316

Ceremonial
Posted on July 27, 2015 by David M Willis

316 thoughts on “Ceremonial”

  1. Jen Aside

    Ethanosaur YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

    Dina …abandoned mission =/

    1. otusasio451

      Doasaurus siegalensis: a newly described species within the genus Doasaurus. This is the second species described, after the recently discovered Doasaurus saruyamensis. D. siegalensis is a much larger species than the D. saruyamensis, a smaller species, whose demeanor has been predicted to be relatively docile. More research is being done on this genus.

      1. Brady Kj

        Awesome!

        PS, Willis, take not that otusasio451 never said D-Siegalensis or D-Saruyamensis. Don’t get me wrong, Willis. You’re a smart person. This strip proves it quite well. However, that just makes your flagrant abuse of scientific terms all the more disappointing.

        1. David M Willis

          t-rex

        2. otusasio451

          …Sorry about this.

          Scientifically speaking, that is absolutely incorrect. The phrasing “T-rex” is a colloquialism adopted by layman speakers, but is not seen as valid in the scientific community. It’s actually T. rex. Trust me on this, I’m a biologist…in-training. I’m also a dinosaur nut. Guess who my favorite character is!

        3. David M Willis

          t-rex

        4. otusasio451

          B-Bu…yeah, all right.

        5. Tucker

          t-rex

        6. Brady Kj

          David M. Willis, why are you a science denier?

          otusasio451, perhaps we should start a campaign announcing to everyone that David M. Willis is a science denier. This Tucker person, too.

          These two would also be good people to ask to find out why science deniers blatantly refuse to accept science when the facts are laid out in front of them. This would be a very important thing to find out, before science deniers like David M. Willis and Tucker destroy the world.

        7. David M Willis

          t-rex

        8. Brady Kj

          When global warming puts Indiana under the ocean and everyone is dead from not getting vaccines, it shall be the fault of Willis, the science denier.

        9. Tucker

          t
          –
          r
          e
          x

        10. jpic89

          …I have no idea what is happening right now…

        11. Brady Kj

          T. rex

          Not “t-rex”

          jpic89, what’s happening right now is that Tucker and Willis are on the wrong side of history.

        12. David M Willis

          t-rex

        13. Alyssa

          Rex. t

        14. Soundwave the Superior

          R. tex

        15. Tucker

          t – r e x

        16. Brady Kj

          Alyssa and Soundwave, I’d like to meet Rex. t and R. tex. Clearly these are animals from some cool alternate universe. Perhaps R. stands for Ryrannosaurus, or Rannotysaurus, or Raaarr!!!
          Tucker, your refusal to acknowledge the scientific fact of the animal’s name is not going to get you into heaven.

        17. Tucker

          t||||
          |-|||
          ||r||
          |||e|
          ||||x

    2. Tan

      Welp, looks like we’re gonna need YET ANOTHER besties-riding-dinosaur pic. Internet, you’re up.

  2. Wire Segal

    Dina smiled
    this is the best thing

    1. Atomix26

      it’s the cutest thing ever. <3

      1. Bagge

        Dina’s smile is the best. It’s almost… smug. “Yeah, I nailed this whole identity thing. Go me.”

        1. gkheyf

          She is gleeful and happy and awesome and I wish to be her at that exact moment

      2. maarvarq

        The combination of the darling smile and her realisation that she’s outmaneuvered those who look down on her as socially incompetent … I’m in love!

    2. Tandel

      She’s just so thrilled to be dinosaur chick. It’s the best she can aspire to be.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        While dinosaurs are the ancestors of birds, I believe the correct word for a young dinosaur is hatchling not chick.

        1. Wire Segal

          While that all may be true, she’s certainly dinosaur chic.

        2. Tandel

          At this moment I am sad I cannot click a single button to indicate ‘like’.

        3. Wire Segal

          It’s a sad feeling, isn’t it.

        4. Jen Aside

          You have to do the essay version of clicking “Like” =p

      2. gkheyf

        she’s really making sure, though, with that hoodie.

        1. ozzi

          That’s not a hoodie it is a triecertop

      3. maarvarq

        Dinosaur chick or dude is the best anyone can aspire to be 😛

  3. Wack'd

    I know that feel, Ethan.

    Fortunately most people have no clue what asexuality is so my concerns that I’d become “that asexual guy” were mostly unfounded.

    Except on Tumblr. There, at least, I’ve grown used to it.

    1. David Alexander McDonald

      I figured out well down the line that I was demi, and nobody knows what the hell that means. I was faintly relieved to know I was ace, but my life is still more complicated than a hedonist’s life should be.

      1. David Alexander McDonald

        Er, WASN’T ace.

      2. Doctor_Who

        Hedonism isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either. You should see my monthly bills for chocolate sauce and bullwhips.

        1. David Alexander McDonald

          With me it was the strawberries and high-grade honey girl dip that nearly did me in. Although, some to think of it the St. Stephens Cross Quadrocopter might have factored in.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      “…most people have no clue what asexuality is…”
      Huh. Really?
      Am I biased by my generation or my location? I hear stuff like that a lot around here [DoA] but I’ve never really seen it reflected in people. Not that the topic comes up much, but still.

      1. Wack'd

        Yeah, hence the “except on Tumblr” caveat. Out in meatspace my attempts at coming out tend to be met by confused stares and trailing sentences.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Allow me to clarify.
          Online, and in DoA comments in particular, I often hear about meatfolk being confused and ignorant of such things, but my own experience shows that the people I interact with in person have generally at least heard of the concept of nonbinary gender, and while the idea of someone being asexual may seem strange to them, they know what it means.
          Going to college in California might have something to do with it, but I’m wondering if it’s more a matter of generation or geography.

        2. MM

          Little of Column A, little of Column B, I’d wager.

        3. madock345

          I’m at college in mississippi, and I really think it’s a generation thing. Everybody around here knows what that kind of thing is.

        4. Leorale

          Mainly generational. Internet!
          It’s also helpful to have a critical mass of curious and progressive people, whether that’s by geography, career path, personal preference, or whatever.

