It definitely will have to come to a halt at the end of the Phosphorus Age in 2150 or thereabouts. No phosphorus -> no fertilizer -> no food -> global starvation, social upheaval, and population collapse. The survivors will be lucky to have electricity.
Luris
What? *do a quick research* Great, an other way we’re all gonna die…
(Thanks for the info, I had no idea)
Walky didn’t even remember Amber’s name until like one conversation before they were making out.
Kinoko
Oh, Walky remembered Amber’s name much earlier than he admitted. He just didn’t recall it intentionally. He seems to prefer to show complete disinterest for a person until his brain has had time to acclimate. Probably as a defense mechanism.
thejeff
Agreed. It seems a common trait with him – his refusal to say Jason’s name may be similar.
Which may suggest he remembers Lucy more than he lets on here as well.
I assume it’s mostly ‘Lucy awkwardly projects Attraction’ more than anything else (even a crush given how fast she went into it from not knowing who he was,) but that’s in part because I think Walky’s love life is already getting worrisomely in need of a relationship chart and we all know how things end with THOSE around! (Soggies may rule.)
The Amber thing’s not resolved. Not with the grades still hanging over it.
You know, that really begs the question whether Willis has a pre-planned storyline for all of this – and, if so, then how long this storyline is going to last? If he intends to cover the gangs’ adventures over their whole college education, then it seems to me that such a goal cannot be realistically achieved. Unless Willis turns this comic into a franchise that will last for centuries…
Doctor_Who
I don’t have a link, but I think he once said the comic will probably never make it out of the first semester.
Considering it’s been almost 8.5 years out of universe, and 1.5 months in-universe (and that’s with a time skip or two), then time is moving around 68x slower in the DoAVerse.
So a roughly 4 month semester will take over 22 years to complete.
Marsh Maryrose
The most mathematically rigorous analysis of DoA time was done by Needfuldoer, just over a year ago; the current DoA freshmen will graduate in 2261, our time.
As I recall (too tired to look it up or redo the math) I once calculated that the end of the current semester will occur sometime around the time that Willis turns 70, assuming he keeps it going for that long.
If Willis wants to retire earlier than that, he’d better get started on training the twins to take over the family business.
Needfuldoer
I think the ratio has changed, we’ve had a couple long days since then. The math WILL be updated someday!
But yeah if I remember right it was somewhere around 67:1.
What will be?
I mean if he just jumped her right here and now, sure. That would be sleazy, but there’s no sign of that.
If he breaks off the budding relationship with Amber over the stabbing issues and hooks up with Lucy over the next few days, I don’t see anything sleazy about it.
I believe Matthew’s concerns is they’ll hook up now.
Daibhid C
So reading the comments here, it seems that if you know someone has relationship problems, asking the vaguest of questions as to how they’re dealing with these problems is actually code for totally wanting them to dump that person for you.
This strongly confirms my long-ago decision that the safest thing to do is never talk to anyone about anything, ever.
Daibhid C
That wasn’t actually meant to be a reply to this comment, which is more on the Walky side of things, and is even more baffling.
BBCC
In these commenters defence, a lot of people read Lucy blushing at the end of their last meeting as the beginning of a crush.
Kinoko
Billie totally spawned that crush in Lucy by suggesting that Walky hook up with her. The Forest Quad folks are innocent, and even Lucy isn’t immune to Billie’s influence.
(I still really like Billie as a character, but I don’t think that was okay for her to insinuate. However, her track record for puppeteering Walky’s love life has not been great so far.)
BBCC
And after she mentioned he could get a new girlfriend when he wasn’t upset about Dorothy (if the rebound was short), she asked for his social media. Again, it’s reasonable imo to read a crush.
It’s not her asking the question in panel three, it’s her gesture in the following panels and especially her look in the last panel (so the panels after she has heard that he is going to think ending the new relationship).
thejeff
Combined with her reactions to Billie’s suggestion in their previous scene together.
Mind you, I don’t read Lucy as “totally wanting them to dump that person for you”, but as interested and hopeful, especially since she knows this was just barely a starting relationship. I don’t think she’s doing anything wrong here.
I know I say this with, like, every character… but Lucy’s expressions are so cute here. I love her. I want to maybe take her gently by the shoulders and tell her, “no, this is a [too?] bad idea” but also. She’s just so endearing and I love her. I loved her in the other ‘verse and I also love her here.
