224

Third act climax
Posted on October 20, 2014 by David M Willis

224 thoughts on “Third act climax”

  1. Jen Aside

    FREE FROM LOVE
    FREE FROM LOVE
    THANK CHEESE ALMIGHTY
    I’M FREE FROM LOVE

    …waitaminit

    1. Cheryl

      And in true male fashion he digs himself a whole straight through the earth.

      1. DSL

        It’s called an escape hatch.

        1. Aeyt

          I say he loves her, and he harbors no doubts. He just doesn’t understand the implications of what that means for her and her “life plan”. Silly boy.

  2. Camachri

    Wow Walky. Way to… Anti-Dan it up?

    1. Maveric1984

      He didn’t… but then he did. Saying it back (and I really think he means it too) was great, but then he made light of the fact that he said it, which was Danny all over.

      1. Camachri

        But I mean, he managed to Dan it up by saying a thing which was 100% un-Danny. That’s art in wordplay, that is.

      2. Tunaro

        So he fixed a problem before it started, then just introduced a possibly worse one? How the Hell do you out-Dan Danny?!

        1. Ahighfunctioningsociopath

          By being walky.
          Remember, the comic that replaced roomies was itswalky.

        2. Itama

          Y’know what makes it worse?
          Not only is Walkiy out out-Daning Danny in his relationship with Dorothy, but Dorothy is also Danning herself by imitating Danny when he danned himself in his relationship with her…

          The circle has come full Dan.

        3. Ancestral Hamster

          “The cycle is now complete.
          When I left you I was but a Dan, now I am a Walky.”

          “Only a Walky of Evil.”

        4. lightsabermario

          Don’t you know? You never go full Dan!

        5. butting

          Even worse, I think Walky just crossed the Dans.

        6. anonymous

          If you never cross your Dan’s
          You never defeat Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man’s!

        7. nkh

          If you walk without Danny, you won’t attract the… uhh… Ethan-worm.

          (I’m not sure how I jumped from Ghostbusters to Dune, but whatever, I’m rollin’ with it.)

        8. F

          Never Go Full Dan

        9. timemonkey

          No, she’s not yet the Danny, because she’s actually listening and living in the reality of her relationship. Her desires for the relationship have shifted and she’s letting him know, instead of just pretending they were suddenly super serious and he should know that already.

        10. Itama

          Except she kinda is doing that. Sure, she’s more aware than Danny was, but she’s still springing the love card without warning, and hoping for him to reciprocate. She’s yet to actually tell him she wants to get serious, so until she does that, she’s the Danny.

        11. Suitora

          Meanwhile, Danny’s actually expressing some sense with Amber, was giving her some space, and actually took a hint to get away after she seemingly avoided him. He was wrong, but Danny actually didn’t Dan it up. What is the universe coming to?

        12. Paradox

          You do it by walkying it up. It’s like a meta version of dannying it up. Dannying simply causes problems. Walkying fixes problems and makes others worse. It’s multitasking!

  3. Tunaro

    That was… anti-climactic. Good job, Walky? I guess?

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Truly Walky is a man amongst men. 😛

    2. MrSirk

      He might be onto something with that one.

      1. F

        It is always easier to say things you think using the word feelings rather than explain how men really work. Walky has done both… Oh well, better luck next girlfriend.

  4. TheZachariah

    um it doesnt work the way you think it works walky

  5. Hoboturtle

    I cant tell if this is good or bad…

    1. Black Drazon

      It’s Walky.

      It… It’s Walky.

      1. Hoboturtle

        Laugh track

        Roll credits

        1. Tunaro

          What would be the theme song for this comic to run over the credits?

        2. Jen Aside

          Yakety Sax?

        3. Wack'd

          I imagine more something along these lines.

        4. MrBurrows

          Man, if I wasn’t Immortal, that would totally be my funeral music.

        5. Hoboturtle

          Because of denial, I’m immortal!

        6. Sambo

          I’m with Jen A. on this one

  6. astronomifier

    that was suprisingly mature…

    1. Saintslayer

      This is Walky we’re talking about here, he’s actually pretty smart. That may have just been his cunning way of redirecting responsibility.

  7. Graq

    All I can focus on for some reason is Joyce’s face in the first panel.

    1. Catullus

      I choose to read it as “Damn, I guess I missed my chance”

    2. Raye the Magic Lesbian

      I know, she looks really upset. Maybe she’ll finally realize she’s totally in love with Dorothy, FINALLY

  8. Archivist

    Genre-savvy, but…wait…no.

    1. Inlaa

      No, yes, genre savvy. Just… Uh. You know, saying the logic behind it afterward was the problem.

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      He went from Dangerously Genre Savvy to Wrong Genre savvy in just one panel.

      1. Drunken Nordmann

        Wouldn’t Wrong Genre-Savvy imply that there’s a genre where it’s okay to spell these things out?

        1. Robin

          Something where characters can break the fourth wall?

        2. Anonymous

          Rational Fic?

        3. Saintslayer

          Is that a thing? Like where characters actually make reasonable decisions?

