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Also it seems kind of weird that given their previously demonstrated ability to pick up on people’s issues, they haven’t twigged to their own roommate’s fixation on avoiding anything that he considers “girly.”
Given that most 18-year-old guys have strong negative associations with being feminine in any way, I’d say Booster had a lot of reason to expect Walky would react badly.
I think booster’s perceptiveness is going to be pretty inconsistent from here on out. It made for a neat Sherlock-y introductory scene but writing around a character who always knows everyone’s motivations and emotional state seems like it would be more work than it’s worth for a comic like this.
It’s a user permissions level thing, not whether they know the technique. (Though Booster and their sister hopefully have a healthier relationship than the Walkertons…)
His sister is being more assertive but not more manly.
This attribute is not inherently masculine, it’s just not commented on or disparaged in men the way it is in women.
Mindsets like this, which associate weakness and passivity to femininity, might actually be why Walky feels threatened by even the mild insinuation that he’s not 100% masculine all day all the time.
Look at his parents’ relationship, Linda has Charles wrapped around her little finger. He’s probably afraid of being perceived as ‘weak’, or following that same path himself.
Sal is more assertive and aggressive, physically stronger, emotionally tougher, and into cooler hobbies. While none of these are inherently the sole realm of masculine, they are all absolutely traits that Walky would get teased for being ‘less manly’ for. Add in how similar the two look, especially growing up before secondary sex characteristics kick in (Note last panel of https://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/emasculated/ ), and he probably took a lot of crap about it from other kids growing up.
Probably him having a twin sister which may have been an easy target for bullies to call him a girl as a young kid, probably not going to get a proper back story though
Is toxic masculinity really something that needs a backstory to explain? Plenty of guys manage to get this weird about anything remotely “girly” without someone like Sal in their lives.
I mean, it does seem a little excessive for simply toxic masculinity, given he doesn’t really show many other aspects of it at that level of severity (that I’ve noticed at least). A bit of being compared to a female on a near daily basis, heaped on top of a generous serving of toxic masculinity, would absolutely fit.
Bear in mind we’re talking about a guy who only owned one pair of shoes and made fun of Joe for having more than that because it was ‘girly’. Keep in mind how he talked about girls early on too. Heck, even Jennifer’s commented on Walky’s gender issues.
He’s got gender issues, but he’s also missing a lot of the actual toxic sides of toxic masculinity. He’s weird about anything “girly” (and has some weird ideas about what that includes), but it’s never been attached to any aggression or the other more dangerous aspects.
Isn’t that exactly what we’re seeing here? He’s not trying to hurt anybody, he’s just freaked out that his hair makes him look “feminine” in any way. Walky generally seems to be a very non-aggressive person in this timeline, so it makes sense that his gender issues wouldn’t manifest in outward aggression.
In a fictional comic, no, probably not. In real life though, I’d argue that understanding the “backstory” to a person’s toxic masculinity is invaluable in helping to prevent it from forming in others.
It depends on your philosophy on idiots. Is the siblings ‘being an idiot’ (an action)? If so then a headlock could probably stop it. On the other hand, no amount of headlocks will fix the sibling if the ‘are an idiot’ (a trait).
Eh, I’m pretty sure you don’t have to be walky to be headlocked. Pretty sure a lot of folks would do it if you asked and then, like, insulted their family
It wasn’t a lecture, it was a floor meeting that Booster was only at because they were with Joyce when she went to attend the meeting and they wanted to “see Ruth bodyslam someone and then date them”.
To me it just feels a little sleazy. It sounds like a Joe line. “Delectably feminine”. Like it’s a pretense for trying to bang later. “Feminine charm” reads better to me, but I’ve overanalyzed it now. It will never sound right. Nothing against Booster though. Like I said I think this is just how they talk.
On another level, people tend to like having certain gendered compliments attributed to them, and not ones that don’t miss their self-perception. It’d kind of be like calling early-DoA joyce super manly, she’d probably not react very well?
I don’t think it’s meant to be that creepy, but it’s kind of jarring for me because Booster doesn’t know Walky that well. Personally I don’t quite see them on that friendship level yet. Although maybe this is just how Booster talks? They did call Ruth “fascinating creature” the first night they met.
^This^ it isn’t meant to be creepy. (frankly I don’t find it creepy at all) Delectably feminine is just describing exactly what’s going on with Walky’s hair. As before Booster is comfortable using vocabulary to be concise. Walky’s hair is exhibiting a slightly more feminine aesthetic (being a little longer and flow-ier). Combined with his already good looks, and yeah “delicious” is probably exactly how Walky looks to the ladies that are all hungering for him.
Bruh, they’re clearly neurodivergent. Big words, not a lot of people skills as the reason they could’ve gotten into psychology? This is clearly a person who wants to connect to others and is very observant but can’t quite bridge the distance because there’s a gap between intellectual analysis and knowing how to socialize.
It’s not that they’re big words, it’s what the big words ARE. If Booster had called Walky “preposterously attractive” no-one would hold ti against them. “Delectable”, to someone you’ve known for a couple of days isssss… not great?
I think they used that phrasing because they also used the term snack in refrence to walky
Walky is a snack because haircut because haircut is exhibiting an attractive feminine energy
Therefore delectably feminine
Which unfortunately is just awkward to hear cuz it sounds charged with desire but not in the cute way snack does
So this could be neurodivergent?
As a younger sibling I can say I hated almost every moment of being treated like this. As an adult I don’t hold any resentment but they’re not fun memories either.
Since I did (and still do) have a little sister (she’s about 14 months younger than I) there was a good deal of sibling rivalry, horseplay, and rough-housing, but all it ever got me was the “you shouldn’t be picking on your little sister — after all, she’s a girl” line.
