306

Diddlin’
Posted on July 25, 2016 by David M Willis

306 thoughts on “Diddlin’”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    Do feels have an “eye of the storm”? Maybe that’s a viable survival mechanism

    1. Wheelpath

      Walky’s got the heart? He’s got the motion?

      1. David

        Well, if you got one, you better get the other as well. A stopped heart is no fun.

      2. inqntrol

        “Dorothy likes it hot.”

      3. Reltzik

        Let’s see. He’s walked, he’s run, he’s not really a winner, he doesn’t know the streets, he’s pretty good at getting out of taking any heat, he’s definitely somebody’s fool….

        I think Walky is the ANTITHESIS of that song.

        1. The Other Mike

          He does, however, dare to believe he can survive. (Oh wait, wrong Stan Bush song.)

        2. Greenygal

          Also, he’s been put to the (math) test, and it was more than enough.

      4. Professor Fate

        Heh! Dire Straits reference. You win the internet tonight.

        1. Reltzik

          I thought it was a Stan Bush reference.

        2. marianne

          Everyone knows it was originally a George Formby song.

        3. Deanatay

          Apparently not everyone

        4. gwalla

          Stan Bush is “You got the touch, you got the power.” (from “The Touch”)

          Dire Straits is “He’s got the action, he’s got the motion” (from “Walk of Life”)

          No idea where “heart” comes in.

        5. Greenygal

          “You got the heart, you got the motion!” is also a line from “The Touch.”

        6. qman

          I, too, thought Dire Straits. Clearly the wrong reference, but you’re not alone.

        7. EvilMidnightLurker

          And you lose.

        8. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Push the button, Max!

      5. Formedras

        You know when things get too tough, Walky’s got the touch.

        1. Deanatay

          Walky, only heroes run towards danger! We have enough heroes here!

          Then again, maybe he’s the hero Billie deserves.

          Poor Billie.

      6. Kaoy

        in my experience, it is less of an “eye” an more of a ground zero.

    2. Anorak

      From previous experience, no, but it warrants more research.

    3. Hollister Dixon

      In the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet – for just a moment.

      1. Ntrovert

        Obligatory Hamilton reference noted and applauded…

      2. Missymumu

        I was wondering when somebody was going to make that reference

      3. a snow ʍousɐ

        Walky is just like his country – he’s young, scrappy, and hungry – and he’s not throwing away his shot!

        (also it looks like you need to keep an eye on the drama hurricane, all right.)

        1. a snow ʍousɐ

          (no hard feelings toward Billie… love that character, except for the recent carelessness she’s shown towards Becky’s plight)

  2. AnvilPro

    Aw, Walky does care

    1. dailybrad

      Quite a bit, in fact. Billie’s a sister to him.

      1. David

        More like a sassed-her.

        1. butts

          More like a sisDURRRR

      2. JukeboxHiro

        More of a sister than Sal ever was

        1. a snow ʍousɐ

          She’s the sister Walky never had*…

          …and the daughter his parents always wanted.

          *I’m not serious about this part. Sal is a stand-up dude**
          **Gender-neutral use of “dude”. Strangely, I think this is probably more common than the gender-neutral use of “guy”, at least in the singular form, despite its connotations of masculinity.

        2. merle

          Well, “dude” started out gender-neutral, I think? When it referred to city slickers out in rural areas. Like “dude ranch”.

    2. Sageress

      But about what

      Why does he assume Billie needs help right now? His info is “she’s fucking the RA” and “the RA is depressed”.

      1. Makkabee

        He also knows that “she’s trying to kill herself,” and the way the sentences were phrased “she” could be Billie or Ruth.

        So yeah, he’s got a reason to assume Billie needs help. Either she’s gone to talk down a suicidal woman with a history of violence, or she’s suicidal herself.

        1. Time Heist

          I’m thinking there’s a mix-up about who’s actively suicidal, yeah.

        2. Emily

          Billie is still at least passively suicidal.

      2. Yumi

        He may very well have misinterpreted what Sal said, but even if he didn’t, “My friend has a relationship with someone who is suicidal” could be cause for caring.

      3. Romanticide

        Because he knows Billie well enough be sure Billie might do something stupid about it.

      4. AGV

        He asumes that if she’s drillin’ the RA, she peobably cares about her, and if the RA is depressed to death, Billie is worried AF

      5. Pinja

        He’s put one and one together and made two. It’s not like this is his first bit of info.

    3. Plasma Mongoose

      Bare Bear Stare powers, Activate!

    4. stairmasternem

      Walky has always cared about Billie. She’s more of a sister to him then Sal is.

  3. butts

    Damn it, Sal, Billie asked you to keep it a secret!

    1. Deanatay

      Yeah, but she never agreed to keep it. And, with Carla doing the Godzilla-stomp on Billie’s biggest secret, maybe Sal’s decided that Billie’s secrets are stupid and nobody cares.

      1. a snow ʍousɐ

        It could quite possibly be because Sal knows her brother’s close relationship with Billie and thinks he deserves to know. Or just because she trusts Walky and Dorothy in general. She might even want to talk about the situation with Dorothy and discuss what course of action to take.

  4. LimeSheep

    does he think she means billie’s the suicidal one?

    1. Doctor_Who

      Maybe. Sal also said she was doing Ruth. That sounds rather suicidal.

  5. Nono

    AMAZI-DOOR WATCHES YOU ALWAYS!

    1. butts

      That… is a nice touch. Good job, Willis.

      1. Yumi

        At first I thought that Sal’s “…” was because it was hard to get the words out, but now I realize she was (at least in part) reacting to the door next to her closing.

      2. Regalli

        Seriously, I was like “huh something’s odd there” but didn’t put the pieces together until this comment, and um. Nice touch indeed, Willis. Also, Amazi-Girl continues to be terrifying both in a “HOLY SHIT AAAAH” way and in a “Oh dear sweet Historical Jesus Amber Amazi-Girl THINGS ARE CONTINUING TO ESCALATE AND I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED FOR YOU” way.

    2. Time Heist

      OH GOOD GRIEF THAT GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK WHEN I SCROLLED UP.

    3. Darkoneko

      …it was Amber ?

      1. Cerberus

        Worse, Amazi-girl. Amazi-girl who “needs to be consistent” and “must enforce the rules”. Amazi-girl who is set off by Sal and interprets her every action as the actions of a supervillain who must be stopped.

        Amazi-girl overhearing that Billie is banging Ruth and that that is against the “rules” and that Sal is not a fan of snitching on them, but didn’t overhear the part about Ruth being suicidal. Amazi-girl who hasn’t much let Amber catch her breath and process yesterday. Amazi-girl who may now decide to report Ruth and if she does, may decide she needs to, for consistency, enforce more dorm rules, becoming a bit more petty and frustrating to deal with or worse, may decide that Dina’s homeless gf’s breaking of the dorm rules needs to reported as well.

        1. butts

          …I sincerely hope that that isn’t where this storyline is leading. That would be sad.

        2. Durandal_1707

          For extra disturbing-ness, consider that reporting things to the authorities isn’t particularly in Amber’s MO, and that she might prefer to do something more of the jumping-onto-a-truck-on-the-freeway variety.

        3. thejeff

          Yeah, I can’t see AG reporting to the authorities. If she acts at all it’ll be more direct.
          Or she’ll just attack Sal. That’s always an option.

        4. ischemgeek

          Yeah. AG doesn’t have it in her to report to authorities.

          Attack Sal for “enabling the sexual exploitation of a student,” on the other hand? That I could see.

