Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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hey, by the time this publishes, we'll know if blackarachnia won
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June 8, 2026

S’pretty wild

by David M Willis on October 20, 2018 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - Flyin' to the Red
└ Tags: ethan, sal

Discussion (168) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    October 20, 2018 at 12:01 am | #

    payback’s a… hashtag

    [This is clearly a fiendish plot by The Organization! El. Psy. Congroo.]

    • Ana Chronistic
      Ana Chronistic
      October 20, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

      ok now I wanna see who won but fuck me tryna navigate Facebake pages

    • Siddif
      Siddif
      October 20, 2018 at 6:01 am | #

      I’m only just starting Stiensgate and I love that get this reference haha

    • Bagfaceman
      Bagfaceman
      October 20, 2018 at 3:21 pm | #

      >steins;gate reference

      You’re my favourite person.

  2. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    October 20, 2018 at 12:01 am | #

    So when is Sal going to reveal her desire to finish him off? Flashbacks mean that this is all building to a violent murder confrontation. Kill Bill taught me that.

    • Cholma
      Cholma
      October 20, 2018 at 12:09 am | #

      She has to learn the Five-Point-Palm Exploding-Heart-Technique first!

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        October 20, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

        I would kill to see a martial arts training flashback with Sal.

        especially since I keep picturing her sensei as Galasso for some reason.

        • Leorale
          Leorale
          October 20, 2018 at 12:28 am | #

          I know Ninja Rick won’t be appearing in DoA, but, Ninja Rick, I’m just saying.

          • Doctor_Who
            Doctor_Who
            October 20, 2018 at 12:45 am | #

            Ninja Rick is the Elle Driver in this scenario.

          • Walky_Talky
            Walky_Talky
            October 20, 2018 at 12:47 am | #

            Never presume a man doesn’t have ninjas at his disposal.

          • Bladeglory
            Bladeglory
            October 20, 2018 at 2:48 am | #

            Of course he won’t be appearing. He’s a ninja. All we’ll see is the remains of his enemies after he’s done.

          • Emperor Norton II
            Emperor Norton II
            October 20, 2018 at 5:39 pm | #

            Ninja Rick -has- appeared in DOA.

            In every single strip.

        • chris73
          chris73
          October 20, 2018 at 7:13 am | #

          Considering just how easy both Sal and Amber find it to beat up multiple guys twice their size I’m surprised neither of them have entered the UFC and made some big money

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 20, 2018 at 8:08 am | #

          I kind of like the idea that Sal’s all street-fighting, no formal training. She got in a lot of fights and got good at it.

      • Victor Riley
        Victor Riley
        October 20, 2018 at 1:58 am | #

        No, we just have to see the flashback of her learning it… but in the present, she already learned it.

    • Irredentist
      Irredentist
      October 20, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

      My mind went somewhere completely different when you said “Sal’s desire to finish him off”…

      • Sol Karas
        Sol Karas
        October 20, 2018 at 12:24 am | #

        So did mine… lol

      • jeffepp
        jeffepp
        October 20, 2018 at 12:49 am | #

        Mine didn’t, but really should have. Good call.

      • Crusading Barista
        Crusading Barista
        October 20, 2018 at 12:58 am | #

        FINISH HIM:

        https://youtu.be/B9EQO-Cn6ms

        Hmmmm, good.

        • Sunny
          Sunny
          October 20, 2018 at 7:15 am | #

          I was expecting Mortal Kombat.

          • Crusading Barista
            Crusading Barista
            October 21, 2018 at 8:20 am | #

            you were expecting Death,

            BUT IT WAS ME

            ROMANCE!

    • doubleW
      doubleW
      October 20, 2018 at 12:28 am | #

      Closure is its own kind of violence

  3. Shiro
    Shiro
    October 20, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    Well, did she?

    (I watched a bit of Beast Wars after school when I was a kid and she’s, like, the only one I remember. I think I liked her because she was a girl.)

    • Cattleprod
      Cattleprod
      October 20, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

      She did.

      • Shiro
        Shiro
        October 20, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

        Woohoo!

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        October 20, 2018 at 12:11 am | #

        Awesome.

  4. Wright
    Wright
    October 20, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    You two are completely adorable.