        5. Mindlink

          Probably a lot geographical too. It took me awhile figuring out American media, and also online culture, as it always seemed to me to be set in a bizarro-world, more akin’ to Norway in the ’60s than present day.
          I grew up in a small Norwegian town (5000 inhabitants, half of them farmers) in the eighties (am 36 today), and we learned about most of this stuff at school, before I was 12! Bi, a, trans, etc., and I can’t even remember a time when it was “OK” to discriminate against anyone because of their sexual preferences or identities, that’s the kind of thing we only read about. (Not that it doesn’t happen, but when it does the general response is shock and anger, not complacency)

        6. Yotomoe

          Even before I knew it was a thing I just assumed asexual people were people who don’t get all hot and bothered by sex. It never really…confuses or perplexes me unless someone goes into graphic detail. But hey, same thing if I try to explain my sexuality.

        7. CrashCash

          Or as I say… “I’m not gay, I’m not straight, I’m just not interested”

        8. jesslin

          Apparently there are a plethora of people who are sexually attracted to people who do not possess the empathy to understand how it is possible to *not* be sexually attracted to people, at least in the US (the only place I’m remotely qualified to comment on). I’m told by my (late forties) husband that it was harder to be ace as a male, even a geeky one, because peer pressure conversations were all about doing “it”, and he couldn’t have cared less about “it”, so he just thought he was broken, which is pretty common for teenagers who don’t match up with their peers. As a female geek who was already asocial, being ace was only a problem when I was asked out by a friend and we didn’t have the same idea of what ‘dating’ entailed, because I already knew I wasn’t like my peers for other reasons and didn’t care. Thankfully he’s still a good friend, but still…

          I didn’t know asexuals needed a support group until I met several others who had all felt like outsiders, but they’ve all been early ’80s babies or earlier. I think with the recent hubbub over the breadth of the sexual spectrum, asexuals are probably the least of most people’s worries any more 😀

        9. Fish

          my coming out as ace has had … a lot of variety in responses.

          On the bad side, its someone seeming supportive and then trashing me behind my back to a mutual friend, to “you just haven’t met the right person” or “that’s such a waste” or concerns for my partner’s well being.

          But, the vast majority of responses have been “what does that mean? huh, okay.” Which I think is a really good response. 🙂

          I’m a little Dina like though in personality, and a little child like at times. Its possible a ton of people are just relieved that my sexuality doesn’t involve wanting to have sex with anyone.

          (for context, I’m in my 30s, in a very nerdy, queer friendly community. I only recently got on tumblr because it seemed like a nice place. I don’t feel like I need to come out there, I can just be, whereas in meatspace I still feel like I do).

          Also, hi Wack’d! haven’t seen you around in a long time!

        10. Wack'd

          Yeah, sorry, I have been trying to participate more around here as I realize I’ve fallen off the map a bit.

        11. Fish

          Nothing to be sorry for! Spend your time as you see fit!

          I am glad to see you though. 🙂 After the carla & aceness debate on shortpacked, it always gives me warm fuzzies to see you around. (I am the author of that “thank you very much for fighting the good fight” anon tumblr ask followed by the “you are free to stop at any time, take care of yourself” anon tumblr ask)

        12. Wack'd

          Thank you!

    3. AgentKeen

      It’s ok, we still think of you as ‘that guy that knows all that Walkyverse trivia, and also Doctor Who’.

  4. Opus the Poet

    Yes she kissed the girl, but did she like it?

    1. Jen Aside

      Uncertain, multiple tests required

      1. Agemegos

        And controls. And statistical significant samples of boys, girls, transboys, transgirls, interkids…

        1. Agemegos

          … subs, doms, and assorted kinksters.

        2. setsun

          And a pineapple…… for good measure.

        3. ClaudeWicked

          As long as she doesnt try the pineapple trick

        4. Disloyal Subject

          If that’s anything like the Grapefruit Technique, I don’t want to know.

        5. fogel

          South Park: Paris Hilton + pineapple; draw your own conclusions.

        6. Warfoki

          Well, that’s a new one, so I learned something today. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not…

        7. Opus the Poet

          Recorded on video, of course. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Zb-QiGslo

        8. Robbzilla

          Better than the Paris Hilton Trick… Oh, SouthPark Stick of Truth… Why did you have to make Mr. Slave a guest attacker? 😀

      2. insomniac

        Are you saying she needs to kiss a girl just to try it?

      3. Deathjavu

        It all depends on how we assume people are distributed on the Kinsey scale. If we assign 10% to K=1 (completely hetero), and she enjoyed that particular instance, and we assume 100% of people who like women would enjoy kissing Becky (obviously true), then the probability that Dina is gay, using Bayes theorem, is about 80%.

        Of course, we need Willis to conduct more experiments to lower the uncertainty. Its what Dina would want, statistically :p

        1. Poskie

          I’m getting some Faz vibes here with all this here talk of Kinsey scales and statistics…

        2. Gordon

          Well, we do have a lot of charts.

        3. Oddball

          I see your avatar screaming this and it made me giggle.

        4. Deathjavu

          I was studying for the FE when I posted last night and I’d just finished the chapter on stats.

          Comparing me to faz seems kind of harsh 🙁

        5. Deanatay

          That’s statistics, not science. Dina is a scientist. She only does fresh, hot empirical data, raw and quivering.

        6. Deathjavu

          …statistics is used extensively in science to analyze empirical data. In fact, proper scientific analysis requires statistics because nothing is 100% accurate.

    2. Doctor_Who

      More than Captain Crunch, but not as much as Cookie Crisp. More data required.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        “More than Captain Crunch” is setting the bar pretty low.

        1. Who Izzy

          That depends. Is it peanutbutter crunch? If so than shut your mouth!

    3. Plasma Mongoose

      I don’t know if she liked it but we the readers sure did. 😀

    4. ozzi

      Was Becky wearing cherry chapstick?

  5. otusasio451

    ONE OF US
    ONE OF US
    GOOBLE GOBBLE
    GOOBLE GOBBLE

    1. gkheyf

      Surely you mean ‘dabdabdabdab’

      1. Darkoneko

        No.

