296

Wander
Posted on April 30, 2023 by David M Willis

296 thoughts on “Wander”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    new DoA drinking game: take a drink if you find Charlie wandering around

    1. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Really Carla? It was already getting sad. You’re usually more awesome than this (despite being horrible in your own special way).

      This is just pitiable.

      1. True Survivor

        Its also inefficient. This is a college campus, where school projects and club events make picket signs just common enough to be ignored but an teeming swarm of incomeless youths ensures free food never is. Carla is rich enough to afford the latter. Buy your popularity with fried foods!

        1. Taffy

          Does Taco Bell have like, exclusive cards? I mean, could I hypothetically put a million dollars on a card that only buys Taco Bell and then give out the card code to people? A nearly bottomless amount of guaranteed-safe hot food seems like a good thing to be able to offer people.

        2. Opus the Poet

          Taco Bell and safe food are mutually exclusive terms.

        3. Taffy

          I dunno why people dunk on it so hard, the food’s edible and tastes pretty good.

        4. Roborat

          Depends on your definition of food, I guess.

      2. All-Purpose Guru

        Even given that she’s weapons-grade levels of obnoxious this is just sad. This kind of behavior usually results in choruses of people yelling “Shut The Fuck Up!”

        Desperate cries for attention are just, well, desperate.

        1. Clif

          Oh just wait. Carla will own Charlie the same way she owned Joyce.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Besides, what good does holding a sign behind her do?

          I can only assume Carla’s sign is for our benefit.

        3. a/snow/mous/e

          Carla seems to think Charlie has eyes in the back of her head. I think she did the same thing out in the hallway a few strips ago.

        4. Amelie Wikström

          Maybe she’s torn between annoying the shit out of her and like, not acting like an asshole and driving her away. New theory: Carla really likes Charlie.

        5. BiggestFan

          Oh yeah, definitely. I don’t know if something happened with Malaya, but Carla now has a crush on Charlie as well.

      3. Windowpane

        I think this is what Carla dealing poorly with the beginnings of a crush looks like. Interest born of non-acknowledgement, turning into something of a fixation on the person she’s perceiving as ignoring her.

        Dunno where it’ll go, if it even goes, as Charlie seems to be accidentally highly resistant to Carla’s shenanigans, but it certainly hasn’t resulted in animosity yet. Carla seems more dismayed than angry, and Charlie hasn’t even formed a response to it yet.

    2. Xaeon

      If you really want a DOA drinking game, re-read the comic with the rule “Everytime someone gets mad at another character for expressing an opinion they would now agree with take a shot”

  2. Doctor_Who

    It took me a while, but I finally figured out who Charlie reminds me of.

    Presenting Candie from Twin Peaks, a very pleasant young woman who just happens to be on the same frequency as the rest of planet earth about 5% of the time.

    1. cbwroses

      I need to finish season 2 before I can start on the newer stuff.

      Side note, for any Soul Eater fans, apparently Soul’s inner world/inner thoughts deal is partly based on (or maybe”an homage to” is better) certain scenes in Twin Peaks.

      1. cbwroses

        Oh. New avatar time. I guess Leslie is ok. I’ll stick with her.

      2. Doctor_Who

        First time watching TP?

        I must inform you that after season 2 it is vitally important to watch the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me before starting season 3. Crucial stuff happens in that.

        1. cbwroses

          Not technically.
          I started the first couple episodes then stopped, like a decade ago.
          Then some years ago, before the new stuff came out on Hulu (I think it’s Hulu), I binge watched the then entire series except for the last 3 episodes.
          Been telling myself to finish (more like restart), but haven’t done so, yet.

        2. Ana Chronistic

          It’s also on Netflix, but eff them

        3. JessWitt

          Yeah what the good doctor said. The film was derided when it came out but part of the dislike came from it not being a conclusion to the cancelled series.

        4. jeffepp

          Agreed. It filled in a lot of… things… the TV didn’t, or couldn’t.

        5. Needfuldoer

          After that, watch the Psych episode “Dual Spires”.

          Then the rest of Psych.

        6. morleuca

          My absolute favorite episode

        7. Needfuldoer

          You know that’s right.

  3. Bryy

    Carla’s being ridiculously ableist.

    1. Yotomoe

      Is she? So far she just seems to be being Obnoxiously narcissistic.

      1. NGPZ

        Yeah, as usual she just needs attention like a seahorse needs food — constantly.

        She doesn’t even care if it comes at the cost of people vomiting on her. She’s indiscriminately this way to everyone.

      2. Needfuldoer

        Carla can multitask.

      3. Opus the Poet

        Six of one and half a dozen of the other.

    2. Thag Simmons

      I think she’s mostly just being ridiculous.

    3. Decidedly Orthogonal

      She’s being something. Her own issues are also in play here, so it’s hard to tell yet how much this is her being ableist, and how much is just two people with mismatched personalities will interact in spectacular fashion.

      See no evil. Hear no evil. and all that.

    4. Kyrik Michalowski

      I don’t think you understand how being ableist happens, and not just everyday nonsense.

      Carla is obnoxious and can be grating, but her actions are in no way ableist.

      1. Clif

        I can’t say that I see it myself.

      2. Mark

        Nonsense. If I speak to you from behind, it doesn’t matter that I don’t know you’re deaf; I’ve committed capital ableism and must be executed immediately.

        1. Clif

          Executing you immediately would probably be Capital Cainism, or something like that.

