Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
RSS
‹
›
  • Home
  • About/Read before posting
  • Archive↓
    • by calendar
  • Cast
  • Store↓
    • Main Store (books and stuff)
    • T-shirts
  • Patreon↓
    • Patreon (regular)
    • Patreon (NSFW)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
dorothy the boyfriend curator
First Previous Random 204Comments Share Next Latest
Reddit Digg Facebook MySpace Delicious Stumbleupon Buzz Up! Mixx Technorati Google Bookmarks Yahoo Bookmarks Yahoo MyWeb Windows Live Propeller FriendFeed Newsvine Xanga LinkedIn Blinklist Twitter
Discover more Hiveworks comics
The Din
Karin (Karrey)
The Din changed the world, mankind & its technology. Gregg Emilio dreams of flying in a sky that hasn't carried airplanes in a century.
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
Laws and Sausages
Zach Weinersmith
Your cartoon guide to the American governement!
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
Sam & Fuzzy
Sam Logan
Troubled by gangster rodents, lovesick vampire stalkers, or confused ninja assassins? Don't panic! Sam and Fuzzy are here to help. (For a reasonable fee.)
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Ozzie the Vampire
Eric Lide
Ozzie and her best friend Kimmy are your average everyday normal art students – except one is an immortal vampire with superpowers and the other possesses a magic talking grimoire. Also they have to save their town from a demonic invasion.
Jailbird
Charlie Davis
An all-ages comic about a recently escaped prisoner's struggle to understand the outside world, and vice-versa. Also, a magic cape!
Heroes of Thantopolis
Izzy Strontium Hall
A living boy fights to save the City of the Dead.
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Never Satisfied
Taylor Robin
Lucy Marlowe, a magician's apprentice, competes against other apprentices for an important, magical, Goverment Job.
Girl Genius
Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio
In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, Mad Science rules the World...with mixed success.
Wychwood
Varethane
When Tiara's pyrokinesis is finally noticed, she is captured by a magical research organization for study. If she cooperates, she could be helping to save humanity from a dire threat - but can she trust them?
Sufficiently Remarkable
Maki Naro
Two young women living in Brooklyn discover that you're always coming of age.
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
The Glass Scientists
Sage (S.H.) Cotugno
A gaslamp fantasy comic about the life and times of a ragtag group of mad scientists and their enigmatic leader, Dr. Henry Jekyll.
Ghost Junk Sickness
Studio CARTRIDGE, Laura Lee
Two hunters try to survive and end up being pushed to pursue a deadly bounty dubbed "The Ghost".
Manly Guys Doing Manly Things
Kelly Turnbull
A weekly comic celebrating the finer things in life. Like manly men, lumberjacks, and time traveling special ops agents.
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
Elephant Town
Danielle Corsetto
The long, slow tale of Kris, Paul, Berto and Mirando, four people who live in the same creaky old house, but don't know each other. New chapter updates every 2 months.
Stand Still, Stay Silent
Minna Sundberg
A few generations after the end of the world, a small, poorly financed research crew is sent out to rediscover whatever is left of the forbidden old world in the south.
Devil's Candy
Rem, Bikkuri
A lush fantasy about boy genius Kazu Decker, the girl he constructed for his 9th grade science project, and the world of devils and monsters they live in.
MASKLESS
kickingshoes
In a world where people can wield the magic of elemental Masks, all Ashe wants to do is help. Maskless and useless, with dreams of fire and smoke on the back of his tongue, he finds himself on a strange, dangerous path to uncovering the secrets of these incredible objects, and the source of the monsters plaguing his home.
Peritale
Mari Costa
A fairy godmother with no magic tries her best to successfully fulfill a Fairytale and win the respect of her peers.
Helvetica
J.N. Wiedle
This story follows Helvetica's quest to uncover who he was in life, his existential crises, and his struggle to to make death worth living.
Spinnerette
Krazy Krow, Rocio Zucchi, Pablo Rey
When a lab accident gives Heather Brown spider powers and six arms, she does what any midwest comic geek would do: Become Ohio's #3 superhero!
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Monster Pulse
Magnolia Porter Siddell
Four kids run afoul of a creepy secret organization's experiments, which turn their body parts into fighting monsters. Part sentimental coming-of-age story, part monster-training shonen manga, with just a bit of sci-fi body horror.
Anarchy Dreamers
Emily Ree
Sparkly undead kids fight society's worst Nightmares in this pastel-punk urban fantasy coming-of-age!
The Mash
L.F. Garcia, Danigami
In a world shrouded in mystery and threatened by great evil,a young mummy prince will use his new life to unite with other monster children to save it.
The Hunter of Insania
Aoi Maneki
Wiol Alkko sells fake magical objects to those desperate for cures. When he tries to scam a real witch, she curses him: within a year, Wiol must learn and respect magic, or succumb to corruption of body and mind.
The Sanity Circus
Windy
Magic, monsters and mysteries await in the odd city of Sanity. It's up to Attley and a colorful group of characters to find out just what is going on.
Witchy
Ariel Slamet Ries
In the witch kingdom Hyalin, the strength of your magic is determined by the length of your hair.
Demon Street
Aliza Layne
Two kids explore a world full of monsters and magic trying to find their way home again. But when home has been stolen from you, where do you go to get it back?
Awkward Zombie
Katie Tiedrich
Gags and goofs about videogames and the things that happen in them.
No Need for Bushido
Suburban Samurai, J W Kovell
The flash of a blade, the clash of steel! A runaway princess and her samurai companion navigate a fractured country on the brink of war.
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Little Red & Wolf
Aoi Maneki
Delve into the daily lives of two famous fairytale characters, and their adventures in this big weird world we all live in.
Novae
KaiJu
A historical romance with a touch magic and a dash of astronomy. It chronicles the romantic adventures of Sulvain, a sweet tempered necromancer and Raziol, a passionate 17th century astronomer.
Go Get a Roomie
Clover
Experience the queer journey of an upbeat hippie and the friendships she makes along the way! A tale of self-discovery and love of many forms.
Between Failures
Jackie Wohlenhaus
The low stakes adventures of an assorted group of 20 somethings trapped in the declining years of American retail. They are naughty and say lots of swears.
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
Starhammer
J.N. Monk, Harry Bogosian
A teen girl inherits a powerful alien artifact and proceeds to make a series of increasingly poor decisions
Parisa
Ellen K
Two friends, Nolan and Gwen, take it upon themselves to escort the amnesiac spirit Lelief across the world of Parisa.
Demon's Mirror
Harry Bogosian
Based loosely off of "The Snow Queen", a story by Hans Christian Andersen, we see things take a different turn as the demons become central characters, and the side characters stick around. Yup, that's the only differences. Enjoy!
Tove
Severin
The end of the world is coming, and Tove doesn't want to be a hero, but SOMEONE has to look after her little brother.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
BOOKMARK
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
Goto TagClear Tag


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

May 12, 2026

Subconscious

by David M Willis on September 24, 2018 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - Flyin' to the Red
└ Tags: amber, chromedome, ethan

Discussion (204) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    September 24, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    “Hey Walky, stabbed your sister. Not now, like five years ago, and now I have red-tinted flashbacks whenever I think about it. But we’re also sorta friends lately, and I’m beginning to suspect that my dating you is some sort of subconscious attempt to deal with the cognitive dissonance. We cool? On an unrelated note, what do you think the odds are that you and me working together could hook Dorothy up with Chris Evans? No reason.”

