467

Physicality
Posted on March 11, 2016 by David M Willis

467 thoughts on “Physicality”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    w̻̳͖̥͓͕̫͞h̺͔̹̖̯͙a͉t
    w͈̱h̦̞̻a̡̻̮ͅţ ̖̟̭̩͖̤w̷͖h̦͓̰͖̫͢ạt̯̘͙
    ͚͎̖̞̤̐̀͑w̺͕͎̫ͣ̊̎̒͗̎̑h̫̼̯͔̪̤͙̲̲ͪ̅̋̓ͭa̰̹̖̰̼̲ͫ͊̽̒͛̆t̩̮̪͓̓͑ͥ̍͂͗ͭ ̺̟̦̞̳͉̪̝̿̈w̼̹̭̩̱͉͈ͫͣͨ̄h͈͙̥̿͌ͫ̐̏̒a̫̻ͥͬ̍͗̉ͣ̓t̞͓̩̋͂̍ ̼̗̟͈̖͔̠̖̪ͨ͐͋̀̋̓̾̚w̬͙̦̮͒̓̍̈͒̈́ͯḫ̩̲̝̗͛͐ͮ̔ạ̭͕̱͑ͦ̈͑̈t͔̹̹͖̥̫̓͑̀̂ͩ
    ̞̝̠̮̣̲̼̗̠̯͙̰̩̰̣̏̌͌̀̓̌̍ͯw͕̩̹̦̺̜ͧ̀̆̂h͎̺̭͈͖̝̰͎͖͉̥͉͚̆͌͂͂̈ͪ̑͐ͦ̇a̰̩̫͉̮͖̹͙̯̜̮͓͎̮̳̼̘̞̎͑͐̒͑̈̽̐̋̇ͬ̑ͤ̓t̮̠͈̺̤ͧͨ͗͋ͪ̾͐͗̀ ̼͔̮̺̣ͫ̆͛ͪͨ̿ͬͩ̎͑ͨ̆̏w̼̰̼̩̳̱̜̟͕̫̝͚̟̥͙̰͇̲̾̎ͭ̏͑ͮͮ͛ͦͯͩ̔͌ḫ̮̼̤̰̱̗̞͉̒̐ͭ̈́́a̯̗͇͓̣͎͓̯̺̭̣̟̲̜ͤ̀͌͂̇ͪͥͮ̓̍ͅt̲̗͍͕̝̰̫̭͔̝̯͎͇̫͔̼̱̤̦ͯͮ̒͋͒ͨ͆̒ͫ̍͒̄̚ ̤̪̘͖̪̥̺̬̝͓͑̎̔̓̔̆̆ͤ̂̾̌̾̃̀͛ͅw̙̩̹͔̜͉͎̲͚̺̘̘͚̘̘̪̽͋̏̉ͪͩ̈͊͛̾ͥ̎ḫ̮̦͕̪̦̘̲̝̠̤̳̼̅̉̓ͯ̿͗ͥ͆a͈̱̗̠͙̱̩̫̜̮͇ͭ̈́ͯ͛̃͗͂t̤̟̦̞̝̲͍̳̼̪̱̖͈͕̓̈́ͪ̿ͤͦ̔̑ ͍̣̬̺̱̤͍͎̹͙̬̺̊ͯ͌ͥ̌̒ͅw͈̗͚̼̫̼̝̝͙͍̲̞̯͓͇͓͔̭̠̆̄̀̀̓̄̽ͫ̂ͫ͑̚h͔̦̝͖̪͚̲̳͎͖̳͖͖͈̹̲̣̳̜͐̽͑̾̔̓̽͌ͬ̀̈͗̾̚a͈̖͖͍͚̤̖̮̮̺͚̳̯̗̺̹̟̠͒ͬ̅̉̈́͗͐͆͗ͮt̙̲̩̗̗̲̠̱̲̤̅ͫ̓̋̒́͗̆̿ͥ͒̒̈ͤͦ͆͌̈́ ̠̳̜̞̟̮͕̮͓̯͕͇͍̏ͭ̆ͩ͌̒
    ̢̼̗̤̗͉̫͚͚͊͐͋̊̿̀̚͟͠͡w̷̷̢͖̟͔͇̞̟̘̳̫̳͍͎͙͐ͣͤ̿ͧ̑̅̊ͩͪ̎̌̓ͨͪͫ̾́̚͡ͅh̸̠̮̟͖ͦ͐͋̚͘a̷̴̶̡̹͔̠̪ͪ͊̄̽ͪ͊́̿͝ţ̪̜̭̫̱̠̩̜̼̙͙̾̈́̒ͥ͐ͣ̽̀̈̓ͪ͊͗̏͋̑̂͆̀͠ ̧͓̰͍̤̥̖̼͎͙̠̳̹̝̲̥͇̦̞̈ͥ͗̈̇ͯ̾͒ͤ̓͂͌̚͠͡w̗͚̹͎̦̹͎̞̱̋ͦ͆̔̌ͥͭͧͬͦ̀̍́̀h̸͂ͪͨ͂̈ͤ̎ͧͦͤ̄ͬ͑̌̋̅̒ͮ̆҉̸͙͓̫̻̰̦̘̮̣͇͍͎͙̫͍̀ã̸̪͈̩̮̔́͛͞͠tͯ̓͑̿ͬͧ̉҉̪̹̻͇̼͇̤̘̥͓̜̳̠̤͈̥̗͚̀͜͡ ̻̳̦̞̭͍͉͊ͧ͌̾̎̑ͭͨ̐̆ͧ͜͠w̃̂ͥ̾̿̓̊ͪͩͯ̑̾ͫ̑͑̏͆̚͏̹̹͖̯͇̤̮̫̯̮̤̤̪͝hͪ̑̊̈̓͗͗́̄ͥ́͑͗̿̂͏̷̥͙̜͍͎̦̰̬͓͠ā̴̞̮̜͇͈͎ͯ͋ͣͭ̔̋ͬͪ̔ͨ̚͞t̴͍̩͉͖͚̻̻̜̮͔ͮ̑̆̍̈́̽͒͐̽̑̌ͮ̃͢ ̸̴̡̫̘̗̖͔̬̣̯̘̯̳̹̇̽̑ͯ̈́̄̑̊͛̉ͩ̅ͅw̛̜͓͇̜̦̝͇͔̳͎͊͋̓ͮͨͧ̓̒̅͂ͤ͞h̵̨͉̰͔͓̟̼̭̥̬̥̫̹͓̦̜̜̲̥ͪ̆̔̈͒̄̓͊ͭ̾̋ͩ̅̚͟ͅa̴̢̡̨̢̜̥̲͚̣̘̟̪̜̅ͤ̊͒͗́̓̀͒̐̽̏̿t̸ͥͪ͆̀̂̓̽̾̑͏̶̢̭͈̖͍̼̮͍̠̩͈̗͍͎̼ͅ ̑͊̀̓̅̈͐̃̌͊ͪ̒̎ͫ̉͑̑̍̚҉̡̢͇̜̩̖͚̩̱̼͈͕͇͎̙̬̀ͅͅw̷̡̖͇̲͙̺̤͎̥̝̬̺ͭͦ̅͒̑̓̿̏ͩ́͋̀̎ͬͯ͡ͅh̨̔̈́͊̇̒̈ͤͮ̑͌̀͘҉̞̬͍̱̩̰͉̮̫a͇̦͔̰̘͚̠̰͎̜̰̯̤͚̩̠͗̈̎̈́̉̆̓̓̓̽̏ͫͧͧ́͘͜ͅṯ̹͔̭͈̰͙͈͓̤̻̖̞̭̟̋̓ͤͩ͆̑̄͊ͣ́͘͞ ̧̡̟̙̦͇̙͓̱͈͓̞ͫͫͧͥͭͩ͞͝͠ͅ

    1. Ana Chronistic

      that turned out a bit more gibberish than expected

      1. butts

        What what what what what?

      2. gkheyf

        ͚͎̖̞̤̐̀͑but it is so awesome. ̠̳̜̞̟̮͕̮͓̯͕͇͍̏ͭ̆ͩ͌̒
        ̢̼̗̤̗͉̫͚͚͊͐͋̊̿̀̚͟͠͡w̗͚̹͎̦̹͎̞̱̋ͦ͆̔̌ͥͭͧͬͦ̀̍́̀h̸͂ͪͨ͂̈ͤ̎ͧͦͤ̄ͬ͑̌̋̅̒ͮ̆҉̸͙͓̫̻̰̦̘̮̣͇͍͎͙̫͍̀ã̸̪͈̩̮̔́͛͞͠tͯ̓͑̿ͬͧ̉҉̪̹̻͇̼͇̤̘̥͓̜̳̠̤͈̥̗͚̀͜͡ ̻̳̦̞̭͍͉͊ͧ͌̾̎̑ͭͨ̐̆ͧ͜͠w̃̂ͥ̾̿̓̊ͪͩͯ̑̾ͫ̑͑̏͆̚͏̹̹͖̯͇̤̮̫̯̮̤̤̪͝hͪ̑̊̈̓͗͗́̄ͥ́͑͗̿̂͏̷̥͙̜͍͎̦̰̬͓͠ā̴̞̮̜͇͈͎ͯ͋ͣͭ̔̋ͬͪ̔ͨ̚͞t̴͍̩͉͖͚̻̻̜̮͔ͮ̑̆̍̈́̽͒͐̽̑̌ͮ̃͢ ̸̴̡̫̘̗̖͔̬̣̯̘̯̳̹̇̽̑ͯ̈́̄̑̊͛̉ͩ̅ͅw̛̜͓͇̜̦̝͇͔̳͎͊͋̓ͮͨͧ̓̒̅͂ͤ͞h̵̨͉̰͔͓̟̼̭̥̬̥̫̹͓̦̜̜̲̥ͪ̆̔̈͒̄̓͊ͭ̾̋ͩ̅̚͟ͅa̴̢̡̨̢̜̥̲͚̣̘̟̪̜̅ͤ̊͒͗́̓̀͒̐̽̏̿t̸ͥͪ͆̀̂̓̽̾̑͏̶̢̭͈̖͍̼̮͍̠̩͈̗͍͎̼ͅ ̑͊̀̓̅̈͐̃̌͊ͪ̒̎ͫ̉͑̑̍̚҉̡̢͇̜̩̖͚̩̱̼͈͕͇͎̙̬̀ͅͅw̷̡̖͇̲͙̺̤͎̥̝̬̺ͭͦ̅͒̑̓̿̏ͩ́͋̀̎ͬͯ͡ͅh̨̔̈́͊̇̒̈ͤͮ̑͌̀͘҉̞̬͍̱̩̰͉̮̫a͇̦͔̰̘͚̠̰͎̜̰̯̤͚̩̠͗̈̎̈́̉̆̓̓̓̽̏ͫͧͧ́͘͜ͅṯ̹͔̭͈̰͙͈͓̤̻̖̞̭̟̋̓ͤͩ͆̑̄͊ͣ́͘͞ ̧̡̟̙̦͇̙͓̱͈͓̞ͫͫͧͥͭͩ͞͝͠ͅ
        mad respect

        1. GuillaumeHJ

          A wild Missingno appeared!

        2. Orion Fury

          I guess that means that AnvilPro’s comment will be duplicated.

        3. Schpoonman

          That reference is some Oxford shit, it was so old school. Kudos.

        4. Chris

          Kudos to you. That’s the only bit so far to make me burst out actually laughing.

        5. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          Missingno is great. I’m really dissapointed they didn’t make an official version of it. I mean, it even has a few already existing evolutions and it’s part of the original…208, I believe?

        6. Mitsukara

          There’s actually a bunch of variations on the glitch that cause weird effects, including corrupted name data (instead of just “missingno” which I think is what it defaults to when it identifies a bad lookup for the name). Interesting stuff to look up, kinda creepy.

          Also, I don’t know much, but, it was 151 in generation 1 (counting the mostly-ungettable #151, Mew).

        7. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          I know this is really late to be talking about this, but I’m pretty sure there were like 50+ Missingno variants, bringing the total up to 200+.

        8. Leila

          Heh! Missingno! Approval.

        9. Scoops

          w̷̦̹̰͕̘̼̟̠ͥͪ̆ͩ̊͂ͯ́̚h̛̞̲̮̰̭ͬ̒ͥ̒̿́͠a̘̎̔ͣ̔́͞ͅt͚͙̎̉ͧ͛́͜͟ ̧̰̯̥͔͖̮͉̼̿̀͡w̙͎͗͌ͯ͋ͨ͟h̵̢͎̱̦̲͙̿̐̇̽͆̅̀̑a̗̞͎̪̫͖̩̎̐̍́̕͢t̴̛̪̖̥̯̖̗̩͈͚̋͗͂ͣ̃ͨ͟,͒̌͗͑҉̷̩͍͔͉ ̡̖̤̲̫̐ͧ͞i̵̸̫̳̘̣̳ͮ̔n̷̠̮̯̊̓̅̅ͧ̏̅ͭ̚ ̡͔͖ͥ̎̊͛̽t̺̬ͧh̬̹͖͆͊̃̕͡e̩̪̭̬̦̒̆ ̻̟͕͚̫͕̞͈̳̈́̏̆̓b̧̪̞͚̉̊͘u̸ͮ͋ͪ́͑͒͋̓͏̘̘̘͍ț̻̜͍̬͔̮͛̌ͦ͊̀̕͢ţ̗̪̝̳̩͓̪ͧ̓͜?̩̰̪̞͓̱͔͉̓͊͛́͆͜͢͝

        10. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          You wanna do it in my butt?

