Wouldn’t say that. Lucy and Dorothy are obviously very different personalities and people. They do share the same, “They’re better than me” realm in Walky’s head but that doesn’t mean he thinks of Lucy as a replacement.
Exactly. It really speaks more of Walky’s self-awareness/low self-esteem.
Jason
Definitely. The one comparison he has is “too good for me, and just stupid enough to love me”. Neither of those are actually remotely about either of the girls in question or really about his feelings towards either of them, and are exclusively about Walky’s feelings about himself. He’s not good enough for either of them. The only way either of them would love him is by being a little bit stupid in the love arena. That’s all about him there.
Which is… definitely tragic.
SpongegirlCircleskirt
Oooff. I think you hit the nail on the head there.
Initially, it was her grades slipping, then she ended it again when she felt she was yo-yo’ing him, because she knew he’d take her back whenever she wanted, only to get hurt again.
Both directly and indirectly he was at fault for why things didn’t work out for his past relationships. He’s being down on himself for it but he’s atleast trying to be better for the next person.
I don’t think that’s really true for Dorothy. They both made mistakes but I think Dorothy is arguably more at fault. She couldn’t manage herself well when with him and decided to prioritize her grades over her relationship. I can’t in good conscience put much blame on Walky for that. He did ruin things with Amber though.
I don’t know about that, when Dorothy and Walky were a thing she made it clear her grades came first. Sometime passed and they got closer than they should have and he started to struggle academically and she dropped everything to make him her first priority which was bringing her down.
That’s the part I’d say it was indirectly because of him, maybe it wasn’t fair to it was his fault though and Dorothy did do something wrong though.
Sirksome
Eh. That’s kind of mixed for me. Walky’s grades don’t have much impact on their relationship. He could’ve failed his class and still dated Dorothy. The fact he passed anyway undercuts part of their justification for breaking up which means it was pretty weak. The problem was Dorothy was doing things like watching cartoons, chasing Amazi-girl,fucking Walky, and sleeping in instead of studying for her self imposed heavy course load. Dorothy spread herself too thin, that plus the eventual goal of transferring to Yale broke her resolve. She felt like she was stringing him along. But it’s not Walky’s fault she liked him too much.
Jay
He passed anyway because Amber hacked his grades. (And made him think she didn’t.)
thejeff
She hacked his grades before the midterms. That’s not enough to actually pass the class unless he figured out how to study and was able to do better.
The hacking likely gave him some of the confidence he needed to put effort into it.
Does he even know about Amber altering test scores for him?
Francoinblanco
Yep before action he went character development rant about responsibility and decide to cancel action but Amber do it during his rant out of frame and done before he decide to cancel
Axel
Pretty sure she decided herself to raise them up to passing, in order to keep him around, and that he was surprised when he saw his scores
DailyBrad
Yeah, like he could have told the school, but doing so would have got Amber in trouble. I do think there’s a difference between implicating himself for something he did, and implicating someone else in something he was not party to.
How? The Lad is finally thinking about the feelings of other people. The fact that he is seeking advice is character growth and the first indicator that he is becoming an adult. He never questioned how his behavior affected others before. This struggle he is experiencing is GOOD! Our baby-boy is growing up!
How easily people forget and accept Walky’s surface presentation.
This is the same Walky that decided he was going to have to break up with Dorothy so she wouldn’t fall more behind on her schoolwork. He plays the fool, but he can be as much of an adult as anyone else in the comic when he needs to.
I’m legitimately surprised by Walky here; I know he had some difficulties with breaking up with Dorothy, but I didn’t realize how much he really loved Dorothy.
I’ve just been accused of doing it often enough when I failed in other contexts by other people to have picked up on the meaning. I expect Walky is much the same.
Is Walky saying that the only reason he’s with Lucy is because he’s guilty about breaking up with Dorothy? Or because he doesn’t think anyone else would take him? Or both?
Seems more like he realises he has a second chance at a good relationship and he’s trying to cut off all the problems from last time before they can come up again. This is called “pattern recognition”, but some folks like to call it “paranoia”.
I think paranoia is driven by when pattern recognition goes into overdrive? I know for me I run into issues with a anxiety spiral because my pattern recognition is good but I’ll fall into overanalyzing things rather than letting the past rest.
Nah, it’s still paranoia even if they are out to get you. It’s a mental state.
Joy
Is it possible to have people literally out to get you and to acknowledge that without being paranoid about it then? (“I’ll take reasonable precautions and live my life, and if it comes up again I’ll get law enforcement involved and get a restraining orders hopefully that makes it go away if need be?”)
Is not having a Facebook because you have a stalker like, paranoïa? Is it reasonable precaution?
