213

Breathing
Posted on May 6, 2020 by David M Willis

213 thoughts on “Breathing”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    haha, amirite

    ha

    …

    ha

    1. King Daniel

      A leaky roof would be just another reason for Walky to give this Airbnb a bad review.

    2. Bodmans

      It’s a terrible day for rain

    3. Needfuldoer

      Where were these onion-cutting ninjas back when everybody was getting kidnapped?

      1. Jamie

        Gathering onions.

    4. Twitcher

      I don’t know, cops being on the take I get, but shouldn’t Becky have told at least one of her two gay moms what’s up?

  2. BBCC

    Oh, Becky, honey. I’d say it’ll be okay, but, well.

    Also, for those who were concerned, Patreon bonus strip confirms 911 has been called and an ambulance specifically requested. No word on police but I’m assuming explaining the circumstances necessitating the ambulance will also result in the police being dispatched.

    1. King Daniel

      Walky also implies that 911’s been called in the preview panel posted above.

      1. BBCC

        I almost removed the line when I saw that but I felt the specific ambulance request was good enough reason to justify keeping it.

    2. Bicycle Bill

      Has Willis confirmed that Patreon strips are canon?
      How about Slipshine comics?  Are those canon too?

      1. BBCC

        Yes to both.

        1. BBCC

          Well, generally speaking. We occasionally get ‘comic strip’ gags like Blowjob cat having thought balloons or April Fools slip shine which aren’t, but almost all of them (including the one above) are.

        2. King Daniel

          I recall Willis even mentioning that at least one of them (the Dorothy one back when the First Toedad Incident took place) was actually originally intended to run here, but was shifted to Patreon instead for better plotline flow.

        3. BBCC

          IIRC, there’ve been a few like that.

        4. Bagge

          THE JOYCE/DOROTHY APRIL FOOLS SLIPSHINE IS CANON AND I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY DISAGREEMENT ON THIS POINT.

        5. Delicious Taffy

          Bagge, you are both correct and brave for saying the truth.

        6. Bagge

          WAKE UP SHEEPLE

        7. King Daniel

          Oh god oh god oh god why did you do that?!

        8. Mordecai

          Hear, hear

        9. BBCC

          You’re right and you should say it.

        10. ego

          “He who f- nuns will later join the church”

          the Clash: Death or Glory

        11. Taellosse

          How dare you suggest Blowjob Cat doesn’t really think! It isn’t his fault he’s an immobile art installation! He has a rich internal life, I’m sure.

        12. fractalwolf

          Like Babe the Blue Ox from Fables? https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1844138.html

        13. BBCC

          Y’know what, fair enough.

        14. Bicycle Bill

          Aw, nuts.  I guess I’m going to have to become a patron so I can catch up on the bits that haven’t shown up in the online comic.  Damn you, Willis!!

        15. BBCC

          The patreon comics also go in the books so when your kickstarter order comes in you should get them all.

        16. BBCC

          IIRC you said you were ordering all the books. If not, ignore me.

        17. Bicycle Bill

          I did.  I wasn’t sure ALL the Patreon strips were in the books, though.
          And I know doggone well the Slipshine comics aren’t  🙁

        18. BBCC

          Yeah, all patreon strips are. He can’t put the slipshine comics in them because he doesn’t own them – they were a commission for Slipshine. He also doesn’t really want to sell them at conventions where there are kids.

        19. Diane

          Admittedly, half the reason I went all in (all 9 books) for my pledge was for clearer patreon comics of the first couple of months. My eyesight is poor enough as is, don’t need trying to squint at images patreon messed up to make it worse.

      2. Yumi

        Yes, but also I think it’s be weird in a fun way if they weren’t canon.

    3. Regalli

      The fact that she’s trying the snark (which is still loaded in a fuckload of bitter angst) and wavering is just. Ow.

    4. Pylgrim

      You can also see a phone with the screen on in the first panel.

  3. Hampsterpig

    good on you walky? Talking annoying shit to the tied up dude has to be fun

    1. Keulen

      I think he’s right, it’s better than having to call 911 or deal with the badly injured and probably dying Ross.

      1. Doom Shepherd

        Also no one will know if you bounce his head off the floor a few times for good measure.

        Yeah, I hate Blaine.