        11. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          Um, that was supposed to be:

          Y̷̜͚̝̜̰̭̖͌͗͝o̻͈̘ͤ̎ͧ̍͒ͦͥͦ̕ȗ͔̦̙̯̻̼̖͒ ̛͌̆̍͐̓ͦ͆҉̹̗͚͍͈͙̜w̳̞̞̺̤͎͑̉̀̕a̸̹͕̫̓ͩͤn̖͔̈̃ͩ̚n̷̺̟̟̞̽̈́́ͥ̇ͥ̊̃̀ȁ̪̣̞͔̦͖̜̭ͪ̀ ̖͍̞̖̫̿ͥ̂̅̓d̲͓̬̼̭̋̏̀o̸̶͔̳͆ͣͭͫ͠ͅ ̨͓͔̖̘̖̣̾̓͌̓͐ͮ̈́ͯ̑į̻͖̩̰̣͒͗̽̍̏͗̍͞t̹͓̾ͬ̌ ̢̣͚̓ͩ͑̏̕͡i̝̦͒̂̋ͥ̓ͭͤͦ͜n͖̼͓͉̮̑ͪͫ͆ͩͥ͢ͅ ̰̺̜̽͂̅m̹̠̈́̾̋ͥ́y̢̛͚̤̺ͣ̉̐̂͛̇͂̐̽ͅ ̷͇̱̫̾ͧ̄b̝̜̦͑̽̉ͫ̆̉ͮͅų̮̩̘̮̬̤̗̏ͥ͂̓̄̇͆ͨt̗̼ͮ́ͅt̞͍̤͚͙ͯ͑͠?͓͚̯̤̳͊ͦ̌͗͆̊́̚͘͜

        12. Someone

          I ship it

        13. Emperor Norton

          Scoops and LeslieBean4Shizzle, sitting in a tree
          Questioning the choice of not choosing to sit on a couch instead, as they realise that it’s almost impossible to do anything but very careful k-i-s-s-i-n-g
          Then they fall down and break their legs
          And now this poem, that never scanned to begin with, will no longer even rhyme.

          With apologies to Scoops, LeslieBean4Shizzle, and everyone reading this.

        14. Schpoonman

          I tried, Norton. God help me, I tried. I’m a little more unhinged for it.

          My doctor just told me the resulting medical bill will run me about… $4000. I take cash or check. But no money order, I still don’t know how the hell that works.

        15. Emperor Norton

          This is where I proclaim “My job here is done!” and leave the room, isn’t it?

        16. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          I’ve been shipped! Horrah! That is no something that I can say has happened to me before (to my knowledge).

    2. Schpoonman

      JESUS CHRIST.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        NO. HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS.

        1. Cephalo the Pod

          Let’s hope not.

        2. doomprix

          Hello, I’m Lucifer Morningstar and messing with your is what I do best, and now a burning bush to tell you about the weather.

        3. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          D̩̣̝̰͛̈́̍ͭ͒̚͜o̫̦̿͛ͭͧ̄ͩ́͗n͙͔̼̫̰͓͔ͩ̓̈́̈̕’̲̲ͬͭͤ͛t̲̭̣̩̝̬͇̄̅̕ ̥̅̎̂͊̌͗͆͡b̬̬̙̹̬̳͊ĺ̙̥̯̹̟͉̰ͦͭ̊͠í̷͖͈̠̘͎̱̺̗͔̇n̴ͦͦ́ͭͮ̔ͤ҉̵͕̩̜̫̦̟k͓̱̬̱̝͔̬̭̆̈̚̕ͅ.̶̪̒ͧͭͣͯ͆͛ͩ ̸̣̪̗̻̝͓̱ͪͬͤ̿̎̚
          ̗̹̙̥͔̮̪͛ͅB̯̬͉̞̜ͬͬͭ̉̄̐ͤ̕͡l̨̡̬͖͐ͯȋ̷̫̪͍͔͘ṅ̨͙̝̩̝̇ͪ̇̈́͛̔̊̿k̓͑̈̒ͦ̿̈̚̚͏̴̜͕̙͉͓̹͉ ̠̼̺͈͈̭̭̎͛̀͗͊͗͞ả̢̙͉͕͍̜̝͂̍͛̌͡ņ̗͇̈́̊̓ͫͦͧ̀͟d̡̞̭̦͎̹͍͙̥͕͒́͒͐ͦͩ́ ͕̜̊͌́͡y̙̝̖͉̦̝ͪ̐ͯ̒̄̕o̵̸̺̰̽̊͌͊͢ṷ̢̞̳̘̃ͫ̀ͅ’͚̗̜͈͎ͦͮ̊r͉̮͇͑̏͜e͕̩̯̳͑̿̀̈͗ ̮̱̞͎͎̃̉̌̅ͣ̀̓̔̕ͅd̵̛̼̙̜̥͕̠̱͖̏̋͋ͣͥ̃ͯę̶̙̟̝̬̭̤͙͉̭́͟ā̷̩̣̮̺͙͕̊͗͒ͣͨͣ͢͠d̸̺͈̖̝̣͉͕̀̿ͬ̓ͥͨ͐̀.̢̢̫̩͔̙͍͗͒̉͜ ̫̟̲̘ͨ̋̀̏͒ͪ̀
          ̹̺̙̣̹̿ͧͨ̍ͥ̚͞D͈̹̲̯͚ͣ́ͩͥ͢o̵̷̭̦̮͙̰͕̣͂n̗̰͈̬̣̔̃̂’̭̫̺͐ͮt͕͚͙͈̹̬̪͇̎ͤ̃ͪ̍̍̄ͨ̀̚ ̯͕̹̗̜̪͆̄͑ͮͥ̊̆̚t̸̲̺̺̫ͫͧͩ̋̀͟u̥̬͈̦̥̓̓́r̡̯̳͖̽̌ͭ̎̆ǹ̵͔̭͙̤̓̿͒̈́̒͗̈͢͟ ̴̩̘̲͉̟͕̻̈̈͟ÿ̴̨̧͕̱͈̬̠̝͖̺́̓ͅo̓͋̑̎̓ͪ͐͠͝͏̱͎̯ủ͍͙̳̘̒͛ͭ̏̚͢r̛̗ͮ͑͞ ͚̯̾̋̐͛͢b̪̮̺ͫ́͜ͅa̸͔̝̰̰̭̙̰̗̼̒ͯ̅̕c̪̼̺̯̱̠͉͔ͥͭͨ̾̕k̴͙̜͈̗̩̗ͩͬ̏͜.̲̘̜̝̲̪̇̔̊ͭͧ̃̔͜ ̷̲̲ͥ͜͠
          ̵̨̪͖͙͕͚͇̳̦̓͌̂ͫͥ̀D̴͓̮̰̃͗̎̀͛ͥ͝o̹̯̙̦̒ͩ̊̀ͣͮͫ̀͘͟n̶̶̩̮̜̖͚̖̩͉̈́ͥͩͨ͟’̮̻̝̰̬̳͍̘̼̔̀̾̈ͣ͐͜͡ṱ̴̨̯͓͕́̐̌̃ ̵̮̤͂̚l̢͈͓̰̠̮̻̥ͣ̃͂̽ͭͨͯͧ͜ö̥̭̘̜͔͖́̇́͝ȍ̸̰̞̖͖̤̻̩̺̤͂́k̵͓̞̱͋̂ͦ̎ͪ̂ͦ̇̕ͅ ̨͎͎͚̞̲͆̑̊̇͑͜͜ͅa̶̠̭̫̜͎͍ͧͫŵ̥̟̺̠͉̘̖̗͒̑̈́ͫ͂͝ͅå̡͔̲̦̙̔̈ͯ͑̓̉̾̏ÿ̻̟̘̼͕͎̣́̓͂͢͡.̸́̂ͥ̌̐͂̑͗͐͝҉̰͕͓̙͈ ̛͙̯̯͕̅̓̇̉͟
          ̷̟̩̻̯̼̳́̀Ǎ͇̠̺̺͇͙̻̓́ͩ̊̇̉ͥ̎͘͜͞ͅn̩̬̤̜̭̦̑̌͆̑̄ͧ͘d̨̖̖́͌ͬͩ͒ͥ́ ̸̛͉̬̹̻̳̈ͩ̆ͅd̫̤̯̘̍ͣ͗̑ͮ̈̓̽ͅo̶̰̙̖͓ͤ̑͛̽͂ͮ͑̚͟n̗̳̼̰̤͊ͣ͒ͣͣͪ͋ͯ͘’̗̖̝̟͕͙̗ͥͦ̾͛̒̿͗̚͘͡t̤̭̞͉͇͊ͫ͞ ̷̸̣̫̠͇͆̓̄ͫͯ̎̊b̡̳̻͛̂̏̾̾͋̀l̛̛̖͎͍͎̜̻͇͕̿̾̏ͦ̿̑͊͐͟ï̛̳̞͓̟̝̜̪ͬͪ͑͡n̴ͮ̇̀͏͔̠͇̭̯̲̥k̇̀҉̩̲̞́ͅ.͙̤̣͚͈͛̈ͧ ̗̈̂͜
          ̷͉̲̥̟̟̳ͦͬ̑̈́ͪ͜͠G̲̻̔͊̏ͤ͋̊̐̚o̬̭͎̳ͩ͗͠o̜̟͓̝͎̫̿͊ͪ͑ͧ̏͋́d̵̤̳ͯ̒ͫ ̵͉̬̰̦̗̣ͫ̍ͧ̆̄ͩ͢L̬̰̘̝̳͈̱͔̎͂̓̀͑ͦ͢ͅṷ̵̮̻̫͕̬ͤͧ̈́̕c̶̠͕̘͑̓ͩ̊̃ͣ̓̕̕k̰͙͍̱̥͍͔̙̭̉̇.̵̱̗̩͖̳͎̟̀͝ͅ

      2. Stu

        ZALGO!

    3. Disloyal Subject

      Where we are going we won’t need eyes to read.

    4. Weyland

      How? How do you do these amazing things with typing?

      1. butts

        http://eeemo.net/

        1. Leorale

          Things with typing? What could you possibly mean, all the typing looks perfectly normal to me. You are clearly just going insane. Go get some sleep or something.

          …aw, I can’t actually stand to gaslight somebody. The squares are totally a typing thing.

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          There is no Sal, only Zuul!

        3. Renshear Blade

          Are you a God?

        4. Abel Undercity

          Huh? Oh, right! Uh… Yes! Yes I am!

    5. Tacos

      Oh Glob. Is this how you summon Shub-Niggurath?

      1. insomniac

        ZALGO. HE COMES.

        1. Kamino Neko

          HE COMES!

        2. Chris2315

          HE WHO WAITS BEHIND THE WALL.

        3. Abel Undercity

          HE WHO IS THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT!

          HE IS THE BATTERIES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED!

        4. motorfirebox

          HE IS THE INCOMPLETE BREAKFAST

          HE IS THAT WHICH IS SOLD SEPARATELY

        5. Clif

          HE WHO IS NOT GAURANTEED OR DOUBLE YOUR MONEY BACK.

          HE THAT IS SOLD BY VOLUME AND NOT WEIGHT.

        6. Deanatay

          SHE WHO HIDES BEHIND THE DOOR

        7. Dara

          no that’s me, when anna is getting back from work 😀

        8. Clif

          Dana?

    6. JA

      Click drag-ctrl c-ctrl p in a text file 😛

      1. No Name

        Ctrl-p is Print, Ctrl-v is Paste.

        The reason for that is because Copy starts with C, X is a reasonable letter to associate with Cut, and they happen to be right next to each other on a QWERTY keyboard, so why not go for the trifecta?

    7. Peter Huppertz

      the cannot hold it is too late

      1. Peter Huppertz

        (Ooh, that sounded different when I typed it.)

        Okay…
        the [center] cannot hold it is too late

        1. Clif

          But the quarterback can always get off a pass anyway.

  2. DarkoNeko

    [scream internally] where did those 2 minutes go ?

  3. butts

    IA! IA! Sal fthagn!

    1. butts

      *fhtagn, it’s spelled FHTAGN DAMN IT

      1. Dean

        You’d think spellcheck would pick that up.

        1. Flipz

          It does. For all of our sakes, it intentionally gets it wrong.

        2. Wizard

          Clearly the Laundry at work.

        3. davidbreslin101

          “Windows 10 does not support Old Enochian (AKA Cthulhu-speak) metagrammer. Any user modifications to this end will result in your warrantry being voided, also your soul.”

        4. WaytoomanyUIDs

          Hah, typical Microsoft dumbing down! Win 7 and earlier fully support it, and you don’t even have to install a language pack.

      2. Weyland

        How can we properly worship the elder gods if we can’t spell our closest approximation to their language right?!

        1. Orion Fury

          You want to summon an eldritch abomination here in the comments? Say you like Mary.

        2. butts

          “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Mary Indiana wgah’nagl fhtagn”

        3. inqntrol

          “Ah crap, we summoned the wrong demon! Quick, give the phone! Good thing I have the exorciser’s number on speed dial.”

        4. Dana

          Not Louisiana, New York, Paris France, or Rome.

        5. Orion Fury

          Isn’t Paris in France? Or is this a quote and I’m not getting the reference?

        6. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          There are various places in the US named Paris, Rome etc, where white people without imagination forgot to ask the natives where they were before killing them.

        7. CheredisTyping

          There’s a Paris, Texas

        8. Opus the Poet

          Paris TX has a miniature Eiffel Tower.

        9. Eyebrow

          It’s Gary, Indiana
          Gary, Indiana
          Gary, Indiana
          My Home sweet home.

          (If you are into musical theatre)

  4. EvolutionistX

    You’d think Amber would have noticed that Sal lives on the same floor as she does by now.

    1. Betsumei

      Is it that they’ve never run into each other, or the Amazigirl costume falling out of her basket in front of Sal? Her nemesis might know her secret identity now!

      1. Disloyal Subject

        I’m fairly certain the costume wasn’t in there. A zippered one-piece is pretty bulky, and the biggest stuff we saw in the scattered laundry was jeans and t-shirts.

