The adventures of the world’s greatest villain who, after defeating his superheroic nemesis, decides that he’s the only one left to defend the world.
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
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.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
ARISE, YE SKELETON KING
Brian Clevinger, Escher Cattle, Lee Black
A troupe of wandering "adventurers" down to their last silver "acquire" a map only to find the real treasure was the fiend they dug up along the way.
Scape
Lauren
Sula has always preferred to forge her own path, but before she knows it, she is pulled into the middle of a civil war between man and monster!
Sakana
Mad Rupert
Our heroes must navigate a hazardous dating scene, overcome personal anxieties, and wrangle unruly seafood in order to find love, peace of mind, and a paycheck.
The Weave
Rennie Kingsley
A young woman pursued by bad luck is witness to the murder of the Fairy Queen of Summer. Can she get to the bottom of this mystery?
Alexander, The Servant & The Water of Life
Reimena Yee
The 21st century retelling of the life and legends of Alexander the Great.
Goodbye to Halos
Valerie Halla
Cuddles, gay flirting, weird feelings, and magic-fueled knife fights - it's an adventure across the queer multiverse!
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.
The Golden Boar
Magnolia Porter Siddell
A young woman joins a group of summoners who call forth Guardian Beasts to protect their isolated magical island. Unfortunately, her Guardian Beast is nothing like she'd imagined, and he's about to change her life, and everything she thought she knew about herself...
Cassiopeia Quinn
Gunwild, Psudonym
A cute, pantsless thief is pursued across the stars by a buttoned-up military officer in the spacey, laser-filled future.
Astral Aves
Moon Cabal
A fantasy coming-of-age following the adventures of Astra The Black and friends, as they navigate the mysterious world around them. It's politics, adventure, and the supernatural; oh, and crazy hair.
Lies Within
Lacey
Lysander's aimless and carefree life is turned upside down when he accidentally discovers that the cute boy next door, Simon, is a literal monster
Saint for Rent
Ru Xu
Saint Halliday runs an inn for Time Travelers. Unfortunately, he seems to attract other supernatural "guests," too.
Freakshow
Scotty
A festival of broken people, blood flows in the center ring. Come one and come all, to the greatest show in all of Paris.
Alice and the Nightmare
Misha Krivanek
Alice finally attends University to learn to collect the dreams of humans, meet new friends, and deal with a pesky reflection along the way.
Not Drunk Enough
Tess Stone
Logan Ibarra is possibly the unluckiest repairman in the world. A late night job should not have landed him in the middle of a mad scientist's squabble, but he soon finds himself surrounded by monsters and further madness with little tools to get out.
Barbarous
Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota
A crummy wizard and an anxious monster have to get over themselves and bring order to an apartment building full of misfits.
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.
Sleepless Domain
Mary Cagle (Cube Watermelon)
In a world where magical girls and their battles are commonplace, loss has become all too common as well.
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!
Trying Human
IntroducingEmy
Two women separated by over half a century are brought together by an alien-filled conspiracy involving murder, mystery and romance!
The Substitutes
Myisha Haynes
What happens when three roommates accidentally acquire otherworldly and powerful magic weapons destined for someone else?
The Forgotten Order
Christy
A young witch for whom every spell is a misfire finds solace and friendship in her new companion - a cursed doll.
Monsterkind
Taylor C
Wallace Foster, a young, bright-eyed human social worker, has his entire world view rocked when he's suddenly relocated into a city primarily inhabited by monsters.
Quick$ilver
Crypto
The flirtatious, directionless, and ever disastrous Luci searches for excitement in a life of crime, and finds himself caught in a web of messy romance and bad blood.
Missing Monday
Elle Skinner
Two girls fall in love through a magic door connecting their worlds. When Monday suddenly goes missing, it's up to Foyle to find her. How she's going to navigate an entirely unfamiliar world is another matter.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Aquapunk
Lo
In an underwater world of unknown coordinates, inhabited by aliens, ghosts, and robots, a young member of a warrior underclass is framed for a crime and goes on the run. Little does he know he is part of a grand design that only gods and ancestors could choreograph.
Nigh Heaven & Hell
Scotty
Heather Vodihn is on a simple mission: find her father. However she becomes entangled with two strangers with mysterious powers being stalked by a group with bizarre demands. Heather must learn to trust her new traveling companions, even if she is untrustworthy herself.
The Last Diplomat
Cat Farris
Samma and Tark didn't ask to be stuck together, but now they're partners on the adventure of a lifetime.
Within
Verena Loisel
A young hitman meanders between a reality that seems to happen without him, and his dreams where he is lost in an endless house. When he makes an accidental friend, his world is shaken up and he realizes there are things he can't remember about himself.
