Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
RSS
‹
›
  • Home
  • About/Read before posting
  • Archive↓
    • by calendar
  • Cast
  • Store↓
    • Main Store (books and stuff)
    • T-shirts
  • Patreon↓
    • Patreon (regular)
    • Patreon (NSFW)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
also good thing she left the headset off
First Previous Random 100Comments Share Next Latest
Reddit Digg Facebook MySpace Delicious Stumbleupon Buzz Up! Mixx Technorati Google Bookmarks Yahoo Bookmarks Yahoo MyWeb Windows Live Propeller FriendFeed Newsvine Xanga LinkedIn Blinklist Twitter
Discover more Hiveworks comics
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Edison Rex
Chris Roberson
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.
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.
Alexander, The Servant & The Water of Life
Reimena Yee
The 21st century retelling of the life and legends of Alexander the Great.
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.
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Abeille is on a quest to find someone who wants to do it the old-fashioned way in a time when touching has become outdated.
The Substitutes
Myisha Haynes
What happens when three roommates accidentally acquire otherworldly and powerful magic weapons destined for someone else?
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.
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?
Saint for Rent
Ru Xu
Saint Halliday runs an inn for Time Travelers. Unfortunately, he seems to attract other supernatural "guests," too.
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.
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.
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
Goodbye to Halos
Valerie Halla
Cuddles, gay flirting, weird feelings, and magic-fueled knife fights - it's an adventure across the queer multiverse!
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.
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...
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!
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.
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.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
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.
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.
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.
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!
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Trying Human
IntroducingEmy
Two women separated by over half a century are brought together by an alien-filled conspiracy involving murder, mystery and romance!
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
BOOKMARK
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
Goto TagClear Tag


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

July 11, 2026

Streaming

by David M Willis on November 17, 2021 at 12:01 am
  • 02 – I'll Leave You A Phantom
└ Tags: amber, mike

Discussion (100) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    November 17, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    Mike still Mike-ing even from beyond her head

    • Clif
      Clif
      November 17, 2021 at 1:55 am | #

      You know, a lot of people mention the ghost Mike artwork as lacking the detail of Real Mike, and that may be so as Willis’s style shifted, but when I go back and look at earlier Mike, say around the time of “Mike and Men” I’m not at all sure I see that much difference. See for example https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/followthrough/ .

      • carms
        carms
        November 17, 2021 at 3:46 am | #

        it’s jsut that BrainMike is flats only, no shading. Mike’s always been fairly flat, it hink, he hasn’t had like, hair shinies like Amber has here, but he’s still got shadows on his corporeal, interacts-with-light-sources living body

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          November 17, 2021 at 8:34 am | #

          He /had/ shadows. Now he’s all shade.

          • Clif
            Clif
            November 17, 2021 at 8:35 pm | #

            +1

      • motorfirebox
        motorfirebox
        November 17, 2021 at 8:28 am | #

        I can see a difference even there. Not-Dead Mike has shading around his ears, the back of his head, and under his chin. Dead Mike has no shading at all aside from a thin line on his shirt, in a situation where the other character is shaded almost completely.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          November 17, 2021 at 10:15 am | #

          And that line’s only there to break his shoulder from the black background.

      • Clif
        Clif
        November 17, 2021 at 5:06 pm | #

        Fair enough, though I’m really talking about the speculation that Mike has less detail because Amber is slowly forgetting what he looked like. I’m not really a visually oriented person, but I’m not really seeing an accumulating loss of detail.

        • KiaStirling
          KiaStirling
          November 17, 2021 at 7:03 pm | #

          There isn’t. Original ghost-Mike looks just like current ghost-Mike. No shading on either of them. Ghost-Mike hasn’t evolved (or devolved) visually as best I can tell. <a href="https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-10/02-to-remind-you-of-my-love/ruining/"(first appearance of Ghost-Mike)

          • KiaStirling
            KiaStirling
            November 17, 2021 at 7:05 pm | #

            and I forgot my closing bracket. thanks me.

  2. King Daniel
    King Daniel
    November 17, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    Your audience is beyond the fourth wall, Amber

    • Juanoku
      Juanoku
      November 17, 2021 at 4:55 pm | #

      And also we can see your hallucinations, so please continue

  3. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    November 17, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    “Audience”..You know it’s like one person and that one person is Dina watching on her phone because Dina’s too good for Amber.