        1. Agemegos

          I think that sitting on his busted ribcage is extra-super indicated by the circumstances.

          And if he should get burked by it? Well, them’s the breaks with reasonable force.

        2. Screwball

          I don’t think Walky IS sitting on ribs…
          From what little I know about Human bodies, that looks like belly/groin region. And Daniel the Human tells me that’ll stop him using his…. diaphragm (?) for breathing, forcing him to use his injured ribcage to breathe instead. And increase the chances of a lung being punctured by a broken rib too…

          Yeah, it’s not the best situation for Mr Wannabesupervillain…

        3. clif

          And in the meantime we get to enjoy Walky looking macho in his pajamas.

        4. Agemegos

          He isn’t, but there’s time to fix that.

        5. Captain Oblivious

          Blaine is face down with his hands behind his back. Walky is sitting on Blaines hips/ass. You can see the curve of Blaines butt sticking up.

      2. Eric

        tbh calling 911 is pretty simple, but does take some preparation to be that way. You don’t want to follow the “9-line medevac” directly, but base your call on that. “This is my number is . I need at . There . Traffic is .” &c&c

        Have all that info in your mind, start that way, and if you’re providing relevant info the dispatch will just let you feed them. If they need more specific info they’ll stop you and ask, but that takes time.

        1. Eric

          Oh wow the comment system completely butchered that mad libs style 911 call.

  4. Joe Moose

    Watching the days go by~

    1. Marsh Maryrose

      And you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?”

      1. Doctor_Who

        “This is not my beautiful house!…This totally is my awesome dinosaur girlfriend, though.”

        1. Opus the Poet

          good call back to the Talking Heads

    2. Geneseepaws

      Thank you to all three of you for doing this.
      On a gray, sequestered day, we’ll,…it made my day sunny.

  5. William Leonard Reese Jr.

    . . . I am honestly not sure how this situation could become more emotionally complex for *all* involved here.

    ESPECIALLY for Joyce and Becky.

    I do wonder if Ross is. . .awake(?) enough to think at this moment. To know what he is thinking right now, if he could hear them but not be able to reply, . . . I would kill to or be able to read his and all of their thoughts as they experience this emotionally.

    1. bryy

      Ross being alive tells me that we’re not gonna have the resolution to this for at least two to three more months.

      1. Needfuldoer

        We have about a month and a half left in the current chapter.

        I think his odds of surviving the trip to the hospital are about 50/50 at this point.

        1. Wereg

          Survive? 50/50. If this weren’t a comic, I’d put the odds of him not being extremely disabled for the rest of his existence at “pretty low”, but you never know.

  6. Dara

    Amazi-Girl without the voice is kinda weird.

  7. Lawzlo

    And you may tell yourself
    THS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL HOUSE!
    And you may tell youself
    THIS IS NOT MY TERRIBLE TOEDAD!

  8. Marsh Maryrose

    Burn sauce in the text, burn sauce in the alt-text

  9. Passchendaele

    am I the only one who read that last line and had that “this is not my beautiful house” song start playing in my head

    1. two-star

      “Same as it ever was” “Yeah — terrible!

      1. Makkabee

        I’m glad somebody referenced that and saved me the trouble of looking it up.

      2. Doctor_Who

        Ooh, the Muppets version. Been years since I saw that.

    2. Marsh Maryrose

      So many DoA storylines have pop song lyrics for titles, it’s pretty much certain that the reference is intentional

    3. Reltzik

      Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime. No, no you are not.

      1. Passchendaele

        ohhhh, that’s what it is. I always end up forgetting the name – thanks!

        anyways holy shit this comic gets sadder the longer I look at it

    4. Dana

      I was skimming to see if anyone had ninja’d me on this comment.

  10. Bagge

    Becky has walked in on too many dead or dying parents 🙁

    1. Diane

      On the plus side, this one wasn’t a surprise, she knew what she was walking into.

      1. Bagge

        Yay

        1. Regalli

          Your gravatar with that is kind of perfectly Becky, in, you know, the worst possible way.

        2. Bagge

          No Debbie Downer and all that

    2. Chaz

      Ooof. I had forgotten this, thank you for the reminder.