And trust me, it didn’t take her long to realize that this pretty much put HER in the driver’s seat when it came to starting squabbles!
As an older sibling, I always insistently talked things out, and later went on to win several speech and debate awards, major in English, and work at a law firm.
SALvaging Walky’s hotness in the nick of time, she is our SALvation and will surely allow Dotty or Lucy the healing SALve of access to her damn fool brother.
https://i.imgur.com/onWlhTA.png
A continuation of last night’s drawing. What can I say, vibrant colored lipstick is a weakness of mine. And sharing. Sharing is good.
I wish I could do so now, your work is fantastic. Maybe I’ll look into when I get some money, which would also give me a chance to buy something from Willis.
Meh. In today’s comic, Sal is assaulting Walky. In your version, Sarah is assaulting Walky. I’m going to have a hard time getting worked up about it. Context is everything.
Y’know, for someone secure about his love for cartoons and being okay with the idea of blowing a guy for pizza, this is a really weird hangup for Walky. He’s not even like… Joe or Jacob built, he just has good genetics that will probably fade in 10-12 years (and he’s trope-savvy enough to be aware of that).
I mean Walky is only 18 probably still with the brain of someone 4-5 years younger than that. His thinking doesn’t have to be rational or mature. I’d be more surprised if he was calm about this. He probably has a lot of the same gender and identity hangups most kids do. Our society really fucks people up.
The irony being that in this storyline the shorter guy with a slightly feminine appeal was getting more attention in one day than either of those typical he-men ever have.
True but y’know how attention is. It’s not the volume of the attention so much as it is the TYPE of attention. If everyone’s into you because they admire a trait you don’t like about yourself it’s kinda meh.
Walky’s not even short. He’s the same height as Sal, who mostly appears tall because of how she carries herself. Walky’s sloppy and slouches. Heck he’s probably slightly taller; notice how in panel 2 they’re about the same height, but Walky is in his defensive hunch.
Walky is short. At least for a dude but possibly short in general. Ruth is noticeably taller than him and I’ve been told she’s supposed to be the woman’s average of 5ft 10 inches. (Don’t take that as fact it’s just the consensus of comments on the topic) if true that puts Walky well under 6ft. Probably around 5’6-5’8. Short.
Man, American height standards. Like a quick google suggests that the average American male is around 5’9″. Which Walky is probably just under if you’re right, but I wouldn’t call that short. He’d be average to tall in many other countries.
I actually meant to put “above” in there but I’m typing this on my phones touchpad. Bleh. Actually most of the cast is average to short. There’s like 3 people I’d actually consider tall in the regular cast. Joe, Carla, and Jacob. Maybe you could throw Ruth and Sarah in there too but that’s it. With those odd s the shorties outnumber them at least 2 to 1.
See to me Booster is average height (for a male) and above average (for a female) Since we do not know Booster’s assigned at birth gender for the purely academic discussion of height to gender relationships. I’m not sure where they apply, but Ruth has appeared to be taller than them. Ethan I imagine is around 6ft-6’2 maybe? So yeah tall.
Sal is either the same height as Walky or slightly shorter. (They appear close, but he tends to slouch and she usually wears boots with a slight heel.)
Sarah’s almost a head taller than Joyce, and probably 2 or 3 inches taller than Ruth. Jennifer’s somewhere in between them.
My lazy butt was just plugging character names into the tag URL and looking for strips where they’re standing near each other (or a known quantity at different times). Sarah and Ruth don’t cross paths too much, but using Joyce as our yardstick I think Sarah’s slightly taller.
She’s playing the Civilian class, but she should be helping Engie move that gear up. (Or at least leveling up the teleporter entrance next time she respawns.)
In other Walky-ish thinkings…I was wondering about getting an idea of a vehicle Walky might have if he needs one later, and that led my to the history of his orignal vehicle, KUP, a.k.a. Dodge Ram D-50, a.k.a. Mitsubishi Triton. The good news is that the Triton is still in production. The bad news is that neither Dodge/Ram nor Mitsubishi have sold the pickups here in the states since 1996. Maybe Pappap Walkerton had a Montero Sport SUV instead.
My contempt for them has mostly faded into ‘oh you poor, pretentious idiot, you’re going to look back at yourself in ten years and shake your head at the cringe’. For now.
I love the unnecessarily florid language they use. It’s evocative of a certain kind of dorky college student that may or may not resemble aspects of a younger me. Oh, yes, they are gonna cringe someday.
Booster really doesn’t seem to understand how pretentious and sometimes kinda creepy they sound with the words they use. I suspect they might be on the autism spectrum, which is interesting to me because I suspect I’m on the spectrum as well and I find Booster’s behavior freaking annoying.
Walky, we’ve already established you’re not a manly man when you thought your manhood depended on the amount of shoes you own, and Joe called you out on your bullshit.
To be fair, Joe is beefy, but his personality isn’t really dude bro. He actually learns and grows, but even at his start he was at worst dude-bro adjacent.
Booster does have an interesting way of speaking, not sure if its normal for them or if its something they’ve added in a way to make them stand out ala Danny and his hat
BOOSTER APPRECIATION THREAD
Y’all know what it is. Honestly I don’t have a ton of spoons to dedicate rn but I wanna keep this lil positivity bubble going. Anyone who dislikes Booster, you’re entitled to your opinion but I’ll gently request you don’t try to argue about them here, it’s a nice lil thread to love the character, that’s all. I appreciate booster being the therapist friend here, v v relatable.
