Dumbing of Age Book Fourteen

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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October 20, 2026

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A SMILE!  I'LL HAVE IT!  no one will ever know!
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Trek

Posted In: comic
└ Tags: sarah, tony

Discussion (215) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    January 22, 2025 at 12:01 am | # | Reply

    Tony: “You’re pretty” >=[
    Sarah: =ᴅ

    • JA
      JA
      January 22, 2025 at 12:36 am | # | Reply

      More like :3

      • Deanatay
        Deanatay
        January 22, 2025 at 8:03 am | # | Reply

        Panel 5 Sarah: uwu

        Panel 6 Sarah: DON’T LOOK AT ME

    • eh, whatever
      eh, whatever
      January 22, 2025 at 4:51 am | # | Reply

      Tony: “You’re pretty >_>”

    • DJTsurugi
      DJTsurugi
      January 22, 2025 at 11:05 am | # | Reply

      noooo Sarah, he doesn’t want the smile, quick, think of Joyce! wait… why are you smiling more!? ~<3

  2. BBCC
    BBCC
    January 22, 2025 at 12:02 am | # | Reply

    I’m beginning to understand why Walkyverse Sal called him her soulmate if that’s his type.

    • Charles Phipps
      Charles Phipps
      January 22, 2025 at 12:15 am | # | Reply

      This Tony could Sal’s sibling, though, if Linda is their mom.

      *Rains of Castamere starts playing*

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        January 22, 2025 at 12:33 am | # | Reply

        Again, there is absolutely zero reason to believe that’s the case.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          January 22, 2025 at 12:52 am | # | Reply

          Well at least it’s extremely plausible for Walky and Sal to have a half-brother only a year or so older than them that they’re completely unaware of despite Linda still being on decent terms with his father.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            January 22, 2025 at 2:42 am | # | Reply

            Right? And Linda doesn’t strike me as a ‘abandon her new baby’ type. She’d want to make sure the baby grows up by her standards.

            And god, out of all her kids, you expect me to believe she’d abandon the white one?

            • BorkBorkBork
              BorkBorkBork
              January 22, 2025 at 3:57 am | # | Reply

              No. But I’d expect that she would have lingering resentment that was unintentionally aimed at her new family, if her husband discovered her infidelity because of that pregnancy and divorced her. And constantly be pushing her children and expecting them to meet the standard of where she came from.

              Even so, I can’t imagine a scenario in which the older son stays with the working career-focused father and isn’t even told who his mother is, or is told that someone else is his father. Especially with them being relatively close distance-wise and staying in touch. That’s a real Parent Trap-style scenario, without the extreme circumstances that make the “Parent Trap” scenario plausible.

              • BBCC
                BBCC
                January 22, 2025 at 1:23 pm | # | Reply

                Especially because she’d still want to make sure Tony was meeting those standards himself. And he’d unquestionably be her favourite child, she’s not leaving him entirely with his dad and the woman he grew up knowing as ‘mom’.

            • BorkBorkBork
              BorkBorkBork
              January 22, 2025 at 3:58 am | # | Reply

              Dang, should’ve read like one comment below mine.

            • Thag Simmons
              Thag Simmons
              January 22, 2025 at 4:11 am | # | Reply

              I’m sure that the interactions between Linda, Chuck and Anthony reflect the sort of turbulent relationship dynamics you’d expect to be necessary for there to only be a year gap between her children by her first husband and her second.

              • Leadsynth
                Leadsynth
                January 22, 2025 at 11:00 am | # | Reply

                Do we know what year Tony is? Couldn’t he be a junior or senior?

                • BBCC
                  BBCC
                  January 22, 2025 at 1:17 pm | #

                  Tony’s a sophomore iirc.

                • HueSatLight
                  HueSatLight
                  January 22, 2025 at 5:16 pm | #

                  Walky calls him an underclassman, so if he’s right, Tony’s a sophomore.

      • David M Willis
        David M Willis
        January 22, 2025 at 12:38 am | # | Reply

        linda is not tony’s mom

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          January 22, 2025 at 12:40 am | # | Reply

          This will not stop people from bringing it up.
          See, I’ve learned!

          • Furie
            Furie
            January 22, 2025 at 6:40 am | # | Reply

            Yeah, it’s obviously all a mislead until Tony is bleeding out and he’s all “Linda” and Sal is all “How do you know that name?”

        • Charles Phipps
          Charles Phipps
          January 22, 2025 at 12:46 am | # | Reply

          Wow, you have the same name as the cartoonist!

          🙂

          • NGPZ
            NGPZ
            January 22, 2025 at 12:48 am | # | Reply

            just a coincidence, pretty sure

            • Reltzik
              Reltzik
              January 22, 2025 at 1:16 am | # | Reply

              Probably.

              So anyhow, let’s talk about more about this Linda-as-Tony’s-Mom theory!

              • Thag Simmons
                Thag Simmons
                January 22, 2025 at 4:12 am | # | Reply

                Could the Witness Protection Program be involved somehow?

                • Nymph
                  Nymph
                  January 22, 2025 at 10:37 am | #

                  omg wait… is Tony actually Mike? ?

                • Clif
                  Clif
                  January 22, 2025 at 12:06 pm | #

                  Impossible. Jennifer is Mike.

