Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
Paint the Town Red
Windy, Winter Jay Kiakas
Winona runs a werewolf shelter with partner in crime, Odile in the Gothic city of Merlot. One day they take in an injured vampire, and soon unravels many of the dark secrets of Merlot.
2 Slices
RJ Morel
After a case of mistaken identity, will awkward Daisuke find help from excitable Mamo, or will his love life be thrown completely off track?
Slightly Damned
Chu
Rhea Snaketail returns from the dead, befriending a Demon who falls in love with an Angel. The afterlife ain't what it used to be!
Countdown to Countdown
Velinxi
Iris Black is a self-proclaimed inventor with the curious ability to bring his drawings to life, and yearns to find a space where he can use his powers freely.
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.
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!
Mac Hall
Matt Boyd
The legendary early-aughts webcomic that inspired a wave of webcomic creators.
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.
The Otherknown
Lorian Merriman
Chandra is a 12-year-old accidental time traveler with a reluctant new dad, who happens to be a member of a feared galactic crime syndicate.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Fantomestein
Beka Duke
Desperate for companionship, Frankenstein's Monster pretends to be the Opera Ghost. A grave mistake.
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Oh jeez how can Booster be in a comic dated 2020? And then I check the archive and we’re a week away from their two year anniversary. Gah, I just barely stopped thinking of Becky as being a ‘new’ addition to the main cast.
Pretty much everything every character does in this comic is “problematic” if you look at it too closely, which is inherent to a relationship-heavy dramedy that sometimes works on cartoon rules.
If Amber pushes back and then Booster won’t drop it, then Booster has crossed into “actually a creep” but so far we’re in “Would be a bit creepy IRL but normal in the DoA context” territory.
Thank you so much for being so reasonable about this! I don’t understand why people seem to take everything that happens in the comic as a personal attack
Discussing something and deciding that it seems wrong or creepy or assholish isn’t “taking everything that happens in the comic as a personal attack”.
Some people enjoy discussing the characters through a real-world lens. Other people enjoying something you don’t isn’t a flaw in them or in you. It’s an opinion-based thing and neither option is wrong.
The time stretched nature of the comic does lead us to often focus on a particular moment that might be questionable and blow it way out of proportion – often before the scene even finishes playing out.
It reminds me of when my sibling used to pause TV shows mid-conversation and nitpick everything that was said for like 20 minutes before unpausing and hearing the rest, just to do it again about a minute later. One of these days I’ll watch Legend of Korra normally.
tbf, this is always going to be a problem in a “cartoon” that’s also supposed to be a relationship drama.
In the real world, Karla making it her life mission to be as annoying as possible for literally no reason would make everyone hate her, but she’s a cartoon character who gets one line a year so it’s nbd, and in the real world people don’t go make it their life’s mission to annoy people for no reason so it’s easy to see Karla’s a cartoon. It’s more awkward when the action is realistic, like how Walky is casually emotionally abusive to Lucy. If he were real, he’d be an abusive and cruel boyfriend. In the context of the comic….enh?
I wonder, actually, if that’s part of the reason every “bad” character in Dumbing of Age is basically Skeletor, though that’s also the kind of villain Willis seems to enjoy writing the most.
I’m not sure abusive is a fair way to describe Walky’s behavior, like yes he’s an incredibly bad boyfriend, but I read that as being due largely to him being incredibly immature/oblivious/clueless (granted some of that is being consciously unwilling to face reality), like I get the feeling that if someone sat him down and made it incredibly clear/painfully obvious that what he’s doing is wrong he would stop, or at least make an effort to change. I’d say that if the problem can be solved with a conversation (or intervention, as the case may be), then it isn’t at the level of malicious intent that qualifies it as abuse, unless you are willing to label any shitty or unhealthy behavior in a relationship as abusive, which is… extreme and unfair.
Cruel? Possibly, I’m not sure he’s gone that far yet, but he’s certainly capable of taking his thoughtlessness that far. Abusive? That’s a stretch.
I didn’t think it was that weird before because they had kinda become friends and she had roped them into a weird plot and she made a joke about it at the end of the strip, but this definitely is getting into big oof territory
I think Booster is safe given that they probably can’t get pregnant and even if they can they don’t live in a universe where doctors are so inept and completely incompetent that they blame death from complications during child birth to “a broken heart.”
Maybe they couldn’t accept that their technology wasn’t enough to save her so they blamed it on a broken heart. Her while death scene was weird though. Her whole relationship with Anikan was weird and felt forced.
Anakin fell into lava and burned off all his limbs and still survived. Technology not being able to save Padme feels very strange in-universe. I feel like if they wanted her die in childbirth they could’ve just made it so she didn’t have medical attention during it. She was in a volcano and had just been force-choked, I feel like they could’ve just had her go into early labor and not be able to get medical attention or just refuse it.
Yeah I mentally retcon that scene to be that planet had not the best medical care (I mean who puts a hospital in a volcano?) and the Drs were lying to avoid liability (or just didn’t know any better) and her having JUST BEEN FORCE CHOKED WHILE PREGNANT and then immediately going into labor is why she really died.
Obi-Wan took Padme to the Polis Massa asteroids for treatment. If we want to get into fan explanations, I think that the significant travel time meant they arrived too late.
“She lost the will to live after her ventricle burst. She wanted me to let you know that Anakin wanted his son to have his lightsaber when he us old enough.”
Least terrible reasoning I can think of is “I like a fixer-upper”
which is still gross but maybe at least they have the mindset of wanting to be able to mostly contribute to the relationship, rather than only being mostly a grifter
The thought, “But I can save him/her/them!” is the appeal, sometimes, apparently.
Reminds me of in the 90s how the fans would swoon over the tortured souls who achieved music celebrity status, and their addictions and run-ins with the law just made them more appealing “bad boys” and “bad girls”.
I would like to nominate that last panel for Best Booster Face, please. I never imagined them pulling off “endearingly dorky,” but they manage.
(Though they’re probably going to strike out here if this is deliberate flirtation and not just blunt honesty; Amber’s never given any indication of being anything other than straight, and Booster’s pretty well emphasized that they are Not a Guy.)
Booster’s not a guy, but they’re not a girl either. And if Shortpacked Amber’s sexual preferences transfer here, the way Booster presents physically is pretty close to her “type” (I mean, Shortpacked Amber drew her ideally attractive Batman as a slim man with pronounced lips and eyes).
Wow, nice callback/reference. I think that was one of the first Willis comics I ever encountered, as it had achieved escape velocity from his normal orbit/worked as a standalone thing.
Don’t put words in my mouth. Amber can sleep with as many people as she likes.
