204

Subconscious
Posted on September 24, 2018 by David M Willis

204 thoughts on “Subconscious”

  1. Doctor_Who

    “Hey Walky, stabbed your sister. Not now, like five years ago, and now I have red-tinted flashbacks whenever I think about it. But we’re also sorta friends lately, and I’m beginning to suspect that my dating you is some sort of subconscious attempt to deal with the cognitive dissonance. We cool? On an unrelated note, what do you think the odds are that you and me working together could hook Dorothy up with Chris Evans? No reason.”

    1. BBCC

      Amber’s not friends with her. AG is. 😛

      1. thejeff

        “Oh, and by the way. Remember how I told you I was Amazi-Girl? That’s not quite true.”

    2. Bagge

      #NailedIt

    3. Emperor Norton II

      If Amber says it exactly like that, I can’t foresee any problems whatsoever.

  2. Spriteless Girl

    Hey, if you don’t like things why are you dating boys amber?

    1. Mr D

      Because taking in account all her personal hangups she wouldn’t be doing much better dating girls…?

      1. Spriteless Girl

        Yea, I was just making a thing=penis joke.

  3. CrowsCrone

    Gotta give it to Ethan — he’s making a lot of good points.

  4. Stellar

    I should get that on a t-shirt…

    1. Stellar

      “Just Let Me Like Him/Her/Them Without Making It A Thing” in old school Quicksilver

    2. LeslieBean4Shizzle

      “Just let me like him without making it a thing!” ?
      I mean, it would make an interesting shirt… just doubt most people would have any idea what it was supposed to mean.

      1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

        Oh! Adding Him/Her/Them would make it a far better t-shirt.

        1. Inahc

          with “them”, it could also be interpreted as referring to transformers, which ethan would probably appreciate 🙂

        2. Catman

          Even “Just let me like them without making it a thing” works.

  5. DailyBrad

    To be fair to her, 2 dudes does not a pattern make.

    1. Alanari

      Two dudes in general, no. Two dudes in two weeks, when you look similar to their ex and they make up 100% of the total boys she has dumped.. that is a different story

      1. Swissaboo

        nope, officially not a pattern until you hit 3. Once is happenstance and twice is coincidence.

        1. Bathymetheus

          On that basis, three times is enemy action.

          I suggest not giving Amber more reasons for paranoia/violence.

        2. Charlie Spencer

          Try telling that to a cat.

        3. Deanatay

          All right, but when Amber starts sleeping with Yale University, I’m gonna blame you for not being more proactive.

        4. Roborat

          Yup, you need three data points to establish a trend.

      2. cbwroses

        Has Dorothy dated anyone before Danny?
        I remember her saying one day she would eventually date a non virgin, but I don’t remember her saying it was only those two.

        1. Andy

          At college, no. Before that, she dated Ethan for a bit before he came out

        2. King Daniel

          …must’ve missed the strip where Dorothy dated Ethan.

        3. WonderRabbit

          Obviously they meant shorter, rounder Dorothy.

        4. Andy

          And that’s why I shouldn’t comment when I should be sleeping.

        5. Blal

          If we extrapolate the pattern, she must have dated Ethan in order for Amber to date him

        6. Marisa Mockery

          Danny followed Dorothy from high school, so as far as we know he’s her first.

        7. Kinoko

          What about the “well meaning” mother-of-boyfriend who gifted her a blank photo frame and kept calling her “a treasure”?
          That sounded a bit much, even for Danny’s parents, so I figured it was some other boy she dated in middle school or earlier in high school?

        8. Myth

          Danny’s parents actually did call Dorothy “a treasure” in a strip. (Not sure about the photo frame thing.) Not sure if this link will work, so… Their tags are Randal and Sharon, the strip in question was “Wilcoxes”.

          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/wilcoxes/

        9. Kinoko

          Aha, I’d forgotten that! I was thinking of this strip:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/prepaid/

          But Dorothy says “past boyfriends” (plural, while still with Walky), so I would say it’s still evidence she dated other boys.

        10. Matt

          In other news, Walky has to get to work on that flaming scripture skull

        11. BBCC

          She dated a boy in middle school and accidentally snotted down his throat.

        12. CJ

          It definitely sounded like Danny wasn’t her first boyfriend and she seems to know what to do to really enjoy sex.

        13. thejeff

          They’d dated a long time and you can get in a good deal of practice with only one boyfriend. She did have other boyfriends earlier, but I don’t think you can infer she had sex with them from that.
          I have a vague memory of something implying they were each other’s firsts, but I’ve no idea where to look.

