Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
The Witch Door
Anni K.
Katariina Lehto discovers her neighbor is a witch called Jousia Muotka. Jousia introduces Katariina to the strange people and places beyond the witch door...
Goblins
Ellipsis
A fantasy RPG as told through the eyes of the low-level monsters.
Spinnerette
Krazy Krow, Rocio Zucchi, Pablo Rey
When a lab accident gives Heather Brown spider powers and six arms, she does what any midwest comic geek would do: Become Ohio's #3 superhero!
Sunshine Boy
Moosopp
New-kid Kelly is sweet but naive. Luckily, he's got his outgoing neighbor Grey in his corner.
Killjoys
Flatw00ds
When two disgraced ex-feds fall backwards into trouble with the clown mafia, getting out in one piece is gonna be no joke!
Anacrine Complex
Sae Cotton
A superhuman heist involving probably too many pigeons than entirely necessary.
Tove
Severin
The end of the world is coming, and Tove doesn't want to be a hero, but SOMEONE has to look after her little brother.
Whomp!
Ronnie
A depressed, portly, hirsute anime fan stumbles through life in the ever-pursuit of chicken nuggets and other life-shortening indulgences.
Girl Genius
Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio
In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, Mad Science rules the World...with mixed success.
Between Failures
Jackie Wohlenhaus
The low stakes adventures of an assorted group of 20 somethings trapped in the declining years of American retail. They are naughty and say lots of swears.
Drugs & Wires
Mary Safro, Io Black
Dan used to be a VR operator until his brain got fried by malware. Now he's stuck delivering packages in a post-Soviet hellhole all while trying to adjust to his new life and find some answers.
Obelisk
Ashley McCammon
In 1908 New York, a young woman struggles to put her life back together in the wake of her father's death - until she discovers a vampire in the shambles of her inheritance.
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
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.
Folklore
Adam Ma, Colin Tan Wei
A superhuman horror story focused on a small band of survivors trying to navigate a war-torn world in the aftermath of the Federation’s collapse.
No End
Erli, Kromi
A queer romance about people attempting to build lives in a cold, post-apocalyptic world ravaged by hordes of undead.
Lunar Blight
Studio CARTRIDGE, Laura Lee
Lunar Blight is a gothic horror story about an elite knight serving a moon cult who must choose between upholding his honoured duty or condemning everything he’s grown to know.
Clockwork
Chikuto
Cog Kleinschmidt is a diligent, quiet worker at the Mercia Fortress, the world power's leading stronghold. His orderly life is thrown into chaos when an enemy kingdom sends a diplomat for peace talks. This diplomat needs something from Cog - whether he agrees to their terms or not!
Hazy London
Scotty
A story about messy relationships. From friendly foes to crazy families. Nothing is black and white, just full of color. But, all colors can get a little hazy...
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
Wychwood
Varethane
When Tiara's pyrokinesis is finally noticed, she is captured by a magical research organization for study. If she cooperates, she could be helping to save humanity from a dire threat - but can she trust them?
MASKLESS
kickingshoes
In a world where people can wield the magic of elemental Masks, all Ashe wants to do is help. Maskless and useless, with dreams of fire and smoke on the back of his tongue, he finds himself on a strange, dangerous path to uncovering the secrets of these incredible objects, and the source of the monsters plaguing his home.
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
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.
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
Far to the North
Allison Shaw
Kelu turns to the monsters of her remote mountain home when her family is held hostage by outsiders.
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
Monster Pulse
Magnolia Porter Siddell
Four kids run afoul of a creepy secret organization's experiments, which turn their body parts into fighting monsters. Part sentimental coming-of-age story, part monster-training shonen manga, with just a bit of sci-fi body horror.
Come Hell or High Water
Jenny/Star, Mori
Prince Gladimir was never meant to fall for a pirate. Swearing off love for duty, the threat of war propels him back into the Captain’s world of high seas and high stakes. Their relationship could be the thing to save the kingdom of Yvoire - or destroy it.
Go Get a Roomie
Clover
Experience the queer journey of an upbeat hippie and the friendships she makes along the way! A tale of self-discovery and love of many forms.
Heart of Gold
Eliot Baum, Viv Tanner
A pianist with failing eyesight seeks out a priest with a miraculous healing touch, drawing him deeper into a world of miracles and curses.
Demon Studies
Miyuli
Four students summon and study potentially dangerous demons within the walls of the mysterious Summerland University.
Fairmeadow
Kendra P. / KP
A wayward soldier finds herself in a pacifist commune deep in the wilderness of a war-weary land. Living in isolation brings her closer to those she was sworn to kill than she could ever imagine - but also threatens to tear the place apart.
The Lonely Vincent Bellingham
Diana Huh
Vincent is an unkind man looking to disappear, and finds himself in the care of a vampire and her two wicked children.
How to be a Werewolf
Shawn Lenore
Malaya Walters was bitten by a werewolf as a child. After being raised by her human family, she faces the chance to learn what being a werewolf is really like as an adult.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
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?
Solstoria
Angelica Maria
After her brother goes missing, Samantha vows to become a Knight and help those around her in the Kingdom of St. Helena.
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Sam & Fuzzy
Sam Logan
Troubled by gangster rodents, lovesick vampire stalkers, or confused ninja assassins? Don't panic! Sam and Fuzzy are here to help. (For a reasonable fee.)
Patrik the Vampire
Bree Paulsen
Patrik loves to knit, bake, and help his friends while dealing with his own demons... like his thirst for blood because, oh yeah--he's a vampire.
