303

Secrets
Posted on December 9, 2015 by David M Willis

303 thoughts on “Secrets”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    dat O face

    …as in “O THE SLASH I WILL WRITE”

    1. Doctor_Who

      Panel 5 = my face when Dina kissed Becky.

      1. DJTsurugi

        very much the same, then I jumped up and down for joy, until I remembered that my knees are all messed up, then I fell down. ~<3

    2. Inkblot

      Not a very good exchange rate that Danny’s worked out, relative value of information and all.

      1. Agemegos

        I think he is making a sacrifice to help Amber.

        1. John

          He also may want to talk with Amber about it but feels like she’s too distant to feel safe being open with her. Getting her to talk about her adventure would be good for him too.

    3. Icalasari

      I can see it now

      “Danny, before you tell me, just know that no matter what, I am going to hear, ‘I am bisexual and have a gay crush'”

      “How’d you know!?”

      “…You have made this slash writer VERY happy”

    4. Edhead

      She gonna be speaking faster than slim in rap god

  2. Captain Button

    Won’t she have to subscribe to Slipshine first?

    1. Falling Star

      She’s featured in it. She gets in for free, no exceptions.

  3. Thor

    Amber, this is not the secret you are looking for.

    1. inqntrol

      “Waves hand around”.

      1. heyman

        You can go about your business.

      2. butts

        SHUT IT DOWN

    2. Rowen Morland

      Amber can handle. Maybe not instantly but she can handle it.

      1. Viktoria

        “I kinda think I might be bi.” “OMG so hot!”
        “I might be bi and have a crush on your ex-BF best friend.” *Amber’s split personality has crashed. Please press any key to continue from a safe distance*

        1. Rowen Morland

          That would be cool. I’m a little more worried by “I like boys too.” And her not hearing the “too” right away because she redscreen flashbacks to ‘argh it’s happening again, I’m the common denominator of only dudes who like dudes like me.” and then three strips later being “Wait, he said as well.”

    3. Lord Twiddlythumbs

      “I’m gay for the last guy to ditch you because of his homosexuality.”
      “…”

      HOW IS THIS EVEN GOING TO GO DOWN

      1. Jacknoir

        it’s going to hit amber harder than that truck would have…

        1. 6Qubed

          too soon

      2. Agemegos

        That would be both his secrets.

        1) I am bi.

        2) I am crushing on Ethan so hard that my fly-buttons are popping off.

        He only offered one.

        1. cricricri13

          Then let’s hope he doesn’t tell her the second and goes instead for the first, or I predict a bloodbath.

        2. Rycan

          He said “sexual”, so he’s most likely angling for the sexuality part.

      3. Needfuldoer

        One of three ways, possibly…

        1. Kat

          Heh. Threeways.

        2. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Actually, I can imagine that Danny reveals his secret and then Amber, Danny, and Ethan end up in a threeway relationship and everyone is happy. And that is officially the Good End. 🙂

        3. Nick

          Threesomes are always the answer

        4. TheNinthShader

          Except when Joyce is involv- Wait, always when Joyce is involved.

        5. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          My Dumbing of Age OT3s are:

          Amber, Danny, Ethan ‘cos they clearly go together and are adorable.
          Joyce, Dorothy, Walky ‘cos ditto.
          Ruth, Billie, and a bottle of vodka… *ducks thrown tomatoes*

        6. Strangeshapes

          Of all the characters here, Joyce is the one who most desperately needs a threesome. Maybe Joyce, Mike and Sal? (Or at least Sal’s hair?) How could that possibly go wrong?

        7. MrZombieScordo

          I feel like Joyce, Mike, and Sal would make for a very violent threesome.

      4. Les

        HOW IS THIS EVEN GOING TO GO DOWN

        Why am I seeing Beavis & Butthead snickering “You said ‘go down’?”

      5. Noah

        Why does everyone assume that this is going to be bad? I don’t see why she would be upset about this.

    4. Gangler

      I dunno. It might be. A boy who’s possibly down for some man on man action while also being sexually available to her.

      Like, I’m not saying she’d try to arrange for Danny to put on a show or anything but she does seem to enjoy indulging in a little fantasy from time to time.

    5. Deanatay

      This is the girl who wrote gay slashfics in her head when she found out her gay ex-boyfriend had a hot, hunky, straight roommate. She might be OK with this.

      1. saltchocolate

        I’d forgotten that strip! I could totally see this threesome!!! Wow—it would be so amazing for all of them to be happy and together.

        Well, that’s a moment for the final strip of DoA. . . to be viewed in 2025 . . . .

  4. DarkoNeko

    Oh my, he sure got her talking.

  5. Miffed Mab

    xD Needed a good laugh after the lastest strips.

  6. Stephen R. Bierce

    See the glory…of the Royal Scam…

    1. Thanks, I'll Have Another!

      Not that I don’t appreciate dank Steely Dan references in webcomic comments, but what exactly do you mean by this?

      1. saltchocolate

        The soundtrack, plain and simple.

  7. Lia47

    oh man NICE open communication holy SHIT

    1. Deanatay

      Just goes to prove the point – introverts don’t do small talk, but CAN be quite talkative, IF you can engage their relevant interests.

      1. Architex

        So absolutely true.

        And we’ve seen Amber exhibit the same <a href="http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/snacks/"behavior before

  8. miados

    I was the “super ultra virgin” type in high school. If i had something hidden of that nature i imagine people would open up like that to me.

    1. Carriethedragon

      Same. But the embarrassment around sexual topics (and its corollary, refusal to swear) is almost worth it in the end when you get to shock people by being frank.

      1. miados

        yeah it was/is. I was the type of guy that people would have left their girlfriend with assuming i was safe. I even had girls at a job when i was in college have a bet pool on who could take my V card. none of them won though.

        1. Roborat

          You sure you weren’t accidently trapped in am ecchi Japanese dating sim?

        2. miados

          there were no maids or catgirls so…….

  9. Just A. Thinker

    This is absolutely hilarious! Just the look on Amber’s face – she looks so eager to find out what it is! I have NO idea what she’s expecting, though.

    1. Kamino Neko

      Certainly not ‘I have been harbouring confusing secret fantasies about your ex’.