        5. Kryss LaBryn

          At this point I would like to point out that the tags say “Amber” and not “Amazi-girl”. So there is room for hope, maybe?

        6. Spencer

          ^The tags say Amazi-Girl, so Amber’s checked out again for her alter.

        7. Pat

          That’s not correct. Was it changed?

        8. Deanatay

          Sounds like Willis noticed the discrepancy, and changed it. Does not bode well.

        9. David M Willis

          I did not change any tags.

        10. Regalli

          Ohhhh, dear.

          And that would in fact be the one surefire way to get Dina turning on Amber (and Amazi-Girl but she doesn’t exactly spend most of her time in the dorm) at that. Not just reporting Dina’s girlfriend and upending any sense of stability Becky was building, but reporting someone who Amber is probably at least vaguely aware is homeless and has nowhere else to go, meaning Dina will take it as a serious betrayal of both her and of any justice Amazi-Girl claims to stand for.

          At which point she’ll probably tell someone (most likely Joyce or Becky as they’re directly involved) about it and…

          Shit. If ever there were a surefire way to get Amazi-Girl’s most ardent supporters to turn on her that would be it. At which point she’d probably just see it (and the fact that they at least occasionally associate with Sal) as more confirmation that the world is against her and make her double down on things even more.

          Yeah I REALLY hope that’s not where this storyline is going because if so, that’s a recipe for probably a very short (by comic time anyway who knows on our time) and incredibly ugly breakdown by Amazi-Girl.

        11. leafirebender

          No stop please

        12. MelanieWaffle

          I didn’t even consider that. Don’t give Willis any ideas. This feels like it’s about to go way down hill way fast.

        13. Needfuldoer

          Well, we know she has selective hearing when Sal’s involved.

          “Yall should talk to my buddy Rob. He’s a teller at the bank. It’s easy to get confused when you figgure out how much you can put away every month, I had a tough time with it but with a little help from Rob I got things straightened out..

        14. Spencer

          I mean, I think at some point if Amber does something that terrible, even in the midst of her mental breakdown due to unresolved trauma, then eventually everyone’s just going to stop caring about her. Narcing on Ruth and kicking Becky out is probably a surefire way to make sure nobody would even want her to get better anymore.

        15. Cerberus

          Well, I mean, it’s gonna make her persona non gratis with the commentariat for a while, but I think some of her friends (Danny/Ethan) will still try to reach out to her as she deals with the rightful fallout from that.

          And the commentariat is very good at forgiving characters who have redemption arcs or even arcs just focusing on their pain and suffering (see the outpouring of support for Ruth this arc for evidence of that).

        16. Regalli

          Yeah, I am incredibly worried about Amber and fear she could get really, really bad if something doesn’t help catch her like yesterday, but even if she gets Becky kicked out I’m still going to hope someone can help her out of it before passing the point of no return.

          If only because if she does pass that event horizon, it’s probably going to involve Sal, it’s probably going to be ugly as hell, and I really don’t want either Sal or Amber to end up dead.

        17. Spencer

          There were segments of the commentariat who were genuinely upset that Ethan and Danny (respectively Amber’s lifelong best friend who he loves more than anybody in the world and her now-ex boyfriend who is deeply concerned for her life) didn’t abandon Amber so they could fuck after knowing one another for a week and a half, so I can’t say actively ruining Becky’s life would be a thing she could ever come back from, especially since she’s already got enough mistakes in the running with how she’s dealing with her trauma over Sal.

        18. Reltzik

          Troubling speculation, but it doesn’t really fit with Amazi-girl.

          First, Amazi-girl doesn’t go to authorities. She hunts down culprits and bests them up, but also (as we saw with Joyce) is capable of empathizing with them instead. Ruth’s in danger of bodily harm, but not being fired. … well, not because Amazi-girl intervened, that is.

          But second? Amazi-girl DGAF about Ruth and Billie right now. She’s staring straight at Sal. THE SAL. The very nemesis of her existence. She’s not thinking about who’s diddling whom or what the dormitory regulations say about it. She’s consumed with a burning hatred, with conviction, and with an inerrant desire to make Sal suffer…. for justice or some such. If she is hearing ANYTHING being said, it is only to process it long enough to see if it can be used as a weapon or opportunity against Sal, or maybe to see if it’s a threat against herself or Amber. In this moment she cares exactly jack and squat about illicit canoodling.

    4. a snow ʍousɐ

      Ah, shit, didn’t even see that. Well played, Willis.

  6. AngelBadman

    Why is he running at all? It is, like two doors down.

    1. Reltzik

      Two doors down, AND they’re laughing and drinking and having a party.

      1. AngelBadman

        Ever run three steps, then stopped? You end up skipping towards the feels, then past the feels, and having to trip over your feet back to the feels.

        1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Won’t you gimme three steps…

        2. AngelBadman

          Heh, had to look that up, but yeah, a short run is good for accelerating, not so good if thatbis as far as you are going.

    2. AngelBadman

      Should have had, “Sal’s expression says:”

  7. Mr. Mendo

    Will there be Walky/Billie childhood flashbacks?

  8. Some1

    And now for the 8th DOA tournament battle!

    Announcer: Rebecca (Becky) MacIntyre vs Ruth Lessick!

    The two climb onto stage and seize each other up, Ruth throws a bottle off of the stage and wipes the side of her mouth.

    They both look at Dina and Billie respectively hoping for some sign of encouragement.

    Becky: Okay, I’ll start!

    Becky runs at Ruth and does a leg sweep, Ruth jumps over her and pulls out a beer bottle. Becky ducks and manages to avoid getting glass in her face before elbowing Ruth.

    Becky: lesbian willies.

    Ruth feels a dizziness come over her, and can barely see.

    Ruth: What is that.

    Becky: A special move I developed, it allows me to confuse anyone close to me.

    Ruth: Sounds like a pokemon move.

    Becky: I’m surprised you know what that is!

    Ruth: Anyway…. Dispel!

    Becky: Oh so you can dispel moves, what else can you do?

    Ruth grabs Becky from the shirt and slams her into the ground behind her.

    Becky: Gah!

    Ruth: I can do that.

    Becky leaps up and puts some distance between the two of them, only to see that Ruth has disappeared.

    Ruth: This is one other move I am adapt at, you may have seen Danny use it earlier.
    Becky: So your bi.

    Ruth: Yep, well time for my final move, femur removal!

    Ruth leaps out of her invisibility and grabs onto Becky’s legs, however before she can do anything…

    Becky: CLOSET NUKE!

    A massive explosion explodes from Becky and Ruth flies to the edge of the stage, and grabs onto the edge, slowly pulling herself up.

    Becky walks towards her exhausted.

    Becky: Were both beaten aren’t we?

    Ruth: I suppose…

    They both collapse on the stage, struggling to stay awake longer than then the other. Becky wins.

    The winner is Becky!

    This was the final battle of part 1. The next installment will go into the 2nd stage of the tournament. Essentially this is where season 1 ends.

    1. Umbrella Paint

      I almost like these more than the actual comic.

      1. Clif

        Heresy! Burn the umbrella!

      2. scrollin on

        They’re beginning to smack of effort.

  9. lia47

    jesus you would think amazigirl would be better at keeping secrets

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      Considering how many people have figured out her identity so far I don’t know what would give you that idea.

      1. Clif

        Wait. Someone besides Billie figure it out?

        1. Gryph

          Dina. And Danny. And Dorothy.

