337

Skff
Posted on December 13, 2015 by David M Willis

337 thoughts on “Skff”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    uh oh, someone’s jelly

    [guess it was time to break out the next villain, huh]

    1. inqntrol

      Bloody Mary?

    2. gkheyf

      are you suggesting that mary will break out? but her skin is so nice and smooth! what a dastardly villain origin…

      1. Doctor_Who

        Skating gives her hives.

        1. Dedlok

          hOIVS

        2. lightsabermario

          hOi temmie!

        3. Psi Baka Onna

          Other people’s joy gives her hives.

  2. Spencer

    eeeeee carla

    eeeeeeeee

    1. Leorale

      Happy Carla yaaay

      1. Cerberus

        I know. She’s so utterly filled with joy! Mary couldn’t bring her down even if she tried. Which makes it seem as if her skates are what truly helps her feel complete and non-dysphoric and like nothing can ever stop her.

        1. StClair

          that’s a fascinating notion.

        2. MM

          Dammit, Cerberus, why you always gotta be bringing angst into everything?

        3. Cerberus

          But, resolving dysphoria is like the opposite of angst. Instead of everything feeling wrong and out of place, you just feel whole and like you remembered what happiness was. It’s pure euphoria.

        4. Deanatay

          It’s skating that makes her so happy.

          That, and annoying Mary. That’s some sweet icing on that perfect cinnamon roll.

        5. Jessie

          I’m not a Carla fan. But omg last-panel Carla made me squee. You can’t NOT smile when someone’s that happy!

    2. Ana Chronistic

      shipping last-panel Carla with tipsy Walky

      1. Spencer

        Remember when Walky/Becky was a thing? It seemed so perfect.

        I’m okay with them being bros and trolling the hell out of Joyce tho.

        1. Ana Chronistic

          nah, just shipping the expressions

          unless I have to Pshop them MYSELF

          AGAIN

        2. Androiddreams

          they both look like they’re about to start a showtune for squidward

        3. Sarah

          http://flamyangelwings.tumblr.com/post/135096014732

          I photoshopped the expressions for you

          …Well, I actually used PowerPoint and MS Paint, but is still counts

        4. Ana Chronistic

          YESSSSSSS

          wait, POWERPOINT?? o_O

        5. Sarah

          Yeah, PowerPoint 2013 has a pretty decent ‘Remove Backgrounds’ feature in it’s Picture Tools. I find it works better than most free background removal sites.

        6. Needfuldoer

          It can also be used as an animation tool if you’re patient and/or bored enough. (It got easier after they added tweening tools, so you don’t have to make individual key frames!)

          On Windows, I like to use Paint.NET when Photoshop isn’t around but Paint won’t cut it.

          If you have a Mac, try GraphicConverter. That’s been a great tool for over 20 years.

          On Linux and BSD, GiMP will get the job done as long as you get used to the interface.

        7. WaytoomanyUIDs

          GIMP (remarkably stupid name, you can tell it was named by a male US college student) is also available on OSX and Windows.

        8. Willinwoods

          *frantically pressing the non-existent upvote button*
          Yess …

        9. Historyman68

          A) that is amazing.
          B) enjoyed the first dozen or so posts on your tumblr too.

        10. Sarah

          Thanks ^^

        11. Cerberus

          Yeah, it’d have to be the expressions, because I’m pretty sure Carla is still homoromantic.

    3. Inkblot

      Skates are wildly impractical to get around campus on when not aided by cartoon physics.

      1. Cerberus

        I think it’s filling something deeper for her than the need to get around easily. Something that makes her feel safe, confident, and happy.

      2. Boop

        I use skates to get around my campus and its great and efficient and fun. 😛

    4. saltchocolate

      That’s “wheeee, carla! wheeeeeeee!!”

      I have to say, I’m enjoying her enjoyment. Panel 5 (and its gravity-defying sideways-skate) is unadulterated win!

      1. DarkoNeko

        Speaking of defying gravity, I recall a preview where she’s upside down with the same smile.

        1. saltchocolate

          Tomorrow’s strip, maybe?

        2. saltchocolate

          When she realizes that the comments stream is right—she can’t skate on the carpet—she’s going to shift over to walls and ceilings . . .

        3. Needfuldoer

          Well, hallways would be hard surfaces like Linoleum, and most carpets need to hold up against a lot of traffic so they’d have dense fibers and low pile. It might take extra effort but it’s doable.

  3. AnvilPro

    WHEN WILL THE DRAMA END WILLIS!?

    1. Captain Button

      When Robin gets the drama tag reinserted, duh!

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        I hope she knows how to sew it back on properly.

      2. John

        That’s not where that goes.

  4. Klokwerks

    Whoa, hang on, mood whiplash!

    At least SOMEBODY’s having a good night.

    1. Lord Stoneheart

      I think it’s still sometime in the morning. Joyce’s group was off to calc last we saw them.

  5. butts

    It’s all about Mary

    1. QWERTY

      Do y’all just wait here? Beause when I came on here at 12:02 ther were 7 comments. In 1 minute.

      1. QWERTY

        *there

        1. DarkoNeko

          Yes

      2. Plasma Mongoose

        Some people wait for hours and have messages ready to copy-pasta at a second’s notice.

        1. Tacos

          While others warp the very fabric of space-time ~_~

        2. JustCheetoDust

          I prefer softening the fabric of space-time.

        3. Willinwoods

          It rubs the lotion into the fabric …

        4. QWERTY

          That’s…weird

    2. DinaWho

      Well there’s something about Mary, at least. 😛

      1. saltchocolate

        This is not a Doctor Who reference.

        1. JonRich

          Pretty sure it is. Dina’s hat says “Police” and it looks very much like a sideways TARDIS beneath that.

        2. saltchocolate

          Ha! Yes—the grav. But I meant the comment!

  6. Ash Ketchup

    I WOULD not, COULD not, in a box. I WOULD not, COULD not, with a fox.