        2. milu

          Then again if you keep saying Jehovah, what do you expect

    5. HueSatLight

      surprised it wasn’t Leslie that got called incredibly ableist today.

      1. Taffy

        It’s only been about a 20 minutes, give someone time.

        That said, at least she pays enough attention to her students to know if one needs wrangled more often.

        1. Clif

          Starting my stopwatch…NOW.

        2. Clif

          And the winner seems to be Alongcameaspider at 12:14, one minute after HueSatLight’s original comment. Not in those exact words, but in substance.

    6. JessWitt

      I don’t think she knows about Charlie’s disorder yet so she’s just being ridiculous.

      1. Mark

        I don’t think she’s gotten around to thinking about Charlie as a person at all, yet.

        1. JessWitt

          Good point. Carla cares less about the source so long as she can tap it for attention like sap from maple trees.

        2. Proxiehunter

          Does she usually think of non-Carla’s in general as people?

      2. Angel

        maybe becky will pick up on it and she and dina will befriend charlie

    7. Angel

      i dont think she knows, but even so that sign iisn’t up in her face at least lol

    8. Freezer

      For Carla to be ableist, she’d have to notice anything about Charlie that isn’t “Won’t pay attention to me.”

    9. Caro

      Nah, that’s Billie. Carla would do this to anyone who ignored her no matter the reason. Malaya is probably very familiar with those signs.

  4. Yotomoe

    She’s just watching a looping video of the “So no head” meme. It’s even funnier the 40th time.

    1. Dean

      Unless she’s watching a Livestream of the class she’s in.

      1. Yotomoe

        Plot twist, she’s the one streaming it.

        1. Clif

          That actually makes a certain amount of sense, depending on how much support she has.

  5. Decidedly Orthogonal

    Oooh! Choo-choo Bear!

    1. Clif

      Hello New Friend.

  6. Nono

    Wonder what Charlie would be doing if she didn’t have a screen. Fidget spinner? Book? Still be wandering around the halls?

    1. Yotomoe

      If she’s like me she’d draw. I really like to draw when I listen to people talk. It’s why I prefer to have a podcast or show on while I draw.

      1. Nono

        Man, I cannot do podcasts at all. Which is a shame since I know there are some good ones out there. But the ones that are just background noise, I don’t pay any attention to so are useless, and the ones I’m supposed to focus on, I feel like just sitting there listening to them makes me feel like I should be doing something else (yet I can watch YouTube videos fine).

        I think it’s the fact that they’re just auditory information. I’m a little visual.

        1. cbwroses

          Same.
          I can barely stand audiobooks, which is weird because podcasts and audiobooks should land in the same place, but I can tolerate one loads more than the other.

        2. Yotomoe

          Oh that’s why I can zone out. I just treat them like a white noise machine. Just today I started watching an 8 hour video of a guy explain why Every single banned Yugi-oh card is banned. That’s like CANDY to my ears. Even better than the 6 hour video of a guy explaining One Piece. I just like hearing people talk 😛

        3. Taffy

          If it’s long videos of people talking about one thing you’re after, I’ll asume you know about Quinton Reviews and his multi-part series on iCarly and its various spinoffs/connected shows. Y’know, the ones that are like 8 hours a pop.

        4. Yotomoe

          I’ve seen them pop up in my feed but actually refused to watch them or the victorious videos. Mostly because well…as a man nearly 30 I have experienced disillusion and cynicism of almost every single piece of media I love and hold dear. And I absolutely am constantly on guard for any childhood fondness for anything in my life being destroyed by a deep dive. So icarly and victorious are firmly in “things in my past that I liked and I won’t risk losing that”

        5. Taffy

          Fair enough. I like super long stuff too, but I didn’t have an attachment to those shows so there was nothing to taint.

        6. Needfuldoer

          Quinton’s deep dive into Garfield prehistory is safe. It’s a better tribute than Garfield Eats!

          If you want more pop culture deep dives that don’t end with “it turns out the star is a nonce and they all hated each other”, check out Defunctland and Yesterworld, particularly Defunctland’s “DefuncTV” series.

        7. Taffy

          Those are all good recs. I recently watched the DefuncTV episode about Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and the only bothersome thing about it was that Disney refuses to put it anywhere to be watched.

        8. Savail

          I am in this comment, and I don’t mind it.

        9. Liara

          To the “podcasts I’m supposed to be focusing on but feel like doing something else”: I am similar there, so I usually just listen to them when I’m walking (to the grocery store, the subway station, just going for a walk because I feel like it). Walking at least to me fulfills the “something else” my brain wants

        10. Mark

          Indeed. If there is something I need to learn and all they offer is a video, the first thing I do is search the page for a transcript link.

      2. Dday

        I was drawing connnnstantly in class until I finished highschool. Just cause she’s not looking up doesn’t mean she’s not listening, this could actually be what allows her to attend to the subject matter more effectively.

        1. anonymsly

          I used to knit in training classes at work. The trainers allowed it because I was way more engaged and attentive when my hands were allowed to clicky-clicky.

        2. Savail

          I played an MMO on my laptop back when I was in college many a year ago. Helped me maintain focus and keep good notes. Go figure on that one.

        3. Clif

          You played an MMO, but were you any good at it?

        4. Taffy

          Nobody who’s good at an MMO is worth playing with for more than a raid or two.

    2. cbwroses

      Book?

      1. cbwroses

        I guess no one is going to help clear up my confusion about the book thing.