        1. Betsumei

          Ah, yeah, I think I misread the yellow thing yesterday. Oops.

        2. Wolf

          Not to mention it would b pretty stupid to have it with her regular laundry. What if this happened? What if someone was watching her do laundry? Or with her?

      2. Gigafreak

        She definitely knows.

    2. timemonkey

      She’s noticed, she just freaks out every time she runs into her.

    3. Mr K

      Amber’s a Hikkomori. She knows more about her MMO guild members then the rest of her neighbors.

      1. Needfuldoer

        No, she’s an einsiedler.

        1. EvilMidnightLurker

          Shut-in. Recluse. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ALREADY HAS WORDS FOR THIS. >.<#

        2. No Name

          English might have the denotation, but it doesn’t have the connotation.

    4. drs

      Have they not been at floor meetings together?

      1. Time Sage

        You assume either of them would show up at a meeting. Amber is a well known recluse who never leaves her room (Cause she’s either being actully reclusive or out being a super hero) and sal is too cool to show up and just leaves though a window instead.

      2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Yes they have. hello every named character in joyce’s wing of the dorm building

        1. TJ

          There are a few more named characters in that wing since then: Carla, other Rachel, and I can’t remember if we know who Sierra’s roommate is. We still don’t know who Agatha’s notorious bongowad roommate is.

        2. thejeff

          Sierra’s roommate is Dorothy. We’ve seen Sierra be both sexiled and weenus pointed.
          Perhaps that’s why she doesn’t show up in the room with Dorothy too often.

  5. gkheyf

    amber has sooooooo muuuuuch eeeeeeeyes!!!

    1. Doctor_Who

      Yeah, usually her sclerae disappear when her glasses are off. Seeing Sal is just that shocking.

  6. AnvilPro

    Conflict resolved! Conflict resolved!

    1. Orion Fury

      Why couldn’t you of been a Masterball? or maybe Prozac.

  7. Lordmazapan

    Goddammit, what she said?

    1. Doctor_Who

      What, they don’t cover the Black Speech in school these days? How are you going to cope when all the jobs get outsourced to Mordor?

      1. CowOfDoom

        I went to a religious high school in Imladris. They insisted that the black speech not be uttered there. One guy tried to hold a speech-in, but the provost went all “Never before has any one dared utter the words of that tongue here!” on him.

        1. davidbreslin101

          Common public outhouse graffiti in Lothlorien: “Ash nazg thrakataluk” followed by someone else’s phone number.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      As near as I can tell…
      Panel 2: “Ah know, yer wonderin’ why Ah’m apologizin’…”
      Panel 4: “It’s prolly” [I don’t even know- looks like ‘kill Paula assaulted her the youthless.’ But that doesn’t make sense. ‘Cause Hulk assigned her the YouTubes’? I can’t tell. Something about what she thinks of Carla, at any rate.]
      Panel 6: “Ah mean, not nice really, but…”

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Disregard that, John and Spencer sorted it out.
        Well, disregard unless you get a kick out of confused gibberish.

    3. BenRG

      Apparently, she was accepting the blame for Carla being disruptive. The burden of being the floor’s Token Sane One.

    4. Tabitha Desanto

      Panel 2: apologizing
      Panel 4: Its probably my fault since i showed her the you tubes
      panel 6: Ah yeah, no not really, but
      panel 7 but

  8. Stephen R. Bierce

    I thought that pain and truth were things that really mattered/But you can’t stay here with every little hope you had shattered…

    1. Bibulb

      I… Dang. Serious high-fives for that one.

    2. elebenty

      Great, now I have an earwurm.
      (At least it’s a good song.)

  9. Mr. Mendo

    Amber’s going to go through a total John Smith moment, and rather soon I shouldn’t wager.

    1. Roborat

      I thought you said Joseph Smith, and I was wondering what Mormonism had to do with this.

      1. Kryss LaBryn

        Well, I have no idea what Pocahontas has to do with it, so…

        1. Captain Button

          On thing I can think of is when Kyon decides to blow up the universe.

        2. Mr. Mendo

          That scene in the movie where he tells her she’s a savage and she flips out on him…

  10. Leorale

    Yeah, that was as well as it could’ve gone, really. Good job, freeze response.

  11. -Sentinel-

    Dammit Amber, you’ll need to talk to her sooner or later.

  12. CC

    I don’t know what exactly I was expecting here, but that was not it. It’s probably what I should have expected, but that’s never the same thing.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Ditto.

  13. shadowcell

    somehow i’m sure a few commenters will say this is all Sal’s fault, but can we at least come together and for once try to blame this all on Obama instead?

    1. Schpoonman

      Can’t, they shut down that subreddit.

      1. Orion Fury

        There was a subreddit dedicated to blaming the problems in one of the women’s dorms at Indiana University on Obama? Can’t picture that getting much traffic. But something are just outside my scope.

        1. Schpoonman

          They shut down r/ThanksObama after the man himself released a video of him trying to dunk a too-large cookie into a glass of milk. It didn’t fit, he said “Thanks, Obama,” and they closed the subreddit.

        2. Orion Fury

          I saw that video. Fitting end, really.

        3. Abel Undercity

          Well, really, what’s left to say, after that?

        4. Historyman68

          The man himself? Obama?

        5. Kalirren

          Yep. The man himself.

        6. Jason

          I’m glad I perused the comments section purely to have found this.

    2. Ctrl+C D@

      I mean, it’s 90% Amber’s dad at fault here.

    3. AD

      The distorted text looks like Sal at least partially consider Carla jumping off walls her fault: “Ah showed her the Youtubes”

  14. Adept Arcanist

    dab

    1. Orion Fury

      Glad I wasn’t the only one.

    2. Moonshine McGee

      Today’s strip is really making it clear who has read the last page of Shortpacked.

      1. Orion Fury

        I prefer to think of it as ‘latest’. But then again, I prefer salt and pepper on my mac & cheese, so I’m clearly insane.

        1. Someone

          Don’t you’ll summon the Willis.

          “Beware the Willis, my son!
          The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
          Beware the Ana, and shun
          The frumious Plasma!”

  15. Leorale

    The unreadable words look perfect for this feeling; how did you make them?

    1. flax

      Unreadable? Challenge accepted, I’m already halfway done translating as it is.

      1. Tabitha Desanto

        Panel 2: apologizing
        Panel 4: Its probably my fault since i showed her the you tubes
        panel 6: Ah yeah, no not really, but
        panel 7 but

    2. Disloyal Subject

      I was wondering the same. I assume The Willis freehanded them?

      1. Ana Chronistic

        yeah, drawing over the letters

  16. Cheshrin

    Given that a lot of the issues that triggered the robbery and subsequent handstabs were caused by parental neglect/abuse, I’m going going to go straight to the source:

    Fuck you, Mr. O’Malley.

    Fuck you, Mrs. Walkerton.

    Y’all fucked up a pair of perfectly good kids. Nice fucking going, you fucking fucks.

    Fuck.

    1. NotPiffany

      Looks good to me.

    2. Bagge

      Fudge indeed.

    3. a4lbi

      I approve.

    4. Cerberus

      So much this.

    5. Orion Fury

      Well you certainly demonstrated the versatility of the word.

      Oh, and I agree as well.

      1. Belle

        A Knight’s Tale reference? Or just happy chance? :3

        1. LynziGraye

          Boondock Saints, I think. Excellent movie, though I cared not at all for the sequel.

        2. ChrisHerself

          And the deleted scenes almost surpass the movie itself.

        3. Orion Fury

          Saints.

    6. Cephalo the Pod

      Yeah, you’re right way too much “Sal Vs. Amber”. Not enough “Blaine/Linda Vs. Amber/Sal suck”.

    7. Reltzik

      You either used too many F-bombs or too few.

      I’m going to go with too few. Fucking fuck the fucking fuckers.

    8. Tomas

      They fucked up a perfectly good kid is what they did. Look at her, she’s got anxiety.

    9. CC

      “You fucked up a perfectly good pair of kids is what you did. Look at them. They’ve got severe internalization and parent issues.”

  17. JessWitt

    Dab dab dab dab …

    1. motorfirebox

      d̻̳͖̥͓͕̫͞a̺͔̹̖̯͙bd̻̳͖̥͓͕̫͞a̺͔̹̖̯͙bd̻̳͖̥͓͕̫͞a̺͔̹̖̯͙b

    2. Deanatay

      STAB STAB STAB STAB

      1. Emperor Norton

        Mister Stabby, tutu-rurututuuu, he’s mister stabby:

        http://www.weebls-stuff.com/other-toons/video/Mr-Stabby.html

        1. Roborat

          Thought you were making a Buffy reference.

  18. Jay Eff

    Willis needs to get a new font.

    *dodges rolled-up newspapers*

    1. Bicycle Bill

      It’s not the font, he just needs a new nib on the pen he uses for lettering the dialogue.  I think the one he’s been using has just about had it.

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      It’s the font we need, not the font we deserve.

  19. anonymsly

    LOL, why do I feel like Sal’s just following Carla at a discreet distance and apologizing for the parkour? That’s Sal’s day today. “Yeah, Ah showed her the Youtubes, sorry. Sorry!”

    1. Bagge

      Yup. I don’t think Amber is the first person to get an excuse today.

    2. Cerberus

      I think Sal, like Carla and Becky is an internalizing pain and disguising it outwardly sort of person. For Carla and Becky, the external mask is exuberant and big, but I think Sal might internalize being hurt by just retreating into herself. She was basically told in her “gift” that she was so worthless and wrong that she didn’t even rate above her brother’s week and a half long girlfriend.

      She doesn’t believe that, but she still feels the need to apologize for something, and showing Carla youtubes of parkour serves that function.

      Or I dunno. I might be really off on this one.

      1. Reltzik

        I dunno.

        I don’t really see Sal as having much of a character arch. Oh, she’s a well-developed character, but she’s matured and resilient. Yeah, she’s dealing with crap, but it’s crap she’s experienced in dealing with, and she’s not facing anything that’s challenging her or forcing her to grow. Most of her panel-time has been either as foil for, support of, or challenge to the other characters. Aside from her boning up on math…

        …. oh, wait, her only friend Marcie is looking to broaden her horizons to romance with Malaya, and Sal realizes she might need a broader pool of friends to cover for their private time. Maybe that’s it.

        1. ischemgeek

          Nah, Sal has major trust issues. She’s even said it before when talking to the math TA at the bar – Marcie’s the only one she trusts enough to open up to normally.

          Sal’s arc, if she has one, is going to be learning to let go of her cool, reserved armor and trust people a bit.

        2. Cerberus

          Yeah, in the interactions with Marcie, she seems to express a wider range of emotions, or at least that’s my impression.

          Beaming with pride about her test, yet showing some vulnerability as well:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/02-threes-a-crowd/dontcare/

          Angry argument that’s not the full-on “ah’m about ta puch ya” mode she sometimes gets:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/02-threes-a-crowd/teachin/

          This lovely bit of platonic intimacy:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/erase/

          And the places she admits (while sober) genuine emotionality and vulnerability and expressing the fact that she actually does need people in her life tend to be with Marcie:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-6/01-to-those-whod-ground-me/lateshift/
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/fuck/

          I do agree though with Reltzik that she’s also clearly matured and experienced with processing through a lot of crap without going off the deep end. After all, she’s admitted with Amazi-girl that her old methods of handling this sort of alienation was anger and violence. And I do think that what’s going on internally with Sal is a lot more subtle than say the obvious masks that Carla and Becky put on.

          But I dunno, there’s something in her relationship with her family that doesn’t feel resolved. Whether it be internalizing the notion that her natural hair is “wrong”, her polite meekness at being directly ignored at parent’s night and her doing the reaching out thing unbidden here and leading with an apology for something not her fault, when she usually gives a token protestation before helping someone. I’m not fully sure what it is yet, but it feels like there’s something that hasn’t really been fully brought out into the open yet.

      2. modulusshift

        Its been much longer than a week and a half. If you call Choosing My Religion to be the start of their relationship, and you could argue that back or forth a couple chapters, but it’s been almost 4 weeks since then, about 27 days.

        I agree with the rest, though.

        1. Cerberus

          Looking back, yeah, you’re right. Huh, wonder where I was getting the week and a half from… ah, I think my brain was randomly thinking back to the “Walky Performs a Sex” interlude which would have been about 2 weeks ago.

          Also, can I just say, that I absolute love Willis’s character searching algorithms for the archive as it makes looking back at past character interactions way easier and saves my poor swiss cheese memory from having to do all the work.

        2. Emperor Norton

          I must admit, I assumed you had bookmarked significant strips so you could easily find them whenever you needed back-up to your arguments.

          But come to think of it, such a list would probably soon grow too extensive to be of much use.

        3. Cerberus

          Ha! No, that would be the smart way of doing it.

    3. caesaria82

      lol that’s kind of a cute mental image though.

  20. John

    “Ah know, yer wonderin’ why Ah’m apologizing… it’s partially my fault, Ah showed her the YouTubes. Ah mean, it’s not really, but… but sometimes ya can’t help but blame yerself.”?

    I guess Carla learned parkour the same way Amazi-Girl did.

    1. inqntrol

      Too much internet?

      1. Ctrl+C D@

        I think Amber stated she took gymnastics at some point.

      2. Orion Fury

        Blasphemy.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      Ah, that’s it. Thanks.

    3. Historian

      Haha! Thank you!

    4. Adam Black

      Thank-You Kindly Sir….

    5. podian

      Thank you SO much. That’d bug me for the entire evening…

  21. Chengrel

    Plot twist: Sal is a creation of Amber’s mind so she wouldn’t have to deal with the fact that she was the one who robbed that store. Sal is speaking in tongues because the illusion is breaking.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      So the Walkertons only had a son, and Sal is just a telepathic illusion?