                • NGPZ
                  NGPZ
                  January 22, 2025 at 4:28 pm | #

                  like, is there any rule saying that he can’t be both?

                  maybe he’s like the entity from Smile, and wears people as “masks” :p

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          January 22, 2025 at 2:43 am | # | Reply

          Thank you, Willas.

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          January 22, 2025 at 6:43 am | # | Reply

          What chu talkin’ bout Willis?

        • VicMortimer
          VicMortimer
          January 22, 2025 at 7:40 am | # | Reply

          So Charles is Tony’s dad then?

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            January 22, 2025 at 7:50 am | # | Reply

            No, Hank is.

            • Clif
              Clif
              January 22, 2025 at 12:09 pm | # | Reply

              You can see the family resemblance.

        • Michael Steamweed
          Michael Steamweed
          January 22, 2025 at 8:48 am | # | Reply

          Ya gotta pick your headcanon battles carefully.

          • Clif
            Clif
            January 22, 2025 at 5:41 pm | # | Reply

            When you start firing those headcanons, friendly fire is always a possibility.

            No, I don’t know what that means either.

            • Michael Steamweed
              Michael Steamweed
              January 22, 2025 at 8:13 pm | # | Reply

              *rubs chin thoughtfully

              You might be referencing the Fanfic Wars. I heard those got very bad. (When AO3 finally joined in, the destruction increased exponentially.)

              • Clif
                Clif
                January 22, 2025 at 11:00 pm | # | Reply

                I am completely unfamiliar with the Fanfic Wars, but sure, that must have been what I was inadvertently referencing.

                Fire headcanons on stun.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          January 22, 2025 at 10:03 am | # | Reply

          Tony and Beef (who is Linda’s son) switched at birth, no doubt.

        • jpnr
          jpnr
          January 22, 2025 at 11:44 am | # | Reply

          but Tony’s dad had his penis inside Linda!

        • Adam Black
          Adam Black
          January 23, 2025 at 7:06 am | # | Reply

          Lol. I love you felt the need to comment on this.

          Now, onto moar important business. I discovered a Not So Old DOA where a character is doing impossible Stretch astromstrong anatomy Twisting straight from 9 Chickweed Lane

          Either this was some type of deliberate Easter egg with a prize for finding it.
          Or …your OCD might require I shut the F up and privately mail it so you can edit reality.

          Let me know

          Adam.

  3. Animedingo
    Animedingo
    January 22, 2025 at 12:02 am | # | Reply

    King of Kings

  4. keet
    keet
    January 22, 2025 at 12:02 am | # | Reply

    SARAH I LOVE THIS FOR YOU

    • Kimi
      Kimi
      January 22, 2025 at 12:14 am | # | Reply

      I really love that she found someone who actually gives her a reason to smile, not someone who just tells her to smile more to make themselves more happy. This also doesn’t seem creepy like some unwanted compliments on the street can feel.
      I am always horrible at knowing whether or not it is appropriate to compliment strangers or if it seems weird. Normally it is someone whose hair looks fantastic for the day or if someone is wearing a really neat shirt or outfit that I pay them a compliment “in the wild”.

      • Mark
        Mark
        January 22, 2025 at 6:35 am | # | Reply

        Having been on the receiving end once or thrice, to me it feels appropriate and weird. But I appreciate voluntary weirdness. I wish I were as good at noticing and complimenting strangers who make my day a little nicer by being themselves.

      • Michael Steamweed
        Michael Steamweed
        January 22, 2025 at 8:50 am | # | Reply

        I still occasionally give compliments to strangers, but I try to do that while keeping them in security. Usually while I’m walking away or otherwise clearly not in their space.

      • anon
        anon
        January 22, 2025 at 6:25 pm | # | Reply

        hopefully she doesn’t have to hold herself back with genuine smiles, tony might actually be attracted to ‘grumpy’ ppl unless he’s somehow saying something as a passive aggressive jab to some “shallow girls who smile at him” or so or whatever b/c being told ‘you smile too much’ by someone that barely knows you would be almost equally as annoying

    • Zaxares
      Zaxares
      January 22, 2025 at 5:17 am | # | Reply

      Same. ^^ I kind of feel like this is one of the few genuine “dating smiles” we’ve ever seen out of Sarah. Also, daaaaamn you are smooth, Tony. XD

  5. morhek
    morhek
    January 22, 2025 at 12:03 am | # | Reply

    “Wait, did you just reverse-neg me?”

    • Rose by Any other Name
      Rose by Any other Name
      January 22, 2025 at 12:12 am | # | Reply

      “I feel like there must be another term for that…”

      • Freezer
        Freezer
        January 22, 2025 at 12:26 am | # | Reply

        “Wait… Is that one of those ‘com-plee-mints’ Joyce is always going on about?”

        • Clif
          Clif
          January 22, 2025 at 12:33 am | # | Reply

          Nah, Joyce just makes these terms up.

      • Furie
        Furie
        January 22, 2025 at 6:41 am | # | Reply

        We called it POS-ing, until that led to some messy mistakes.

  6. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    January 22, 2025 at 12:03 am | # | Reply

    just in time! right about now we could all use some SarahTonyn release ^^ <3

    *plays “Mystery Kindaichi Band” by Hiroshi Takada on hacked muzak*

    • Marisa Mockery
      Marisa Mockery
      January 22, 2025 at 7:08 am | # | Reply

      This ship name is perfection

    • Michael Steamweed
      Michael Steamweed
      January 22, 2025 at 8:51 am | # | Reply

      +1 internet point for the name.