Gzhel Guardian
Atla Hrafney, nushanchel
The Railway World is a complex, mysterious network of trains, towns and mechanical monsters. Leo is a Guardian of one of these towns, and although their burn-out and depression has taken hold of them, they have one last job to finish.
Love Not Found
Gina Biggs
Abeille is on a quest to find someone who wants to do it the old-fashioned way in a time when touching has become outdated.
How to be a Werewolf
Shawn Lenore
Malaya Walters was bitten by a werewolf as a child. After being raised by her human family, she faces the chance to learn what being a werewolf is really like as an adult.
Ride or Die
Mars Heyward
Ride or Die is an LGBTQ webcomic about two street racers who team up with a demon-possessed muscle car in the search for a missing woman, while being hunted by a deadly religious cult.
Star Impact
Jack McGee
A young, energetic woman fights her way up in the world of super-powered boxing after discovering the mighty gloves of her missing idol!
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
Darkling Bright
Chris Hazelton
Kieran Bright is a college student home for the summer and roped into an online reunion with his old neighborhood friends in the most recent update of their favorite childhood MMORPG.
At least, he was, and that was the idea...
Join Kieran and his friends as they are pulled into another reality that may or may not be real and are forced to confront their own identities, the nature of simulated universes and reality itself.
Beeserker
TJ Cordes
This comic is about a robot powered by bees, but it's also about the kind of people who think filling a robot with bees is a good idea, and why they're wrong.
Blindsprings
Kadi Fedoruk
Tamaura, wrested into a world 300 years in the future, must find a way to save the magic fading from her country.
BOOKMARK Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
BUFFER WATCH
Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:
The key word here is ‘could’. In that it’s being applied in much the same manner as “the Earth could spontaneously hurl itself into the Sun today”. It could happen, but it probably won’t.
Not that I’m saying that it’d take the fiery destruction of the entire planet to make Sarah be honest about liking things. ..wait, no, maybe that is what I’m saying.
mono = [single, one]
chrome = [relating to color] Not to be confused with chroma, a related word [synonymous with saturation] indicating how vibrant or dull a color is. Also not to be confused with chrome as a shorthand for chromium, as per the chrome plating which is used to add metallic sheen and corrosion resistance to vehicle components.
To follow up on what Ana and Reltz touched on, monochrome relates to the use of shades of a single color, while grayscale refers to the specific monochrome configuration relating to gray. Grayscale is considered the default range for monochrome, so if you state monochrome without any other details, it becomes clear that you’re referring to grayscale. This sort of default perception is true of many words- for example, orgy (meaning “an excessive indulgence in”) has a specific indulgence in mind when no other descriptor is added.
I’m unfamiliar with the concept of greyscale being able to be combined with other colors and still be considered monochrome, and my Google results also seem to reject that interpretation, so that previous statement may have been in error.
I’m of the understanding that it is still often considered to be monochrome when the range of shades is present on a single-shade background of a different color, however [as per old computers, which were green text and graphics on a black background], so that may have been the basis for the confusion. (Ergo, grayscale on orange would perhaps count as monochrome, but the current comic’s orange on grayscale presumably would not.)
Note also that “black & white” does not refer to greyscale, it specifically refers to binary white and black application. While in common usage the terms are used interchangably, this is not necessarily true for more technical applications of the terms. As such, it can be worthwhile to note the distinction in very specific cases [as by certain printer settings, which may distinguish between the two options].
There’s typically no reason to pick binary black & white over greyscale but, as I noted, the two CAN be listed as seperate options, so the distinction CAN be relevant. I’ve used it a few times when I had shaded text, and I wanted to ensure it printed as solid black text on white background (as per the norm). For general discussion, the two are almost always interchangable.
@Chris
Valdin thanked for research, so I elaborated the remainder of the subject (and I had the impression of adequately detailing my intention of doing such, but I suppose I fell short?). My comment shouldn’t be any different from the previous ones, aside from breadth, so if there’s some criticism you’re trying to offer, I’m uncertain as to its scope. Your vague phrasing makes it so I’m not even sure if a criticism was intended or not. :S
She can’t help, Sarah is like a pufferfish. She doesn’t mean to be so prickly, it’s just all that she knows. And it takes time for her to realize not everything is a threat and let those spikes down.
I think (and a few others have interpreted it this way) that she only lied because Agatha pointed it out instead of just going “nice door!” and moving on. Not that I’m saying Agatha did anything wrong, but making a deal about someone doing something they normally wouldn’t do can easily make people want to double down and not do that thing out of spite. Still a silly thing to do, yes, but I don’t think it’s so much “Sarah’s trying too hard to be edgy” and more “I was gonna get away with it but someone had to make a deal about it”. She was honest about liking Halloween to three other people after all
“Thanks, I hate it.” Other than Agatha being a sweetie, I can see nothing at all good about this strip.