      1. Spencer

        Well, no wonder they prefer him so much.

        1. Clif

          You know, I would be interested in reading that comic but I much prefer this one .

    2. Wolf

      New Heister Amazi-Girl confirmed.

      1. Amazi-Girl impersonator

        Carla would work better.

        She has skates.

    3. Reltzik

      So what’s the explanation for Joyce’s fascination with Sal’s hair in this scenario? Because whatever it is, it’s going to be fun.

      1. Chengrel

        Amber has psychic powers that she isn’t aware of, so Sal does have a physical presence.

        1. EvilMidnightLurker

          Sal is a Stand.

      2. Adam Black

        Sal has awesome long, thick luxurious curly hair.

        And Joyce is very Homosocial ( Thanks Becky, Bodacious lesbian best-friend )
        with a child-like naivete and absent normal adult personal boundaries.

        1. Commodore Jeep-Eep

          And quite possibly closeted bisexuality.

    4. Steve

      Plot Twist: Amber robbed the place, successfully blaming Sal, and Ethan is covering for her because Amber had a mental break and honestly believes it was Sal who did it…

      1. Steve

        Last time I switched browsers I wound up with Carla. Now I get Mary?

        1. Steve

          If this doesn’t work exorcising her I give up!

  22. Spencer

    “It’s prolly mah fault, I showed her the youtubes. Ah mean, no, not really, but…”

    1. Baby Beluga

      Dammit! Beaten by seconds.

    2. Orion Fury

      Thank you. And to you up there to, John.

      1. Clif

        So say we all.

  23. Baby Beluga

    Ah know, you’re wondering why Ah’m apologizin…

    It’s really my fault, Ah showed her the Youtubes.

    Ah mean, it’s not really, but…

  24. FuryOfFirestorm

    After much effort and hours of decryption, I was able to translate the scrambled dialogue:

    “Drink more Ovaltine”

    1. Bicycle Bill

      Jean Shepherd for the win.

    2. Orion Fury

      The secret ingredient is love? You stupid piece of…

  25. Mandy

    I’m really wondering how much more Amber can/has to fall apart before she or someone else gets her some damn HELP.

    1. Commodore Jeep-Eep

      Like I’ve said before, my money is it ending with the law, either involuntary commitment or more likely suffering without mental care in a woman’s prison.

      1. Spencer

        I really don’t think so, if only because that would kick Amber out of the cast for years on end. I think it’s fairly likely that she never gets caught being Amazi-Girl, and for that to happen, she can’t ever do anything too bad.

        1. Commodore Jeep-Eep

          I was thinking it would be part of the final arc, when DoA is finishing up.

          I mean, given what she gets up to it’s a wonder someone less deserving than Blaine hasn’t been beaten yet.

        2. Spencer

          I don’t think that’s going to happen either.

          And I don’t think Amber ever will ever hurt someone who doesn’t “deserve it”, since the last time she tried with Sal, she was a completely ineffectual clown who knocked Malaya over and then got kneed in the gut. Otherwise she just beats up dudes that it’s okay to beat up, because they have no character, agency, or drama besides being Thug McHenchman.

          Like, we’re not going to see the point where Amber becomes what she fears most. That’s like expecting Dorothy to say “man screw Yale, time to be a housewife” or for Becky to go “Maybe my dad had a point after all.”

        3. Commodore Jeep-Eep

          By deserve it, I mean scum like the Toe That Walks or Blaine. There’s plenty of people that could get on her bad side and still be fairly decent. I’ve got good odds on another showdown with Sal, possibly ending in one or both parties being seriously hurt.

        4. Spencer

          And I just don’t really see that happening, because if Amber does something really awful, then she has to go to jail because we don’t have the justification of it being wacky fantasy action anymore.

          Like, the absolute worst she could do is pick a fight with Sal, and even then I’m convinced that would end in Amber breaking down instead of actually causing any damage.

        5. Commodore Jeep-Eep

          I honestly don’t know if every character is going to get a happy ending though. There’s only so many times lightning can be dodged.

        6. Spencer

          I mean, it’s hard to say, since there’s not really going to be an ending for at least another 10 years, and I doubt the characters will still be going through the exact same issues then as they are now. Even in the last five years the entire cast has significantly developed.

          Amber especially, I really can’t see her storyline ending with her realizing that she’s as terrible as she thought and doomed to become an abuser.

        7. Commodore Jeep-Eep

          I’m not saying she’d become an abuser, I’m saying that she’ll have one too many PSTD fight or flight rages and hurt someone.

        8. Clif

          Herself.

    2. Cerberus

      I dunno. I have a bad suspicion that if Amber’s life collapses to the point where she finally relents to getting the help she needs, we’re going to see a “college psychologists tend to be awful” style plotline rather than an Amber gets genuine help plotline. Which is bad, because girl’s on a bad road and it’s only going to get bumpier from here.

      1. Leorale

        Eugh, I hope not. It’s tough enough for people to get help when they aren’t reading a storyline about how getting help is sucky and ineffective. I’d be okay with ‘getting help is hard work and takes much longer than you wish it would’, but I’d be very wary of ‘help is totally not worth it at all, you should just give up.’

        1. Spencer

          I think it’s inevitable that Amber starts healing, and I think that can very easily involve professional help. The problem is that therapy is kind of hard to write into a sliding timescale (see how QC eventually dropped it), and also that, if Amber comes to understand that Amazi-Girl is a violent fantasy construct and she stops, we don’t get anymore Amazi-Girl stories.

        2. Leorale

          Yeah, we like having AG comics! Even if she got help, though, Amber has a whole lot to unpack; therapy could well take longer than the comic will run.

          The easy way to handle getting a therapist would be showing Amber finally going to the counseling office, but keeping all the actual counseling offscreen. She might react to a tough counseling session by masking up, for example. However, having an adult monitoring the situation would remove the immediacy of Danny drowning in Amber’s problems all alone (except for Ethan).

        3. Leorale

          Also, since my headcanon is that Ninja Rick is the campus counselor, and since Ninja Rick won’t be appearing in this comic (by Word of God, he’s based on a real person, which really just raises more questions), therefore, she won’t go to the conuselor. QED.

        4. Spencer

          And also, since the comic is going to be in one semester for all eternity, we can’t ever see her heal from her trauma the way we did in Shortpacked, where we saw her grow in real time for 10 years.

          So, if anything, we’ll occasionally see Amber getting professional help, but I imagine most of her development will come from dealing with Danny, Sal, and Ethan. I’m not sure how to balance Amber getting therapy and Amber still being Amazi-Girl, though, so I imagine that she eventually will stop, if only because the last two years have been really clear that Amazi-Girl is not a good thing for Amber to pursue.

        5. Cerberus

          Well, since she seems to be DID, Amazi-girl and Amber will need to resolve their attempts to split fully from each other and deny the other and start integrating eventually including allowing each to have some of the emotions of the other (fear and vulnerability for Amazi-girl, love and acceptance for Amber). And that’s a long process that would definitely last over a semester.

          I don’t know if we’ll see that plotline, but I don’t think we’ll see “no more Amazi-girl” not only because of the DID stuff, but also because writing Amazi-girl and her gravity defying weirdness is how Willis gets out his sci-fi/action storywriting needs while keeping everything else grounded deeply in reality (and a reality that is often personally affecting for him).

        6. Commodore Jeep-Eep

          Honestly, I don’t like them because (A) dangerously mentally ill person running around and threatening to beat people – no matter how much you wrap that in funny, that’s still the core of the matter, and (B) I’m always wondering when we’ll get the pyche and she badly hurts someone arguably undeserving.

        7. not someone else

          In theory, her Amazi-Girl thing could become an excuse to go and and do real, non-vigilante good while costumed. Like those people who take kids in the hospital on trips to be superhero for a day, or the spandex equivalent of Bikers Against Child Abuse. Or something more low-key.

          I have noooo idea where this is actually gonna go, though…

        8. Jason

          Speaking as someone training to be a counsellor, a good counsellor would probably not say “you should stop being Amazigirl”. A good counsellor should say “we want you to be able to choose to be Amazigirl because you believe it’s a positive thing to do, not because you feel like you need to”- with the understanding that it will take a LONG TIME before Amber would feel able to stop.
          I can’t see a good therapist basically kicking out their client’s emotional crutch and telling them to get up and act like nothing’s wrong.

    3. tim gueguen

      Unfortunately it may have to be pretty severe, since her two closest friends, Ethan and Mike, don’t seem to know how badly she’s already doing.

    4. caesaria82

      Right? At this point it almost feels like we’re watching someone’s life fall completely apart and we’re powerless to do anything about it. It’s watching a car crash. Or torture porn. Watching Amber feels kinda like torture porn. Because you want to GET HER HELP OMG but you can’t because she’s not a real person. It’s very difficult that we have to be patient and wait for someone in-comic to notice and get her help.

      1. Spencer

        Well, Danny kinda did last time. He gets that her “cute dodge” is actually symbolic of far greater issues and repeatedly insisted that she was Amber when she tried separating her identities again. It’s a start, at least.

        1. caesaria82

          Yeah, I actually really liked that from Danny. I hope he keeps this up or some other characters get involved. I’m really hoping for a nice cathartic moment with Amber and Ethan, because he’ll be the only one who’d truly get it because he was there.

      2. Cerberus

        Yeah, I can see that metaphor. For me, it’s been like seeing someone make all the mistakes in treating their condition that I did when I was in middle and high school, just a slow-motion train wreck you know is coming, but you also know that the character will need to be crushed by before they can continue forward.

  26. TSB

    Amber should seek treatment for her involuntary flashbacks, disconnection from her own identity, and mood swings into panic or violent rage. Also she should not live in the same building as Sal.

    She should also seek treatment off campus because in my experience college counseling already works on a Dumbing of Age snail’s pace and you don’t want to double down on that.

    1. Orion Fury

      Don’t forget about those sudden bouts of red background.

      1. Urukak

        And the transient cheek blush.

    2. Jason

      Counselling for issues like Amber’s would be a slow, slow process anyway. It’s not like this started with Sal- her issues run very deep indeed.
      (Speaking as someone with a similar history, somewhat similar manifestation of PTSD, some training as a counsellor under his belt and maybe six years of undergoing counselling.)

  27. greatwhitebear

    Okay, but this is…. such a perfect visual representation of PTSD? This was really well done, and I’m incredibly upset about it.

    1. caesaria82

      *hugs*

    2. Mika

      Yeah, I explained how well this captured PTSD, and how my own worked, on the Patreon, and found that doing so upset me enough that I had to take an anti-anxiety pill and go lay down. It’s… really effectively done.

      1. Steve

        BPD works better. Compartmentalization has no side effect warning on teh side panel!

        1. Mika

          I’ve got enough mental issues from CPTSD, quite honestly, I don’t need to go looking for more 😛

    3. Sam

      It makes me sad too. It is well done, and it is so so sad to see someone suffering like that and not being able to do anything.

    4. Cerberus

      Yeah, this is probably the best comic depiction of PTSD I’ve ever seen, right down to the barely hearing the words coming out of another person’s mouth because you’re flashbacking too hard.

  28. Tacos

    I’m gonna spend the next 30 minutes trying to figure out what Sal is saying aren’t I? Goddammit… -_-

    1. Ana Chronistic

      Ah know, yer wonderin’ why AH’M apologizin’…

      It’s prolly my fault ah showed her the Youtubes.

      Ah mean, it’s not REALLY, but…

      …but sometimes ya can’t help but blame yerself.

      1. motorfirebox

        are you a wizard

        1. Ana Chronistic

          no, my dad’s a doctor =B

  29. Bagge

    When you are as cool as Sal, helping a random geek is cause for a dramatic monologue.

  30. timemonkey

    I think my biggest problem with Ambers character is that I can’t relate to any aspect of her psychology. I have no experience with what’s she’s experiencing above, or her need to compartmentalise herself, or her damage from her dad. Which is great for me, I guess, but makes her very frustrating for me to read.

    1. Stara

      Well, I also see Amber as extremely mentally ill (I think the author is trying to write her as gradually developing multiple personalities, which is a fabricated mental issue and wouldn’t pan out in MPD-esque cases as Amber is written). She clearly has severe anxiety and I would argue she shows signs of delusion. I can say assertively that her experiences do not make this kind of person. Honestly, she seems almost like a borderline personality disorder case, but I think that’s more a messy inflection from the character writing than from character design.

      1. Mika

        Not MPD. DID.

        1. Stara

          I know it’s dissociative identity disorder, I referenced the archaic term because to me it’s closer to the misconception than the highly controversial diagnosis.

        2. Cerberus

          I dunno, I’m not so sure we’re seeing “gradually developing multiple alters” as we’re seeing alters who were close to being integrated being pushed further and further way in a misguided attempt at compartmentalization and avoidance of “bad emotions” and “bad selves”.

          It’s a lot of things that resonate with my own experiences growing up with DID. And she’s definitely making similar mistakes to what I used to do and we’re seeing the fallout of this attempt at pushing the alters away from each other in order to “trap the bad”.

          I doubt that’s the only thing she has though, especially since she, at the least, also has severe anxiety and PTSD.

      2. Steve

        Stara, it took me until today to realize Amber’s reacting to most of her stuff just like my case of BD works, minus less cartoon exaggeration than you’d think. ‘Course, I probably won’t remember that tomorrow. It’s a little jangly on my nerves right now so the realization will probably have its own little file in my personal hard drive and encrypted by the time I wake up tomorrow…

        1. Steve

          Huh. Now I have to wonder if I’ve realized that about Amber and my BPD before. Typing this out feels like an anxiety attack in miniature so…maybe?

