241

Emphatically
Posted on October 18, 2022 by David M Willis

241 thoughts on “Emphatically”

  1. darkoneko

    No one cares, Carla…

    1. C.T. Phipps

      “EVERYONE CARES!”

      1. Bryy

        Carla is THAT student.

        1. Harmony

          Somebody once asked Carla what her spirit animal was. She answered Ferrari.

        2. Sajuuk-Khar

          And she was right.

    2. The Oracle

      Carla cares enough to compensate for everyone else.

  2. Ana Chronistic

    She: “WITNESS ME”
    They: “MEDIOCRE”

    (I would draw this but eh)

    1. Lokitsu

      Carla had better be careful. She’s only a few more outbursts away from Oompa-Loompas singing.

    2. Rose by Any Other Name

      “Look at me!”
      /Arin Hanson

  3. The Wellerman

    Booster’s Twin uses Silence!

    It’s extremely effective!!!

    Speaking of turn based battles, today’s Dina’s birthday in comic, and to celebrate I’m releasing a really special dinosaur-themed game today!!!

    Stay tuned!!! ?

    1. The Wellerman

      Progress so far:

      https://twitter.com/NGtheWelllerman/status/1582235124287950849

      1. Bryy

        It’s goddamn fantastic.

      2. Amós Batista

        Ohh

      3. The Wellerman

        welp looks like it might be coming tomorrow ?

        hopefully Dina doesn’t mind a slightly belated birthday gift

        1. The Wellerman

          Aaaaannd…. DONE!!!!

          https://gx.games/games/v5xb5y/totally-dumb-dino-cards-/tracks/88ec830e-b870-45c9-85ff-cc017c4c9bf3

          This does not count as a late birthday gift and you cannot prove otherwise!

        2. The Wellerman

          https://gx.games/games/v5xb5y/totally-dumb-dino-cards-

          THIS is the right link!

  4. DailyBrad

    I know it’s obnoxious, but it’s also really cute, Carla’s expressive pouting about all this.

    1. Sajuuk-Khar

      She’s got the same energy as a cat determinedly getting up on the counter and huffing quietly and angrily every time you move them off said counter.

      Yeah, they need to not be on the counter, but they’re beautiful and important.

      1. Imogen

        Agreed.

      2. Joy

        So true 😀

    2. Nono

      It’s not cute when Walky or Joyce do it, so I don’t find it cute when Carla does it.

      1. Seralyna

        it’s cute when all of them do it

        1. DailyBrad

          Yep. It’s a webcomic, we could stand to lighten up a little bit sometimes.

    3. Taffy

      I agree, she’s friggin’ adorable here, as per usual. Love some Big Personality Carla.

    4. Joy

      I agree. :3

  5. Kravis

    Carla is added “fuck you”.

  6. Schpoonman

    May or may not be tangoing with Covid (fuck off, I’m fine), so I didn’t bother reading any of yesterdays comments. Whoever Booster’s-potentially-not-sibling is (I think they mentioned a sister at some point?), I adore and applaud the way they’re handling Carla right now.

    1. Laura

      If well-wishes would be welcome, you have mine.
      If not, please ignore.

      1. Needfuldoer

        And my axe.

        1. Clif

          And my …

          Oh, wait! That’s not mine. How did that get there?
          Anyway, get better.

    2. Taffy

      More to your point, I’m curious whether this is an intentional snub, if she’s(?) not paying attention regardless, or if there’s something else going on.

      That said, I don’t think anyone really has a responsibility to care even a little bit just because some random is being the loudest kid in class. It was really common in my schools to just let the loudmouth be loud and carry on as normal. They’d eventually settle down, so it’s not like anything was super disrupted.

  7. RassilonTDavros

    Calling it now, Boosister was specifically warned to avoid interacting with Carla at all costs.

    1. UrsulaDavina

      Has Booster interacted with Carla I cannot remember and if they have.

      1. bladeglory

        [Booster psychoanalyzing everybody in the room]
        Carla: Ooh! Oooh! Me next! Do me!
        Booster: No.

        1. UrsulaDavina

          I doubt Booster would have warned their sibling (if this is Booster’s sibling) beacuse I doubt Booster cared enough to acknowledge Carla. I would personally acknowledge Carla for many reasons foremost its polite to do so and I don’t want to be on her radar to be pranked.

    2. Thag Simmons

      Maybe they’re just quiet in general. Booster talks enough for two people

  8. Dave Van Domelen

    “This is my emotional support egomania.”

  9. Jenniffniff

    Carla’s got a long semester ahead of her.