      2. ozzi

        Really no. Go use Google. Now.

  6. Tien1985

    I love Dina. Shut up and have a dinosaur hat.

    1. Oddball

      *puts on a dinosaur hat* RAAWWWRR! *THWOMP THOMP THWOMP*

  7. Mr k

    Well, better “Gay Ethan”, then “Self-Loathing Ethan”.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      He needs to stop self-loathing and start self-loafing, that way he will feel much better and he will have bread whenever he wants it.

      1. Wire Segal

        WizSaraaaaaaaah

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          YUP! ^_^

        2. darkoneko

          Wizsaraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah \o/

        3. Oddball

          *KAZAOW!*

    2. Nono

      I now decree that every character must get a Dina hat Photoshopped onto their head at some point.

      1. Wire Segal

        I bet the fanartists are already on it.

      2. MM

        This needs to be retroactive to the Walkyverse as well. I demand Giant Mutant Frosted Honeybun-size hats.

    3. Chaucer59

      Yeah, since when does being gay mean you’re a”sex weirdo”? I’m bi, so I’m used to extremists calling ME things like “sex weirdo,” but gay is pretty mainstream these days. Hell, we have gay politicians, in a country where unusual sexual proclivities gets you voted out of office.

      1. Lord Stoneheart

        I think “sex weirdo” being used here, is a callback to when Joyce used it last chapter when she brought up the questioning meeting in the first place. (It sounded to me like she was making a joke about her own lack of knowledge about these things).

        1. chiscii

          And that in itself was a call-back to Shortpacked!, I reckon

    4. Freemage

      Odds that Ethan becomes “that gay dinosaur guy”?

  8. Doctor_Who

    Joyce: “Hey, Ethan. Is that Dina’s hat? Looks good on you.”

    Ethan: “The Smallest Dinosaur was the Saltopus. It was only 3 feet long, and weighed about five pounds.”

    Joyce: “…What?”

    Ethan: “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. Hey, I’m getting tired of pizza. Do they have any cereal?”

    1. Wack'd

      Dina is an Irken, the hat her PAK.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        I want this to be true more badly than I would have expected.

        1. Wack'd

          I mean, keep in mind that if it is true, Dina will be dead within minutes, and I don’t think anyone wants that.

      2. Doctor_Who

        Dina and Gir would together be the most hilarious and adorable thing ever.

    2. Yotomoe

      This is how Dina reproduces. Soon the entire school will be Dinas.
      You could have prevented this future.

      1. gkheyf

        Complacency is the greatest sin. The whores and the politicians reached out their hands to us and said “save us” and we whispered back “…no. you will have Dinas”.

      2. TheOtherDibbler

        Why would I want to prevent a future made of Dinas?

    3. Bagge

      “The first Dinobots were Grimlock, Slag, and Sludge. They were an often independent autobot faction”

      1. Deanatay

        So Ethan obsesses over Dinobot facts? Fitting.

        1. HMRC4EVR

          EVERYONE obsesses over Dinobot facts. They are that awesome.

  9. Rodimiss

    This is adorable. I hope they continue on this friendship path that I’m seeing, between this and their interactions at the party.

  10. chris73

    Ethan let me give you some advice. Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.

    Or don’t worry about what the rest of the world thinks (and when you make out how let me know)

    1. Doctor_Who

      Weirdly, With Dina being so small and Ethan being so tall, the comparison to Tyrion and Jon kinda works.

      1. chris73

        I didn’t even think of that but I’ll claim it anyway

    2. TJ Pittsburgh

      SPOILERS!!!

      Um, isn’t the one to whom that advice was given now dead? (Allegedly confirmed)

      1. MM

        As long as Ethan avoids getting elected president of any clubs, he’ll be fine.

        1. Gottyshotty

          “For the Gay Pizza Club”

  11. Jayax

    That *gay* dinosaur chick

  12. MM

    Dina’s a lot better at this figuring out how people work thing than she gives herself credit for.

  13. Humson

    That last panel is the best thing ever. Ethan needs to stay in that hat forever

    1. BenRG

      It probably only seconds before Joyce comes over to ask why he’s wearing the hat.

      1. gkheyf

        And gross horrified that his had gone from a nice, acceptable sex-weirdo to a gosh-darned paleo-believer

        1. gkheyf

          I apologize for the autocorrect. Is too early in the morning for me to tell the difference between ‘gross’ and ‘grows’ as well as ‘his had’ from ‘he has’

  14. Zaidyer

    Dina is a wonderful person.

  15. Jeff Harris

    Dina’s such a precious little cinnamon roll, ain’t she? Protect her at all costs!

    1. gkheyf

      Surely, that is unnecessary! No trucks (emotional or otherwise) have ever devestated the cast of DoA.

      …maybe we should coat her in bubble wrap, just in case

  16. Plasma Mongoose

    Labelled as Dinosaur-Freak 1, labelled as Gay-Guy 0.

  17. Idon'tcarenomore

    Ethan just can not relax either way can he :).

    Dina is great, sharing her special hat with him. He’s kinda cute in it actually.

    1. fogel

      Anxiety sux

  18. TJ Pittsburgh

    Personally, I think that Ethan is more in danger of being known as “whiny Ethan” . . .

    1. Jayax

      Oh my god Ethan, I can’t believe you’re still complaining about the difficulties of being gay in our society! It’s not like that’s hard or anything. Just suck it up.
      /sarcasm

      1. TJ Pittsburgh

        OK, OK: I’ve been out of college for almost 15 years, so I’ve forgotten that is scary that a less-than-supportive parent can cut the funding at any moment. But other than that, Ethan has found nothing but acceptance from his social circle! His best friend/first ex-girlfriend, a fundamentalist Christian recent ex-girlfriend, and he’s just discovered that three more people in his life have casually known about it for a while and still didn’t treat him only as a homosexual. Ethan doesn’t whine about a potential life of hardship; he whines about people thinking of him as “gay Ethan,” and he already knows that his friends don’t think of him that way!