  5. Derek
    Derek
    October 20, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    I’m sure Sal is not trying to romantically pick up Ethan, but it kinda reads that way

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      October 20, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

      Ethan’s one of the hotter guys in the cast, but I can’t remember if she knows he’s gay or not. If she does, probably not flirtation, obviously. If she doesn’t, well, bets are off.

      • Emily
        Emily
        October 20, 2018 at 5:35 am | #

        “Hey, sorry I made you think you were gonna die, let’s fuck”

        I mean I don’t know how Sal rolls but I think she’d at least get to know Ethan and prove she’s not total shit before having a lay with him

        • HeySo
          HeySo
          October 20, 2018 at 6:32 am | #

          You seem to forget that Sal has magical powers of irresistibility..

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 20, 2018 at 8:23 am | #

          Right. Which is why she’s offering to buy him dinner first.

        • Agemegos
          Agemegos
          October 20, 2018 at 8:37 pm | #

          Sal has track for treating sex as a favour she can bestow for ulterior motives, and for expecting guys to accept it as a commodity in trade. Paying off Ethan (in the belief that he’s straight) isn’t much different from buying off Jason.

        • Deanatay
          Deanatay
          October 21, 2018 at 8:54 am | #

          I’ve heard worse come-ons.

    • Roger
      Roger
      October 20, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

      yall gotta learn to un-associate “Lemme by you dinner” with romantic intent

      • MatthewTheLucky
        MatthewTheLucky
        October 20, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

        Hey, she’s expressed an interest before, and she doesn’t know it’s pointless yet.

        • MatthewTheLucky
          MatthewTheLucky
          October 20, 2018 at 12:14 am | #

          Also panel 4 reads like a cheesy porn intro.

        • merbrat
          merbrat
          October 20, 2018 at 2:40 am | #

          “You’re tall. Ah go fer tall.” (at Apples to Apples)
          That was the only “flirt-like comment at the time.

          • MatthewTheLucky
            MatthewTheLucky
            October 20, 2018 at 9:09 am | #

            Pretty conclusive stuff.

      • Emily
        Emily
        October 20, 2018 at 5:15 am | #

        This comment section needs to un-associate “Any interaction whatsoever” with romantic intent.

        • chris73
          chris73
          October 20, 2018 at 7:11 am | #

          That’d remove roughly half the commentators

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 20, 2018 at 8:13 am | #

          Don’t be silly. Shippers don’t need “any interaction” to assume romantic intent.

          • Deanatay
            Deanatay
            October 21, 2018 at 8:57 am | #

            Billie x Random Guy In Background OTP!! (jk)

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 20, 2018 at 8:41 am | #

        Only when people stop using “Lemme by you dinner” to hint at romantic intent.

    • Irredentist
      Irredentist
      October 20, 2018 at 12:11 am | #

      Totes is

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      October 20, 2018 at 1:35 am | #

      I think Sal is one of the few characters who doesn’t know Ethan’s gay, pretty much because she’s had so little interaction with him so far.

  6. Van Jealous
    Van Jealous
    October 20, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    “Past few weeks”???? Seems like Past Eight Years to me :-/

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      October 20, 2018 at 12:31 am | #

      You seem unfamiliar with the term “comic book time”. Like how it can be Spring at the beginning of the day, and 9 issues and 18 hours of in-comic time they have to weave around Christmas decorations in the final battle of the arc.

      • Marsh Maryrose
        Marsh Maryrose
        October 20, 2018 at 7:56 am | #

        DoA is more Brigadoon time. Every night when the characters go to sleep, they wake up the next morning two months later.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          October 20, 2018 at 8:28 am | #

          Thanks to the difference in the amount of time that’s passed, and the theory of general relativity, we can only assume the DoA-verse is travelling much, much faster than our universe.

          Or it’s entirely fictional, who knows. Maybe we’re all inside Tommy Westphall’s snow globe.

          • Rartorata
            Rartorata
            October 20, 2018 at 12:23 pm | #

            According to Walkypedia, DoA has, to date, covered 46 days in-universe. In our world, the comic has been running for 2962 days. This is a factor of 64.3913042, which means, under special relativity, the Dumbiverse is travelling at 99.98% of the speed of light relative to our own.