    1. anon

      well, maybe by the time she fully graduates she’ll learn the world doesn’t revolve around her

      …and then she inherits her parents company/becomes the next Ruttech CEO and her ego will skyrocket back up

      1. eh, whatever

        She knows full well the world doesn’t revolve around her. She just pretends otherwise as a way of seizing control of the narrative – the best defense is a good offense, she figures.

        1. Ed Callahan

          She knows much of the world loathes the fact she exists so she rubs their collective faces in it. Look at her “completely ridiculous” revenge on Mary last semester.

        2. Joy

          The context makes me feel happy when she gets self important.

  10. Imogen

    I don’t understand people who hate Carla.

    (and I don’t really need to, so take it somewhere else, friends.)

    1. Sajuuk-Khar

      Cosigned

      1. Taffy

        Triplicated with great vigor.

    2. anon

      she’s entertaining as a chara, but irl she’d prolly be exhausting to be around esp if you’re also that age. Though i think some ppl might also get into physical fights if she prodded them enough (not that i condone violence but plenty of ppl will start fights over nothing), or try to deflate her by being like “Sorry, my crippling depression and anxiety is too overwhelming to appreciate anyone right now” I’d assume carla would have empathy for ppl like that in a social circle but if someone that’s fairly a stranger says that i’d think most ppl would wanna keep their distance

      1. RowenMorland

        Dangit anon, you used the chara shortening yesterday on the thread that started with “a wild Booster appears” and now I’m default reading it like its short for Charizard rather than character today.

        1. eh, whatever

          Boosister

      2. Imogen

        Well, she’s a cartoon character, and doesn’t exist in real life, so it’s kind of moot. Dumbing of Age features exaggerated, larger-than-life characters. It’s a bit more grounded than Shortpacked, but not by as much as I think some people think. 😛

        (That said, I really struggled to like Lucy for a while because she reminded me of a former roommate, so I do understand not being about to separate a character from one’s associations.)

      3. Joy

        Personally I’d see us being friends. I like having friends that actually like themselves. (I have had to deal with a lot of self loathing from people who would get angry with me for being confident and that’s not a good friendship fit for me.)

        1. StClair

          Funny thing*, narcissists only present as liking themselves. As we see here, there’s a void of insecurity inside them that demands constant attention and/or approval.

          * not actually funny.

        2. Tan

          It is possible to both like oneself AND be insecure. The human brain contains multitudes. Also, Carla is a ‘narcissist’ in much the same way someone who prefers a tidy home is ‘OCD’, which is to say, not.

        3. Imogen

          ^^^

        4. StClair

          As I said below: IMO she didn’t act like one in the past, which is why it’s weird that she is now. (And “because it’s funny” is not, still IMO, good or sufficient reason.)

    3. Florence

      I was initially annoyed about purposely making noises in the hall during the prank wars but that’s cause of my own highschool trauma, otherwise I love her

      She’s great in the sense she’s an asshole but also has a heart of gold

      I hope she gets a story about her soon

      1. Clif

        We aren’t getting a story about her now?

        1. Scoops!

          But there’s other people in this story! That are taking valuable attention away from Carla!

        2. Sajuuk-Khar

          REMOVE THEM AT ONCE

        3. Taffy

          Ms. Bean, send them to the dean’s office and have them expelled!

        4. Florence

          Bits aren’t storyline’s!!!!

          Serious answers: I guess I hope it’s more meaningful than bits and where her stuff isn’t just compliments to other storyline’s

    4. Needfuldoer

      Her schtick is endearing in small doses, but it wears out its welcome kinda quickly.

      Maybe Carla can have some more character development this semester, as a treat.

    5. zee

      Eh, she’s a lil annoying but fun

      1. zee

        Tbh i can’t really bring myself to hate anyone in this comic except the intended villains. And amber/mazi. I’ve tried and I’m just never gonna grow past that one i guess.
        They’re all just dumbass teens/early 20somethings doing dumbass shit. As an early 20something i also do dumbass shit, so i get it. They’re not awful they’re just learning

    6. Carla's #2 Fan

      I obviously agree with you. I enjoy her, she’s cute and bold and smart!

  11. Ty34er

    There is a surprising amount of cleavage for both overalls and a hockey jersey

    1. Taffy

      Sometimes, a cleavage must occur to maintain The Balance.

    2. PirateTawnee

      Carla is just that amazing, she contains multitudes!

    3. Andy

      That’s not a hockey jersey. It’s a jersey-styled long-sleeved shirt. The only Leafs jersey with grey sleeves is their retro reverse, and that doesn’t have neck laces, elbow stripes, or sleeves that are grey all the way around.

