Dispel
Posted on September 17, 2016 by David M Willis

239 thoughts on “Dispel”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “anyway mine is ah flip-phone”

    “WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING”

    “’cause then ah don’t give a shit if some asshole runs off with it”

    1. Ana Chronistic

      yeah, I was just thinking about how SP!Robin met Amber like very first thing?

      1. Doctor_Who

        And Robin instantly got her first girl!crush on her.

        If that happens again, the superhero suit will definitely be a factor.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Well, if Leslie gets a supersuit it might have a chest window.

        2. Reltzik

          If Leslie got anything with a chest window, there would be people calling it a super suit.

        3. Disloyal Subject

          If Robin turns her down, she can always rebound at Daisy.

        4. DoubleW

          But Daisy’s fate is to never get laid. They’d probably slip past one another in the crowd, almost touching and forever alone.

        5. Leorale

          Two ships passing, for a moment, in the darkness
          One going to
          One coming from
          AMERICA

    2. -Sentinel-

      “also, ah blew all my money on my bike”

      (not sure how she bought that bike in the first place)

      1. SgtWadeyWilson

        She walked in, they realized how badass she’d be on it, and they gave her a discount.

        Wait, this isn’t an anime… I guess she just blew all her money on it then.

        1. ety

          Nah, she called her overseas parents and they said it’d be just fine for her to get an advance on her allowance to buy a motorcycle.

      2. Disloyal Subject

        Maybe she worked part-time? I’m sure there are ways to do that at boarding school even through legitimate channels for people who don’t do things like leave by the windows at night.

        1. ety

          I could have sworn somewhere she said she worked part-time jobs to pay for it, but I’ve yet to find it in the comics.

        2. WaytoomanyUIDs

          IIRC correctly it was in one of the arguments she had with Walky about their parents

      3. welcrye

        You can get motorcycles in good working order for like $1000 on craiglist. The more pressing question is why don’t more people have motorcycles?

        1. Inspector Hound

          Because they’re not bicycles.

          Why ruin a perfectly good bicycle by stuffing it with engine parts?

    3. darkoneko

      “do I look like my mom would buy me anything fancy ? You wanna see some high tech phone, you go check mah brother.”

    4. Aeron

      Because Seven-Eleven is the only place that will still sell me a phone.

    5. Tan

      I like my flip phone. I will always like my flip phone and I do not care how ubiquitous the joke of them being old and outdated gets.

      1. Sunny

        I’m still using my Nokia 3310…

      2. Ana Chronistic

        Pretty much the only reason I stopped using any phone was I hated the old service (Virgin kept sending “your account is expiring” alerts at THREE IN THE MORNING and waking me up b/c I didn’t want to mute my phone in the event of an emergency >=|

        well, besides removing myself from my ex’s plan, I didn’t need to pay $50/month when I don’t talk to anyone and can get by on $20/90 days

  2. miados

    no capes!

    1. inqntrol

      Capes are overrated anyway.

      1. TheAnonymousGuy

        you ever hear the theory that the government hired sinestro to kill the supers and that when edna found out she designed his costume wit a cape intending it cause his downfall due to their history of danger.

        1. Doctor_Who

          I was gonna point out that you mean Syndrome, but a Green Lantern / Star Trek crossover with Sinestro exists, so I see no reason he shouldn’t meet the Incredibles.

          That would actually be awesome.

        2. TheAnonymousGuy

          did I really do that. I must have DC on the brain

        3. Fart Captor

          You should get that checked out. It can lead to excessive brooding and difficulty seeing color

        4. Doctor_Who

          Has the world gone gray?
          Do you no longer possess the capacity for joy?
          Is your mother named Martha?

          These symptoms and others may be signs of Snyderism, a condition that affects up to 50% of comic based cinematic universes.

          Ask your Doctor* about DiniTimm, and bring a little color back into your life.

          Side effects may include undergoing negatively received changes in appearance after three seasons, periodically hallucinating the sky as red, and inability to distinguish the facial features of women.

          * 4 out of 5 Doctors recommend DiniTimm (Fate, Occult, Mid-Nite, and Thirteen). Doctor Light recommended Viagra instead.

        5. LookingIn

          Which Dr. Light? The inept brain altered one or the total bongo who is actually a good mother?

        6. TheAnonymousGuy

          Thanks doc, but I tend to do the alternative AT4W with supervision by linkara himself, it actually works wonders.

        7. miados

          so if we eliminate every martha from the world how many new heros will we create?

