260

Physical
Posted on October 17, 2016 by David M Willis

260 thoughts on “Physical”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “ooo, I love it when you talk dirty”

    “…what?”

    “–YES, I LOVE LEARNING”

    1. Ana Chronistic

      next q: so how do they celebrate sheep being born

      1. Cedrick

        by procreating? gotta have a reason to kill that sheep in 9 months!

        1. Clif

          So that’s what they mean by the circle of life?

      2. Orion Fury

        Roast a carrot?

    2. TheAnonymousGuy

      Time for some sweet, sweet learning, queue the Berry White

    3. Darkoneko

      She’d love to learn. Every nook and cranny. Of his body.

  2. miados

    those eyes are like when some of my friends talk about their otps or yaoi

  3. AnvilPro

    Remember that day with Dina? I nominate Jacob for next day recipient!

    1. Orion Fury

      He seems to be on only the outskirts of drama. I fear for him when he gets sucked into it all.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Get out Jacob! Save yourself while there is still time!

        1. Disloyal Subject

          There is no escape. All shall burn and/or freeze.

        2. Godfather

          Or be sucked into the cragged pits of the lust-wolves and have some sweet, sweet sex.

        3. Disloyal Subject

          Counts as burning. It’s hot sex, right?

        4. Roborat

          Well, if you don’t use protection, something will be burning, yes.

        5. Freemage

          Perfect blend of comment and gravatar. Bravo.

        6. Amazi-Stool

          “We’re still OK.
          Raidah an’ Jacob ain’t yet connected to the rest.          “

  4. Opus the Poet

    Sarah, your libido/imagination is running away with you…

    1. Orion Fury

      Her’s, the commenter’s, same difference?

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Arrrgh
        Misused apostropheeeees
        My only weakness

        1. SgtWadeyWilson

          It could’ve been a complete lack of punctuation…

        2. Orion Fury

          Correct me then, please, for I thought I was using proper possessive punctuation there.

        3. SgtWadeyWilson

          The possessive pronoun, hers, lacks an apostrophe, and if you were referring to more than one commenter, the plural possesive is commenters’.

          I don’t know if the second one is needed, but it sounded like the usual “this is getting meta, she’s saying what we’re saying!” type stuff, so just in case.

        4. Disloyal Subject

          I’m still only partly awake, so maybe Wade’s post makes sense and I’m just too groggy to process it, but:
          >Her’s, the commenter’s, same difference?
          should read: “Hers, the commenters’, same difference?” (disclaimer: that comma and apostrophe after ‘commenters’ are competing for the same spot, and I’m not sure which has right-of-way)
          “Hers” possessive has no apostrophe, and “commenter’s” indicates possession by a single commenter; to add a possessive apostrophe to a plural you tack it on after the S.
          I’ve probably misused some important terminology, but I hope I got the point across.
          I guess I shouldn’t have restrained myself from typing up coherent correction last night, but I was worried about coming across as a judgmental prick and settled for being goofily melodramatic instead.

        5. Orion Fury

          I kinda got both, but figured it was the second one. It was early in the morning, after all. Though I should have gotten the commenter one right, at least. Plus, I’d say the apostrophe wins, because it is attached to the word and the comma indicates a type of pause after said word.

  5. gkheyf

    sorry, i was distracted. let’s repeat that…slowly

  6. Cattleprod

    Technically, the first step is making the baby.

    1. Orion Fury

      Shouldn’t something happen before that, or is this just a chicken/egg thing?

    2. Bluewind

      You are correct XD

  7. Cheshrin

    *insert requisite Slipshine comment here*

    1. Orion Fury

      [Insert Shipping Joke Here]

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        [Insert Ship Name Proposal Here]

        1. Architex

          [Insert Ship Fan Art Here]

        2. Clif

          I think Willis already took care of that.

        3. SgtWadeyWilson

          [Insert calls for Yotomoe here]

        4. Roborat

          (insert obscure reference here)

        5. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          (insert riff of obscure reference with an even more obscure reference here)

        6. SgtWadeyWilson

          [Insert mainstream reference about references here.]

    2. nellydreadful

      *insert Little Jacob THERE…*

  8. Stephen R. Bierce

    *plays “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” on the hacked Muzak*

    1. Stephen R. Bierce

      *followed by “Imaginary Lover”*

  9. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    So Raidah can have the learning part, and Sarah will cover the physical part. Just to help out, of course.

    1. Orion Fury

      Gotta keep things balanced, right?

      1. Clif

        Sounds fair to me.

        1. inqntrol

          What about Other Jacob? He’ll feel excluded.

  10. Orion Fury

    Well that escalated quickly…

  11. NinjaNick

    It’s getting hot in here…

    1. Orion Fury

      [Insert Insert Nelly Joke Here]

      1. Chris Phoenix

        [Insert Insert Insert Nelly Joke Here Joke Here]

  12. David Alexander McDonald

    It must be hump day in DoA.

    Well, for Sarah it’s hump day regardless of whether it’s Wednesday.

    1. Orion Fury

      It’s always hump day somewhere?

  13. Foxhack

    Today I learned that ripping off a shirt is painful.

    At least I think that looks painful.

    1. achallenger

      yes… pain… thats what hes feeling…

      1. tim gueguen

        Yes, the horrible pain of having your favourite shirt destroyed by a horny girlfriend.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          As a person who is extremely fond of his shirts, yeah, that stings right in the avarice.