  12. Buli-buli

    Is she just that good at not reacting to Carla?
    Or is she deaf?

    1. anonymsly

      If she’s Booster’s twin, she’s had a lifetime masterclass of Ignoring Your Shit.

      1. MegaBee

        *applause*

    2. UrsulaDavina

      I think the person in question may be deaf even if they can read lips Carla does not seem to be facing their eyeline when she speaks.

      Also if there is an interpreter I am pretty sure Carla has not noticed or they use their phone or laptop or the classmate hasn’t shown up until now.

      1. Rabid Rabbit

        Also, it would suit Willis to introduce a deaf character other than member-of-the-weirdo-cult-that-is-Jennifer’s-current-dorm, just for all the potential Marice shenanigans.

    3. anon

      that’s possible but her head is turned in both panels so she’s looking at /acknowledging something/someone else maybe

    4. Joy

      She’s probably deaf, i don’t know for sure yet of course.

  13. I Know Why the Mowed Lawn Screams

    Carla’s look of genuine pride in being called “added value” just tickles my funny bone, like this is just some classic sitcom goofiness.

    1. Joy

      She’s so cute. :3

  14. Suet

    Added value? Sounds taxing.

    1. J. L. Brown

      I liked ‘Boosis’ when I first saw it — but it has since fallen a bit flat. I am switching to mentally referring to Booster’s Sister by your label ‘Sooster’. Please award yourself one internet.

  15. Sajuuk-Khar

    It’s okay, Carla! I know you’re added value! You’re the most added value possible!

    (also she’s super hot in panel 4, damn girl)

    1. Taffy

      (Okay good, someone else noticed.)

    2. Wereg

      Real talk, when isn’t she super hot?

      1. Sajuuk-Khar

        She’s baseline very hot, but super hot is only on special occasions when the light fully reflects her magnificences.

  16. Laura

    Whatever the reasons behind Boosister’s not responding to Carla’s demands, it’s not Boosister’s responsibility to give Carla the external validation she craves.

    Or, in the words of another famous badasse redhead,
    “Not everything is about you, Mulder. This is my life.”

    1. Laura

      (I say this as a fellow external-validation craver.
      Not everything is about me.)

    2. Sirksome

      Don’t think she even needs a reason. No offense to Carla but if someone in the class was obnoxiously talking about how awesome they were I wouldn’t be paying much attention to them either. If Carla wants engagement from Boosister she should maybe introduce herself and ask to talk.

      1. UrsulaDavina

        That or they may literally be deaf which thus Carla doesnt know everything and thus encourage Carla to learn ASL, to show her supremecy then only to find outt they primarily use LSE. Thus again Carla does not know everything.

        1. Sirksome

          Now I gotta scrub through Booster’s archive to see if they ever hinted at their twin being deaf.

        2. Sirksome

          Meh, all I could find was the twin does exist and I guess she once played a Nintendo Switch. A Switch that apparently wasn’t cleaned an entire winter break.

        3. UrsulaDavina

          Well thanks for taking the time to do so

        4. MacareuxMoine

          LSE = Spanish Sign Language
          (just in case anyone else wonders)

      2. Laura

        Exactly.

  17. Sirksome

    Added value but how much is negligible.

  18. RacingTurtle

    Fine just throw another not-entirely healthy ship right into my head, why don’t you

    1. Rabisch

      I know right!?

  19. BBCC

    XD Oh lord. Yeah, Carla needs her attention fix.

  20. Diane

    She’s added value like how Joe was added value. As use as an example. I’ll give Carla she’s a bit more of a positive example, but…

  21. NinjaNick

    Panel four Carla = through the roof value.

  22. y3k

    A good source of 3 vitamins and minerals.

  23. Doom Shepherd

    Weird that my comments go I nto moderation when I use my iPhone, but not my iPad.

  24. UrsulaDavina

    One peave about Carla’s Carla please refer to Leslie as Proffesor, or Dr.Bean if she has her PhD or Leslie if she has allowed their name. i hate when students use teacher it seems juvenile and kind of shows a lack of respect.

    1. Insanenoodlyguy

      This ship has long sailed.

    2. UrsulaDavina

      * Carla’ behavoir
      **allowed the use of
      ***I

      Also this is a peave of mine it doesn’t reflect on all educators. I just think it seems more proffesional at a collegiate level to use said titles or first names since we all are adults.