            • Rartorata
              Rartorata
              October 20, 2018 at 9:29 pm | #

              Correction: DoA will have covered 46 entire days as of the end of this storyline (December 5th), day 3008 since its debut. This time dilation factor of 65.3913043 gives the Dumbiverse a speed of 0.9998830620710321c, which is to say 299,757,401 metres per second, or 1,079,126,643 kilometres per hour.

    • Van Jealous
      Van Jealous
      October 21, 2018 at 7:26 am | #

      What I do think is that someone may not appreciate the words “gentle” or “sarcasm” :-). I was raised on “Gasoline Alley” and “Mary Worth” in the 1960s, so I am very experienced with “comic book time”, but I do appreciate your comment, never the less.

  7. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    October 20, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    Priorities!

  8. ShinyNeen
    ShinyNeen
    October 20, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    Fast-forward a bit to Sal, staring angrily at her phone, maybe even viewing this poll’s results. “Ah hate this fandom more than anythin’ an’ ah gotta have more.”

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      October 20, 2018 at 12:14 am | #

      A couple years back, there was a Humble Bundle with the first several volumes of TF: MTMTE. I already had them through comixology, so I sent to pdfs to a friend, saying he should check them out.

      He blames me for the fact that he now owns over 2 dozen plastic robots.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        October 20, 2018 at 12:20 am | #

        I got that bundle! And now I’ve gotta catch up to Lost Light.

        … I am so lucky you can’t really recreate Transformers in crochet or I’d be working on all of them. Or maybe super unfortunate, there has to be a market for cuddly Rewinds and Chromedomes out there.

        • Minotaur
          Minotaur
          October 20, 2018 at 2:40 am | #

          Is it because of the legs?

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            October 20, 2018 at 8:28 am | #

            All the blockiness in general, really. Not the easiest to make rectangles in crochet. And I’ve only been doing it for a year so I’m not super-comfortable with regular color changes like you’d see on a lot of them. I’m sure it’s DOABLE (I have seen someone crochet Lulu’s belt skirt from Final Fantasy X,) but I’ve never really seen a pattern for them as dolls and I don’t feel confident yet freehanding something round. Betting they’d be more advanced just as a given.

            • tirachokko
              tirachokko
              October 20, 2018 at 9:44 am | #

              but think of the sewing! a quilted fabric could keep structural integrity of the blocks without sacrificing the cuddliness. You could put flannel over the quilted fabric and start your kids early in their induction to the fandom.

              • Regalli
                Regalli
                October 20, 2018 at 12:16 pm | #

                I am planning on taking up sewing in the near future, just need space for storage.

                Unlikely to have kids, but oh how I can corrupt the niblings. I mean, instill an interest in stories and strong narratives or some shit like that.

                (My brother’s already made the joke about passing his first Charizard from Fire Red down to the favorite grandkid, he knows what I’d get up to.)

            • ShinyNeen
              ShinyNeen
              October 20, 2018 at 12:18 pm | #

              Wait, what? Someone crocheted FFX Lulu’s stupid belt skirt? The thing that was so needlessly complex that the game’s animators apparently took great pains to avoid having to render it? Granted, I know nothing about crochet, but still. Wow.

              • Schpoonman
                Schpoonman
                October 20, 2018 at 4:22 pm | #

                I want picture proof.

              • Regalli
                Regalli
                October 20, 2018 at 9:53 pm | #

                , and even then she hit the upper limit on the number of belts one can fit on a doll, the stitches of the skirt body, and just in a physical realm. (It’s still in progress, but her work is amazing – her FFX Yuna and Keyleth from Critical Role inspired me to learn myself. If the link doesn’t work try Moonwhing.tumblr and scroll down to her crafting by daylight tag, Lulu should still be near the top now and there’s multiple in-progress shots of the belt skirt.)

                (I have to imagine it’s a commission and have no idea how much it cost, but guessing ‘quite a bit.’)

                • Regalli
                  Regalli
                  October 20, 2018 at 9:57 pm | #

                  Links. Damn it. Moonwhing on Tumblr, whose work I only admire more since learning how to do some of this stuff myself because she works without patterns.

                • ShinyNeen
                  ShinyNeen
                  October 20, 2018 at 10:38 pm | #

                  Daaaaaang. Checked out the tag, saw the completed(?) doll- that’s adorable!

