Odd
Posted on November 6, 2020 by David M Willis

317 thoughts on “Odd”

  1. Demoted Oblivious

    So the server clock seems not to have been synchornized during the EST fall back.

  2. Ana Chronistic

    that went surprisingly well

    1. Leorale

      People were only tackled verbally. It’s a kinder, gentler future.

    2. Demoted Oblivious

      Well, except we now see that Amber is leaking Amazigirl verbally / Amazigirl is slipping, verbally othering Amber to outside entities. This may provide more support for my theory that it was Amber that said “No” in the meeting.

      No word yet from ImagiMike. Maybe he’s been busy watching Magic Mike?

      1. Savail

        That is an interesting read that makes a lot more sense as to why Booster was looking at her.

        1. clif

          Maybe, but I notice a complete lack of an Amazigirl tag. Today or Yesterday.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Amber’s been driving all day.

          She’s hinting at amicable coexistence, though. Yay, progress?

    3. DudeMyDadOwnsaDealership

      Booster mignt prove to be a biologically-male person of hidden talents.

      1. Ana Chronistic

        We don’t know that Booster is AMAB, could be male-passing AFAB who doesn’t really want either gender marker to take precedence

        “We’re going by their dorm assignment” ehhh, still could be either

        1. Daniel M Ball

          agreed. I kind of suspect their biology is nobody’s business but their own, however I get a sense that while Booster might be able to fill the ‘psychological warfare/observant” shoes of Mike, I kinda suspect Booster’s biology is not derived from XY chromosomal pairings. There are just…some hints? Like, well, zero interest in the fellas? kinda suspect Booster’s biological structure is derived from a XX chromosomal pairing. I kinda think the slipshine will involve extruded plastic.

        2. Demoted Oblivious

          Booster could also be hermaphroditic and/or asexual. Their interest in conversing with either Amber or Ruth could actually have far more to do with them being the most interesting characters on the floor, than with their sexual attributes.

        3. S.R.

          You’re right, but I wanted to say that the word to use with people (and other organisms) who have an unusual combination of sexual characteristics is “intersex”. The other word is pretty much a slur at this point, due to people being nasty with it. The only time you want to refer to an organism as a hermaphrodite is if it’s something like some snails, where all members of the species are set up that way.

          Also, someone’s chromosomes don’t indicate their sexual preference, @ a lot of people in this general section.

        4. Demoted Oblivious

          Cheers for the reminder of intersex as the correct term. Not one I’ve had a lot of call to use as this topic is not my fieldhouse (so I should just shut up…) However I was specifically meaning that Booster may be physically intersex *or* unrelated to their physical attributes may be asexual and not actually interested in Amber or Ruth in a sexual way. So I used the wrong term, and very sloppily structured the sentence, but did mean what I was trying to convey. What I did not mean to convey was bigotry about being intersex or that being intersex would have anything to do with sexual preference. That mistake was entirely my fault and for that I am happy to apologize.

      2. Rinn

        If a person has identified as “they,” their biology at birth, ie chromosomes, and their genitals, have no need to be part of the conversation. You need to be respectful of the fact that they are not disclosing this information because of how it plays into their identity-who they are, rather than what you want to project onto them. They don’t want you to have those markers for a reason-because you’re misgendering them just by making the suggestions, regardless of what is or was in their pants, and applying stereotypes based on those assumptions.

        I’m not saying this to be mean. I’m trying to choose words carefully because of how poorly text tone can translate. I want to challenge you to reconsider the way you are viewing the world around you. Ask yourself why you’re trying to suss this out, and how that affects the real humans in your lives.

        1. dragon_nataku

          times like this are when I wish these comments had an upvote button

        2. Buttery Commissar

          Thank you.

      3. faerystuff

        Booster is a cartoon character. They aren’t “biologically” anything and it’s super weird that you felt the need to attempt that kind of clarification.

        They. THEY are non-binary. Stop worrying about what may or may not eventually be drawn between their thighs and start worrying about how gross and othering that kind of unnecessary distinction is.

        1. Icalasari

          Now I hope Booster has a slip shine, but everything below the waist is off panel

          Til the last frame where we see just a smooth crotch and a note saying, “Booster’s pronoun is THEY/THEM. Get used to it”

      4. Gwen

        Why not just a person of hidden talents?

        1. leaf

          That would’ve been too easy

  3. Chris

    Good to see Other Rachel again.

    1. a/snow/mous/e

      So I guess she’s not the mystery silhouette

    2. brute

      i hope she gets an arc someday. a gentle one. maybe even boring, because her life is so comfortable and she’s too well-adjusted to be interesting in a drama comic.

      (i have a soft spot for conventionally unattractive lady characters who get ignored or swept under the rug in favor of the taller, prettier girls for some mysterious reason)

      1. Nono

        I mean, Dorothy? Her most dramatic parts are just that she’s an overachiever and she’s friends with Joyce.

        1. Suzi

          She’s not just an overachiever, she’s so determined to do well that she ignores taking care of herself (she’s skipped a lot of meals, which concerns me on a different level) and is willing to put things that make her happy (Walky, friendships) on hold to try and keep ahead. That leans a little more towards obsession (whereas I believe Sarah is just an extreme introvert, as she does take time to do things that make her happy. Like other Jacob.)