        1. Clif

          What book thing?

        2. cbwroses

          Nono wondered what Charlie would be doing if she wasn’t looking at her screen, like playing with a fidget spinner, and they also mentioned she might have a book.
          And I don’t know why a book was mentioned in that context.
          And I’m especially curious because people are speculating on Charlie’s brand of neurodivergence, the topic of neurodivergence has come up in our comment sections so often that I’ve begun to wonder if I might be on the spectrum (attempts to find out haven’t manifested as of yet), and I spend between 5 and 12 hours of reading per day, which makes me wonder if the mention of her having a book would be in relation to the amount of reading she’d be doing or something else she might be doing with a book which may or may not apply to me.
          Basically, I’m wondering if this would be some other aspect of neurodivergence that I can throw on the small, but growing pile of things that make me go “hmm”.

        3. Yumi

          Now that I understand what you’re asking about– which I certainly wouldn’t have gotten based on your first two comments here– I’d basically say yes. Charlie would presumably be reading a book, and would be focused on it to the point of missing a lot of other ongoings. She might also seek to return to the book at any possible interval, where it would again become difficult to pull back out of it.

          I enjoy reading, but it does not seem to interact with neurodivergence for me. I will choose to read when there is a lull in tasks I need to complete (and reading is an acceptable activity), but I am able to remain aware of other stimuli that may need my attention and can easily switch to a new task. Whereas with other people I know, if they are reading, you may need to call their attention– specific to them (such as by name rather than group address)– several times before they register that is happening.

          So reading could certainly fit into your pile, depending on how you experience it.

        4. cbwroses

          Thank you, Yumi.
          I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me.

          I’ll have to be more detailed in the future.
          At the time, I was only the 3rd person to respond to Nono’s comment, so it didn’t occur to me that people wouldn’t know I was asking about why a book was mentioned (nor did it occur to me me that other people would understand so readily that they apparently thought it would be obvious).

          Also, I’m not exactly comfortable with conversations basically amounting to “hey guys, I’m maybe neurodivergent, too” without confirmation.
          It makes me feel like I’m trying to sit at the cool kids table uninvited.
          I don’t want to feel like I’m trying to claim something that’s not mine/diminish someone else’s experiences by inserting myself (not sure diminish is the right word, but I’m sticking with it).

          I read anywhere from 5 to 12 hours a day.
          But I do not get so absorbed that I can’t be easily reached.
          So whether or not I am neurodivergent and whether or not that synergizes (I’d swear that’s a word, but my iPad keeps saying it’s not) with my reading, it doesn’t seem to be what people are speculating would be the case with Charlie.

        5. Kelibath

          For what it’s worth – and I mean this as an ENTIRELY non-judgemental observation, I promise, I do the same thing myself and am often very pleased with what I write – you write like I used to ten years ago, before I started getting overly anxious about carefully parsing everything to look ‘ideal’. And I was just diagnosed with ASD & ADHD this fortnight; in fact I think this is the first time I’m saying so on these forums, so, hey! New info. Hope it clears up any lingering confusions over whether I misread meaning at times, sorry all! But specifically, I’d gently suggest your writing style is possibly indicative of thought-as-typed processes that some of us are quite partial to. Your consideration over being neurodivergent is also, itself, a fairly strong sign of neurodivergence! And impostor syndrome in the diagnostic process and when one is reached is also apparently quite common. I hope you are able to find out what is true for you and wish you the best with your search 🙂

        6. Mark

          I’ts 01:39 — some of us are sleeping.

        7. cbwroses

          Well, now that you’re up, I hope you can explain it to me.

        8. Taffy

          Sometimes people read books, and sometimes reading those books will absorb a person’s attention, which can be great for a person who zones in class a lot. What’s not to get, here?

        9. cbwroses

          What’s not to get is that I’ve never heard of people reading to help them NOT zone out and thus, I assume, pay attention in class, nor did that even cross my mind that was the idea when mentioned (so it’s not an issue of disbelieving that people do that).

          And if it’s to not zone out while also not paying attention, I don’t really get why that would help for classes, but that’s neither here nor there.

          Sometimes people don’t have your experiences or perspective and are legitimately asking a question that doesn’t require jokes or what comes off as exasperation as a response, both of which you’ve given me.

          Especially since I read constantly, have been wondering if I might be neural divergent, and wondered if, whenever someone explained to me why a book was mentioned, it would apply to me.

          But if the context is reading to be more present in class, then no, that doesn’t apply to me as reading would only distract me from class.

          Now I know.

          Thank you for answering the question, even though you seem to feel some type of way about me asking.

        10. Taffy

          Alright, I apologise for my tone, it wasn’t meant to come across as exasperated. I was genuinely confused, so I tried to give the closest to a coherent answer possible.

        11. cbwroses

          Apology accepted.
          Thank you.

      2. Taffy

        Definitions from Oxford Languages
        book
        noun
        1. a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers.
        “a book of selected poems”

        1. cbwroses

          Yes, Taffy, thank you.

        2. Taffy

          ?

        3. Clif

          Well, that’s what I thought, but whenever I open the Kindle up to glue the pages together, it stops working.

        4. Taffy

          Not kindling, paper. They both come from trees, but one’s a lot thinner, so it works better.

        5. Clif

          If only Kindles grew on trees.

        6. Needfuldoer

          No, no, no. You’re supposed to glue multiple Kindles together.