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      September 24, 2018 at 12:20 am | #

      Amber’s not friends with her. AG is. 😛

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 24, 2018 at 8:19 am | #

        “Oh, and by the way. Remember how I told you I was Amazi-Girl? That’s not quite true.”

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 24, 2018 at 12:29 am | #

      #NailedIt

    • Emperor Norton II
      Emperor Norton II
      September 24, 2018 at 3:56 pm | #

      If Amber says it exactly like that, I can’t foresee any problems whatsoever.

  2. Spriteless Girl
    Spriteless Girl
    September 24, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    Hey, if you don’t like things why are you dating boys amber?

    • Mr D
      Mr D
      September 24, 2018 at 12:52 am | #

      Because taking in account all her personal hangups she wouldn’t be doing much better dating girls…?

      • Spriteless Girl
        Spriteless Girl
        September 25, 2018 at 9:22 am | #

        Yea, I was just making a thing=penis joke.

  3. CrowsCrone
    CrowsCrone
    September 24, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    Gotta give it to Ethan — he’s making a lot of good points.

  4. Stellar
    Stellar
    September 24, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    I should get that on a t-shirt…

    • Stellar
      Stellar
      September 24, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

      “Just Let Me Like Him/Her/Them Without Making It A Thing” in old school Quicksilver

    • LeslieBean4Shizzle
      LeslieBean4Shizzle
      September 24, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      “Just let me like him without making it a thing!” ?
      I mean, it would make an interesting shirt… just doubt most people would have any idea what it was supposed to mean.

      • LeslieBean4Shizzle
        LeslieBean4Shizzle
        September 24, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

        Oh! Adding Him/Her/Them would make it a far better t-shirt.

        • Inahc
          Inahc
          September 24, 2018 at 12:17 am | #

          with “them”, it could also be interpreted as referring to transformers, which ethan would probably appreciate 🙂

        • Catman
          Catman
          September 24, 2018 at 2:16 am | #

          Even “Just let me like them without making it a thing” works.

  5. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    September 24, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    To be fair to her, 2 dudes does not a pattern make.

    • Alanari
      Alanari
      September 24, 2018 at 12:15 am | #

      Two dudes in general, no. Two dudes in two weeks, when you look similar to their ex and they make up 100% of the total boys she has dumped.. that is a different story

      • Swissaboo
        Swissaboo
        September 24, 2018 at 12:24 am | #

        nope, officially not a pattern until you hit 3. Once is happenstance and twice is coincidence.

        • Bathymetheus
          Bathymetheus
          September 24, 2018 at 12:46 am | #

          On that basis, three times is enemy action.

          I suggest not giving Amber more reasons for paranoia/violence.

        • Charlie Spencer
          Charlie Spencer
          September 24, 2018 at 7:16 am | #

          Try telling that to a cat.

        • Deanatay
          Deanatay
          September 24, 2018 at 8:48 am | #

          All right, but when Amber starts sleeping with Yale University, I’m gonna blame you for not being more proactive.

        • Roborat
          Roborat
          September 24, 2018 at 6:51 pm | #

          Yup, you need three data points to establish a trend.

      • cbwroses
        cbwroses
        September 24, 2018 at 12:33 am | #

        Has Dorothy dated anyone before Danny?
        I remember her saying one day she would eventually date a non virgin, but I don’t remember her saying it was only those two.

        • Andy
          Andy
          September 24, 2018 at 12:40 am | #

          At college, no. Before that, she dated Ethan for a bit before he came out

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            September 24, 2018 at 12:43 am | #

            …must’ve missed the strip where Dorothy dated Ethan.

            • WonderRabbit
              WonderRabbit
              September 24, 2018 at 1:23 am | #

              Obviously they meant shorter, rounder Dorothy.

            • Andy
              Andy
              September 24, 2018 at 7:07 am | #

              And that’s why I shouldn’t comment when I should be sleeping.

            • Blal
              Blal
              September 24, 2018 at 9:23 am | #

              If we extrapolate the pattern, she must have dated Ethan in order for Amber to date him

        • Marisa Mockery
          Marisa Mockery
          September 24, 2018 at 12:48 am | #

          Danny followed Dorothy from high school, so as far as we know he’s her first.

          • Kinoko
            Kinoko
            September 24, 2018 at 1:14 am | #

            What about the “well meaning” mother-of-boyfriend who gifted her a blank photo frame and kept calling her “a treasure”?
            That sounded a bit much, even for Danny’s parents, so I figured it was some other boy she dated in middle school or earlier in high school?

            • Myth
              Myth
              September 24, 2018 at 1:25 am | #

              Danny’s parents actually did call Dorothy “a treasure” in a strip. (Not sure about the photo frame thing.) Not sure if this link will work, so… Their tags are Randal and Sharon, the strip in question was “Wilcoxes”.

              http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/wilcoxes/

              • Kinoko
                Kinoko
                September 24, 2018 at 1:36 am | #

                Aha, I’d forgotten that! I was thinking of this strip:
                http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/prepaid/

                But Dorothy says “past boyfriends” (plural, while still with Walky), so I would say it’s still evidence she dated other boys.

                • Matt
                  Matt
                  September 24, 2018 at 3:17 am | #

                  In other news, Walky has to get to work on that flaming scripture skull

                • BBCC
                  BBCC
                  September 24, 2018 at 10:13 am | #

                  She dated a boy in middle school and accidentally snotted down his throat.

        • CJ
          CJ
          September 24, 2018 at 3:27 am | #

          It definitely sounded like Danny wasn’t her first boyfriend and she seems to know what to do to really enjoy sex.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            September 24, 2018 at 8:26 am | #

            They’d dated a long time and you can get in a good deal of practice with only one boyfriend. She did have other boyfriends earlier, but I don’t think you can infer she had sex with them from that.
            I have a vague memory of something implying they were each other’s firsts, but I’ve no idea where to look.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2018 at 8:23 am | #

          There was the gross description of her first kiss with her middle school boyfriend, Tyler.

