270

Everybody
Posted on October 19, 2022 by David M Willis

270 thoughts on “Everybody”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    Leslie: “eh… so you pay to skip class, that’s your privilege”
    Carla: “PRIVILEGES ARE MINE TO HAS, ONLY ME”

    1. Concolor44

      Carla seems to be working hard to become my least-favorite student character.

      1. Bunny

        Being in your face 24/7 is Carla’s defense mechanism. She’s received so much hate coming up that she expects it. She thinks she can handle it as long as it doesn’t catch her by surprise. So she tries to control the narrative by antagonizing. So when the hate comes it was because she said “bring it”. At least. That’s what I think.

        1. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Usually. She seems to be getting portrayed even more abrassive the past couple of appearances. I wonder if she’s ok.

        2. Opus the Poet

          She’s still in the same dorm as Mary, after Mary’s attack and Carla’s subsequent prank. Of course she’s not OK.

        3. Taffy

          Go figure, being stuck in close proximity with a person who literally wants you dead isn’t the best thing for a person’s mental or emotional well-being, and could probably even lead to doubling down on defense mechanisms.

          It’d be lovely if Mary got removed from play somehow.

        4. thejeff

          Though that was a long time ago and the change seems more recent.
          I do suspect this class is likely a stressor for her. They’re going to be talking about trans issues and the odds are good that with her in that context, some of the classmates are going to realize that she’s that Carla Rutten – the trans girl from the big case a few years back.
          Got to build her mind share as an asshole before that happens.

        5. shylar

          What do you mean, what big case? I think I forgot about this.

        6. Mark

          Yeah, I keep thinking that people are remembering things from a former timeline. I’ve got all the DOA books and I can’t recall anything more than shadowy hints about Carla’s past, present status, or why Mary should have it in for her.

        7. Bathymetheus

          I couldn’t give you a link, but comments a day or two ago referenced her being on the cover of Time magazine. I think that was a few years ago both IRL and comic time.

        8. thejeff

          We do know she was on the cover of time, but she was also involved in a legal case that struck down anti-transgender laws. Raidah talked about Jacob’s brother working on such a case and when he visited he ran into Carla in the elevator and she thanked him for “lawyer stuff”.

  2. shadowcell

    Dumbing of Age 13: Ruth Was Just Trying to Have a Poignant Moment, And I Was Trying to Derail It

    1. Clif

      That’s Becky’s job.

    2. Mark

      I rather like Ruth’s poignant moment, though I’m sorry she’s feeling that way.

  3. Yotomoe

    I’m usually a Carla defender but even I have to admit she’s being extra insufferable today. Kinda hoping she gets taken down a peg.

    1. Sajuuk-Khar

      Carla is never setting herself up for an inevitable narrative humbling.

      1. Casi

        I think your link broke, or you put the wrong one in because when i click it i get a “error not found” message, and looking at the URL it’s today’s URL with some random characters thrown in at the end

        1. Needfuldoer

          If you don’t get the link HTML tag exactly right, the CMS bugs out and breaks the link when your post goes up. Sometimes it happens even if you get the HTML perfect on the first try, but go back and edit it.

    2. Clif

      Ruth knows how to handle Carla. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/04-dont-stop-billie-ving/forbidding/

    3. JBento

      Carla has the same problem as Mike. They’re entertaining, but only if they only show up once in about 50 strips.

      1. Raznaak

        While you’re talking about Mike, it has been quite a while since we last saw him. We’re overdue an appearance soon.

        1. Opus the Poet

          Yeah, well it’s kinda hard to put in an appearance after you die, unless you’re me.

    4. anon

      well i can imagine her still disliking ruth/jennifer after their suicide pact and her getting a bit involved would prolly make her wanna keep getting under both their skins

      1. Yotomoe

        Imagine not liking people who were self destructing so much you just wanna go out of your way to bully them.

        1. JBento

          If you ever wondered what top NIMBY looks like, there you go.

  4. The Wellerman

    Hey sorry if this isn’t too relevant ( Dina’s birthday was yesterday ), but I spent over a week on this and refuse to see it go to waste.

    I made a dinosaur game!!!! ????

    It has cards!!! And head butting!!! And farting!!! ?

    It’s called Totally DUMB Dino Cards, and you can play it in the brand new Opera Browser being hyped up nearly everywhere–

    https://gx.games/games/v5xb5y/totally-dumb-dino-cards-

    1. The Wellerman

      I want to give a special thanks to Florence, who did all the voice acting!!!

      It wouldn’t have been possible without them!!! ?

      1. Bryy

        It looks so good!

    2. System_Anomaly

      I’m so happy it came out! I’ve been looking forward to it since I liked the Joyce game a lot. It doesn’t seem to work on mobile though so i’ll have to actually try it later.

    3. BBCC

      That’s awesome!

    4. James

      That website reminds me of the bad old days of “IE only” websites. The game seems to run just fine with a spoofed user agent.

      1. The Wellerman

        I swear to the unholy trinity of Satan, Willis and Hypnotoad that I will NEVER make another Opera GX game ever again.

      2. Mr. 2

        That is consistent with using the .games domain, which never should have been created due to confusion with .game, and is not supported by quad9, so a huge number of people can’t even load it.

    5. Amós Batista

      A dinosaur card game. Just perfect.

    6. ButWhyASpoon

      Dinolicious.

  5. Sirksome

    Jokes on Carla Ruth was actually just trying to squeak out a silent fart.

  6. Stephen Bierce

    And “MOOD” spelled upside down is “WOOD”–err, spelled backwards is “DOOM”.

    1. Clif

      I’m pretty sure that mood spelled upside down is pooɯ.

      1. Lars

        And backwards it is boom.

      2. dralou

        If you take “upside-down” to mean “rotated 180°, yes.
        When you take upside-down as “mirrored horizontally”, mood is woop. and MOOD is WOOD.

        Hey, this is fun to think about 😀

    2. Needfuldoer

      Doom 2 did have a chainsaw…

  7. ADLegend21

    Can’t wait to see how this is gonna be label3d as “high self esteem” instead of obnoxious.

