184

Throw away
Posted on April 16, 2023 by David M Willis

184 thoughts on “Throw away”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    Sal: *waits five minutes*

    1. Ana Chronistic

      undecided on whether the alt-text is a jinx

  2. Doctor_Who

    Never thought I’d get Rodimus and Prowl energy from Sal and Malaya.

    At least, not with Sal being the Rodimus and Malaya being the Prowl.

  3. Kyrik Michalowski

    I think Sal is right here; I don’t see Lucy and Walky’s relationship lasting for very long.

    1. Mano308gts

      Given the way Walky was responding to Dorothy?

      I don’t foresee them going anywhere, anytime soon…

      1. bubba0077

        Walky is too good of a guy to cheat on Lucy. That does not mean he will not reevaluate his feelings about his relationship with Lucy in comparison to his relationship with Dorothy, find it wanting and then end it. He may or may not then go back to Dorothy, since “Lucy doesn’t make me feel like Dorothy did” and “should I go back to my ex (especially right after dumping someone)” are two separate things.

    2. Hoboturtle

      I actually don’t get it. I really feels like the greatest evidence that Lucy’s and Walky’s relationship is bad is that characters keep saying it’s bad instead of any actual incapability on their part.

      1. Devin

        I personally think that these two are concerning at the very least. Seems to me that the other characters are also picking up on a bit of a disparity.

        It seems to me that Lucy is moving much faster in this relationship than Walky is, and that kind of disconnect generally isn’t a great sign for a relationship.

        1. Enkrod

          Dorothy is also the only person Walky has ever said I love her” about

      2. cbwroses

        For me it’s less it’s bad and more the lack of enthusiasm and initiative in comparison to the previous relationships.
        Walky fell for Dorothy pretty much at first sight.
        And it took an afternoon of tweets for him to be making out with Amber.
        Then we have Lucy, who he had to be told to ask out by Dorothy, who he still hasn’t kissed (unless I’m forgetting something), and who he has not thrown a toy at.
        He was much more passionate with the other two and much faster, and, with only 3 examples to go off, he seems the least into this relationship.

      3. Stu

        As Devin pointed out, it’s not so much “incompatible” as it is “They definitely have differing levels of engagement in this relationship” issues. Lucy is ALL. IN. Walky, however, is being more cautious – whether because he’s not as into Lucy as his exes (again, see Dorothy literally telling him to ask her out, whereas he took initiative with both her and Amber), or if he’s maybe trying to pace things slower as a result of how his last two relationships ended.

        Either way, unless they have a serious discussion where they open up about this, or if one of them has a sudden shift in the strength of their feelings, it likely won’t end well.

    3. Nicoleandmaggie

      Walky seems to me to be the kind of person who gets dumped rather than dumps, and Lucy seems like she’d take a while to get the message if Walky started being a passive aggressive ass. That said, Walky occasionally surprises me with tiny bursts of maturity. So maybe she should stay away from his empire of dirt if she’s invested in this double date.

      But yeah, I think it will go the full three weeks.

      1. cbwroses

        Walky broke up with Amber when he found out she was the one who stabbed Sal’s hand.

        1. Nicoleandmaggie

          I thought Amber dumped him for saying mike was still alive?

        2. Stanistani

          Time only appears to be linear if you’re watching it too closely.

        3. cbwroses

          He broke up with her over Sal, and committed to that decision even after Sal gave her blessing.
          Then they apparently started comforting each other after Mike died.
          And at Halloween, around 2 weeks later, Amber broke it off because of what happened.
          To be fair, I don’t think they ever defined their relationship from the start to the finish, but he did break it off with her first.

  4. Caro

    smash cut back to dorothy and walky…

  5. Schpoonman

    Is it too petty of me to remind everyone that Malaya went after Joe because she specifically and erroneously thought Sal was into him?

    No? Cool.

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/03-faz-is-great/legend/

    1. True Survivor

      Malaya is an … unique soul.

      1. shrub

        Unique soul or asshole?

        1. Needfuldoer

          Yes.

        2. shoopdawhoop

          a sshole, unique

    2. Koname

      Well that sent me down a nice little rabbit hole that included Joyce realizing Joe thought about her as someone who could potentially woo great guys (in a very not great situation)
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/03-faz-is-great/pushing/

  6. Sirksome

    It’s only been eight days. Time means nothing to this college.