        2. Woobie

          Not painful.
          It really helps to pre-cut a T-shirt, though. Button-ups are easier.

        3. Disloyal Subject

          Finding good button-ups is time-consuming and expensive. To see them destroyed is to suffer.
          Not particularly bad suffering in the grand scheme of things, but still enough to distract from sexy times. Better to tear skin; that heals for free.

        4. EvolutionistX

          Sew the buttons back on. Problem solved!

        5. Andrew_C

          Except if the tearing was done properly, the cloth the button is attached to often gets damaged, quite badly at times

        6. davidbreslin101

          Modify it so that all the buttons are held on by poppers instead of thread. That’s totally a reasonable amount of effort to go to, right?.

    2. Architex

      ¡SEXO LOCO!

  14. rectilinearpropagation

    Wait, how did what Jacob start off talking about end up with him telling Sarah that he and Raidah aren’t having sex?

    Also, that’s a weird thing to tell someone you’re not even really friends with.

    Also, I have pre-emptive second hand awkwardness for when she can’t give a real reply to any of this because she isn’t paying attention to what he’s talking about.

    1. BBCC

      He was talking about the different traditions he learned from Raidah and how he appreciates that they’re going slowly to learn about each other.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Does Jacob have any concrete reason to think that Sarah has a non-platonic interest in him? Besides Joyce shipping them, I mean.

        1. Clif

          Only if he’s paying attention. He recently had reason to inform her he wasn’t naked, so it’s possible he’s feeling the need to incorporate all sorts of subtext.

        2. BBCC

          He may have clued in by now. She’s dropped a few hints that I will detail in a post that may be blocked temporarily for being link heavy.

        3. BBCC

          Here, where they first met, Sarah said she was jealous of Ethan being Jacob’s roommate in confined spaces with limited clothing: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/confined/

          She basically made goo-goo eyes the next time she saw him, which, I will grant, he doesn’t seem to notice: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/stare-2/

          She talks about not wanting the things she likes to go away while, again, making big goo-goo eyes and it seems that her tone is softening/shaking: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/talk-3/

          She’s basically ogling his ass here: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/therepressions/

          She gets excited and seems to have a rather dreamy tone when he mentions seeing her again: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/onions/

          She tries to steer him away from partying with Roz: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/rival/

          She seems dejected at the idea he likes Roz, hopes he isn’t gay, is happy when he isn’t into her but is sobered by the idea of a long term emotional relationship: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/sniffing/

          She is very blatantly trying to seem cute to him here: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-6/01-to-those-whod-ground-me/goodmorning-2/

          She mentioned fantasizing about him naked: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-7/01-glower-vacuum/tirefire/

          And just today she’s making goo goo eyes at him again.

          So, it’s very possible he’s noticed hints she likes him before and is just too polite to say anything.

      2. rectilinearpropagation

        I dunno, feels like we missed some dialogue. I mean, I think that’s on purpose. We missed stuff because Sarah did. But the “that” in “That’s why” seems like it should be referring to something other than the tradition he was just talking about. Nothing we can see him saying seems to connect to the bit about them not being physical.

        But maybe this is only confusing to me?

        I’m also hoping this doesn’t come across as insulting or sarcastic, I’m legit confused if this was supposed to make sense as is.

        1. BBCC

          He’s saying the reason their relationship is perfect is because they’re taking the time to learn about each other first – the tradition he was describing being an example of that, as he was not previously aware of this Muslim custom she explained to him.

        2. Godfather

          Yay! You picked up on the aquiqah line! Props to you, Willis, for the spelling of it. Those “q” sounds in Arabic are hella hard. Arabic itself is pretty difficult.

          So I guess Raidah comes from a Muslim family, which kind of makes sense considering her name.

          Also, it’s cool that (if Jacob’s telling the truth about his relationship thus far) he and Raidah are focusing on learning about each other and such. But I’ve been in Sarah’s shoes far too many times, and a part of me really, REALLY wants to see them together. Actually, considering how Sarah and Raidah are enemies, and Jacob knows this, it is weird that he’s talking about her. Or it’s just his attempt at making conversation and we’re over-analyzing it. Dunno.

        3. BBCC

          I went to a Catholic high school that required us to take World Religions, which had a unit on Islam. I don’t recall if we ever specifically discussed aqiqah or not, but from what we did learn, it doesn’t surprise me. Charity is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, so it makes sense that at least some of their customs/rituals involve giving to the poor.

          I believe her family descends from the Indian sub-continent, where there are lots of Muslims, so that seems right.

          I like their relationship a lot, but I also feel for Sarah.

  15. Derek

    I’m actually sort of surprised that in her fantasy Sara doesn’t get her clothes ripped off or gets carried like a princess, then again she jus got started

    1. LeRoyEstMort

      Sarah likes to be in control. Otherwise she gets nervous. So I can easily see her being the more dominant partner in their sexytimes. Or at least in her fantasy version of their sexytimes.