      Also I am not European so the title of Professor is used for staff regardless of training hence MAs and PhDs may use the title of proffespr while I know in other parts of the world Proffesor is a title onto itself.

      1. LiamKav

        Huh, I never realised that “professor” is used differently in the US. (According to wikipedia, “professor” is how it’s used in this context, but “Professor” would be the same as how it’s used in other countries.)

        Also, whilst there is definitely an unconcious gender bias in how professional women tend to be called by their first name whereas men get their title (it primarily is an issue amoungst medical doctors, but academics get it too), Leslie did start her first class with “you can call me Leslie”.

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/02-uphill-from-here/gender/

    3. Taffy

      Leslie’s always been pretty lax about formalities in her classroom. I doubt it bothers her overmuch.

    4. SuperZero

      Gasp. You think Carla sounds juvenile? How could that be.

      1. Taffy

        She’s always been such a formal and dainty lady in the past.

      2. UrsulaDavina

        I know she’s not it’s just something that annoys me thus the whole rant.

        1. Nova

          No it’s not that, it’s that she’s literally aiming at being juvenile in that moment. “Teacherrrr” is a childish and tropey thing to say and she’s doing it on purpose.

          For the memes.

    5. Nono

      Leslie’s 24, 25? Not impossible to get a PhD at that age but she’d have to be pretty laser focused for it.

      1. Taffy

        Dr. Thomas “Tommy” Oliver managed to get a doctorate in paleontology by the age of 25, as well as a teaching job. And this is after he spent basically all of high school fighting monsters in a giant dragon robot. If he can do it, Leslie can.

    6. anon

      some college professors might not care. or maybe it’d just sound a bit silly calling her Ms/Dr. Bean (surprised that name wasn’t changed for this comic versus shortpacked)

      1. Nova

        And today is when I realised that her name is Les Bean.

    7. Joy

      I don’t agree.

    8. v.gay.person

      Not once in all my 10 years at uni have I ever heard any of my lecturers referred to by their surnames or title….

      … Granted I am in Australia where we’re more likely to call someone “oiconga” than use honorifics..

  25. Mr. Random

    Is she deaf?

    That’s not a joke, I’m genuinely wondering if she’s deaf.

    1. True Survivor

      I was just wondering that as well.

    2. Sirksome

      Must one be deaf to ignore Carla? I’d argue Carla is making enough of a fuss even a deaf person would notice.

    3. anon

      i wonder if she has bad peripheral vision too b/c carla did wave her hand too even if not super ‘in your face’ (at least from that angle), so unless you’re trained for that, it’d be hard to not ignore that if only looking for a second and making an annoyed face before looking away

    4. Keulen

      Either deaf, or really good at ignoring somebody who wants to be the center of attention in a room.

    5. Rabisch

      Dunno, but if she’s really Booster’s sister I wonder if her not noticing Carla is involved in Booster’s ability to analyse others. Maybe Boosister was the quiet child no one was able to understand except her sibling.

  26. Reltzik

    So, are we allowed to name this ship before we even know Boosister’s name or know a single thing more about her?

    1. Taffy

      I think that, morally, we have a duty to. Maybe “Added Value”? IDK how ship names work nowadays.

      1. Nova

        Ship Name: Teacherrrrrrrrr

  27. drs

    I wonder if Carla, like Joyce, is being moved from “funny character quirks” to “needs psych evaluation”. As a comic strip punchline she’s kind of funny, but imagine being in a classroom where a complete stranger, older than the age of six, starts acting like this…

    1. Taffy

      Sometimes a person is Loud without “needing psych evaluation”, and we don’t need to go that route all the time, sometimes.

    2. anon

      Maybei t’s not to the same extent as Jennifer’s parents but while carla seemingly likes/gets along with her family, maybe their jobs being so “important” and basically being the in universe equivalent of Apple(?), that she still had some times where she didn’t get to spend too much time with them growing up so she became a bit of an attention seeker but not crossing the line of ‘acting out’

      1. thejeff

        It couldn’t possibly be any kind of defense mechanism related to being trans.

        1. Nova

          Noooo of course not. Don’t you know that you’re not allowed to consider the history of any character in DoA before making judgements about them?

        2. The Oracle

          History? That’s when all the bad stuff happened, so American culture dictates we forget it so we won’t have to feel bad for two seconds.

        3. Blume

          She’s totally not joking, this is definitely not a defense mecchanism, and we should take this very seriously!

        4. Taffy

          The stakes could not possibly be higher.

    3. Eldritchy

      Definitely smells of Narcissism.

