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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.
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Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
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This comic is about a robot powered by bees, but it's also about the kind of people who think filling a robot with bees is a good idea, and why they're wrong.
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There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
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It all depends on weather what food has been foisted on a customer is both good and actually what they wanted as opposed to what they think they wanted. IIRC there is a restaurant in Rome …. or was it Venice …. infamous for this style of service. You sit down and they serve you dinner. You have zero say in what you get served unless you have a food allergy. It’s like visiting Grandma if she ran a restaurant and was an amazing Italian cook.
I think the rest of us assume that unless you are a farmer, this is reason you own a utility vehicle. I mean, why else would you forgo fuel economy, passenger room, and ride comfort?
Because you’re too tall to fit in a sedan? That’s the reason I drive a pickup (and because I haul things in it, but most of the time it’s just me). A standard-sized passenger vehicle is too cramped for me, with very little leg- or headroom. Also, they tend to ride really low, which, with my bad knees, makes it really hard to get in and out of them. And forget about compact cars — might as well just be a sardine tin with wheels.
tldr: For big people, a big vehicle is more comfortable, and maybe necessary.
Cause I inherited the truck from my grandfather and literally could not afford anything else at the time due to crippling Student Loan Debt? This does not mean that I opted for the Extended bed, or that I wanted to learn how to drive a long wheel base. You try going from a 83 Ford Tempo to an Extended Bed S-10.
This rant is a joking delivery and meant more to poke fun at the attitude your argument implies rather than you personally, but is based on true circumstances.
Sidney with an I is fairly unambiguously male. Sydney with a Y is about 50-50 male/female.
In the British comic The Beano, there’s a pair of characters who are boy/girl twins, their names are Sidney and Sydney. However they’re usually referred to as Sid and Toots. (I don’t know either xD)
Synce Sydney almost always seems to speak of themselves yn the thyrd person, y’m not sure that ys defynatyve. Y was actually a byt surprysed that they spoke of themselves usyng “I” yn the stryp you lynked to…
Sydney strikes me as the type who drives around with their high beams on all the time, even during the day. That seems to be the latest trend in a-hole driving around here.
I need to point out that Willis has done the almost impossible (nowadays): he’s created a four-word phrase that (as of tonight’s posting) returns no remotely applicable hits, and will tomorrow undoubtedly turn up this comic as the first result.
I hate to point this out, but he should probably turn his career toward the very lucrative field of Search Engine Optimization.
Jason presumably arrived from England all of six weeks ago or so. Between that, TA duties (until recently) and doing graduate studies, it’s really not the time to learn how to drive on the other side of the road.
I’m not mad about him not doing more himself, I’m just annoyed that he had to drag things out with his “skepticism” when he wasn’t even going to have to do anything anyway.
Hey! Smart cars are perfectly applicable for two passengers, if someone is willing to sit/lay in the trunk area … right above the engine… which is not something I’ve ever had a passenger do in my smart car, of course.
Seriously, I get not wanting to call an ambulance (they’re fuck off expensive, like everything in US health care), but was it too much to ask for him to pick up the phone and call for a cab or an Uber himself?
He had all of one sentence between “she’s sick” and your judgement. Which he used to say “That’s bad, but for the record you’ve spent the evening bullshitting me.” He never said he WASN’T going to call an ambulance, or an uber, or something.
‘course, maybe she convinced him to find a coworker and a car instead of calling an ambulance and letting her deal with the bill.
What makes you so sure the stick-in-the-mud English immigrant college student has a car? Like Sarah, he probably thought “University is for studying, what need have I of frivolous road trips?” Also “How big could a United States state be?” because Jason has never seen Texas full-sized next to England.
Furthermore, if Galasso says “No, bartender, you must remain here. Have another of my PEONS drive the girl.” then it is most definitely faster to just find somebody else with a car than argue with him.
Why are you so determined to bust Jason’s chops? I understand yesterday’s, even if I never enjoy the “let’s tear apart these 5 seconds of dialogue” comment fun-fests. But this is now day 2 of “Let’s find every flaw in Jason’s course of action.” The comment sections that sound like they have a grudge against the fictional characters are even worse.
I don’t like Jason, but man if it isn’t frustrating to see comment after comment *theory-crafting* reasons that he’s terrible. There’s already plenty of confirmed ones!
I never said he had to take them himself. I said he could have gotten help himself. It’s not that hard or time consuming to call 911 or a cab – or, if he knows Sydney has a car, ask them himself.
There’s no theory crafting necessary when the things he does on panel are things I don’t like. His own shit doesn’t endear him to me and he burned through any benefit of the doubt I had for him a long time ago.