Demon's Mirror
Harry Bogosian
Based loosely off of "The Snow Queen", a story by Hans Christian Andersen, we see things take a different turn as the demons become central characters, and the side characters stick around. Yup, that's the only differences. Enjoy!
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Sal knows where Walky lives, Sal has plenty of shit to talk to him about, too, and has acknowledged her own cowardice when she poured her heart out AFTER he left. Neither is a coward, they just have shit parents who didn’t exactly equip them to let themselves be vulnerable with people.
On a serious note: among the main, student cast, only Becky and Dina have a healthier relationship. (The Jacob and Raidah relationship is seemingly healthier, but is going to face problems when Jacob realizes just how much of a Mean Girl Raidah is. Leslie and Anna may be healthier, but are not students.)
To the contrary, Sarah/Other Jacob is buzzing right along and while Joyce/Jacob is on hold, Carla/Mary is as toxic as ever and Mike/Danny is slowly inching its way forward as Mike has now realized he actually has to get Sal into bed to reduce Danny to tears.
This is one of the weird things the time scale brings. As he’s having a huge revelation that usually takes a few years in college to develop. Either way, kudos to him.
Well, most of that ‘better workin’ relationship’ is because of Sal’s efforts, not Amber’s, but… y’know what? Whatever motivates you, Walky. This time you’ll talk to your sister for sure. I believe!
Look, look. Sal’s in a much better place lately. And now Walky’s got determination! It’s, like, inevitable that their relationship will improve from here. I mean, what could go wrong?
… ha, almost forgot what comic I was reading for a second there
Yknow after Amber seemed to get off without any actual repercussions or consequences I feel almost, vindicated? to see that she really is exactly as trash as i’d thought she was? That’s Alright.
Buddy I’m speaking wholly and entirely of the recent arc in this webcomic called dumbing of age and its conclusion and not the entirety of Amber’s human life.
Yeah yeah yeah yeah Walky decided he was uncomfortable dating her. That’s definitely A Consequence. And I guess you can say getting tacit forgiveness from the woman you wronged a great deal whom you now play Roller Derby and a concerned talk with an authority figure about your well being are Consequences in the most literal definition of the word.
What I am trying to express is that I was unsatisfied by the resolution of this arc because of how uncritically it fell to Ambers failure, and that now seeing how Amber seems to view Walky’s Discomfort over Amber disabling his sister as a mere momentary obstacle, my interest is risen again.
This is why I said it was an unintended punchline: because it is not the intended punchline it is one I interpreted from the strip coincidentally. Talk about missing the point.
That would make more sense if your comment weren’t replying directly to the comment where I literally put the punchline I inferred in quotes to clarify why I doubted it was the intended punchline.
In that case I have no idea what point you think I’ve missed. You explained what you thought the punchline was, and it wasn’t actually the punchline, which does explain why you thought it was unintentional. Before that I was thinking you thought the *intended* punchline was unintentional, but then I saw that you never saw it in the first place.
I suppose you didn’t so much miss the *point* of the intended punchline as miss that there *was* an intended punchline at all.
My point was I didn’t think it was the actual punchline I thought it was an alternate one that could be read from the text. Thus “unintended” as in “not the punchline the author intended me to read and in fact a different possible punchline.” At no point did I say that there was not an intended punchline to this strip. That is the point that you missed.
So you knew the last panel had an intended punchline but still called it “like an unintended punchline”, even though that implies there isn’t an intended one?
I think Emily is saying she thought there was an intended punchline, but it wasn’t the one she was taking away from the strip.
Like, say Character A and Character B are having an argument, and the last panel is Character B saying something that the author clearly thinks is clever and a dunk on Character A. “Character B is clever and one-upped Character A” might be the intended interpretation of the punchline. However, if you as the audience think Character B actually comes off as a dick and an idiot, your amusement or feelings toward the strip might be the unintended interpretation of the punchline– “Boy, Character B sure is stupid.”
Unintended could imply both that there isn’t intended to be one at all and that one believes that one is intended but that there are others that are unintended. In this case, I’m not sure what the other punchline that Emily thinks was intended would be, but her saying that she thought her interpretation was unintended isn’t the same as saying that she didn’t think there was one.
Beyond that, I know that Emily is often mean, but that doesn’t mean you have to be mean back. I know that probably comes off as lecture-y, but I know exchanges here can get more heated than needed, and this exchange seems different than other ones I’ve seen you have.
Jesus, you misinterpreted my meaning just accept it and stop acting like you somehow know what I meant better than I do. You’re just being stubborn now.
For the last time, you two arent garbage! You are just two problematic characters that need to improve your own lives at your own paces. If you two decide to continue kissing on garbage roof it would be shallow as Joe’s date plans.
To be fair to them, their two hot messes who are both trying to do better or at least becoming more self aware of what and why their a hot mess. Ergo them being a couple isn’t “all” bad, at least their on equal footing and both trying to work on themselves, rather then say just one person in the relationship having issues while the other tries to “fix” them. I think they can be supportive of each other while they work on pulling themselves together cause their both a mess, or they’ll combine their garbage into a dumpster fire…either way you know.
I don’t see her as being actively toxic or destructive. (A la Billie actively crab-potting Ruth consciously or not.) So maybe they’re not destined to be self-actualized pinnacles of life partners for marriage for each other. Oh well! They like a lot of the same stuff, find each other attractive and generally improve the goodness of life for now. It’s college, why not?
Am I the only one not on board for this? (Unintended ship pun). I just think they both need time to work on themselves for a bit. And I knooowww “it’s not called ‘smarting of age'” but still, nice to have a little growth like what Walky is showing here.
