198

Nurture
Posted on July 29, 2020 by David M Willis

198 thoughts on “Nurture”

  1. Pickacard

    Had to say something

    1. clif

      Really? What was it?

      I was kind of wondering where Faz had gotten to, but there he was in the last panel.

      Interesting that Faz shares Amber’s fears of becoming their father.

    2. Pylgrim

      I think… that’s more sad than funny or disgusting? The kid is literally explaining how lack of affection has damaged his mind.

      1. Kinoko

        Yeah, this is how I read it, too. It’s really sad. :C

        1. He Who Abides

          Yeah, that’s where my mind went as well.

          They’ve gotta get him out of that house.

      2. Icalasari

        Yeah, his father fucked his brain up so hard he associates any affection as sexual, ESPECIALLY from a woman. And Faz at this point seems to even recognize how messed up he is as he apologized for that

        I hope Faz gets a TON of therapy soon, because it seems he hates being that way

  2. Doctor_Who

    Normally I wouldn’t describe “being Faz” as aspirational, but compared to “being Blaine” that’s like winning a Nobel Prize, an Oscar, and a Pulitzer.

    You be Faz, Faz. Faz it up!

    1. Undrave

      Faz deserves to find out what it means to be Faz and not be Blaine.

    2. P!enapple

      And he is- to the fullest faz he can lol got the feels and the lols- great job Mr Willis!

    3. Dara

      Exactly. It’s such a low bar that even Faz being Faz is clearly dramatically better. Be Faz, Faz. Be Faz.

    4. RowenMorland

      Fazspirational

      1. Deanatay

        I believe Faz could be described as “ass-spirational”.

  3. JetstreamGW

    Stop talking, Faz.

    1. Undrave

      He really needs some lessons in social graces.

      1. Doctor_Who

        I’m sure Amber can give him some ti-well, maybe not.

        She could ask her roommate for advi-also not ideal.

        Although both options are better at social interactions than Faz.

        1. Cyrus

          Joyce is clearly the right person for this particular job.

        2. Jamie

          I kinda want to see Becky teaching Faz how to human, in all seriousness.

        3. Jon Rich

          That would be absolutely hilarious. Make it happen, Willis!

        4. Gulby

          ^ This. Soooooo. Much.

        5. Kamino Neko

          [Becky] ‘First, you gotta smooch cute girls.’
          [Faz] ‘You have my attention.’
          [Amber] ‘Next teacher!’

        6. iz

          In a way, living with Dina might have been a good training for Amber to comunicate with Faz. Dina and Faz have some similarities in how they express themselves. Maybe they have even similarities in how they relate to people. That is, except for the big difference that Dina was raised in a loving family and Faz was never shown love, apparently.

        7. Opus the Poet

          Last panel also intimates that Faz may have been sexually abused at some point, by a woman not his mother. There’s a reason shota is a thing in hentai. It’s not just because “If you can imagine it someone has made porn of it” whatever Rule of the Internet number that is, it’s because some women have done it. I would guess the percentage of women who sexually abuse pre- and peri-pubescent males can’t be any higher than the percent of males abusing that same age range females, but it has to be greater than zero.

          Just saying also I hope this wasn’t the case for Faz.

        8. He Who Abides

          Honestly, my thoughts were that he’s just never been touched by anyone in any sort of affectionate way before, so he associates that kind of physical contact with sex.

        9. Icalasari

          Plus would it shock ANYBODY if Blaine was teaching Faz things like emotions are womanly, that real men grunt and take charge, and that touching and affection are feminine? Combine that with hormones and the taboo nature combined with it being connected with women would probably make some pretty wild connections in Faz’s brain

        10. Joshua Kronengold

          Amber is not giving Faz Ti-…that’s why this is a side hug (for the best, really, Faz being Faz even at his best).

  4. Chris

    Faz may not always be great, but Faz is always Faz.

    1. Merbrat

      Faztastic

  5. Rosicrucian

    I will not feel sorry for Faz.

    I will not feel sorry for Faz.

    I will no- dammit.

    1. Deanatay

      Faz can you just stop being creepy for ONE MINUTE while I hug you

      1. Paradox

        Someone else pointed it out, but he’s acutely aware of the fact that he’s physically so starved for any form of familial affection that he’s physically incapable of distinguishing friendly hugs from sexual touch. This is despite him being aware mentally that the touch is not sexual in the slightest.