    1. Leorale

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

      1. JustCheetoDust

        Everything Dr. Seuss leads me back to Kids in the Hall at some point:

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

    2. Ana Chronistic

      I would not, COULD NOT at the Mall
      I would not, COULD NOT in the hall
      I would not, COULD NOT with my skates
      I would not, COULD NOT masturbate

      no wait

      1. Znayx

        If I had decent balance on skates, maybe I could, maybe I would…

        Wait, this has all been out loud? Forget it, I hate skates. And masturbating.

        Don’t take my word for that last one.

      2. Sageress

        You wouldn’t do it at the mall?

        Pansy

    3. Matt

      Would you? Could you? In a car?

      1. Animaniac

        Would you? Could you? AS a car?

        1. Matt

          Touché

    4. EvilMidnightLurker

      As a guy named Sam, this is the only Dr. Seuss book that sends me into a frothing rage. >.<#

  7. taran47

    That look on Carla’s face though…

    1. gkheyf

      she’s walkying it up!

      1. inqntrol

        “They see me skatin’, they hatin’ “

        1. gkheyf

          Haters gonna hate, I’m just gonna skate…

  8. Carms

    yay

  9. Demon-Something

    Y’know, as awful as Mary is, roller skating indoors is firmly in the Don’t Do In A Dorm category.

    1. lejwocky

      Yeah. Even monsters need to study.

      1. Spencer

        Mary is actually just researching new ways to blight the people in her dorm.

        1. DarkoNeko

          I was wondering if that’s the Bible she’s reading.

        2. StClair

          “and a plague upon YOU, and a plague upon YOU…”

        3. Sageress

          dishonor on YOU, dishonor on your COW

        4. DarkoNeko

          I’d rather get a Death Note than a Bible, for that.

    2. Ana Chronistic

      It’d be harder in our dorms, what with all the carpeted hallways

    3. Lia47

      roller skating indoors is a do-do in authority’s face

      1. Bagge

        Carla really doesn’t fear Ruth, does she? I would love to see a conforntation between those two.

        1. caesaria82

          So much redheaded rage and sass. I would be HERE FOR THIS.

        2. Bagge

          Perfect gravatar is perfect

        3. Cerberus

          Yes!!! Intimidation vs not giving any fucks for the win!

          Though I can’t wait to see the rest of this confrontation too. I mean, it’s the ultimate anti-authoritarian punk vs the ultimate rule-worshipping stick-in-the-mud.

    4. Dana

      I figured it was a case of Carla having to piss someone off so it might as well be Mary, a reader favorite.

    5. Just Me

      I had forgotten how evil Mary was until I looked back at teh strips she was in.

  10. Lia47

    my perfect child

    your time for angst will come

  11. Plasma Mongoose

    I am a happy chappie thanks to Carla’s presence today.

  12. Jabberwocky

    Comedy break!

  13. Kernanator

    I can’t believe I’m about to say this…

    but I identify with Mary in this strip.

    1. Ancestral Hamster

      No, I agree. Carla is just being a jerk. She can skate outside.

      1. DarkoNeko

        No she can’t, there’s a cilivian superhero spreading drama out there.

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      GAZOOKS!

    3. Viktoria

      On the one hand, I doubt it’s nighttime yet or someone would have mentioned it, so Carla’s probably not even in the top 10 most intrusive noises this hour. On the other hand, she’s a serious safety risk right now and should probably go outside.

      However, she’s annoying Mary and that’s not something I can disapprove of, so keep on skating Carla.

      1. Dragon_Nataku

        Besides, I hear there are these things called headphones that you can put on so you can study without being bothered by other people’s noise

        1. Rutee

          There’s also a library – there, quiet is not only a social norm, but /enforced/, and they will always welcome a student who wants a place to open their books/read their tablets.

  14. QWERTY

    So completet non-sequitur

    1. QWERTY

      *complete

      1. Clif

        [Darth Vader voice ] And now the non-sequitur is complete.

  15. dailybrad

    Carla is really damn cute. This concludes “Brad states the obvious”

  16. Stephen R. Bierce

    She’s Hell On Wheels/Tellin’ everyone how good it feels…

  17. Androiddreams

    that perfect girl is mary, since she’s the only one actually revising

  18. John

    Carla in the last panel is all, “Yeah, I’m a cartoon character. Eat it.”

    1. Screwball

      She looks to me like she’s skating on 1 foot, the other probably in the air to counter-balance herself. That said, not something most people wanna do while wearing a mini skirt…

      …Not that some people would mind…

      1. Viktoria

        Oh jeeze, if Mary finds out that way it’ll end so badly. Please tell me Carla wears shorts under her skirts like anyone doing something athletic should.

        1. Cerberus

          Oh yeah, Mary clearly doesn’t know yet or she would have led with a nasty comment about it. This could get very interesting…

        2. No Name

          I’m pretty sure Carla is post-op at this point.

        3. Cerberus

          I dunno, there was this moment:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/permanent/

          Plus, the medical system tends to be really douchey about doing much of anything for trans teens, especially things seen as “permanent” like bottom or top surgery and so tend to not even allow them until later in life (don’t know any personally that were able to access it before 18, but I’m sure there are some out there who have). My guess is she’s got HRT and parents who are willing to back her 100% and scream at the school if they give her shit about her gender identity.

        4. Kamino Neko

          Also also, unless something has changed recently, SRS is expensive, and it’s not uncommon for women who are well established in their careers to not be able to afford it, let alone someone who’s still in the middle of paying for college.

          Unless she got a full ride, or her family is disgustingly wealthy, it seems rather unlikely she can afford it, even if she lucked out on finding a doctor who would.