  4. Demoted Oblivious

    Request for “Billie jean” on the Hacked Muzac?

    1. Stephen Bierce

      If you’re okay with the Motown 25 version.

      1. Demoted Oblivious

        Please! Now I need to go look that up. Thanks for sharing!

      2. Stephen Bierce

        Just remember to always think twice…

        1. Demoted Oblivious

          People always tellin’ me, “Be careful what you do.”

  5. Chris

    Amber’s pronoun shift there- I take it to mean AG is the one who has roller derby practice.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Or that AG is currently in charge for some reason. That’s a disturbing possibility.

      1. a/snow/mous/e

        No, Amber has the pink cheeks. AG has roller derby practice.

      2. Leorale

        Tags and cheek-blushes, it’s Amber. I guess AG is the one who gets to rollerskate.

        1. tim gueguen

          Or Amber has a new part that does the roller blading. Which would not be good.

        2. Kella

          Wouldn’t necessarily have to be a new part. Could be another old part that she didn’t know about earlier and hasn’t bee introduced to us yet. It’s common for the host of a DID system to be unaware of multiple system members and then suddenly learn about a bunch at once.

        3. Robbie

          I think you’re right. Besides amazigirl is the one who is friends with Sal

        4. thumb

          are those cheek blushes? They’ve always looked like shadows from the glasses to me. I don’t think AG wears glasses, so she wouldn’t have them. I think.

        5. Ana Chronistic

          Both of them have astigmatism, they can see without glasses but not as clearly as with

      3. katerly

        That’s what I thought immediately. AmaziGirl is running the show. And that’s bad and awful!

        1. clif

          The cheeks and tags say otherwise.

        2. Kella

          Based on the tags, it looks like that’s not the case, but if Amazigirl were fronting more often, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Alters front usually because they feel that they are needed, and often they are right at least on some level.

    2. Demoted Oblivious

      AG was in charge, since she stood up to Booster during the meeting. But then Booster asked Amber out, so AG had to hand the reins back over to Amber mid-sentence.

      I suspect the cheek blushes will become less reliable for differentiating now that Amber/AG are toggling so rapidly. Maybe it’s part of the new character design to not split them (maybe it’s a sign that they are integrating better).

      1. ahecht

        Only Amber has been tagged in the last few strips, not AG.

        1. Demoted Oblivious

          Ugh… I always forget to check the tags. But that makes Amber’s line even *more* confusing. So not only are AG and Mike rattling around up there, but now Amber is *also* using the third person to refer to herself?

        2. clif

          She is using 3rd person to refer to AG who is the safe channel for Amber’s aggression and violent tendencies. Are you familiar with Roller Derby?

        3. thejeff

          Something may have changed over the timeskip, but previously it was Amber who was starting the roller derby.

        4. clif

          Good point.

    3. Zee

      I think amber just doesn’t want to deal with explaining/talking about the whole plural thing. Especially with all the psycho reads that just happened

  6. Sirksome

    Booster has guts I’ll give them that. Not really though. What happened was awful and trying to hit on people after is sort of also awful.

    1. clif

      Ruth didn’t say no though. She said later.

      I choose to believe it’s because she knows Billie is hiding in her closet.

      1. Geneseepaws

        Oh, plz, plz, plz, this. I am missing the Ruth/Billie growth arc. I had such hopes, after the death spiral, it looked like spiraling up, toward health, toward joy………
        you know, with Joy’s consent, of course.

        1. Shell

          Me too. They are my precious damaged cinnamon rolls (an expression that demonstrates how far behind I am when it comes to current speech patterns. I am old, and not hep to the kids’ groovy slang).

    2. Mariah Hardnett

      Yeah I really dont like booster hitting on who you perceived to be the two most emotionally psychologically vulnerable is really gross

    3. GreyICE

      It’s like Mike somehow combined with Joe and it’s just as awful as we imagined!

    4. Freemage

      Yeah. At this point, I’m having a hard time thinking of Booster as ‘they’–not because of any physical markers in appearance, but because Booster is shoveling out a crap-ton of classic male privilege. I don’t care at this point how Booster identifies Booster, because I’ve identified Booster as a bleeping ash-hole.

    5. T Campbell

      Coming in late, but my take:

      Booster’s invitation to Amber seemed like more of a sincere apology and hope of clearing the air than “Hey, it’s cute when you insult me in ways I have no context for; wanna bang?” When Amber refused, Booster retreated to an attempt at charm, aimed at the other person whose feathers they likely ruffled most. I’m more concerned about Ruth’s rather chilling response than anything Booster said here.

      Though that still makes them a long way off from perfect. Booster largely reminds me of Phoebe’s boyfriend from an early Friends episode, who spends most of his screen time making accurate, cutting observations about each main character. They might’ve respected such insight from each other if phrased diplomatically, but because he’s a judgy outsider, they all respond with denial and “I hate that guy.”

      And the boyfriend’s insight never seems to turn inward, to how self-destructive it is to just be making cutting observations all the time, especially about people important to your girlfriend. When he gets called on it, he critiques the group’s whole dynamic and storms off.