        I now feel bad for Faz.

  6. Foxhack

    Please don’t let this be a fakeout.

    I loathe Faz in Shortpacked but he’s still a kid here and he can still be a good person.

    1. Diane

      Same, I really, really REALLY want this all to not be a fake out. I want Faz to be good. He’s just a kid, but I’m worried how much he’s damaged from his upbringing that I worry it’s a fake out in an attempt for love from unloving parents.

  7. KSClaw

    Better to be Faz than Blaine

    1. TemplarKnight

      Blaine is a pain, and that’s the truth.

      1. Andrusi

        The rain of pain comes mainly from the Blaine.

        1. JasonAW3

          No, no, no… It SHOULD be, “The rain of pain comes mainly TO Blain*..

        2. Suitora

          Well, now it does.

        3. Andrusi

          It’s that too. Different kinds of pain travel to and from Blaine in different directions.

        4. Sunny

          But do the different kinds of pain interact or do they pass through each other?

        5. Opus the Poet

          Well, removing ribs from lungs doesn’t feel all that great.

        6. Bicycle Bill

          It’s gotta feel better than leaving them in there.

      2. Droewyn

        Don’t ask him silly questions. He won’t play silly games.

        1. Lieutenant Dan

          Hiding out in treetops, shouting out rude names.

        2. Liquid Len

          +1 Jeux sans frontieres

      3. Tired

        Could it be? Another Dark Tower fan in this comment section?

        1. thejeff

          What’s kind of amusing is the people who took it off in other directions.

          But yes, that quote does fit Blaine quite nicely. Even if they’re not at all the same kind of pain.

  8. NinjaNick

    You be you, Faz.

  9. butts

    can’t believe FAZ is the source of Amber’s breakthrough

  10. Antonio Tyler

    Dammit Faz ?
    Alternately:
    Dammit Faz! ?

  11. Tandel

    Faz pls

  12. MM

    That’s our Faz. Unfortunately.

  13. Mehe

    Oh now I want to hug Faz.

    Eeeeuuugh.

    1. Gulby

      ^ that, too.

  14. Yumi

    Kinda wish Amber could have experienced this moment without that last comment, but. Still nice!

  15. Bluewind

    I know that last line is probably a Faz joke, but does anybody else feel like that might have a… darker meaning?

    1. timemonkey

      Nah, it just means he hasn’t been hugged enough to associate hugs with familial affection.

      1. Nono

        I didn’t ‘hug’ til I was over 21 and in university, my family just wasn’t a very huggy kinda family (though that has changed in recent years).

        I was perfectly fine with platonic hugs and not a Faz.

        1. Suitora

          I think you’re mistaking an explanation for an excuse. Nobody is saying Faz is right for doing this, but knowing the reasons behind something is what can help you break the pattern.

    2. Sam

      I assume he does not get a lot of physical contact that is not abuse so it could very well have Bad Implications. But it could also be one of his distancing survival mechanisms of creeping everyone out so they stay away and do not emotionally connect with him.

      Saying very sexual things and being overly concerned with it can be a sign of sexual abuse though, so it’s not completely out the cards as we barely know anything about his mother. It’s not really one of Blaine’s types of misdeeds though.

      1. Axel

        I mean he was almost definitely having sex with a teenager to conceive Faz. Probably to obsessed with being a big straight tough guy to assault a male teenager but probably okay with letting others do so

        It could still just be that no one shows Faz affection but it’s not impossible that it’s both, especially since behaving highly sexualized at young ages is often an indicator of abuse.

        1. Suitora

          You can still mess with someone without touching them. You can do stuff like oversharing graphic sexual details, make them watch porn with you, try and get other people to have sex with them, show them another person’s body…

        2. Axel

          Yes true. My other cause of doubt is that I get the feeling he spends no time with Faz, but yeah at the very least he could be saying some pretty fucked up things on those couple car rides to IU (and whereever he stalked Amber before that).

        3. Suitora

          Not to mention, I wouldn’t rule it out yet. A vast majority of people with DID (what Amber has) report some form of sexual abuse (something along the lines of 90%).

        4. thejeff

          I think if we were going down that route, we’d have seen more signs of it by now. DID is usually a sign, as you say, but DID is also sort of retrofitted onto the character on top of the pre-existing superhero identity and known abuse (at least known from SP! and as of the first appearance of Blaine here).

