Booster is a psychology major who has a tendency to armchair therapist their friends. This is 100% beneficial for Walky since they wouldn’t see a professional to begin with
I got my Dina, and she arrived with her hoodie down! I am taking that to mean I am a special boy and going to invest in Bitcoin and play the lottery today.
I think they all arrive with the hood down. You have to squeeze her head to get it in there without pulling on the hood. (which would probably tear since there’s no give in it)
Some day he’ll fail his way upward to the presidency, many years from now.
Having no earthly idea how he managed it, he reaches out to the most competent person he knows: Dorothy Keener-Brown is his running mate.
D.K.B. is the brains in the White House at last, President Walky (hey, Eisenhower was called “Ike”) is just voluntarily parroting her plans and getting laid like JFK. Femme fatale honeytrap spies are sent to seduce him, and all fail because he isn’t the one making the decisions. He just has to be exactly enough of a smartass (being a smartass is his specialty!) to poke holes in other people’s arguments in a debate, and then present his VP’s rebuttals (heh, reBUTTals) at a later time.
It gets out that the POTUS and VP once banged. This has no effect because D.K.B. is married to a woman. Femme fatale spies attempting to honeytrap D.K.B. also fail because Joyce Brown-Keener-Rosenthal is the only woman she is actually attracted to.
They try seducing Joeseph Rosenthal-Brown for state secrets. They fail because the queue to his bedroom is too long.
They try seducing Joyce Brown-Keener-Rosenthal at last. She accidentally seduces them. Joyce pulls, actually.
America is safe, thanks to the power of Polycule (and President Walky the fourth wheel).
Who cares if DYW writes this – *reality* needs to do it. Best option is to get Seanan McGuire on the job since she appears to have the contract for reality.
Lol I skipped a word and read that Joe’s bedroom is too long. Like he’s sitting at his desk or bed and it’s simply too far away from the door and the reporters do not want to walk that far
sadly, I don’t think Booster would take any hints on shutting up, nor do I think Walky has the authority or energy to throw them out. Especially after overdosing on fast food.
He’s in a bit of a catch-22 because Booster is still in the room with him and for sure will not leave him alone. Bad choices all around for Walky. Might as well get up and face the music.
She did try to! Dina made it clear that everything had already been handled and Dorothy had her, “Then what am I supposed to do? 🥺” moment. So she is aware that the extent of the injuries Amber sustained are quite severe.
Gotta appreciate that this is Indiana, not Australia. An adult calling a fellow adult “Champ” in the downunderverse is fight talk (Because we’re a nation of idiots)
When Ethan talked to them about being a bad friend, they responded in a way that still makes me wonder if Booster really understands what friendship is. And not in a MLP “learning what friendship is”, but in a genuinely incapable of making proper connections outside of a sociopathatic need to meddle in affairs and analyze people’s issues for their own amusement.
I don’t know if Booster likes Walky, but more than half Walky’s friends don’t seem to like Walky, so who knows.
That said, considering that Bosster told Ethan that friends are therapists that deflect with jokes, and that’s basically Walky’s whole deal, it seems like they do consider him a friend.
Pmo especially bc psycho/sociopathy is not a thing! They’re effectively only useful for discussing movies n shit, they’re not real!!! There’s ASPD, which is demonized enough already and booster sure as shit doesn’t have it. Ppl just see an autistic that doesn’t present like Dina or Joyce and go “oh yeah this is evil. They have the Evil Person Disease™”
heck while we’re at it it really must be said — any notion of there being some mental disorder(s) responsible for popular conceptions of “innate criminality” or some shit is literally a product of decades of copoganda
and when you try to explain this people just ignore you and continue to talk about the mythical evil psycho sociopath
very frustrating to see this from other neurodivergent people, like, im BPD! people who are ASPD are my siblings in personality disorderhood, i wont just abandon them because of the horrific amount of stigmatization!
also sidenote i believe we should move away from the model of psychology that creates these highly stigmatized labels for traumatized behavior, instead looking for concepts that aren’t inherently stigmatizing.
that said im still using it as a framework to understand myself currently
omg thank you so so so so so so so much for this comment. calling it the “evil person’s disease” is such an accurate put down for this mentality. all of the Internets to you, fellow netizen.
And I love it when people just let bad writing of a on the spectrum character get away with bad behavior, making us look like this is always normal. but go off I guess.
I swear; it s either the trope of complete selfish behavior, or being some kind of cartoon childlike person. And when we complain about it, we’re just talked over by people assuming the worst.
Saying that this is a normal way for neurodivergence to appear (especially in someone undiagnosed and unaware) is literally just a fact? No one, literally NO ONE said Booster should get away with “bad behavior” (here defined by you, as a subjective term) because they might be on the spectrum.
I personally relate to Booster, because this is how I personally behaved all through university. So, sorry it’s a trope, but that doesn’t make it unrealistic. They’re analytical, lonely, and trying to connect by proving to everyone around them how intelligent and observant they are. They get a dopamine hit from the drama, but they tell themself that they’re helping friends, so it’s fine to get a kick out of it.
They’re 18/19, they’ll grow out of it, learn, and probably experience a little shock when their psych classes get to neurodivergence.
I’m sorry you personally don’t see yourself in Booster, or any of the ND characters in this comic, but others do. I do. The author presumably also does. Maybe people get defensive because “sociopath” is assuming a lot of malice from someone just struggling to connect with the people around them in a way that feels meaningful.
I don’t think we’ve ever gotten enough of Booster’s motivation behind kicking up drama was anything other than doing it for kicks. I can understand wanting to project your own experiences on them, and wouldn’t want to take that from ya. But I’m not loving thew way they are portrayed, and how people’s gut defense is that this behavior is something inherent to neurodivergence, or some kinda phase. I REALLY doubt you (or others who see themselves in Booster) ever did anything as mean spirited. I’m there with you in having to really struggle to learn and grow through that kind of feeling though. Makin friends doesn’t come easy, and whoo boy does it sting to be questioned on competency and intentions.