I like Booster. I shan’t describe why, because it’s all very DoA and would not sound like compliments (I am entertained by their flaws, basically), but I like them. That sweater looks cozy, too.
I adore Booster. A beautifully awkward, neurodivergent NB who wants to make friends and be helpful, but so far is failing because the way they interact with other people is via analysis rather than social skills. We even kinda look like each other tbh lmao, it’s the Soft Butch vibe.
Therapist Friend ftw. They’ll mature into it, I’m super sure.
Ngl my black gay lil heart skipped a beat when I saw sal in the first panel. I hope she keeps her hair like that, or curlier. It looks soooo good on her
Black, brown, kodiak, cave, pizly, gay biker, pooh, fozzi, gummi, or huggy, et. al. (this list makes no claim on being exhaustive, but just wanted to be more inclusive or those cruelly ignored by K.D.)
yeh, but it’s like salt on something sweet- the contrasted twist only enhances the main flavour.
A little feminine zing makes the whole package seem more masc.
Sal, that’s going to stop working as long as it fades into a humiliating memory :’)
Poor Booster, quoting what they said with exactitude and getting boo’d by the comments section. They’ll look back into these things in ten years and go “dang, I was bad at socializing with peers back them #cringe”. Why would anyone assume malice when this is clearly the flaw-to-work-on every Dumbing of Age character needs to bring before joining the cast is beyond me :’D (But no, I don’t want to hear an explanation either, I’ve already read them all and remain unconvinced.)
Walky, my dude, I beg you to get over yourself. I love him but considering “throwing a toy at a girl’s head” was still his first flirting instinct a mere semester ago, I’m like 1000% this is about cooties.
The “delectably feminine” was already a little creepy for me but “give me five minutes” to “work through Walky’s issues” sounds downright pretentious to me. We get it, you’re a psych major or whatever. Stop trying to armchair diagnose everyone around you. It’s really invasive and douchey.
If they’re a first-year psych major, they’re only in their second semester just like everybody else. They’re no more qualified to help Walky “sort through his issues” than any of his other friends. There’s a big difference between providing psychiatric help to an actual person, and making up flowery backstories for the inanimate objects you photograph.
I’m not saying you have to like them, I’m saying this is probably building up to the beginning of a character arc for Booster.
Like even when they psychoanalyzed the entire girls’ dorm (which yes that was dumb, they shouldn’t have the ability to die that unless they are literally psychic) it ended with everyone pissed and telling them off, Amber even going so far as to call them “the new Mike.” Booster was taken aback and seemed like they wanted to make it up to Amber somehow by treating her to dinner.
Booster thinks they’re having interesting conversation and some level of deeper insight into people they’ve just met, except unlike Mike they’re wrong all the time but good intentioned (and not even in the Mike “if I repeatedly bring up your trauma you’ll get over it” way).
Look, you don’t have to defend Booster. I don’t wish harm on them or anything, I just don’t like them. If they were a real life person I would simply avoid them and go about my life unperturbed. As it stands, I don’t get that option so I will complain about their behavior here.
Bold of Booster to assume that it’d take only 5 minutes to course-correct Walky, though not as bold as assuming they could keep Walky’s interest for those five minutes.
In writing this I’m not trying to pull an appeal to morality or my own lived experience, I think it’s perfectly okay to be put off by Booster and I hope as they are further developed they endear themself to you.
What I want to say is that as someone diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in late 2018, there’s a lot I like about Booster and the annoyance they cause in the cast. Dina is also probably autistic, but Dina’s character is more directed inward and seeing someone like Booster, who wants to be sociable but constantly flubs it, that is indeed something that gives me the patented Feels.
I wonder if Walky is overcompensating because the women in his family are the ones in charge. His dad seems to be a bit of a doormat towards his Mom and his sister… well she gives Amazi Girl a run for her money when it comes to badassness.
Me if I ever see Tony Hawk: Hey you’re Tony Hawk the famous skateboarder. That’s right I recognise you. Won’t be able to get any content out of this will you, you piece of shit
How to read all 28 issues of my Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane run on Marvel Unlimited:
1: The first four issues were published as the miniseries "Mary Jane."
www.marvel.com/comics/serie...
today in #9chickweedlane i learned we have to be shown children learning and relearning what sex is, for Reasons, even though they already clearly know and have prepared nuanced questions about it!
also that Gran must hate, if she's still alive, how Old Juliette is the same but with gray hair
one of my favorite things is when a commenter explodes WHEN DO THESE CHARACTERS GET THERAPY but directed towards a character who canonically has a regular therapist
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btw if you're one of those rando bluesky weirdos who doesn't know me but sees me in the wild being sarcastic and don't know i'm being sarcastic because you haven't taken like 30 seconds to, like, maybe look at my user profile or something, keep walking, you're not going to score internet points here
Here's an entertaining cite at the bottom of the first page
Josh Gerstein@joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
JUST IN: Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan moves to dismiss federal criminal case against her for allegedly helping immigrant hide from ICE. Her lawyers say she's protected by official acts & judicial immunity and 10th Amendment. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Where did Hollywood go so wrong? I thought movies were supposed to be an escape from reality, a chance to put your worries aside and not have to think about any underlying ideas or concepts. Well, not anymore.
theonion.com/you-can...
It's not a new argument, of course, but Chesterton dismissed it effectively in 1908.
"You will hear everlastingly... this argument that the rich man cannot be bribed. The fact is, of course, that the rich man is bribed; he has been bribed already. That is why he is a rich man."