        8. HMRC4EVR

          I’ve heard Zinthos, from the makers of Azaraith and Metrion, does wonders for the condition. Trouble is everything is tinted in a blue haze for a while.

        9. Historyman68

          Also, arm falling off.

        10. Roborat

          And strange changes to your voice.

        11. legobil

          Not Sinestro, its Syndrome! Know your The Invincibles! 🙂

        12. legobil

          Nevermiiind 😛 I’m blind apparently…

    2. Dean

      We’ll never be free of that line, will we?

      1. Haven

        We can only hope, someday.

        1. trlkly

          If the power of Willis compels it, it can be removed.

          From here, at least.

        2. DoubleW

          Humbly requesting that ‘capes’ be replaced with ‘crepes’

        3. miados

          what flavoring?

        4. LazarusLong

          Nutella of course.

        5. Makkabee

          Lingonberry.

      2. Disloyal Subject

        Not even by the grim darkness of the 41st millenium when the stars echo with the laughter of thirsting gods.

      3. Reltzik

        Nope. It will forever drag us down like a cape tied firmly around our necks.

        *cue recursion in 3… 2…*

        1. Disloyal Subject

          N-no- No-
          Not gonna say it.

        2. MatthewTheLucky

          No. Friggin. Capes.

        3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          That is not what capes are for.

        4. MatthewTheLucky

          Well, that’s why we don’t allow it.

        5. miados

          capes were used as a movement device within comics. with the characters not moving on the paper the medium utilized capes as a way of indicating movement. The direction of the cape allowed the reader to know what direction the character was moving more easily and it become, at least in some ways, iconic of supers after.

        6. Willoughby Chase

          Also it might give the impression of speed? Of Otherness?

        7. Roborat

          Probably also came in handy if they ran across a loose bull while they were patrolling.

  3. AnvilPro

    Yay Riley. That’s enough of her for a while.

    1. inqntrol

      We’ll see her again….in a couple of years.

      1. LookingIn

        but it’s been almost three years already, surely she deserves another cameo before we see her in 2019?

  4. Stephen R. Bierce

    Mike Check!

    1. Wheelpath

      Not here =(

  5. darkoneko

    Man, Roz’s lil sister has NO IDEA what she just missed.

    1. Fart Captor

      “You make me come to your stupid boring rally and then you let me sleep through the SUPER HERO CHASE??”

      1. Some1

        The good news is she isn’t currently being kidnapped.

        1. darkoneko

          …yaaay ? 😐

        2. Some1

          I mean that in the sense of Ryan could have grabbed her.

        3. HMRC4EVR

          He couldn’t have handled her.

        4. ety

          It’d be like the Randsom of Red Chief, you think?

      2. Bagge

        COLLEGE IS WASTED ON THE ADULTS!!!!!

    2. Thevoiceoftreason

      If its not a cereal, I doubt she’s interested.

      1. Dana

        Amazi-Girl as a cereal mascot. I like it.

        1. Deanatay

          New Post(R) Amazi-Girl Cereal! With multicolored Condom, Transformer, Grappling Hook, Flip-Phone, and DS marshmallows! We can’t say anything bad about the taste (’cause it’s immune to criticism)!

    3. trlkly

      Kinda fitting, since she had no idea she missed the event that started it all. (And that Joyce was only there because of her.)

  6. gkheyf

    there, robin was useful

    …sorta

  7. Mr. Mendo

    Nah, Robin, you gotta bring back the sombrero! It was the source of all your power!

    1. Dean

      Nah, her supporters will think that the sombrero means she’s pro-immigration.

      1. darkoneko

        Urrgh.

    2. Reltzik

      Cadburry eggs were the source of all her power. …. that and alien abduction and alteration which doesn’t exist in this universe, so best stick with eggs.

      1. Mr. Mendo

        We should *all* trust the eggs!

      2. HMRC4EVR

        I don’t want to live in a reality where Cadburry eggs don’t exist. It’s just not worth it.

  8. Lipke the Articulate

    I’ve been having Robin withdrawals ever since finishing Shortpacked!

  9. lia47

    alt text made me sad that theyll never be friends

    why couldn’t robin have been the school track coach or something 🙁

    1. Fart Captor

      Well, who’s to say she’ll win re-election? In just 5 more years when November hits, she might lose the race and we’ll be able to see a lot more of her!

  10. shadowcell

    the Rubiobot programming is open-source and freely available to other conservative candidates

    1. butts

      Nah. Little Marco was ripping Robin off, just like Palin.