I guess it depends. Like, if this prevents Walky from advancing, then yeah, with you on wanting him to hold firm and leave.
If he can make out AND make good, then that’s fine.
There’s no reason he can’t do both. I mean it’s not like Walky isn’t aware of his shortcomings. Having a girlfriend shouldn’t stand in the way of that self actualization.
I’m totally on board for the ship, but makeouts seem like bad timing just now. I think they can be good for each other if they take it slow. My OTP is Billie and Ruth, and I ship Joyce and Mike despite myself, so take what I say with a large grain of salt.
I wasn’t cocky enough to predict any outcome, just the circumstances of them meeting again.
My prediction as of now is that they will make out furiously tonight, afterwards agreeing that it’s a really bad idea for them to see each other. The same thing will happen at least one more time before they finally bone.
Given Amber’s background with the more extreme shippy fan-fiction, I think that she would consider that a ‘normal’ outcome of this conversation and their current circumstances.
What we have here is a refusal to give in to a catastrophic explanatory style. It’s a really, really good step. For Amber to have observed that something has gone wrong and still to seek a good outcome, rather than writing off the situation as irretrievable and using the failure as further “evidence” of her persistent and pervasive worthlessness, is a great improvement.
Good stuff Amber. You go!
On the other side of the frame we have a refusal to communicate. Walky is making a commitment that denies opportunities for joy and growth, on the basis of his unresolved issues with Sal. But at the same time, he is refusing to try to resolve his issues with Sal.
He should have spoken to Sal earlier. But he didn’t. So what he ought to do now is first, not to break anything, and second, to speak to Sal. Do not burn your boats by definitely refusing Amber until you have spoken to Sal, Walky you nitwit.
True, he might not. I think he needs to talk to Sal about it, get his feelings sorted out a bit. Then he can decide that he’s not comfortable with it. Making choices that have consequences with the uncertainty of his feelings as a deciding factor while chickening out of resolving that uncertainty is bad for him and will be hurtful for both Sal and Amber.
Okay, maybe he shouldn’t kiss Amber, or at least not very thoroughly. But I’d much rather he said “let me have some time to sort things out a bit”, not “bugger off and take your garbage roof with you”.
It’s often easier to forgive someone for what they do to you then it is forgive them for what they did to someone you care about. I could never date someone who literally stabbed my sister. Even if they became BFFs.
And let’s not forget that Amber and Walky’s relationship, was born of self loathing and rebounding from previous relationships. So Sal aside, it’s not coming from a good place to begin with.
He did make an attempt. Though he then took an excuse to keep from making more.
Sal can be hard to track down. I think you pretty much have to stumble across her accidentally.
Taking control is not an inherently good thing. Especially not when it takes the form of trying to salvage a relationship with someone you are currently lying to without actually stopping lying to them.
She might still end up with him. I like Amber. I really do. But she’s not what Walky needs right now. He said it himself in this strip; he’s got to stop wallowing, focus, and grow himself. And he can do that best with somebody who’s pretty level-headed, sensible, and yes, stable. Lucy is all of that, from what I’ve seen. She has her own failings, yes, but no more than anyone else.
Yes, but he is attracted to girls that are flawed but brilliant. Dorothy, Amber … He has a type. Now if Lucy went comatose where he could watch her sleep for days and obsess, she might stand a chance.
Walky her having a better relationship with Sal than you is entirely down to author fiat and not a result of any meaningful work on her part to build a positive relationship with her.
Walky ought to be comparing his relationship with Sal to the relationship with Sal that he ought to have, not to Amber’s relationship with Sal. But the deficiencies in that comparison are also compelling, and hey lead to the same conclusion. Walky ought to light a fire under his arse and start talking to Sal.
Dumping Amber is not a useful alternative to talking to Sal.
Part of the charm of being close with Amber was doing it behind Dorothy’s back. Now he just substitutes Sal for Dorothy and he’s good to go. It’s Garbage Roof .
That’s the wonderful thing about author’s fiat, isn’t it? It creates the in-universe reality so, no matter how little you think it’s a just or positive even in the real-world, it’s still going to happen in-universe.
Good point. As much as I complain about characters ‘juggling idiot balls’ in some shows, I do recognise the problems the writer has to surmount to justify the overall narrative in that episode. Sometimes it is easier to just wave your hand and announce: “Because I say so!”
If you have a good story-teller, someone who keeps bringing you back time after time and you feel that people are acting out of character by author fiat, I think it’s usually a pretty good indication that you don’t understand what the author’s doing. If you persistently think you understand the characters better than the author, that’s just arrogance.
I’ve really enjoyed the comment section today, but now I have to go watch thousands of dollars of virtual ships blow up. It’s the beginning of Burn Jita in EVE Online.
Really hope Walky sticks to his guns here. I mean, it really can’t be that enticing to be told ‘I know you were pretty upset and uncomfortable about all this last time we talked and are in fact talking about ending things right now, but I still wanna kiss, so’, right?
Also is it kind of weird to anyone else that Amber’s completely written off any possibility of a relationship with Danny because of how she acted towards him, but is still okay with pursuing Walky’s despite what she did to Sal and his obvious discomfort…? Idk, maybe she thinks it’s fine because she didn’t do anything directly to Walky but. Still seems strange.
Amber is kind of a shitty and selfish person. Like, apparently she’s also cool with just never telling him about tampering with his grades and still dating him as well so you can add that to reasons she sucks for saying this.