        4. gwalla

          Sounds boring.

        5. sun tzu

          Sort of.
          http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RationalFic

        6. Drunken Nordmann

          Avoiding possible drama by saying “I love you, too” could count as a rational decision – but telling her about that is more in the Too Dumb To Live column, I think.

        7. Aris Katsaris

          Try to read “Harry Potter & the Methods of Rationality” (a scientific-minded Harry Potter) or perhaps “Luminosity” (a take on ‘Twilight’ with an intelligent and introspective Bella) or “Worm” (or “Metropolitan Man”) for a a slightly more rational take on superheroes than you’d usually see…

        8. sun tzu

          I love “Methods of Rationality” (despite its preachiness), and I love “Worm”… but it should be noted that “Worm” is “rational” in the sense of “people with powers actually try to use them creatively, and the world actually has to deal with the sociological effects of superpowers”. Not in the sense of the characters behaving in an ultimately rational manner.

  9. Sensedog

    Oh, the downward spiral.

  10. Itama

    WHY IS THERE HAPPINESS???!!!

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      So it can be taken away from you afterwards, why else.

      1. Arkadi

        Indeed!

    2. Wack'd

      Because, of course, you are going to be sad later.

      1. ninja_jesus

        Nice DW reference.

  11. Idon'tcarenomore

    And that is a very good job of defusing an explosive situation.

    1. liahansen

      Not so much “defusing” as sitting on and farting.

  12. meghantheworldeater

    Hmmm, why do I get the feeling this isn’t going to work out as well as Walky seems to think?

  13. Cattleprod

    Ooh, the tyranny of love, I think that could be the premise of the next YA dystopia series.

    1. Robin

      “I don’t love you!”

      “That’s illegal. I should report you.”

      I’d read it.

  14. Plasma Mongoose

    I was hoping he would say those three important words.

    1. Jen Aside

      not THOSE three words???

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        I’m afraid not. 😀

      2. Ivan

        I thought they were “Viagra’s Kickin’ In!”

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          That or “Stop, Hammer Time”.

        2. HeySo

          These are always the correct three words.

          Especially if you’re inexplicably wearing parachute pants.

    2. Tunaro

      Rocket Powered Fist?

      1. Kennerly

        Mint Berry Crunch!

      2. JustCheetoDust

        Romantic fist attachment?

    3. Wack'd

      *counts off on fingers* Your…twin…sister…

      Nope, too long.

      1. Tunaro

        Your mom. Nickel.

    4. ninja_jesus

      I’m a vampire!

    5. Kelly

      I am Groot

      1. The Other Mike

        I am Groot!

    6. Leorale

      Here, a puppy!

    7. Robin

      Dang. I searched for cheese before making that same joke, but of course you don’t have to use the words… oh well.

    8. gwalla

      Just Do It?
      Pants are awesome?
      Boom shaka laka?
      Chronic butts disease?

  15. caramelundqueer

    Dorothy seems let down by Walky’s unwillingness to make this into a big deal.

    1. ele

      Doroty problem is that she want the perks of a serious relationship while having clearly stated that she just wanted to have fun.

      1. Marc in MN

        She also needs to reserve the right to change the terms at any point in time. Walky is simply expected to keep up when this happens.

        1. timemonkey

          Walky is free to object or call it off at any time. He’s even demonstrated his willingness to call the whole thing off if she crosses the line.

  16. HMRC4EVR

    I want to say this makes a kind-of sense, but again I haven’t dated in a long time so me thinking that makes sense makes me not having dated much make sense.

    So…yay Walky?

    1. Razzmatazz MacKenzie

      No, this only makes sense in Walky-world.

  17. arank11

    I’m not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed

  18. Rosicrucian

    But you do want to put him on the spot, Dorothy. You felt you had to say it.

    1. Wack'd

      But she made it clear she didn’t feel he had to.

      At least at first. Slightly undercut by the second panel. Ah well. Least she cops to it.

    2. hof1991

      It was an asymmetrical gambit by Dorothy. Little risk with a potential high reward. Walky turned it right around and defused the bomb. She loves him and is planning to dump him later. Remember him fondly, but dump him anyway. Walky knows this and is a touch touchy about it. He’s seen this movie before.

  19. Kernanator

    Goddammit, I’ve been filled with so much tension from things going too right, and this made me crack up.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      If only you had access to a massage recliner.

  20. chris73

    That was really impressive by Walky

  21. Barrage7667

    Ugh walky take all the meaning out of saying “I love you too” why dont you?

    1. Mass Confusion

      Been there, done that

    2. Aris Katsaris

      No, I think she was doing the “take all the meaning out” bit. She was doing the ritual “I love you too” which is supposedly ultra-hard to be spoken even when mutually known, as depicted in popular culture.

      Walky not only could say “I love you” and mean it, he could also present it in its purest and most honest form, removed from the ritual trappings.

  22. phroggonalog

    I am shocked and appalled that people think this was a good move by Walky. Tears inc. next strip

    1. Reboot

      Thing is, yet again he is following her ground rules. To The Letter.