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      October 20, 2018 at 7:24 am | #

      Lol!

  9. Cattleprod
    Cattleprod
    October 20, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    Years from now, due to the sliding time scale and more Beast Wars characters being in the Hall of Fame, Ethan will be campaigning to get beloved major character Retrax in.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      October 20, 2018 at 12:30 am | #

      I mean, Inferno’s not in yet. I like BW Inferno, the little weirdo.

      Also I’m gonna bet now, Under-3 gets in at some point before the comic ends. I believe in Under-3.

  10. adjudicus
    adjudicus
    October 20, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    This is turning out really well

  11. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    October 20, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    I’m having flashbacks to the “election” in Sabrina*Online between Blackarachnia and Grimlock.

    • Stephen Bierce
      Stephen Bierce
      October 20, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

      Today’s strip is sponsored by Best Buy.

  12. kay
    kay
    October 20, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    SOMEONE TELL ME HOW THE HASHTAG ENDED. Did Sal cast the deciding vote?

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      October 20, 2018 at 12:15 am | #

      Ethan’s pick Blackarachnia won, beating out Omega Supreme and Unicron.

      (It’s… actually a wonder to me Unicron made it this far without induction, but whatever! Maybe this year’s Vengeance Against Imperialism Personified version will up his popularity some more?)

      Anyway this’ll end up being critical later once Sal needs to convince Amber she truly wants to make amends. Anyone who likes Blackarachnia can’t be all evil. Or of course Willis will make another extended re-enactment of a character’s finest moment, which in this case I think would be Bad Spark for him?

      • Inahc
        Inahc
        October 20, 2018 at 2:50 pm | #

        yay!

  13. Sporky
    Sporky
    October 20, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

    This really isn’t how I expected this to go at all.

  14. Teddae
    Teddae
    October 20, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

    sal is a good egg.

    ethan please bring up amber and her issues please i beg of you

    • Mollyscribbles
      Mollyscribbles
      October 20, 2018 at 12:14 am | #

      Not sure if that’s the best option; he might think it’s not his place to blab her secrets.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        October 20, 2018 at 12:41 am | #

        Yeah, he talks about Amber, Sal realizes the girl who stabbed her is the one who was smooching her brother last night, Sal is pretty much guaranteed to have thoughts on that subject and want to talk to Amber about it and without forewarning Amber’s just gonna freak the fuck out.

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          October 20, 2018 at 12:44 am | #

          And I don’t even know if Sal will necessarily disapprove of Amber smooching Walky, it’s just that that’s the sort of thing you HAVE to have serious thoughts on. It’s weird!

      • not someone else
        not someone else
        October 20, 2018 at 12:47 am | #

        There are gentle, polite-to-Amber ways of bringing it up. He could just say “my best friend is also here, but that encounter might be a lot more complicated for both of you” or something?

        • Alanari
          Alanari
          October 20, 2018 at 3:52 am | #

          Amber isn’t ready for this conversation. Probably not even ready to talk about it with a friend, or her boyfriend. Ethan probably knows that. There’s no point in bringing her up.

  15. Irredentist
    Irredentist
    October 20, 2018 at 12:14 am | #

    Perfection. I’m so glad these guys finally broke the ice about that incident. And them getting along is so adorable! I only hope they can work things out with Amber.

    • Lieutenant Dan
      Lieutenant Dan
      October 20, 2018 at 8:46 am | #

      That last sentence makes me wonder which comic you’ve been reading for the past 8 years… 😉 #damnyouwillis

  16. Tacos
    Tacos
    October 20, 2018 at 12:16 am | #

    Which poll was this? Either way, we know the Beast Wars character won because that’s what happens when you put one Beast Wars character among a selection of G1 guys.

    Anyways this is adorable.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      October 20, 2018 at 12:21 am | #

      Transformers Hall Of Fame. This year’s pick was Blackarachnia against Omega Supreme and Unicron. Obviously the right one won.

      • Tacos
        Tacos
        October 20, 2018 at 12:24 am | #

        Good. Now if only Sky-Byte can win the next one dammit >:O

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          October 20, 2018 at 12:33 am | #

          If I used social media with any regularity, you’d have my vote next year!