Like that we are not certain which way Walky will respond to this. Kisses with a girl he likes are never that bad an idea. But Walky also has other things he should get done. Light a fire in Walky or light a fire under his ass and get him moving.Since days always end with people in bed, I’m hoping he stays on garbage roof for a while.
Amber: cmon, you know you want to…
Walky: wha- shut up! I do not! After what you did to sal, I’m not kissing someone who’s crazy!
Amber: but you just said your more garbage than me
Walky: … damnit! Oh well, just one then
Amber: nah I’m good
Walky: no, wait!
Aiyah, it’s so easy to expect Amber to also show improvement as a result of this arc, and she hasn’t. She’s been led to a less harmful outcome by the improved judgement and consideration of others. Sal has offered her forgiveness and a chance to be more constructive with her violent streak. Dorothy has given her a second (third? fourth?) chance to improve herself. Ruth has confronted her and shown she’s aware of Amber’s extended issues. Walky is trying to break off an unhealthy rebound relationship with many secrets still left untold.
Amber herself…I’m not sure has grown. I feel like a lot of Amber’s personal arc right now is just showing us more and more of what she has to overcome. And we keep getting dramatic moments when things are bad – beating up her father, breaking up with Danny, fighting Sal – and none of them are Amber hitting rock bottom and turning around. She’s still fighting, lying, and refusing therapy. She’s still self-sabotaging, which is how I read the last panel.
Frustrating! But not everyone can access the sliding-timescale character development, that lets Walky grow and have meaningful relationships and change his attitude to others in the span of, what, a couple months?
This isn’t unlike Of Mike and Men. Sometimes there isn’t a satisfying end. Sometimes the asshole is just an asshole (the oldest truth of Willis’s work is that Mike is as 2D as his hair). Sometimes an arc ends with a TBC.
I get why people hate Amber. I honestly can’t say how much moral responsibility I give her for her shit. But things aren’t over just because we’re winding down an arc. We’ve barely broached the apparent BPD, and there’s still Blaine and her flash drive on the horizon.
Amber’s issues will always be an integral part of her character. There can still be hope and patience left, whether you want to see her reformed or punished.
When you say “the apparent BPD,” do you mean you think she has borderline personality disorder or are you talking about Amazi-Girl/what is generally speculated as being DID?
I could see Amber having BPD– I honestly hadn’t thought of it much either way before– I just hadn’t seen that talked about with her on here before.
i wake up
everything's calarts style
this rug is calarts style
your face is calarts style
the sky is calarts style
the increasing crescendo of calarts style from beneath the floorboards, i can hear its symphony whispering to me its awful refrain:
"get something real to hate"
Having left wing beliefs is hard because you have to listen to different types of people and give up saying slurs and read articles all the way through, wouldn’t you rather just watch youtube shorts of bald podcasters and believe any old bullshit
i need money and have a flintstone cel i do not want. if you need a flintsone cel and have money you do not want, please click here, thank you
ebay.us/m/XdPL0q
if you're ever sad alone silently, consider this:
- i hold a copyright on being like that
- you are encroaching on my intellectual property
- i will send you a cease & desist
- i will possibly take you to court
so please make yourself legally distinct by talking to someone about it
Take the fictional character quiz and post the first four you know: openpsychometrics.org/tests/charac...
What this should tell you is that I'm always down to cause chaos and good trouble
Would you like to take a survey? Do you like to eat beans? Do you like George Wendt? Would you like to eat beans with George Wendt? Would you like to watch a movie about George Wendt eating beans?
so i'm thinking, okay, i took some extra photos of this set of doors this year so i could draw some other angles, it's an important set of doors, so let's pull up my new reference photos...
....and do you see a problem, do you see an issue
Well, Lizard is here, and I've been telling myself for... years that I'd take down my Endgame shelf and put up Spider-Man:No Way Home once the final villain was out.
So.
That's a thing I gotta do.
cait (and adonis) @cait.bsky.social ⋅ 12h
Alina Pete @alinapete.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Sean Thomason @seanthomason.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
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Barb O. Saur 
⚧️
I stand by Dora’s remark
I stand by Darth Vader’s remarks. Give into the dark side, Walky!
If Walky’s going to turn to Evil and make out with a masked vigilante on a rooftop, he’s going to need some cat ears.
Or at least the whip.
Made of a bunch of Twizzlers tied together.
Good callback.
Don’t let Hanners hear about the dumpster sex!
I’unno, she’s got a tan now, and hangs out with llamas. Maybe she’s gotten over that.
Bets?
She has gotten better, but I don’t think she’s “ok with people having dumpster sex” better
*claps*
Let the make up/out begin!
up/out/over? Walky could stand to have a girlfriend making fashion choces for him again.
The question is, would Amber choosing Walky’s wardrobe lead to an appreciable difference, or would it lead to spandex?
Spandex wouldn’t be an appreciable difference?
Actually I’m picturing something along the lines of:
“Uh, Amb? Why did you ask me to dress as Optimus Primal before you agreed to make out?”
“Because when I had you wear the Dinobot costume, Dina tore it off you with her teeth.”
You win.
We’d all win.
So we’re all agreed that spandex would be an improvement?
Reveal the abs but remember the dancers belt – always remember the dancers belt.
Optimus Primal – excellent!
like i’d be all for that but for fuck’s sake walky at least talk to Sal first
If my use of the search filter is correct, the last time they exchanged words was August.
But at least Sal is well aware he has a siccness for thiccness, so she’ll understand.
I mean, the issue isn’t Sal’s feelings. It’s Walky’s gargantuan cowardice.
Sal would be fine if Walky never figured his shit out. Disappointed in him, but when would that be new?