        14. thejeff

          There was the gross description of her first kiss with her middle school boyfriend, Tyler.

        15. Tan

          Everyone always forgets Tyler.

          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-7/01-glower-vacuum/decisions/

          (hopefully not actually the same Tyler)

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      She’s just a big fan of recycling is all.

      1. Bagge

        Waste not, want not

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          Hope Dotty got her 10c back at least.

        2. Deanatay

          Mike got a nickel back.

          You know why.

        3. Kamino Neko

          He really likes How You Remind Me?

  6. Doopyboop

    I just wanna point out that Amber is the one who made it a thing first. Just saying this because I know there’s gonna be comments deriding Ethan for not letting Amber like him without making it ‘a thing’ but… Amber came to Ethan because she’s worried and anxious and was already making it a thing. …Also Amber, you two are dating based on feeling like garbage together. It’s the thingiest thing to ever have THINGED.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Petition to rename GarbageShip “The Thing”.

      1. Doopyboop

        I’m down for this rename petition, sign me up!

    2. Deadjolras

      There’s also the thing about Amber changing Walky’s grades without his consent, an act that could have serious repercussions not only for her, but for him. So, yeah, this is definitely one big Thing.

      1. Marisa Mockery

        Knowing this comic’s pace, that’s not going to be addressed for irl years. It’d stall the comic like death would. But yeah, good point. Amber has zero respect for boundaries. She changed the grades so he wouldn’t flunk out of school without realizing that failing one class just means he has to repeat it…

        1. thejeff

          It’ll be addressed sooner, but maybe not by the authorities discovering it. Maybe just by Amber telling Walky she did do it. And then the fallout from that.

      2. Doopyboop

        YEEEEAH…there’s also that. So, basically, Amber and Walky have so many ‘things’ that it’s like they’re trying for a THING bingo! A…thingo?

    3. 3oranges

      So thingly that Walky might as well be duke of it.

  7. Madock345

    Calling Amazigirl/Sal as the next slipshine

    1. Kris

      Sal would have to have a sudden 180 in preferences for that to happen. Not that I wouldn’t immediately get a subscription if it did….Still.

      1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

        Sal: “Well, ah need to fix things up with Marcie, and ah can’t think of anyway else to do it. So ah need your help practicin’…”

        1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          AmaziGirl, who is always prepared, pulls out a Marcie mask.
          AZ: “Let’s do this.”

      2. Inahc

        next april fools slipshine, perhaps?

        1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          Sadly, probably not. I’m sure something weirder will have occurred by then that will get drawn instead.

        2. thejeff

          I’d be good with that. Just a pin-up would be nice.

  8. Kris

    I don’t often date men, but when I do they have the Dorothy seal of approval!

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      Well everyone knows your boyfriend material if you manage to date a future presidential candidate.

    2. thejeff

      When I do, they’re friends of Dorothy?

      1. Callid13

        That holds true for Danny, Walky *and* Ethan – in slightly different ways…

  9. Kyrik Michalowski

    Again Ethan, you aren’t necessarily wrong here, but I agree with Amber on this. I don’t think her subconscious made her want to get involved with Walky because of Sal or Dotty. But the advice of telling her she needs to talk to him is solid.

    Also she needs to bri g up the whole grade change thing sooner rather than later. If Walky finds all of that out at once it might be a lot to swallow.

  10. jeffepp

    “Just make out with him, so I can do THAT thing.”

    “Write slash fiction? ”

    “That too.”

  11. Stephen Bierce

    Today’s strip is sponsored by the 2019 GMC Acacia Denali. When you need a getaway vehicle capable of carrying ALL your BAGGAGE.

    1. Needfuldoer

      Poor Amber needs an Express 3500, or maybe a Silverado 6500.

      *Cues up Bob Seger*

      1. Stephen Bierce

        CHEVY is Bob Seger. GMC is THE WHO.

        1. Needfuldoer

          I still want to meet the marketing consultant with the cojones to recommend Eminence Front for a pseudo-luxury brand’s campaign.

          (Bob Seger is to go with the van Amber needs for her baggage.)

      2. Roborat

        Screw that, she needs a Peterbilt.

  12. Inahc

    it’s fun to see characters finally say things that the comment section has been repeating for ages. 🙂

    also: thiiiiing.

  13. Portland

    When I was in high school, this one girl and I kept dating all the same guys. She was a cheerleader but pretty much exclusively dated nerdy guys, and I was… well, the sort of person who would grow up to make long comments about her dating history on a webcomic.

    There wasn’t really any drama between the two of us about it, there was always enough downtime between relationships that it wasn’t a thing, but we definitely noticed and it was hilarious to both of us. I guess we just both had a type.