Especially because a lot of the trope would usually kinda rely on Booster not gleefully enjoying the chaos making. I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume this is how Willis writes Bulmeria, or Raiah, and its just not sitting right with me. Could be a case of Willis not having the most nuanced perspective on a subject, could be that his is hyper specific and really doesn’t work for me.
Perhaps sociopath is a harsh word, but I have dealt with way too many people irl who do shit that is terrible for kicks. Most of which I would argue aren’t exactly undiagnosed as anything other than being bad people. But I wont pretend I haven’t seen some folks use their neurodivergence as a shield when they are just being a creep or being a jerk. Doubly so when its some big content creator or something, and they get caught doing some real bad stuff.
So yeah, I don’t wanna take Booster away from y’all. But I can’t say the way they are being portrayed as neurodivergent representation doesn’t rub me the wrong way.
As a personality disorder, sociopathy is in fact still a form of neurodivergence. There’s a difference between saying someone is being sociopathic vs someone is being an asshole.
It still feels bad to put sociopath under the same umbrella as autism; but I get it, technicalities and all that.
I will say, I should probably avoid it though. Because as much as it seems like Booster is very through in their mean spirited behavior, if might just be them being an asshole. With our without the neurodivergence as a shield.
From my experiences, they are not mutually exclusive. IRL stuff definitely has painted my perception of people who act like Booster.
Having had dinner and a nap, I wanna explain that I’m not trying to have a go at you personally, I just object to actions being described as ‘sociopathic’ for similar reasons I object to actions or a person being described as ‘schizo’, because people live with these disorders and are demonized enough. I personally have loved ones with schizophrenia and whenever I see someone call someone else schizo as an insult, I think of that beloved family member who lives with a difficult disorder that is nevertheless still a big part of them.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gotten enough of Booster’s motivation behind kicking up drama was anything other than doing it for kicks.”
I don’t agree with that at all. We’ve seen them when Amber calls them on their bullshit, we’ve seen them reach out to a guy who was struggling (drowning, really) and help pull his head up above water. We’ve seen them protect their sister from someone who seemed like she might be Problems (but she’s not, she’s Carlaaaaa~). Booster has done enough on-screen for me to make assumptions about what they’re trying to do the rest of the time. It’s just not always necessarily working.
I’m also just kind of… aware of what comic I’m reading and how people generally act within it as well as the arcs Willis generally likes to take their characters on within that story. So I have more info than just Booster’s on-screen actions, I have plot and genre awareness.
“I REALLY doubt you (or others who see themselves in Booster) ever did anything as mean spirited.”
Again, I just don’t see mean-spiritedness in what Booster is doing. However, I will also point out that you don’t know me At All and are making assumptions about how I behaved as a young adult. Which is fine, but your first point was not assuming anything without enough info.
“But I wont pretend I haven’t seen some folks use their neurodivergence as a shield when they are just being a creep or being a jerk. Doubly so when its some big content creator or something, and they get caught doing some real bad stuff.”
Agreed. And this fucking sucks. Neurodivergence is no excuse to behave in a way that’s harmful ~however~ if you’re very young and you don’t know what you’re working with, some behaviors are harmful without seeming so in the moment. Notably I’m talking about annoying and hurting feelings, not abuse of any kind.
“So yeah, I don’t wanna take Booster away from y’all. But I can’t say the way they are being portrayed as neurodivergent representation doesn’t rub me the wrong way.”
Totally valid. I hope you get some rep you can love and appreciate in future!! Genuinely hope you have a great night.
I don’t think I’m any authority on other people; I ain’t no Lorax speakin for the trees, but I know I ain’t the only one who hates it when characters like Booster and Bazinga man kinda do a weirdly minstrel show dance for this kind of archetype. Humor bein subjective and everything; I’ve never found Booster funny, but I can understand of people aren’t gonna take anything they do seriously and instead relate to them.
I take what Booster does seriously, I just take it in a different light than you do. I’m not saying I find them funny, but I do find them fun and interesting to read. I relate to them because I do, and you don’t because you don’t. It’s not about whether I’m taking them seriously or not, I just disagree about their motives and thoughts.
Your issues with how neurodivergence can or should be written are valid feelings for you to have. They just aren’t facts, and they aren’t universal. Neither are mine, and believe me I have plenty of my own feelings and hang-ups on this issue.
I definitely get the impression that Booster likes Walky. They’ve shared things they’re interested in, like photography. They’re trying to help Walky get himself to class. And, that’s just the vibe I get from them.
No, not on the hour. You need to put in a random delay. Between 0 to 300 seconds after the hour, uniformly distributed. That’s just enough to make the recipient question whether it’s automated or hand-typed.
…. when did messing with Amber become the point of that messaging, again?
Also, very happy I can finally join the community PVP server comment properly, I’ve been shouting into the void for months behind the moderation purgatory.
Yes, a text like that unprompted with no context would freak me out:
‘Wait, what is not my fault? What happened? Why do they feel the need to tell me it is not my fault? Oh my god, what did I do? It is definitely my fault, and they are just being nice.’
I almost stupidly got involved in writing defenses for Booster knowing the people I’m responding to probably wouldn’t care or read it in good faith, so instead I’m gonna write in THIS thread that I actually like Booster. I think Booster is a very different sort of character, much like their sister. They are NOT a selfish individual, and I say they do seem to have a lot of care for people and empathy as well, I think they just have difficulty expressing it. Booster likes Walky. Booster likes Amber. Booster wants to see two people they like be happy together, even if it’s just friendship happy.
I’ve never gotten the impression that Booster’s doing what they do out of any sort of malice. Perhaps they might be taking inspiration from Socrates, attempting to nudge people out of complacency and into what will ultimately be more interesting and meaningful lives? Better to grow from these experiences (even the painful ones) while in the comparatively safe college environment than remain unprepared for the difficulties of future life, perhaps (or such might be their reasoning)? Also, perhaps they don’t quite get that not everyone’s having as much fun with the drama as they are.
