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www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Patrick Willems @patrickhwillems.bsky.social ⋅ 1m
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️𝓝𝓪𝓷𝓲 
“I can tell her, but heck if she’ll remember for more than two seconds before thinking about the currency of Micronesia or something”
“It’s like she has a case of ‘short-term memory loss’… Ah, shit, we don’t want DoA to get a copyright strike. If only there were some other catchy term or portmanteau we could use for amnesia on a micro scale…”
Wait, what is the currency of Micronesia?
Oh, it’s not a polity, it’s a geographical location, so it has multiple political entities, and therefore no single currency.
The official currency of Micronesia is the US dollar. https://www.monito.com/en/what-is-the-currency-in/micronesia
Also it’s a federation.
But if Charlie made a concerted effort to acknowledge Carla, wouldn’t Carla just be dismissive of Charlie? Seems to be her M.O. .
Dammit! Accidental flag, I’m sorry Ana
“Excuse me, Lord Veyduh? It’s the Rebels, sir. They’re here. And they brought a flag.”
“Oh that’s dashed clever of them!”
every time there’s carla, a caro gets her wings
Please don’t take this as disparagement being cast on whatever Charlie’s deal is, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t realize most things exist, so you may need to work up to something as complex as Carla.
Like, try informing her that ladybugs exist, then Wyoming, then the 1973 mystery film The Last of Sheila, and so on. I figure sometime after she has digested the Planck Constant she’s ready to be told about Carla.
I actually respect Charlie. It can be hard to filter out information that doesn’t matter. How often does knowledge of Wyoming’s existence come to play in your daily life? When was the last time you actually divided something, or tied a slip knot? Get outta here!
Sherlock Holmes has been said to be able to completely discard information from his brain that he doesn’t think he’ll need in future cases. One example being that he learned of and subsequently forgot about the heliocentric model of the solar system, at least twice, because while it was interesting, he wanted to save his brainpower and decided that information wasn’t going to be useful for mystery-solving.
All of this is to say, Charlie must be some kind of 4D-Chess Sherlock Holmes, constantly forgetting everything that doesn’t immediately have an impact on her life.
If Holmes met Carla he would most certainly never discard the information of her existence.
“Note: watch carefully, will almost certainly become criminal mastermind.”
Hasn’t shown up yet in a comic, but suitable for a book title nonetheless.
Dumbing of Age 15: Watch carefully, will almost certainly become criminal mastermind.
Oh I do that 4D sherlock holmes shit involuntarily all the time. Like a One Piece Devil Fruit, it is both a blessing and a curse. It’s called autism.
???
The ability to choose what you forget is basically the opposite of autism.
Try telling Dina that:
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/05-this-was-halloween/journey/
But yeah what i mean is like the mind going through every scenario under the sun, not getting what allistics get, and getting what allistics don’t get, ya know?
(sorry i a bit spacy it’s midnight here and i should sleep…)
I selectively forget stuff too! Unfortunately, I’M not the one selecting what gets forgotten….
I remember anything that interests me, FOREVER. However, most of the things I actually NEED to know aren’t that interesting.
Oh I’m pretty good at selectively forgetting stuff.
To what degree I have a say in what I forget, that I don’t know. (But I did totally, upon reading that Sherlock Holmes passage, decided to use that as my excuse. It’s a good excuse.)
One of the greatest days of my life was when I realized I could reformat the hard drive of my brain and choose not to remember bad memories much.
I don’t think that generalizing autists in this regard is approptiate.
I dont mean to overgeneralize, i just sharing what it’s like for me, and pointing out that Charlie just really gives off autism vibes.
Autists are allowed to make jokes about their autism
That is also true.
That always irritated the heck out of me (and you can see Doyle downplaying it in later stories), so I loved that Sherlock, before it went peculiar, set up a situation in which knowing this was relevant to the case.
(Another example from the same scene is that he knows nothing of politics. How ignorant do you have to be of politics to think that knowing more about politics won’t be relevant in solving crimes?)
Why are all of your examples things I’ve done or needed to know in the last 24 hours?
Often. My wife is from Colorado.
I use division on a regular basis when comparing unit prices while grocery shopping? Slip knots have a lot of really great uses, life is easier if you can do that. I do frequently forget the existence of Wyoming though if I’m being real here.
