There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
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.
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
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.
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...
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.
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.
Kochab
Sarah Webb
A YA F/F fantasy comic about Sonya, a lost skier trying to survive a snowy wilderness and find her way back to her village; and Kyra - a fire spirit trying to fix the home that she let fall apart around her.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
The Substitutes
Myisha Haynes
What happens when three roommates accidentally acquire otherworldly and powerful magic weapons destined for someone else?
Alexander, The Servant & The Water of Life
Reimena Yee
The 21st century retelling of the life and legends of Alexander the Great.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
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.
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.
Saint for Rent
Ru Xu
Saint Halliday runs an inn for Time Travelers. Unfortunately, he seems to attract other supernatural "guests," too.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Widdershins
Kate Ashwin
A series of light-hearted Victorian-era adventure stories featuring grumpy bounty hunters, accidental thiefkings, and more, in England's magical capital city Widdershins!
Augustine
Winter Jay Kiakas, Windy
August and her ragtag group are just like everyone else, simply surviving in the treacherous Crater... When they stumble into what may be an artifact of the ancient past, their lives are thrown into a much bigger loop as they trifle with bounty hunters, monsters and gods.
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.
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.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
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.
Little Tiny Things
Clover
What are the little things that move us? The simple joys that warm our bodies and hearts? The micro life of insects that influence our world more than we think? The tiny steps we make everyday to have a happier tomorrow?
Trying Human
IntroducingEmy
Two women separated by over half a century are brought together by an alien-filled conspiracy involving murder, mystery and romance!
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.
The End
August Brown, Cory Brown
Two aliens crash a sci-fi convention and accidentally take seven nerds on an adventure that spans the galaxy!
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.
Goodbye to Halos
Valerie Halla
Cuddles, gay flirting, weird feelings, and magic-fueled knife fights - it's an adventure across the queer multiverse!
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.
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.
Headless Bliss
Clover
A story about story-telling, and other metaphysical themes such as Nightmares! (Failed) Teamwork! Comedy! And more!
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?
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!
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!
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.
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.
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Okay, I read back. Absolutely nothing they said suggested the idea of it being a robbery or mentioned a convenience store. She just apologized for holding a knife to his neck.
Little bit nettled, because Willis is usually so very good at catching that sort of thing.
Have you SEEN Ethan? Dude’s probably had wistful gay dudes forlornly follow him a LOT further than half the dorm. Thad just happened to be the one at the head of the pack who was stalking close enough to be in earshot.
*happy gasp* Oh, neat! I was wondering if Thad and Ethan would get another shot the other day.
And Ha! Yeah, that alt text ain’t wrong. But on the Sal note, her expressions remain the CUTEST GODDAMN THING and I love how happy she and Ethan both are to have things in the open. And now Sal might be able to remember his name.
Ethan getting a chance with Thad this time around is probably one of the top 10 things I wanted from a new universe of these characters, so I am extremely happy right now.
Pretty sure people do. I don’t really know why, but if you tell someone “I had to get through (insert something really horrible here) and now I’m traumatised”, people mostly immediately take interest in you. It doesn’t really matter whether you currently are in a good or a bad place.
Glad to get ethans confirmation that he has pretty much dealt with his past though.
It… kind of depends on how relateable and sexy-type-of-danger it is. Like, “I was in a holdup and almost got injured” I can totes see. “Let me tell you all about my history of childhood abuse”? Thaaaaat doesn’t pick up anyone you’d want to date…
I was raped as a teenager. There literally was one person so far who backed off when I told him. And he knew more than the average person about damaged minds and what they can do to people close to you.
It’s not limited to love interest though. Sal described it once pretty well.
Lots of different experiences. Admittedly lots of people respond to vulnerability. It’s related to our desires to protect and nurture. But it can also backfire. I’m a mental health therapist. I usually cringe when people decide to immediately share all their insecurities and traumatic past. I deal with this stuff every day. I’m really turned off by the thought of having a relationship that feels like my job. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a partner that doesn’t have any problems, but when it is one of the first meetings and they decide to just share everything, it’s really off-putting.
I’m imagining you on a blind date with an otherwise perfect someone, who had a totally un-traumatic life, and you are just sitting there with a super frown.
Oh I’d never, ever make myself vulnerable in front of people I don’t know. There’s a difference between things that make me vulnerable and things others think make me vulnerable. People often confuse those two.
That’s another thing that annoys me. I’m not a child, I’m a grown woman. I need neither protection nor nurtue. I’m perfectly able to take care of myself. Why do people often assume otherwise, just because they know some bad stuff happened in my past. My past doesn’t define who I am.