As an aside: I wonder if, like me, they may lack that seemingly instinctive empathy that most humans seem to have, and are trying to make up for it by intentionally learning about people. Provoking drama and encouraging people to face their inner selves helps with that… and, if they don’t have that instinctive sharing of another’s discomfort that most people supposedly have, there’s probably less of a deterrent to do so.
Anyway, I just hope they won’t end up drinking the hemlock.
There was a strip, IIRC, early after Booster’s introduction where they more or less said they are here for the drama, and I think a lot of folks interpret that as “so they stir the pot deliberately” and I’m not always sure that’s in evidence.
I literally will live and die for Booster calling Walky “champ” and giving him the kind of praise-based nudge he’s needed to care about his life (vs the negativity based nudges he’s been receiving).
Booster is one of my favorites!!! I’m completely baffled by the amount of hate they get in the comments just for being messy—which is, in my case, the exact reason *why* I love them. Book-smart characters who are aggressively flawed will always resonate with me. I could read an entire comic of just Booster, and am waiting ever-so-patiently for a character arc for them that could kick off any time in the next decade or so.
I’d recommend ‘tovarisch’ but it’s not in their…in their…Idiom!
there’s no direct English equivalent outside of ‘comrade’, and nobody uses that either.
There was a qwantz comic about how calling someone Champ is a great way to be patronizing. That’s 100% the vibe I get here and I’m surprised Walky accepts it. The poor guy just got dumped twice, Booster, you can use his name.
Booster is being playful, not patronizing, but even if they weren’t I’m not surprised Walky would accept it. He accepts a lot of poor treatment. Dude’s kind of the reigning (champ haha) in being a doormat. I hope he gets fired up at some point and starts sticking up for himself. Maybe with Booster’s help!
That’s weird considering they already did it by convincing Sarah if being emotionally open with Tony. And esrlier when they “tested” Carla to know she be good to their sister. And earlier when they hang out with Ethan when he was doing slightly worse that now. Really they try to help just as much as they like to stir up drama.
You know what? I’m with Booster on this one, step outside and go to class. I’ll take it a step further and say go the normal route too, but ignore Joyce and Dorothy if they try to engage. Joyce might be too self-involved to feel the sting right now, but Dorothy will absolutely pick up on getting iced out. Don’t adjust your life for them, make them sit in the discomfort.
In all seriousness, my patience has been harshly tested these last few months as I wait for the (several) shoes to drop and I have to keep reminding myself it’s been like what, a day or 2 tops in universe? Ugh, this timescale gives me a headache.
The disconnect between real time and DoA time is becoming a problem, though. Joeve “only lasted twelve days” to the characters, but that was a slow-burn plot thread that lasted years to the audience.
The last chapter covered one DoA day over the course of 100 real days. Why should the audience invest in any plot threads when the characters don’t have time to get invested themselves?
Why am I getting MIB vibes from the whole “Champ” thing? Anyways Happy Thanksgiving today to all those who celebrate it. We are trying something new this year with both turkey and a roast beast.
Because of that scene in MIB where Z does the exact thing to J that Booster is doing to Walky. Scrolling through available nicknames better used on kids at little league and going until one hits gold.
Sorry for the double post but this just came to me. What would a DOA presence be like at the Macy’s parade? Who would be on the float? What would the balloon look like? Who would be in the marching band? Would there be a DOA the musical scene acted out on the street?
I need all of the people holding the Fuckface balloon ropes to be dressed as Malaya, and furthermore I need the Joyce character occasionally trying and failing to ask for a turn “holding Fuckface” in exaggerated pantomime.
The term of endearment my brain is currently insisting on frequently is “babe.” Just as a general term for anyone. Which is not always appropriate. And which I think I don’t actually say a lot, but not from lack of effort from that section of my brain. Fortunately, shutting up is one of my strengths.
wondering if booster being trans has any relation to the negativity towards them while being more lenient towards mike
i know recency bias is a factor here but…. could it be that there is a culture of mass media that indoctrinates all people to eternally forgive white males?
there was a dude in the original forums who compared himself to christ on the cross for defending gi Joe not being diverse
bigoted weirdos in Willis’ comments are nothing new, and I’m pretty sure a non-trivial number of them are from his old cult, keeping tabs on him and shit 👀
anytime i think i am weird and “bad at people” i remind myself there are apparently a bottomless well of people who are ten billion times more demented than me. i get embarrassed when i say “you too” when the waitstaff says ‘enjoy your food’… i’m doing okay by comparison to the people who try and defend a fictional cartoon domestic abuser.
id prefer to not be called bruh lol but yea that is craaaaazy
i only ever started reading dumbing of age and never read the other comics
but i started before i even realized about being a girl which was a decade ago!
Alternatively, why, in a welter of criticism of just about every character who turns up (except Asma) recently, does nobody say (for example) “For Godsake Walky, get a grip, pull yourself together, stop whining and get on with things”
?
Suddenly reminded of the scene in Airplane where there’s a line to slap the ‘hysterical woman’. With deadlier and deadlier implements. Yeah, not actually helpful.
I do wonder why some people are reading this comic. They don’t seem to like it much. The characters bore them, or the Author has it all wrong (!), or they want the story to be like this (wild ideas excluded, that’s different), or the Author hasn’t done their research, or (!) the cis het neurotypicals are dominating, or the readers know better than anyone else what is going on in the character’s minds…
I do wonder why some people are reading the comments. It seems to upset them or make them angry.
If don’t like, then not forced to read/comment.
A subset is complaining about Willis’ (to them) lack of control of the comments. The comments are our (commenters) fault, not Willis’. why should they waste time and money policing the comments? They have already set up a system to alert about serious abuses. And as for money, the comic is free, unless you choose to help out financially. Bear that in mind when telling Willis what they should do!
Enjoy the fuck out of the ART.
Willis, I doubt you’ll see this, but since I don’t have a bluesky account, I just want you to know… your #rapturejoke this evening was solid gold. one of the best theology jokes i’ve heard in a long time. well fuckin’ done.
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awe, “champ”, how affectionate XD <3
also, yay, the 48 hour curse has been broken!
HAVA NAGILA!
Alternatively: Have A Tequila!