        2. Clif

          It’s possible that lia47’s statement may have gone over your head.

        3. butts

          He may have registered your sarcasm as missing lia47’s.

        4. newllend(henryvolt)

          It Slightly went over mine to since the real Amazi-girl is in the same shot.

  10. Kris

    Meh, I guess this is improvement for Walky.

    1. Reltzik

      I’d say that almost anything would be, but every time I think that he proves me wrong.

    2. Dara

      Walky’s stepping up oh shit SOMEBODY STOP HIM HE’S BAD AT IT

      1. Darkoneko

        So was Carla. Didn’t stop her.

    3. Silly Name

      Well he’s doing physical activity. That’s good for his health.

  11. Stephen R. Bierce

    *plays The Doobie Brothers’ “It Keeps You Running” on the hacked Muzak*

  12. Keet

    wow, walky is on childhood friend level instincts :O

  13. Vex Godglove

    I think Walky believes Sal meant Billie wants to kill herself and he’s running to help his friend.

  14. inqntrol

    Oh hey, it’s Amazi-Girl. What is she going to do, counsel Ruth? She can’t get counseling for herself.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      It is often easier to see other people’s mental problems than your own.

  15. Doopyboop

    The eyes staring through the door took me a bit. “Wow, Dina is still angry at Walk-OH MY GOD IT’S AMBER”. Made it even creepier.

    1. Cholma

      It’s not creepy’ she was JUST in the hallway. It’s, dare I say… amazing… how fast she jumped back into the room before Sal could see her. However, she was still curious about what the ruckus was until senpai, er, Sal, noticed her.

      1. inqntrol

        Those pair of eyes aren’t Dina’s.

      2. Doopyboop

        The squint of those eyes is a lot angrier than being curious… AKA Amazi-Girl is not happy to be reminded of Sal’s existence.

    2. Reltzik

      Tags say it’s Amazi-girl. So do the scowly eyes directed at Sal. If it was Amber they’d be more huge-plates-with-pinhole-irises.

      1. Needfuldoer

        If Walky was standing by the door, she’d have that expression.

      2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        I know what you did, ’cause there’s magic in my eyes…

  16. Reltzik

    Five seconds later:

    Walky: “Eeek! I meant feelings feels, not feeling feels, didn’t mean to walk in and see you two feeling each others feelables and OMG why can’t I stop talking pleasedontkillme.”

    ((Yeah, I know they’re not slipshining in there. But it was the easiest, closest place to go for a joke. As the song says, the nearest destination is always slipshining away.))

    1. Spaz

      I love how “Slipshining” is used as a verb around here now.

      1. Brotato

        Yeah, it’s slipshining great.

        …

        …because… slipshines have #$@!ing in them. And it’s fucking great that it’s used as a verb.

        …

        Someone love me.

  17. Mandy

    The entire floor is basically imploding today. I have no idea what state the place is going to be in by the time Joyce and Becky get back!

    1. a4lbi

      OH SHIT I FORGOT

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      “only I alone escaped to tell you”

      1. Geneseepaws

        Albatross, get yer fresh Albatross.
        Two chocolate ices, please.
        Sorry mate, all I’ve got left is Albatross! Albatross, get yer fresh.
        Does it come with wafers?

      2. Amazi-Stool

        Tell them in Lacedaimon, passer-by
        That here, obedient to their word, we lie.

  18. Yumi

    Okay, but let’s talk about AMZI-GIRL GIVING SAL A DEATH GLARE.

    1. JessWitt

      Heavens, yeah. It’s all falling down this chapter.

      1. inqntrol

        Her downfall wil be faster than Anakin’s.

        1. Reltzik

          Anakin’s took three movies and they felt like 30 movies, so I hope so.

        2. Reltzik

          Of course, here it will take 10 years.

        3. Mara

          At least Anakin fell because he was trying to save his wife from his nightmares (family is the most important thing and so on).
          Amber/Amazo doesn’t care for anybody but herself just now.

      2. Regalli

        It just keeps tumbling down tumbling down tumbling down. Oh dear dear dear.

  19. The Recreator

    Have you already come up with a Book 6 name? If not, “Why the heck am I running towards the feels?” may be a good candidate. 😀

    1. Reltzik

      Among many, many others.

      I hereby propose we narrow it down through a primaries election process.

      1. Random832

        The field is too evenly split, I predict the winner will be Booky McBookface.

      2. Spaz

        or we could just hold caucuses in the comments.

        Ties to be decided by a coin flip.

        ……too soon?

        1. Geneseepaws

          Or by hanging chad.
          Sorry Chad.

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      With so many choices, I can imagine that the next book title will be “Too Many Titles, Not Enough Books”

    3. poofdepoof

      “Why the heck am I running towards the feels?” is my favorite yet!

    4. Orion Fury

      “Why am I running towards the feels?” sounds pretty good, imo. Non-spoilery, yet descriptive of actions taken during this book.

    5. Deanatay

      I still prefer “Your Secrets Are Stupid And Nobody Cares”.

  20. dailybrad

    Walky is running, not walking. My world’s been turned upside down!

    Kidding aside, good on you, Walky. You truly give a fuck.

    1. butts

      “your feet smell, and your Walky runs”

  21. Sageress

    Is an RA dating/fucking a student even actually against the rules at their school?

    I feel like somebody told me it isn’t.

    1. Yumi

      Comments yesterday discussed how it wasn’t. It could be the characters don’t know this and are assuming, or Willis changed the rules in this universe.

      1. Sageress

        Willis is a cruel god

    2. Stitch

      If the student is located in the same wing or hall as the RA, it is typically highly frowned upon and usually fireable due to the potential for abuse of authority, favoritism and/or general residence hall liability. So if Billie or Ruth went to another hall or dorm it would likely be okay.

    3. David M Willis

      Every single day.

      Let’s skip to the end of the discussion that happened just yesterday. The R.A.-specific guidelines do not mention not banging your charges, but as Miz clarified:

      “No, Ruth isn’t a graduate student, but the RA manual directly states ‘Resident Assistants and Graduate Supervisors are academic appointees. As such they are bound by the same guidelines, which exist for all academic appointees.’ re: romantic relationships, so it still applies to her.”

      1. Sageress

        Didn’t read the comments yesterday.

        Well thanks for being brisk, at the very least.

        1. Oddish

          Here’s the start of the chain: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/yet/#comment-1133074

          It mostly depends on ethics and professionalism. If she’s not giving Billie advantages or disadvantages in comparison to the other residents, then it’s not as big of an issue. And Billie will never admit to any of that, and they’ve kept a lot of it locked down in terms of privacy.

          She’d be less likely to get fired if she were able to get up and continue to do her job, but that depends on a magical depression fix, which is obviously pretty unlikely.

          If her relationship were keeping her from her duties, that’s when the authorities might come in. It currently seems to hinge on whether or not someone reports the incident that’s currently happening in-comic.

        2. Needfuldoer

          I see three ways this could end.

          1. Billie moves to another floor, out of Ruth’s jursdiction. No more conflict of interest or ammunition for Mary.
          II. Ruth is no longer an RA. She’ll need an angel investor to cover the rest of her academic bills.
          C. They break the relationship off. This is the worst path for their emotional health, especially if they continue the same living arrangements.

          The good news is Ruth hasn’t given Billie preferential treatment, so it’s possible they can use a “these things happen” argument to soften the blow of whatever comes their way.

        3. Kryss LaBryn

          Heeeeyyy… Billie’s parents keep trying to buy her love, right? And they’re both fairly well off?