    Anyways, I tell this story because a few years ago a mutual friend ran into her on a train and it turned out she was married and had two kids with a cult leader. So, to Amber- run. Run while you still can.

    1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

      That story did not end how I thought it was going to end. Yikes.

    2. John

      So have you married the cult leader?

    3. newllend(henryvolt)

      Ok…so is Amber you in this story or she the girl that ends up with a cultist?

      1. Bonnabella

        I think with that story, Dotty ends up dating a cultist.

        Judging by what I know about cultists… it could happen. RUN DOTTY.

    4. Bagge

      So… if you date a divorced guy down the line, you will have to work in “are you a cult leader” in the conversation somehow. Fun, fun, fun first date activity!

      1. thejeff

        Could work out. I mean, if he is, he’s got to be wondering how he’s going to bring it up.
        Otherwise, you’ve got this funny little story about high school dating to break the ice with.

        1. Bagge

          Heh, that’s actually true.

          I suppose the moral is not to be afraid of raising unconventional topics.

    5. Marisa Mockery

      I’d like to think you two swapped embarrassing stories about your exs or something. It’s too bad she fell for a cult…but man I would love to hear how THAT came about

    6. Mr D

      “the sort of person who would grow up to make long comments about her dating history on a webcomic. ” That’s Awfully specific!!

      Also: God Damn where were the cheerleaders into nerdy guys when I was in high school D:

      1. Mr D

        Then again I was a hot mess in high school, before like 5 years of therapy and several years of antipsychotic medicine killing 80% of my weird.

    7. Keulen

      There were cheerleaders who were into nerdy guys in your high school? Weird. In my high school the cheerleaders mostly dated the jocks and ignored the nerdy guys.

      1. TheBenenator

        It’s almost as if not everyone in a social clique has to follow a cultural cliche. 😉

        Or: Let her like who she wants without making it a Thing. 😆

  14. Dave

    I always hate it when people want to invoke the “it could have been subconscious” line of thought. Like, hey thanks for making me doubt my own damn brain, very helpful.

    1. Alanari

      When you have ptsd, “doubt your own brain” is a pretty good advice until you learned to cope with it in an appropriate manner. Speaking from experience.

      Seriously, that thing makes no sense until it calmed down. Which takes years.

      1. Diner Kinetic

        it depends a lot on the context and the person, really- sometimes for stuff like anxiety “get out of your own head the world is safe” sounds really good if it’s phrased properly, but issues with self doubt normally need the opposite since it’s a struggle _to_ believe said brain, not ignore it. unfortunatley amber just has every single problem; Ethan can help 50%, hurt 50% and be _totally clueless_ about her Butts Disease

      2. Regalli

        Not to mention anxiety. I tell my brain to shut up constantly.

    2. Rex Vivat

      Except that in this case, we actually saw it happen. Maybe you forgot, and honestly I can’t fault you for it because it’s been a long time from our point of view, but Amber once noted something in him made her subconscious scream “danger” (or something along those lines, I forget the exact wording)

    3. CJ

      Your brain sometimes tells you bullshit even without ptsd.
      Our brains are equipped to deal with problems in the world directly around us that are related to survival (like detecting dangerous animals, identifying sources of food, or potential mates) not with the kind of problems our complex industrialized society generates.

      A lot of advertising aims at your brain telling you bullshit.

      That’s part of why Trump and all the other right-wingers in the world currently have so much success.
      They repeat their lies over and over again and after the umpteenst reiteration, there are neuronal paths in your brain associated with that idea and if you meet it again, it seems more plausible because you heard it before.
      (I could go on about other stuff the brain does which distorts reality which usually is not a problem but becomes one, if exploited).

      The thing is to learn which part of your thinking is appropriate for which problem and where you can trust in your first thoughts and where you should think again.

    4. TheBenenator

      As someone in an AI safety research center once said, “This is what happens when you run programs that fucked themselves into existence on computers made of meat.”

      Also, seconding Alanari’s and everyone else’s replies currently made.

      1. thejeff

        They’re made out of meat.

  15. Danielle

    last panel ethan is right

  16. BBCC

    Look, Ethan, it’s not Amber’s fault that Dorothy has EXCELLENT taste in men.

    1. Goki

      Ya know… Danny became way more awesome after both Dorothy and Amber broke up with him. I wonder if this will have same effect when Amber breaks up with Walky.

  17. newllend(henryvolt)

    To be fair Amber this conversation started because you where in a panic about it, so that is kind of making it a thing. But hey I guess if there’s a lesson to learn here is to not question it if you don’t want to ruin your fun.