  11. Kris

    It is now official record that Amazi-girl supports congresswoman DeSanto. Remember at the polls a vote for DeSanto is a vote for super heroism!

  12. Plasma Mongoose

    Capes and jet engines are a tragedy waiting to happen.

    1. Kris

      PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68ndaZSKa8

      1. ety

        “My God you’ve gotten fat.”

        1. Carolyn

          “This is a hobo suit, darling. You can’t be seen in this. I won’t allow it.”

    2. Fart Captor

      That would never happen because Robin is just the best at flying. She’s the best. It would be absolutely majestic. Everyone is jealous of how well she flies.

    3. Willoughby Chase

      See also revolving doors.

  13. John

    Good news and bad news, Leslie. The good news: Robin just got her first girl-crush. The bad news: It’s not you.

    1. Van Dyne

      Wouldn’t be the first time.

      1. John

        The twist: This time, it’s Sal.

      2. Cerberus

        Yeah, in alternate universes, this order has worked well for her.

  14. Leorale

    Man, it’s even the same congressional aide! Is there no Walkyverse character David Willis won’t reprise?
    (Hooper and Ninja Rick. But still!)

    1. Orion Fury

      That aide is taking none of her shit.

    2. Reltzik

      Also, Guns.

      …. and we haven’t seen Dagon Chesterfield (was that his name?) or that lawyer that went after Semme, or Sydney Yus, or…

      1. Spencer

        Sydney Yus is showing up in a few months with a rad new haircut.

    3. Charles Phipps

      Does Willis not like Ninja Rick? I love Ninja Rick. He killed a dude.

      1. begbert2

        Apparently Ninja Rick is based on a real person, so Willis is refraining from including him in this work.

        Let that sink in for a moment. Ninja. Rick.

        1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          So now he hangs out with Tsubasa from Megatokyo?

        2. Leorale

          My head-canon forever is that Ninja Rick is the school therapist that nobody ever visits.

  15. Fart Captor

    Damn. I though for sure Ryan would end up running past an open mic, muttering something incriminating as he tried to get into Amber’s phone

  16. Rosicrucian

    So Amazi-Girl is going to track this guy down by dialing her phone and listening for the ring-tone.

    I must imagine Amazi-Girl has a helluva ringtone.

    1. DoubleW

      Batman theme, natch

      1. Historyman68

        66 Batman, or Tim Burton’s BTAS theme?

        Or, maybe the theme from The Batman that The Edge wrote?

    2. Carolyn

      Or maybe she has a “Find My Phone” app on her phone and is going to use Sal’s to track the signal?

    3. HMRC4EVR

      No. She has the best ringtone ever:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZKpByV5764

  17. pjeseb

    This strip gives me the impression that “congressional aide” is the real politician, the puppet-master pulling the strings from the shadows, and that Robin is his public face. It explains why he’s the only character whose name isn’t used in the tags.

    Also… “blast?” With language like that, Amber sounds more like a super-villain than a super hero.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Villains have more fun and get more catharsis anyway. Just listen to their theme songs!

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Nobody knows what it’s like to be the bad man.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          OKay I specifically excluded that one from my villainy playlist
          Literally the only villain song that I left out

          Try this one on for size.

  18. Archivist

    Actually, at the alt text, this feels pretty typical of them.

    1. Fart Captor

      I think the weirdness is in how, other than Amber and Ethan (and Mike, to a lesser extent), basically none of the characters from Shortpacked ever interact with each other.

      1. Rosicrucian

        Though that seems to be a conscious choice on Willis’ part. Everyone’s in new relationship configurations, and we can avoid re-treading old ground.

      2. Nono

        Ethan and Jacob, Jacob and Roz, Carla and Malaya…

  19. Cerberus

    Robin makes her return during Bisexual Visibility Week… well played.

    1. Rosicrucian

      And in the act of having a girl-crush on Amber.

      Some things do carry over across universes.

    2. Orion Fury

      All families are equal?

    3. Kris

      Y’know for a comic done at least three months in advance it has a surprising number of time specific relevant coincidences.

  20. pjeseb

    Hot damn… Seventeen contenders on the ballot, and Sal still earns a majority of the votes!

    (I’ve recently discovered the power of HTML and may be going out of my way to look for excuses to use it).