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com ⋅ 3d
Hawley dismisses Trump lining his pockets with his memecoin: "Listen, I think nobody believes that Donald Trump can be bought. I mean, what does Donald Trump need more money for?"
preternia @preternia.com ⋅ 2d
Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com ⋅ 3d
Pavel
@spavel.bsky.social ⋅ 12d
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ya’d think Booster would know, also having a twin and all
Also it seems kind of weird that given their previously demonstrated ability to pick up on people’s issues, they haven’t twigged to their own roommate’s fixation on avoiding anything that he considers “girly.”
They havent been roommates for very long, maybe a week tops, and I doubt walky spends much time talking to them.
You’re assuming that Booster didn’t say that intentionally.
I think they picked up on it just fine. The question is, what was the goal.
Oh, they knew.
Given that most 18-year-old guys have strong negative associations with being feminine in any way, I’d say Booster had a lot of reason to expect Walky would react badly.
I think booster’s perceptiveness is going to be pretty inconsistent from here on out. It made for a neat Sherlock-y introductory scene but writing around a character who always knows everyone’s motivations and emotional state seems like it would be more work than it’s worth for a comic like this.
Was Booster’s twin Mike, perchance?
Mike was Booster’s Wario.
I mean, I’m one of triplets and we never did anything like that. Maybe Booster and their sister weren’t into roughhousing.
It’s a user permissions level thing, not whether they know the technique. (Though Booster and their sister hopefully have a healthier relationship than the Walkertons…)
Idk, fam. The walkerton siblings seem to have a pretty good relationship as of late.
“Booster’s sister” .. I want to see this developed.
Sal, you are the hero we need. If only more people would give you the credit you deserve.
And panel four. Wow! What a woman! Calm, collected, competent and classy.
So, Walky… what’s at the root of your deep-seated masculinity issues?
…I’d say that last panel is the ultimate explanation for why Walky feels he needs to be manly as possible, his sister is manlier without even trying.
His sister is being more assertive but not more manly.
This attribute is not inherently masculine, it’s just not commented on or disparaged in men the way it is in women.
Mindsets like this, which associate weakness and passivity to femininity, might actually be why Walky feels threatened by even the mild insinuation that he’s not 100% masculine all day all the time.
TL;DR – It’s misogyny.
Look at his parents’ relationship, Linda has Charles wrapped around her little finger. He’s probably afraid of being perceived as ‘weak’, or following that same path himself.
Sal is more assertive and aggressive, physically stronger, emotionally tougher, and into cooler hobbies. While none of these are inherently the sole realm of masculine, they are all absolutely traits that Walky would get teased for being ‘less manly’ for. Add in how similar the two look, especially growing up before secondary sex characteristics kick in (Note last panel of https://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/emasculated/ ), and he probably took a lot of crap about it from other kids growing up.
Probably him having a twin sister which may have been an easy target for bullies to call him a girl as a young kid, probably not going to get a proper back story though
Is toxic masculinity really something that needs a backstory to explain? Plenty of guys manage to get this weird about anything remotely “girly” without someone like Sal in their lives.
^^^
Por que no los dos?
I mean, it does seem a little excessive for simply toxic masculinity, given he doesn’t really show many other aspects of it at that level of severity (that I’ve noticed at least). A bit of being compared to a female on a near daily basis, heaped on top of a generous serving of toxic masculinity, would absolutely fit.
Bear in mind we’re talking about a guy who only owned one pair of shoes and made fun of Joe for having more than that because it was ‘girly’. Keep in mind how he talked about girls early on too. Heck, even Jennifer’s commented on Walky’s gender issues.
He’s got gender issues, but he’s also missing a lot of the actual toxic sides of toxic masculinity. He’s weird about anything “girly” (and has some weird ideas about what that includes), but it’s never been attached to any aggression or the other more dangerous aspects.
There was an article a few years back titled “Masculinity is an Anxiety Disorder”. Walky seems to fit that quite well.
Isn’t that exactly what we’re seeing here? He’s not trying to hurt anybody, he’s just freaked out that his hair makes him look “feminine” in any way. Walky generally seems to be a very non-aggressive person in this timeline, so it makes sense that his gender issues wouldn’t manifest in outward aggression.
Absolutely. I’d just argue that makes them a lot less toxic.
In a fictional comic, no, probably not. In real life though, I’d argue that understanding the “backstory” to a person’s toxic masculinity is invaluable in helping to prevent it from forming in others.
The sibling way is faster and exclusive, sorry, Booster. XD
As a big brother, can confirm this stops siblings from being idiots, but only for a short time.
I’ll second this confirmation. Effects last longer depending on how stupid the sibling receiving this treatment was acting
This stops the HEADLOCKED sibling from being an idiot for a short time.
Does it really?
It depends on your philosophy on idiots. Is the siblings ‘being an idiot’ (an action)? If so then a headlock could probably stop it. On the other hand, no amount of headlocks will fix the sibling if the ‘are an idiot’ (a trait).
If you hold it tight enough for long enough, it will also fix traits.
More of a semantic question, but yes, I meant stops them from being an idiot in terms of actions.
Well, I was intending to emphasize that it DOESN’T stop the sibling administering the headlock from being an idiot.
+1 confirm – esoteric sibling technique. Oddly, my YOUNGER sister had to use this on me.
I always like the relatable sibling comix.
Sal might be holding that headlock for quite a while.
I’ve heard that, for particularly stubborn cases, noogies can accelerate the process.
Seems to me it’s gonna take a lot more than five seconds to stop Walky being an idiot.
I’m thinking more like five years, and that’s the optimistic estimate.
Given the timescale of this comic, this five seconds *could* last for five years.
And yet, that’d still be less time spent than The Wotch takes to tell a story.
Five seconds might be long enough for Dorothy to get there and create a longer distraction.