        1. Lord Stoneheart

          I might be completely off here, but based off the conversation he had with Amber outside of Galasso’s, it sounded like Ethan became a pariah at his old school because of the whole gay thing. Like it’s not just his parents who disapproved of it. It sounded like Amber was his sole supporter actually. So yeah, he knows a few people who aren’t judging him for it, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s afraid of being pigeonholed as gay, because it’s already happened before.

        2. kelticat

          Possibly Mike as well. Or maybe Mike just didn’t care about who Ethan was interested in.

        3. fogel

          Dang, I posted above/below before I read to here.

        4. fogel

          You forgot Mike, who doesn’t treat Ethan any differently because he’s gay. (Speaking of which, SP Mike had both mf & mm sex (manipulative Mike hate sex, but sex) and there was an alt universe Mike who was up for a 3-way with Ethan and Amber AND a 4-way with Ethan, Amber AND Dina. So, yeah ….)

        5. Lord Stoneheart

          Telling someone (facetiously or not) that they should shove themselves back in the closet isn’t treating them differently for being gay? Huh.

          (I’m well aware of Mike’s actions in other universes. And in this universe. He doesn’t seem like a very supportive friend. Or a friend at all.)

        6. Random832

          Considering if it wasn’t that it’d be something else?

        7. fogel

          Nope, it’s not treating him differently. Mike finds everybodies’ buttons and pushes them. It just so happens that Ethan’s button is his gayness. If Mike hadn’t pushed that, THAT would have been treating Ethan differently because he was gay. And, nope, he isnt a supportive friend. He’s an asshole to his friends. IF he qualifies as any kind of friend. Opinions on that differ. But he did know that Ethan is gay and they talked about that at a time when Mike was the only person with whom Ethan was comfortable talking–which is fug’d up, but there it is.

        8. Lord Stoneheart

          Well I’m sure that’s a great comfort to Ethan. If you weren’t gay, Mike would just try to get under your skin about something else! Meanwhile, it seems his relationship with Amber has greatly changed since he came out, (though that’s nobodies fault) along with his relationship with his parents. And that’s just the most important ones. It seems from his conversation with Amber outside of Galasso’s that most people reacted negatively to him coming out. It’s pretty understandable that he’s convinced that this will remain the case in the present.

    2. Cizak

      Ugh, Ethan, I know pretty much your entire family denied who you were and tried to shove you back into the closet as soon as you came out of it, and I know your best friend stopped hanging out with you for a long while because she had to help you take a lot of the hits from coming out and it feels like its your fault, and I KNOW our society is largely just one big systematic piece of opression against LGBTIA+ people, but do you have to WHINE about it so much?

      1. Disloyal Subject

        There are those who’d happily debate that last point.
        Besides, people keep telling him it’s okay to be gay and it won’t sominate people’s perception of him, and his inability to accept that yet is bound to come across as whiny sometimes.

      2. TJ Pittsburgh

        My point is that Ethan isn’t whining about any of that stuff, which could be legitimate concerns. No one is guaranteed a stress-free life, and it seems to me that is what Ethan is bemoaning.

        1. Nono

          From what we’ve seen, Ethan’s summer after coming out was very draining, and it especially strained his relationship with Amber. It only stands to reason he might be a bit weary of his being gay dominating his identity again.

          Of course, like it or not, he’s going to want to start acting on it eventually. He already kinda did with his subtle flirting with Jocelyne.

        2. Spencer

          Everyone has struggles, but it’s kind of fucked up that Ethan’s struggles are rooted in how his family and community treat his sexuality.

      3. darkoneko

        “gee, why don’t you suffer in silence, like the rest” ? 😐

    3. Yotomoe

      He’s been Whiny Ethan since Shortpacked. This is honestly an improvement for him.

  19. Stephen R. Bierce

    Smell that Rawr-ified air.

  20. JessWitt

    Ethan’s got a worry hat! Dina solves all problems!

  21. Kensie Skye

    Siri, where is the nearest gay pizza meetup?

    1. Dean

      Siri gives you directions to Ethan.

      1. gkheyf

        Gay pizza meetups now gravitate to him? Lucky bugger!

        1. Usayasha

          If that’s the case, he shall no longer be known as “gay Ethan” but “Captain Gay Pizza.” His identity will be consumed not by his sexuality, but by his superpowers.

        2. Deanatay

          Just goes to prove – if you don’t like an adjective attached to your name, just add more! Add enough, and any single one begins to lose power.

          Ethan, for example, is haunted by being ‘Gay Ethan’. But, if he becomes ‘Captain Gay Dino Pizza Ethan’, no one will even notice!

        3. xKiv

          Pizza Gay is a cool dude. Eh delivers pizza and definitely isn’t Ethan.

  22. Plasma Mongoose

    And now the Dino-hat will claim a new host to control.

  23. Nono

    I now decree that every character must get a Dina hat Photoshopped onto their head at some point.

  24. TheKelliestKelly

    I don’t know what I love more. That Dina was carrying the hat with her or that Ethan is wearing it. Too much adorableness in one comic.

  25. Idon'tcarenomore

    Someone tip off Ethan that gay is not so much a sexual weirdo thing as it used to be. Same sex marriage not licensed in all 50 states.
    Always going to be haters, but things are changing, slowly. And hopefully, once the door is open, they can’t force it shut again.

    1. Idon'tcarenomore

      Darn that is supposed to be ‘…now licensed..”

    2. MM

      Sadly, anyone telling him that is going to be canceled out by his horrible mother’s lectures. At least until he stands up to her.

      1. Cerberus

        Bigoted and abusive parents have a way of worming into your head even if you are physically separated from them. It’s going to take Ethan awhile to shake out those ghosts and places like this are exactly what he needs. A place where being gay isn’t a downside or something that robs him of friends, chicken sandwiches, and his parent’s affections. But where he can be himself and see that gay people can be more than stereotypes or badges of shame.