    1. RassilonTDavros

      It can be both!

    2. Cmasta1992

      It’s wild who gets to get away with being a prick and who doesn’t in the cast

      1. bleepbloop

        I think everyone in the cast gets their day in the shame pit. Can’t name a single character that hasn’t been criticized at least once. However I think that’s a testament to how realistic these college students are! (Also I think being obnoxious is just Carla’s thing)
        .

        1. Sirksome

          Also everyone has their favorite character they’re willing to forgive. Tons of people love Mike despite him objectively bullying people or Malaya who has a terrible personality.

        2. Clif

          Cognitive dissidence and mind fuckery is not the same as bullying. When did Mike force anyone to do anything?

        3. BBCC

          Fucking with people’s minds can absolutely be a form of bullying. Forcing people to do things is not the only way.

        4. Ed Callahan

          Remember, Mike said “hurtful but true things.” He was like a surgeon doing life-saving surgery but enjoying a shortage of anesthesia. In other words, he was cutting but you should pay attention to what he’s saying.

        5. thejeff

          Mike would happily lie to go after your weaknesses. The idea that he was just pointing out truths you should listen to is myth.

        6. LiamKav

          Generally though people consent for surgery. Otherwise it’s just a guy following you around trying to remove your appendix without anaesthetic whilst you’re trying to eat lunch.

        7. Taffy

          @LiamKav Eh. That’s pretty normal. What, your school just didn’t have a resident Appendix Kid, or somethin’?

        8. BBCC

          That isn’t true. What ‘hurtful but true’ thing was Mike trying to accomplish by trying to break Dorothy and Walky up when they’d just gotten together? What was he accomplishing by threatening to post a picture of Dorothy with photoshopped drug paraphernalia online? Or by faking a Dexter and Monkey Master cancellation so he could record Walky crying over it?

          Mike was a bully.

        9. Sirksome

          I don’t know. Maybe “bullying” was the wrong word. My point is Mike did pretty objectively unlikeable things , like manipulating a classmate into catfishing their teacher, but he still has fans.

        10. Taffy

          No, bullying is the exact right term for Mike’s behavior. That’s all he was. A bully.

        11. thejeff

          Months later, Walky is still so traumatized he’s checking his closets to see if Mike faked his death and is waiting to pop out at him.

          If it’s not bullying, it’s something else pretty damn awful.

        12. Taffy

          Why does force need to be involved? There’s more to bullying than shoving somebody in a locker or whatever.

        13. System_Anomaly

          While we’re at it, he also told Amber she was like her abusive father.

        14. The Oracle

          I had to look up what cognitive dissidence meant, and this is the clearest explanation I found, from something called Philadelphia Print Works:

          “The collection “Cognitive Dissidence” explores the meaning of thoughtful dissent in terms of personal revolutions, the resistance of sub-cultures and the impact of listening to the voices of the unheard. The name of the collection comes from the term “Cognitive Dissonance” which was expounded on by Frantz Fanon in his examination of post-colonialism, critical theory and Marxism.

          Cognitive dissidence is the antithesis of Cognitive dissonance. It is the process by which we overcome adversity, identify systemic inequalities, find our voices and seek change.”

          I don’t think that’s what Mike was doing at any point.

        15. Qube

          I mean… mike’s dead

        16. Taffy

          Sounds like his problem.

        17. Dave

          People liked Mike?

        18. Sav

          Dina?

        19. Taffy

          She got criticised for comparing her own experience with Joyce’s in a pretty neutral way, which got catastrophised into being some sort of oppression Olympics thing. She’s also been more or less called a sexual predator for… *checks notes* telling Becky she was horny and offering a roll in the hay (which they’d both been trying to make happen), with a football field’s worth of space to say no.

        20. Nono

          Let’s see, uh…

          …Jocelyne?

  8. Sajuuk-Khar

    Ruth all “you talk mad shit for someone in femur-ripping range, Rutten.” The intensity of those eyes, damn.

    Please, good precious redheads, don’t fight.

    Even if Carla’s final panel shit-eating grin is just the most adorable thing in the observable universe. She’s so friggin’ cute.

    1. BarerMender

      She makes me think of Mary. Not cute.

      1. Taffy

        Maybe I’m an evil person for this, but I’ve always thought Mary would be pretty hot if it weren’t for all the bigotry and direct attempts at personal harm.

        1. Needfuldoer

          I mean, she’s clearly supposed to be conventionally attractive and her fashion sense is on point.

          It’s just a shame about all the shit she keeps between her ears.

        2. LiamKav

          DW mentions in the BringBackRoomies stuff that he initially designed her to be attractive (back when she was designed as a replacement for Joyce and a good person). Plus it’s a good lesson… evil isn’t always ugly and good isn’t always beautiful.

      2. Sajuuk-Khar

        Yes. Of course. Being a little mean is the same as being a fascist. How could I forget.

    2. Nova

      Unless it’s a sexy fight where no one gets hurt, they just both get heated and one of them pins the other one down and it’s like “Get off me” and then the one on top says “Make me” and then they kiss…

      …no? Just me?

      1. Sajuuk-Khar

        Oh, definitely not just you.

        1. Nova

          Phew.

  9. Cmasta1992

    I am already tired of Carla in this scene

    1. Crazy Lou

      I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell Carla to stop being Carla but it’s like she’s actively trying to make people hate her right now.

      1. Alanari

        That’s basically what she’s always doing, and she’s upfront about it.

      2. Sirksome

        I don’t think she’s actually trying to make people hate her. For Carla attention is attention even negative attention is still a win. Carla’s proven to be very nice when you acknowledge her. Much like current undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

        1. Sajuuk-Khar

          I feel like the people who are just screamingly furious at Carla in this comments section have never owned a cat.

          Carla has immense cat energy.

        2. Clif

          This.

        3. Alanari

          She basically said she had to rebuild her reputation of being an asshole during that ding-dong bandit thing. She seems to prefer negative attention.

        4. Opus the Poet

          Given her biological condition, one can assume negative attention is mostly what she gets, so that’s what she expects.