God I wish I was Walky
Eh, I’m pretty sure you don’t have to be walky to be headlocked. Pretty sure a lot of folks would do it if you asked and then, like, insulted their family
It’s the internet. There’s got to be somewhere that sells “headlocks by hot girls”
Sells?
I may or may not be a hot girl, but I’d do it for free!
Woah! Don’t underestimate your value, there!
“headlocks by hot girls” … Google has failed me.
You wabt to be headlocked by your twin sister who’s much cooler than you are?
I mean, I guess it takes all kinds
Violence against Walky cannot be tolerated! Not even from Sal! Also that “delectably feminine” line from Booster is kinda creepy.
it’s super creepy and i’m honestly baffled that they said it out loud, heard themself say it, then decided it would be a good idea to say it again
Especially since Walky has made it unmistakably clear that he’s not comfortable with this. I’d think that Booster of all people should respect that.
Maybe we give Booster too much credit.
Given Booster’s earlier behaviour in a lecture, I don’t feel that respect for others is high on their list of priorities…
It wasn’t a lecture, it was a floor meeting that Booster was only at because they were with Joyce when she went to attend the meeting and they wanted to “see Ruth bodyslam someone and then date them”.
I don’t understand why it’s creepy? Like, I’m utterly baffled that this is an issue for anyone
To me it just feels a little sleazy. It sounds like a Joe line. “Delectably feminine”. Like it’s a pretense for trying to bang later. “Feminine charm” reads better to me, but I’ve overanalyzed it now. It will never sound right. Nothing against Booster though. Like I said I think this is just how they talk.
On another level, people tend to like having certain gendered compliments attributed to them, and not ones that don’t miss their self-perception. It’d kind of be like calling early-DoA joyce super manly, she’d probably not react very well?
It’s not “feminine” that bothers me, it’s “delectably”. Like they’re gonna eat him, possibly with fava beans.
Women are not foods, Booster.
I don’t think it’s meant to be that creepy, but it’s kind of jarring for me because Booster doesn’t know Walky that well. Personally I don’t quite see them on that friendship level yet. Although maybe this is just how Booster talks? They did call Ruth “fascinating creature” the first night they met.
^This^ it isn’t meant to be creepy. (frankly I don’t find it creepy at all) Delectably feminine is just describing exactly what’s going on with Walky’s hair. As before Booster is comfortable using vocabulary to be concise. Walky’s hair is exhibiting a slightly more feminine aesthetic (being a little longer and flow-ier). Combined with his already good looks, and yeah “delicious” is probably exactly how Walky looks to the ladies that are all hungering for him.
Bruh, they’re clearly neurodivergent. Big words, not a lot of people skills as the reason they could’ve gotten into psychology? This is clearly a person who wants to connect to others and is very observant but can’t quite bridge the distance because there’s a gap between intellectual analysis and knowing how to socialize.
It’s not the big words that’s creepy. It’s like calling him “tasty”. Like Sirksome said, that’s a Joe kind of line.
It’s not that they’re big words, it’s what the big words ARE. If Booster had called Walky “preposterously attractive” no-one would hold ti against them. “Delectable”, to someone you’ve known for a couple of days isssss… not great?
I think they used that phrasing because they also used the term snack in refrence to walky
Walky is a snack because haircut because haircut is exhibiting an attractive feminine energy
Therefore delectably feminine
Which unfortunately is just awkward to hear cuz it sounds charged with desire but not in the cute way snack does
So this could be neurodivergent?
It’s the kind of phrasing I’d expect to hear from, shall we say, a more “neckbeard-y” sort. Perhaps accompanied by an unconscious licking of the lips.
As an older sibling, can confirm this works with a minimum of 75% effectiveness
As an older sibling, can confirm this never worked once for me. And I regret basically every instance of doing it.
As a younger sibling I can say I hated almost every moment of being treated like this. As an adult I don’t hold any resentment but they’re not fun memories either.
Since I did (and still do) have a little sister (she’s about 14 months younger than I) there was a good deal of sibling rivalry, horseplay, and rough-housing, but all it ever got me was the “you shouldn’t be picking on your little sister — after all, she’s a girl” line.
And trust me, it didn’t take her long to realize that this pretty much put HER in the driver’s seat when it came to starting squabbles!
I’m the oldest sibling and I have never attempted this.
As a middle child, I can only confirm that I won my tussles.
As an older sibling, I always insistently talked things out, and later went on to win several speech and debate awards, major in English, and work at a law firm.
…I’m not sure that’s scientifically accurate psychology, Booster.
Perhaps. But it pairs well with Walky rampaging and casting dispell charm over and over.
“I am a big manly macho man.” Seriously Walkerton, I don’t think I have ever read a better verbal incantation to dispell charm.
But is it effective?
Shhh.. Let’s watch.
I have four brothers. There is a truth to this.
SALvaging Walky’s hotness in the nick of time, she is our SALvation and will surely allow Dotty or Lucy the healing SALve of access to her damn fool brother.
Sal is ‘da Balm!
https://i.imgur.com/onWlhTA.png
A continuation of last night’s drawing. What can I say, vibrant colored lipstick is a weakness of mine. And sharing. Sharing is good.
I love Wally’s expression, here. He’s like “What is happening!?”
I wish I had the money to pay you for all this kickass art.
If you started paying me I may actually have to start putting more effort into it than an hour of last second sketching.
I wish I could do so now, your work is fantastic. Maybe I’ll look into when I get some money, which would also give me a chance to buy something from Willis.
Seriously, though, you’ve been putting out some awesome work lately. If we can do anything to encourage it, let us know.