  11. Mra

    They did call an ambulance, right? I know it’s not likely to get there in time, but they have to try, right?

    1. BBCC

      Ambulance has already been called.

      1. Yumi

        Also, judging by the placement of the phone in this strip, I wonder if they might currently be on the line with 911 re: what they should be doing about Ross.

        1. BBCC

          Could be the operator telling them what to do to try to keep him alive.

        2. NelC

          Cross-posted with you, but, yeah, in a life-critical emergency the operator will be on the line until the ambulance gets there.

        3. King Daniel

          I’d imagine that might be why the screen seemingly hasn’t locked.

        4. Chris Phoenix

          Well, we already knew AG’s phone doesn’t lock very fast.

    2. NelC

      Phone’s by Ambi-Girl’s knee in the first frame.

      Really, Joyce should be on it while AG is dealing with the wound. I guess it might be on speaker, but that’s going to be dramatically distracting having the emergency operator break in with questions about Ross’ condition and updates on the ETA of the ambulance while Becky’s having a moment.

      1. Regalli

        Could be Joyce is taking pulse or something, given her positioning. She’d still have a hand free for the phone, but that would be harder for us to see, for dramatic/narrative purposes, and probably wouldn’t make taking his pulse any easier.

        1. Bicycle Bill

          Looks more like she’s applied judicious pressure to stop/slow the bleeding.  Although with a head injury like this, it’s almost impossible for an untrained person to know just how much pressure is enough to stem the bleeding without causing (additional) damage to the brain in what is more than likely a cracked skull.

        2. Bicycle Bill

          Sorry, I missed the reference to Joyce. I doubt that she’s taking a pulse though … you need one hand to feel for the pulse and the other hand is usually holding the watch to time a ten-second interval, and her right hand is at her side alongside her leg.  She’s probably just there to lend moral support … and given what we know about her, silently praying.

  12. Lumino

    I am SO proud of Joyce for being there.

  13. CMasta

    That snark defense mechanism kicked in quick.

    I am *very* concerned about Walky being on guard duty.

    1. Mra

      Yeah, he’s kind of short, will his weight be enough to hold the prick down?

    2. NinjaNick

      Any given moment, he might be abducted by Beastmode Blaine.

    3. Diane

      I’m hoping Ethan went in to help, while Dorothy waits for the ambulance/police outside. Since previously, Dorothy and Joyce could “assist” in that they were in ear shot. But now Becky’s here, so noise.

    4. Segnosaur

      Between the duct tape and Blaine’s injuries (cracked ribs plus whatever injuries he got from Ross and Amazigirl) I doubt he would be a threat, even to walky.

  14. Bagge

    You know, I really start to doubt God is on this dude’s side.

    1. BigDogLittleCat

      Or really incompetent. You know, lime he keeps sending tornadoes because he’s mad about Teh Gayz, but keeps hitting Arkansas instead of San Francisco.

      1. Caspar Mulders

        Cut the Man a break! How will your eyesight/aim be when you’re more than 6024 years old?

      2. Daniel M Ball

        when you look at what happens to the people God likes, maybe it’s not such a surprise. considering the people that are ‘his’ have been the targets of genocide by every other civilization on the planet over the last 6000 years, maybe the real reason is that he just doesn’t give a shit about San Francisco, and really “Likes” Arkansas (thus, Arkansas gets lots of disasters visited upon them.)

  15. Bicycle Bill

    Walky’s seated on Blaine’s legs.  Cue music ….

    ♪♫ “Sittin’ on the dick of the day, waitin’ for the cops to roll in….” ♫♯♪

  16. G97

    “He’s breathing but I’m not sure if he can hear you.”

    “Well this is the one time I’ll be able to say this now that he can’t hear me. Dad, I gave the Netflix password to Robin who gave it to her constituents who gave it to the speaker of the house and long story short, your account has some very weird recommendations on it now.”

  17. Svata

    I guess this is the sort of thing that will only ever happen…

    Once in a Lifetime.

  18. Dwayne

    No one’s made a “stubbing of the Toedad” joke yet?

    Shame!

    1. King Daniel

      No one…today.

      (stubbing of the toedead)

    2. Diane

      Just not today. It’s been made a few times in previous comics.

    3. Reltzik

      Doesn’t work.