  17. Rabid Rabbit
    Rabid Rabbit
    October 20, 2018 at 12:16 am | #

    I know there are other ways to interpret her expression, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sal look so sad as she does in the last panel. I mean, that’s almost Carla-sad.

    • BigDogLittleCat
      BigDogLittleCat
      October 20, 2018 at 2:57 pm | #

      I read it as “completely baffled”.
      There are some people who just don’t understand how anything in nerdland is interesting. It’s not that they’re down on it; they just don’t get it.

  18. Alden
    Alden
    October 20, 2018 at 12:30 am | #

    I identify strongly with Ethan right now.

  19. MatsuoTanuki
    MatsuoTanuki
    October 20, 2018 at 12:33 am | #

    Ethan is such a swwetheart. I hope and pray he and his husband live long an happy with their 22nd century genetically grafted clone children and grandchildren.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      October 20, 2018 at 12:46 am | #

      But will there still be Transformers then? And will people still care as much about Beast Wars?

      (Will Rung have a toy in the 22nd century?)

      • Catman
        Catman
        October 20, 2018 at 7:06 am | #

        Yes, maybe, most likely not.

      • Eldritch Gentleman
        Eldritch Gentleman
        October 20, 2018 at 10:29 am | #

        Who cares, Ethan will 3D print and put together his own moving and talking AI Transformers!

  20. JessWitt
    JessWitt
    October 20, 2018 at 12:52 am | #

    Oh lord these two. XD

    Now just wait for Amber to bear witness to this unholy sight.

  21. Stoodmuffin
    Stoodmuffin
    October 20, 2018 at 1:08 am | #

    You Asked!

    Honestly, if they end up being friends, I am okay with that. I was so worried, folks. I was so nervous. But this has been so cute and wholesome so far.

    And again, Sal. You asked!

  22. Delicious Taffy
    Delicious Taffy
    October 20, 2018 at 2:46 am | #

    Wow, I can’t believe Sal actually did her best to start making amends, instead of tracking Ethan down and beating the stuffing out of him. What a massive surprise, which no decent human being could possibly have expected. /sarcasm

    On a less bitter note, this is cool of Sal. She’s really trying her best, and Ethan seems to be very eager to accept her apology. In his shoes, I can’t say for sure if I’d do the same. They’re both good eggs.

    • Alanari
      Alanari
      October 20, 2018 at 4:01 am | #

      If you’ve made your peace with your past, it’s easier to accept an honest apology from whoever made said past horrible. For others, forgiving your attacker is a step towards their own healing.

      I think for ethan, it’s more the first.

    • TemperaryObsessor
      TemperaryObsessor
      October 20, 2018 at 10:21 am | #

      Well we haven’t seen her interacting with Leland present day.

  23. Bagge
    Bagge
    October 20, 2018 at 3:33 am | #

    Then it turns out Amber rooted for another winner of the poll

  24. Eldritch Gentleman
    Eldritch Gentleman
    October 20, 2018 at 5:13 am | #

    Yes! Yes! Bring Sal into the darkness of nerdiness and corrupt her into becoming one of us!

    • Stoodmuffin
      Stoodmuffin
      October 20, 2018 at 6:48 pm | #

      Yeeeeees! Mario Kart isn’t enough!

  25. Brotato
    Brotato
    October 20, 2018 at 5:28 am | #

    Anyone else picking up on the fact that Sal has a soft spot for dorks?

    Joyce, Danny, her bro sometimes despite their issues, technically Amber (tho she doesn’t rly know that yet, but, Amazi-girl is kind of a dork too tbh), Jason (tho Idk if a hatefuck is a soft spot…), and now it seems Ethan as well.

    She always vaguely protests/insults them, but keeps “tolerating” their presence & coming back for more. It’s especially obvious with Danny, where there is genuine affection by her standards.

    • Eldritch Gentleman
      Eldritch Gentleman
      October 20, 2018 at 5:37 am | #

      [snorts] She is being tsundere and in self-denial XD

      • Stoodmuffin
        Stoodmuffin
        October 20, 2018 at 6:49 pm | #

        Canon.

  26. Peter
    Peter
    October 20, 2018 at 5:58 am | #

    That is the Ethanest thing that Ethan ever Ethaned.