Harvey and Sheila? (Moved to West L.A., flew TWA?)
Honestly, gettin out of that room bein stuck with Booster is probably way better for Walky’s mental right now.
I kind of suspect that is exactly Booster’s plan
Booster is a psychology major who has a tendency to armchair therapist their friends. This is 100% beneficial for Walky since they wouldn’t see a professional to begin with
So, who else got their Dina?
I unfortunately cannot afford one,
but very thankful it’s finally happening,
Dina gonna be among so many other toys,
in the bedrooms and cars of so many enbies, girls and boys
I am so happy… 🥹🦖
know there is no way I could have known this, but I wish I had! If we can convince DYW to do a second run, hit me up, and I will spot you a Dina!
I already got them one for XMas.
yes, she’s now room-mates with the very first Spit plush ever made!
(San Francisco, 1980s) <3
she gonna get to know all Bryy's dino toys after their Black Friday shift with his young cousins ^-^ :')
Me!
Y0! She’s adorable. I set her next to Wallace & Gromit (from FeltedFriends dot Shop in the UK)
I got my Dina, and she arrived with her hoodie down! I am taking that to mean I am a special boy and going to invest in Bitcoin and play the lottery today.
I think they all arrive with the hood down. You have to squeeze her head to get it in there without pulling on the hood. (which would probably tear since there’s no give in it)
She’s ready for pick up at my proxy shipping company, I just have to wait a lil longer now
Ok but now that you say it, I do have a very good Dina. Just the opposite gender.
me! she arrived on monday I think
I did!
champion of getting dumped rip
Some day he’ll fail his way upward to the presidency, many years from now.
Having no earthly idea how he managed it, he reaches out to the most competent person he knows: Dorothy Keener-Brown is his running mate.
D.K.B. is the brains in the White House at last, President Walky (hey, Eisenhower was called “Ike”) is just voluntarily parroting her plans and getting laid like JFK. Femme fatale honeytrap spies are sent to seduce him, and all fail because he isn’t the one making the decisions. He just has to be exactly enough of a smartass (being a smartass is his specialty!) to poke holes in other people’s arguments in a debate, and then present his VP’s rebuttals (heh, reBUTTals) at a later time.
It gets out that the POTUS and VP once banged. This has no effect because D.K.B. is married to a woman. Femme fatale spies attempting to honeytrap D.K.B. also fail because Joyce Brown-Keener-Rosenthal is the only woman she is actually attracted to.
They try seducing Joeseph Rosenthal-Brown for state secrets. They fail because the queue to his bedroom is too long.
They try seducing Joyce Brown-Keener-Rosenthal at last. She accidentally seduces them. Joyce pulls, actually.
America is safe, thanks to the power of Polycule (and President Walky the fourth wheel).
Suddenly I’m super looking forward to whatever might come after DoA finishes, if only because it might look something like this.
Willis! Ditch all your current plans and write this please.
thirded
Oh my yes. Sorry Willis, this is the story you need to be writing.
Who cares if DYW writes this – *reality* needs to do it. Best option is to get Seanan McGuire on the job since she appears to have the contract for reality.
Failing that, I think it might almost fit in as an Oglaf story.
Lol I skipped a word and read that Joe’s bedroom is too long. Like he’s sitting at his desk or bed and it’s simply too far away from the door and the reporters do not want to walk that far
Joyce has FastPass, Joe made her a card
hey
if zach morris can do it
Walky is a better person than me, after the day he just had I’d feel perfectly within my rights to just tell everyone to fuck off for 24 hours
Walky had a Nuggets related fatality.
oops wrong reply.
Nuggets is never wrong!
sadly, I don’t think Booster would take any hints on shutting up, nor do I think Walky has the authority or energy to throw them out. Especially after overdosing on fast food.
Booster would recognize the hint.
They just probably would ignore it.
He’s in a bit of a catch-22 because Booster is still in the room with him and for sure will not leave him alone. Bad choices all around for Walky. Might as well get up and face the music.
feel like walky texting this unprompted would just make amber wonder if the accident was 7 years ago and she has to let go
Do either of them know the condition Amber is in at the moment?
Nope! Pretty sure just Asher, Sal, and Dina. Jouce and Dorothy don’t even understand How bad it is or else Dorothy would be Dorothying it all up.
She did try to! Dina made it clear that everything had already been handled and Dorothy had her, “Then what am I supposed to do? 🥺” moment. So she is aware that the extent of the injuries Amber sustained are quite severe.
Walky had a Nuggets related fatality.
Does that mean Booster gets automatic As?
I mean, if we’re gonna go along those lines, she might think he’s talking about Mike.
I’d say Walky is entitled to a bit of a wallow, but I don’t know if his GPA can hold up to both coasting and wallowing.
To be fair Walky, if you did that Amber would probably crawl her ass out of her bed and into your room.
Also I also like Champ. Champ is a fun nickname.
I’M A CHAMPION.
gonna be the very best
like no one ever was
Gotta appreciate that this is Indiana, not Australia. An adult calling a fellow adult “Champ” in the downunderverse is fight talk (Because we’re a nation of idiots)
a nation of idiots?
nah that’s the United States XD
Can we call the United States a nation anymore?
… hell even calling it “united” is a stretch at this point
we’re the British Empire’s over-glorified, festering, abandoned TRASH CAN
Dustbin. A British trashcan is called a dustbin.
Rubbish bin. It’s a garbage can that is called a dustbin (and collected by a dustman).
There can be more than one nation of idiots! It’s a non-exclusive status!
… though I suppose we’re still going to fight each other for the title despite it not being exclusive. Because idiots.
That was my first thought as well!
That stab wound? not your fault
That Garbage Roof? not your fault
Not taking back the speedrun record? sooo your fault
I’m thinking Amber might appreciate it, if she believed it. Not sure about that part.
I wonder if Booster actually likes Walky. Like I want to say yes but it’s kinda hard to tell sometimes.
