136

Controlled
Posted on January 8, 2024 by David M Willis

136 thoughts on “Controlled”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    TOTALLY can’t relate in the extremely narrow sense of being able to identify specific late 1960s Ford Mustangs after Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) with a supplement of Gunsmith Cats

    1. Ana Chronistic

      leading to an incidental ability to identify Chevy Camaros due to, “Hey, that’s a you car!”
      “No, that’s a Camaro. You saw Transformers.”

    2. Jo_Cubstar

      Saaaaaaaaaaame. That’s very much my fave car

    3. Rose by Any Other Name

      I wasn’t expecting a Gunsmith Cats reference today.

      But yeah, for years I wanted a Shelby Cobra specifically so I could drive the same car as my lesbian idol, Rally Vincent.
      I have no interest in racing or vintage cars, and it was a flex that literally no one I knew IRL would get, but damn I wanted my lesbian power car.

      Now I just buy cool t-shirts with a lesbian-pride-flag colored kitsune.

      1. Yotomoe

        Gotta reread that manga again. Fucking love it.

      2. milu

        Damn yeah i have some teenage Gunsmith Cats feelings too

      3. Makkabee

        I totally get being into a car because of Gunsmith Cats (which I need to watch again — been ages). My dream car is a Duesneberg because Fred Astaire talked it up in an old RKO musical.

        So far I’ve had to settle for a Matchbox model.

        1. Scoutinthenight

          I also want a Duesenberg, but for me it was because of the book Vintage Stuff. I’m not sure where my matchbox model wound up.

        2. Roborat

          If you want something bigger and more detailed than a matchbox car, Monogram and Hubley both made model kits of various Deusenberg models.

      4. Roborat

        Well, a Cobra replica would be doable, you would have to be mega rich to be able to afford a real Shelby Cobra.

    4. ktbear

      All you people with your fancy American cars. I always dreamed of owning a Daimler Double Six. Now they’re WAY out of my price range.

    5. JepMZ

      Not me tho, I was driven in a Miata convertible, for 4 years, and realized years later this was Sailor Uranus’s car

      1. Ana Chronistic

        I later realised that’s a Ford Mustang in The Goonies

        weird ’80s-’90s models

  2. Mym

    If only we could all be so normal

    1. StClair

      so very normal. just like Jennifer.

      (swap out Transformers for Star Wars in that last panel and yeah. as someone said a few days ago, dude has a Type.)

      1. Firseal

        Kit Fisto approves!

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      The normalest!

      1. Casi

        I read that as Normales like Morales and thought “oh this is what miles’ super hero name would be if he didn’t have spider-man powers”

    3. anon

      Time for malaya to pop in and call him ‘fakey’ XD

  3. Sirksome

    Jokes on them. All cool people are secretly dorks. Not so secretly either. For example known cool person Sal is a choir nerd dating a guy with a ukulele.

    1. James

      The trick to being actually cool is being sincere about your particular dorkiness.

      1. Amelie Wikström

        Tell that to Jennifer. . .

      2. Nono

        Wait, so Danny is cool?

        1. AGV

          As of right now? Kinda, yeah. He leans towards that side.

        2. Council

          He would be coolEr if he didn’t pick the ukulele specifically to stand out and find himself

          But he is leaning into that sh*t so hard you kinda respect it

      3. Steelbright

        You know, this might be the best advice I’ve ever heard in a comics comment section, a place but usually well known for wisdom

      4. Felian

        Absolutely this.
        What makes you cool is being unapologetically yourself. Everything else is just acting.

        1. David DeLaney

          advice echoed in great books
          from Lord of Light
          to Graydon Saunders’ Commonweal series

      5. Felgraf

        This is one of the secrets of the Monks of Cool.

        “The Monks of Cool, whose tiny and exclusive monastery is hidden in a really cool and laid-back valley in the lower Ramtops, have a passing-out test for a novice. He is taken into a room full of all types of clothing and asked: Yo, my son, which of these is the most stylish thing to wear? And the correct answer is: Hey, whatever I select.”
        ― Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies

    2. Needfuldoer

      It’s shocking how many people are in denial that sports team fandom is still fandom.

      1. Daibhid C

        I know, right? They even do cosplay, only they’re allowed to do it in public without people passing comment.

        1. Daibhid C

          It occurs to me that I should elaborate on this point, because I don’t know how common it is outside the UK.