  27. Zaxares
    Zaxares
    October 20, 2018 at 6:09 am | #

    I was starting to chant “DATE DATE DATE” and then I remembered that Ethan’s gay. XD Ah well.

    • Eldritch Gentleman
      Eldritch Gentleman
      October 20, 2018 at 6:46 am | #

      If he’d turn out to be Bi we could have a sweet polyamory between him, Sal and Danny.

      • TemperaryObsessor
        TemperaryObsessor
        October 20, 2018 at 7:57 am | #

        I’m pretty sure he learned it with Amber. I mean he technically could be like a Kinsey scale five and Amber could just not one of the few exceptions.

        • Eldritch Gentleman
          Eldritch Gentleman
          October 20, 2018 at 8:26 am | #

          A shipper can always dream :-3

          • ego
            ego
            October 20, 2018 at 9:30 am | #

            i dream of sal bringing Mike home to meet the parents. wouldn’t linda be thrilled? briefly

            • Eldritch Gentleman
              Eldritch Gentleman
              October 20, 2018 at 10:29 am | #

              If not for the ocean of pure pity I’d feel for Sal this would get my seal of approval. But sorry, no amount of revenge is worth paying THIS kind of price.

            • Shiro
              Shiro
              October 20, 2018 at 10:53 am | #

              I wonder if Mike could be persuaded to do it on the grounds that he’d be ruining someone’s day…although knowing him, he’d find a way to ruin Sal’s day too, so best not to poke the bear

              • Eldritch Gentleman
                Eldritch Gentleman
                October 20, 2018 at 12:08 pm | #

                Sal might consider that a price worth paying though….

              • BBCC
                BBCC
                October 20, 2018 at 1:58 pm | #

                He did once agree to chaperone Joyce on a date because he got to be dickish to someone else.

    • Sunny
      Sunny
      October 20, 2018 at 11:47 am | #

      Maybe they could go on a friendship date.

  28. Abel Undercity
    Abel Undercity
    October 20, 2018 at 6:34 am | #

    Ethan’s gotta Ethan.

  29. Darkoneko
    Darkoneko
    October 20, 2018 at 6:36 am | #

    Ethan…

  30. Bagge
    Bagge
    October 20, 2018 at 7:25 am | #

    Awww. Panel 3 Sal is ADORABLE. “Gotta do something nice… what have I that could possibly be of interest… MOTORCYCLE! THAT’S IT!”

    Somehow, and fittingly, I think very much of Walky trying to woo Dorothy with his monkey toy.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      October 20, 2018 at 10:01 pm | #

      I know right? She’s trying, Ethan. Very cutely I might add!

  31. Eric
    Eric
    October 20, 2018 at 7:29 am | #

    How does she use a phone with fingered gloves?

    • dethtolldotmid
      dethtolldotmid
      October 20, 2018 at 7:36 am | #

      Believe it or not there ARE gloves that let you use a phone. I’ve considered buying a pair.

    • Daibhid C
      Daibhid C
      October 20, 2018 at 7:52 am | #

      I feel like I should make a Homestar Runner reference in response to this, only I know literally nothing about Homestar Runner except what I’ve read on TV Tropes.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        October 20, 2018 at 8:55 am | #

        Go watch it. Seriously, even fifteen years later it holds up. Sbemails are only a few minutes long each, and there are official and not-official uploads all over YouTube so you don’t even need a Compy that still runs Flash Player to watch it.

  32. Bagge
    Bagge
    October 20, 2018 at 8:59 am | #

    Huh, where is BBCC today? I had kinda expected a big SQUEEE about all this Sal adorableness.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      October 20, 2018 at 10:42 am | #

      Studying for a 9 AM law midterm that I had this morning. Even *I* couldn’t justify staying up for this to post on main with that over my head.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        October 20, 2018 at 11:39 am | #

        Dorothy would be proud of you!

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          October 20, 2018 at 1:48 pm | #

          It was a law class, so if I can get Sarah’s approval, I’ll be happy!

          Although Sarah likes Dorothy, so surely that transfers?

          • Bagge
            Bagge
            October 20, 2018 at 2:36 pm | #

            Hmpf. You like adorable things so I’m sure Sarah would disapprove.