178 thoughts on “October-surprised”
Doctor_Who
Considering the subject matter of panel two, I feel like some contribution to the discussion is expected of me.
So, um…Butts.
pablo360
Now we need Butts to come in and make a reference to some sort of BBC sci-fi soap. You know the one.
Class.
Yumi
Read BBC as BBCC, just to add to this group of referenced commenters.
BBCC
….Okay, good, I’m not the only one who read too fast and read it that way.
Yumi
Yeah, but it’s not vain of me. 😉
Clif
The irony is yumi.
BBCC
Hey, I just thought I saw it and went ‘Wait, what, what’d I do – ohhhhh, BBC, not BBCC.’ Missing one initial there. 😉
ǝ snow ʍousɐ
I read your comment thinking of BCB (ie, the webcomic Bittersweet Candy Bowl)
ǝ snow ʍousɐ
it’s about angsty teen anthropomorphic cats and also some dogs
Galuna
I miss class.
LookingIn
Fazzes are cool.
Oh wait, fezzes are cool! Fazzes are just creepy
DarkoNeko
a well deserved headlight
Daibhid C
I went back to check, and she was. It was also a Darkwing Duck reference. I can’t believe I noticed neither of these things at the time.
Kinoko
Oh damn, that’s good! Works on so many levels.
Stephen Bierce
Or OctOgre, as Piers Anthony fans call it.
Stephen Bierce
Today’s strip is sponsored by Ragu tomato sauces.
Deanatay
Better than the following months, NoRemember and Dismember.
This is why you don’t let ogres name months.
Ana Chronistic
How about Jejune
Rhee
Isle of View, man
AnvilPro
By the time they graduate they’ll all be 2 years into being human enlightenment
Doctor_Who
The floating timeline may have to halt when downloading a college education directly into your brain becomes possible in 2050.
Marsh Maryrose
It definitely will have to come to a halt at the end of the Phosphorus Age in 2150 or thereabouts. No phosphorus -> no fertilizer -> no food -> global starvation, social upheaval, and population collapse. The survivors will be lucky to have electricity.
Luris
What? *do a quick research* Great, an other way we’re all gonna die…
(Thanks for the info, I had no idea)
Hoboturtle
That’s an excessive amount of bad, go get like a popsicle or something.
Nono
Lucy, no.
thejeff
Lucy, yes!
ShinyNeen
Lucy, we require more time to reach a consensus on whether to tell you ‘yes’ or ‘no’!
Kinoko
As the other person whose email generates a Lucy avatar, I must also add a “Lucy, no!”
…I liked Walky/Amber. It made sense. ._.
Roborat
And my mind just turned this into a Dexter’s lab thing. DEE DEE NOOOO!
Kern Wallace
Better than it getting Shia-Surprised.
MatthewTheLucky
But Amber trained him in jiu jitsu!
DarkoNeko
Your mind seems to be all over the place too, Lucy.
Also No Walky don’t do that noooo
Ana Chronistic
REGRET IS ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER THINGS
like posting at midnight sharp
Clif
We wondered.
Needfuldoer
Don’t scare us like that!
Yumi
I know hints of it have just pretty much just started, between this and them meeting, but I’m not feeling this ship.
Nono
Well it’s mostly a one sided crush for now. I don’t think Walky even remembers her name.
Clif
A fact which has never dissuaded any shipper ever.
thejeff
Walky didn’t even remember Amber’s name until like one conversation before they were making out.
Kinoko
Oh, Walky remembered Amber’s name much earlier than he admitted. He just didn’t recall it intentionally. He seems to prefer to show complete disinterest for a person until his brain has had time to acclimate. Probably as a defense mechanism.
thejeff
Agreed. It seems a common trait with him – his refusal to say Jason’s name may be similar.
Which may suggest he remembers Lucy more than he lets on here as well.
Catman
Reckon it’s similar to Sal’s nickname thing?
Regalli
I assume it’s mostly ‘Lucy awkwardly projects Attraction’ more than anything else (even a crush given how fast she went into it from not knowing who he was,) but that’s in part because I think Walky’s love life is already getting worrisomely in need of a relationship chart and we all know how things end with THOSE around! (Soggies may rule.)
The Amber thing’s not resolved. Not with the grades still hanging over it.
BBCC
Not to mention he’s still sad and awkward about Dorothy.