There had better be callbacks explaining why Sarah is willing to make herself miserable in this way, or I’ll…keep backing DoA kickstarters? But Damn You Willis!
There was the extended flashback about Dana, Sarah’s roommate last year. She’s definitely more introverted, if Joyce had been Sarah’s first roommate I could see Sarah having a similar dynamic with her that they have now. Not as extreme, but still at points where Joyce could drive Sarah to Other Jacobvibrate through walls to get away.
Yeah, and also that whole thing when Joyce got back from La Porte with all the hugging and crying
Sarah keeps people at a distance by putting up a grouchy facade as a defense mechanism. Other people seeing beyond that makes her uncomfortable. She’s been slowly letting Joyce in, but she doesn’t know Agatha that well so she still feels the need to convince her she hates everything
Aww, Agatha’s so trusting and helpful! Just dives in to help, doesn’t question Sarah’s behavior for a second. Yup, that IS a weird act of vandalism, but it must have happened, right? Sarah wouldn’t be dishonest about that!
I’ve never had people scam me or cost me money, but I’ve definitely had people basically gaslight me for shits and giggles. You know, lie to me and then take my reaction around so they can talk shit.
I grew up in a family where gaslighting was the order of the day.
There is a reason I document all emotional conversations just in case. Reality checking. If someone tells me a thing didn’t happen, I dig up my journal and can check.
There’s a few people I know, though thankfully not anybody I have to frequently interact with, that make me feel like I need to do that around them. It’s awful when you’re suddenly put on the spot by someone who can simultaneously say whatever they want and force you to cling to the truth >.>
@Schpoonman: Ugh, yeah. I don’t remember a whole lot from highschool, I mostly got left alone, but I remember a few conversations like that- people just coming up and asking some random shit and then leaving, sounding like they’re trying not to crack up >.>
S’probably part of why I have trouble taking people at their word these days, especially folks that still act like they’re in school.
If she’s anything like me she probably wouldn’t even have done it if someone hadn’t come right up and said “gosh, that’s not like you at all!” like they were gonna make a huge deal out of it. Why do people gotta make a huge deal out of coming out of your shell, all the loud noises and sudden movements just make it look unsafe out there!
You. Thank you. I’ve only ever expressed this same thing to my boyfriend. He’s literally the only person who doesn’t make a fuss when i do something “out of character.”
“What you’re drinking?!” “You’re dancing?!” “Why are you in such a good mood today?”
“Are you wearing makeup?!”
Annoying… how bout not treating people like pod aliens when they try something new…
Given that she has admitted the Halloween-love to three other characters, I suspect you are right. I also think Agatha is going to be very confused at some point, or really righteously indignant on Sarah’s behalf, and she’s going to have to go on public record as liking something, with dramz involved in her being outed…
Thank you!! I just left a similar comment because it honestly is the most annoying thing in the world. It honestly makes you want to just NOT do the out-of-character thing out of spite.
I’m pretty sure Agatha’s totally in earnest here, as pretty much always. (Which is not to say that she can’t be a snarky troll when sorely provoked.) Sarah is her own worst enemy.
Hm. Okay. No. This can be a good thing. All pumpkins isn’t festive enough. Sara can give it a go and this time REALLY dig deep and release her love for the holiday in a master work upon her door!
….. provided she get over the hangup that led to this dismantling in the first place…..
It’s interesting to me that we’re seeing the same thing happen to Sarah that’s been happening to Joyce and Sal, except that Sarah has chosen to double down in fear.
And look what it cost her. I hope she gets the chance to go ballistic on her door later.
Who could have done something like that? Put a visual but ultimately removable picture on someone elses door? Possibly someone who is on record being favorable to adorable pumpkins?
Will no one stop this menace? This Goddamned pumpkin bandit?
Mary is mean, cruel, and vicious. Agatha presumably knows this.
Sarah has now told Agatha that somebody put decorations on her door just to bother her.
Mary is set to put a picture on Sarah’s door depicting her as a witch burning in Hell.
If I knew what Agatha “knows” and saw that I’d tear that down and rip it up while weighing whether it’s better to tell Sarah or never tell her.
I think that Sarah really needs to sit down and ask herself why it’s so impossible for her to admit that she likes anything. She really has big issues here!
Come on, Sarah! Let it go, let it go! Don’t hold it back anymore! Let it go, let it go, just decorate your door!
No need to care
What they’re going to say
Stick some pumpkins on
The Fall never bothered you anyway
Sarah and Joyce make a pretty good Elsa and Anna, don’t they?
All Sarah needs now is Dina to somehow get wind of it.