        5. Spencer

          IIRC, Carla’s parents are wealthy, and I think they run some kind of technological firm. At the least, she could apparently ask them to build her a replica Johnny-Five.

          http://itswalky.tumblr.com/post/91020669312/i-was-just-wondering-if-carla-had-any-problems

        6. Rutee

          Her parents /are/ disgustingly wealthy, but you’re right that it’s an unfair assumption in general. Especially for teens. I mean, putting aside what Cerberus said (Which is all 100% true), teens have fewer years under their belt, so it’s harder to meet the effective minimums to get anything done.

        7. starling000

          I feel like I should chime in here and gently remind folks that not every transgender lady wants or needs surgery to be on good terms with her body, and it shouldn’t be considered shocking or shameful if she doesn’t (or simply doesn’t hide it carefully, as if she ought to).

        8. No Name

          Among all the things I didn’t think when I posted, this would probably top the list. I feel so silly for assuming it would be so simple.

        9. Viktoria

          Based on her higher and build, I’d actually peg her as not starting hormones until late in puberty, so it’s very unlikely she’s had any surgery yet. Docs are very resistant to doing anything for trans people without a TON of proof the person is serious about it, which usually means years worth of delays.

        10. Silly Name

          Waaaait, Carla is transgender? How did I miss that?

        11. Viktoria

          Willis has mentioned it on his Tumblr/Twitter, but in comic it’s only been alluded to.
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/permanent/
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/introductions/
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/purpleandskates/

        12. Silly Name

          Looking back, I was left dumbfounded by these allusions; I just didn’t get what Willis was getting at.

          I now feel like a gigantic idiot for not realizing sooner.

        13. Betsumei

          A tuck’d also work, unless Mary spent an excessive amount of time scrutinizing what’s under Carla’s skirt.

        14. John

          This is Mary. She’ll scrutinize anything that’ll let her be judgmental at someone.

      2. Cerberus

        Carla gives absolutely zero fucks.

        1. StClair

          Possibly less than zero.

        2. Cerberus

          infinitely negative fucks

  19. tim gueguen

    I wonder what Mary is studying at university.

    1. Dana

      I was thinking… Drama.

    2. Cephalo the Pod

      Probably, like, visual art, right? She did so in Roomies!, and Joyce mentioned that one(?) of her courses would beat the animesque compulsions outta her.

      1. tim gueguen

        If so I’d hate to be her prof if her class requires her drawing a nude model.

        1. Cerberus

          Sir? I demand 3 fig leafs be placed on the model, sir. If not, I shall tell the council of concerned citizens that you’re discriminating against conservatives and christians.

        2. Silly Name

          “B-but… It’s a /male/ model. Why you want to cover his nipples?”

        3. Cerberus

          Nipples are the gateway to the Anti-Christ!

        4. Silly Name

          And now I’ve got this mental image of a guy with horns emerging from the nipple of some random guy.

          Thank you, Cerberus!

    3. Carolyn

      I seem to remember her being an art student. Didn’t Joyce show Sarah something Mary had drawn for her? I recall the drawing had a very anime style and Joyce made a remark about the art department eventually beating the anime influence out of her.

      1. Amazi-Stool

        Yes. Art school. So i guess another aspect of Willis’ life is reflected in one of his characters?!?

  20. Lena

    Words cannot properly describe how much I love Carla.

    1. fizzywafflezsuperstore

      So true.

  21. Lordmazapan

    Well that’s unexpected after what happened in the last strip.

  22. lime sheep

    theres way too much mary on this page

  23. Plasma Mongoose

    Then you need to use emoji. ^_^

  24. Romanticide

    Well who would have thought one day I would feel for Mary… well that and art school stamping out her any desire to draw any style close to any anime ever…

  25. Rob

    Mary being unhappy is my aesthetic.

    1. caesaria82

      #same

  26. Derek

    Wow a comic where Mary appears and not only is she not completely awful, she’s actually in the right?? *twilight zone music plays*

    1. Screwball

      IT’S THE FIRST SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE!!!

      *Runs around, arms flailing….*

      1. Tacos

        Oh it’s always the beginning of the Apocalypse. I don’t even pay attention to it anymore. Instead of running around, I’d rather use my time to do something productive. Like make a sammich or build a pillow fort. *nods*

        1. inqntrol

          At least you will perish with a full belly and feeling comfortable.

        2. Screwball

          …but I ate all my sammiches… T_T

          *Continues running around, complete with flailing arms…*

  27. Someone

    Oh god I agree with Mary on something. That would annoy the fuck out of me

    1. evilnerf

      God yes. I had people throwing oranges at the wall at my dorm. “We’re just having fun lighten up.” Go throw yourselves in a juicer.

  28. Cephalo the Pod

    Man, has Mary even done anything wrong yet in this comic?

    I mean, yeah, she’s openly homophobic, but that’s not really an action.

    1. Rabid Rabbit

      She’s shown herself to have a very short fuse, when asking Ruth about the ding-dongs, and hateful towards anyone who doesn’t cleave to her particular brand of Christianity.

      Plus, she draws anime, so she is clearly the devil.

    2. Regalli

      Huh. Looking back and checked: Mostly a bad/judgmental attitude (most particularly, she was REALLY upset and judgmental about Riley staying the night without notice – which, rude, yes – but Riley slept in Roz’s bed so it shouldn’t be a problem, and upset and calling Roz names for her very-detailed roommate agreement,) and maybe we could make a case for the openly homophobic bit being expressly to make Billie uncomfortable and turn Joyce against her. But… yeah, not really no, I don’t think.

      Oh, and in response to the party, “Maybe you two’d get pregnant and have to drop out and I’d know what real quiet is like.” Which, yeah, nasty but not actually anything bad yet. (Though I am wondering why she wasn’t dressed at 3 PM.)

      1. Maveric1984

        Maybe she’s a closet nudist?

        1. DarkoNeko

          like that girl in ano natsu de matteru ? naaah.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Possibly?

          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/05-media-rumble/dressed-2/

        3. DarkoNeko

          Oh-ho.