It was just a thought that because if the timescale of this strip compared to real world time, we’re gonna see dozens of relationships form and break before the year is even over. Jennifer/Ruth was years for us but barely over a month for them.
i don’t think i’ve ever seen anyone irl ‘bite their lip’ like it is commonly in fictional stories, maybe i haven’t been around thirsty ppl but i wouldn’t see the appeal/would think it’d be uncomfortable versus ‘sexy’ lol
i can imagine it being a form of anxiety tho i guess with mouth masks it’d be easier to hide, and i try to avoid eye contact with strangers other than cashiers. (when i got a cavity filled in my front tooth, the dentist actually made it sharper than it was originally and it made me end up biting/’scratching’ around that or like the lower area under my lip a bit more at first [that said, even if it’s unconscious at the start i’d assume your lips are sensitive enough to where you’d notice after the fact and adjust/stop if you realize you don’t wanna send off any flirty signals to someone else]) And also some ppl might wanna hide their teeth even if they don’t especially stick out ,seems like it’d also mess up any lip balm/lipstick you’d apply but i’d think just a nice shade and a regular smile would be more attractive/visually appealing
Be interesting if it was diff in other countries/cultures like, “this means i want to insult you but holding back, so i’m biting my lip/tongue literally”
I imagine it may occur for similar reasons to why it occurs when I am trying to suppress laughter – they are trying to suppress sounds or words or feelings because it would be inappropriate to blurt them out.
Amber doesn’t feel hot because she views herself in such a negatuve way that she is ignoring or denying things that are trying to show her she’s worth more.
I also feel like a large chunk of her self confidence manifests as Amazigirl. Which probably causes some messed up dynamics when it comes to being able to think of herself as attractive. That’s the part of herself that was created to more positively channel what she feels are her worst qualities.
I get the impression also it’s not just that she thinks badly of herself, she feels GUILTY thinking highly of herself. She’s internalized this narrative that she is a “bad person.” A “violent person.” So thinking nice thoughts about herself, like about her appearance, isn’t permitted.
I kind of wonder if this is also why Amazi-girl was able to date Danny, not Amber. It’s hard to have a healthy intimate relationship with someone when you have such a negative view of yourself. The only time she could set that side was as Amazi-girl, because then it was Amazi-girl feeling hot and desirable enough to engage in intimacy without shame, not Amber.
other than some over the top ‘playboy’ moves/lines or ppl being physicall clingy if theyre not already at a ‘friends’ state versus newly acquainted, sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is hitting on you, esp if you’re not actively a bit self confident/slightly egotistic or so
and while i don’t think she’s currently portrayed as a ‘mess’ at least just at first glance compared to how ethan’s looked/dressed i imagine she isn’t the type to put in any unnecessary effort in her current state
I think it just isn’t the sort of thing that usually crosses her mind. Like I think she’s aware Amazi-Girl is since she laments that she likes how she wears her hair as Amazi-Girl and can’t do so as Amber, but otherwise, she doesn’t tend to bring up her appearance that much.
I dunno how to tell you this, but, of the main cast, Amber, Joyce, and Jennifer are definitely the most attractively-drawn female characters in DoA for me. Malaya is a close second.
A lot of people who actually are attractive don’t realize it. Some people have low self-esteem from being treated badly by family or peers when they were younger.
Even worse is when the poor treatment comes from being hot, because people are petty and jealous and insecure so they have to latch onto literally anything.
I love this. I love this completely and I am going to love it even more as badly disguised queerphobic comments about how Booster is “inherently creepy” or “just bad” or whatever roll in. I will go down with this ship.
people are allowed to feel uncomfortable with behavior or find someone creepy. Full stop. Speaking as someone who has ignored my own intuition about someone’s creepy vibes because I was told I was being discriminatory in some way, to my own detriment. But the same goes for anyone. It’s more important to listen to your gut and protect yourself than…anything basically. And trying to override others’ bad feelings about something by saying it is discriminatory feels like a gross manipulation.
Laura, I’m addressing this to you because you have a level head and won’t assume I’m saying something that I’m not. And it sounds as if Meagan had to deal with a bad situation that was terrible, and I’m sorry something like that happened to her.
But the first part of what she had to say bothers me on some level. Certain things seem to logically follow. Whether intentional or not, it seems to imply that people are allowed to feel uncomfortable with homosexual behavior. People are allowed to find gay people creepy. Full stop???
Well, people are allowed to feel that way, but it’s a form of prejudice. Now, I don’t think this is really what Meagan is trying to imply, even if it follows from what she says. But even though I don’t agree with Sajuuk-Khar that everyone who thinks Booster is creepy is queerphobic, neither do I think he was attempting to engage in gross manipulation.
For fuck’s sake. Alright. Let me put some things to rest.
I did not say or even imply that “everyone who thinks Booster is creepy is queerphobic”, Clif. Do not assume that I am saying something I’m not, okay? What I said was, and I quote, “I am going to love [this ship] even more as badly disguised queerphobic comments about how Booster is inherently creepy or just bad roll in.” I am addressing a very specific breed of commenter! If you think it can’t be you: it probably isn’t!
Meagan, I am very sorry about your life experience, but it’s really bonkers to claim that I’m doing “manipulation”. I’m not a fucking cop. I have no authority over you or in the community, and I claim no authority. If you don’t like Booster: cool, fine. If you think Booster has problematic behaviors: yes, they do, they need to work on those, like, uh, 99% of the cast!! Wow!! If Booster gives you bad vibes, well, all I can ask you to do, politely, is analyze where those vibes come from. And I can’t require you to do that. I can’t even stop anyone who actually WANTS to be queerphobic, because I’m Joe Schmoe.
People are absolutely allowed find gay people creepy – just not only because they’re gay. I don’t read Meagan as saying it’s ok to be creeped out by them just being gay, but that she did find a particular gay person creepy, but ignored it because she was told she was just being homophobic, only to have her initial feeling turn out to be accurate.
Queer people can be creepy, just like straight people can be.
Thank you for trying to understand and help explain where I was coming from, although to be clear the identity axis in question that I was thinking of was not sexual preference.
But at the same time, I have observed unhealthy relational behaviors in LGBT communities go overlooked or even be defended. I think that being aware of healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics (all relationships, not just romantic/intimate) is an important issue for LGBT people, especially when the more traditional models about these things work were not based on LGBT lives and might not seem relatable.
Almost last thing, that leads into the actual last thing: when I said “gross manipulation,” what I mean is I *feel* gross and don’t trust people who use the language of discrimination to tell others to ignore their uncomfortable feelings, or even imply that they should do so, or intimate that by expressing one’s uncomfortable feelings, a person is being discriminatory and therefore bad and potentially will be socially excluded. To me, this is an extension of what I’ll call “non-consent culture” to avoid the big triggery R word.
And the actual last thing is that when Sajuuk-Kaar says they don’t have any power to influence people due to being a Joe Shmoe on the internet – this is just not true. We live in an age when any random person’s tweet or tumblr post or comment anywhere can be screenshotted and shared and go viral. Declarative statements made on the internet charismatically have a social influence. Even this comments section has a sort of “culture” too it, because a lot of the same people comment here, and probably loads more read the comments without participating a lot of the time. Authority is not just legal or administrative. Humans look to each other for social cues incessantly, so anyone making a claim about how things are and who is or is not acceptable can and do have an impact.
And it seems disingenuous to me to say “badly disguised queerphobic comments” isn’t implying that any comments critiquing Booster aren’t queerphobic….like that’s the whole point of saying they are disguised, right? Then anyone commenting that they are uncomfortable with Booster’s behavior might be afraid of being called queerphobic “in disguise.” I’ve experienced this dynamic in real in-person communities (not just about LGBT identity either).