  7. Leorale

    Oh man, would I never want to go on a double date with either of my brothers. Once again, Sal understands me.

    1. Dana

      I’d be fine going on a double date with my sister if she wasn’t married to my brother-in-law.

    2. Nono

      I’m not sure Sal would want to go out on a double date with anyone.

      Eh, maybe with Marcie.

      1. cbwroses

        Especially not with Marcie, at least not until the person Marcie is dating is no longer Malaya.

    3. Decidedly Orthogonal

      At some point they stop being “double dates” and become just “visiting family” and nobody bats an eye at them. Just… something to consider.

      I for one, would happily hang out with one of my siblings and bring a date along, and one I would prefer not to interact with regardless of the presence or absence of someone I actually care about.

      1. Leorale

        Yeah, my husband and I will happily hang out with my older brother and his wife, or my younger brother and his fiance. Just, not double-dating. Nobody is testing any waters, or auditioning for anything at all, we’re all related now, it’s different!

  8. Yumi

    Let’s put out some lettuce and see who wins.

    1. True Survivor

      I’ve never heard that expression. Would you mind explaining? It sounds like a fun one.

      1. Yumi

        https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Truss_lettuce

        It’s a reference to when Liz Truss was Prime Minister and at some point a head of lettuce was put out to see if it’d last longer than her remaining time in office.

        #TeamLettuce

        1. Dana

          And it did last longer!

        2. Clif

          But I’ve heard that expression all my life (though maybe not recently). Lettuce is cash and it basically is saying let’s pull out some cash and bet to see who wins. Why lettuce is cash is probably because they’re both green, but that’s a guess on my part.

        3. Yumi

          Okay, but that’s not how it’s being used here, though.

        4. Clif

          So no interest in making a bet with imaginary money then?

        5. True Survivor

          Oh, yeah I remember that. Thanks for explaining that – I was right it was fun.

    2. Needfuldoer

      Malaya’s “science experiment” crawls out of his terrarium and has lettuce for lunch.

      1. thejeff

        Nah, the lettuce escaped.

  9. jpnr

    black girls with shirt that says “Salios” looking through a window: yes…hahaha…yes

    1. anon

      what are you talking about…?

      1. Clif

        Well, you see, Salios is a famous Japanese racecourse …

      2. not someone else

        Sickos.jpg, it’s a meme.

        Sorry for the misclicked flag. Ugh.

  10. Kyrik Michalowski

    Does Malaya have a spider sense? She seemed to know Lucy was going to be there before she actually showed up.

    Either it is a spider sense, or she is psychic. Which one is more plausible?

    1. HueSatLight

      Could have smelled her lotion or recognized her footsteps or heard her say hi to someone down the hall.

    2. k

      They used to be roommates, and Malaya hated lucy enough to want to switch rooms. I’m sure Malaya was constantly aware of Lucy’s presence so they would know to stay as far away as possible.

    3. Proxiehunter

      Just a Lucy sense. No stranger than some other minor super powers we’ve seen from characters. When I was in high school there were a couple friends that I could somehow just know if they were that that day or not.

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Her wholesomeness sense is tingling, so she needs to supercharge her snark power to OVER 9000!

    5. cbwroses

      Malaya: “l sense something…a presence I have not felt since…”

      1. CardinalFan

        Before the dark times. Before the Empire….

  11. not someone else

    Ouch. Okay.

    I doubt Walky is getting back with Dorothy, and I have no idea if he’s going to break up with Lucy, but one way or the other she’s gonna find out about this whole Thing and I look forward to seeing her sicko mode period.

  12. Kmoore305409

    Sal, sitting at the wedding reception watching Lucy and Walky dance: “…I can run it out,”

    1. Proxiehunter

      Just because Lucy and Walky got back together to dance at Becky and Dina’s wedding doesn’t mean they’re going to last.

  13. HueSatLight

    previewed panel! It’s a day early, I guess a strip got deleted or moved.

  14. Dday

    Dammit stop giving me palpitations with this ominous foreshadowing
    (also nice touch w/ the spidey-sense there)

  15. True Survivor

    What’s with Lucy and double dates, this is second one she’s asked for. Also is two double dates a four-fold date? But then both include Walky and Lucy so is it just a three-fold? What if you have three double-dates is that a six-fold date (2+2+2) or an eightfold date (2*2*2)?

    1. Axel

      “I’ve never had a boyfriend, what do new couples do? Oh, double dates!”