  7. ktbear
    ktbear
    January 22, 2025 at 12:03 am | # | Reply

    I love the effort Willis put in to the skunk wallpaper.

    • Puppeteer Nessus
      Puppeteer Nessus
      January 22, 2025 at 12:10 am | # | Reply

      Seconded!

    • Rectilinear Propagation
      Rectilinear Propagation
      January 22, 2025 at 10:36 am | # | Reply

      I really want to know how he landed on “fancy skunks” for the pattern.

      • Nymph
        Nymph
        January 22, 2025 at 10:39 am | # | Reply

        Two decision wheels, one with adjectives, one with animals. It was almost “constipated geese” so let’s all be grateful the universe spared us.

        • Clif
          Clif
          January 22, 2025 at 12:13 pm | # | Reply

          Wait. We could have had constipated geese?

          Damn you, Willis.

      • Wizard
        Wizard
        January 22, 2025 at 7:03 pm | # | Reply

        Looks more like “random animals”. I see one skunk, a possible second skunk, a chicken, and whatever that is mostly covered by Tony’s speech bubble.

  8. JD
    JD
    January 22, 2025 at 12:03 am | # | Reply

    effortless charm that brings out the :3 of even the :\est of people…

  9. shadowcell
    shadowcell
    January 22, 2025 at 12:03 am | # | Reply

    excellent pass mr. quarterback

  10. Dara
    Dara
    January 22, 2025 at 12:04 am | # | Reply

    OMG PANEL 5

    <3 <3 <3

  11. Suet
    Suet
    January 22, 2025 at 12:05 am | # | Reply

    Forget the smile, I want the café’s background ?

    Unhand her, Alt Backslide

    • Freezer
      Freezer
      January 22, 2025 at 12:53 am | # | Reply

      Best part is, Sarah would probably never get that reference.

    • Rectilinear Propagation
      Rectilinear Propagation
      January 22, 2025 at 10:36 am | # | Reply

      Don’t get in a rut!

  12. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    January 22, 2025 at 12:05 am | # | Reply

    This Tony is a lot more likeable than Walkyverse Tony. She’ll get to Arnold eventually, but Tony’ll do fine in the meantime.

    • Charles Phipps
      Charles Phipps
      January 22, 2025 at 12:14 am | # | Reply

      This Tony feels like he is utterly annoyed everyone tries to make him Flash Thompson.

      “I am done with superhero bullshit.”

      No wonder Sarah likes him.

  13. Jo_cubstar
    Jo_cubstar
    January 22, 2025 at 12:06 am | # | Reply

    OMG that Sarah face

  14. Qube
    Qube
    January 22, 2025 at 12:07 am | # | Reply

    I’M NOT SMILING YOU’RE SMILING SHUT UP

  15. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    January 22, 2025 at 12:09 am | # | Reply

    It’s good to have something to smile about today. I’m liking these two.

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      January 22, 2025 at 12:10 am | # | Reply

      Let’s try that again…

      • Clif
        Clif
        January 22, 2025 at 12:18 am | # | Reply

        I’m sure he will.

  16. Coatl
    Coatl
    January 22, 2025 at 12:10 am | # | Reply

    That smile and that sparkle full of life in the eyes in the last panels.
    Very good

  17. Aura
    Aura
    January 22, 2025 at 12:10 am | # | Reply

    Awwwwwwwwww ?

  18. Bobcat
    Bobcat
    January 22, 2025 at 12:11 am | # | Reply

    Don’t danny this up, Sarah. Please…

    • Jeremiah
      Jeremiah
      January 22, 2025 at 12:16 am | # | Reply

      Yeah I don’t think she can pull the news boy hat.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        January 22, 2025 at 6:25 am | # | Reply

        Sarah can fuck any hat she wants. ?

      • Michael Steamweed
        Michael Steamweed
        January 22, 2025 at 8:53 am | # | Reply

        Oh gods now I’m imaging Sarah taking up the uke.

        The horror!

  19. Charles Phipps
    Charles Phipps
    January 22, 2025 at 12:13 am | # | Reply

    Oh no, Sarah, what if you become TOO HAPPY FOR HIM.

    Also, if you marry him, would that mean Walky and Sal are your siblings?

    • KM
      KM
      January 22, 2025 at 12:15 am | # | Reply

      How? Dean married Tony’s mother after he divorced Linda and presumably before Linda married and had the twins so there’s no sibling relationship at all

      • Charles Phipps
        Charles Phipps
        January 22, 2025 at 12:18 am | # | Reply

        I mean it all happened close enough that they’re a couple of years apart.

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/03-faz-is-great/plebs/

        • Clif
          Clif
          January 22, 2025 at 12:24 am | # | Reply

          Are we certain Tony was born after t

          • Clif
            Clif
            January 22, 2025 at 12:24 am | # | Reply

            after the divorce?

          • Nymph
            Nymph
            January 22, 2025 at 12:54 am | # | Reply

            Yes. Willis explicitly confirmed in a comment thread above that Linda is not Tony’s mom (after your comment was made, so no harm no foul, just answering the question).

            • Michael Steamweed
              Michael Steamweed
              January 22, 2025 at 8:55 am | # | Reply

              Yeah, that’s WoG. But the Devil’s Advoship is gonna ship anyway.