        5. thejeff

          And it’s better if that comes from things she intentionally does, rather than just for who she is.

          It’s a defense mechanism. It’s not good and it’s not healthy, but there it is.

        6. Needfuldoer

          As long as she can control the discourse around her.

          Like I said the other day, if they hate her for being obnoxious (something in her control), they won’t have the bandwidth to hate her for who she is (something she can’t control).

        7. Mark

          I’m thinking it might be fun to give Carla friendly, neutral attention until she is wearied by pushing unresponsive buttons and lets her guard down for a moment.

      3. thejeff

        To quote one of her early appearances, I’ve got to build mind share all over again

        New class. She has to properly establish to these new people that she’s an asshole.

        Especially since trans stuff is going to come up in class. Even if she doesn’t wind up getting outed, just being in this class is likely to be a mine field for her. All defenses are up.

    2. DaisyFM

      Oh, are you TIRE-d of Carla?

      1. Yotomoe

        Well I do wish someone would Muffle ‘er.

        1. King Daniel

          You’re saying this behavior is Exhaust-ing?

        2. powerpowerpow

          I just think she needs to pump the brakes.

        3. Ed Callahan

          She’s definitely has a trans-mission.

        4. DaisyFM

          I’ll validate her.

  10. Suet

    If you’re not here, you’re not family

  11. RassilonTDavros

    Okay, this is definitely Carla at her most obnoxious, and if I were experiencing these events in-universe I’d probably be pissed off at her, but from across the fourth wall I think this shit is hilarious.

    1. Sajuuk-Khar

      She’s absolutely being a pill and if I were Ruth I would be on my last nerve. I would be plotting femur atrocities.

      But I’m not Ruth and I think Carla is just a Cute Patoot.

  12. Wraithy2773

    …so, you were well aware that someone’s going through some shit, and instead of either being compassionate and trying to help them with it, or just letting it pass without comment because you don’t feel able or willing to assist…

    …you deliberately draw attention to it to rub salt in the wound, and then proudly proclaim it for everyone to hear so that there’s no ambiguity about what you’re doing.

    This is what I mean when I say that Carla’s schtick can very quickly become exhausting once there’s a victim to it all. There’s nothing charming or amusing about this, she’s just being an asshole and proud of it.

    1. AeromechanicalAce

      Honestly, i’m almost as pissed Leslie’s just allowing it.

      1. asmodai27

        For now we don’t know whether Leslie is allowing it.
        From Leslie’s point of view, Carla’s line in panel 4 is not necessarily out of line (Leslie knows close to nothing of the Jennifer/Ruth situation).
        We can say Leslie is allowing it only once we know what she does after Carla stated that it was, in fact, intentionally mean.

      2. JBento

        Leslie has been repeatedly shown to be a terrible teacher, this is nothing new.

        Remember when Becky pulled a similar stunt and Leslie’s response was “wow, I’m awed at your skill” isntead of shutting that shit down?

    2. bleepbloop

      Honestly her shtick was tiring from the get-go but it’s also her defining trait so she’d be pretty boring if she suddenly stopped being obnoxious

    3. Meagan

      Yes and Leslie should not allow it in her class. I’d like to see her pull Carla aside and tell her that exposing people’s private emotions and ridiculing them will not be tolerated in her class. This is NOT high school or middle school, not that that shit should go on there either, but at the college level it is COMPLETELY unacceptable.

      1. Sirksome

        I’m sorry but what is Leslie actually supposed to do here? Carla and Ruth are legal adults and Carla hasn’t really done or said anything to hurt Ruth. The worst she’s possibly done is maybe disrupt the start of class and even that’s a stretch since Leslie has only just finished taking role. I agree with the consensus that Carla is being obnoxious but sometimes people are annoying they have that right. Leslie doesn’t have authority to control people’s words or interactions and she arguably isn’t even aware Ruth and Jen dated or that Carla was needling her. It’s actually on Ruth to not take the bait.

        1. Bryy

          Leslie’s the teacher. She can nip it in the bud.

        2. Opus the Poet

          Barney Fife had the right idea:
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSyueBoC9mE&ab_channel=PhillipStegner

        3. JBento

          Leslie most definitely has the authority to control people’s words and interactions in the classroom of which she is the teacher. That is, in fact, part of her goddamn job.

        4. Sirksome

          Maybe if this was high school but that’s questionable even then. Teacher’s don’t hold absolute authority in their classroom unless they’re teaching children. This is a room full of young adults. This feels like putting a lot of expectation on Leslie to quash Carla for talking, just because she’s annoying, but nothing has really happened.

        5. rowanmikaio

          I’m sorry, but a teacher watching a student intentionally hurting another student’s feelings (also known as bullying) and just letting it slide without addressing it at the very least, is a terrible teacher.
          I don’t know where you get the idea that teachers don’t have that kind of authority beyond elementary school. I saw students in high school sent to the principal’s office and college students told they were being referred to academic affairs for bad behavior. My college had a large student handbook of rules to follow, and I’m certain that there were clauses for appropriate behavior in the classroom and on campus. I’m pretty confident that most college professors would have the ability to ask a disruptive student to leave the classroom at the very least, and I’d consider intentionally doing things to hurt another student to be disruptive.

        6. Sirksome

          This isn’t about disciplining a disruptive student. Carla hasn’t done anything wrong yet because the class hasn’t started. And no, teachers don’t have the authority to control and monitor the conversations of adult students. It’s not Leslie’s job to babysit them. Is Carla really supposed to be kicked out or reprimanded for being obnoxious? I don’t even want to defend her because I don’t like what she’s doing either but she hasn’t actually hurt Ruth, pointing out Jennifer’s absence is not bullying and neither is admitting you only did it to be annoying.

        7. Taffy

          Bullying is when you don’t worship my ex-girlfriend as much as I do.

        8. Xujhan

          Honestly, babysitting students is part of our job. It’s in a less literal sense than in elementary school, but we’re still expected to act as role models. That usually doesn’t mean kicking students out of classes – things hardly ever escalate to that point – but a pointed comment about acceptable behaviour is absolutely appropriate when a student is being obnoxious on purpose.