I don’t really know how to respond when someone opens up to me so I’ve mostly started to default to variations of “that must really suck”. It seems to work, though.
You know, amongst the famed 36 questions to make the two asking each other these questions there is “what was the worst thing that ever happened to you?”.
Anyone asking that kind of question on a first date is definitely out.
(Mandy Ann Catron mentions in her book that she had known the guy she did that with – and eventually became a couple with – for some time when they did the thing with the questions. )
You know, for most people, the worst thing they experienced is something they are embarrassed about. The average person isn’t traumatised. That’s what this question is about.
I don’t do dates though. I’ve literally no idea about first date etiquette.
I’m not sure about the statistics, but at least every third women has something worse to tell, not to mention all other kinds of desasters than can befall a person and be too much for smalltalk.
If anything every third is low – “not traumatized” is a broad term that can apply to a large variety of different traumas, there’s some generally good reasons to believe that there’s a loose negative correlation between severity and frequency. Add in being able to get up to 1/6 to 1/4 the female population on literally one specific severe trauma and that 1/3 seems optimistic.
He even explicitly said so.We know he wanted to hook up with either Ethan or Danny to turn the other into a sniveling wreck, but they drifted apart on their own.
I think in this continuity we have been shown that while Mike has a hard facade he actually does have feelings for Ethan, so I predict fallout from this.
Fallout which will be all Mike’s own fault. He entered the relationship intending to break hearts to prove some kind of weird point, and explicitly framed it as meaningless hookup sex, but then gets taken at his word and as a result gets his own heart broken? (Insert “Congratulations, you played yourself” gif here.)
Also, even Ethan was aware and not disputing that an actual relationship with Mike would be terrible for him, because Mike is so genuinely unpleasant to anyone he spends long periods of time with.
I mean, dude elaborately fakes websites to make his roommate cry and record it. What the actual fuck.
Thad looks like a potato to me. But I guess we all have different tastes. Though personally I wouldn’t just grab someone’s hand immediately after hearing about a traumatic thing that happened to them. But I guess Ethan is ok with it, so I’m happy for him.
I’m glad he didn’t. It’s not his place to out Amber like that. Actually, I’m thinking this could have rippling good effects if things go the right way (which I know, it’ dumbing of age, that’s not going to happen) But Sal hangs out with Amazigirl. She can mention her conversation with Ethan when they get together to beat up nasty rape-boys as an admission that she is a bit thrown off by it. Then Amazigirl can have a shock to the system that may let her connect with Amber. This could open up the opportunity for Amber and Sal to talk. Totally not going to happen, but a guy can dream.
Ya know… Ethan has always been one of my fave characters in this series and Shortpacked, and I was always sad when life treated him rough. It is nice to see he is getting some goodness in his life here. I hope it lasts for a while.
This was confusing to me at first bc I was like… why would he just grab his hand? But it makes sense as a comforting gesture — not quite as much as like, a hand on the back or shoulder, but a lot more visually clear.
Thad. . . Thad. . . Wasn’t Thad the stand-up comedian guy that Ethan dated for a while in Shortpacked? I can swear that Ethan dated someone that looked exactly like that.
See, in the previous strip Thad appeared, he was walking very close to a different nameless fella; and while it’s hard to say conclusively, they might even have been holding hands.
And now this random nameless guy with a red shirt may have his heart broken by Thad.
But I guess that’s always the fate of a redshirt: To end up as a victim so that the more important characters may thrive.
(On a side note, I’m almost starting to worry about my brain for coming up with this kind of thing.)
Ethan is at the highest point right now. Accepting his sexuality and getting busy, and confronting the person who once held him hostage, and making his peace with her. Everything is really looking up…. oh god, it’s coming. The brick that shatters the happy dream. The Blaine, the Toe Head dad, the thing that wakes you up. The storm is approaching and we all know it…..
Oh god, that’s probably exactly it. She DID pop up in the flashbacks of Mike/Amber/Ethan. Naomi was his biggest problem shoving him back into the closet. That’s likely to be the other shoe to drop.
I mean, that’s the entire point. Thad crosses into Ethan’s personal sphere to get a message across.
It was most certainly rushed!
Now, how intrusive it was lies entirely in the execution, and we don’t really see that. A slow, tentative tap of the fingers on Ethan’s hand – a tactile asking for permissions – would be one thing. A quick grab another.