Thank you for saying something! I am glad to be able to see the dynamics clearer now. I don’t know if the people who said those things to me were genuinely trying to protect another person from discrimination, or if they just didn’t know how to deal with acknowledging the creepy behavior, or something else. I was also a lot younger when this happened and have since learned a lot about sticking up for myself, but it is still hard sometimes, which is why I try to co-create a culture in which it is safe for people to say something in these situations by raising these points.
I’m sure Booster in the comic is a perfectly great person who has a better sense of boundaries and maturity than the rest of the cast and is just a bit awkward.
But as someone who is themselves definitely very queer, reeeeaaally not sure you wanna go that far.
I do find it confusing sometimes how the mildest comment about something that’s actually a problem, will often get more pushback than outright condemning somebody specific for something that’s not one.
It’s not queerphobic to point out problematic behaviour in people who happen to be queer.
I’m a nonbinary queer person and I find it pretty despicable to suggest that people can’t just disagree with your views about Booster without also being queerphobic.
I find their behaviour creepy with regards to the photographs without consent and the fact that they are an aspiring therapist with a self-claimed fetish for the kind of people who will one day be their patients. You can feel otherwise, obviously, but yikes to suggesting that people are queerphobic for seeing red flags where they lay.
I would say that, based on the number of people who read the same thing I did, that you did “suggest” as much. If that isn’t what you actually meant, then fair enough, miscommunications happen. What you wrote above definitely read like someone suggesting that any criticism of Booster was based in “badly disguised queerphobia” and not in any valid points.
No, I did not suggest that. I was very specifically calling out badly disguised queerphobic comments about Booster, which exist, and which often talk about how Booster is inherently creepy or bad. At no goddamn point did I suggest this encompassed everyone who finds Booster’s behaviors creepy. If you read this into my (again, very mild) criticism of bad faith posters engaging in queerphobia, I don’t know what to tell you.
If many people misread something I wrote, I would probably accept that I hadn’t written it well enough to say what I wanted. You seem to have gone the “everyone but me is wrong” route which is totally your choice. Have a day.
If I wasn’t a Kingdom Hearts fan, I would probably accept that a light jab at Kingdom Hearts fans wasn’t aimed at me. People are weirdly defensive sometimes.
If I’m following your point and the sound bite it seems to reference correctly, I’ve seen this logic around in online (and sometimes offline) groups for years now. It was appealing at first, but upon further analysis, it is the same line of thought used to say someone shouldn’t get mad about a joke stereotyping someone for their identity. Like, “Oh, if you don’t fit the stereotype, then why are you mad?”
It’s also a sort of effective and imo unethical way to silence any criticism or pushback, because it’s implying that anyone who does pushback is automatically the negative thing.
For example, someone might say “oh, you don’t like it when women are called moody on their periods? That’s probably because you’re menstruating right now, haha!”
Or similarly, “You don’t like it when I said such and such is homohobic? Well, we can’t have a good faith conversation about that – you’re probably just homophobic yourself!”
Not sure how to engage genuinely with the insinuation that I’m trying to silence people with exceptionally light sarcasm. It’s clear to me that Sajuuk-Khar was aiming at actual cases of bigotry disguised as criticism, and not saying anything at all about criticism at large. Sometimes a thing just is what it is, and isn’t something else.
Thank you for saying something about the communication issue here and that the person stating something has some responsibility for making themselves clear. It is not just on the receiving end of the communication to understand it! Otherwise people could just say gobbledegook all day and then get mad at others for not being understood. I’ve also been in an unhealthy relationship dynamic where this exact thing happened.
I personally would not have engaged about this specific issue myself directly due to finding it dysregulating, but I appreciate that someone else raised it, and to know that there are other queer people who are in solidarity about not using the idea of queerphobia to silence concerns about unhealthy interpersonal behaviors.
Dang, I didn’t know that finding Booster’s behaviours creepy and inconsiderate made me, a nonbinary pansexual person, queerphobic.
You really got me and my queerphobic dislike for people that open verbal fire on an entire room and take photos of people that have explicitly said they did not consent to having photos taken.
CLARIFICATION BOX: I said “badly disguised queerphobic comments” for a reason, y’all, not “everyone who finds Booster’s behavior creepy is queerphobic”.
If you are a queer person who finds Boost’s behavior bad, you are probably not who I’m talking about, k?
I mean, that was my intent, was to submit that I would love this in spite of the bigots, but it was targeted specifically at bigots, not @everyone. If I’d called out “the whole comments section”, I feel like I’d have crow to eat, but as is I’m irritated that people just assumed I meant them. Oh well.
I agree with Taffy. Your point was fairly clear, at least in my opinion. Some, but not all, commenters who dogpile on Booster are so exceptionally willing to scrutinize everything they do and interpret it in the worst possible light, in a way that I don’t really see done with most other characters. Funny enough, said commenters are often (but not always) the ones misgendering Booster. What a coincidence.
the only comments i’ve seen being put off but their ‘creepiness’ was more because of their actions and not their identity but it’s kinda hard to engage ppl’s moods/interpretations online as opposed to someone passively aggressively judging an irl person under the guise under another excuse though
As pointed out, Booster did ask both Amber and Ruth out for pizza once. (I had forgotten they extended this to Amber, too. Ruth basically told them to try again after Ruth could at least legally drink through it first.)
I’m rather curious if Amber’s going to be receptive or not. She’s not wholly alien to getting hit on, like early in the schoolyear, Danny kind of saving her from awkwardness in the computer class, plus obviously Danny and Walky have made out with her, and more in the former’s case. Still, she definitely doesn’t seem to think of herself as “hot” often, so she might be into it, or might not.
I’m a little worried that Booster has gone “nice, an interesting and hot girl who is more than fine with a partner who is queer” and if it goes well in the start, will be a lot fetishized before it ends
I’m not sure there’s actually anything wrong with being fetishized, so long as both parties go into the relationship knowing that’s in store and wanting it.
I don’t fully disagree, but I mean along the lines of Booster going into it with a more positive understanding of that (ie that their queerness will be prized and a turn on), and that instead it’s a lot of actual pressure to fulfill her fetishized view of queer sex and display that for her.
Booster reminds me of some queens I used to know back in the 90s, except Booster is more bi than the queens ever were. And queen was a specific kind of gay male persona, I can’t describe it but I know when I’m talking to one.
Yeah, it’s cool, I got you. But so far we haven’t seen Booster show interest in anyone but female folks. (To my knowledge, so far it’s just been Ruth and Amber.) Booster did say that Walky had a delightfully feminine energy, but I think that was more along the lines of supporting Lucy’s makeover efforts rather than a statement of personal interest.
I feel like this is a common trope, though I don’t know how much it reflects reality or not: that psych majors are often ironically the ones with the most issues themselves.
Also in general I just think it’s sometimes way easier to analyze other people than yourself. You’re stuck in your own head, you can’t be objective. You can rarely see all your flaws or your best qualities the same way someone else could.
I mean, I kinda read it as them being forced into a corner on that admission, more so than them trying to get flirty intentionally. Like, I suppose they could have lied but they do come off as the never lies type.
YES! The Ambooster confession part one! Amber seems totally unaware of how beauty she is. Let’s hope her reaction will not be running away or hit Booster and then running away. A civil discussion would be good. A relationship between the two could be greater for both.
Haha glad I’m not the only one who is like, “hm, you’ve got your life together? Sorry I’m bored.” But the second I see a character who is a hot mess I’m like, “ahh yes THIS is the content I crave!”