          • Tan
            Tan
            September 24, 2018 at 8:36 am | #

            Everyone always forgets Tyler.

            http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-7/01-glower-vacuum/decisions/

            (hopefully not actually the same Tyler)

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      September 24, 2018 at 12:24 am | #

      She’s just a big fan of recycling is all.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        September 24, 2018 at 12:30 am | #

        Waste not, want not

        • Plasma Mongoose
          Plasma Mongoose
          September 24, 2018 at 12:45 am | #

          Hope Dotty got her 10c back at least.

          • Deanatay
            Deanatay
            September 24, 2018 at 9:01 am | #

            Mike got a nickel back.

            You know why.

            • Kamino Neko
              Kamino Neko
              September 24, 2018 at 9:55 pm | #

              He really likes How You Remind Me?

  6. Doopyboop
    Doopyboop
    September 24, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    I just wanna point out that Amber is the one who made it a thing first. Just saying this because I know there’s gonna be comments deriding Ethan for not letting Amber like him without making it ‘a thing’ but… Amber came to Ethan because she’s worried and anxious and was already making it a thing. …Also Amber, you two are dating based on feeling like garbage together. It’s the thingiest thing to ever have THINGED.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      September 24, 2018 at 12:12 am | #

      Petition to rename GarbageShip “The Thing”.

      • Doopyboop
        Doopyboop
        September 24, 2018 at 1:25 am | #

        I’m down for this rename petition, sign me up!

    • Deadjolras
      Deadjolras
      September 24, 2018 at 12:17 am | #

      There’s also the thing about Amber changing Walky’s grades without his consent, an act that could have serious repercussions not only for her, but for him. So, yeah, this is definitely one big Thing.

      • Marisa Mockery
        Marisa Mockery
        September 24, 2018 at 12:51 am | #

        Knowing this comic’s pace, that’s not going to be addressed for irl years. It’d stall the comic like death would. But yeah, good point. Amber has zero respect for boundaries. She changed the grades so he wouldn’t flunk out of school without realizing that failing one class just means he has to repeat it…

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2018 at 8:28 am | #

          It’ll be addressed sooner, but maybe not by the authorities discovering it. Maybe just by Amber telling Walky she did do it. And then the fallout from that.

      • Doopyboop
        Doopyboop
        September 24, 2018 at 1:26 am | #

        YEEEEAH…there’s also that. So, basically, Amber and Walky have so many ‘things’ that it’s like they’re trying for a THING bingo! A…thingo?

    • 3oranges
      3oranges
      September 24, 2018 at 8:20 am | #

      So thingly that Walky might as well be duke of it.

  7. Madock345
    Madock345
    September 24, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    Calling Amazigirl/Sal as the next slipshine

    • Kris
      Kris
      September 24, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      Sal would have to have a sudden 180 in preferences for that to happen. Not that I wouldn’t immediately get a subscription if it did….Still.

      • LeslieBean4Shizzle
        LeslieBean4Shizzle
        September 24, 2018 at 12:11 am | #

        Sal: “Well, ah need to fix things up with Marcie, and ah can’t think of anyway else to do it. So ah need your help practicin’…”

        • LeslieBean4Shizzle
          LeslieBean4Shizzle
          September 24, 2018 at 12:12 am | #

          AmaziGirl, who is always prepared, pulls out a Marcie mask.
          AZ: “Let’s do this.”

      • Inahc
        Inahc
        September 24, 2018 at 12:13 am | #

        next april fools slipshine, perhaps?

        • LeslieBean4Shizzle
          LeslieBean4Shizzle
          September 24, 2018 at 12:38 am | #

          Sadly, probably not. I’m sure something weirder will have occurred by then that will get drawn instead.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2018 at 8:32 am | #

          I’d be good with that. Just a pin-up would be nice.

  8. Kris
    Kris
    September 24, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    I don’t often date men, but when I do they have the Dorothy seal of approval!

    • newllend(henryvolt)
      newllend(henryvolt)
      September 24, 2018 at 12:22 am | #

      Well everyone knows your boyfriend material if you manage to date a future presidential candidate.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2018 at 8:32 am | #

      When I do, they’re friends of Dorothy?

      • Callid13
        Callid13
        September 24, 2018 at 12:59 pm | #

        That holds true for Danny, Walky *and* Ethan – in slightly different ways…

  9. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    September 24, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    Again Ethan, you aren’t necessarily wrong here, but I agree with Amber on this. I don’t think her subconscious made her want to get involved with Walky because of Sal or Dotty. But the advice of telling her she needs to talk to him is solid.

    Also she needs to bri g up the whole grade change thing sooner rather than later. If Walky finds all of that out at once it might be a lot to swallow.

  10. jeffepp
    jeffepp
    September 24, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    “Just make out with him, so I can do THAT thing.”

    “Write slash fiction? ”

    “That too.”

  11. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    September 24, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    Today’s strip is sponsored by the 2019 GMC Acacia Denali. When you need a getaway vehicle capable of carrying ALL your BAGGAGE.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      September 24, 2018 at 2:12 am | #

      Poor Amber needs an Express 3500, or maybe a Silverado 6500.

      *Cues up Bob Seger*

      • Stephen Bierce
        Stephen Bierce
        September 24, 2018 at 12:45 pm | #

        CHEVY is Bob Seger. GMC is THE WHO.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          September 24, 2018 at 7:53 pm | #

          I still want to meet the marketing consultant with the cojones to recommend Eminence Front for a pseudo-luxury brand’s campaign.

          (Bob Seger is to go with the van Amber needs for her baggage.)

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        September 24, 2018 at 6:53 pm | #

        Screw that, she needs a Peterbilt.

  12. Inahc
    Inahc
    September 24, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    it’s fun to see characters finally say things that the comment section has been repeating for ages. 🙂

    also: thiiiiing.

  13. Portland
    Portland
    September 24, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

    When I was in high school, this one girl and I kept dating all the same guys. She was a cheerleader but pretty much exclusively dated nerdy guys, and I was… well, the sort of person who would grow up to make long comments about her dating history on a webcomic.

    There wasn’t really any drama between the two of us about it, there was always enough downtime between relationships that it wasn’t a thing, but we definitely noticed and it was hilarious to both of us. I guess we just both had a type.

    Anyways, I tell this story because a few years ago a mutual friend ran into her on a train and it turned out she was married and had two kids with a cult leader. So, to Amber- run. Run while you still can.

    • LeslieBean4Shizzle
      LeslieBean4Shizzle
      September 24, 2018 at 12:09 am | #

      That story did not end how I thought it was going to end. Yikes.

    • John
      John
      September 24, 2018 at 12:17 am | #

      So have you married the cult leader?

    • newllend(henryvolt)
      newllend(henryvolt)
      September 24, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

      Ok…so is Amber you in this story or she the girl that ends up with a cultist?

      • Bonnabella
        Bonnabella
        September 24, 2018 at 12:42 am | #

        I think with that story, Dotty ends up dating a cultist.