Either way, now it up to Thad to be sensitive to Ethan’s signals. Further interaction in Ethan’s personal sphere* will require communicated consent and a clear respect to Ethan’s right to back out.
Compare and contrast Dorothy kissing Walky for someone doing it right, and Ruth kissing Billie for someone doing it wrong.
TLDR: It certainly was a flag. I’m not sure it was or wasn’t red.
Yeah, I’m one of the people who, on seeing the last panel, raised an eyebrow and went “WOOOOOAAAAAHH!” Not just because it’s a sudden intrusion of personal space, but also because of the “You have trauma? I CAN FIX IT WITH MY PENIS!” implication. If Ethan was a girl, I bet there would be a lot of people up in arms about it; I’m pretty sure there’s a whole trope about this.
I mean, this COULD work out OK for Ethan considering how starved he is for romantic attention, but I just want to point out that this sort of behaviour would normally be considered VERY VERY CREEPY in real life.
There is certainly different dynamics at work depending on the gender. But there is also difference in the kind of signal you send with different ways of crossing into someone’s personal sphere.
I bet this is gonna be completely drama-free. In fact I’m so confident, I’m gonna taunt the Almighty himself……David Willis. There is absolutely nothing you can do now that will ruin this. I’m invincible and nothing can ever go wrong ever.
The rather aggressive way he drags Ethan into the conversation there, and the way he grabs his hand here, makes me think he soon will say something on the line “Hey, I’ve been trying to flirt with you for a month! Wanna fuck or not?”
Hmm. I’ve just noticed that Willis em-spaces. I would have expected him to acquiesce to the 2010-ish Illuminati campaign to convince all of us that what was born of a technical limitation had always been the standard.
Sexualities cross-universe are constant. Walkyverse Danny is retroactively bi, Carla is trans, homoromantic, and sex-repulsed ace even as significant pieces of her backstory were changed to make her exist here, Becky is a lesbian in both universes, Walkyverse Dina is smooching her while fighting the Soggies, and while DOA Joyce lost a couple siblings in transition Jocelyne has a Walkyverse counterpart as of the last batch or so of J&W paid strips. (That Carol apparently accepts her trans daughter, so great on that Carol.)
This is also how we know a decent chunk of characters are bi even when they’ve only expressed interest so far in one person or a couple people of the same gender – Grace, Mandy, and Marcie were all bi in the Walkyverse, and that carries over here even if we don’t have in-strip confirmation like we do with Sierra over in Patreon. (As is Dina, most likely.)
Okay, all things considered, this isn’t a bad point in the comic to get caught up.
I’ve had the comic bookmarked… probably for years? Can’t remember how long or why, but maybe because of Hiveworks ads? (Also, jeez, I just realized I’d forgotten to whitelist the site on my laptop, so I’m doing that now!) Anyway, finally started reading less than a week ago, and kinda spent a few nights reading way past midnight, which definitely wasn’t good for me, but now I’m here!
Not sure how I feel about Amber and Walky, but glad to see Ethan actually decided to confront Sal about their shared past. As nice as it is to see the Amazi-Sal team-ups, I wish Amber could have done the same already. Guess it’s just a matter of time, though.
So many thoughts going around after reading the entirety of the archive here, but this’ll have to be enough for now. Loving the comic so far, and looking forward to it being a part of my regular webcomic routine!
I don’t think they were “together” so much as they were “casually banging.” But Mike is definitely trying to get Ethan to . (I hope that link comes out right!)
Feels a little rushed. I can’t help but think it would’ve been MUCH more interesting to get to know Thad as a character (either through someone else’s storyline, or by having him befriend Ethan) before we get to know him as a love interest, this whole interaction feels kinda forced to me, like Willis couldn’t find anywhere else to have these two characters interact with each other, and instead opted to have Thad come out of nowhere and pretty much just state his interest without any prior knowledge of Ethan’s existence.
Huh. Thad seems REALLY certain of his gaydar.
Like, sure, WE know ethan’s gay. But Thad took a huge risk assuming Ethan was non-hetero there and grabbing his hand.
I thought so at first, but the last strip Thad was in, he walked past when Ethan was talking to Amber about finally letting himself casually date men: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/crushed/
I didn’t notice Thad in the background looking interested the first time, but there he is!
Jonathan Joss being shot outside his home while protecting his husband after being sent a threatening and distressing package is WHY we need Pride
It's 2025 and people are still being shot and killed for being queer
This is why we march and why we fight
the thing about white liberal Americans is that they'll argue to accept bigots into their tent before accepting the bigots' targets.
the targets that have been on the same side as white liberals from the jump.
