382

Steven
Posted on April 27, 2025 by David M Willis

382 thoughts on “Steven”

  1. NGPZ

    YEEEEES let the romance commence! ^^

    *plays “Masquerade” by Mystery Kindaichi Band on hacked muzak*

    1. Anon

      sarah being cat coded :3

  2. Doctor_Who

    In honor of this moment, something is getting renamed “Other Tony” tonight.

    Or perhaps “Inferior Tony”.

    1. Risky

      Don’t do Tony’s little friend Tiny Tony dirty like that, that’s her chosen calling.

    2. Arianod

      Our Tony is clearly the superior one.

  3. Charles Phipps

    I wish my dad had allowed this during football games.

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      My grandmother, who was a huge football fan, actually DID have this – a separate room with equal access to the kitchen where people who didn’t want to watch the game could hide and watch something else.

      1. Laura

        In my experience, at Superbowl parties, the men tend to hang out in the living room to watch the game as the women hang out in the kitchen to talk. Just what I’ve noticed. Afterwards folks migrate outside to play darts. My favorite part!

        1. Bittersweet

          In Texas, weirdly, I’ve never seen a gender divide in Super Bowl parties. Mom makes all the cold food, Dad makes all the hot food, party guests bring all the extra stuff and then everybody watches the game together while the husbands/boyfriends cower from their wives/girlfriends because we’re 9000x louder about our support of a team than they are. Usually I can’t even talk by the end of the night, it’s so much fun (provided the teams are evenly matched but not too good.)

          Among peers rather than families the division of labor might be different, but I don’t think I’ve ever met someone at a Super Bowl party that wasn’t there to watch the Super Bowl (other than my husband who does not know football and alternates between asking questions and devouring stuffed jalapeños.)

  4. AeromechanicalAce

    Damn. Sarah, don’t let this one go, he’s a Keeper.

    1. Thag Simmons

      Very strong opening plays at least, but honestly when a dude comes out this perfect in a story I’m always waiting for a shoe to drop.

      1. clif

        Considerate at any rate.

        1. Thag Simmons

          Yeah, I’m definitely rooting for him to be good, but it feels significant that both of the people we know he’s considered friends have been characterized as complete douchebags.

          At least he’s made it clear that Paul isn’t a friend of his anymore, and who knows maybe Beef’s cleaned up his act since move-in day.

        2. Dante

          It’s important to consider what we’ve seen of Tony from the start (“freshman I won’t buy you beer” to Jennifer, telling Danny he wouldn’t bully him for being queer), apart from the rescue and all.

          He’s been adamant on the No Nonsense thing. Some assholes are a part of the football team, so yeah, Tony knows them… And he’s probs been dropping them like yesterday’s garbage every time he spots Bullshit Behavior.

        3. Thag Simmons

          I certainly hope so.

        4. Amelie Wikström

          When you mention Paul, I think there may be a Message here. That Tony, favored son of the dean, star of the football team, extraordinarily level headed, firmly anti-bullying and all that, is not immune to having a close friend turn dangerously radical in very little time.

          And also while we’re getting far too deep into these one note side characters, I theorize Beef has been dragged along with a bad crowd without much say in the matter. (Literally, cause he’s nonverbal.) Being with Tony would certainly help him stay out of trouble.

        5. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

          I don’t assume too much about character by association at that age. Many people are only starting to sort themselves by ideological compatibility, thus social circles tend to be highly combustible.

          My late teens friend groups were a mix of what turned out to be absolutely horrible and absolutely wonderful people. It took some fairly ugly dramafests to learn who the shitheads were, and that any further contact was a lost cause.

        6. Needfuldoer

          Yeah, I only got into social media many years after high school. “I wonder what so-and-so has been up to, I should look them up…” is a dangerous game.

      2. Anon

        well i don’t expect tony to have any hangups i wouldn’t mind depth but a lot of it is sarah’s issues with connecting with ppl , doesn’t mean tehy can’t have fun versus ending up being married in the long run lol

    2. Steamweed

      He has good administration and management traits in common with his father. Both of them seem to be good and thoughtful leaders of people.

      1. Julie

        Didn’t Tony’s dad sleep with Sal and Walky’s shitty racist mom, though?

        1. Thomas

          You’re allowed to be mistaken about the people you sleep with. Hopefully not in a big way, though. Linda’s racism is quite subtle & may not have been apparent when they dated.

        2. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

          And quit decades ago. For all we know, he might have dumped her for being cringe.

        3. Taffy

          Dean McHenry, all those years ago: “Bro, you have posted cringe. You are going to lose husband.”

        4. thejeff

          Not just slept with, but married. And is still friendly with.

        5. Steamweed

          Oh, he did, but, y’know that’s sex. Definitely I’ve sexed some people I think I should not have nowadays.

        6. Thag Simmons

          He did marry her

    3. Opus the Poet

      He seems thoughtful that Sarah might not want to watch the game, but still might want to have snacks.

    4. lightsabermario

      Wrong football, I think he’s the quarterback.

      1. Needfuldoer

        Would it be worse if he was the Nickelback?

  5. Elf grrl

    PUT A RING ON IT, SARAH!!!!

    1. Mr D

      I Hope you mean his finger :V

      1. morleuca

        As long as it’s easily removable, it should be fine

        1. HeatherJean

          Depends on what you mean by “easily removable,” I suppose.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do9xPQHI9G0&pp=ygUfbG9yZCBvZiB0aGUgY29ja3JpbmcgamFjayBibGFjaw%3D%3D

    2. Steamweed

      Always ask for consent before you do the prince albert thing with your boyfriend.

  6. JD

    finally someone treats her like the queen she is thank you tony i love you tony

    1. Laura

      I love it too.

      When I was younger and more social, I would go to a party, sit on the couch with a book or a crossword puzzle, and happily spend the whole evening “alone”, ensconced in my reading or puzzling, letting folks chatter around me. It was comforting social background noise, and nobody bothered me. In part because when I talked I usually said the wrong thing and made people uncomfortable! Then I would usually fall asleep on the couch and walk home the next morning. Social solitude. I was so lucky to find folks who let me do that. For a while.

      1. NGPZ

        yep, that right there is my autistic experience with parties growing up in a nutshell, well put XD

  7. Doopyboop

    Tony is the perfect boyfriend for an introvert.

    1. AK

      Yeah the explicit parallel play option is so awesome.

  8. Shade

    Damn, Tony is gunning for title of best boyfriend and he might have already taken the lead.

    1. Tan

      I’m trying to think of who in the comic are boyfriends that are even in the same league as Tony right now. Joe? Pretty solid, but still finding his legs. Jacob? Loses too many points for kissing Joyce prior to breaking up with Raidah in previous boyfriending role. Walky? Too held back from emotional vulnerability. Jason, nah. Asher, nah.

      Danny. Okay. Danny and Tony are the league, but I’m pretty sure Tony is currently winning.