If you don’t like my comments, scroll. I dunno what else I can tell you. I’m not going to say this is even in the top 5 of the worst things he’s done, but I’m also not going to disagree that his help is kinda weak.
We’ve already established why 911 and Taxi services are inferior to somebody at Galasso’s. Why would Jason know Sydney has a car? Sydney was fired before he got there and was only rehired a few minutes ago.
See, this is why I said theory-crafting. You’re making the assumption that Jason passed the work onto Ken. Jason has been there two days. He doesn’t know who there has a car.
Here’s a scenario I find entirely plausible:
“Excuse me, Ken. We’re having a bit of an emergency and are in need of transportation. Might any of our coworkers have a vehicle at their immediate disposal?”
“Uhhh I think Sydney drives… I’ll go ask her.”
Why didn’t we see that exchange? It makes the strip too long. It wasn’t necessary to the punchline. Willis didn’t think it would be crucial at Jason’s trial. Take your pick.
And yes, I guess I’ll just see your name and try my best to ignore you. Unless there’s a block feature. I’d like to see only comments that don’t involve taking apart a character in some grudge match.
A) I don’t have the permanent hate boner for Jason you seem to think I have. That said, yeah, when characters do something that annoys me or I think they can do better, I’ll comment on it.
B) No, actually, we haven’t established cabs or 911 is inherently inferior to getting someone from Galasso’s to help. There’s arguments you could make about that that would have merit, but I don’t think one option is inherently better than another.
C) Asking Ken to talk to Sydney would still be passing the work onto him. Like I said, that’s hardly the worst thing he can do – yesterday was WAY more dickish. But I agree with OP that it does make his help look weak since he isn’t doing much himself. Since I need to say this repeatedly apparently – AGAIN, HARDLY THE WORST THING HE’S DONE. Hell, if he’s not calling for help himself, asking a co-worker to find someone who could drive is definitely the best option here.
D) Plausible though it may be, you’re still the one creating scenarios out of whole cloth here. I’m just reacting to what’s on panel by agreeing with OP that Jason, himself, is not doing much here, and mentioned something he, himself, could do that would be equally helpful even if he can’t leave the bar.
E) “Jason’s trial” – Seriously? This is ridiculously over dramatic.
Yeah, you’re right. Jason’s fictional. So is whatever extreme animosity you think I’ve got for him. Granted, he annoys me more often than some other characters do, but he’s done good things (like reaching out to Walky) and I do feel bad for him because his dad’s a shitstain. But yeah, some things he does bug me and sometimes I’ll agree with other’s comments on there.
@ Inahc – Not sure what specific part of my post upset you, but …yeah. That’s all the advice I’ve got. I post about my reactions to characters in the current strip and it’s not always positive. If negativity’s not something you (general you) like seeing, then yeah, scrolling past is all I’ve got. It’s nothing personal.
Before Uber a lot of crazed determinators like Sydney delivered pizzas for a living. Sydney’s probably less dangerous out of the car, for all concerned.
“I asked to be taken to the hospital, but I was taken to the lake instead. I’m still not sure why she handed me a cinder block and a piece of rope, and frankly, I was afraid to ask.”
Or maybe just after that Ken goes “Your cheese pizza will be right up, sir,” and leaves him sadly staring into the middle distance going “But… but now I’m craving the lasagna dinner…”
Sydney Yus both threatens and gloats in the third person “they” whenever Sydney Yus is not threatening and gloating in the first person singular or the name Sydney Yus.
depends on how far away the hospital is and how time sensitive the reaction is. Billy seems to be under the impression it needs immediate attention, and if the reaction is what I think it is, than sooner is better.
The real-life Mother Bears (the inspiration for Galasso’s) is about 1.7 miles from the nearest major hospital (IU Health Bloomington).
Not too far to walk if you’re ambulatory, but if you’re already thinking ER, you’re better off driving (six minutes by car, half an hour if you’re walking).
I think this also answers the question, “Why not call an ambulance?” Apart from other issues, there’s no way an ambulance would even get to Galasso’s in six minutes.
Also ambulances are expensive, becuase the american health care system is thoroughly fucked. People risk their lives to avoid having to call an ambulance.
Many ambulances these days are owned and operated by private, for-profit companies out to make a buck. They’re like towing companies but for sick and injured people.
What if Sydney is somehow able to know what a customer wants more than the customer themselves know? And her terrible service is really just her trying to get them the perfect meal?
Sydney really desperately wants to be Galasso’s true heir, doesn’t she? That’s okay by Connie who, I suspect, has no desire to be an Evil Sub and Pizza Mastermind for the rest of her life.
Still, it’s to Sydney’s credit that she didn’t hesitate to shuttle Ruth to the ER when asked.