When Ethan talked to them about being a bad friend, they responded in a way that still makes me wonder if Booster really understands what friendship is. And not in a MLP “learning what friendship is”, but in a genuinely incapable of making proper connections outside of a sociopathatic need to meddle in affairs and analyze people’s issues for their own amusement.
I don’t know if Booster likes Walky, but more than half Walky’s friends don’t seem to like Walky, so who knows.
That said, considering that Bosster told Ethan that friends are therapists that deflect with jokes, and that’s basically Walky’s whole deal, it seems like they do consider him a friend.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-13/02-turning-saints-into-the-sea/punish/
Truly, people will see an autistic character and go “is this a sociopath?”
“sociopath”,
… the because the internet just LOVES to take a word and run with it, huh 9-9
Pmo especially bc psycho/sociopathy is not a thing! They’re effectively only useful for discussing movies n shit, they’re not real!!! There’s ASPD, which is demonized enough already and booster sure as shit doesn’t have it. Ppl just see an autistic that doesn’t present like Dina or Joyce and go “oh yeah this is evil. They have the Evil Person Disease™”
yup, it’s still ableism period
heck while we’re at it it really must be said — any notion of there being some mental disorder(s) responsible for popular conceptions of “innate criminality” or some shit is literally a product of decades of copoganda
and when you try to explain this people just ignore you and continue to talk about the mythical evil psycho sociopath
very frustrating to see this from other neurodivergent people, like, im BPD! people who are ASPD are my siblings in personality disorderhood, i wont just abandon them because of the horrific amount of stigmatization!
also sidenote i believe we should move away from the model of psychology that creates these highly stigmatized labels for traumatized behavior, instead looking for concepts that aren’t inherently stigmatizing.
that said im still using it as a framework to understand myself currently
omg thank you so so so so so so so much for this comment. calling it the “evil person’s disease” is such an accurate put down for this mentality. all of the Internets to you, fellow netizen.
And I love it when people just let bad writing of a on the spectrum character get away with bad behavior, making us look like this is always normal. but go off I guess.
I swear; it s either the trope of complete selfish behavior, or being some kind of cartoon childlike person. And when we complain about it, we’re just talked over by people assuming the worst.
Saying that this is a normal way for neurodivergence to appear (especially in someone undiagnosed and unaware) is literally just a fact? No one, literally NO ONE said Booster should get away with “bad behavior” (here defined by you, as a subjective term) because they might be on the spectrum.
I personally relate to Booster, because this is how I personally behaved all through university. So, sorry it’s a trope, but that doesn’t make it unrealistic. They’re analytical, lonely, and trying to connect by proving to everyone around them how intelligent and observant they are. They get a dopamine hit from the drama, but they tell themself that they’re helping friends, so it’s fine to get a kick out of it.
They’re 18/19, they’ll grow out of it, learn, and probably experience a little shock when their psych classes get to neurodivergence.
I’m sorry you personally don’t see yourself in Booster, or any of the ND characters in this comic, but others do. I do. The author presumably also does. Maybe people get defensive because “sociopath” is assuming a lot of malice from someone just struggling to connect with the people around them in a way that feels meaningful.
I don’t think we’ve ever gotten enough of Booster’s motivation behind kicking up drama was anything other than doing it for kicks. I can understand wanting to project your own experiences on them, and wouldn’t want to take that from ya. But I’m not loving thew way they are portrayed, and how people’s gut defense is that this behavior is something inherent to neurodivergence, or some kinda phase. I REALLY doubt you (or others who see themselves in Booster) ever did anything as mean spirited. I’m there with you in having to really struggle to learn and grow through that kind of feeling though. Makin friends doesn’t come easy, and whoo boy does it sting to be questioned on competency and intentions.
Especially because a lot of the trope would usually kinda rely on Booster not gleefully enjoying the chaos making. I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume this is how Willis writes Bulmeria, or Raiah, and its just not sitting right with me. Could be a case of Willis not having the most nuanced perspective on a subject, could be that his is hyper specific and really doesn’t work for me.
Perhaps sociopath is a harsh word, but I have dealt with way too many people irl who do shit that is terrible for kicks. Most of which I would argue aren’t exactly undiagnosed as anything other than being bad people. But I wont pretend I haven’t seen some folks use their neurodivergence as a shield when they are just being a creep or being a jerk. Doubly so when its some big content creator or something, and they get caught doing some real bad stuff.
So yeah, I don’t wanna take Booster away from y’all. But I can’t say the way they are being portrayed as neurodivergent representation doesn’t rub me the wrong way.
As a personality disorder, sociopathy is in fact still a form of neurodivergence. There’s a difference between saying someone is being sociopathic vs someone is being an asshole.
i was going to reply with “sometimes people just suck” but youve already said it basically, ty!
It still feels bad to put sociopath under the same umbrella as autism; but I get it, technicalities and all that.
I will say, I should probably avoid it though. Because as much as it seems like Booster is very through in their mean spirited behavior, if might just be them being an asshole. With our without the neurodivergence as a shield.
From my experiences, they are not mutually exclusive. IRL stuff definitely has painted my perception of people who act like Booster.
Having had dinner and a nap, I wanna explain that I’m not trying to have a go at you personally, I just object to actions being described as ‘sociopathic’ for similar reasons I object to actions or a person being described as ‘schizo’, because people live with these disorders and are demonized enough. I personally have loved ones with schizophrenia and whenever I see someone call someone else schizo as an insult, I think of that beloved family member who lives with a difficult disorder that is nevertheless still a big part of them.
Booster sure seen to not care about other people if you ignore all the times they do.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gotten enough of Booster’s motivation behind kicking up drama was anything other than doing it for kicks.”
I don’t agree with that at all. We’ve seen them when Amber calls them on their bullshit, we’ve seen them reach out to a guy who was struggling (drowning, really) and help pull his head up above water. We’ve seen them protect their sister from someone who seemed like she might be Problems (but she’s not, she’s Carlaaaaa~). Booster has done enough on-screen for me to make assumptions about what they’re trying to do the rest of the time. It’s just not always necessarily working.