        1. TrueVCU

          As long as he is “friends” with Mike none of those things is safe

        2. MM

          On the other hand, he can definitely count on Mike not to treat him as different because he’s gay. Mike is an equal-opportunity asshole.

    3. Random832

      Plus, he exists in a time dilation field, so by the time he graduates gay marriage will have been legal everywhere for his whole life.

    4. CJ

      Isn’t the a gay bookstore someone could point him to (real life would be best but online should work) so he notices that there are many ways to be gay?
      (just rereading the first Karin Kallmaker novel – set in the late 70ties -and when the protagonist at last admits to herself she’s a lesbian, a friend takes her to a women’ bookstore to provide comfort. … and also doesn’t let her take home “The Well of Loneliness”.)

  26. Just for kix

    Dina, you are adorable.

    Ethan and Dina will best buds for life!

  27. Raen

    I actually own that hat. NEWW 2010. But I’m banned.

    (If you see this, something is very, very wrong.)

    1. Skizz

      I knew it! I have been saying for years that something is cery very wrong, thank you for validating my neuroses.

      1. fogel

        “If you’re not outraged you’re not paying attention.” Best. Bumper sticker. Ever.

    2. Raen

      Wait… WTF? Not expecting to see this. Not sure what to do.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Eat some pizza and/or cereal, then do 50 pushups.
        Works every time.

      2. Someone

        You have been unbanned! Hopefully

        1. Raen

          Okay, part of me thinks it’d be best to keep my mouth shut and my head down right now, but another part of me, one which has certainly grown since 2013, considers action, ceteris paribus, preferable to inaction.

          I thought I had been banned for my comments on the strip in October 2013 where Jocelyne come out to Ethan. Having been slaughtered at the time, I genuinely don t remember what they were. I am… I think I can best say… pretty much a cis man with gender issues aplenty… who posted something that day that may have come off as transphobic and/or misogynistic, and may well have merited me the spam filter. I don’t know why this thread has gone through, but I thank the gods it has, and beg Willis’s forgiveness.

        2. gkheyf

          The Willis is merciful. But remember, the Willis giveth…

        3. darkoneko

          You tried posting a comment while assuming you were banned. Uh.

        4. Deanatay

          Sometimes, even if you know no one is listening, sometimes you just gotta speak out. And sometimes, someone hears you. It’s a good thing.

  28. Cerberus

    Heh on the callback to the other universe.

    Sad face on Ethan having absorbed so much internalized homophobia that he views his attractions as a sign of him being a “sex weirdo” and worried that hanging out with people who share his orientation will somehow corrupt him and his identity.

    Happy face on Dina knowing exactly what Ethan needed at that moment. Someone to take his fears seriously, but to remind him that his personality does not need to be eclipsed by what others place on his identity.

  29. TJ Pittsburgh

    P.S. to “Whiny (& Melodramatic) Ethan”: going to one single gay pizza meetup is not “doing all the ceremonial gay stuff” or letting it “become [your] life.” Sheesh! Have a sense of perspective.

    1. chris73

      Exactly, hes got friends who know and support him, hes reasonably intelligent, hes tall, in good shape and handsome so its not like he doesn’t have some positives going for him

    2. Disloyal Subject

      Kinda egotistical of him to call it a Gay pizza meetup, too. ‘Questioning,’ written in rainbow no less, sounds a little more inclusive.

    3. Kamino Neko

      ‘Perspective’ is something rare for the characters in this series.

      1. wwwhhattt

        Realism is a wonderful thing.

    4. ninja_jesus

      That’s the point. He has no sense of perspective yet. This is his chance.

      1. Yotomoe

        He could take an ametuer drawing class. Does he have any electives open?

        1. fogel

          🙂

  30. Skizz

    Awesome final panel.

  31. Thor

    Dina is much more self-aware and savvy than I had heretofore gleaned.

  32. Plasma Mongoose

    I wonder if Willis will have all the characters wear hats on the 25th of November comic as it will be International Hat Day.

    1. darkoneko

      Sure, and have them all wear beard during movember too (especially the girls)

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        No that would be just plain silly… hats on the other hand…

      2. Deanatay

        Especially Joyce (’cause, you know, beard)

        1. Darkoneko

          She could be a litteral old god testament, minus lightning powers.

        2. Deanatay

          Sorry, only Sarah get to be OT God.

        3. darkoneko

          Aww, damn.

  33. cookiecat

    Whether Ethan would like to admit it or not he would probably greatly benefit from having some happy out gay friends. He’d probably feel like less of a ‘sex weirdo” if he wasn’t the only non straight guy he knew.

    1. cookiecat

      So this gay pizza meet up might be just what he needs if he could relax a little.

    2. Kamino Neko

      Well…if he KNEW he wasn’t the only non-straight guy he knew.

      1. gkheyf

        C’mon, Danny! Don’t you dare Dan this up!

        1. Kamino Neko

          To be fair, Danny mentioning anything to Ethan just now would probably be Danning it up. Until he’s totally figured himself out – and where he wants to stand with Amber and Ethan – it’d just be a recipe for confusion and hurt.

  34. Packy

    D’Awwww. Dina is giving me the feels.

  35. Professor Fate

    Dina and Ethan sittin’ on the floor,
    Talkin’ ’bout a Di-No-Saur,
    First comes the pizza, then the hat,
    Now they’s friends; how ’bout that?

    1. krveale

      Sir or madam, I salute you and all who sail on you.

  36. detective boomwolf

    Dina. Still figuring out social norms, yet goes out of her way to be an awesome friend.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Dina in a nutshell, ladies and gentlemen.
      Actually, she might prefer a skull of some sort…

      1. Deanatay

        Eggshell, dude. Eggshell.

  37. Aurora

    Man, turns my what my life was really missing is adorable friend feels between these two. I hope we get more of them together

  38. Smiling Cat

    All the likes.

  39. Liz

    First the hoodie from Ethan to Dina, then the hat from Dina to Ethan. I approve of this reciprocity.

    1. m-m

      Good call! This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship…

    2. darkoneko

      ooh, now that you mention it. It’s a pretty litteral gift-back from last night.