      1. Amelie Wikström

        Eh, Danny is a five. He’s perfectly fine, works hard, is available. I think his commitment to the ukulele bit smells like pure desperation to give himself something of a personality.
        But Tony is a grade eleven boyfriend on a scale from one to ten. I’m a lesbian and I want to date him. Just look at this fine ass display – how he’s quietly accommodating Sarah’s lack of social interest, navigating her meeting with the nonverbal Beef, plainly stating the rules and expectations for their hang-out, AND digging up thirty pillows from somewhere. All this just for a casual daytime dorm room date. Completely off the charts.

        1. Yumi

          Danny may be mid in some ways, but he has been a pretty good boyfriend to Sal.

        2. Dante

          I’d say on Danny’s favor he’s younger so it’s perfectly normal he’s still finding his legs. But he learned a lot as Amber/AG’s boyfriend, and they broke up, and he kept learning and growing up. He wooed Sal through a series of sweet, thoughtful displays that demonstrated he understood her, and hasn’t given signs of stopping :33 I like him!

          … That said: Super agreeing on Tony being off the charts. Saying he’s got game is doing him a disservice, dude’s on entirely another dimension.

        3. Steamweed

          If Tony’s not the team captain, I expect he’s one of the lieutenants.

        4. Freezer

          Football teams tend to have multiple captains, with one considered “first among equals.” That one is usually, but not always, the quarterback.

        5. Steamweed

          Totally expect the Hoosier fb team to go that way.

        6. eh, whatever

          this fine ass display

          …Sometimes, hyphens are really, really important.

        7. Amelie Wikström

          Thanks for noticing! I thought I was pretty funny.

        8. The Lurker

          Did’nt XKCD have a rule for that?

        9. Nadamás

          I find his commitment to the ukelele bit to be very endearing in how genuine he is about it.

        10. Sirksome

          I won’t tolerate any Danny boyfriend slander. He is a top tier man. A catch if you will. He’s the kinda boyfriend that was doing Amber’s laundry unprompted just because she might have been having a tough day.

          We never saw what he was really like dating Dorothy because she broke up with him at the very start of the comic but I assume he was excellent. Dorothy just didn’t like him anymore if she ever did.

          And we’ve seen how he treats Sal a girl with plenty of walls she puts up. Patient, respectful, and thoughtful. Danny is great boyfriend material. Feel free to continue mocking him for what a huge dweeb he is though. That’s fair game.

        11. Nadamás

          And he makes sandwiches! Never forget about the sandwiches that is very important.

        12. thejeff

          There are hints about Danny when he was with Dorothy and I think he’s grown since then.

        13. Li

          +500

          Yes, sometimes two people break up in a fully no-fault situation, because they’ve just grown apart, but this attitude about Dorothy/Danny is as frustrating as people who wanna act like Joe hasn’t changed.

          Y’all are robbing these boys of hard-earned character arcs, darn it.

        14. Sirksome

          I’ll die on the Danny is not a bad boyfriend hill. He’s pure wife material. His faults in that break up weren’t about him being a bad partner. Arguably the exact opposite. He was too attached to what was likely never really a romantic relationship to begin with. Didn’t have his own identity. But I don’t think he was actually a bad guy to be around. Hell she was still asking him for favors post breakup and realized herself that was a lot to expect from her ex.

          Danny has developed a lot as his own person. Not trying to undercut that. Just not sure what we’re judging his boyfriend level on. His compatibility with his partners or the actual actions he does as a partner like Tony here properly setting a place for his antisocial queen?

        15. Taffy

          Danny is at the top of the boyfriend stack, and it’s not even close.

        16. Li

          I agree that he’s a good boyfriend now and that he handled Amber about as well as anyone could have at the time. I don’t agree that he and Dorothy broke up “because she just didn’t like him anymore, if she ever did”.

        17. Li

          Like, Dorothy told Walky that she’s had bad experiences with the moms of partners who have gotten too attached to her too fast, and she described getting a picture frame with a Bible verse engraved that talked about marital commitments. She was sixteen. She said this mom called her “a treasure”; Danny’s mom then called her a treasure later…

        18. Li

          Which, to be clear, isn’t Danny’s fault? Danny’s parents are definitely worse for him to deal with than they were for Dorothy.

          I don’t actually think Danny’s clinginess was his main offense with Dorothy. As I’ve expressed elsewhere (but I say that to avoid feeling like a broken record, not because I expect anyone else to read all my comments lol), I think the conversation that led to their breakup prominently featured Danny not listening to Dorothy even a little bit. (He was misreading her tone and body language so badly, too badly for him to have been listening to her.) And then he was dismissive of her lifelong dream.

          She would’ve broken up with him anyway, because by that point she didn’t want to be dating him anymore, but he was not being a stellar boyfriend in what little we saw of their interactions, and I doubt Willis showed us what they did by accident.

        19. Sirksome

          @Li- I mean I would like to talk about that at some point but maybe this isn’t the strip for it. Something more Dorothy or Danny focused. I just have a theory that I don’t think Dorothy was ever in love with Danny. She’s never shown that emotional of a connection with him like she has with Walky or Joyce even. But I’ll save it for later. This strips comments are already pretty intense which I did not see coming.

        20. Li

          I think that’s an interesting theory even though I don’t agree (I think we just saw the tail-end of a three-year relationship). But sure, we can talk about it some other time.

        21. deliverything

          It’s probably a good thing that, when I was still figuring out I’m aroace, I never ended up dating someone like Tony. Would’ve been so tempting to pretend to be romantically or sexually interested just to remain with someone so considerate…

      2. Jamie

        Agree. Danny’s definitely in the running, and Joe is playing dark horse for the title, but Tony’s in the lead so far.

        A fun metric might be “mistakes made, divided by number of strips they appear in”.

        1. thejeff

          Part of the trouble is how few strips Tony has appeared in. We’ve got a good feel for the flaws of the other contenders, but we don’t know anything of Tony’s yet.

          If he’s to be an interesting character, they’ll show up eventually and we’ll be better able to judge then.

  9. Yumi

    Okay, so with the time of year and being Indiana, I assume “the game” is basketball, but… let’s make some other suggestions for what it could be. I’d like it to be water polo or high-stakes Go Fish.

    1. Doctor_Who

      I looked up what professional sports leagues play in January to find the funniest answer.

      Tony and Beef are both huge fans of Australian Cricket until proven otherwise.

      1. Shade

        Granted I’m Australian so might just be cultural, but how is that the funniest?

        1. CrimsonStorm

          Just relatively obscure, given how self-obsessed America tends to be about its sports (and how cricket is mostly not a thing here).

        2. Doctor_Who

          Well, for one old school Cricket players dressed like this absolute dork.

        3. Shade

          Sadly they don’t dress like that anymore. They pretty much look the same as any other sports uniforms these days.