          Going out in a Glasgow Rangers scarf and hat is the equivalent of me going out in a Doctor Who t-shirt. It’s not cosplay.

          Going out in a full Glasgow Rangers kit with your favourite player’s name on the back, which I have seen, is surely the equivalent of me going out in my Seventh Doctor costume.

  4. Yotomoe

    Just a little doodle
    Been in kind of a rut artistically.

    1. Sirksome

      Cute.

    2. NGPZ

      If it’s any consolation, this is a sign that’s (probably) no longer the case ☺️??

    3. cbwroses

      Nice, but I kinda want to see Dorothy doing the seducing with that pair.
      Not a critique or a request.
      Just an observation of my personal desire that I didn’t know I had until seeing this.

    4. DailyBrad

      Oh hey now, fantastic stuff as usual.

    5. Bo

      oh man, well, speaking of *rut*

    6. Sajuuk-Khar

      Oh dang I’m sorry to hear about the rut, but you still got magic, this is good, yeeeesssss

    7. milu

      Boop!!!

      1. NGPZ

        i wuv that <3 i mean "rut"? come on

    8. Dday

      Great minds, Yoto 😉
      https://i.imgur.com/F4f9HpF.png (SFW somehow)
      Drew this in response to yesterday’s conversation, sometimes it just puts an image in my head that has to come out

      1. Yotomoe

        YES YES that’s pretty damn great Dday! Love it.

        1. Dday

          Thx, urs rocks too

      2. milu

        what the FUCK that’s two days in a row that a new incredible (fan)artist pops up in these threads?!?

        that’s some mad expressive body language i love it <3 <3 <3

        1. Dday

          Thanks! I’m not exactly new, I’m the same guy that used to have a weird Faz pfp, I drew the one with Joyce and all the abs

      3. NGPZ

        Holy shit that’s awesome! Wouldn’t look out of place in a game like Pizza Tower or something ?

        1. Dday

          Thanks! I was attempting to just emulate the comic but I definitely have similar drawing influences as the Pizza Tower guy

        2. NGPZ

          Yeah, you do a pretty swell job in fact, wouldn’t look out of place at all in a Dumbing of Age fan game, the likes of which I am coding for as we speak

  5. Wereg

    What is this feeling, so sudden, and new?

    1. True Survivor

      I felt the moment I laid eyes on you…

      1. Yotomoe

        My pulse is rushing

        My head is reeling.

        1. Karadaga

          My face is flushing

          What is this feeling?

  6. Mr. Random

    The man has his hobbies.

    1. anon

      as one person said, being called ‘hobbyless’ should be more of an insult

  7. StClair

    his dark seductiveness has withered away in the harsh, revealing light

    1. Tan

      Not withered, but blossomed into wholesome connection

      1. HueSatLight

        that’s worse!

  8. Nono

    Oh nooooo. He finds his dorkiness endearing.

    Asher has it bad.

    1. Nicoleandmaggie

      Asher apparently has a type.

  9. BBCC

    It’s best he learn this now, Ethan.

  10. Switchchris26

    Don’t worry Ethan, he won’t make fun of you, Dorks are hot and that’s a undeniable fact.

    1. David DeLaney

      as are certain people with dorks

  11. Cattleprod

    The only reason I know a Lamborghini on sight.

  12. TrueVCU

    Asher thinks this is a gentle ribbing but it’s also feeding into Ethan’s newly discovered shaming kink

    1. Nono

      I mean, considering he was in a situationship with Mike… checks out.

  13. Dante

    This is the most alive I’ve seen Ethan look in AGES, oh god please keep it going. (And Asher isn’t put off by the dorkiness? yisss)

    1. anon

      the slight panic is endearing, i’m sure he’s thinking like “oh no he’s disappointed/only attracted to the brooding emo persona i have now”

  14. Stephen Bierce

    The Joker Gang’s cars in the 1989 BATMAN movie were not, as we thought at the time, AMC Matadors but rather Spanish-built Dodge Coronados, which were continuation models of the old Dart family as neither South American markets nor European ones cared to adopt the Aspen/Volare at that time.
    I’m sure you know that, Ethan. You just have to.

    1. anon

      i’m sure it looked cool but to me everything’s either ‘car, truck or van’ lol

  15. Rocketboy1313

    This reminds me of when I got real depressed during lockdown.

    In a way I regressed significantly, buying tons of Lego sets, watching prowrestling, and catching up on so much stuff I had been into when I was a kid. I understand how someone could see a depressed person who is playing with toys and think, “oh, this is… new?”

