Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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July 11, 2026

Segregated

by David M Willis on July 23, 2022 at 12:01 am
  • 05 – This Was Halloween
└ Tags: amber, sal, sarah, walky

Discussion (73) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. The Wellerman
    The Wellerman
    July 23, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

    Oooo! Head Alien Returns!!!! 😛😆

    I’ll grab some popcorn! 🍿

    *plays “Imperial March” on hacked muzak*

    • Clif
      Clif
      July 23, 2022 at 1:13 am | #

      Grab some for me as well.

      Walky is instantly in character.

      • ValdVin
        ValdVin
        July 23, 2022 at 7:22 am | #

        Walky’s speech balloons are a blast.

        (I’ll show myself out.)

  2. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    July 23, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

    ever fursuited?

    yeah, heck if I know how anyone does it for longer than like an hour at a time before I’m all “I NEED TO EAT/BREATHE/EVACUATE MY BOWELS” (and I’ve only ever done it in January)

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      July 23, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

      That’s one of the reasons why I eventually had to modify my alien hoodie with ventilators and a couple of other features. 😅

      • Cholma
        Cholma
        July 23, 2022 at 12:38 am | #

        I remember Adam Savage talking about how hot it gets inside some of his SDCC “Adam Ingocnito” cosplay outfits, and how he came up with a cooling system for one or more of them. (the 2001: Space Odyssey costume was one of them, I believe) I tried a cheap-o fan unit for my paintball mask, back when I played, but it was not really efficient; my glasses would still fog inside the mask.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      July 23, 2022 at 4:31 am | #

      I have no idea how Keytar Bear can do his thing all summer.

      At least full-face motorcycle helmets are deliberately ventilated.

      • FaerwenOfValenwood
        FaerwenOfValenwood
        July 23, 2022 at 12:13 pm | #

        never in the history of ever did I expect to see a Keytar Bear reference here of all places, my god

    • Mephron
      Mephron
      July 23, 2022 at 10:30 am | #

      In high school, working for McDonald’s I had to wear a mascot outfit. The Grimace. That thing was absolute Hell to wear: I needed a guide because the vision was so bad, and I almost passed out in it due to the heat, CO2 and dehydration.

  3. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    July 23, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    So how good is Walky’s Dexter impression?

    • Clif
      Clif
      July 23, 2022 at 11:55 pm | #

      Impressive. They’ll never suspect a thing.

  4. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    July 23, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    Well, everything is normal so far. When is it going to get pulled out from underneath them?

    I’ve got 5 bucks on it happening when Ruth and Billie show up

    • Lily
      Lily
      July 23, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

      Walky and Amber didn’t ‘survive’ halloween either i guess. wonder if the two are connected, in a sort of ‘break up domino effect’ haha

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        July 23, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

        Becky refers to her and Dina as ‘surviving’ halloween, which sorta implies to me that whatever happened strained all the relationships present

        • Sirksome
          Sirksome
          July 23, 2022 at 12:22 am | #

          I don’t think it’s actually an incident that started the breakups. I think it’s just a coincidence Amber and Walky, and Ruth and Billie split on the same night and the dumb teens choose to think it’s because of Halloween. Both couples are already showing fractures.

          • cbwroses
            cbwroses
            July 23, 2022 at 4:09 am | #

            Amber and Walky aren’t even supposed to be together anymore as he broke it off with her 5o be a better brother to Sal.
            They clearly still have some connection as Walky was deemed the closest non Ethan person, and some affection going by Amber’s smile here, but it hasn’t been established that they’re still involved as of yet.
            It could be what didn’t survive Halloween wasn’t their romantic relationship, but their platonic one.

  5. Suet
    Suet
    July 23, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    Now there’s a chapter, “Julia Gray and the Corrupting Helmet”

    And we’d seriously think Amazi-Girl won’t return in some form

    • Clif
      Clif
      July 23, 2022 at 11:57 pm | #

      Roller Derby is a form.

      It’s a disappointing form, but that’s our problem, not hers.

  6. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    July 23, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

    *plays The Great Luke Ski’s “Candybars” on the hacked Muzak*

    • ahecht
      ahecht
      July 23, 2022 at 2:28 pm | #

      Another FuMP fan?

  7. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    July 23, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

    Okay some of these costumes are looking a little lazy. I guess you can’t expect much from college students on short notice.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 23, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

      Ruth and Dina have the highest quality costumes by far and they definitely just bought theirs

      • Sirksome
        Sirksome
        July 23, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

        We got spoiled early I think. The bar was set too high. Walky and Amber clearly just tied shirts around their necks to be capes and called it a day. Weak compared to the Jurassic couple or a spot on Julia Gray.

        • Clif
          Clif
          July 23, 2022 at 1:22 am | #

          When you’re Amazigirl and Nightguy you can’t make your costumes too good or people will be suspicious.