    • ThunderNight
      ThunderNight
      November 17, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      Dina Gaming

    • newlland(Henryvolt)
      newlland(Henryvolt)
      November 17, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

      I’m sure Amber is just pretty enough to get a 20 to 30 average person audience, which is already hard enough for newbie streamers.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        November 17, 2021 at 10:05 am | #

        She’s a lady laying retro video games, 20 viewers is probably the floor for her view count just by default.

  4. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    November 17, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    Wait Amber started streaming? I’m actually impressed, that’s some major improvement.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      November 17, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

      Wonder if that’d help some with her tuition.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        November 17, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

        I doubt she’s got a huge audience, I’m just impressed that Amber’s able to get out and perform for any audience.

        • Wizard
          Wizard
          November 17, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

          Her interaction with the audience is highly mediated. That probably helps. Kind of like the way early SP Amber was only able to interact with customers from behind her desk.

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            November 17, 2021 at 10:02 am | #

            It’s a lot easier to interact with people when they’re just words on a screen.

        • hastur
          hastur
          November 17, 2021 at 12:14 pm | #

          I’m probably close to Amber’s level of introversion and have pretty strong performance anxiety and some social anxiety, but I was able to DJ my own radio show as an undergrad, and do sports radio (play-by-play and commentary for games, and a call-in talk show) as a grad student. I think not having the audience be visible, and having no chance of feedback made it OK.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      November 17, 2021 at 10:12 am | #

      As long as she doesn’t turn into Mike Matei…

      Amber: *Raging at 3 AM because she finished 8-4 three frames late*
      Dina: *Squeezing the dino plushie’s arm over her ear as she’s trying to sleep* “This is a dorm of madness.”

  5. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    November 17, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    The alt-text is reassuring. I’d hate to think Amber uses her onboard mic.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      November 17, 2021 at 7:05 am | #

      Although you could say her “onboard Mike” is a big part of the problem.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        November 17, 2021 at 8:41 am | #

        Bravo

  6. BBCC
    BBCC
    November 17, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    Wow, Willis, way to call out this fandom. XD

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      November 17, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      Okay, grav roulette, let’s do this.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        November 17, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

        Welp, two parter I suppose!

        • Sirksome
          Sirksome
          November 17, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

          What? Don’t like Blowjob Cat?.. I hate that one too.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            November 17, 2021 at 12:15 am | #

            I just want my gravitar to be a person. Nothing against blowjob cat.

            • Thag Simmons
              Thag Simmons
              November 17, 2021 at 12:16 am | #

              Good self preservation instinct, don’t anger the cat.

  7. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    November 17, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

    Because of overday’s “events” at topwebcomics.com, I wonder if we’re about to have the Dumbing of Age/Girl Genius Fandom War.

    • drs
      drs
      November 17, 2021 at 12:12 am | #

      ?

      • AY
        AY
        November 17, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

        check Willis’s twitter!

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        November 17, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

        The relevant twitter thread

        Could also check the sidebar.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          November 17, 2021 at 12:15 am | #

          I think I fucked up the tags, does this link work?

          • Rose Red
            Rose Red
            November 17, 2021 at 2:05 am | #

            Yes.

            And oh my goodness, I stopped reading Flaky Pastry a few years ago when there was a dry spell between updates and I lost my bookmarks. I’d completely forgotten it existed. And now I have archives to catch up on!

            • Clif
              Clif
              November 17, 2021 at 3:52 am | #

              So if I got this right, each of us could go to https://www.topwebcomics.com/vote/ every 24 hours, and look at the little cartoon displayed and check the character name on the random cartoon to prove we’re human and click the vote button to move Dumbing of Age up the list.

              It’s not really as much of a proof of being human as it used to be.

              • Rose Red
                Rose Red
                November 17, 2021 at 11:21 am | #

                Pretty much.

                I know that the one who was in the #1 slot when I looked last night, the author/artist is very good about updating the image that you see after voting every month, and reminding their readers about it and to vote. Aside from that one… well, there’s a lot more erotica-ish comics near the top of that list than I remember there being the previous time I looked.