      Even when SHE isn’t.

      In other words, SHE’S the Danny in this relationship.

      1. Razzmatazz MacKenzie

        Scary thought, isn’t it?

      2. artemi

        This. This right here. He’s taking ownership of the relationship. This is a temporary thing, and he’s not letting it get deep and emotional. If she wants to cry about him not taking it seriously, then frankly, that’s HER FAULT.

        He’s not the one making things awkward here.

        1. chris73

          Yes, exactly this.

    2. MindLink

      I can’t even understand how this could be taken negatively at all, he loves her and is mature about it, more mature than most people, including “grown-ups” .

  23. Calvin Coolage

    The hell just happened?

  24. zebrathinker

    a bit of an over-explanation there walky!!

  25. Friday

    For a moment there I thought he was going to stick the landing, then he somehow caught on fire. No points.

    1. saltchocolate

      Negative points.

      1. Sam

        Imaginary points.

        1. HeySo

          This is the show where the points don’t matter!

          No, wait, this is the one where they do, but everyone keeps missing them entirely.

  26. Maveric1984

    I guess Walky isn’t going to get a third act climax anymore.

  27. Hannah

    Love is not just a plot device Walky!

    … Wait

    1. Deanatay

      It’s a Drama Tag?

  28. Malchus

    No trainwreck this time, then? Bah, many more trains careening dangerously on the tracks in this series.

    Only a matter of time.

    1. Razzmatazz MacKenzie

      I don’t know what strip you just read, but this is careening hard around a corner.

      1. Malchus

        But not yet a trainwreck. Before then, I wait.

        1. saltchocolate

          The careening is in slow motion! This train wreck is practically a done deal.

  29. Rocketboy1313

    Poor Danny. The girl leaves him to pursue academics, a few weeks in and she starts shaking up with some jerk off, and then loves him.
    Sure Dan has his own things going, but I would find that to be a serious personal wound.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Maybe she will understand Danny a bit better after this… maybe…

    2. Ivan

      Shacking, not shaking.

      You shake a baby. You shack up with its mother.

      1. 4th Dimension

        How about shanking? He could shake fer world by shanking her while shacking with her? Or maybe as Chrome spellchecker suggests sharking?!?

        1. Terry

          I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake.

          Shake it off. Shake it off.

        2. gwalla

          Shake, shake, shake senora
          Shake your body line
          Work, work, work senora
          Work it all de time

      2. I also teach math for a living.

        Shaking(or shacking up with, or shanking for that matter) a baby is a very bad idea. Don’t do it, seriously. It can kill them or cause permanent brain damage, and is one of the most common deadly mistakes made by babysitters or young parents.

    3. Kennerly

      I’m pretty sure having moved on to someone else himself probably lessens the wound considerably.

    4. timemonkey

      She left him because he was a clingy oblivious guy who didn’t really believe in her or her goals and hoped she’d abandon them and cling back to him to fulfill some romantic fantasy he made up in his head.

      1. Rocketboy1313

        So you are saying he will take it well?

  30. nothri

    Gonna give Walky the benefit of the doubt here and say he does legit mean what he said. Even though the way he phrases all of that made me think for a moment he just said it to “avoid” the drama of not saying it.

    1. Wack'd

      Yeah, we’ve established that Walky has difficulty saying things that are not jokes, so there’s really no other way this could’ve gone.

  31. Emperor Kiva

    I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Walky, you’re an ass.

  32. takashid

    oh walky no……. she wanted you to actually mean it if you were gonna say it, not say it because you felt obligated or wanted to “get it out of the way”

    1. Kennerly

      Have her walk past him in pajama jeans and he’ll say it and with the same emotional backing as when she said it to him.

    2. Deanatay

      Walky meant what he said, he just found a way to defuse all of the gushy sentiment and tear-jerking that exchanging that sentiment usually evokes. It’s actually quite brilliant.

  33. Jacob Newburn

    This is the part where someone sings a little song I like to call “Hey, why don’t you shut the fuck up? Whhhhhy don’t you just shut the fuck up? ‘Cause you’re gonna make her very angry.”

  34. newllend

    OK….

  35. JessWitt

    That was most awaringly self-aware. Walky’s channeling his inner Abed here.

  36. Morty

    Panel 1: Huh, maybe Joyce IS actually nursing a hugely unrealized crush on Dorothy
    Panel 4: Huh, I wonder if the next strip will be Joyce flipping a shit over Walky devaluing the meaning of ‘I love you” or whether it’ll be Dorothy being disappointed in Walky’s lack of emotional commitment

    1. David

      Walky’s lack of emotional commitment. As opposed to Dorothy who uses him as her dressable boy toy until she is off to Yale.

      She has just been testing her standing out of vanity, and Walky called it.

      1. Fit-to-freak

        Dressable boy toy I swear to god

    2. Barrage7667

      Apparently the answer was both

  37. Arkadi

    You know what other word can be powerful?

    Butts! 😀

    1. Deanatay

      Not if we don’t give it…

      Oh, who am I kidding? Butts has power over us all!