        Judging by what I know about cultists… it could happen. RUN DOTTY.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 24, 2018 at 12:32 am | #

      So… if you date a divorced guy down the line, you will have to work in “are you a cult leader” in the conversation somehow. Fun, fun, fun first date activity!

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 24, 2018 at 8:37 am | #

        Could work out. I mean, if he is, he’s got to be wondering how he’s going to bring it up.
        Otherwise, you’ve got this funny little story about high school dating to break the ice with.

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          September 24, 2018 at 10:15 am | #

          Heh, that’s actually true.

          I suppose the moral is not to be afraid of raising unconventional topics.

    • Marisa Mockery
      Marisa Mockery
      September 24, 2018 at 12:54 am | #

      I’d like to think you two swapped embarrassing stories about your exs or something. It’s too bad she fell for a cult…but man I would love to hear how THAT came about

    • Mr D
      Mr D
      September 24, 2018 at 12:56 am | #

      “the sort of person who would grow up to make long comments about her dating history on a webcomic. ” That’s Awfully specific!!

      Also: God Damn where were the cheerleaders into nerdy guys when I was in high school D:

      • Mr D
        Mr D
        September 24, 2018 at 12:57 am | #

        Then again I was a hot mess in high school, before like 5 years of therapy and several years of antipsychotic medicine killing 80% of my weird.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 24, 2018 at 1:10 am | #

      There were cheerleaders who were into nerdy guys in your high school? Weird. In my high school the cheerleaders mostly dated the jocks and ignored the nerdy guys.

      • TheBenenator
        TheBenenator
        September 24, 2018 at 4:54 am | #

        It’s almost as if not everyone in a social clique has to follow a cultural cliche. 😉

        Or: Let her like who she wants without making it a Thing. 😆

  14. Dave
    Dave
    September 24, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

    I always hate it when people want to invoke the “it could have been subconscious” line of thought. Like, hey thanks for making me doubt my own damn brain, very helpful.

    • Alanari
      Alanari
      September 24, 2018 at 12:21 am | #

      When you have ptsd, “doubt your own brain” is a pretty good advice until you learned to cope with it in an appropriate manner. Speaking from experience.

      Seriously, that thing makes no sense until it calmed down. Which takes years.

      • Diner Kinetic
        Diner Kinetic
        September 24, 2018 at 12:40 am | #

        it depends a lot on the context and the person, really- sometimes for stuff like anxiety “get out of your own head the world is safe” sounds really good if it’s phrased properly, but issues with self doubt normally need the opposite since it’s a struggle _to_ believe said brain, not ignore it. unfortunatley amber just has every single problem; Ethan can help 50%, hurt 50% and be _totally clueless_ about her Butts Disease

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        September 24, 2018 at 9:37 am | #

        Not to mention anxiety. I tell my brain to shut up constantly.

    • Rex Vivat
      Rex Vivat
      September 24, 2018 at 12:59 am | #

      Except that in this case, we actually saw it happen. Maybe you forgot, and honestly I can’t fault you for it because it’s been a long time from our point of view, but Amber once noted something in him made her subconscious scream “danger” (or something along those lines, I forget the exact wording)

    • CJ
      CJ
      September 24, 2018 at 3:21 am | #

      Your brain sometimes tells you bullshit even without ptsd.
      Our brains are equipped to deal with problems in the world directly around us that are related to survival (like detecting dangerous animals, identifying sources of food, or potential mates) not with the kind of problems our complex industrialized society generates.

      A lot of advertising aims at your brain telling you bullshit.

      That’s part of why Trump and all the other right-wingers in the world currently have so much success.
      They repeat their lies over and over again and after the umpteenst reiteration, there are neuronal paths in your brain associated with that idea and if you meet it again, it seems more plausible because you heard it before.
      (I could go on about other stuff the brain does which distorts reality which usually is not a problem but becomes one, if exploited).

      The thing is to learn which part of your thinking is appropriate for which problem and where you can trust in your first thoughts and where you should think again.

    • TheBenenator
      TheBenenator
      September 24, 2018 at 5:02 am | #

      As someone in an AI safety research center once said, “This is what happens when you run programs that fucked themselves into existence on computers made of meat.”

      Also, seconding Alanari’s and everyone else’s replies currently made.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 24, 2018 at 8:39 am | #

        They’re made out of meat.

  15. Danielle
    Danielle
    September 24, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

    last panel ethan is right

  16. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 24, 2018 at 12:12 am | #

    Look, Ethan, it’s not Amber’s fault that Dorothy has EXCELLENT taste in men.

    • Goki
      Goki
      September 24, 2018 at 12:24 am | #

      Ya know… Danny became way more awesome after both Dorothy and Amber broke up with him. I wonder if this will have same effect when Amber breaks up with Walky.

  17. newllend(henryvolt)
    newllend(henryvolt)
    September 24, 2018 at 12:13 am | #

    To be fair Amber this conversation started because you where in a panic about it, so that is kind of making it a thing. But hey I guess if there’s a lesson to learn here is to not question it if you don’t want to ruin your fun.

  18. poofdepoof
    poofdepoof
    September 24, 2018 at 12:15 am | #

    I feel like Ethan is expressing a lot of the opinions of the comment section. You can’t expect people observing something directly to express the same feelings as people observing people from as much distance as we have; but it’s fun to see that he is, and to see how Amber reacts to it all. And funny, of course 🙂

    I hope she tells Walky about Sal; I would be SO proud of her… If her relationship is about being comfortable with herself around him, then that would be a good place to start.

    (pats the small part of my brain still devoted to fretting about the grades that Amber doctored against Walky’s wishes)

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2018 at 8:43 am | #

      I’d be even prouder if she brought up her disassociation. That’s something that he needs to know and as far as I can tell, she’s never actually told anyone.
      She’s hinted around at it and in some cases talked like someone already knew, but she’s never actually explained it to anyone.

  19. Tacos
    Tacos
    September 24, 2018 at 12:15 am | #

    While Ethan isn’t exactly wrong, he probably shouldn’t be bringing it up. Amber has enough to deal with as is.

    • Roger
      Roger
      September 24, 2018 at 12:55 am | #

      While I mostly, Mostly agree with that sentiment, the part where she needs to let him know she kinda stabbed his sister seems kinda important to make sure about. Forget the psychobabble that’s just something you can’t keep from your partner.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 24, 2018 at 8:44 am | #

        Nor can you not mention that if they sleep together, he’s likely to wake up with someone else.

  20. John
    John
    September 24, 2018 at 12:16 am | #

    Yeah, you better be careful, Amber, or you’re going to end up dating Joyce next.

  21. cbwroses
    cbwroses
    September 24, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

    You tell him, Amber!