This looks a lot like assault…
Well, yes. We’ll see if Walky objects.
Well it’s not meant to be o3o.
Meh. In today’s comic, Sal is assaulting Walky. In your version, Sarah is assaulting Walky. I’m going to have a hard time getting worked up about it. Context is everything.
o3o if I’m being very transparent I just REALLY REALLY dig femdom.
Nice draw. And I watch your oage with great interest.
Not sexual interest, I like the draws, must say.
Why?! Why is he struggling to get free?
HA!!! CALLED IT!!
Sal ensuring Dorothy get that D
Walky AND Sal with their sexy hair in the same place at the same time? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL THE STUDENT BODY FROM SHEER THIRST?
Only the asexual spectrum members of the student body will be safe. Unless Willis throws in garlic bread. Then nobody is safe.
GET HIS ASS, SAL! KILL ‘IM! THE CROWD DEMANDS BLOOD!
I mean uh…. Violence Bad™. Sibling roughhousing is always funny to me.
Y’know, for someone secure about his love for cartoons and being okay with the idea of blowing a guy for pizza, this is a really weird hangup for Walky. He’s not even like… Joe or Jacob built, he just has good genetics that will probably fade in 10-12 years (and he’s trope-savvy enough to be aware of that).
I mean Walky is only 18 probably still with the brain of someone 4-5 years younger than that. His thinking doesn’t have to be rational or mature. I’d be more surprised if he was calm about this. He probably has a lot of the same gender and identity hangups most kids do. Our society really fucks people up.
“He’s not even Joe or Jacob built”
Man, it’s almost like short guys with feminine features may have a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
The irony being that in this storyline the shorter guy with a slightly feminine appeal was getting more attention in one day than either of those typical he-men ever have.
True but y’know how attention is. It’s not the volume of the attention so much as it is the TYPE of attention. If everyone’s into you because they admire a trait you don’t like about yourself it’s kinda meh.
That means it’s one of the storylines not to be taken seriously
Walky’s not even short. He’s the same height as Sal, who mostly appears tall because of how she carries herself. Walky’s sloppy and slouches. Heck he’s probably slightly taller; notice how in panel 2 they’re about the same height, but Walky is in his defensive hunch.
Walky is short. At least for a dude but possibly short in general. Ruth is noticeably taller than him and I’ve been told she’s supposed to be the woman’s average of 5ft 10 inches. (Don’t take that as fact it’s just the consensus of comments on the topic) if true that puts Walky well under 6ft. Probably around 5’6-5’8. Short.
Man, American height standards. Like a quick google suggests that the average American male is around 5’9″. Which Walky is probably just under if you’re right, but I wouldn’t call that short. He’d be average to tall in many other countries.
I actually meant to put “above” in there but I’m typing this on my phones touchpad. Bleh. Actually most of the cast is average to short. There’s like 3 people I’d actually consider tall in the regular cast. Joe, Carla, and Jacob. Maybe you could throw Ruth and Sarah in there too but that’s it. With those odd s the shorties outnumber them at least 2 to 1.
Booster would be tall too (they’re the tallest person in this scene). I think Ethan is decently stacked as well?
See to me Booster is average height (for a male) and above average (for a female) Since we do not know Booster’s assigned at birth gender for the purely academic discussion of height to gender relationships. I’m not sure where they apply, but Ruth has appeared to be taller than them. Ethan I imagine is around 6ft-6’2 maybe? So yeah tall.
I also say Rachel is pretty tall, to my recollection.
Ethan.
I admit I forgot about Ethan. Much like the story has.
Walkyverse Joyce was 5’4″ according to the wiki, so I’ve always assumed that carried over.
Dorothy, Becky, and Joyce appear to be the same height. Here’s Dorothy standing next to both Joyce and Walky, and he’s slightly taller:
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/04-hompk/wordplay-2/
Sal is either the same height as Walky or slightly shorter. (They appear close, but he tends to slouch and she usually wears boots with a slight heel.)
Sarah’s almost a head taller than Joyce, and probably 2 or 3 inches taller than Ruth. Jennifer’s somewhere in between them.
Amber is a couple inches shorter than Dorothy.
Sal, Walky and Jennifer are all 5’7. Amber’s 5’2-3ish. Dorothy, Becky and Joyce hover around 5’4-5’5, and Ruth is 5’10. I THINK Sarah is 5’11?
This is all based on Word of Wilis but A) My memory is fallible and B) I’m too lazy to look for all those posts right now.
I lied. Here’s the main one. https://itswalky.tumblr.com/post/31429662618/how-tall-are-the-various-characters-in
I seem to have mixed up Ruth and Sarah (though I can’t find anything about Ruth’s height right now) and iirc, Jacob and Carla are about six feet too.
Well lookit you, doing research and everything.
My lazy butt was just plugging character names into the tag URL and looking for strips where they’re standing near each other (or a known quantity at different times). Sarah and Ruth don’t cross paths too much, but using Joyce as our yardstick I think Sarah’s slightly taller.
woman’s average is 5’10” now??
I’d put it about six inches lower.
These often assume 2″ heels.
In his head, Walky is manly! He might be bisexual, but it’s a manly bisexual!
Is Sal T-posing?
She just popped in.
To see what condition Walky’s condition is in.
To assert dominance.
Came here to say this.
She’s playing the Civilian class, but she should be helping Engie move that gear up. (Or at least leveling up the teleporter entrance next time she respawns.)
Booster realizes how out of their depth they are…
Hey, sometimes you’ve just gotta stand back and let the professionals handle things
I still don’t see what makes Walky Eris’ Apple for the entire campus, but I will approve of him getting choked out.