      1. HueSatLight

        I would guess a lot of that, with a little of “having a boyfriend officially around other people makes it more real.”

        1. Axel

          Yes, good point.

    2. anon

      lucy is pretty outgoing and sociable. tho personally i’d want either one on one dates or some ‘platonic’ group hangouts.

    3. Jamie

      Huh. Thought. Is Lucy trying to use Walky to make friends with more people?

      1. anon

        i mean she hasn’t been shy about approaching ppl on her own/befriending ppl and inviting ppl, even if she wasn’t the one to ask walky out

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      You are thinking of square dates, but I don’t recall anyone in DoA going square dancing.

    5. Plaaaa

      Adding to the awkwardness, a double date, with your boyfriend’s sister and its their 3rd date so she plans to bang him either right before or right after. Total cringe on top of cringe

  16. Yumi

    Malaya’s being…Malaya, and I love Sal’s panel three snark, but Lucy commenting on them binding like that seems fucking weird? I normally like Lucy, but as someone who sometimes binds, that would make me uncomfortable.

    Like, even with people that I’m close too, even who bind themselves, I wouldn’t expect an unprompted comment about how it looks like that. I can understand that Lucy is trying to be kind and supportive, but. No.

    1. Cmasta1992

      Yeah I think Lucy was trying to be nice and just does not know enough about that to realize that might be a weird statement to make even if you meant it genuinely

      1. Mark

        Yes, I took it as a variant of “you look nice today” or “I like that look for you.”

        1. Yumi

          Yeah, but what was actually said misses the mark.

      2. Mark

        Eight days is more than a week, so it’s been two weeks, right?

        1. Mark

          Argh, how did this get here? It was supposed to be a new thread.

    2. anon

      i mean it might give some ppl gender euphoria but malaya clearly doesn’t see lucy as a friend, i’m surprised she hasn’t directly told her to ‘fuck off’/not speak to her unless she (lucy) thinks that she was just being ‘tsundere’ (sry for the weeby term lol), and is still being relentlessly friendly/not respecting boundaries (which might be a potential drama shitstorm if walky does attempt to break up with her)

    3. TheKelliestKelly

      Thank you, I was gonna say something, too. Like, don’t talk about my body if I’m not bringing it up and don’t talk about my underwear if I’m not bringing it up. The only reason I’d be okay with someone bringing up me binding/the appearance of my binding out of the blue is if they want advice on binding themselves.

    4. not someone else

      I mean it is but also dang, Lucy is correct. Malaya looks great.

      1. Yumi

        This is true, they look fucking good. Wish I had a binder that worked that well. And that they have one that works so well and fits with that kind of shirt is also impressive.

    5. Aura

      I was looking for this. I feel like that’s a super weird thing to draw attention to unless you have that established relationship with someone (e.g. they’ve talked with you about binding before), and even then you’d avoid doing so in front of a 3rd party? Lucy has been very specifically portrayed as bad at social cues and bonudaries so it’s not too out there by her standards but yeesh.

    6. Mturtle7

      Is it? Hmm, let me compare…

      “Gosh Malaya, is that a new push-up bra? Your boobs look WAY bigger in it! Congrats!”

      …Yep, ok, that’s definitely weird. I just cringed so hard I almost physically couldn’t finish typing that line. I mean, I guess if you’re VERY close to the person you’re saying it too, it’s not so bad but that is very obviously NOT what Lucy and Malaya are to each other, so…

      1. BOOSTER SHOT

        Okay what if Lucy confronts Dorothy at some point about Walky, but then they end up in a mentorship relationship

        I feel like Lucy and Dorothy could learn a lot from each other, because of how similar (and quietly prone to certain types of extremism) they are

  17. Cmasta1992

    Lucy (in two days) well we asked about a 3rd date so that counts as a third date. So let’s fool around

  18. Sirksome

    I actually feel a bit bad for Walky now. It feels like Lucy is trying to speed run this relationship. The Amazon refund policy is longer than 8 days.

  19. Vigil247

    God i keep forgetting it’s only been a few days of them “dating” and she already said I love you oh my gaaaaahd

    1. anon

      ah, to be young again. tho, i can imagine some ppl in their 40s just dating again and moving a lot faster because they dont have the time/tolerance for teenagery dating bs if they already have busy jobs/kids from a former marriage/etc.