        9. Ed Callahan

          And she has. Leslie encourages freewheeling discussion in her class, but even she has her limits.

        10. thejeff

          The only part that really crosses the line is that last panel and it’s the last panel, so we don’t know how or if Leslie reacts.

        11. JBento

          The last panel isn’t her crossing the line, it’s her ADMITTING that what she was doing in panels 3 and 4 was deliberately crossing the line.

        12. Wraithy2773

          I’d call it more “gloating” than “admitting”, personally.

          But I do agree with thejeff’s overall point that we should avoid damning Leslie mid-scene. Lets see what she does…

        13. Meagan

          I can’t tell if you are oblivious or a bully apologist. Carla saying “I can’t believe you didn’t notice Jennifer isn’t here” cannot be taken at face value by anyone with a command of the English language and basic grasp of subtext. She is purposely antagonizing Ruth and trying to twist the knife in the wound about Ruth and J’s break up, for no other reason than her own amusement at being cruel.

          Leslie may not have had enough interactions to *realize* that Carla likes being cruel for fun, so that’s the only excuse she would have to not intervene. But if she sees a pattern of such behavior, yes, it is her job to not allow that in her classroom, whether that means a referral to academic affairs as others have said, or whatever else is appropriate. Ignoring it is unacceptable.

        14. Meagan

          Oh wait, it is bully apologism. “It’s on the person being antagonized to not take the bait/react.”

  13. foducool

    how many strips until Ruth bashes Carla’s face in?
    let’s eff around and find out

    1. Taffy

      Do we need some weird violent comment like this every time one of the characters doesn’t live up to people’s personal moral standards?

      Alright, so let’s say Ruth does bash Carla’s face in, what next? Since we’re going to extremes, I guess that means Ruth gets arrested for battery. Bye-bye, Ruth. Too bad you responded like a violent animal to the mildest of provocations, guess you can’t be in the comic no more. And since Carla’s face has been bashed in, she’s out of events in probably the hospital while she heals, guess she can’t be around either. So then the class is just Becky and Leslie, and maybe Jennifer if she decides to show up. Goodie gumdrops, what a riveting upgrade from last semester’s gender studies class, we get to go from several students and the teacher to half as many, if we’re lucky.

      Y’know, if we’re going for the dumbest possible outcome.

      1. Nova

        Entirely too many people think violence is the answer to life’s most minor inconveniences.

        Or they think they sound badass when they’re talking about someone having their face “bashed in” for *checks notes* “Saying things I find rude/annoying”.

        1. Bryy

          Yup. Ding, ding, ding.

          “It’s not real” doesn’t count for shit because it’s literally your reaction.

        2. asmodai27

          To be fair, Ruth is known for outbursts of violence, and though I definitely agree it wouldn’t be good for the story or character developments, I wouldn’t put it past her to do that exact thing.

        3. Taffy

          To date, I’m pretty sure Ruth has been violent with Billie, Blaine, Mary, Carol, and maybe one other person I’m forgetting at the moment. She doesn’t just go around beating people up for things that don’t matter, especially not people she generally gets along with just fine. It would make absolutely no sense for her to put the smackdown on Carla for not treating her emo attempt at gravitas with the proper reverence.

        4. RedCat

          I mean, she dragged a while floor to her RA meeting, physically.

        5. Taffy

          I don’t particularly care about that. It was purely for a gag, so it doesn’t count.

        6. JBento

          It was so not purely for a gag that it gets called out in-universe later.

        7. Taffy

          I’ll take your word for it.

        8. JBento

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-10/02-to-remind-you-of-my-love/fresh-start/

      2. Alex

        Ruth does tend to see violence as the answer…

    2. The Oracle

      For some reason, I don’t think Willis is gonna write that scene. Something about the characters and the way they interact makes me doubtful that Ruth is going to physically harm Carla for this regular Carla behavior. The dirty look in Panel 5 seems like about all she’s gonna send Carla’s way, aside from maybe a light reprimanding later on if it really got to her.

  14. Huehuetotl

    Our perfect angel is pressing her luck, Leslie’s starting going to snap before the end of class.

    1. Sajuuk-Khar

      Leslie deals with Robin on a daily basis, so I really doubt this analysis. Compared to DeSanto, I can’t imagine Carla induces even a tic on Leslie’s stress-o-meter.

      Now, Ruth, on the other hand, might suplex our beautiful goddess into a trash can. But that’s Ruth.

      1. Taffy

        Leslie also put up with Joe’s nonsense, so it’s not like she’s a particularly impatient person when it comes to student shenanigans.

    2. Jon

      “Perfect Angel” what comic you been reading? Carla’s been insufferable from day one. Not in a way that makes her unenjoyable to read, mind you – but definitely still insufferable.

      1. dralou

        Agreed. Also, she’s insufferable even if she’s actually a good person who does the right thing when it’s needed. She does both very well.

        1. Ed Callahan

          Best summation of the Carla character.

      2. Alex

        I think it’s sarcastic.

        1. Huehuetotl

          no

  15. Sirksome

    Does this means Ruth won the breakup? Jen no showing means she blinked first, justifiable considering the violent nature of their last meeting but it’s hard to know if this is what Ruth wanted.

    1. Clif

      I’m not sure this means Jennifer is dropping the class, but it definitely feels like a case of Chekov’s absence.

  16. Dave Van Domelen

    We now have to take attendance every time in every class at my college, it’s tied to the latest demands the state is making for the ever-shrinking amount of funding they begrudge us.

  17. Wraithy2773

    On another note, I’m probably jumping the gun on commenting on this, because we are mid-scene it’s been all of two strips of them interacting, but it kinda feels like Leslie’s a bit on edge when it comes to Carla.

    Not saying its a for-sure thing that Means Something, just… something that’s making my eyebrow raise at this point, something to keep an eye on…

    1. Rabid Rabbit

      The evidence suggests that Leslie’s very new to teaching, so maybe this is the first time she’s had an openly trans kid in her class and she’s terrified of coming across as transphobic if she puts her in her place, along with being nervous about getting her subject matter right when they get around to transness in the syllabus.