          Maybe she can persuade one or both of them to cover the rest of Ruth’s bills for the year. Eh? Eh?

      2. Orion Fury

        The discussions will still probably take place.

      3. Random832

        And which guidelines are those?

        1. Random832

          I swear I was just looking at this page and didn’t see it. “If faculty members (including graduate students with teaching responsibilities) engage in amorous or sexual relations with students for whom they have professional responsibility, even when both have consented to the relationship, it will be viewed as a violation of the “Code of Academic Ethics.”” – but, okay, which rules define “for whom they have professional responsibility”?

        2. a snow ʍousɐ

          RAs have responsibility for the students in their assigned floor/area of jurisdiction. That’s just the nature of the job.

    4. Kris

      This isn’t a serious comment is it?

      1. Sageress

        No, no…. let’s see where this goes.

    5. Time Heist

      In this case although yes, phobia and discrimination towards the LGBTQA community is very much a thing, it is NOT what’s going on here. If Ruth is fired, it will have everything to do with a perceived abuse of power and a rule break; not her sexuality.

  22. SUGauthor

    I love every character in this comic right now.

    1. butts

      Every character.

      Really.

      1. SUGauthor

        I meant every character in this strip, and even then I didn’t realize Amber was staring at Sal when I wrote that. :/

        1. a snow ʍousɐ

          Technically, “comic” and “strip” are both shorthand for “comic strip”; and as such, either could both refer to the entire archive and continuity or one specific entry of the archive.

          But yeah, I get what you mean. This strip/comic in particular, rather than the comic as a whole.

    2. Corseus

      Glad to know Mary has exactly one fan!

      1. Some1

        You can like a character, and not…you know…like her.

        I enjoy watching Frieza, I wouldn’t like Frieza if I ever met him though.

        1. Orion Fury

          She’s a ‘bad guy’ and that’s not bad?

      2. Kris

        Two fans! I can say with complete honesty that I think Mary is….not the worst…just horrible. Which qualifies me as a fan.

        1. butts

          I mean, I don’t think anyone would dispute that Toedad and Blaine are objectively worse.

        2. a snow ʍousɐ

          I could dispute whether moral objectivity exists, but I don’t really feel like it 😛

        3. butts

          MORALITY IS RELATIVE, BUT SO IS THAT RANKING

        4. Sageress

          Make that a threesome!

    3. Yotomoe

      I love less than 5 characters in this comic.

      1. Spencer

        And all of them are Sierra.

        1. Deanatay

          Sorry, at least one of them is Malaya. Nobody’s really sure why, but he loves her.

  23. tim gueguen

    Amber hearing that may be just as bad as Mary knowing, or even worse. After all Mary wants to blackmail Ruth with the information. Amber’s rigidity regarding “law and order” may lead her to go to the dorm administration in short order.

    1. Sageress

      Law and order as it suits her, you mean

    2. Reltzik

      Neither Amber nor Amazi-girl have ever shown any interest in tattling to the authorities. Just stopping crime, beating the stuffing out of people, and tracking down culprits.

      … and killing spiders.

      1. StClair

        Mostly the beatings. In a context that’s at least somewhat socially approved of and/or “just.”

        To make the obvious comparison, it’s been brought up before that Bruce Wayne could probably do even more good than he (already) does, with philanthropic efforts… but then he wouldn’t have the satisfaction of personally punishing and/or hurting criminals like the one who took his parents away.

        1. Kamino Neko

          it’s been brought up before that Bruce Wayne could probably do even more good than he (already) does, with philanthropic efforts

          I’ve never understood why people say this, since it’s a fairly consistent point over the last 30 years, at least, that he actually is a philanthropist.

          His activities as Batman take front and center more often, since they mostly make for more interesting stories, but even Gotham, where he’s only 12 years old, has the philanthropic elements (his parents’, which he inherited). There’s a memorable story in Batman Black & White which makes it clear that one of his philanthropic activities is providing jobs for ex-criminals after they’ve served their sentences.

        2. StClair

          I tried to acknowledge that – that he does both, actually – but I guess I was insufficiently clear.

        3. a snow ʍousɐ

          I think it’s the comma, personally.

        4. Bagge

          I’m pretty sure philiantrophy is more effective if you can stay awake through board meetings, or if you don’t have to pretend to be an irresponsible fop. It’s pretty clear than Bruce’s main focus is not on his day job.

          For me this discrepancy is one of the main draws of the Batman mythos. Gotham HAD real heroes – Martha and Thomas Wayne, and they prepared their son to follow in their footsteps. But because of a punk with a gun that didn’t happen and he fell down a vengeance hole instead. It’s not a good example of how to be a hero, but it’s a very compelling story – and it’s pure tragedy.

        5. Spencer

          Batman exists in a universe where dressing up as a bat and punching crime has an actual, tangible benefit. He fights supervillains; if he spent his time being a philanthropist then the entire city would be covered in ice, man eating plants, and laughing fish.

          Batman is a ninja science detective with infinite money and his parents died so he gets a new dad only he’s a butler so he gets to tell him when he goes to bed. Realism flew out the window a long time ago.

        6. stairmasternem

          To be fair philanthropy would be part of his day job, which he probably already does give a lot of funding away to the right causes.

    3. Needfuldoer

      Remember, campus security and the local PD have been interested in Amazi-Girl at least since she beat the stuffing out of Blaine.

      1. Darkoneko

        Blaine said it was a group of hoodlums or something.
        He would *NEVER* admit to having been beaten up by a woman.

        1. stairmasternem

          No but Dorothy did rightfully assume Amazi-Girl was there at that altercation, especially knowing her alter ego.

          Police are more interested because of the Ross fiasco.

      2. skaryzgik

        Holy fish! What if Amazi-Girl goes to talk to the authorities… disguised as Amber? We’ve already established that Amazi-Girl is still Amazi-Girl even out of costume (and that Amber is still Amber even in the costume).

    4. stairmasternem

      Yeah as a vigilante she already establishes that laws are flexible, being enforced only if they justify her actions.

  24. detective boomwolf

    I’m sure everyone has asked themselves that question at least once.

  25. Umbrella Paint

    Walky just jumped up a few pegs in my book.

    1. Anorak

      He isnt doing anything exceptional though, just basic human empathy.

      1. Lyssie

        Still, it’s a developmental moment. When we’re used to his extremely laissez-faire, avoid-feelings-at-all-costs stubbornly juvenile lifestyle, just seeing that his priorities are in the right place when something serious is going down is a good sign. He hasn’t managed to smother his own empathy, and maybe an episode like this will be the shock he needs to re-evaluate his own problems? I mean, next to suicidal depression, “I can’t effortlessly pass without studying anymore” is a pretty straightforwardly handleable problem.

    2. stairmasternem

      Honestly I don’t see this being an improvement for him. He has always cared for Billie – see way back when Billie slept over in Ruth’s room for the first time. Walky genuinely was worried and tried to check in on her even then.

      Outside that he has been maturing. It’s clear here that squabbles over cartoons is below pseudo-sisters.

  26. Corseus

    That last panel is me, whenever I read this comic.

    1. Orion Fury

      That last panel is anyone who reads the comic and isn’t a troll.

  27. Lan

    Dammit Walky’s a fan of Rebecca Sugar isn’t he? “No please not more feels! Ok wait yeah no give me more I need my fix of crying and singing.”

  28. Ridureyu

    Physically abuses and injures students: Nah, it’s cool.
    Vandalizes and steals student property: Totes fine.
    Rampant alcoholism while working: Yeha, all good.
    Is gay: FIRE HER INSTANTLY.