        4. Aura

          I wouldn’t necessarily say like any other sports uniforms. For ODIs sure, but in test cricket you have the ‘whites’ (everyone on both teams dressed all in white, with the exception of their hats/helmets), and I think local cricket also is often in whites not uniforms? But idk, I never really got into cricket, most of what I know is by osmosis from family members.

      2. Opus the Poet

        Well we have Pro football playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl in the US, college and pro basketball, and a bunch of niche market sports like arena football and indoor soccer.

        1. Freezer

          Tony and Beef could be big UFL supporters? #GoShowboats

        2. Tan

          Today’s Friday in-universe, so pro football’s out

      3. Aura

        Why Australian cricket in particular? It’s no different to cricket anywhere else. (Well, except for being better at it, of course.)

        1. Agemegos

          I think it’s something to do with the time of year. Cricket is summer sport, so Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Zimbabwe play it in the Northern winter, whereas England, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the West Indies, Afghanistan, and Ireland play it through the American summer break.

      4. Aura

        Australian Open (tennis) is also in January, but I think a tennis fan would say they’re watching ‘the match’ rather than ‘the game’, and there are so many you’d pretty much have to be specific unless it’s like the final

    2. Laura

      Iterative Prisoner’s Dilemma.

      …Anybody else? Guesses, anyone?

      1. NGPZ

        go karting :p

    3. MeghanTheDreamCrusher

      Chess Boxing

      Yes that’s a real thing

      1. Dante

        WTF this is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while, thank you for bringing it up!!

      2. Freezer

        You mean that’s not just a Wu Tang Clan track?

      3. Deanatay

        What I love is that there are already TWO international professional chess boxing organizations.

    4. Steamweed

      Basketball? Tony’s a football player, and the college football divisions have lots of “bowl” games in January. Since Tony and Beef aren’t playing, I’m guessing they’re watching a rival team who they’ll face off with soon to get a good sense for how they play.

      1. Shade

        I mean, just because he plays football doesn’t mean he only watches football. But that’s certainly a possibility as well.

      2. Yumi

        Bowl games are in December/EARLY January; national championship game can be later, but even that would have passed by now. Also, bowl games are at the end of the season; while they might watch games to see how other teams play, they wouldn’t be facing one of these rivals “soon.”

        1. Steamweed

          Plausible. But professional (or college-level version, which can be just as deep and serious as with the pros) interest can apply to all the games they think they can learn from.

        2. Yumi

          Okay? But this is still unlikely to be a football game, given when it is. I only brought up the idea of teams they might face soon in response to what you said about it.

    5. Kyulen

      Could be basketball or football. Lots of games of both sports are usually on TV in the first couple months of the year.

      1. Yumi

        We’re in late January. College football is done, and the NFL is down to the last few games, which happen on weekends.

    6. Searcher

      Cornhole.

    7. Spriteless Aunty

      Roller Derby ??

  10. Ado

    DREAM SCENARIO. So happy for her :)))

  11. Animedingo

    SARAH MAKE THIS 3 WAY HAPPEN

    1. Laura

      Think Tony and Beef would be down with it?
      (Or up for it, as the case may be…)

      1. Dante

        Way things are going she won’t even have to ask. He’ll just throw her a knowing look and very seriously go “while I’d like to fuck you first, a threesome is not out of the question. No pressure. Just want you satisfied.”

        1. Li

          Snork! I second this, Tony has been (comedically) wish-fulfilling so far.

    2. Anon

      maybe beef already has a soulmate that grunts with him on an equal level but that’d be quite something, idk how common it’d be for roommates tho without it being awkward

  12. Queen Anthai

    Oh my god Tony is my ideal boyfriend

    1. Anon

      he seems like he’d be a chill platonic friend too or good dad

      makes me wonder how his own family is like, maybe theyre all uptight and neurotic and he’s the only ‘normal’ one lol

  13. Mr. Random

    My god.
    They’re perfect for each other.

  14. RassilonTDavros

    Damn, Tony gets it.

  15. DiDi

    Oh yeah… Tony is a keeper.

    1. Thomas

      I thought he was a quarterback.

  16. Dara

    Indiana was the one who had the chair throwing coach, right?

    [checks]

    Ah, yes! It was.

    1. Ray Radlein

      They recently brought the chair out of retirement to celebrate that anniversary

  17. AbacusWizard

    Tony really knows how to make someone feel special.

  18. bwooom

    I’m so glad that Sarah’s finally winning on all levels. She’s earned it.

    1. Dante

      At last someone treating her like the queen she is, I’m so glad ;AA;

    2. Yarrr

      I hope she starts contributing to this fledging relationship as well.

  19. ZombieKyrik

    Wow, Tony seems like a stellar dude; that kind of consideration is rare these days. Consideration like this is missing for almost everyone, but every once in a while someone who has it overflowing from within them.

  20. darkoneko

    30 pillowwwwws

  21. Ty34er

    Oh damn, Sarah’s in love already and if she’s not, I am

  22. Amelie Wikström

    In between Paul and Steven we’re getting to know several people through Tony. It’s funny, it’s almost like he’s a well connected and socially adept guy. (His closest friends apparently being Beef and Incelerator notwithstanding.)

    1. Nadamás

      I think we seen he is not longer friends with Paul.

    2. zee

      Calling Paul a close friend feels like a stretch. They’re teammates and were probably mid tier friends because of it. Past tense intentional

  23. ian livs

    Since his appearance in this storyline, Tony has handily demonstrated the difference between “nice” and “kind.” He and Sarah may be a match made in heaven in regards to cynicism, but he’s also a really thoughtful dude

    1. Steamweed

      Thoughtful, planning-oriented, and excellent leadership skills.

    2. Li

      Agreed.

  24. HueSatLight

    I’m not certain, but I think Tony’s room is the mirror of Carla’s. If Willis used the same hall layout as Clark, its not at the end of the hall.

    1. Thag Simmons

      Wouldn’t be that surprising if the Dean’s son merited a single room.

      1. Yumi

        You don’t have to “merit” a single room, you just have to pay for one.

        1. Sirksome

          Capitalism or nepotism. Both get you single rooms but which is stronger? There can be only one! Carla and Tony must fight!

        2. Steamweed

          If it’s melee combat, my money’s on Tony. If it’s ranged combat, then I’m betting Carla.

        3. Taffy

          As if Carla’s parents didn’t pay for her to get The Operation™* as soon as she asked.

          *The Operation™ consists of extensive cybernetic augmentation, affording the recipient a wide range of superhuman attributes. These include the ability to toughen one’s skin at will, enhanced leg muscles and bone structure for greater athletic ability, enhanced vision with a range most humans would require specialized equipment to perceive, improved digestive capabilities, and bigger boobs.

        4. Aura

          Molly Carla been to Chiba

        5. Taffy

          Who’s Molly and what did she do in Chiba?