  16. achallenger

    ‘infant purification ritial ‘ gets added to my list of better phrases for common things

  17. BBCC

    Ohhhhhhhh dear. This is not working out the way Sarah had hoped. Hard to blame either of them – they both have different desires for any kind of relationship. Sarah wants to fuck a hot guy and Jacob wants a fulfilling emotional relationship. Thaaaaat is not exactly compatible. As much as I dislike the way Raidah treats Sarah and desperately want to see Sarah get some of her own back, she probably is better for Jacob. And that’s going to be a fun fun topic for Sarah.

  18. Dean

    So, who else googled aqiqah? Don’t be shy, now!

    1. AngelBadman

      Nope, just another religious cermony I don’t buy into. That makes a subset of “all of them”

    2. Illjwamh

      Wikipedia. Same diff.

    3. Romanticide

      *raises hand*

    4. Riku

      Googling it probably romanticizes it. It’s just a giant get together, often in a mosque. A lot of people I know don’t even kill the sheep themselves, usually pay somebody else to do it.

      1. Clif

        How much can you make killing sheep for someone else? I mean do people do it professionally?

        1. Disloyal Subject

          The meat industry is a thing, and some local butchers slaughter the meat themselves, so probably a fair amount.

        2. Clif

          But who checks if the sheep were butchered with the correct rituals? Or does it mater? If so, are there inspectors who check?

        3. Andy

          I know there are in Jewish kosher law, so there probably is in halal traditions.

        4. Godfather

          I don’t know about inspectors, but we’re taught that each animal has to be slaughtered humanely, and ostensibly, that is the case, buuuuut I do know that in the industrialization of the halal meat market, a recording of the blessing plays while an animal is slaughtered. Hopefully humanely, and I’d guess in the majority of cases, but you never know about everyone.

        5. tim gueguen

          Which freaked out some right wing American types a year or two back around US Thanksgiving. “They’re halalling our Thanksgiving turkey! The magic words might do…something, we’re not sure what, but it’s Muslims, so it has to be evil!”

        6. AngelBadman

          Hal’al butchers, in Australia, make between $65K-$80K. Certification is provided by Islamic groups at a nominal fee.

        7. Leorale

          Sure, they exist in secular society, too, they are called butchers.

        8. Clif

          Welcome to the Society of Secular Butchers. Now you belong to the SSB and can never go back. Mya ha ha ha ha!

    5. Creatrix Tiara

      I’ve had one done! (My family is Muslim). I don’t know if any sheep were involved, but it’s basically a naming/introducing-baby-to-massive-family-tree sesh.

      1. Clif

        So it would have been a sheep-optional aqiqah? As an excuse for a party, getting to hold a baby sounds like a good one. I imagine that goes double if it’s a grand-baby.

    6. Bicycle Bill

      Now trending on Google — “aqiqah”.

  19. AngelBadman

    So, is Jacob still looking to put Sarah in her place over hurting Raidah? I forget.

    1. BBCC

      I…..don’t think he ever was? The last time we saw him with Sarah, he was perfectly willing to converse with him. She fled to the back of the room and grouched. She intended to break him and Raidah out of spite.

      1. BBCC

        Converse with HER, dammit.

    2. Fart Captor

      I think he must have picked up on how there’s basically a ceasefire between them.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        But does he realize that his body is the tense border flashpoint?

  20. Joe Archer

    Re the tooltip: so what about ritually changing full diapers?

    1. Orion Fury

      Infant Demonic Cleansing?

      1. Clif

        Gotta keep those infant demons clean.

  21. Train Moblin

    Sarah draws slipshines as a hobby

    it’s a living

    1. Orion Fury

      So Amber writes them, Sarah draws them. So who Publishes? Sells? Delivers…

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Daisy is in publishing. Maybe the skate pack could do deliveries.

      2. Drs

        Faz buys them all.

        1. tim gueguen

          “Faz did buy the Slip thing, until Faz discovered the stories did not include him.”

      3. Train Moblin

        Carla delivers.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Well, now someone needs to draw a Carla version of “Anonymous Delivers.”
          I still haven’t even finished that ToeCarol I was supposed to do months ago.

        2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Maybe Pizza Girl needs extra hours?

          (Oh wait, wrong webcomic…)

        3. Roborat

          Maybe that is what the girl with the reindeer is doing.

    2. tim gueguen

      Actually it’s more likely to be Mary who draws them, then spends hours in her church praying for forgiveness for drawing sin.

  22. Cholma

    Me: So… Raidah’s a sheep killer in addition to being a pretentious jerk? Interesting.

    Everyone else: THAT’S your take-away from this?!

    1. BBCC

      No more than a farmer is a cow/pig/chicken killer. Technically, yes, but for sustenance purposes. And donation to the poor purposes.

      1. David M Willis

        Yes, I am sad that Sarah’s hand and Jacob’s head are covering up the part about donating portions to the needy.

        1. BBCC

          It happens! Out of curiosity, what’s the full text of his last line ‘I though that was -” What? Thoughtful? XD

        2. David M Willis

          Yep.

        3. BBCC

          Cool. Thank you!

    2. Mango

      Even so, it’s curious you attribute that to her personally rather than her culture…

      1. BBCC

        Good point – nowhere did he say she did it personally. She may have, but nothing says she did one way or the other.

      2. Cholma

        Why would I malign an entire culture, when it’s just Raidah that is Sarah’s nemesis? Did I miss the part where she swore a blood oath and got her entire family plus cousins to hate on Sarah?