      2. Regalli

        I should also note that it’s not unheard of to have a younger sibling want to stay over for a college visit, as a sort of ‘test’ for the dorm system, hence why I think Mary was overreacting there.

      3. Silly Name

        That last quote is really ironic if you’ve read Roomies!

    3. Maveric1984

      She’s judgmental to a fault. “Everyone is guilty of something.” She thought Riley was a horrible person just because she’s a DeSantos.

      I agree that in this case she has a right to be mad, but someone ought to tell her about the seven deadly sins, specifically Wrath. I guess, it maybe doesn’t count since they’re not in the Bible…

    4. Lord Stoneheart

      She no longer associates with Joyce because Joyce was willing to associate with an atheist. (gasp!)

      1. DarkoNeko

        Joyce’s parents pretty much wanted her to do the same.

        1. timemonkey

          And the only person who says Joyce’s parents are good is Joyce. Dorothy and Walky were surprised at how hateful they were.

    5. timemonkey

      Well she’s deeply and actively hateful.

      1. Cerberus

        Which is in fact an action that harms as we’ve seen in Ethan’s attempt at a closet, Becky’s life experiences, and Sal’s chip on her shoulder. Mary contributes to an environment that is intended to hurt those who are queer or who enjoy sex or are non-Christian and that contributes to genuine harm.

        Not that that means she deserves to have her studying interrupted, but hey, college kids do all sorts of loud ass shit in the day/eveningtime hours* (see Carla’s studying interrupted by Ruth and Billie’s loud sex). If Mary wants to be a day studier, then she’s either going to need to hit the library or invest in some headphones.

        *Usually dorms have rules about late nights in order to allow students who aren’t wooping it up to get some sleep.

        1. Regalli

          Yeah, she’s definitely contributing to that environment, but in terms of being an actual antagonist in her own right rather than a passive shithead, I think was the point (or at least was mine when I looked it up). So far she’s only just started seeking out people and making them feel like shitty human beings for existing – she HATES Roz, but that’s more the most comically mismatched roommate set ever. (She was also casually using ableist language complaining over Roz, but that one I’m not actually taking out on her yet because it’s so widespread – title of this comic – compared to the actual ableism Raidah’s displayed.) Other than that, there’s the Billie point with Joyce and the outrage over the dingdong bandit. Which, to be clear, is clearly laying the signs of actual active villainy, but on the Shitty Evangelist Spectrum only puts her around the elder Browns compared to Ross. (Again, yet.)

        2. Regalli

          That said I’m more lowgrading her in that she has not yet done anything as bad as I know she’s capable of. Any ordinary person I’d dismiss as shitty but here Walkyverse Mary’s such a skew that I’m going “… Huh, she hasn’t launched a singleminded crusade to ruin someone’s life while they’re in mourning for no apparent reason yet.”

          “Yet” being the key word, since Billie’s clearly in her crosshairs and if she gets angry at Carla I can see things getting ugly fast.

    6. Adam Black

      Um what?
      In nearly every strip she’s in. Religious bigotry, gay-shaming, attempted shunning, Bullying, These arent thought-crimes, these are actions.

      1. JonRich

        Religious bigotry can be a thought *and/or* an action. It can be both, but it can also be just a thought. In Mary’s case, it’s an action: It’s a thought only if the bigot keeps it to themselves.

    7. Amazi-Stool

      Well most other comedy settings have a sassy character that is a master of witty, sharp jokes.

      Mary is different, she specialises in blunt puns.

      Also “The DeSantoses are ALL MONSTERS!”

  29. pjeseb

    I’m seeing a noticeable lack of crippling despair in today’s strip.

    This pleases me.

    1. Captain Button

      Shh! Don’t jinx it!

  30. Edupoet81

    I suspected we were on the cusp of a scene change.

    I’m conflicted about this one. On the one hand, it would annoy me if I was trying to get stuff done, and there were loud skating noises close by. On the other hand, it’s Mary, and how can I object to seeing her suffer?

  31. caesaria82

    Carlaaaaaaaaaa. Love of my life skater babe rockstar. Let me love you.

    Not you, though, Mary. Go away, Mary. (… I still have a Mary avatar don’t I? Damn :p)

    1. Screwball

      Yes, yes you do still have a Mary Avatar. She haauuunnts you…

      1. caesaria82

        I’ve gotten so used to her as my avatar and she’s so rarely actually present in the comic (thankfully tbh) that seeing her gave me a jolt lol.

        1. tim gueguen

          We’re probably overdue for some new auto-avatars here.

        2. modulusshift

          I’m up for it. Alice is kinda a jerk.

        3. inqntrol

          Why use the auto-avatars, when you can get your own. For example, it’s December, a festive gravatar would be better.

        4. modulusshift

          I like the randomness. It’s a Deadpool avatar in spirit.

        5. tim guegue

          I’m lazy. On the other hand I could use some Undergrads avatars.

        6. Peduncle

          I like my Penny avatar. Apparently, she was evil in the other continuity, but her big smile here is inspiring. It’s hard to write anything mean knowing it will appear next to that happy expression.

          More Penny in DoA please, Mr. Willis?

        7. Peduncle

          No “for a Penny” jokes!

        8. DarkoNeko

          Get Alice Groove’s alice instead ?

        9. Kamino Neko

          She’s kind of a bigger jerk.

        10. DarkoNeko

          Hehehehe true.

  32. Hermit Hoover

    oh thank god it’s mary

  33. Regalli

    … Yeah honestly I have no clue how she could skate on a dorm floor I guess this one’s not carpeted you go nuts I guess Carla (I will forgive way more than I should for a cute girl.)

    That and it’s a weekend no one’s gonna do anything until you’re breaking quiet hours or can literally be heard from the other side of the building. *Slightly bitter*

    1. Scoops

      Our residence had carpets in the halls and you could skate on them. They were very thin carpets.