    1. butts

      ‘Is gay’ is not the problem. It’s ‘has sexual relations with that student’ that’s the problem. Besides, they’d fire her for the alcoholism if they found out, too.

      1. Sageress

        And the physical abuse. That doesn’t fly.

        1. Reltzik

          …. I kinda remember flying involved when Billie got flipped.

    2. bhtooefr

      It’s actually not her being gay, it’s her having sex with a student that she’s responsible for. Same reason that Jason would be fired if his having had sex with Sal were revealed, or that Penny would be fired if her having had sex with Joe were revealed – both heterosexual pairings.

      1. Prinnyramza

        They don’t really imply any homophobia in the comic but make it seem that it’s against RA code which I don’t understand. RAs are just students who have extra responsibilities in exchange for reduced college housing fees. That’s is at least how it worked when i was in school. How can you fire a student for dating another student?

        1. Kris

          It’s mentioned above. Ruth technically falls under being a teacher and those rules apply to her.

        2. Yumi

          RAs are students who have a degree of power and responsibility for those on their floor. There are definitely valid reasons for having it be against the rules.

    3. Athedia

      Actually being gay isn’t the issue. Sleeping with the someone she is supposed to be keeping an eye out for and somewhat mentoring too…is. Totally.

      Same rules for professors and students. Heck TAsk and students. Super fireable. The power dynamics alone make those relationships dangerous.

    4. Kris

      What is happening here?

      1. Clif

        Sal is following her evil master plan and is sowing chaos and discord before Amazigirl’s very eyes.

        1. Kris

          I was refering to the comment by Ridureyu who seems to be misinformed by what’s actually happening here. Ruth’s not in danger of being fired because she’s gay. I don’t think that’s ever even been brought up as a problem. So like this comment is really strange to me? Like what?

    5. David M Willis

      Ridureyu, I am getting tired of trying to figure out if you’re being purposefully obtuse just because you think today’s a good day to be funny or if you legitimately haven’t been paying attention to the comic strip well enough to be making an accurate analysis. And I’m increasingly feeling like I don’t care.

      Seriously, looking at your posting history is just a long string of calling for characters’ murder, so I’m not sure how you survived this long to begin with.

      1. avistel

        I’m conflicted on Ruth. I’ve got major depression that I only recently managed to rein in, so on that I’m sympathetic.
        But I also hate bullies and people who abuse their power, which Ruth has done.

        Though aside from Billie (and don’t get me wrong, her behaviour towards her was inexcusable), I’ve only seen her be curmudgeonly and humourless towards her charges.

        1. stairmasternem

          I look at it this way: If Billie can forgive Ruth, so can the readers. Outside her abuses of Billie, which were unforgivable until you realize why she was targeting Billie (Doesn’t make it better, just gives an understanding for them) she has really only been more talk than action.

          She tried to stop Amber’s father from being a problem, she has given Billie advice on how to keep Becky around, and most importantly she HAS tried to keep peace on her floor. If Mary hadn’t been blackmailing her, you’d probably see more punishment for how Carla was treated.

        2. chris73

          I disagree, Billie is nowhere near a reasonable state of mind so her forgiving someone means zip

          Call it intimidation, call it threatening, call it verbal abuse, call it whatever you like but its not right and she shouldn’t be in charge of students because shes a bully or have you forgotten Joyces reaction to being threatened?

    6. Mav

      in a lot of cases there is actually a huge power differential between RA and regular student. For example, before they got together, Ruth bullied Billie. A lot of RAs actually do have the power to write people up, for something as simple as “noise complaints”. At a lot of places, that stuff can get you kicked out of housing.

      Power Differential 2: There is a world of difference between a freshman that’s been at school for all of 2 months and a sophomore-senior student. There’s a strange sort of understanding of authority, and high school students/freshmen are very malleable. They want to be cool/fit in, so you’ll find a few who will basically do anything.

      Which leads to Power Differential 3: I have not experienced it myself, but have dealt with situations where a student in a similar position as Ruth basically specifically sought out freshmen to bang because, unsurprisingly, someone their own age, in their own year, would not have fallen for the bullshit they would have fallen for as a freshman. It is relevant to note that this person was male.
      It’s like, think of the social situations when you were a freshman – maybe a sports event, maybe a house party- in which you did something you really regret. (That shit really happens, and those students who do that shit to others know what they’re doing) Would your senior year self have done it? Chances are the answer is you would’ve known better at that point.

      Lastly, and I don’t mean to be callous at all as I’ve considered her mental state, but that’s not the only reason Ruth could have lost her job at any point:

      1. Bullies and abuses freshman under her care
      2. Neglects official freshman watching duties – arguably, had she been paying attention, she would have noticed Becky – not that that would have been great for Becky.
      3. Verbal abuse of freshman
      4. Use of alcohol in the dorm.
      5. Sleeping, not just with any old freshman, but a freshman specifically under her direct care
      6. Giving/buying aforementioned alcohol to the *underage* freshman
      7. Making a SUICIDE PACT with said freshman
      8. Incapacitation due to said ideations/alcoholism, rendering her incapable of performing her duties, at the very least temporarily.

      From an administrative standpoint, it has nothing to do with either of them being queer women.

      1. Mav

        Source: Former RA here

      2. ischemgeek

        Yeah, totally.

        On the other hand, universities and colleges tend to be very “sweep problems under the rug” about this shit. About the only way Ruth would be likely to have real consequences is if shit got too public to ignore – like if/when (probably when) Mary decides to go to the campus newspaper and break the story out of spite.

        Source: Ex-TA who seemed to be the one that every single firstie being sexually harassed complained to (by virtue of being a female-presenting person with a take-no-shit persona when teaching who would come down like a fucking sledgehammer on anyone doing anything even remotely similar to sexual harassment in class*), so I got to see a half dozen cases a year go through the process during which absolutely fuck all happened to the offender (including the ONE TA who was responsible for 80% of them beyond him eventually – after the fifth case – not being allowed in a room alone with a female student anymore), but in order to even access the process, the victim had to agree to not talk with anyone about it or go to the papers or sue.

        *Technically TAs had the power to eject people from labs even though we weren’t supposed to use it. I used it to eject repeat sexual harassers (I had a one-warning policy, where basically I’d tell them that they had the choice of knocking it off or leaving and if they did it again, out they would go), to my boss’s everlasting irritation.

        1. Mav

          Kudos to standing up for these kids. And I agree with you. Yeah, it’s terrible because myalma mater recently had a case where all evidence literally found the (cis, white, heterosexual) man guilty of sexual assault. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was a textbook case. the school Disciplinary board basically was like “well, he’s not responsible for his actions.”

          For many reasons, I have a world of issues with schools using their own disciplinary boards as a way to keep criminal cases to themselves and out of the public and police eyes. And like the case you mentioned, these people are often repeat offenders. In fact, not the case that I mentioned, but there was another woman who came forward and then. Another said that the person did that to her too.

          So basically no one notices until it gets too big, then the policy is “keep it as quiet as possible” which = discipline as few as possible.

    7. Felgraf

      It’s not the “Is Gay” part. It’s the “Is in a position of authority and sleeping with someone subject to that authority”. This is also why it’s a big no no in MOST JOBS for, say, you to sleep with your direct subordinate. Even if the relationship *is* consensual, the power imbalance means the organization can’t be sure you’re not coercing people.