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Ī̸͈̙͉͕̏ͮ̐͐́͢͡ͅẗ̷̵̝̳̖̬̟̊̔ͮͪ̾̅̃͛͋ͯ͒ ̶̡̧̤̟̤͓̠̩͉̭̼̣͗ͩͥ̆̄̓͗̉̎̔ͫ̎ͦ̃͠m̵̟͙͔͇ͩ̊̋ȩ͂̔͒̈͐̊̿҉̱̳͙̖̹̘͞ả̷̩͕͈̤͑̀ͮͨ́̔̇̑̉ͧͥ͋̅́͘͜ň̶̳͎͔̥̳͕̱͇̘͖͓̤̰̪͍̋͂̀́ͥ́ͅs̢̻̻͖̫͈̠͕̣̤͈̲͚͇̒ͨ̂͑̓͂̿̉ͥ̀́̚͘ͅ ̢̧̞̲̳̮͎̜͔̹͇̦̲̑͆͐̏ͬͭͭ͒͐̇̈́ͮ̆͒̔͂̃̑n̩͍̭̬̜̩͖̠̏̂̄ͬ͊ͩ͊̂͊͂ͭ̈́ͣ͐̅̇̀͢͜͠o̧ͥ̆ͣ͒͐ͭ̃̀͐̿͐҉̢͙̜̫͚̭̞͎͙͈̤t̖̺͖͉͓̝͍̱̟̟ͬ͂͋ͯ̿ͯ̉̾̇ͦ̉̄͝h̴̉͆͑̽ͬ̄͋ͭ͐ͨ̽͗̅̅ͧ̈́̌̚͏̪͉̻̯̻̖̼̟͈̦̳̪͈̬̦̭̞̣͍͟ḯ̛̉̀̽̉ͫ̿̏̈́̏̀̉ͮ҉͇̗̫̲̬̥̦̼̫͎͓̗͖̖̙̫̻ͅn̛ͥͬ͊͒ͦͨ̌̏͛̃҉̯̫͖͉̙̥͚̗̳g̢̐ͤ̍ͨ̓͆͒͒ͨ͋̈ͪͬ̂͆̽͗̆ͥ҉̮̩̗̟̜̦͘͟ ̸̸̛̦̳͔͎͎̯͇̠̫͇̏͑ͩͭ͋̎̌ͬ̌́͠ͅĭ̸̛͉̱̳̭̺̗͐ͭ͗ͧ̈́͛ͮ͑̒ͯn̴̸̢̧͖̜͈̞͇̟͙̞̖͈̟̩̖̠̠̼͈̙̭ͥ̆ͦ̏͂̓ͮͫ̒ͦ̋̑ͦ̚͢ ͍̞̻͎͓̹̯͔͓͕̬͍͙̺͍̺̘͌ͮ̍ͫ̀́t̶̶̛͎̭͍̣͙̦͙̥͔̹̦̫̘̄́̈́̍ͯͨͤ͋ͦ͋̅ͅh̴̨̞͚̪͉̮̦̝̣͎̬̣̗̺̞͕͉͙̿ͪ̋̄̀̋̒̈͠e̡̫̦̣͙̝͚̰̯̤̬̫̺͈̓̐̂͐͑͛ͯ̿̾̔̕͘͘ ̛̘̰̟̫̬̙̬̎ͨ͐̿͂̊̀ē̸̛̈́̌ͩ̉̾̈̂̚҉̫̞̭̲͇͈̞̥̫n̷̻̙̘̜̘̑ͬ̿̊̇ͮ̓ͣ̆̓́̎ͪͬ̐́͜͠͠d̷͙͈̞̫̖̺̥͈̭͖͈̰ͮ̓̈͐̈̽ͩ̍̌̓͘͢
      (The HTML I mean, Sal is always meaningful)

    2. trlkly

      Don’t blame me. I voted for Dina (because she’s basically the perfect girlfriend), Billie due to being the only cheesecake photo I kept, and Sierra for being randomly hot the last time we saw her.

      Okay, you got me. I just wanted to say who I voted for and why.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Your support of Sierra is appreciated.

      2. ety

        Hm, I went Carla, Becky, Ruth, this time. Although Ruth’d probably be Marcie if I had voted a little later in the story. Sal’s one of my favorites, regardless, but she’s already at the top…

      3. Opus the Poet

        Dina, Marcie, and Leslie for me.

      4. Gamaran Sepudomyn

        Dina, Carla and Billie.

      5. Oberon

        After voting I realized that I voted for the two redheads. Probably because redhead. And natural redheads, if the freckles have anything to say about it. And I think Malaya? She’s drawn hot, so probably Malaya.