      1. Bogeywoman

        Pretty sure those 40 yo relationsship speedrunners are called lesbians

    2. TerribleTransit

      In fairness to her, she had already been spending a lot of time with Walky before they started officially dating, and having a pre-existing emotional connection makes it much easier to genuinely cross the ‘love’ threshold early in a romantic relationship. She also thought she was reciprocating it, not dropping it out of the blue.

      She’s also clearly infatuated and giddy and not thinking clearly about any of it, so yeah, a little oh my gahd is warranted.

  20. DailyBrad

    This is a bit mean-spirited on Sal’s part.

    1. anon

      seems like regular ribbing to me but more lighthearted if it was directed to her brother rather than lucy

    2. Swissaboo

      Turnabout is fair play

  21. anon

    that just seems wasteful. wouldn’t binders be expensive? idk how pro-trans indiana is but something designed to make ‘female’ chest smaller i imagine would be BS and charge more

    IDK how diff ‘top surgery’ would be classified to ‘breast reduction’ but hopefully you wouldn’t need some psych clearance just to have it as long as you have the money

    1. Imogen

      I’m unsure what you’re replying to, but in Oregon, the rule is :two therapist letters for bottom, one for top. Pretty sure that spans both “sets” of surgeries. It really sucks if you’re allergic to spironolactone and need an orc’ ASAP.

      1. anon

        i just mean wasteful for malaya to throw away her binder and then kinda tangeted/giving thoughts on surgery (although i’m cis and would love ‘top’ surgery, or at least a 50% reduction, i don’t think my chest is that huge but i wouldn’t mind being flatter and not having my sports bras be too tight, i get some are meant to be a bit ‘tight’ to stay in place if you do jog in them, i feel like i gained a cup size waaay past puberty. /Some/ of it might be due to weight gain but i feel like if i magically dropped 30 pounds my chest wouldn’t also shrink since most of my weight gain went to my middle/lower half lol) but yeah kinda bs because i imagine a cis woman wouldn’t need a letter to get double Ds or so

      2. Yumi

        Malaya’s third panel response to Lucy’s (weird) comment.

        People generally buy binders online in my experience, though, so living in Indiana wouldn’t affect the price in any way? They can be expensive, depends. (Probably want to spring for not the cheapest option, make sure it’s a good fit, and of course “expensive” means different things for different people.)

        Here (Michigan) you can get top surgery through informed consent models that don’t require letters from mental health providers iif you’re paying out of pocket. Insurance will vary– mine requires letters from two different practitioners before authorization.

        1. anon

          yeah i imagine some upper class rich person that’s paid for those extreme weird plastic surgeries where you look like a blow up doll, could easily get like top surgery if they wanted.

        2. Yumi

          Okay. Um. This is getting kinda weird? It is annoying the hoops one has to jump through to access gender-affirming medical care. And not everyone who’s paying for top surgery without the use of insurance is rich. Like. At all. People work hard to save and sacrifice for it because it’s something they need, and not all ways of getting it are accessible to everyone.

          I understand you’re not trying to dismiss or diminish anything, but I’m losing the thread in some of your comments.

        3. Imogen

          I think they mean they assume it’s easier for a cis person to get top surgery than a trans person. I think that’s probably not true, at least not on paper. I expect cis people have to get the letter in Oregon, too, barring other health complications. That said, British men have an easier time getting testosterone blockers for hair loss than women do for transition, so. Who knows.

          (Also, I strongly suspect Malaya was being sarcastic.)

        4. not someone else

          I’ve never heard of a cis person needing a psych eval for a breast reduction, but then I’ve also never heard of a cis woman wanting a radical double mastectomy with masculine chest reconstruction, so idk.

        5. Yumi

          Yeah, if one wanted a breast reduction to be covered by insurance, I’m pretty sure most policies would require something arguing for medical need. If one was paying out of pocket, I assume there’d be doctors who don’t require that.

        6. Morleuca

          hence my wife discussing her back pain at every single doctor’s visit.

        7. Taffy

          Most people also don’t automatically assume a cis person’s entire medical history has been written out on dirty napkins and performed with a rusty hacksaw, I’ve noticed.

        8. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          I know Facebook was sending me ads for binders a few years ago, for no reason I could think of besides my liking and reposting some stuff suggesting that maybe trans people were human beings with rights and stuff.

    2. HueSatLight

      They’re not actually going to throw it away, they’re just insulting Lucy.