    8. Darkoneko

      Trolololo

  29. JessWitt

    I’m drawing blanks on when Walky suspected something was up with Billie and Dorothy dismissed him.

    1. butts

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/inlove/

      1. JessWitt

        A-ha. Thanks.

  30. Tenchan

    Run Walky, run/
    Towards the Feels!!!

  31. Resistance Zero

    Didn’t Walky, in another time, rebel against the Government during an alien invasion and stand up for someone he cared about.

    I think anyone in the way of his friends happiness is going to be hella hosed.

  32. Darkoneko

    Dude the last person they want to see right now is probably you. Ok. 2nd last after Mary.

  33. Chief_of_Staves

    End of the world: Walky encountered an emotional situation and read it CORRECTLY. Then he quashed it with the self-doubt he may or may not admit to himself.

    PS: yesterday I posted an angry bit that suggested a variant of mob justice towards Mary. I still strongly dislike her, but after reading some of the replies, I had time to think more clearly. I was coming off writing a rant about the Miami shooting, and my negative funk altered my self-perception, resulting in inappropriately angry conclusions.

    1. Reltzik

      Miami shooting? There was yet another shooting?

      *googles*

      Goddammit there was yet another shooting.

      1. StClair

        Another 24 hours in America, of course there was another shooting.

      2. Chief_of_Staves

        Worse: the cops shot the prone black ALREADY CUFFED caretaker and left him to almost bleed out for 20 minutes on the excruciatingly hot pavement as he tried to coax his charge with low-functioning autism out from the middle of the sidewalk he was playing with a toy truck in. And when challenged about the shooting, the local union said they were actually aiming at the charge. So either their aim is so abysmal that with three shots, they missed entirely and nearly killed an already subdued nonresisting black man because they couldn’t see their actual target as a human being who required special care, or they were just another clown car this carnival ride of sickening racism.

        1. Chief_of_Staves

          Crosswalk, not sidewalk. And yes, I am still pissed off at the event as a person of neurological difference.

        2. Regalli

          And yeah, the fact that they thought “we were aiming the autistic man playing with a truck (who according to our reports may have been suicidal so we were defusing that situation by trying to shoot him three times because that makes sense)” was a good excuse is like five different and unique kinds of fail there. (Especially since the autistic man was also noticeably not white, gotta love the racism and ableism intersection there.)

          I’m just glad they’re both still alive. Seriously traumatized by all accounts, but still alive.

        3. Orion Fury

          Trying to come up with a joke, got nothing. Just sad.

    2. Amazi-Stool

      Well, this is becoming the new folklore in germany:
      One more day, one more shooting!
      No this time it was “only” a bombing>.

      Looking forward what happens tomorrow!

  34. Kris

    Just wanna say those Amazi-eyes staring down Sal in panel 3 is actually pretty funny.

    1. Yotomoe

      I honestly assumed that was Dina

      1. Bagge

        Me too, until I read the tags.

  35. AGV

    Behold! The loads of things happening in a single strip!
    Creeps, worrying Sal, super caring Walky, and more!

  36. Cheshrin

    Like all hurricanes, the safest place to be during a drama hurricane is right in the center of it.

    *checks notes* Wait, nope, got that wrong, that’s actually the worst place to be, sorry about that.

    1. David

      Yeah, that holds for llama hurricanes.

  37. Darkoneko

    ah, the post I was answered got deleted. woops.

  38. a4lbi

    *CTRL+F for “Ned Flanders” and variants, 0 results*

    Just me, then. (Anything starting with”Diddl” reminds me of the guy. Man, I’m weird.)

    1. butts

      Pretty sure Ned Flanders isn’t a big fan of diddlin’.

      1. a4lbi

        Which makes the association weirdly hilarious.

  39. Reltzik

    And tonight, Grav Roulette gives me Penny.

    We’ve really not seen much of Penny. Only ever in context with Jason at his office, really, and Jason’s pretty background himself. She’s a foil to a foil.

    Penny is… hm. She’s got red hair. I approve of that. She’s also got a degree of casually amoral nihilism that should be jarring but comes across with a wicked sense of humor and delight. But… frankly we know next to nothing about her. Except that she’s got red hair.

    In Walkyverse, her nihilism went above and beyond to pure villainous sociopathy, with extra ham. (Wait, is it still pure if you add ham?) She was different from HA there, though, because she never descended to HA’s level of silliness. The two were both of a very similar type, but Penny was never, ever, ever comic relief.

    Bottom line, though, I don’t think she represents me well. I’m a nihilist in some specific ways but not the ways that Penny is, and I’m slightly repelled by that.

    I also seem to be on a background character role. (Typo intended.) Come on, Grav Roulette, give me a main character tomorrow. Preferably Walky.

    1. Bagge

      And we have seen her in context with Joe, of course. “In for a Penny, in for a pound.”

      1. Needfuldoer

        That’s a good Slipshine title.

        1. Bagge

          I obviously have some talents as a pornomancer.

          I… I’m not sure what to do with this knowledge.

  40. Yossarianduck

    Last panel: Book title?

    1. Clif

      I’m holding out for. For Free or For Cookies. Preferably cookies.

      1. Orion Fury

        You can take my freedom, but you’ll never take my cookies?

  41. Teddae

    you can never escape the feels walky

  42. Ashley

    Oh, Walky, you really DO care.

  43. Regalli

    And Walky immediately assumes it’s Billie, which
    1: Hey, he’s not wrong, she’s definitely prone to situational stuff at the very least,
    2: Is really sweet because it means he’s been kind of low-key worried about her for the last, oh, two weeks or so and is immediately jumping into the fray to help her because come hell or high water he will not fail this sister like he did Sal,
    3: Related to 2, while the rest of us have been paying attention to the more obviously precarious Ruth, he’s keeping an eye on Billie and she could definitely use one,
    4: And yeah he’s going to be relieved but in for one hell of a surprise when he sees that Billie’s in a bad state but Ruth’s in a bad international coalition.

  44. Paella Time

    I feel like Walkie and Dorothy are going to break up soon

    1. Spencer

      I kinda think it might happen eventually, but I’m hard pressed to think of why. Walky and Dorothy have no potential romance options outside of each other, and most of Walky’s panel time is spent with Dorothy.

    2. hof1991

      What’s to break there. They mainly have sexy times and teen foreplay. They hardly know each other.

      I think Dorothy might stop seeing himm as a boy toy and dressup doll and start a more adult relationship.

  45. leafirebender

    Woah, Walky grew up.

  46. Spencer

    “Thanks, Sal. I gotta help Billie; she’s like the sister I never had!”

    1. Bagge

      Ouch… but also, pretty funny.

  47. Bagge

    Heh, Dina is looking in panel three.

    *Checks tags.*

    THAT’S NOT DINA, THAT IS NOT GOOD AT ALL!!!

  48. Spencer

    As for Amber, I’m wondering if this goes someplace really bad for her. That now she gets it in her head that she can’t be Amber even in her own room, because she was planning on hiding in her room writing fanfics and instead she has a another PTSD-induced slip into the Amazi-Girl persona due to hearing Sal’s voice.

    Apart from this being more of Amazi-Girl hogging Amber’s headspace post mental flareup and breaking up with Danny, it could also lead to Amber believing that she needs Amazi-Girl to be in control more often, as Sal will always be out there and Amber can’t even walk around campus without seeing her anymore.

  49. BenRG

    Maybe, despite your best efforts to persuade yourself to the contrary, you have a conscience, Walky? Perhaps, because of all the years that you spent with Billie, you’ve come to love her as a sister and want to help her?