      1. Jason

        Who says he’ll even mention Ethan?

        1. Gangler

          Honestly, Ethan’s not even the significant part of this.

          Dan: I’m attracted to men

          Amber: Oh really? I didn’t know that!

          Dan: I’m attracted to Ethan in particular.

          Amber: Not surprising. He’s a conventionally attractive man.

        2. bjams

          You really think she’s gonna be that calm? I think she’s gonna freak out and be worried that she has once again have chose a gay boyfriend, and that Danny will leave her for dudes.

        3. Lord Stoneheart

          Doesn’t she already have a pretty good idea that he’s into girls?

        4. Gangler

          She may or may not be that calm. What I’m saying is that the Ethan part of it isn’t really a thing.

          Ethan is a very attractive man. Pretty much everybody who’s attracted to men is attracted to him. Amber herself has talked about how he was a weird-looking kid who grew up to be a total hunk that everybody wants.

          Once we’ve established that Danny is attracted to men, the fact that he’s attracted to Ethan almost goes without saying.

      2. modulusshift

        ROFL wait, actually, that’s the only secret that makes dramatic sense, oh shit. 🙂

        He’s not going to say it, but it was what he was thinking of.

  10. Mr. Mendo

    Amber’s yaoi senses are tingling!

    1. DarkoNeko

      They really are, haha.

    2. ninja_jesus

      As long as they don’t reactivate the prom night sensors, she’ll be fine.

  11. Guairdean

    This could be really interesting, or really disappointing.

    1. Chronos

      Why can’t it be both?

  12. Catullus

    this is my new favorite amber moment

  13. Noclevername

    You just said the magic word!

    1. Captain Button

      “Please”?

      1. Noclevername

        Please is what Amber is saying. Begging, almost.

        With both meanings of the word “please”.

  14. lime sheep

    boy is she gonna be disappointed.

    or…not?

    1. Rycan

      She would be disappointed if he said that he was anything but bisexual

  15. Porto

    I can’t wait to see Amber’s face when he tells her he’s into guys.

    It’s fun being terrible.

    1. Someone

      Danny: But Im still into girls!

      Amber: So…threesome

      Danny: threesome

      1. inqntrol

        Ethan shows out of nowhere: “Hey, did I miss something?”
        “NO!”

        1. DarkoNeko

          To make him appear, they have to say “threesome” three times.

        2. merbrat

          That would bring Joe.

        3. Agemegos

          I’m not at all convinced that Joe would be up for a “Devil’s threesome”.

        4. Toad

          Is that where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all go at it?

        5. Inkblot

          So Joe’s dad, Joe, and Roz. (Because holey.)

        6. a snow ʍousɐ

          Nah, that’s the Holy Threesome. Devil’s Threesome is Satan/Mephistopheles/Judas

        7. Dana

          Blaine/Toedad/Willis

        8. Kryss LaBryn

          Pretty sure it’s Mary/Faz/anyone you actually like. Let’s say Dina. Sure. Why not. Everyone, have some free trauma.

        9. Gecko

          Wait, so would that be incest or selfcest?

        10. TheNinthShader

          Wouldnt saying threesome threetimes summon mike, for him to ruin it with his penis, for a nickel, in their moms.

        11. darkgloomie

          I’m pretty sure Joe’s partecipated in some Devil Threesomes. Or at least he was too drunk to care about the genders of all involved.

        12. timemonkey

          I think the fact that it involves Danny would be more offputting than there just being another dude involved.

        13. Rycan

          Exactly.

        14. Icalasari

          “…Depends. How open are you to being recorded?”

          “Doing?”

          “Danny”

          “…What”

      2. Rowen Morland

        Danny, Amber, Amazi-guy threesome?

        1. That One Guy

          Amber with half her mask torn off?

          Get the camera.

        2. Rowen Morland

          Who wears the other half?

      3. All-Purpose Guru

        Threesome the way girls like it

        1. DarkoNeko

          With Danny being the middle of the sandwitch ?

        2. Needfuldoer

          He’s an Ethan-to-Amber adapter!

        3. Falling Star

          Gah! The images!
          They’re beautiful!

        4. Rowen Morland

          Oh, Needfuldoer, today you are the best.

    2. Kalosec

      Whats worse will be her reaction when he tells her he is into Ethan.

      1. Jason

        I don’t think that’s gonna happen.

        1. adam Black

          I hope it will

        2. Kamino Neko

          There is literally zero chance of it not.

          There’s no narrative reason to bring it up, if he’s not going to do the whole thing.

        3. Spencer

          I can see him blurting it out, but I doubt he’s planning on telling her that on top of being bi.

        4. Jason

          Care to bet?

        5. Kamino Neko

          I will, in fact, make a bet that Willis is not, in fact, a terrible writer.

        6. Spencer

          It’ll come up eventually, like say, Dorothy finding out about Walky’s failing grades, but I’m unconvinced it’ll come up now. Why would Danny want to say “I am attracted to your ex-boyfriend” to her?

    3. Tikitori

      Not just any guy though

  16. John

    Amber looks funny with neither glasses nor mask on.

    1. inqntrol

      I think she looks quite cute.

    2. Someone

      the tiny eyes do remind me a bit of Milhouse. But she is pretty cute.

    3. Plasma Mongoose

      She looks hamsterish.

      1. Tacos

        Well don’t forget Becky calls her, Ambster the Hamster so…

      2. Rycan

        Why would anyone associate Amber with hamsters?

  17. HorchataShake

    I wonder if Amber has been fantasizing about dorothy, lel.

    1. tim gueguen

      More likely about Danny in an Amazi-girl suit.

      1. Rowen Morland

        Is there art of that yet?

        1. TheGrammarLegionary

          No, but someone did do Danny as Catwoman… It was quite well done, but I can’t find it now. Disappointing.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          Found it.

        3. Rowen Morland

          Ha, I remember that. It still cracks me up 😀

  18. gkheyf

    she never got the chance to strike a similar deal with carla

    1. Thanks, I'll Have Another!

      ಠ_ಠ

  19. Spencer

    I swear if Danny doesn’t come out next page I am going to… umm…

    Well I will definitely feel particularly cross about it, I tell you what!