  34. Bagge

    These two are turning out to be quite a double act. I love their interaction in the last panel. Mary doesn’t in any way expect Carla to actually stop her indoor skating. She just goes through the motion and hands Carla a punchline. Carla takes the punchline and is gleeful for it.

    SKFF

    1. Cerberus

      Mary realized that her two major tactics were going to have little to no effect on her. Carla doesn’t really care about her intimidation or snide looking down, because Carla has perfected portraying absolute confidence and a snarky fuck you and your attitude persona. Nor does Mary currently have anything on Carla to smugly hold over her head and tacitly blackmail her with. The worst she could do is threaten to tell someone in authority, but at the time of day Carla is doing this, she’s not really breaking any rules and the worst that will happen is the RA will tell her to knock it off and go outside and I doubt Ruth intimidates Carla very much, especially since she doesn’t seem to be in that “all hands” meeting that Ruth called on the first day.

      1. Regalli

        Yeah, depending on Ruth’s grade she could very well be older than her, so Carla would just be “Whaaatever.”

        I suspect if* Mary finds out Carla’s trans, she’s going to raise one hell of a stink over things, but even then it’s a fight Mary will lose. (Just one Carla I’m sure has better things to do than deal with.)

        * “If” here meaning “narrative means she probably eventually will, but our plot’s complicated enough as it is without that so it’ll be a while.”

  35. Captain Button

    Now I am having Solarbabies flashbacks.

    Damn you, Willis!

    1. tim gueguen

      It’s interesting how many of the cast actually had reasonably successful careers: Jami Gertz, Peter DeLuise, Adrian Pasdar

  36. Tacos

    Oh, why hello Mood Whiplash. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.

  37. Bo Lindbergh

    So her new skates have Swedish bearings. Good.

  38. Rabid Rabbit

    Ah. So the next scene will be Mary yelling at Ruth to make Carla stop, and when Ruth doesn’t care, threatening to blackmail her. Should be fun.

    1. Someone

      I do wonder if Mary will ever realize that she doesn’t have to rely on Ruth and Billie being in a relationship to get rid of Ruth. I mean all you really have to say is that Ruth threatens physical harm to her residents, and is willing to act on it. Nothing else is necessary. If I was a in charge of Resident assistants at a college I sure as hell wouldn’t allow one to stay that threatened femur removal, stole residents private belongings, and basically did whatever she wanted. Ruth needs help, but the school has no way of knowing this, and even if they did we can’t use a authority figures demons as an excuse for treating her residents like crap.

      1. modulusshift

        So you think Ruth was bluffing here?: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/04-the-bechdel-test/strike/

        I consider it even odds, because it’s exactly what you’d need to say, but it also doesn’t seem to me that Ruth lies very often.

      2. Viktoria

        Would the authority figures believe the complaints? I’d at least be concerned about going to them with anything less than video evidence, just because if they do decide that it’s in their best interests to ignore you, Ruth could ruin your life.

        1. Captain Button

          “Someone skating sideways down the halls? Yeah, right. With a cape and a mask too, you forgot that part. Can’t you at least come up with a more plausible story?”

    2. Amazi-Stool

      Mary yelling at Ruth to do something?

      That has worked so well the last time!

  39. SpoopyFox

    this is my favorite strip now

  40. Zagreus

    Ugh.

    Strips like this make me long for the future days where trans representation in fiction is more widespread. Call out the one single trans character for being consistently irritating, obnoxious, and smug throughout the strip, and the problem is obviously with *YOU* and *YOUR INTERNALIZED TRANSPHOBIA*. Give me a break.

    1. DinaWho

      Well at least you can look forward to seeing the other trans girl in the strip next storyline!

    2. Spencer

      I mean, the strip itself has characters who frequently call Carla for being consistently irritating, obnoxious, and smug. Being an abrasive jerkface has been her thing since Shortpacked, and it’s why we like her.

      It’s totally fine not to like Carla, but don’t be surprised that people can be defensive of a good and representative character. I’m pretty much like that with Danny.

    3. Victor Riley

      Huh… I didn’t know Carla was trans. *shrug* Must have missed that. Oh well.

      I’m more concerned trying to figure out if your screen name is meant to be the Greek myth reference… or a Doctor Who reference (from the 8th Doctor audio dramas).

      1. modulusshift

        She was in the Walkyverse, so I think someone asked Willis if she was here, too, and he said yes.

      2. modulusshift

        Oh, hey, it did sorta indirectly show up in this comic, too: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/permanent/

        1. Victor Riley

          Ah, I didn’t even click then. I figured the “hate crime” she was referring to was more of a sexual harassment thing.

          But that’s probably why not much of an emphasis was put on her… because it’s a fact that doesn’t actually matter. Which is a good thing, I think. Carla is Carla, and that’s all that matters. 🙂

      3. modulusshift

        Also notable: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/introductions/

    4. nothri

      Meh. She gets a free pass this time. Giving Mary grief should never count as doing something wrong.

      1. DarkoNeko

        Uuuh.

    5. Adam Black

      Im sure Carla is not the only Trans character in the strip.
      There must be plenty we arent aware of.

      NO, I take that back. She simply isnt.
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/tag/jocelyne/

      Why arent you calling out Mary for also being “irritating, obnoxious, and smug” and hateful?

      Carla is at least self-aware and has a sense of humor. You may not like her , but I’d be her friend.

      1. StClair

        two very nice points/catches there.

    6. Rutee

      Like, the bulk of the characters are annoying in some ways, many in ways we generally acknowledge as annoying. If you take special issue with Carla, maybe reconsider.

    7. Cerberus

      I dunno. In a fandom that cheers on Mike as the second-coming of douchebag Jesus, I’m fully okay cheering on a snarky jerk like Carla for my trans ace representation.

      Especially since this reboot gives her excellent reasons to be the way she is. Snarky and withdrawn, worried about being forgotten, desperate to project confidence, prone to trying to turn her perceived negatives into hyper-exaggerations (adding to her tallness with skates even though she worries that her height outs her, being loud and obnoxious and visible even though that’s typically dangerous for a trans woman to be).