      Booster is not quite that bad: they kept most of their insights to themself before Ruth’s “FINE, LET’S ALL PSYCHOANALYZE ME” opened the floodgates. They’re also younger, and it’s therefore more excusable that they’re a little drunk with the power such insight can bring. But the path they’re on is a pretty good way to ensure they’ll remain an outsider, in this dorm and for the rest of their life. We’ll see if they swerve.

      1. T Campbell

        (Also, Booster’s expressions at least indicate they care about the people they’re psychoanalyzing, which counts for something. But even so.)

  7. katerly

    Wow. So Billie left? Or dumped Ruth?
    Either way, damn.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Billie got into Yale.

      The reason everyone’s being reall vague on the subject is because last time it was mentioned when Dorothy was within earshot, she bit through a 400 page textbook.

    2. Leorale

      Or she drifted apart towards the new hall (which would explain why Ruth insisted she didn’t lose her). Time will tell. Eventually.

    3. a/snow/mous/e

      Maybe they decided it was healthiest to not date each other, at least for the time being. (Perhaps Billie’s therapist advised it?) After them being in a lesbian suicide pact, it does seem like maybe they need to get their shit together…

    4. tim gueguen

      Ruth’s evil grandpa kidnapped Billie and took her to his Fortress of Evil.

      1. Doctor_Who

        But she seduced him with a cheerleading routine, and now rules Canada alongside him as the country’s wicked queen.

        (I don’t know much about Canada, but they have a queen on their money, so I assume this is how it works)

        Ruth’s unhappy that she now has to call Billie “Step-Grandma-Your-Majesty”.

        1. brute

          ^^^this is the only canon i will accept

        2. Demoted Oblivious

          While our Queen is wicked, it’s more in the sense that, “she da bomb,” rather than, “eat my apple.”

        3. clif

          Queen Elizabeth is da bomb confirmed.

        4. davidbreslin101

          “Eat my apple”? Is that… a euphemism?

        5. Deanatay

          Snow White?

        6. clif

          Snow White? So definitely a euphemism then.

          See coded language in fairy tales or https://www.terriwindling.com/blog/2013/04/fairy-tales.html for example.

        7. Demoted Oblivious

          Thanks for sharing that clif. Fascinating reading.

  8. Yenklette

    Booster’s just giving me the creeps now. I’m really disappointed that we’re finally getting a major new nonbinary character and they’re being written to act this weird and predatory about other people’s emotional states. “Fascinating creature”. Ugh. Walky literally said he didn’t want his new roommate to try to analyze him. Roz didn’t do a thing wrong here.

    Booster doesn’t seem to care about other people’s feelings, and the worst part is, as always, seeing no other characters remark on it—as if this is just narrative-endorsed behavior now.

    1. Yenklette

      Between this and Billie’s departure, this is probably one of the most disconcerting, disorienting and depressing starts to a new book we’ve ever had. Just… this isn’t fun. This doesn’t feel like real human interaction. This doesn’t feel like our characters.

      1. abysswatcher1993

        This is how I felt reading the Homestuck Epilogues and watching Steven Universe Future. Welcome to the club!

        1. Robbie

          Steven Universe future broke my heart. Especially as a person with PTSD from childhood trauma.

        2. Nono

          Future was fine for the first half. The last three or four episodes before the last episode were pretty bad.

        3. brumagem

          Haven’t seen it yet but I’ve heard that’s what happens when every exec at CN has a different idea of how much more screentime to give a series

        4. Icalasari

          Eh, the finale did hit me hard. Mind, I have emotional regulation issues due to my various disorders. So I think it was more they missed the mark and somehow hit me rather than the intended audience

        5. Mariah Hardnett

          Oh god dont even get me started on future

      2. brumagem

        I wonder if offing Mike and fridging Ethan/Billie is DoA jumping the shark

        1. Yenklette

          It definitely doesn’t feel like it was… healthy. But I’m not gonna lie, things haven’t felt quite right ever since the Alliance of Dads. Maybe longer ago. Everything’s bending to fit the moments Willis wants to create, and a lot of characters are falling by the wayside or being weirdly twisted to accommodate it.

        2. Yenklette

          That said, I don’t like calling it “jumping the shark” because I don’t think it’s irretrievable. I just think Willis needs to… dial back the plots. Focus on the characters. Ease up on their leashes. Let Roz and Rachel and Dorothy and Danny and Booster and Carla be real characters again.

        3. brumagem

          Now that I think about it, it definitely started with the axis dads. Stakes kept rising until Willis realized he’d painted himself into a corner and had to either A) let the dads hang over our heads for eternity B) take care of them with less drama and risk a boring and anticlimactic resolution C) this.

          Maybe it’s more fair to think of the new storyline as Series 2. Maybe I should tune in after 10 more years for Series 3?

        4. Yenklette

          Yeah, I agree. I wish we could’ve taken a different path, though. If we had to do a reset to a new series, I wish we could have reset to something kinder.

        5. Thrabalen

          Billie wasn’t fridged, she was put on a bus. Unless we’re about to find out something horrible via Ruth.