I’m also just kind of… aware of what comic I’m reading and how people generally act within it as well as the arcs Willis generally likes to take their characters on within that story. So I have more info than just Booster’s on-screen actions, I have plot and genre awareness.
“I REALLY doubt you (or others who see themselves in Booster) ever did anything as mean spirited.”
Again, I just don’t see mean-spiritedness in what Booster is doing. However, I will also point out that you don’t know me At All and are making assumptions about how I behaved as a young adult. Which is fine, but your first point was not assuming anything without enough info.
“But I wont pretend I haven’t seen some folks use their neurodivergence as a shield when they are just being a creep or being a jerk. Doubly so when its some big content creator or something, and they get caught doing some real bad stuff.”
Agreed. And this fucking sucks. Neurodivergence is no excuse to behave in a way that’s harmful ~however~ if you’re very young and you don’t know what you’re working with, some behaviors are harmful without seeming so in the moment. Notably I’m talking about annoying and hurting feelings, not abuse of any kind.
“So yeah, I don’t wanna take Booster away from y’all. But I can’t say the way they are being portrayed as neurodivergent representation doesn’t rub me the wrong way.”
Totally valid. I hope you get some rep you can love and appreciate in future!! Genuinely hope you have a great night.
“We” really giving yourself some false self importance there, like you soeak for anyone other that yourself.
I don’t think I’m any authority on other people; I ain’t no Lorax speakin for the trees, but I know I ain’t the only one who hates it when characters like Booster and Bazinga man kinda do a weirdly minstrel show dance for this kind of archetype. Humor bein subjective and everything; I’ve never found Booster funny, but I can understand of people aren’t gonna take anything they do seriously and instead relate to them.
If your issue is that you don’t them find or relatable you don’t gotta turn it in to this whole purity test show.
I take what Booster does seriously, I just take it in a different light than you do. I’m not saying I find them funny, but I do find them fun and interesting to read. I relate to them because I do, and you don’t because you don’t. It’s not about whether I’m taking them seriously or not, I just disagree about their motives and thoughts.
Your issues with how neurodivergence can or should be written are valid feelings for you to have. They just aren’t facts, and they aren’t universal. Neither are mine, and believe me I have plenty of my own feelings and hang-ups on this issue.
I blame Phony Stark. He did it in reverse.
Phony Stark caved in and scrapped this. In a box of builds.
I also blame the BBC Sherlock “Not a psychopath, a high functioning sociopath” joke 🤦♀️
Oh and Sh*ne D*wson and that quack “psychologist” he worked with
god… yes! it sucks!
I definitely get the impression that Booster likes Walky. They’ve shared things they’re interested in, like photography. They’re trying to help Walky get himself to class. And, that’s just the vibe I get from them.
Yeah, I think they want to be friends with him, they just really don’t have much actual experience/skill at it (and cant help meddling).
As they’ve said, they don’t have many friends. They’re sooo bad at people but they’re trying.
So very trying! Just like Walky! They have that in common too.
Yeah, TOTALLY wouldn’t be an ominous text to receive unprompted. Go ahead and send it, Walky! What’s the worst that could happen?
Right next to
“I’m so sorry for everything”
or
“Thanks for being my friend”
or
“I hope we’ll meet again. Someday”
Don’t forget “we need to talk”.
Uh oh.
…Huh. Never thought about how that might be perceived…
🤔
Better than “It’s behind you.”
On the other hand, that’s at least something you can deal with in the moment.
Walky, if Amber needed someone to do that she could just write a shell script.
Something like
#!/usr/bin/bash
tm.sh send --text="It's not your fault" --phones=8125553781
and then to make it on the hour
crontab 0 * * * * ~/notyourfault.sh
Or something like that
// please god let this be the last fucking hack to get this to work
Great, now the script doesn’t work.
~/notyourfault.sh: line 2: //: Is a directory
Can’t believe Amber forgot to use # for comments in shell scripts :/
It’s the meds.
No, not on the hour. You need to put in a random delay. Between 0 to 300 seconds after the hour, uniformly distributed. That’s just enough to make the recipient question whether it’s automated or hand-typed.
…. when did messing with Amber become the point of that messaging, again?
For Amber to do so, Amber would need to believe it.
Also, very happy I can finally
join the community PVP servercomment properly, I’ve been shouting into the void for months behind the moderation purgatory.The community PVP server
Love that. 12/10. Welcome aboard. Careful with changing email capitalization to reroll your gravatar, do it enough and you go back to Mod Prison.
Wait, that’s how that works?
Yup!
I’ve been calling it that for at least a year among friends, so I’m very happy I can now share it with the rest of you!
Torch is meta, but personally I prefer the style of pitchfork.
lmfao welcome
As far a bad life choices go, this one is pretty mild.
I adore Booster so much. And I, like Amber, should be told it’s not my fault every morning (but that would also spike my anxiety)
It’s not your fault.
🫳
*Obligatory “Good Will Hunting” clip*:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6tqPK8nJL2U&t=2m1s
*Plays “It’s not your fault” on the hacked house sound system.*
https://youtu.be/jm9-yVdxbSs
Song and video are actually gut-wrenchingly creepazoid, but the tune is catchy
..
:-/
Yes, a text like that unprompted with no context would freak me out:
‘Wait, what is not my fault? What happened? Why do they feel the need to tell me it is not my fault? Oh my god, what did I do? It is definitely my fault, and they are just being nice.’
“If it wasn’t my fault, they wouldn’t be texting me specifically! There are a lot of people whose fault it isn’t!!”
Me waking up every morning, texting everyone I know “it’s not your fault” except ONE guy 👁️👁️
Send that guy “It’s not her fault”
or a clip of “In The Air Tonight”.
More fuel to the Egg Walky allegations, “Champ” is an excellent enby name.
Maintaining the Egg Walky agenda is our top priority.
Also, it’s the name of a North American lake monster.
Which has nothing to do with enbyism but does make it an even cooler name.
No, no, cryptid names absolutely have to do with enbyism. Source: I’m an enby cryptid.
Isn’t that redundant? I have it on good authority from my partner that basically all enbys are cryptids. 😀
As a person whose icon is typically either a space alien or a treble clef, your partner is probably correct.