John Redcorn was pretty much the only contemporary Native representation I had in comedy growing up. Probably the funniest Native character in cartoon history and a lot of that was on Jonathan Joss' pitch perfect rezzy uncle performance. RIP to one of the best to ever do it.
today in #9chickweedlane i learned that, yes, lolly is so edda 2.0 that she's even wearing her mother's wedding dress as she gets married to Her Dad (But Taller)
online transformers collectors: i hope ss86 megatron doesn't have big ol' treads on his back!!!
ss86 megatron: *treads fold up inside the legs*
online transformers collectors: HIS LEGS ARE TOO CHUNKY >>>:((((
the big disconnect that happens here is between the correct message for D politicians (especially in red states), which is “you’re right, this isn’t who you are, you’re better than that, vote differently next time”
and the actual truth, which is yes you did, fuck you
Raw milk has the opportunity to do the funniest thing
Ferric Fang@fangferric.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
RFK Jr celebrated the release of the MAHA report by downing raw milk shooters in the White House with influencer Paul Saladino. Hazards of raw milk include Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia, E. coli O157:H7, and now-- avian flu.
ETPC @etpc.bsky.social ⋅ 9h
Kendra, regular version @kendrawcandraw.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Kevin Buist @kevinbuist.com ⋅ 2d
Ferric Fang @fangferric.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
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(Digi Desktop Vtuber)
⚧️
“I CAN ARM WRASSLE YA!”
wait no
(wondering if Thad will be posting in this thread shortly)
Okay, I read back. Absolutely nothing they said suggested the idea of it being a robbery or mentioned a convenience store. She just apologized for holding a knife to his neck.
Little bit nettled, because Willis is usually so very good at catching that sort of thing.
I’m reasonably sure we didn’t see the entire conversation.
*sees gravatar of a Troutman character*
*approving nod*
Man Sarah as a gravatar does not fit half my comments I love it
In fact that is me, AS a Troutman character. Commissioned for just such comments.
http://www.dumbingofage.com/category/comic/book-9-comic/01-flyin-to-the-red/ and the next strip, Ethan mentions the gas station and convenience store. If Thad was in earshot for a while and overheard that and the later part, he could conceivably have joined the dots.
Soooo….Thad stalked them halfway through the whole dorm so that he could comfort Ethan? Dude is THIRSTY.
Have you SEEN Ethan? Dude’s probably had wistful gay dudes forlornly follow him a LOT further than half the dorm. Thad just happened to be the one at the head of the pack who was stalking close enough to be in earshot.
They have a schedule for who gets to casually, wistfully flirt with Ethan when.
And with that Thad gives him a business card for a good therapist and departs.
Huh, Sal did make it up to him with sex.
She used her coolness powers to will a guy to do that for her. Its called Telegayany.
*fails to find his old Village People records*
Meanwhile, Penn State and the Hoosiers played a very good football game today.
Time and Thad’s penis heal all wounds.
*happy gasp* Oh, neat! I was wondering if Thad and Ethan would get another shot the other day.
And Ha! Yeah, that alt text ain’t wrong. But on the Sal note, her expressions remain the CUTEST GODDAMN THING and I love how happy she and Ethan both are to have things in the open. And now Sal might be able to remember his name.
I really think this was the healing exercise Ethan hoped for.
Ethan getting a chance with Thad this time around is probably one of the top 10 things I wanted from a new universe of these characters, so I am extremely happy right now.
And now Ethan has found his pickup technique. Dudes dig the trauma, I guess.
Pretty sure people do. I don’t really know why, but if you tell someone “I had to get through (insert something really horrible here) and now I’m traumatised”, people mostly immediately take interest in you. It doesn’t really matter whether you currently are in a good or a bad place.
Glad to get ethans confirmation that he has pretty much dealt with his past though.
It… kind of depends on how relateable and sexy-type-of-danger it is. Like, “I was in a holdup and almost got injured” I can totes see. “Let me tell you all about my history of childhood abuse”? Thaaaaat doesn’t pick up anyone you’d want to date…
I was raped as a teenager. There literally was one person so far who backed off when I told him. And he knew more than the average person about damaged minds and what they can do to people close to you.
It’s not limited to love interest though. Sal described it once pretty well.
Edit, found the strip:
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/pissybaby/
Huh. Different experiences, I guess!