This seems like some weird prejudice against psych majors.
I would however be worried about anyone proclaiming they’re into “people who are fucked in the head” – and deeply concerned about anyone wanting to go into psychology with that attitude.
There are sadly a large number of psych majors who fit that criteria. Most of them get weeded out before they hit licensure point, but… *also waves at vast amount of psych-related iatrogenic trauma in the general population*
There are good ones but it ain’t worth the crapshoot when you’re 19.
Mike would never have made an awkward face like Booster is doing in the last panel. I think they said something instinctively and immediately regretted doing it. I don’t remember a time Mike showed he had the capacity to do this.
Okay, slightly creepy behavior aside (strong-arming her into being filmed, low level ick there, but let’s see where this goes)
Booster is making some hella cute faces, I love all the expressions here, Willis is so good at conveying emotions through expressions and body language.
What’s your favorite subject of photography? It can be stuff you like to film yourself, or just stuff you like to look at in photos and film (and in other types of images).
I like looking at pictures of flowers filmed in ultraviolet and infrared.
I also like looking at images from the Hubble space telescope and the James Webb space telescope.
I also like listening to sounds recorded in space, even though that’s a sound, not an image.
I love listening to the sound of rain. That makes an image in my mind.
I love the smell of lavender, cinnamon, ginger, orange, cloves, and vanilla. That makes an image in my mind too.
What about you? What are your favorite images? Do you have any favorite sensory images that are not visual?
I have lots of them, more than I can list on account of low energy ( gotta LOVE ADHD ;/ )
Although recently, the horror anime Made in Abyss has inspired be to go on internet rabbit holes for images that inspired the natural environments there, including the real life Heavenly Pit in mainland China.
People in animations/comics events. Usually the authors, but it’s important to document even the public around. I can’t remember someone saying me to non take a photo of them. But probably being a journalist help a lot in this case.
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
Hot Toys Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 1/6 Scale Darth Vader Deluxe ($495) & Standard ($315) is up for preorder at Sideshow - shrsl.com/4wcx6 #ad
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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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“so you’re a pain-sexual”
…said Amazi-Girl, who is not here when we need her apparently?
Not sure we need her.
This would be dead on arrival if not for Amber’s attraction to twisted relationships.
BahdumTss.png
… the Most Epic of All Hate Fucks part Two?
Booster Performs a Slipshine? Sure why not?
Oh wait, I got an even better title — Amber Gives Booster Brain!!!
I don’t understand…
This…is pure Booster Gold!
*random DC reference!*
She didn’t catch that from this interaction? https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/01-this-bright-millennium/odd/
Damn, good catch there.
well, i suppose it could be interpreted as “i want to treat you as an apology” rather than it being a date
“pizza on me” sounds much more apology than date, it’s very something one night say to a co-worker or vague acquaintance
Immediately flipping to Ruth with “maybe I’ll ask out this fascinating creature instead” suggests to me that the first was also meant as a date.
Whether or not Amber paid attention for that changes the interpretation, of course
Or it could be, “hey wanna hang out? no? ok imma date instead”
It could be, but it seems unlikely.
Amber could certainly have missed the next bit.
tbf, she was distracted
She wasn’t Amber. She was Amazi-girl.
Pink cheeks say Amber.
So do the tags. If Amazi-girl was fronting she would be tagged not Amber wouldn’t she?
Correct.
AH! That was why I thought they meant Ruth before (and coined Rooster). Cause I remember them asking her out previously.
That was *two* years ago?!? Fookin’ covid I tells ya bai.
I didn’t catch that at the time either.
Oh jeez how can Booster be in a comic dated 2020? And then I check the archive and we’re a week away from their two year anniversary. Gah, I just barely stopped thinking of Becky as being a ‘new’ addition to the main cast.
Smooth, Booster. Smooth.
So, we can all agree that the nonconsensual photography is creepy now, right?
Yep. But Booster has always been kind of creepy. Maybe Amber will find she likes it creepy. Wouldn’t be unheard of for someone who grew up with abuse.
’cause what this situation desperately needs is yet another level of creepy.
Pretty much everything every character does in this comic is “problematic” if you look at it too closely, which is inherent to a relationship-heavy dramedy that sometimes works on cartoon rules.
If Amber pushes back and then Booster won’t drop it, then Booster has crossed into “actually a creep” but so far we’re in “Would be a bit creepy IRL but normal in the DoA context” territory.
Thank you so much for being so reasonable about this! I don’t understand why people seem to take everything that happens in the comic as a personal attack
There’s a comments section and we got to use it for SOMETHING
As a booster lover I appreciate you two so much!
Discussing something and deciding that it seems wrong or creepy or assholish isn’t “taking everything that happens in the comic as a personal attack”.
Some people enjoy discussing the characters through a real-world lens. Other people enjoying something you don’t isn’t a flaw in them or in you. It’s an opinion-based thing and neither option is wrong.
The time stretched nature of the comic does lead us to often focus on a particular moment that might be questionable and blow it way out of proportion – often before the scene even finishes playing out.
It reminds me of when my sibling used to pause TV shows mid-conversation and nitpick everything that was said for like 20 minutes before unpausing and hearing the rest, just to do it again about a minute later. One of these days I’ll watch Legend of Korra normally.
Sometimes I want to bring that up when people complain about the pacing of a web comic, what if you watched five seconds of a movie per day
Never imagined anyone actually DID
It’s like watching an entire TV series exclusively via a series of Vines posted on a daily gimmick account.
I mean, I’ve done occasionally. Sometimes you need to heckle the movie without missing the next bit.
There’s a recurring thing in the comment section where people forget this is a cartoon.
And another one where they mildly forget that other people are people. Not everybody, but.
tbf, this is always going to be a problem in a “cartoon” that’s also supposed to be a relationship drama.
In the real world, Karla making it her life mission to be as annoying as possible for literally no reason would make everyone hate her, but she’s a cartoon character who gets one line a year so it’s nbd, and in the real world people don’t go make it their life’s mission to annoy people for no reason so it’s easy to see Karla’s a cartoon. It’s more awkward when the action is realistic, like how Walky is casually emotionally abusive to Lucy. If he were real, he’d be an abusive and cruel boyfriend. In the context of the comic….enh?
I wonder, actually, if that’s part of the reason every “bad” character in Dumbing of Age is basically Skeletor, though that’s also the kind of villain Willis seems to enjoy writing the most.
I’m not sure abusive is a fair way to describe Walky’s behavior, like yes he’s an incredibly bad boyfriend, but I read that as being due largely to him being incredibly immature/oblivious/clueless (granted some of that is being consciously unwilling to face reality), like I get the feeling that if someone sat him down and made it incredibly clear/painfully obvious that what he’s doing is wrong he would stop, or at least make an effort to change. I’d say that if the problem can be solved with a conversation (or intervention, as the case may be), then it isn’t at the level of malicious intent that qualifies it as abuse, unless you are willing to label any shitty or unhealthy behavior in a relationship as abusive, which is… extreme and unfair.
Cruel? Possibly, I’m not sure he’s gone that far yet, but he’s certainly capable of taking his thoughtlessness that far. Abusive? That’s a stretch.
“casually emotionally abusive”?