  25. Nevermaker

    My God, he’s PERFECT

  26. Jahu

    I could’ve wished a thousand wishes
    For this night, I can’t believe
    That it’s finally me and you, and you and me
    Just us

    AND YOUR FRIEND STEVE(N)

  27. Effie

    Dumbing of Age Book 15: Are You Sure His Screen is Actually Smaller and You’re Not Just Looking At It Next To Him

  28. Dante

    Holy shit. Like, I’d try my best to learn at least a little about a sport a partner cares so much about but said partner being THIS considerate right out of the bat?? The sheer anticipation of my needs, a pillow nest with snacks and zero pressure??

    Sarah, don’t let this one go. The whole Commentariat can see you two growing old together: Still in love with each other and telling kids to get off yer lawn.

  29. Sirksome

    I wonder where the paths of Beef and Paul diverged and also that third guy we saw bullying Danny at the start of the comic? One became Incelerator the other is still just Beef. They used to be friends.

    1. yak

      Paul started watching Sargon of Akkad videos and recommending them to Beef, who barely has the patience or care to focus on his phone for long enough to respond to text messages with three-letter acronyms.

    2. Taffy

      That brand of male friendship is shallow and fragile, much like its participants. It’s pretty much par for the course for them to drift.

    3. HueSatLight

      They may not have diverged that much. Well, obviously the costume stuff is a big divergence. But Beef could agree with the nasty shit, but just not express it around Tony.

      1. Sirksome

        I think I’ve misjudged Beef a bit actually. Upon looking at his actions in his brief appearances instead of the content of the strips themselves, except for that very first incident with Danny, Beef is never involved in any of the despicable stuff his (friends?) do. He’s kind of just around grunting as a Beef does. Yet he clearly at least knows Paul and some of those other guys maybe? Instead of asking “Where’s Beef?” We should be asking “What’s up with Beef?”

  30. DailyBrad

    He really likes her, doesn’t he? Gotta love a considerate partner.

    Willis is really doing a great job getting Tony established with us in short order, like this is some efficient endearment.

    1. Amós Batista

      Yeah! In one date, dude got everything she needs.

  31. Qube

    I’d made a tumblr post about “looming in the corner like some kinda creature” during social activities when one is not able to be sociable that folks seemed to really vibe with, and this is a prime Looming Setup right here

  32. Joy

    I really like this guy.

  33. ZerglingOne

    Holy… What a guy.

  34. Steamweed

    A node of Sarah brain cells is already formulating marriage proposal plans.

    1. Dante

      Somewhere far away, Joyce is like “I feel a great disturbance in the force” with a triangle smile big enough to light up a galaxy

      1. Steamweed

        Best winggirl. Super winggirl. Her super winggirl powers are so super, they reach out and support Sarah’s success even from afar.

  35. Council

    He got her figurative number along with the literal one real quick

    And he uses this knowledge in the most considerate way he could think of

    What A Guy

  36. BorkBorkBork

    Heck, even I would be a little swept away by this.

  37. DashWallkick

    Sarah: not autistic, but absolutely loves a parallel play date.

    1. DashWallkick

      Incidentally I’m so happy with this being the conclusion to the years long ‘will they won’t they’ of Jacob and Sarah. She doesn’t want him, that was just lust and jealousy of who he is, she wants someone who emotionally connects with her on her level. Tony is perfect.

  38. Kyulen

    So far Tony seems like a really good guy. Hopefully he continues to be so.

  39. Professional asexual

    BRO WTF GET ME A TONY, PLEASE????? He’s amazing

  40. Reaver

    Tony is my kinda man, I’ll take 3

  41. Thing2

    I’m kinda surprised that nearly all the comments are so positive about Tony. He may suit Sarah, but I’m certainly not in the camp of ‘look how wonderful he is, I want one’!

    1. Taffy

      He’s clearing an unfortunately low bar, and I think just that simple relief, even if it’s fictional, is doing some good for people’s brains. Basic consideration of Sarah’s time, explicit statements of his intent and assumptions, understanding her well enough to provide things he’s confident she’ll enjoy (snacks, pillows, personal space, eye candy), Tony’s doing well here. A lot of readers would love a partner who’d do those things for them, I’m sure.

      1. Thomas

        You think Tony specifically invited Beef for Sarah to feast her eyes on? That’s an… interesting interpretation. I certainly want my dates to meet my attractive friends… although that’s more in the sense of “Let’s chat for a bit with these cool people I know.” But I assume you’re joking.

        1. Taffy

          That’s a lot of extra words you’re putting in my mouth.

        2. Thomas

          Just kidding. If, on the other hand, by “eye candy” you mean Tony providing »himself« for Sarah to look at – and I think that’s what you mean – then we’re right back at my earlier assessment of Tony as a guy who thinks “watching me watch the screen” is a fun activity for girlfriends.

        3. Nadamás

          He explicitly say she can interact with them as much or as little as she please, watch the game with them, do something else if she want. You really starting to get into obnoxious territory with this.

    2. yak

      He’s displaying some traits that are *very* rare in the real world, and would usually be really desired by people that are like 30+ (or in a similar life stage).

      1. Thing2

        Well, this is what I’m wondering. Rare in whose real world? Is it a country thing? Is it an age thing? Am I misremembering when i was at University? (which was also a different time)…

        1. Strain of Thought

          I mean, like 80% of the positive traits and behaviors I see depicted in this comic is stuff I have only ever witnessed coming from fictional characters. In the real world people like Joyce don’t get help, they get figuratively eaten alive by everyone around them laughing at their distress. I’ve developed the feeling over time that Dumbing of Age is just in general written with Picture Bible levels of idealism about human nature in which all of the characters are symbolic representations of some human ideal- even the villains, who have a card-carrying sincerity to them and take a stand on their villainous positions, rather than being the empty opportunistic repeaters of streams of lies that real world villains are, endlessly shifting their language and stance as the wind blows in order to grasp at whatever material or immaterial thing their greed tells them to hoard in the moment. The villains even have empathy! They recognize emotions displayed by the protagonists and care about them and think about them when they are gone, seething with intense emotions about them, instead of just sneering with smug contempt and deciding to focus on something else until they see a better opportunity to be the worst.

        2. dalniente

          That’s a shame. It’s never really struck me as super idealistic (aside from the occasional superhero/supervillain lol); I’ve seen the positive traits and behaviors laid out in Dumbing of Age multiple times IRL over the years. They’re not necessarily the widespread norm, but they are normal enough to be the bare minimum for me to decide to keep people around, and normal enough that it doesn’t seem outside the realm of possibility to have a comic focusing on this many of them. If it was a comic about an office or something then I might feel otherwise, but my college campus certainly had multiples of the most and least compassionate of humanity.

          I’m not saying this to brag, just to gently push back on the idea that people don’t act like this IRL. Lots do, and more should. It’s nowhere near picture-bible-idealistic to hold out for genuinely better friends!

