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Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

September 28, 2023

Figured

by David M Willis on August 23, 2021 at 12:01 am
  • 05 – As Long As It's Free

└ Tags: danny, sal

Discussion (314) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    August 23, 2021 at 12:02 am | #

    AU Sal figured out how to cross over to this universe but at least calmed her tits a little

    • Jeff
      Jeff
      August 23, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

      A calm Dumbyverse Sal? That sounds contradictory lol

      • Juanoku
        Juanoku
        August 23, 2021 at 1:36 am | #

        I’m pretty sure after trying to nuke a continent you don’t do “calm” anymore

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          August 23, 2021 at 7:54 am | #

          I figure 50/50 odds that after trying to nuke a continent you get put on non-elective sedation, so calm’s on the menu.

          The other 50% I think involves some sort of medal. No, this probably isn’t a good system.

      • fridge_logic
        fridge_logic
        August 23, 2021 at 2:26 am | #

        Think you mean Walkyverse?

  2. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    August 23, 2021 at 12:03 am | #

    At least he’s now an idiot whose head is warm.

    • Clif
      Clif
      August 23, 2021 at 2:49 am | #

      And also an idiot whose been kissed.

      Sal can kiss him any time she wants without asking because she gave him a hat and so she owns him now.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        August 23, 2021 at 4:25 am | #

        And by continuing to give him things, she’ll keep him under her thumb. Devious!

        /s

      • Screwball
        Screwball
        August 23, 2021 at 6:01 am | #

        “Mistress gave Danny clothing? Danny is no longer free?”

        • Steamweed
          Steamweed
          August 23, 2021 at 10:10 pm | #

          Aaand now I’m seeing Danny in bondage gear, tied to the bed, with leather-wearing Sal holding the whip.

          • Kyrik Michalowski
            Kyrik Michalowski
            August 24, 2021 at 12:01 am | #

            Is it as beautiful as you imagined?

          • Librain
            Librain
            August 25, 2021 at 2:56 pm | #

            For those of us with Aphantasia, any chance this imagery could be turned into something shareable?

            You know, for… science-related reasons?

      • Dov
        Dov
        August 23, 2021 at 10:20 am | #

        It’s a shame that Ruth didn’t understand that this is how the men at that school work. She went to way too much trouble to establish her ownership.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      August 23, 2021 at 7:56 am | #

      And probably his face. Maybe his neck. Possibly other parts.

  3. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    August 23, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    Blue hat increased Danny’s intelligence stat by at least 4 points. Without it obvious flirting float right by him much like blue hat did when it left him for another wayward dork in need.

  4. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    August 23, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    And the hat came back

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      August 23, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

      The very next semester
      The hat came back
      They should have let it fester
      But the hat came back
      It just wouldn’t stay…Sylvester, look it’s a hard word to rhyme, okay?

      • Jade
        Jade
        August 23, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

        Young Danny Wilcox lived in a dorm,
        he owned a dorky hat that should never be worn,
        His friend tried and tried, but he just couldn’t be swayed,
        Joe rejoiced when it was lost, but found to his dismay…

      • Benjamin C Sargent
        Benjamin C Sargent
        August 23, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

        The fact that someone else knows The Cat Came Back makes my heart happy and almost makes up for the fact that you picked an extremely difficult word to rhyme and fit into the meter.

        ALMOST.

        • Deanatay
          Deanatay
          August 23, 2021 at 10:39 am | #

          Uh, some of us have watched ‘Sesame Street’?

          • Roborat
            Roborat
            August 23, 2021 at 3:55 pm | #

            Or the NFB animation of the song, which is absolutely brilliant.

        • Jade
          Jade
          August 23, 2021 at 7:28 pm | #

          Yeah, to be fair it’s a tricky word to rhyme. Probably would have been better to keep it at “day”, or even “term” if you wanted to stick with school-related terms.

      • eh, whatever
        eh, whatever
        August 23, 2021 at 1:40 am | #

        Senator Jon Tester!

      • Chris Phoenix
        Chris Phoenix
        August 23, 2021 at 2:09 am | #

        sequester!

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        August 23, 2021 at 4:25 am | #

        Both of you take your pretend upvotes.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        August 23, 2021 at 4:33 am | #

        But the Hat came back, the very next book

        The Hat came back, it just wouldn’t stay away

        The Hat came back, it’s not a good look

      • Dov
        Dov
        August 23, 2021 at 10:27 am | #

        Season would have also been an appropriate substitute.

        But the hat came back, the very next season,
        The hat came back, Danny’s head its squeezin’,
        The hat came back, for no good reason.

        And technically the second line doesn’t even need to rhyme.

    • Mr D
      Mr D
      August 23, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      good. Gotta keep the head warm.

  5. Bagge
    Bagge
    August 23, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    D’awww

    • Clif
      Clif
      August 23, 2021 at 11:59 am | #

      This is how Danny goes from dating Amazigirl to dating Batman. He has a type.

      • Jade
        Jade
        August 23, 2021 at 11:04 pm | #

        Or maybe the dark, brooding, stoic women with a strong sense of justice (and a perchant for committing violence on wrongdoers) have a type: an unassuming, doe-eyed ingenue who is in fact a cinnamon roll, too good, too pure for this world.

  6. Yumi
    Yumi
    August 23, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    I love this ship, and, also, now I’m scared.

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      August 23, 2021 at 12:23 am | #

      Be afraid. Be very afraid

      • Clif
        Clif
        August 23, 2021 at 4:21 am | #

        Willis gave us a gift and now he owns us.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          August 23, 2021 at 4:27 am | #

          Hey now, I’ve been owning myself for years thank you very much.

          • Clif
            Clif
            August 23, 2021 at 12:01 pm | #

            I think they call that Ownanism or something like that.

            • King Daniel
              King Daniel
              August 23, 2021 at 9:35 pm | #

              No, Owananism is when you’re owning someone else but refuse to follow through with the final burn at the last moment.

        • Jade
          Jade
          August 23, 2021 at 11:08 pm | #

          Did everyone get the same gift? Mine looks like a hand, possibly from some kind of primate? What’s weird is, only one finger is curled down…

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      August 23, 2021 at 5:27 am | #

      I’m both happy that they’re getting along so well, and at the same time worried that Willis will torpedo this ship soon.

  7. zacxl
    zacxl
    August 23, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    SHE CALLED HIM DANNY

    • powerpowerpow
      powerpowerpow
      August 23, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

      CODE RED PEOPLE, SAL JUST USED HIS ACTUAL NAME INSTEAD OF A NICKNAME! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

      • Ana Chronistic
        Ana Chronistic
        August 23, 2021 at 11:29 am | #

        She forgot the nicknames, had to fall back to SOMETHING

  8. Wagstaff
    Wagstaff
    August 23, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    *plays “Love” on Voxola PR-76*

  9. King Daniel
    King Daniel
    August 23, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    LE GASP

    IS IT HAPPENING?!?

    • Fist_of_Life
      Fist_of_Life
      August 23, 2021 at 6:44 am | #

      Hehehe, lower limb snake. One time I tried typing “LE GASP” into a text, but I misplaced the space. Now that’s all I can think about when I see or hear that phrase.

      • LiterallyJustSomeGuy
        LiterallyJustSomeGuy
        August 23, 2021 at 10:45 pm | #

        Hee hee hee! NGL, that’s a lot tamer than where I thought you were going with “lower limb snake” in this context.

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          August 23, 2021 at 11:56 pm | #

          LEG ASP

  10. Wendy
    Wendy
    August 23, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    Very sad to see Sal with this self-righteous schmuck; can’t help but feel like she should hold out for better. But eh, as long as it makes her happy, I guess…

    • Brumagem
      Brumagem
      August 23, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

      Kind of a hot take to say Danny is the more self-righteous of the two but okay.

      • Delicious Taffy
        Delicious Taffy
        August 23, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

        They’re both a little up their own asses. It’s part of being a teenager. But now they can be up their own asses together, as Besties.

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          August 23, 2021 at 12:40 am | #

          Or together, up each oth–

          • Meagan
            Meagan
            August 23, 2021 at 1:09 am | #

            I like the way you think

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      August 23, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

      You, uhh, sure you aren’t thinking of Walkyverse Danny? Because Danny is like, hilariously low on the list of self-righteous cast members, if we’re being honest.

      • He Who Abides
        He Who Abides
        August 23, 2021 at 12:56 am | #

        They probably are, but remember that this Danny convinced Grand Moff Tarkin to blow up Alderaan.

        (I’m not apologizing, the level to which people will dump on Danny is almost as ridiculous as the level to which people will simp for Mike)

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          August 23, 2021 at 1:10 am | #

          I heard this Danny also launched Laika into orbit knowing that she’d die up there!

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            August 23, 2021 at 4:29 am | #

            People are saying he talks on his cell phone by putting it on speaker and holding it in front of his mouth like a hot dog.

      • TheLurkerAbove
        TheLurkerAbove
        August 23, 2021 at 1:01 am | #

        Yea, Walkyverse Danny, especially during the Roomies! run, could be insufferable at times. This is a far more chill Danny, with a lot more redeemable features.

      • Matthew E Davis
        Matthew E Davis
        August 23, 2021 at 2:48 am | #

        I think people tend to want to pretend they have it all together. I know most of the comic’s cast does. Danny doesn’t. He’s honest in his self-reflection and that he is a bit of a mess, and that’s his unique place in the comic. The only other character that seems to engage in that level of self-reflection is Joyce, and she spends a lot of the time fooling herself, too.

    • CrazyJ
      CrazyJ
      August 23, 2021 at 12:33 am | #

      That seems a bit harsh. Danny has his faults but it sounds like you are describing someone like Mary. In either case, I think all the Danny-Sal interactions have been pretty positive and not just the recent gift exchange. It’s definitely a step up from sleeping with a TA.