      I butts you guys.

  38. Khaner

    Damn you Willis
    for making me think drama was going to happen.

    1. Catullus

      Things are coming to a boil, I think. Shouldn’t be long before there’s all the drama you could ever want.

      1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

        Your avatar is very appropriate.

    2. John

      There is totally drama happening. It’s just not the cliché drama years of romantic comedies have led us to expect.

      1. EmbraceEvil

        Willis is the embodiment of drama. All praise David Willis the Drama Lord.

  39. horrorshow88

    Ohhh boy. Oh, Walky. You may not give the word meaning, but she does. And this little speech is not going to help you.

    1. Random832

      If she wanted a serious relationship she should have stayed with Danny.

      1. artemi

        Or at some point told Walky that things might have changed.

      2. horrorshow88

        Oh I agree completely. I just still can’t tell/decide if this was Walky acting like it was a joke because he has trouble with feelings and being serious (and he really did mean it) or if he really does want to “free them” or whatnot. I’m not support thrilled with Dorothy’s actions, but I also think he could have handled this better.

  40. Tealjoy Berry

    Ah no. No. Walky, no!

  41. Flimsyfishy

    Odds on Joyce staying at the same spot she’s at while this drama goes down.

    Odds are currently two to one.

  42. Aolbain

    This is actually worse than I imagined

  43. Kelly

    Almost right…then mega-fail.

  44. Ashley

    Thank you, Walky.

  45. Drakkin the Alien

    love means: i´m jumping off whatever we have whenever the things i really care for come around, say better jobs, studies or childhood friends. ’cause love is not super serious or anything.

  46. Eisog

    My favourite thing about this is Joyce’s look in the background

  47. Edrp

    Wow walky… nice way to say the right thing… and then bungle it up by doing it for ALL THE WRONG REASONS.

    My GF would kill me if I pulled somethung like that

  48. Em

    But after reading Walky’s explanations…where are the lies tho? Pretty sure this is how MOST PEOPLE feel.

  49. Swerve

    Welcome back to Swerve’s! So have you been following the latest in “Dumbing of Age?”

    …

    “You haven’t? Well Dorothy opened up to Walky, and told him she loved him. And what does he do? He nonchalantly says, “I love you” back. But he doesn’t mean it; he’s just trying to avoid pulling the drama tag in their relationship.”

    …

    “Oh yeah. See, way I see it, Walky wants to keep the relationship going, so he tells Dorothy he loves her. But he then acts like he’s been hit by Brainstorm’s meta-gun, and proceeds to explain that he only said it to avoid complications in their relationship of the sort found in wacky romantic comedies.”

    …

    “Where do I see this going? Well, Dorothy’s shown a lot of patience with Walky. If she really loves him, she’ll put up with this too. Anyway, what can I get you to drink?”

    1. Nono

      Is that a reference to the first episode of the second season of Friends?

  50. Kevin

    Getting attacked by a script from pixel.mathtag.com when visiting DoA. I can’t say for sure that it’s malware but it’s trying to execute itself improperly. This happened a few weeks ago but I guess the ad’s still running.

  51. orangey

    i didnt see this coming, but walky’s reaction makes a lottt of sense. probably not the best way of handling it but its walky

  52. Anfernee

    Yeah, for some reason I feel like Walky just fucked up way more than he’s ever going to realize.

  53. beege

    Walky has made an extremely valid point about how the words ‘I love you’ are used in popular media, but the only way he could have made the point at a worse time than this is if he’d proposed to Dorothy and then said this in his wedding vows.

  54. Robin

    He should’ve just said “Cheese is available“.

  55. Volkai

    Pure 1000% Walky — both deep and shallow at the same time.

    1. Dorje Sylas

      It’s wisdom superposition. How will Dorothy perceive it now that its been witnessed?

    2. Cybersnark

      “Sometimes your shallowness is so profound it’s almost like depth.” –Jane Lane

  56. Ωmega

    Look, Walky, I agree with you, but saying this NOW is probably going to make Dorothy think that you don’t actually love her back and that you’re just saying it to avoid falling into a contrived trope. Good job.

  57. boomwolf

    Hail to Walky, our Savior and Slayer of Love! Also ‘third act climax’ sounds like a super long porn.

  58. Crumplepunch

    Walky you are a hero of the people.

  59. Ruck Bogers

    He… he gets me.

  60. Seodra

    I’m less concerned with Walky cracking a joke after saying I love you than I am with Dorothy acting like a jealous nut (with senior violent judgmental nut Joyce guest starring) then dropping I love you on him.

    She didn’t want a serious relationship, he reminded her of that, and now she’s ok with Mike being assaulted for the crime of not wanting them in his room and spouting proclamations of love. That just…yecch.

    Of course,this isn’t Rational Clear Decisions of Age is it?

  61. Alexis

    Funnily enough the TV shows I see usually have the dudes say “I love you” and the girl be hesitant.

    Oh, Robin from an early season of How I Met Your Mother. You and your complicated insecurities.