Joy
Restraining order, not restraining orders. Autocorrect flipped it again while I was typing out restraining order just now, weird.
FWKnight
I would say its Paranoia when pattern recognition becomes an all-consuming part of your life. Questioning if whether saying “I love you” too soon or too late might ruin a relationship due to past experiences is fine and healthy. Questioning if selecting cheetos from a vending machine might ruin a relationship is not.
thejeff
Sure, but that’s not paranoia.
It’s a mental condition. All combinations of having paranoia and having people out to get you are possible.
thejeff
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.”
I think closer to the second, but he’s not saying that’s the only reason, in either case. He seems happy with her, but sees potential for hurt feelings or worse due to this misunderstanding.
He’s not saying no one else would take him, he’s saying someone THAT GOOD wouldn’t normally take him (other than the now two women who have). He remains perfectly confident in his ability to score fellow garbage (note how he does not count Amber).
He and Amber also didn’t get to the “love” stage, so that’s another reason he might not count her.
Freemage
Or he might realize that someone who physically assaults you for being (admittedly) an ass is not a ‘good’ person and you’re probably better off out of that relationship.
thejeff
Maybe, but he’s seemed to be friendly to Amber since then, so I don’t think there are any hard feelings.
He wants to enjoy his time with Lucy and for her to enjoy it to. He also doesn’t want to ruin it idiotically because of his short comings like he’s done before.
Neither, I think. He’s saying that he thinks Lucy is too good for him, and he’s learned from his experience with Dorothy that he would regret messing up that relationship — and you could infer from that (if you feel uncharitable) that he’s staying with her only out of obligation because he thinks she’s too good an opportunity to pass up, and not out of any genuine affection. I don’t think he’s saying that. I think he’s saying he likes Lucy, cares about their relationship, and wants it to last.
HAPPY DUMBING DAY*, EVERYONE! What’s Dumbing Day, you ask? Why, it’s a holiday I made up! We celebrate DUMBING DAY on whatever date (month and day) in real life that happens to correspond to the current in-story date of DoA, according to reasonable* deductions/assumptions* we can make about that. And according to those deductions/assumptions*, as currently espoused by Walkypedia (well, extrapolated from what’s currently there), the current storyline (“Turning Saints Into the Sea”) takes place on January 19, which is today! (Of course, this storyline takes place on a Wednesday, whereas today is Thursday, but we always ignore that part.)
So celebrate! How do we celebrate? By doing whatever our cast does. So this year, get out there and get assessed for autism, ditch school to bug your misanthropic big sister, try to get your undeserving dedocumented boyfriend his old job back, give your secret crush a revealing drawing in front of a naked lady, claim your dead roommate is actually alive just for the lols, and baby your friend so much she invites you to climb out of her asshole. And as always, part of the celebration of Dumbing Day is guessing when the next Dumbing Day will be. Put me down for January 23, 2024.
Discussion (146) - “Particular”
Ana Chronistic
Wow. Simultaneous ‘stupid’ and ‘
not stupidtoo good’. You are clearly a heavy-duty philosopher.Ymbrael
Truly a Hegelian dialectic for the ages.
milu
Willisian Dialectics:
Thesis: dumb decisions rule the land
Antithesis: Coming of age???
Thesis:… woops, Dumbing Of Age ™
Or: history repeats itself, first as a tragedy, then as a sitcom
Slartibeast Button, BIA
Uncle Fester is going to kick him in the balls later?
Kyrik Michalowski
Fester also refers to wounds or items that have begun to get worse and infected or rotting.
k
And that is indeed the meaning of Uncle Fester’s name!
Uncle Fester kicking Walky in the balls, confirmed.
Clif
That’s what I heard.
But judging by the last panel, he missed and got Dorothy instead. On account of facing the truth hurts.
Yotomoe
Sounds like something he’d do.
Axel
he’ll shoot ‘im in the back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OnJt98B6Oc
Doc Harleen
Ooof. Well that’s no good. Lucy really is being used as replacement-Dorothy, huh.
Arawn
Wouldn’t say that. Lucy and Dorothy are obviously very different personalities and people. They do share the same, “They’re better than me” realm in Walky’s head but that doesn’t mean he thinks of Lucy as a replacement.
Eaglestrike
Exactly. It really speaks more of Walky’s self-awareness/low self-esteem.
Jason
Definitely. The one comparison he has is “too good for me, and just stupid enough to love me”. Neither of those are actually remotely about either of the girls in question or really about his feelings towards either of them, and are exclusively about Walky’s feelings about himself. He’s not good enough for either of them. The only way either of them would love him is by being a little bit stupid in the love arena. That’s all about him there.
Which is… definitely tragic.