      • Delicious Taffy
        Delicious Taffy
        August 23, 2021 at 12:39 am | #

        Yeah, they’ve been pals all year. The worst interaction I can think of is when Danny was extremely on edge and angrily told Sal to go jump some stairs.

        Or possibly the time they were fighting over Ethan and Danny grabbed one arm and Sal grabbed the other and they kept pulling until Ethan split cleanly down the middle and his two halves both formed a full duplicate of himself except one was all his good traits and one was all his bad traits and they spent like half a book trying to reunite the two halves.

        • this is a name of sorts.
          this is a name of sorts.
          August 24, 2021 at 8:49 pm | #

          I was mad cause I sat here trying to think when this happened.

      • Sam
        Sam
        August 23, 2021 at 2:07 am | #

        I’d say it isn’t quite inaccurate, Danny CAN be very self-righteous when he feels mad and he can be an absolute ass to anyone around him when he is being so. He was very much being so when talking to Ethan at the hospital when Mike was in a coma, and I find it a very unlikable trait personally for his anger to bring out.

        But this is a sweet interaction so it is also kind of a bit harsh to bring it up specifically now.

        • WanderingLynx
          WanderingLynx
          August 23, 2021 at 3:22 am | #

          Danny’s anger is ugly, yes, but whose isn’t? Specially as a college freshman. I’d take self-righteous over violent or vicious; and we’ve seen him being passive aggressive when upset, but I can’t think of many times in this comic he’s been like, truly mad.

          We like Mike because we know his backstory and always knew there had to be a reason he was this way here (given that he’s not a SEMME abductee anymore). Danny didn’t – He just saw a known abuser who made people he cared about miserable. Telling this to Ethan was a HUGE MISTAKE and the worst thing he’s done, but y’know. That’s his worst.

          • Sam
            Sam
            August 23, 2021 at 11:50 am | #

            There are plenty of people in this world that have better control of their anger than that. Using your anger as a destructive force is a choice and choosing to not let go of your self-righteous justification when you know the other person is hurting and in no place to deal with it because he HAD to convince Ethan that he was RIGHT is still just extremely dislikeable to me. I would rather someone be mildly violent on the rare occasions they feel anger or vicious in the heat of the moment than massively insensitive and cruel by choice.

            For me personally, how Danny deals with anger would be an immediate dealbreaker no matter how rare it is. I’m also just not much of a fan of passive aggression either.

            I learned to control my anger better than that before college and to take time to calm down or redirect it in constructive ways. So I do find it absolutely fair that some people would not want to date someone like Danny themselves and would see that as YIKES. But again, not in this specific moment, and it is up to Sal if it is something that is a problem for her.

            • Wendy
              Wendy
              August 23, 2021 at 12:51 pm | #

              The thing is that Danny wasn’t even in the heat of a moment when he basically told Ethan that Mike deserved to be dying. He wasn’t in the throes of anger, he was in the throes of self-righteousness. And his being right mattered more to him than someone’s feelings of grief. That said a lot to me about what kind of person Danny is. Hence my comment.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          August 23, 2021 at 7:55 am | #

          Danny was having that conversation at the most inappropriate time, but that conversation wouldn’t have existed had Mike not been the world’s biggest douche who constantly emotionally abused everyone around him.

          And then Ethan told Danny that if Danny was in a coma, Ethan would let Mike laugh at him.

          Danny had some self-respect for himself for once and decided how he felt matter more than his pure romantic fantasy love where Dorothy didn’t work out and neither did Amber but this time for sure Danny just has to slavishly devote himself to Ethan, and boom, he did not. He decided he mattered more.

          It was the fucking capstone to the arc that started with Danny realizing he was bi, because the actual mean and potatoes was Danny learning some goddamn self-respect.

          • Wendy
            Wendy
            August 23, 2021 at 12:48 pm | #

            People throw about “emotionally abusive” about Mike a lot, but how and when exactly was he ever emotionally abusive? He was harsh, and he was annoying to a lot of characters, but I don’t recall him ever emotionally abusing anyone. As much as he annoyed people, when did he ever actually hurt anyone?

            • Spencer
              Spencer
              August 23, 2021 at 1:02 pm | #

              Yer fucking pulling my leg here, ain’tcha.

              • JBento
                JBento
                August 23, 2021 at 7:36 pm | #

                The other one has got bells on.

            • He Who Abides
              He Who Abides
              August 23, 2021 at 2:02 pm | #

              Aside from (according to hisself) making Walky cry on multiple occasions just so he could record it (something he played to Dorothy just to exacerbate her doubts about breaking up with Walky), Mike openly admitted to winding Amber up for years just to see what her/their breaking point was. There was also that little detail where he had sex with Ethan to use as some form of attack against Danny, though he was pretty blunt TO US, THE READERS, that he would’ve fucked either of them to get at the other. And let’s not forget about how Walky still expects/fears Mike to just show up outta nowhere as part of some grand brain-fuck on everyone, despite him being dead for months. And he only knew Mike for a few months, but he’s still that messed up by him.

            • zee
              zee
              August 23, 2021 at 2:21 pm | #

              Listen dude i love Mike as much as the next simp but he was a pos a d you’re seriously underplaying him here

            • foamy
              foamy
              August 23, 2021 at 4:46 pm | #

              How can you possibly have read through this comic and still ask that question? Mike’s treated everyone like his personal chewtoy all run. *Sometimes* that’s arguably to some better purpose but, like, the vast majority of it is just being an asshole for the sake of being an asshole.

              • Clif
                Clif
                August 23, 2021 at 6:18 pm | #

                Which is a noble calling.

                As long as I don’t have to deal with it.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      August 23, 2021 at 4:39 am | #

      With the current crop of dudes in this comic, Danny is by far and away the best option.

      • Ana Chronistic
        Ana Chronistic
        August 23, 2021 at 11:30 am | #

        But Snoop ☹️

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          August 23, 2021 at 4:16 pm | #

          He is a good dog, but he is not boyfriend material. On account of being a dog

  11. Dean
    Dean
    August 23, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    How does she know what size hat he wears?

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      August 23, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

      She measured him in his sleep

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        August 23, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

        Since it’s Sal and that would have been an excuse to climb through a window, I can actually see it being the case.

        • powerpowerpow
          powerpowerpow
          August 23, 2021 at 12:26 am | #

          My god, I want this bonus strip so bad. No dialogue. Just Sal breaking into Danny’s room via his window with a measuring tape in hand, takes a couple measurements of his scalp, and just leaves.

          I love imagining scenes like this. I can’t watch The Godfather without picturing Tom Hagen breaking into Jack Woltz’s bedroom, hiding a bloody disembodied horse’s head under his covers while the man’s asleep, making sure he mops up the floor any anywhere else he accidentally may have gotten some blood on, and then just leaving the same way he came in (through the window, probably.)

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            August 23, 2021 at 12:56 am | #

            Joe is working on an assignment, briefly looks up as she’s measuring things, and then goes back to typing, with no external reaction whatsoever.

            • Doctor_Who
              Doctor_Who
              August 23, 2021 at 1:23 am | #

              (Sees Sal approaching Danny with tape measure)

              Joe: “I can save you the trouble, we share a shower room. You aren’t missing much.”

              • Chris Phoenix
                Chris Phoenix
                August 23, 2021 at 2:11 am | #

                Here, have an internet.

              • WanderingLynx
                WanderingLynx
                August 23, 2021 at 3:34 am | #

                “Shuddup. Been told Wonderbread’s a grower” [keeps measuring around his temples, does nothing else, then disappears through the window.]

              • Jade
                Jade
                August 23, 2021 at 11:22 pm | #

                Joe is an excellent wingman, thankyouverymuch. This slander will not stand.

                While I don’t think he’d be comfortable with talking about his friend’s junk, I do think he would vouch that he’s a good catch, gingerly take a sock out of a drawer, and then quietly leave the room, putting the sock on the doorknob.

                Whether or not he hits on Sal before doing so is another matter (I don’t think their past interactions have been good? Joe would be into it, but Sal knows he’s the list guy).

          • TlalocW
            TlalocW
            August 23, 2021 at 6:13 am | #

            There was a wonderful cartoon, but I can’t think who did it though I’m leading toward Dave Kellett of Sheldon Comics, of a cartoon dotted line ala Family Circus showing the path Luca Brasi took on the estate of Jack Woltz to get the horse head into his bed.

    • woobie
      woobie
      August 23, 2021 at 12:44 am | #

      Elastic.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        August 23, 2021 at 12:58 am | #

        Yeah, I have quite a few one size fits all hats, including a few that look like they shouldn’t have elastic but do.

        • Wagstaff
          Wagstaff
          August 23, 2021 at 1:01 am | #

          Does a beanie count as a hat?

          • Delicious Taffy
            Delicious Taffy
            August 23, 2021 at 1:03 am | #

            Only to the west of Wisconsin.

          • WanderingLynx
            WanderingLynx
            August 23, 2021 at 3:34 am | #

            Most def in Chile 😀

          • Clif
            Clif
            August 23, 2021 at 4:24 am | #

            Depends on whether it has a propeller.

          • zee
            zee
            August 23, 2021 at 2:22 pm | #

            What else would it be?

            • Clif
              Clif
              August 23, 2021 at 5:26 pm | #

              Decoration. Tradition. Oversight.

              A non-hat head covering with no brim, crown, pinch or crease or other recognized part of an actual hat.

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      August 23, 2021 at 12:58 am | #

      She peeped his old one. She thinks ahead.

      • I am Nothing
        I am Nothing
        August 23, 2021 at 8:14 am | #

        She thinks a head.

    • Sam
      Sam
      August 23, 2021 at 1:55 am | #

      It is highly probable he fits a normal medium sized hat and that she just guessed that.