        Given that both redheads are lesbians, they were probably not the most wise of choices. From a “would have a chance with if they were not fictional” standpoint. But the poll was to pick the three hottest, so an accurate selection in any event.

        Sal wasn’t an option because she smokes, and I find that very unattractive. I don’t mind the occasional pot use, and I smoke a few cigars per year, but a cigarette is a completely different thing.

        1. Oberon

          Ah, I just noticed that my choices were highlighted. It was indeed Malaya.

      6. foamy

        Don’t blame me, I voted for Sarah!

    3. Reltzik

      I went Joyce, Sierra, and Leslie.

      I did not win the trifecta. Not by a long shot.

      Carla, Becky, Malaya, and Mary I rejected on grounds of obnoxious personality and behavior. (Yes, personality and behavior are part of my sexiness rubric.) Like ANY attempt to gauge how sexy someone is, this is purely the subjective opinion of the speaker (ie, me).

      Sal is almost made the cut. She’s physically pretty damn objectively hot… and her personality has some strong points… but she smokes cigarettes. That puts her at negative-jazillion sexiness points.

      Dina and Amber, personality-wise, are too passive for my tastes. I go for someone who compliments my own passivity, rather than amplifying it.

      Sarah, Ruth and Billie lose me on outlook. Dorothy kinda intimidates me.

      Of the remaining contenders, my preferred body type (yes, okay, I’m shallow, but we’re talking about sexiness, shallowness is expected) is tall and lithe. That rules out Marcie and Roz, and definitely puts Sierra in as a pick, with Leslie as a strong contender in the absence of more lithe people.

      For my third vote, I had left to pick between Joyce and Jocelyne. I went with Joyce because she has a certain fire to her.

    4. pjeseb

      Notice I said a majority, as in more than half. Not a plurality. I’m not surprised people find Sal hot, I’m just surprised by how much she smashed the competition.

      …although now that I looked at it carefully, it’s become painfully obvious that the total of all the percentages adds up to a lot more than 100%.

      1. ety

        Percentage of voters who voted for her. It threw me for a loop at first too. Every voter gets 3 votes though.

        1. ety

          also note that everyone who votes for her also has to vote for two people who are not her.

          Honestly, at this point even I don’t really know what I’m doing with the emphasis.

        2. trlkly

          So it should add up to 300%. So divide everything by 3.

          Also, I’m gonna tag in this post that I forgot to mention why I kept Billie: she looked the most real. I kept Joyce, too, but that’s not really a cheesecake pic.

          Basically, I went one personality, one purely physical, and one that’s both.

        3. ety

          Or apparently 253% and 14,529 votes with 5,740 voters… do you have to pick three?

    5. Freckles

      I went Sal, Becky and Marcie (Hot dang)

  21. JessWitt

    Riley! Wait why is she here anyway at such a late hour? Does Robin have custody of her?

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Cereal bribery.

    2. Orion Fury

      She was having trouble sleeping?

      1. JessWitt

        So she went to a late-night political rally. Yep, I’d probably sleep like a log, too.

    3. Norah

      I wonder if it’s something like the way Palin would have her family at the debates, even the little kids, and some of those debates would run until almost midnight in the time zone they were in.

      1. Kamino Neko

        It’s certainly that. All about the political show. Just like her studied, intentional unintelligibility.

        1. Reltzik

          Yup. We can see here that this is clearly staged.

          ….

          *absconds*

      2. Cerberus

        Gotta show those “family values” upfront and center even if it means treating your actual family like political props whose comfort and well-being always come second to the needs of the campaign.

  22. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    And thus began the legend of The Phantom of the Rally.

  23. pjeseb

    The alt-text made me realize something: none of the LGBT characters are in Leslie’s gender studies class.

    …except for Leslie. Obviously.

    1. Drs

      Is Roz not bisexual?

      1. Disloyal Subject

        I’m fairly certain she isn’t. We’ve only heard of her exploits with menfolk this far, I believe.

      2. Fart Captor

        Roz is straight. She said so explicitly when she threatened to make out with other girls to get out of being dragged to the rally

        1. Dana

          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/06-yesterday-was-thursday/out/

        2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Why didn’t she make the same threat for today? Because she doesn’t want Riley left alone with Robin?

        3. Fart Captor

          Robin must have called her bluff. Or just sat on her ’til she have in

        4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Gives Leslie an excuse. “I didn’t come here for the politics, I just wanted to see Roz smooching girls!”