        7. Clif

          Well, I tried that too, but they were too stiff to open up to see the inner Kindles. I guess I’ll have to try sewing next but I’ll need a new needle on account of the old one keeps breaking.

    3. Dante

      Reading fiction. On an info bender. Writing. All three of them?

      Wait, do we have writer characters that aren’t Joce? Ruth’s an English major but I’ve yet to see her doing anything like that.

      1. Nono

        Jennifer is in journalism, which isn’t quite the same but there’s writing involved. And Dorothy has written for the paper as well.

        And by proxy, Daisy.

        1. Dante

          Yyyeah, I meant writer-writer, though I’m not dissing journalism, or the journalist characters of the strip :33 (We’ve never gotten to read what they do). But Joyce and Amber write fanfic (and a comic strip), now that I think about it – and those do count ^^

          … I’m now wondering if she’s being introduced to bond with Joyce through neurodivergence and fiction. And I would really love that.

        2. milu

          Jocelyn is a writer-writer

        3. a/snow/mous/e

          I think “Joce” was short for Jocelyn in the original comment. Probably pronounced Joss?

        4. milu

          Oh right that makes sense thank you and sorry *lets self out*

        5. Dante

          Yeah, it was! ^^ Sorry about the diminutive, I’m not a native speaker and my brain went to the Spanish spelling :’33 She’s awesome and I wish she was around more!

        6. Needfuldoer

          Amber has her fanfiction, and Joyce has her literature and comic strip.

        7. Dante

          Joyce is a voracious reader as Amber’s reader.

          And she’s a very thirsty one as her own _Literature_ connoisseur.

    4. JessWitt

      Fidget spinner’s a good choice. Man, those things really came and went.

      1. vulcanodon

        Fidget spinners ‘went’ because non- ND people found them irritating, I think.

        1. Taffy

          I’m so irritated by this thing that barely makes a sound and spins nowhere near me. Kids are comparing them in the hallway, and the smiles of children make me angry.

        2. vulcanodon

          That seems to be the non- ND thought process, yes.

        3. Taffy

          It’s only “disruptive” because motherfuckers can’t stop shitting themselves over things that don’t affect them.

        4. vulcanodon

          And now the said motherfuckers insist on having guns all over the place. Terrorizing times.

        5. Yumi

          A mix of that and them getting popular in a way where many people who had one were not ND, did not benefit from using one, and used it in a way that was actually counter-productive to what they were supposed to be doing.

          Many teachers know fuck-all about neurodivergence, so they don’t know how to teach students how to use fidgets properly and how to consider if they help. And instead schools just went the route of banning them in classes without consideration for the students fidget spinners help.

  7. EpochFlame

    ability: oblivious

    1. cbwroses

      Isn’t that the name of Minmax’s sword?

      1. CianM1301

        I believe so, yes. It’s also an ability in Pokémon that prevents certain effects like taunting and infatuation.

  8. Kyrik Michalowski

    It feels weird that everyone seems to acknowledge and know Charlie now, and yet previously she wasn’t important enough to mention in passing. I know Booster said they had a sister, but even then there wasn’t much to make me think she would suddenly be in focus of multiple characters.

    Also, keep it up Carla; with enough effort Charlie might even realize you were trying to get her attention for hours.

    1. C.T. Phipps

      Well Jennifer and Leslie know her.

      1. Kyrik Michalowski

        I get that, it just seems odd that Jennifer/Billie only brings it up now and suddenly seems to expect everyone to know who she is.
        Perhaps people had met her off screen, or in a patreon comic maybe. If that is the case then it would make more sense.

        1. Clif

          Charlie has been in the comic since October of last year.

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-13/01-bring-me-to-life-drawing/supremacy/

          Arguably even longer.

        2. HueSatLight

          What’s weird is that this is the forth time gender studies has met, and it doesn’t appear Becky, Carla, and Ruth were gone while Jennifer was there. So I’m not sure when Charlie could have wondered off before, or said anything like, “I’m switching meds, don’t let me wander off”.

          There’s a lot of classtime we didn’t see though.

      2. Needfuldoer

        But how does Booster already know her? And well enough to lend her their Nintendo Switch, at that!

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          This is pure plot convenience, bordering on contrivance…

        2. Morleuca

          How does Booster know their twin sister?…..Is this sarcasm I’m not picking up on?

        3. Clif

          Yes.

        4. Needfuldoer

          😉

    2. Thag Simmons

      Leslie’s the teacher, she should know who her students are.

      1. Kyrik Michalowski

        While I can’t speak for every teacher, there are some who don’t know every student’s name especially if they have a large class. Sometimes them knowing your name without any assistance can be a bad thing. Either because you cause problems, don’t do work, etc.

        1. Clif

          I’ve taught college classes and some days I have trouble remembering my own name.

        2. thejeff

          True, but this is a small discussion class. Leslie’s the type of teacher who would know.

          That said, she does bring up Charlie “wandering” as if it’s a known common thing.

      2. vulcanodon

        Do you have an amazing ability to remember people’s names that you normalize to others? Takes me forever.

    3. Dante

      I’d wager she doesn’t normally interact with anyone, so she’s the “oh, gotta remind That Person to get into class” with various levels of success. And thus, nobody has had much of a reason to mention her ’till Booster reminded them of her.

  9. Pocky

    So Booster is up in everyone’s business; and has trouble turning off the analysis stuff. While I get the feeling Charlie is very generally absent minded, and seems to be in a state of unaware zen.

    I kinda want to just see more of Charlie (not) interacting with others.