    • WanderingLynx
      WanderingLynx
      August 23, 2021 at 3:23 am | #

      ……. That makes me think Sal has thought of him enough to guess a likely measure and now I’m D’AWWing.

  12. Ray Radlein
    Ray Radlein
    August 23, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    This is so college

  13. BBCC
    BBCC
    August 23, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    AWWWWWWWWW

  14. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    August 23, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    RAISE THE MAIN SAIL.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      August 23, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

      I was hoping this would happen for two reasons: I like the characters and want them to be happy. Also, I need the slipshines in my life.

    • Wagstaff
      Wagstaff
      August 23, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

      Seriously though Sal would make for an AWESOME pirate captain!

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        August 23, 2021 at 5:37 am | #

        Do what you want cause a pirate is free, you are a pirate!

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        August 23, 2021 at 4:01 pm | #

        She would be a great dread pirate Roberts.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      August 23, 2021 at 12:17 am | #

      Yo ho, heave-ho!

      • He Who Abides
        He Who Abides
        August 23, 2021 at 12:57 am | #

        Hoist the colors!

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          August 23, 2021 at 1:14 am | #

          Run out the lanyard!

          • Geneseepaws
            Geneseepaws
            August 23, 2021 at 1:28 am | #

            Hoist the fore-main-topsail!

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              August 23, 2021 at 8:26 am | #

              Reef the main-topgallant-studding sail and haul in the spanker!

              • JBento
                JBento
                August 23, 2021 at 10:33 am | #

                Flush the poop deck.

                • Clif
                  Clif
                  August 23, 2021 at 6:25 pm | #

                  I’ve always believed that reserving an entire deck for pooping represents a design flaw.

                • JBento
                  JBento
                  August 23, 2021 at 7:38 pm | #

                  Well, it was before people invented stalls, so each person needed a lot of room.

    • WanderingLynx
      WanderingLynx
      August 23, 2021 at 3:23 am | #

      AYE AYE CAPTAIN!

      • Wagstaff
        Wagstaff
        August 23, 2021 at 4:02 am | #

        I CAN’T HEAR YOU!

        • WanderingLynx
          WanderingLynx
          August 23, 2021 at 4:20 am | #

          SI, CAPITÁN! ESTAMOS LISTOS!!!

          WOOOOH~

          • Wagstaff
            Wagstaff
            August 23, 2021 at 5:04 am | #

            WHO WANTS SOME PINAPPLE EXPRESS AND BOBA TEA?

            • Clif
              Clif
              August 23, 2021 at 12:14 pm | #

              I have no idea what either of those are and so I am assuming they are mixtures containing alcohol.

              • Wagstaff
                Wagstaff
                August 23, 2021 at 2:07 pm | #

                Actually, both of those things are thousands of times LESS toxic than alcohol, and therefore even MORE enjoyable!

                Plus I thought I could come up with an even funnier lyric to the rest of the SpongeBob theme song!

  15. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    August 23, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    HOORAY! The ship is sailing just as I hoped it would.

    And don’t worry Danny, I was kissed and I had to ask if it was a joke. Signals are confusing when you are dumb and/or unattractive.

  16. Brumagem
    Brumagem
    August 23, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

    I make a big hoopla about Ethan/Danny getting taken off the table, but I gotta admit Sal/Danny is still pretty dang cute.

    • WanderingLynx
      WanderingLynx
      August 23, 2021 at 3:37 am | #

      Aw man, yeah. I wish it had happened SO MUCH. SO MUCH. It’s always going to be like, the setup I had been waiting for since 2015 and then Ethan fucked Mike, and Danny fucked up and. Now there’s no way. I give up.

      These two are cute so I’ll take it.

      • milu
        milu
        August 23, 2021 at 4:19 am | #

        Ooooh, just you wait, you might get your wish in true Damn You Willis™ fashion.
        Ethan’s just waiting in the wings. He’ll show up and throw himself at Danny once he and Sal have gotten a bit serious and are looking a bit too cheery for this comic.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      August 23, 2021 at 8:28 am | #

      This isn’t necessarily directed at you, specifically, but it’s something I’ve kind of wanted to talk about since Ethan/Danny got tabled for the time being.

      Ethan as we knew him prior to the timeskip… did anything he do indicate there’d be some kind of interesting romance with Danny?

      They never talked about anything! Every time they were on-panel, separated by months if not even a whole year, they’d either be fretting over Amber or cooing over how great the other is. They both like comics and they think the other is neat, and by the time Ethan was willing to be with a guy he was also sleeping around with every dude he wanted because holy shit, turns out months of being forced into the closet means you want to rocket out of it as hard as possible, but then if he ever committed to Danny he’d still be Ethan, he’d still just be Manny, the boyfriend of another more interesting character who didn’t need all this romance drama bullshit and wanted to settle down, and that more interesting character was Shortpacked! Ethan after eight years of being a major character establishing that all the wacky drama was something he’d only tolerated and he just wanted to go on the internet and bongo about toys. Of course Shortpacked! Ethan just wanted a boring blank slate, because he doesn’t need drama to be happy, but more importantly the series he was in didn’t need him anymore, so he got his finale.

      I’m not some rabid Danny/Sal shipper. I mean, I am now, because they are absurdly adorable, but more than that I feel like things could actually happen and interesting character drama could arise from these two because I’ve already seen a bunch of interesting character drama from them. They hung out and got along and Sal feels like she can be open and vulnerable around this dopey idiot who has no capacity to trip over her alarms that cause her to reflexively push everyone away, except uh-oh what’s gonna happen when Sal lets herself be vulnerable around Danny, and then that invites everyone around her to treat that vulnerability as something that deserves their commentary?

      I do want Ethan to come back, Shortpacked! Ethan is this legitimately amazing Queer male character where he engaged with his sexuality on his terms and mostly only chafed when other people decided it had to mean something else. This guy gave up dating Catman because he refused to stop being a turbo nerd, and the comic wasn’t explicitly for or against Ethan’s own decision, it just let him make it because he was a grown ass man who knew what he wanted out of life and maybe he doesn’t need to change himself if he’s happy and stable! That’s Ethan to me, and DoA Ethan’s never been on that level because he’s always been a minor character. That’s fine too, Ethan doesn’t need to cut Joyce’s head off and usurp the main character role in an ironic twist of fate after what transpired in Shortpacked!, but until he starts being someone I can’t imagine latching onto a ship with him and especially not with a character like Danny, whose most important development from his time with Ethan came when Danny refused to allow himself to be ashamed of his sexuality anymore, and when Danny refused to back down from saying Mike was an abusive shithead and refusing to back down when Ethan put him down where he said he’d let Mike laugh at Danny if he was in a coma. Danny’s most important developments with Ethan were in how Danny asserted himself, and Ethan was secondary.

      Like the only reason Ethan sticks in my mind is that he’s got the chance for a soft reboot and his lack of personality can be fixed by dressing up as Bully Maguire. Ethan when he comes back can, and I hope, I really do, absolutely be an interesting fount for drama in a series run on big, sweeping emotional moments, I just don’t think that’s where he is now.

      • Brumagem
        Brumagem
        August 23, 2021 at 9:26 am | #

        Listen.

        In the beforetimes, Ethan and Danny totally simped for eachother and in a world without Amber there is no question they would have gotten together. There was a scene where they even said as much, but also said they shouldn’t because it would be damaging for her to see ANOTHER love interest “turned gay” after dating her.

        That’s all.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          August 23, 2021 at 9:29 am | #

          That… that really isn’t what I was getting at.

        • Brumagem
          Brumagem
          August 23, 2021 at 9:32 am | #

          It’s also just bonkers that once Amber openly stated how ok she was with Ethan diddling other dudes AND had cut ties with Danny, they don’t actually address it again. It’s like Willis had the idea, then wanted to sweep it under the rug again, then seal the deal with Danny being SO callous at the hospital that it shattered my suspension of disbelief RE people in a comic called “Dumbing of Age” doing dumb things.

          • Spencer
            Spencer
            August 23, 2021 at 9:37 am | #

            He asserted himself in the face of his crush telling him in no uncertain terms that he would stand by and let Mike laugh at Danny for being in a coma.

            Like Danny was about to wander into another relationship (because for all the “oh but Amber” stuff Danny was absolutely going to tell Ethan everything he wanted to say), had some misgiving, and instead of passively standing there and hoping they’ll work themselves out he just said the thing that was on his mind, and then Ethan made it clear that he didn’t value Danny as much as Danny thought he did.

            Danny gained the power of self-respect. He didn’t just let himself get dragged along by his romantic interest’s bullshit.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        August 23, 2021 at 11:37 am | #

        I made a pretty big comment and then lost it, but: Thing I’m realizing about Ethan? He’s been VERY passive since the strip started, sometimes under the guise of avoiding drama. It makes sense – I get, for instance, that maybe Ethan wasn’t ready to come out when they broke up and Amber went VERY assertive in ‘he is gay and that should be respected’ to acquaintances (I’m not sure she pushed coming out in general – that could’ve been him and he got burned on the end result, or Naomi could’ve pushed when they broke up because she knew the answer already – but either way it wasn’t great for him.) I get that Amber also took the Joyce situation REALLY badly. The distance was merited. But he seems to be less assertive on the whole, even in low-stakes situations, than other characters who try to be people-pleasers to avoid drama (Walky in particular seems comparable here, and Becky also has some tendencies.) It being a probable trauma response doesn’t make it particularly interesting to read when that’s how he reacts to everything. I don’t think his arc’s done – the explicitly-stated bit where he wanted to be casual-sex only in part to avoid telling his mother he was seeing anyone is too obviously unsustainable, and that’s DEFINITELY a ‘don’t make a big move to avoid drama’ thing so I suspect changing it would require some character development. But being offscreen has tabled at least some of that – I agree, he’ll probably reinvent himself a bit when we see him again, but I don’t think he’ll have worked through it all. End result, though, is he wasn’t particularly interesting as a romantic option for a more active character. He’ll have to work through that at some point, but it doesn’t have to be with Danny or to propel him towards Danny. Lord knows we need more queer male characters in the cast, not just background. But yeah, where his arc stands was not the best to set up interesting ship dynamics.