      See puns are and metaphors are based on equating two things. Making them analogs.

      And toes are digital.

      1. King Daniel

        One day, I swear, your punning skills will be defeeted.

        1. clif

          That day is not today.

        2. King Daniel

          Definitely not toeday.

        3. Reltzik

          But today IS wrapping up a long story arch.

        4. King Daniel

          And with villains being brought to heel.

        5. Reltzik

          Yeah, definitely a happy ending. Everyone’s having a ball.

        6. Deanatay

          What the hallux are you two toeing on about?

        7. King Daniel

          Well, it’s not as if we’re yet discussing the current state of his sole…

        8. Reltzik

          Oh, his sole is definitely going down the shoe-t.

        9. King Daniel

          Will he be all laced up?

        10. Reltzik

          Yup, and he’ll have to hold his tongue.

        11. King Daniel

          I hear aglets find them a delicacy.

      2. BigDogLittleCat

        All the internets that have ever been, or ever will be, are yours.

  19. Katerly

    I cannot imagine what Becky is going through right now. Joyce I can, she’s worried about her friend. There’s other stuff going on too obviously, and I hope beyond hope Dorothy suggests therapy to EVERY-BODY who was involved in this.
    But Becky, I have no words. To have your Dad turn on you that hard. To think he’s out of your life and then to have him return and threaten everything you’ve managed to gain. Only then to have a hated confrontation not only end before it began, but now to be facing down not only the loss of a parent, but also the last real connection she might have to the parent she did love and care for.
    It’s awful. When he was in the hospital and in police custody she got the last word in and it was a fitting final statement. She’s going to live her life and screw him. But what the heck is she supposed to say now? Is she even supposed to say anything? Would she even want to?

    1. Regalli

      If Dorothy doesn’t suggest therapy, the medics and probable police sure as hell are. And the college, at that.

      Yeah. She went from “everything’s fine” to “your dad’s out on bail” to “everyone’s kidnapped, shit’s fucked” to “he’s very possibly dying” in the span of about sixteen hours, and the last two in about three at most. And everything Joyce was saying two strips ago? That but magnified by a factor of 100.

      1. DaveM

        It gets worse. Depending on how badly Ross is injured (and their level of medical cover if I understand the American system correctly), Becky may have to make the decision on whether to turn off life support at some point. Thats… the kind of decision that no one should ever have to make, but sometimes needs to be made. It leaves a mark.

        Poor Becky, here’s hoping things don’t get that dark.

        1. Daniel M Ball

          on the plus side, Becky’s probably better equipped to MAKE that decision than the average person. Given her history and her father’s losing his goddam mind the way he obviously did, she’s probably better equipped to decide rationally than someone who actually came from a non-disfunctional environment.

      2. Khyrin

        I fully expect Dorothy to have some sort of break and just herding everyone directly into her therapist’s office one morning, and everyone just going along with it because she got them at just the right level of sleepiness.

  20. NinjaNick

    Phew. I’m not sure if it’s a best case scenario, but it is.

  21. Makkabee

    It’s never too soon for a Talking Heads reference.

    1. NinjaNick

      Once in a lifetime, they might be “burning down the house” soon enough.

  22. DailyBrad

    Becky’s a strong soul.

  23. Regalli

    All these faces. All these sad, excellent faces.

    I’m so glad that Dina’s there with her for this. Girlfriend of the year, here. (And Joyce, deciding to be there at least in part for Becky, and I’m sure in no small part for herself as well – she’s probably going to second-guess anything she says to Toedad, but he was still someone she knew and trusted since childhood and that doesn’t go away easy, and honestly it might be a little less traumatic if her last image of him is this than him getting hit with a hammer. These poor girls.)

    If AG isn’t sure whether or not he’s conscious and he’s DEFINITELY unresponsive, that is… not a good sign, given the head trauma.

    1. BigDogLittleCat

      I hope for Becky’s sake that he doesn’t linger. Dealing with the loss of an asshole parent would be easier than dealing with an asshole parent in a vegetative state, so you feel bad for him, because vegetative state, but he’s still and asshole. Plus worrying what if he wakes up?

      Becky needs this part of her life to End so she can focus on healing and going forward instead of having to look over her shoulder and and wonder if her past will stay in the past.