        5. Suitora

          Yeah, that is the sense I got about it. I don’t think he thought of it at first, but when people started theorizing in that direction, he went with it. Which to be fair, is still pretty cool. It’s not like a J.K. Rowling retcon where she said things to please the fans and garner publicity but never wrote them in the book.

    3. angie

      I would never say it out loud while receiving a hug but 100% every time I’ve been hugged by someone I’ve thought basically that exact line lmao it’s just like that when you don’t do hugs

    4. temperaryobsessor

      I don’t know if Willis is going that direction or not but yea my mind went there. Heck hugging is sort of a grapple I would if anything see him explaining that while he likes being hugged it takes is brain a few seconds to realize he’s not being attached.

    5. Jaime Sprague

      That’s definitely where my mind went first, then I had to recalculate.

    6. Leorale

      It’s a red flag, but not a neon sign of Truth. Like, if I was his trusted therapist or something, I’d go “hmm” and ask him more about sexual stuff he’s witnessed or experienced, but if he said nothing sexual has happened to him, I’d believe him, too.

      1. Suitora

        Yeah. You would still have to read the person, though. Someone like Faz would probably 90% of the time deny that anything bad happened to him, especially if it wasn’t overt. Male victims of sexual abuse tend to think of it as a rite of passage they had to endure.

  16. Illjwamh

    Nature and nurture? Isn’t he just Blaine’s stepson? It may just be my natural inclination to distrust Faz, but there’s something fishy here…

    1. King Daniel

      Amber has acknowledged before that Faz is very likely to be Blaine’s actual (unacknowledged) son, and Willis is on record as saying that he’d forgotten his old statement about Amber being Dumbingverse!Blaine’s only kid, leaving the possibility for Dumbingverse!Faz to also be one of Blaine’s kids open.

      1. Bicycle Bill

        Faz’s line in panel 2 of yesterday’s strip summed it up in a nutshell.
        “My mother is now upstairs with our father.”

      2. Shadow Dreamer

        Not to mention, in Shortpacked, they WERE half siblings.

        1. Needfuldoer

          Which he only found out after he had been creeping on Amber, and only because she felt she had to tell him after Blaine died.

          At least he burned that pillow.

  17. Cmd1095

    I want to say that Faz should be less himself… but faz is still better than Blaine part two so…. I am very torn

    1. Human Bean

      Well, we don’t know who Faz really is, do we? Almost all we’ve seen of him so far is an abused kid acting creepy and weird, possibly in an attempt to push people away.
      His shitty family surely didn’t provide him with an environment where he could grow and develop a personality beyond “avoid pissing off Blaine at all costs“, but that may change now.
      I’m interested in seeing what Faz might be like when he can actually be himself.

      1. thejeff

        The problem is that is likely who Faz is. Shaped by the abuse of course, but that’s what he’s learned. Much like Amber is shaped by abuse and trauma. There isn’t some “real” person hiding beneath it.

        What either of them might become with time and some therapy to deal with that trauma is a different question, but I wouldn’t expect it to suddenly vanish just because the abuser’s gone away.

        1. Leorale

          I agree. He does have the opportunity now, for the first time, to branch out and experiment with how he wants to be (which is a great project for anyone, but especially exciting for a teenager). Those experiments will be layered over the person whom Blaine has abusively shaped so far. With time and therapy, he’ll slowly, slowly shed the survival mannerisms that he doesn’t want/need anymore. He really, really wants to reject the crappy default settings with which his abuser saddled him. He’ll go learn other ways to be, and he’ll choose, every day, what it means to be Faz.

  18. FLUFFY

    …I am both disgusted and proud of him and I can’t figure which is which

  19. Kyrik Michalowski

    Well Faz, I don’t like you very much, but you’re right maybe you can be better than your father. The last comment was unnecessary but oh well.

    Now what’s coming to interrupt/ruin this precious moment between siblings?

  20. Nono

    Is… is panel 2 the first time that Faz has used a contraction?

    1. Lumino

      Shit, is Riker in a simulation again?

      1. Jamie

        TRIPLE FANTASY

    2. Maemae

      In an ideal world, I want this to be the first sign that Faz is working to be a better person.

    3. Needfuldoer

      Maybe, like Faye in QC, it’s a sign he’s being less guarded?