        Besides, it was just a lame joke (the only kind I know how to tell!) against Sarah’s archenemy.

  23. Kitschensyngk

    I smell a Slipshine!

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      They come with smells now? Guess i don’t have the right peripherals…

      1. Orion Fury

        [Insert Reboot PC Joke Here]

      2. Roborat

        It’s the next big thing, after the Oculus Rift, the Olfactory Sniff.

  24. TrueVCU

    I’m surprised the force of Sarah’s impure thoughts isn’t giving Joyce a headache

    1. Spencer

      *Joyce bursts through the wall carrying a bible and a hose*

  25. L!ghtn!ng

    Ohhhh myyyy!

  26. (((Mkvenner)))

    Biology!

  27. BBCC

    Also, Jacob has a brother! Neat! More DoA family info!

    …I am unduly curious about everyone’s backstories and home life, sue me.

    1. Orion Fury

      Really just teasing out Jacob, isn’t he?

      1. BBCC

        Well, it’s not like we had much, if any, information about him before so why not throw in a brother and a brother’s child.

  28. motorfirebox

    Sarah’s about to put her aside all over that physical.

  29. Orion Fury

    I read Jacob’s line in yesterday’s last panel as being irritated by Sarah, but now it seems like it was a joke. I have enough trouble as it is understanding people in real life, I thought I had comic characters down at least.

    1. BBCC

      He may have been irritated but decided to answer her question anyways.

    2. Fart Captor

      I read it that way too, and I still do. I think he’s just somewhat patient and/or forgiving, and is friendly enough to give her the benefit of a doubt.

  30. Tomas

    “Don’t look at him. If I look at him I’ll start staring and then he’ll know!

  31. Tomas

    SPLOOSH!

    1. Godfather

      For real, though.

  32. altalemur

    i was raised one of those weird Christian sects where we don’t baptise or christine babies, because babies are sinless. as a kid, i thought every Protestant practiced it the same as my church, and was a bit weirded out when i first heard people felt the need to christine babies. but honestly infant purification rituals, or lack thereof, is an interesting topic for cultural enrichment. cultural enrichment is sexy.

    1. Clif

      Infant cleansing is that heathen Catholic influence you know.

      1. (((Mkvenner)))

        Orthodox and Coptic baptism infants as well.

    2. Adam Black

      “but honestly infant purification rituals, or lack thereof, is an interesting topic for cultural enrichment. cultural enrichment is sexy.”

      **My junk**does not move at the thoughts of infant genital mutilation, throwing babies in dirty pools, or cutting animals throats.

      All Very much not sexy topics

      1. Orion Fury

        Weirdo.

      2. Clif

        Is it because they aren’t taking off their tiny infant and animal hats?

        1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          The Tiny Hats…

        2. Amazi-Stool

          I followed your link and then pressed the “NEXT” button…
          And then it dawned to me:
          Leave the purification ritual to white young men to break the magic power of them!
          Danny also knows how that works!

      3. altalemur

        in the Europe Renaissance, marital beds were often excessively decorated with baby-like cherubs, especially the ceilings. because they thought thinking about babies would help motivate the couple to have sex/get them in the mood.

        if by genital mutilation you mean circumcision, that is not a ritual of purification.

  33. newllend(henryvolt)

    Yeah uh Sarah, maybe you should get out now.

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      I’m not afraid of confrontation… except when it comes to awkward matters of the heart that I know is going to end badly.

      1. Clif

        Well it might not end badly. We know Jacob is prone to sexual addiction, he just doesn’t have reason to know it yet.

  34. Architex

    This is wild

  35. Crow

    if this is what straight sex is like i am so fucking happy im a lesbian

    1. Crow

      also. why the heck is jacob standing in panel 2 is it just like fanservice for anyone into muscley guys? or is it to set up the really awkward weird and painful looking sex scene in panel 4?

      1. Mango

        I don’t think he really was standing up, it was the first part of Sarah’s daydream.

        1. Cass

          Definitely was, you can see the blue daydream lines starting around them.

    2. BBCC

      They aren’t even screwing in this panel, she’s just getting his clothes off. He looks pretty happy to me, so I dunno. It looks like he’s standing to emphasize the point or to get closer to Sarah for discussion.

    3. Roborat

      Well, if you aren’t fucking happy, you are doing it wrong.

  36. Dana

    Idea: Slipshine entirely in the fantasy monochrome with sketch lines. Maybe the buzzing of other Jacob.

    1. SgtWadeyWilson

      I’d delay releasing it until most readers won’t get the joke at first. I’d also delay the buzzing SFX of other Jacob, as that could function as the punchline as it snaps back to color.

      And before somebody else gets there:
      [Insert joke about delaying release here]

      1. davidbreslin101

        “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”
        “I’m sorry. I know it’s not your fault, but your thing just- just doesn’t buzz enough for me, alright?”

      2. Orion Fury

        [Insert Premature Release Joke Here]

      3. DinaWho

        [insert joke about joke insertions]

        1. Orion Fury

          [Insert Size Joke Here]

  37. Badgermole

    The reversal of gendered norms here is so, so clever. Well done, Willis.

    1. Clif

      Say what? Which gendered norms are being reversed? Pretty sure that fantasies aren’t restricted to one gender.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Bagermole may mean the idea of the man wanting to go slow on getting physical, and the woman wanting to go fast on it. The traditional cliche is the other way around.