(fanfic)
Connie lives a quiet normal life. Suddenly a masked evildoer appears. He is deftly handled with zest and aplomb.
“Well, you know I was brought up as a Sub and Pizza Mastermind.”
(/fanfic)
To me, it screams first-generation Toyota Prius. The headlight shape, hood contour lines, and “beak” over the grille all line up.
Runner up would be a facelifted first-generation Ford Focus. The headlights are about the right shape, but the hood and grilles are different.
If it weren’t for the “broke college student” bit, I’d expect Sydney to drive an entry level luxury car like a BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C Class. They both have an air of “I scraped together just enough to afford this marque because I think I’m better than you” megalomania to them.
That’s the whole original purpose of the character in the Walkyverse – She was a dyed-in-the-wool villain-for-the-sake-of-villainy. There was no purpose for the character other than plot the downfall of the protagonists in particular and the Shortpacked store in general.
Wanting ‘depth’ from Sydney is sort of missing the point really. I wonder if Willis is planning to give her that depth because this is Dumbing of Age?
So, who’s this fella with the glasses and beard? He doesn’t have a tag, so he’ll probably never show up again. But I like his design. Give me a couple of hours and I’ll have about forty-seven headcanons for him.
(Also, Panel 1 Sydney is just demanding an edit with them wearing an Infinity Gauntlet.)
Hey Willis, idea for another revenue stream: paid-for cameos! Y’know… $25 for a one-time one-panel appearance, like our unfortunate forced-lasagne customer here.
As an older fan of DoA, I have the look of a suitable Jacobs School of Music theory professor, three years away from retirement, and out on the town for some barely palatable Italian fare.
i missed a few days of dumbing of age cuz of how hectic life has been lately… So when i come back it’s this full scene with Ruth and Billie that i recognize so well…. The way Ruth talks there, my redhead love said similar these days… Me and the girls have been struggling with codependency for ages, slowly being forced to break out of it by psychiatric intervention, but she’s still struggling the most with it, and has no access to reliable psychiatric care where she lives. Still, we’re gonna help her through it and things will be better..
Anyway, this sharing is mostly to say, even though it’s been said already, that this writing is so on point that it’s real. It’s uncanny how much of this comic seems based on, or is foreshadowing my life (but i imagine to some people it feels like that even more).
Also, thank you for the MCU joke for some relief here, as a fangirl i really appreciate (also jeez having someone to drive to the hospital would have been handy t_t )
I wonder what it says about me that I really want Sydney Yus as a sustenance facilitator? Don’t even give me a menu. That’s too hard. Just tell me what I want to eat and I will hand over my money…
Me if I ever see Tony Hawk: Hey you’re Tony Hawk the famous skateboarder. That’s right I recognise you. Won’t be able to get any content out of this will you, you piece of shit
How to read all 28 issues of my Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane run on Marvel Unlimited:
1: The first four issues were published as the miniseries "Mary Jane."
www.marvel.com/comics/serie...
today in #9chickweedlane i learned we have to be shown children learning and relearning what sex is, for Reasons, even though they already clearly know and have prepared nuanced questions about it!
also that Gran must hate, if she's still alive, how Old Juliette is the same but with gray hair
one of my favorite things is when a commenter explodes WHEN DO THESE CHARACTERS GET THERAPY but directed towards a character who canonically has a regular therapist
Hot Toys Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 1/6 Scale Darth Vader Deluxe ($495) & Standard ($315) is up for preorder at Sideshow - shrsl.com/4wcx6 #ad
If you preorder make sure to hit the Exclusive versions since they include a commemorative plaque and cost the same.
btw if you're one of those rando bluesky weirdos who doesn't know me but sees me in the wild being sarcastic and don't know i'm being sarcastic because you haven't taken like 30 seconds to, like, maybe look at my user profile or something, keep walking, you're not going to score internet points here
Here's an entertaining cite at the bottom of the first page
Josh Gerstein@joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
JUST IN: Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan moves to dismiss federal criminal case against her for allegedly helping immigrant hide from ICE. Her lawyers say she's protected by official acts & judicial immunity and 10th Amendment. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Where did Hollywood go so wrong? I thought movies were supposed to be an escape from reality, a chance to put your worries aside and not have to think about any underlying ideas or concepts. Well, not anymore.
theonion.com/you-can...
It's not a new argument, of course, but Chesterton dismissed it effectively in 1908.
"You will hear everlastingly... this argument that the rich man cannot be bribed. The fact is, of course, that the rich man is bribed; he has been bribed already. That is why he is a rich man."
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com ⋅ 3d
Hawley dismisses Trump lining his pockets with his memecoin: "Listen, I think nobody believes that Donald Trump can be bought. I mean, what does Donald Trump need more money for?"
preternia @preternia.com ⋅ 2d
Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com ⋅ 3d
Pavel
@spavel.bsky.social ⋅ 12d
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the joys of car ownership
The incalculable joy of getting Sydney away from the paying customers.