            • BBCC
              BBCC
              October 20, 2018 at 4:08 pm | #

              I also like crabby things and cranky snark! Will that do?

              Besides, we both can agree on at least one adorable thing – Joyce.

          • Reltzik
            Reltzik
            October 20, 2018 at 5:04 pm | #

            I don’t think Sarah DOES approval.

            • BBCC
              BBCC
              October 20, 2018 at 7:20 pm | #

              She approves of Dorothy though!

      • ShinyNeen
        ShinyNeen
        October 20, 2018 at 12:06 pm | #

        Maybe it’s heresy to say so, but school does come before making comments on a webcomic. Hope the midterm went well!

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          October 20, 2018 at 1:47 pm | #

          Thank you! It wasn’t even ‘I need to study and not look at Dumbing of Age’ it was ‘I need about an hour to get up, get ready and drive to campus and it starts at 9 AM so I can’t justify staying awake to see this strip go live on main, no matter how much I love it’.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        October 20, 2018 at 12:12 pm | #

        Best of luck, hope it went well and that any grade curves be favorable!

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          October 20, 2018 at 1:46 pm | #

          I hope so. I think things went well. The professor said that when you understand the principles behind legal consent and capacity, you should do okay, and the questions were all simple enough so I hope I did well.

      • seeprybyrun
        seeprybyrun
        October 20, 2018 at 12:22 pm | #

        Man, law school sucks, but a midterm on a Saturday? Geez.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          October 20, 2018 at 1:45 pm | #

          I’m not even in law school. I just really like law classes so I took Health Law this semester. It’s fun and the teacher’s hilarious, but yeah, Saturday midterm + 9AM? Yeah, ouch.

          • Inahc
            Inahc
            October 20, 2018 at 3:05 pm | #

            cool 🙂 I had a required law class for my first CS degree, and I found it really interesting. you’d think reading about court cases would be dull, but I actually enjoyed reading some of the important supreme court cases.

            but… saturday midterm? eeeewww, that is *evil*.

            • BBCC
              BBCC
              October 20, 2018 at 4:10 pm | #

              Yeah, I thought law was fun in my last two years of high school, so I took intro to law a couple years ago and decided to take the only other undergrad law class, which was health law. I’m in history, so it’s not TOTALLY inapplicable?

              Yeah, when our professor told us, the first thing he said was ‘Yes, I know, Saturday at 9 AM, I’m sorry, I didn’t pick it, please don’t hate me’.

            • Regalli
              Regalli
              October 20, 2018 at 9:39 pm | #

              Good legal documents can be super interesting, and on rare and magical occasions, hilarious. Sometimes I think of the ACLU of West Virginia’s amicus brief for John Oliver against coal magnate and known spurious-defamation claimer Robert Murray, and I feel joy in my cold dead heart. Anyone can legally say ‘eat shit, Bob!’

              • Regalli
                Regalli
                October 20, 2018 at 9:40 pm | #

                Damn links. I have got to figure out what’s up with that. Whatever, Google it, it’s worth it.

                • BBCC
                  BBCC
                  October 20, 2018 at 9:59 pm | #

                  I think the law by itself is super interesting, I just don’t have the blood pressure to go into it professionally (I mean, y’all saw me with the Walkertons – can you imagine me in court?). Besides, librarian hood is where it’s at for me.

  33. Guest42
    Guest42
    October 20, 2018 at 9:08 am | #

    Sal, it makes no sense your paths haven’t crossed.

    You both hang out with Danny, you even play video games with him (before you judge a transformers post)

    You both hang out with Amber.

    He used to date Joyce, your friend.

    And your twin brother is a giant nerd.

    Really the only times your paths shouldn’t have been crossing is when you were hanging out with Carla, Malaya, and Marcie…. which is surprisingly often given how you seem to hate 2/3 of those.

    • Emperor Norton II
      Emperor Norton II
      October 20, 2018 at 5:52 pm | #

      She doesn’t really hate Carla. There’s been several times they’ve hung out voluntarily. Heck, they even share interests, such as sneering at everyone from a wall.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        October 21, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

        Yeah, she likes Carla and she loves Marcie (whether you see it as platonic or not, I don’t think that’s deniable especially after that flashback).