      1. Tan

        You appear to have mistaken Malaya for a reasonable person capable of less than over-the-top reactions to people they feel negatively toward.

      2. Lily

        sure, but it wouldn’t put it past me if they did just outta spite/pettiness

    3. Malachi

      You can get a binder for less than $40. I guess whether that sounds expensive to you will vary based on your own experiences, but it’s less than a new pair of jeans around here.

  22. newlland(Henryvolt)

    You know what why stop there? Invite Joe & Joyce aswell, I’m sure Sal would be happy to supervise if it means punching Joe in the face if he screws up.

    1. anon

      be amusing if they did bump into joyce wearing a similar striped shirt and walky freaking out and like “oh no i’m basically dating a diff ver of joyce” lol

      1. newlland(Henryvolt)

        While we’re on the subject I like tho make statement.

        Purple is not Lucy’s color, I know it’s probably too brutally honest to say on the off chance that’s her favorite color but the best outfit she’s ever had was in the color green.

        1. anon

          i like it tho i’m biased/like shades of purp; but it is a tad bright esp with like a light blue as part of the stripes too (maybe a darker shade would be better), but color theory and such aside, a lot of ppl just wear whatever’s cheap or what colors they like versus what ‘matches’ well with them. Like i know there’s something about ‘seasons’ and ‘skin tone’ (Parks and rec had a line like “you’re such an ‘autumn'” and just some pop culture series with lines like “Pink is /so/ your color/not your color”) but other than something super gaudy/flashy most ppl wouldn’t really know/be told what colors look ‘best’ on them or so.

          I’ve gotten compliments like “(Outfit) suits you” but while that is nice, kinda a generic compliment, always makes me think “well, then what /wouldn’t/ suit me” but other than looking uncomfortable in something you can probably pull off most outfits with just confidence and a good fit

      2. Mano308gts

        But Walky already knows that Joyce is a different version of Lucy?

        They’ve literally had conversations on how remarkably similar the two are… in fact, it was Lucy’s description of Joyce as a bisexual version of herself that was one of the things which made him like Lucy…

    2. shrub

      I’d be happy to see Sal get arrested for assaulting Joe, mind you I would have liked to have seen Mike arrested for assaulting Joe

      It wasn’t funny then and it wouldn’t be funny now

  23. Imogen

    For those of us who feel burnt out by how polarized people can be about Dumbing of Age characters, take comfort: These comment sections do not hold a *candle* to the unhinged screamscape that is the Gunnerkrigg Court comment section every time poor, sweet Paz dares show her face.

    Anyways, I like Malaya. 🙂

    1. Dana

      Me too! She’s like my fifth favorite asshole in this comic. I didn’t do a count, that’s just a guess. So many good ones.

      1. Clif

        That would be the poor sweet Paz that’s planning on dumping her gentle smart caring girlfriend because she can’t handle the possibility that she might somehow turn into a monster.

        1. anonymsly

          I mean, in fairness Kat’s got literally all those building blocks in place and has shown she doesn’t actually care if she scares her girlfriend and best friend into thinking she just up and died. ‘Become a monster’ might be as easy as ‘get moderately annoyed’.

        2. anonymsly

          Not to particularly defend Paz, I don’t like her immature passive-aggressive ways, just to note I’d probably nope out of being Kat’s girlfriend the second she seemed to decide ‘Skynet’ is a life goal.

        3. Felgraf

          My frustration with Paz isn’t her going “I can’t do this”, like, she *ISN’T* obligated to be Kat’s minder.

          It’s the way she immediately pushed *all* responsibility for making sure it was OK onto Annie without, like, even asking? Just going all “Oh I’m sure she’ll be fine as long as YOU’RE here!”

        4. Yumi

          Those comments did come up after Annie shifted it from how Paz was struggling with things with Kat to how devastated Kat was going to be. Which is fair enough, Kat is Annie’s friend and Paz isn’t. But Paz could be offering reassurance, not just to herself but also to Annie, that Kat could be okay.

        5. Imogen

          That’s how I read it.

          Anyways, I have no idea where people get stuff like “passive-aggressive”–the one time Paz had an altercation with Annie, it was extremely direct, and based on a misunderstanding. Paz is leaving now because her girlfriend–not magical soulmate, girlfriend, who she should be able to feel comfortable around–is starting to scare her, she doesn’t want to get in Kat’s way because she believes that Kat’s transformation is a part of something more important than Paz’s comfort levels, and she misses her family.