I really wish I could remember how to tie a slip knot, I am terrible with knots. I think about Wyoming a lot because of the electoral college. o no I might have a grievance based memory.
I genuinely wonder if she’s actually hyper-aware of Carla, and trying not to react because she thinks it would make her look weird if she acknowledged it.
No, I wouldn’t know what that’s like, why do you ask?
I’m like this with the other trans woman I work with. I’m beyond excited she’s there, but have no reason to interact with her; I’m a supervisor so while I have the ability and freedom to move about and speak with folks, a) she’s in assembly and has a job to do and b) we don’t exactly have code phrases (I’m only out to a couple of managers and HR), and c) while she may be out at work, the fact that I knew before she started (as part of the on boarding team) I feel very uncomfortable having been given that knowledge by a second-hand party, and d) I’m on friendly terms with so very few folk from the community (and them all enbies or fluid) in meatspace, that I’m convinced any possible interaction would look like the SNL sketches that had Chris Farley interviewing celebrities. And this is all compounded by the fact that I’m fairly certain that for the past several years I’ve been discussed at length by the hoi poloi.
Ouch! That’s hard. I-m sorry you have to deal with that. I am in a similar situation. I love meeting fellow GNC or NB or Trans folk, but there’s precious little I can do to acknowledge our similarities.
So is Carla just It?
She is.
They could tell her, but it’s a true 50/50 if Charlie would even remember..or register the information to begin with.
Also, if by Boosters assessment Carla only ever talks to people in order to get something out of them, is that really the kind of person a good sibling would introduce to their sister?
Depends on what you’re introducing them for. Nothing wrong with helping your sister get laid.
Kinda surreal to see Carla this… flustered.
Welp! Looks like we got a case of the ol’ “Notice Me, Senpai”
This would be more of a “Notice me, Kohai” situation.
If Kohai was accurate, notice me would not be a problem. Tho acknowledge me, still might need work
Carla, jesuschrist.
This girl may be ace but this can’t be but a fetish. She only wants them when they’re mean to her and… There’s nothing, in Carla’s book, meaner than being ignored. Isn’t it?
(I wonder if she’ll pass the vibe check. Booster LOVES Charlie, ok.)
Ain’t no “buts” about it. I know more weird kinky ace people than any other kind.
Yeah. Not being automatically attracted to people in the traditional way means way more obscure stuff triggers the pants euphoria. I’m pretty sure we make up like half the monster fucker community.
Tell me about it! I’m one of them kinky aces (grey-ace in my case). What I meant was – Carla has a serious “step on me” thing (I think I remember her reacting to Sal too?) but considering Charlie hasn’t done anything to her EXCEPT this… It’s more of a clarification for the sake of it than pointing out any contradiction.
PS: I really loved the arc of Dina’s discovery and exploration of Pants Euphoria because, same hat :33
I am loving the last two panels. Carla’s of course adorable, but I love that Booster’s not even annoyed, they are clearly loving their position of power here.
Yeah, you can feel the “mmyeah~?” in Booster’s voice there. It’s a cute strip. I’m leaning “yes” on Booster’s accepting the request unless Carla really fumbles it in the next strip (they do love a chance to meddle, It Is Proven)
One of these days dude’s presumptions of others will be wrong.
But not today.
Just as an ettiquette suggestion, most transfeminine ppl (which Booster prolly considers themself, given they have self-described as not-masc & their presentation centers around makeup) do not appreciate being called “dude,” even if you “mean it gender neutrally.”
I must have missed the meeting where we all decided that. Was it the same one where we decided it was okay to speculate on Booster’s birth assignment and then treat them differently based on our speculation?
I don’t think that’s the kindest way to read Tesset here, but as a trans girl who detests being called “dude” or “guy” or “bro”, I do think Tesset’s correction may be somewhat projection. Even if Booster is transfem, it varies.
For once, I kind of agree with Bruno.
I told you I was a human with thoughts and feelings.
Well, I implied it.
I was thinking it.
Thank you for helping to maintain the line between fact and supposition.
Less of a line and more of a fractal.
Oh, sorry, yeah. Was back in ’06 I think? I’ll see if I can find the minutes and forward ’em to ya
Just cuz someone knows you exists doesn’t mean they’re inclined to care that you do.
Skill issue. Everyone who knows I exist cares deeply.