      Also, Carla’s parents are probably rich enough to buy the university just so they could fire a professor she didn’t like, so Leslie may be being cautious. Or else the university’s trying to get a donation out of them and so all profs have to tiptoe around her. And so on.

    2. Alex

      Even though it’s a little out of character for Leslie I could understand a policy of appeasement when it comes to this kind of student.

  18. DaisyFM

    Carla has never done anything wrong and she is perfect and I love her. ??

    1. Sajuuk-Khar

      Correct.

    2. Lauralot

      Agreed.

  19. Sajuuk-Khar

    I also want to note before anyone else entertains lurid violent fantasies about Carla and claims they’re justified that Carla actively tried to help Jen and Ruth out back when they were dating, to the tune of “I thought I was managing the courtship of two cute queer ladies, not a goddamned death cult”, so she might, might have some grounds to give Ruth some shit over this.

    (Even if “giving Ruth shit” is a generally hazardous idea.)

    1. StClair

      By her own statement (to Leslie, I believe, at the end of a previous class session), once she found out how messed up that relationship actually was, she’s made it her mission to actively sabotage it and prevent it from ever reforming.

      1. alongcameaspider

        Pretty sure it was Becky that said that, not Carla

        1. Imogen

          All these lesbian redheads, honestly.

        2. Cheshrin

          Between Ruth, Becky, and Carla, you could make a superhero squad of lady-smoochin’ redheads. Call ’em the Scarlet Sapphics.

        3. Sajuuk-Khar

          You’re on to something there.

      2. Sajuuk-Khar

        I believe that was Becky, who engaged in a little social engineering to a lot of commenter vitriol.

        1. drs

          Your attempted URL failed badly.

        2. Sajuuk-Khar

          Weird. Here’s the correct URL, then.

        3. Derek

          nope, still wrong. In fact all your URLs link back to today’s strip if you erase the quotes at the end. Perhaps your copy-paste skills need more practice?

        4. Sajuuk-Khar

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/03-see-you-in-the-funny-page/helping-2/#comments

          Christ on a fucking crutch. Fine. Here. Here is the relevant fucking strip. This is the strip where Becky, not Carla, talks about her social engineering against Jen and Ruth.

          I thought I could do a little fun HTML but apparently that’s not in the goddamn cards:

        5. eh, whatever

          <a href=”complete URL goes here”>text goes here</a>

        6. Tan

          I think the problem is that your quotes are getting replaced by smartquotes in the HTML. If you are on an iOS device, go to Settings > General > Keyboard, and toggle off “Smart Punctuation”. If some other device, I have no idea.

        7. Bryy

          ….. huh. That actually makes a lot of sense, because now she’s trying to reconvert Joyce.

    2. Wraithy2773

      Honestly, Carla’s familiarity with how ugly Ruth and Jennifer/Billie’s relationship was just makes me all the more uncomfortable with how much she seems to be reveling in this.

      Going from “Haha you’re lovesick and being emo about it” to “Haha you’re lovesick about the girl you were in a suicide pact with and being emo about it” is… not an upgrade, ya know?

    3. Taffy

      Yeah, if we could go just completely 300% without people saying something about how X/they should/would hit Y or how someone is “lucky” not to get [insert bodily harm here], that’d be just peachy. Nobody cares if it’s “realistic” or “what would probably happen”, it’s stupid.

      1. Sajuuk-Khar

        God, that would be a really great outcome, if we had the commentariat stop that shit. I would also love it if every time a character committed a social faux pas, there wasn’t a bizarre inquisition into their mental state and morality, as though they have to pass a weird groupthink checkpoint to “deserve” continuing to exist in the comic.

        I know this won’t happen, but I like the dream.

    4. Azhrei Vep

      Look, I don’t know about anybody else’s reasoning, but I just want to see two characters I love violently obliterate one another in the most painful ways possible for my entertainment.

      It’s just good clean fun.

      1. Taffy

        It’s really a wonder nobody’s put any of these characters in M.U.G.E.N yet.

  20. Meagan

    I wonder if at this point Willis is like, “How obnoxious can I make Carla and people still have people like her?”

    1. Otl1973

      I frequently wonder what Willis’s intent with some of the character behaviors is, and what reaction he’s looking for from the readers. There have certainly been many cases where an author was shooting for a particular reaction, and disclosed later that they were surprised when their readership’s reaction was completely different. I don’t think that’s the case here – he clearly is going for over the top nastiness, but as you note, the question is why.

      1. Meagan

        He could be playing both sides against the middle, to use the phrase loosely.

        On the one hand, you have the folks who identify with Carla’s “I don’t want to have to be a perfect girl [so I purposely go in the opposite direction instead].”

        On the other hand, she could eventually get her own growth arc, as other characters have had, where she is actually confronted with her nastiness as a problem and maybe grows from it. This is Dumbing of Age, and the point is that the characters are young and have a lot of growing to do.

        So he could benefit from both sides, because he can always get around to the second eventually (or have readers hope he will) while still getting the benefits of the fans who love her toxic behavior in the meantime.

        Also I feel that this cartoon is a good reflection of how Carla is toxic: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=657668612390478&set=a.283667906457219

        1. Taffy

          That linked comic seems like gibberish to me. Scar is just repeating internet catchphrases.

        2. Meagan

          Both Scar in that comic and Carla in this one use the idea of making themselves happy as justification to hurt others. That’s the connection.

      2. Belegcam

        Not to be overly reductive, but this is still a comic strip (albeit a heavily serialized one), and with that medium comes the expectation of a punchline. Carla’s obnoxiousness is being played up because it’s funny.

        1. Taffy

          “Not to be overly reductive”

          I mean, everyone else is doin’ it these days. No harm joining in.

    2. brute

      hmmm i suddenly have a suspicion that the reason Carla’s obnoxiousness is less irritating to me than Malaya’s or Jennifer’s might have something to do with me being a youngest sibling

      like malaya and jen both feel very different in their assholery whereas with carla she’s doing it on purpose, to be annoying for fun, and especially to ruth (who she knows and who has strong Big Sister feelings).
      hmmmmm

    3. thejeff

      It’s a basic problem with so many characters where the commonly visible personality is essentially a defense mechanism. The audience often forgets there’s more than that. Which means it’s working.