          The hatred for her is just bizarre. I think people are just salty she was rude to Annie once, and she’s been apologizing to Annie and the readers for it ever since.

      2. HueSatLight

        I like the Malaya / Mary dynamic. Not just when she’s being abrasive, the best moment is this:
        setup: https://www.dumbingofage.com/wrest
        payoff (panels 1+2): https://www.dumbingofage.com/normalize

    2. Nicoleandmaggie

      I miss gunnerkrigg. The Loup arc was/is long and not great. I stopped reading when he transformed into a boy. It doesn’t sound like I’m missing anything but more angst.

      1. Yumi

        I’m still reading, but I haven’t had the same love I used to have for it in a long time now. There are sometimes bits that excite that feeling again, but overall while I still enjoy it, it’s nowhere near where it used to be.

        1. Imogen

          Same. The last couple chapters were good, but it feels like Tom dropped the ball around the start of the Loup storyline.

        2. Yumi

          For me the shift happened further back, I’d say around when Annie’s dad came back into play. The Loup storyline probably compounded that, though.

          But also, gosh, that was the first webcomic I ever really got into, and I’ve been following it update by update since it was in chapter 21 and I was like… 14. Shit. I guess it makes sense that things– both the comic and my feelings toward it– are going to change. There are still many things I’m interested in with it; there are just a number of other things (like Loup and Lana) where my reaction is more “well, that sure is happening.”

        3. Mturtle7

          Man, I feel almost exactly the same way. Well, maybe not about Tony – I actually really liked the first few chapters where he was introduced, even if I wound up disliking his portrayal much later – but, well, Gunnerkrigg was also the first webcomic *I* really got into, too.

          I remember how I first found it while I was in high school, via an ad on the Girl Genius site (a comic I kinda enjoyed, but wasn’t too invested in), and just IMMEDIATELY got so lost in the story and atmosphere. It was my far-and-above favorite webcomic for so long, the one I would constantly recommend to my friends, that I’d buy merch from even if I didn’t have much money, the one whose forum I would post to almost daily…
          It was hard, damn hard, to admit to myself I wasn’t really enjoying it anymore. I got really annoyed at the Loup storyline, and completely fell out of love with the comic during the awful “resolution” to the Two Annies storyline, but kept reading the comic and posting to the forum 3 times a week, purely out of momentum and nostalgia. I finally managed to take a break for a few months recently, and now I’m limiting myself to reading it once every week or so, and the experience has been much better (though never as good as it used to be…sigh).

          Incidentally, the forum community there is actually still really nice. Even big controversies like Paz tend to get discussed with way more thought and civility than I see in other web communities!
          …Oh wait. Unless Imogen meant the *embedded* comments section that automatically shows up with each new page? Yeah, I ain’t defending those. Those can f*ck right off.

        4. Yumi

          Yeah, I too was confused at first about the mention of the comment section for GKC because I’ve only ever bothered with the forum, which is generally pretty nice. But the new comic comment section, I’d definitely believe that can be a mess.

  24. Dana

    I suppose being rude to Lucy is one way to bond with Malaya.

  25. Jamie

    I felt compelled to look it up, so here’s when Sal predicted “two, three weeks”: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/05-as-long-as-its-free/abreast/

    1. Jamie

      And then I immediately reread it and realized “two” was part of “you two”.

      1. Dana

        Yeah, two weeks was the previous strip.

  26. Suet

    Bridge troll with a joy buzzer? Malaya’s too powerful!

    I dunno if Walky’s interaction with Dorothy extended the clock, tho.

  27. SDRainbow

    oh, Malaya, no, you are supposed to be the bastion AGAINST fakeyness. don’t become that which you hate! stay strong!

    1. Swissaboo

      This was never true

  28. Sajuuk-Khar

    The sheer Kryptonite power of the Alpha Sweetie, my god

  29. morhek

    But can she outlast a head of lettuce?

  30. BBCC

    BOO! I wanna see a double date. 😛

    1. Alongcameaspider

      You might get your wish, I bet Malaya makes a sarcastic comment about it and Sal agrees to one out of spite

    2. shrub

      Joe/Joyce and Danny/Sal

  31. Dr. T

    Has Malaya made other changes? She (am I still using the right pronouns?) used to have curvier hips before getting a haircut.