I feel like that level of joy is extremely calculable. In business not lost, that is.
It all depends on weather what food has been foisted on a customer is both good and actually what they wanted as opposed to what they think they wanted. IIRC there is a restaurant in Rome …. or was it Venice …. infamous for this style of service. You sit down and they serve you dinner. You have zero say in what you get served unless you have a food allergy. It’s like visiting Grandma if she ran a restaurant and was an amazing Italian cook.
My grandma was an amazing Italian cook, being from Italy; she didn’t run a restaurant.
This was me in college, and pretty much yep. Most of my friends were pretty cool about not over-doing it though.
Try owning a pickup truck or a van. You become everyone’s personal U-HAUL and/or FedEx. At least passengers can generally load and unload themselves.
I think the rest of us assume that unless you are a farmer, this is reason you own a utility vehicle. I mean, why else would you forgo fuel economy, passenger room, and ride comfort?
Because you’re too tall to fit in a sedan? That’s the reason I drive a pickup (and because I haul things in it, but most of the time it’s just me). A standard-sized passenger vehicle is too cramped for me, with very little leg- or headroom. Also, they tend to ride really low, which, with my bad knees, makes it really hard to get in and out of them. And forget about compact cars — might as well just be a sardine tin with wheels.
tldr: For big people, a big vehicle is more comfortable, and maybe necessary.
You assume that someone driving a vehicle other than a passenger car is there for you to sponge off of? Also, you assume a lot about the “rest of us”
Cause I inherited the truck from my grandfather and literally could not afford anything else at the time due to crippling Student Loan Debt? This does not mean that I opted for the Extended bed, or that I wanted to learn how to drive a long wheel base. You try going from a 83 Ford Tempo to an Extended Bed S-10.
This rant is a joking delivery and meant more to poke fun at the attitude your argument implies rather than you personally, but is based on true circumstances.
Because plywood and drywall don’t fit in my car.
You can’t really tell just one person to scatter. Sydney’s megalomaniacal banter needs work.
Maybe that’s why she wants to work for Galasso, so she can learn at the feet of the master.
Before ultimately turning on said master, of course. It is the rule of the Sith.
Sydney: “Who disrupts my coronation?!…Galasso, is that you?”
Galvasso: “Here’s a hint!” (hands over pink slip)
Shouldn’t that be Sydscream?
This line of comments is perfect…
And Galassotron.
I feel like Amber and Ethan are participating in this conversation
She might have been trying to get to “skitter.”
“Maybe that’s why she wants to work for Galasso,”
Sydney’s a ‘she’?
Sydney-with-a-Y is the feminine version of Sidney.
Sydney is gender-neutral.
The name, I mean. Sydney the character is apparently non-binary, but that’s not what I meant.
Sidney with an I is fairly unambiguously male. Sydney with a Y is about 50-50 male/female.
In the British comic The Beano, there’s a pair of characters who are boy/girl twins, their names are Sidney and Sydney. However they’re usually referred to as Sid and Toots. (I don’t know either xD)
Sydney is, by their statement in their last appearance, a they.
Wait, is your avatar Tedd? Because good
It is indeed Tedd. From the Playing with Dolls NP arc (coloured by me). Kitty-Tedd is the perfect avatar for me, for many reasons.
Synce Sydney almost always seems to speak of themselves yn the thyrd person, y’m not sure that ys defynatyve. Y was actually a byt surprysed that they spoke of themselves usyng “I” yn the stryp you lynked to…
I thought that was just some megalomaniac thing, like how a particular elected official refers to himself as ‘we’ all the time.
Have we proven conclusively that Galasso isn’t Sydney’s biological father? I feel like that would explain a lot.
Dumbing of Age Book 9: [honestly, just pick any Sydney Yus quote]
Dumbing of Age Book 9: Can I Have a Large Cheese?
DoA Book 9: You Have A Car, Right?
Dumbing of Age Book 9: Sydney Yus Is…Inevitable
I have never seen boozles through a car window at night. That’s some reaction Ruth has!
I don’t think it’s nighttime.
Sydney’s headlights are on, though.
might just be raining or overcast
Or maybe those are just the daytime runners.
Or maybe they’re just a conscientious driver who always has their headlights on.
(to be clear, that’s only while driving, the lights go off when the car is off)
Agree, but it does look dim out
Sydney strikes me as the type who drives around with their high beams on all the time, even during the day. That seems to be the latest trend in a-hole driving around here.
yeah this is believable.
There could also be construction going on.
Hmm, good point.