    3. Bagge

      Ooooooh! That explains Dina’s smug smile – she cracked the code.

      “Someone is having social and/or anxiety related problems. Give them a piece of clothing.”

      1. darkoneko

        Didn’t she pretty much rip the jacket off him rather than him offering it tho ?

        1. Greenygal

          Well, he offered any help he could give. I do like the idea that Dina is offering her hat here in trade for his jacket last night.

  40. Captain Batson

    Seeing this made me make a noise. It was a fun noise.

    1. darkoneko

      You probably should go easy on the beans, tho..

  41. Demon Something

    Eh, as whiny and self pitying as Ethan is, that kind of self-sorting, establishing an identity as a gay man, and shaking off a once close and obedient relationship to your parents takes a lot of time. Took me over a year. He’s only had a few months, and they’ve been rocky.

  42. BB

    Gay pizza has has meat slices. Meat, Dina, you’re eating meat! You put on the __carnivore__ hat, put the __herbivore__ hat on Mr. Not-eating-the-pizza next to you. It’s all backwards right now. : (

    Thus, the first panel breaks the suspenders of disbelief.

    BTW: if Ethan really wants everyone to ignore his gayness, he can come out at the same time as vegan w/ anti-gluten and anti-numbered-colors and the “gay” part will be totally ignored.

    (Since orientation is such a strong part of the forum culture here, I’ll point out I’m omnivore (w/ many kinds of leaves and occassional insectivory ), but experimented with both vegetarianism and piscitarianism. The latter was OK and I might tend that way, but it’s too hard to spell, and piscivore isn’t quite a synonym so I quit.)

    1. kelticat

      Given how many seed-eating birds are chowing down on my suet feeder, and how many of the bug-eaters are downing black oil sunflower seeds, it seems that herbivores are OK with the occasional protein.

      1. Athedia

        http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/11/deer_eat_meat_herbivores_and_carnivores_are_not_so_clearly_divided.html

        Just for fun, here is something showing that herbivores… well aren’t always.

    2. ninja_jesus

      A Triceratops Has Become Omnivorous! Exclusive Footage In The Questioning Meetup!

  43. brumagem

    I love this. It might me my favourite single strip in book 5.

    Yet I’m still desperately hoping Danny will show up.

    1. brumagem

      What is wrong with me.

    2. mschmidt62

      I came here to say pretty much the same thing.

    3. gkheyf

      and all plot-lines will converge…at the meetup!

      …and turn into the singularity

      1. Darkoneko

        And then Soggie may rule.

  44. A Scientist

    The hat has a new scalp to feast upon. But will the hat accept or reject this new host?

  45. Losloslos

    Dina is and always will be my favorite character in this strip and possibly out of all the comics I read. I can relate to her in a lot of ways. But mostly it’s because she’s so cute it’s almost physically painful.

  46. dailybrad

    Dina’s smile is life.

    I hope Ethan finds his smile.

  47. Phil

    Ethan has gone from a watermelon looking hair eating his head to a dinosaur eating his hair.

    1. darkoneko

      I feel this is an improvement.

  48. m-m

    Ethan, Mike, and Amber went to the same high school… What the hell was in the water in that town?! (“I’d like a latte with two pumps of hazelnut and a double shot of loathing.”)

    1. Usayasha

      As someone who once lived in a tiny suburban town where the city council voted against allowing a bowling alley because it would “invite gang activity” I can confirm that communities of certain locations are indeed terrible.

    2. Random832

      What is their hometown, anyway? The old cast pages (including the ones that still show up in the dropdown, but I can’t find one for any of those three) had them, but the new ones don’t.

  49. Kaara

    I want to be Dina when I grow up.

    1. Someone

      Always follow your dreams

    2. Yotomoe

      Be careful what you wish for.
      I know that seems vague but it was the best I could do.

      1. TJ Pittsburgh

        I see what you did there.

  50. AgentKeen

    Ethan evolved into Gay Ethan!

    Gay Ethan leveled up while holding Dino Hat and evolved into Gay Dino Ethan!

    1. Usayasha

      I can’t wait until he get’s a Mega.

      1. xKiv

        He transforms and rolls out, duh.

  51. BenRG

    Some people just want to keep their personal lives private. I can respect Ethan for that.

  52. Tacdud2

    Man I really want one of those Dino hats. Lucky Ethan.

  53. m2iCodeJockey

    So, is “gay pizza” a pizza that wants to eat or be eaten by pizza?
    *cue vaguely obscene pizza on pizza image…*

    1. darkoneko

      It’s all about the sausages.

      1. m2iCodeJockey

        “THE SAUSAGES ARE TOUCHING!!!”

        1. Darkoneko

          They are touching mouths, they are touching tongues.

        2. m2iCodeJockey

          Sauce was simply EVERYWHERE…

    2. gkheyf

      Whoa, there! Pizza-on-pizza…is a very exciting prospect. I eat all my pizza as sandwiches

  54. Chris Phoenix

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNOVc3bnK9g

    The awesome version of the Katy Perry song (no kidding).

    1. Rowen Morland

      Why is it awesome when it’s gender swapped and terrible when it isn’t?

      1. Random832

        I personally did like the original, and I can’t listen to audio right now so I have no idea what the linked one sounds like, but I tend to doubt your implicit claim that this is literally the only difference between the two versions.

        1. Rowen Morland

          The linked one is word for word lyrics. More acoustic. It has that acoustic soul over the poppy pop quality. So it is a guy kissing a girl over his bofriend over a girl kissing a girl over her boyfriend. (sorry it took three days to respond, this comment system is meh. But beyind the implicit side of my claim it des bother me that the DoA audience seems to have a bias over this stuff. Bi Danny is cool Straight Danny can suck it. Girls kissing girls over their ‘sexuality’ is cheap pop is pandering, but boys kissing girls over their sexuality is totes legit. )

      2. Chris Phoenix

        The gender-swapped and orientation-swapped song is an awesome commentary on the original.

    2. ninja_jesus

      Actually, that was a bit disappointing. I was expecting him to sing “I kissed a boy”.