    4. Andy

      I’m not saying it’s impossible that she’d have managed her transition without being avaluated, but I do find it unlikely. It’s a process that tends to require lots of therapy and evaluation to make sure that the person really does want to transition.

    5. Needfuldoer

      Carla defends herself from bigotry by putting up an obnoxious front so she can control the discourse around her. If people dislike her for what she does (something she can control), they won’t have the mental bandwidth to hate her for who she is (which she can’t control).

      We’ve seen hints at who she is behind the mask, for example back when she was trying to soothe Ruth’s depression.

      1. Wraithy2773

        Aye, that does seem like what she does…

        …well, with a certain amount of “also she just has fun doing this” tossed in…

        But the problem with that mindset is that it’s a very aggressive form of defense. It’s basically like a pre-emptive first strike. And while I’m sympathetic to her desire to pre-empt any assholes that do go after her, I also sympathize with those with no desire to deal with Carla’s attitude being forced to, like if they’re in a class with her and she won’t put the brakes on.

        1. thejeff

          True. That her obnoxiousness is a defense mechanism doesn’t make it not obnoxious.
          But it’s something we should consider when trying to understand the character.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Yeah, that strategy is built on a foundation of “they’re going to have a negative opinion of me anyway, but at least I can control the reason why!”

          Other people hating you isn’t a foregone conclusion, Carla. :\

        3. Taffy

          If other people hating someone isn’t a foregone conclusion, then how come [all of recorded human history]?

        4. thejeff

          Nah, it’s just lived experience.

    6. Joy

      I feel like you’re being sanist, and ignoring the context that Carla is in your face and annoying because people hate that she exists and would expect her to be perfect otherwise. She acts this way in response to an overwhelming power dynamic, and it lets her maintain control and relative safety. Just let her have this.

    7. Twitcher

      We are to presume that Carla got outed by a magazine, right? Maybe she learned that [i]any[/i] attention, even notoriety, can be turned into a positive experience if you just believe in yourself hard enough, or at least, that’s what she tells herself.

      1. thejeff

        She was in Time, I believe, but I don’t think that was specific outing. She was a news story, probably well beyond that. It was her case that Jacob’s brother was involved with that won some unspecified level of trans rights in Indiana.

  28. anon

    wait ,why does ruth’s top have those criss cross strings? seems like it’d come undone in the laundry or rip apart unless it was a a bigger size for her chest and ahe sewed it together a bit closer (tho i suppose there are weirder/more impractical fashion tops lol)

    1. pope suburban

      It looks to be a vintage style jersey, which would have laces at the neck. Not sure why, but that’s how they were cut back in the day.

      1. Fay

        Originally the jerseys were made out of wool and had the drawstring so you could loosen it to get it over your head or helmet and then tighten it afterwards. With modern materials, the drawstring is mostly just for show or because of tradition.
        I think it’d mostly done because it makes the hockey jerseys more distinctive, imo.

    2. Sirksome

      Eh, pretty sure that’s just a Leaf’s jersey. They got drawstrings on ‘em. Don’t know if this link will work but here’s what one looks like:

      https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=FCwhDPCE&id=D6FCAF59CD9FDE48E8657C4312BDE7DE75B79D36&thid=OIP.FCwhDPCEYG_zyGGRjaoCXwHaHw&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi5.walmartimages.com%2Fasr%2Fa6b75462-a917-47b8-ac46-72459197e096.a6cb62ac0fc451b28e7659bf736c72a6.jpeg&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth.bing.com%2Fth%2Fid%2FR.142c210cf084606ff3c861918daa025f%3Frik%3DNp23dd7nvRJDfA%26pid%3DImgRaw%26r%3D0&exph=1960&expw=1872&q=leafs+jersy&simid=608027542668469791&form=IRPRST&ck=4E5DDA5EB7EC564E6358B5C52709E657&selectedindex=31&vt=4&sim=11

      1. anon

        i’m used to only seeing ‘drawstrings’ on shirts like those that have hoods/more practical but yeah, nice detail/commitment to accuracy then lol

      2. Andy

        It’s a jersey-styled shirt. The Leafs have never had a jersey like that (though they did have one matching the jersey Ruth wore on her date), and some shirts are made to look similar to jerseys with neck laces.

    3. Needfuldoer

      It suits her, either way.

    4. Joy

      I wear shirts with those criss cross strings! They’re a lot more comfortable than my regular shirts and help support my bust.

  29. Josh Spicer

    Alright now they’re just purposely ignoring Carla.