        • JBento
          JBento
          August 23, 2021 at 12:05 pm | #

          The problem with an Ethan/Danny relationship is (was?) that, relationship-wise, they’re basically the same person: both such wet blankets they could be bedclothes in the Titanic.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          August 23, 2021 at 12:12 pm | #

          The way I’ve come to think of Ethan is that he was a character loaded with problems, except none of those problems were his fault so his inability to deal with them didn’t really engender interesting drama, like either the triumphant rise or that loving frustration the audience doles out to characters when they make mistakes, it was just really sad and you felt bad for him. “Joyce dates a gay dude” sounds like a funny sitcom plot, but all the funny sitcom stuff was on Joyce’s end and with Ethan it was just this incredibly painful and fruitless attempt at turning himself into something he’s not so his parents would love him again.

          And meanwhile his lifelong best friend abandons him so she can wear a cape and beat people up, and then that lifelong best friend tells him that she needed a break from him being gay and gets mad at him that Joyce took him to a meeting instead of her and constantly stonewalls any of his attempts to meaningfully connect with her again, and then his other lifelong best friend fucking dies and he gets kidnapped because of some bullshit where Amber’s dad is dressing up like a supervillain and Amber’s mental state had fractured so badly that she was involved and didn’t even know herself, and all of this just happens to Ethan and because of his personality and character disposition he doesn’t react in a funny over the top way, he just gets really angry and depressed.

          And like, even if all that hadn’t happened, how do Danny and Ethan interact? How do you get worthwhile character interaction out of them when they’re not only nice to each other all the time, but both of them don’t have the kind of personalities that lead to a lot of character conflict? Where do you go with them other than “Ethan has to boldly declare in front of his parents that he has a boyfriend”? Becky and Dina are also pretty much always happy with each other, it’s only now with Becky’s sexual hangups that there’s any real drama between them, but Becky and Dina are a good dynamic because they constantly make the other grow and change and adapt and fill vital roles in each other’s lives that both of them want filled.

          Yeah sure I do want more Queer men in the series because, you know, I’m me, every Patreon poll I answer Sayid Phry the Hot Queer Guy (to the tune of Bill Nye), and moreover everything I’ve said above can change with Ethan’s return getting built up with a new persona that creates more interesting character dynamics, but for me, and I fully recognize this is a much more complicated discussion than how I’m putting it here, I’m more interested in the pairing of individual characters than character pairings, and I don’t really need Danny to smooch a dude when I’ve got Danny smooching on self-respect and the actualization of his bisexuality manifesting not as “Danny breaks up with his crazy girlfriend and gets with a dude, the Only Valid Relationship For Queer Characters”, but in Danny growing and becoming a more mature person from learning he’s bi, and his life being enriched by it.

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            August 23, 2021 at 4:55 pm | #

            I think putting Ethan on a bus makes sense from a storytelling standpoint. By the way Walky describes him now, it sounds like the rapid shift in demeanor (from the reader’s perspective) would be even more jarring than Jennifer’s. He’s stuck at the hospital like Amber was stuck at the gas station.

            Besides that, as you said he mostly just rode shotgun on other characters’ stories. They all to be reestablished for Season 2 while filling us in on the changes they went through since the end of Season 1. Now that they’re back in full swing, they’ll provide context (and contrast) for Ethan whenever he shows up again.

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            August 24, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

            Agreed. Ethan’s likely to reappear eventually, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be a love interest for Danny again and I think the crux of his (and Amber’s) personal arcs should be less about romance and more about realizing that Mike was maybe not a good friend to them, ever, and it’s not disrespecting the dead to acknowledge he was terrible to them. In Ethan’s case, he could also use a bit more assertiveness/willing to cause drama to say what he actually thinks. In that respect, his scene with Danny in the hospital was progress. Unfortunately, it was progress born of him being an asshole, but, Dumbing of Age.

            A break’s good for him. And a break that gives him a chance to reset and be a more active driver in his own storylines is even better.

  17. ADLegend21
    ADLegend21
    August 23, 2021 at 12:16 am | #

    YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

  18. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    August 23, 2021 at 12:16 am | #

    Also it’s nice to see Sal get out of her own way on this and embrace something genuinely positive in her relationships. It can’t just be Marcie forever.

    • mrnoidea
      mrnoidea
      August 23, 2021 at 3:57 pm | #

      +1

  19. Pizzawiz
    Pizzawiz
    August 23, 2021 at 12:16 am | #

    Woooooo. Yeah baby that’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for.

  20. John
    John
    August 23, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

    Hmm. He’s tagged as “dan” rather than “danny”. I wonder if that’s meaningful, or an error.

    • John
      John
      August 23, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

      Now he’s “danny”. I guess it was an error.

    • Wizard
      Wizard
      August 23, 2021 at 12:31 am | #

      I’m seeing “Danny”, so maybe it was an error.

  21. newlland(Henryvolt)
    newlland(Henryvolt)
    August 23, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

    You know what the fucking kicker here is? Danny being with Sal would make the most stable romantic relationship he’s had so far, more so the even when we was trying to make it work with the acclaimed “oh so perfect” Dorothy.

    I mean Dorothy’s great and having someone like her in your life would definitely do you some good but with her and him wanting different things for their future it they were bound to go in different directions and Amber/Amazi was good while it lasted and maybe they could have gone all the way till the end of college if somethings were different, but it got so complicated maybe too complicated which is a shame since Danny was willing to take her back for a time and I know I would.

    Sal will be good for him and Danny would be good to her, I think as long as he’s open, upfront, and pretty keeps doing what he’s been doing with Sal they could have a good thing going.

  22. John
    John
    August 23, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

    So she DOES know his name!

  23. LiterallyJustSomeGuy
    LiterallyJustSomeGuy
    August 23, 2021 at 12:22 am | #

    D’awwwww.

    I find it interesting hearing Sal call Danny “good” and “kind,” because I don’t think she would use those words to describe Asher. Asher is “dangerous.” Is Jennifer going to get jealous that Sal isn’t jealous?

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      August 23, 2021 at 12:26 am | #

      Probably, yeah.

      Hell, I wouldn’t be too surprised if it turned out she was only dating Asher in the first place for that very reason. Maybe as revenge for Sal having the sheer gall to not be Amazi-Girl, proving all of her speculation fruitless

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        August 23, 2021 at 12:33 am | #

        Doesn’t she still think Sal is Amazi-Girl? Yeah yeah, Sal denied it to her face after the kidnapping, but that wasn’t the first time Sal denied it to her face. And Billie’s response the first time was “that’s exactly what someone who is Amazi-Girl would say!”

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          August 23, 2021 at 12:34 am | #

          Just because they’ve both been seen in the same place, that doesn’t mean they can’t both still be Sal.

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            August 23, 2021 at 12:37 am | #

            If presented now with that “evidence”, I’d imagine Jennifer (who is a comics nerd among other things) would compare it to something like that time Bruce Wayne dressed up as Superman and vice versa to foil someone who was trying to unveil their secret identities.

            • He Who Abides
              He Who Abides
              August 23, 2021 at 1:00 am | #

              Or when Alfred dressed up as Batman, so that Bruce could have her talk to Batman without making her suspicious.

              • He Who Abides
                He Who Abides
                August 23, 2021 at 1:43 am | #

                I swear I typed “Poison Ivy”, not “her”

                • Clif
                  Clif
                  August 23, 2021 at 4:27 am | #

                  Jennifer knows you can be two people at the same time on account of being Mike.

                • wwwhhattt
                  wwwhhattt
                  August 23, 2021 at 6:16 am | #

                  Have Jennifer and Booster been seen in the same panel together? QED.

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            August 23, 2021 at 5:00 pm | #

            They just have to shift back and forth extremely quickly, like the Olsen twin.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          August 23, 2021 at 4:42 am | #

          She’d have to be willfully ignorant to an obscene degree to still think that, so like a 60/40 shot I’d say

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      August 23, 2021 at 2:40 am | #

      FWIW, I think that we’re going to go through a long “Danny is my Very Good Friend” phase whilst Sal realises that Asher is toxic and dangerous to everyone, including and especially herself all with Danny being a critical part of her support structure. She is going to be as surprised as Danny when she finally realises that she thinks he is a potential romantic partner and all the better for being ‘less exciting’ than Asher.

    • WanderingLynx
      WanderingLynx
      August 23, 2021 at 3:44 am | #

      1- You put this into perspective and I’m grateful ;D Sal calling Danny “good and kind” as opposed to Asher who’s dangerous and “should be with someone like me, BUT NOT ME” worries me. Not because Sal feels anything for Asher (I think she doesn’t, she’s just upset he grew up to be hot); but because Sal feels like she doesn’t deserve good things, good people, or kindness.

      2- Jennifer is MOST DEF going to be upset Sal came to warn her out of true, well-founded concern, and not from a jealousy she can look down upon and/or take glee from.

      • Fist_of_Life
        Fist_of_Life
        August 23, 2021 at 6:59 am | #

        Re:2, That’s assuming that Jennifer doesn’t just chalk it up to Sal trying to not look jealous, whilst totally being jealous. Jennifer strikes me as the type to find facts to fit her narrative, not narratives to fit the facts.

        • Clif
          Clif
          August 23, 2021 at 11:30 am | #

          That’s all of us. But Jennifer does seem particularly good at it.

  24. NinjaNick
    NinjaNick
    August 23, 2021 at 12:24 am | #

    SQUEE!!!