    1. Cephalo the Pod

      See also: The Big Bang Theory.

    2. lejwocky

      I hate to break it to you but what people call “love” is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed.

  62. hof1991

    Dorothy’s I love you is heard by Walky knowing that he is just a temporary thing for her. By her choice. He’s just reminding her of the terms of the relationship, terms she dictated.

  63. Chris

    So, first let me say I do not normally critique or cast aspersions, since I am not a creative (artistic) person, but… panel 3, Walky’s nose. Have they always been that way? It’s unfortunate, because now that I’ve seen the great black one-hole nose, I can’t unsee it, and it may have ruined the comic for me.

    1. gwalla

      They’ve always been that way, and it’s shading, not a hole.

  64. Kent17

    This is Walky’s defense mechanism, (although Dorothy probably wont see it that way) he does love her, but Dorothy keeps mentioning how things are temporary, or short termed.

  65. anonymsly

    I am probably alone here, but I see absolutely no problem with anything Walky said. I think he’s probably right, in fact. Regardless of what Dorothy said in panel one, she did want him to be on the spot, and she did want him to say it back: ‘I thought I’d have to extort it out of you’. If he didn’t say it back regardless of how he actually feels, it’d turn into a big thing, because she wants the words regardless of the reality. So for me, he actually gets bonus points for honesty by explaining where he’s coming from and preventing future misunderstanding.

    When Dorothy says that love can be a powerful word, she’s saying that she expected it to be powerful for him. Not necessarily for her, though that squishy expression in panel two tells me the feeling is powerful for her even if the word itself might not be. So Walky’s honesty complicates things for Dorothy, but he’s done a good job being loving to her: supporting her, believing in her, helping her with things that are important to her, in addition to the simpler physical affection. If Dorothy gets mad at him for this, I’ll think a little less of her good sense.

    1. Railgun

      You’re not alone at all. He’s not saying he doesn’t actually *feel* those things, or that they don’t matter to him. He prefers his relationship to be down-to-earth than live in a fantasy fiction with an idealized “star-crossed lovers” romance. His feelings are simple and honest, and I think that’s a good thing.

    2. jams

      She didn’t *want* to put him on the spot but she was willing to. At least she tried to let him know that he shouldn’t feel obligated to say it if she didn’t want to, but she lets on in panel two that she privately very much cared what his response would be, to the point where she at least considered “extorting it out of him”, if necessary.

      While I agree with and understand Walky’s sentiment here, I don’t think his response to Dorothy was sensitive, nor was it very effective at diffusing potential drama. He told her that he only said “I love you too” so they could avoid making it into some sort of Thing, but he doesn’t also clarify that he said it because he did, in fact, love her. I think he likely does, but you can’t really tell from what he said.

      He could have said “Well, it’s true, so I don’t see why we have to make a big deal of it” and left it at that; the fact that he goes on a big spiel about it makes it pretty obvious that it *is* something of a big deal to him.

      Another reason why I think this is a big deal to Walky is because of Walky’s expressions. They seem so painful. I remember there was a similar expression several strips ago when Dorothy tells him she wants him to feel able to be honest with her and Walky reminds her she’s eventually leaving him for Yale. So I think this is about that, again. I think this will be an Ongoing Thing.

      1. Lanval

        Walky is Walky. If he was very articulate, sensitive to feelings and aware of when to get super serious, we’d be dealing with a different character. I’m hoping Dorothy reads it as that herself since it would imply that they’ve gotten to understand eachother’s way of thinking through this. As I said below though, I’m sort of expecting her to get nervous about whether it counts and some drama to happen.

        That said, Walky’s painful expression comes out not when he says “I love you” but when Dorothy tells him that she expected to have to extort it out of him; At that stage it becomes a ‘big deal’ and Walky isn’t good at that. So he deflects it and rambles to be like “See, I didn’t want this to be a big thing”. Over all, I think Walky is fine with admitting that he cares for her and even loves her but not with Sentimentalist stuff that might come along with it.

        Over all, we can only watch how this plays out.

    3. Lanval

      Nah, Comments are fairly split on it. I know both myself and my partners in the past have treated this sort of thing with a degree of levity and joking around since its a touchy and sentimental subject and some people deal with that best with humour (myself included). Usually, it’s something that you come to expect as a character tick in the person and if you’ve come to a stage where you feel you love them, you usually recognize it and maybe enjoy it; I’m willing to suspect Dorothy will be cool about it on that point. Though, she might also get a bit neurotic once she starts to think about it, but I don’t expect anger. I’ve been wrong before though.

      Also, in her defence, I read “I thought I’d have extort it out of you” as “I thought you’d be so awkward about expressing love (since Walky does have a view of “bleck, feelings) that I’d have to coax you into admitting it”. So I mean, more a matter of making him feel comfortable with the term and dealing with his inability to express it until then than holding him over a boiling cauldron and shouting “TELL ME YOU LOVE ME”.