      1. li

        There’s a version of that somewhere on YouTube, but it’s… also weird? Because the guy is aggressively straight about it and makes it a huge joke. In his version of the lyrics, he kissed a (homophobic?) guy to make the guy uncomfortable.

        Not worth finding, for me. Look if you wish.

    3. li

      There is no awesome version of that song. And I say that as a Katy Perry fan. It’s just a terrible song all around.

      1. Reaver

        Yeah should be “While drunk I made a bad decision and pushed myself on someone of the same gender, while cheating on my partner in the process, hope they don’t mind that I make bad decisions while drunk, but it’s hot b/c we’re the same gender -wink- 😀

  55. Mr. Random

    Actually, yeah, I kinda forgot about that. It’s kinda hard to disassociate Ethan from his gayness, mostly because a bunch of his story lines FOCUS on how he’s dealing with his sexuality.

  56. Sam

    Like, I absolutely get what’s going on with Ethan, as I’ve often struggled with being out as well, but there’s this lovely happy middle which seems to have escaped him: being out to his friends and closeted to his family/those that would hurt him. For example, those who befriend me know my sexuality. My coworkers and distant relatives and complete strangers do not. It does not concern them, and I don’t want to paint rainbows all over my body to let everyone know, so it’s basically a non-issue. The world will assume I’m hetero anyways, might as well let them think what they want and not make myself into a walking stereotype. Not to mention I live in the South and don’t want to become the victim of a hate crime. :/

    Selective closeting. It can literally save your life.

  57. darkoneko

    ….this is so awesomely adorable 😮

    Also : “WORRY HAT, ACTIVATE !!” 😀

    1. BenRG

      Actually this is a different hat: “Social Invisibility Hat”. It will be genuinely interesting to see if people will start deliberately not looking at Ethan or even thinking about him because he’s the ‘weird guy with the dinosaur hat’. 😀

      1. darkoneko

        …someone else’s problem field, activate ?

  58. MiaKitty

    Ethan in Dina’s hat is my new favorite thing. Most adorable dino-broship ever.

  59. Usayasha

    Dinosaur hat Ethan shall be my new gravatar, and I shall never regret this change.

    1. Usayasha

      Hold on, that didn’t work. Let me just…

      1. Usayasha

        This is more difficult than maintaining your social identity when your sexual one outshines it the eyes of society at large.

    2. Bagge

      You have peaked. You have now the best gravatar.

  60. Cale Baird

    Okay, swear-word it, I’m getting a Dinosaur hat now. Are you happy, Mr. Willis?!

  61. Les

    It would be nice if she had a spare one she could slap on Walky’s head when he’s being an @sshole so no one notices him…

    1. Daashi

      What di the poor hat do to deserve that fate.

      1. Daashi

        *did

        damnable keyboard

  62. Bagge

    Hang on, hang on, hang on. If Dina brought the tyrannosaur hat, why did she stalk people wearing the TriceraTop(Tm). You are better than this, Dina.

    Dina is delighted because now the tyrranorsaur hat is on a more fitting height.

    This is good advice from Dina. What would be REALLY good advice would be Sal’s “own the fudge out of your own identity”. You are not “that dinosaur dude”, Ethan. If you want to be “that transformer dude” I suggest you get yourself you own hat!

    What’s really funny is that the person who most often calls Dina “that dinosaur chick” is Becky – the person who has most invested in thinking of Dina in terms of who she’s kissing.

    1. gkheyf

      lulz. I just remembered that it was indeed Becky who have her that label…or was the first to say it in front of her, anyway

    2. Greenygal

      Wearing the hat with the TriceraTop is clearly not an option, and taking the TriceraTop off means she has to carry a fairly bulky piece of clothing around with her, which impedes her stalking and is generally a pain. She went with the best of bad options.

      And yeah, get a Transformers hat, Ethan! Not only will it provide you with an alternate identity, it will advertise your presence to other Transformers fans. Ethan could do with more people to talk cartoons with.

  63. Dani Kelley

    Ahhh, Dina is wonderful and empathetic and just (gives her all the hugs in my mind).

  64. Edupoet81

    This is a really nice moment between Dina and Ethan.

    Dina may not socialize in the typical way, but she’s learning to form positive bonds with others on her terms. She is finding ways to make her neurodivergence work *for* her. As someone still struggling to accept and embrace my own identity as a neurodivergent individual (had a *lot* of bad experiences over the years which make this difficult) I am honestly inspired by Dina’s character. I look forward to seeing more Dina-style interactions over the course of this storyline.

  65. Gamaran Sepudomyn

    Last panel Dina is the best Dina. Best Dina ever. She’said just so happy-looking, like she’said about to giggle.

  66. bunivasal

    Reading this made me think of how I adjectivize my friends.

    I am a monster.

  67. Palamdrone

    When it comes to unusual habits, nothing outdoes being a furry (scaly).

  68. doubleW

    Yes, Ethan, you need some other thing to overwhelm your personality. Maybe you can collect Transformers or something?

  69. JBento

    Dina is awesome. There’ll never be anyone as awesome and good a person as Dina. Also, I like Ethan’s look in that hat – hopefully, it’ll continue for a while.

  70. Dammy

    Y’all can ship characters if you want (Ethan/Danny or Dina/Becky), but I’m going to ship everyone joining a dinosaur cult led by Dina. I mean, this is still in like the first month of college. By senior year, there should be enough dino-people (in official headgear) to make a religion.

  71. kaleface

    Gina is a genius. I really love that insight!

  72. Willoughby Chase

    The Ceremony of Hats has begun.

    This could be a song. In the mean time, have Who By Fire from New Skin for Old Ceremony:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI7cB0CngJQ&index=4&list=PLXi6Zz3PrM7gHHqyqCI494bFOvB-HjURO

    Who shall I say is calling? Dino Ethan.

  73. Darkoneko

    …waiit a minute.

    Did she especially amp up the dino costume SO people would still call there “that dinosaur chick” ? :O

    This is genius.