  25. Delicious Taffy
    Delicious Taffy
    August 23, 2021 at 12:29 am | #

    Wait, she likes him? That’s funny, you’d think someone in the comments might have noticed before now. I was certain it was all part of his secret plan to sell her kidneys on the deep web. /s

    Easy there, Danno. It’s just a peck on the cheek, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Long as they’re happy, I got no problems.

  26. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    August 23, 2021 at 12:31 am | #

    Honestly, I do like the hat on him, he pulls it off, it just looks less silly if he’s got, like, a jacket on.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      August 23, 2021 at 12:33 am | #

      For some reason, every time he wears a hat like this, he spontaneously develops a perfect Galway accent.

  27. StClair
    StClair
    August 23, 2021 at 12:37 am | #

    Finally, a version of the Sal/Danny pairing that’s actually good and wholesome and deserved.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      August 23, 2021 at 12:41 am | #

      Tomorrow bone of them is gonna pull out a gun and it’s gonna get all Clone Saga in this place.

      • milu
        milu
        August 23, 2021 at 4:11 am | #

        Your own autocorrect is actively working to turn this threatening scenario into a sleazy one. Or maybe that was your unconscious? the difference is close to academic by this point in the history of human/machine relationships.

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          August 23, 2021 at 8:13 am | #

          Y’know what, fuck it. If the b wants in there so badly, let’s go hogwild with this.

          Either Danny’s skeleton or Sal’s is gonna emerge from their body with a gun, leaving them mysteriously un-floppy and causing a ruckus.

  28. Mr. Random
    Mr. Random
    August 23, 2021 at 12:50 am | #

    “This girl I’ve been talking to for the last 3 months and playing games with gave me a present and kissed me. Do you think she might like me?”

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      August 23, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

      The next week he’s feverishly Googling “this woman well and truly frigged me to within an inch of my life does that mean she likes me” while Sal cackles maniacally.

      • milu
        milu
        August 23, 2021 at 4:24 am | #

        Helpfully, Google responds “yes; no; maybe; join this cult; want some dick pills?!?”

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        August 23, 2021 at 5:39 am | #

        You really can’t tell. Maybe she’s from Canada and was just being polite.

    • JBento
      JBento
      August 23, 2021 at 7:26 am | #

      I feel called out by your post.

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        August 23, 2021 at 7:59 am | #

        It’s kinda similar to me in a bunch of ways that I shouldn’t be proud of. Do you think I should feel called out by this post?

  29. bemisawa
    bemisawa
    August 23, 2021 at 12:50 am | #

    Spoiler alert: he probably won’t figure it out.

  30. Amos Batista
    Amos Batista
    August 23, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

    I just figured out nobody kissed me for a while, since the pandemic.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      August 23, 2021 at 5:01 pm | #

      That recently? You lucky devil.

  31. Delicious Taffy
    Delicious Taffy
    August 23, 2021 at 12:59 am | #

    On the one hand, if you’re bothered by this it sucks and sympathy is extended. On the other hand, at least you know you haven’t got the “Rona from that sort of thing?

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      August 23, 2021 at 12:59 am | #

      Well. That’s the hubris in action.

    • Fist_of_Life
      Fist_of_Life
      August 23, 2021 at 7:03 am | #

      Its been a while since i read QC, so maybe there’s been some character development I’m not privy to, but your grav really doesn’t match your comment.

      • Delicious Taffy
        Delicious Taffy
        August 23, 2021 at 8:23 am | #

        Last year, Pintsize and Hannelore swapped bodies, Marigold ate the last slice of pizza so Dale ate her Xbox, Bubbles became a furry complete with neon dogsuit, Claire violated international law and had to flee with Marten to Paraguay, Roko upgraded to become more powerful than Yay, Brun deleted Switzerland, and Sam went to Egypt with Jim, where they found an ancient golden ring that killed Jim and possessed Sam with the spirit of an ancient evil.

        So, same ol’, same ol’.

        • Clif
          Clif
          August 23, 2021 at 11:34 am | #

          Hey! Spoilers. The ring was a major plot point.

          • He Who Abides
            He Who Abides
            August 23, 2021 at 2:06 pm | #

            Not so much the ring itself, as it was the thing inside it.

        • mrnoidea
          mrnoidea
          August 23, 2021 at 3:50 pm | #

          You had me at “deleted Switzerland” XD

      • Amos Batista
        Amos Batista
        August 23, 2021 at 10:15 am | #

        I’ve stopped reading QC, I followed this webcomic before I discovered DoA this age.

        • Clif
          Clif
          August 23, 2021 at 11:38 am | #

          I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it’s possible to read and enjoy several web comics at the same time.

          What do you mean I’m doing it wrong?

          • Amos Batista
            Amos Batista
            August 23, 2021 at 1:42 pm | #

            I guess I was not enjoying QC as lately, and plus, DoA got me so hyped because it helped to deal with some things in my life.

            • Needfuldoer
              Needfuldoer
              August 23, 2021 at 5:31 pm | #

              I’ve been reading it since almost the beginning, but have mostly read it out of habit for years now. If you asked me to sum up the plot from the last year I’d only have a handful of bullet points.

              I feel like it’s difficult to get invested in a comic when even it doesn’t seem to know where it’s going. The stories just meander around for a while without accomplishing anything of consequence, and the character roster has become a complex, rotating cast of dozens. It’s more like a collection of loosely related vignettes about a small mill town than it is an overall story arc. Maybe that’s how it wound up diving into the world of mocap avatar livestreaming?

            • Clif
              Clif
              August 23, 2021 at 5:47 pm | #

              I’m glad DOA speaks to you. I thoroughly enjoy it and am much more invented in the characters than those of QC. But the slow exploration of the relationships between humans and AIs is a premise that fascinates me.

              • Clif
                Clif
                August 23, 2021 at 5:53 pm | #

                * invested

  32. Regalli
    Regalli
    August 23, 2021 at 12:59 am | #

    D’awwwww!

  33. Mackabre
    Mackabre
    August 23, 2021 at 1:01 am | #

    This is fucking adorable

  34. He Who Abides
    He Who Abides
    August 23, 2021 at 1:01 am | #

    YAS!

  35. Mancuso
    Mancuso
    August 23, 2021 at 1:08 am | #

    Give him time, he’s almost got it. Almost. He’s nearly there.

  36. Mr D
    Mr D
    August 23, 2021 at 1:10 am | #

    Hey Willis! What did ya think of Evangelion 3+1?

  37. Meagan
    Meagan
    August 23, 2021 at 1:11 am | #

    Wow, I am pleasantly surprised with how quickly the ‘Sal looks for love in all the wrong places’ arc pivoted to something wholesome. I hope Willis doesn’t immediately start leaning on couple tension between them for narrative drama, as fictional media is so wont to do.

    • Rotunda
      Rotunda
      August 23, 2021 at 1:16 am | #

      This is the same Sal who computed that she should forgive Amber.

      • Sporky
        Sporky
        August 23, 2021 at 6:12 am | #

        With that word choice you kinda make her sound like a robot.

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          August 23, 2021 at 8:24 am | #

          We can’t prove she’s not.

          • Clif
            Clif
            August 23, 2021 at 5:56 pm | #

            Sure we can. Lop off the head and the difference should be obvious.

            • StClair
              StClair
              August 23, 2021 at 10:00 pm | #

              Or just see if she can tick the little box.

  38. Joe Angel
    Joe Angel
    August 23, 2021 at 1:14 am | #

    Cute moment that could be ruined in a hot two seconds if Ethan or Asher walk by.

    Sal has been hovering around hoping to bump into Ash like, two days ago? And Asher is a mild-mannered bad-boy-image hiding an actual mobster, what would their encounter have been like if Sal met Asher when he was alone?
    Not to mention how Sal is bitter as hell around Ruth/Jason and I don’t think that’s only because they’re both shitty authority figures.

    What happens if Ethan forgives Danny?

    This just kinda feels like two rejected people taking a safe option.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      August 23, 2021 at 2:13 am | #

      I don’t really know. Asher, yeah, that’s a fresh wound, but Ethan, it’d really depend on what’s happened since we saw him last. Guessing Ethan and Danny have likely not spoken since the hospital. Hell, sorta get the impression Amber possibly hasn’t spoken to Ethan, either.

      • Miri
        Miri
        August 23, 2021 at 3:51 am | #

        I suspect Amber is now in therapy (Joe Sr is Dr Dick isn’t he? So hopefully he would kindly but firmly insist on finding somebody with experience helping highly traumatised people with DID work on their trauma and memory-sharing etc. I would also like to think that said therapist “gets” Amber enough that some of this therapy takes the form of talking to each other online whilst also playing a shoot-em-up designed to act as an EMDR tool, some writing out of experiences as fanfics to facilitate memory-sharing while providing some distance from the events described (and also mean that these cannot possibly count as evidence to be used by Not-Ryan against her, even though the bit where Batman flips and stabs Joker to a bloody mess after he tried to drug and rape Robin’s friend, then tried to come after Batman, the friend and Robin, sounds a bit familiar), and very little to none of it takes the form of talking face to face whilst making eye contact. Plot twist: it’s Dina’s mother…).

        Amber would totally tell Ethan she’s in therapy and that it’s hopefully helping, and I’m sure he’s relieved and part of the reason he feels OK about cutting ties for now is because he knows she’s got people around her looking out for her. But I suspect he still needs more time and space (a) because he is hurting too; (b) to see if it’s actually helping and making a difference; and (c) because he has been her support system since they were tiny, he probably needs to deal with complicated feelings surrounding having created distance betwen them by having to come out and first hurt her then rely on her support with his parents, guilt about not having realised she had developed two separate identities who weren’t integrating memories (especially as this was possibly because he was too busy hooking up with all the cute guys on campus who weren’t Danny), anger that she hadn’t let him know she was struggling sooner…

        • Sam
          Sam
          August 23, 2021 at 3:03 pm | #

          As Walky said early on, the therapists in the area are not in fact, very good.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      August 23, 2021 at 3:20 am | #

      That was earlier today she was trying to bump into Asher but honestly, I think she’d been lonely in general. Danny’s a good guy though and I think he proved it today with how much he tried to make her happy.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      August 23, 2021 at 7:14 am | #

      Depends on where the characters are at.