    4. Blob

      Not quite the first time (he’s used “it’s” and “doesn’t”) but definitely still notable, especially since he’s also using the first person.

  21. Tsa

    Oh that last line hits hard. A clever chuckle on the surface, but it implies a LOT of awful shit in Faz’s life. 🙁

  22. BlackScarabZ

    They grow up so fast…

  23. adam Black

    OMG! Who’s falling for this?
    He read her diary, gave it Blaine and is just using its content to manipulate Amber .

    Faz Frees Blaine in 3. 2. 1

    1. tim gueguen

      Nah, other than perhaps a panel or two we’re all but certainly done with Blaine’s direct involvement in the comic for the foreseeable future.

    2. Tarnagh

      In Blaine’s current condition, he’d be lucky to make it to the end of the hall. We also haven’t seen the room Blaine is in. There’s got to be Someone in the hall guarding that door. Or so I’d hope. Faz is a fucked up kid, but he’s still a kid in this universe.

      1. BenRG

        It wouldn’t surprise me if he dies on the operating table. In the Walkyverse, he was in poor general health and, if he has a similar serious underlying heart/circulatory condition here in the Dumbingverse, it isn’t beyond belief that Amber already has killed him and that neither of them know it yet.

        1. James

          The only reason I can suspect he might not is because it might lead painfully long consequences in terms of fallout. I don’t think anyone really wants to read about Amber dealing with manslaughter charges for the next ten years, but who knows.

        2. thejeff

          Much like the Stabbing of Scarface, it’s easy enough to write off charges for manslaughter committed while the victim was in the middle of felony kidnapping. Sure, charges could be pressed anyway, but it’s perfectly reasonable for them not to be.

        3. James

          I don’t have a lot of faith that Faz’s mom would be reasonable about it, honestly.

        4. thejeff

          Faz’s mom doesn’t really have a say. Criminal charges are in the hands of the DA. She could pursue a wrongful death law suit if she wanted to, as Ryan’s parents are apparently doing, but that’s different from criminal manslaughter charges.

        5. Bathymetheus

          Ryan’s not dead.

    3. Dara

      Faz only gave Blaine some fanfic, not Amber’s diary.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-10/03-when-it-crumbles/betrayed/

      And if Faz wanted to free him, which I honestly doubt, it’d be kind of hard for his 14-year-old ass to free Blaine at this point. Blaine’s been arrested. He’s probably going to be cuffed to the bed and under supervision. And probably sedated on top of that, considering he’s got broken ribs and a lung punctured by them.

    4. Netty

      He stole fanfiction off her computer at her Dad’s instruction, a Dad who physically and mentally abuses him but makes the money in the family so he feels trapped because without his income, he and his mother are homeless. Faz isn’t perfect and there are a number of things wrong with him, but I think he’s resigned himself to the fact his Dad really shit the bed this time and there will be no covering it up so come what may, they are losing their bread winner….little brothers reading your diary is actually a pretty normal thing to do, and again, it wasn’t a diary, it was fanfiction. I don’t think Amber stops killing spiders long enough to write a diary. Just batman putting his finger in Supetman’s B-hole.
      . Little brother or sisters for that matter can be nosy little shits, but it doesn’t mean they hate you or mean you serious harm. Faz has acted in self-preservation in going along with his abusive Dad that won’t even acknowledge he’s his Dad. The loss of income is going to hit his family hard and who knows how this will impact Amber’s tuition, but all in all while it’s going to impact them poorly financially, they’re both in a way relieved he’s not getting away with it.

      1. James

        No, see, we haven’t explicitly seen Blaine punch Faz, so clearly speculation that he’s been abused is totally baseless and ridiculous, and we’re all morons for not calling a fourteen year old a hardened, remorseless criminal.

        1. clif

          Well, I didn’t think so, but now you’ve convinced me.

    5. James

      Faz is not the kids who bullied you in middle school, yelling at him will not give you closure or justice. Please take some deep breaths and step away from the computer for a little bit, for your own wellbeing.

    6. Zee

      Lmaoooo dude chill the fuck out

  24. Newllend(henryvolt)

    DoA Faz, giving you the heartfelt Fuzzies then ruining it at the last second.

    1. drs

      We call those Fazzies.

    2. Keulen

      That is something Faz is great at.

  25. AutobotDen

    *sigh* Faz, you should’ve just stopped after “I can be me, if I try.”