  66. GodTierNickCage

    that was Surprisingly deep for Walky, granted its based on his TV ideology, noting the fact that the word love is only as powerful as we make it. Thats why im always just in lesbian with people, that and the fact that im a lesbian soul in a man’s body

  67. AgentKeen

    Well-played, Willis. I still don’t know if my ‘Oh shi-!’ from last strip is good or bad….

    1. AgentKeen

      Also, I’m not sure I believe you, alt-text.

  68. MindLink

    He’s right though. Words are just words, it’s the feelings themselves that are poweful. Love is powerful, the word isn’t. But today we have a tendency to imbue words with powers just by being a word, even if they are just a jumble of letters after each other. We have never, as a society, been so preoccupied with words as we are today, words are used to empower, to belittle, to make a point completely apart from their ACTUAL meaning. Heck, we even DEBATE over which words to use. And it is all very, very silly. It seems to me we create a lot of drama just because we can, because we see people in stories and in stories there is always drama so we try to recreate that drama subconciously even if there is no *actual* drama, *actual* feelings involved. And since stories are made up of words, the words themselves become elated and eventually loose their meaning (namely, conveing thoughts, ideas and emotions). So, yeah, there should be NO hesitation over saying “I love you”. He loves her right now, but as with all emotions they fluctuate, maybe in 2 seconds he won’t, and in 4 seconds he will, that doesn’t mean that it is a lie nor that it implies commitment, neither should it.

    1. ninja_jesus

      Very well said. I agree.

  69. Bagge

    Good on you, Walkie. You and Dorothy are free to define your relationship however you want.

  70. Nerc

    That moment in your life where you realize you should’ve acted like Walky and not yourself. When walky is better man you, then you have a big problem. :/

  71. Aolbain

    So… when did we decide we hated Dorothy? Was there some sort of meeting I wasn’t invited to?

    1. Will

      For some people it started when she broke with Danny, by completely ignoring her actual reasons and instead using one coming from those people’s collective ass (just like Danny himself did. Basically, too many readers *are* Danny).
      It just went downhill from there; you can read the comments of every comic where Dorothy does anything at all and see people talking about some horrible character also named Dorothy only they can see.

      By the way, the moment she realized her love was when she saw how much notDanny Walky is.

      1. a4lbi

        Wow, I wasn’t aware Dorothy was hated.

        I need to read the comment section more thoroughly.

        1. David M Willis

          She’s generally not, but there are a small handful of individuals that hate her at a frightening pitch that suggests perhaps other factors are in play.

        2. Adam Black

          Dave,
          I really don’t understand the Dorothy -hate myself. She’s almost
          always kind, compassionate, thoughtful, disciplined, and the
          very model of sincere integrity . She’s tolerant of differences,
          makes friends easily and sees past superficial differences. She
          is the character I would most like to be friends with…

          But she is not-perfect. Which is a fabulous thing for narrative
          purposes, or she would be seem like that Name Word-of-God
          has banned. She is also overly-controlled, cerebral, ambitious,
          and acts with extreme pre-meditation. I generally find you
          write her to be non-pretentious. Yet that characteristic is in
          tension to her other personality traits ( like discipline, and
          pre-meditation ) .
          Your writing is enjoyable for how you let these internal conflicts
          play out In all your characters.
          ( I am still hoping for a more flesh-out version of Mary. Given
          time I think you may write her as a villain we love to hate . I
          dont need you to make her decent. She could be a wonderful
          study of the “banality-of-evil” )

          One of the Defining feautures of Dorothy is her Stellar-high
          emotional intelligence. We see this in action in the last few
          days. Its also why her goal of being President isnt meritless.

          As someone whos met with and chatted with the Clintons; and
          witnessed separately their command of a room, and/ or
          personal space , I find your writing of Dorothy quite realistic
          and enjoyable. ( If anything, Hillarys extreme
          non-pretentiousness —I witnessed — might be a barrier
          she had to cross in her Poltical Career. )

          That is why I am surprised to see , what I believed were
          my thoughtful comments about Dorothys relationship to
          walky removed , and here, possbily Stigmatized, as
          someone who ‘hates Dorothy’ “at a frightening pitch” .
          ( Definitley, NOT! )

          That surprises me for multiple reasons, not least of
          which I dont remember the fever-pitch outright-
          hatred of other pro-social characters censored. I waited
          a year before first commenting , ( and despite this
          ridiculous book-length comment ) could easily feel
          my participation is unwanted. If I crossed a red-line
          I would rather know about it, then feel afraid to interact here.

          Given her thoughfulness, integrity, and high-emotional
          intelligence, I do think her inept handling of breaking
          up with Danny, is worthy of criticism. ( You titled this
          “Dumbing of Age” for reasons. ) Granted this was
          written for comedic value; and for all we know she
          dumped him all summer long , and he never understood.
          But the flipside is thats its practically the only thing she
          has ever done, truly worthy of criticism. Other than
          that, she is rather a wonderful human being. If you
          wish to ban criticism of how she handled Danny,
          ( or Walky ) it is your comic and your prerogative.
          But unless you write more flaws into her, its nearly the
          equivalent of placing Dorothy above criticism — which
          is also your prerogative.