                • Kamino Neko
                  Kamino Neko
                  November 17, 2021 at 6:13 pm | #

                  I think ‘erotica-ish’ is an understatement. Lots of straight up porn (or ‘pron’ as at least two of the comics spell it)…most of it using the same 3d models, so I suspect from the same people, suggesting, assuming these are all ongoing (would assume them to have dropped to the bottom otherwise), they’re pretty lazy.

              • LiterallyJustSomeGuy
                LiterallyJustSomeGuy
                November 17, 2021 at 3:36 pm | #

                I think people can actually vote every three hours. Also, I think that website now has a way to buy votes from them.

              • Clif
                Clif
                November 17, 2021 at 8:47 pm | #

                Let’s try that again. https://www.topwebcomics.com/vote/26902 Curently DOA looks to be 96 votes behind Girl Genius. From 3 machines, I could provide 3 votes a day.

                • Clif
                  Clif
                  November 17, 2021 at 11:21 pm | #

                  And down to a difference of 81, after the third vote, so someone is voting.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      November 17, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

      I think you are wildly overestimating the number of people who care.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      November 17, 2021 at 12:19 am | #

      Dina canonically exists in Girl Genius, mind you.

      As a Spark.

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        November 17, 2021 at 12:37 am | #

        Source?

        • Slartibeast Button, BIA
          Slartibeast Button, BIA
          November 17, 2021 at 12:40 am | #

          https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20181031

          • The Wellerman
            The Wellerman
            November 17, 2021 at 12:41 am | #

            Thanks! By the way, she doesn’t look electrical here?

            What exactly is a “Spark”?

            • Slartibeast Button, BIA
              Slartibeast Button, BIA
              November 17, 2021 at 12:49 am | #

              A “Spark” is a classic B-movie Mad Scientist, who rants and
              chews the scenery as they create unspeakable monsters based on Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, so they can “SHOW THEM! SHOW THEM ALL!”

              • King Daniel
                King Daniel
                November 17, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

                (And in the universe of Girl Genius, people born with The Spark rule the world. Or misrule it, as it may be.)

              • The Wellerman
                The Wellerman
                November 17, 2021 at 2:17 am | #

                Oh thanks!

                And also, while we’re at it, what’s the term used for streamers who’s audiences only come for their girlfriend?

                I tried to look it up on urban dictionary, with no success. 🤔

                • Clif
                  Clif
                  November 17, 2021 at 3:56 am | #

                  I believe the correct term is fortunate.

                • Rose by Any Other Name
                  Rose by Any Other Name
                  November 17, 2021 at 7:45 pm | #

                  @Wellerman
                  … phrasing.

  8. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    November 17, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

    This is why I don’t talk to my hallucination, getting into an argument is bad enough but it is so much worse if done out loud.

    I wonder how her audience will react/are reacting to this sudden revelation. Will it get her more viewers or less?

  9. Bagge
    Bagge
    November 17, 2021 at 12:16 am | #

    Getting meta to dangerous levels there. It’s not like we start cheering any time Dina pop in or anything

    • Clif
      Clif
      November 17, 2021 at 5:19 pm | #

      We don’t? I thought it went without saying.

  10. Viktoria
    Viktoria
    November 17, 2021 at 12:17 am | #

    MUTE BUTTON AMBER. MUTE. And make it a toggle. This isn’t that hard. I get that as a speedrunner, push-to-talk isn’t an easy thing(though someone could probably set you up with a pedal scavenged from an amp or something), but you should not have anything audible from your room unless you explicitly want it to be.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      November 17, 2021 at 10:22 am | #

      Many years ago, I made a push-to-talk foot switch out of a Staples “easy button” and an old Playstation controller board, which connected to the PC through a RadioShack Playstation-to-USB adapter. It worked great, and was one less control to bind to the keyboard.

      It should be even easier to build something now that USB device project boards like the Teensy exist.

  11. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    November 17, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

    “They only pay attention when Dina’s head pops onscreen.”

    …Does Amber’s audience consist entirely of Becky’s alt accounts?

    • C Harrison Fuller
      C Harrison Fuller
      November 17, 2021 at 9:45 am | #

      Becky; “You fool, I have created FORTY alternative accounts!”

  12. Spencer
    Spencer
    November 17, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

    Ghost Mike provides a pretty interesting story function: he’s a Mike created in Amber’s head, who hung out with the real Mike all the time, and everything he says to her is worst possible thing she can hear.