    (or looking for something [or someone {HOW DEEP CAN THESE BRACKETS GO}])

    1. Clif

      [[[(((… All the way down …)))]]]

  30. RowenMorland

    No mention of Roz today, even though Carla is basically running some of her lines?

    1. Taffy

      This ain’t about her.

    2. Dave

      I was gonna say, if memory serves Roz got reprimanded by Leslie for taking pretty much the same tact as Carla is. I don’t get why Leslie now approves of students saying “I have nothing to learn and am better than you” when she didn’t last semester?

      1. Taffy

        It’s been like five seconds. Let’s at least let class start before we decide Leslie’s completely changed her mind on stuff.

      2. Daibhid C

        Well, so far Carla hasn’t said she’s inherently better than some homeschooled religious kid because that kid doesn’t already know this stuff (but is trying to learn). Nor has she shouted Leslie down on the subject.

        I mean, I think this is setting up a “Since you already know all this…” trap, but different students call for different approaches.

        1. Dave

          To be specific, the strips I’m referring to are here and here. This was before Becky re-enters the strip and Roz goes nuclear in making an ass of herself (and a certain drum-based word filter got introduced as a consequence of the comment section that day).

        2. Sirksome

          Hmmm. This does really look like Leslie reacting differently to the same situation. Could be a lot of reasons. Maybe she learned something from the Roz situation and decided that dressing down the know it all students isn’t the best approach to teach the material? Maybe Carla just has more swag and pulled off being arrogant with more charisma?

        3. thejeff

          I think that scene with Roz was also farther into the semester and Leslie’s had more of a chance to know where she stood. They’d already had the thing with Robin and the sex tape.
          Leslie also almost certainly knows Carla’s trans, which adds a different take to it. There really is stuff in the class that Carla will know better from personal experience than Leslie does. Which wasn’t really true of Roz.

        4. Rogue 7

          Honestly, I hope Leslie doesn’t give Carla a pass just because she’s trans. Carla undoubtedly knows a lot about gender, well more than most. But she’s definitely also got her blind spots that stem from being a child of supportive billionaires…on top of the whole “still either 19 or 20 and thinks she knows more than she does” that’s common to everyone at that age.

      3. Fay

        If I remember correctly, Carla’s family is responsible for getting an anti-transgender law overturned in some landmark legal case. So, like, she does have a bit more of a justification to her “I know more than the rest of you” stance than Roz did.

      4. Joy

        The difference is that she actually does know things that the teacher doesn’t and has studied this on her own time out of necessity and not just to feel like she’s right on twitter. It’s entirely possible she doesn’t have that much to learn, or that the only parts she would struggle with are the intersectionality between gender and race.

        1. thejeff

          I suspect there’s still a lot of other stuff she’d need to learn. Or learn on a deeper level. You don’t necessarily understand how sexism really works in society just because you’re a woman, even if you’ve got a head start over men.
          Or as others have said, how it all intersects with poverty.

    3. Sajuuk-Khar

      Excuse you, Roz was using Carla’s lines, which is why they hit badly.

      From Carla they’re good and perfect, like Carla is.

      1. Joy

        This!

      2. RowenMorland

        Yes, that is a fair rebuttal.

    4. Needfuldoer

      We’ll have to see if Carla keeps pressing, like Roz did.

      1. Dave

        In total fairness to Roz (which is a weird sentence to type, but still), Roz only said “I had to evacuate after the fire alarm got pulled, but I don’t need the textbook for this class so it’s fine.” Leslie then pressed her on it, to turn that statement into a teachable moment. Four consecutive strips were spent on it! It just seems weird that this was worth making a point about during the previous batch of students, but apparently not worth even bothering with now. More than that, even, since Leslie is now encouraging someone declaring “I already know everything about this course.”

        AND YET, in total fairness to the storyline, the parallel is so absolutely identical in phrasing between Roz and Carla (right down to someone else declaring that Roz/Carla thinks she knows everything about the course already and Roz/Carla claiming they don’t need their textbook) that I assume it was done deliberately and we’ll see the tonal dissonance addressed eventually. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth thinking about in the meantime!

        1. Dave

          Wait, no, I was wrong, it’s already been answered that Carla is exempt from believing that she has any growth or learning to do! Which is…kind of an obnoxious trait, in a comic where literally every character is meant to be coming of age and correcting misconceptions and growing as a person and etc etc.