          • Casi
            Casi
            July 23, 2022 at 3:33 pm | #

            Makes me wonder if Bruce Wayne has ever gone to a Wayne Enterprises Halloween Party with a cheap Batman costume

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          July 23, 2022 at 1:57 am | #

          Okay but Julia Grey and Dr. Sattler are clearly also “I had this stuff lying around” costumes, just with more achievable ambitions

          Hell, non-zero chance Dina already owned that T. rx costume

          • The Oracle
            The Oracle
            July 23, 2022 at 2:47 am | #

            Tyrannosaurus pharmaceuticals

            • Thag Simmons
              Thag Simmons
              July 23, 2022 at 4:41 am | #

              It’d be a less embarrassing mistake if I hadn’t bothered to use italics

              • The Oracle
                The Oracle
                July 23, 2022 at 5:50 am | #

                The main predators of T. rx are people who think pharmacies are vending machines and refuse to offer any information other than “I’m here for my pills”. It’s a thankless job, really.

                • Shadowsnail
                  Shadowsnail
                  July 23, 2022 at 4:10 pm | #

                  Predators, hah! T rx just stomps such brigands!

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      July 23, 2022 at 12:46 pm | #

      Yeah, after you become an adult it seems like a lot of people either throw together a costume from what they have lying around, or just don’t bother. I rarely have time to come up with a really good Halloween costume as an adult.

  8. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    July 23, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

    …please tell me Walky keeps acting like the Head Alien for the rest of this storyline

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      July 23, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

      I’d say it would explain why he and Amber are no longer an item, but really, it wouldn’t.

  9. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    July 23, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    I never realized that motorcycle helmets performed so many safety functions.

  10. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    July 23, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

    Fun fact: Tail-gate gets straight up executed in Transformers: Prime. That show was surprisingly dark for a kids show.

    Tailgates death wasn’t even fully shown. Cliff-jumper though – he gets onscreen stabbed through the spark-chamber in like the first five minutes, brought back as a robo-zombie, bisected by Megatron, and then (if I remember correctly) atomized in a huge explosion. He’s had better days.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 23, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

      Is Prime the show that established Cliffjumper as “dude who gets murked” or did that predate it? Because as I recall Cliffjumper tends to die early in Transformers stories

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        July 23, 2022 at 11:42 am | #

        I honestly don’t know. However, It seems possible as the wiki (accuracy thus questionable) that the show creators wanted the death to be a surprise, even going so far as to feature Cliffjumper heavily in the pre-pilot advertising (sometimes even more so than characters that would turn out to be part of the main cast and not die in the first 10 minutes).

        • Casi
          Casi
          July 23, 2022 at 3:35 pm | #

          So Cliffjumper is the Morph of Transformers Prime?

          • True Survivor
            True Survivor
            July 23, 2022 at 10:56 pm | #

            I don’t know that reference. Could you please illuminate me?

  11. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    July 23, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

    Cute.

    Also, I assume this is in reference to Mike’s funeral, though now part of me wonders how goddamn awkward it’d be for Amber and Walky if they went to Blaine’s.

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      July 23, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

      It’s funny that you think Blaine got a funeral.

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 23, 2022 at 1:25 am | #

        Faz’s mom could probably afford a pine box.

        • spriteless_auntie
          spriteless_auntie
          July 23, 2022 at 9:43 am | #

          She could cremate him, and keep the ashes. Hanging over Faz : (

        • Casi
          Casi
          July 23, 2022 at 3:36 pm | #

          Pine’s pretty expensive for blaine. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was just buried in a refridgerator box that was left outside the local home depot after a really bad thunderstorm.

          • The Oracle
            The Oracle
            July 23, 2022 at 10:38 pm | #

            What is this, the Ritz? Just dump the jerk in a random hole and call it a day.

            • Sirksome
              Sirksome
              July 23, 2022 at 11:50 pm | #

              I actually think that would be illegal. They could probably donate his body as a medical cadaver. Let his corpse do more good in death than he did with it in life. Probably won’t cost much if anything for that.

              • DailyBrad
                DailyBrad
                July 24, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

                Yeah, I think if you donate, then the costs are covered.

  12. AbacusWizard
    AbacusWizard
    July 23, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

    Amber wearing a bad Amazi-Girl costume? Brilliant.

  13. Pinkie
    Pinkie
    July 23, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

    Hmm Amber isn’t Amazi-Girl in that she’s wearing a costume rather than the actual jumpsuit.

  14. Dragonfire
    Dragonfire
    July 23, 2022 at 12:26 am | #

    Even his speech bubble changes; that’s certainly some channeling of Dexter.

    • mrnoidea
      mrnoidea
      July 23, 2022 at 1:23 am | #

      Ooh, good catch!