    However. that worst thing that Amber never wants to hear, and never accepted when told by Danny, Ethan and her mom, is that she’s not a horrible, irredeemable scumbag. She’s okay if below average, she’s done good and bad things, she misses Mike despite everything, she should tell Ethan Mike’s last words that the both of them were his best friends, her dad lies all the time and he was lying when he declared Amber weak and worthless. Ghost Mike here is that relentless criticism Mike could dispense at the drop of a hat aimed at Amber’s biggest monster yet; her complete and utter inability to accept that her flaws and mistakes don’t ruin her.

    Ghost Mike lays it out pretty clearly right here: he says the meanest, most correct thing possible.

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-10/02-to-remind-you-of-my-love/badthings/

    He’s not just a Mike who made Amber feel like shit all the time to toughen her up, he’s a Mike that lives inside Amber’s brain more than the real Mike ever did, and I think the following strip implies that Amber understood Mike’s attempts at help, because she saw them in her dad and despised it. The real Mike, the one that lives in Amber’s head, tells Amber what she knows; Mike wouldn’t have regretted a damn thing dying to save her life.

    Ghost Mike here is gonna drag Amber kicking and screaming into the truth; she’s okay, kinda below average, actually, and nothing is gonna be able to stop him.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      November 17, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

      Amber did tell Ethan

  13. Endplanets
    Endplanets
    November 17, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

    Bah, since is audio only, or a small camera only, she can just pass it off as someone down the hall. Too far away to hear.

    But now everyone knows she is Amazi-Girl.
    Listen, there is a time and place for Batman to blow his cover… but it sure ain’t over Fortnight.
    Assuming that she isn’t using a different anonymous online identity.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      November 17, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

      Is her being Amazi-Girl still a secret? She did kind of dramatically unmask herself in an extremely public space after a second car chase.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        November 17, 2021 at 10:55 am | #

        Just remember that yes it is, or at least it’s not common knowledge

      • Jamie
        Jamie
        November 17, 2021 at 4:32 pm | #

        It’s not a secret in the sense that she’s still actively hiding it.

        But most people will frankly not care, and assuming she’s not trading on the notoriety (hard to believe Amber would do so), there’s no reason to tell people.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      November 17, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

      I hope it’s audio only. I have the honest opinion that seeing the player’s face more often than not ruins the experience of the playthrough. I don’t need to see their reaction (unless it’s like a horror game and even then it’s made obnoxious by them playing up their reactions) Voice only streams are my shit!

      ok and I will accept V-tubers…to an extent. And even then it’s a thin line between endearing and cringe for me.

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        November 17, 2021 at 12:49 am | #

        Just curious, do some types of games work better for streaming than for others, in your opinion.

        Like for instance, I can recall in SAO that Kirito once said, “there’s nothing more boring than watching somebody else play an RPG”.

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          November 17, 2021 at 1:15 am | #

          So you can make an RPG fun…if you’re good at the RPG. But watching someone figure out a lengthy RPG for themselves can be a bit boring. That is unless the RPG is new to the viewer as well. Or if the person is just so naturally good at the game that they don’t have to do all the backtracking, being lost, grinding and other garbage that usually comes with an RPG. The quality of the RPG can also effect it. Like…it COULD be fun to watch someone stream pokemon if they don’t have to just grind levels to beat a gym leader. Maybe if they’re playing a Nuzlocke because it adds a bit of intensity to any counter because this could be the death of any of their pokemon.

          I say that to say, for once, Kirito is correct.

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          November 17, 2021 at 1:31 am | #

          I guess my answer to your question is, games that are fun to interact with.

          Fighting games are my go to cuz matches are short and it’s very fast, where you can see the skill of the player on full display. it’s like a sports match. By that regard I think any sort of PVP is pretty good for streaming. Especially if it’s friends playing together.

          For solo play, action games like Metal Gear Rising or assassins creed or spider-man or something are cool. Something that is straightforward, but the way a player can approach from unique ways that compliment their playstyle. I think those are good for streaming.

          • Thag Simmons
            Thag Simmons
            November 17, 2021 at 10:59 am | #

            Narrative intensive games with lots of unvoiced dialogue can be pretty good for certain streamers that can act the parts out

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        November 17, 2021 at 9:14 am | #

        I tend to prefer Vtubers over all other types of streamers. I’m not sure why.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          November 17, 2021 at 10:43 am | #

          I have watched one Vtuber and it was PeachSaliva, which is helpful since Pat and Paige are already real life cartoon characters so giving her a 3D model of a foxgirl just cuts out the middle man.