    1. inqntrol

      Be careful, you might break the fourth wall and end inside the comic.

      1. Someone

        The good news is that no one there is particularly dangerous. so its easy to handle if Joyce falls into the real world or something. Much more dangerous dealing with the Walkyverse. It would be bad if the Giant Mutant Honey Bun came out or something.

        1. John

          I’m pretty sure the real-world military would do a better job of handling Honey than SEMME ever managed.

        2. Kateastrophe

          Er, unless they’re a dad. Dads are super dangerous in this world. But if YOU are a dad, I think that’s basically like having superpowers.

        3. Someone

          No, not really. Sure Blaine and Ross are assholes, but we have people like them here. They are easily punchable. The giant robot monkey would be more worrying.

        4. John

          He’s an ape.

          And he’s also in the category of things that the military would be a lot better at handling than a bunch of ill-trained spunky teenagers, even if they can lift cars and sometimes fly.

          I’d be more worried about something like Sal + PBR. Though I’m not sure how the PBR would work in our universe.

      2. gwalla

        A little skeleton guy in a tracksuit would look pretty out of place.

    2. Raen

      You’re gonna have a bad time?

      1. Spencer

        I believe you will have a time frame of miscontent.

        1. TheNinthShader

          I will….Break…The…fabric…of the…comments section!!!̸̶͚͖͖̩̻̩̗͍̮̙̈͊͛̈͒̍̐ͣͩ̋ͨ̓̊̌̈̊́̚͝͠ͅ ̷̧̢̛͖̤̟̺̫̗͚̗͖ͪ̏̔̔̒́ͥ̓ͫ̀ͤ̇ͥ͝ ̡̊͛̇ ͫ̉ͦ̊̀̔ͧͮ͆̽ͦͩ͋̌͗̚̚҉̵͖̟ !

        2. Falling Star

          Uh, it’s spreading.
          Should we be worried?

  20. Retrikaethan

    i think that’s what wonderment looks like as a facial feature. wonder what kinda face she’s gonna make when she finds out he probably likes her AND ethan…

    1. adam Black

      I dont know —but I bet it will have a red-background

      1. Yet_One_More_Idiot

        Nah, it’ll have a giant 3 in the background, as she realises that she and Danny can make a threesome with Ethan! xD

  21. TheGrammarLegionary

    Anyone else ever have one of those moments where everything you need suddenly fits together? Because Danny just did, and he will feel fantastic until Amber’s done talking. Then he has to deliver…

    1. Rowen Morland

      Yeah, but this could be some of the character development he has been earning.

  22. Mr k

    “I have syphilis”

    1. TheNinthShader

      You win 3 internets, delivery or email?

  23. Plasma Mongoose

    It’s not often when you can anticipate a train wreck long before it happens.

  24. saki

    Aaah this is a secret you might not like hearing, Amber. >< But the drama-lover inside me is still very much looking forward to this.

  25. newllend(henryvolt)

    Great now she she’s running a thousand and one scenario for a possible three way.

  26. HelpIveFallen

    I EAGERLY AWAIT THE SECRET

  27. dailybrad

    Amber’s sheer excitement is adorable. Also glad to see that both of them are VERY into each other, and it’s not kinda lopsided.

  28. Tenchan

    @ Alt-text: Smart movie Willis, smart move.

  29. Captain Button

    Start with your Dreadful Secret.

  30. Rheinman

    Tell me all your secrets and I’ll tell you most of mine. They say that love ain’t easy, but it’s really true this time.

    1. TheGrammarLegionary

      … I Googled that, and found nothing. Source? Because if that’s lyrics, I really want to hear that song.

      1. McRocky71

        It’s a variation of the theme lyrics from the TV show Mad About You. The song itself is called Final Frontier, which goes like this –

        Tell me why, I love you like I do,
        Tell me who, can stop my heart as much as you,
        Tell me all your secrets and I’ll tell you most of mine,
        They say nobody’s perfect but that’s really true this time

        I don’t have the answers,
        I don’t have a plan,
        I’m mad about you, baby
        So help me understand

        What we do,
        You can whisper in my ear,
        Where we go,
        who knows what happens after here,

        Let’s take each other’s hands,
        As we jump into the final frontier,
        I’m mad about you, baby
        Yeah, I’m mad about you

  31. Reltzik

    Danger, Danny Wilcox, DANGER! Amber does NOT WANT TO HEAR THIS SECRET!

    (The fact that she obviously thinks she does is going to make it even worse.)

    1. Captain Button

      HE TOLD IT. HE CAN’T UNTELL IT!

    2. Someone

      I do wonder what she thinks he’s gonna say?

      1. Jason

        Amber . o O (Ooh, I bet he wants me to tie him up and spank him!)

    3. newllend(Henryvolt)

      The part that he’s probably BI or the part that he might have a crush on her EX?

    4. MatthewtheLucky

      Maybe that’s why he brought it up here. I’d like to give him a little credit, and assume he did it this way so that he can’t lose his nerve.

      1. Reltzik

        ….

        Uh….

        I’m having a problem combining the thoughts of “Danny” and “Can’t lose his nerve”.

        1. Spencer

          I mean, when Danny says he’s going to do something, he tends to.

          It’s just that he usually doesn’t put a lot of thought into and does things like follow his girlfriend to college less suited to his academic needs, and trying to date masked vigilantes.

          And like, he’s normalizing this secret as a way to ease himself into opening up, and having Amber be open with him as a sort of equal exchange. It’s not some crafty master plan but it’s smarter than how I did it.

  32. AnishY

    Hopefully Amber doesn’t make some poor assumptions when she hears the secret.

    1. LS

      I suspect Amber’s history of having her boyfriends turn out to be gay might cause her some understandable angst.

      1. Shiro

        What is bisexuality, Alex?

        1. Spencer

          I’m assuming they meant that Amber herself might have a kneejerk “oh God Danny’s gay!” reaction”.

        2. saltchocolate

          For $500.

          Thank you, Shiro.

      2. Historyman68

        Yeah I keep thinking that since she was the one person helping Ethan through coming out, she’s probably more familiar with the concept of Bisexuality than most and recalling that she and Danny CAN have (raucous*) sex hints that she probably won’t freak the way that everyone seems to want her to.