I’m not even sure what you’re referring to.
It’s certainly possible I’ve missed stuff, but really not sure what you’re thinking of.
His obliviousness before they started dating might have been read that way, especially if you thought he did realize how she felt, but since then?
This right here. For further reading, see The Rule of Funny article on TV Tropes.
I didn’t think it was that weird before because they had kinda become friends and she had roped them into a weird plot and she made a joke about it at the end of the strip, but this definitely is getting into big oof territory
I feel like I should’ve seen this coming and I still didn’t. What’s the social equivalent of a pratfall?
A Danny.
I want to say you’re wrong, but I can’t.
Faux pas?
Wait, is this Booster admitting they find Amber hot? or Ethan?
Which begs the next question: is Booster going to seduce one of them, or just make fdiends?
Yes.
I think Booster is just attracted to people with a lot of trauma to unravel. Here’s hoping they don’t end up like Padme Amidala
… WOW.
I think Booster is safe given that they probably can’t get pregnant and even if they can they don’t live in a universe where doctors are so inept and completely incompetent that they blame death from complications during child birth to “a broken heart.”
Maybe they couldn’t accept that their technology wasn’t enough to save her so they blamed it on a broken heart. Her while death scene was weird though. Her whole relationship with Anikan was weird and felt forced.
Anakin fell into lava and burned off all his limbs and still survived. Technology not being able to save Padme feels very strange in-universe. I feel like if they wanted her die in childbirth they could’ve just made it so she didn’t have medical attention during it. She was in a volcano and had just been force-choked, I feel like they could’ve just had her go into early labor and not be able to get medical attention or just refuse it.
Yeah I mentally retcon that scene to be that planet had not the best medical care (I mean who puts a hospital in a volcano?) and the Drs were lying to avoid liability (or just didn’t know any better) and her having JUST BEEN FORCE CHOKED WHILE PREGNANT and then immediately going into labor is why she really died.
Because as written it is ridiculous.
Obi-Wan took Padme to the Polis Massa asteroids for treatment. If we want to get into fan explanations, I think that the significant travel time meant they arrived too late.
“She lost the will to live after her ventricle burst. She wanted me to let you know that Anakin wanted his son to have his lightsaber when he us old enough.”
The idea of an aspiring therapist who finds psychological damage hot is down right gross to me. Here’s hoping they grow out of that.
I feel certain this will be a learning experience all around.
You have a disturbing amount of a point there.
Least terrible reasoning I can think of is “I like a fixer-upper”
which is still gross but maybe at least they have the mindset of wanting to be able to mostly contribute to the relationship, rather than only being mostly a grifter
idk
The thought, “But I can save him/her/them!” is the appeal, sometimes, apparently.
Reminds me of in the 90s how the fans would swoon over the tortured souls who achieved music celebrity status, and their addictions and run-ins with the law just made them more appealing “bad boys” and “bad girls”.
You think Booster’s going to stop at one of them?
Of course not. But don’t rush things. Savor them as they happen.
They might really, really, really try to befriend but if mutual atraction happens I don’t think they would resist very much
Looks like you got more than what you bargained for, Amber!
*plays “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails on hacked muzak*
*attempts to play Buster Poindexter’s “Hot Hot Hot” on the Muzak…*
I’ll help:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=bKP18BpvX_o
The thirst.
Insert eyes emoji here.
So, Booster has a type
Wonder if they’d be into my NSFW Amber fanart….
I don’t know if Booster is into that art, but I certainly am. Saved for future… research.
this is a good day!
Amber looks like she just accidentally swallowed a hard candy – no pun intended.
I’m sour candy/
So sweet that I get a little angry, yeah/
I’m sour candy/
Yeah, yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah/
(insert sickos ha ha ha yes comic panel here)
Amber was right, they really are Replacement Mike.
(my non-existent kingdom for a multi-tag search function in the Shortpacked! archives!)
Fucking—I curse the reply button being next to the flag button, I know I am not the first but I was blessedly free of this till now.
My unintentional fat finger mobile transgressions aside: SAME PAGE, HA HA HA, YES
Thanks for the links, I was totally thinking the same.
I guess Booster just has no filter.
I get it. That’s a great one.
Depends on how it’s framed.
Yes, I suppose optics are important.
“no excuse me i am a true crime connoisseur”
So that’s why Booster didn’t say no to this
I would like to nominate that last panel for Best Booster Face, please. I never imagined them pulling off “endearingly dorky,” but they manage.
(Though they’re probably going to strike out here if this is deliberate flirtation and not just blunt honesty; Amber’s never given any indication of being anything other than straight, and Booster’s pretty well emphasized that they are Not a Guy.)
Booster’s not a guy, but they’re not a girl either. And if Shortpacked Amber’s sexual preferences transfer here, the way Booster presents physically is pretty close to her “type” (I mean, Shortpacked Amber drew her ideally attractive Batman as a slim man with pronounced lips and eyes).
Wow, nice callback/reference. I think that was one of the first Willis comics I ever encountered, as it had achieved escape velocity from his normal orbit/worked as a standalone thing.
Amber is also VERY much into abs, though.
We don’t know that Booster doesn’t have abs.
It’s all coming together.
Nomination seconded.
Honestly all the Booster faces here are pretty great.
“Oh, come on, like I’m ACTUALLY hot. It’s not like I’m the main character in a Slipshine story or something.”
“That would have to be Amazi-Girl… or an alternate universe, maybe”
Congratulations, Booster, you have managed to state a compliment and an insult in one word.
Don’t photograph your crush without their permission, Booster.
(Also this would be Amber’s… third? Partner in less than six months?)
I think youngsters switch flings pretty rapidly. I know I used to when I was a little younger than them.
(Also this would be Amber’s… third? Partner in less than six months?)
Someone complimenting you does not a partner make. And also, so?
Walky was something, but he wasn’t a partner.
Pretty sure Amber’s had fewer sexual partners than, say, Joe and Ethan, in the same time period. You know, if we’re slut-shaming characters, now.
Don’t put words in my mouth. Amber can sleep with as many people as she likes.
It was just a thought that because if the timescale of this strip compared to real world time, we’re gonna see dozens of relationships form and break before the year is even over. Jennifer/Ruth was years for us but barely over a month for them.
i don’t think i’ve ever seen anyone irl ‘bite their lip’ like it is commonly in fictional stories, maybe i haven’t been around thirsty ppl but i wouldn’t see the appeal/would think it’d be uncomfortable versus ‘sexy’ lol
Oh, it’s real. And it’s more of a reflex than a purposeful seduction technique (at least for me
).
i can imagine it being a form of anxiety tho i guess with mouth masks it’d be easier to hide, and i try to avoid eye contact with strangers other than cashiers. (when i got a cavity filled in my front tooth, the dentist actually made it sharper than it was originally and it made me end up biting/’scratching’ around that or like the lower area under my lip a bit more at first [that said, even if it’s unconscious at the start i’d assume your lips are sensitive enough to where you’d notice after the fact and adjust/stop if you realize you don’t wanna send off any flirty signals to someone else]) And also some ppl might wanna hide their teeth even if they don’t especially stick out ,seems like it’d also mess up any lip balm/lipstick you’d apply but i’d think just a nice shade and a regular smile would be more attractive/visually appealing
Be interesting if it was diff in other countries/cultures like, “this means i want to insult you but holding back, so i’m biting my lip/tongue literally”
Just be careful to not bite your *upper* lip XD
I imagine it may occur for similar reasons to why it occurs when I am trying to suppress laughter – they are trying to suppress sounds or words or feelings because it would be inappropriate to blurt them out.
self…own?
o_o ???