              • Clif
                Clif
                January 22, 2025 at 5:49 pm | # | Reply

                Well yeah, that goes without saying. (Not that there’s anything wrong with pointing it out.)

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          January 22, 2025 at 12:24 am | # | Reply

          I’m not sure what you’re saying? What we know is that the dean and Linda used to be married, then went on to have different families. They could have been divorced for five years or something before Tony was born.

          • Clif
            Clif
            January 22, 2025 at 12:28 am | # | Reply

            They could have. Or she could have had Tony and left her new-born for Charles. Not saying likely, but possible. Or it may have been already established otherwise. I’m just wondering.

            • Yumi
              Yumi
              January 22, 2025 at 12:38 am | # | Reply

              Yeah, I was replying to Charles, not you. We don’t know the exact details, other than Linda saying it was a long time ago:
              https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/fancypantslounge/

              That said, the reasonable assumption seems to be that she did not give birth to Tony. I see her as more status-hungry to not have done something with that if it had been the case. (Also, just, would be a wild thing to come up.)

            • RacingTurtle
              RacingTurtle
              January 22, 2025 at 12:42 am | # | Reply

              It probably wouldn’t be a secret, though. Linda and Anthony Sr. are on good terms and live in the same state. (Also I just happened to accidentally scroll up and see Word of the Author while I was typing just now.)

            • KM
              KM
              January 22, 2025 at 12:42 am | # | Reply

              I suppose if that were the case walky doesn’t know or doesn’t acknowledge it since Tony is “that dude” and not his half-brother nor did he say “our mom” when talking to Jason. Though yes that just proves walky doesn’t know or acknowledge it and not disproves that Tony is his half brother

              • Charles Phipps
                Charles Phipps
                January 22, 2025 at 12:47 am | # | Reply

                Yeah, Willis has confirmed she’s not Tony’s mother.

                Which, of course, means that there’s a cover up going on.

                • Strain of Thought
                  Strain of Thought
                  January 22, 2025 at 12:58 am | #

                  Mike went back in time and did Walky’s mom confirmed. Look at the matching hair colors! Two characters can’t both be blonde without being blood related!

                • Kammon
                  Kammon
                  January 22, 2025 at 7:22 am | #

                  Which doesn’t mean she’s not the mother of Tony’s Older brother…

            • Clif
              Clif
              January 22, 2025 at 11:55 am | # | Reply

              Well, Willis is pretty definite above, they are not half siblings.

              So Sal/Tony endgame is a go.

              • BBCC
                BBCC
                January 22, 2025 at 1:24 pm | # | Reply

                God, don’t tease me. I loved those two.

  20. Serendipity
    Serendipity
    January 22, 2025 at 12:14 am | # | Reply

    yesssssssssssssssssss

  21. drs
    drs
    January 22, 2025 at 12:14 am | # | Reply

    so what cafe is it
    did Willis make it up
    is it the Runcible Spoon? I don’t remember skunks, but it’s been a while. also not a trek… well, from the west edge of campus, I guess a trek from the dorms.

    • Thomas
      Thomas
      January 22, 2025 at 1:24 am | # | Reply

      Whatever it is, it’s that place Lucy went on her own, that she told Walky about. Maybe it’s called Selfworth’s?

    • Daibhid C
      Daibhid C
      January 22, 2025 at 4:00 am | # | Reply

      Because this is the sort of nerd I am, I’ve been looking into this, and either I haven’t found it, or the online photos don’t include that wall.

      What I can tell you is that if you search DuckDuckGo for coffeeshop, Bloomington, and skunk, DuckDuckGo assumes you’re actually looking for coffeeshops in Amsterdam. Which is weird, because I didn’t see the wallpaper in any of those pictures either!

      • eh, whatever
        eh, whatever
        January 22, 2025 at 5:06 am | # | Reply

        DuckDuckGo is perfectly happy to show you results that only contain one of the words you searched for. And the world’s most searched-for coffeeshops are in the Netherlands because they sell pot.

        • Slartibeast Button, BIA
          Slartibeast Button, BIA
          January 22, 2025 at 12:52 pm | # | Reply

          Yes, this is the most maddening thing about search engines since defaulting to OR. When I am dictator both of the people who decided that these were good ideas will pay.

          If I searched for “radioactive” and “penguins”, any page which doesn’t contain *both* of those words in the *visible text* is not a valid result.

          • HueSatLight
            HueSatLight
            January 22, 2025 at 5:22 pm | # | Reply

            Obligitory OR is bad. no AND NOT is worse. The extra search terms they add in make me want to burn it down.

        • Wizard
          Wizard
          January 22, 2025 at 7:10 pm | # | Reply

          And one of the zillion slang terms for cannabis is “skunk”, due to its pungent odor.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      January 22, 2025 at 1:53 pm | # | Reply

      I suspect it’s made up, at least partly. The skunk wallpaper is too on the nose (pun unintended). They made up the bar Joyce and Dorothy went to, so it wouldn’t be unprecedented.

    • catiwehrle
      catiwehrle
      January 22, 2025 at 7:10 pm | # | Reply

      I think it’s Hopscotch. Newer, on the South side by Templeton. Watch the video on their website.

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        January 22, 2025 at 9:02 pm | # | Reply

        you found it! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hopscotch-coffee-bloomington?select=OzBLUak5pmGSv7HsVUhvgQ

  22. Jeremiah
    Jeremiah
    January 22, 2025 at 12:15 am | # | Reply

    All the real no fake smiles for Sarah!