        6. davidbreslin101

          “I didn’t LOSE Billie. [pause] I know exactly where she is. And she’ll stay there forever, she’ll never leave me now” [starts rocking]

      3. a/snow/mous/e

        I’m thinking they might have been joking about Ruth? idk, I don’t think they meant it as objectification, they’re probably just trying to appease the people they most hurt back in the floor meeting. Probably not the best way to do it, but… yeah. I guess everyone has their flaws, but it is a little disappointing to see them so early in Booster.
        And yeah, I do hope Billie is still here. (and Ethan too, somehow, even though it’s clear he didn’t get a silhouette?)

        1. Yenklette

          Booster didn’t apologize. This called for at least an acknowledgement that they were being unkind. Without that acknowledgement, it just seems purely skeevy.

        2. clif

          Based on limited evidence, I’m seeing them being attracted to the two women present most prone towards violent action.

          Or maybe just the two that would make the most interesting case studies.

        3. clif

          He also expressed regret at not rooming with Sal instead of Walky. Sal is perhaps the third most prone to aggressive action and has joined Amazigirl in smashing Ryan’s friends.

          Being attracted to dangerous women can be a thing.

        4. Hatman

          ya could just be they want to get fucked up when they start going on those tangents.

          would also explain why they did what they did.

        5. Icalasari

          That would be an interesting and humanizing arc for Booster. Them realizing they don’t know when to shut up, and wanted to get close with people they recognize are willing to MAKE them shut up

          …Come to think of it, I wonder if Booster also hits another demographic. It just clicked that they could also be representative of a disorder like Autism (I’ve seen autists other than myself have their special interest being other people and psychology, but due to the awkwardness they kinda turn people into objects to analyze like Booster just did)

        6. mecklejay

          Maybe that’s where Booster’s room for growth lies. Flaws are what lead to compelling arcs, and I think they’re expressing a pretty dang believable flaw for a real person to have. Especially if they’re going to be as central moving forward as they appear to be now, then they’re gonna have to have somewhere to go, y’know?

          I’m optimistic.

      4. Derek

        hard same

      5. Lionheart261

        I have to agree, this is…God, I don’t even know where to start. There’s no closure, no consequences, no…realistic response to any of this. I wasn’t expecting Booster to get punched or anything, but no response at all? No lingering resentment? Not even a hint of guilt on Booster’s part?

        1. clif

          How often have you attended a meeting where someone was a jerk and there was closure and immediate consequences? Perhaps your experiences are different than mine (and you are part of a community that always carries baseball bats around with them just in case).

          An armed society is a polite society. – Robert Heinlein (Who I disagree with on many levels, but thoroughly enjoyed reading.)

        2. clif

          I realize you say that you weren’t expecting them to be punched, but again how oven often do you see jerks express guilt? For resentment, I suspect that Rachel might have some.

        3. Yenklette

          It’s less about realism and more about “realism”. Remember, this is a narrative, and the fact that so many of us feel like Willis is implicitly endorsing this behavior at the very least suggests ambiguous or unsettling narrative decisions were made here to give us that impression..

        4. brumagem

          It’s like: Mike and Carla are jerks but we all know they’re jerks. Now Booster is acting like a jerk with little to no acknowledgement from other characters besides “Why you–!”

      6. Insanenoodlyguy

        I kind of respect that Willis is both ready to introduce a non-binary character and make them a complete fuckhead.

    2. brumagem

      I disagree. Although I’m not a fan of Booster reducing psychology/psychiatry to cold-reading parlor tricks I think them asking Amber to pizza to talk about The Mike Thing was pretty considerate.

      1. Yenklette

        Asking Amber to get a pizza was nice. Frustrating, because I needed to see someone in the comic acknowledge, “Hey, Booster, you just verbally abused half these people, maybe don’t do that?” But nice.

        Then they ruined it by asking out Ruth in a skeevy way and retroactively making it feel more like they just wanted a date with someone “faScInAtInG”.

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          Yeah I’m not sure why they’re phrasing it as a date, they just met Ruth and Amber so I really don’t think they’re trying to get with them… idk Booster didn’t seem like they’d be a womanizer. But then, I guess we didn’t get much of a sense of their personality when Walky was dragging them around, other than a general semblance of being polite and chill, so.

        2. Yenklette

          Yeah, the characterization of Booster is kinda a line graph that abruptly plummeted over a cliff without explanation.

      2. Demoted Oblivious

        It is not clear that Booster is necessarily creeping (I think they may actually just be fascinated by both Amber and Ruth, since those two actually contain the most depth currently on display for Booster).

        It is also not clear that ‘the mike thing’ is why Booster was offering Amber pizza. (Although it is a polite approach to create a private atmosphere to talk, a more forthright approach would be more mature: “may I ask you sometime about what you said in the meeting?”)

        1. Yenklette

          I don’t mean sexually or romantically creeping. I think Booster is being creepy in a “manipulative, I-am-regarding-you-as-a-study-case-and-not-a-human-being-with-complex-emotions” way.

        2. a/snow/mous/e

          ahh. Yeah, I hope they do drop that habit soon, or at least realize it’s dehumanizing and they shouldn’t do it…

        3. Yenklette

          The information we’ve been given on Booster so far implies that either they don’t care, or Willis doesn’t realize how genuinely unpleasant it is and thinks it’s just “oh, they’re a little mean but they tell it like it is”.