Amber.exe has crashed
Booster got good taste
THE VIEWER HAS BECOME THE VIEWED!!!
That itself is also messed up….I sort of get it though because I’m also messed up in a way.
Amber you walked right into that one.
Also come on, I know her self esteem’s not great but I’d at least hope she’d be aware of her own hotness.
Amber doesn’t feel hot because she views herself in such a negatuve way that she is ignoring or denying things that are trying to show her she’s worth more.
At least that is my interpretation of what Amber is thinking.
I also feel like a large chunk of her self confidence manifests as Amazigirl. Which probably causes some messed up dynamics when it comes to being able to think of herself as attractive. That’s the part of herself that was created to more positively channel what she feels are her worst qualities.
I get the impression also it’s not just that she thinks badly of herself, she feels GUILTY thinking highly of herself. She’s internalized this narrative that she is a “bad person.” A “violent person.” So thinking nice thoughts about herself, like about her appearance, isn’t permitted.
I kind of wonder if this is also why Amazi-girl was able to date Danny, not Amber. It’s hard to have a healthy intimate relationship with someone when you have such a negative view of yourself. The only time she could set that side was as Amazi-girl, because then it was Amazi-girl feeling hot and desirable enough to engage in intimacy without shame, not Amber.
I honestly usually take it as her not thinking about it that much rather than thinking she looks bad or anything.
My guess is that she believes her negative traits far outweigh anything about her people would find beautiful.
other than some over the top ‘playboy’ moves/lines or ppl being physicall clingy if theyre not already at a ‘friends’ state versus newly acquainted, sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is hitting on you, esp if you’re not actively a bit self confident/slightly egotistic or so
and while i don’t think she’s currently portrayed as a ‘mess’ at least just at first glance compared to how ethan’s looked/dressed i imagine she isn’t the type to put in any unnecessary effort in her current state
Amber knows she’s attractive, right? This has to have occurred to her at some point?
I think it just isn’t the sort of thing that usually crosses her mind. Like I think she’s aware Amazi-Girl is since she laments that she likes how she wears her hair as Amazi-Girl and can’t do so as Amber, but otherwise, she doesn’t tend to bring up her appearance that much.
What do you mean by “knows”? Attractivity lies in the eye of the beholder.
And if she’s 0 on the Kinsey scale, she can’t behold herself.
She certainly isn’t drawn as attractive.
That’s funny.
lol. lmao. Fuck off.
I dunno how to tell you this, but, of the main cast, Amber, Joyce, and Jennifer are definitely the most attractively-drawn female characters in DoA for me. Malaya is a close second.
A lot of people who actually are attractive don’t realize it. Some people have low self-esteem from being treated badly by family or peers when they were younger.
Even worse is when the poor treatment comes from being hot, because people are petty and jealous and insecure so they have to latch onto literally anything.
Vigilantism is hot.
He got the “messed up” part not from the news about gash face (and body), but from overhearing her talking to Ethan like once
They.
thank you, would edit if I could
No worries. Did not intend to come off as snippy if I did
No worries, your tone was fine
I love this. I love this completely and I am going to love it even more as badly disguised queerphobic comments about how Booster is “inherently creepy” or “just bad” or whatever roll in. I will go down with this ship.
people are allowed to feel uncomfortable with behavior or find someone creepy. Full stop. Speaking as someone who has ignored my own intuition about someone’s creepy vibes because I was told I was being discriminatory in some way, to my own detriment. But the same goes for anyone. It’s more important to listen to your gut and protect yourself than…anything basically. And trying to override others’ bad feelings about something by saying it is discriminatory feels like a gross manipulation.
Thank you, Meagan.
Laura, I’m addressing this to you because you have a level head and won’t assume I’m saying something that I’m not. And it sounds as if Meagan had to deal with a bad situation that was terrible, and I’m sorry something like that happened to her.
But the first part of what she had to say bothers me on some level. Certain things seem to logically follow. Whether intentional or not, it seems to imply that people are allowed to feel uncomfortable with homosexual behavior. People are allowed to find gay people creepy. Full stop???
Well, people are allowed to feel that way, but it’s a form of prejudice. Now, I don’t think this is really what Meagan is trying to imply, even if it follows from what she says. But even though I don’t agree with Sajuuk-Khar that everyone who thinks Booster is creepy is queerphobic, neither do I think he was attempting to engage in gross manipulation.
Does this make any sense?
For fuck’s sake. Alright. Let me put some things to rest.
I did not say or even imply that “everyone who thinks Booster is creepy is queerphobic”, Clif. Do not assume that I am saying something I’m not, okay? What I said was, and I quote, “I am going to love [this ship] even more as badly disguised queerphobic comments about how Booster is inherently creepy or just bad roll in.” I am addressing a very specific breed of commenter! If you think it can’t be you: it probably isn’t!
Meagan, I am very sorry about your life experience, but it’s really bonkers to claim that I’m doing “manipulation”. I’m not a fucking cop. I have no authority over you or in the community, and I claim no authority. If you don’t like Booster: cool, fine. If you think Booster has problematic behaviors: yes, they do, they need to work on those, like, uh, 99% of the cast!! Wow!! If Booster gives you bad vibes, well, all I can ask you to do, politely, is analyze where those vibes come from. And I can’t require you to do that. I can’t even stop anyone who actually WANTS to be queerphobic, because I’m Joe Schmoe.
People are absolutely allowed find gay people creepy – just not only because they’re gay. I don’t read Meagan as saying it’s ok to be creeped out by them just being gay, but that she did find a particular gay person creepy, but ignored it because she was told she was just being homophobic, only to have her initial feeling turn out to be accurate.
Queer people can be creepy, just like straight people can be.
Thank you for trying to understand and help explain where I was coming from, although to be clear the identity axis in question that I was thinking of was not sexual preference.
But at the same time, I have observed unhealthy relational behaviors in LGBT communities go overlooked or even be defended. I think that being aware of healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics (all relationships, not just romantic/intimate) is an important issue for LGBT people, especially when the more traditional models about these things work were not based on LGBT lives and might not seem relatable.
Almost last thing, that leads into the actual last thing: when I said “gross manipulation,” what I mean is I *feel* gross and don’t trust people who use the language of discrimination to tell others to ignore their uncomfortable feelings, or even imply that they should do so, or intimate that by expressing one’s uncomfortable feelings, a person is being discriminatory and therefore bad and potentially will be socially excluded. To me, this is an extension of what I’ll call “non-consent culture” to avoid the big triggery R word.
And the actual last thing is that when Sajuuk-Kaar says they don’t have any power to influence people due to being a Joe Shmoe on the internet – this is just not true. We live in an age when any random person’s tweet or tumblr post or comment anywhere can be screenshotted and shared and go viral. Declarative statements made on the internet charismatically have a social influence. Even this comments section has a sort of “culture” too it, because a lot of the same people comment here, and probably loads more read the comments without participating a lot of the time. Authority is not just legal or administrative. Humans look to each other for social cues incessantly, so anyone making a claim about how things are and who is or is not acceptable can and do have an impact.