        (Sarah we know, but do we know how Raidah feels about this?)

        1. BBCC

          Jacob says it’s really important to both of them, and I see no reason to doubt him on his word at that.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          He seems to me like a guy who’d want to believe the best of people, so I wouldn’t rule out him taking her at her word if she said it was how she felt too for fear of driving him off, but he’s also pretty sharp, and I’m inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt anyway.

        3. BBCC

          Yeah, i don’t see any indication why it couldn’t be true, so I’m inclined to believe him. They seem pretty in tune with each other from what little we’ve seen.

      2. Li

        I’d say the fact that there are like 3 people so far all being really confused as to why Sarah is ripping off Jacob’s clothes instead of the reverse indicates that there are indeed norms being reversed.

  38. yo.

    SARAH, NO. People take very badly to having pervy fantasies when they’re talking.

    1. Council

      As an addendum, if you cannot do both at once and opt for the fantasy, it’s even worse.

    2. CJ

      What’s so pervi about her fantasy?
      She wants his body. As long as she doesn’t force him, where is the perversion?
      Her losing track of what he’s saying is rather bad manners, but well, she doesn’t have much practice yet.

  39. Plasma Mongoose

    Seeing a guy’s O-face is why I do not want to be in a MFM threesome.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Eh, to each their own.

    2. David M Willis

      well if it’s the only reason, then there are simple ways around this

      1. Tan

        Bondage hood?

        1. Clif

          simple blindfold, shutting ones eyes, permanent blindness. Non-standard packing. Hypnosis where everyone looks to you like a calm Budda. Partners who are willing to wear face masks. Also I understand that hanging out on certain parts of Redit or 4-chan can leave you temporarily blind. The possibilities are endless.

        2. Roborat

          Or you could, maybe, turn the lights off?

  40. Adam Black

    Ever notice how ritual animal animal sacrifice seems insanely barbaric when its somsone else’s religion?

    And normal when its your own?

    Everyone who’s eaten Kosher deli is just as guilty.

    1. Rukduk

      Honestly, animal sacrifice never really bothered me. I mean if they’re going to be eaten anyways I feel like having it be part of a religious ceremony makes it easier to not feel guilty about killing a cute *insert livestock animal here*.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        From what I’ve read, a lot of historical animal sacrifice was basically a church barbecue where saying grace got entirely out of hand.

        1. Clif

          Hey, them Koshers they slaughter in the deli is good eating.

        2. Orion Fury

          “Saying Grace got out of hand.” I laughed.

  41. Antonio

    My wife during each of the Luke Cage trailers.

  42. Farmer_10

    Did Jacob’s sex addiction carry over from Shortpacked to this comic? Cause that would be an interesting wrinkle in all this.

    1. (((Mkvenner)))

      I don’t think its manifested yet.

    2. BBCC

      No, he has not developed a sex addiction yet. Willis has said maybe when he’s 25 – which would place him in law school.

      So, if it were to carry over, it will not be at any point that we’ll see it.

    3. David M Willis

      it is not a component of this version of the character

      1. FlyingFish

        Hm. Interesting that you should feel the need to Word Of God that.

        Random speculation: we’ve seen numerous characters across the sexuality spectrum, but we don’t have anyone confirmed asexual yet… (And both Sarah and Ethan scream NOOOOO….)

        1. Spencer

          Carla is ace! Possibly Dina as well.

        2. Fart Captor

          I wonder if I’m ever going to stop picturing Carla as a fighter pilot when I hear/see the term ”ace”, or if that mental association is just stuck in there at this point.

        3. thejeff

          Joyce is the one who wants to be a fighter pilot, but she’s pretty definitely not an ace.

        4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Not until she’s done it five times.

        5. BBCC

          Carla is a sex repulsed asexual and homoromantic.

      2. Tomas

        Yet.

      3. Captain_CloudWolf

        I love that you respond to these comments, it’s awesome to see the author responding and caring about his fans.

  43. Idontcarenomore

    Imo, Radiah is a real bongo. But apparently Jacob really likes her. So good luck to both of them.

    Sorry for Sarah, she blew it because of her social fears. But, I wonder if part of the reason she is still so infatuated with Jacob (aside from that bod) is because she doesn’t want Ridiah to have him. She did say, Ridiah did not deserve him. So, maybe.

    As to baby Christenings, to each their own. If it’s the naming ceremony, fine. If it to ‘cleanse’ the baby of sins, I’ve personally always found that really sad. Baby’s have no sins, although the Bible says the sins of the fathers are handed down until the 4th (or is it 7th) generationa? Thought that was also sad, and highly unfair.

    Sacrifice to your God(s)? All religions do it in one way or another. The sacrament at mass, the tithes to the church, and of course actual animal. Again, to each their own.

    I’ll take responsibility for my own sins, don’t need my forebearer’s too.

    1. Chris Phoenix

      I’m not Christian nor Buddhist. But I was startled to realize that epigenetics could actually transfer “sins” or “karma” (e.g. extremely stressful situations) down multiple generations.

      We know metabolic stress causes heritable epigenetic changes in humans.

      We know childhood environment causes heritable epigenetic changes in mice.