    1. Proxiehunter

      As I recall last we heard Malaya is She/They. So either works. Although I suppose it might be a more gender fluid thing and days they bind they might prefer they over she. But Malaya isn’t here for me to check with.

      1. TerribleTransit

        Doesn’t appear to be a gender fluid thing. Willis at least used “they” in alt-text at a time Malaya was not binding, and in lieu of being able to ask her about it directly I think taking cues from how Willis uses pronouns is the best indicator we have.

        1. Sol

          When talking to Booster Malaya expressed that any pronouns were fine. “She/they/whatever.”

    2. TerribleTransit

      I think the curviness is just an art style thing, she’s been extremely curvy post-haircut when not binding.

      In diving the archives I did find Malaya’s stated pronouns and they seem to mostly not care about them at all.

  32. Amelie Wikström

    Ah, the eternal riddle of Malaya. She can’t stand Sal because she’s “fakey” so she hounds her to the ends of the Earth to demand sincerity, and she can’t stand Lucy because she enthusiastically enjoys things so she avoids her as hard as Sal avoids Malaya.

    I guess it’s a good thing she enjoys looking down at people who don’t get her because it’s hard to imagine what kind of situation could happen where she wants to be close to someone who wants to be close to her.

  33. AGV

    I didn’t even notice the binder!

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Isn’t that the whole idea of binders?

  34. Bryy

    Oh, those beautiful reminders of how entirely fucked up time is in this comic.

    1. NGPZ

      Eh thats how time always is, earthling. A big ball of wobbly wobbly, timey wimy… stuff.

  35. Derek

    huh, it didn’t occur to me until reading the comments that commenting on someone’s binder is a weird thing to do.
    I totally was thinking of what I’m assuming is Lucy’s perspective, which is “I have noticed a physical/aesthetic change in your appearance; and knowing this was deliberate to change your gender presentation, I want to express my support of you expressing your gender”

    1. shrub

      Yeah shes a nice girl that just wants everyone to be happy so unless shes been told otherwise how would she know?

    2. Yumi

      It’s very fucking weird unless you have an established relationship with the person around it… like, consider it as an item of underwear, for example, and think about walking onto a room and complimenting someone’s underwear (as they stand fully dressed).

      When you bring why many people bind into it, it’s like… okay, I experience discomfort about the appearance of my chest (for some people all the time, for some people some of the time) and wish to do something so that it is not mentally distressing to me. And then someone is going to walk in and immediately draw attention to my chest? Yes, it’s a positive note about how I’m wearing the binder, but that’s still bringing attention to an area of my body that gives me discomfort and pointing out that I’m looking this way BECAUSE I’m wearing a binder.

      1. Derek

        Is there a way to comment “I have noticed you changed your appearance and I want to highlight my support for you, especially knowing that there’s a fresh wave of anti-trans hatred currently happening”?

        1. Yumi

          The basics like, “Hey, you look nice today” or “I like your outfit,” especially on days when someone is dressed in a possibly gender-expressive way still work. Also, this isn’t a new change for Malaya, it’s been a couple months in-universe that she’s been binding sometimes.

  36. Nono

    How can Lucy even judge Malaya is looking in her binder if she’s only seeing her from behind?

    1. Council

      She can’t. She just said a compliment out of reflex.

      I am starting to get on board with Malaya’s dislike of her “fakiness”. Flattery without basis like that is worthless.

  37. Heather

    Hey Malaya not to alarm you but throwing away something you like because someone else also likes it seems a bit… fakey.

    1. StClair

      Weird how that is, huh?
      Almost like Malaya’s doing a lot of projection…

    2. dalniente

      I think the main reason she hates Lucy is not because Lucy is a ray of sunshine, but because Lucy is actually 100% genuine and Malaya can’t get on her level & knows it

      1. HueSatLight

        A ray of sunshine as in the annoying thing that’s always in your face the morning. https://www.dumbingofage.com/heyheyhey/

  38. Fetch85

    Between both Sal and Dorothy pissin on em, I have never been more supportive of Walky and Lucy.

  39. BarerMender

    I’m wondering if Lucy didn’t make that binder remark with understanding and intent. I’m convinced she’s a manipulative user, and I won’t be surprised to find out she has a mean streak.

    1. Needfuldoer

      Lucy “Kill ’em with kindness” Glenn.

      Perceived innocence and naivete are powerful weapons. Few have the opportunity to wield them, fewer still actually do.