          I did say I found her to be emotionally manipulative.
          Its possible in the context of the insane mysognistic
          gamer-gate bullshit * ( you interact with on twitter )
          my comment might appear to be loaded. It wasnt.
          Potential emotional manipulation , even accidentally,
          and unconscious, is the flip side of having a high
          emotional intelligence . Its actually a credit to you,
          that you are writing realistic characters with realist
          flaws, appropriate to their virtues. This isnt something
          I made up:
          Emotional intelligence and moral agency: Some worries and a suggestion
          http://philpapers.org/rec/RIEEIA-2

          *The ethics of managing affective and emotional states to improve informed consent: Autonomy, comprehension, and voluntariness*
          http://philpapers.org/rec/BRATEO-8

          http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/moral-universe/2013/11/07/using-empathy-to-use-people-emotional-intelligence-and-manipulation/

          Thats the thing. Humans arent born with Good and bait traits.
          Most of us simply have neutral personality characteristics
          that have virtues and flaws, depending on context, usage
          and behavior.

          Its also possible you dont intend to write her that way.
          But you can see this is a reasonable interpretation ( not loaded with bias or animus ) based solely on her strengths and virtues.

          Dorothy isnt perfect, and to me that makes her more likable and relatable. Joyce seems to agree with me. http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/attitude/
          Adam

          * i am loathe to even use the term “gamergate” on social media;
          lest its Jnr High-school level of stupid, be reflected back to me,
          like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG__upqGgRY .
          YMMV

        3. Adam Black

          Sorry Willis ( and everyone )
          The spacing on this came out so bad I want to poke out my eyes. My fault for overcorrecting text , which didnt properly wrap.

        4. David M Willis

          I have searched the entire spam and deleted folders and cannot find a single post of yours having been removed.

    2. timemonkey

      Some people have decided that Dorothy is an evil woman devoid of real emotions who will fuck over everyone and anyone in pursuit of her goals. Even though they get proven wrong again and again they keep right at it.

    3. Lanval

      The whole busting into Walky’s room and letting Joyce hobble Mike was something where I saw people commenting that it wouldn’t bode well. In their defence, it probably wasn’t the most soberminded thing to do.

      Another element which Timemonkey brings up is that she started this relationship as a casual one with Walky that she is planning on dropping in a couple of months so she can go to Yale. In that context, dropping an “I love you” on the other person is pretty unfair to them (Which Walky himself brought up). Though, these people aren’t seeing that Dorothy would probably be pretty conflicted about actually going to Yale at this point and in a lot of stories, this sort of thing would climax in her turning down an acceptance letter to choose to be with her friends. That said, I’d applaud Willis for writing her chasing her dreams but learning to have a bit more perspective while doing so.

      I sort of suspect though that what will actually happen is that she gets a rejection letter and shit goes crazy but the people who hate her will keep believing she’d have ditched them in a second given the chance.

      1. A

        A) Dorothy is not Joyce’s keeper and in no way LET her kick a dude.
        B) Dorothy expressed disapproval of the kick, for the record.
        C) And most importantly, why are all of Dorothy’s “flaws” centered around hurting or upsetting poor, defenseless dudes, who apparently cannot take care of themselves? Especially when she is the most considerate, respectful, and aware person, in the student cast. Towards everyone, even those who do not deserve it.

    4. anonymsly

      I don’t hate Dorothy at all, I quite like her. I just think that for someone who is generally extremely clear-headed and sensible, honest and forthright, caring and kind in her dealings with people, she has a very difficult time being all those awesome things in romantic relationships.

      She should have broken up with Danny months before she actually did, and admitted as much to him, for one thing. How their relationship actually worked when they were both in it, we don’t know, because we only saw the end.

      And now she’s kind of whiplashing Walky back and forth, swinging between casual-mode (the established mode of this relationship right from the start) ‘cartoons and cuddle time, no more, because I’m leaving soon’ to varying degrees of serious ranging from ‘We should be able to tell each other everything because we are that kind of together’ to ‘I love you and I plan to extort it out of you if you don’t say it back’.

      It’s an understandable hole in her general awesomeness, but it can be a frustrating one in a webcomic centered generally around relationships between people.

      1. tinfoil theory

        She has said she should have broken up with him earlier, for his own sake.
        She also could have broken up with him later, giving him more time. That she is spending the remaining months that they could be together with someone else (whose heart she may or may not plan on breaking) could be construed as insulting or selfish.
        Fortunately Danny is more mature about these things than people give him credit for. (He’d have to be, being friends with Joe, who treats other people’s feelings like toys.) No suicide attempts, no drunken phone calls, no petty vandalism, not even bad poetry (as far as we know). He just accepted it and moved on suspiciously quickly.