        2. Stara

          Steve: interesting, and I hope you’re okay (sounds like you’re freaking out a bit? I might have mis-read). Yeah, I do think that a psychological profile of Amber’s would have to have an axis I or axis II consideration, it ain’t all just axis IV. Anxiety is def a large part of her character writing in social circs, and instability plus the deep, it-doesn’t-need-a-trigger complications of dealing with anxiety seem to be a rational explanation for why she’s reacting in such a way to something a lot of peeps have experienced without dissociating into a superhero or turning into a quivering jelly.

        3. Cerberus

          *appropriate gesture of support*

    2. Mary

      I have PTSD, and I do get it. I’ve blacked out some of my trauma but for the stuff I do feel…. Triggers are hard. You literally know the moment you are in, but my face gets flushI start reliving the past and am doing everything I can to stay present

    3. Cerberus

      Maybe just take it as a character study in that psychology? Could help it be less frustrating.

      But yeah, not every character is going to resonate with everyone. Though for the theoretical person for whom every character resonates… I’m so so sorry for how life has treated you.

      1. modulusshift

        Oh gosh. A gay half black Amber with natural hair, fighting her way out of the church which is fighting back with a literal gun, all while running into the first real roadblocks of college studying and having her first relationship with a sweet but odd kid instead of the girl of her fantasies, who she still pines for and sees every day. Oh, and those racist parents were actually foster parents, because her real parents died in a car accident, and Dina is an ambitious, kinda experienced, but still awkward alcoholic who alternates between pulling her up and dragging her down.

        That’s as much as I can handle, Sal/Amber/Becky/Walky/Ruth dating Dorothy/Dina/Billie/Danny. And I didn’t really get much Danny in there. It’s too much for one person, far too much.

        Huh. It’s kinda weird that I didn’t fit in any Joyce. I don’t think there’s any more room, and most of her problems are faced to a bigger extent by the other cast members.

    4. Spencer

      Amber’s easy for me to relate to because I know that feeling where being angry about something makes you a piece of shit, the idea of not being able to healthily express that anger for fear that you hurt somebody, blaming yourself for abuse, and the need to prove that you’re not the single worst person without realizing that nobody but you is judging by that metric but yourself.

      I’m completely inexperienced in the matter, but Amber’s need to compartmentalize her identities stems from her fears that she, as Amber, cannot healthily express anger, and she needs to take it out on people she can justify as deserving it, and now it’s become a separate identity she uses to run away from herself.

      1. Cerberus

        Ayup on that whole first paragraph.

    5. Stara

      The situation she went through is not objectively so bad that it necessarily merits her extremely traumatised, almost histrionic reaction (note, I am not calling Amber histrionic, she’s just drawn in an over-the-top way). Her father was also, in all frankness, not bad enough that this is a typical clinical response. He hit her mother and was verbally abusive to Amber. It was not severe abuse either– you guys can disagree if you want, I have yet to see Blaine’s behaviour towards Amber be as psychologically damaging in real-life cases of emotional abuse from parents involved in shady activities, even when they pull their child into lying for them.

      (I don’t like the storylines that involve Amber’s PTSD very much, though. It seems disingenuous to me, like someone’s idea of how a Real-Life, Gritty Story works. I love the Amazi-girl plots, though, even when they handle the same material or bleed into Amber. My own life circs have been was more involved than Amber’s, in every dimension used to craft her traumatised sides, and I have been in so many different environments where I’ve met and been in sessions with people who’ve been in really rough places, and I just don’t see the writing surrounding her as realistic)

      (Hence my being like “yeah, she’s definitely very mentally ill in a way that would exist with or without her personal circumstances. Amber, as a person, would in any event have an unstable personality disorder because that is the simplest way to explain how over-the-top this is.”)

      1. Charles Phipps

        Amazi-Girl’s problem (I consider Amber just a disguise she wears) is she has been projecting her anger and helplessness on Sal for literal years. She’s an incarnation of anxiety and self-hatred versus anything real. I don’t think she’s mentally ill so much as having severe roleplaying problems.

        1. Stara

          A personality disorder rather than a mental disorder; both are called mental illnesses.

      2. Mika

        I mean… to be honest, tough shit? Trauma doesn’t really care if you ‘objectively’ had things bad enough to deserve it, y’know? If I’m a little prickly, it’s because I’ve seen too many good people get told that other people don’t think their history warrants their trauma, because their parents *only* emotionally abused them every single hour of the day, rather than *also* beating them into the hospital.

        1. Spencer

          Yeah, I was verbally and emotionally abused a lot as a kid but very rarely hit, so I eventually started telling myself to stop whining because other kids have it worse.

        2. Stara

          But at the same time, are you developing DID and pulling frozen faces of extreme shock and horror when you run into your triggers? Hence my saying it’s not just what she’s lived through. I’d compare to Becky; I feel that if you switched the two characters, B would be a more stable and less asocial, anxious person under Amber’s life experiences. Amber, I imagine, would be incredibly damaged by Becky’s last few days.

        3. Mika

          Actually, yes, I did develop DID from the trauma of being emotionally abused by my father for more than twenty years. Thanks for fucking asking, Stara, and in a way that lets me know you considered it so very unlikely.

        4. Stara

          That was to Spencer, love.

        5. Li

          I don’t see how directing it at someone else makes it any less offensive, and your endearment at someone who’s angry and hurt by your skepticism is condescending.

        6. Cerberus

          So many *hugs* to Mika.

          And to Stara-

          DID like PTSD flashbacks is/are weird. What triggers it can sometimes be random as all hell. Fuck, I still don’t know what triggered my first split even if the second and third are a lot more obvious to me (and yes, involved periods of my life of intense and persistent emotional abuse along with other mental stuff clanging into things). As far as I know, I’ve had it since I was at least 5.

          And also with regards to your final sentence. Oh hell yes, I agree. Already coming in wounded to something like that leaves you even more battered and I can easily see her developing more alters with new traumas. Especially since that’s a thing I’ve definitely done.

          Oh, brains, you fragile, squishy ball of neurons and emotions…

        7. Reaganbot

          Right, I think it’s fair to stay that since Stara saw dad killed as a child, there’s a decidedly patronising tone here. Don’t see any attacking of anyone’s disorders, except you being dismissive, Cerb.

        8. David M Willis

          And I think it’s fair to say that it’s not friggin’ cool to post pretending to be somebody else in defense of yourself, Stara. I can see IPs, you know.

        9. Mika

          And, furthermore, no, I don’t get like that currently, when confronted by my triggers, but that’s because of significant amounts of counseling and the assistance of anti-anxiolytic medications to break the physical connection between my PTSD and my anxiety attacks. ‘Frozen in place, unable to speak or react’ is actually a pretty good summary of what it looks like on the outside when I get triggered so badly that it causes an attack, which would happen if I was suddenly and unexpectedly presented with an extreme form of my trigger, like, say, my abuser yelling at me. Just like it happened to Amber, here, when she saw Sal’s fingers closing on fabric that looked just like Ethan’s shirt that day.

        10. Stara

          Seriously, where do you get off?! I said more than once that Amber probably has an underlying condition exacerbating the issue and now YOU ACTUALLY SAID IN YOUR OWN COMMENT THAT YOU HAVE ANXIETY, WHICH I AM ASSERTING IS LIKELY TO BE PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN HER HISTRIONIC RESPONSES.

        11. Stara

          AND YES, I have been and am in psychiatric and therapeutic environments, I have met a lot of people from diverse circumstances, SO BIG FUCKING SURPRISE THAT A DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY IS PROMOTED FROM PTSD INTERTWINED WITH ANXIETY.

        12. Cerberus

          *appropriate gesture of support*

          That’s really rough and I’m sorry for your loss.

          But I’m not sure any of us benefits from making hierarchies of who has it worse than who (and thus has earned their traumas), whether in fiction or in life.

        13. Stara

          Cerebus, I’m really sorry, but I hate hearing “I’m sorry for your loss.” In my mind, it diminishes the events and isolates everything to one suitcase item that can be misplaced or lost– or a sudden one-off, like death through natural illness. Please, read what I say and comment on that instead.

          Regarding hierarchies: I would rather not have a pissing-contest. It seems that without divulging things, commenters tend to take remarks here very personally, or think someone’s the equivalent of an entitled white middle-class commenting on structural racism from their all-white suburban area.

        14. Stara

          Back to say I don’t hate you, your response made me feel angry. :p Because we’re internet strangers who don’t know each other, and words can sometimes cause a spiral of bad feelings that last for a day or touches the tipping point a person’s been sitting on for weeks/months/years. So, I don’t hate you, and I’m sorry I said I did. <3

        15. Mika

          Yeah, I understand, Stara, and I’m sorry I snapped like I did too. Your words just accidentally touched off a bad reaction because they came across like some unpleasant things that had been said to us, and friends, all throughout our life. I know you didn’t intend that, and I don’t bear any hard feelings at all. Thank you so much for coming back to say that. I’d offer hugs, but I try to ask before doing that. <3

        16. Stara

          D’aw, hearts. :3

        17. thejeff

          OTOH, while Becky certainly had a odd childhood that’s left its scars, she didn’t have a constantly deliberately emotionally abusive parent, so the comparison is rather moot. They’ve both been shaped by both their innate personality and their experiences. You can’t take the characters we know and swap them.
          What would Amber be like if she was raised in a fundamentalist Christian, apparently loving, if conditional and homophobic, household? Damned if I know. What would Becky have been like if she was raised by Blaine? Again, damned if I know.
          It’s easy to look at them and say, well Becky seems so resilient and Amber so fragile that Becky would have been fine anyway and Amber would still be troubled, just not so bad, but we don’t know that, because that resilience and fragility are still partly the result of those experiences.

          It really seems to me that you’re looking at Amber and thinking “She didn’t have it as bad as me, so if she has problems, they’re her fault.” Which really isn’t fair.

        18. Cerberus

          This.

          Scars are just that, scars. Maybe it means a life-long mark, maybe it causes deeper tissue damage, including nerve damage or impaired action. And it’s the same for brain stuff. Same experiences, different person might have similar or different ends, but it wouldn’t be because of any inherent quality of one over the other. Simply how each has adapted to the scars life has given them and dealt with the impositions to daily life.

        19. JQuire

          Except that Stara is not saying any of this is Amber’s fault. Just that they believe that the kind of mental health impact that Amber’s exhibiting would correspond to the level and type of abuse she’s been exposed to unless there are other disorders or circumstances which are contributing.

          I’m not seeing where she’s doing any kind of victim blaming or trying to undermine the legitimacy or reality of anyone’s trauma based on not having been abused ‘badly enough.’ Am I missing something…?

        20. Stara

          🙂 Thanks, JQuire, you hit it better than I did.

        21. Stara

          Yeah, I know, trauma is subjective; that’s why I think Amber’s severe anxiety plays such a big role in how she’s responding. I’m not saying an average person in her circs wouldn’t need counselling; I’m saying that the severity of how Amber feels about everything is disproportionate to what is depicted and an underlying (obvious, often depicted) condition is probably what’s inflamed things.

        22. Stara

          Also, a lot of what I’m saying boils down to “I think she’s badly written.” Her father is an almost exact crossover from his cartoony shortpacked! character. It’s ridiculous what a caricature he is. I like the how-do-you-get-irl-Batman but, but the PTSD and the run-ins with her triggers, the writing seems inauthentic/amateur to me.

        23. Stara

          All of which is in the comment you replied “tough shit” to, having apparently digested only the first line. -.-

        24. Cerberus

          Um, politely, that’s still very dismissive to people who’ve had a Blaine in their lives. I’ve been lucky enough to not, but Blaine talks almost exactly like my girlfriend’s dad, right down to the statements about how “ungrateful” she’s being not following his every whim in the times where he financially contributes in any way to her life.

        25. JQuire

          Stara, look: gas lighting is the go-to for emotionally abusive persons. We’re told we’re over reacting. We’re told we must have mental health problems because we have a strong response to being abused. We’re told to stop being so dramatic. Statements that our responses to abuse are overblown *is part of the cycle of abuse*. I understand you got angry at an internet stranger, but consider the above and know that those who are emotionally abused feel like the schrodinger’s cat of abuse victims. Always questioning whether the problem is the abuser or them. That uncertainty forms the baseline for abuse, and is the ultimate tool for the abuser.

          OTOH…. as a member of this group, I don’t find Stara’s analytical perspective is particularly dismissive. She’s not saying the trauma isn’t real. She’s not saying the response to trauma isn’t legitimate. She’s rightly saying that Amber’s anxiety disorder is playing a pretty big role in the severity of Amber’s PTSD and dysfunctional coping mechanisms. But then, I don’t have a problem with acknowledging that there are levels of severity in what is done to a person so long as we all can agree that it doesn’t in any way detract from the legitimacy of anyone’s subjective experience of trauma.

        26. JQuire

          You know, it may have been helpful if I’d proof read before posting. *sigh*

        27. thejeff

          I’d certainly agree her anxiety disorder played a huge role in her reaction to the robbery and likely the development of her coping mechanisms.
          But is her anxiety disorder a pre-existing, innate thing or is it itself a result of a childhood full of Blaine’s emotional abuse?

        28. JQuire

          I don’t know enough about the sources of anxiety disorders to speculate. I’m sure the abuse didn’t help, though.

        29. Leorale

          Classic question of nature vs. nurture. Probably a little of both.

          (support: Anxiety disorders run in families, even if the anxious people weren’t raised together, so that strongly suggests that there’s some genetic stuff at play, but environmental factors and traumas also make a big difference, so it’s both.)

        30. Stara

          Hey, I know. One of my comments remarked on the kinds of experiences that my life has involved; it was removed (which I’m glad for, as I was angry and ended with “I hate you” to Mika). You’ve read correctly what I wrote. Thanks for that.

        31. Mika

          Thank you, Cerberus <3 As always, you say what I want to, with more patience, kindness, and eloquence.