      How long before it’s demonstrated that really bad life experiences can cause epigenetic changes in human descendants? (And the politics of that will be a massive can of worms!)

      1. Joe Archer

        Given the current rate of overpopulation, I suppose that regenerative rights are going to be severely limited in the future. Epigenetics might provide a medical “excuse” to exclude people from natural procreation.

        1. John

          It’s a self-correcting problem without resorting to extreme measures, really. Advanced technological cultures have low birthrates, due to ready access to effective birth control and the time and resources it takes for a baby to become a productive member of society meaning that having kids is an economic load rather than a benefit.

          Primitive cultures also have low growth rates, because while birthrates are high, the rate of survival to reproduction is low. The problem is developing cultures, where infant and childbirth mortality rates are no longer horrific and you no longer need all the kids you can have to provide uneducated labor, but the culture hasn’t yet adjusted to that fact. And that’s self-correcting on the order of a few generations.

          Europe’s population is shrinking, as is Japan’s. America and Australia’s populations are only growing because of immigration. World population is still growing, but the rate of growth is dropping off, and by the middle of the century, it’ll have leveled off and world population will start shrinking. Naturally, without draconian measures.

      2. CJ

        Epigenic changes might be inheritable – has this been proven yet?- , but they are not necessarily stable. That’s why they are epigenetic and not genetic. If you manage to change enough of the body chemistry (methods might be debatable or not) the stoppers that affect which genes are transcribed might change again. So linking it to medical excuses is confusing medicine and ideology.

    2. Clif

      The sins of my fathers were handed down for 7 generations and all I got was this T-shirt.

    3. Cybersnark

      I don’t think of it as “cleansing the baby from sin,” I think of it as “installing the spiritual anti-virus package” (which needs weekly scans and regular updates to work properly).

    4. Amazi-Stool

      sins of the fathers are handed down until the 4th (or is it 7th) generation
      Uh, no, those get added as an addtional bonus package!

      But christian babies are not mere copy-cats, they have original sin (Joyce discussed this with Becky in the aftermath of the Toedad-incident).

  44. Mr.Morningstar

    i know the feeling sarah

  45. Rukduk

    Not gonna lie, I have never seen the word “christened” used in the context of an everyday conversation, so I got really into the text and didn’t realize Sarah was having a fantasy until it (the fantasy) started covering the text.

  46. BenRG

    This is a very interesting monologue that Jacob is delivering. Unfortunately, Sarah’s libedo really has no interest in the noises coming from the sexy hunk of man-flesh’s mouth.

  47. Tooth Cutter

    I am getting really tired of Jacob’s entire character being boiled down to an object of sexual desire. For a supposedly progressive, inclusive comic it’s a huge step backwards to have a black male character and make him entirely sexualised.

    1. Mango

      Is it really boiling down his character to that when you can see right here on this very page him demonstrating that’s exactly what he isn’t?

    2. Kathleen

      There are CHARACTERS that sexualize him, but he has a very distinct personality. As you can see in this comic where he is talking about his family and their religion and his girlfriend and how he likes talking about religion.

      I think what Sarah is doing is gross and objectifying (not necessarily what she is doing here but the totality of how she has treated him) but I think that is a point of conflict they are going to address.

      Sarah wants to *take away* Jacob from Raidah as a punishment as if Jacob is property to be taken. Kind of fucked up. I think they talk about it being fucked up, though.

      David Willis does a good job of creating lifelike characters, as such, sometimes they are super shitty. Most people are super shitty! Or at least, most people have done super shitty things.

      Dumbing of Age is here to bring those people together in interesting ways and then talk about it.

    3. BenRG

      I think that you’re missing the whole point that Willis is trying to make. Jacob shouldn’t be viewed like this. He’s a nice enough and deep thinking guy. Unfortunately, he’s too often seen through the lens of others desire and that’s just how the other characters react to him. That means that he’s having troubles with friendship and relationships because he’s having difficulty getting anyone to see his depths.

  48. Hiraku

    Wait is Jacob commenting that he and Sarah’s relationship has been perfect or is he talking about him & Raidah

    1. EvolutionistX

      Pretty sure he’s talking about Raidah.

    2. Kathleen

      He is 100% talking about Raidah. This is one of maybe 3 conversations Sarah has had with Jacob and he has been slightly annoyed for most of them.

  49. Bagge

    It WAS Other Jacob after all

  50. Tacos

    Well at least she hasn’t 404’d. Yet.

    1. SgtWadeyWilson

      *Error 404: insrt.jke.hre not found.*
      MELON MELON MELON
      -Redo from start-

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Obviously we need to get more bugs into HEX.

        1. JBento

          +++OUT OF CHEESE ERROR+++
          +++PLEASE REBOOT UNIVERSE+++

      2. davidbreslin101

        So it was Redo from Start who said that? Huh. The more you learn.

  51. Bicycle Bill

    Why, in her daydream, is she ripped his clothes off and he is not doing the same to her?

    1. Clif

      It’s her fantasy and not his.

  52. Keulan

    I get the feeling Sarah has stopped paying attention to what Jacob is saying.

  53. exilon1

    I wasn’t expecting a slipshine teaser

  54. StClair

    Let me hear your body talk
    Your body talk
    Let me hear your body talk

  55. Iain

    Ugh, she’s awful.

    1. Orion Fury

      To my understanding, anything more would be behind the paywall, so it’s not her fault.