        3. Li

          Strain of Thought, you need better friends, stat.

        4. Strain of Thought

          Good idea I will go pick some up at the friend store.

        5. Li

          Yeah, that was pithy of me. Let me try again.

          You deserve better, and what you’re calling unrealistic is actually very basic human decency. It’s true that there are people who fail to provide basic human decency — all too many of them! — but that doesn’t make it any more superhuman to exhibit, or unreasonable to expect from others as a baseline.

          Making new friends as an adult is actually unreasonably difficult, but if you have any hobbies that can be done socially, I find that’s the best way. I joined a World of Warcraft guild myself, and now there are cool folks I get together with in voice sometimes.

          It’s not as much as someone more extroverted would want, but it hits kind of a sweet spot for my introverted self.

        6. Nadamás

          Man we don’t deserve you Li.

        7. Li

          That’s very kind of you to say, heh. 🙂 I just try to be understanding when I can.

        8. Strain of Thought

          I am really insulted by the presumption that I have not been desperately striving every little way I can my entire life to make connections with other human beings. I’m not an introvert, I’m a traumatized extrovert. I didn’t come to my pessimistic opinion of humankind just by reading about us on the internet.

        9. Li

          Well: I didn’t think you had. I assumed there had been trauma. I also didn’t assume you were an introvert.

          I have also been traumatized. I’ve been abused. There was a time I might have agreed with your post.

          I offered advice that has worked for me.

          Genuinely sorry it came across the way it did.

        10. Strain of Thought

          I can’t reply to your most recent message for some reason so I am replying to this one. Do you want to trying being friends? I don’t know a good way to contact people in the comments here, but it seemed worth asking.

        11. yak

          Now that I think about it, I guess it’s not *that* rare.

      2. Steamweed

        Certainly rare in the late teen years. Pretty uncommon in college age people. BUT, mostly common in those who have a lot of leadership experience. Oddly, Tony and Jennifer have a thing in common: They’ve both been shown owning a responsibility toward the people they’re leading. (though, jennifer’s is all high school experience, whereas tony’s got semi-professional-level college experience. that’s on an entirely different level)

    3. Nadamás

      People find considerate guys attractive, it’s really not that deep.

      1. Steamweed

        Me (*subtly nudging all of human literature under the bed out of sight): What?? Being considerate is attractive?? Whenthehell did all THIS start??

        1. Nadamás

          I fell like you are making some sort of joke but I don’t get it.

        2. Steamweed

          Perhaps it doesn’t translate well from my sense of humor to others. I am fully agreeing with your statement, “People find considerate guys attractive, it’s really not that deep.”

        3. Nadamás

          Thanks for some reason I couldn’t decipher if you were saying that or the opposite.

    4. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

      I didn’t think of it at first, but Sarah is probably crashing Tony’s plans on very short notice, and he’s accomodating her rather than the other way around. Her roommate might have requested use of the room, and hanging out at Tony’s was more comfy than spending the evening at a public venue.

    5. Yumi

      I think there are probably a lot of commenters who have felt pressured into certain ways of socializing or judged for not engaging in socializing or popular interests in the “right” way. So it’s nice to see acceptance and accommodations for multiple ways to be. And his development of what might be appealing to Sarah and how to account for it has happened pretty quickly in their relationship.

  42. IntangibleMatter

    Hold tight Sarah, don’t let him go

  43. GUIGUI

    Watch out, next, she is going to start purring.

    1. Taffy

      Hot?

  44. Nadamás

    Hey Sarah if you end up not wanting Tony I gladly take him,.

  45. Nenja

    Tony’s such a sweetheart!

  46. Superducked

    I… can’t tell if this is a nice thing to do or not?

    On one hand sure he’s thought of her, and he’s made an effort to make her comfortable while he watches the game. But at the same time he kinda just dumped her on the bed with some pillows and snacks while he watches the game. Almost like “out of sight out of mind”.

    If i were Sarah i think i’d rather just sit the date out and go do something else. It’s completely fine that he wants to watch the game, that’s perfectly understandable. People gotta have their hobbies. But i don’t really want to be just hanging around in the background for it. I think i’d rather just reschedule to some other time when he’s actually free so that we could do something together for real that we both enjoy.

    The thought was nice though.

    1. OLD

      Sometimes it’s nice to just have someone in the room with you while you enjoy your own thing. He didn’t tell her to go on the bed, he offered it as a study space if she didn’t feel like watching the game with him. He also let her know that she can set the level of engagement, making sure any choice she makes is extremely comfortable.
      Also, Sarah seems happy about the arrangement.

    2. Nadamás

      That is not really what happened tho, he explicitly said that she can engage with the them as much of as little as she please, no pressure, he prepared a space for her to be comfortable during it. He has know Sarah well enough by now that he must know she has her issue with social situations and so prepared this for her. It might be what everyone would be into, but it is what Sarah is into. That is what makes it a nice thing to do.

      1. Nadamás

        *might not be

    3. Bash

      It’s ideal for Sarah, though, because she likes being near people but gets overwhelmed easily.

    4. Mr.Morningstar

      his exact words were “you can interact with us as little or as much as you want.”

      He’s giving her all the power to either be just as involved or just hang out with them while she does her studies and eats snacks.

      I dunno, thats very sweet, he’s including her in his interests in a way that she is comfortable doing.

    5. daeranilen

      I think it’s important context that he invited her over TO watch the game, but then ALSO considered that she might not be that interested in the game itself. If anything is maybe a little off, it’s that he didn’t let her know Beef would be there in advance, but it seems like he’s adding her to a preexisting event, and when in your own brain this event always includes Friend X, it’s pretty normal that you might not remember to mention them. But yeah, he went to the trouble to modify the event to make sure she’d feel welcomed and be able to enjoy it!

      If this was supposed to be a one-on-one date focused on Sarah, you’d be absolutely correct. But this is a casual, low pressure hangout where he’s invited her to do a thing he likes, but they get to enjoy being in the same room while doing their own thing instead if she’s not that into it. I tjink it’s pretty nice!

    6. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

      I didn’t think of it at first, but Sarah is probably crashing Tony’s plans on very short notice, due to her roommate. If so, it was nice of him to invite her to use his place, instead of the library or some other public venue.

      1. Yumi

        It’s possible Joyce asked for the room and then was just confirming with Sarah in their last conversation, but it seems more like Sarah was telling Joyce, who didn’t know, she’d not be heading back to their room and why: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/03-me-and-who-you-say-i-was-yesterday/all-right/

        Also, Joyce’s date was planned right before the class they were leaving from there. It’s definitely possible that she texted/told Sarah about it and Sarah texted Tony, but it seems more likely to me that her plans had just been pre-existing.

        1. Li

          Pff I also linked that strip to TQA(fm) higher up the page. Oops (on my part because I’m sure you were first).