Sal knows where Walky lives, Sal has plenty of shit to talk to him about, too, and has acknowledged her own cowardice when she poured her heart out AFTER he left. Neither is a coward, they just have shit parents who didn’t exactly equip them to let themselves be vulnerable with people.
As I always say – the Walkerton family crest is a knight stubbornly refusing to discuss their feelings.
It’s obviously falling to pieces but in complete, stubborn denial, just like the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I watched that for the first time yesterday.
It was pretty funny!
It was. Now you should watch the rest of the Python movies. Preferably not all at the same time.
Indeed. The sheer amount of absurdity and dry wit is enough to overwhelm all but the most British of viewers.
It is like watching CPAC but funny.
More like…”butt” for fuck’s sake. amiright?
External screaming.
Those who loved her best, and were with her to the end
Will make the S.S. Garbage Skowl rise again!
On a serious note: among the main, student cast, only Becky and Dina have a healthier relationship. (The Jacob and Raidah relationship is seemingly healthier, but is going to face problems when Jacob realizes just how much of a Mean Girl Raidah is. Leslie and Anna may be healthier, but are not students.)
Sort of a trick question though. The only other relationship among the current main student cast at the moment is Ruth/Billie, right?
To the contrary, Sarah/Other Jacob is buzzing right along and while Joyce/Jacob is on hold, Carla/Mary is as toxic as ever and Mike/Danny is slowly inching its way forward as Mike has now realized he actually has to get Sal into bed to reduce Danny to tears.
I’ll give you Sarah/Other Jacob.
Can we please not ship the trans character with the monstrous bigot? Even as a really REALLY shitty joke?
… You monster. I grew up in a Canadian folkie household, that song will be in my head all weeRIIISE AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN, RIIIIIIIISE AGAAAAAAAIN…
Quick, watch the log drivers waltz.
upside down licky style in the rain
Toby Maguire once said it felt like he was drowning. I was enough of a nerd to do the Spiderman 2 kiss on the couch and that was neat.
Look, I’m not gonna say Toby is wrong, because he’s absolutely right. I will say, though, don’t knock it til you try it.
Can relate
We were born to love one another
This is something we all need–The Monkees, “For Pete’s Sake”
Love Is Understanding. Rest In PEACE, Peter Tork
Gonna be a lot of Monkees on my radio show this saturday…
Where do you broadcast?
Relaunching!
Oh…. that might sound a little too optimistic but ok. The romance might not be dead yet, it might not be dead yet.
Please.
I’m sitting here with baited breath
Baited breath? What have you been eating? (Sorry, but I really couldn’t resist. )
Did you hear the one about the clever cat that ate some cheese and breathed into a mouse-hole with baited breath?
I have the crash cart.
What are you trying to catch?
. . . . I am incredibly proud of Walky. . how the bloody heck did that happen?
Also. . .Walker ship is still on? Maybe? Walker? Amlky? . . Walker. Walker is better.
Also just a small thing but I LOVE that the wind is actually affecting their hair here. It looks amazing.
This is one of the weird things the time scale brings. As he’s having a huge revelation that usually takes a few years in college to develop. Either way, kudos to him.
Well, this starts to answer my previous question. I don’t know if they’ll stay together but I want them to at least suss it out.
Nicely done, Walky.
Amber? Saw it coming. But I think Walky will take the first step to not being garbage by gently letting her down.
“I may not be as garbage as you, but I still want to get dirty!”
Well, at least they’re both being honest with their feelings.
Amber’s not.
She’d actually hoped for much more than kissing but she doesn’t wanna throw that all on the guy at onceShe is being sufficiently honest, gosh darn it!
Obligatory Garfunkel and Oates song about uncertain intentions
Oh, Amber tries the direct approach. I like it.
Also, Walky is having some good thoughts here! Progress!
Well, most of that ‘better workin’ relationship’ is because of Sal’s efforts, not Amber’s, but… y’know what? Whatever motivates you, Walky. This time you’ll talk to your sister for sure. I believe!
DOA 9: Despite Everything, We’d End Up Kissing Anyway
DoA Book 9: Y’aint More Garbage Than Me, You’re Less
DoA Book 9: [Insert quote from DoA Book 9 here]
DOA9: Newsflash. I am Very Garbage!
At least she’s honest? About this anyways.
And awww, I want Walky and Sal’s relationship to get better too.
Look, look. Sal’s in a much better place lately. And now Walky’s got determination! It’s, like, inevitable that their relationship will improve from here. I mean, what could go wrong?
… ha, almost forgot what comic I was reading for a second there
He’ll mean well!
No promises on results, but he’ll mean well!
Wow Amber! Shut the fuck up!!!
Yknow after Amber seemed to get off without any actual repercussions or consequences I feel almost, vindicated? to see that she really is exactly as trash as i’d thought she was? That’s Alright.
I dunno, she almost got choked to death. That kinda seems like a consequence to me, but what do I know?
Evidently, nothing relevant to contribute.
Given how miserable Amber is, I don’t think that anyone can say that she has never faced consequences.
Buddy I’m speaking wholly and entirely of the recent arc in this webcomic called dumbing of age and its conclusion and not the entirety of Amber’s human life.
Mate, even in the narrow context of just this chapter, Amber is facing consequences.
Yeah yeah yeah yeah Walky decided he was uncomfortable dating her. That’s definitely A Consequence. And I guess you can say getting tacit forgiveness from the woman you wronged a great deal whom you now play Roller Derby and a concerned talk with an authority figure about your well being are Consequences in the most literal definition of the word.