I don’t know that you exist, but I’m mildly invested. Though less so than in Carla who exists as an archetype.
Or acknowledge it
My point exactly! Carla just wants to self-validate (again) by ignoring or dismissing a person who shows an interest.
Much more adorably than Billifer, though.
XD Well that’s one way to make her know.
Well, she could just try to be in the same room with her or visit Charlie’s usual hangouts but it’d be a very slow convo, idk if carla would be frustrated with it or happy to get a shred of attention lol
I’m sure there was at least one time Carla talked to someone not wanting anything. Like that time Joyce blurted out she was gonna go jack off with Dorothy. That counts as a conversation, right?
Yes, she does, more than just that. As Joyce puts it, Carla’s good but wants people to think she’s evil. It’s an over the top mask she wears, and either Booster is playing along or their psych 101 analysis is missing the mark.
For about 4 strips starting here are Carla and Lucy just chilling out, neither of them being obnoxious.
Holy crap, great find. “Lonely” even directly counters Booster here–Carla doesn’t only talk to people when she wants something, but she wants them to think that’s the case. Booster is, for once, just a little bit off.
For once? Booster has had several bad takes. Their, until credentialed, amateur psychoanalysis hobby has been mostly, shallow, face value takes.
Simplistic, but not completely wrong. Right enough to be annoying.
I can’t remember one that the narrative has framed as wrong yet. Including this one.
Trust me, if Charlie doesn’t know you exist, neither someone like Norville nor Sue would either.
Let her stew in her void, being in the same class as Charlie is fleeting
other than the initial ignoring, i’m sure charlie’s a nice person but carla would find her ‘boring’ otherwise/ after getting attention. or some sunk-cost fallacy to where she’d get her attention and then stick around to her
I wonder if one day we’ll see the reason Carla has an apparent need to be the center of attention everywhere she goes, it can’t just be being the daughter of two billionaires can it?
Probably doesn’t help
it keeps people at a distance and it’s a proverbial pie in the face to people who want her not to exist.
It’s a literal in your face defense mechanism. Trans people are not popular with a considerable portion of the Indiana population right now – and Mary is a rather mild example of this, it turns out. Welcome to the Fourth Reich.
I realize the premise and structure of DOA don’t really lend themselves to a deep dive into society-wide politics but things are getting bad in Indiana. Just go on line and see what our Atty. Gen. Todd Rokita has been up to. IU is a powerful institution in the state. If it comes to that, though, I don’t think it is prepared to resist the kind of political violence the Nazis, the Soviets and the Fascists inflicted on their educational bodies during the first half of the 20th Century. If DOA’s cast were actual people – which would be scary in itself – Carla wouldn’t be the only one at personal risk.
As someone married to a person who grew up in Indiana. this really jibes with everything they’ve ever told me (and I’ve experienced there). It really is a strange and constrained world up there. Any minor difference (think yoga, vegetarianism, religious difference of opinion, gender roles, positive attitudes toward POC or….really anything out the narrow mainstream) is painted as weird and deviant. I could tell you stories. Major differences…. whew.
In Muncie last Winter, we spotted a banner across a major road affirming trans rights. I was surprised (and impressed and hopeful for the LGBTQ+ community there) but didn’t expect it to be up long before someone tore it down. I’m scared for people up there who are out in any fashion.
it is a very teenager-y thing ( for some ppl of course, i’m sure plenty would love to be low key/keeping to themselves and more or less funcitonally invisible), to double down on getting someone’s attention if they feel ignored, tho i kinda wish i could tune out like charlie to where someone like carla could be filtered out
tho it’s not like the ppl that /do/ pay her attention necessarily ‘fawn’ over her. Even within her roller derby group does she have any actual friends?
Carla would have to say hello and then patiently stand still and not say anything for a while, which I’m pretty sure is not possible
charlie did technically reply tho it was too late , but she didn’t seem annoyed so maybe they’ll end up getting along lol
that said, hopefully ppl won’t find it too off putting with carla’s rude nature if is impatient and unintentionally ableist, because i can imagine her trying to rush charlie (tho would be interesting if charlie had some coffee/caffeine a
nd was able to respond with ‘average’ speed lol)
or maybe she’ll end up being someone that’s super fast at typing online in contrast lol
So who is Booster’s sister? The Walkypedia for them is no help.