      1. Regalli

        And if the life support question has to be asked (I’m like, 80% sure Ross wouldn’t have a living will or other advance directive,) Becky would get SO MUCH SHIT from Carol and the church if she turns it off.

        Even though, statistically speaking, if he’s comatose by the time he gets to the hospital, comas aren’t exactly something you stay in for months and then miraculously come back good as new. But miraculous is the key word here – how dare Becky not have faith God would pull Ross through?

        God, I hope he dies on the scene. I can just see that plot development, and UGH.

        1. Daniel M Ball

          I kind of suspect Becky’s about as likely to care what Carol and Company have to say about her as she is to suddenly develop a desire to sleep with men. *meaning it’s possible, just not LIKELY.

        2. Regalli

          Will she care? No. Is she going to have to deal with them nonetheless? Probably, because Carol is definitely going to be around, if only for Joyce. If he dies and there’s a funeral, they’re going to have Opinions, and if Becky decides to forgo a funeral, they’re going to have Opinions that she didn’t have one. It’ll just be a hassle and fresh wave of harassment she Does Not Need to deal with right now.

        3. thejeff

          Given that Carol was part of working with Blaine to get Ross out on bail to kidnap Becky, I suspect there are going to be other Opinions long before something like that comes up.

        4. thejeff

          Or possibly worse – doesn’t need life support, but isn’t capable of taking care of himself either. Leaving Becky to support and care for him.

        5. Khyrin

          Possible counterpoint: Ross may have a living will because of what happened with Bonnie.

        6. Regalli

          That’s my remaining 20%. Given his “God will deliver” attitude up to now, I can see him thinking it’s not necessary.

  24. Alopex

    The banner ad on the side popped over into the first panel of the comic and overlaid it with an image of Chiquita bananas.

    1. King Daniel

      eat arbys

      1. abacuswizard

        “He’s breathing. But not sure if he can hear you.”

        “ma’am this is an arby’s”

  25. Lanie

    Oh. Ouch.

    That line from Becky is one of the most depressing things I’ve seen this sleep-wake cycle. I hope she gets to find some peace…

    1. Daniel M Ball

      were you never a teenager? What she says there is straight up in line with the refrain you hear about a thousand times a day from kids that suddenly end up at odds w/ mom and dad, and has been for the last like, thousand years. He’s not Dead yet, it’s not at that point of ‘you can’t take those words back’.

      1. thejeff

        Though normally “at odds with” doesn’t involve assault and kidnapping. Or for that matter the abuse that’s been Becky’s whole life.
        Takes it a bit beyond normal teenagers thinking their parent’s don’t understand.

        1. Regalli

          Yeah, the context here is very much not “general teenagerdom” and very much instead “kidnapped her at gunpoint, then kidnapped SIX OTHER PEOPLE, in an attempt to ‘fix’ her sexuality,” among many other things. To say nothing of the many ways we’ve seen him pigeonhole her onscreen – I went back to check the strip where he was talking about Becky’s hair, and it was worse than I remembered. “Your hair is your womanhood, and you must reclaim it. I will bring you back. I will have my daughter again, instead of whatever… this is.” Direct quote. And then the “how much have you defied me” for having access to a cell phone and actually slapping her and threatening to straight-up kill any friends who helped her (“send them to Hell where they belong”). And I doubt those instances (and things like “not allowing her to watch Disney movies that promoted ‘questioning parental judgment'”, also seen onscreen) were the only ones, they’re just the only ones we SAW.

          Seriously, fuck Ross.

        2. thejeff

          “only so when some gross dude claimed me I could better homeschool our dumb kids. The danged extent of my allowed aspirations. My life goals.”

          Yeah, fuck Ross.

  26. Axel

    real uncomfy with this many people going back in the basement. maybe at least amazi-girl could head up

    1. Axel

      okay the patreon preview of walky is making me feel a bit better

      1. BigDogLittleCat

        You know you’re jumpy when you find Walky reassuring.

    2. Bicycle Bill

      I think Amazi-Girl’s in the best possible place she could be right now.  She probably knows more about first aid than the other three combined.  I agree, though, that Sarah (and her bat) should probably be inside with Walky while Dorothy stays on the porch waiting for the police/paramedics.  Taylor, Tyler, Dawson, and the other two unnamed mooks probably high-tailed it when Amazi-Girl showed up and turned the tables on them, but we don’t know that for certain and it would sure suck if they were to turn up in this story arc again.