SpongegirlCircleskirt
Oooff. I think you hit the nail on the head there.
Grimey
Walky blames himself for he and Dorothy ending…Am I misremembering or wasn’t it all Dorothy deciding they were done?
DailyBrad
Initially, it was her grades slipping, then she ended it again when she felt she was yo-yo’ing him, because she knew he’d take her back whenever she wanted, only to get hurt again.
GholaHalleck
“She finally saw me for what I was really worth” thinks the poor lad.
Yotomoe
Yeah.
If he couldn’t get Dorothy to stay, that’s his personal failing, not hers.
(is his line of thinking).
newlland(Henryvolt)
Both directly and indirectly he was at fault for why things didn’t work out for his past relationships. He’s being down on himself for it but he’s atleast trying to be better for the next person.
Sirksome
I don’t think that’s really true for Dorothy. They both made mistakes but I think Dorothy is arguably more at fault. She couldn’t manage herself well when with him and decided to prioritize her grades over her relationship. I can’t in good conscience put much blame on Walky for that. He did ruin things with Amber though.
newlland(Henryvolt)
I don’t know about that, when Dorothy and Walky were a thing she made it clear her grades came first. Sometime passed and they got closer than they should have and he started to struggle academically and she dropped everything to make him her first priority which was bringing her down.
That’s the part I’d say it was indirectly because of him, maybe it wasn’t fair to it was his fault though and Dorothy did do something wrong though.
Sirksome
Eh. That’s kind of mixed for me. Walky’s grades don’t have much impact on their relationship. He could’ve failed his class and still dated Dorothy. The fact he passed anyway undercuts part of their justification for breaking up which means it was pretty weak. The problem was Dorothy was doing things like watching cartoons, chasing Amazi-girl,fucking Walky, and sleeping in instead of studying for her self imposed heavy course load. Dorothy spread herself too thin, that plus the eventual goal of transferring to Yale broke her resolve. She felt like she was stringing him along. But it’s not Walky’s fault she liked him too much.
Jay
He passed anyway because Amber hacked his grades. (And made him think she didn’t.)
thejeff
She hacked his grades before the midterms. That’s not enough to actually pass the class unless he figured out how to study and was able to do better.
The hacking likely gave him some of the confidence he needed to put effort into it.
DailyBrad
Very interesting.
Walky is, for any of his faults, a person of integrity.
Kamino Neko
And yet, he has regrets.
Francoinblanco
He has nice integrity for a math exam score cheater.
I’m still waiting for that uncle Fester to kick him in the balls
drs
Does he even know about Amber altering test scores for him?
Francoinblanco
Yep before action he went character development rant about responsibility and decide to cancel action but Amber do it during his rant out of frame and done before he decide to cancel
Axel
Pretty sure she decided herself to raise them up to passing, in order to keep him around, and that he was surprised when he saw his scores
DailyBrad
Yeah, like he could have told the school, but doing so would have got Amber in trouble. I do think there’s a difference between implicating himself for something he did, and implicating someone else in something he was not party to.
Nono
Well Walky certainly fumbled that.
Clif
Did he?
RedCat
Fumbled what and how?
SpongegirlCircleskirt
How? The Lad is finally thinking about the feelings of other people. The fact that he is seeking advice is character growth and the first indicator that he is becoming an adult. He never questioned how his behavior affected others before. This struggle he is experiencing is GOOD! Our baby-boy is growing up!
thejeff
How easily people forget and accept Walky’s surface presentation.
This is the same Walky that decided he was going to have to break up with Dorothy so she wouldn’t fall more behind on her schoolwork. He plays the fool, but he can be as much of an adult as anyone else in the comic when he needs to.
Taffy
No, he didn’t.
Kyrik Michalowski
I’m legitimately surprised by Walky here; I know he had some difficulties with breaking up with Dorothy, but I didn’t realize how much he really loved Dorothy.
Thag Simmons
Speaking as someone with a Walky-level understanding of sports, I have absolutely picked up the term fumbling the ball through osmosis.
Yotomoe
I was in high school band so I know way more about Football than I normally would.
Rose by Any Other Name
Ayup.
Also, my grandmother was a huge football fan.
Thag Simmons
I got dragged to like one Canadian football game as a kid and paid attention to when the numbers went up and that’s about the extent of my knowledge.
I did a bit of fencing and archery, which was fun but isn’t really mainstream anymore and even there my understanding was pretty surface level.
Azhrei Vep
I’ve just been accused of doing it often enough when I failed in other contexts by other people to have picked up on the meaning. I expect Walky is much the same.
Keulen
Pretty much the only reason I went to any football games in high school was because I was in the marching band.
Taffy
Also “fumble” is a pretty neutral verb.