  74. chiscii

    I’m going to BLOW UP because that LAST PANEL is TOO CUTE!!! Dina’s smile is EVERYTHING, and I want to just HUG Ethan’s worries away!!

    I’m thinking a lot about Ethan tho, because at least for me, it gets tiring being around straight men too long (“seriously guys can we stop talking about which girls in which class are cuter?”). He’s got to be forming a social circle outside the main crew, like his lab group and such. And like, some of my tedium might be because I am at peace with myself (“Oh ok yeah cool joke that’s some funny queerphobia hahahah you suck”), and I can’t help but project and wonder how he’s dealing with things… so he probably respects himself little enough to internalize that sort of homophobia, right? He isn’t there for himself, like he wanted, so he really doesn’t realize how much he needs to be at that meeting, and I’m thinking if he’s gonna let his walls down enough for his healing to begin or if he’s gonna end up just feeding his neuroses…

    And here like four strips ago I was raving internally cos of the remote posibility of DannyxEthan…

    Shit I’m getting somber I’m gonna go stare at that last panel again

    1. chiscii

      OH I WAS GONNA SAY AFTER THE STRAIGHT MEN BIT I want Ethan to realize that the same people who are going to write him off as gay Ethan are the kind that might as well be written off as straight Joe

      1. Darkoneko

        Ironically, Ethan probably would be the Straight Man, was he in a comedy duo.

  75. Just Me

    Dina has it so right, it’s not who you are, it’s who you want to be.

    Don’t let others define you, define yourself however you like and be proud of it.

    1. Eric

      Heh, very appropriate you have the new Ms. Marvel avatar while saying that.

  76. Kirkybobz

    Goddammit Willis, what do you want from us? Do you just want us to ship Dina with everybody in this chapter is that it? Will that make you happy?!

    WELL FINE! DINA AND ETHAN ARE NOW A SHIP. LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.

    1. Darkoneko

      Much better than galasso <_<

  77. Sammael

    DINA 2016
    Tackle the problems like the T-Rex!

  78. direwoolf

    Oh Ethan baby I was there. First year of college, too, and wondering why I wanted this thing that made me stand out and seemed to hurt so much. It takes a lot of time, but you slowly stop hiding and hating yourself and you realize it’s not you who needs to change. Also you find friends who aren’t assholes about it.

    Kenji Yoshino’s book Covering explains this really well. Your queerness, no matter what form it takes, is a vital part of you that is deserving of love and protection and respect.

  79. Fatso

    “Clever girl…”

  80. OldFart

    FWIW–someone in my building has named thier WiFi access point “RAWR!”

  81. wakeangel2001

    I think it’s partly because Ethan is so attractive, when you’re hot people can’t help but think of you in sexual situations, boy or girl, gay straight or bi, sex is kind of on the minds of people around you. If Ethan was a big fat guy or had a butterface or something nobody would care what his sexuality was. Remember, at the party Dina kissed another girl because she was concerned that everyone else was perceiving her as a little girl despite being the same age as everyone else.

  82. Rycan

    Be who you were born to be, Ethan. Become ‘that Transformers dude’.

  83. read all over

    Ugh I just spent the last hour trying to find this one person’s name but I can’t.
    But what Dina says at the end reminded me of this joke made by a lesbian comedian. She just off-handedly tells the audience towards the end of the show that she’s gay and says that the thing that she likes most about it is that the only thing that has changed is the audience.

    I know I butchered it but I just like that she’s saying that she’s still herself.
    Sadly I know this isn’t as simple.

  84. darkoneko

    It just occurred to me that Sarah will probably wait for her spy report for a loooong time.

  85. Spencer

    This arc (as well as the Becky smooch) has genuinely been the first time I’ve ever even remotely cared about Dina.

    1. JBento

      You are a monster of the most terrible kind, comparable only to people who talk in theatres!

      1. A Scientist

        Special hell.

  86. Tacos

    D’aaww, look at Dina being helpful and stuffs.

    I don’t think it’s sunk in for Ethan yet that a bunch of people already knew he was gay and yet treated him no different.

    1. TheOtherDibbler

      Yeah, I think he’s still in reactionary mode. He’s uncomfortable about coming out, he’s got preconceptions of how being out will affect his life (not entirely unfounded, if perhaps a bit overly pessimistic), he’s yet again found himself in a situation where a well-meaning friend is trying to make him be out and proud because _she_ thinks he should be, not because _he_wants to be, and he’s just discovered that ‘everyone’ apparently already knows he’s gay anyway, despite his not wanting them to. I suspect the rational thinking won’t really kick in until the internal panic calms down. Right now he’s probably too busy trying to deal with his assorted uncomfortable emotions to stop and realise that people have been treating him ‘normally’ despite knowing he’s gay.

      Also: Dina continues to be the best.

  87. Eric

    That just might work.

    Although would have had a better chance if he’d started that some time before coming out.

  88. Tenn

    Well, maybe now people will stop misrepresenting Ethan’s motivations for wanting to stay in the closet. Hahaha no who am I kidding.

  89. masterofthez

    Wait didn’t Dina just eat breakfast? Why is she eating again?

    1. Tacos

      Cuz it’s free gay pizza, yo. What other reason do you need?

    2. What Was The Question Again?

      Diurnal herbivours like triceratops would graze constantly throughout the day.

  90. Pierre-Eric

    SHE HAD ON HER ALL ALONG :O

    And I want it more than ever.

  91. nothri

    Dina is my anti-angst.

  92. sps48

    Yup.
    Nothing wrong with Dina.

  93. Brady Kj

    Alyssa and Soundwave, I’d like to meet Rex. t and R. tex. Clearly these are animals from some cool alternate universe. Perhaps R. stands for Ryrannosaurus, or Rannotysaurus, or Raaarr!!!
    Tucker, your refusal to acknowledge the scientific fact of the animal’s name is not going to get you into heaven.

  94. Duncan (not THAT one, though)

    Hey, waitaminute.. Dina is eating something other than CEREAL?!
    *spacetime gets a hole ripped into it*

  95. weezer10394

    YES!! SO ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!

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