      1. thejeff

        Though AG really should get out before the cops show up.

  27. Kravis

    Funny thing is, this really ISN’T her beautiful house.

  28. BigDogLittleCat

    I’m surprised there’s not more blood. Head wounds, and all. And that his face isn’t pulp.

    It’s possible that Blaine didn’t actually do much to Ross in the second go around, just struggled with him to get him off. He might not have needed to if the first hit was bad enough. Ross could have been already incapable of doing much, but having the advantage of weight was able to tangle up Blaine long enough for the kids to get out.

    1. King Daniel

      When we first saw Ross’s head injury a few days ago, the bleeding was on the left side of his face; there’s none there in today’s first panel, but Amazi-Girl has a cloth in her hands – and in the last panel she has the cloth on the left side of his face again, implying that she’s been trying to wipe it as fast as it’s coming.

      1. clif

        Nothing a tourniquet on the neck wouldn’t fix.

        1. AGV

          IGuess.jpg

        2. Chris Phoenix

          …What neck?

        3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Now I wonder if he is related to Judge Oliver Wright from TRHPS.

      2. Needfuldoer

        A couple days after that, he’s bleeding from above his left temple, where Amazi-Girl’s applying pressure now.

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

  29. PiotrW

    Here’s my question: it seems that the story of the kidnapping is over, but… the current storyline was supposed to feature constant sense of danger. And it’s supposed to end in a month and a half. So… is the danger not over? If not, then what is going to happen now? Should we be worried?

    1. Autogatos

      I mean Blaine is still on the loose. I doubt he’ll give up terrorizing Amber this easily, just because the kidnapping didn’t work out. And now there are a bunch of her friends who saw him possibly murder someone. I doubt he’s just going to ignore that loose end.

    2. Autogatos

      Oh wait! Never mind. I forgot Blaine is tied up upstairs and the Patreon bonus strip preview above seems to imply the cops are on their way. So *shrug* I got nothing.

      1. Sam

        We still don’t have Mike back and safe yet.

    3. Ray Radlein

      What happens if Amazi-Girl is still there when the police arrive?

      What happens to Mike, and do they need to rescue him somehow?

      Might there be some kind of blowback from Blaine’s … employers?

      Is Asher going to get in trouble? If Ross dies, he’s conceivably on the hook for Felony Murder, after all

      See? Plenty of stuff to still worry about!

      1. Human Bean

        I agree with most things you said, except… who really cares about Asher?

        1. Ray Radlein

          His father and grandfather might, and their attention might conceivably make life more difficult for Amazi-Girl in particular

        2. BBCC

          I do, a bit. We don’t know much about him, but I feel bad for the kid. He really was trying to leave the family business.

        3. King Daniel

          Same.

        4. Regalli

          Agreed. His actions thus far have not been great, but he clearly did genuinely want to get out of the mobster’s life (you don’t steal a shitload from your mobster family if you ever want to see them again and live,) and he clearly has had very few chances to be anything else. (Knowing he’s from a mob family puts him in the shoplifting strips at age 12 or so in a rather different light.)

          He’s not enough of a character for me to be INVESTED, but what we know of him does make me rather sad.

        5. BBCC

          Seriously, I’ve had the ‘badness is going on at home’ red flag since we found out he was casually shoplifting and smoking at 12. At the very least I would think that would warrant a ‘Is everything okay at home, bud?’

        6. thejeff

          Though, being in a mob family may paradoxically mean those aren’t really signs of badness at home. I mean, badness beyond being in a mob family.

  30. Human Bean

    I wonder why AG has not been doing the voice for those last few strips. Maybe she just thinks it would be a bit inappropriate, given the seriousness of the situation? Though it didn’t seem like the voice was a goofy, fun thing to her. More like… perhaps trying to further distance herself from Amber? Or perhaps she wanted to sound more threatening or “cool”, which wouldn’t really do any good right now.
    Now that they are apparently on the phone with a 911 operator, I guess it might also be wiser to use the Amber voice.