  23. Woop de doop
    Woop de doop
    January 22, 2025 at 12:18 am | # | Reply

    Dawww Sarah cute!

  24. IntangibleMatter
    IntangibleMatter
    January 22, 2025 at 12:20 am | # | Reply

    And just like that, she’s ruined her chances. Stupid involuntary happy reactions.

    • Thomas
      Thomas
      January 22, 2025 at 1:17 am | # | Reply

      This, kinda. Tony is the kind of grump Sarah »used« to be. He never smiles. Now that Sarah made an effort to grow past that, Tony arrives to pull her back in. Ultimately, this is where that ship will falter. Tony is not very fun to be with.

      • Shade
        Shade
        January 22, 2025 at 1:56 am | # | Reply

        Or she realises she was overdoing it and Tony helps her find a healthy medium that’s more comfortable for her. Because she shouldn’t feel like she has to smile to be positive.

        • Thomas
          Thomas
          January 22, 2025 at 4:02 am | # | Reply

          She shouldn’t feel she can’t smile or Tony will no longer be interested. He seems genuinely against showing signs of happiness.

          • eh, whatever
            eh, whatever
            January 22, 2025 at 5:07 am | # | Reply

            We haven’t seen enough of Tony, by far, to draw to any such conclusions.

            • eh, whatever
              eh, whatever
              January 22, 2025 at 5:07 am | # | Reply

              …to draw any such conclusions, let alone to jump to them!

              • Wizard
                Wizard
                January 22, 2025 at 7:12 pm | # | Reply

                I can’t help but suspect jumping to conclusions is some commenters’ main source of exercise.

          • Shade
            Shade
            January 22, 2025 at 10:28 am | # | Reply

            No? His exact words were “so damn much”. That doesn’t imply to me he hates smiling or expressions of joy full stop. Sounds like he’s looking for someone who understands that you don’t have to smile all the time to be happy.

      • Mark
        Mark
        January 22, 2025 at 6:50 am | # | Reply

        I reckon Tony could be a lot of fun to be with, if you don’t push the happy-happy-joy-joy attitude all the time. He’s “important” (on the school football team, Dean’s son) and may be a little tired of people being happy at him for those things and not for himself.

        • Michael Steamweed
          Michael Steamweed
          January 22, 2025 at 9:17 am | # | Reply

          Tony does seem sensitive about fake emotional displays. As long as Sarah is not pushing it and stays with herself, I think Tony will enjoy dating her.

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        January 22, 2025 at 10:17 am | # | Reply

        I don’t think it’s as far as that. But Tony is 100% business, no nonsense. And Sarah is like 5-10% nonsense. That can work out, but the height thing could be a problem. As in Sarah gets over it, but it takes time and Tony doesn’t have to wait for that.
        They get a chance to figure it out though. it can’t go as bad as Walky+Lucy did, and they had a couple of weeks to try.

  25. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    January 22, 2025 at 12:23 am | # | Reply

    I am not entirely convinced Sarah x Jacob is never happening, but damn if Tony’s isn’t kinda winning me over, too.

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      January 22, 2025 at 12:41 am | # | Reply

      I was onboard for Sarah and Jacob for a while, but these two are making me happy in a way Sarah×Jacob never did

    • Coatl
      Coatl
      January 22, 2025 at 12:51 am | # | Reply

      When it seemed that there was something going on with Jacob, Sarah herself stepped back… and Lucy appeared.

      But maybe with this experience, I don’t doubt it much anymore, and let’s be honest, those expressions in the last panels are so genuine that you really want this to happen.

      • Coatl
        Coatl
        January 22, 2025 at 12:53 am | # | Reply

        ***But maybe with this experience, she doesn’t hesitate much anymore, and let’s be honest, those expressions in the last panels are so genuine that you really want this to happen.***

      • Jeremiah
        Jeremiah
        January 22, 2025 at 12:55 am | # | Reply

        An this is based on genuine reciprocated interest for each other as people rather that on sided lust.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      January 22, 2025 at 4:15 am | # | Reply

      I don’t think Sarah’s really Jacob’s type, unfortunately for her. He likes her as a friend and I think he could have been persuaded to give it a shot, but it probably wouldn’t work out.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      January 22, 2025 at 8:28 am | # | Reply

      It feels narratively off to me if that’s the direction this is going to go.

      Sarah seemed genuinely interested in Jacob and was definitely working on making herself vulnerable enough to come out of her shell for him. Until Lucy walked into the picture and off with him. Which prompted Sarah to do the weird fake smiley thing. But now Tony drops into her lap, she can drop the fake smiley bit with no character growth payoff from it. It doesn’t even look like she’ll have to deal with any of her issues to make this work.

      Waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is cute, but where’s the conflict that makes it interesting?

      • Jeremiah
        Jeremiah
        January 22, 2025 at 11:55 am | # | Reply

        Sarah WAS interested in Jacob, but it was mostly based on physical attraction. And yeah she was trying to improve at being vulnerable but it was gonna be a long a hard road and it would be pretty unfair to expect Jacob to wait up and never try to go out with someone until she overcome her issues. Her finding someone that she actually connects with personality wise without needing to fake or rush herself to make overt changes is actually pretty good. She can still continue to work on being vulnerable, as any relationship needs that, but she doesn’t need to do it just start it.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          January 22, 2025 at 7:56 pm | # | Reply

          That’s a possibility, but not really an interesting one, I think. In many ways this might be better for Sarah. Certainly easier, but if that’s the direction we’re really going, it just defuses all the narrative tension built up for her character.