    1. cbwroses

      I wouldn’t mind A Day in the Life of Charlie.
      She’d go on all kinds of peaceful non-adventure adventures, while exciting box office movie stuff and/or DoA plots would be happening in the background.
      Then, unnecessary/Shamalanian plot twist, she’s like the alpha to Raidah’s little pack of wolves.

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Having spent her life around Booster certainly explains how Charlie can ignore Carla so easily. Lots of practice.

  10. bejouled

    Does anyone have any hunches for what Charlie’s flavor of neurodivergence is?

    1. NGPZ

      She could have many kinds of ND stripes yet to be observed, but going by what we’ve seen so far she’s either autistic, ADHD or both.

    2. bejouled

      For my part, I’m thinking severe ADHD (inattentive type)?

      1. Dday

        Almost certainly. The other kind is a lot more like Robin.

    3. Proxiehunter

      Insufficient data but I suspect Inattentive Type ADHD (possibly undiagnosed, very likely unmedicated judging from the severity of her symptoms), autism, or both.

      1. NGPZ

        now, re:medication, mind you every neurodivergent will respond to medication to varying degrees. for instance I can barely function without mine, but some people just don’t respond to well even if they’ve been taking it for a while, or even seek alternative solutions altogether

        1. Bogeywoman

          Plus stimulant meds often aren’t prescribed to people with family history of some psychiatric conditions like bipolar, Tourette’s or schizophrenia because it can exacerbate/trigger them. Case in point is me who didn’t know I had a tic disorder until I started on ADHD meds. Now it’s very evident ?

        2. Bogeywoman

          Plus ADHD peeps are ridiculously bad at remembering to take meds/getting prescriptions filled.

        3. Amara

          The fact that there’s been a shortage on extended release addy since October is absolutely not helping me manage my medications with it being such a pain to even get them filled.

        4. Taffy

          Look, we’re not all bad at it. I, for instance, just got took my ADHD meds uhhhh like…. 20? Years ago?

          Maybe you’re onto something.

        5. Raven

          Pain. I’ve had to get through senior year of college without them

    4. RassilonTDavros

      She reminds me a lot of some of the people in my family, but not so much of the only one of us who’s actually been diagnosed.

      1. RassilonTDavros

        The only one of us who’s been diagnosed and who I’ve seen frequently enough to compare to, I mean. (Let’s see who I get on re-roll, no offense to Joe!)

    5. Dana

      Late stage terminally online?

      1. thejeff

        No. She was on her phone in class before when Carla first harassed her, but not when she was out in the hallway before this class.

    6. Taffy

      I don’t have a license to diagnose, but she’s definitely an animator.

      1. Clif

        No fair making me laugh.

        1. Taffy

          But laughter is a safer response than anger.

    7. Dante

      AU-DHD, innatentive kind and terminally online. She must be on a wiki bender, 25 tabs open – But considering this is an elective class, she has to like Gender Studies, right?

      … That’s relatable af.

      1. a/snow/mous/e

        yeah definitely

    8. Yotomoe

      Long shot. She’s just pranking Carla.

      1. Clif

        I don’t think so. But the argument in favor of that is while she seems spacey and nonfunctional, she can’t really be nonfunctional or she would never have been admitted to college. Further, Booster who knows her best, doesn’t talk to her like she’s nonfunctional.

    9. Amós Batista

      I’ve commented yesterday:
      “…
      One of my relative is schizo. And he get very similar to her. Like, the delay thing, the wandering, the daydreaming. And people with this condition tends to have not much initiative.”

      1. a/snow/mous/e

        schizophrenic? or is it like danganronpa where “schizo” just means “any mental disorder”

        1. Amós Batista

          Yes, schizophrenic.

    10. Hazel

      I’m leaning towards auditory processing disorder.

  11. brionl

    Carla just needs one sign, with a whiteboard surface and some erasable markers.
    She could probably make one that rolls up around the handle and then springs out flat. Engineering!!

    1. brionl

      Oh man, I don’t want to be Asher. I liked professor Robin.

      1. Clif

        It could be worse. You could be a nilistic biology Professor.

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Surely you jest. Some kind of lightweight computer display with enough image recognition software to keep the arrow aimed at Carla.

      1. Morleuca

        and less susceptible to the dingdong bandit

        1. Clif

          If Joyce provided the art then I’m sure Amber could hack the system to replace the arrow.

  12. Suet

    Carla’s sign is just for us to see, not Charlie. Such incorrect in-your-face tactics.

    *tweaks the arrow so it points to Charlie*

    1. Ophidiophile

      Leslie mentioned Charlie by name, giving attention to Charlie. Carla wants the attention on her, no one else.

  13. Alongcameaspider

    Leslie’s “as much as she ever is” comment rubs me the wrong way

    The other students I kind of get they have no reason to know if she’s neurodovergent, but as the teacher Leslie should know and try to get some kind of accommodation if Charlie needs it

    Her comment just seems kind of dismissive towards Charlie to me, idk maybe I’m projecting my own experiences on this

    1. Taffy

      Maybe the accommodation is that she understands Charlie spaces out sometimes, instead of snapping her fingers at her like she’s a dog every few minutes.

      1. Needfuldoer

        Fuck that particular “strategy” of keeping an ADHD-PI person’s attention.

        1. NGPZ

          BASED.

        2. Taffy

          If people really want our attention that badly, they could always try being more interesting. Maybe if everyone wasn’t so goddamn boring, I’d pay more fucking attention.