        32. NotPiffany

          Blaine’s not a caricature. He’s a depressingly common sort of guy, really.

      3. Leorale

        Different people react to trauma in completely different ways. If you’re more resilient, then that’s lucky for you! That’s like Becky, who can get through a kidnapping/carcrash and come out cheering. Or like Ethan, who generally just takes things like a rock (including this very same event that extra-traumatized Amber). Amber is not highly resilient, nor is Joyce, and that’s no problem or fault of theirs, they just need some more help to get to an obvious equilibrium. All trauma is worthy of help.

        1. Leorale

          I made the mistake of commenting without reading all the responses that people already wrote. Sorry to repeat what’s already been covered.

          Yes, Amber in particular may well have a differently-wired brain, as exemplified by her childhood anxiety, which then exacerbates everything that happens to her (particularly since Blaine has never let her treat said anxiety). Nobody’s disagreeing there.

          Instead, I think people are not digging the idea that a trauma can be ‘objectively’ not so bad, or not bad enough to warrant a very big reaction from a neurotypical person. Trauma just isn’t objective, and some people react a lot, and that’s not bad writing or bad people in any way. A trauma doesn’t have to be ‘big enough’ to be worthy of a big reaction, even if the person is basically neurotypical.

          If it hits you like a trauma, that makes it really important and sufficient. You know it’s sufficient, because it is currently hitting you in the face. So it’s hurtful when somebody suggests that a trauma has to be big enough to be worthy, as though somebody is hitting you in the face and your pal is like, “Well, that guy isn’t really that muscular, he’s not punching you that hard, what’s your problem, really.” Like, dude, face hurts!

          People don’t want to be traumatized. If somebody is acting traumatized, then their trauma was sufficient for them. They’re not gonna be making it up.

          Anyway. I think you might have meant to be getting at resilience, which is a particularly nifty area of study. We don’t really know why some kids from terrible backgrounds still manage to succeed against the odds, for example. Like their faces are iron! It’s special. If we could figure out why some people are basically fine after a trauma (like Ethan), and some people really really aren’t (like Amber), well, that would be exciting, we could maybe teach people to become more resilient! That would be rad! But we don’t know enough about it, and we haven’t figured out whether we can increase it, or how. Maybe someday.

        2. Leorale

          — PS clarification: when I said “it’s hurtful when somebody suggests that a trauma has to be big enough to be worthy” I meant, worthy of a big dramatic reaction. (Pretty sure we all know that everyone’s worthy of, say, help, or food/shelter.)

          When I started to talk about people not making up their traumas, that was a bit of a tangent. I know you didn’t say that Amber was making things up. I was reacting to the classification of ‘histrionic’, which is often lobbed at women as a way of saying they’re making things up, but I think you weren’t using it that way today, so it’s probably not relevant to the conversation.

          Basically I wish I could delete my last three paragraphs because I kinda got distracted, there! /novel

        3. Stara

          I like your last three paragraphs. They say good stuff. To “histrionic”, you’re right in thinking that I used it in a different context; removed from the concept of Amber, more on the way Amber is being conveys (since Amber O’Malley is totes fictitious, everything she says and does is written by someone, and I have opinions on that). http://www.dictionary.com/browse/histrionic <– You might not agree with me at all, of course, but you can see I used it more as a writing critic than as a character response.

        4. Stara

          I’m sure I must annoy the author with my occasional sniffs (it’s not the first time I’ve written that I find something melodramatic). The depiction clearly resonates with a number of people. I’m just a cold person.

      4. Jason

        Amber feels like me.
        Just let me restate that. Amber feels like me. AG aside she is an uncanny reflection of myself at her age.
        Trauma affects everyone differently and we were all given different coping mechanisms starting at birth- the early years are more important than I can state. Blaine reminds me of my own parents combined- they did NOT equip me with coping mechanisms beyond “blame self”. Then there was a bunch of other stuff that happened when I got a bit older (which has fewer parallels with Amber).

        I have spent ten years learning that it’s okay to have been so traumatised. That it’s not my fault. That I’m not inherently weak. That I deserved and do deserve to have my experiences treated with respect.
        And to hell with ANYONE who says otherwise.

  31. Tenzhi

    Amber should really see a doctor about her severe case of Tragic Hero Flashback Syndrome.

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      Yeah the last thing we want is dumbing of age turning into some “edgey” 90 superhero

    2. newllend(henryvolt)

      Yeah the last thing we want is dumbing of age turning into some “edgey” 90 superhero movie

  32. Vinny

    Obviously, Amber recognizes Sal from the robbery at the gas station…
    But does Sal recognize Amber? (I read too many webcomix – I can’t keep all the details straight).

    Thanks

    1. Ellegos

      Nope.

      1. Cerberus

        This. I mean, in the flashback, Amber is hiding the whole time and taking Ethan hostage is a spur-of-the-moment decision. And when she stabs her, she approaches from behind and to the side and Sal closes her eyes in pain while the cops drag Amber away from her.

        So she probably didn’t much see Amber at the time to remember her. Not to mention that that moment for Sal was probably just the capstone on a day that was shitty for a lot more reasons than that and preceding a lot of awful after it, so I don’t know if she’d care all that much, even if she did recognize her as the person who stabbed her hand.

    2. Orion Fury

      It was Tuesday for Sal.

      1. Orion Fury

        I typed something, and it didn’t show. Was it a filter change? I’m gonna type what is missing in quoted to see if it happens again.

        “It was Tuesday” for Sal.

        1. Orion Fury

          Interesting. Sorry Willis, didn’t know that was a forbidden comment.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          Well that’s interesting.

        3. Orion Fury

          It is. I wonder what prompted it.

        4. caesaria82

          This exact thing prompted it. People were quoting the line over and over. So Willis stopped it.

        5. Orion Fury

          So replies to the questioning of why Sal doesn’t recognize Amber we so oversaturated with that quote that he full-stopped the phrase? I take it that particular horse got beat 7 feet into the ground then. I don’t think I was reading the comments then. Thank you.

        6. caesaria82

          Yeah. Eventually I think it got used in response to other things as well but I’m pretty sure the robbery is where it started and it’s banned because it got out of control.
          It’s kinda like how in the beginning everyone made the same ‘UC is Amazi-Girl’ comments and it became really annoying^^ (don’t worry, I’m not bringing this back, I’m just using it as an example xD)

        7. Orion Fury

          That ran it’s course over in Shortpacked if I recall correctly. That did get annoying. Though it does make me wonder if Willis may do a future storyline where someone states that Carla is Amaza-Girl, and she runs with it. I’d think that be interesting. You’d have to say arrivederci to the comment section first though.

        8. Kamino Neko

          Closer to 12 feet.

          We are not a fandom that can let a joke go.

        9. Orion Fury

          Beat it dead twice? Now that’s dedication.

        10. Orion Fury

          I like that quote. You so very rarely get to use it.

        11. ChrisHerself

          Can us n00bs get a link to the comic in question? I am DYING of curiosity right about now. And always interested in avoiding fandom faux pas.

        12. Orion Fury

          It’s not a specific comic (for the sake of an explanation, anyways). It’s a line from a Street Fighter movie. One of the good guys home town/village/thing was destroyed/terrorized by the Big Bad, and she trains to make herself stronger, to take out said BB. Upon challenging him, she discovered that the he doesn’t even know who she is, and he comments on how when he went to her town, it was the most important day in her life, but it was just another day for him. The direct quote of that last part, what day of the week it was, is what is specifically banned.

          A proper write-up is on it’s TvTrope page. I’m gonna try to post a roundabout way of saying it, if you want to look it up. It contains the words ‘it’, as well as ‘was’, and finally the day of the week that comes after Monday.

        13. Amazi-Stool

          Well, Orion Fury already described it, but you asked for a link.
          Link!

        14. ChrisHerself

          Thanks you guys! Haaaa I guess an artist so active in his comics’ comment sections would get tired of seeing the same low-lying comedic fruit whizzing by on the daily. But damn if it isn’t a great scene. 😀

    3. Schpoonman

      As best as I can tell she does not. Sal may be a fairly collected individual for the most part, but I can see her flying into one of her towering rages if she ever recognized Amber as the girl that put a knife through her hand.

      1. Marie

        I’ve been thinking that. I don’t think she would just from remembering Amber, but if Amber tried to call Sal out somehow…

        Like “Oh, I grabbed your friend and scared you? You STABBED MY FUCKING HAND.”

        1. Porto

          “Grabbed your friend and scared you?”

          UM WUT.

        2. Marie

          I dunno whether or not she’d really consider Ethan a hostage or threatened in her head but assumed not here, and Amber yes, scared (so much that it caused trauma, but she didn’t do anything -to- Amber, and I think she’d consider it very minor compared to hand stabbing).

          Of course Sal could also be over her hand and be like ‘you were that person?’ and apologetic, because the hand stab is the only reason she’d have anything against Amber.

        3. Leila

          She’s not really over it if she wears gloves to hide the scar.

        4. Cerberus

          That’s a good point, but it might also be a Walkerton thing she inherited like the “straight hair = right hair” thing. Sort of a “keeping the sense of propriety” sort of deal, where you hide away the ignoble proofs of your past away.

        5. Marie

          Plus, even if she’s no longer mad or anything about it, she probably prefers not to be asked about it every time someone sees it.

          (But I can totally see ‘put your gloves back on, no one wants to see that horrible scar!’ being a thing with family, especially given she sleeps with them. Alternative: she doesn’t want Walky to find out (or has had it demanded that she don’t tell), and given she’s rooming with Billie that means concealing even moreso)

      2. motorfirebox

        I dunno. I think Sal would be more guilt-stricken than angry at Amber. Though I’m not ruling out her guilt expressing itself as anger…

    4. Leorale

      Nope, Sal doesn’t recognize Amber or Ethan.

    5. DinaWho

      We already know Sal doesn’t recognise Ethan, who she got a much better look at during the whole robbery. It’s even less likely she’d recognise Amber, who was either hiding or attacking her from behind for much of the incident.

  33. Rukduk

    Dammit eyes work better! You can almost make out what Sal is saying! C’mon, focus eyes! Focus!

  34. IJ

    Dab dab

  35. Catty

    We have a situation here, people: the penny has dropped.

  36. Orion Fury

    So, eggs anyone?

    1. inqntrol

      Don’t forget the bacon. Oh and the coffee.

      1. Orion Fury

        Breakfast with the family. Answering questions about what you’ve been doing. Good times, right?

        1. inqntrol

          Till somebody asks something awkward and there’s total silence for nearly 5-10 minutes. That’s how breakfast or dinner were usually in my family.

  37. newllend(henryvolt)

    Ya just keep teasing us with this.

  38. caesaria82

    Holy traumatic flashback, Batman.

    1. Amazi-Girl impersonator

      WE GATTA GOE SAVE TEH COMMISHINER!

  39. Wolf

    Ok guys I’m back

    Oh.

    Ok guys I’m going on vacation again

    1. Amazi-Girl impersonator

      I brought the snacks!

      *Brings refrigerator*

      Wait, flashbacks?

      *Gets flashbacks to that convenience store robbery*

      Welp I’m going on vacation

    2. Dallas

      *Been on vacation*

      Oh. I have to go back.

  40. Moonshine McGee

    The DAB has infected Sal! The end is nigh.

    1. Amazi-Girl impersonator

      Yeah Dab, I thought dab would dab dab dab dab.

      1. motorfirebox

        d̻̳͖̥͓͕̫͞a̺͔̹̖̯͙b

  41. Reltzik

    Aaaaaand that’s the last we hear of this plot thread for 6 months.

    1. Reltzik

      Well, no, there will be some follow-up discussion with Ethan or someone, but this is the closest we’ll be to advancing or resolving it for six months.

    2. Spencer

      Well, she’s showing up at least until March 18th before moving onto some Carla focus at around the 22nd.

      There’s been a pretty consistent pattern of Amber reacting to Sal this way since late 2013, so I think we’re soon going to see this train start moving.

  42. Charles Phipps

    It’s interesting Amber is completely irretrievably unable to process confronting Sal. I was really hoping the fact Sal dismissed Amazi-Girl would force her to confront some things.

    1. Dallas

      I think this is unhealthy.

      1. Charles Phipps

        I think the Amber personality is pretty unhealthy. I don’t think real-life psychology corresponds to any of this so it’s important Amazi-Girl drops her human disguise to become the person she truly can be.

        1. Amazi-Girl impersonator

          Like what I’m doing right now.

  43. Charles Phipps

    Amber knew Sal was on campus before. Is there any reason why this incident is frying her so bad? She’s even confronted her a couple of times as Amazi-Girl.

    1. Orion Fury

      Perhaps it was because she was Amazi-Girl? Criticism immunity give a bonus to Will Saves? As her alter-ego she wasn’t mentally prepared to interact with mental anguish?

      1. Amazi-Girl impersonator

        She seems to treat Amazi-Girl and Amber as two different people in 1 body or something.

        1. Cerberus

          Yup, that’s DID in a nutshell, 2 distinct alters, one body. They can cozy up and share minds and integrate or they can do what they’ve been doing. Which is a great way to cause the media-focused side of DID where the alters are so not communicating that they don’t even share much of their short-term memory.

    2. Chandra

      I’m guessing that’s the effect of Amber’s split personality. The part of her that’s Amazi-girl is able to keep herself composed in front of Sal, if for a while, but the other part of Amber is stuck in that moment in time.

      1. Schpoonman

        Remember when she first woke up after being saved from that semi when Ross abducted Becky. She freaked the hell out before reinternalizing that she was Amazigirl at the moment and stood her ground.

    3. smooti

      I think this is scaring her because she didn’t have time to notice it was Sal from far away, since no glasses, and has also had to deal with realizing that Sal might not be a terrible person. It’s easy to justify what she did that day if Sal is a criminal, not someone who helps save Becky or who helps someone who’s dropped their laundry.