          She manages to fuck that up too by having her model got inert or drinking water so the model starts wigging out, it’s great.

          More seriously, if I had to think about it: Streaming as a job is about creating a caricature of yourself to sell to your audience, so making a little cartoon avatar of yourself probably helps sell that.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      November 17, 2021 at 12:59 am | #

      Per the hovertext, Amber left her headset off anyway.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        November 17, 2021 at 1:17 am | #

        True, but if she was using a camera they’d still see her. And those headsets have pretty good pickup so they’d probably still hear her, albeit a slightly less audibly clear version.

  14. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    November 17, 2021 at 12:28 am | #

    You’re gonna have to invest in a hot tub if you really wanna keep the viewer’s attention on twitch these days.

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      November 17, 2021 at 12:37 am | #

      I always thought the Hot Tub was just a work-around for Twitch’s tyrannical, puritanical guidelines.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        November 17, 2021 at 12:48 am | #

        It’s somewhat but it got so popular as a genre that basically everyone started doing it. It created this weird environment where some people feel like it should be banned cuz if they’re gonna crack down on any sexual content this shouldn’t be allowed and they’re only making an exception because it’s making them money. Of course people also think MORE censorship would be bad and would rather they use hot-tubs as a jumping off point to lower Twitch’s iron grip on content.

        It’s weird to say streaming in a hot tub is part of a larger conversation but it is. Personally, I don’t care very much either way because of my aforementioned distaste of face-cam streamers in general.

  15. ADLegend21
    ADLegend21
    November 17, 2021 at 12:38 am | #

    omg I would subscribe to Amber on twitch

  16. Slartibeast Button, BIA
    Slartibeast Button, BIA
    November 17, 2021 at 12:41 am | #

    Dina’s SEP field doesn’t work over streaming?

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      November 17, 2021 at 12:43 am | #

      Now, just which kind of SEP are we talking about?

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        November 17, 2021 at 12:45 am | #

        Someone Else’s Problem Field. Makes people not notice you.

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          November 17, 2021 at 12:58 am | #

          The problem with an SEP Field is that it’s never under warranty. If it breaks, it’s your problem, not someone else’s.

  17. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    November 17, 2021 at 1:04 am | #

    Eh, Amber, just play it off as a bit where you’re talking to the voices in your head. Enough people use that as an “I’m arguing with myself” euphemism that it will work just fine.

  18. JessWitt
    JessWitt
    November 17, 2021 at 1:19 am | #

    Huh, the origin of the chapter title is from a My Chemical Romance song. It doesn’t just go well with Ghost Mike, but also Ethan’s emo-ish appearance.

  19. GUIGUI
    GUIGUI
    November 17, 2021 at 2:33 am | #

    Really surprised Amber hasn’t heard of v-tubers yet.

    • GUIGUI
      GUIGUI
      November 17, 2021 at 2:33 am | #

      New grabbatar, yay! (fit my comment in some way, too, nice)

  20. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    November 17, 2021 at 2:48 am | #

    Finally the moment when Amber dyes her hair pink has arrived!

  21. Francoinblanco
    Francoinblanco
    November 17, 2021 at 4:11 am | #

    Ok i cant image Amber as streamer. As youtube mute walkthrough or combo video maybe, but stream when you talk and have dialog with audience? No way or with Amber is better than we think.

    • Eldritchy
      Eldritchy
      November 17, 2021 at 4:17 am | #

      Maybe she developed a third personality…

  22. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    November 17, 2021 at 4:38 am | #

    DoA Book 12: They Only Pay Attention When Dina’s Head Pops Onscreen.

  23. Carms
    Carms
    November 17, 2021 at 5:01 am | #

    Man her hair’s growing out ey. gettin shaggy

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      November 17, 2021 at 10:00 am | #

      I think it suits her better than the short bob she had at the beginning of last semester.

  24. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    November 17, 2021 at 5:18 am | #

    Forget that, did you just admit being Amazi-girl out loud ?