      Her actions make a lot of sense, because now she’s not just a misanthropic robot, she’s a trans girl who grew up in extremely conservative Indiana, who likely came out as trans freshman year or earlier (my bet is on earlier as the older students just note that they forgot they hated her rather than anything relating to her transness). That’s a life experience that trains one into an epic level of snark, bitterness, and desperate need to turn pain into strength.

      Yeah, she’s a jerk. But this jerk makes sense. She needs to be a jerk to not be a victim or to be disappeared into the background. And it allows her to avoid a lot of the pain of a lot of other trans stories and just be this utterly ecstatic. She’s on her wheels in her mini-skirt and pink tank top and she couldn’t possibly be happier or more in tune with herself.

      And that’s beautiful. Or at least I think so.

      To be fair I’m hella biased in Carla’s favor considering she’s probably the only trans ace representation I have ever seen.

      1. Adam Black

        All this, and a pie to the face.
        One day

      2. modulusshift

        Don’t worry, Willis will find a way to ruin it soon.

      3. StClair

        +1

      4. DarkoNeko

        ” Mike as the second-coming of douchebag Jesus” hahaha

      5. Cizak

        Cerberus, this and your other comment on this page have made me happy all day. Fuck yeah.

  41. Jake

    Yay! more Carla! drama time is officially over, so let the good times roll!

    1. modulusshift

      The drama tag came pre pulled, and it cannot be replaced. Drama will be back.

      1. Jake

        sorry, I can’t hear you over the good Carla times rolling all over the place. XD

  42. JessWitt

    What magic enables Carla to skate on carpeting??

    1. Tacos

      The magic of annoying the hell out of Mary.

    2. Vex Godglove

      Being awesomely Carla. Also, really thin carpet. The carpet in my dorm was so thin it was practically concrete. Concrete that could absorb water from a water balloon fight.

    3. Orion Fury

      Low pile tight weave?

    4. inqntrol

      Quality gypsy magic.

    5. Viktoria

      Are the floors carpeted? My dorm’s weren’t, probably to make cleanup easier.

    6. Cerberus

      College campuses cheaping out on the thinnest tighest weave because they know students will be spilling all manner of horrifying substances on it before the semester is over?

  43. Rac

    “… give less of a fuck!”

  44. Ned Flanders

    I like how she it’s not beer or soda she’s drinking, but rather its just water. Have some bread to go down with it.

  45. nothri

    “Would not you, could not you, with a skate,
    Would not you, could not you, through the gate?”

    “Yes I could, yes I would, with a skate,
    Yes I would, yes I could through the gate!”

    Sam-are-I.

    1. nothri

      I do not care if I make you cry.
      That will not stop me, Sam-Are-I.

  46. Allison

    As someone who plays roller derby, this speaks to me on a deep personal level. Though I always wonder – why don’t Carla and Marcie wear helmets?!

    1. nothri

      I wish I didn’t like both those characters, cause then I’d have no qualms with saying that their skulls are clearly just that thick. But I do like them, so I can’t say that except in a round about way.

    2. Cerberus

      Marcie? No idea (though she has been shown to wear a helmet coming off of roller derby).

      Carla? I dunno, I think it might be a fuck everything kind of thing. Like, she survived coming out as trans in Indiana and whatever nightmare high school experience that entailed, so fuck it, nothing else can hurt her after that. Or something like that.

      1. Amazi-Stool

        That “nothing more can hurt me. i don’t need a helmet” sounds eerily similar!

    3. Murphy

      Same, although I REALLY hope they have a separate set of outdoor wheels.

    4. Silly Name

      I think they do wear helmets during competitions/training, but right now it seems Carla is just skating around the hall (to be fair, Carla is _always_ skating), so it’s likely she considers wearing an helmet superfluous, since she probably isn’t going too fast.

  47. ailorn

    Yay more Carla!

  48. IDontcarenomore

    I have a feeling Carla can skate on anything.
    Carla was a automobile in Walkyverse and a robot in Shortpacked, I think. And now is transgender? I missed that transformation.
    Very versatile is Carla. 😉

    1. modulusshift

      Yeah, there’s just a couple references to it that are easy to miss.

      1. DarkoNeko

        “get a single room for some reason” — Joyce.

        1. modulusshift

          about the dingdong bandit: “That’s a hate crime! Oh wait, every whiteboard has one. That’s hilarious!”

        2. Kamino Neko

          ‘You’re tall.’ ‘There’s a reason for that.’

        3. DarkoNeko

          no, no. There’s a reason she doesn’t join the derby team. Nothing about being tall lol.

        4. Kelly

          Sounded like a reference to the height *and* not joining to me.

        5. Kamino Neko

          Yeah. Sal’s followup (‘Yeah, Ah know. They wouldn’t care.’) doesn’t make sense if it’s about the reason for Carla’s not wanting to do Derby.

          Unless the local Derby league are like pirate crews, who shanghai random chicks onto the teams against their will. But that seems very unlikely.

        6. No Name

          It wasn’t just pirates. Merchants and naval ships did it too. In fact, one of the nominal (I say nominal) reasons for the War of 1812 was that the British Navy was still “impressing” Americans into naval service.

  49. Anywhere

    As much as I love Carla, this reminds me of the worst parts of living in a dorm.

  50. Triniking1234

    During studying?

    Nuh-uh, bongo.

    1. Kamino Neko

      It’s the middle of the day, and just over a month into the school year.

      This isn’t ‘quiet time’.

      1. Cerberus

        Yup. And in the dorm, this time tends to be filled with all sorts of noises, loud talking in the halls, slamming doors, people blaring music. Carla is just one more in the pile, but unfortunately for Mary, the closest one to her room.

  51. vonniesaur

    Best response.
    This is my second favorite comic you’ve ever done

  52. Stormtrooper0914

    Fuck studying lets get skating.