Lots of different experiences. Admittedly lots of people respond to vulnerability. It’s related to our desires to protect and nurture. But it can also backfire. I’m a mental health therapist. I usually cringe when people decide to immediately share all their insecurities and traumatic past. I deal with this stuff every day. I’m really turned off by the thought of having a relationship that feels like my job. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a partner that doesn’t have any problems, but when it is one of the first meetings and they decide to just share everything, it’s really off-putting.
I’m imagining you on a blind date with an otherwise perfect someone, who had a totally un-traumatic life, and you are just sitting there with a super frown.
Oh I’d never, ever make myself vulnerable in front of people I don’t know. There’s a difference between things that make me vulnerable and things others think make me vulnerable. People often confuse those two.
That’s another thing that annoys me. I’m not a child, I’m a grown woman. I need neither protection nor nurtue. I’m perfectly able to take care of myself. Why do people often assume otherwise, just because they know some bad stuff happened in my past. My past doesn’t define who I am.
I don’t really know how to respond when someone opens up to me so I’ve mostly started to default to variations of “that must really suck”. It seems to work, though.
You know, amongst the famed 36 questions to make the two asking each other these questions there is “what was the worst thing that ever happened to you?”.
Anyone asking that kind of question on a first date is definitely out.
(Mandy Ann Catron mentions in her book that she had known the guy she did that with – and eventually became a couple with – for some time when they did the thing with the questions. )
Inserts ‘ to fall in love’ into the first sentence.
You know, for most people, the worst thing they experienced is something they are embarrassed about. The average person isn’t traumatised. That’s what this question is about.
I don’t do dates though. I’ve literally no idea about first date etiquette.
I’m not sure about the statistics, but at least every third women has something worse to tell, not to mention all other kinds of desasters than can befall a person and be too much for smalltalk.
Besides, even if it’s ‘only embarrassing’ people still may not want to share.
Every third is a bit high for western countries. And there is a thing like not answering a question..
If anything every third is low – “not traumatized” is a broad term that can apply to a large variety of different traumas, there’s some generally good reasons to believe that there’s a loose negative correlation between severity and frequency. Add in being able to get up to 1/6 to 1/4 the female population on literally one specific severe trauma and that 1/3 seems optimistic.
THAD THAD THAD THAD THAD THAD THAD THAD
(do it for Evan)
Are you saying that you want to have him visiting your THARDIS?
(I’m sure we all know what this reply is a callback to.)
BACK OFF THAD DANNY HAS DIBS
I love how nobody in this thread even considers Mike a factor Ethan should consider.
Nor should they, get it, Ethan.
Mike framed himself as someone to fool around with, not as a relationship. He really isn’t a factor.
He even explicitly said so. We know he wanted to hook up with either Ethan or Danny to turn the other into a sniveling wreck, but they drifted apart on their own.
I think in this continuity we have been shown that while Mike has a hard facade he actually does have feelings for Ethan, so I predict fallout from this.
Fallout which will be all Mike’s own fault. He entered the relationship intending to break hearts to prove some kind of weird point, and explicitly framed it as meaningless hookup sex, but then gets taken at his word and as a result gets his own heart broken? (Insert “Congratulations, you played yourself” gif here.)
If it was a movie, Mike would then have a moment of decency and thus
the girlEthan would have no choice but to date him.Also, even Ethan was aware and not disputing that an actual relationship with Mike would be terrible for him, because Mike is so genuinely unpleasant to anyone he spends long periods of time with.
I mean, dude elaborately fakes websites to make his roommate cry and record it. What the actual fuck.
Danny’s only love these days is his music
And even if he should get knocked down by this, he’ll get up again.
You will never gonna keep Danny down.
Heh, good one, Emperor
I’m basically all about callbacks in my comments today.
Don’t forget about his dapper hat.
Dapper Hat has already agreed to an open relationship with Danny and Ethan
YEAH
!!!!
D’awwwwww! Yes, this is good, I like this ending
Nice to see the position of the moon and stars have once again converged to give them another chance.
Damn thad got game
Oh. Um. Hello random love interest I’m apparently supposed to have remembered
They haven’t hooked up in DoA. They almost had a thing in Walkyverse, but that’s not really relevant, story wise, here. You’re good.
Ah, thanks
It’s like Willis wrapped up this whole sequence with a nice little bow and gifted it to Ethan.
Woo, second shot at Ethan/Thad! Shortpacked revenge! Wooo!
Awwwwww!!
It’s nice the comic promotes even bald people can get beautiful people!
Thad looks like a potato to me. But I guess we all have different tastes. Though personally I wouldn’t just grab someone’s hand immediately after hearing about a traumatic thing that happened to them. But I guess Ethan is ok with it, so I’m happy for him.