  56. Teddae

    WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY

    1. Teddae

      now that i think about it, I keep having the feeling that jacob in this universe is also a sex addict…

      1. Clif

        Will also be. When he finally gets around to it at about 25.

      2. JBento

        Willis said above that Jacob’s sex addiction did NOT make it through the interdimensional wall to the DoAverse.

  57. Scar Man!!!

    Huh. It’s like the axis of his main conflict got reversed from his Shortpacked! counterpart. In Shortpacked!, he couldn’t stop thinking about sex (that was a depressing, but informative storyline). Here, a lot of people find it hard to not think about having sex with him.

  58. Spencer

    It is a little weird to me that some folks here are super skeeved out Sarah having a sex fantasy about an attractive friend.

    Becky has probably had at least one wet dream about Joyce since she hooked up with Dina. Amber started writing a slash fic in her head featuring Jacob when she first met him. Heck, we’ve seen Danny get genuinely aroused being near Ethan and having dreams about him while he was still dating Amber, and that didn’t somehow make him unfaithful (unless you were one of those commenters who thought so in which case you are terrible).

    I guess it’s just how vivid it is? Like that Jacob is talking about how much emotional fulfillment he’s getting from his relationship while Sarah is dreaming about tearing his shirt off.

    1. Council

      More the fact there is an understanding between them, and yet Sarah lets herself go anyway.

      Amber did not try to become Jacob’s friend, ostensibly for the chance to get laid someday. They just met for a brief time.

      Becky and Danny had dreams, not DAYdreams. Barring learning how to dream lucidly and deliberately take away the daydream that for all intents and purposes helps them overcome their unfulfilled desires, they can’t do much about that.

      Sarah knows Jacob would not do it with her, would most likely be unhappy to know Sarah is around him mainly since she wanted it, and yet there she is, mentally undressing him and them some, while he is talking to her no less.

      1. Spencer

        I mean, Sarah didn’t try to become Jacob’s friend. She just wanted a booty call, and Jacob’s the one who’s been pushing at it with Sarah finally allowing herself to befriend him while also knowing she’s not going to get up in that divine manchest.

        IDK it just seems harmless to me. I really don’t see much of a problem with thinking sexy things about your sexy friend.

        Also Becky had a bout of internal screaming over Joyce fake marrying Dorothy, presumably because she is a hussy, and Danny has straight up gotten straight up* twice now over seeing Ethan while he was dating someone else.

        *I’m so sorry for that.

        1. BBCC

          I could see it being a problem if it were a recurring thing, but it isn’t. It’s happened twice – once when he was talking about how it should be okay to enjoy sexy things without shame (so why would he be upset she thinks he’s hot? It’s not like she’s acted on it or only pretends to like talking to him in the hopes she’ll get laid – she genuinely seems to enjoy his company, even if it’s not the type of company she wants) and once right now.

          Sure, blocking out what people are saying is kind of rude but it’s not like she’s doing it because she doesn’t care or on purpose – she’s having a moment picturing his sexy abs which she was recently in close proximity too. It happens, especially when you’re a horny college student. It’s not a big deal imo.

        2. Council

          I consider being a horny college student who can’t yet help herself a MITIGATING FACTOR, not a complete free pass. She is not being terrible or abusive or anything, but she needs a reality flash.
          And, while yes, it’s not a big deal YET, she doesn’t quite demonstrate the self-control needed to keep her fantasies as just that, so, bit skeptical of the implications.

        3. BBCC

          What reality flash? That they’re not going to be compatible that way – yeah, she knows. Hence why she hasn’t wanted. Not every crush gets addressed or discussed with said person. Sometimes they pass in silence and it isn’t ever a thing. Sarah was happy to content herself to just looking (note she has never tried to pursue Jacob except for ONE day where she wanted to steal him from Raidah and that wasn’t about him being hot – it was about making Raidah sad.) while JACOB tried to pursue friendship. During said interactions, she never tried to make a move on him (again, barring the time she wanted to steal him from Raidah and even then, her ‘move’ was basically to stand there and look cute at him), even when she thought he was single, double so when she found out he wanted a serious emotional relationship and was not up to casual things. Her desire to pursue Jacob was a one day thing to take him from Raidah. She had even said she’d given up the idea of a relationship of any sort exactly because they didn’t work out – she wanted sex, he wanted a girlfriend. She was okay with conceding him to Roz. Aside from the one instance of trying to get him away with Raidah, she has never once made a move, so I have no idea where the idea she can’t control herself around Jacob comes from. This is not a lack of self control. It’s a two second fantasy in response to being in close proximity to a part of his body she finds attractive. That doesn’t make admiring his body and WANTING to bone not okay – that’s natural. I’m really not seeing the issue here. If she were pursuing him, sure. If they were dating and she wasn’t being honest about what she wanted, fine. Hell, even if she WANTED to date and she weren’t being honest, fine. She has done none of those things, and the only thing she HAS done is admire and fantasize, neither of which is a wrong thing to do, especially when she has no intentions of acting on them.

        4. Council

          Jacob didn’t push anything. He said he didn’t want casual sex in college before Sarah expressed her desire to well and truly bone him. I’m as sorry as anyone that didn’t come to pass, but also disappointed in Sarah, as she did not walk away/confess what her original intention was.