And it seems disingenuous to me to say “badly disguised queerphobic comments” isn’t implying that any comments critiquing Booster aren’t queerphobic….like that’s the whole point of saying they are disguised, right? Then anyone commenting that they are uncomfortable with Booster’s behavior might be afraid of being called queerphobic “in disguise.” I’ve experienced this dynamic in real in-person communities (not just about LGBT identity either).
I know what it’s like to be manipulated like that. All too well. I’m so sorry Meagan, that must have been awful.
Thank you for saying something! I am glad to be able to see the dynamics clearer now. I don’t know if the people who said those things to me were genuinely trying to protect another person from discrimination, or if they just didn’t know how to deal with acknowledging the creepy behavior, or something else. I was also a lot younger when this happened and have since learned a lot about sticking up for myself, but it is still hard sometimes, which is why I try to co-create a culture in which it is safe for people to say something in these situations by raising these points.
I’m sure Booster in the comic is a perfectly great person who has a better sense of boundaries and maturity than the rest of the cast and is just a bit awkward.
But as someone who is themselves definitely very queer, reeeeaaally not sure you wanna go that far.
That’s…why I didn’t go that far? I called out, very mildly, a really specific form of posting I have witnessed before.
It’s really weird to have people jumping on me for How Dare Thee when I did not, in fact, dare.
I do find it confusing sometimes how the mildest comment about something that’s actually a problem, will often get more pushback than outright condemning somebody specific for something that’s not one.
It’s not queerphobic to point out problematic behaviour in people who happen to be queer.
I’m a nonbinary queer person and I find it pretty despicable to suggest that people can’t just disagree with your views about Booster without also being queerphobic.
I find their behaviour creepy with regards to the photographs without consent and the fact that they are an aspiring therapist with a self-claimed fetish for the kind of people who will one day be their patients. You can feel otherwise, obviously, but yikes to suggesting that people are queerphobic for seeing red flags where they lay.
Literally nowhere in my comment did I suggest any of this, but okay, cool.
I would say that, based on the number of people who read the same thing I did, that you did “suggest” as much. If that isn’t what you actually meant, then fair enough, miscommunications happen. What you wrote above definitely read like someone suggesting that any criticism of Booster was based in “badly disguised queerphobia” and not in any valid points.
No, I did not suggest that. I was very specifically calling out badly disguised queerphobic comments about Booster, which exist, and which often talk about how Booster is inherently creepy or bad. At no goddamn point did I suggest this encompassed everyone who finds Booster’s behaviors creepy. If you read this into my (again, very mild) criticism of bad faith posters engaging in queerphobia, I don’t know what to tell you.
Okay. Like I said “miscommunications happen”.
If many people misread something I wrote, I would probably accept that I hadn’t written it well enough to say what I wanted. You seem to have gone the “everyone but me is wrong” route which is totally your choice. Have a day.
If I wasn’t a Kingdom Hearts fan, I would probably accept that a light jab at Kingdom Hearts fans wasn’t aimed at me. People are weirdly defensive sometimes.
If I’m following your point and the sound bite it seems to reference correctly, I’ve seen this logic around in online (and sometimes offline) groups for years now. It was appealing at first, but upon further analysis, it is the same line of thought used to say someone shouldn’t get mad about a joke stereotyping someone for their identity. Like, “Oh, if you don’t fit the stereotype, then why are you mad?”
It’s also a sort of effective and imo unethical way to silence any criticism or pushback, because it’s implying that anyone who does pushback is automatically the negative thing.
For example, someone might say “oh, you don’t like it when women are called moody on their periods? That’s probably because you’re menstruating right now, haha!”
Or similarly, “You don’t like it when I said such and such is homohobic? Well, we can’t have a good faith conversation about that – you’re probably just homophobic yourself!”
Not sure how to engage genuinely with the insinuation that I’m trying to silence people with exceptionally light sarcasm. It’s clear to me that Sajuuk-Khar was aiming at actual cases of bigotry disguised as criticism, and not saying anything at all about criticism at large. Sometimes a thing just is what it is, and isn’t something else.
Thank you for saying something about the communication issue here and that the person stating something has some responsibility for making themselves clear. It is not just on the receiving end of the communication to understand it! Otherwise people could just say gobbledegook all day and then get mad at others for not being understood. I’ve also been in an unhealthy relationship dynamic where this exact thing happened.
I personally would not have engaged about this specific issue myself directly due to finding it dysregulating, but I appreciate that someone else raised it, and to know that there are other queer people who are in solidarity about not using the idea of queerphobia to silence concerns about unhealthy interpersonal behaviors.
Dang, I didn’t know that finding Booster’s behaviours creepy and inconsiderate made me, a nonbinary pansexual person, queerphobic.
You really got me and my queerphobic dislike for people that open verbal fire on an entire room and take photos of people that have explicitly said they did not consent to having photos taken.
CLARIFICATION BOX: I said “badly disguised queerphobic comments” for a reason, y’all, not “everyone who finds Booster’s behavior creepy is queerphobic”.
If you are a queer person who finds Boost’s behavior bad, you are probably not who I’m talking about, k?
You can be straight and still find Booster’s behaviour bad without being queerphobic.
Oh, come on.
Agreed.
As somebody who constantly misunderstands what people here are trying to say, I understood what you meant immediately.
I am genuinely relieved to hear this, thank you.
Wasn’t gonna jump in this thread, but I did read the original post as “I will love this even as the bigots with their thinly-veiled queerphobia don’t”
I mean, that was my intent, was to submit that I would love this in spite of the bigots, but it was targeted specifically at bigots, not @everyone. If I’d called out “the whole comments section”, I feel like I’d have crow to eat, but as is I’m irritated that people just assumed I meant them. Oh well.
Your post was worded fine. You’re right to be irritated about it.
I agree with Taffy. Your point was fairly clear, at least in my opinion. Some, but not all, commenters who dogpile on Booster are so exceptionally willing to scrutinize everything they do and interpret it in the worst possible light, in a way that I don’t really see done with most other characters. Funny enough, said commenters are often (but not always) the ones misgendering Booster. What a coincidence.
“I agree with Taffy”, now there’s a dangerous sentiment.
the only comments i’ve seen being put off but their ‘creepiness’ was more because of their actions and not their identity but it’s kinda hard to engage ppl’s moods/interpretations online as opposed to someone passively aggressively judging an irl person under the guise under another excuse though
As pointed out, Booster did ask both Amber and Ruth out for pizza once. (I had forgotten they extended this to Amber, too. Ruth basically told them to try again after Ruth could at least legally drink through it first.)
I’m rather curious if Amber’s going to be receptive or not. She’s not wholly alien to getting hit on, like early in the schoolyear, Danny kind of saving her from awkwardness in the computer class, plus obviously Danny and Walky have made out with her, and more in the former’s case. Still, she definitely doesn’t seem to think of herself as “hot” often, so she might be into it, or might not.
Ah. This has gotten worse.
Deep cut, but Booster sort of reminds me of a much more attractive Dr. Gene Splicer. I think it’s the lips and glasses.