“Your falsehood designed to defend your persona prevented you from enjoyment of the thing you did not dare to admit liking.”
“I GOT IT MYSELF, THANK YOU.”
“Now, contrast with me who wears my interest as a badge of honor despite the occasional ridicule. To those who call me ‘that dinosaur chick’ I say ‘yes, that is a correct description’…maybe you should get a hat?”
It’s interesting that everyone here is all “This is what happens when you lie about what you care about”, and pathologically honest me thought “This is what happens when you don’t think your lie through”.
I mean, come on, “Joyce likes Halloween and I don’t care enough either way to protest” would have fixed this easily.
Jeez Sarah, for someone who values common sense so much you’re definitely not showing much yourself here. What do you think you need to not like anything? Where in the world have you picked up the idea that disliking everything makes you stronger or smarter?
It’s the same thing that a lot of other characters seem to be going through in this storyline. Everyone has an “image” they need to keep up, a perception of themselves that everyone else has of them, and they’re either desperate to break that image (Sal) or dipping their toes in breaking said image because they aren’t sure who they are without it (Joyce). Everyone knows Sarah for being the one that hates everything. She doesn’t want to lose that image, and she definitely doesn’t want any slight diversion from her usual routine to be acknowledged. Sure, it’s silly, but I’m sure this will end on a positive not for her.
You now, now I need to see Mary draw an anime version of Tsundere Sarah (as a witch burning in hell, blushing and saying “N-no, I don’t like Halloween, or anything, baka!”). Because this was ridiculous.
As someone who had a childhood absolutely filled with both 1 and 2, Agatha really tripped those alarms hard, and I totally would’ve responded like Sarah, so that could very well be a thing.
Yep. It’s amazing how easily childhood experiences can convince you that all your opinions and preferences are Wrong so you shouldn’t ever, ever be honest about liking something. You must instead figure out and follow the Rules!
(1) Never express a preference, ever. Pretend you have none.
(2) If you cannot avoid expressing a preference, copy someone else’s answer. That is much safer than being your real self! Most people don’t want to see the real you, and the few that do are only after material to tease you with!
(3) Never do anything off-pattern. That will only invite speculation about your opinions and preferences, which will inevitably result in ridicule!
(4) If you break any of these rules and are treated with disdain, it is your fault. Your opinions and preferences are Wrong, remember?
Some days, the rules seem fair, because you are obviously uniquely awful. Other days, the rules are proof that everyone else is awful and you must protect yourself from all of them. Needless to say, this is no fucking way to live. My heart hurts for Sarah here.
It took me a while to get there, but this is why I have Star Trek and anime and ponies at my desk. I want to enjoy what I like and make room for people to enjoy what they like.
Agatha’s comment reminds of me of when you do something you usually don’t do and everyone makes a big deal out of it and suddenly you no longer want to be doing the new thing out of spite. Like going out with friends after a long time and them going “you NEVER want to go out I thought you hated the sun!” or wearing a nice outfit for once and people going “I thought you weren’t capable of wearing anything ya didn’t find at Old Navy”. Of course Agatha meant well here but it definitely gave me a backhanded compliment kinda vibe.
Ugh, I hate that shit. My aunt did that to me once the weekend I graduated college. I was super stressed and barely ate because of my anxiety. At my post-grad party I grabbed three slices of pizza and my aunt was like “WHOA LOOK EVERYBODY! She barely ate for days and NOW she’s eating THREE pieces!” like…wow. Thanks. You really make me wanna eat this now.
Sarah, you caused this to yourself. You tried to blame your shame of liking Halloween on other people being bigots mwhen in reality you just dont want to admit you still like childish stuff that isnt bad.
“They ask you how you are and you just have to say that you’re fine but you’re not really fine but you just can’t get into it because they would never understand”
Loading ...
“my petard… I am hoisted”
alt: “I’m why I can’t have nice things”
All she had to do was say “Joyce likes it” and nobody would’ve questioned it.
Or she could have just owned up to it…
The key word here is ‘could’. In that it’s being applied in much the same manner as “the Earth could spontaneously hurl itself into the Sun today”. It could happen, but it probably won’t.
Not that I’m saying that it’d take the fiery destruction of the entire planet to make Sarah be honest about liking things. ..wait, no, maybe that is what I’m saying.
The WhiteBoard DingDong Bandit has returned as the OrangeGourd DoorDec Bandit!
In a world, where art is the only protest…
… all protesters will be artists.
Someone find Amazi-Girl and get her on the case.
Ooooohhhhhhhh
Who posts decorations all over your door?
Orangegourd Doordec!
Who leaves lots of pumpkins but always has more?
Orangegourd Doordec!
I don’t know if DofA has had a nearly-all-monochrome panel before.
Poor Sarah.