  40. Needfuldoer

    Malaya’s obstinance is their greatest weakness.

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/exploitable/

  41. vulcanodon

    Giving compliments is a reflex for Lucy. Wouldn’t be surprised to learn it was drilled into her as a child, to the point where it interferes with normal life.

  42. Chris

    Perception of skill/personality: I look at frame two and compare Lucy and Sal. Both women are standing in essentially the same pose, at least from the torso down. Feet spread about shoulder width apart, toes pointed outwards.
    Sal: She’s an avenger, ready to spring into action in a moments notice. It’s a hero pose. Ta ta DAAAAA!
    Lucy: She’s a college student standing in a doorway, talking to some fellow students….

    Don’t really understand why I view Sal in a hero pose, and not Lucy.

    1. GossamerWillow

      Lucy’s weight is not evenly distributed. She is shifted slightly to one side and part of her body is hidden by the door frame, making her to appear smaller/weaker. Sal is fully visible with her weight evenly distributed on both sides. There’s also the perspective of Sal being in the foreground, making her appear larger.

  43. ValdVin

    Malaya’s Lucy-sense was tingling.

    BTW I didn’t notice Malaya’s binder and had to look up the tag history. It first shows up in the Halloween flashback, then this arc. No idea when this is but it’s the last strip she’s in without it.

  44. Ed Callahan

    From her conception, the Malaya character always has been extreme.
    Remember, Malaya 1.0 ended up in a committed relationship with a humanoid car.

  45. Segnosaur

    I wonder if Danny would even WANT to hang out with walky.

    Danny is completely happy with Sal (and I think their relationship is the strongest in the comic), but both of his ex girlfriends started relationships with walky soon after breaking up with him. Not that Danny would go out of his way to antagonize walky, but enough for him not to seek walky out either.

    Plus what do they have in common? Ok they both like cartoons, but walky is fixated on Dexter and monkey master while Danny has more varied interests.

    I could see any double date consisting of long moments of awkward silence.

    1. RowenMorland

      Dorothy, Amber and then Danny will be added to Walky’s harem. Danny knows this, Amber writes this, Walky doesn’t yet dream this.

    2. Lily

      i can see them having a shallow acquaintance-ship maybe bonding over some games and cartoons but probably not rly going out of their way to hang out one on one unless he comes to walky for advice about his sister and suc

  46. Plaaaa

    Malaya reminds me of a non-religious Mary. What a total hypocrite! Claims everyone else is fake when she’s the fakest of them all.

  47. Adept

    Sal just doesn’t see it. I’m not sure I see it either.

  48. Juanoku

    She might actually be able to, actually

    1. BarerMender

      You’re actually right about that actuality, actually.

  49. reblaw

    Ah, I was wondering about Malaya, if she had top surgery over break, but it didn’t seem like it’d work out in the archives (and I didn’t want to ask). A binder makes more sense.

  50. Net-Zero Joeyce Shipper (no engine, slowly following the current)

    “Nah, I bet I can run out this clock” is the perfect answer to any double-date invitation. Thank u Sal, for your contributions to humankind

  51. Paprikahoernchen

    Damn
    Wished I had a binder working that great when I still had tits.

  52. Caro

    this comment is already buried, but malaya is so interesting. they can’t stand when sal is “””fakey”””, but lucy is the most genuine person ever and they hate her too

    1. Needfuldoer

      Yet they respect Joyce’s mild rebelliousness.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/trickrtreat/

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/careful/

      1. BOOSTER SHOT

        I think they respect when people play against expected type. They expect Sal to be effortlessly rebellious-cool, and Lucy to be a optimistically cheerful. But when church girl plays against type, Malaya respects it.

  53. Mr. Random

    Stop being shitty to Lucy, ahe’s genuinely trying to be nice to you two!

    1. Taffy

      She’s clearly trying to sabotage Walky’s relationship with Dorothy, the little homewrecker.

  54. poyo

    waiting a certain amount of dates to have sex is an excellent policy if you’re wanting to avoid unserious relationships or are a recovering sex addict. it is however a stupid policy if you’re trying to appease god.
    indulge !! he made it fun for a reason !!!

    1. poyo

      whoops meant to post this on todays page. oh well lol

    2. Lily

      “appeasing god” would require marriage first no? unless they’re both like churchgoers and they date with the intention to get married/stay together so it won’t ‘count’ as a sin lol

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