  53. Stormtrooper0914

    That’s what everyone’s does when they don’t wanna study…or get new skates.

  54. Tunasammich

    Do the kids now a days not roller skate much? When I was a tot I totally could have skated on that thin sort of shitty carpet often found in hallways, easily

  55. DarkoNeko

    is it raining outside or.. ?

    1. No Name

      It’s a drama storm out there. Carla wants nothing of that.

      1. DarkoNeko

        Can’t blame ‘er

  56. HiiroArana79

    Yay! Fun!

  57. Vi

    AHHH CARLA THAT’S MY GIRL

  58. Adam Black

    Mary and Carla:

    Mary , the Girl we all love … to hate.

    I want to see more of these two. Carla just because shes a laugh riot.
    I dont remember UltraCar-La being Cheery and funny.
    ( although she did throw pies. maybe I just didnt get the joke )
    I would even read a spin-off of these two. Carla is Marys perfect foil
    Nice work , Willis

    1. Cerberus

      Yeah, Ultracar was often defined by her misanthropy and had so few opportunities to experience true unparalleled joy, but Carla has found genuine happiness. She’s happy in herself. She’s happy in her skates. She’s still got a fuck the world attitude, but sometimes, everything’s just perfect in her little world and she just needs to beam brighter than a death laser sweeping over a countryside.

  59. hatless

    Oh no. They can’t become a couple. My head would explode.

    1. Adam Black

      an Odd-couple.

      But Carla would find your head exploding funny.
      ( and Mary would blame it on your sins or something )

      1. fizzywafflezsuperstore

        ha…

        Zat vaz funny.

    2. DarkoNeko

      A NEW SHIP, IS BORN.

    3. tim guegue

      Mary will probably end up marrying some Ralph Reed type the week after she finishes college. Or some up and coming young media evangelist.

      1. Silly Name

        Considering how abrasive she is, even towards people who share her world-view, I’d be surprised if she finds a guy who can stand her for more than a week.

  60. HMRC4EVR

    Go Go Carla roller skates!!

  61. Cerberus

    Oh, man, I can’t get over how much I love Carla here. Yes, she’s being a total asshole, but that smile and confidence are just everything. I mean, look at her outfit. A basketball style tank top and a mini-skirt? A shirt designed to minimize her breasts and a skirt at maximum risk of exposure? That’s her nuking the trained fear of “passing” from mother-fucking orbit with Becky’s outing missiles. Carla just doesn’t give a fuck here about what anyone can throw at her.

    Here she’s snarking the infamous bigot of the hall and straight up taunting her and it’s a sideshow to her real joy. Her new skates are here and after a week or so of being grounded like a mortal, she gets to roll around and feel powerful again. And she’s going to enjoy that no matter what and no one can take that away from her.

    And that’s kind of big, because trans women aren’t typically allowed to have oozing confidence. But Carla just gives the least amount of fucks. And it’s hard not to suspect that that devil may care attitude was hard fought and won and now that she has it, she’s not giving it up for anyone, even a notorious killjoy like Mary.

    Giving that my yesterday was plagued by TERFs, this was exactly the kind of thing I needed to see.

    1. Betsumei

      I fricking love that outfit and I want it. Even just the skirt/socks combo there… Wait, would that be cosplay?

      1. Cerberus

        I know, it’s super cute.

    2. Rutee

      Wow, that is super good luck on the timing then. Sorry about the day, though.

      1. Cerberus

        I know, right, like holy providence, batman!

    3. Regalli

      I was trying to think why I found this so adorable but wow you articulate things perfectly as always. She’s just so HAPPY here and it’s so nice to see her so comfortable. That it’s coming at Mary’s expense is just fun, especially since it’s a pretty minor irritation all dorm things considered. (If she actually HITS someone, then we’ve got a problem, but day studying? Yeah, best of luck THERE.)

    4. Bagge

      Wow! That is such a great point. Carla has no fucks to give, and she loves every movement of it.

  62. No Name

    Is Mary a vampire? Her room seems very dark and it’s daytime.

  63. fishamaphone

    I feel like Willis is channeling a bit of Peanuts on Carla’s expressions here. And I like it.

  64. BenRG

    Well, if nothing else, Willis has made me feel sympathy for Mary. Personally, living in an apartment block with non-existent sound-proofing between apartments, I am sometimes driven to the point of madness by people insisting on making irritating noises late at night. So, yeah, trying to study and the noise of skating? That’s something that normally ends with a gunshot.

    1. Cerberus

      To be fair, it’s the middle of the day:
      http://walkypedia.wikia.com/wiki/Dumbing_of_Age_Class_Schedule

      I mean, it’s at least 10 and probably closer to 10:30-11 am, which indeed is probably late at night for Carla and the other nocturnal students, but regular class time for most everyone else.

    2. DarkoNeko

      a gunshot. uh.

      *slowly steps away*

      1. StClair

        Would you like me to define “hyperbole”?

        1. Griffin

          The hyperbolic nature of a statement does not automatically excuse it.

      2. Amazi-Stool

        As far as shown, we haven’t had a gunshot for four days.

        -> We are terribly understaffed with gunshots!

        NRA to the rescue.
        </sarcasm>

  65. NinjaNick

    Happy skates!

  66. Arianod

    Happy Carla! 😀

  67. OnyxIdol

    Yay Carla and Mary! Dis gun b good.

  68. Gamaran Sepudomyn

    Adorable Carla. Annoyed Mary (albeit for an understandable reason). What are you going to do to make this horrible, ever-damned Willis?

  69. CianM1301

    Ah, nothing like an upset Mary to lighten the mood.

  70. Whittier

    Waiting for Asma to pop out and say skates aren’t allowed in the dorm.

    Or not. Just been too long since we’ve seen her is all.

    1. tim guegue

      Asma’s going to be returning in March according to the preview panels. Which means we probably won’t see her for two years after that.