          Daisy, of course, will miss seeing it because she is cursed by the goddesses.

      3. Sam

        She is not, she is very much straight – she would kiss girls to get out of doing stuff for Robin but she only seems interested in guys romantically and sexually.

    2. Cerberus

      Huh, yeah, that is true.

  24. Marvelman

    Why did I get a Trump ad when I loaded this page?

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Cash money.
      It’s one of the two things the toupee and its host have going for them.

      1. Jon Rich

        What’s the other? 100% name recognition right from the start? Or the fact that Trump’s one genuine talent is showmanship, and his second genuine talent is manipulating the press?

        Not in a conspiracy-theory way. More that he’s figured out that by spamming ludicrous statement after ludicrous statement, he’s basically dodging the fact-checkers by spamming them—the whole bit about a lie getting halfway around the world before the truth even gets its pants on.

        1. Willoughby Chase

          My theory is that the media have spent the last 30 years transforming themselves into infotainment bodies.

          They cannot begin to ask the right questions of Trump, because the candidates have previously come pre-packaged to be sensible and not lie so outrageously.

          The last time someone asked anyone asked any hard questions of a candidate was Katie Couric of Palin. Katie Couric is now Yahoo Global News Anchor.

          Even then, Palin forgot to lie so I’m unsure what Couric would do faced with Trump.

    2. Tjikicew

      http://trumpvsscience.com/
      Just throw some science at him.

  25. Megatron

    Real leaders don’t need teleprompter.

    1. SgtWadeyWilson

      Nope, they just need the previous leader to die or change sides. Also the ability to change into a sweet fighter jet.

      1. inqntrol

        I thought they only need good lackeys that won’t try to backstab them.

        1. Reltzik

          But then are they truly lackeys?

        2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Yes. They are wearing DeSanto livery. If they were wearing jumpsuits they would be minions. Henchmen wear sweaters and knitted caps.

    2. Orion Fury

      #DeSantoReadsManilyRemembers?

    3. Cybersnark

      You’re telling me Soundwave doesn’t scroll speeches on his chest?

  26. Adam Black

    Wasnt this supposed to be a midnight assembly?

    did they push it to dawn?

    1. Disloyal Subject

      No, it’s midnight. The lighting is from a spotlight pointed at the stage.

  27. Disloyal Subject

    Hm. Have Roz and Sal met? Will Roz recognize Sal on sight later? Will they have solidarity in three-letter names? Only time will tell.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      The tags say the only time they have been together in the main strip is once for a floor meeting. So they might know each other by sight, but not necessarily more than that.

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/03-answers-in-hennessy/other-guys/

      (They won’t have chatted in the elevator because Sal doesn’t do elevators.)

      1. Disloyal Subject

        She doesn’t really do chat either.

      2. John

        Sure she does. (Her roommate agreement forbids her usual method of leaving buildings.)

        1. vlademir1

          Pretty sure it technically forbids her from entering and exiting their room in such a manner, not the dorm nor other buildings as a whole. She could make use of Joyce’s and Sarah’s window for example, then enter her and Billie’s room via the shared bathroom.

        2. ety

          “you are no longer allowed to leave our room through the shared bath.”

  28. Griffin

    Seeing Robin in DoA again after reading a bunch of shortpacked is….odd…

  29. Reltzik

    …

    *twitch*

    …..

    DISPENSE! It’s “dispense with the fiction”. … or maybe “dispel the fiction”. But not “dispel with the fiction”.

    ….. actually, you can dispel a few things with fiction, but it’s clear from the context….

    …

    *TWITCHTWITCHTWITCH*

    1. SgtWadeyWilson

      Or maybe it’s: “dispense some fanfiction.” Hence Amber showing up.

      Dispel the fanfiction, on the other hand, is an impossible feat.

    2. Rosicrucian

      Bear in mind that Robin’s political career has generally been as a Sarah Palin-esque word salad wielder.

    3. Kamino Neko

      The fact that it’s a grammatical and lexical abomination is clearly deliberate. Robin’s going for the faux-folksy thing so many politicians have been running with these past couple decades.

      It’s more an unsuccessful ‘I’m uneducated and not too bright’ impression, than the ‘I’m down to earth, not an elitist’ intent, but…

      1. Kamino Neko

        (Ironically, if she just talked like herself, she’d look less dumb, but it would seem more affected.)