What I am trying to express is that I was unsatisfied by the resolution of this arc because of how uncritically it fell to Ambers failure, and that now seeing how Amber seems to view Walky’s Discomfort over Amber disabling his sister as a mere momentary obstacle, my interest is risen again.
The arc isn’t over yet, nor is it resolved. A great deal depends on Walky’s response.
That last panel is like an unintended punchline to Walky saying she’s less garbage than him.
Honestly I don’t understand how anyone can read That Line after That Speach aware of the context and not feel complete and total disgust
Amber slightly retains Amazi-Girl’s immunity to criticism.
alt text is “newsflash I am very garbage” though, doesn’t seem unintentional.
Yeah, that was pretty darn intentional. The last panel of the strip is the punchline, what a concept!
I find it unlikely that “Amber is actually just an awful person” is the punchline when this narrative bends over backwards to be sympathetic to her.
ah, you’ve missed the point of the punchline then. congratulations.
This is why I said it was an unintended punchline: because it is not the intended punchline it is one I interpreted from the strip coincidentally. Talk about missing the point.
see, you didn’t actually say what you thought the punchline *was* in your original comment. kinda hard to miss a point that hasn’t even been made.
That would make more sense if your comment weren’t replying directly to the comment where I literally put the punchline I inferred in quotes to clarify why I doubted it was the intended punchline.
In that case I have no idea what point you think I’ve missed. You explained what you thought the punchline was, and it wasn’t actually the punchline, which does explain why you thought it was unintentional. Before that I was thinking you thought the *intended* punchline was unintentional, but then I saw that you never saw it in the first place.
I suppose you didn’t so much miss the *point* of the intended punchline as miss that there *was* an intended punchline at all.
My point was I didn’t think it was the actual punchline I thought it was an alternate one that could be read from the text. Thus “unintended” as in “not the punchline the author intended me to read and in fact a different possible punchline.” At no point did I say that there was not an intended punchline to this strip. That is the point that you missed.
So you knew the last panel had an intended punchline but still called it “like an unintended punchline”, even though that implies there isn’t an intended one?
I think Emily is saying she thought there was an intended punchline, but it wasn’t the one she was taking away from the strip.
Like, say Character A and Character B are having an argument, and the last panel is Character B saying something that the author clearly thinks is clever and a dunk on Character A. “Character B is clever and one-upped Character A” might be the intended interpretation of the punchline. However, if you as the audience think Character B actually comes off as a dick and an idiot, your amusement or feelings toward the strip might be the unintended interpretation of the punchline– “Boy, Character B sure is stupid.”
Unintended could imply both that there isn’t intended to be one at all and that one believes that one is intended but that there are others that are unintended. In this case, I’m not sure what the other punchline that Emily thinks was intended would be, but her saying that she thought her interpretation was unintended isn’t the same as saying that she didn’t think there was one.
Beyond that, I know that Emily is often mean, but that doesn’t mean you have to be mean back. I know that probably comes off as lecture-y, but I know exchanges here can get more heated than needed, and this exchange seems different than other ones I’ve seen you have.
Yeah, I admit I wanted to see what would happen if I mirrored Emily’s behaviour.
Nice-Inahc hasn’t really been enjoying this comment section lately. She.. might not be back for a while again.
Jesus, you misinterpreted my meaning just accept it and stop acting like you somehow know what I meant better than I do. You’re just being stubborn now.
So uh is this ship now a submarine?
Because submarines are the coolest boats. Closely followed by hydrofoils.
Or a recycled spaceship
For the last time, you two arent garbage! You are just two problematic characters that need to improve your own lives at your own paces. If you two decide to continue kissing on garbage roof it would be shallow as Joe’s date plans.
Wouldn’t that…make them garbage?
To be fair to them, their two hot messes who are both trying to do better or at least becoming more self aware of what and why their a hot mess. Ergo them being a couple isn’t “all” bad, at least their on equal footing and both trying to work on themselves, rather then say just one person in the relationship having issues while the other tries to “fix” them. I think they can be supportive of each other while they work on pulling themselves together cause their both a mess, or they’ll combine their garbage into a dumpster fire…either way you know.
That’s, in no uncertain terms why I like Walky and Amber infinitely more than Walky and Dorothy.
Ok, that and the upgrade in thiccnessI really dislike the “garbage roof” aspect of their relationship, for pretty much the reasons Walky gives here.
A little freedom to be garbage can be a good respite from pressure. Too much is just wallowing and keeps you from trying not to be garbage.
Walky’s internal monlogue: I really feel like this would be a step backwards for me
Me, with a Palpatine voice: Dewitt!
DO IT
KISS THE GIRL
It’s Garbage Roof.
Cue Chinatown theme.
SAME, Amber. SAAAAAAAAME
So proud of Walky in panel 2!
I’m conflicted. I want Walky to do better.
But I also want Walky to do Amber.
And right now, those two desires don’t seem to intersect very well.
Well Amber is Better now. So y’know. 2 birds.
I don’t see her as being actively toxic or destructive. (A la Billie actively crab-potting Ruth consciously or not.) So maybe they’re not destined to be self-actualized pinnacles of life partners for marriage for each other. Oh well! They like a lot of the same stuff, find each other attractive and generally improve the goodness of life for now. It’s college, why not?
If you’re going to dumb of age, you might as well do it right.
god dammit this isn’t a garbage competition lmao
Walky is a good egg
Walky, you should never turn down kissing.
This is very bad advice. This is also advice that I follow to a tee.
It’s a bad strategy. The people who say “kiss my ass” are never the ones you’d hope.