There’s still something powerful about seeing boozles from ~20 feet away thru a car windshield.
Careful, Sydney. The last time a purple someone declared themselves to be inevitable, it didn’t work out so well for them.
Yeah but you’ve got to admit Grimace had it coming.
So this complete nincompoop is allowed to drive. Wow. （⌒▽⌒）
I imagine the license examiner signed off on Sydney’s road test just to get rid of them.
Heh.
“And turn right in the next intersection.”
“FOOOOOOL, I WILL TURN LEFT, FOOOOOOL!”
Your little conversation also sounds like it could be between Syndey and their GPS.
As someone who drives all over my county as part of my job, can confirm that this is not unusual.
Wow, she became relevant just like that.
Born… to be wild!
Ah, yes, “you want our lasagna special, you vermin of incalculable foolishness”, my favorite line from Detective Pikachu.
I need to point out that Willis has done the almost impossible (nowadays): he’s created a four-word phrase that (as of tonight’s posting) returns no remotely applicable hits, and will tomorrow undoubtedly turn up this comic as the first result.
I hate to point this out, but he should probably turn his career toward the very lucrative field of Search Engine Optimization.
Since I didn’t make it clear, “vermin of incalculable foolishness” is the phrase.
And I don’t have no Yus
For what you loosely call “the Truth”–
And You’d Better Be Good To Me!
So the “help” Jason had to be BEGGED to provide was asking someone else to ask a third person to use THEIR car to drive Ruth to the hospital?
To be fair, I don’t recall any signs of Jason having a car himself.
Jason presumably arrived from England all of six weeks ago or so. Between that, TA duties (until recently) and doing graduate studies, it’s really not the time to learn how to drive on the other side of the road.
I’m not mad about him not doing more himself, I’m just annoyed that he had to drag things out with his “skepticism” when he wasn’t even going to have to do anything anyway.
Jason probably has a Mini. Or worse–a SMART.
Hey! Smart cars are perfectly applicable for two passengers, if someone is willing to sit/lay in the trunk area … right above the engine… which is not something I’ve ever had a passenger do in my smart car, of course.
Yeah, why didn’t Billie ask someone who had a car? So inconsiderate of her.
Seriously, I get not wanting to call an ambulance (they’re fuck off expensive, like everything in US health care), but was it too much to ask for him to pick up the phone and call for a cab or an Uber himself?
Why ask Billie to pay cab fare when there’s a perfectly available MINION. Also, it’s for the punchline.
Then you have to wait for the cab or Uber to arrive. Why would you even consider that when you have someone THERE who has a car that can leave NOW?
I’m talking about the things Jason could have done in response to OP.
Or, y’know, ask Sydney himself instead of passing the buck off to Ken.
He had all of one sentence between “she’s sick” and your judgement. Which he used to say “That’s bad, but for the record you’ve spent the evening bullshitting me.” He never said he WASN’T going to call an ambulance, or an uber, or something.
‘course, maybe she convinced him to find a coworker and a car instead of calling an ambulance and letting her deal with the bill.
I’d find the idea he was always going to help more convincing if he’d agreed to help before Billie gave up the fake ID.
Well if they are heading to the emergency room for a possible reaction, my guess is no one wanted to wait for the Uber first.
Are we really arguing it’s somehow less helpful to send an employee to drive them than to call an Uber?
If he was doing it himself, no, but sending a third party to do it? Yeah.
What makes you so sure the stick-in-the-mud English immigrant college student has a car? Like Sarah, he probably thought “University is for studying, what need have I of frivolous road trips?” Also “How big could a United States state be?” because Jason has never seen Texas full-sized next to England.
Furthermore, if Galasso says “No, bartender, you must remain here. Have another of my PEONS drive the girl.” then it is most definitely faster to just find somebody else with a car than argue with him.
Why are you so determined to bust Jason’s chops? I understand yesterday’s, even if I never enjoy the “let’s tear apart these 5 seconds of dialogue” comment fun-fests. But this is now day 2 of “Let’s find every flaw in Jason’s course of action.” The comment sections that sound like they have a grudge against the fictional characters are even worse.
I don’t like Jason, but man if it isn’t frustrating to see comment after comment *theory-crafting* reasons that he’s terrible. There’s already plenty of confirmed ones!
Yeah, this is getting a little weird for me too. :/
I never said he had to take them himself. I said he could have gotten help himself. It’s not that hard or time consuming to call 911 or a cab – or, if he knows Sydney has a car, ask them himself.
There’s no theory crafting necessary when the things he does on panel are things I don’t like. His own shit doesn’t endear him to me and he burned through any benefit of the doubt I had for him a long time ago.