Red is a color.
It is, but it’s not one that’s especially relevant to the present topic.
Sorry this is so late. I was associating this, near monochrome, panel, to earlier ones, when Amber was having a breakdown.
Oops. I don’t mean “all monochrome”, but a panel that’s nearly all black, white and gray for artistic effect.
mon·o·chrome
/ˈmänəˌkrōm/
noun
noun: monochrome; plural noun: monochromes
1.
a photograph or picture developed or executed in black and white or in varying tones of only one color.
you’re fine
Hey, someone to do the research I’m too lazy for at midnight. Sincere thanx.
Technically grayscale + orange is monochrome.
@ValdVin
mono = [single, one]
chrome = [relating to color]
Not to be confused with chroma, a related word [synonymous with saturation] indicating how vibrant or dull a color is. Also not to be confused with chrome as a shorthand for chromium, as per the chrome plating which is used to add metallic sheen and corrosion resistance to vehicle components.
To follow up on what Ana and Reltz touched on, monochrome relates to the use of shades of a single color, while grayscale refers to the specific monochrome configuration relating to gray. Grayscale is considered the default range for monochrome, so if you state monochrome without any other details, it becomes clear that you’re referring to grayscale. This sort of default perception is true of many words- for example, orgy (meaning “an excessive indulgence in”) has a specific indulgence in mind when no other descriptor is added.
I’m unfamiliar with the concept of greyscale being able to be combined with other colors and still be considered monochrome, and my Google results also seem to reject that interpretation, so that previous statement may have been in error.
I’m of the understanding that it is still often considered to be monochrome when the range of shades is present on a single-shade background of a different color, however [as per old computers, which were green text and graphics on a black background], so that may have been the basis for the confusion. (Ergo, grayscale on orange would perhaps count as monochrome, but the current comic’s orange on grayscale presumably would not.)
Note also that “black & white” does not refer to greyscale, it specifically refers to binary white and black application. While in common usage the terms are used interchangably, this is not necessarily true for more technical applications of the terms. As such, it can be worthwhile to note the distinction in very specific cases [as by certain printer settings, which may distinguish between the two options].
^.^
Every black & white photo I’ve ever seen was greyscale.
HeySo, first thank you for that information. Second, you DID read the words nearly-all- before the word monochrome, yes?
@begbert2
There’s typically no reason to pick binary black & white over greyscale but, as I noted, the two CAN be listed as seperate options, so the distinction CAN be relevant. I’ve used it a few times when I had shaded text, and I wanted to ensure it printed as solid black text on white background (as per the norm). For general discussion, the two are almost always interchangable.
@Chris
Valdin thanked for research, so I elaborated the remainder of the subject (and I had the impression of adequately detailing my intention of doing such, but I suppose I fell short?). My comment shouldn’t be any different from the previous ones, aside from breadth, so if there’s some criticism you’re trying to offer, I’m uncertain as to its scope. Your vague phrasing makes it so I’m not even sure if a criticism was intended or not. :S
The artistic term for what you’re looking at is spot color, but I think everyone got what you meant.
but everyone who hates everything loves Halloween. Come on Sarah, didn’t you read the Curmudgeon League’s bylaws?
Dang kids always coming ’round and banging on my door when I just want to be left alone *grumble grumble grumble*
Sarah, you’re allowed to let people know you care about things.
Showing feelings just makes you vulnerable.
Worse, it ruins your image.
Which has been kind of a theme this chapter. Starting with Sal and Joyce’s conversation.
Feeding into or avoiding other people’s expectations of yourself is quite an emotional choice, if you are aware of it.
For some people.
Hey, my cheery Mormon friend is getting married today! Good time to see Agatha.
Also, Sarah, you’re allowed to like things.
…I am shocked, shocked by this alt-text.
I guess “Christmastime is here” wouldn’t have been appropriate.
it might as well be
the War on Christmas has already claimed Thanksgiving and is regularly encroaching upon Hallowe’en
Here in the UK, most major store chains start putting out Christmas stock on 1 September.
After Hallowe’en’s been and gone, they take down the stuff that was on sale for it and put out even more Christmas stock. xD
What was that whole “best policy” thing, again?
I keep forgetting.
Keep your head down, keep your mouth shut, and avoid all human interaction.
…. hey, technically that keeps you from lying. At least to anyone but yourself.
I don’t know why, but that Agatha smile in panel 4 is making me ship Agatha/Sarah.
Agatha is a sweet and precious button and I love her. She’s like the human personification of a smiley emoji.
Sarah, as you can see, this is why we don’t deny liking things for the sake of a crusty shell.
She can’t help, Sarah is like a pufferfish. She doesn’t mean to be so prickly, it’s just all that she knows. And it takes time for her to realize not everything is a threat and let those spikes down.