        * Based on my assumptions about the Slipshine I have not read

    2. Darp

      Assumptions like “you want my gay ex-boyfriend’s dick”?

      1. Silly Name

        Let’s face it. Everybody wants Ethan’s dick.

        1. Strangeshapes

          “Let’s face it. Everybody wants Jacob’s dick.”

          Fixed that for you.

  33. Thelonereader

    “So I’m turned on by this one guy, soooo, you know that threesome I’m sure we’ve both been thinking about, it’s gunna happen.”

  34. Benjy

    Both of those last two panels will be turned into gravatars, right?

    1. Belle

      Yep. 😀

  35. Gob Hobblin

    Sex solves everything? Sex solves everything!

  36. Ruthful

    “I don’t want to be that oblivious guy anymore”

    *immediately proceeds to tell his girlfriend that he has a crush on her ex-boyfriend who already demoralised her by turning out to be gay*

    You know, I’m one of the people who doesn’t hate Danny and feels that he gets a lot of unnecessary flak, but this is a little silly.

    1. adam Black

      I LOled but then.
      No
      Ethan didnt demoralize Amber. That removes her agency.
      You are listing the #1 Homophobic meme to prevent gay and bi people from coming out. This is what LGBT are always told. ‘you are selfish. You will hurT Xperson by telling the truth’

      Amber reacted demoralized because she was in love with Ethan and wanted a full physical relationship and he couldnt fully reciprocate. Thats not even because Ethan was gay. That happens in hetero relationships too.
      Thats not even the case here.

      Amber was JUST telling him m/m superhero Slashfiction for the umpteeth time. Danny gets to say … “What if it was Tim Drake /Amazigirl / Nightwing Cosplay? I’ll be Tim, Ethan can be Dick, and you can get the cucumber”
      He gets the pass.

      Amber probably told him an Jake Gyllenhaal /Nightwing slash in the first place.

      1. Ruthful

        I respectfully disagree that what I said was “the #1 homophobic meme”. I’m gay myself, and though I understand that other gay people can have experiences other than mine, I do not think noting that this is a very emotionally sensitive area for Amber makes what I said very homophobic.

        It’s by no means the fault of the person coming out and I never implied that it was like you seem to think, nor does it somehow remove agency from Amber to say that she was unhappy that her relationship desires ended unfulfilled because her partner realised it wasn’t his thing. But it is something that she has expressed fear over happening again, and it could cause her anxiety or uncertainty given her past experience, which I think is by no means homophobic, just that she doesn’t want another relationship to end in the same way. It’s extra complicated by the fact that this is her ex-boyfriend involved as the target of Danny’s interest. I think that Danny may not be treading particularly carefully here given the sensitivity of the situation, which I found ironic immediately after him declaring that he was going to try not to be oblivious about thing.

        1. Greenygal

          Okay, but you’re saying Danny is oblivious for badly handling something he hasn’t even done yet. Maybe we could wait to criticize him until he actually screws up?

      2. Silly Name

        Also, Amber was kinda burned out by having to help Ethan through his coming out, and all the people in their lives going against them.

  37. PAC

    I really want to read the rest of Amber’s text bubble in the final panel

    1. cricricri13

      Same!!!!

  38. Spencer

    30 minutes in and everyone’s already thinking this going to be the end of the world for Amber.

    God, he’s just going to say something like “hey I like dudes but I definitely still like you too”. He’s not going to reveal that he was actually the one who robbed the convenience store while wearing a Sal mask.

    1. Cerberus

      Three strips later: “So, when I was 13, I was wearing the mask of a young black girl and…”

      Oh sonuvalemur!

  39. Tacos

    That… was surprisingly smart on Danny’s part.

  40. Cerberus

    The odd thing is that Amber is probably the character most able at the moment to be able to handle a poly setup and Ethan would probably be willing to experiment with it and give it a try.

    The person though who would sink it would be Danny because he’s so incredibly mono.

    But here’s hoping that at the least she’s as supportive as Dorothy suspected she’d be.

    1. Marie

      man, that would certainly fuck with Joyce.

  41. KingToasty

    Ooo shit, Amber’s not going to enjoy tomorrow.

    1. Silamy

      Or she’s going to enjoy it entirely too much. Hopefully. Unless she ends up with ANOTHER boyfriend ditching her for dudes…

      1. Spencer

        Why would he ditch her?

        Like, yeah, he thinks Ethan’s hot. This tends to happen to some bi folks when they start coming to grips with their sexuality and it can be a really painful experience because they feel like they can’t remain faithful or something now (and this is specifically something Danny thought when we first learned he was bi). I was lucky enough that I was just able to casually accept it, but that’s not always the case.

        Has anything Danny has said or done in the history of the entire comic indicated he was interested in leaving Amber for Ethan?

        1. IDontcarenomore

          He ditched Amber for Amazi Girl before he knew they were the same person…Hell, before he even knew that Amazi Girl was going to be his GF actually. And Amber needed him badly at that time, she was really in trouble.

          So, yeah he wouldn’t have a whole big problem dumping her for Ethan.
          Only thing preventing that is he like Ethan and her.

          How well Amber will take this considering that Ethan and her went to the prom together and then to a motel…where Ethan told her he couldn’t go thru with it because he’s gay.

          And now her current BF wants Ethan. Oh yeah, gonna go down real well.

        2. Spencer

          You have been told a thousand times that that didn’t happen.

        3. Lord Stoneheart

          At this point I’m starting to think it’s some bizarre joke like yelling out “FACEEEEE!” or femur removal. Everytime they bring it up they never address all of the inevitable counter arguments.

        4. Cerberus

          He literally didn’t know he was dating Amber. He thought he was in a relationship with one person, when another person muscled into his family time and started selling herself like a paramour and demanding he be mushy about her.

          To him, it was the crossing of a line and not something he was interested in pursuing given his already existing relationship.

          He didn’t learn until later that she was escaping a bad situation and was the same person (more or less) as the person he was already dating.