Got a hold on you
Got a hold on you
(Got a hold on you tonight…)
You gotta hold on for one more day
Things’ll go your way
If you hold on for one more day.
In other Walky-ish thinkings…I was wondering about getting an idea of a vehicle Walky might have if he needs one later, and that led my to the history of his orignal vehicle, KUP, a.k.a. Dodge Ram D-50, a.k.a. Mitsubishi Triton. The good news is that the Triton is still in production. The bad news is that neither Dodge/Ram nor Mitsubishi have sold the pickups here in the states since 1996. Maybe Pappap Walkerton had a Montero Sport SUV instead.
They actually flipped the relationship around for a while, and sold the Dodge Dakota as the Mitsubishi Raider for a few years.
Maybe he had a last-gen Ranger/L-series or S10 instead.
uh oh, it’s magic!
*thinks I should have played some Village People*
Oh, yes.
The sweet taste of watching someone tell Boster too “shut it”. How delightful.
Almost as enjoyable as watching Picard tell Wesley to shut up.
Sibling actions are DLC only.
Walky might be working through toxic masc but fuck is he honoring Booster’s pronouns.
Walky’s a DUMBass, not an ass.
I noticed that! Good job, Walky. You may be unnecessarily freaking out, but you nailed your roommate’s pronouns.
Also made another imgur of all the DOA fanart I’ve done thus far this year. Y’know for those of you that’re interested.
https://imgur.com/a/FsHW0K5
whoops forgot the link. (You can also go by clickin’ on my name)
And saved. For future… research.
Pretty good, not sure about the Tarantula between her legs though
Honestly, tmi. Go find your own smut if Yoto’s is not to your liking, there’s no need to be gross especially if it involves body-shaming natural hair.
You spoil us
The only payment I desire is lots of compliments
Your art is amazing
Seconded.
Except when it’s awesome.
You are doing saintly work Yoto. Worthy of a knighthood. Thank you for the consolidation. I had missed a couple of those.
Very nice. I missed some of these.
I wanna draw pinups of the Walkertons together but also worried about it coming off incestyDon’t let anyone censor your art!
Hey no worries Yoto, after all: twincest is wincest.
Incest: family fun!
Hey, people go nuts for twins and suddenly everything is ok. Remember Arnold and Danny? So hot together!
STOP SAYING DELECTABLE
god. i’m really souring on booster here
Yeah they should have said “moist” instead
the moist, delectable vitality of Walky’s locks
Moist and delicious.
My contempt for them has mostly faded into ‘oh you poor, pretentious idiot, you’re going to look back at yourself in ten years and shake your head at the cringe’. For now.
I love the unnecessarily florid language they use. It’s evocative of a certain kind of dorky college student that may or may not resemble aspects of a younger me. Oh, yes, they are gonna cringe someday.
Take this as the equivalent of an upvote, fam :’)
HAHAHA THEY ARRRRRRRRE omg. I think they’re basically fine but omg they’re gonna cringeeee perfect
Booster really doesn’t seem to understand how pretentious and sometimes kinda creepy they sound with the words they use. I suspect they might be on the autism spectrum, which is interesting to me because I suspect I’m on the spectrum as well and I find Booster’s behavior freaking annoying.
Is “delicious” better? Tasty? A snak?
IMO, not really.
Yeah Walky you’re a big manly man, so manly that instead of helping your, female, friends you ran off and left them to it
Definitely a macho man and not a chicken s**t coward at all
Booster continues to have no impact on the progression of this comic.
So it goes. Perhaps Booster is Cassandra?
Sal thinks that headlock will ever end
So is the goal less idiocy, or mussing up his hair even more.
So, this was all building up to some hot sibling action, huh?
Jeez I never would’ve imagined Willis was THIS desperate for new slipshine plots.
Sal knows her duty
Calling your attacks? Sal, you used to be cool D:
You have to establish the conditions to end the headlock. It’s in the sibling rulebook.
Walky, we’ve already established you’re not a manly man when you thought your manhood depended on the amount of shoes you own, and Joe called you out on your bullshit.
Yeah when a dudebro stereotype calls you out on being stupid you should take a moment to consider.
To be fair, Joe is beefy, but his personality isn’t really dude bro. He actually learns and grows, but even at his start he was at worst dude-bro adjacent.
Booster does have an interesting way of speaking, not sure if its normal for them or if its something they’ve added in a way to make them stand out ala Danny and his hat
Until he stops being an idiot? We could be here a while.
That headlock should ruin Walky’s attractive hair.
Or just muss it up, somehow making it even hotter to Lucy.
Hopefully he washed it sometime this week, or Sal’s going to have a grease mark on her jacket.
As per usual, Sal is way too good of a sister to Walky and he doesn’t deserve her.
Sal has been ‘helping’ Walky behave sensibly using this method since they were both five years old.
BOOSTER
APPRECIATION 
THREAD
Y’all know what it is. Honestly I don’t have a ton of spoons to dedicate rn but I wanna keep this lil positivity bubble going. Anyone who dislikes Booster, you’re entitled to your opinion but I’ll gently request you don’t try to argue about them here, it’s a nice lil thread to love the character, that’s all. I appreciate booster being the therapist friend here, v v relatable.
I like Booster. I shan’t describe why, because it’s all very DoA and would not sound like compliments (I am entertained by their flaws, basically), but I like them. That sweater looks cozy, too.
*holds Booster like a potato*
I just think they’re neat
Pre-y2k Groening. (raises hand) “I got that one!”
Huh. So this is what Captain America feels like.
Sorry, I forgot to include my Booster booster. Hugs … you!