    2. Yotomoe

      That’s assuming she’s neurodivergent in a way where she’s open, diagonosed or disclosing that to people. You assume classmates shouldn’t know but a teacher should but also like…maybe Charlie doesn’t even know.

    3. Caro

      I dunno, it comes across as affectionate to me. She’s smiling.

      1. Taffy

        Oh yeah, I hadn’t noticed that before. Seems like maybe Leslie might “get” Charlie.

        1. Morleuca

          yeah its that fond little half smile.

    4. Otl1973

      So are you irritated at Willis for having her say that? I find it somewhere between odd and amusing that the commenters here tend to act as if the characters had agency. They just do and say what the author wants, and therefore are doing what he thinks advances the plot, is amusing, or is just incidental.

      1. Taffy

        Wait, is THAT how fiction works?????

        1. Clif

          Of course not. As every writer knows, the character’s gestalt hijacks the writer’s brain. The writer is a mere conduit of the primitive reality that lies beyond our universe and all others.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Good thing Blaine and Toedead aren’t a factor anymore.

        3. Taffy

          If they’re controlling the direction of the plot, I’ve got some questions about why they both died.

        4. Clif

          It was the goal towards which they worked. They went out being true to their own delusions.

        5. Taffy

          When will people learn that nobody likes a martyr?

      2. Tan

        You find it odd and/or amusing that readers of a story engage with that story instead of treating every character as a direct mouthpiece of the author?

        1. Taffy

          Seems strange, but there are people who’ll legitimately get mad at you for remembering the characters’ names in something you’re watching/playing/reading at the same time.

      3. Queezle

        We are all aware that it is fiction. I always find comments like this slightly patronizing.
        Framing is still a thing, characters might say and do stuff an author does not agree with. If I do not like how a character behaves it does not mean I am “irritated” with the author. Because maybe the intention is to show that the character is flawed or even just an asshole.

        So really what is it you wanted to say?

        1. thejeff

          Yeah, really weird take.

          Of course, sometimes it does make sense to be irritated with the author. If they’re approving of or just echoing the behavior without interrogating it.

        2. Yumi

          Personally, while I see how parts of the comment could be patronizing, I don’t find it a weird take at all, and it’s something I noticed here as well. The opening of the comment in question seemed to me to be clarifying what the irritation being expressed was about. Is the other person annoyed with Leslie for saying this and seeing it as a character flaw? Or are they annoyed about it being said in general and in this format, which may really be more irritation of the creator?

          Of course, as this is Willis’ comment section, and they are active here, many are going to feel more comfortable framing criticisms of the comic as criticisms of the characters. Sometimes this goes to, what seems to me, extreme lengths.

    5. Liara

      What type of college do/did you go to where teachers would know one of their students is ND? in mine, they barely knew your name (and only in the smaller ones). It’s college, not school

      1. Aletheia

        It’s not the same as in high school and the process/services offered varies from college to college, but all colleges offer some form of disability services, which can include helping the student work out accommodations with the teachers when needed. Even if the disability services doesn’t/can’t do that for whatever reason, students are fully within their rights to let their teachers know that they, they might do [whatever ND things apply to them] because they’re ND and not because they’re being inattentive jerks (as one teacher told me I was being).

    6. Mark

      One can be caring, accepting and accommodating, willingly and even enthusiastically, and at the same time occasionally find it wearying to do so.

      1. Mark

        Or her remark might be an expression of concern.

        1. hatman

          Yeah at least that’s how I perceive it. At this point she wouldn’t have seen any of Charlie’s work so there’s no proof whether or not she follows the material well or not.

          Maybe in 5 years we’ll know!

        2. Clif

          Optimist.

  14. sanvi

    This feels vaguely rude and unprofessionak of Leslie tbh, as a teacher — to voice this thought where other students could hear? Just doesn’t feel great 🙁

    1. RassilonTDavros

      I mean, “professional” isn’t a word I’d use to describe Leslie in general.

      1. RassilonTDavros

        Ooh, Fuckface Grav! I think I’ll keep it.

        1. Jo_cubstar

          That’s awesome

        2. Masumi

          Your gravatars fit together!

          Let’s see who I get.

    2. Angel

      there are worse teachers out there, i guess college gives you a bit of slack but you’d be straight up kicked out or your phone stolen if you were using it in the middle of class, diagnosis aside

    3. Heather

      Eh Leslie is on the ball like 95% of the time but when she wiffs she really wiffs. Kind of like when praising Becky for being devious or the whole Roz debacle.

      Still worthwhile as a teacher for the rest of the time mind you she just you know, is human so has massive blind spots really. Just because she’s a gender studies teacher doesn’t mean she’s perfect in the social justice area in all walks of life.

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Is she saying it loud enough for other to hear? I’d taken it as more muttering to herself.

  15. Dday

    What’s funny is they’ve both got almost the same name. Same etymology

  16. HueSatLight

    Carla still on step 2. https://www.dumbingofage.com/yuppers/

    1. cbwroses

      Reading that just reminded me of how close that was to her interactions with Mary.
      Mary is a woman, albeit an evil woman.
      Carla has annoyed her, justifiably so.
      Mary has smiled at her, though it was an evil smile.
      And, unless I’m remembering incorrectly, Carla has hit her with a pie.
      I think Carla needs to reassess her process.