        5. Turbanous

          Here is the comic where Danny explains why he and Amber should not continue spending time together. At this point he doesn’t know who Amazi-Girl really is (and he wanted to find out in a comic book appropriate fashion full of drama which does happen)
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/didnt/

        6. Cerberus

          Yeah, I mean his unfailing loyalty is literally the source of his biggest Danny moment this universe’s iteration. So far he has been shown to cling to relationships until the bitterest of ends (see Dorothy) and to prioritize said relationships above any new attraction. While his feelings for Ethan confuse him, Danny’s just too Danny to really go cheat on her (babble in the worst way about his orientation, sure, but not really cheat).

        7. Spencer

          Exactly. Danny’s more likely to try and avoid Ethan than he is do anything wrong by Amber.

          Ultimately it’s something he has to face up to, though. If only for his own personal growth.

        8. adam Black

          Its not just about Danny. Danny doesnt even control which persona of Ambers hes in a relationship with.

          if anything its totally the opposite. Dannys relationship with Amazi-girl confirms hes bisexual to him ( not gay ). This has made him more comfortable examining his feelings and coming to terms with it.

          Now you have to factor in how that will effect Ambers and Amazigirls reactions to this: who are likely to be different. At first , yet after Amber comes to grip with it and realizes that Danny isnt going to leave her, ( like Ethan) it could be a massive relief and a fantasy come true. At first…

          However Its no secret that Danny has trouble juggling multiple attractions at the same time. As hes a serial monogamist this doesnt come up often. BUt its actually a trait of serial-monogamists to go right from one partner to another. Thats one reason why serial-monogamy can be ugly. A serial Monogamist may break up with one person to be with another without even cheating. Not even properly being an adult and honestly processing multiple attractions. Trading-up , even when a current relationship is decent , is the ugly flip side of serial monogamists.

          Now Dannys defining trait is Loyalty. Sure Loyalty is great , but placed above all things it can also be dysfunctional. How will this make Amber feel? When she believes danny is with her out of loyalty first and not because She is who he wants to be with the most its going to make her feel bad.
          Its not hard to see why. She is going to feel like she is reliving Holding Ethan back from being gay. Then she is going to think she worse than Joyce .
          ( of course this is wrong. But feelings follow their own logic, and Amber has conflicting feelings over this ) .
          Even after Amber accepts Danny is really Bi and wants to be with her, she is going to know they cant be monogamous without holding Danny back from fully discovering his sexuality.
          Then there is the factor of WHO hes attracted to. She could probably handle ANYONE but Ethan.
          Then there the split-personality issue.
          She has insisted Danny is only with Amazi-girl.
          If she dissociates any more Amber could be with someone else and wouldnt consider it cheating.
          Or
          Amber could come to terms with this and be with Danny as Amber ( and maybe a 3 some with Ethan ) . All is good.

          Except… That screws up the Amber/Amazigirl/Danny Dynamic .
          Amber might not ever cheat on Danny either. But If Amber is with Danny , all bets are off for Amazi-girl.
          So yeah, Dannys Bi, dannys a good person , and a loyal lover. But hes dating someone who might have a dissociative disorder . It just isnt all about Danny.

        9. SunshineTheif

          I have one problem with this comment and it’s the insinuation that being bi somehow prevents you from being monogamous. Or, even worse, that you are saying he has to try dating other genders to understand his sexuality. Neither are true. You can be bi and monogamous. You can be bi and not have dated certain genders. All it takes to be bi is liking two or more genders and adopting the label for yourself.

        10. Strangeshapes

          This. I am pretty solidly equal-opportunity-attracted bi, and I’m with a guy now. That has neither made me feel less attracted to women nor made me feel like I need to cheat. Regardless of sexual orientation, a person in a relationship will probably find themselves at some point attracted to someone else. What they do with that feeling is up to them, not up to their underlying sexuality.

        11. Xerxes93

          “she is going to know they cant be monogamous without holding Danny back from fully discovering his sexuality.”

          porn is a thing. And believe it or not but i did not need to to out and fuck men and women to “fully discover” that I was bi. I knew I was bi five damn years before i even lost my virginity.

        12. Spencer

          Yeah, this idea that someone “needs” to experiment before they have an answer is bullshit.

          It is a genuinely healthy and positive move to make if it’s being done because the person wants to, and if they try it while in a relationship then they be open with their partner. I’ve seen some of that, but I didn’t need to touch wieners before I became a true bisexual.

        13. Dana

          Having been there myself, wanting a partner to experience both sides can motivate suggesting poly stuff that wouldn’t have happened otherwise though. Want/need/would like/should are all different questions with different answers for every person and every couple.

        14. Cerberus

          A combination of Spencer and Dana. Bi people aren’t inherently poly nor do they have to be poly to be bi and the attitudes that demand that or worse demand a cheating depiction are really based in this weird idea that you need to constantly prove bisexuality and lose a side of yourself when in a long-term romantic relationship.

          And also, sometimes a bi person is also a poly person and a multiple attraction can be a clue (not universally, obviously or even majoritally) to said person that they actually are more comfortable in poly relationships. My it’s complicated and I first started actively being poly after she handled a mutual attraction between what she thought were two differently gendered partners poorly, necessitating us actually having a conversation about what we actually mutually wanted in a romantic relationship. But that had more to do with her being poly before she knew it rather than being bi per se.

        15. Spencer

          @Dana,

          Yeah, while that’s not how it worked out for me, some bi folks do feel the need to experiment. I feel safe saying that Danny wouldn’t want to, and that it’s not really Amber’s place to push it, but I can also be totally wrong and it could help them get closer.

          More importantly though, I’m sorry that my post seems to have come off as dismissive towards bi-experimentation and polyamory.

          @Cerberus,

          That part you mentioned where bi characters are called to prove their sexuality is curiously endemic. Even nowadays we still have posts saying Ruth is gay even though she’s been confirmed as bi, mostly because her main relationship in the comic is with Billie.

          And, yeah, the part about losing a side of yourself is another ingrained lie about the bi community and I’ve had to convince more than one newly questioning bi dude that no, you aren’t gonna cheat on your girlfriend because you notice hot dudes. You should never be ashamed with noticing hot dudes!