  34. tirachokko
    tirachokko
    October 20, 2018 at 9:37 am | #

    Oh Sal

  35. Felian
    Felian
    October 20, 2018 at 9:45 am | #

    Oh goodness Ethan, really? She owes you for life and you can wish for basically anything and THISS is what you go for?
    ok fine…. yourkinkisnotmykinkbutyourkinkisok…

  36. JMP
    JMP
    October 20, 2018 at 10:29 am | #

    Sal’s gloves work with touchscreens?

    • ensiform
      ensiform
      October 20, 2018 at 4:27 pm | #

      Most modern gloves do, yes.

      • Inahc
        Inahc
        October 20, 2018 at 5:02 pm | #

        including everything from the dollar gloves I usually wear, to the super-warm snowboarding gloves I got recently, which were so bulky I couldn’t really hold my phone anyways. 🙂

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      October 20, 2018 at 10:00 pm | #

      So do mine. Wear them enough and you learn to compensate.

      Sal only takes her’s off when her parents are around.

  37. figureaddict
    figureaddict
    October 20, 2018 at 10:43 am | #

    Great to know Ethan can be Ethan in about any situation. If Sal thinks its wierd ‘two’ of them ended up at the same university, just wait!

    • ShinyNeen
      ShinyNeen
      October 20, 2018 at 12:12 pm | #

      Yeah, Ethan is the easy setting compared to Amber. But then, narratively speaking, that’s probably part of why this went so well for Ethan and Sal- the hard work’s going to be in making peace with Amber.

  38. BBCC
    BBCC
    October 20, 2018 at 10:56 am | #

    So, as Bagge predicted, I just about MELTED at this adorableness. I mean, first of all, Sal looks ADORABLE. And it’s actually super cute seeing her trying to figure out what you do for an ex-hostage. I don’t think hallmark makes cards for that.

    Sal and Ethan’s current interactions remain absolutely precious and even if we never get more friendship out of this, I will always love this interaction.

    And pffft, yeah, go figure Ethan goes for polling for a transformers character. Oh, Ethan. Honey.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      October 20, 2018 at 12:19 pm | #

      There TOTALLY should be a card for that

      • MatthewTheLucky
        MatthewTheLucky
        October 20, 2018 at 12:58 pm | #

        Puppy with sad eyes and a sheathed knife.

    • Emperor Norton II
      Emperor Norton II
      October 20, 2018 at 5:56 pm | #

      Front: “The truth twist like a knife ’cause it hurts…

      Inside: “..And truth is, I almost hurt you really badly with a knife, and that was a crappy thing to do.

      I’m sorry.”

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        October 20, 2018 at 7:19 pm | #

        PFFFT

        • Emperor Norton II
          Emperor Norton II
          October 20, 2018 at 9:25 pm | #

          PFFFT!

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        October 20, 2018 at 9:21 pm | #

        Someone, somewhere, must have made one of those things.

        I mean come on. Loki is how popular, again?

  39. Red Comet
    Red Comet
    October 20, 2018 at 11:02 am | #

    I hope things work out. Ethan broke the ice but isn’t *required* to be friends with her. Even if he wants to, he doesn’t have to be friends with her right away. I hope he gets space to sort his feelings out whatever winds up happening.

    I’m glad for Sal too. I hope she doesn’t get too pushy with trying to “redeem” herself to Ethan after this and also has some help on her end dealing with this interaction outside of Ethan.

    • Sunny
      Sunny
      October 20, 2018 at 11:50 am | #

      They have a bunch of stuff to figure out, but I’d say things are looking good so far.

  40. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    October 20, 2018 at 3:55 pm | #

    The detail of RUTTEN on the sleeve is just right when Sal bends her arm a few different angles. Nice work and a bit tricky to make look accurate.

  41. Micki
    Micki
    October 20, 2018 at 5:13 pm | #

    This is almost too nerdy (even for me), but I friend-ship Ethan and Sal so hard now.

  42. nlips
    nlips
    October 20, 2018 at 11:37 pm | #

    Ethan, let your nerd light shine! It’s the only way the other nerds will be able to find you!

  43. Gojira
    Gojira
    October 21, 2018 at 11:24 pm | #

    Ethan could have made his mother happy forever by passing her off as his girlfriend.

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