    1. Reltzik

      … but then he WOULDN’T be Faz.

  26. woobie

    Faz is having a moment.
    Nice.

  27. DalNiente

    Aw. Amber gets to have a “holy granola I’m a role model” moment.

    1. Andrusi

      “Amber O’Malley Day?”
      “Oh, uh… yes, it’s a… it’s… it’s for the children. I’m a… haha… I’m a role model.”

  28. Golden Yak

    Maybe try and work on that too, Faz.

  29. CMasta

    Faz is working on himself at 14(?) more than some of the cast is crashing to their 20s. Respect on his name.

    1. WanderingLynx

      … You know? You’re ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, holy fuck. Last comment nowithstanding, I’m super proud of him right now.

  30. DailyBrad

    I am cautiously optimistic this Faz is going to turn out okay, eventually. His mom’s a piece of work, too, but I mean, he at least sees a possible way to be his own person.

  31. BBCC

    Awwwwww.

    And also ewwwwww.

    1. Regalli

      We’d gone too long without an inappropriate comment from Faz. The books needed balancing.

    2. Deanatay

      Aaaaaooouuuuhhheeeeeewwwww.

  32. Bicycle Bill

    “It isn’t how you are alike.  It’s how you are not.”

  33. Tirachokko

    Honestly? It might be better that at least he’s honest

    1. Jamie

      Agree. I mean, seriously: could you imagine Blaine saying that? Faz is Faz, who is different from Blaine, and not entirely in ways that make everyone else happy.

    2. Deanatay

      Learn to be yourself first. You can always learn to conform later. In fact, learning to conform first can make it harder to learn to be yourself later. So far, he’s doing it right.

  34. Chaucer59

    Leave it to little brother to Faz up a beautiful sibling moment.

    Amber should now let AG take the wheel and slap the crap out of Faz’s pervert brain.

    1. Wizard

      I’m pretty sure that would only further reinforce his warped views.

    2. temperaryobsessor

      AG has rules and making weird comments is not illegal.

  35. abysswatcher1993

    Of course we know Faz’s upbringing wasn’t normal, Willis.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      ‘You people have issues.’

      “Well of course I have issues, that’s my freaking father!”

      ―Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord

  36. Lingo

    See, just yesterday I was thinking, “at least the Faz of this universe is not creepily attracted to his sister.” Way to ruin it, Faz!

    1. Lingo

      I mean, to his credit, neither universe’s Faz has ever intentionally expressed a genuine incestual desire, but still the very specter of it is something I would be glad to never hear of again!

      1. bryy

        I last month re-discovered the strips about Faz’s girlfriend.

        It was so good.

    2. He Who Abides

      I don’t think that’s it. I’m pretty sure that he’s giving Amber a heads-up (oy oy) because of a lack of non-abusive physical contact that’s caused him to associate any affectionate touching with arousal.

      Blaine and Yuri both need to die.

      1. Lingo

        Yes, as I was trying to say above, he’s not actually expressing incestual thoughts.

        1. He Who Abides

          Fair. I just really wanted to make a “heads-up” comment before anyone else, and didn’t end up fully comprehending your post.

  37. FinalGwen

    Putting aside what he says at the end, that line in the third panel is just about the best thing he could say to Amber, and hopefully will help assuage a few of her fears.

  38. Bagge

    Faz… did… great?

    This is a really strange sentence.

    1. deathjavu

      Tripped on the very last hurdle, but still B+/A- territory. He made Amber accept a compliment which no one else has been able to do.

      1. Eldritchy

        He is a mess, she is a mess, it takes a mess to understand a mess I guess…

      2. Apostate

        Less tripping and more being honest about how much Blaine messed him up.

  39. Miri

    His last panel comments could also mean that he feels awkward about the fact that he had to consciously think through “this hug = familial comfort =/= something sexual” – “thank you for the hug – I appreciate it was intended to comfort and convey affection and appreciation, but I may be more messed up than you realise” style.

    1. BenRG

      I suspect that Amber’s response is: “You’re my half-brother. Of course you’re messed up. How could either of us not be? I don’t care though!”

    2. Needfuldoer

      He’s probably not used to platonic familial comfort hugs.

      And that’s pretty sad, if true.