Never mind, noticed someone above mentioned the name ‘Charlie’, so I did a tag search and found out. But someone might want to update the ‘Booster’ entry on the Walkypedia and make a mention that Booster does have a sister.
Booster’s sister is Charlie. We don’t know a lot about her. Only 9 tagged appearances.
People are autistic, Carla.
Also, AAAAWWWEEEEE
I’d love it if Booster, and probably only Booster could, just strait up said no to Carla and told her they wouldn’t because of her behaviour
And give up the opportunity to use their psychological sooth-saying skills to put a cartoonishly overt narcissist on a yo-yo? Fat chance.
Well that is also true and on brand
On the one hand protect sister and on the other hand…shenanigans
Protecting their sister and toying with Carla are not necessarily mutually exclusive. But as usual it’s anyone’s guess how this will all go…
Wait, but saying no to Carla is the mean thing to do here. This is such a reasonable, even cute, request.
Yes indeed, Carla is a very likeable person
I like Carla a lot, and I’m paying attention to her right now.
They did say no to her during their off the cuff reading of a bunch of floormates in one of their first appearances. Which I’m viewing as either Booster giving her exactly the response she needed (each reading was done in a confrontational way on purpose) or they didn’t want to because they were aware of how much damage deconstructing Carla’s mask would do to her
ah
Carla is still running to various teachers and pointing at Charlie and yelling “make her pay attention to me!!!!”
AHA!
Carla’s behavior isn’t really egregious here, but man I’d sure be thrilled if Booster just said no, optionally with a fuck off.
It’d be hilarious if booster was like “Well, she might be too busy with roller derby practice to get in touch with” and it’s revealed she’s amazing at roller derby where she’s “on”/in the zone and like a rival team or so
“I can tell her, but I can’t guarantee that she’ll acknowledge you”
Imagine if Carla actually had a moment because of Charlie
hahahhahahahahhahahhahaWHAT
Re: Alt-Text,
Wait was she actually on the cover of a magazine?
Apparently her parents had to fight a legal battle of some kind to get Carla admitted to IU as a female. The issue made the cover of a national news magazine (remember those?).
I think it was earlier than that – maybe to get her accepted in high school or elementary school.
She ran into Jacob’s brother (who we know won a big trans rights case) in the elevator and he said something like “didn’t you use to be this tall”, as if she was still a kid when he met her during the case.
This one mentions her parents having been in Time. https://www.dumbingofage.com/storytimeintensifies/
This is the least Carla Carlas I’ve ever seen. She’s not smirking nearly enough. Or throwing pies.
Charlie isn’t giving her attention, and that just won’t do.
“must make each human being, each conscience, to think about me”
Carla
1984’s Dictatorship.
She’s decided to confront the Universe. Individually, personally, and in alphabetical order.
I thought originally it was just that, but now I wonder if she has a crush.
Kappa
Plumbers clearly high on mushrooms.
“Tell her I exist.”
What? Doesn’t everyone alive and dead know that Carla exists XD Give her a decade or two and she’ll be shoving her existence into everyone’s face like Melon of Mars.
The difference is, she’s received no acknowledgement from Charlie.
That cannot stand!
Carla would make a great stereotypical 55-year-old Mom-in-law someday, based on panels 3 and 4.
Read those lines in Estelle Harris’ voice (George Costanza’s mom from “Seinfeld”) to see what I mean
“What do you want, Jerry?” Reich repeated coldly, keeping his eyes on the wizened man. Tension, apprehension, and dissension have begun. He could still control Church. It didn’t matter that Church had been a 2nd. Control wasn’t a question of peeping. It was a question of personality. Eight, sir; seven, sir; six, sir; five, sir… He always had… He always would control Church.
Bester’s finest I think.
Arterial bukake is a serious condition, Booster.
Carla should have stayed away from the Cove, that Arterial Pinch is no joke, bring a Plague Doctor with ya.
But not nose bukake. That’s just a normal symptom of “Anime Character Syndrome.” XD
Oops, this should have been a reply to Steamweed above.
I agree with your medical assessment.
God I love Carla.
It’s still pretty bad around here, huh
worse, even
lol it’s not her fault she has a delayed reaction. She seemed to be able to communicate fairly easily with Booster but other than being ‘airheaded’ hopefully she wouldn’t need medication. Unless booster thinks she can talk her through her problems without medical aid