  22. 3oranges
    3oranges
    September 24, 2018 at 12:21 am | #

    But it was too late. Amber’s like for him had already been taken up in an experimental rocket, and was exposed to cosmic rays.

  23. Goki
    Goki
    September 24, 2018 at 12:23 am | #

    Thank you Ethan, for calling Amber on her massive BS.

  24. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 24, 2018 at 12:23 am | #

    As far as Dorothy’s exes goes…. she could do worse. Dorothy tends to leave them better than she finds them.

    • Goki
      Goki
      September 24, 2018 at 12:26 am | #

      So imagine how Walky will be after Amber and him break up.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      September 24, 2018 at 10:18 am | #

      Except Tyler. She really paid that one forward.

      • ShinyNeen
        ShinyNeen
        September 24, 2018 at 11:13 am | #

        Well, she had to get a practice round in first. Tyler’s sacrifice shall not be forgotten! Probably.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        September 24, 2018 at 11:59 am | #

        Goddamit, Tyler.

      • cbwroses
        cbwroses
        September 24, 2018 at 7:06 pm | #

        Who the hell is Tyler?

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2018 at 8:05 pm | #

          Everyone always forgets Tyler.
          One of Ryan’s “bros”.
          Also Dorothy’s middle-school boyfriend and first real kiss.

          Hopefully not actually the same person.

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          September 24, 2018 at 11:59 pm | #

          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/02-guess-whos-coming-to-galassos/tyler/

  25. newllend(henryvolt)
    newllend(henryvolt)
    September 24, 2018 at 12:24 am | #

    Damn, I was hoping the title of this page was going to be, “My stupid feelings.”

  26. Dean
    Dean
    September 24, 2018 at 12:35 am | #

    Did anyone else get emailed a preview of this strip by Patreon yesterday? I’m only a $1 supporter, so I don’t usually get preview strips, and when I clicked through to the site, the entry had been locked for $5 supporters.

    • Dellaran
      Dellaran
      September 24, 2018 at 12:56 am | #

      Yep, I got the preview. I figured Patreon had a derp moment.

  27. Diner Kinetic
    Diner Kinetic
    September 24, 2018 at 12:36 am | #

    I like that Amber kind of follows the same logic as the comments section from last night- it’s always good to see charachters in any work behave in a manner that’s logically sound based on IRL decision making; not like in that they should reflect the morality of veiwers or make the _same_ decisions they would, but that even if they make bad choices said choices are still logical and therefore make more in-charachter sense

  28. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    September 24, 2018 at 12:37 am | #

    Ethan, quit reading the comments section.

  29. Rex Vivat
    Rex Vivat
    September 24, 2018 at 12:37 am | #

    Hey, he’s just saying what we’re all thinking. But in all seriousness, it just means that you have similar tastes in men, and probably the physical similarities between you too mean that most that would be physically attracted to one of you would also be likely to be physically attracted to the other. Nothing to be ashamed about that.

    • Kris
      Kris
      September 24, 2018 at 1:14 am | #

      I’d actually argue that Dorothy and Amber don’t look that much alike. It’s mostly the hairstyle and glasses. Dorothy’s taller and thinner obviously, but her chin’s also more rounded while Amber’s is pointed. Billie actually looks more like Amber in figure and head shape in my opinion, but that comparison isn’t brought up as much because it’s not recurring gag.

      • Nate
        Nate
        September 24, 2018 at 1:55 am | #

        Depends how you’re looking at it I suppose! I find Amber and Dorothy to have enough things in common for the comparison to make sense.

        I don’t see it as just the haircut and the glasses, that’s fairly superficial. They’re both very academically gifted/minded/however you’d like to phrase it. Intelligent and good at school. They also share a love of at least one nerdy thing (Dexter and the Monkey Master) and I would hazard a guess that Dorothy had further nerdy interests in the past but chose to put them aside to focus on her ambition. They’re both insecure perfectionists who self-flagellate for any (real or imagined) failure. Both are very caring people who want to support their friends even though they weren’t naturally gifted with an aptitude for social skills and don’t know how.

        Oh and they both have a thing for sweet-but-dorky boys haha

        • taekwondogirl
          taekwondogirl
          September 24, 2018 at 2:40 am | #

          I think you’re pretty close, but Amber’s as much a perfectionist as Walky is. That’s why there’s the Garbage Roof.

          • Yumi
            Yumi
            September 24, 2018 at 7:11 am | #

            This doesn’t make sense to me. There’s garbage roof because Amber wants somewhere to beat herself up for not being perfect; that’s very much perfectionist.

            On that note, Walky’s need for things to come easily to him and failures to deal with challenges could also be symptoms of perfectionism. It’s just that, of the three of them, Dorothy’s dealing with it the best. (Still not ideal, but, you know.)

            • cbwroses
              cbwroses
              September 24, 2018 at 7:05 pm | #

              Actually, Amber went up to the roof first to look for a way to start messing with AG’s reputation. Then later, because she was bothered with the idea that she hasn’t done anything for Faz considering he’s living with her dad as a parental figure.
              AG has been on the roof a few times, once so Amber wouldn’t stab Sal. So it’s kinda been garbage roof for her, too, regardless of personality. If we agree that garbage roof is where they go to deal with negative feelings about themselves.

              • Yumi
                Yumi
                September 24, 2018 at 7:11 pm | #

                Yeah, that doesn’t actually seem counter to what I said?

                • taekwondogirl
                  taekwondogirl
                  September 28, 2018 at 12:16 am | #

                  There’s a difference between hating yourself and being a perfectionist. She’s screwing up to a much higher magnitude than what a perfectionist does. Perfectionists focus on trivial details. If you’re thinking about the behavior a perfectionist exhibits because of that (e.g. if I had only done X, Y would have worked) then sure. But that’s a behavior that can be attributed to far more personality issues than just perfectionist, so just because she has it doesn’t mean she’s a perfectionist.

  30. Andy
    Andy
    September 24, 2018 at 12:44 am | #

    All things considered, dating Dorothy’s cast offs isn’t all that bad. I mean, she generally dumped them because she didn’t have time for them or see a future with them, not because they were bad dudes. If you’re gonna date someone’s leftovers, you could do far worse than Dorothy.

    • CJ
      CJ
      September 24, 2018 at 3:08 am | #

      Thus promoting the idea that partners are a commodity in short supply so some people only get “leftovers”. Who is respected least in this world view? The leftover or the one taking it?

      • TheBenenator
        TheBenenator
        September 24, 2018 at 5:55 am | #

        The people who make the point you are right now, honestly.

        Which is stupid and sad and “wtf, humans?!” worthy.

        • CJ
          CJ
          September 24, 2018 at 6:03 am | #

          Please elaborate, I don’t understand what you are trying to say.

          • TheBenenator
            TheBenenator
            October 1, 2018 at 7:50 pm | #

            Sorry for the delay!