I adore Booster. A beautifully awkward, neurodivergent NB who wants to make friends and be helpful, but so far is failing because the way they interact with other people is via analysis rather than social skills.
We even kinda look like each other tbh lmao, it’s the Soft Butch vibe.Therapist Friend ftw. They’ll mature into it, I’m super sure.
Booster Booster, Hompk! Hompk!
Ngl my black gay lil heart skipped a beat when I saw sal in the first panel. I hope she keeps her hair like that, or curlier. It looks soooo good on her
She kinda looks like she just burst through the wall. I’m not saying this is a bad thing.
She also looks astoundingly hot in panel 4.
Yes. As Jean Chretien once said about his wife, “Quelle Femme!”
I knew a bear once whose mind would have been destroyed by that panel 4 Sal.
Polar, grizzly, sun, or panda?
Bear Grills!
Black, brown, kodiak, cave, pizly, gay biker, pooh, fozzi, gummi, or huggy, et. al. (this list makes no claim on being exhaustive, but just wanted to be more inclusive or those cruelly ignored by K.D.)
I’m starting to think Booster is a Mary Sue for Willis, due to a longing for a way to insert snarky comments more directly into the comic.
Not every self-insert needs to be a Mary Sue… Booster doesn’t seem like that type.
“author avatar” may be a better, less loaded term here.
Honestly, when I first saw Walky’s new ‘do, I thought it made him look more masculine. But I can see where Booster is coming from
yeh, but it’s like salt on something sweet- the contrasted twist only enhances the main flavour.
A little feminine zing makes the whole package seem more masc.
WALKY have you SEEN long haired native americans? Connect with your heritage my man!
Huh o.o Do you mean literally, or…? I just knew the Walkertons were half-black.
He is half-white so… connect with the Viking heritage? They had long hair and wore braids and half the world was scared shitless of them.
It’s their father who’s half-black. What their European ancestry is hasn’t come up.
Sal, that’s going to stop working as long as it fades into a humiliating memory :’)
Poor Booster, quoting what they said with exactitude and getting boo’d by the comments section. They’ll look back into these things in ten years and go “dang, I was bad at socializing with peers back them #cringe”. Why would anyone assume malice when this is clearly the flaw-to-work-on every Dumbing of Age character needs to bring before joining the cast is beyond me :’D (But no, I don’t want to hear an explanation either, I’ve already read them all and remain unconvinced.)
Walky, my dude, I beg you to get over yourself. I love him but considering “throwing a toy at a girl’s head” was still his first flirting instinct a mere semester ago, I’m like 1000% this is about cooties.
Go Sal! Use your sisters force! May the fourth be with you!
“Booster, shut it” … the “Shut Up Wesley” of a new generation.
The “delectably feminine” was already a little creepy for me but “give me five minutes” to “work through Walky’s issues” sounds downright pretentious to me. We get it, you’re a psych major or whatever. Stop trying to armchair diagnose everyone around you. It’s really invasive and douchey.
If they’re a first-year psych major, they’re only in their second semester just like everybody else. They’re no more qualified to help Walky “sort through his issues” than any of his other friends. There’s a big difference between providing psychiatric help to an actual person, and making up flowery backstories for the inanimate objects you photograph.
I’m not saying you have to like them, I’m saying this is probably building up to the beginning of a character arc for Booster.
Like even when they psychoanalyzed the entire girls’ dorm (which yes that was dumb, they shouldn’t have the ability to die that unless they are literally psychic) it ended with everyone pissed and telling them off, Amber even going so far as to call them “the new Mike.” Booster was taken aback and seemed like they wanted to make it up to Amber somehow by treating her to dinner.
Booster thinks they’re having interesting conversation and some level of deeper insight into people they’ve just met, except unlike Mike they’re wrong all the time but good intentioned (and not even in the Mike “if I repeatedly bring up your trauma you’ll get over it” way).
Look, you don’t have to defend Booster. I don’t wish harm on them or anything, I just don’t like them. If they were a real life person I would simply avoid them and go about my life unperturbed. As it stands, I don’t get that option so I will complain about their behavior here.
Judging from Walky, this is either a temporary solution or the first time she applies it.
Also, running down the corridor? That could cost them some femurs.
Nah, Ruth doesn’t remove femurs anymore.
Bold of Booster to assume that it’d take only 5 minutes to course-correct Walky, though not as bold as assuming they could keep Walky’s interest for those five minutes.
Wait Sal, is that a frilly top ? You ? Wearing a frilly top ?
“UPS truck is here, your noogies have arrived!”
This whole comic is super cute.
Sal continues to be the absolute best.
In writing this I’m not trying to pull an appeal to morality or my own lived experience, I think it’s perfectly okay to be put off by Booster and I hope as they are further developed they endear themself to you.
What I want to say is that as someone diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in late 2018, there’s a lot I like about Booster and the annoyance they cause in the cast. Dina is also probably autistic, but Dina’s character is more directed inward and seeing someone like Booster, who wants to be sociable but constantly flubs it, that is indeed something that gives me the patented Feels.
Maybe that’s why they annoy me so much as they are now; their foot-in-mouth hits too close to home.
Just tell Walky that ladies think that kind of thing is hot in a guy.
Booster is great I don’t care what anyone else says
The more booster speaks the more I want Mike back
I wonder if Walky is overcompensating because the women in his family are the ones in charge. His dad seems to be a bit of a doormat towards his Mom and his sister… well she gives Amazi Girl a run for her money when it comes to badassness.
Checks out. Definitely unlocked only for siblings.
Man, that look on Sal’s face in panel 4… I’m glad she’s A cartoon character, as shed have me wrapped around her… Finger..