So valid, your partner is out here spreading the Good Word (it’s cryptid, cryptid is a good word)
I sit corrected. ^_^
Walky was already a pretty solid nb name, they certainly have the correct amount of sweats for the look
Fuuuuck I’m going to have to go through the hoops to change my name AGAIN aren’t I?
I like it when Booster shows he can be a good therapist
*they
do “sport” next
Nah, Walky hates sports. He likes winning, tho, so ‘champ’ works.
I have been summoned by Booster once again, hello. Should I get started an appreciation thread?
that you should!
as much as they can be sometimes, they’re actually some of my most favorite nuanced enby rep honestly <3
I almost stupidly got involved in writing defenses for Booster knowing the people I’m responding to probably wouldn’t care or read it in good faith, so instead I’m gonna write in THIS thread that I actually like Booster. I think Booster is a very different sort of character, much like their sister. They are NOT a selfish individual, and I say they do seem to have a lot of care for people and empathy as well, I think they just have difficulty expressing it. Booster likes Walky. Booster likes Amber. Booster wants to see two people they like be happy together, even if it’s just friendship happy.
I’ve never gotten the impression that Booster’s doing what they do out of any sort of malice. Perhaps they might be taking inspiration from Socrates, attempting to nudge people out of complacency and into what will ultimately be more interesting and meaningful lives? Better to grow from these experiences (even the painful ones) while in the comparatively safe college environment than remain unprepared for the difficulties of future life, perhaps (or such might be their reasoning)? Also, perhaps they don’t quite get that not everyone’s having as much fun with the drama as they are.
As an aside: I wonder if, like me, they may lack that seemingly instinctive empathy that most humans seem to have, and are trying to make up for it by intentionally learning about people. Provoking drama and encouraging people to face their inner selves helps with that… and, if they don’t have that instinctive sharing of another’s discomfort that most people supposedly have, there’s probably less of a deterrent to do so.
Anyway, I just hope they won’t end up drinking the hemlock.
That’s my thought process too, like I think Booster has cognitive empathy, but not emotional empathy.
There was a strip, IIRC, early after Booster’s introduction where they more or less said they are here for the drama, and I think a lot of folks interpret that as “so they stir the pot deliberately” and I’m not always sure that’s in evidence.
I literally will live and die for Booster calling Walky “champ” and giving him the kind of praise-based nudge he’s needed to care about his life (vs the negativity based nudges he’s been receiving).
Oh ye lol I’m always late with it since I read in the morning. Anyway I’m obsessed with booster here. They’re being a good friend!!!!!!!!
Booster is one of my favorites!!! I’m completely baffled by the amount of hate they get in the comments just for being messy—which is, in my case, the exact reason *why* I love them. Book-smart characters who are aggressively flawed will always resonate with me. I could read an entire comic of just Booster, and am waiting ever-so-patiently for a character arc for them that could kick off any time in the next decade or so.
Awww, their friendship is growing on me. Dumbass teen cuties.
Wow! All in all! Booster really knows what they are doing! 😉
I’m glad that Walky is still being Walky about this.
Get up for class, champ !
(and you too, Walky)
Just tell Amber it’s not her fault repeatedly, worse case Scenario it goes the same way as that scene from “Good Will Hunting.”
if champ didn’t work, Booster was gonna go to ‘Sport’
I’d recommend ‘tovarisch’ but it’s not in their…in their…Idiom!
there’s no direct English equivalent outside of ‘comrade’, and nobody uses that either.
Also I think you need to be splitting a bottle of cheap vodka.
There was a qwantz comic about how calling someone Champ is a great way to be patronizing. That’s 100% the vibe I get here and I’m surprised Walky accepts it. The poor guy just got dumped twice, Booster, you can use his name.
Booster is being playful, not patronizing, but even if they weren’t I’m not surprised Walky would accept it. He accepts a lot of poor treatment. Dude’s kind of the reigning (champ haha) in being a doormat. I hope he gets fired up at some point and starts sticking up for himself. Maybe with Booster’s help!
actually uses “champing at the bit” correctly AND subverts the meaning of “bit”
10/10, would knowingly smirk again
Champ is the safety word now.
A Booster trying (and somehow succeeding) at using their power for good come out as weird to me.
That’s weird considering they already did it by convincing Sarah if being emotionally open with Tony. And esrlier when they “tested” Carla to know she be good to their sister. And earlier when they hang out with Ethan when he was doing slightly worse that now. Really they try to help just as much as they like to stir up drama.
I choose to believe Walky will walk out of the room, meet Raidah, and after a time skip…is dating her.
His mother will finally go apoplectic.
So They’re not an analyst, they’re a therapist.
I like this. They’re both being proactive during a low point. Very healthy.
“Champ” has always sounded like a condescending nickname to me.
It’s pretty tone-dependent, but it’s definitely on the lower end of a spectrum it shares with “chief” and “boss”.
Shut it, Booster.
You know what? I’m with Booster on this one, step outside and go to class. I’ll take it a step further and say go the normal route too, but ignore Joyce and Dorothy if they try to engage. Joyce might be too self-involved to feel the sting right now, but Dorothy will absolutely pick up on getting iced out. Don’t adjust your life for them, make them sit in the discomfort.
Consequences? For Dorothy and/or Joyce? In this comic?
More uncommon than you think.
Press X to Doubt
In all seriousness, my patience has been harshly tested these last few months as I wait for the (several) shoes to drop and I have to keep reminding myself it’s been like what, a day or 2 tops in universe? Ugh, this timescale gives me a headache.
in the end a majority of readers treat this comic like your average newspaper comic strip
a little something to laugh to while you sip your coffee in the morning
ultimately, time doesn’t go faster because it doesn’t really need to
The disconnect between real time and DoA time is becoming a problem, though. Joeve “only lasted twelve days” to the characters, but that was a slow-burn plot thread that lasted years to the audience.