      1. Spencer

        Yep. Amber doesn’t care who Sal is, she cares about what Sal represents. Sal is capital C Crime in Amber’s mind, the monster in the dark that terrified her, the threat she failed to overcome because she was too much of a coward, and the first example of Amber’s rage being uncontrollable.

        It’d be like if Batman found Joe Chill after 20 years only to find that he turned over a new leaf and opened up an orphanage for disabled puppies.

        1. smooti

          Ok, is it weird that I REALLY want to read a Batman story like that? Cuz that sounds right up my alley.

        2. Cerberus

          Ditto.

          Hell, having the superhero genre do more to grapple with the economic and racial issues that often create crime and with the idea that most “criminals” do indeed reform or are just kids who made a mistake would be great.

          Fuck, our whole society could do more grappling with that reality instead of using the easy and often racist shorthand of “arrested for a crime” = bad person who will always be a bad person.

  44. Professor Fate

    The lettering in panels 2,4 and 6 reminds me of the early Xerox machines that would do that to copies when various things would often go wrong with the machine’s insides. It was easier to send multiple copies out to a job printer.

  45. Jenny Islander

    Y HELO THAR PTSD

    TRIGGER? O WHY THE HECK NOT

    I HAD NOTHING TO DO THIS EVENING

    JUST LAUNDRY

    AND

    YOU KNOW

    MY LIFE

    (But seriously, that’s the best representation of fight-or-flight shutting off the ability to word that I’ve ever seen.)

    1. Orion Fury

      I thought I saw a discussion about not verbing nouns yesterday…

      1. Jenny Islander

        If that’s the local custom, then OK, I won’t do it anymore.

        1. Orion Fury

          I could be wrong. I’ve only started commenting recently. Reading around a decade, but actually interacting..

        2. Clif

          Any noun can be verbed. Standard English move. Works the other way too. Talking about verbification may get you criticized but no one will wonder what the hell you’re trying to say.

        3. Orion Fury

          Perhaps it was another fandom then. These things tend to bleed together at 2 in the morning.

      2. ChrisHerself

        …….Seriously? Who the fuck does that hurt? smdh

    2. caesaria82

      *hugs*

      I feel you. I was triggered earlier today (about something else, my trigger isn’t ptsd, it’s suicide/suicide attempts), I watched a movie where it was really incredinly well done and sensitively handled and really cathartic for me – I sobbed for a good long time afterwards. Man, it’s really SO IMPORTANT to see this stuff done well in any type of media. Because you feel like someone really *gets* it, y’know? I feel this. It’s amazing.

      1. Orion Fury

        Mine is seeing separation of family of someway.

        [Fable 2 spoiler]

        When at the end you decide which of the three ending to pick, Help the Few, Many, or Self. I had already done the Few and went to pick another one (for achievement), I broke down for at least 15 minutes.

        [End spoiler]

  46. Ashley

    Amber needs like a metric ton of therapy.
    Srsly.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Too bad she is in the US, where we don’t do metric.

      1. Orion Fury

        I believe Imperial is a greater amount as well, so maybe it’s a good thing?

        1. Reltzik

          You mean the same system that says a pound of feathers weighs more than a pound of gold? Imperial is too crazy to be a psychologist.

          ….. er, wait.

        2. Orion Fury

          Isn’t metric more a measure of mass? been a couple of decades since my science classes and I’ve not had a real need to use non-imperial systems.

        3. inqntrol

          It is also used to measure distance,length,volume and temperature.

        4. Orion Fury

          More for the purpose of weight than the other things. Granted, I look at Celsius and wonder how that’s a good scale for basic usage.

    2. CJ

      Actually, no, not tons. She needs a good trauma-therapist who first helps her digest the robbery and surrounding events and who then get’s her to deal with what her non-father did. With the robbery making so obvious symptoms, a not-so-good therapist might miss that.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        MORBO HELP YOU DIGEST NON-FATHER AND FATHER.

      2. Jason

        Hmm. Speaking as someone training to be a counsellor I think you have it the wrong way around. I think the foundations set by her parents/father need to be dealt with before the robbery can truly be processed. Some of the weight of the robbery can be alleviated but more than that, I feel, involves going much deeper.

        …I spend too much time imagining the process of counselling fictional characters.

  47. KSClaw

    And now the weather

  48. Lan

    The moment I read this my Cthulhu POP figure fell over and rolled about on the carpet. It’s more of a BRICK of a figure and has never done that before. The fuck Willis? Are you a witch dude? Can you teach me that trick?

    1. Spencer

      Oh hey, I’ve got one of those too.

      I’m not a fan of the brand, but the Cthulhu one was really good.

  49. Ridureyu

    Amazi-Girl! Look, it’s your arch enemy!

    KILL HER. YOU MUST DO IT.

  50. Sporky

    So when do you think there’ll ACTUALLY be a confrontation between amber and sal? I’m guessing ~2020

    I’m not complaining, stories shouldn’t be rushed but goddamn… SO CLOSE

  51. Orion Fury

    Sunny with a chance of b͐̐̔̚͏̨͇̻̭ľ̷̠̜̫̰̹̩̰̒͂ͅa̫̖ͪͥ͌ͪ̔́͡g̤̼̖̲͙͒̇͢.

  52. pjeseb

    Another opportunity lost forever.

  53. Charles Phipps

    I wonder what would happen if Amber finally picked a fight with Sal and got completely curbstomped.

    1. StoneyB

      Atonement. What she’s looking for.

    2. Commodore Jeep-Eep

      Given how much of a physical specimen Amber is – forget Ruth, she’s the most physically powerful person in the female dorm though that musculature is hidden under fat – if her blood was up and in full rage… I would have my money on her. Between how unstable and strong she is, she’s the most dangerous personage in the main cast.

      1. tim gueguen

        We also have no idea what either’s fighting skills actually are. Amber may have studied some form of martial arts. Sal probably hasn’t.

  54. ninja_jesus

    One day I want Amber to be like, “Hey Sal… how’s your hand doing?”

    And then Sal goes, “Oh it’s- wait, how did you know?”

    And then Amber comes back with, “Cuz I’m the bongo that stabbed you!”

    And then an epic fight commences.

    1. Leila

      Ma hand? What’dya mean, wha’s wrong with ma hand?

      1. Clif

        I have no hand.

  55. CJ

    Incredible good representation of a backflash.
    The actual stuff doesn’t get through the memory it triggers and she’s as wrung out as if the robbery just happened. Awesome.

  56. NinjaNick

    Again with the flashbacks?

  57. rayrayravona

    just got back from the bar. super drunk right now but “It’s probably my fault. Ah showed her the youtubes. Ah mean, it’s not really but…” I’m to drunk to understand this

    1. Schpoonman

      Sal was apologizing for Carla performing “PARKOUR!” Sal showed Carla some YouTube videos of it so she’s decided to run around the halls jumping off walls and junk, and Sal is doing a little damage control.

      1. Cerberus

        On that note, how sweet is the moment that apology is hinting at? Like, so far, with Carla and Sal standing around strips, we’ve just seen Sal trying to remain emotionally distanced from anyone not named Marcie while Carla does her whole “hey, are we just chilling, that’s cool, this is totally coincidental and not because I have a little bit of a romantic crush, but anyways, what we doin’? Watching Marcie hit on Malaya? Cool, cool” shtick.

        But with this, we get the first hint that Sal has reached out to someone who isn’t Marcie, at least enough to show her some youtube videos of parkour on her phone.

        And it makes me excited to see more Sal and Carla interactions, especially if Carla decides to let her know about the Mary incident.

        1. Marie

          I wonder if lecturing Joyce to reach out to her friends helped Sal to.

        2. Cerberus

          “Ah, damn, ah did say friends plural… welp, time ta get one other friend.”

        3. Marie

          Now I’m kind of picturing that being a standard Sal lecture, and she gives it to Carla. “Ah, damn, ah’m ‘er friend.”

  58. BenRG

    Ouch! Poor Amber? I find myself wondering how long she’s just going to lie there, reliving that night over and over on a repeating loop?

  59. Orion Fury

    Nerd!

    (Is this another filtered out joke or did no-one feel like making it?)

  60. LineWalker

    I suppose ‘hey, I stabbed your right hand and consider you my rival’ would be a difficult discussion to start…

  61. Herb

    Come on! It’s your Joe Chill! It’s your six-fingered man! Don’t freeze up now!

  62. skdk

    is amber scared of sal or herself? im kinda leaning towards herself now actually. i always adsumed she was scared of sal and stuff

    1. BenRG

      Sal is sort of an avatar of the very worst moment in her life. It isn’t so much Sal as all of the various bad associations.

    2. Adam Black

      Shes scared of herself, AND she is scared of how Sal triggers her.
      Between those two shes so overwhelmed RSOD ( Red screen of Death ),
      she seems to have a massive Blindspot for how she Victimized Sal.

      But in her day-to-day life, I dont shes worries about Sal or even has general fear.

    3. Cerberus

      All of the above.

  63. BenRG

    At first, I was going to criticise Sal for not realising how badly in distress Amber was. Then I remembered that, every time they’ve met, Amber has been like this: Pale, trembling, struck dumb and crying. Simply put Sal has no basis whatsoever for expecting Amber to behave any differently from how she’s doing so here.

    Which is funny in a sad and terrible way.

    1. Captain Whoever on the Planet of Things

      Worth noting that she’s not actually crying – even Sal might pause if she saw that happening.

      I’m mostly Interested in the fact that the flashback is to the bit of the whole incident where Amber is attacking Sal rather than the part of the incident where Sal was threatening people with a knife. Not sure what that means.

      1. BenRG

        That’s the point where her nightmare began – The moment when she convinced herself that there’s a homicidal monster inside her that makes her unworthy of love and that it was necessary for her to create some manner of safety valve to let out that anger at bad people lest she become a serial killer.

        No-one ever said that it was rational but, yes, it wasn’t Sal attacking Ethan that caused Amber’s DID, it was her attacking Sal.

        1. Spencer

          That’s probably true, now that I think about it. Whenever she flashes back to that event, it’s always her stabbing Sal. That’s the moment she defines as the traumatic part of the night.

        2. Clif

          It’s the part where her internalized father gained control.

    2. Cerberus

      Huh, that’s actually really really true.

    3. Dumb Idiot Is Who I am

      Plus, how much do most college kids REALLY care about random peers wandering the halls with laundry?

  64. Sambo

    I never realized that’s why she always wears gloves :0

  65. Leila

    Did anybody catch what was said in panel 4?

    1. Emperor Norton

      Something of the lines of “It’s my fault, really, I showed her the Youtubes [of people doing parkour]”. John and Spencer were the first commenters who figured it out, I believe.

  66. Cabinderada

    Can someone give me a hand here? Somewhere along the line of this comic I seem to have gotten lost. What exactly happened between these two, when did it happen and how is it involved in Amber’s assumption of the Amazi-Girl personality? I suppose I could start back at the beginning but I’m just to lazy…

    1. Kris

      1.Sal held up a convenience store with a knife where Amber, Ethan and Blaine stopped by
      2.Took Ethan hostage while Amber still suffering from major social anxiety issues did nothing
      3.Cops come situation’s resolved because holding up a store with a knife is really stupid
      4. Father of the year Blaine berates Amber for doing nothing while her only friend was in danger
      Amber loses her shit and stabs Sal in the hand with her own knife
      5. Amber realizes she has some serious repressed anger issues and becomes Amazi-Girl for a constructive outlet to her violent tendebies. Sal has a scar on her hand and adopts wearing gloves all the time
      6. Amber recognizes Sal because that was probably one of the most important days of her life and freaks everytime they make eye contact. Sal either doesn’t recognize Amber because it’s been years and she’s been actively trying to moved past her troubled youth or she doesn’t care.

      1. Kris

        Or you can read from…….http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/hostage/ here. If this link works. I think this is the right place.

      2. Eric

        #6 brings up what interests me most about Sal. Does she recognize Amber and not care? Does she not recognize Amber? Does she recognize Amber AND Amazi-Girl, AND is presenting herself as she has done in the past year (of real time) in an attempt to collapse the dual personality of Amber/Amazi-Girl?

        1. Spencer

          Sal doesn’t know that Amber and Amazi-Girl are the same person, or that she was the girl from the robbery who stabbed her in the hand.

        2. Kris

          It does seem a little strange though. You’d think that would be a pretty traumatic event for all three of them, but Ethan doesn’t recognize Sal either so maybe it wasn’t as big a deal to either of them as it was to Amber.

        3. Spencer

          Ethan, I think, had a healthy support network in his parents, and Amber did not, so Ethan pulled double duty of dealing with his trauma so he could try and help Amber, which didn’t work.

          Sal, meanwhile, is trying to put that behind her and move on with her life. I don’t think she thinks about it too much anymore, or really cares who those kids were, let alone the crazy one who stabbed her in the hand.

          Like, if 13 year old Danny and Dorothy were there, and Danny was the one taken hostage by Sal, he and Dorothy would have a healthy support network of friends and family pointedly not telling them that being victim to a crime was their fault.

        4. thejeff

          While instead Amber wasn’t even left alone without a supportive network, she was left with Blaine telling her how bad and weak and pathetic she was for not even standing up for Ethan, the only friend who could tolerate her.

        5. Dumb Idiot Is Who I am

          …Why would any of that make sense?

          She spent the day psyching up for a robbery. Attempted to rob somebody. Threatened someone else, and was then stabbed by them.

          It’s not PARTICULARLY weird that she doesn’t necessarily remember the mousey white girl that stabbed her, or assume that the mousey white girl she runs into once in a while around the dorms is coincidentally the same person.

          Frankly, if somebody stabbed me most of my memories from that evening would be “OW! I’VE BEEN STABBED. MY HAND IS IN SO MUCH PAIN.”