      If Danny’s starting to twig onto being with Sal but still has lingering feels for Ethan, that gets complicated.

      If Ethan comes back after Danny starts committing to Sal, then he’s kinda SoL because Danny is so monogamous he thought he cheated on Amazi-Girl with Amber that one time, and Danny’s attraction to Ethan while he was with Amber, because his attraction to Ethan was new and loud and representative of feelings he didn’t understand, was something he couldn’t really control in the same capacity as “I am with one person, time to never think about anyone else ever.”

      Danny isn’t, like, waiting around for Ethan or anything. He crashed and burned with him over four months ago now. He’s probably moved on from Ethan as a serious romantic consideration.

      Also I reject any reality where “cool lady with a motorcycle who has been in two actual car chases” is safer than “guy with Opinions on toy robots.”

      • Doongus
        Doongus
        August 25, 2021 at 11:27 am | #

        To be fair, Amber also considers Amazi-Girl to be two separate people.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      August 23, 2021 at 7:23 am | #

      Not to mention opening herself up like this to someone is a huge leap for Sal. It’s only “safe” in the sense that Danny has zero ability to be dishonest and a stated intent of not wanting to push any boundary other than at Sal’s own pace, so Sal can actually start processing stuff a lifetime of getting burned has led to her believe can’t actually happen with someone who all but lacks the capacity to hurt Sal in the specific way she constantly gets hurt.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        August 23, 2021 at 8:39 am | #

        Amusingly, in contrast to your last line in the first post, for Sal, the “(ex?) mobster who’s been involved in a murder and helped get her caught shoplifting” is safer than Danny. No need for emotional vulnerability with Asher.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      August 23, 2021 at 8:40 am | #

      I don’t really see that. They’ve been building towards this since before the timeskip. There’s really something there between them.

  39. Prince Mech
    Prince Mech
    August 23, 2021 at 1:23 am | #

    This put smiles in my soul.

  40. MrSmith
    MrSmith
    August 23, 2021 at 1:32 am | #

    Aww

  41. GUIGUI
    GUIGUI
    August 23, 2021 at 1:56 am | #

    On one hand
    -YAYYYY my favorite It’s Walky ship is back in business
    On the Other hand
    -DoA still has many years of comics ahead of it, with ample time for David Willis to make this ship crash and burn with no survivors in a irredeemable way.

    I am happy, but also a bit worried.

    • Clif
      Clif
      August 23, 2021 at 4:35 am | #

      Without the worry you can’t truly appreciate the happiness.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      August 23, 2021 at 10:53 am | #

      Consider the last book, where the first couple of chapters set up some pretty sweet ships – NONE OF WHICH SURVIVED.

      Walky+Dorothy = BROKE IN HALF AND SUNK

      Sal+Jason = SMASHED AGAINST THE ROCKS

      Danny+AG = WENT UP LIKE THE HINDENBURG

      Yeah, this’ll be cute – for a while

    • StClair
      StClair
      August 23, 2021 at 10:03 pm | #

      “A thing isn’t beautiful because it lasts.”

  42. BenRG
    BenRG
    August 23, 2021 at 2:10 am | #

    Sometimes, nice guys do come out on top.

    It’s always a difficult thing to judge: How to show a character changing their view of another and perhaps deciding that they like them enough to risk being vulnerable around them. You can say too much or you can say too little and the balance is a fine one. I think that by stretching it out so long, Willis has done this fairly well. We’ve seen how Sal’s feelings for Danny has really crept up on her really without any conscious effort on his part or any real realisation on her part until, one day, they found themselves here.

  43. David
    David
    August 23, 2021 at 2:15 am | #

    She’s not wrong, you know.

  44. Bunnygurl
    Bunnygurl
    August 23, 2021 at 2:17 am | #

    Did no one catch she called him by his name and not wonderbread?

    • Clif
      Clif
      August 23, 2021 at 4:36 am | #

      Obviously a missprint.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      August 23, 2021 at 8:01 am | #

      I think “Danny” is Wonderbread’s new nickname.

    • zee
      zee
      August 23, 2021 at 2:41 pm | #

      Nope, several comments above didn’t mention it

  45. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    August 23, 2021 at 2:52 am | #

    I would really like to hope for all possible happiness for Sal and Danny as a couple. They are adorable, fun and capable of bringing out the best in each other ♡. But will they survive public exposure and the judgment of others? I’m afraid they aren’t emotionally ready for this, yet.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      August 23, 2021 at 8:03 am | #

      Who’s judgey? Joe would be on board with Danny landing a hot girlfriend, and whoever Sal’s rooming with should be just as accepting.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        August 23, 2021 at 8:42 am | #

        Malaya? Accepting?

        I suspect the judgments will mostly be more on the “That’s so unlike you” angle. That the pairing is unexpected and seems to break character for both of them.

        • JBento
          JBento
          August 23, 2021 at 10:32 am | #

          On the other hand, you get to see Malaya trying to find a way to call Danny fakey and him constantly proving to her that he is, in fact, exactly what you see.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            August 23, 2021 at 10:53 am | #

            But it definitely proves Sal is fakey if she’s willing to date someone like Danny.

            • Spencer
              Spencer
              August 23, 2021 at 11:26 am | #

              Yeah that’s kinda where I’m expecting this to go if it gets serious.

              Either Sal is being desperate, fakey, and was never actually cool because she latched onto the ukulele dork, or that ukulele dork is a nice, upstanding normal guy who will set Sal down the right path, and all that’s existing in between the commentary and constant need to defend and justify that she’s dating someone at all.

          • Rabisch
            Rabisch
            August 23, 2021 at 3:45 pm | #

            The thing that worries me is that seeing how Danny is just Danny would drive Malaya crazy, start hating him more and more, kill him in a violent, uncontrollable attack of rage and then try to dispose of his corpse with Mary’s help.

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          August 23, 2021 at 3:06 pm | #

          Yeah, but Malaya’s spirit animal is an iguana that just sits there with resting-dragon-face in perfect acceptance of anything that happens, so that means Malaya is just as accepting.

          • Rabisch
            Rabisch
            August 23, 2021 at 3:33 pm | #

            Malaya doesn’t accept. She just decides not to care about it and occasionally throws a disgusted glance followed by cynical passing remarks full of prejudice.

  46. AGV
    AGV
    August 23, 2021 at 3:06 am | #

    How did you call a himbo that wasn’t buff?

    • WanderingLynx
      WanderingLynx
      August 23, 2021 at 4:14 am | #

      I have no idea but my brain jumped to “slimbo” and now it’s stuck

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      August 23, 2021 at 7:24 am | #

      David Willis has informed me this term is referred to as “himbim.”

  47. WanderingLynx
    WanderingLynx
    August 23, 2021 at 3:11 am | #

    HAVEN’T READ ANYONE ELSE’S COMMENTS, JUST. I CAME HERE TO FLAIL FIRST. I can’t believe I’m shipping this so hard??? Swear to Marx it was like “heh, those two are so genuine together, it’s sweet” and now it’s like “OH GOD DANNY PLEASE CHERISH HER FOREVER”. It’s weird, fam – But I ain’t complaining.

    I like their friendship a lot and want it to continue! But basically, if they start dating I kinda hope it’s endgame now. What the hell &heart;

    • Wagstaff
      Wagstaff
      August 23, 2021 at 3:47 am | #

      Well, we have reason to suspect that no ships are endgame:

      ” No ships are endgame because I always find ships that are even more endgame-y. “

      — David M. Willis

      The million dollar question is, will there be any SlipShines coming out of this?

      • WanderingLynx
        WanderingLynx
        August 23, 2021 at 4:13 am | #

        It feels like this setup is the climax of the interaction (though I might be wrong af) before Something and/or Someone interrupts. So they wouldn’t be getting together now.

        I’m a queer queer NB person (she/they and sometimes he pronouns); and most times I wouldn’t be raring for a Slipshine of a straight ship. This isn’t one of those times. I damn hope Willis draws a Slipshine of these two :’D

        • Wagstaff
          Wagstaff
          August 23, 2021 at 5:27 am | #

          Hmm… now that I think of it, the Slipshine releases have gotten MUCH less frequent since the pandemic started. Either that or they’re not as frequent as we want them to be.

          I have high hopes, for even if none come this year, there’s a high chance that we’ll get at least one next year, in celebration of the 4000th strip!

          Also, I think it might just be more than coincidence that this strip was went up during the full moon.

          Tell me, does the moon also shine brightly in Chile?

  48. BBCC
    BBCC
    August 23, 2021 at 3:20 am | #

    So, uh, when’s the other shoe dropping, Willis?

    • WanderingLynx
      WanderingLynx
      August 23, 2021 at 3:31 am | #

      It’s hilarious how Pavlov’d all of us are about Bad Things Happening As Soon As We’re Thrown Something Nice ™

      …….. But yeah, I’m kinda betting on the next, or next three strips having something Bad thrown at those two ;;

      • Clif
        Clif
        August 23, 2021 at 4:46 am | #

        It’s not as soon as. From Ruth and Billie becoming a couple to Halloween was books and books.

        Ethan has to be reintroduced and then learn that Mike is still alive but didn’t let him know, before he decides to pursue Danny.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          August 23, 2021 at 7:49 am | #

          A more interesting ship has found Danny.

          Ethan is now the Amber.

      • zee
        zee
        August 23, 2021 at 2:48 pm | #

        We’ve been traumatized

  49. Nenja
    Nenja
    August 23, 2021 at 3:23 am | #

    I am both delighted and nervous. This is so sweet … so how long before something bad happens?