            I was trying to briefly answer your question, “Who is respected least in this world view?” with a third option: the people who try to point out how ludicrous a cultural idea (about anything at all) are usually the ones respected least. 🙁

            In other words: I think your idea is neat and that the default assumption you’re criticizing is stupid. 😀

    • Alanari
      Alanari
      September 24, 2018 at 4:06 am | #

      You’ll always date the leftover of someone. It’s just usually just not the same someone.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 24, 2018 at 8:46 am | #

        Past a certain age, I suppose. You could always be someone’s first crush.

        • Alanari
          Alanari
          September 24, 2018 at 12:21 pm | #

          True

  31. Alex C
    Alex C
    September 24, 2018 at 12:45 am | #

    Yeah. Let it be a thing. It could be a good thing or a bad thing; but let us see where this thing goes.

  32. Mr D
    Mr D
    September 24, 2018 at 12:50 am | #

    Ethan, stop it. You’re not her therap-

    Wait. Does she actually HAVE a therapist?

    • Marisa Mockery
      Marisa Mockery
      September 24, 2018 at 1:00 am | #

      Heh, pretty sure a therapist would jump at the chance to diagnose DID. My mom worked at a mental hospital for 15 years during the 90s and met one person she genuinely thought had DID out of the hundreds that claimed. It would be fascinating, but it would be dealt with asap and she’d prolly end up in a psych ward.

      So yeah probably not. Billy and Ruth are the ones who know they need to go to therapy.

      • CJ
        CJ
        September 24, 2018 at 3:04 am | #

        And now we know why people with DID tend to avoid psychiatrists like the plague.

        Someone who is good with dealing with DID should give Amber and AG both some trauma therapy and ideally facilitate so they communicate again. Putting them in a mental hospital against their will would make it worse.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2018 at 8:48 am | #

          OTOH, one of her alters is built around going out at night and beating up criminals. Even someone good at dealing with DID is very likely to flag that as “danger to self or others”. Correctly.

          • Mr D
            Mr D
            September 24, 2018 at 9:13 am | #

            one of my favorite readings of batman is “Mentally unbalanced rich person dresses up in BDSM gear and goes out at night to beat up poor people trying to get ahead any way they can”

            • MatthewTheLucky
              MatthewTheLucky
              September 24, 2018 at 12:12 pm | #

              Poor people and lost mental patients.

          • CJ
            CJ
            September 24, 2018 at 3:45 pm | #

            Maybe that’s danger to self and others. Putting her in a mental institution *against her will* will make things worse, though.

            So I’d accept her decision to endanger herself and would try to make her better or *agree to the mental institution * before she beats up someone who hasn’t done something wrong (though she tried to pick a fight with Sal that one time at the parking lot, she isn’t the one throwing the first blow so up to now, anyone she got in a fight with wasn’t totally innocent and this is an important distinction to someone who goes around beating up random people for funsies.)

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              September 24, 2018 at 5:22 pm | #

              “Danger to self or others” is pretty much the bar for involuntary commitment.

              In addition to any legal consequences she might face for Amazi-Girl’s action, a therapist is not likely to rely on “Yeah, I go out looking for people to beat up, but I make sure they’re bad people and provoke them into attacking me first.”

              • CJ
                CJ
                September 24, 2018 at 7:17 pm | #

                Yes, I know that’s the bar for involuntary commitment. And I’m sure the DID will worsen with an involuntary commitment, so if I were a therapist, I’d try other ways FIRST.
                if you do not create a basis on which they are willing to trust you and therefor a basis for them to agree to be treated, putting them again in a helpless situation (and committing someone is just that) will make the trauma worse.

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  September 24, 2018 at 8:09 pm | #

                  You also do not let someone who’s a danger to others, someone who has been out committing violence run around loose, even if it would be better for their therapy.

                • CJ
                  CJ
                  September 27, 2018 at 3:49 am | #

                  Well, at this point in time, I would. Because the people who got it up to now deserved what they got. If, while I was threating her, she would beat up someone who hasn’t done anything that made a beating appropriate, I’d be my fault.
                  The time frame might be short, because her ideas as AG are going in dangerous directions as we saw when she and Sal caught those rapist-friends and she wanted to tie them up upside down.
                  That’s a long way from her creative ways of dealing with the guys who were painting the traffic sign.
                  And it’s not like I, as a therapist, would know all of this from the start.

    • newllend(henryvolt)
      newllend(henryvolt)
      September 24, 2018 at 1:01 am | #

      Think she’s on the verge of fucking him right now tbh.

      • Mr D
        Mr D
        September 24, 2018 at 1:11 am | #

        ….You know, you’re right, Walky is as close as a therapist she’s gotten.

        That is a scary thought.

    • Marisa Mockery
      Marisa Mockery
      September 24, 2018 at 1:04 am | #

      I remember a comic saying she was supposed to have therapy after the robbery but Blaine put her in self defense classes instead. So, yeah, we can blame Blaine for AmaziGirl’s birth. That guy needs to burn in hell.

  33. Keulen
    Keulen
    September 24, 2018 at 1:13 am | #

    It’s too late Amber, it’s already a thing now.

  34. Rabid Rabbit
    Rabid Rabbit
    September 24, 2018 at 1:20 am | #

    Poor Amber. Both her best friends from school are prone to psychoanalysing her, and the worst thing about it is that they’re kind of right.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2018 at 8:49 am | #

      She has another best friend from high school?

      I mean, I know she knows Mike, but she barely even qualifies as “willing to stand next to him” these days.

      • MatthewTheLucky
        MatthewTheLucky
        September 24, 2018 at 5:46 pm | #

        Second best friend from a pool of two.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2018 at 6:24 pm | #

          Also known as worst enemy she still knows from high school. 🙂

  35. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    September 24, 2018 at 1:55 am | #

    Ethan’s channeling the comments today.

  36. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 24, 2018 at 2:04 am | #

    I agree with Amber: Life stops being fun when you start examining too closely what your brain may be doing in the background without telling you.

  37. Darkoneko
    Darkoneko
    September 24, 2018 at 2:14 am | #

    Amber : the downstream Dorothy

  38. HMH
    HMH
    September 24, 2018 at 2:22 am | #

    i am totally on amber’s side here because ethan rn is literally me and that kind of thing isnt always appropriate

  39. Chris B
    Chris B
    September 24, 2018 at 2:28 am | #

    Regarding the “Dorothy Cast-Off” coincidence, it seems that’s more a problem with Dorothy acting like a selfish, controlling pain in the ass who dates people that she throws away when she can’t handle the nature of relationships.