If you don’t like my comments, scroll. I dunno what else I can tell you. I’m not going to say this is even in the top 5 of the worst things he’s done, but I’m also not going to disagree that his help is kinda weak.
Considering he’s needed at the bar for legal reasons of checking IDs etc, it could be he isn’t allowed to leave work or else get fired.
We’ve already established why 911 and Taxi services are inferior to somebody at Galasso’s. Why would Jason know Sydney has a car? Sydney was fired before he got there and was only rehired a few minutes ago.
See, this is why I said theory-crafting. You’re making the assumption that Jason passed the work onto Ken. Jason has been there two days. He doesn’t know who there has a car.
Here’s a scenario I find entirely plausible:
“Excuse me, Ken. We’re having a bit of an emergency and are in need of transportation. Might any of our coworkers have a vehicle at their immediate disposal?”
“Uhhh I think Sydney drives… I’ll go ask her.”
Why didn’t we see that exchange? It makes the strip too long. It wasn’t necessary to the punchline. Willis didn’t think it would be crucial at Jason’s trial. Take your pick.
And yes, I guess I’ll just see your name and try my best to ignore you. Unless there’s a block feature. I’d like to see only comments that don’t involve taking apart a character in some grudge match.
At least Jason is fictional.
Wow. :/
But… But I liked it better when you were someone I looked up to? I think am having feelings I don’t know how to process.
*Sulks*
@ Seregiel – He wouldn’t have to leave the bar.
@ Bladeglory – Let’s straighten a few things out:
A) I don’t have the permanent hate boner for Jason you seem to think I have. That said, yeah, when characters do something that annoys me or I think they can do better, I’ll comment on it.
B) No, actually, we haven’t established cabs or 911 is inherently inferior to getting someone from Galasso’s to help. There’s arguments you could make about that that would have merit, but I don’t think one option is inherently better than another.
C) Asking Ken to talk to Sydney would still be passing the work onto him. Like I said, that’s hardly the worst thing he can do – yesterday was WAY more dickish. But I agree with OP that it does make his help look weak since he isn’t doing much himself. Since I need to say this repeatedly apparently – AGAIN, HARDLY THE WORST THING HE’S DONE. Hell, if he’s not calling for help himself, asking a co-worker to find someone who could drive is definitely the best option here.
D) Plausible though it may be, you’re still the one creating scenarios out of whole cloth here. I’m just reacting to what’s on panel by agreeing with OP that Jason, himself, is not doing much here, and mentioned something he, himself, could do that would be equally helpful even if he can’t leave the bar.
E) “Jason’s trial” – Seriously? This is ridiculously over dramatic.
Yeah, you’re right. Jason’s fictional. So is whatever extreme animosity you think I’ve got for him. Granted, he annoys me more often than some other characters do, but he’s done good things (like reaching out to Walky) and I do feel bad for him because his dad’s a shitstain. But yeah, some things he does bug me and sometimes I’ll agree with other’s comments on there.
@ Inahc – Not sure what specific part of my post upset you, but …yeah. That’s all the advice I’ve got. I post about my reactions to characters in the current strip and it’s not always positive. If negativity’s not something you (general you) like seeing, then yeah, scrolling past is all I’ve got. It’s nothing personal.
Sydney learns Sydney was born to be an Uber driver.
The greatest the world has ever known…no really could you imagine the crazy Uber driver ride stories someone can get from her.
Before Uber a lot of crazed determinators like Sydney delivered pizzas for a living. Sydney’s probably less dangerous out of the car, for all concerned.
“I asked to be taken to the hospital, but I was taken to the lake instead. I’m still not sure why she handed me a cinder block and a piece of rope, and frankly, I was afraid to ask.”
Our diner is not tagged (I suggest Vernon). If Sydney was yanked out of there fast enough, the diner may get the pizza he wants.
He doesn’t want pizza though, he wants lasagna.
I mean, he’s not a named character, so he doesn’t have a tag–it makes sense.
No, it just means he’s not it.
I’m more amused by that than I probably should be.
I’m not sure if Jamie’s response was cricket.
I would suggest Shaggy, though I could’ve sworn there was already a random extra based on that character in DoA at some point.
You mean Norville? He gets a tag.
Links work better when you don’t typo them. At least this time it’s just a dead end…
Or maybe just after that Ken goes “Your cheese pizza will be right up, sir,” and leaves him sadly staring into the middle distance going “But… but now I’m craving the lasagna dinner…”
I thought he was fired
AND THAT WILL BE YOUR UNDOING!!!
Time to change the name of the restaurant to “Galasso’s Pizza (and Subs) (and Pasta)”.
(And taxi service)
Focus, Sydney. You want to take the bridge to the hospital, not try to Ford it in that thing.
And they definitely need to dodge the pedestrians.