          I do think it’s still possible that Sarah is crashing Tony’s plans; she might have assumed new relationship = first weekend is gonna be big time hanging out with my new boyfriend (which isn’t a terrible assumption), and Tony might be accommodating that.

        2. Yumi

          I mean, it probably would have been better of me to reply and link on the highest up comment where this idea appears, but this is just where I was at in the comments when I decided to reply. It’s all good.

    7. Yumi

      It seems like they’re in stage in their relationship where they’re looking to spend a lot of time together (like, hanging out together in the morning before classes and walking to class together), and not all of that is going to be as focused. If this was, like, an official date, I’d agree, but here I don’t think there’s anything really to “reschedule” when it’s just “I want to be around you a bunch whenever we are both able to do so.”

      If I were Sarah, I’d likely also sit this one out, because I often don’t like to be around people watching sports when they’re particularly invested (in my experience, there’s often yelling involved, and I’m not a fan)– but if there aren’t parts of this activity that are objectionable to Sarah to be around, then I think it’s just nice.

    8. thejeff

      Basically this. It’s hard to tell because we don’t know what the expectations were. Was it a date? Was Sarah just looking to come over and hang out with no other expectations (until bedtime, anyway)?

    9. Raptor

      You are wildly misreading it. Perhaps you have trouble with most social situations? He is inviting her to interact but also giving her an out to not interact, if she doesn’t care about the game, which is a very astute and caring thing to plan ahead.

    10. zee

      PARALLEL. PLAY. PEOPLE. Jeez. It’s like the best thing ever, just bring in your person’s vicinity while doing completely different things (or the same thing separately). Doesn’t get more romantic than that

      1. zee

        I’d also like to point out “if you’re okay”. It sounds like he’d be fine to reschedule or ask beef to leave if she wasn’t cool with his

        1. Taffy

          He talks like a weirdo, but yes he’s giving her plenty of options to object to any of this. She’s just not taking them, which is allowed ffs.

  47. thumb

    In this, the most realistic of Willis’ comics, Beef exists. He exists unchanged from the most unrealistic of Willis’comics.

    The Beef abides.

    1. Zamperla

      hell, probably less some trauma and being a weird transracial adoption case whos birth parents died. I’m happy for him.

    2. Steamweed

      *grunts

    3. Thomas

      You kidding? He was absolutely humongous in It’s Walky! That’s not what I’d call unchanged.

  48. Opus the Poet

    Snax and a private space sounds like heaven.

  49. AnonGrouch

    Ok this guy…. There is just no way Tony hasn’t dated an introvert before. Either that or his emotional intelligence is just stupid high.

    1. Twilight of the Sandwiches

      …okay I am torn between replying to this comment with like “I think there’s a pretty good argument that Tony is himself pretty introverted” and “He sure did and that Introvert’s name is Beef!”

      1. AnonGrouch

        Yeah but I’ve met plenty of introverted people who wouldn’t have gotten it this right. That being said ‘por que no los dos’. Beef cakes are renowned for their long shelf life.

  50. Mr.Morningstar

    Oh wow. Tony is just nice huh? Just readily sets it up so his girlfriend(?) can relax and chill while he watches the game with his buddy in a way that doesn’t exclude her?

    Whats wrong with him?

    1. Nadamás

      Everything according to one very unserious person here.

    2. Taffy

      I’ll admit, I don’t trust him yet. He’s been consistently direct, he beat up Paul, he’s considerate of Sarah’s potential needs, but there’s always room for doubt. I’m still not convinced in either direction about him being a rapist or something in that neighborhood. If we dip into tin foil time, perhaps Incelerator was a ploy to help Tony look good for women so he could lure them in and harm them. I don’t have any evidence to support it and I consider it unlikely, but it’s a worst-case scenario so someone was gonna bring it up eventually.

      1. thejeff

        I don’t think there’s anything as seriously bad as that, but this is a drama series and Sarah stumbled into this surprisingly easily. I’ll rest easier when we see his character flaws start generating some conflict.

        1. AnonGrouch

          I think his character flaw has been extremely obvious this entire time. He’s no nonsense and straightforward to a fault. He will actively exclude or be done with ‘fools’ and that line is not a clear one to stray in or out of. He may have all that down pat but in a drama series it is the most obvious one to ‘not have fully figured out’. Being a curt, no nonsense person with very hard boundaries means you are generally inflexible and hard to approach if something got bumped/bruised metaphorically speaking even if he ‘would obviously be fine with talking about it. I don’t really seem him as perfect, just a dude with standards and a moral code that makes him on average less of a jerk than people who don’t think as seriously about or commit as seriously to their moral code

        2. Sirksome

          I’m ready for the Tony crashout when the buffoonery truly hits!

        3. Taffy

          Tony slips on a banana peel and immediately launches the nukes

  51. Suet

    if you SMELLLLLLLLL what the Tony is COOOKINGGGGGG

    “Pardon the Beef” Yeah I can say that for a lot of things: Tony’s response to Clara Preller, me trying to reminisce about Wendy’s Twitter Roasts, Book 15 title, Mr. Meatlover’s plea to President Veggie…

  52. Clell65619

    His name is Steven? I could have sworn his name was Duke.

    Steven Nukem? Doesn’t have the same ring.

  53. Chubseus

    Is Tony a Junior?

    1. SailorCakes

      I think he’s a sophomore.

      1. HueSatLight

        Yup. Underclassmen are years 1 and 2. I don’t remember if folks are inferring or if its stated that he’s not a freshman.

        1. HueSatLight

          oh right, he calls Jennifer “freshman”.

        2. Li

          More recently:

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/releaseyou/

  54. SailorCakes

    ? What a girl wants, what a girl needs ?

  55. Wendy

    I love this for Sarah so much. :’)

    1. Amós Batista

      She deserves it ??

  56. Zamperla

    Oh baby, a boyfriend who understands parallel play?? Whos friend he’s hanging with doesnt expect and can’t supply conversation?? This rules. Climb that man like a stepstool, sarah.

  57. Amós Batista

    A bag? Is Sarah moving to his room? I thought she was just going to a date.

    1. Taffy

      She’s staying overnight, according to her earlier “Do not wait up for me” comment to Joyce. I assume she has her study materials, computer, probably a change of clothes, her toiletries and maybe a towel, in case she takes a shower while she’s there. It’d be more convenient than walking all the way back to her own dorm to clean up.

    2. thejeff

      She’s not expecting to come home tonight at least.

      1. Taffy

        Dear lord, she knows he’s kidnapping her! Not agaaaiin!
        /bit

  58. Yeet

    not sure why everyone is calling this a date honestly. unless I’m stupid (strong possibility) neither of the people involved have done so
    going for coffee was way more date-esque

  59. cf

    Inviting someone over just to put them in the corner by themselves? This would be cute if he already knew her and her personal preferences, but since they just met, it’s really fucking weird.