          And it’s frustrating, because I LIKE Carla! I have no problem with her being full of herself! Hell, I don’t WANT her getting “comeuppance” for being self-absorbed, because it’d be tonally weird and uncomfortable for that to happen just because she has self-confidence! But it feels like a cheapening of her as a character if she’s purposely written stepping on the same rakes that other characters did, in a college class, where she’s meant to be encouraged to keep learning, but somehow she has an everything-proof force field that exempts her from learning and her professor of all people encourages this and ajh-JWmkf;f,,.;l’;3,IOPKJnm;,l this doesn’t REALLY matter but it rubs me the wrong way regardless!!!

        2. Dave

          Whoops, wrong email ?

  31. Florence

    Boosters sister is the opposite to booster, refuses to engage with everyone on any level but like boosters attempt to engage on every level fails at this

    Carla wants more!!!!!

    (I ship it)

    (I know Carla is asexual but is she aromantic?)

    (If that’s the case I friend ship it)

    1. Needfuldoer

      If Carla is consistent with Walkyverse! Ultra Car, she is not aromantic.

      1. Florence

        Then back to the ship until otherwise!!!!

  32. bagge

    did carla just got volnteered for ta?

    1. Taffy

      Don’t tell Sal.

  33. PirateTawnee

    Panel 4 is my favourite panel of the entire comic thus far.

  34. Rikunda

    Odd. Booster didn’t get a tag. Also Carla is about to learn about pronouns.

    1. Taffy

      Who said that was Booster?

    2. anon

      ppl yesterday in the comments were mentioning it’s possibly booster’s sister, or someone that happens to look a lot like them

      other than nonbinary being a fairly new concept in their universe i’d assume carla would’ve researched others besides the one she transitioned to/identifies as. and idk how close malaya was but she did introduce herself to booster as “she/they/whatever” so maybe she used some gender neutral pronouns around carla

      1. Fay

        Based on the “gender is bullshit” conversation Carla had with Malaya, I feel like it’d be really weird for Carla to have a problem with someone being non-binary or using pronouns other than he or she.

    3. Bryy

      Uh, do you not know who Carla is?

      1. Freezer

        Perhaps they mean “other people’s pronouns?”

        Maybe?

      2. thejeff

        If not, Carla will be glad to inform them.

        But seriously, if they took that character to actually be Booster, then the comment sort of makes sense, since Booster isn’t a “her”.

    4. Alex

      I do think it’s interesting that this person was initially a gender neutral freshperson and is now “her”.

  35. Dara

    I used to wear my hair exactly the way Carla is wearing her hair here. She’s got it all at the best length, which in my case is a pain in the ass to maintain because of how fast my hair grows.

    (Eventually I got sick of bangs and grew them out. I keep thinking of going back to them. This strip tempts me. A lot.)

  36. Eldritchy

    For being an engineer it’s odd that Carla built her sense of self-worth on the foundation of quicksand…

    1. thejeff

      You build your self-worth on the foundation you’ve got.

  37. StClair

    While I’ve previously found her entertaining and/or refreshingly to-the-point (engineer, problem-solver), her behavior in these last few strips is hitting on all the reasons why I am DONE with narcissists, especially rich ones.

    1. Nova

      The number of people who think “being obnoxious and pleased with oneself” is the same as “actual narcissism” is weirdly high.

      1. The Oracle

        But if we don’t pathologize good self-esteem, how will we keep the other poppies from getting too tall?

        1. Joy

          Liking yourself is wrong because I don’t like myself and i envy you /s

          (sorry for the accidental flagging, i was trying to hit reply on mobile)

        2. thejeff

          Of course, the number of people who think “being obnoxious and pleased with oneself” is the same as “good self-esteem” is also weirdly high.

        3. Nova

          Did I say “good self-esteem”? Weird, must be in invisible ink.

        4. StClair

          IMO, people who actually have good self-esteem just… have it. They don’t require (or loudly demand) external validation.
          One of those “if you have to say something, you actually aren’t” things.

        5. StClair

          Continuing, after further reflection:

          And in the past, Carla has (IMO) demonstrated that sort/level of self-esteem. Which makes her current behavior… kind of bizarre, arguably out of character, and apparently just for the sake of some low-effort comedy.
          I don’t like it. More of the Carla we had before, please.

      2. Blume

        I seriously just think she’s joking??? I do the same thing, it’s more like a defense mechanism rather than genuinely believing it. You say because you don’t believe it

  38. Amós Batista

    It’s ok, Carla. I used to show me off to my teachers too, because I got good grades and I was a good children.

  39. Mister Gray

    she’s dressed like mario, all she needs is a hat and mustache and it’s complete.

    1. The Oracle

      She also needs to be about half her current height, to get fully in-character.

