect and dignity (Seriously? She followed Sal downstairs?), we’ve got a fucking problem.

      • abysswatcher1993
        abysswatcher1993
        October 6, 2018 at 12:02 pm | #

        Is this about Carla trying to get attention because of transphobia? Well, her attempts are empty because nobody likes annoying people that make every issue about themselves.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 6, 2018 at 2:10 pm | #

          This is Carla’s jerk persona. Laid on so people will hate for being an asshole, instead of risking that they’ll hate her for being trans.
          She’s actually not very good at being an asshole, as we’ve seen many times, but it apparently works on some readers.

          • JBento
            JBento
            October 6, 2018 at 3:18 pm | #

            Part of the issue now is that she’s not JUST being her usual self, which is the opportunist jerk, in which she’s there and she jerks.

            She’s actively chased Sal down to do this. That’s not being a jerk, it’s being a harasser.

            • timemonkey
              timemonkey
              October 6, 2018 at 10:09 pm | #

              She thinks she’s messing around with one of her friends. She has no idea something serious was going to go down.

              • thejeff
                thejeff
                October 6, 2018 at 10:22 pm | #

                That’s likely it.

              • HMH
                HMH
                October 7, 2018 at 7:45 am | #

                This is something I constantly fail to grasp with a large subset of the readership who post comments here. How is it so difficult to understand that our omniscient awareness and knowledge of what’s going on doesn’t extend to the characters?

                • Zee
                  Zee
                  October 7, 2018 at 8:26 am | #

                  Barging in on a private conversation, and chasing sal down because of the stupid jacket, is rude as hell

          • Emily
            Emily
            October 6, 2018 at 5:22 pm | #

            The difference between a jerk persona and just being a jerk is largely meaningless to the people who have to deal with you.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              October 6, 2018 at 10:32 pm | #

              That’s a problem with that approach.

              Though we have seen the jerk facade fall away and seen her care for and help others, which is where the difference really lives.

        • HMH
          HMH
          October 7, 2018 at 7:42 am | #

          Generally, transphobia isn’t the ONLY reason somebody is like this. It’s sort of a feedback loop where you’re treated in dehumanizing or exclusionary ways constantly, for various reasons, over the course of your life, and it leads you to – as timemonkey put it – “[force] people to acknowledge you.” It’s an understandable personality quirk psychologically, but of course, it can also easily have the effect of making you even more off-putting, even intentionally so, which can at times exacerbate that mistreatment or isolation.

  44. FacelessDeviant
    FacelessDeviant
    October 6, 2018 at 6:20 am | #

    Speaking of fucking, this drama really got cock blocked.

    • JBento
      JBento
      October 6, 2018 at 8:33 am | #

      You, uh, might want to use a different idiom in this particular instance.

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/permanent/

  45. KSClaw
    KSClaw
    October 6, 2018 at 6:38 am | #

    DAMN IT Carla!!

  46. Zee
    Zee
    October 6, 2018 at 8:30 am | #

    FUCK OFF CARLA

    • Zee
      Zee
      October 6, 2018 at 8:39 am | #

      I really want sal to dump the jacket in the trash and walk off with Ethan. Or for Ethan to stand up to Carla and try make her leave

  47. Tunasammich
    Tunasammich
    October 6, 2018 at 12:57 pm | #

    I was just about to comment “hahaha I love Carla, she’s the best 5eva” and then scrolled up to see all the haterade

    🙁

    Ah well, even if they have no one else, I will always love Carla and Sarah the most

    • alice
      alice
      October 6, 2018 at 2:08 pm | #

      it’s ok, i love carla too!

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 6, 2018 at 2:13 pm | #

      I like Carla. She’d probably annoy me in real life, but here we’ve seen through the facade enough for me to get past the minor annoyances.
      Some people definitely overreact though.

      • Inahc
        Inahc
        October 6, 2018 at 2:20 pm | #

        Same.

    • PigeonPollyx
      PigeonPollyx
      October 6, 2018 at 6:11 pm | #

      Most people in general love Carla? She’s great. This is just one of those moments where, yknow, no one wants the gadfly to do her thing because she’s interrupting something really necessary and that sucks. Don’t read like haterade to me

  48. Inahc
    Inahc
    October 6, 2018 at 4:56 pm | #

    I did it, I reread all of shortpacked! 🙂

    …

    the soggies aren’t quite so funny any more. :/

    • JBento
      JBento
      October 6, 2018 at 7:49 pm | #

      Rulers seldom are.

  49. Kazumi
    Kazumi
    October 6, 2018 at 7:27 pm | #

    *reads alt-text* Except Carla apparently.

  50. Gojira
    Gojira
    October 6, 2018 at 9:02 pm | #

    Which which genitals does she fantasize fucking this moment with?

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 6, 2018 at 10:33 pm | #

      Don’t.

      • stoodmuffin
        stoodmuffin
        October 8, 2018 at 3:44 am | #

        Agreed. Do not.

  51. Tgape
    Tgape
    October 6, 2018 at 10:05 pm | #

    Obviously I fail at the Internet, as I thought the easiest defacing of the jacket Sal could do would be to change “Rutten” to “Rotten”, and yet nobody seems to have posted it yet. Obviously, I just haven’t refreshed my browser enough.

  52. stoodmuffin
    stoodmuffin
    October 8, 2018 at 3:45 am | #

    Oh. Kay. This is going as about as well I should’ve thought it would. But, More Carla. So. Good. <3

  53. Thomas
    Thomas
    October 8, 2018 at 10:58 am | #

    Aww, Ethan, five years is not a long time ago! No wonder this is all still very raw with y’all. Makes me wonder if Sal will start falling apart, too.

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