        16. Cerberus

          I have the same objection as the other commenters, but I think you’re dead on about this part:
          “How will this make Amber feel? When she believes danny is with her out of loyalty first and not because She is who he wants to be with the most its going to make her feel bad.
          Its not hard to see why. She is going to feel like she is reliving Holding Ethan back from being gay. Then she is going to think she worse than Joyce .
          ( of course this is wrong. But feelings follow their own logic, and Amber has conflicting feelings over this ) .”

          Amber frequently doesn’t value herself as a person and her Amazi-girl alter is incredibly self-sacrificing. Additionally, it would be in character for that alter (though it would be really unhealthy for her) to think it’s the most moral and “best” thing for her to sacrifice her worldy attachments to be better at “the job”.

          And I think she would be prone to believe that a relationship with anyone else, but especially Ethan, who she puts on something of a pedestal, would be better than a relationship with herself. Additionally, I do believe she still feels that she owes Ethan something major.

          I could easily see her selling a “for your own good” type of breakup to Danny against his protestations and an attempt on her part to set him and Ethan up. And that would be the worst thing for the Ethan/Danny shippers as it would not only be super unhealthy for Amber, but it would also set up a doomed relationship for Danny and Ethan.

        17. Silamy

          Because they’re freshmen in college who barely knew one another before they started dating exclusively and they’ve each only got one other relationship under their belt, neither of which went too well? I’m saying I don’t think they’ll last forever, not that since Danny’s realized he’s into guys, he’s not going to want to be with her. But she’s also in a REALLY bad place emotionally, and might be better served by not being in a relationship and having more time to sort through other feelings first. I’m worried that he’ll pick up on that, and try to end things, or put his foot in his mouth when he comes out, and make her THINK he’s ended things.

  42. Rukduk

    ….I think I can hear the sounds of the heavens opening in that fifth panel.

  43. Professor Fate

    Your boyfriend has a whole ‘nuther level of secret, Amber. One I’d imagine you’re not gonna like. Then again, she is Amazi-Girl.

  44. IDontcarenomore

    Oh yeah.
    Ethan told Amber in bed, the night of their prom that he couldn’t go thru with it, because he was gay.
    Now, her current BF is going to tell her he wants Ethans bod.
    This should go well.

    1. Horrorshow88

      Why would Danny mention Ethan at all? Why would he say he wants someone else? Couldn’t be just as logically say, I’m bi, but that doesn’t change my feelings at all?

      1. Kamino Neko

        No.

        Because that has no narrative logic.

        It’s a Chekhov’s Gun situation, except the gun isn’t just hanging on the wall, Danny’s been waving it around.

        1. Spencer

          I think “I am definitely still in love with you” is something Danny would want to specify!

          If only so he can convince himself that he’s not a cheater for finding Ethan attractive.

  45. Bagge

    Heh, I kinda think Amber will support Danny in this. I think she is close to the truth in the fifth panel.

  46. Jason

    Hmm, Danny now knows Ethan is gay, but has he figured out yet that Ethan broke Amber’s heart coming out? Initially I thought she’d be fine if Danny told her he’s bi without mentioning his Ethan crush…but now I’m not so sure.

    1. Bleeters

      I kinda figured the problem with Ethan was less the ‘he likes guys’ thing, and more the ‘and not her’ thing. Which isn’t really a problem here.

      1. thumb

        It probably wouldn’t have been, if she hadn’t gone through something similar with the last guy she was with. Rationality and feelings do not necessarily work together.

        Then again, she can start writing Danny/Ethan fanfic now.

        1. Spencer

          At worst I can see Amber having a momentary freak out and assume that Danny is gay.

          She’s not going to lose him like she lost Ethan. He loves her the way she loves him. Nothing has to change.

  47. Raen

    …what the heck is Amber saying in the fifth panel? Something about Joyce and Dorothy? What does that have to do with…?

    1. Raen

      …right. The first part of this conversation. For some reason I had thought Danny was going to go first. I may be an idiot.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        We all have our moments.

  48. Kaida

    Panel 5…..Amber’s “I CAN has!?!” face?

    Also, can Danny speed listen? Or is the next comic going to be him going “woah…slow down!”

  49. 6Qubed

    Danny.

    You must harness the slash.

    The power is within you.

    1. adam Black

      This!

  50. Bicycle Bill

    Willis (and others) — the term is “STRAIT-laced”, meaning very tightly restricted — like in a strait jacket.  Usually refers to inflexible people who follow a very strict and restricted moral attitude: right is right and everything else is wrong; there are no in-betweens.

    ToeDad is strait-laced; Mary appears to be.  Joyce, early on (PRE-MARITAL HANKY-PANKY!!) was displaying signs of being strait-laced but is rapidly overcoming it.  Roz, on the other hand, has no laces whatsoever.

    1. Agemegos

      “Strait”, meaning “tight” or “narrow”, also appears in the names of some narrow passages of navigable water between land-masses, such as Bass Strait, Torres Strait, the Strait of Dover…. And in the phrase “in dire straits”.

      The metaphor “strait-laced” evokes a tightly-laced corset.

    2. Will

      Even then, DANNY would hear “straight” just the same, with the same end result Willis predicted.

  51. NoHeart6265

    I’m genuinely not sure how this will turn out. I suppose that it will depend heavily of the first words out of his mouth. For example beginning with “I think I’m into guys” would likely result in a train wreck not even the blind would be able to resist trying to look at due to Amber’s experience with Ethan. Hopefully Danny doesn’t Dan this up.

    1. Spencer

      Oof, yeah, you have a point. Even with “I like guys, but I still love you!” can come off as the same brand of platonic love that Ethan expresses for Amber.

      And given how big a deal coming out is, it’s unfair to expect Danny to tiptoe around his word choice, so he’s probably just going to blurt out his exact emotions.

  52. cmd1095

    Well then, well played Danny

    1. David

      Man, he’s the Lord of the Gamblers. Making a side bet work on a disastrous losing hand takes sportsmanship.

  53. thumb

    Oh, Danny. This has the potential to be a really dick way to disclose it. Pun not intended, but fortunate.

    1. Agemegos

      Because unwelcome news was traded as a reward?