  71. hof1991

    Comic relief is the second best kind.

    After seeing Amber struggling to be a perfect girl, its a perfect follow-up to see Mary and Carla both working on being their vision of perfect. Mary knows what a perfect girl looks like and will defend that no matter how toxic to others or harmful to herself. It’s not any worse that Amber’s version of a perfect girl and one that is probably easier to outgrow. Rooming with Roz will cause her to double down on her conservative upbringing. Roz and Mary are both preachy and self-righteous, thus confirming each other in their current paths.

    Carla is a joy because her vision of a perfect girl is self generated rather than imposed or inherited.

    1. Cerberus

      Yeah, it’s self-generated and self-won and now that she has it, she’s going to enjoy it.

  72. Tenchan

    Oh Carla, how I adore thee! Let me count the ways…

  73. Crumplepunch

    Yaaaaaaaay.

    Yaaaaaaaaaaaay.

    I hope this doesn’t go to a horrible place tomorrow.

    1. DarkoNeko

      Well Carla maaaay run into Amber for reasons.

      1. DarkoNeko

        Rather, I’d love for their two to deepen their connection/friendship.

  74. Jimmy

    As much as I like Carla and dislike Mary, I’m with Mary on this one.

  75. Murphy

    I feel Carla on this one. I always get pumped when I get new skate parts.

  76. Eric

    People who expect complete silence in communal living arrangements are the fucking worst.

    1. DarkoNeko

      There’s complete silence, and there’s skating in the wing corridors.

  77. Rob Carlson

    100% totally with Mary here. I moved out of the dorms as fast as I could precisely because of jerks who’d do tricks on their skateboards in the hallway at 3 in the morning. Not that you could sleep anyway because of his fellow jerks blasting music next door to you. Carla’s not being as egregious as those guys were, but still.

    1. Rutee

      Considering it’s not even noon, Carla is /decidedly/ not being a jerk here.

      1. Rutee

        Okay, that’s a bit far. She’s only being a jerk in that she’s enjoying Mary’s suffering. But then, it’s Mary, and I’m pretty sure the bulk of the wing has generally agreed “Fuck her”. And even if it’s not general policy, Carla probably has it for good reasons!

    2. Kamino Neko

      Where, oh, where, are people getting the idea that this is happening at night?

      1. No Name

        Mary’s a vampire who can’t stand the sun. I mean, look at her room! It’s dark!

  78. smooti

    Favorite strip?
    Favorite strip.

    Where does Carla get her legwarmers? I need me some of those.

  79. Guairdean Beatha

    “Can you knot?” “No, I can not knot.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMxcAaR0oHU was the first thing I thought of.

  80. Griffin

    Carla rules.

    1. tim gueguen

      Flash foward 25 years. We see Dorothy sitting in her office, annoyed as can be, as she watches Carla’s Presidential inauguration.

      1. tim gueguen

        Should have included the following: Now Carla definitely rules.

  81. Wublub

    On the one hand, she really should go skate outside and let people study.
    On the other hand, Mary’s really mean.
    I feel conflicted here.

    1. Rutee

      Let me help: It’s daytime, not night, so there’s no actual expectation of quiet
      The library is open right now.

  82. Memyself

    This made me not like Carla. Rude.

  83. Darwin

    Why did my brain immediately jump to Green Eggs and Ham?

  84. Falling Star

    Best birthday present ever.

  85. Kelly

    Am a bad person for kind of liking when Mary shows up…because she’s really good looking? (and that’s saying something with all the attractive people in this comic)

    1. Spencer

      She does actually look visually… nice? Like, if you slotted this design with her earlier personality in Roomies! before she became more of a jerk, I could see it. I wonder how much more effective that makes her, like she actually looks like a pretty okay person before she opens her mouth.

    2. lime sheep

      i do really like her design. i cant really appreciate it much though, because im tensely anticipating her being less of an ineffective villain

    3. John

      According to Willis’s commentary on the Roomies! reruns, Mary was actually designed as a synthesis of all the traits that he thought, or believed he thought, were attractive – “Total hottie manic pixie dream girl, for Christ,” as he puts it. And then when he started writing her, it turned out that what he’d produced was not the perfect girl he thought he was making, but someone kind of horrible.

      But she did retain the “cute” part of her original job description. In her DoA incarnation, she’s one of the handful of characters who has sclera and irises, which helps.

      1. Kelly

        Oh yeah, I remember that commentary.
        I’d say more characters in DoA have sclera than don’t though.

  86. ObiKemnebi

    Where is this preview thing everyone keeps mentioning?

    1. Kelly

      You mean the DoA tumblr account?

      http://dumbingofage.tumblr.com

      He posts character models, backgrounds, wordless single preview panels from the future, reblogged fan art and other stuff there.

      On his personal page (http://itswalky.tumblr.com) you’ll get some of that but also Transformers and Mary Worth and babies and stuff.

    2. Sam

      It’s on his tumblr (http://dumbingofage.tumblr.com/). Look for hashtag “preview panels”.

    3. ObiKemnebi

      Thanks!

  87. Captain Whatever on the planet of things

    I must have come to the wrong site – this comic made me smile. 🙂

  88. Ashley

    I’m sure God loves Carla’s skates, Mary, white can’t you?

  89. starling000

    I love you, Carla. <3

  90. Willoughby Chase

    Mary x Carla = Love+Slipshine

    1. Commodore Jeep-Eep

      *mind sizzles like a frying egg*

      1. AnishY

        And we have our winner for most appropriate gravatar ever!

  91. Nena

    Pester Mary as much as possible, Carla.

  92. HiiroArana79

    She has a muppet face!

  93. Eric

    And now for something completely different: A happy person on roller skates!

  94. Psychotic Mantis

    Carla just hopped *wink* to the top of my favorite character list.
    That smile at the end is just too cute.

  95. Lordess of Madness

    Carla seriously doesn’t get seen enough!

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