    1. Taffy

      It’s only weird if she doesn’t like it.

    2. Raptor

      No, it isn’t at al. You are wildly misreading the situation, which I assume is typical. He’s making her feel comfortable and secure, and allowing her to engage or be introverted. He knows her and is being sensitive to her needs.

      1. Taffy

        He sussed her out in record time, honestly.

    3. Julez

      He’s giving her the space to decide FOR HERSELF how much she does or doesn’t want to engage. Also, they’re dating now so I assume he’s gathered SOMETHING of what her personality is like in their talks.

      1. Taffy

        Giving a woman agency is weird now, I guess.

    4. HueSatLight

      They didn’t talk about anything on their coffee date or during any of the other time they’ve spent together.

    5. zee

      It’s clear he does already know her preferences though? Do you think all their interactions happened on screen?

    6. Spriteless Aunty

      Maybe he doesn’t know her, and he is not assuming. He may be used to taking some time to figure out people instead of assuming allistic lack of friction. He is friends with Beef after all.

  60. Kazuma Shouri

    well, this is the healthiest relationship in the comic now

    1. Taffy

      Now, hang on a minute. There’s Becky and Dina still.

      1. Cmd1095

        that healthy status will hinge on if Becky can get over her mental hangups. Which I imagine she will eventually, but still

        1. Taffy

          Everyone has hangups. Becky’s don’t harm her relationship with Dina, because they always talk it out when one comes up. That’s what health looks like for them.

  61. I Know Why the Mowed Lawn Screams

    I wonder who’s next on the “dorm decked out head to toe in sports team memorabilia” list. Maybe Beatrice is big Mets fan, IDK!

  62. Cmd1095

    I’m with Sarah, give me a cozy bed, snacks, a computer, and a no pressure opportunity to socialize when and if the urge strikes. That is bliss for me. Only hangup is if Tony/Beef are the loud kind of sports fans because the screaming and cheering might get to be a bit much for me. But then there’s noise canceling headphones.

    1. Cmd1095

      the fact it randomly assigned a Sarah avatar to this comment is *chefs kiss*

  63. zee

    Girl ride him till kingdom come. Break his bed. This is the hottest thing any character has ever done and that includes the porn

    1. Taffy

      Tony “Stolen Motorcycle” McHenry, hubba hubba

  64. Nadamás

    It’s funny seeing the few who try to make it me some problem with this situation because you have either ignore all context or make stuff up to do that.

    1. Nadamás

      And by funny I mean very, very annoying.

    2. Taffy

      This is why we mock those posts, rather than engaging with them on their level.

      1. Nadamás

        I can and will do both.

  65. Asky

    Yeah, Sarah? He’s the one. Do not let go, no matter what bs Raidah tries.

  66. Rabisch

    Great opportunity to see how Tony reacts during the games, if he watches them calmly or completely transforms into a crazy fan Mr. Hyde style. In that case, Sarah would be better off not seeing him anymore.

    1. Nadamás

      Why? Because he gets passionate about sports?.

      1. Thomas

        Depends. Getting angry or violent when their team loses is not a good sign in a prospective date. Though I suspect neither Beef nor Tony of acting like that. We’ve never seen Beef getting into a fight, although he was present when Danny got bullied by his pals.

      2. Taffy

        To offer a level-headed and charismatic response, I think Rabisch may only be referring someone going full hooligan. You know the type, smashing things, screaming bloody murder, setting the campus on fire regardless of which team wins, that sorta behavior. Getting rowdy is one thing, and can be endearing to a lot of people.

        1. Yumi

          It feels less like how they meant it because it they contrasted it with watching calmly, and there’s a lot of space between watching calmly and screaming slurs and burning couches. But yes, hopefully what would qualify as the Mr. Hyde persona wouldn’t just be someone shouting “Let’s gooo!” when their team does something good or an “Ugh!” when something doesn’t go their way.

          If he is yelling, in those non-offensive, passionate about the game way, that may or may not affect if Sarah wants to hang out with him in the future specifically when he’s watching sports, but not as a whole.

        2. Rabisch

          Yep. I’m afraid that Tony will start doing something that Sarah will find so annoying to decide to go back in her room, interrupting whatever Joyce and Dorothy are doing.

        3. Taffy

          Joyce and Dorothy are definitely fucking like crazy, right about now.

        4. Yumi

          Or she ends up going back to her room tonight after all, gets in while Joyce and Joe are out on their date and goes to bed. Then they come in and, not expecting her, don’t notice Sarah lying down. Then Sarah is awakened to the sounds of hanky-panky.

  67. Crow

    Something about the way this guy talks creeps me out

    1. Taffy

      He’s got an odd manner of speech, for sure. I wonder if it doesn’t come from being a Dean’s son and having to watch what he says pretty carefully. The way he talks is a little… business-like(?), I wanna say? Not quite transactional or diplomatic, but his directness has a certain flavor to it.

      1. Nadamás

        Very Dina like.

        1. Taffy

          It’s not dissimilar, for sure. One distinction I can see right away is, Dina’s directness comes purely from a desire to be understood, and she adjusts her level of formality to some degree based on who she’s talking to. Tony hasn’t been around long, so I haven’t got as clear of a read on him. I’ll also admit that Dina is an absurdly hot young woman, and Tony’s not really the kind of guy I go for, so I’m not as inclined to read him as thoroughly as I am with Dina.

      2. elfroyalty

        personally i think it’s the neurodivergence. the flat affect and bluntness… my man tony is Not neurotypical.

        1. Taffy

          I’m inclined to jump to the same conclusion, but there’s still a possibility he might just be a particularly blunt normie.

        2. JD

          … that would be a reasonable way of adapting tony’s walkyverse arc to doaverse. circumstances are very, VERY different – and doaverse tony’s presentation is radically different in a way where i doubt his arc and psyche are even comparable. but at the same time, this read is a very logical way to adapt that characterization while also taking it in a unique direction that contrasts with the rest of the cast. taking a character who spent a large chunk of his presence in the story trying very hard to force himself to be normal and calm, and making him into someone who IS genuinely calm because he’s already come to terms with all of that for a new universe/setting makes a certain kind of sense.

        3. Li

          Somewhere, Willis is reading this thread and going, “AGAIN? How many of my characters am I making autistic by accident??”

          the same way they did when Wendy mentioned Amber as a more relatable autistic character a few years ago.

        4. Yumi

          You write stories throughout your life, you vary different aspects of your character, you get diagnosed as autistic, you look back at your writing, you realize you have never written an allistic main character in your life.

          (And by “you,” I mean me.)

        5. Li

          Yep. Just……. yep.