          But Willis plays the long game, so we’ll see. Eventually.

          • Jeremiah
            Jeremiah
            January 22, 2025 at 9:03 pm | # | Reply

            I really don’t see how it defuses anything or what “tension” you mean.

  26. Jess
    Jess
    January 22, 2025 at 12:36 am | # | Reply

    Can this Sarah face be a grav please? I love it so much.

  27. Icalasari
    Icalasari
    January 22, 2025 at 12:54 am | # | Reply

    These two have chemistry

  28. chuckroast
    chuckroast
    January 22, 2025 at 1:05 am | # | Reply

    My sister in christ, you have met your soulmate.

    • chuckroast
      chuckroast
      January 22, 2025 at 1:06 am | # | Reply

      Genuinely laughed at my gravatar. It was meant to be. Just like Sarah and Tony.

  29. Rabid Rabbit
    Rabid Rabbit
    January 22, 2025 at 1:19 am | # | Reply

    “Just the ones who are pretty without having to smile so damn much.”

    “I want my eye candy to be pretty at all times, without having to work at it. You can be a bitch if you want, but you’d better having resting pretty face!”

    Yeesh, Tony. Wouldn’t have taken you for such an aesthete. How actively superficial of you.

    Requisite disclaimer: this comment is a joke.

    • Rabid Rabbit
      Rabid Rabbit
      January 22, 2025 at 1:20 am | # | Reply

      And came with the perfect new gravatar for it, at that.

    • eh, whatever
      eh, whatever
      January 22, 2025 at 5:10 am | # | Reply

      I want my eye candy to be pretty at all times, without having to work at it.

      That’s what “pretty” means. If your makeup is pretty, that doesn’t mean you are.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        January 22, 2025 at 6:23 am | # | Reply

        Yes it does

      • Nymph
        Nymph
        January 22, 2025 at 11:04 am | # | Reply

        It means you’re pretty AND good at makeup. A two-for-one deal!

      • Amelie Wikström
        Amelie Wikström
        January 23, 2025 at 12:36 am | # | Reply

        How you choose or don’t choose to present yourself, and the work you put or don’t put into your appearance does in fact determine how pretty you are. Much more than what stuff you’re born with, I’d say.

  30. Taffy
    Taffy
    January 22, 2025 at 1:20 am | # | Reply

    Wait, what genitals does Tony have?

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      January 22, 2025 at 5:40 am | # | Reply

      You know, the usual two penises and a vagina.

    • Nymph
      Nymph
      January 22, 2025 at 11:05 am | # | Reply

      So many. So many genitals.

      • Clif
        Clif
        January 22, 2025 at 12:19 pm | # | Reply

        I sense a future in genetic engineering.

  31. Jon
    Jon
    January 22, 2025 at 1:23 am | # | Reply

    Did anyone else read that alt-text in the voice of Dan Backslide, the villain in the cartoon “The Dover Boys At Pimento University, or the Rivals of Roquefort Hall”, or was that just me?

    “A car! I’ll STEAL it! NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!!”

    • nobodybasically
      nobodybasically
      January 22, 2025 at 1:53 am | # | Reply

      *reads alt text*

      Well now I’m gonna see Tom Dover whenever I look at Tony.

    • nobodybasically
      nobodybasically
      January 22, 2025 at 1:54 am | # | Reply

      The line is actually “A runabout!”, not “car,” but yes.

    • Rectilinear Propagation
      Rectilinear Propagation
      January 22, 2025 at 2:35 am | # | Reply

      Absolutely!

      That line cracked me up so bad when I first saw that cartoon as a kid.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      January 22, 2025 at 3:14 am | # | Reply

      Nobody can do a crazed lunatic voice like Mel Blanc could.

      • Michael Steamweed
        Michael Steamweed
        January 22, 2025 at 9:24 am | # | Reply

        I put Mel Blanc, Frank Oz, and Robin Williams in my Top 3 Crazed Voice Actors of all time. 🙂

      • Heartlesshealer
        Heartlesshealer
        January 22, 2025 at 12:39 pm | # | Reply

        Truly, he could scream into a microphone with perfection.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      January 22, 2025 at 7:47 am | # | Reply

      I’ll steal the ruuuuun-a-bout
      No one can heeeaaar me scream and shout

  32. Kyulen
    Kyulen
    January 22, 2025 at 1:40 am | # | Reply

    The Sarah/Tony ship is one I never knew I needed until recently.

    • Bash
      Bash
      January 22, 2025 at 2:05 am | # | Reply

      I really love this. She was burning herself out trying to change, and then she met someone who liked her how she was.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        January 22, 2025 at 8:30 am | # | Reply

        Character growth? Who needs it.

        Just have the author make up a character who likes your issues.

        • Jeremiah
          Jeremiah
          January 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm | # | Reply

          Maybe that mean that Sarah whole personality isn’t an issue that need fixing? She can work on being vulnerable while still being a cynical grouch.

        • Wizard
          Wizard
          January 22, 2025 at 7:19 pm | # | Reply

          If she can learn to let herself be genuinely happy without having to force it, I’d argue that counts as personal growth.