        4. Demoted Oblivious

          Or possibly, Willis is revealing an autobiographical personal aspect that was part of his make-up growing up. It’s a brave author who writes about not just their attributes but also their flaws.

        5. Lionheart261

          I mean, perhaps, but in that case, wouldn’t immediate consequences for Booster’s actions make even more sense from a narrative standpoint? If this is Willis showing us a past flaw of his, then I would argue that he needs to adequately demonstrate that he recognizes it as such, and that this sequence of events has done very little to meet that requirement. It seemed like it was gonna happen for a while, but this strip has dashed that possibility for the moment, and in its place stands…this. This weird, disjointed mess.

        6. Demoted Oblivious

          But maybe that is the point. First, since this is Willis’ art, there is nothing they *must* do. And maybe the damage has to be allowed to build up to truly accrue the kind of consequences W. wants the character(s) to experience.

        7. Yenklette

          Lionheart nailed it for me. If you want to see characters who were introduced with good, realistic flaws that made them feel like rounded, realistic characters, look to Joyce or Billie or Sarah.

        8. dinajoyce

          I’m not convinced Booster’s invite to pizza is treating Amber either as a potential romantic/sexual partner OR as a potential research subject. I saw that as more of a “I seem to have some uncomfortable parallels to your recently deceased close friend, maybe we should have an actual conversation so I can learn some about you and about him so I can not accidentally step all over your very fresh grief every time I walk in the room.” Which I thought was rather considerate. Booster’s comment toward Ruth, however, seems more like asking for a date. But I think that’s fair. Ruth asked for Booster’s evaluation, however sarcastically, and doesn’t seem too bothered by what they said about her. Maybe Booster is as attracted to relationships that are likely to end up as dumpster fires as Ruth is. In which case they might make a fun couple (assuming Ruth is into people who are not specifically female? I don’t remember what we know about Ruth’s general attractions? She doesn’t seem entirely opposed here though…)

        9. Sunny

          She had a boyfriend while she still lived in Canada, so there’s a possibility for her being bisexual. From the way she reacted when her grandpa brought it up during his visit it seemed she really liked him, so it didn’t read to me like a “girls and boys are supposed to be together so I’ll have a boyfriend even though I don’t actually want to”-relationship.

          I’ll go see if I can find the strip.

        10. Sunny

          This one here.
          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/03-the-thing-i-was-before/dawdled/

        11. BBCC

          Ruth is bi, along with Billie, Danny, and Marcie in the main cast.

    3. Mra

      Mike was a known asshole. Amber stated that he was Mike’s replacement, not only when introduced as Walky’s new roommate but reiterated after the unwanted prodding at other’s psyche. So I wouldn’t say there was no acknowledgement by the other characters that this behavior was not a decent way to treat other people.

      1. Yenklette

        Yeah, but among other things, Ruth was weirdly open to the date. Amber didn’t seem hostile to it, either. That’s a weird way to react. And, like, nobody else reacted at all. Roz and Dorothy both probably should have said something, since they both tend to act as advocates for their hallmates. Narratively, all we’re left with is Amber and Ruth acting friendly towards Booster. I don’t think it’s sold. I think we’re doing work for Willis here.

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          Maybe Dorothy will approach them later… hopefully.

        2. Yenklette

          (Gosh, I’m also really tired of Dorothy having to serve as the Moral Voice of the Hall and not getting to have her own flaws anymore, but, well, maybe I’m just being bearish on DoA now because the last few comics were upsetting.)

        3. Odditude

          No, you’re right.
          She has been feeling like a hollow version of her own character.
          I might be wrong, but ever since she broke up with Walky she hasn’t had much agency in the comic?

        4. Nono

          Probably because she’s disappointingly well-adjusted for the most part. She needed to course correct her grades, and someone like Dorothy should really have no trouble doing so. Aside from that, she’s not cynical enough to completely shun social interaction like Sarah so she’s just mostly just… there as a logical voice.

        5. Yenklette

          Dorothy actually has really good and interesting flaws, and the neglect of them hurts the most. Dorothy is a workaholic, a full-on victim of toxic productivity culture who thinks if she just works harder and sleeps less, she’ll be president one day. It just isn’t being explored much anymore, and since her flaws are often praised in our society as virtues… yeah. I kind of wonder if Willis no longer sees them as flaws.

        6. Rayndel

          I feel like Ruth was more open the potentially free alcohol than the date itself, since Booster offered to pay.

        7. Yenklette

          I do like that reading, kind of.

        8. thejeff

          I hope not. Really hope Ruth isn’t drinking again.

        9. clif

          Re: Roz and Dorothy both probably should have said something.

          They might have done so. There was an entire meeting between strips. We have no idea what happened between yesterdays comic and todays comic except that it probably wasn’t tremendously relevant to the ongoing story.

        10. Yenklette

          This is a comic. This is a fictional narrative. Willis not showing it has implications that it didn’t happen, which is a choice he’s made for how to handle this scene.

      2. Jhon

        If we didn’t know her backstory, Ruth’s response would come across as flippant. Which is probably how B took it.

        ( no ruth no celebrate your 21st with a nice hot latte )

    4. Uniquitous

      People are people.

      1. Yenklette

        These are fictional characters written with purpose. I’m interpreting them, as is everyone here.