    1. Opus the Poet

      I was depressed before I met my wife and I was married 46 years ago next month. I have always felt better when I get toys.

  16. RassilonTDavros

    For a second I thought this was gonna be the beginning of Asher’s Drew arc but Panel 4 has allayed those fears.

  17. DailyBrad

    Not going to lie, this is the hottest I’ve ever found Ethan.

  18. Armadillo

    Oh hey, it suddenly feels like this relationship has more going for it than just physical attraction. That’s nice.

  19. M!a

    Careful Ethan, you might see your shadow and jump back into your hole.

    1. Proxiehunter

      It’s Asher’s hole he’s trying to jump in.

      1. David DeLaney

        again and again and again…

        –Dave, he’s dressed correctly for a timreloop manga, also

  20. Sajuuk-Khar

    Asher and Ethan both thinking “wait a minute, is this attraction actually wholesome?” with incredibly separate emotional responses lmaoooo

    1. David DeLaney

      as they both reach up for the same memetic butterfly
      and have their hands collide

  21. M!a

    (I have no idea why the bot thinks I already posted this)

    Careful Ethan, you might see your shadow and jump back into your hole.

    1. M!a

      (Oh crap; it’s ’cause I did! Sorry) 🙁

  22. Joe Moose

    Now kiss.

  23. AGV

    Asher has pulled a Uno Reverse

  24. Karadaga

    As much as the kissing is hot (and it is really hot), THIS is what I’ve been waiting for

  25. RedComet

    Asher likes em hot but secretly hyper nerdy

  26. Suet

    Being a goth and being a dork can somehow mix. Nonconformity by being way more invested in something than the average.

    Just can’t believe that’s all it took to break Ethan, it’s the revenge of the fallen!

    1. anon

      most goths i knew were also weebs. Misa from death note being a thing must’ve being great for the overlap/venn diagram of ppl who were also cosplayers too

  27. Chaucer59

    It’s cool, Ethan. Lots of hot guys are secret and/or ex dorks.

  28. Hazel

    Ethan has spent the past week preordering Transformers.

    1. David DeLaney

      hey babe, new euphemism just dropped!

    2. Needfuldoer

      And the week before that, and the week before that…

  29. anon

    –Looks at patreon preview bonus strip– …Oh no, don’t tell me joyce’s mom put the family dog up for adoption

    1. Needfuldoer

      Most likely just dumped him at a shelter.

      I want to know what happens to him, but at the same time I also don’t want to know because it’s probably sad. 🙁 Sad pet stories get to me worse than sad people stories.

      1. Mr. 2

        Dumped at shelter, immediately adopted by Joyce’s pharmacist.

  30. HueSatLight

    My neighbor has a Toyota Yaris hatchback.

    1. HueSatLight

      but its not red, so I almost didn’t recognize it.

  31. Alongcameaspider

    You know, if not for all the reasons why them hooking up right now is a bad idea, I’d say they’d make a decent couple

    1. anon

      i mean, you shouldn’t depend on a relationship to ‘fix’ you but other than asher permanently cutting things off with jen, i don’t think there’d be too much of an issue otherwise if they’re both willing tho ethan probably needs more therapy. tho a dating/relationship as a distraction could also be good for him, i iimagine most ppl don’t rush into it but i’m sure there are ppl who are depressed/grieving still entering relationships

      1. Bash

        At this point I think anything that causes Ethan to interact with another human being is a positive for him.

      2. Doopyboop

        One bright side to a relationship would be that it could help Ethan to mourn and eventually let go of Mike. The situationship he had with Mike, who died shortly after, definitely is a big part of what’s got Ethan so messed up. Probably lots of regrets over ‘what could have been’ and so long as he’s single, he will mourn Mike like his lost Lenore.

        Though you’re still absolutely right that a relationship alone shouldn’t be all he needs to ‘fix’ him and he’ll have to do more to get past the mourning process. It’s also real easy to latch onto a relationship in an unhealthy way when you’re mourning, enough to overlook some red flags that would be noticed otherwise.

        1. David DeLaney

          was not actually expecting a Poe reference in the comments to-day

          –Dave, but with Ethan being all goth-y, I ought to have. his telltale heart

    2. Firseal

      I can’t think of a single worse thing for either by NOT trying some sort of relationship with the other than the plethora of unpleasant things they are enduring in their current states.