He is clearly a fluffy bear and it is wonderful.
are potatos not neat
He is the sexiest and smoothest of all potatoes
Potatoes are the best vegetable.
He seems to be a sweet potato from all the stuff so far (tho I could have sworn he had more appearances than what the tags are showing me)
And same!
…Shipping ended with Danethan. Now Ethad is OTP.
(That man needs another chance.)
I’m still kinda hoping Danethan happening, or maybe Mike finally breaking down his walls to keep him
Thad’s a bit forward, but anyone other than Mike is an improvement, so, go Thad!
Certain morally ambiguous blonde isn’t going to like this… unless he is a swinger. How long before Mike uses this for a future scheme.
Also, Ethan, you wasted your chance of explaining Amber’s condition because of Transformers!
I’m glad he didn’t. It’s not his place to out Amber like that. Actually, I’m thinking this could have rippling good effects if things go the right way (which I know, it’ dumbing of age, that’s not going to happen) But Sal hangs out with Amazigirl. She can mention her conversation with Ethan when they get together to beat up nasty rape-boys as an admission that she is a bit thrown off by it. Then Amazigirl can have a shock to the system that may let her connect with Amber. This could open up the opportunity for Amber and Sal to talk. Totally not going to happen, but a guy can dream.
thad looks like some minor american celebrity i dont know the name of
He reminds me of that one guy who makes really cool cakes.
Comment about Ace of Cakes tastefully deleted.
Ya know… Ethan has always been one of my fave characters in this series and Shortpacked, and I was always sad when life treated him rough. It is nice to see he is getting some goodness in his life here. I hope it lasts for a while.
Well… Thad’s no Mike, so I guess I’m okay with this.
I was hoping for Ethvan but hey at least it beats Mike.
Oh my gosh………. this one made me smile from beginning to end.
This ought to be interesting.
You know, is this the first Sal smile in a while? It becomes her.
She’s been smiling with Ethan this time and I had a long list of her smiles previously but I don’t recall if it ever posted.
This is the last smile before she and Ethan were talking: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/02-this-is-the-way-that-we-love/rusty-2/
I forgot how fucking adorable that was.
Somehow, I cannot remember ever seeing that panel before this. Wow. Thanks for the link.
I’m totally cool with this development.
AYYYY
This was confusing to me at first bc I was like… why would he just grab his hand? But it makes sense as a comforting gesture — not quite as much as like, a hand on the back or shoulder, but a lot more visually clear.
Two years down the road I’m gonna be crying myself dry over some development/dissolvement between Ethan and Thad aren’t I?
Nah, that’ll just be a day away, tops, in comic time…
have we met this guy before?
He has been in three other comics according to the tag.
Thad. . . Thad. . . Wasn’t Thad the stand-up comedian guy that Ethan dated for a while in Shortpacked? I can swear that Ethan dated someone that looked exactly like that.
Thad’s name came like Leslie’s, in that everyone referred to him as That Guy for ages.
So maybe Ethan gets a happy ending after all.
So everyone is shipping Ethad now…
But wait! There might be a victim here!
See, in the previous strip Thad appeared, he was walking very close to a different nameless fella; and while it’s hard to say conclusively, they might even have been holding hands.
And now this random nameless guy with a red shirt may have his heart broken by Thad.
But I guess that’s always the fate of a redshirt: To end up as a victim so that the more important characters may thrive.
(On a side note, I’m almost starting to worry about my brain for coming up with this kind of thing.)
In my headcanon, that redshirt was a jerk.
Wasn’t “redshirt guy” Evan?
Of prosthetic arm fame.
So… the exact opposite of a jerk, then.
Ethan says Evan gets lots of attention from the boys on their floor, so I’d assume they’re not exclusive.
Not the most conventional opening line, but hey, whatever works.
Really
I mean, not exactly SMOOTH, but it got the message across.
Wow. That’s a big deal for Sal.
But shit’s really coming up Ethan! If he, uh, goes through with this guy.
Wow.
Willis, this is really fucking wholesome. I appreciate, dude.
Now for the other shoe to drop.
Or being foot-thrown* along the hallway until the R.A. opens her door, notices what is going on, then confiscates it.
*”Kicked” doesn’t really apply when you’re sort of semi-wearing it and just swinging your foot until it flies off.
Either way, point well made.
Here’s hoping it’ll be. Not. The worst.
Thad’s moving fast. He barely knows Ethan and already he’s jumped to handholding? At least ask him on a date first.