Dammit, there was supposed to be a
there.
Ah well. We love Sarah anyways. Her reactions are one of my favourite birthday presents today!
When it counts, may you roll high!
ummm whatcha say
…alt text is different song, same joke
She is a rock.
She is an island.
That you only meant well~
Aww Sarah…being a tsundere never helped anyone
Tsundere? Who does she like then?
Halloween, it is her one true love. <3 Unless someone asks her about it.
No one!
>.>
Just so.
Other Jacob.
Baka, it’s not like she likes halloween or anything.
It’s not like she decorated the door out of liking it, she just felt obligated to do so.
Sarah no!
This makes me unreasonably sad and I have no idea why.
Such an odd thing to lie about…
I think (and a few others have interpreted it this way) that she only lied because Agatha pointed it out instead of just going “nice door!” and moving on. Not that I’m saying Agatha did anything wrong, but making a deal about someone doing something they normally wouldn’t do can easily make people want to double down and not do that thing out of spite. Still a silly thing to do, yes, but I don’t think it’s so much “Sarah’s trying too hard to be edgy” and more “I was gonna get away with it but someone had to make a deal about it”. She was honest about liking Halloween to three other people after all
Dumbing of Age Book 9: [just the last panel]
Dumbing of Age Book 9: I Didn’t Know You Liked Anything
Dumbing of Age Book 9: You– You Don’t Have To…
(It’s a radical new sales tactic!)
Dumbing of Age Book 9: [alt text] Hello Darkness My Old Friend…
Oh Sarah, you tried to have it all
silly Sarah….
“Thanks, I hate it.” Other than Agatha being a sweetie, I can see nothing at all good about this strip.
There had better be callbacks explaining why Sarah is willing to make herself miserable in this way, or I’ll…keep backing DoA kickstarters? But Damn You Willis!
There was the extended flashback about Dana, Sarah’s roommate last year. She’s definitely more introverted, if Joyce had been Sarah’s first roommate I could see Sarah having a similar dynamic with her that they have now. Not as extreme, but still at points where Joyce could drive Sarah to
Other Jacobvibrate through walls to get away.Yeah, and also that whole thing when Joyce got back from La Porte with all the hugging and crying
Sarah keeps people at a distance by putting up a grouchy facade as a defense mechanism. Other people seeing beyond that makes her uncomfortable. She’s been slowly letting Joyce in, but she doesn’t know Agatha that well so she still feels the need to convince her she hates everything
Indeed – to use her words, not putting up her crusty shell really stresses her out.
And thus Sarah learns the terrible terrible price to pretending to be too cool to care about things.
I think it’s less ‘I’m too cool’ and more ‘I’m a crusty grump who doesn’t care about anything, rawr’.
The price for being too cool to care about things are the things you care about.
Or as Sal put it
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/pissybaby/
Holy Cheese, that was two years ago already.
Aww, Agatha’s so trusting and helpful! Just dives in to help, doesn’t question Sarah’s behavior for a second. Yup, that IS a weird act of vandalism, but it must have happened, right? Sarah wouldn’t be dishonest about that!
I’ve never had people scam me or cost me money, but I’ve definitely had people basically gaslight me for shits and giggles. You know, lie to me and then take my reaction around so they can talk shit.
High school was fun.
Oof. I’ve had that feeling when I was in 8th grade. When high school rolled around, I realized I needed to make new “friends.”
I grew up in a family where gaslighting was the order of the day.
There is a reason I document all emotional conversations just in case. Reality checking. If someone tells me a thing didn’t happen, I dig up my journal and can check.
*Appropriate gesture of support*
There’s a few people I know, though thankfully not anybody I have to frequently interact with, that make me feel like I need to do that around them. It’s awful when you’re suddenly put on the spot by someone who can simultaneously say whatever they want and force you to cling to the truth >.>
@Schpoonman: Ugh, yeah. I don’t remember a whole lot from highschool, I mostly got left alone, but I remember a few conversations like that- people just coming up and asking some random shit and then leaving, sounding like they’re trying not to crack up >.>
S’probably part of why I have trouble taking people at their word these days, especially folks that still act like they’re in school.
…Man, those feels, I know them.
If she’s anything like me she probably wouldn’t even have done it if someone hadn’t come right up and said “gosh, that’s not like you at all!” like they were gonna make a huge deal out of it. Why do people gotta make a huge deal out of coming out of your shell, all the loud noises and sudden movements just make it look unsafe out there!
You. Thank you. I’ve only ever expressed this same thing to my boyfriend. He’s literally the only person who doesn’t make a fuss when i do something “out of character.”
“What you’re drinking?!” “You’re dancing?!” “Why are you in such a good mood today?”