  21. Keulen

    I feel like I would find someone who acts like Carla in real life really annoying.

  22. Cheshrin

    On the one hand, Carla is being one-notedly insufferable to a degree that loops back around to comical before shooting past it and just becoming insufferable again.

    On the other hand, I unfortunately have a x4 type weakness against Pretty Redhead Girls, so you see the pickle I am in here.

  23. UrsulaDavina

    I was hoping the situation with Carla’s need for acknowledgement and praise from random folks in the class, would play out but I guess we’re just going to have to wait a few days irl to find out.

  24. AbacusWizard

    “This is college. If you’re not here, you’re not here.”

    For me, this was one of the biggest changes when I switched from teaching high school to teaching college. High school student not here? Big deal, note on paperwork, talk to front office, maybe contact parents if it happens multiple times. College student not here? Eh. Their problem.

    (No longer having to care about students wearing hats or using mobile phones during class also took some getting-used-to.)

    1. Taffy

      I never understood the “no hats allowed” rule, growing up. All my teachers just hand-waved it with “It’s disruptive”, but like… How fucking interesting do you think somebody’s hat is, that we’re all gonna be staring at it for the rest of the day instead of learning our watered-down, sanitised history or whatever else? It’s only remarkable if you let it be.

      And then there were school events where we could get hats via some sort of transaction, but then had to hide them in our lockers before the principal (who gave them to us in the first place) got mad at us for having them.

      Actually, for that matter, I’ve never understood why people get uppity about wearing a hat indoors in the first place. It’s a thing on somebody’s head, who gives a fuck?

      1. Nova

        The honest answer is, I think, that it was considered disrespectful in a church and kind of got extended to all areas of American (and possibly other) culture.

        1. Taffy

          Of course it’s a church thing. I still don’t get how that would have started. What, do hats mock Jegus’s special pointy thorn crown or something? Or maybe it started as some sort of “the guy in the hat is the guy in charge” thing and leaders would get really butthurt if someone else put a thing on their head. Regardless, it’s always been ridiculous to me on a purely conceptual level.

        2. eh, whatever

          Nonono, it’s medieval. If you walk into a castle with your helmet on, that means you expect to be hit on the head, which means you consider your host your enemy, and that’s an insult. Therefore, all head coverings on men must be considered unambiguous insults for the next thousand years. And on boys, too. Logical.

        3. The Oracle

          “I’m not paranoid or out to get anyone, everyone else is paranoid and out to get me!” – Men who think they matter more than they do, for millennia.

        4. Taffy

          It’s astonishing how long humankind has survived, listening to all these bizarre Calvinball rules that were made up by rich white 19-year-olds who drank lead for fun.

        5. nightshade

          actually in some places you cant wear anything but school sports team logo hats or jackets because of street gangs and wannabes of said gangs

        6. Taffy

          That makes plenty of sense. In places with gangs. Where I’m from, we still had to deal with the “gang activity” excuse for a lot of overly controlling behavior when there’s literally nothing even remotely close to a gang here. The closest it got was like five kids who smoked weed after school, but we still had to put up with the body-policing.

      2. Alex

        I always thought that hats might block someone else’s view of the board, but maybe I’m the only one that thought that?

        1. Taffy

          If the hat is blocking your view, the person’s head is probably blocking it too. No heads allowed in school.

  25. Imogen

    I do love Carla, but I don’t always love her narrative role. That being said, this is a 100% Carla appreciation thread. She’s cute and funny, even when she’s being Flanderized.

    1. Imogen

      (If you disagree, as always, please scroll up and go argue with someone else. Arguments in these comment sections are always stupid.)

      1. Clif

        Not always (at the risk of arguing). Sometimes I’ve learned a thing or two.

      2. Sajuuk-Khar

        Absolutely the truth.

    2. Taffy

      I don’t think there’s a Carla strip I haven’t liked. At the absolute worst, I’ve been maybe neutral on some of them. She’s just fun.

      1. Imogen

        She’s just fun! I’d love to see her get more serious scenes and get to show some depth–it’s weird that Cartoon Asshat Mike got a tragic backstory but Carla, who actually did have serious scenes and sources of anxiety in Shortpacked, remains relegated to pure comic relief.

  26. Kravis

    Trying to derail something is not very automobilistic of you, Ultra Car(la)!

    1. Taffy

      I dunno, I’d say automobiles were at least partially a deliberate attempt at derailing trains’ monopoly on rapid transportation.

    2. Amós Batista

      *Di Caprio stands fast from his seat, pointing to the monitor*

  27. BBCC

    Look, Carla was on board when she thought they were a cute romance.

    Then she found out it was a goddamn death cult and so she’s gonna stick as many pins in it as she possibly can.

  28. Alex Boston

    This seems like a set up for Booster’s sister to take Carla down a notch.

    1. The Oracle

      Assuming that 1) Carla even needs “taken down a notch” and 2) Booster’s sister is inclined to do so, why is this uniquely setting her up for that? I don’t get it.

    2. Hof1991

      Chekhov’s Boosister? Yes. We saw them. Carla acted out. We moved on. Time for Boosister to reappear.

  29. C.T. Phipps

    Carla is feeling extra Carla lately.

    1. asmodai27

      I’d even venture with Ultra Carla

  30. bagge

    Did someone not give Carla enough attention again?

  31. Rabisch

    You can see how grateful Ruth is with Carla for that moment she’s helping her to have. Good thing Jennifer is not at the class. Just the day before she attacked Ruth and maybe she’s ashamed now, or still too angry to face her without try to provoke her again.

  32. Taffy

    I’m with Carla on this one. The world doesn’t revolve around random people’s interpersonal relationship strife, no matter how sexy or Canadian they are.

    1. Nova

      Exactly.

      The world revolves around CARLA. 😛

      1. Sajuuk-Khar

        Hear, hear!