        6. thejeff

          Along with a whole bunch of “What was I doing? Would I really have hurt that kid? I totally deserved to get stabbed for that.”

          Sal being basically a good person, I’m sure she carries a lot of guilt for doing that, despite the cool facade.

          The eventual reconciliation between her and Amber really will be good for both of them.

        7. zalf

          Honestly, I kinda doubt that. While Sal might gain some peace of mind because Ethan forgives her, I feel like there are worlds of difference between Amber and Sal’s view and recollection of that day. So much so that I suspect the interaction is as (or more) likely to break Amber even more than it is to help her.

    2. Whoops

      Happened before the start of this comic. Sal attempted to rob a grocery store, Amber and Ethan were in said grocery store. Sal was already being arrested by the time Amber stabbed her hand though (goaded by her father, in part).

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/freezeup/

    3. DinaWho

      Amber is flashing back to a convenience store robbery from when she was 13(? not sure of age). This piece of backstory involves Amber, Ethan, Blaine, and Sal. Basically what happened is Amber was at the convenience store Sal held up. Ethan got taken hostage during that, and after the police showed up Blaine was insulting her fear and her inability to protect Ethan and basically goaded her to the point where she snapped and stabbed Sal’s hand when she was in custody (this is the reason Sal always wears her gloves). And then instead of getting therapy of any sort after, wound up getting put in self-defense classes (Blaine’s idea). I’m not sure if it’s ever been outright stated, but it was probably a substantial part of what drove her to come up with Amazigirl.

      I think the first time the flashback appears in full is when she sees Danny talking to Sal in ‘The Only Dope For Me Is You’, but we see a panel from it earlier in ‘Just Hanging Out With My Family’, shortly after she punched Blaine.

      I’m not the best one to explain this properly, so I apologise in advance for any mistakes or lack of clarity.

    4. Cabinderada

      Thanks, now I remember. I thought I was having another “wait a minute. Carla is a transsexual?” moment.

      1. Cerberus

        What? Carla is trans?!?

        I ked 😉

  67. Belle

    I’m surprised no one’s beaten me to this comment yet.. but final panel dialog plus Sal’s expression, makes me think she’s kinda talking about how her Mom treats her. Like she kinda blames herself for her parents’ neglect, even though she logically knows she shouldn’t. Which is so sad. 🙁

    1. Spencer

      I hadn’t thought of that, if only because I think Sal understands how much she suffers because she’s always going to be “the shameful criminal” to them. She knows she did something stupid, but she’s decided to stop guilting herself over it.

      It’s also an important indicator of Amber’s thought process; that Sal’s actions are Amber’s fault, and Amber needs to feel guilt because she didn’t stop her.

      Sal showed Carla youtube videos, so obviously it’s her fault that Carla’s bouncing off walls, like how it’s Amber’s fault that Sal had a knife to Ethan’s throat.

      1. Belle

        To be fair, I didn’t think of it until after rereading the strip again immediately after a different comment brought up the care packages again… I could be off, but it seems to fit to me. 🙂

        I’m not sure I understand your second paragraph. Are you referring to Amber feeling guilty about not stopping her from taking Ethan during the robbery?

        1. Spencer

          Yes. Amber blames herself for not saving Ethan from Sal, even though that’s not fair to herself because Sal had a knife, and Amber’s inaction isn’t responsible for Sal’s actions.

      2. Cerberus

        I love how Sal and Amber’s conflict largely stems from how similar they are. It’s also the reason I love Sarah and Raidah’s conflict. Two people, similar values, same inciting event, but just being at odds in that starts a long bitter rivalry that just creates its own reasons to never be able to heal.

        1. Spencer

          Mostly I like how, to keep banging on about the Batman comparison, Sal is basically if Joe Chill was an actual person. There’s never any kind of hint that Amber’s actions against Sal are justified or acceptable, the way Joe Chill dies but it’s okay because he caused Batman’s origin story and he’s The Criminal Scum, and Amber is purely in the wrong for how she’s dealing with that anger.

        2. Cerberus

          Yeah, I like that parallel too.

    2. Dara

      Oh okay somebody did get to it.

      I think that’s totally what’s going on. “But sometimes ya can’t help but blame yerself” is absolutely about that, and knowing better, and doing it anyway.

  68. Whoops

    I’m going to get a stress ulcer from these commenters who think Amber shouldn’t have PTSD or DID because they didn’t have it as ~horrible~ as they did. You didn’t see the full extent of Amber’s father’s abuse, and stabbing another person’s hand in blind rage and fear because you’re afraid to lose your only friend absolutely affects you. It definitely qualifies as a traumatic event, especially in light of how afraid Amber was to use violence the way her father did to solve problems. Fuck’s sake.

    She definitely needs therapy, but can we stop pretending her psychological state is “unjustified”? You try telling someone with MDD (depression) that it’s nothing because your life is worse than theirs.

    1. ChrisHerself

      *friendly hug* Gaslighting is the worst.

      On that same note, I’m sick of people saying Blaine is too cartoonishly evil to be realistic when he’s a carbon fucking copy of my ex.

      1. Havtorn

        I think people are confusing “cartoonishly evil” and “not given enough exposition to sympathize with”. Compared to Blaine even Toedad is a fleshed-out character: We can at least extrapolate why he is the way he is. With Blaine the best we can do is speculate.

        1. ChrisHerself

          I’m wary of that game. “Let’s Psychoanalyze Your Abuser So That Way His Abuse is Understandable” only got me more abuse till I threw up my hands and walked away with the conclusion that abusive sociopathic assholes aren’t always some poor, misunderstood flower with a tragic backstory and redemption in their future. And it’s not worth investing the time into them to find that out. FWIW I thought that’s exactly how Toedad was portrayed; he just feels like a higher power is endorsing his abuse. That doesn’t make him sympathetic to me, it just makes him a bigger asshole.

        2. Havtorn

          Sympathize was a poor choice of words by me. My point was just that we know Toedad’s motivation, even if it is nuts, while Blaine’s is still “He’s just a petty and abusive asshole for no known reason”. Which in a story is pretty hard to distinguish from poor characterization even if it isn’t necessarily unrealistic. It’s one of those things were readers are sometimes less forgiving about fictional characters than actual people.

          As for real-life abusive partners not being worth investing time in, I totally agree. Even if you become privy to some tragic backstory an abusive person will just use your sympathy as another way to blackmail you. I lost a handful of years down that road.

        3. ChrisHerself

          Oof, same here. Sorry to hear that. 🙁

          I’m content with the ‘some people are just jerks‘ angle for Blaine, since it kinda oddly makes him more realistic for me. I notice that trope a lot, the villain with the sympathetic backstory. But I totally see what you were getting at now; it does make for a more compelling or complex story.

  69. Sigurther

    That is definetly gonna require some intense psychological help at some point.

  70. Emperor Norton

    OK, so first of all: I have not had any of the issues Amber’s had, so the odds are pretty damn good that my following interpretation will be me talking completely out of my stupid ass. Anyone that knows what they’re talking about and thinks I do indeed perform a rectal speech, feel free to lay the heavy smackdown upon me.

    Anyway, so like many others, I reckognise another PTSD episode happening here. However, I am a bit more optimistic than many people. Because of the last panel.

    Amber is actually hearing what Sal’s saying again.

    To me, that moment is actually very significant, enough to warrant its own paragraph. Amber’s episode ends before Sal’s left. She’s starting to realise something new about Sal. Exactly what this is is (for now) unclear; but whether it’s that Sal still doesn’t reckognise her as AG, or that Sal probably knows who she is and won’t care, or one of any other such things… I think it all leads back to the following:

    Amber could be realising that Sal may not be such a horrible person these days. Sal has changed. Sal may not care about laws, but she does care (in her own “pretending to be too aloof to care” way, of course) about people.

    That, and the last words is resonating with Amber, who is obviously -still- blaming herself for not stopping Sal before Sal took Ethan hostage that day (Because beating up Blaine sure as hell didn’t take that away). Hearing Sal of all people say those words may, just may, have reached through to Amber in a way that most other people telling it to her could not.

    And that is quite likely because Sal is talking about herself still blaming herself. Hearing other people -people that seem to be in complete control of themselves, unlike Amber- also go through the “I blame myself even when I know I shouldn’t” phase of things… That can be more powerful than anyone telling Amber she shouldn’t blame herself, because let’s face it, that does often sound somehow forced and trite. And if you’re feeling particularly stubborn, you may even end up thinking “OK, so they’re telling me it’s -wrong- to have these feelings. Great, another thing that’s wrong with me. I can never be a normal human being.”

    To have someone else sharing that they get the same feeling (and yeah, the circumstances are of course -very- different, but the end feelings are still the same) is showing that hey, maybe that feeling is in fact quite normal among human beings. “Huh, so I’m not the only one who does that? Maybe it’s something a lot of people do… Maybe I’m not a hopeless case after all…”

    Anyway, that’s my super-optimistic (probably to the point of being hopelessly naive) take on things.

    1. Cerberus

      Huh, I read that moment a bit more of the focus moving back from Amber’s trauma to the reality an observer or Sal might see including the reality of her words.

      But I like your optimistic interpretation. Largely because I’d really love to see Amber starting to work through some of her stuff or at least start recognizing the shape of the damage she’s working with and the role Sal could play in helping her get through it.

      1. Spencer

        I think she has to, and maybe sooner than we think. This plotline’s been going on for two and a half years now and Amber’s only gotten worse. We’re gonna see her pull out of the darkness eventually.

      2. Emperor Norton

        I still hope I am right. Unfortunately, I think it is probably more likely that you -with your rather excellent track record of understanding what is really going on- are right, Cerberus.

        Still, if the day finally comes to prove you wrong, then it would be a worse thing to be wrong about than this, right?

        1. Spencer

          I think she heard Sal’s last words, if only because hearing the one thing she needs to hear from the one person she doesn’t want to is just too perfect.

        2. Liliet

          Yes.

          I also thought this was Amber coming out of the flashback when Sal was still talking, which is probably yes, good for her. I’m not a brain expert, but I think that way her brain can slowly start getting used to Sal being around and kind of start associating her with things other than the robbery. Like, if she blacked this out with flashback entirely, next time she meets Sal she still has robbery as the only clear memory of her, but this way, next time she’ll also probably have remembered this encounter, however dimly.

  71. ClaudeWicked

    Dab dab dab dab dab dab dab dab dab dab dab

  72. Victor Riley

    Interesting how the part of the whole experience she’s flashing to were HER actions, not how Sal pulled the knife and tried to rob the place. Was it Amber that traumatized herself more than Sal’s actions?

    1. Spencer

      It’s possible. Amber hates herself more than she hates Sal, I think, and it’s her own actions, her inability to save Ethan and her actually stabbing Sal, that she seems to hold herself to.

      1. Emperor Norton

        I’ll just go ahead and say: Yeah, all of this.

        Amber’s tragedy (well, one of them, I guess) is that she’s always, always blaming herself for everything bad, -even when she logically knows it’s other people’s fault-.

        If f.ex. Danny had been caught drinking and got himself expelled? Yep, Amber would have been all “If only I had imprinted in him the importance of not drinking on campus before this happened!”

      2. Stara

        Yes! And her own anger; I think she’s actually more afraid of what she can do and of the Blaine in her. Note how she self-triggered after losing her temper at Danny.

  73. Nezumi

    … I’m assuming this is one of those things that would make sense if I weren’t reading just the new strips? … I have no idea why I’m doing that, but I can’t stop, and want a refresher on Walkyverse before I jump into the archives.

    1. Oberon

      Probably not. I’ve read the whole thing and I have no idea what just happened there.

      1. Spencer

        When they were all 13, Sal held up a convenience store that Amber and Ethan were stopped at, and Sal took Ethan hostage with a knife while Amber hid in the corner.

        After Sal was arrested, Blaine told Amber she was a useless coward for not defending Ethan, causing Amber to violently snap and stab Sal in the palm. That’s what Amber’s flashing back to right now.

        1. Clif

          Oh, and Nezumi, go back and read the archives and then the Walkiverse. Dumbing really is independent.

        2. Oberon

          The fact that it is independent is precisely why I am avoiding the author’s other works. Since they use the same characters it seems like it would just be confusing to have to try to keep the two story lines separate.

        3. Nezumi

          I’d heard of and already spotted a good number of hidden jokes and references and parallels, even though they’re independent, and I’d likely miss many of them at this point and, at best, have to reread later. But… you do have a point.

  74. Cerberus

    Happened to see the Comics Alliance post about the comic:
    http://comicsalliance.com/dumbing-of-age-readers-guide/

    Best part has got to be the comments, from the guy who straight up echoes a villain from Shortpacked! to the guy crying censorship because he’s not allowed to go on a giant homophobic rant when he wanted to.

    What’s the statement about how you can tell something about the quality of a work by the type of people who hate it?

    1. Spencer

      Referring to one of the comments in that article, folks said that IW!Joyce was ruined because she had sex?

      wat

      1. Havtorn

        I guess because being repressed was, in their eyes, the main focus of her personality and/or the story? So maybe not “ruined” in a “terrible person” kind of way, more a “Jumped the shark” kind of way?
        I don’t agree, but some readers preferring the status quo to some development happens to pretty much every piece of fiction.

  75. Uniqueantique

    430 Comment in 2 minutes?

  76. Uniqueantique

    Isn’t this the second time around for Amber having that flashback? I am sure I remember her going thru this long before today?

    1. Clif

      This is the short version. Just enough for us to reconstruct what’s going through her head.

  77. skdk

    why is she running to her room to change to amazi girl outfit if she grabbed the mask out of the laundry basket and the suit is in there too? i think her amazi girl suit is in her room, and she keeps the mask with her at all times for comfort

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