    Instead of fretting over Dorothy, Amber should just do what she wants.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      September 24, 2018 at 2:32 am | #

      uh

    • taekwondogirl
      taekwondogirl
      September 24, 2018 at 2:42 am | #

      She very specifically broke up because she feels like it gets in the way of her ambitions. She isn’t exactly wrong, look how her grades dipped while she was with Walky. There are problematic elements to it, but “selfish, controlling pain in the ass” is really an over the top, stark way of looking at it.

      • Rabid Rabbit
        Rabid Rabbit
        September 24, 2018 at 3:11 am | #

        She also dumped Danny because she felt she was screwing him up. Which she clearly was, based on his own admission that he only went to this university because she was going there, while if he was choosing a university on the basis of his own interests, he would have gone elsewhere. In Danny’s case, at least, she can partly justify things for his own good. In breaking up with Walky, she did it for her own good. Now, that seems to be a miscalculation on her part, but still.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2018 at 8:51 am | #

          She did it partly for his good as well. At least, she recognized in that breakup scene that she had been jerking him around with her problem with setting limits and breaking them.

        • Fart Captor
          Fart Captor
          September 24, 2018 at 10:47 pm | #

          Danny was screwing himself up. “All that matters is that we’re together” sounds sweet in the abstract, but the way he was making major life decisions with little or no thought about what he wanted to do with his life other than being Dorothy’s boyfriend was extremely unhealthy.

          That’s not something Dorothy did to him or could really have done anything about besides breaking up with him, especially since he was starting to be crappy about her ambitions and trying to talk her out of them because he didn’t want her ambitions to pull her away from him and couldn’t see how shitty it was to act on that fear.

          The fact that by the point of the breakup, it was also for Dorothy’s benefit because she no longer wanted to keep dating him does not negate that Dorothy correctly recognized that Danny would be better off for it

          Danny is MUCH better off having been dumped by Dorothy, and better still for having taken the time since getting dumped by Amber to actually focus on HIM.

          I don’t think breaking up with Walky was a miscalculation either. Regardless of if/when she’ll change her mind about her priorities or fix her workload so she has more free time, she’s decided to put her long-term goals first. She’d tried a temporary pause and she couldn’t stick to it, so breaking up with Walky was kinder to him than trying to keep him on standby for some unknown amount of time

          An action doesn’t become purely selfish simply because your own interests are PART of the motivation. Especially since ending a relationship is something people have every right to do for any reason, with absolutely no thought to what the other person wants.

    • CJ
      CJ
      September 24, 2018 at 2:51 am | #

      Dorothy isn’t any more selfish in breaking up with Danny or Walky than anyone ever finding their relationship doesn’t go where they want it to go.
      People who are not selfish that way stay in relationships that hurt them.

      That said, yes, Amber should definitely figure out what she wants. I wouldn’t think it’s her pattern to like guys just separated from Dorothy. Two is not enough to make a pattern anyway.

      • Emily
        Emily
        September 24, 2018 at 6:30 am | #

        Breaking up with Danny? No. Waiting to break up with Danny until he had followed her to college because she hoped to avoid that confrontation by running from the problem and thus stringing him along? Yes.

        • Sam
          Sam
          September 24, 2018 at 9:21 pm | #

          I wouldn’t really say she was stringing him along so much as she hoped with all her might that he would actually listen to her and do something for himself instead of following her like a puppy dog. She was trying even right up until the break up to convince him and to salvage their relationship by doing so – up until he showed a lack of faith in her.

  40. stoodmuffin
    stoodmuffin
    September 24, 2018 at 2:50 am | #

    Man. Sometimes I feel 800 steps behind. All my comments yesterday were predicted by this strip. Which came via a 3 month buffer. Woah, dude. Is Willis the flash? Or Sanic? He fast.

    • stoodmuffin
      stoodmuffin
      September 24, 2018 at 2:51 am | #

      Or, more, just turning slowly into a Methodical super villain. He DID write one for. Uh. Years?

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      September 24, 2018 at 4:12 am | #

      It just means that Willis is good at creating a narrative ‘feed’ where every new strip feels organically and logically preceded. Things don’t just pop out of thin air, rather a reasonably perceptive person can see where things are going.l

  41. Samantha Johnson
    Samantha Johnson
    September 24, 2018 at 3:35 am | #

    I honestly dont think the dorothy cast off is anything more than Dorothy and Amber are actually very similar and have similar taste in men walky and Danny are also very similar boys un personality and vibe so it isnt odd to me.
    Ethan really cares about Amber abd im glad he’s pointing out some problems to her and she’s handling it better than I imagined she would actually

    • Emily
      Emily
      September 24, 2018 at 6:28 am | #

      I take umbrage at the insult of comparing Danny to Walky. Danny lacks drive sure but Walky is a complete manchild. Walky isn’t even capable of acting like a grownup long enough to not completely derail a tutoring session; Danny is actually mature and competent enough to tutor someone successfully. Really, of the cast Danny’s one of the ones whose mostly got their shit together.

      • cbwroses
        cbwroses
        September 24, 2018 at 6:57 pm | #

        Danny wanted to sway Dorothy away from her dream and Amber away from AG. Walky is supportive of the former (we’ll see with the latter).

        Neither have many friends, but even Danny’s best friend doesn’t want to be around him that much and was talking about dumping him for Jacob. As annoying as Walky can be, Billie has been shown to both depend on him and care about him, and even Joyce called him family.

        Danny has had thoughts about other people even when in a relationship, the Amber/AG thing, also Ethan, and arguably Sal. Walky, at least so far, has only had his focus on one person at a time.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2018 at 8:14 pm | #

          I’d say that Danny’s best friend’s problems with Danny are more on him than on Danny. Joe has also been shown to both depend on him and care about him – once Joe got called on his shit enough to admit that.
          Billie, though you are correct, has also been far worse to Walky than Joe was to Danny, from the very start: “I do not know you here”.

        • the final pam
          the final pam
          September 25, 2018 at 12:00 am | #

          Is Danny trying to sway Amber away from being AG supposed to be a bad thing? She’s doing something very dangerous and criminal that has almost gotten her killed before, and it’s been pretty clear that AG has not been good for Amber’s mental health, as surprisingly, using violence to sort through your trauma doesn’t actually help your trauma. It’s not unreasonable for Danny to want to try to stop Amber from doing something that’s potentially harmful, both mentally and physically.

          And like… it’s not wrong to be interested in more than one person at a time. Feelings are messy and complicated and also polyamorous people exist. Sometimes it just happens to be that you have feelings for two people at the same time, and that’s fine and normal. What matters is if you act on them or not. Walky’s not somehow better than Danny just because he has only expressed interest in Dorothy for the majority of the comic. Also, for what it’s worth, Danny didn’t even express interest in other people when he was in a relationship? He only ever wanted to be friends with Sal when he was still with Amber/AG, and then when he was dumped, then he showed interest in Ethan and arguably Sal, but while he was still with Amber, he hadn’t. So, unless you’re saying Danny can’t think about other people while he’s single, or think about multiple people while he’s still single, not sure why that’s even a point.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            September 25, 2018 at 7:51 am | #

            I think Danny’s motives were good in the Amber/AG thing, but saying AG hasn’t been good for Amber’s mental health is not quite right. Amazi-Girl is a symptom of her mental health problems (as, in another way is Amber herself.)
            Using her as a violent outlet is not healthy, but trying to stop that by suppressing AG is even worse – as we’re seeing with the split now.
            Danny couldn’t have been expected to know any of this of course.