  40. Rabisch

    Carla must stop to be so obsessed with the mystery new girl or people will start ship them. Oh no…. it’s to late… I ship them! I see Carla try harder and ardent to gain her attention without results and start to question how great she is. I see the doubt growing in her mind!

  41. Pylgrim

    A very overdue foil to Carla. Thank Willis.

  42. Rogue 7

    1) Carla is fundamentally a good person, but stars and stones, I’d hate to have to deal with her every day. Making everything about her is super obnoxious.
    2) I think it’s interesting that Leslie isnt pushing back on Carla the way she did for Roz. Carla being Trans most definitely means she knows more about gender studies than most folks, but she’s also got supportive parents who are incredibly rich. One of the big things we know Leslie emphasized last semester was homeless LGBT folks, an area she undoubtedly knows more about than Carla.

    1. thejeff

      Yeah, there are definitely things Carla will learn, but there’s also more she knows about that Leslie would only know academically than was true for Roz.

  43. AlaninDC

    Sweet Jeezus, how do her parents put up with her?

    1. Taffy

      What a weird thing to say.

    2. Needfuldoer

      She knows they love her unconditionally, so they’re exempt from the Carla Schtick.

    3. The Oracle

      Probably because the alternative is abandonment. Would you stop “putting up with” your kid if they were obnoxious as a teen/young adult?

    4. Joy

      There are far worse things a transgender child can be than self obsessed. (Dead, suicidal, depressed, impoverished…) I assume they simply live her unconditionally and don’t think of her as someone to put up with.

    5. Lan

      From how Carla responded to Ruth threatening to rat her out to her parents (hiding in her room) for being obnoxious (trying to tell joyce that becky and dina had s3x), I’m guessing they probably don’t see this side of her as much

  44. Wraithy2773

    Yeah, I really hope that Leslie’s setting Carla up for a humbling.

    I mean, it’s not a great look for a teacher to do that, but it’s a hell of a lot better than validating and approving of a student’s unabashed narcissism and self-obsession like today’s comic appears on the surface to be.

    Carla’s antics can be fun, but really only if there’s no victims (…beyond Mary). And that’s generally been the case so far, but it’s gotten REAL close to that line, and once she goes over it, the antics can quickly go from “amusing” to “exhausting”…

    1. The Oracle

      Carla’s antics are extremely low-stakes, completely victimless, and entirely devoid of harm. “Humbling” her would be completely ridiculous and would make Leslie come across as downright childish.

      1. Rogue 7

        I feel like a “humbling” in the sense of “look, you’re a college sophomore. You don’t know as much as you think you do”, is very much part of the job description for a college professor. Getting Carla to recognize that isn’t childish at all, it’s what she’s here for.

        1. Wraithy2773

          Particularly when someone is claiming that they know everything there is to know about Gender Studies because they’re trans.

          She’s got a hell of a leg up, certainly, through her personal experience. But that does not mean she knows even most of the course.

    2. Alex

      She handled it pretty well when Roz thought the same thing.

    3. Lex

      I really hope so. Carla’s antics are occasionally amusing and I appreciate that there are layers to her character, but good grief she can be super annoying. I think it’s entirely possible for Leslie to humble Carla in a gentle teachable moment way, and that there are multiple intersectional angles to tackle it from. Both socioeconomic class and race both seem like good ways to remind Carla that while she may know a lot about the trans experience, she 100% is still a very privileged person.

  45. Grayfinity

    /jk

    No, Carla, you’re just a diminishing return. Value is filling your slots with something else other than your main ability.

    /jk

  46. Pagannerd

    (tilts head) Oh, this is what passes for crush behaviour in Carla’s annoying-people-counts-as-scial-interaction worldview, isn’t it? She might as well be pulling her pigtails on the playground right now.

    1. anon

      she seems to want attention in general in this instance at least as opposed to eyeing a freshman and being like “oh they’re cute i better try to impress them” which might not rly be a first impression thing on her end considering she’s asexual (even if she expressed a bit of interest in malaya not sure how it’d go other than a bit of physical affection unless she’s willing to engage more intimately like dina did but she did seem a bit repulsed when Dina/Becky told her)

  47. Leadsynth

    Maybe the student not paying attention to Carla is really they/them and now the joke’s on Carla, who called them “her”

    1. Alex

      That would be quite an interesting counter to the assertion that she knows everything.

  48. someone

    Boosister is my favorite character so far.

  49. Vanvelding

    Until this person speaks, I will believe they are a giant chicken in a Booster costume. Willis would go for the Animaniacs deep-cut-slash-pun.

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