        1. clif

          Not all people.

        2. Demoted Oblivious

          Indeed. Not all people have purpose or agency, nor do all written characters serve a notable purpose beyond scenery. Even stories like “Stranger than Fiction” which focus on the interconnectedness of all things contain characters who are only background scenery.

        3. Yenklette

          … yeah, I didn’t say all characters in DoA have purpose. I said that “these” (i.e. Booster and the gang, from context) are characters written *with* purpose. Unless you think Willis tripped and accidentally wrote them?

        4. Demoted Oblivious

          Fair enough, although I’m fairly sure it actually does happen that an author may write a character a particular way by accident. see: “people are people” and “I’m sorry this letter is so long, I didnt have time to write a shorter one.”

          I certainly need to back off from posting as I’ve written plenty in the last few days that got posted without having been sufficiently reviewed by myself. (which yes, includes this post.)

    5. Lionheart261

      I mean, Roz was being pretty inconsiderate of half her hallmates’ trauma with the whole “Last semester was good overall” thing, but at this point, I’ll take more of that over whatever the fuck these last few strips were.

      1. Yenklette

        Yeah, she’s being written really fucking nastily lately. I miss the Roz who felt guilty when she realized Joyce was going through it after the “Ryan” incident.

        1. Yenklette

          Like, Roz has faults, but having her say “last semester was good because the bad representative lost” when she knows full well what these characters went through is beyond the pale. I didn’t even register it as an action she committed because it felt so absurdly cartoonishly out-of-character. Willis just wanted Becky to get to own her and needed to make her obviously enough In The Wrong to justify it, because Roz apparently exists solely to let Dorothy and Becky look cool taking her down now.

        2. Yenklette

          Roz DOES NOT disregard people’s trauma to that extent. She is occasionally annoyingly blunt about her priorities—shaming Leslie over her relationship with Robin was basically her peak with that. She doesn’t tell a bunch of kidnapping/attempted murder victims, “Last semester was good if you just look at it rationally.” It’s so over-the-top and insulting to a character that used to be complex and nuanced.

          Willis gave Becky one good own on Roz (the “are you gonna turn on me, too”) line and then got really weirdly hooked on just turning his one Latina activist character into a punching bag for two white girls whose activism is effectively “tweet a lot and listen to NPR”.

        3. thejeff

          Dorothy’s activism is certainly more mundane, though we do know she volunteered for Manley’s campaign, so it’s a bit more than “tweet a lot”.

          Becky on the other hand is probably more responsible for Robin’s leaving the House than anyone except Robin herself. You could describe it as “tweet a lot”, but since she hacked Robin’s phone and was tweeting as her, I think that’s kind of a different scale.

        4. Yenklette

          Okay, being blunt: Yes, Dorothy does some activism, though nothing as dangerous as what Roz does. Becky put herself in basically zero danger (heck, she got paid). So first off, Roz has put herself in two very direct lines of fire in ways Dorothy and Becky have only kind of flirted with. Roz has undeniably given more to this cause.

          Second, yeah, Becky accomplished a lot… by accident? Sort of? Becky almost literally got Robin elected, and didn’t even try to change Robin’s policies when she had the chance. I’m not saying she’s a bad person for that, I’m just saying, this was all basically her trying to profit off of the campaign, and she herself admitted that she’d fucked up last chapter, so pretending she planned this is not in keeping with Willis’s own canon. Things only happened to work out well because Robin isn’t a totally awful person after all. That wasn’t Becky’s plan, and we all know it.

        5. thejeff

          Becky hacked a Congresswoman’s phone. She could have gone to jail for years for that.

          As for what happened while she was campaign manager – I can’t make any sense of it politically: Everything Becky was doing should have led to the end of Robin’s career, regardless of how much twitter support she was getting. An Indiana Republican isn’t going to sweep the election by suddenly switching to a radical liberal agenda. By all rights, Robin was already sunk before Becky came to work for her – partly by being outed as queer and partly by Becky tweeting as her (and her not immediately rejecting those tweets.)

        6. Yenklette

          The narrative was pretty explicit about both Becky’s intentions and the fact that, in the end, Roz was right. The narrative just isn’t interested in acknowledging that except in a resentful, “Roz is going to be insufferable (about accurately warning us while being insulted repeatedly for it)” way.

        7. Jon

          If you think Roz used to be much more nuanced and compassionate, we’ve been reading different comics from the start.

          She has *always* read to me as performative, and self-involved, in her activism. She gets results, which is great, but she’s also shown to be lacking some basic empathy skills. Like the time she started tearing Joyce apart in the middle of her deprogramming during Gender Studies? People relapse over shit like that.

          Roz is allowed to have flaws. Every character is. She’s still portrayed positively overall — just a bit unscrupulous at times, which is the darn point.

          The side effects of having a diverse cast mean that, yes, occasionally you’ll get dynamics like two white girls arguing with a Latina activist. She might even be “in the wrong”. That’s only a problem if it becomes a trend, and it hasn’t.

    6. Bogeywoman

      I think Boosters on the ASD spectrum.