  18. poofdepoof

    I feel like Ethan is expressing a lot of the opinions of the comment section. You can’t expect people observing something directly to express the same feelings as people observing people from as much distance as we have; but it’s fun to see that he is, and to see how Amber reacts to it all. And funny, of course 🙂

    I hope she tells Walky about Sal; I would be SO proud of her… If her relationship is about being comfortable with herself around him, then that would be a good place to start.

    (pats the small part of my brain still devoted to fretting about the grades that Amber doctored against Walky’s wishes)

    1. thejeff

      I’d be even prouder if she brought up her disassociation. That’s something that he needs to know and as far as I can tell, she’s never actually told anyone.
      She’s hinted around at it and in some cases talked like someone already knew, but she’s never actually explained it to anyone.

  19. Tacos

    While Ethan isn’t exactly wrong, he probably shouldn’t be bringing it up. Amber has enough to deal with as is.

    1. Roger

      While I mostly, Mostly agree with that sentiment, the part where she needs to let him know she kinda stabbed his sister seems kinda important to make sure about. Forget the psychobabble that’s just something you can’t keep from your partner.

      1. thejeff

        Nor can you not mention that if they sleep together, he’s likely to wake up with someone else.

  20. John

    Yeah, you better be careful, Amber, or you’re going to end up dating Joyce next.

  21. cbwroses

    You tell him, Amber!

  22. 3oranges

    But it was too late. Amber’s like for him had already been taken up in an experimental rocket, and was exposed to cosmic rays.

  23. Goki

    Thank you Ethan, for calling Amber on her massive BS.

  24. Bagge

    As far as Dorothy’s exes goes…. she could do worse. Dorothy tends to leave them better than she finds them.

    1. Goki

      So imagine how Walky will be after Amber and him break up.

    2. BBCC

      Except Tyler. She really paid that one forward.

      1. ShinyNeen

        Well, she had to get a practice round in first. Tyler’s sacrifice shall not be forgotten! Probably.

      2. Bagge

        Goddamit, Tyler.

      3. cbwroses

        Who the hell is Tyler?

        1. thejeff

          Everyone always forgets Tyler.
          One of Ryan’s “bros”.
          Also Dorothy’s middle-school boyfriend and first real kiss.

          Hopefully not actually the same person.

        2. Bagge

          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/02-guess-whos-coming-to-galassos/tyler/

  25. newllend(henryvolt)

    Damn, I was hoping the title of this page was going to be, “My stupid feelings.”

  26. Dean

    Did anyone else get emailed a preview of this strip by Patreon yesterday? I’m only a $1 supporter, so I don’t usually get preview strips, and when I clicked through to the site, the entry had been locked for $5 supporters.

    1. Dellaran

      Yep, I got the preview. I figured Patreon had a derp moment.

  27. Diner Kinetic

    I like that Amber kind of follows the same logic as the comments section from last night- it’s always good to see charachters in any work behave in a manner that’s logically sound based on IRL decision making; not like in that they should reflect the morality of veiwers or make the _same_ decisions they would, but that even if they make bad choices said choices are still logical and therefore make more in-charachter sense

  28. Reltzik

    Ethan, quit reading the comments section.

  29. Rex Vivat

    Hey, he’s just saying what we’re all thinking. But in all seriousness, it just means that you have similar tastes in men, and probably the physical similarities between you too mean that most that would be physically attracted to one of you would also be likely to be physically attracted to the other. Nothing to be ashamed about that.

    1. Kris

      I’d actually argue that Dorothy and Amber don’t look that much alike. It’s mostly the hairstyle and glasses. Dorothy’s taller and thinner obviously, but her chin’s also more rounded while Amber’s is pointed. Billie actually looks more like Amber in figure and head shape in my opinion, but that comparison isn’t brought up as much because it’s not recurring gag.

      1. Nate

        Depends how you’re looking at it I suppose! I find Amber and Dorothy to have enough things in common for the comparison to make sense.

        I don’t see it as just the haircut and the glasses, that’s fairly superficial. They’re both very academically gifted/minded/however you’d like to phrase it. Intelligent and good at school. They also share a love of at least one nerdy thing (Dexter and the Monkey Master) and I would hazard a guess that Dorothy had further nerdy interests in the past but chose to put them aside to focus on her ambition. They’re both insecure perfectionists who self-flagellate for any (real or imagined) failure. Both are very caring people who want to support their friends even though they weren’t naturally gifted with an aptitude for social skills and don’t know how.