Datsun-fair, you two hogging all the good puns!
I’m gonna Buick the trend you’re starting and say that there’re plenty of good puns left.
I don’t care one Toyota about this pun chain.
Focus, people, it’s not about the pun chain. (Although that’s cool, too.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_(first_generation)
…Although the grill doesn’t look right. Maybe something heavy landed on it…
Maybe it Rammed something.
Well, then, you’ll have to Prius it back up. (Looks to me like a first gen Prius)
Uh, careful, Sydney, your Thanos is slipping through.
Is Sydney a he, a she, or a zhe?
Bah. Sydney is above such things as pronouns. You call Sydney Sydney.
I dunno… That sounds a little too… Faz… for me. (shudders)
Excuse me while I go scrub my brain with bleach…
The above comment seems true, but also I think we landed on “they” after their last appearance.
They used ‘they’ while third personing themself in their previous strip.
Sydney was referred to as “she” in this previous strip:
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-7/01-glower-vacuum/dangit/
And with the “they/them” set in their most recent previous appearance. http://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/04-vote-for-robin/chattel/
Both by themself in strip and in hovertext. I can see people being unsure about what was meant, but I’m going with “they” unless a new strip/WoG says otherwise.
True, but Ken is not exactly a model of cluefulness.
This.
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/081/361/479.png
Love it! Especially the last panel.
Sydney Yus both threatens and gloats in the third person “they” whenever Sydney Yus is not threatening and gloating in the first person singular or the name Sydney Yus.
Beyond that, only Willis knows.
The proper pronoun for Sydney is….Sydney.
So she’s born to ferry people around like a pack mule? Got it.
I would have put Ruth in the front passenger seat. Less chance of her throwing up in the car, and more accessible if she passes out.
FOOOOOOLS!
I pity them.
Can’t they just walk?
It doesn’t seem like the hospital is next door exactly.
Oh lol, I forgot about the medical concern
depends on how far away the hospital is and how time sensitive the reaction is. Billy seems to be under the impression it needs immediate attention, and if the reaction is what I think it is, than sooner is better.
As in the ER. This is not a mild reaction, it’s just started
The real-life Mother Bears (the inspiration for Galasso’s) is about 1.7 miles from the nearest major hospital (IU Health Bloomington).
Not too far to walk if you’re ambulatory, but if you’re already thinking ER, you’re better off driving (six minutes by car, half an hour if you’re walking).
I think this also answers the question, “Why not call an ambulance?” Apart from other issues, there’s no way an ambulance would even get to Galasso’s in six minutes.
Also ambulances are expensive, becuase the american health care system is thoroughly fucked. People risk their lives to avoid having to call an ambulance.
Many ambulances these days are owned and operated by private, for-profit companies out to make a buck. They’re like towing companies but for sick and injured people.
And like towing companies, you can join something akin to the AAA.
I still have a sticker, somewhere, to put on my car, to announce my having signed up for helicopter service if it’s ever needed. It’s a subscription.
Sydney Yus thinks they are beyond the main plot, but oh how wrong they are.
AND THAT WAS THEIR UNDOING!
Like Gwenpool, she knows that she must be a major character or risk being written out.
I feel like Faz would do well at Galasso’s
More like Sidney Yuseful!
…I want to punch Sydney Yus so hard. I forgot how irritating they are
Sydney: “I am inevitable.”
Ruth: “And I am Ironman!”
Billie: “Oh Jesus, she is showing the early symptoms of Integrivact!”
Sydney Yus: “I’m inevitable!”
Batman: “I’m Batman!”
Preview line from the final graduation strip of Dumbing of Age, many centuries from now:
Sydney Yus: “Sydney Yus is…inevitable!”
Amazi-Girl: “And I…am…Amazi-Girl.”
“I am Groot!”
“I am Spartacus!”
I am the walrus.
I’m the slime oozin’ out of your TV set.
I am Ozymandias, King of KIngs. Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!
I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!
I am the one hiding under your stairs
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
I am all of me.
I’m a neon rainbow and you’re no fun!
I am that I am.
I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam.
I’m every woman, it’s all in me!
The ‘Shelley’ quote is more in keeping with something Galasso would say.
But these are funnier.
If I screwed up the link, I apologize. I’m new to Imgur. I’m only using it because Photobucket sucks now.
I am the terror that flaps in the night!
I did it. I’M BETTER THAN ME!
Oh god, I love Sydney. I’m ready for this.
Sydney can solve all of Ruth’s problems with a snap.
*Ruth turns to floating ashes*
Don’t worry, she’ll be back in five years.
The sad part is that I could see Sydney hanging out with Ruth or Billie under better circumstances.
Here’s hoping this works out.