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      January 22, 2025 at 2:17 am | # | Reply

      yee yee SarahTonyn 100% ^^

      BTW sorry if off topic, Kylulen what’s that cloud thing in your avatar, and is it “holding” the hammer and sickle?

      • eh, whatever
        eh, whatever
        January 22, 2025 at 5:11 am | # | Reply

        Cloud? It’s a lizard, and it doesn’t quite touch the hammer & sickle, it’s just walking across a not-quite-Soviet flag.

      • Kyulen
        Kyulen
        January 22, 2025 at 7:13 am | # | Reply

        It’s a komodo dragon plushie. The hammer and sickle is close to it, but not touching. I used Paint to combine a picture of my plushie I took with a communist flag.

        • Michael Steamweed
          Michael Steamweed
          January 22, 2025 at 9:26 am | # | Reply

          Ahh. I thought at first it might be a Fuckface or Winslow. Good to know it’s a Komodo monitor instead. 🙂

  33. anon
    anon
    January 22, 2025 at 1:52 am | # | Reply

    So cute lol

    Tho i can understand the resting grump face (tho i personally have a resting zoned out face but usually ppl don’t care, tho i guess i must look more ‘worn out’ when sweaty/if it’s a summer walk b/c i get asked if i’m ok versus just seeming more chill)

  34. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    January 22, 2025 at 3:10 am | # | Reply

    Damn that was smooth. (And no, I don’t mean the coffee.)

  35. Adept
    Adept
    January 22, 2025 at 3:50 am | # | Reply

    That was adorable <3

  36. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    January 22, 2025 at 4:00 am | # | Reply

    Bluuuuush

  37. Agentomega
    Agentomega
    January 22, 2025 at 4:15 am | # | Reply

    I SHIP IT SO HARD. (This is like, the fastest I’ve become invested in a main character getting shipped with a side character we’ve barely seen, but damn Tony makes a real good impression and they’re so good together.)

  38. Alan in DC
    Alan in DC
    January 22, 2025 at 5:20 am | # | Reply

    And so begins the plippety-plip of estrogen coursing thru Sarah’s physique…

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      January 22, 2025 at 6:20 am | # | Reply

      I feel like that probably started a long time ago.

  39. Arianod
    Arianod
    January 22, 2025 at 5:32 am | # | Reply

    Not gonna lie, that fifth panel has me melting. Let Sarah have something nice, please ?

    • Michael Steamweed
      Michael Steamweed
      January 22, 2025 at 9:28 am | # | Reply

      Joyce is shipping this. So. Hard.

      (she just doesn’t know it yet)

      • Arianod
        Arianod
        January 22, 2025 at 7:21 pm | # | Reply

        She’s probably feeling a great disturbance in the Force and wondering what’s happened ^^

        • Michael Steamweed
          Michael Steamweed
          January 22, 2025 at 8:15 pm | # | Reply

          “Shipping…senses…tingling!”
          [sotto voce: anditsnotthedryerthistime]

  40. Opus the Poet
    Opus the Poet
    January 22, 2025 at 5:45 am | # | Reply

    Not going to lie, Sarah is conventionally attractive.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      January 22, 2025 at 7:53 am | # | Reply

      Yeah. She’s pretty, shy, and perhaps taller than me. PERFECTION.

  41. Alaric
    Alaric
    January 22, 2025 at 7:23 am | # | Reply

    It’s so good to see something nice happen for Sarah. I know somehow it won’t last, something will go wrong, something bad will happen, for for now…. It makes me happy to see this.

  42. YBAlex
    YBAlex
    January 22, 2025 at 7:37 am | # | Reply

    Here just to say that I love that for Sarah :3

  43. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    January 22, 2025 at 7:54 am | # | Reply

    Sarah deserves it.

  44. cbwroses
    cbwroses
    January 22, 2025 at 8:02 am | # | Reply

    I support this ship just as I support people not forcing themselves to smile all the time.
    I also support gravatar roulette; let’s see what we get.

    • cbwroses
      cbwroses
      January 22, 2025 at 8:04 am | # | Reply

      Eh. It’s doable, but let’s try again.

      • cbwroses
        cbwroses
        January 22, 2025 at 8:06 am | # | Reply

        Honestly, Jason is pretty close to my personality and I am ok with that.
        And I am not ok with that.
        So let’s spin again.

        • cbwroses
          cbwroses
          January 22, 2025 at 8:10 am | # | Reply

          And Tony’s resting grump face is a good representation since i also have one.
          But I feel like that’s too on the nose considering today’s strip, so we’ll gamble one more time and then choose from the 4.

          • cbwroses
            cbwroses
            January 22, 2025 at 8:12 am | # | Reply

            You know what?
            F*ck it!
            We’re going with Blowjob Cat (mostly because it put an involuntary smile on my face just like Sarah in today’s strip)!

    • Regret
      Regret
      January 22, 2025 at 12:15 pm | # | Reply

      So how does this gravatar roulette thing work? I’ve seen people talk about it a while, but I don’t know how to achieve it.

      • Regret
        Regret
        January 22, 2025 at 12:16 pm | # | Reply

        Testing…

        • Regret
          Regret
          January 22, 2025 at 12:16 pm | # | Reply

          Got it! I vaguely remembered someone mentioning email capitalisation 😀 I’m keeping this one, it’s unusually cute.