        Oh and they both have a thing for sweet-but-dorky boys haha

        1. taekwondogirl

          I think you’re pretty close, but Amber’s as much a perfectionist as Walky is. That’s why there’s the Garbage Roof.

        2. Yumi

          This doesn’t make sense to me. There’s garbage roof because Amber wants somewhere to beat herself up for not being perfect; that’s very much perfectionist.

          On that note, Walky’s need for things to come easily to him and failures to deal with challenges could also be symptoms of perfectionism. It’s just that, of the three of them, Dorothy’s dealing with it the best. (Still not ideal, but, you know.)

        3. cbwroses

          Actually, Amber went up to the roof first to look for a way to start messing with AG’s reputation. Then later, because she was bothered with the idea that she hasn’t done anything for Faz considering he’s living with her dad as a parental figure.
          AG has been on the roof a few times, once so Amber wouldn’t stab Sal. So it’s kinda been garbage roof for her, too, regardless of personality. If we agree that garbage roof is where they go to deal with negative feelings about themselves.

        4. Yumi

          Yeah, that doesn’t actually seem counter to what I said?

        5. taekwondogirl

          There’s a difference between hating yourself and being a perfectionist. She’s screwing up to a much higher magnitude than what a perfectionist does. Perfectionists focus on trivial details. If you’re thinking about the behavior a perfectionist exhibits because of that (e.g. if I had only done X, Y would have worked) then sure. But that’s a behavior that can be attributed to far more personality issues than just perfectionist, so just because she has it doesn’t mean she’s a perfectionist.

  30. Andy

    All things considered, dating Dorothy’s cast offs isn’t all that bad. I mean, she generally dumped them because she didn’t have time for them or see a future with them, not because they were bad dudes. If you’re gonna date someone’s leftovers, you could do far worse than Dorothy.

    1. CJ

      Thus promoting the idea that partners are a commodity in short supply so some people only get “leftovers”. Who is respected least in this world view? The leftover or the one taking it?

      1. TheBenenator

        The people who make the point you are right now, honestly.

        Which is stupid and sad and “wtf, humans?!” worthy.

        1. CJ

          Please elaborate, I don’t understand what you are trying to say.

        2. TheBenenator

          Sorry for the delay!

          I was trying to briefly answer your question, “Who is respected least in this world view?” with a third option: the people who try to point out how ludicrous a cultural idea (about anything at all) are usually the ones respected least. 🙁

          In other words: I think your idea is neat and that the default assumption you’re criticizing is stupid. 😀

    2. Alanari

      You’ll always date the leftover of someone. It’s just usually just not the same someone.

      1. thejeff

        Past a certain age, I suppose. You could always be someone’s first crush.

        1. Alanari

          True

  31. Alex C

    Yeah. Let it be a thing. It could be a good thing or a bad thing; but let us see where this thing goes.

  32. Mr D

    Ethan, stop it. You’re not her therap-

    Wait. Does she actually HAVE a therapist?

    1. Marisa Mockery

      Heh, pretty sure a therapist would jump at the chance to diagnose DID. My mom worked at a mental hospital for 15 years during the 90s and met one person she genuinely thought had DID out of the hundreds that claimed. It would be fascinating, but it would be dealt with asap and she’d prolly end up in a psych ward.

      So yeah probably not. Billy and Ruth are the ones who know they need to go to therapy.

      1. CJ

        And now we know why people with DID tend to avoid psychiatrists like the plague.

        Someone who is good with dealing with DID should give Amber and AG both some trauma therapy and ideally facilitate so they communicate again. Putting them in a mental hospital against their will would make it worse.

        1. thejeff

          OTOH, one of her alters is built around going out at night and beating up criminals. Even someone good at dealing with DID is very likely to flag that as “danger to self or others”. Correctly.

        2. Mr D

          one of my favorite readings of batman is “Mentally unbalanced rich person dresses up in BDSM gear and goes out at night to beat up poor people trying to get ahead any way they can”

        3. MatthewTheLucky

          Poor people and lost mental patients.

        4. CJ

          Maybe that’s danger to self and others. Putting her in a mental institution *against her will* will make things worse, though.

          So I’d accept her decision to endanger herself and would try to make her better or *agree to the mental institution * before she beats up someone who hasn’t done something wrong (though she tried to pick a fight with Sal that one time at the parking lot, she isn’t the one throwing the first blow so up to now, anyone she got in a fight with wasn’t totally innocent and this is an important distinction to someone who goes around beating up random people for funsies.)

        5. thejeff

          “Danger to self or others” is pretty much the bar for involuntary commitment.