      1. TulipKitten

        Carla engineered an ingenious set of traps, which ended up getting Mary hit with a pie. I think Carla is gonna try and win Charlie over though. And will probably hit her with a pie.

        1. cbwroses

          Like I said: close.

      2. HueSatLight

        Even without the Mary (or Mike) example, safe to say Carla’s idea of courtship needs further thought.
        I hope she ends up asking Lucy how to get someone to notice her. It would be very amusing, and also some midpoint between their strategies would be good character development for both of them.

      3. thejeff

        Technically Mary hit herself with the pie. Grabbed Carla’s box hoping it would protect her from the Rube Goldberg machine and got pied as a result.

        1. cbwroses

          A pie Carla set up and expected Mary to grab.
          So 3.5 out of 4 steps.
          That’s why I said it was close.

  17. Amós Batista

    Thank you for Charlie, Willis

    1. NGPZ

      yeah THANK YOU WILLIS ?

    2. a/snow/mous/e

      Charlie is a GIFT

      1. a/snow/mous/e

        oh no grav roulette time

        1. Clif

          Spin that sucker.

        2. Queezle

          Woah. Lucky

        3. Amós Batista

          You must try lottery today.

        4. PirateTawnee

          I shall use my roulette spin(s) in this otherwise innocuous comment thread.

        5. PirateTawnee

          Yeah, definitely spins plural.

        6. Needfuldoer

          What’s wrong with Daisy? 🙁

        7. a/snow/mous/e

          I for one welcome this thirsty pfp

        8. StClair

          Wheel of Morality Gravatars, turn turn turn…

        9. thejeff

          I’ve been Sarah before, let’s see what else is possible

        10. thejeff

          Nah, Sarah it is then.

        11. Clif

          That’s giving up quick.

  18. Caro

    their ship name is charla right

    1. a/snow/mous/e

      unless it’s carlie? but i prefer charla

  19. Jason

    There seems to be an ongoing trend of infantilising Charlie- Leslie is not the first (although she’s the teacher, so… not a great person to be doing it.) It reminds me of early times of Dina appearing in the strip- and that actually did get called out in strip (more than once). I hope, in time, we see the same here. A one off says something about the person doing it; a pattern is either on purpose to say something bigger or is unintentionally saying something about the author (and Willis is very on the ball with stuff like this so I’m going to guess it’s NOT the latter). I’m curious as to where this will go (but it could take a long time to pay off…)

    Sometimes neurodivergent folk need extra help (I’ve been learning to embrace where I need help myself) but it shouldn’t come with ignoring their personhood- or their adulthood for that matter.

    1. Angel

      at least charlie doesn’t seem to be upset by it, but i imagine booster would probably communicate with her more easily growing up together and all that

      1. Jason

        Someone clearly neurodivergent not appearing bothered by something doesn’t tell us that they’re not bothered by it. I learned early on that while I couldn’t mask how I was failing to fit in (I didn’t even understand how others did and I couldn’t) I absolutely had to learn to hide how much the constant rejection got to me. Because showing that just made bullies latch on harder- and brought bullying tactics out of those who didn’t usually use them.

        I think it’s one of those things that we’re going to have to wait to see be unveiled bit by bit, and webcomic speed means it’s not likely to be soon. Hell, it wasn’t all that long ago that Dina talked about being bullied for being noticeably autistic, so I’m expecting quite the slow burn before it gets called out.

        1. Angel

          well it would be quite cathartic for ppl being irritated by carla actually getting , i guess, ‘humbled’? Dunno if that’d make her rly tone down her attitude tho, but it’d be good if she was more considerate of charlie even if she decides to still be snarky to everyone else (she was at least still willing to introduce herself even despite the delay/distraction about seahorses)

          Tho given jennifer is in the class too i’m sure she’ll nose her way in and telling carla to back off if she thinks she’s going too far with it

        2. Lily

          it’d be better if carla did ‘ease up’ i wouldn’t consider it quite bullying yet since carla doesn’t have malicious intent compared to annoying someone outta spite/that ‘wronged her’ but i dont know if carla would be like “well i’m not gonna give you special treatment just because you have X disorder”, i imagine she doesn’t know about joyce yet but i dont’ expect her to change how she treats joyce either

    2. Mr D

      Buddy we have seen Charlie for barely a week, if that. Give it time.

      1. Taffy

        Time is an illusion that helps things make sense.

      2. Yumi

        And in the time we’ve seen her, this is the pattern that emerged. Jason said they were curious where it would go and acknowledged that it could take a while to see, so I’m not sure what your point was.

        1. Jason

          I have a gendered name and picture and don’t have “they/them” in my name and you correctly gendered me.

          Genuinely, thank you.

  20. Trae Dorn

    I just assumed it was like a dry erase sign

    1. Clif

      Carla is always prepared.

  21. Imogen

    I feel like Carla gets more comically exaggerated every week. Remember when she talked about how much Ultracar meant to her? Remember when she pranked Mary with just her name because she knew her existence upset Mary more than anything?

    I feel like she used to have more going on emotionally than this cartoon narcissism. Carla used to feel like she acted like Hot Shit because she just felt happy about herself and didn’t want anyone to make her feel small. Now she seems to act like Hot Shit because she’s just extremely NPD. I feel like if this Carla packed Mary with her name, it would just be a joke about how she thinks her name is awesome.

    1. thejeff

      She’s always had this side too. I suspect we’ll see more of her again. It would surprise me if it happened as part of this Charlie sub-arc.