  50. Bagge

    “Billie, fuck the shit out of Ruth.”
    Walky: “I’m cooooming”

    Worst thresome ever.

    1. HeySo

      Faz, Toedad, Blake.
      Joyce’s mom, Mary, Hooper.

      Hooper and Faz more for being annoying characters- Walkyverse doesn’t typically give us outright, wholly dislikable characters; Even Malaya and Beef have had their positive points or rationalizations for their behavior.

      But yeah- pretty sure you can manage a worse Walkyverse threesome. :X

      1. Emperor Norton II

        Mike, Toedad, Carol.

  51. Heather

    Ooooh Sal: if Mary doesn’t go to the authorities then ‘AmaziGirl’ probably will. Heck Dorothy can be reasoned with not to I think with this conversation but I think she was all for going too (hell she might still make the argument now that Ruth needs actual professional help they can’t give her if they keep it secret): and you can’t discount other people in the crowd or who will hear later on the vine who will think the same. Hell, there’s just the weighing the pros and cons in general to contend with: if things stayed exactly the same Ruth would almost definitely die. If it’s told and laid out in the open there’s a chance things might fuck up. But at least she has more of a /chance/. I guess the only other argument possible is with the dorm all knowing maybe things /won’t/ be exactly the same. So /maybe/ we should hold our horses on reporting. Maybe. Or maybe time is of the fucking essence and this is the last chance to get things right. There can be a huge debate here.

    To say nothing of the fact Ruth could have made any other girl’s life hell and they have good reasons to not be in anyway sympathetic anyway, because honestly no matter what they’re going through you don’t have to have sympathy for your abuser (but then we haven’t seen that, as far as we can tell only Billie and Mary would have legitimate beef with her I guess? Since she slapped Mary- that’s the one legitimate thing Mary could be angry over tbh personally speaking, and like Mary has a point that Mary is a shit RA generally, ‘tight ship’ or not- I mean she keeps threatening people for one thing.)

    Or people think it’s awful that an RA would do this with a student divorced of everything else that’s been going on even if she’d been the most amazing RA that ever Ra’d (and it is pretty fucked up I mean come on and they don’t know it yet there’s been a suicide pact or the alcohol) and just report on the moral principle of the thing of it being wrong. (And yeah… that’s there AmaziGirl… hmmm). Like it’s technically an abuse of power and Ruth holds keys to their /rooms/.

    Like whoever reports Ruth doesn’t nec have to be evil to do it seems to me really. Whether they are concerned for Ruth or not when they do it.

    Which makes me think it will certainly happen down the line.

    Just maybe not today. And it will be up in the air if it’s a good idea at all to delay the process.

    1. Mav

      You make good points. I think delaying the process will make things worse. Sometimes when we have a secret or something like that, we fear being out in the open will make things worse- but the alternative for Ruth is even more severe depression/death, so it doesn’t get much worse than that. Billie is here, but she can’t “fix” Ruth.

      Also, from the other side, being asked to keep someone’s alcoholism and suicidal ideation a secret is very emotionally taxing. I don’t think anyone there besides Billie would want to keep it secret. I really don’t see Dorothy keeping it a secret. Amazigirl isn’t equipped to deal with most things, least of all this, because she can’t just blame someone and punch them fix this problem. Mary, maybe. I wonder what she will do, if anything.

      Yeah, reporting Ruth is not the worst thing! She is actually terrible at her job, all things considered. She needs help, not to be an RA right now. Even before the Billie thing , she was a bully to her charges. That alone would have gotten her fired if someone had reported it. Sometimes in life shit happens, we fuck up and we lose a job, a friend, privileges etc. Her life won’t end if he loses her job. Her life might end if she keeps going like this.

      Whoever reported Ruth would be being responsible, not a bad person.

      1. thejeff

        Depends on whether she gets help or not. If losing her job means losing her room and board and thus having to leave school and go back to her grandfather as a complete failure and disappointment, I suspect she’ll be worse off, possibly much worse off than she is now.
        From what little we’ve seen of their interaction, I doubt getting her into therapy will be a priority for him.

        1. Spencer

          Well, Ruth getting kicked out of college is obviously an impossibility, so if she does lose her job (which seems like an increasingly like possibility between the alcohol and now the suicidal depression) she’d probably get punted into a free room and get charged for the rest of the semester, or however that works.

          But, yeah, gramps would obviously not be happy, especially if he’s the one paying for her college (and she didn’t get some kind of life insurance from her parents’ death).

  52. Clif

    Odds Amazigirl turns Ruth in – very low.

    1. a snow ʍousɐ

      Why do you say that?

      1. Sheason

        Amazi-girl doesn’t GO to the authorities. She’s wanted by the authorities.

  53. Kitschensyngk

    At first I thought those eyes in panel two were Mary’s, but then I saw the dinosaur poster on the door.

  54. zombieundergrnd

    Walky smelled the cookies.
    Must get cookies.

    1. HeySo

      Good luck getting to them before Carla does. 😛

  55. NinjaNick

    Run to the feels!

    1. vlademir1

      Why is my Iron Maiden sense tingling?

  56. Orion Fury

    So glad to see I wasn’t the only commenter that had that ‘murder eyes are watching me’ feeling.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Murder Eyes
      They’re watching you
      They see your every move
      Murder Eyes
      They’re watching you
      Murder Eyes
      They’re watching you
      Watching you
      Watching you
      Watching you

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Link fail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCiPkazVzFA

  57. Volkai

    Why are you running towards the feels, Walky?

    Because it’s the right thing you do, and you know it.

  58. Stairmasternem

    The eyes of JUSTICE are on you always, Sal Walkerton.

    Sorry I meant VENGEANCE. Eyes of vengeance. Justice got thrown out the window.

    1. Benjy

      Amber is Anders?

      1. stairmasternem

        Quick google search tells me that may be a Dragon Age reference. In truth I was thinking about White Collar, where the difference between justice and vengeance is taught as well.

  59. BenRG

    I’m wondering if Amazi-Girl is going to make an already difficult situation worse by trying to intervene based on a purely-delusional version of events viewed through her perception filter that has Sal characterised as a merger of The Joker, Poison Ivy and Lex Luthor.

    1. stairmasternem

      If Amazi-Girl intervenes, I see it more as suddenly attacking Sal. I mean it’s not like she can go to the dean in costume and report Ruth/Billie.

      1. BenRG

        She could try, as bizarre as the resulting imagery would be! 😀

      2. a snow ʍousɐ

        At this point, AmaziGirl is sometimes there even when she’s not wearing the costume.

        1. stairmasternem

          Oh yeah I’ve noticed that too. That persona is getting more control I think.

        2. Spencer

          She definitely is. It used to be that Amber could run away and “become” Amazi-Girl, but her last encounter with Sal had her automatically switch right there, and now it’s happening again while she’s in her own room.

          It’s consistent with how Amber feels the need to rely more and more on Amazi-Girl because it’s Amber who’s “the bad one.”

  60. ischemgeek

    Huh.

    Mark me surprised. Pleasantly, with Walky.

    Also, regarding the Ruth/Billie thing: Only because it happened at my school in a co-ed dorm, I still think very strongly that if when they first realized what was going down, they went to Ruth’s bosses and requested Billie’s transfer to a different floor, it never would’ve turned out bad. The issue isn’t that the college thinks folks Ruth’s age shouldn’t be sleeping with Freshman (Ruth is what, 22? She’s not that much older than Billie), it’s the power differential and lack of professionalism. Owning it and going to the bosses with, “Well, we didn’t intend to but it turns out that there’s something between us so we’d like her to get transferred to a different floor so it’s not creepy – is that doable?” goes a long way for the professionalism part and completely negates the power differential.