      2. Fart Captor

        I think there’s also a lot of “I’m tryin’ real hard to not use the word ‘ass’ a lot”

    4. trlkly

      Also bear in mind that everything else in that rendition was all folksy sounding.

    5. Reltzik

      Yes, I know it’s an affectation. THAT DOESN’T STOP IT FROM GETTING ON MY NERVES ARRRRRRGH!

    6. nobodybasically

      To anyone that doesn’t get the reference, it’s a near direct quote from Marco Rubio during one of the Republican primary debates for this year’s U.S. presidential election.

      Just replace “Dex Manley” with “Barack Obama” and you get a rehearsed statement Rubio repeated word-for-word at least three times in the same debate.

      1. Jon Rich

        ^This. I laughed when I saw the reference. Good one, Willis!

      2. Mara

        Thanks!
        I was wondering what had gotten into Robin.
        (As a European, I get only some of the allusions to US politics.)

      3. DSL

        Rubio’s repeitiveness reminded me of a ride operator at an amusement park as the coaster cars came back for the umpteenth time that day. I started to imagine I heard a “click” at the beginning and end of each of his statements.

        1. DSL

          *repetitiveness.

  30. tim gueguen

    So, who was Robin thinking about emulating by wearing a cape, a supervillain, or Rick Wakeman?

    1. Orion Fury

      Perhaps Ralph Hinkley?

  31. Kernanator

    It is weird to think that they operate in completely different spheres now.

  32. trlkly

    The title text describes why I had trouble getting into Shortpacked. I was expecting the same relationships from here.

  33. Joe Archer

    I wonder which of the two vigilantes drew the spotlight from Robin (literally – the spotlight chased Sal and AG, leaving Robin in the Dark)

    1. ety

      It sure looks like it’s centered on Sal.

  34. darkoneko

    You can run from Mama’rcie but you can’t hide, Sal.

  35. BenRG

    Poor Robin! Like her Walkyverse counterpart, it appears that she is an innocent abroad, ill-prepared and ill-suited for the rigours of adult life! She also clearly also has a deep-seated need to be a hero (or at least look like one).

  36. KSClaw

    That is the voice of a congressional aide, who is tired and just wants to go home at this point.

    1. ety

      I’m a little surprised he’s not phased at all by Sal and AG running through.

      1. BenRG

        Compared to the stuff that goes down on The Hill, a pair of costumed vigilantes crashing a rehearsal read-through is pretty mainstream and forgettable.

        1. Fart Captor

          Also, he works for Robin

        2. Orion Fury

          I think I may need to start watching C-Span more if ‘Costumed vigilantes crashing a rehearsal read-through’ is normal.

  37. maxyai

    Riley! When are we going to have another story arc with her? I demand more! MORE I SAY!

  38. Keulan

    I didn’t expect Sal and Amazi-Girl to run into Robin there, even though this is Robin’s political rally. And yeah, it is kinda weird that this is the first time Amber (sort-of because she’s in her Amazi-Girl persona) meets Robin in DoA.

  39. Bagge

    Awwwwww, Roz takes care of the sleeping Riley. Nice little sibling moment.

    1. Deanatay

      Well, horrible monsters like those DeSantos have to care for each other, right? No one else does.

      1. Bagge

        Mary?

        1. Willoughby Chase

          Mary might salute the DeSantos as objects, not sure she actually cares for them.

        2. ety

          Nah, She hates the DeSantos.

    2. ety

      It’s adorable.

  40. Liliet

    ROBIN IS ADORABLE OMG

  41. philip p petrunak

    Oh god. She looks like Sarah Palin. The nightmare is back.

  42. BenRG

    An alternative punchline from Robin would have been: “But who was that mysterious masked woman?”

    Meanwhile, as I suspected, Amazi-Girl has a GPS tracker on her ‘phone and she’s going to access it via Sal’s ‘phone (she may need to download the app first). All those amazing gadgets from the comic books of my childhood, like the tiny ‘Spider-Tracker’ from The Amazing Spider-Man are a mundane everyday reality now!

  43. Bicycle Bill

    That looks like a lot of space for a late-night campus rally and I’m afraid much of it going to be empty.  I know IU enrolls over 38K students (2016 statistics) but the question is how many are going to show up?  Remember, she has to be the “family values” candidate to most of the rest of her district, and that sort of position is a tough sell among the under-25 age group.

    My gut feeling is that she should have held her rally outside around the the Showalter Fountain as it would have attracted more attention from casual passers-by, or (if she had to be indoors) in the lobby/Hall of Murals.  Even if only a couple of hundred people showed up they would still have made the place look packed and given the impression in the news photos that she was wildly popular among the college crowd.