          In addition to any legal consequences she might face for Amazi-Girl’s action, a therapist is not likely to rely on “Yeah, I go out looking for people to beat up, but I make sure they’re bad people and provoke them into attacking me first.”

        6. CJ

          Yes, I know that’s the bar for involuntary commitment. And I’m sure the DID will worsen with an involuntary commitment, so if I were a therapist, I’d try other ways FIRST.
          if you do not create a basis on which they are willing to trust you and therefor a basis for them to agree to be treated, putting them again in a helpless situation (and committing someone is just that) will make the trauma worse.

        7. thejeff

          You also do not let someone who’s a danger to others, someone who has been out committing violence run around loose, even if it would be better for their therapy.

        8. CJ

          Well, at this point in time, I would. Because the people who got it up to now deserved what they got. If, while I was threating her, she would beat up someone who hasn’t done anything that made a beating appropriate, I’d be my fault.
          The time frame might be short, because her ideas as AG are going in dangerous directions as we saw when she and Sal caught those rapist-friends and she wanted to tie them up upside down.
          That’s a long way from her creative ways of dealing with the guys who were painting the traffic sign.
          And it’s not like I, as a therapist, would know all of this from the start.

    2. newllend(henryvolt)

      Think she’s on the verge of fucking him right now tbh.

      1. Mr D

        ….You know, you’re right, Walky is as close as a therapist she’s gotten.

        That is a scary thought.

    3. Marisa Mockery

      I remember a comic saying she was supposed to have therapy after the robbery but Blaine put her in self defense classes instead. So, yeah, we can blame Blaine for AmaziGirl’s birth. That guy needs to burn in hell.

  33. Keulen

    It’s too late Amber, it’s already a thing now.

  34. Rabid Rabbit

    Poor Amber. Both her best friends from school are prone to psychoanalysing her, and the worst thing about it is that they’re kind of right.

    1. thejeff

      She has another best friend from high school?

      I mean, I know she knows Mike, but she barely even qualifies as “willing to stand next to him” these days.

      1. MatthewTheLucky

        Second best friend from a pool of two.

        1. thejeff

          Also known as worst enemy she still knows from high school. 🙂

  35. Needfuldoer

    Ethan’s channeling the comments today.

  36. BenRG

    I agree with Amber: Life stops being fun when you start examining too closely what your brain may be doing in the background without telling you.

  37. Darkoneko

    Amber : the downstream Dorothy

  38. HMH

    i am totally on amber’s side here because ethan rn is literally me and that kind of thing isnt always appropriate

  39. Chris B

    Regarding the “Dorothy Cast-Off” coincidence, it seems that’s more a problem with Dorothy acting like a selfish, controlling pain in the ass who dates people that she throws away when she can’t handle the nature of relationships.

    Instead of fretting over Dorothy, Amber should just do what she wants.

    1. King Daniel

      uh

    2. taekwondogirl

      She very specifically broke up because she feels like it gets in the way of her ambitions. She isn’t exactly wrong, look how her grades dipped while she was with Walky. There are problematic elements to it, but “selfish, controlling pain in the ass” is really an over the top, stark way of looking at it.

      1. Rabid Rabbit

        She also dumped Danny because she felt she was screwing him up. Which she clearly was, based on his own admission that he only went to this university because she was going there, while if he was choosing a university on the basis of his own interests, he would have gone elsewhere. In Danny’s case, at least, she can partly justify things for his own good. In breaking up with Walky, she did it for her own good. Now, that seems to be a miscalculation on her part, but still.

        1. thejeff

          She did it partly for his good as well. At least, she recognized in that breakup scene that she had been jerking him around with her problem with setting limits and breaking them.

        2. Fart Captor

          Danny was screwing himself up. “All that matters is that we’re together” sounds sweet in the abstract, but the way he was making major life decisions with little or no thought about what he wanted to do with his life other than being Dorothy’s boyfriend was extremely unhealthy.

          That’s not something Dorothy did to him or could really have done anything about besides breaking up with him, especially since he was starting to be crappy about her ambitions and trying to talk her out of them because he didn’t want her ambitions to pull her away from him and couldn’t see how shitty it was to act on that fear.

          The fact that by the point of the breakup, it was also for Dorothy’s benefit because she no longer wanted to keep dating him does not negate that Dorothy correctly recognized that Danny would be better off for it

          Danny is MUCH better off having been dumped by Dorothy, and better still for having taken the time since getting dumped by Amber to actually focus on HIM.