  40. Romanticide

    Considering he disclosed his family does not do hugs first before making the creepy coment… this is actually progress.
    Damn…

    1. anonymsly

      I honestly don’t see the last panel as him being creepy, for some reason. He’s warning Amber about his brain making inappropriate associations – in future, if/when she hugs him, she’ll know it takes him a second to realign himself with reality. A warning of messed-up ness, not a declaration like ‘Faz knew we had burning sexual chemistry.’ Plus, his use of ‘first associates’ indicates that there is a second state, which I hope/assume to be ‘my sister is comforting me! Family! Yay!’

      I’d be more creeped out if he didn’t realize his brain is making inappropriate associations, I think.

  41. Josh Spicer

    Holy shit seeing Faz not be a creep (for the most part) and actually show some genuine progress as a human being sent be reeling back.

  42. BenRG

    Of course, that’s Blaine’s final defeat: His children daring to be different to him and daring to be happy that way.

    1. JessWitt

      You’re right. Blaine’s a sadist towards them, especially of the mental and emotional kind. To break free from these nightmares and forget about him would be great.

      Question is, will Yuri still stand by Blaine or finally grow a conscience?

      1. BenRG

        My call? She’ll stick by Blaine and be dragged down by him. Hell, he may have already roped him into some of his crimes off-panel before he picked up Ross.

        It’s quite possible that Amber may find herself in the position (as Faz’s only adult relative not either dead or under threat of imprisonment) to arrange some kind of accommodation placement (although I’m sure Stacey will be able to talk Joe’s dad into helping in the short term). I’m wondering if Galasso may become tied up in that.

      2. Nah

        I dunno about a conscience but I’m hoping Yuri is currently smothering Blaine to death on the hospital bed so he can’t rat out the mob to the cops for a better deal.

      3. Regalli

        Not sure if I’d call it a conscience, but I do have at least a glint of hope Yuri could be someone better out from under Blaine’s thumb. Given the implication he slept with her when she was a teenager, she may well be as screwed up with maladaptive coping mechanisms. Especially if you add in the likelihood he groomed her beforehand and seriously can Blaine be hurled into the sun?

        Now obviously she could well choose to double down, and if she has mob ties herself things can get bad fast, but. There’s a chance being away from Blaine (and recognizing how much danger her son was in, and finding his actual finances, dare I hope) could help her recognize how fucked up the whole situation was and start trying to do better herself. Not a huge one, but I’d call it way more probable than, say, Linda having that epiphany any time soon.

  43. Rikunda

    Is Faz autistic?

    1. Marisa Mockery

      Faz is Faz

    2. Arianod

      Faz is Great

    3. Lingo

      Faz is a punchline who has been granted secondary character traits.

  44. abacuswizard

    Magnificent.

  45. CJ

    Ouch!

  46. brute

    honestly, big mood in that last panel. if family and friendly hugs never existed for you and you’re putting all your hopes for affection into romantic/sexual relationships, this shit happens. and it’s honestly less gross that he said it because that means he’s aware and making sure she knows- not just secretly savoring it or something.
    also, it’s just generally a good idea to ask before hugging someone who isn’t used to you hugging them.

    1. Agemegos

      Yeah. Communicating honestly might be the least bad play from a bad hand that Blaine dealt him.

    2. Zee

      Tbh I can’t help but relate. My family is kinda frigid with affection so familial hugs just feel kinda gross at this point

  47. Mechajin

    Faz might not be great, but… he’s okay, I guess.

    Faz is Okay.

    1. JessWitt

      Faz is Work in Progress.

  48. GUIGUI

    I don’t think the rule of the multiverse can allow Faz to have any other girlfriend than Wen. Not even the creator can go against that.

    1. BenRG

      The other two characters of approximately Faz’s age are Howie and Connie.

      1. GUIGUI

        You don’t mean Conquest? She is older than that, isn’t she?

        1. thejeff

          Both 16. Or Faz is almost 16, if his previous visit was less than 2 weeks ago.

          I’m not sure if Conquest’s age came up in the strip itself, but it’s definitely been mentioned by Willis.

        2. Diane

          I took that to mean he was almost 14, not 16. Not sure about Conquest, all I know is she can’t serve alcohol.

        3. thejeff

          A lot of people did, but the intent was that sex would be legal thanks to the “Close in Age” exemption, but would be legal without that in a couple weeks if that idea bothered her.

  49. Kaffeeteria

    Wow. This is AMBER REACHING OUT to FAZ WHO TRIES. Amazing.