    …Man, I’m really worried for Amazi-Girl, and a little for Amber. I mean, she did commit several crimes, with the vigilantism and beating up Becky’s guards, she could get in huge trouble now that authorities are involved.

    (I feel a teensy bit insensitive not commenting on the Becky and Toedead situation, but everything I might say to that has already been said, so.)

    1. Zaxares

      She had a psychological snap about last week and now the two personalities are “talking” to each other again. It’s kind of like the old Hulk/Bruce Banner conflict and now you have the two of them living in (relative) harmony in the same body.

    2. thejeff

      It’s partly the more threatening thing, but also largely so she doesn’t sound like Amber. Part of the secret identity thing.
      Everyone here now knows, so there’s no need to keep that up.

    3. zellgato

      An implication from the full unhinged, and now her having worked through the bit about Mike, and found an actual reason and confronting her own trauama to push through this situation..
      has more or less made the two personalities work together. Or possibly fuse, memories will be lacking I assume but they’re more one than full switches it seems more like.
      So AG isn’t autopiloting her body without her awareness like before, Mike’s death/near death fractured both versions of her.
      and doing this, helped patch her together via focus and resolve
      also insanity tiredness.

      1. thejeff

        They’re working together, but haven’t done anything like fuse. They were explicitly talking to each back while taking out Becky’s guards.

        Not clear how much memory they’re sharing.

    4. BigDogLittleCat

      AG started the voice so people who knew Amber wouldn’t figure it out. Now that everyone knows, there’s no point.
      And bathing a dying man’s face seems like a good time to drop such an affectation.

  31. EvilMidnightLurker

    And you may find yourself
    Dying on a basement floor
    And you may find yourself
    In another part of Indiana
    And you may find yourself
    With a disturbingly large hole in your skull
    And you may find yourself in a generic airbnb
    With a lesbian daughter
    And you may ask yourself, well
    How did I get here?

  32. DarkoNeko

    Call an ambulaaaaaaaaance

    1. King Daniel

      They have

      1. DarkoNeko

        Good !

  33. Needfuldoer

    Scalp lacerations bleed like crazy; the most urgent concern is the concussion. A skull fracture might actually help him here, by making room for brain swelling.

    You know, if someone calls a friggin ambulance.

    1. Zee

      They did, read the comments above you

      1. Needfuldoer

        Reading the comments before commenting is for squares.

      2. Needfuldoer

        And squares don’t get grumped at on Twitter.

        https://twitter.com/damnyouwillis/status/1258070018690093056

  34. ValdVin

    So, we have a superhero wearing gloves and tends to the needs of the ailing.

    Amazingly prescient strip for our times. When was it loaded up to the buffer?

    1. Regalli

      I know it was some time months back (long enough I don’t want to dig down Willis’s Twitter to try and find the Tweet that prompted my ‘Dumbing of Age will hurt you’ calendar notification.) Probably January or so, I want to say? Still in the ‘mostly occurring in China, who is downplaying the severity’ stages, in other words.

      1. ValdVin

        I work in a big place with lots of internationals who travel here as contractors, suppliers, customers, and employees. In late January, I think, they put signs at every entrance forbidding entry for “anyone who’d been in mainland China in the last 30 days”.

        That seems like such a looooong time ago.

        1. ValdVin

          (ETA: Not just internationals, but Americans who travel everywhere too.)

        2. Agemegos

          Yeah. Viruses don’t check your passport.

        3. Regalli

          This is true. I don’t remember exactly when it was (want to say earlier, but there was a death in the family in January so my memory of everything else is pretty scattered,) but it was definitely known.

          (Said death in the family was expected and, in hindsight, better then than now. Doesn’t make it easier, but since we’d known for months it was coming, we’re counting the “at least this way my mom and her sister got to sit vigil with their father before he passed” as a thing.)

  35. Rabisch

    I really love Becky’s attitude.

  36. Juanoku

    Oh, snap, burn!
    Oh wait shit

  37. zellgato

    Seriously… Anyone actually calling 911? Why do they not have someone on the phone being told proper medical first aid proccedures? They do that ya’kno.
    At this rate they may end up cited for negligence. I mean it would be thrown out pretty right quick but still.
    I was hoping to see someone in the background on the phone about it but don’t see it yet.

    but there is still a bucketload of villains KO’d .
    or, not ko’d and escaping.