    2. adam Black

      Nah, What if there is no wrong way to disclose?
      Only a wrong way to react.
      or the only wrong way to disclose in one that puts the person in danger of physical harm or homelessness ( Becky )

      Unless you think Amber will shove him off the wall?

  54. vonniesaur

    Aww Danny and Amber have the same eyes cutiiiies

  55. BenRG

    It looks like Danny has lucked onto the secret key to unlocking Amber’s reluctance to talk! She wants to know his kink!

  56. CodenameJD

    I can only assume the people who think this will automatically mean Amber and Danny will break up have no concept of bisexuality. It might be rocky, but I think this will strengthen their relationship.

    1. Spencer

      +1

    2. Rukduk

      I personally think Amber’s reaction will be as follows: “oh?” (questioning), followed by “Oohhh” (understanding) and then “Ooh” (naughty imagination about her boyfriend and another guy). All within about twenty to thirty seconds. Quite honestly, so long as Danny doesn’t mention he realized this while staring into Ethan’s eyes, Amber’s most likely going to be either unaffected or excited.

    3. timemonkey

      Most people put the break up on Amber, which has nothing to do with bisexuality. Only her own issues.

      1. Spencer

        The break-up that’s been given no indication of happening?

        It’s not like Amber’s the only person with issues in this comic.

        1. timemonkey

          Also some people want them to break up and hope for it with every interaction.

        2. Spencer

          I have noticed, much to my dismay.

    4. winter

      I think that’s a poor assumption.

      It’s more like doubting that Amber (& Danny) will be able to properly conceptualise bisexuality, even if we ourselves understand it. Growing up in society, there are a lot of preconceived notions about how relationships work in terms of monogamy and sexual identity, and I don’t think reading slash fic has nessesarily made Amber immune to that. Add on top of that her baggage with Ethan, and the fact that Amber has at times been shown to have low self-esteem in the estimation of her own attractiveness, and I think it’s understandable that not everybody thinks this is going to go peachy. I, for one, can easily see Amber distrusting Danny’s attraction to her after this (‘Why would anyone want me if they can have a guy instead?’) no matter how illogical that train of thought may be.

      I’m don’t think it will spell an instant break-up – and I think Danny is right to trust her with this information – but I think you’re the one misunderstanding bisexuality if you ignore the fact that it can bring up discomfort and insecurities, especially with partners who are unsuspecting and inexperienced.

  57. Lord Ellion

    Oooh shit here come the sparkle eyes.

  58. chromacandi

    I’ll tell you a secret…minus one very important point in regards to who..

  59. Xerxes93

    honestly, my main concern is that Amber, instead of being upset about it as most have predicted, is gonna be overjoyed that her boyfriend is into boys and also her because she is very much one of those straight girls that loves m/m slash to what is probably a fetishising extent. I don’t want that for Danny.

    1. Dana

      Very interesting point.

  60. Agemegos

    I wonder how much of that background text is going to be about Sal

  61. Doomprix

    “My Secret is…of a Sexual Nature!” (I fixed the line :D) and then Danny pulls out the big book of Sex of the Natural world.

    1. Falling Star

      Can this be the name of the next book?

    2. Usayasha

      I’m pretty sure a Sexual Nature boosts Special Defense and lowers Speed. That explains how Danny is slow to catch on sometimes.
      Willis should probably breed a new one. I have some pretty good Ditto he can borrow, as well as an Everstone and Destiny Knot to keep things interesting in the Daycare.

  62. miz

    HAAAhaha, omg her face cracked me up. Someone better get Amber a glass of water, ’cause that girl is THIRSTY.

  63. Anywhere

    Yet again, Amber finds out her boyfriend is queer ……. but this time there’s a cucumber.

    1. TheNinthShader

      The cucumber is the new meme.

  64. StClair

    “I think I’m bi…”
    ^_^
    “… for you… and Ethan.”
    ಠ_ಠ

    1. BenRG

      AMBER: “Have… have you kissed him yet?”

      DANNY: “What? No!”

      AMBER: “‘Cause… when… when you do…? Can I watch?”

  65. Belle

    I love all the faces on this comic. So much so that I have finally, *finally* set up my own Gravatar. Haha. :3

    Also, I’m curious to see how well Danny will word this / how Amber will take it. My guess is that there will be understanding and everything will be fine in the end, BUT there may be some of the usual misunderstanding/insecurity fueled drama first.

    1. diello

      Her face is just like Joyce’s shocked face when Sal said she lost her virginity because of a board game (That’s why I finally made my gravitar 😀 )

  66. Gecko

    He knows your buttons, Amber ~

  67. Falling Star

    “I’m kind of bi…”
    >is already readying slashficrevises slashfic to include a threesome<

    1. Falling Star

      WHAT HAPPENED TO MY COMMENT?!!
      D:

      1. timemonkey

        Okay, that gave me a pretty good laugh. Thank you.

      2. gwalla

        anything between a less than and greater than sign is an HTML tag

        1. Falling Star

          I am going to find some sort of online course for this.

        2. Falling Star

          Anyway, original post:
          -“I’m kind of bi…”
          -[is already readying slashfic]
          -“…and am sexually attracted to your ex”
          -“…” [quickly revises slashfic to include a threesome]

  68. brasca1

    Well Amber if you’re looking for some good yaoi look up Ruby Larose in Montreal.

  69. Deanatay

    I can has seekretz?

    I KAN HAZ SECKSEE SEEKRETZ!!

  70. Guairdean Beatha

    Are we about to find out that a guy that likes to be tied up has met an acrobatic girl that’s good with ropes? That’s some serious SlipShine fodder.

    1. Spencer

      Danny does strike me as the kind of guy who’s into kinky stuff.

      1. Bagge

        Well…

      2. segnosaur

        Yes he is… VERY kinky stuff…

        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/04-walking-with-dina/ambster/
        Amazigirl: Do you want to hold hands and look at pictures of dinosaurs?
        Dan: Oh god do I!

      3. Falling Star

        He’s into very knotty things.

    2. BenRG

      This is purely me but I do think that there is a definite hint of dom/sub about Amazi-Girl’s relationship with Danny, or at least a reversal of traditional gender roles.