  15. anon
    anon
    July 23, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

    i think some ppl would be more interested in teh ‘party’ and stereotypical college drinking more than dressing up (or the girls being in ‘skimpy’ costumes), but i wouldn’t be surprised if some of the more enthusiastic ppl had a budget for it or got something from like a theatre department

    But i assume there’ll be be varying quality

    • Bicycle Bill
      Bicycle Bill
      July 23, 2022 at 4:03 am | #

      With the exception of Sarah and Ruthless, our primary cast are still college freshmen, and at best only eighteen years old … and that’s still two years short of being legal to drink.  While I know from personal experience working at a college in Wisconsin myself from 1979 – 2001 that this doesn’t stop some people – and that Jennifer and Ruth have violated underage drinking laws before – I wonder just who else would consciously run the risk of the legal ramifications of being caught flouting the rules?

      • Derek
        Derek
        July 23, 2022 at 5:01 am | #

        did you forget Joyce previously hosted a party where a lot of people were drunk, including Walky and Dorothy?

        • Bicycle Bill
          Bicycle Bill
          July 23, 2022 at 5:15 am | #

          Yes, I had.

        • The Oracle
          The Oracle
          July 23, 2022 at 10:31 pm | #

          I think Dorothy’s done the most on-screen drinking out of anyone who’s not Sal, Ruth or Billie, funny enough.

  16. BBCC
    BBCC
    July 23, 2022 at 12:48 am | #

    See, I was gonna praise Walky for his devotion to character but nah, he just talks like that

  17. King Daniel
    King Daniel
    July 23, 2022 at 1:34 am | #

    You know, I just realized that Walky even switched over to doing the iconic Head Alien speech bubble shapes. He’s really committing to the character but.

  18. Bagge
    Bagge
    July 23, 2022 at 1:57 am | #

    FOILED!

  19. Dr. Gonzo
    Dr. Gonzo
    July 23, 2022 at 2:36 am | #

    A little late here but I wanted to say from last strip it looks like Sarah and Sal have kind of warmed up to each other.

  20. wakeangel2001
    wakeangel2001
    July 23, 2022 at 8:37 am | #

    I seem to recall Tailgate is most famous for dying, so yeah, not exactly an appropriate costume for this group

    • spriteless_auntie
      spriteless_auntie
      July 23, 2022 at 9:46 am | #

      Only Ethan would know. And… he’s not here. If he was, is there a redeco of tailgate? is tailgate a redeco? hrmm. I’m thinking bout this too much

      • The Oracle
        The Oracle
        July 23, 2022 at 10:59 am | #

        There are exactly four Transformers shapes, from what I’ve managed to learn, and the differences are mostly down to color.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      July 23, 2022 at 3:26 pm | #

      (Gah, mistake-flagged again!)

      My guess is, given her old infodump about Tailgate specifically and longstanding fandom for the 2005 IDW continuity, she was probably going to go as the MTMTE/Lost Light version. Who doesn’t TECHNICALLY die in the end. But there are some close calls, and while that’s probably her favorite Tailgate she would be AWARE of other versions. Plus, I can see that costume just being a lot of work to put together that she no longer had the energy for after Mike’s death, especially with Ethan most likely not attending (since he’d be the one person there who’d get it.)

  21. Nono
    Nono
    July 23, 2022 at 9:57 am | #

    How many people can one of those dorm rooms reasonably fit, anyway? The one I had stayed in was cramp enough that you could maybe get in 5-6 people before it would start to spill out, but these are a bit bigger.

    Joyce’s dorm party back then had what, 10-14 people at any given time? And still had plenty of space to move around in.

    • Stephen Nedland
      Stephen Nedland
      July 23, 2022 at 12:49 pm | #

      As many as the plot requires, comfortably.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      July 23, 2022 at 1:25 pm | #

      To be fair, I remember fitting a lot of people into dorm rooms for parties back in the day. Not as comfy as this seems maybe, but if you’re willing to sit on the floor and move to let people by, not so bad.

    • OBBWG
      OBBWG
      July 23, 2022 at 2:12 pm | #

      Any room party can fit n + 1 people.

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 24, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

        The best parties are taking place in the hallways outside the rooms anyway.

  22. Stephen Nedland
    Stephen Nedland
    July 23, 2022 at 12:48 pm | #

    Is Amizi-girl doing closet cosplay of Amizi-girl? I’m not sure if I can handle the meta.

    • Alex
      Alex
      July 23, 2022 at 5:09 pm | #

      Don’t worry, it’s just Amber dressed as amazigirl.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        July 23, 2022 at 5:15 pm | #

        Still hoping Amazi-Girl shows up later, dressed as Amber.

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          July 23, 2022 at 10:58 pm | #

          Only if she can also find someone to be the mosquito trapped within.

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