I’m a little worried that Booster has gone “nice, an interesting and hot girl who is more than fine with a partner who is queer” and if it goes well in the start, will be a lot fetishized before it ends
I’m not sure there’s actually anything wrong with being fetishized, so long as both parties go into the relationship knowing that’s in store and wanting it.
I don’t fully disagree, but I mean along the lines of Booster going into it with a more positive understanding of that (ie that their queerness will be prized and a turn on), and that instead it’s a lot of actual pressure to fulfill her fetishized view of queer sex and display that for her.
Yeah. I get that.
Of course, Booster is also fetishizing mental illness, here, so maybe they could fetishize each other.
Booster reminds me of some queens I used to know back in the 90s, except Booster is more bi than the queens ever were. And queen was a specific kind of gay male persona, I can’t describe it but I know when I’m talking to one.
Yeah, it’s cool, I got you. But so far we haven’t seen Booster show interest in anyone but female folks. (To my knowledge, so far it’s just been Ruth and Amber.) Booster did say that Walky had a delightfully feminine energy, but I think that was more along the lines of supporting Lucy’s makeover efforts rather than a statement of personal interest.
Huh. Booster definitely has a type.
Let’s see where this goes.
Hopefully onto the therapy couch… okay this came out a bit wrong.
I feel like “When you’re pressuring someone into letting you film them” is perhaps not the best time to get flirty.
For all Booster’s quasi-magical levels of person reading, they themselves don’t seem to have a ton of self-reflection.
Or they do and are making these choices anyway….
I mean, it’s better for them to shoot their shot now than go through probably a week of pretense of ‘observation’ to try to get closer to Amber.
I love it as a twist on them. Great at understanding everyone else except themselves
I feel like this is a common trope, though I don’t know how much it reflects reality or not: that psych majors are often ironically the ones with the most issues themselves.
Also in general I just think it’s sometimes way easier to analyze other people than yourself. You’re stuck in your own head, you can’t be objective. You can rarely see all your flaws or your best qualities the same way someone else could.
Yea, I guess it’s fun when it’s dialed up to eleven both ways. Like if Booster is this good at reading people, What do they not know about themselves.
They’re secretly into Digimon, I bet.
“I was so focused on everyone else’s problems, I forgot to learn about the digital world”
HA HA! Hoist by your own spandex suit, batwoman!
I mean, I kinda read it as them being forced into a corner on that admission, more so than them trying to get flirty intentionally. Like, I suppose they could have lied but they do come off as the never lies type.
is that smooth or what?
Or what. But it got the job done. Fair warning has been given.
YES! The Ambooster confession part one! Amber seems totally unaware of how beauty she is. Let’s hope her reaction will not be running away or hit Booster and then running away. A civil discussion would be good. A relationship between the two could be greater for both.
Excuse me it’s BoostBer
That is the least eloquent I’ve seen Booster so far. Now, I am interested in them as a character.
Haha glad I’m not the only one who is like, “hm, you’ve got your life together? Sorry I’m bored.” But the second I see a character who is a hot mess I’m like, “ahh yes THIS is the content I crave!”
This comic never fails to deliver with that.
-grab popcorn-
Here we go.
Yeah, this is going in the direction I did not want it to.
Whew, the last thing I would recommend to someone with “”interesting”” trauma is to date a psych major, unless you’re trying to collect more of it…
Still glad to see Booster getting characterization.
This seems like some weird prejudice against psych majors.
I would however be worried about anyone proclaiming they’re into “people who are fucked in the head” – and deeply concerned about anyone wanting to go into psychology with that attitude.
There are sadly a large number of psych majors who fit that criteria. Most of them get weeded out before they hit licensure point, but… *also waves at vast amount of psych-related iatrogenic trauma in the general population*
There are good ones but it ain’t worth the crapshoot when you’re 19.
If psych majors didn’t wanna be made fun of, why do they all have rainbow wigs, red noses, giant shoes, and unicycles?
(I jest, but I actually do know about a clown who majored in anthropology)
Let’s both have fun perving on Goth Ethan. (Puts Twitter down)
Is they
>_>
<_<
….drunk?
Amber has, as you might day, been played. Or maybe she played herself.
Oh dear, they really are “replacement Mike.”
Mike would never have made an awkward face like Booster is doing in the last panel. I think they said something instinctively and immediately regretted doing it. I don’t remember a time Mike showed he had the capacity to do this.
You have drawn my attention to how cute that last panel Booster face is.
Yup, Booster is going to try and shag both Amber and Ethan; together, if possible, separately if necessary. Do not disappoint me, Slipshine.
Joe: “Threesome!”
Going out on a limb here to say that being attracted to people who are fucked up in the head is one of the least good traits to have as a therapist.
Mike: Hatefuck. Booster: Mindfuck.
Ohhh, that moment of realization. . . .
Hmmm, I dunno if I “ship” it, but I don’t mind it either.
Booster’s not wrong.
Okay even though this would be a logistical nightmare I totally ship it.
Logistical nightmare?
Or are you including Ethan in the mix?
I mostly meant that Booster is Walky’s roommate and I think that would be several different kinds of awkward.
It would, though with Lucy in the picture, maybe not *as* weird.
Amber in that last panel ” I don’t think I gave you permission to be this fucked up in MY head….”
I love booster’s face going from “flirty” to “…i may have fucked up” in the span of a second
“Did I say that out loud?”
“H-hey, you wouldn’t hit an enby with GLASSES, would ya?”
Amber then takes off her own glasses and slaps Booster with them.
….. wow, okay. So uh.
Booster might be the saddest character in the strip.
And that beats out Joyce, whose last communication with their mother was “remember, the kidnapping is because I love you”.
After taking some time to look at the situation here, Booster is a bit creepy. Not as creepy as Faz, but still.
subtle
Okay, slightly creepy behavior aside (strong-arming her into being filmed, low level ick there, but let’s see where this goes)
Booster is making some hella cute faces, I love all the expressions here, Willis is so good at conveying emotions through expressions and body language.
Ya don’t say.
I don’t think they said anything, the post is blank!
OK, new game:
What’s your favorite subject of photography? It can be stuff you like to film yourself, or just stuff you like to look at in photos and film (and in other types of images).
I like looking at pictures of flowers filmed in ultraviolet and infrared.
I also like looking at images from the Hubble space telescope and the James Webb space telescope.
I also like listening to sounds recorded in space, even though that’s a sound, not an image.
I love listening to the sound of rain. That makes an image in my mind.
I love the smell of lavender, cinnamon, ginger, orange, cloves, and vanilla. That makes an image in my mind too.
What about you? What are your favorite images? Do you have any favorite sensory images that are not visual?
I have lots of them, more than I can list on account of low energy ( gotta LOVE ADHD ;/ )
Although recently, the horror anime Made in Abyss has inspired be to go on internet rabbit holes for images that inspired the natural environments there, including the real life Heavenly Pit in mainland China.
Lovely!
People in animations/comics events. Usually the authors, but it’s important to document even the public around. I can’t remember someone saying me to non take a photo of them. But probably being a journalist help a lot in this case.
Awesome!
He really is replacement Mike
They.
and “are”.
Can’t tell if their smoothe, or WAY too bold, time will tell.
I feel like this is just Amber’s own willingness to ship her friends being reflected back at her by the universe in a glorious way.