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      November 17, 2021 at 7:16 am | #

      Strangely, she’s less concerned about that, and more that someone might have heard her admit she has a life outside of her streams.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      November 17, 2021 at 9:18 am | #

      Hopefully her audience doesn’t know anything about Amazi-Girl. I’m assuming Amber hasn’t let slip where she’s streaming from, and hoping nobody who knows her personally is watching.

  25. Rotunda
    Rotunda
    November 17, 2021 at 5:57 pm | #

    Dave Willis: Is the changed color of the closet door in the middle frame deliberate? It seems to be transparent rather than having the detail shown in the other frames.

  26. Blue62
    Blue62
    November 17, 2021 at 6:05 pm | #

    Nice subtle thing with the lighting not affecting Mike.

  27. Roe
    Roe
    December 1, 2021 at 3:13 pm | #

    who else went back to the lasts two strips and read only amber’s lines to see what the audience heard?

So...

View Results

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


September 13/14, 2025 - Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland

David M Willis! avatar
David M Willis!
@damnyouwillis.bsky.social
reposted by David M Willis!
impossiblephd.bsky.social's user avatar
Doc Impossible @impossiblephd.bsky.social ⋅ 3h
That one Real Life Comic strip Tha cracked a million eggs.
Further on in the RLC comics run, where Mae says that the stuff she liked that she thought made her a man is just stuff, and that it doesn't mean anything.
mel.bzky.team's user avatarmel! @mel.bzky.team ⋅ 5m
TRANS WOMEN OF BLUESKY: What was your egg cracking moment? When did you know you were trans? What made you realize? And did you know you were a woman right away, or did you pass through other identities first
6
26
176
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 12h
Dumbing of Age: "Detouring" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Detouring
8
7
55
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 13h
wilding out at this old becky profile
11
2
88
 
reposted by David M Willis!
linkara.bsky.social's user avatar
Linkara @linkara.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Also, I see we're bringing back the ol' love octagon.
Several panels from the webcomic Shortpacked! depicting the character Robin Desanto unveiling a chalkboard that shows various characters in the webcomics' romantic relationship statuses to each other, the equivalent of a
4
70
 
reposted by David M Willis!
drawncoyote.bsky.social's user avatar
John Berry @drawncoyote.bsky.social ⋅ 19h
It worked! Thanks, Joe! Also, sorry, Joe.
Joe:
5
4
66
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 20h
I think you mean Poop. Prints don't drop from the butt.
2
1
28
 
reposted by David M Willis!
danschkade.bsky.social's user avatar
Dan Schkade @danschkade.bsky.social ⋅ 21h
Happy Nonbinary People's Day, you gemstones. A year or two back we introduced FLASH GORDON's first enby, the outlaw lawman Bones Malock. Having known and loved a lot of nonbinary people, I knew the truest way to represent you was as a unsettling desert pirate with a lightning sword
Flash Gordon's Bones Malock:
Bones Malock, under captions reading:
Bones Malock and Flash Gordon.

Flash: Okay... wait thirty seconds, then give me a distraction.

Bones: Got just the thing.

Flash: Do NOT blow the place up.

Bones: You're the boss.
3
65
219
 
reposted by David M Willis!
notablyuncool.bsky.social's user avatar
Hannah Who @notablyuncool.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Happy International Non-Binary People's Day to all those who work, create, parent, protest, love and live without ever fitting into someone else's category.
header image - a yellow purple and black flag flies in the wind
media.tenor.com
a yellow purple and black flag flies in the wind
Alt: Non-binary flag blowing in the wind
1
96
188
 
reposted by David M Willis!
hausofdecline.bsky.social's user avatar
Haus of Decline @hausofdecline.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
A blond female Philly Phanatic says
70
676
4643
 
reposted by David M Willis!
bitshammer.bsky.social's user avatar
Bits @bitshammer.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Mood
6
121
350
 
reposted by David M Willis!
jacobaugust.bsky.social's user avatar
Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Nice.
A screenshot of the Dumbing of Age archives, showing the chapter titles of Book 15 and their respective number of strips. Chapter 4,
1
1
44
 