  50. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    August 23, 2021 at 3:25 am | #

    holy shiiiiiiiit

  51. Bunny
    Bunny
    August 23, 2021 at 3:37 am | #

    Sals got a sweet tooth. She just smooched a cinnamon roll.

  52. Heavensrun
    Heavensrun
    August 23, 2021 at 3:37 am | #

    Anybody else get Rayla/Callum vibes from these two?

    • newlland(Henryvolt)
      newlland(Henryvolt)
      August 23, 2021 at 4:58 am | #

      Dragon Prince? One could hope to get that type of romantic dynamic.

  53. Mr.Morningstar
    Mr.Morningstar
    August 23, 2021 at 4:17 am | #

    Is the first pairing from the walkyverse to happen in dumbing of age?

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      August 23, 2021 at 7:31 am | #

      Nah Dorothy/Walky (they were high school friends, they never went for it, Dorothy came to town, she’s possessed by the Head Alien) and Ruth/Billie (Ruth was Billie and Walky’s babysitter when they were kids and it was posthumously revealed they had gotten together prior to Ruth’s death) both happened here in the same capacity of “same characters, but radically different context.”

      Joe’s current feelings for Joyce are actually pretty in-line with his Walkyverse counterpart as well, where Joe starts falling for her after he starts thinking of her differently. He did like Joyce but didn’t want either of them to change what they wanted to be together, Joe did want to be kind of shallow and free until he did mellow out with Rachel and later was totally different by the time he hooked up with Robin for a bit, and Joyce wanted someone who would be romantic and committed to her, whereas here Joe’s feelings for Joyce seem to be manifesting as “she’s an outrageously good person and I want her to be happy, but I’m not good enough and don’t know how.”

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        August 23, 2021 at 12:12 pm | #

        Leslie/Robin is here too.

        • Buli-buli
          Buli-buli
          August 23, 2021 at 6:45 pm | #

          Does the mythical two-way unrequited crush count as a pairing?

      • newlland(Henryvolt)
        newlland(Henryvolt)
        August 23, 2021 at 3:42 pm | #

        Second chances all around to see how it would have panned out.

  54. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    August 23, 2021 at 4:21 am | #

    D’aww.

    So who’s going to ruin the moment first? Sal getting cold feet and running away from her feelings again, or will it be another classic example of Danning it up?

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      August 23, 2021 at 4:32 am | #

      My guess is that they’re going to walk in on a “just kiss already” argument between Joyce and Joe and it will break the mood.

  55. BenRG
    BenRG
    August 23, 2021 at 4:21 am | #

    He’s an idiot… but he’s her idiot.

    • Clif
      Clif
      August 23, 2021 at 4:50 am | #

      She gave him a hat and now she owns him.

      Dunno how much the hat cost, but she may have overspent. All my wife had to do was buy me a hamburger.

      • JBento
        JBento
        August 23, 2021 at 7:29 am | #

        Yes, but the hamburger molecules then become part of you. The hat is removable.

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          August 23, 2021 at 8:06 am | #

          But what if the hat becomes part of his identity?

          • Delicious Taffy
            Delicious Taffy
            August 23, 2021 at 8:28 am | #

            Better the hat than a hamburger.

          • JBento
            JBento
            August 23, 2021 at 8:41 am | #

            Then it becomes harder for him to be picked by facial recognition software, and then both people AND machines will pretend not to see him.

            • Reltzik
              Reltzik
              August 23, 2021 at 4:47 pm | #

              Wow. I knew the hat was styling, but I had no idea it was so razzle-dazzle.

  56. JoeCovenant
    JoeCovenant
    August 23, 2021 at 4:33 am | #

    My dream is (hopefully!) coming true.

    I’ve never really been a shipper, but always thought Sal and Danny got a rough ride “originally” all those years ago, and felt bad for them both.

    Fingers crossed!

  57. Keulen
    Keulen
    August 23, 2021 at 5:33 am | #

    I hope Willis lets this ship sail for a while. Sal and Danny seem like they’d be a much better couple in this universe than the Walkyverse. And now I’m worried about all the possible ways this ship could sink before it gets very far.

  58. RowenMorland
    RowenMorland
    August 23, 2021 at 5:51 am | #

    Are we setting up for Mrs Walkerton meeting Danny and Lucy at the same time and approving of Danny because he’ll help reform Sal while worrying that Lucy will corrupt Walky and is to blame for him not obeying her will to be a doctor?

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      August 23, 2021 at 6:04 am | #

      I suspect that Linda ‘approving’ of Danny is probably going to be the one biggest obstacle in any possible long-term relationship between him and Sal.

      • Brumagem
        Brumagem
        August 23, 2021 at 9:18 am | #

        That balancing act between wanting someone’s approval and resenting them for needing their approval.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          August 23, 2021 at 10:52 am | #

          And worrying that their approval means you’re doing something wrong.

          • JBento
            JBento
            August 23, 2021 at 12:01 pm | #

            https://78.media.tumblr.com/40506ff2e2edfb57d838e98c79e816dd/tumblr_nx052dSzia1t4ymcao1_1280.png

    • Alex
      Alex
      August 23, 2021 at 11:43 am | #

      I would like to see Linda thinking Lucy is no good for Walky, and Lucy tirelessly trying to win her over.

  59. TK
    TK
    August 23, 2021 at 5:56 am | #

    … yay. ^__^

  60. Zee
    Zee
    August 23, 2021 at 6:14 am | #

    Walky: “This is why girls gotta kiss me so I know what’s goin’ on!”

    Danny: “You kissed me.” *Visual confusion*

  61. Spencer
    Spencer
    August 23, 2021 at 7:07 am | #

    This might sound weird, it’s kind of hard for me to phrase it appropriately, bear with me.

    I am definitely in on the redemption of dudes who can be described as good and kind in media.

    I kinda feel that sometimes the prevalence of Nice Guy both in fiction and irl knda leads to a point where we don’t want to depict a guy like Danny, who is nice and kind and supportive and after buttloads of character development also capable of separating his own big romantic fantasies from when he just wants to be nice to someone and the other person is a human being and therefore they don’t need to make any kind of deal out of his gesture other than what they want, and Danny in particular is someone who does a nice thing for that person because he wants them to be happy and it doesn’t have to go any further than that.

    I remember saying something yonks ago like “Danny and Sal getting together (and I don’t think they’re, like, joined at the hip right now anything, mind, she pecked him on the cheek) would be kinda like validating Danny’s old behaviour where he grows up and gets rewarded with the coolest lady ever who really gets him”, and while my consistent inability to ever successfully predict a plot point in DoA remains unblemished, I think the reason I even thought something along those lines (beyond thinking that Danny and Sal wouldn’t be too dramatic, but also that’s stupid because it took like three interactions across this one chapter to get some juicy drama out of them) is because I’m used to a surrounding discourse where the male character who is passive, gentle and mostly tries to be affectionate has to show they aren’t a Nice Guy, like that’s just a natural endpoint for this kind of person we have to know they’ll avoid, and I do get that; I did used to watch Friends after all, and that show ran on a nerdy dude in his 20s feeling entitled to the woman he loved.

    But from there I get the feeling that dude characters who were like that, who were passive and won someone over because they’re kind and gentle, started getting perceived as “this is a dude who is getting rewarded for basic human decency, I’m supposed to think he’s awesome because he’s nice to people, and therefore the act of being nice is being lionized.”

    • Buli-buli
      Buli-buli
      August 23, 2021 at 8:01 am | #

      Okay. That did get a bit rambling so let me try and summarize.

      You are saying that you support Danny/Sal because you feel Danny’s character and arc is a reconstruction of the Nice Guy trope instead of the toxic deconstruction we often think of nowadays?

      • Buli-buli
        Buli-buli
        August 23, 2021 at 8:03 am | #

        Sorry that was unclear. Let me clarify.
        The deconstructed Nice Guy trope isn’t toxic itself, but deconstructs the Nice Guy by making him toxic.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          August 23, 2021 at 8:35 am | #

          Kinda yeah.

          So you get fiction for yonks where “guy wins out because he’s So Nice and she keeps dating Jerks instead of him” and then we all recognize that’s weird creepy bullshit that exists as a power fantasy.

          Then we get yonks of fiction where that character is presented as they really are; a weasel who thinks basic human decency should reward him with sex, except this goes to a point where, at least as I feel and I recognize that this may be relying too much on anecdotal evidence, a guy who is gentle and passive ending up in a relationship with a cool lady who gets him is “rewarding him for being a Nice Guy.”

          So if I tried to sum it up it would be “Danny is a guy who is nice, and he did start the series out with weird fucked up visions of romance, but he grew out of it while staying the person he actually wanted to be and found a healthy way to be that person.”

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            August 23, 2021 at 10:50 am | #

            One of the big problems with the Nice Guy trope is that it’s often presented as if the “Nice” is the problem, not the entitlement and expectations of being rewarded with sex for being nice.
            Thus kind of reinforcing the claims about nice guys not getting the girls.

            Despite his problems, Danny has never been the Nice Guy(tm). He’s been clingy and dependent, but not entitled.

            • Spencer
              Spencer
              August 23, 2021 at 11:23 am | #

              Danny was never malicious, there is exactly one time in the entire series he really did something wrong with someone he dated and that was when he said he’d lend Walky some shoes or tell Dorothy about Amazi-Girl, and one panel indicates he did it because he wanted to prove either to himself or Dorothy that she’d abandon Walky for her ambition.

              That was beneath Danny but that’s the issue, it’s beneath everyone and Danny indulged in it for a hot minute. When it comes to the breakup Danny wasn’t necessarily entitled, but I think it’s more that he expected Dorothy would want to give up on Yale because Love Conquers All, and consequently he did treat Dorothy as an extension of his destined life as his Wife’s Husband.