      Consider : can’t read the room or pick up on social cues, takes what everyone says literally, psychology is their single greatest interest so far, they’re impulsive and lack self control, are highly intelligent and perceptive and intellectualise other’s state of minds in order to understand them, and have a theoretical understanding of relationships and social interactions but are very awkward when it comes to the practical implications. At no point do they appear to have alternative motives and they’ve so far been kind, receptive and non judgemental. Their biggest goof ups have been “reading” everyone in the meeting (Ruth asked to be psychoanalysis and they took this literally, then got carried away doing their *thing*) and this interaction here, which is more awkward than anything.

      1. clif

        I believe Booster can read the room just fine. What they choose to do with it is another mater.

  9. BBCC

    That wasn’t a no, Ruth.

    And I’m assuming that pizza was a peace offering for getting carried away.

    1. Sirksome

      You know what’s a better peace offering than asking someone out? Apologizing. Although I guess technically Ruth did ask for it right? But does it make it less inappropriate?

      1. BBCC

        They’re not trying to offer a peace offering to Ruth, they’re offering one to Amber. They want to ask Ruth out. Whether or not they should apologize is a different matter (and yes, they should, imo), but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what they were doing.

      2. DailyBrad

        The apology is for the wronged party, not the one apologizing. Ruth from everything we’ve seen with her would be much more weirded out by an apology from Booster than a date offer, it feels like.

        Like, she’s loosening up, like her interactions with Amber and Joyce to an extent, but I feel like getting Full House “heartful conversation music” on her would just make her retch.

    2. Reltzik

      Given that it was first offer to Amber, who Booster DIDN’T get carried away with, I doubt it.

      1. Reltzik

        *first offered

      2. BBCC

        They reminded her of her recently deceased friend though. I can see them wanting to ease the sore spot.

        1. Sirksome

          Oh. Okay that makes a bit more sense cause I was just about to ask why Booster would need to offer peace to Amber when they haven’t technically done anything to her.

        2. Reltzik

          Okay, yeah, I could see that.

  10. Bryy

    Hey, Rachel, that’s an interesting look you got there.

    1. Spencer

      I like it. I’ve been an unapologetic Rachel stan since she first rose to prominence, but the wrinkle added to her character that she amps her hatred of Ruth partly due to her own failure to act before it got as bad as it did is a compelling place to jump with her character.

  11. Uniquitous

    One is indeed the loneliest number.

    1. Reltzik

      This comment encompasses my identity.

      …..

      *flees for dear math-punning life*

      1. clif

        Zero is an identity. And even lonelier. Ask Mike.

        1. Reltzik

          Yeah, but I’m ignoring zero. It’s a non-factor.

        2. Demoted Oblivious

          Except that it is a factor for itself. I know this is orthogonal to the line of this conversation, but if you imagine a one multiplied by zero, you get a zero.

        3. Reltzik

          If zero is a factor for zero, then I’m willing to count that as being zero factor. That easy, nothing to it.

        4. Demoted Oblivious

          Ok, now you’re teaching(or reminding me? If I’ve forgot, does the difference matter?) things. Part of me wants to buy you dinner. I also can’t tell if we’ve veered farther from or closer to the pun.

  12. Spencer

    Petition for a story arc set during the timeskip where Sal and Amber take their roller derby team on the road and solve mysteries between tournaments.

    1. brute

      yes please

    2. Jade

      I would give my firstborn for this.

    3. goggleman64

      I realize now I’ve always wanted this.

  13. Bagge

    Go leafs

  14. miz

    I can’t tell if Mandy has dyed her hair again or if it’s meant to be back to her original (natural?) color…the suspense is killing me

    1. Reltzik

      It’s not the same shade of red as we first saw, so either she’s dying it now, or she was dying it then, or both. Just watch her natural hair color be black or something.

  15. abysswatcher1993

    Booster is too casual for someone that roasted many people. Also, the lack of Billie in this chapter is scary.

  16. LiterallyJustSomeGuy

    Wait, “ask out”? As in, for a date??? (and Ruth is single???????)

    Sorry, Booster, you can’t just date Amber!

    You have to date Dorothy first. Those are the rules.

  17. Disastroid

    We’ve traded “I fucked your mom” to “I asked your mom out”

    1. leaf

      “She said no”

  18. poofdepoof

    Booster seems not as good at making friends as they first appeared. Hope they can recover soon. Walky certainly won’t be as terrible as their previous roommate but might not be as happy to share with them after this mass of hurt feelings. Like, in what world was this a good idea??

  19. Reltzik

    In other news, Ruth’s considering drinking once she hits 21.

    Recovering addict aside… do her new meds allow that, or does she just not care any more?

    1. abysswatcher1993

      This is what happens when a story continues for too long adn Willis doesn’t care about our feelings.

    2. Mra

      Considering Billie’s gone, I am thinking the latter.

      1. a/snow/mous/e

        oooof

    3. Rectilinear Propagation

      I think there was an in-universe comment from Ruth that alcohol and her medication don’t go well together but I don’t know what strip it was in exactly. IIRC, it was when she went out with Billie and they changed venues to a bar.

      1. Reltzik

        Yup, but after the timeskip she said she’s on new meds. So who knows if the old interactions rules still apply.

      2. King Daniel

        We also know Ruth’s switched her medication since then, no?