reposted by David M Willis!
daisyfm.net's user avatar
DaisyFM ✒︎ @daisyfm.net ⋅ 1d
Okay, everyone's jumping to conclusions, but Joyce was hit with a mysterious pink gas in Thursday's strip. Now, in recent years, the police are known to increasingly use military grade weapons. Which reminded me of this bit of proposed technology from the 1990s: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_bomb
en.wikipedia.org
Gay bomb - Wikipedia
4
9
73
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
I ain't readin' all that!
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dumbing of Age: "LIVE JOCELYNE REACTION" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
LIVE JOCELYNE REACTION
that's not the end!  there's more tomorrow, already on patreon!...
12
2
121
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dumbing of Age: "LIVE JOCELYNE REACTION" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
LIVE JOCELYNE REACTION
that's not the end!  there's more tomorrow, already on patreon!...
50
19
145
 
reposted by David M Willis!
edidin.bsky.social's user avatar
Jay Edidin @edidin.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
hey, kid, what do you want to play with from the cool superhero movie? is it a nude, melting senator who feels like a stretch armstrong doll that has been left out in the son and maybe mildly chewed by a neighborhood dog? WELL, SON, YOU'RE IN LUCK!
the most upsetting toy of all time: a small and horrible statue of melting, nude Senator Kelly from the first x-men film
19
36
194
 
reposted by David M Willis!
brendelbored.bsky.social's user avatar
Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
James Gunn i demand u bring back Conservative Superman
Superman shaking Jared Fogle’s hand
27
184
1358
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
(July 10, 2026)
Sal and Danny saw you from across the room and enjoy your vibe.
6
3
57
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
trying to voice recognition a search for superman's actor
1
1
46
 
reposted by David M Willis!
drivaaar.bsky.social's user avatar
Drivaaar @drivaaar.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
I want YOU to transform Autobot City (with generous green spaces, affordable public transport and amenities, and plentiful social initiatives)
4
20
112
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
welp back to drawing comics featuring a character you can't see yet for like 11 months
6
1
76
 
reposted by David M Willis!
thewritertype.bsky.social's user avatar
Paul Bassett Davies @thewritertype.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Then they came for the sarcastic people and I was like oh great that's exactly what we need right now well done to all concerned.
14
186
855
 
reposted by David M Willis!
cassmoney.bsky.social's user avatar
Cass 🪻 @cassmoney.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Comic of a man peering through a window.
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Dumbing of Age: "Can’t leave you if I stay" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Can’t leave you if I stay
jesus christ tomorrow's strip early on patreon oh my god...
1
2
39
 
reposted by David M Willis!
nerdylawyer.bsky.social's user avatar
The Nerdy Lawyer @nerdylawyer.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dorothy: You can't just follow me into fire! Joyce: You don't want me following you into fire? Then don't run into fire!
2
53
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
today in #9chickweedlane i learned i apparently gotta go see if "correlate" has an archaic definition that means something nonsense
13
2
58
 
reposted by David M Willis!
virginiabarksdale.bsky.social's user avatar
Virginia Barksdale @virginiabarksdale.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
screaming, crying, throwing up, Pete the Peacock is real, I feel lesbian God in this chili's tonight
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Dumbing of Age: "Can’t leave you if I stay" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Can’t leave you if I stay
jesus christ tomorrow's strip early on patreon oh my god...
2
35
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Dumbing of Age: "Can’t leave you if I stay" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Can’t leave you if I stay
jesus christ tomorrow's strip early on patreon oh my god...
12
10
102
 
reposted by David M Willis!
riotgrlerin.bsky.social's user avatar
RiotGrlErin @riotgrlerin.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
pam bondi as porta potties: thread
Pam bondi and he side profile wearing a dark yellow coat.
A yellow porta potty probably less shitty than Pam.
239
1330
6707
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
header image - a man in a blue plaid shirt sits next to another man in a gray jacket
media.tenor.com
a man in a blue plaid shirt sits next to another man in a gray jacket
ALT: a man in a blue plaid shirt sits next to another man in a gray jacket
2
23
 
reposted by David M Willis!
brigid.bsky.social's user avatar
Brigid Keely She/Her @brigid.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Joyce is absolutely totally straight and just wants to hang out with her best friend, who happens to be another lady. This is normal behavior and a normal biblical quote to use that has no other context. GAL PALS
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
joyce walks down an aisle
1
9
90
 
reposted by David M Willis!
southworth.bsky.social's user avatar
Paul Southworth ☢️ 🐟 @southworth.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
A lot of songs are lowkey about being horny
2
7
44
 

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