  50. Nenja

    Awww, Amber’s face in the 4th and 5th panel fills me with feels.

    1. Deanatay

      A lot of commenters seem to have missed how huge a moment this is for Amber. Faz’ worries in panel 2 directly mirror her own insecurity throughout the entire comic, that she is too much like her father. To hear from her sorta-step-brother that she is his role-model, that she gives him hope that he can be his own person, is IMMENSELY affirming for her. That hug in the last panel is fully genuine, at least on her side.

      Of course, Faz would have to skeeze that up. Faz must be himself. His skeezy, skeevy little self.

  51. raultsi

    gee, there might be hope for the little shit after all

  52. Vulcanodon

    Panel six isn’t really a bad thing. Faz is aware enough of how inappropriate that take is, to call it a warning. He sees the difference between himself and somebody who was raised in a more loving household as opposed to an exploitive one. And wants to be better.

    One big obstacle to his redemption will be all the people who utterly can’t stand him. He is hemmed in by the damage of his life so far.

    1. SolomonK

      That’s a sensitive, nuanced and astute take, Vulcanodon!

  53. Rabisch

    Faz has hopes thank to Amber… this is so sweet ♡.

  54. JessWitt

    Darn it Faz, you’re making me tear up like your sister.

  55. hof1991

    Amber really needed a hug right about now.

  56. maarvarq

    DoA Faz is not necessarily as bad as Shortpacked Faz.

  57. FacelessDeviant

    Poor broken Faz :/

  58. Deanatay

    Yotomoe, I’m sorry you had to learn that Faz is not always great in this way. I acknowledge that this must be a hard time for you. If you need to talk, I’m here.

  59. Cabbage Jack

    I never thought I’d ever say this, but poor Faz, I hope the little guy is okay 🙁

  60. Solenoid

    Faz is a weirdo, but he’s his own weirdo. This is where someone might say, “Never change, Faz.” Might. Then you read the last panel and fucking hope he changes.

    1. Solenoid

      (Having seen some of the other comments, yeah, he’s being honest and this stuff happens in certain circumstances. It’s more of a “I hope he can be less skeevy since his self-awareness is a first step to that change.” deal.)

      1. thejeff

        Faz has always been honest about his skeeviness. Too honest, to be honest.

        This does feel a little better than his usual announcements.

  61. Vulcanodon

    Amber is going to reprise panel five for herself. She’s going to keep trying. Partly because she won’t want to let Faz down now – a wonder in itself. And partly because he’s right, and it gives her hope.

  62. Opus the Poet

    Character development for Faz? Character development for FAZ!

    damn you willis

  63. BarerMender

    Amber leans back, slaps his head, re-hugs. “How’s your brain now?”

    1. Bogeywoman

      Would be 100% realistic representation of siblingness

      1. BarerMender

        I know. I have seven of them. Well, had. I’m down to six, now.

        1. BarerMender

          Woops. I had 8. Down to 7.

  64. Daikaiju

    Blessed moment.

  65. Needfuldoer

    Wait, is Faz really the first character to earnestly tell Amber she isn’t like her father? (I know others have before as a kind of consolation, but this was unprompted.)

    1. He Who Abides

      It’s more than that. He’s told her that as part of his own desires to not be Blaine 2.0, and that she’s his role model for that path in his life. Hearing that, from someone who knows exactly what kind of Hell Blaine put her through firsthand, means more than anything that anyone else could say.

      1. Regalli

        Seriously. No one else could have exactly this impact for her, and it is wonderful.

        They may be incredibly screwed up kids, but I’m proud of them.

  66. Daniel M Ball

    Damn you, Willis!! Faz is NOT supposed to be likeable!

  67. Nah

    I wonder if being so weirdly blunt with things is Faz’s reaction to growing up with parents who are both two-faced.

  68. PB

    Huh. Well, this still counts as a sweet moment.

  69. Mitsukara

    Faz, while creepy and awkward, is also always kind of pitiable and a delightful guy in his own weird way, so I always kind of liked him. This kind of character, where they lack tact and are weird desperate lonely perverts but are ultimately not so bad and mean well and are just incredibly socially inept, are often likeable to me for some reason. Gurio Umino in Sailor Moon is a less extreme example of that sort of thing, where he turns out to be pretty heroic and well-meaning in certain episodes despite being the weird creepy kid most of the time.

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