      -thinks of Jennifer trying murder/suicide in a fit of pinque-

      … probably.

  32. Evil Midnight Lurker

    …yeah, it me

  33. Steelbright

    As much as this whole Ethan-Asher bad decisions spiral has me concerned, is REALLY nice to see different expressions back on Ethan’s face again!

  34. Sam

    Cute. No notes.

  35. The Other Mike

    I actually bought a Hot Wheels Honda City Turbo because of Skids

  36. Taffy

    So, Ethan ordering a toy is supposedly the dorky part of his behavior, not him talking like a hornier Ansem, Seeker of Darkness?

    1. Firseal

      They are freshmen in college – so yes, the toy is the dorky part.

      Video games leave no physical evidence and some versions of Ansem were quite cool.

      1. Taffy

        That doesn’t make any fucking sense.

        1. StClair

          a lot of stuff in this comic makes sense only if you’re 18 and/or horny.* see comic title.

          * redundant, I know, but also applies to some who are older and should know better, like both Leslie and Robin.

        2. Taffy

          The comic title can remain unseen. Fuck the comic title.

    2. Yumi

      Flirting with someone like that is only dorky if it doesn’t work, and it was working. (Historically, my flirting has just demonstrated my dorkiness.)

  37. DarkoNeko

    Asher, somehow more turned on now

  38. C.T. Phipps

    It’s a shame that there’s no transformers in VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE. Ethan would love Fifth Edition.

    1. Taffy

      Yeah, if only Renegade Games had a TTRPG based on Transformers. Wouldn’t that be something.

      1. C.T. Phipps

        I’m not sure that Transformers crosses over very well.

        1. Taffy

          The joke is that they literally do have that exact product.

        2. C.T. Phipps

          Yeah, I’m just imagining Ventrue Optimus.

  39. David DeLaney

    Asher the bottom taking care of his top’s need for specific scenarios sand encouraging this

    –Dave, guess which side is usually in control of such things

    1. Li

      You appear to have conflated top with dom and bottom with sub, because there is no such thing as typical power dynamics wrt penetration.

  40. Hof1991

    At least this doesn’t seem like a suicide pact.

  41. UrsulaDavina

    I mean yeah there is a toxic element, and Ethan is aware, to this but this first we’ve seen a flash of pre time skip Ethan.

  42. milu

    @Li yesterday: no but i agree. it’s just like, this is normal around these parts to me. it is very annoying and i kinda never comment seriously here any longer because this happens. when i occasionally do, i’m either completely ignored (which is ok) or end up regretting it when folks engage.

    sorry yall, i luv u but u annoying af =P

    @UrsulaDavina no personal beef with you at all

    1. milu

      tbf i know i’m insufferable too in my own ways. this is just the most normalized way of being insufferable around here, imo

    2. Li

      +1 on no personal beef with UrsulaDavina; just happened to be the comment that tipped me over. :/

      1. Li

        And like. I get it. The Pact is part of the history of the ‘ship. It’s been discussed with varying degrees of seriousness by the comic itself. The characters involved are sometimes VERY cavalier about Ruth’s attempt. But when it hasn’t come up recently in the comic and someone you don’t know is just being happy to see Jennifer and Ruth interact and bounce off each other………..

        Bringing up that specific subject as part of your “don’t forget, they sucked as a couple” dunk — yeah. I don’t imagine Ursula meant anything by it, but I think it’s something we SHOULD hesitate to do.

  43. Furie

    Same Ethan, same. Also, I know one gun name by sight. Guess which…

  44. Yeet

    Ethan, please.
    You were reasonably well-liked as a dork! All you had to do was show up and be nice to people and you pulled that off a couple of times.

    1. Bash

      He WAS nice but he was also incapable of talking about anything besides transformers, if I recall.

  45. GoblinBagsSumo

    2nd panel better become an avatar for comments

  46. Miafillene

    I will take a Pontiac GTO for the win, please. ’63. But put on a heavy big block please. OG power plant was decent, but I want enough horses under the hood to trigger me ten feet away when it turns over.

  47. Bryy

    …… holy shit. Asher is going to get Ethan out of his funk.

  48. David DeLaney

  49. David DeLaney

    … okay, I dunno why the one link didn’t work. to Cadillac Heaven,
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KF6pCME10

  50. Rectilinear Propagation

    OMG, how long has it been since we’ve seen Ethan make a face like that?!

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