    1. Fart Captor

      That’s an easy fix. When they let everyone in to the auditorium, the staff will make sure they fill up the rows closest to the stage.

      Then, all they have to do is make sure not to show the empty rows in any videos or pictures they take. (this is something they do a LOT)

  44. vmgx

    I have a very strong love/hate relationship with this Robin. Also I love that she’s running against Manley in this universe cause then I don’t feel bad for the political losses of any of them, it’s sorta like a comedy slapstick fight. Well, until you realize that her terrible politics are affecting actual people’s lives in a probably bad way, then this all gets real sad.

    1. Heavensrun

      I suspect that she’s gonna go through a crisis of conscience after interacting with Leslie a bit more.

  45. Bunivasal

    All of her handlers and supporters appear to be generic white guys. That’s deliberate, right?

  46. Just Me

    I don’t understand the hover text, aside from a possible relevance to DoA, but not in terms of the whole Walky-multiverse.

    1. BenRG

      Robin and Amber were best friends in the Walkyverse; Robin even flirted with Amber a little! Yet, here in DoA, they’re about 10 years apart in age and strangers. What changes a different universe can make!

  47. Robert

    A little late in the campaign to make a Marco Rubio debate joke isn’t it?

    1. BenRG

      No-one really believed that Trump would be nominated. Hell, I’m not even sure he believed it!

  48. Sarah-2

    Hopefully Amazi-Amber has a find-my-phone app that she can erase her data remotely if they can’t catch up.

    I mean, Dorothy has a shot of him already and with any luck she’s backed up/clouded a mirror of her data so….. My current head canon wants this chase being more about pride. Oh and still beating the shit outta Ryan.

  49. DonDueed

    Why did Mr. and Mrs. Aide think it was a good idea to name their son “Congressional”?

    1. Cerberus

      Very specific but limited aspirations for their child’s future.

      1. Heavensrun

        That, or they wanted him to be the most ironically named POTUS ever.

    2. Dandi_Andi

      I am reasonably certain his parents named him Kyle.

      I knew a Kyle growing up. I think Congressional is better.

  50. Heavensrun

    So is Amazi-girl now gonna be the first woman DoA’s Robin ever crushed on?

  51. Heavensrun

    My expectation for this story arc: Just when AG/Amber starts to get over her fear/guilt over Sal, Sal catches on that she was the one that stabbed her hand and the roles flip.

    1. Spencer

      I’m not sure Amber/AG has let go of their hatred towards Sal, more that she’s had holes punctured into her views of Sal as an inhuman monster. It’s also possible that, as AG learns to humanize Sal, she starts to villainize Amber more and more.

      But as for Sal finding out, hell yes. I hope that happens by the end of this storyline.

      1. Heavensrun

        First off, I don’t think she views sal as an inhuman monster. I think she’s demonized herself more. I think her confrontations against Sal were always more about her wanting Sal to beat -her- up, rather than her beating Sal up.

        But regardless, I said “starts to”. ;p

        1. Spencer

          I’m not too sure. She was very vocal about her hatred for Sal towards Danny, and her justification for stalking her was based on how much she took from Amber/AG.

          I believe, at the very least, that now the focus is on having to box Amber out because Amber is the monster now that Sal is possibly no longer a convenient target for Amber’s self loathing, but we’ll see.

    2. Willoughby Chase

      Amazigirl will let it slip at some stage. Then fireworks will ensue.

      I hope that something better emerges from the wreckage, but, as this is a Willis universe, it will be enigmatic, and possibly ambiguous as to what it foreshadows.

  52. Oberon

    What exactly is up with the words on the teleprompter? Regardless of whether they are supposed to be a question from the audience, or the Congresswoman’s words, they seem to be a bit out of place as the framing of a political policy question. Or answer. Ar anything, really.

    1. trlkly

      It’s a folksy version of a prepared response that was actually used by a candidate in the U.S. election. In fact, he used it multiple times, and the other candidate made fun of him for it, and then he did it again.

    2. DSL

      So, a realistic portrayal of a politician’s statements. “In (something that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike an) answer to your question, let me just say that … “

    3. (((Mkvenner)))

      You don’t follow politics do you.

      1. trlkly

        They could also just not be an American.

        1. (((Mkvenner)))

          American doesn’t have a monopoly on politicking.

        2. trlkly

          No, but we do do politics differently.

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