I kinda assume they’ve been talking offscreen, given the support group thing
Interesting way to meet someone. o-o
SO CUTE AAAAAAAAAAAAAH SAWBABADABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA PRECIOUS.. DA . ABA….ERROR 404: Jay has crashed, rebooting systems.
Ethan is at the highest point right now. Accepting his sexuality and getting busy, and confronting the person who once held him hostage, and making his peace with her. Everything is really looking up…. oh god, it’s coming. The brick that shatters the happy dream. The Blaine, the Toe Head dad, the thing that wakes you up. The storm is approaching and we all know it…..
It’s Ethan’s mum this time- Willis is an equal opportunities employer of ruiners!
Oh god, that’s probably exactly it. She DID pop up in the flashbacks of Mike/Amber/Ethan. Naomi was his biggest problem shoving him back into the closet. That’s likely to be the other shoe to drop.
Handholding?! How lewd!
And here’s Ethan, all without wearing his T-rex hat.
Wait, is seeing him without the dino hat considered second base?
Mike was right, Ethan has so many options to chose from.
The gay-bi university population is Ethan’s oyster.
More like an Oktoberfest with all the sausages but yeah.
Na, the October fest sausages are all white and short.
Maybe some Polish sausage then, long and brown.
Also I’m tempted to scream “Begone That!
Everything’s coming up Ethan!
OH MY
I’ve always found hand holding to be quite personal so that last panel is looking a little red flag to me, a bit too rushed
Mind you I’ve been wrong before and will no doubt be wrong again in the future
I mean, that’s the entire point. Thad crosses into Ethan’s personal sphere to get a message across.
It was most certainly rushed!
Now, how intrusive it was lies entirely in the execution, and we don’t really see that. A slow, tentative tap of the fingers on Ethan’s hand – a tactile asking for permissions – would be one thing. A quick grab another.
Either way, now it up to Thad to be sensitive to Ethan’s signals. Further interaction in Ethan’s personal sphere* will require communicated consent and a clear respect to Ethan’s right to back out.
Compare and contrast Dorothy kissing Walky for someone doing it right, and Ruth kissing Billie for someone doing it wrong.
TLDR: It certainly was a flag. I’m not sure it was or wasn’t red.
*) You know what I mean
Yeah, I’m one of the people who, on seeing the last panel, raised an eyebrow and went “WOOOOOAAAAAHH!” Not just because it’s a sudden intrusion of personal space, but also because of the “You have trauma? I CAN FIX IT WITH MY PENIS!” implication. If Ethan was a girl, I bet there would be a lot of people up in arms about it; I’m pretty sure there’s a whole trope about this.
I mean, this COULD work out OK for Ethan considering how starved he is for romantic attention, but I just want to point out that this sort of behaviour would normally be considered VERY VERY CREEPY in real life.
There is certainly different dynamics at work depending on the gender. But there is also difference in the kind of signal you send with different ways of crossing into someone’s personal sphere.
Compare Thad’s gentle holding of Ethan’s hand here with… whatever Joe think he is doing here:
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/snarrghl/
I bet this is gonna be completely drama-free. In fact I’m so confident, I’m gonna taunt the Almighty himself……David Willis. There is absolutely nothing you can do now that will ruin this. I’m invincible and nothing can ever go wrong ever.
Whoah dude, personal space.
It’s not like Thad didn’t show an interest before: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/guys/
The rather aggressive way he drags Ethan into the conversation there, and the way he grabs his hand here, makes me think he soon will say something on the line “Hey, I’ve been trying to flirt with you for a month! Wanna fuck or not?”
And Thad already knows Ethan has way too much Batman and Transformers on the mind, so Thad won’t be scared off.
Hmm. I’ve just noticed that Willis em-spaces. I would have expected him to acquiesce to the 2010-ish Illuminati campaign to convince all of us that what was born of a technical limitation had always been the standard.
YOU DON’T GOT THE BALLS THE DRAMA THIS UP WILLIS.
BETCHA THE NEXT STRIP IS PATHOS-FREE.
Oh hey, guess Thad is single? Or tends to get very close in your physical space?
Either way I’m willing to see how this goes.
*Scene: Ethan and Thad making out in some private location. About 5 seconds into a passionate kiss, Ethan’s face twists*
Thad: *breaks off kiss* Sorry, man. Did I.. hurt you, somehow?
Ethan: No… *face relaxes a little* You… seriously weren’t about to punch me, just then?
Thad: …No… *indignantly* No! *angrily* No, dude! Why would I want to punch you??