What if Sydney is somehow able to know what a customer wants more than the customer themselves know? And her terrible service is really just her trying to get them the perfect meal?
No, she just knows how to badger people into buying stuff that gets her a bigger commission.
They get commissions?
Well ‘fixed percentage of total bill service charge’ in place of tips but it’s essentially the same thing.
She gets commissions from the lasagna supplier. The more lasagna she sells, the more she pockets.
Don’t ever underestimate the power of Big Lasagna.
Galasso is not aware of this.
Sydney really desperately wants to be Galasso’s true heir, doesn’t she? That’s okay by Connie who, I suspect, has no desire to be an Evil Sub and Pizza Mastermind for the rest of her life.
Still, it’s to Sydney’s credit that she didn’t hesitate to shuttle Ruth to the ER when asked.
(fanfic)
Connie lives a quiet normal life. Suddenly a masked evildoer appears. He is deftly handled with zest and aplomb.
“Well, you know I was brought up as a Sub and Pizza Mastermind.”
(/fanfic)
Oh boy another car to guess what it is!
To me, it screams first-generation Toyota Prius. The headlight shape, hood contour lines, and “beak” over the grille all line up.
Runner up would be a facelifted first-generation Ford Focus. The headlights are about the right shape, but the hood and grilles are different.
If it weren’t for the “broke college student” bit, I’d expect Sydney to drive an entry level luxury car like a BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C Class. They both have an air of “I scraped together just enough to afford this marque because I think I’m better than you” megalomania to them.
I thought Focus at first, but I think first gen Prius is correct
Huh. I would have guessed that the only models Willis has to work with are Transformers.
WRONG! You all had Special K with banana!
FOOOOOOLS!
Save Lives, become the loudest and most obnoxious super hero Sydney!
I really don’t like Sydney. Unlike the owner who is just delusional but still giving you what you want… She is just mean.
That’s the whole original purpose of the character in the Walkyverse – She was a dyed-in-the-wool villain-for-the-sake-of-villainy. There was no purpose for the character other than plot the downfall of the protagonists in particular and the Shortpacked store in general.
Wanting ‘depth’ from Sydney is sort of missing the point really. I wonder if Willis is planning to give her that depth because this is Dumbing of Age?
So, who’s this fella with the glasses and beard? He doesn’t have a tag, so he’ll probably never show up again. But I like his design. Give me a couple of hours and I’ll have about forty-seven headcanons for him.
(Also, Panel 1 Sydney is just demanding an edit with them wearing an Infinity Gauntlet.)
The only positive purpose in Sidney’s life has been achieved!
Can’t wait for the day Sydney gets a 9-page humanising mini arc that makes people feel weird about not taking them seriously.
Yeah, that’s one of the many reasons I never got a car.
Oo, I like his hair!
“Do you have a car?”
“Of course I do!”
“AND THAT SHALL BE YOUR UNDOING!”
Sydney has obviously never learned all the synonyms for “I need a volunteer”!
I hope Unnamed large cheese guy got his pizza
Hey Willis, idea for another revenue stream: paid-for cameos! Y’know… $25 for a one-time one-panel appearance, like our unfortunate forced-lasagne customer here.
As an older fan of DoA, I have the look of a suitable Jacobs School of Music theory professor, three years away from retirement, and out on the town for some barely palatable Italian fare.
Where do I send the check?
I think he offered that one time as a Kickstarter premium, but I could be mistaken. I might be thinking of Kadi Fedoruk and ‘Blindsprings’ instead.
i missed a few days of dumbing of age cuz of how hectic life has been lately… So when i come back it’s this full scene with Ruth and Billie that i recognize so well…. The way Ruth talks there, my redhead love said similar these days… Me and the girls have been struggling with codependency for ages, slowly being forced to break out of it by psychiatric intervention, but she’s still struggling the most with it, and has no access to reliable psychiatric care where she lives. Still, we’re gonna help her through it and things will be better..
Anyway, this sharing is mostly to say, even though it’s been said already, that this writing is so on point that it’s real. It’s uncanny how much of this comic seems based on, or is foreshadowing my life (but i imagine to some people it feels like that even more).
Also, thank you for the MCU joke for some relief here, as a fangirl i really appreciate (also jeez having someone to drive to the hospital would have been handy t_t )
I wonder what it says about me that I really want Sydney Yus as a sustenance facilitator? Don’t even give me a menu. That’s too hard. Just tell me what I want to eat and I will hand over my money…
Ken? Oh whoa, hey Ken.
Barely seen him since the end of shortpacked.
a customer is having an allergic reaction and I’m guessing can’t afford an ambulance so…yeah
The inevitable Sidney Yus needs to do a cameo at Questionable Content’s Coffee of Doom