    Cuz residence administrators aren’t naive. They know that the hormones are strong at this age range. In general, if you’re up front and frank about it, they’re understanding. It’s when you start running around and leave a situation that could be a massive sexual harassment lawsuit in the making unaddressed that they get pissy.

    At this point, though, I can’t see any good resolution to it. Because see above about “could be a massive sexual harassment lawsuit in the making.”

    1. Reltzik

      I think right now the solutions are either….

      …. A, do what you just said and be vague about when the whole thing started and hope no one looks too closely, or…

      …. B, Ruth gets fired, finds a way to deal with it, life moves on.

    2. thejeff

      Except that it’s “Dumbing of Age”. Neither of them was really in a position where they would do that. Their whole relationship was too tied up in the alcoholism and the depression and the suicide pact. No way they could be professional about it.

      I also doubt Ruth is 22. Probably 20? She’s still undergrad. She could be 19.

      1. Bagge

        Sadly, yes. If either of them – but especially Ruth – had been in any better mental place their relationship had been very different.

        In fact, if Ruth had been less suicidal I doubt she would have worked up the courage to bully and kiss the pretty cheerleader at all (“what does it matter what happens, I’ll be dead in a few months anyway”). I’m not quite sure what lesson to draw from this.

      2. John

        Ruth is 20. I asked Willis a while back. I think it’s been established in the strip proper, too, but I evidently forgot to mark when in the timeline.

        This means that neither Ruth nor Billie can be drinking legally.

        1. HeySo

          Actually, legal drinking age is state-based in the United States. The federal government imposes a penalty for anyone not adhering to the 21 restriction, however, which is why states universally incorporate the guideline- but I’ve been told that many states don’t actually enforce it, preferring to stick to their traditional rules on drinking age. A sort of “we’re totally implementing your guideline- but not really, since it’s not actually a law we have to enforce, and we don’t want to bother.”

          “The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 (23 U.S.C. § 158) was passed on July 17, 1984. It was a controversial bill that punished every state that allowed persons below 21 years to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages by reducing its annual federal highway apportionment by ten percent.”

          I could of course be mistaken in how valid those assertions toward state leniency are, I’ve never lived in one of those states.

          Either way, many states do have rather lenient exceptions toward drinking [some allowing you to drink as a minor in private so long as you’ve gotten parental approval, or drink malt beverages underage] (and it’s worth noting you can always drink small amounts within eyesight of your parents in any state, as that falls under personal education/freedom of beliefs).
          http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591

          Indiana seems to only allow [immunity to punishment for your own drinking if you’re reporting an alcohol-related emergency involving another person], so that wouldn’t apply.
          Still, you can’t get punished legally unless you’re caught in the act, so the actual laws are pretty irrelevant.

          Of course, as far as losing her job, laws also don’t apply- if she in any way broke the contractual agreements of her position, or even just is no longer deemed fit to maintain a supervising role, they can freely fire her.

          So while Dorothy’s exclamation in today’s comic is a bit ridiculously phrased, it’s pretty on point- while they may decide not to fire her for the relationship (especially since it was indicated management liked how Ruth ran things otherwise), if any hint of her other indiscretions (Becky, alcoholism) got out, it’s a pretty slam dunk assumption that they’ll end up deeming her no longer fit for the position.

    3. DinaWho

      I think it’s implied Ruth is 20 (still under the US drinking age).

  61. Random832

    Why are avatars suddenly blurry? The actual images appear to be 65×65 whereas they are 64×64 on the page… I’m pretty sure this hasn’t always been the case?

    1. HeySo

      They’re showing up non-blurry and 64×64 for me.

      1. Random832

        It looks like they’re not all the same. Mary’s is 64×67 (and doesn’t look as blurry), for example. Maybe it’s always been this way and I’m only just now noticing; maybe my current browser is worse at scaling image than yours / than the one I’m used to (I recently switched from Firefox to Chrome), etc.

  62. motorfirebox

    Hahahaaaaa is that Dina’s growly eyes peering out in panel 3?

    1. Trolldrool

      That was my first thought as well. But according to the tags, it’s Amazi-Girl.

      1. motorfirebox

        Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

    2. stairmasternem

      Character tags confirm it to be Amazi-Girl, continuing her rage-stalking of Sal.

  63. bunivasal

    “You’re fired.”
    “Oh, so you want IU to lose its gold reputation for excellence with LGBTQ youths?”
    “I– what?”
    “It’s just that, last month a lunatic with a gun tried to abduct a gay kid from your campus. And now this month, you’re firing my client because she’s a lesbian? Yeah, this place ain’t winning a GLAAD award.”
    “You can’t do that! We have to fire her, she’s fraternizing– uh, sororitizing with the students!”
    “You didn’t fire her when she was assaulting these students. And she’s a resident advisor, not a teaching assistant. She’s not giving grades out, there’s no ethical lapse. Oh, you think she’s the only one scissoring somebody in this dorm? I guarantee she’s not even the only one on that floor. Knock on ANY RA’s door at 1am, and see how many 19-year-olds come slinking out.”

    “Yeah, now that you mention it, why do we insist that RAs not date the residents?”

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Though she has the same problem as Becky, lacking the will to find a lawyer/advocate, the ability to find a good one, and the resources to pay for them.

    2. Heavensrun

      “She was assaulting them? Well now we HAVE to fire her!”

      Seriously, not a thing you’d want to bring up in that argument.

      1. Pinja

        Yeah, seriously that’s PR death and it’s not like Mary will keep quiet or that everyone in the form didn’t see her attack Billie on day one.

      2. trlkly

        Except they already knew that, if we believe what Ruth said.

        The real reason to fire her is just that it became their problem. They didn’t care as long as Ruth handled it herself.

  64. Alex

    My reading of the past few dayis that while Mary doesn’t necessarily approve of anything anyone has ever done, ever, she draws the line at actual physical harm as a result of her actions. That may be more positive than she deserves, but it feels right, at least. She may have been enjoying the power her blackmail gave her, but it was never about hurting anyone, just the power.

    I was leading into something about Walky here and maybe a not so different? But it probably doesn’t hold up, really. I guess I was thinking that whenever there’s actual trouble, Walky tends to react more mature than I’ve been giving him credit for.

    Anyway, run, don’t walk, Walky.

  65. penguintruth

    Is this going to end in one giant sex pile?

    Cuz… I want it to.

    1. Spencer

      Walky is probably not going to have sex with his surrogate sister and her alcoholic girlfriend (who was also their babysitter in an alternate universe) while the both are in the throes of a suicidal depression.

  66. trlkly

    Where is everyone getting this idea that Amazi-girl doesn’t go to the authorities? She called the police with Becky’s situation, but couldn’t get a hold of them.

    Sure, she can’t call as “that girl in the costume,” but she could call as literally anyone else.

    Sure, she never called on Becky, but AG was never out when Amber learned about her–if she did (I can’t remember). But she was turned to AG due to Sal, so AG now knows.

    I’m actually hoping this turns into a fight between AG and Amber, and leads to Amber no longer idolizing AG. AG is NOT the part of her that is always right.

  67. catman

    the url says “diddlin-2”

    which means another comic is titled Diddlin

    gj Willis

    1. Random832

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/diddlin/

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