Am I the only one not on board for this? (Unintended ship pun). I just think they both need time to work on themselves for a bit. And I knooowww “it’s not called ‘smarting of age'” but still, nice to have a little growth like what Walky is showing here.
I guess it depends. Like, if this prevents Walky from advancing, then yeah, with you on wanting him to hold firm and leave.
If he can make out AND make good, then that’s fine.
There’s no reason he can’t do both. I mean it’s not like Walky isn’t aware of his shortcomings. Having a girlfriend shouldn’t stand in the way of that self actualization.
I’m totally on board for the ship, but makeouts seem like bad timing just now. I think they can be good for each other if they take it slow. My OTP is Billie and Ruth, and I ship Joyce and Mike despite myself, so take what I say with a large grain of salt.
…Diagram JoycexMike for me.
Avatar is infinitely appropriate.
There have been a few panels where I’ve been tempted to switch but every time I stay strong I’m rewarded like this.
Some garbage is what it is. Other garbage, however, can actually be recycled.
I know it’s dumb but I love making dumb jokes sometimes.
This happens when you get old: I’d already forgotten that I predicted this exact scenario twenty-four days ago.
What was your predicted outcome?
I wasn’t cocky enough to predict any outcome, just the circumstances of them meeting again.
My prediction as of now is that they will make out furiously tonight, afterwards agreeing that it’s a really bad idea for them to see each other. The same thing will happen at least one more time before they finally bone.
Amber does a move
Amber performs a moves.
Like a Dalek or the nun in the Blues Brothers, can’t decide which.
Given Amber’s background with the more extreme shippy fan-fiction, I think that she would consider that a ‘normal’ outcome of this conversation and their current circumstances.
This situation is nothing like a fanfiction. They both wear pants, for one thing.
But how do you pilot a B719 spaceship in a skirt?
I’m more worried about how Blake’s pants ALWAYS seem to be destroyed in increasingly unlikely gym equipment accidents just before takeoff.
I’ve read that comic.
How do you pilot a B719 spaceship in a skirt? Your job requires you to remove your skirt first. It’s kind of the point.
It’s the requirement to wear kinky boots that worries me!
What we have here is a refusal to give in to a catastrophic explanatory style. It’s a really, really good step. For Amber to have observed that something has gone wrong and still to seek a good outcome, rather than writing off the situation as irretrievable and using the failure as further “evidence” of her persistent and pervasive worthlessness, is a great improvement.
Good stuff Amber. You go!
On the other side of the frame we have a refusal to communicate. Walky is making a commitment that denies opportunities for joy and growth, on the basis of his unresolved issues with Sal. But at the same time, he is refusing to try to resolve his issues with Sal.
He should have spoken to Sal earlier. But he didn’t. So what he ought to do now is first, not to break anything, and second, to speak to Sal. Do not burn your boats by definitely refusing Amber until you have spoken to Sal, Walky you nitwit.
Walky might not be okay with dating Amber because she stabbed Sal even if Sal were okay with it.
True, he might not. I think he needs to talk to Sal about it, get his feelings sorted out a bit. Then he can decide that he’s not comfortable with it. Making choices that have consequences with the uncertainty of his feelings as a deciding factor while chickening out of resolving that uncertainty is bad for him and will be hurtful for both Sal and Amber.
Okay, maybe he shouldn’t kiss Amber, or at least not very thoroughly. But I’d much rather he said “let me have some time to sort things out a bit”, not “bugger off and take your garbage roof with you”.
It’s often easier to forgive someone for what they do to you then it is forgive them for what they did to someone you care about. I could never date someone who literally stabbed my sister. Even if they became BFFs.
And let’s not forget that Amber and Walky’s relationship, was born of self loathing and rebounding from previous relationships. So Sal aside, it’s not coming from a good place to begin with.
I’m very proud of Amber. This is her taking control.
Walky first hiding with Lucy and then waiting on the roof instead of speaking to Sal… is not him taking control.
He did make an attempt. Though he then took an excuse to keep from making more.
Sal can be hard to track down. I think you pretty much have to stumble across her accidentally.
That’s very true. We all remember Billie’s multiple failed attempts.
…but perhaps there ARE more likely places to look than Lucy’s common room and garbage roof, just saying.
Maybe. Lucy’s common room seems a stretch, but garbage roof is the last place he saw her.
Well, now he’s got to compensate and prove that Amber is-not more garbage than him.
Taking control is not an inherently good thing. Especially not when it takes the form of trying to salvage a relationship with someone you are currently lying to without actually stopping lying to them.
So I guess we’re not going to see any more of Amber and Ruth’s conversation, then?
Probably only in flashback or by implication. I think that Amber putting the moves on Walky is a result of whatever conclusions she and Ruth came to.
Obviously Ruth gives very good bad advice. They need to talk more often.
“Ruth, what should I do when I’ve made someone I like possibly hate me?”
“Well, first you pin em against something sturdy…”
Poor Lucy…
She might still end up with him. I like Amber. I really do. But she’s not what Walky needs right now. He said it himself in this strip; he’s got to stop wallowing, focus, and grow himself. And he can do that best with somebody who’s pretty level-headed, sensible, and yes, stable. Lucy is all of that, from what I’ve seen. She has her own failings, yes, but no more than anyone else.
Yes, but he is attracted to girls that are flawed but brilliant. Dorothy, Amber … He has a type. Now if Lucy went comatose where he could watch her sleep for days and obsess, she might stand a chance.
The Smiths called, they want their song back!
yay amber
Yay, communcating wishes and desires! Theres still hope!
man, Im just not into the new ships right now.
Where’s my Danny/Ethan at.