Lux
Oh god, the grades. Thanks for increasing my “nope” counter by two.
Piotr W
Wait, they met *yesterday*? The time really moves slowly in this comic…
Hoodiecrow
You have no idea.
Piotr W
You know, that really begs the question whether Willis has a pre-planned storyline for all of this – and, if so, then how long this storyline is going to last? If he intends to cover the gangs’ adventures over their whole college education, then it seems to me that such a goal cannot be realistically achieved. Unless Willis turns this comic into a franchise that will last for centuries…
Doctor_Who
I don’t have a link, but I think he once said the comic will probably never make it out of the first semester.
Considering it’s been almost 8.5 years out of universe, and 1.5 months in-universe (and that’s with a time skip or two), then time is moving around 68x slower in the DoAVerse.
So a roughly 4 month semester will take over 22 years to complete.
Marsh Maryrose
The most mathematically rigorous analysis of DoA time was done by Needfuldoer, just over a year ago; the current DoA freshmen will graduate in 2261, our time.
As I recall (too tired to look it up or redo the math) I once calculated that the end of the current semester will occur sometime around the time that Willis turns 70, assuming he keeps it going for that long.
If Willis wants to retire earlier than that, he’d better get started on training the twins to take over the family business.
Needfuldoer
I think the ratio has changed, we’ve had a couple long days since then. The math WILL be updated someday!
But yeah if I remember right it was somewhere around 67:1.
Rartorata
I believe I calculated a while back that the DoA-verse was moving at over 99% of the speed of light, based on relativistic time dilation.
BBCC
Willis has things planned in broad strokes, he’s said. He fills in the details as they come and sometimes those details lead places.
Roborat
Keep commenting about it, and somehow Sir Willis will find a way to make comic time run backwards.
Kravis
TOO BAD Doctor Who is “a little” too much for you, Walky…
Doctor_Who
One does one’s best.
Laura
It’s a bigger too much on the inside.
MatthewTheLucky
Okay Walky, this really will be sleazy if you do this.
abysswatcher1993
And this time Joyce would be right, and I don’t want to agree with Joyce.
begbert2
Do what? I’m seeing exactly zero interest here from Walky’s side. I’m not seeing what he could be doing different that would be any better.
thejeff
What will be?
I mean if he just jumped her right here and now, sure. That would be sleazy, but there’s no sign of that.
If he breaks off the budding relationship with Amber over the stabbing issues and hooks up with Lucy over the next few days, I don’t see anything sleazy about it.
BBCC
I believe Matthew’s concerns is they’ll hook up now.
Daibhid C
So reading the comments here, it seems that if you know someone has relationship problems, asking the vaguest of questions as to how they’re dealing with these problems is actually code for totally wanting them to dump that person for you.
This strongly confirms my long-ago decision that the safest thing to do is never talk to anyone about anything, ever.
Daibhid C
That wasn’t actually meant to be a reply to this comment, which is more on the Walky side of things, and is even more baffling.
BBCC
In these commenters defence, a lot of people read Lucy blushing at the end of their last meeting as the beginning of a crush.
Kinoko
Billie totally spawned that crush in Lucy by suggesting that Walky hook up with her. The Forest Quad folks are innocent, and even Lucy isn’t immune to Billie’s influence.
(I still really like Billie as a character, but I don’t think that was okay for her to insinuate. However, her track record for puppeteering Walky’s love life has not been great so far.)
BBCC
And after she mentioned he could get a new girlfriend when he wasn’t upset about Dorothy (if the rebound was short), she asked for his social media. Again, it’s reasonable imo to read a crush.
Amazi-Stool
It’s not her asking the question in panel three, it’s her gesture in the following panels and especially her look in the last panel (so the panels after she has heard that he is going to think ending the new relationship).
thejeff
Combined with her reactions to Billie’s suggestion in their previous scene together.
Mind you, I don’t read Lucy as “totally wanting them to dump that person for you”, but as interested and hopeful, especially since she knows this was just barely a starting relationship. I don’t think she’s doing anything wrong here.
lilyliv
I know I say this with, like, every character… but Lucy’s expressions are so cute here. I love her. I want to maybe take her gently by the shoulders and tell her, “no, this is a [too?] bad idea” but also. She’s just so endearing and I love her. I loved her in the other ‘verse and I also love her here.
ValdVin
Her expressions in the last two panels are especially telling. And adorbs.
Shane Wegner