  71. Jordan

    Hmm… I hope she takes this well. On one hand, she’s going to find a bi boyfriend to be hotter than hell considering that she’s such a big fan of slash-fic. On the other hand, she’s going to be very concerned that her current boyfriend is going to want to date her ex-boyfriend instead of her.

    1. MutantSentry

      I predict the first hand will be her first reaction and is what she will tell Danny, but that second hand point will be in the back of her head festering for a bit until it comes out in a later storyline

  72. Theluxland

    OH NO. ABORD MISSION, I REPEAT.

    1. Falling Star

      BOARDING MISSION.
      TOO LATE TO TURN BACK NOW.

  73. Nena

    Uh oh! I have a bad feeling about this.

  74. CaptainBatson

    I actually have a pretty good feeling about this.

  75. Cizak

    “Ffft. YOU don’t have any secrets! You’re not an actual person with his own indepedent thoughts and ideas! You don’t have the DEPTH to have secrets like I do! We both now that I’M the one who’s important in this relationship! You’re just “Amazi-Girl’s guy”, at best. Wait, you’re saying this secret is something that could benefit ME? Oh well, then I guess I can share my story about that life threatening thing I subjected myself to. But just to be sure, I get something out of this, right?”

    Willis, anytime you wanna start giving Amber redeeming qualities is fine by me. You’ve set up her awfulness pretty well at this point.

    1. Spencer

      Or perhaps she means that Danny is an honest person and he’s been upfront with things so far.

      You know. Just a thought.

      1. Cizak

        Of course. That’s why she snickers and call him ridiculous when he wants to make the foundation of their relationship better.

        1. Solenoid

          Confirmation bias. If Willis put in something Very Definitely ‘redeeming’, by nature of the lens through which you view her character, you are unlikely to acknowledge it. And, perhaps, you’ve already missed such a ‘redeeming’ quality.

          I mean, her sit-down with Joyce re: the dingdong bandit business is pretty solidly unimpeachable to me.

        2. Solenoid

          Also, I just realized that Amber’s finally wearing the outfit that my random default gravatar depicts.

    2. Tenn

      One day, I will find this other comic that people keep confusing with this one. Or maybe there’s more than one?

      1. Spencer

        Presumably it’s the one where Dorothy is a cold, uncaring shrew who treats other people like stepping stones, Sal is completely wrong about her parents, Danny is a raging misogynist, and Becky is actually Satan.

        1. Captain Button

          [scribbles notes about what pictures to ask Willis for at a con]

  76. chris73

    Poor Amber

  77. Deanatay

    I love this relationship.

    Amazi-Girl is the adventurous, kinky sex partner every man yearns for.
    Amber is the nerdy tomboy who shares your interests and can talk to you for hours.
    Danny… is the rock they both need.

  78. smooti

    Ok Danny, as long as we handle this situation with tact and grace, and as long as Amber does not immediately jump to conclusions, take it personally, or have an overly emotional response, this conversation could go well!

    …. Oh wait.

  79. Eric

    I suspect she’s going to be less excited by boy on boy action when it’s her boyfriend and doesn’t include her.

    1. Pat Myers

      Yeah, but Ethan and Amber are probably used to playing with each other’s toys.

      1. Falling Star

        More than meets the eye

  80. Pinja

    This should be tragically funny when she starts splooshing at the possibility of watching live boy on boy action, then finds out the lust is for Ethan who she still has something of a trauma over after that whole prom night thing…

  81. BL

    Yeah, this isn’t gonna end well, is it.

  82. Roborat

    Wow, looks like Danny found Amber’s info dump trigger. Breathe, girl, breathe.

  83. Griffin

    Danny used ‘Secret’. It was super effective!

    (Yay, Danny’s coming out to his awesome gf! This had better go well!)

  84. Edupoet81

    I’m anxious to see how conversation goes. That probably means that tomorrow’s comic will bring a scene change

  85. Micki

    Best alt-text ever. XD

  86. brumagem

    Don’t forget the part where everyone almost died because of you.

    1. Spencer

      And when your Joe Chill rescued you in the most badass way possible.

      It’s like if Batman got a flat tire and the Joker had to give him a ride to his latest deathtrap.

  87. Blue Dragon

    All of these comments I’ve read on this page are assuming he’s about to come out to her in some fashion. Last I recall, his current plan was to find a boyfriend for Ethan. Isn’t he merely about to enlist Amber’s help on this project? He doesn’t need to say he’s doing it to get temptation off the table.

    Back during freshman family weekend (Saturday), I imagined Amber playing all of her cards face up on the table for an immediate happy ending resolution of plot threads.

    Nope. Not falling for that, again.

    There’s plenty of time for happy endings after the plot threads have been milked for every last drop of comedy and drama.

    1. Lord Stoneheart

      Uh how would that be one of his secrets? He’s explicitly saying that he’s going to share one of his secrets with Amber. A plan that he’s already tried to enlist Joe in isn’t much of a secret.

  88. Tenn

    If that face isn’t anticipating yaoi fodder, I don’t know what.

  89. jepmz

    LoL! And people were worried of her reaction back then

  90. Falling Star

    So I just found this again:
    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/thoughts/#comment-253354
    Just gonna leave it here.

  91. Usayasha

    I don’t think Amber is going to react badly to Danny being bi. She’s pretty excited by the idea of a man+man+her threesome, and she was talking about guy slash literally seconds ago.

    What I DO think is going to happen is that Danny is going to explain how he found out when he started thinking about macking a really cute guy and it gave him a crisis of self. Because then she’s going to casually ask, “Who?” and Danny will have Danny’d himself into a really awkward situation. But I don’t think it’ll be violently terrible, just awkward.

  92. Joseph Green

    this is good writing. you are a good writer who has created compelling characters who interact with each other in compelling ways and create compelling stories. this is a good comic.

  93. MrZombieScordo

    So. Did Danny ever accept the idea of bisexuality? Last I remember he said it wasn’t a thing, so he’s gonna say he’s gay, and she’s gonna flip out.

    1. Spencer

      He recognizes that he thinks “there’s something more”, but emphasized that he hasn’t stopped loving Amber. Dorothy also gave him some names to ascribe to his feelings.

  94. Zababcd

    Reminds me of this.

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