    2. Fuzzy

      That comment isn’t at all disruptive or attention-grabbing. It’s just a brief reply to the teacher’s (rhetorical, admittedly) question. It also happens to have a personal significance to Ruth that no one would pick up on if they weren’t in the loop.

      1. The Oracle

        They didn’t say it was either of those things, though?

        1. Daibhid C

          Then what’s the issue? Why isn’t Ruth allowed to be sad for a moment without Carla deliberately disrupting it because “the world doesn’t revolve” around her sadness?

        2. Taffy

          I didn’t say that either. Apparently I don’t need to say anything for people to come up with quotes they can argue against.

        3. Blume

          “The world doesn’t revolve around random people’s interpersonal relationship strife” was Ruth not the random person in this? I think these replies apply. Won’t say if I agree or disagree but they are taking from what you said so I am confused.

        4. Taffy

          I never called it disruptive or attention grabbing, and I never said anything about what anyone is “allowed” to do. Those aren’t words I said, and I’m not gonna bother arguing for opinions that aren’t mine. That’s a waste of everyone’s time and my own very limited spoons.

          I can, however, clarify a little bit, since I apparently worded things a little differently from how I meant them. The short version is, I don’t have a problem with Carla being irreverent and even outright petty about Ruth’s incredibly-pointed comment, which was made while staring directly at Billie’s empty seat for extra emotional weight. It’s just not something I consider a problem to any useful degree, and I apologise if my original comment came across like there was more to it than that.

        5. Bysmerian

          I mean, I don’t see Ruth as staring directly so much as looking askance.

          Carla is just being her usual insufferable self, drawing huge attention to what’s framed as a quiet comment, making a joke at the expense of Ruth, and openly admitting that she did it for the lulz.

          I am not a Carla fan, and have not been for a long time, but holy shit this is a whole new level of obnoxious.

        6. Taffy

          You put a lot more importance on the specific phrase “staring directly” than I intended when I typed it, truthfully. Her eyes are pointed at the chair, I said words to that effect, and that’s as much depth as exists there.

          And yes, I’m fully aware of what Carla is doing. I just don’t consider it an actual problem that she’s doing it.

        7. Fuzzy

          Fair enough that you don’t care much about it. I think “incredibly-pointed comment, which was made while staring directly at Billie’s empty seat for extra emotional weight” is close enough to my phrase, “attention-grabbing”. I paraphrased but we said the same thing.

        8. Daibhid C

          Okay. I apologise for the misunderstanding. I still disagree, but not sufficiently to argue about.

  33. Mishyana

    Thank god Carla was there to take Ruth down a peg after that monstrously innocuous statement, where does she get off being all sadly wistful n’ shit

    I like Carla normally as one of those few trans webcomic characters who exists as something other than a Trans Webcomic Character, but good lord I’m hoping for some verbal comeuppance.

    1. timemonkey

      What would be the point, she won’t care. Carla’s harmless

  34. Arianod

    I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to have as much patience as Leslie has. That woman’s a saint.

    1. The Oracle

      Sainthood is when you don’t lose your temper the instant somebody is obnoxious.

      1. RedCat

        When you probably have someone like that in every class? Yes. Young adults at that age are obnoxious, a lot of the time.

        1. Taffy

          I skipped ages 15-24, so I was never a young adult and therefore have no first-hand experience in the matter.

        2. RedCat

          ?

  35. Fuzzy

    I was really annoyed with Carla here, but then I read the comments and saw other people also being mad and now I’m all good. 🙂 Nothing like a little validation to get your mind off things.

  36. Mr.Morningstar

    God

    Why does anyone tolerate Carlas nonsence?
    Better yet why hasnt he gotten comeuppance

    1. Mr.Morningstar

      SHE I MEANT SHE THAT WAS A VERY UNFORTUNATE TYPO

    2. Eldritchy

      Honestly… have we actually seen Carla having any actual friends? Aside from hanging out with Sal?

      1. The Oracle

        Does that really matter? If we haven’t, someone will say or imply that she should be prevented from having them or is preventing herself from it. If we have, someone will say or imply she should have those friends taken away. Regardless of the input, the outcome is the same: Real people wishing for a fictional character to be alone and friendless, for no greater offense than being a little obnoxious and self-aggrandizing.

        1. Eldritchy

          Morningstar asked why do people tolerate Carla’s behaviour. I pointed out that apparently they don’t because we don’t really see Carla having any friends.

    3. Taffy

      Seeing the word “comeuppance” once was a little weird, but it’s been said multiple times. It’s “a punishment or fate that someone deserves”, or “a deserved rebuke or penalty”. So by using it, y’all are saying that Carla has committed some sort of wrongdoing that deserves to be punished. If that’s really the case, I’d hope it’s a very mild punishment, something that fits the severely un-severe nature of her supposed “offense”.

      1. Eldritchy

        Being put on a team project with someone as annoying as her.

      2. Rogue 7

        I’m pretty sure what most people want is for Leslie to stop enabling her and gently rebuke her about respecting other people and how everything isn’t about her. So…yeah, I’d call that pretty mild.

        1. Taffy

          If that’s all it is, there’s no problem. But when it’s framed with moralistic terms like “comeuppance”, it comes across as more than just that.

      3. RedCat

        Now who’s putting words in someone’s mouth?

        1. Taffy

          Not me, that’s for sure. Mr.Morningstar said “comeuppance”. That word has a specific meaning. I only pointed that meaning out (copied verbatim from the result I was given by searching “comeuppance definition”) and said I hoped it was being used proportionately. That’s not “putting words in someone’s mouth”, it’s literally repeating back what somebody else said and questioning it. Don’t be obtuse.

        2. The Oracle

          It might be for the best if you disengage from this one, for your own benefit. It’s not my business at all, but I’ve noticed you sometimes get caught in the same kind of loop I do, where you’re trying to clarify your thoughts, but you’re frustrated so you miscommunicate again, and then you feel like you have to clarify that, and so on, until it’s gotten out of hand and your energy has all been spent on corrections, and then the whole day is (presumably) ruined from it. Like I said, not my business, feel free to tell me to fuck off if I’m overstepping your boundary, I just thought it might help.