          I don’t think breaking up with Walky was a miscalculation either. Regardless of if/when she’ll change her mind about her priorities or fix her workload so she has more free time, she’s decided to put her long-term goals first. She’d tried a temporary pause and she couldn’t stick to it, so breaking up with Walky was kinder to him than trying to keep him on standby for some unknown amount of time

          An action doesn’t become purely selfish simply because your own interests are PART of the motivation. Especially since ending a relationship is something people have every right to do for any reason, with absolutely no thought to what the other person wants.

    3. CJ

      Dorothy isn’t any more selfish in breaking up with Danny or Walky than anyone ever finding their relationship doesn’t go where they want it to go.
      People who are not selfish that way stay in relationships that hurt them.

      That said, yes, Amber should definitely figure out what she wants. I wouldn’t think it’s her pattern to like guys just separated from Dorothy. Two is not enough to make a pattern anyway.

      1. Emily

        Breaking up with Danny? No. Waiting to break up with Danny until he had followed her to college because she hoped to avoid that confrontation by running from the problem and thus stringing him along? Yes.

        1. Sam

          I wouldn’t really say she was stringing him along so much as she hoped with all her might that he would actually listen to her and do something for himself instead of following her like a puppy dog. She was trying even right up until the break up to convince him and to salvage their relationship by doing so – up until he showed a lack of faith in her.

  40. stoodmuffin

    Man. Sometimes I feel 800 steps behind. All my comments yesterday were predicted by this strip. Which came via a 3 month buffer. Woah, dude. Is Willis the flash? Or Sanic? He fast.

    1. stoodmuffin

      Or, more, just turning slowly into a Methodical super villain. He DID write one for. Uh. Years?

    2. BenRG

      It just means that Willis is good at creating a narrative ‘feed’ where every new strip feels organically and logically preceded. Things don’t just pop out of thin air, rather a reasonably perceptive person can see where things are going.l

  41. Samantha Johnson

    I honestly dont think the dorothy cast off is anything more than Dorothy and Amber are actually very similar and have similar taste in men walky and Danny are also very similar boys un personality and vibe so it isnt odd to me.
    Ethan really cares about Amber abd im glad he’s pointing out some problems to her and she’s handling it better than I imagined she would actually

    1. Emily

      I take umbrage at the insult of comparing Danny to Walky. Danny lacks drive sure but Walky is a complete manchild. Walky isn’t even capable of acting like a grownup long enough to not completely derail a tutoring session; Danny is actually mature and competent enough to tutor someone successfully. Really, of the cast Danny’s one of the ones whose mostly got their shit together.

      1. cbwroses

        Danny wanted to sway Dorothy away from her dream and Amber away from AG. Walky is supportive of the former (we’ll see with the latter).

        Neither have many friends, but even Danny’s best friend doesn’t want to be around him that much and was talking about dumping him for Jacob. As annoying as Walky can be, Billie has been shown to both depend on him and care about him, and even Joyce called him family.

        Danny has had thoughts about other people even when in a relationship, the Amber/AG thing, also Ethan, and arguably Sal. Walky, at least so far, has only had his focus on one person at a time.

        1. thejeff

          I’d say that Danny’s best friend’s problems with Danny are more on him than on Danny. Joe has also been shown to both depend on him and care about him – once Joe got called on his shit enough to admit that.
          Billie, though you are correct, has also been far worse to Walky than Joe was to Danny, from the very start: “I do not know you here”.

        2. the final pam

          Is Danny trying to sway Amber away from being AG supposed to be a bad thing? She’s doing something very dangerous and criminal that has almost gotten her killed before, and it’s been pretty clear that AG has not been good for Amber’s mental health, as surprisingly, using violence to sort through your trauma doesn’t actually help your trauma. It’s not unreasonable for Danny to want to try to stop Amber from doing something that’s potentially harmful, both mentally and physically.

          And like… it’s not wrong to be interested in more than one person at a time. Feelings are messy and complicated and also polyamorous people exist. Sometimes it just happens to be that you have feelings for two people at the same time, and that’s fine and normal. What matters is if you act on them or not. Walky’s not somehow better than Danny just because he has only expressed interest in Dorothy for the majority of the comic. Also, for what it’s worth, Danny didn’t even express interest in other people when he was in a relationship? He only ever wanted to be friends with Sal when he was still with Amber/AG, and then when he was dumped, then he showed interest in Ethan and arguably Sal, but while he was still with Amber, he hadn’t. So, unless you’re saying Danny can’t think about other people while he’s single, or think about multiple people while he’s still single, not sure why that’s even a point.