Barswanian
Dorothy, you don’t need this kind of pain.
Holly
and so grows my continuous foreboding feeling that Dorothy is somehow going to have the biggest break/trauma of all in her growth arc
Sporky
Is Walky saying that the only reason he’s with Lucy is because he’s guilty about breaking up with Dorothy? Or because he doesn’t think anyone else would take him? Or both?
Taffy
Seems more like he realises he has a second chance at a good relationship and he’s trying to cut off all the problems from last time before they can come up again. This is called “pattern recognition”, but some folks like to call it “paranoia”.
J. Spider
I think paranoia is driven by when pattern recognition goes into overdrive? I know for me I run into issues with a anxiety spiral because my pattern recognition is good but I’ll fall into overanalyzing things rather than letting the past rest.
Thag Simmons
It’s not paranoia if you were right.
thejeff
Nah, it’s still paranoia even if they are out to get you. It’s a mental state.
Joy
Is it possible to have people literally out to get you and to acknowledge that without being paranoid about it then? (“I’ll take reasonable precautions and live my life, and if it comes up again I’ll get law enforcement involved and get a restraining orders hopefully that makes it go away if need be?”)
Is not having a Facebook because you have a stalker like, paranoïa? Is it reasonable precaution?
Joy
Restraining order, not restraining orders. Autocorrect flipped it again while I was typing out restraining order just now, weird.
FWKnight
I would say its Paranoia when pattern recognition becomes an all-consuming part of your life. Questioning if whether saying “I love you” too soon or too late might ruin a relationship due to past experiences is fine and healthy. Questioning if selecting cheetos from a vending machine might ruin a relationship is not.
thejeff
Sure, but that’s not paranoia.
It’s a mental condition. All combinations of having paranoia and having people out to get you are possible.
thejeff
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.”
Wraithy2773
The difference between Paranoia and Pattern Recognition can only be determined in hindsight :D.
DailyBrad
I think closer to the second, but he’s not saying that’s the only reason, in either case. He seems happy with her, but sees potential for hurt feelings or worse due to this misunderstanding.
Yotomoe
I think he feels like he doesn’t deserve love, but he still craves it.
Tan
He’s not saying no one else would take him, he’s saying someone THAT GOOD wouldn’t normally take him (other than the now two women who have). He remains perfectly confident in his ability to score fellow garbage (note how he does not count Amber).
thejeff
He and Amber also didn’t get to the “love” stage, so that’s another reason he might not count her.
Freemage
Or he might realize that someone who physically assaults you for being (admittedly) an ass is not a ‘good’ person and you’re probably better off out of that relationship.
thejeff
Maybe, but he’s seemed to be friendly to Amber since then, so I don’t think there are any hard feelings.
newlland(Henryvolt)
He wants to enjoy his time with Lucy and for her to enjoy it to. He also doesn’t want to ruin it idiotically because of his short comings like he’s done before.
TerribleTransit
Neither, I think. He’s saying that he thinks Lucy is too good for him, and he’s learned from his experience with Dorothy that he would regret messing up that relationship — and you could infer from that (if you feel uncharitable) that he’s staying with her only out of obligation because he thinks she’s too good an opportunity to pass up, and not out of any genuine affection. I don’t think he’s saying that. I think he’s saying he likes Lucy, cares about their relationship, and wants it to last.
Taffy
These two are cute together. They should date.
Nova
Agreed. Honestly I can’t imagine any issues with that ship. Let it sail!
Jenniffniff
Ouch, this one hurts ☹️ It was a mutual fumbling, Walky. You’re both 18 years old, there’s still a lot to learn on both sides.
Lingo
HAPPY DUMBING DAY*, EVERYONE! What’s Dumbing Day, you ask? Why, it’s a holiday I made up! We celebrate DUMBING DAY on whatever date (month and day) in real life that happens to correspond to the current in-story date of DoA, according to reasonable* deductions/assumptions* we can make about that. And according to those deductions/assumptions*, as currently espoused by Walkypedia (well, extrapolated from what’s currently there), the current storyline (“Turning Saints Into the Sea”) takes place on January 19, which is today! (Of course, this storyline takes place on a Wednesday, whereas today is Thursday, but we always ignore that part.)
So celebrate! How do we celebrate? By doing whatever our cast does. So this year, get out there and get assessed for autism, ditch school to bug your misanthropic big sister, try to get your undeserving dedocumented boyfriend his old job back, give your secret crush a revealing drawing in front of a naked lady, claim your dead roommate is actually alive just for the lols, and baby your friend so much she invites you to climb out of her asshole. And as always, part of the celebration of Dumbing Day is guessing when the next Dumbing Day will be. Put me down for January 23, 2024.
Lingo