        Her actual reasons are never explicitly given, short of: It was ultimately inevitable anyway, so why wait. (Which is not really a reason.)
        She said she loved Danny, but didn’t expect him to love her back unconditionally (apparently every boy before him was sick of her), which is naturally why she had to break up with him. (Walky doesn’t disappoint in that respect, so naturally she is disappointed.)
        She said she was worried that he sacrificed his own life for her, which he absoultely was prepared to, if she wanted it, but made explicit that he hadn’t sacrificed anything so far, nor saw the need. Some people have read that as him not believing in her. Some people have read that as him being shallow. Some people have read that as him being sexist. Some people are looking for other reasons why Dorothy had to break up with him, and blame him for everything from indigestion to the bubonic plague. In short, people made up all kinds of reasons why she broke up with him.

        And some people blame Dorothy.
        &lt>hyperbole class=”unfounded”>Women like her are the reason the suicide rate among men is far higher than among women.</hyperbole>
        (But seriously, isn’t it better to have loved and lost that to have just lost never loved at all?)

        1. Lanval

          “made explicit that he hadn’t sacrificed anything so far”: I don’t know about you, but I read Danny being in total denial as the punchline there.

          That said, I think the break-up was for the best and both of them are pretty decent over all. Both have some growing up to do certainly (Danny in particular) but as you said, neither are remotely as bad as anti-fans make them out to be.

      2. A

        Christ.

  72. Yololo

    Actually, Walky has a point. Thank you man. Being blindfolded by words, and only words, it´s a stupid thing to do. 😛

  73. Gangler

    I think that’s pretty reasonable. If we’re throwing “I love you”‘s around a few weeks into knowing eachother, within the context of an agreed temporary relationship, then it’s pretty safe to say we’re not talking about one of the big time commitment moving the relationship into new territory sorts of love.

    He makes her heart go pitter patter. The feeling is mutual. No need to make it anything more than it is. They can both acknowledge and express their love without this devolving into Shakespearean hijinks.

  74. Heavensrun

    Joyce looks absolutely heartbroken.

  75. RahDream

    Wow, got a little whiplash from that one. Saying it back (assuming he really feels that way) is a great, avoid-the-unnecessary-dramatic-conflict-move. Actually a little surprising in the maturity coming form David “girls are gross” Walkerton. Then immediately implying that a) you are just saying it to avoid the drama of NOT saying it, or b) you may have meant it but you think its meaningless? Not so smart but more I’d expect from Walky

  76. Red5

    He does love her, he just doesn’t want to be caught up in the endless drama of idiotically having a hard time saying it, is what I got from this.

    And he’s right, in a way. Why should it be difficult if that’s how you honestly feel?

  77. f0rming

    This is basically how I explained my relationship with the word “love” to my girlfriend at the time…
    it didn’t go over so well

  78. Arkadi

    Dorothy freckles
    Ruth freckles
    Girl Genius and El Goonish Shive gravatars
    Things to be glad of ^^

  79. OmegaDez

    Strangely, with my couple, it’s the other way around… 🙁

  80. Robert

    Congrats Walkie. You’ve shown Dorothy you wear the pants in this relationship by telling her that love is meaningless.

  81. FuryOfFirestorm

    Anyone can say “I love you”. It’s the people that say “I lesbians you” that really mean it from the heart.

  82. vangeln

    I don’t know how to feel about this.

  83. Ivy Injektion

    I think people are being uncharitable to Walky here. I don’t think he’s saying the words without meaning them; I think he’s recognizing that love can be real without being fairytale-style eternal true love. He understands that Dorothy can sincerely love him and still eventually move on to Yale and the White House, and he understands that he can sincerely love her and still not get butthurt about their relationship having a time limit.

    He’s just also really bad at expressing that and probably doesn’t fully understand his own wisdom on this point. He is, after all, Walky.

  84. a4lbi

    Walky may have a point, but I still don’t see this ending well.

  85. Ben

    Joyce has switched places with the Joyce from It’s Walky! for a split second–just long enough to see him say he loves someone else.

  86. ianperiwinkle

    Eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww “love”. Bleh. Yuck.

  87. Clif

    Walky gives her exactly what she wants and then takes away its value.

    Dorothy has a decision to make. It’s either just for funzies or it’s completely serious. Walky isn’t letting her have it both ways. Nor should he. Not if he wants more. If she wants more, she has to take the emotional risk of saying so.

    It would be fine to just give her what she wants if he wants to be a doormat and be Dannied when the time comes, or if he’s emotionally dishonest and just wants to keep her happy so the sex’n’stuff keeps coming. But the only one who can change the ground rules is her. Walky’s answer isn’t going to satisfy her but if she’s satisfied then she has no motive to change anything.

    The past tense of “When somebody Loved Me” is intentionally ominous. When we started out with the Sal and Marcie flashback we assumed it was about Sal. When we hit the development with Billie and Ruth, we assumed it would relate to their story. Now with Dorothy and Walky’s relationship evolving we have a tendancy to asume it relates to them. I’m going to go way out on a limb here and say I think the title probably relates to Ethan and his prior relationship with Amber.

  88. Halloween Jack

    DAMNIT DAVE

  89. Late Nakagawa Ryo

    I’m far more worried about the tyranny of the word “honeymoon”

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