        3. thejeff

          I think Danny’s motives were good in the Amber/AG thing, but saying AG hasn’t been good for Amber’s mental health is not quite right. Amazi-Girl is a symptom of her mental health problems (as, in another way is Amber herself.)
          Using her as a violent outlet is not healthy, but trying to stop that by suppressing AG is even worse – as we’re seeing with the split now.
          Danny couldn’t have been expected to know any of this of course.

          Danny did show interest in Ethan while he was dating Amber. He didn’t talk about it with Ethan until after, but it was definitely clear to us and to him.
          Sal, less so. He’s actually still expressed less romantic interest in Sal than in Ethan and seems mostly to be pursuing a friendship with her. Probably still thinking she’s out of his league.

        4. the final pam

          Notice how I said nothing about suppressing AG at all. Again, Danny didn’t know the full extent of Amber’s DID, and came away thinking that it was like a really intense Bruce Wayne/Batman situation. AG as a persona can still exist but just, y’know, stop going around punching people after dark. Danny literally just suggested Amber take a break so she doesn’t end up dead: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/teensiest/

          Okay, I misremembered the timeline. Does not change the rest of my comment, though. There’s absolutely nothing wrong Danny having interest in more than one person at a time. It happens. He’s not somehow immoral or wrong or disloyal, when he was even intending to fall for Ethan and didn’t say or act on it until after he had been dumped.

  42. JBento

    Just throw in “And you should also tell him about your DID.” and Ethan is the manifestation of the comments section.

    1. Emily

      Also, the grades.

      1. JBento

        I keep forgetting about the grades, which just goes to show how much of a flaming quagmire the whole thing is.

        1. Roborat

          Hmm, “flaming quagmire”. Not sure if that would work better as a drink, or a family guy episode.

        2. RicardtheDragoon

          A flaming quagmire was just the thing in The Princess Bride. Or maybe that was more of a fiery swamp. Meh, close enough.

  43. FacelessDeviant

    Its always easier to have a clear view from the other side of the table. I mean, Ethan is dating -Mike-.

    1. ego

      well zung, but i don’t think so. judging by ethan’s and mike’s conduct both, we’re looking at the post-moria-gandalf edition of ethan.

  44. Emily

    Amber it super is a thing. The sooner you address its innate thingness the less likely it is to go down in a Hindenburg-tier fiery wreck.

  45. Josh Spicer

    Do we HAVE to make it a thing?

    1. Deanatay

      If by ‘we’, you mean the comments section, yes. That is what we do here.

      1. Reltzik

        I thought we did pun threads.

        1. Bagge

          Don’t you mean fun threads?

        2. Emperor Norton II

          A needle sharp observation as always, Bagge.

  46. Sunny

    So what are the odds of Walky figuring it out before Amber tells him? He’s pretty lazy but he’s definitely not stupid.

    1. Bagge

      Hmmmm. That is true, but he doesn’t have TOO much information to go on. Does he even know exactly how Sal was stabbed? If I heard someone was stabbed while attempting a clumsy robbery I would assume it was in a fight with a security guard or something like that.

      1. BBCC

        Depending whether or not Sal came home, he might not even know she was stabbed.

  47. Shaith86

    So, two ex-boyfriends… Next up, Dorothy’ll end up loaning Amber a coat or something and Ethan will declare it a hat trick.

  48. abysswatcher1993

    Ethan, stop being a prick and offer actual advice! If Amber likes Walky it’s just that!

    1. Bagge

      He did offer helpful advice on how to make more space for your action figure display!

      1. Bagge

        Which honestly seems like something Amber could have use for.

  49. Ray

    So basically, Dorothy is claiming the right of Prima Nocta???

  50. Schol-R-LEA;2

    Just let me make out with his thing?

    1. Emperor Norton II

      I’m not stopping you.

  51. Wereg

    Am I the only one still peeved that she moved on from Danny that quickly? Same with Walky and Dorothy??

    1. porto

      It’s college.
      Meh.

    2. the final pam

      I mean, Walky still has feelings for Dorothy. Those didn’t just go away. But he also has new feelings for Amber. The same goes for Amber. She still has feelings for Danny, although that’s all complicated with AG. Just the other day, she was telling Dorothy that she missed Danny.

      They’re both kinda vulnerable and are just going for a relationship where they seek comfort in each other. Doesn’t mean any of their feelings for previous partners has magically gone away, or their head over heels with each other either.

  52. Beef

    Ethan is me in the comments before the kiss. Amber is me in the comments after the kiss

  53. Rhiannon King

    I need that GIF of Snooki, edited with Dorothy’s face on it that says, “Why does Amber keep making out with guys after I kiss them? Does she want to kiss me? Just ask, I’ll say yes.”

Leave a Reply to Deanatay Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.