    1. thejeff

      911’s been called – per Patreon strip and the preview image from it. There’s a phone on in the first panel of this strip, so that may be going on, even if the focus is on the emotional reactions.

      1. Needfuldoer

        At first I assumed Amazi-ber was just looking up first aid strategies for grievous head injuries.

  38. FacelessDeviant

    I guess “the-not-calling-the-cops”-plan had its risks as well.

    1. FacelessDeviant

      Hope they at least call someone now.

    2. thejeff

      I’d say it worked out pretty well – no hostages dead or injured. It’s not like armed mass kidnappings are risk-free.

      1. Regalli

        Yeah, no dead or injured hostages, and the goons are apparently all alive as well. Not that we’re at all invested in their wellbeing, but that would by no means be guaranteed!

        Ross (possibly) dying is in no way, shape or form on the hostages. It is 100% on him allying himself with Blaine. (Even if AG had immediately called the police, you really think Blaine WOULDN’T have taken his rage at this being ruined on anyone?)

    3. Zee

      Please look at the patreon strip preview under today’s strip

  39. ArcaneDarkness

    So… nobody gonna talk about the continuation error in which Dina and Becky change sides while going down the stairs (and the consequently, the hand they are holding the other). The emotional moment was ruined because I was trying to understand why I felt the image was wrong.

    1. hMH

      my headcanon for that is that dina is just trying really hard to be supportive for becky and doesn’t want to get in the way while they’re going down the stairs since this is a big serious thing for her so she’s literally not confident where to stand since she definitely doesn’t want to be in front of becky, or in her way, but she damn sure wants to be as close to her as possible and if that means “flitting around behind her on the stairs until she settles in place” then that will surely have to do

    2. Alan in DC

      Nostalgic Wizard of Oz callback.

      See moviemistakes.com/picture139231

    3. BBCC

      Dina’s behind her when they walk down. She might have wanted the railing.

      1. Bicycle Bill

        What railing?  In all the strips that showed the stairs since the kidnappees were dumped, I don’t recall seeing any railing.

  40. Demolition Fan

    And, I get to show off my amazing butt! Feel how firm those globes are holding you down.
    –Walky

  41. bunivasal

    same as it ever was
    same as it ever was

    Letting the days go by

  42. BenRG

    I think that Becky is going to end up screaming out her resentment at her deeply-comatose father; her rage and bitterness at everything that has gone wrong in her life and family and then finally end up sobbing her heart out on his chest as he breathes his last.

    I wonder if she’ll be able to say “I forgive you”?

    1. Morleuca

      I’m just hoping that this doesn’t cause her to go back home with him. Because that will just give him a smug sense of satisfaction and heighten his sense of zealous superiority. Assuming he doesn’t just outright die.

      1. Axel

        I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be allowed bail after being involved in another kidnapping

        1. BBCC

          You have to set it for anything less than murder.

        2. Agemegos

          Bail is set at eight trillion dollars, cash or bond.

    2. thejeff

      Why should she?

      Dude got hurt (or killed) in a dispute over how to kidnap her. Forgiveness is not owed.

      1. BenRG

        That doesn’t mean it won’t be offered.

  43. Wakeangel2001

    I just know the people from her church are going to talk about this guy like he’s some big damn hero now.

    1. Agemegos

      He was killed by a mobster while trying to save his daughter!

      1. temperaryobsessor

        Not trying to save his real daughter but some version of his daughter that only exists in his head and not from the mobster but from his real daughter.

  44. Boh No

    Something something water underground

  45. AshnodsCoupon

    Damn. I have a close friend doing the “dying Dad who was always really shitty to you therefore mixed feelings” thing right now, literally last night, and … this strip nails it.

    Also I want to know how Becky and Dina switched positions as they went down the stairs lol

    1. BBCC

      Becky went in front of Dina, and so she seems to have moved to the side with the railing

      1. thejeff

        They did switch which hands they were holding, so it’s not just seems.

  46. someone

    When the ambulance arrive:
    “No, that guy lying prone with cloth duct-taped around his face isn’t the guy who needs help. Don’t worry about him, he’s just testing a home-made covid mask, haha.”

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