        6. I Know Why the Mowed Lawn Screams

          unironically canon neurodivergent Tony would be such a fucking good character beat. or if we’re talking about something in a similar realm, even a Tony mental illness arc would fucking rip. looking back you could really read a lot of his uglier traits in Walkyverse as at least a result of partially untreated emotional disregulation*, and it would be cool to see a version of Tony that accepts and works around it instead of repressing it horribly

          *nevermind the fact that ALL ex-SEMME agents are generally very traumatized people, i would argue there’s some shit in It’s Walky that could be read as Tony specific, but i digress

  68. Caro

    oh my god they’re so good for each other i love it here

  69. Rocketboy1313

    Holy shit, I think I am going to have to make this part of my life get together strategies.

  70. TheFlamingonator

    Damn I need to find my Tony. Sarah, lock that guy down!

  71. Jdorr

    If Sarah somehow drops the ball with Tony, I’d currently be open to the idea of dating him if that’s the kinda guy he is. Nice comfy spot I can interact as much or as little as I want? Yes please

  72. Scolopendra

    She’s really getting spoiled!!! Good for her!!!

  73. sea salt ice cream sequel

    I don’t think this is a good “second (third?) time hanging out” thing to me. There’s a line between parallel play & just sort of being ignored that I don’t think I could gauge where I’m at at this point. Plus if I don’t gaf about the game & he does & with his buddy being there I’d probably feel like I’m just interrupting if I talk to him.
    Sarah & Tony seem to have just sort of clicked though. good for her : ) it’s nice to have a plotline where things are just sort of going well, even if it’s a bit boring to me.

    1. Nadamás

      Well the important thing is that you get that is just your preference and don’t get weird about people who actually enjoy a date like this.

      1. sea salt ice cream sequel

        ? Okay?

  74. HueSatLight

    The game they’re going to be watching is Go.

  75. Nadamás

    Oh thanks god Willis actually hear me and deleted that whole comment thread.

    1. David M Willis

      i haven’t deleted anything today, but if a top-level comment was reported enough to get itself auto-removed, then everything below it also disappears

      1. Li

        Ooooh. Good to know.

        1. Li

          …This sounds like I’m plotting something! I swear I am not orz I just think it’s interesting, I had also assumed some deletions occurred.

        2. Taffy

          Not enough people were using the report button, so I walked around town looking for unattended computers so I could use them to game the system. This is definitely true and not at all a ridiculous and impractical thing to suggest.

        3. Li

          ?

        4. Nadamás

          I am just glad it is gone, that whole thing leave mentally exhausted and angry.

        5. Thomas

          I’m sorry that I made some people feel angry. I didn’t mean to spill all over the comment section & yet it happened. In that sense, I’m glad that thread got deleted. Also, I didn’t realize people actually got emotional over it until someone started swearing. I’m glad that got deleted too. Please understand that I didn’t set out to make people feel bad.

        6. Li

          Appropriate gesture of support?

          Tempers are a little frayed around here, I think. Definitely also speaking for myself.

        7. Yumi

          Really shows the value of someone starting to swear, then

        8. Thomas

          Not sure. It happened really late in the discussion. It had already been going on too long before that. I do not think it was warranted.

        9. Yumi

          It had been going on for a while, but you said you hadn’t realized people were having actual feelings about it until then. Which is honestly surprising to me because boy did they seem evident. And it kept getting worse.

        10. Thomas

          What I mean is I don’t intend to let it get to that point in the future. My posting was excessive. Also, I really think y’all can stand a bit of ribbing. I think it’s the relentless comebacks that got people got most worked up about. They wanted me to shut up & it didn’t work.

          Yes, I realize you all refer to my phrasing instead of the frequency. That must seem particularly stubborn of me. But on reading it back, I get the impression it’s the frequency more than the phrasing. And I do acknowledge that some of the phrasing is off. See below, on “crazy”.

        11. Yumi

          Oh bud. It wasn’t the “comebacks.” The amount you replied really wasn’t excessive.

        12. Thomas

          I beg to differ. It takes an amount of frustration for someone to start swearing. So that’s me not giving them want they wanted. Which is a point we wouldn’t have reached if I’d just made like three posts.

          There’s also the detail of me being selective in my replies. I react to what interests me, which is mostly about what adds to my argument. So I ignored evidence in favour of Tony being considerate. I hardly addressed the more emotional responses. Which leads to people not feeling heard, which causes frustration.

        13. Yumi

          Very subjective view on swearing. But yes, it probably did build as it went on and you continued to say things people found hurtful far after many people were upset while ignoring their points and feelings.

          Your initial post was fine– I disagreed, but in a way where that would have been a within the realm of a normal conversation about the comic. But then you went… I don’t know, you said you were trying to be humorous, but at no point did I pick that up in any of your comments. And that’s also very subjective– it just wasn’t coming through for me and, likely, others. The “ribbing” came across as insults.

          Honestly, at this point I just feel sad about the whole thing. I do hope discussions can go better in the future; the minority opinion you voiced certainly wasn’t the main issue, and could have been a decent discussion.

        14. Nadamás

          Just for the love of god actually try to listen next time when people tell you are being rude.

        15. Thomas

          I’d suggest it was my incessant posting & endless comebacks that got on your nerves, mostly. I can imagine some of you hoped I would shut up & that didn’t happen. Even my “spilling all over the comment section” is not too obvious. I’m hardly the most frequent poster.

          Apologies for using the word “crazy”. I realize it’s ableist language & I do understand why that could be triggering. Please understand I did not use it to target an individual. I said: “It seems crazy to me you are all so over the moon with Tony.” That was never someone specific.

  76. Pappenheimer

    Yumi,

    I sent a friend my novel before she was diagnosed as autistic, and after she ‘broke’ her diagnosis to me (huge shock, right) she said, “I didn’t understand why you’d called your main character autistic until after my diagnosis and then reread the book. I feel seen.”

    1. Yumi

      Character I was considering I might want to be some type of neurodiverse? Already meeting autism criteria. Character I made to purposely be similar to myself at that age? Well, that’s not surprising. That character’s best friend who I purposely made different than the main character in a few ways? Also autistic, just basically quiet autistic vs loud autistic.

  77. Throwatron

    oh no i am falling in love with too many men in this comic

  78. NGPZ

    off topic but,

    how the fuck are there 114 people at the time of me last seeing the poll who still think Dorothy is straight as a pole? (-_-)

    1. Taffy

      I voted for it on 4 different devices just to skew the results. The other 110 are unaccountable and probably dangerous.

      1. NGPZ

        You’re probably right ?

      2. clif

        Wait. When did you become accountable?

        1. Yumi

          I counted Taffy once. Blacked out and woke up somewhere in New Jersey.

  79. Ash

    I’m just gonna hope that Beef somehow ends up with Booster.

  80. BBCC

    Jeez, she found the perfect man. No wonder Walkyverse Sal called him her soulmate if he was like this.

  81. Paprikahörnchen

    … That’s the most perfect date ever.
    I love him.

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