          For a budding relationship, full disclosure would not only be wise, it’s also what would be right.

          This situation can very easily lead to Drama, something Sarah oh so vehemently avoids.

          I mean, this is what DUMBING of Age is all about, so it entertains me, but I understand why people are upset.

        5. Fart Captor

          She’s starting a conversation with him, not a relationship. They’re currently friendly acquaintances who only see each other because they have a class together, and their social circles just barely overlap.

          If she’s actually gonna act on those feelings, that would be the time to bring up that whether she’s looking for, sex, love, or both. Bringing it up now would be not only premature, but kinda inappropriate in my opinion.

          If all she’s looking to do is be friends, I see no reason why she should inform him she wants to bone him. Sex and walking away are not the only options here.

        6. Council

          Hm. Yes. That is a good point. They never said they were friends, were they? My bad. Thank you Fart Raptor:3

        7. BBCC

          Jacob pushed for a friendship. He’s the one who continues going out of his way to interact with Sarah so they can be friends. Until he did that, Sarah did not really interact with him. She even told Joyce she didn’t see herself talking to him, and she seemed fine with just admiring his body from the back of the class.

          Also, Sarah expressed an interest in Jacob (which he interpreted as a joke) when they first met, so she actually did express an interest before he said anything about wanting to be casual.

          Even if she hadn’t though, she hasn’t made any moves towards pursuing Jacob. She simply doesn’t try (minus the time she tried to take him from Raidah). If she never intends for anything to happen one way or the other, it’s a moot point that she wants to fuck.

          Now if they were actually in a budding relationship, that would be true that she needs to be honest. But they aren’t. They’re friends(ish) and she doesn’t seem to intend for that to go anywhere else, so there is no need for her to bring up she wants to fuck. It’s for the same reason why it’s not a problem for Ethan to find Jacob attractive – he has no intentions of doing anything about it and just wants to be roommates (as well as respecting that Jacob is straight), so there’s no reason to bring that up.

  59. Deanatay

    Ooh, baby… tell me more about your bris!

  60. Charles Phipps

    I do like how Sarah’s love of Jacob is completely shallow and sexual. She really would be the worst girlfriend ever for him.

    1. Spencer

      I wouldn’t go quite that far, as I think there’s a lot of buried desire for affection in Sarah, but you’re not wrong. Jacob seems to want emotional availability above all else, with sex being a distant need. Using his body once or twice is really all that Sarah can admit to wanting from him, at least for now.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Yeah, it might be that she is saying she only wants him for his body because she needs to keep up the stoic front that shuns feels because they only cause trouble. Keep up the front even to herself, or especially to herself.

        Or she might just only want him for his body, which is fine as long as she isn’t a dick about it.

    2. BBCC

      Sarah has never ever used the word ‘love’ for Jacob. All she has ever copped to was wanting his body. Maybe she secretly does want more, maybe she doesn’t. If she doesn’t, that is not a wrong thing to want. People can have happy and healthy sexual relationships without wanting more. That’s just not what Jacob wants. In that way, they are incompatible, but she’d hardly be the worst girlfriend in the world. They just have different wants for their relationship.

      1. BBCC

        *relationships. Sarah wants sexual ones, Jacob wants an emotional connection.

  61. Jezi

    Am I the only one who doesn’t see anything that wrong with how Sarah has behaved? They’re not close friends, she’s shown no signs of trying to manipulate him into bed or anything like that. He’s a hot guy she knows that she’d like to get filthy with. If she were acting on it or bringing it up to him all the time or something, it would be a problem, but they aren’t really any more than passing acquaintances at this point.

    1. Jezi

      Also, all the steamy neck kissy details and shit aren’t doing me any favors. Haven’t seen my dumb far away fiance since the end of August…

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      No you are not the only one.

    3. Fart Captor

      Having sexy thoughts about someone, regardless of how well you know them, is fine.

      Letting your mind wander mid-conversation, to the point where you’re not paying attention to a single word other person is saying is kinda rude, regardless of what you’re thinking about. Not something I’d get upset about unless it happened frequently, but still rude.

      If the reason she stopped paying attention was simply because she didn’t care, that’d be crappy of her, especially if she were simply trying to look like she cared to get into his pants. I doubt that’s what she’s doing though.

      I think she just doesn’t have a lot of practice at giving someone her full attention while fending off intrusive sexy thoughts.

      1. SgtWadeyWilson

        I feel like “Intrusive Sexy Thoughts” is a good band name for a group with songs based on Ryan North’s Dinosaur Comics.

        I think that’s an odd thing to feel like, it’s hard to tell from the inside.

  62. sarpiedon

    so wait…he’s NOT a sex addict?

    1. Spencer

      Your grav makes that so much funnier.

  63. LrgShadow

    So, he has that Luke Cage thing going?

    1. SgtWadeyWilson

      She wants to get some coffee.

  64. pyrpyr

    I had always pegged Willis as the type to write about blood and gore and sacrifice during a sex (fantasy) scene, but this is the first time it’s actually happened.

    😛

  65. Larkle

    As much as I love Sarah and wish her happiness and victory over Raidah, I’m not sure that her and Jacob would be such a good couple. They both seem to want different things out of a relationship. On the other hand, Sarah has always been a practicality first kind of person.

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