The last chapter covered one DoA day over the course of 100 real days. Why should the audience invest in any plot threads when the characters don’t have time to get invested themselves?
silver lining is, we’re due for another time skip pretty soon, I can just feel it at this point XD
Dorothy doesn’t walk to math with them, though.
Why am I getting MIB vibes from the whole “Champ” thing? Anyways Happy Thanksgiving today to all those who celebrate it. We are trying something new this year with both turkey and a roast beast.
Because of that scene in MIB where Z does the exact thing to J that Booster is doing to Walky. Scrolling through available nicknames better used on kids at little league and going until one hits gold.
❤️ thread
I love them! They’re being helpful! They’re sincerely trying to get him to go to class and talk to Amber for both their sakes. They’re being sweet!!!
Sorry for the double post but this just came to me. What would a DOA presence be like at the Macy’s parade? Who would be on the float? What would the balloon look like? Who would be in the marching band? Would there be a DOA the musical scene acted out on the street?
The float would look like the square outside the dorm with the fountain in it, but with Blowjob Cat in one corner.
It would be full of people in full-body foam costumes of the cast (to maintain cartoonish proportions) waving to the crowd.
Hayley Williams would be the onboard singer.
Fuckface would be the balloon, if only so Savannah and Hoda have to dance around saying his name on like TV.
There would also be a Carla balloon, because of course there would be.
I need all of the people holding the Fuckface balloon ropes to be dressed as Malaya, and furthermore I need the Joyce character occasionally trying and failing to ask for a turn “holding Fuckface” in exaggerated pantomime.
OK, we’ve all known where this was headed since the start, right?
*makes kissy noises while smushing cut-outs of Booster and Walky together*
It’s time for another good idea, bad idea!
Good idea: Getting up to fight off your depression symptoms by going to class.
Bad idea: Getting up to fight your roommate because they won’t stop hassling you about your depression symptoms.
Well, both are active behaviours that get you out of just lying there and wallowing in misery. So… either works, I suppose?
I can only say from experience that getting so angry you end up throwing a chair at someone doesn’t actually help with depression.
I’ll defer to your experience in this matter, then. I’d only been going on second-hand information at best.
The term of endearment my brain is currently insisting on frequently is “babe.” Just as a general term for anyone. Which is not always appropriate. And which I think I don’t actually say a lot, but not from lack of effort from that section of my brain. Fortunately, shutting up is one of my strengths.
what if they only remind you of the babe?
What babe?
The babe with the power…
What power?
The power of voodoo!
Who do?
You do.
Do what?
Remind me of the babe.
(thank you, thank you, everyone; enjoy your meal. don’t fill up on rolls, but take as much stuffing as you want.)
This honestly made me happy in such a silly little way.
Last 2 panels: Monkey Master says “get up, champ!”
Poll: Why isn’t “both” an option?
We would also have accepted “I’m from Canada, Thanksgiving was last month ya hoser.”
Suppose I could’ve responded here instead of my new comment at the bottom of the page! 😛
It’s weird how wherever Booster shows they care about others, some people act surprised like it something that never happened before. Everytime.
wondering if booster being trans has any relation to the negativity towards them while being more lenient towards mike
i know recency bias is a factor here but…. could it be that there is a culture of mass media that indoctrinates all people to eternally forgive white males?
exactly
and on the flip side of that, in Shortpacked when it was revealed Blaine was horrible, there was shit ton of backlash
because how dare default settings characters be evil 9-9
lmao what! I never read shortpacked thats funny/sad
you have no frickin idea bruh
there was a dude in the original forums who compared himself to christ on the cross for defending gi Joe not being diverse
bigoted weirdos in Willis’ comments are nothing new, and I’m pretty sure a non-trivial number of them are from his old cult, keeping tabs on him and shit 👀
anytime i think i am weird and “bad at people” i remind myself there are apparently a bottomless well of people who are ten billion times more demented than me. i get embarrassed when i say “you too” when the waitstaff says ‘enjoy your food’… i’m doing okay by comparison to the people who try and defend a fictional cartoon domestic abuser.
id prefer to not be called bruh lol but yea that is craaaaazy
i only ever started reading dumbing of age and never read the other comics
but i started before i even realized about being a girl which was a decade ago!
my apologies,
but yeaaaah, i started reading DoA since 2017, one thing lead to another and started reading shortpacked too
Alternatively, why, in a welter of criticism of just about every character who turns up (except Asma) recently, does nobody say (for example) “For Godsake Walky, get a grip, pull yourself together, stop whining and get on with things”
?
Because that is generally a shitty and unhelpful thing to say? To literally anyone who is going through anything.
walky needs to get on adhd meds not get like, tough love, or whatever lol? im not sure how this follows from what i said.
Suddenly reminded of the scene in Airplane where there’s a line to slap the ‘hysterical woman’. With deadlier and deadlier implements. Yeah, not actually helpful.
Woah three word title today
ngl this is a genuinely sweet moment. booster/walky/amber polyamory pls. messy as hell but with touches of the adorable
I’m here for it.
I do wonder why some people are reading this comic. They don’t seem to like it much. The characters bore them, or the Author has it all wrong (!), or they want the story to be like this (wild ideas excluded, that’s different), or the Author hasn’t done their research, or (!) the cis het neurotypicals are dominating, or the readers know better than anyone else what is going on in the character’s minds…
I do wonder why some people are reading the comments. It seems to upset them or make them angry.
If don’t like, then not forced to read/comment.
A subset is complaining about Willis’ (to them) lack of control of the comments. The comments are our (commenters) fault, not Willis’. why should they waste time and money policing the comments? They have already set up a system to alert about serious abuses. And as for money, the comic is free, unless you choose to help out financially. Bear that in mind when telling Willis what they should do!
Enjoy the fuck out of the ART.
I am on the comments mostly due to an addictive personality.
Your poll is missing a “None of the above” option. Because neither of the available options are valid here in Canada.
Or anywhere else outside of America lol
Willis, I doubt you’ll see this, but since I don’t have a bluesky account, I just want you to know… your #rapturejoke this evening was solid gold. one of the best theology jokes i’ve heard in a long time. well fuckin’ done.