            • Some1
              Some1
              August 23, 2021 at 1:26 pm | #

              Didn’t Danny outright reject the chance to have sex with Billie? I think that alone should take him out of the “nice guy” category.

              • Spencer
                Spencer
                August 23, 2021 at 1:34 pm | #

                Kinda? Like if you mean “I’m Nice, so sleep with me” then yeah, but with Danny that behaviour mostly manifested as “the women in my life need to adapt into the fantasy I laid out for us.”

                This was made literal when Danny started dating Amazi-Girl, someone who, at the time all this was written, didn’t exist in the capacity we understand that she does now.

                Danny also threw some “I didn’t want to take advantage!” lines at Joe to claim a moral authority which is pretty White Knight, and then the next strip Danny admits that he didn’t think he was ready to have sex so soon after Dorothy.

  62. Ereb
    Ereb
    August 23, 2021 at 8:10 am | #

    Eh, that much obliviousness doesn’t endear me to Danny… or at least, seems like wish fulfillment. I hope it’s not “I’m SO nice, yet SO selfless, I won’t even notice I was courting her/she was receptive.” Then again he managed to think she was talking to his ghost and make it unfunny.

    • Buli-buli
      Buli-buli
      August 23, 2021 at 8:29 am | #

      To be fair, Sal had previously reacted poorly to Danny’s gifts and he had to explicitly assure her he wasn’t looking for some kind of quid pro quo and was just being platonically nice.

      Now Sal has gone from paranoid and upset to being complimentary and affectionate. That alone is enough to be confusing for Danny. Then she kisses him, but kisses him on the cheek.

      To be honest I would be freaking out on how far to interpret that in Danny’s shoes.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      August 23, 2021 at 8:39 am | #

      Danny didn’t notice he was trying to court her because he actually was not trying to court her. Sal once indicated she wouldn’t mind if Danny was more assertive around her, which Danny responded to that he likes someone else and can only really process that one person at a time, and now Danny’s actions this chapter have shown him to Sal that he is absolutely genuine about his intentions, and more importantly to Sal specifically he’s someone who is never going to push those intentions further than what Sal wants.

      • Ereb
        Ereb
        August 23, 2021 at 12:42 pm | #

        Wasn’t he, though? I wouldn’t buy my friends a new bike to cheer them up, without them ever mentioning wanting one. Especially not in college. He doubled down on it with flowers too, and told her he liked her.

        I can agree with everything else you said tho.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          August 23, 2021 at 1:13 pm | #

          Danny isn’t unattracted to Sal but so far he’s given no indication he’s romantically interested in her other than getting blindsided when Sal was positive to his joke flirting so he kind of stumbled out some words about how he’s a one-person guy and Sal wasn’t it right now.

          The crux of their interactions this chapter have been clear as day that Danny’s primary motivation is that Sal’s unhappy and he wants her to be happy, except the specifics of his attempts made her reflexively wall up because usually when someone does something nice for her it means they want it as leverage over her, and then it was heavily implied that Sal rejecting people when they’re nice to her makes them lash out. From this, Danny decided that if his actions weren’t appreciated, then he’ll only engage Sal on a level she finds comfortable because his intent is to make her happy and as such his actions need to be stuff she finds comfort in.

          TLDR: Yeah Danny could have a crush on her, maybe, his descriptions of her have been “she’s out of my league” and “I like hanging out with you”, but even if he were actually totes in love the important factor of their current interactions is that Danny’s only engaging with Sal in her comfort zone, and even if Danny were into her he wouldn’t act on it if there wasn’t some kind of clear signal that Sal would also be into it, and I can’t think of a funny way to work this in so I’ll say it all blunt and awkward: he’s definitely not doing this in the hopes that Sal will start dating him, because that’s the kind of behaviour Danny has long outgrew.

          • drs
            drs
            August 23, 2021 at 9:47 pm | #

            He bought her a big bunch of flowers. You can do that just to be nice, but from guy to girl it has a hard to miss default meaning.

        • zee
          zee
          August 23, 2021 at 3:00 pm | #

          I mean, Just because you wouldn’t doesn’t mean that applies to everyone

    • Alex
      Alex
      August 23, 2021 at 9:49 am | #

      I read this as surprise, seeing how she was acting earlier. I think he knows what a kiss means.

      • Ereb
        Ereb
        August 23, 2021 at 12:45 pm | #

        That makes sense, although the last strip already played up his obliviousness. It depends on whether it becomes a rule of three, one more to go.

  63. TheMirai
    TheMirai
    August 23, 2021 at 8:43 am | #

    Disasterhimbo Danny.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      August 23, 2021 at 9:17 am | #

      He is the Disaster of Passion.

  64. Adept
    Adept
    August 23, 2021 at 10:26 am | #

    Maybe the harmless, introspective boringness of Danny is exactly what Sal needs in her life. Whatever else he is, he’s not a bad guy.

  65. Disastromatic
    Disastromatic
    August 23, 2021 at 10:29 am | #

    We’ve got the wind, lads! Set sail! Bring me that horizon!

    • JBento
      JBento
      August 23, 2021 at 11:58 am | #

      I tried to, but every time I thought I was getting nearer to the horizon, bugger kept moving away.

      • Clif
        Clif
        August 23, 2021 at 6:41 pm | #

        Maybe you weren’t moving fast enough.

  66. JBento
    JBento
    August 23, 2021 at 11:57 am | #

    Three out of three. Sal’s really got his number.

  67. mrnoidea
    mrnoidea
    August 23, 2021 at 12:19 pm | #

    Dang. That was fast.

  68. ETP
    ETP
    August 23, 2021 at 1:02 pm | #

    “An’ yer an idiot.”

    Ah, just like every other guy then. Good.

  69. Valerie
    Valerie
    August 23, 2021 at 1:35 pm | #

    I always forget that Sal and Danny were a thing throughout the Walkyverse; it makes the ship make a NOT more sense

    • Clif
      Clif
      August 23, 2021 at 6:53 pm | #

      Sal and Danny were a thing at the beginning of Roomies and then Sal was mostly offstage. It was really far more about Joyce and Danny until Joyce was mindwiped. Then Danny wound up with Billie.

      But this is a completely different dynamic anyway, so not really.

  70. Diane
    Diane
    August 23, 2021 at 2:17 pm | #

    Huh, Joe is finally being the wingman he always claimed he could be for Danny. By being selfish and throwing out Dan’s hat, he gave Sal the opportunity to give him a new one.

    • zee
      zee
      August 23, 2021 at 3:00 pm | #

      Actually the wind took it didn’t it?

      • mrnoidea
        mrnoidea
        August 23, 2021 at 4:01 pm | #

        Joe found the hat later in a bonus Patreon strip, I believe.

      • Rabisch
        Rabisch
        August 23, 2021 at 4:05 pm | #

        In a bonus strip on Patreon you see Joe find the hat, recognize it as Danny’s hat, then throw it away.

  71. mrnoidea
    mrnoidea
    August 23, 2021 at 2:49 pm | #

    …Something about this strip sends me into a thought spiral. I keep thinking that the other shoe is gonna drop, where Danny now changes his behavior and no longer feels compelled to be nice, now that he “got the girl.” But that leads to another question: why?

    It’s times like these where I wish my incel past didn’t follow me around.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      August 23, 2021 at 2:54 pm | #

      Hey if you outgrew that then good on you. Sometimes we just buy into the wrong shit and it’s easier to go deeper than to admit fault.

      • mrnoidea
        mrnoidea
        August 23, 2021 at 3:29 pm | #

        Thanks, Spencer.

        It’s also easy to buy into the wrong shit when one feels like redemption is out of reach. Like “I can’t apologize because I wouldn’t be forgiven anyway.”

        Took me a while to realize most people ARE forgiving. You just gotta own up to your mistakes, not double-down when accused.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          August 23, 2021 at 3:41 pm | #

          Oh, believe me, everyone loves a redemption story.

          There’s an addict in my life who is exactly that person. Tells me she can’t let her sponsor down so she constantly lies about her relapses, as if a sponsor’s job isn’t to be called up and be told you made a mistake.

          Maturity requires forgiving yourself or getting over yourself, depending on the circumstance. The rest will follow.

    • Alex
      Alex
      August 23, 2021 at 2:59 pm | #

      In my opinion Danny could stand to be a little more self-interested. He seems like the type that keeps his feelings bottled up until they explode at the worst possible moment.

    • mrnoidea
      mrnoidea
      August 28, 2021 at 6:40 pm | #

      Coming back days later to add something positive!

      Sal just made Danny her <a href="https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/02-but-the-sun-still-shines/warning-2/"sprinkly vanilla cupcake.

      • mrnoidea
        mrnoidea
        August 28, 2021 at 6:42 pm | #

        oh nvm

  72. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    August 23, 2021 at 4:35 pm | #

    Awwwwwww… nice to start the day with something heartwarming

  73. RowenMorland
    RowenMorland
    August 23, 2021 at 6:28 pm | #

    Willis is being pulled like a zipper along two lines of teeth made up of Danny/Sal working so much more naturally this time, and the desire to draw a super hot Slipshine for it.

  74. :0
    :0
    August 23, 2021 at 7:21 pm | #

    IT HAPPENED

    Kinda

  75. Sunny
    Sunny
    August 24, 2021 at 1:07 am | #

    One thing occurred to me. If Sal gets together with Danny, Billifer will DEFINITELY get jealous. When she was supposed to interview him regarding Joe’s video with Roz she tried to have sex with him and he was all “it wouldn’t be right”. Billifer practically threw herself at Danny and “failed”. If Sal manages to “get” him the jealousy will be through the roof.

  76. Acebender
    Acebender
    August 24, 2021 at 10:27 pm | #

    Eugh, how does someone as bland as wonderbread get with girls that are way above him like Dorothy, Sal or Amazigirl?

Who's that guy over there?

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