So does this mean the SS Garbage Skowl is not sunk yet? I’m going to assume so.
Yikes. Her garbage levels are approaching superhero status. Amazi-Garbage?
Walky her having a better relationship with Sal than you is entirely down to author fiat and not a result of any meaningful work on her part to build a positive relationship with her.
Walky ought to be comparing his relationship with Sal to the relationship with Sal that he ought to have, not to Amber’s relationship with Sal. But the deficiencies in that comparison are also compelling, and hey lead to the same conclusion. Walky ought to light a fire under his arse and start talking to Sal.
Dumping Amber is not a useful alternative to talking to Sal.
Part of the charm of being close with Amber was doing it behind Dorothy’s back. Now he just substitutes Sal for Dorothy and he’s good to go. It’s Garbage Roof .
That’s the wonderful thing about author’s fiat, isn’t it? It creates the in-universe reality so, no matter how little you think it’s a just or positive even in the real-world, it’s still going to happen in-universe.
That doesn’t make it good writing.
Isn’t all fiction, per definition, author fiat?
Good point. As much as I complain about characters ‘juggling idiot balls’ in some shows, I do recognise the problems the writer has to surmount to justify the overall narrative in that episode. Sometimes it is easier to just wave your hand and announce: “Because I say so!”
If you have a good story-teller, someone who keeps bringing you back time after time and you feel that people are acting out of character by author fiat, I think it’s usually a pretty good indication that you don’t understand what the author’s doing. If you persistently think you understand the characters better than the author, that’s just arrogance.
Then there’s the ba story-tellers with whom you give up on after a while!
There are.
There are also story-tellers you might like for other aspects of their story and forgive the occasional out of character moments.
Yes, but usually it feels organic and justified within the text not like someone took a hammer to a misplaced puzzle piece.
GIGO!
You win many Interwebs.
Nooo, don’t do it. Take this time to work on yourselves properly. Argh.
I’ve really enjoyed the comment section today, but now I have to go watch thousands of dollars of virtual ships blow up. It’s the beginning of Burn Jita in EVE Online.
These ships blowing up aren’t enough for ya?
Good walky, this is growth! Now grow away from Amber!
Really hope Walky sticks to his guns here. I mean, it really can’t be that enticing to be told ‘I know you were pretty upset and uncomfortable about all this last time we talked and are in fact talking about ending things right now, but I still wanna kiss, so’, right?
Also is it kind of weird to anyone else that Amber’s completely written off any possibility of a relationship with Danny because of how she acted towards him, but is still okay with pursuing Walky’s despite what she did to Sal and his obvious discomfort…? Idk, maybe she thinks it’s fine because she didn’t do anything directly to Walky but. Still seems strange.
Amber sees Walky as also garbage while she sees Danny as relatively innocent/pure, so maybe she’s more okay with pursuing him? I do agree it’s weird.
Maybe this part is more about Walky committing to trying to be less garbage, and refusing her.
Amber is kind of a shitty and selfish person. Like, apparently she’s also cool with just never telling him about tampering with his grades and still dating him as well so you can add that to reasons she sucks for saying this.
Like that we are not certain which way Walky will respond to this. Kisses with a girl he likes are never that bad an idea. But Walky also has other things he should get done. Light a fire in Walky or light a fire under his ass and get him moving.Since days always end with people in bed, I’m hoping he stays on garbage roof for a while.
Days do not always end with people in bed. Books do.
David Walkerton, too garbage for garbage roof.
Amber: cmon, you know you want to…
Walky: wha- shut up! I do not! After what you did to sal, I’m not kissing someone who’s crazy!
Amber: but you just said your more garbage than me
Walky: … damnit! Oh well, just one then
Amber: nah I’m good
Walky: no, wait!
Aiyah, it’s so easy to expect Amber to also show improvement as a result of this arc, and she hasn’t. She’s been led to a less harmful outcome by the improved judgement and consideration of others. Sal has offered her forgiveness and a chance to be more constructive with her violent streak. Dorothy has given her a second (third? fourth?) chance to improve herself. Ruth has confronted her and shown she’s aware of Amber’s extended issues. Walky is trying to break off an unhealthy rebound relationship with many secrets still left untold.
Amber herself…I’m not sure has grown. I feel like a lot of Amber’s personal arc right now is just showing us more and more of what she has to overcome. And we keep getting dramatic moments when things are bad – beating up her father, breaking up with Danny, fighting Sal – and none of them are Amber hitting rock bottom and turning around. She’s still fighting, lying, and refusing therapy. She’s still self-sabotaging, which is how I read the last panel.
Frustrating! But not everyone can access the sliding-timescale character development, that lets Walky grow and have meaningful relationships and change his attitude to others in the span of, what, a couple months?
This isn’t unlike Of Mike and Men. Sometimes there isn’t a satisfying end. Sometimes the asshole is just an asshole (the oldest truth of Willis’s work is that Mike is as 2D as his hair). Sometimes an arc ends with a TBC.
I get why people hate Amber. I honestly can’t say how much moral responsibility I give her for her shit. But things aren’t over just because we’re winding down an arc. We’ve barely broached the apparent BPD, and there’s still Blaine and her flash drive on the horizon.
Amber’s issues will always be an integral part of her character. There can still be hope and patience left, whether you want to see her reformed or punished.
When you say “the apparent BPD,” do you mean you think she has borderline personality disorder or are you talking about Amazi-Girl/what is generally speculated as being DID?
I could see Amber having BPD– I honestly hadn’t thought of it much either way before– I just hadn’t seen that talked about with her on here before.