        3. The Oracle

          And naturally, I’ve forgotten to use a closing tag.

        4. Taffy

          Alright, fine. I’m not very articulate at the best of times anyway, don’t know why I keep trying to put words to a thought if this is the best that can come of it.

      4. Fuzzy

        For what it’s worth, I go out of my way to use comeuppance for mild things. “Deserves” being in the definition means the word scales naturally to all levels of wrongdoing. A small slight deserves a small punishment; a large one deserves a large punishment. Comeuppance nicely encapsulates that.

        Which is to say, it may be a moralistic framework, but I don’t think the implication is that it’s a severe one. (:

      5. Mr.Morningstar

        I mean
        yeah I think that Carla deserves comeuppance. Because it seems she is constantly and intentionally just not a nice person and goes out of her way to make peoples days worse if only for the attention she gets from it.

        I dont think she deserves like, physical injury or worse god forbid but at least some sort of karma coming to bite her for her behaviour. I dont think thats uncalled for honestly.

  37. JepMZ

    Lol, this is the only time I ever laugh despite the fact she’s a gigantic asshole this entire time of her existence

  38. Shaith86

    Congrats Carla, I now dread seeing you on panel as much as Mary. Well done.

  39. Blume

    Usually I feel things very deeply for this comic, but I don’t feel the anger others do here. Does that mean I’M the Carla IRL? I can recognize she’s being annoying and I don’t necessarily find it funny or cute but I’m not like, mad. Weird. I still like her 🙂 think this is setting up for something- I mean all the characters get a moment like this. So I believe Carla is getting her time to shine, as she’s been appearing more.

    1. Alex

      Everyone’s got different triggers for anger. The people who are the most upset are the ones commenting about it, that’s all. I didn’t feel the need to write a comment about how I’m not particularly angry until it became an important part of another dialogue.

      1. Blume

        I didn’t really understand, so thank you for explaining. It’s just depressing when there’s overwhelming dislike for a character in the comments, but I feel I’ve contributed to that too before, so I can’t judge. I’m sorry if I came across as rude, I really didn’t mean to.

    2. Wraithy2773

      I’m not mad. I’m saying “wow, Carla’s being an asshole here”, but I’m not hating her existence or anything. It’s a work of fiction and she’s among the milder of the assholes that have been in the comic. I think its worth saying that she’s being an asshole, not just because I love saying and typing the word asshole, but she’s not doing anything to raise things above comments about the asshole that she is being.

      1. thejeff

        If you think Carla’s an asshole, then she’s doing her job well. Building mind share.

        She’s not normally that good at being an asshole, but she works hard at it.

  40. Kaos

    Yikes… to have an attention hungry student in the class.. it is not fun.
    I did try that for many years ago.
    They ALWAYS almost slow down the lecture with their interruptions and stupid comments so they could sound “Smart” but ended to make fools of themselves instead.

    Do as the teachers. Ignore them and pick the other students to answer their questions and such. Zone them out.

  41. darkoneko

    Wow, is this payback for Ruth call on you earlier ?

  42. Joy

    Sometimes when Ruth is having a moment like this it needs to be derailed, or she gets all self destructive about it.

    1. spriteless aunty

      You know, that’s thoughtful. You can count on Carla to pull all destructive tendencies towards her self. No introspection allowed.

      1. Taffy

        So what you’re saying, secretly, in your rusted gamer heart, is that Carla’s the tank of the cast, placing herself at the top of the enmity list to prevent the rest of the party from taking unnecessary damage while threats are taken care of safely?

        1. thejeff

          She’s used to being everybody’s acceptable losses, so she might as well lean into it.

        2. spriteless aunty

          Yes. Carla used Taunt. Your comment section’s rage sharply increased!

  43. ValdVin

    Carla forgot to address Leslie as “teacher”.

    I really don’t remember anyone doing that in HS, let alone college.

  44. Amós Batista

    Ruth can’t just forgot Jennifer, huh?
    Love is, sometimes, a plague.

    1. Zaxares

      I’m of the belief that if you love somebody, really genuinely TRULY love somebody, that you will always love them. No matter what happens, no matter what they do to you. It’s unconditional. It’s eternal, and even if you wind up with different people and go down different paths in life, a part of your heart will always belong to them and forever wonder “What if…?”

      1. Taffy

        I think that’s called Stockholm Syndrome.

        1. The Wellerman

          Has Willis not told us that was debunked?

        2. Taffy

          I have no idea whether that’s come up in-comic or not.

        3. spriteless aunty

          It being debunked has nothing to do with whether people still call it that. :3

          But I agree it would be better if the phrase was replaced with “sympathizing with one’s captor” in the collective vocabulary of humanity.

  45. Josh Spicer

    Gotta be honest, never really got how Carla can be so popular.

    1. Taffy

      She’s funny, cool, good at skating, fashionable, hot, and tall. Those are all positive qualities.

    2. RedCat

      She’s confident as hell – or at least acts very confident, which is the same for people on the outside, and confidence is attractive. She’s funny, and she is unapologetically herself, despite people like Mary. I think a lot of the commenters can relate to or want to be like that.

  46. JessWitt

    Dumbing of Age Vol 12: This Is College. If You’re Not Here, You’re Not Here.

  47. Wendy

    I like Carla because up until now she’s always managed to toe the line of being obnoxious and cartoony without being outright mean to anyone.

    This, however, feels kinda mean. It’s elbowing someone in a sensitive spot to no good purpose.

    Which, as a reader, strikes me as perfectly fine because if Carla was perfect she would be boring.

  48. LovelyMonsters

    I had almost forgotten that most of the characters in the comic are obnoxious garbage people. Thank you for reminding us, Willis.

    1. anon

      why go to college at all if not for preparing to deal with the most annoying ppl at the peak of their youthful confidence and emotional dramatic problems to prepare for ‘real life’? (of course as an adult you don’t have to surround yourself with those types of ppl but other than landing a dream/ideal job where you don’t have to deal with ‘difficult’ ppl and have ideal coworkers/superiors and a fairly chill neighborhood, it’d be hard not to come across one every now and then)

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