          • Clif
            Clif
            January 22, 2025 at 5:59 pm | # | Reply

            Congratulations on achieving your final form.

  45. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    January 22, 2025 at 8:15 am | # | Reply

    *gloomy little stormcloud appears over Joyce’s head, starts raining*

    Jocelyne: That’s a… strange weather phenomenon…

    Joyce: grumblegrumble it just means Sarah’s somewhere being happy, the jerk grumblegrumble

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      January 22, 2025 at 8:49 am | # | Reply

      Calling back: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/03-see-you-in-the-funny-page/balance/

  46. Michael Steamweed
    Michael Steamweed
    January 22, 2025 at 8:33 am | # | Reply

    Panels 5-6: Awww. 😀

    (And now I gotta cut out all sugar for the next week.)

  47. EpochFlame
    EpochFlame
    January 22, 2025 at 8:38 am | # | Reply

    well done, tony

  48. Nothri
    Nothri
    January 22, 2025 at 10:01 am | # | Reply

    Well shit. Tony just went from an 8 to a 10.

  49. Hof1991
    Hof1991
    January 22, 2025 at 10:11 am | # | Reply

    Tony’s known as a very fast player. Seems that doesn’t apply just to football.

  50. DashWallkick
    DashWallkick
    January 22, 2025 at 10:49 am | # | Reply

    In hindsight, Jacob snubbing Sarah makes perfect sense. Yeah he’s built like Chris Hemsworth but he also is a peppy, outgoing, sunny and organized guy who really tries and communicates to his relationships with care and sensitivity.

    Sarah isn’t that. She needs to be more vulnerable but she doesn’t have to stop being herself, because herself is in fact a prickly, grouchy person. Enter Tony — who is also a prickly, grouchy person, but sees her beauty and gels with her beautifully because they both like complaining.

    It’s the “don’t change yourself for someone” thing again. Beautiful way to take her character.

  51. Sol
    Sol
    January 22, 2025 at 11:56 am | # | Reply

    Looking forward to how Willis is gonna break our hearts with this one 🙂

    • Sol
      Sol
      January 22, 2025 at 11:56 am | # | Reply

      NOoooOOooOOooo not blowjob cat ;-;

    • Clif
      Clif
      January 22, 2025 at 6:02 pm | # | Reply

      You have to give it time. Really epic heartbreak takes years to prepare.

  52. :0
    :0
    January 22, 2025 at 12:24 pm | # | Reply

    D’aw. Happy Sarah :3
    Even if this probably won’t work out, Sarah definitely deserved this happy coffee.

    • Clif
      Clif
      January 22, 2025 at 6:07 pm | # | Reply

      No problem unless she smiles all the time. It’s Sarah. She’s not going to smile all the time.

      • Clif
        Clif
        January 22, 2025 at 6:08 pm | # | Reply

        Sorry. that was supposed to be a reply to Rabisch below.

  53. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    January 22, 2025 at 12:43 pm | # | Reply

    So, Tony like Sarah because she’s cute even if she’s not smiling like crazy. But.stay with Tony seems to be one of the few things that made Sarah smile… I see a problem.

    • anonymsly
      anonymsly
      January 22, 2025 at 10:51 pm | # | Reply

      I suspect real smiles are fine with Tony. I imagine it’s performative flirty/fake smiles that put him off more than smiles in general.

  54. UrsulaDavina
    UrsulaDavina
    January 22, 2025 at 2:29 pm | # | Reply

    So two negatives make a positive and both are negative so this postive and fucking delightfully adorable.

  55. PedanticJerkass
    PedanticJerkass
    January 22, 2025 at 3:10 pm | # | Reply

    I’m so much more into Sarah+Tony than I ever was Sarah+Jacob.

    • Jeremiah
      Jeremiah
      January 22, 2025 at 3:18 pm | # | Reply

      That was pretty much intentional it seems.

  56. DaWombat
    DaWombat
    January 22, 2025 at 4:00 pm | # | Reply

    Hot damn, Tony! What a line. The rizz is off the charts.

  57. Big Steve
    Big Steve
    January 22, 2025 at 6:36 pm | # | Reply

    Maybe to my surprise, I REALLY want Sarah to have some Happy for a change. Let’s just hope the skunk on the wallpaper isn’t foreshadowing.

    (Duh-duh-DUH!)

  58. Wizard
    Wizard
    January 22, 2025 at 7:30 pm | # | Reply

    Better be careful, Sarah, or you face might get stuck like that!

  59. Moon
    Moon
    January 22, 2025 at 8:50 pm | # | Reply

    Oh I like this

  60. Dev
    Dev
    January 22, 2025 at 11:46 pm | # | Reply

    Awwww… 🙂

  61. Grayfinity
    Grayfinity
    January 22, 2025 at 11:59 pm | # | Reply

    Willis did my favorite meme. I can die happy now!

  62. Barf Ninjason
    Barf Ninjason
    January 26, 2025 at 10:35 pm | # | Reply

    This is fucking BEAUTIFUL. Hastag team doesn’t have to telegraph happiness all the time.

  63. crow
    crow
    February 1, 2025 at 9:48 am | # | Reply

    Did he just not-like-other-girls her?

  64. erinacea
    erinacea
    February 4, 2025 at 3:55 pm | # | Reply

    A skunk wallpaper is an interesting choice for a cafe

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