“Are you wearing makeup?!”
Annoying… how bout not treating people like pod aliens when they try something new…
Given that she has admitted the Halloween-love to three other characters, I suspect you are right. I also think Agatha is going to be very confused at some point, or really righteously indignant on Sarah’s behalf, and she’s going to have to go on public record as liking something, with dramz involved in her being outed…
Yeah, the number of people interpreting this as Sarah attempting to look ‘cool’ is really…bizarre.
Thank you!! I just left a similar comment because it honestly is the most annoying thing in the world. It honestly makes you want to just NOT do the out-of-character thing out of spite.
Wow! Agatha has a mean streak. Who would have guessed.
I’m pretty sure Agatha’s totally in earnest here, as pretty much always. (Which is not to say that she can’t be a snarky troll when sorely provoked.) Sarah is her own worst enemy.
Actually, I think she’s being earnest there, too.
Yeah, that looks earnest to me.
Agatha’s a sweetie, confirmed.
Stop being tsundere Sarah! It only hurts you in the end!
Ya played yo’self.
*Mad World but sung by that kid in the vine*
Hm. Okay. No. This can be a good thing. All pumpkins isn’t festive enough. Sara can give it a go and this time REALLY dig deep and release her love for the holiday in a master work upon her door!
….. provided she get over the hangup that led to this dismantling in the first place…..
It’s interesting to me that we’re seeing the same thing happen to Sarah that’s been happening to Joyce and Sal, except that Sarah has chosen to double down in fear.
And look what it cost her. I hope she gets the chance to go ballistic on her door later.
Who could have done something like that? Put a visual but ultimately removable picture on someone elses door? Possibly someone who is on record being favorable to adorable pumpkins?
Will no one stop this menace? This Goddamned pumpkin bandit?
I’m not sure who Agatha reminds me of, but she has a good expression in Panel 2.
hey look more character development for Sarah, hopefully
(Also, I thought about doing a 420 joke, but I redacted it because it made me cringe.)
Assuming you’re not being facetious, Agatha is described as a “blonde Robin” by Willis himself, so… lol
Agatha: Too good for this sinful world.
I wonder how Agatha will react when Mary proudly puts up a picture of Sarah (as a witch burning in hellfire) on that door…
Hmmmm. On one hand it DOES seem like an opening for a stupid plot about Agatha thinking Mary is the vandal and confronting her.
On the other hand, Agatha seems to have a lick of common sense, so I think she would just talk to Sarah about it.
Mary is mean, cruel, and vicious. Agatha presumably knows this.
Sarah has now told Agatha that somebody put decorations on her door just to bother her.
Mary is set to put a picture on Sarah’s door depicting her as a witch burning in Hell.
If I knew what Agatha “knows” and saw that I’d tear that down and rip it up while weighing whether it’s better to tell Sarah or never tell her.
She should have just blamed Joyce or Becky
Joyce IS the obvious suspect.
NOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo
Noooo, not the pumpkins!
NOOO SARAH NOOOOOO
I think that Sarah really needs to sit down and ask herself why it’s so impossible for her to admit that she likes anything. She really has big issues here!
kekeke, I love it when someone’s being dishonest and their lies tear them up inside
Hi, I’m a deuschy freshman and I can’t let people enjoy things! So witty.
This is what you w a n t e d
Hoisted by her own petard.
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.
Come on, Sarah! Let it go, let it go! Don’t hold it back anymore! Let it go, let it go, just decorate your door!
No need to care
What they’re going to say
Stick some pumpkins on
The Fall never bothered you anyway
Sarah and Joyce make a pretty good Elsa and Anna, don’t they?
All Sarah needs now is Dina to somehow get wind of it.
“Your falsehood designed to defend your persona prevented you from enjoyment of the thing you did not dare to admit liking.”
“I GOT IT MYSELF, THANK YOU.”
“Now, contrast with me who wears my interest as a badge of honor despite the occasional ridicule. To those who call me ‘that dinosaur chick’ I say ‘yes, that is a correct description’…maybe you should get a hat?”
I want to see Sarah with a Halloween hat now.
She should’ve just told Agatha that Joyce put the pumpkins up, or even (gasp) admitted to enjoying Halloween.
Sarah, you know you have no one to blame except yourself.
Sarah internally: “I’ve maintained my cold exterior, but at what cost?”
It’s interesting that everyone here is all “This is what happens when you lie about what you care about”, and pathologically honest me thought “This is what happens when you don’t think your lie through”.
I mean, come on, “Joyce likes Halloween and I don’t care enough either way to protest” would have fixed this easily.
Sarah is dead to me.