            Danny did show interest in Ethan while he was dating Amber. He didn’t talk about it with Ethan until after, but it was definitely clear to us and to him.
            Sal, less so. He’s actually still expressed less romantic interest in Sal than in Ethan and seems mostly to be pursuing a friendship with her. Probably still thinking she’s out of his league.

            • the final pam
              the final pam
              September 25, 2018 at 11:59 am | #

              Notice how I said nothing about suppressing AG at all. Again, Danny didn’t know the full extent of Amber’s DID, and came away thinking that it was like a really intense Bruce Wayne/Batman situation. AG as a persona can still exist but just, y’know, stop going around punching people after dark. Danny literally just suggested Amber take a break so she doesn’t end up dead: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/teensiest/

              Okay, I misremembered the timeline. Does not change the rest of my comment, though. There’s absolutely nothing wrong Danny having interest in more than one person at a time. It happens. He’s not somehow immoral or wrong or disloyal, when he was even intending to fall for Ethan and didn’t say or act on it until after he had been dumped.

  42. JBento
    JBento
    September 24, 2018 at 5:47 am | #

    Just throw in “And you should also tell him about your DID.” and Ethan is the manifestation of the comments section.

    • Emily
      Emily
      September 24, 2018 at 6:38 am | #

      Also, the grades.

      • JBento
        JBento
        September 24, 2018 at 11:41 am | #

        I keep forgetting about the grades, which just goes to show how much of a flaming quagmire the whole thing is.

        • Roborat
          Roborat
          September 24, 2018 at 6:59 pm | #

          Hmm, “flaming quagmire”. Not sure if that would work better as a drink, or a family guy episode.

        • RicardtheDragoon
          RicardtheDragoon
          September 24, 2018 at 9:55 pm | #

          A flaming quagmire was just the thing in The Princess Bride. Or maybe that was more of a fiery swamp. Meh, close enough.

  43. FacelessDeviant
    FacelessDeviant
    September 24, 2018 at 6:30 am | #

    Its always easier to have a clear view from the other side of the table. I mean, Ethan is dating -Mike-.

    • ego
      ego
      September 24, 2018 at 8:39 am | #

      well zung, but i don’t think so. judging by ethan’s and mike’s conduct both, we’re looking at the post-moria-gandalf edition of ethan.

  44. Emily
    Emily
    September 24, 2018 at 6:37 am | #

    Amber it super is a thing. The sooner you address its innate thingness the less likely it is to go down in a Hindenburg-tier fiery wreck.

  45. Josh Spicer
    Josh Spicer
    September 24, 2018 at 8:57 am | #

    Do we HAVE to make it a thing?

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      September 24, 2018 at 9:14 am | #

      If by ‘we’, you mean the comments section, yes. That is what we do here.

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        September 24, 2018 at 9:37 am | #

        I thought we did pun threads.

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          September 24, 2018 at 10:17 am | #

          Don’t you mean fun threads?

          • Emperor Norton II
            Emperor Norton II
            September 24, 2018 at 3:58 pm | #

            A needle sharp observation as always, Bagge.

  46. Sunny
    Sunny
    September 24, 2018 at 10:04 am | #

    So what are the odds of Walky figuring it out before Amber tells him? He’s pretty lazy but he’s definitely not stupid.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 24, 2018 at 10:17 am | #

      Hmmmm. That is true, but he doesn’t have TOO much information to go on. Does he even know exactly how Sal was stabbed? If I heard someone was stabbed while attempting a clumsy robbery I would assume it was in a fight with a security guard or something like that.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        September 24, 2018 at 10:22 am | #

        Depending whether or not Sal came home, he might not even know she was stabbed.

  47. Shaith86
    Shaith86
    September 24, 2018 at 10:17 am | #

    So, two ex-boyfriends… Next up, Dorothy’ll end up loaning Amber a coat or something and Ethan will declare it a hat trick.

  48. abysswatcher1993
    abysswatcher1993
    September 24, 2018 at 10:21 am | #

    Ethan, stop being a prick and offer actual advice! If Amber likes Walky it’s just that!

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 24, 2018 at 12:50 pm | #

      He did offer helpful advice on how to make more space for your action figure display!

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        September 24, 2018 at 12:50 pm | #

        Which honestly seems like something Amber could have use for.

  49. Ray
    Ray
    September 24, 2018 at 1:05 pm | #

    So basically, Dorothy is claiming the right of Prima Nocta???

  50. Schol-R-LEA;2
    Schol-R-LEA;2
    September 24, 2018 at 1:55 pm | #

    Just let me make out with his thing?

    • Emperor Norton II
      Emperor Norton II
      September 24, 2018 at 4:01 pm | #

      I’m not stopping you.

  51. Wereg
    Wereg
    September 24, 2018 at 4:33 pm | #

    Am I the only one still peeved that she moved on from Danny that quickly? Same with Walky and Dorothy??

    • porto
      porto
      September 24, 2018 at 5:38 pm | #

      It’s college.
      Meh.

    • the final pam
      the final pam
      September 24, 2018 at 11:45 pm | #

      I mean, Walky still has feelings for Dorothy. Those didn’t just go away. But he also has new feelings for Amber. The same goes for Amber. She still has feelings for Danny, although that’s all complicated with AG. Just the other day, she was telling Dorothy that she missed Danny.

      They’re both kinda vulnerable and are just going for a relationship where they seek comfort in each other. Doesn’t mean any of their feelings for previous partners has magically gone away, or their head over heels with each other either.

  52. Beef
    Beef
    September 24, 2018 at 8:31 pm | #

    Ethan is me in the comments before the kiss. Amber is me in the comments after the kiss

  53. Rhiannon King
    Rhiannon King
    September 29, 2018 at 1:49 am | #

    I need that GIF of Snooki, edited with Dorothy’s face on it that says, “Why does Amber keep making out with guys after I kiss them? Does she want to kiss me? Just ask, I’ll say yes.”

Who should be the default doodle for Book 14?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
CONVENTION APPEARANCES


May 3, 2025 - FCBD @ Laughing Ogre Comics in Columbus, Ohio

©2010-2025 Dumbing of Age | Powered by WordPress with ComicPress | Subscribe: RSS | Privacy Policy | Back to Top ↑