Ethan: It’s… just… *sigh* I guess my last two relationships gave me some… unhealthy expectations… about expressing affection…
Thad: *smiles gently, places hand on Ethan’s cheek* Allow me to realign your expectations…
*MAKEOUTS INTENSIFY*
Is it me, or is that guy’s head on upside down?
Ethan being a nerd yet a playa warms the cockles of my heart.
… what are cockles?
“small, edible, marine bivalve molluscs”
Happy to help.
Note: If you actually have small molluscs in your heart, please see a cardiologist and/or marine biologist.
“Mussles and coccles, alive, alive-oh”
Shortpacked readers already do not trust this.
idk, they’ve already gotten further than they ever did in Shortpacked
Yay! More queer guys for our homeboy to be awkward with!
i’m crying, both sal and ethan’s close-up smiles are so comforting and real and good ;u;
Is this Ethan pan?
No.
No, Ethan is perfectly willing to grow up.
Wait is that a pun im not gettin or an insult to pan ppl
It’s a Peter Pan joke.
Gods below. Do kids today not know Peter Pan?
We do, but it’s not QUITE so ubiquitous we immediately get the reference. It sometimes takes us a second.
Also pan is also a sexuality, soo….
Sexualities cross-universe are constant. Walkyverse Danny is retroactively bi, Carla is trans, homoromantic, and sex-repulsed ace even as significant pieces of her backstory were changed to make her exist here, Becky is a lesbian in both universes, Walkyverse Dina is smooching her while fighting the Soggies, and while DOA Joyce lost a couple siblings in transition Jocelyne has a Walkyverse counterpart as of the last batch or so of J&W paid strips. (That Carol apparently accepts her trans daughter, so great on that Carol.)
This is also how we know a decent chunk of characters are bi even when they’ve only expressed interest so far in one person or a couple people of the same gender – Grace, Mandy, and Marcie were all bi in the Walkyverse, and that carries over here even if we don’t have in-strip confirmation like we do with Sierra over in Patreon. (As is Dina, most likely.)
*checks panel 1*
He’s wearing trousers, so no goat legs; nor is he carrying a set of pipes.
I would say “no.”
Makes sense that the guy flirting with ethan looks and has a similar name to a tf toy reviewer
Ooooooh Ethaaaan! <3
Okay, all things considered, this isn’t a bad point in the comic to get caught up.
I’ve had the comic bookmarked… probably for years? Can’t remember how long or why, but maybe because of Hiveworks ads? (Also, jeez, I just realized I’d forgotten to whitelist the site on my laptop, so I’m doing that now!) Anyway, finally started reading less than a week ago, and kinda spent a few nights reading way past midnight, which definitely wasn’t good for me, but now I’m here!
Not sure how I feel about Amber and Walky, but glad to see Ethan actually decided to confront Sal about their shared past. As nice as it is to see the Amazi-Sal team-ups, I wish Amber could have done the same already. Guess it’s just a matter of time, though.
So many thoughts going around after reading the entirety of the archive here, but this’ll have to be enough for now. Loving the comic so far, and looking forward to it being a part of my regular webcomic routine!
are mike and ethan still together or did mike say go out there and find someone but in his usual mike way?
I don’t think they were “together” so much as they were “casually banging.” But Mike is definitely trying to get Ethan to . (I hope that link comes out right!)
Hmm, not exactly as planned, but it sorta worked? “Broaden his horizons” is what should have ended that comment. And hey, Mindy!
Ah, that old ship has set sail once more!
Feels a little rushed. I can’t help but think it would’ve been MUCH more interesting to get to know Thad as a character (either through someone else’s storyline, or by having him befriend Ethan) before we get to know him as a love interest, this whole interaction feels kinda forced to me, like Willis couldn’t find anywhere else to have these two characters interact with each other, and instead opted to have Thad come out of nowhere and pretty much just state his interest without any prior knowledge of Ethan’s existence.
Thad is totally a bottom.
Huh. Thad seems REALLY certain of his gaydar.
Like, sure, WE know ethan’s gay. But Thad took a huge risk assuming Ethan was non-hetero there and grabbing his hand.
I thought so at first, but the last strip Thad was in, he walked past when Ethan was talking to Amber about finally letting himself casually date men: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/crushed/
I didn’t notice Thad in the background looking interested the first time, but there he is!
I dunno, this seems a bit risky. I’ll stick to cautious optimism.
Also, WHOOOHOOO partial conflict resolution!
Can’t wait for Amber to find out and talk to Sal about this!