    2. Caro

      Why have we entered an era where it’s ok to use “NPD” as an insult?

      1. Taffy

        In fact, what if we didn’t do that with any uncontrollable aspect of a person’s existence? That’d be so nice.

      2. Angel

        i don’t think carla has npd but ppl do tend to say ‘narcisstic’ to describe someone w/o them having a personality disorder, or just being ‘arrogant’ or so. she’s even used that word herself with lucy when she was wearing her Ruttech jacket

    3. Angel

      i’m sure there’ll be moods where she’ll get more serious but who knows maybe charlie will end up being an ultracar fan too

  22. Cmasta1992

    I like Carla fine but jfc this is too obnoxious

  23. PB

    I am extremely here for this, but I am also uncomfortable with how relatable it is

    1. PB

      I shall accept the new avatar

      1. PB

        Wonder who else I could get

        1. PB

          Eh, equally okay with both so far, let’s find a third option

        2. PB

          I’ll go ahead and stick with Sarah I think

        3. Taffy

          Sarah’s a solid option.

  24. Raen

    Like a narcissistic Genma.

  25. NGPZ

    A new Charlie avatar!!! Yay!!!! ?

  26. The Oracle

    I can’t fucking stand Charlie.

    1. vulcanodon

      I’m curious – why?

    2. JBento

      Did you mean Carla?

      1. The Oracle

        No.

    3. Dante

      I mean, you could’ve done your own thread instead of going “I hate her” at someone who was openly expressing joy. Just a thought.

      1. Yumi

        …What? I agree that would be an annoying-to-shitty thing to do, but that’s not what The Oracle did here. Did you think this was a reply to NGPZ’s comment above it,?

        1. Dante

          …!!! Holy shit it’s clown hour for me omg. Yes, I thought it was! My apologies, The Oracle 🙁

  27. Kim

    I love the tags for this one.
    It’s as if Carla is morphing into Leslie!

    1. Taffy

      Gimme an hour.

      1. Taffy

        Hehe. You said “morph”.

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          Beautiful

        2. Taffy

          It’s an Andalite conspiracy, I tell ya.

  28. Queezle

    I want more Charlie please.

  29. vulcanodon

    OK once again, Carla, if you want someone to read a sign, you have to put it in their field of vision…

    (I have had this conversation with University signage committees who cannot seem to put room signs where people can see them)

    1. milu

      maybe she wanted you to read the sign

      1. JBento

        It’s Carla, she wants EVERYONE to read the sign.

      2. HueSatLight

        She knows! https://www.dumbingofage.com/pile-2/

  30. Juanoku

    She’s not a robot here how many of those does she have

    1. Taffy

      Wouldn’t you like to know?

    2. Angel

      no but she is ultra rich, though i’d hope a sign wouldn’t cost too much considering plenty of ppl make them for campaigning/protest/etc

  31. Yeet

    I think Carla should be louder and more obnoxious, it’d be funny

    1. Taffy

      Double the Carla, double the fun.

  32. Handley Ramirez

    I don’t dislike Charlie, but I do dislike comics where nothing of note happens. Like, even Leslie’s offhand comment is probably so offhand that we readers are the only ones to hear it. Trust me, if it’s before or after class, your students are NOT paying attention to you unless they obviously have a question. The first thing most teachers do is survey the room to see if anyone is staring directly at them with a panicked gaze.

  33. Stephen Nedland

    Carla is doing the very rare, “reverse notice me Senpai”, where the Senior desperately tries to get the Kohai to pay attention to them. Now some of you will point out the Carla wants everyone to pay attention to her, but not like this.

    1. Stephen Nedland

      I do not approve of this change.

  34. Some Guy

    Oh look, another “neurodivergent” box checked on DoA. Golly.

    1. Taffy

      Thanks, Some Guy.

      1. Taffy

        People existing differently isn’t unrealistic.

  35. Amós Batista

    What’s the problem of wandering out?

    1. Needfuldoer

      Class is in here, not out there.

      1. Taffy

        Maybe class should be out there, then. Did class ever think of that?

    2. milu

      And gender studies class will benefit from seahorse facts

  36. AY

    Dry erase boards would do wonders for Carla’s carry capacity

    1. AY

      uoh im fuckface now

  37. thakoru

    …Does Carla think Charlie can see that? She’s holding it behind Charlie’s head.

    1. Angel

      i guess it’s more just a ‘comic’ thing for the readers because she did it before inthe hallway

  38. Jason

    Carla could hold them in front of Charlie’s face and they’d never see it.

    1. Angel

      it would also be amusing if , on top of attention issues she literally had specific vision issues even w/ her glasses

  39. MisterJinKC

    Other than lending Sarah her credit card si she could Uber Lucy back to her college has Carla ever actually done anything in the comic that would be missed if she had never existed? Because every single time she appears it seems like its just to say look at me. Even Mary had the hate filled obnoxious fundie thing. Like, Carla’s presence adds nothing to the comic from what I can tell. If I’m wrong please explain because I honestly want to know.

    1. BBCC

      The other girls seem to consider her niche, “obnoxious, pranking kinda an asshole”.

    2. Angel

      she did indirectly end ruth/jennifer’s toxic relationships and made shower jugs for joyce but unless this/the next arc focuses on carla i don’t think she’ll be more of a main chara (unless willis plans to make volumes to where ‘everyone’ gets their own storyline)

  40. BBCC

    The gravitars have changed. Again. Feh.

  41. sonofevil

    she is literally me fr

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