It’s hard to seem like you don’t care about any got danged thing
Jeez Sarah, for someone who values common sense so much you’re definitely not showing much yourself here. What do you think you need to not like anything? Where in the world have you picked up the idea that disliking everything makes you stronger or smarter?
It’s the same thing that a lot of other characters seem to be going through in this storyline. Everyone has an “image” they need to keep up, a perception of themselves that everyone else has of them, and they’re either desperate to break that image (Sal) or dipping their toes in breaking said image because they aren’t sure who they are without it (Joyce). Everyone knows Sarah for being the one that hates everything. She doesn’t want to lose that image, and she definitely doesn’t want any slight diversion from her usual routine to be acknowledged. Sure, it’s silly, but I’m sure this will end on a positive not for her.
You now, now I need to see Mary draw an anime version of Tsundere Sarah (as a witch burning in hell, blushing and saying “N-no, I don’t like Halloween, or anything, baka!”). Because this was ridiculous.
AGATHAAAAAAA!!!!!! 8D
All around me are familiar faces
Alternatively, you could go with that sad violin track every YTP uses.
First panel sarah is the happiest she’ s ever looked…
A couple story lines from now, Sarah wears a David S. Pumpkins style business suit and constantly has to make excuses about it.
Oh, Panel 1 Sarah. You should know better than to earnestly smile like that. You’re just begging the world to smack you down.
it’s such a good smile, too
tag yourself, i’m agatha
*I see a tower built out of my mistakes and it all comes crashing down*
Sarah got bullied as a kid, didn’t she.
And bullied as an adult.
Queue childhood montage of Sarah:
1. Getting teased for liking things, no matter how little sense it makes for anyone to take issue with it.
and/or
2. Getting harassed for doing anything outside of their narrow idea of who she is, even if it is a common activity that nearly everyone else does.
Agatha almost certainly wasn’t going to do either but her first lines seriously sound like a wind up for number 2.
As someone who had a childhood absolutely filled with both 1 and 2, Agatha really tripped those alarms hard, and I totally would’ve responded like Sarah, so that could very well be a thing.
Yep. It’s amazing how easily childhood experiences can convince you that all your opinions and preferences are Wrong so you shouldn’t ever, ever be honest about liking something. You must instead figure out and follow the Rules!
(1) Never express a preference, ever. Pretend you have none.
(2) If you cannot avoid expressing a preference, copy someone else’s answer. That is much safer than being your real self! Most people don’t want to see the real you, and the few that do are only after material to tease you with!
(3) Never do anything off-pattern. That will only invite speculation about your opinions and preferences, which will inevitably result in ridicule!
(4) If you break any of these rules and are treated with disdain, it is your fault. Your opinions and preferences are Wrong, remember?
Some days, the rules seem fair, because you are obviously uniquely awful. Other days, the rules are proof that everyone else is awful and you must protect yourself from all of them. Needless to say, this is no fucking way to live. My heart hurts for Sarah here.
Of course, that’s a good thing, because it makes people conform, right?
[/notserious]
It took me a while to get there, but this is why I have Star Trek and anime and ponies at my desk. I want to enjoy what I like and make room for people to enjoy what they like.
Agatha’s comment reminds of me of when you do something you usually don’t do and everyone makes a big deal out of it and suddenly you no longer want to be doing the new thing out of spite. Like going out with friends after a long time and them going “you NEVER want to go out I thought you hated the sun!” or wearing a nice outfit for once and people going “I thought you weren’t capable of wearing anything ya didn’t find at Old Navy”. Of course Agatha meant well here but it definitely gave me a backhanded compliment kinda vibe.
Ugh, I hate that shit. My aunt did that to me once the weekend I graduated college. I was super stressed and barely ate because of my anxiety. At my post-grad party I grabbed three slices of pizza and my aunt was like “WHOA LOOK EVERYBODY! She barely ate for days and NOW she’s eating THREE pieces!” like…wow. Thanks. You really make me wanna eat this now.
Sarah, you caused this to yourself. You tried to blame your shame of liking Halloween on other people being bigots mwhen in reality you just dont want to admit you still like childish stuff that isnt bad.
i see you, hovertext and i raise you
“mmhm whatcha saay~~”
“They ask you how you are and you just have to say that you’re fine but you’re not really fine but you just can’t get into it because they would never understand”
Sarah, stop being an edgelord, it brings you nothing but misery… and some small amount of validation.
Just checking, Mary’s proposed “Sarah the Witch Burning In Hell” is not up there yet, correct?
Dude, what *is* it with Sarah and Self-Sabotage?
Have you read this comic? What is it with EVERYONE and Self-Sabotage?
It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
I’ve come to talk with you again.
Sarah’s inner monologue in the last panel:
“I hurt myself today . . . ”
Then Danny joins in on his ukelele.