    4. sliver

      Unless she’s on a very low dose of SSRIs, she probably shouldn’t drink alcohol. The other three major groups of depression-treatment drugs–antidepressants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics–don’t mix well with it.

      Then again, as someone with depression and (likely) an addiction disorder, she shouldn’t drink alcohol at all. But she doesn’t appear to be in a good frame of mind, so her judgements may skew back towards self-destructive.

      1. Svankensen

        There’s plenty of antidepressants that are very compatible with alcohol. Generally trivial side effects. The alcoholism would be her the problem.

        1. Geneseepaws

          Can You list any?
          I’m, unh,… asking for a friend.

  20. Sirksome

    Also ut, that wait till my 21st birthday comment from Ruth is slightly troubling and is hinting at exactly the kind of backslide someone with her troubled mental health and history of alcohol dependency is prone to. This is why Rachel’s comment was such a bullshit move from her and Booster didn’t really help either. I really hope this is nothing.

    1. abysswatcher1993

      We are talking about Willis. Cynicism is his usual main course.

  21. The Coolest Child

    I like to think that Amber has a fourth personality who rollerskates now.

    1. tim gueguen

      I’m wondering if that will be the case.

    2. Mra

      Who is the third?

      1. King Daniel

        Some have theorized that the Mike who kept showing up and talking to her (despite, obviously, not “actually” being there) would become a third alter.

    3. Kella

      Or Amber has a fourth alter who came to the meeting, and Amber is the one going to roller derby.

    4. Sam

      I would find that strangely pleasing due to reading accounts of alters/fragments forming to do a specific activity like baking. The quantity of trauma that Amber has had, easily could have led to more splits, so it’s not unrealistic. Just not necessarily narrative necessary the way AG has been.

  22. Johan

    I miss Mike. 🙁

    1. Mra

      I feel like there was unfinished character development with him, particularly in terms of his relationship with Ethan and Amber.

    2. Demoted Oblivious

      We are not alone.

    3. Keulen

      Likewise.

  23. Greg

    Hey, just to be clear: Ruth and Billie were fine before the time skip, right? We still don’t know why Billie’s not with Ruth anymore? Or is there something I’m forgetting during the last storyline from the previous semester?

    1. Rotunda

      My recollection is that things were fine, and looking to get better.

    2. Mra

      We do not yet know what happened to Billie, I think he is trying to build curiosity by teasing at it.

    3. Schpoonman

      Billie was making her first honest attempt at sobriety when the time skip happened. I would not be at all surprised if she relapsed to the point where Ruth left.

      Her line “I didn’t ‘lose’ Billie–” makes me think just that happened.

    4. Nono

      Billie was honestly barely present towards the end of the timeskip. She wasn’t there for the big kidnapping sequence and her only real appearances were to try to mollify the Walkertons.

      Honestly, once she had her big showdown with her dorm and Ruth was recovering, she didn’t fill much of the narrative.

  24. Anon A Mouse

    I have to say I’m really disgusted at this whole situation. Douchebag mcNewperson drops “uncomfortable truths” on everyone and they’re all like “Huh, that was wierd” and brush it off cause “New Mike”. I was glad Mike was dead and I’m sorely disappointed that we have someone ALREADY picking up his slack and now they are nonbinary so people can get offended about criticism of them being a tremendous asshole. The whole character feels like a misstep in my opinion, but i’m just a reader. What do I know.

    1. Wraithy2773

      “they are nonbinary so people can get offended about criticism of them being a tremendous asshole”

      ………uhhh, fuck this notion? Like that’s ever been the case in the comments here?

      Like, there was a single comment bringing up a potential use of that yesterday, and it got smacked down to hell and back because, gasp, this notion that “they’re X, you’re not allowed to criticize them!” is and has always been a bullshit strawman. Assholes get called out for being assholes in these here parts, and everyone in the comic has degrees of assholishness to them (except for Dina who is, apparently, nigh-perfect).

      Booster being a fair bit of an ass on occasion is just them being an ass on occasion. Like Ruth. Or Danny. Or Ethan. Or Mike. Or Carla. Or Billie. Or Sarah. Or Joyce. Or Joe. Or Malaya. Or Do I Need To Keep Going On Seriously Everyone Is At Least Minoring In Asshole In This Comic.

      The only time when it’s not immediately sneered as is when the assholishness is, well, comedic, like what often happened with Mike, Carla or Malaya. But that shit ain’t because they’re non-straight-white-cis-men, that shit’s just because they were being amusing.

      1. Yenklette

        Thank you! I agree with everything Anon said *except* the thing you called out, which I fully agree with you on *except* with one point to make. Willis does actually have a history of trying to make points by introducing Mike-esque characters who are from minority groups—he made a glib comment right after introducing Leslie’s current girlfriend about how he’d based her characterization on Mike and “weird how people seem to like Mike better, huh”.

        As someone who disliked Mike and saw him as a bad character to elevate in a comic like this, I do think Willis might be trying to pull that again here, so I’m kind of side-eyeing him doing this to one of the only major nonbinary characters in the comic. I’ve already said why I dislike this characterization for Booster elsewhere, though.

      2. Zach

        I guess she is perfect here, but she has some fascinating flaws in the Walkyvers. Blackmail and mind games.

        I guess I never separate the versions.

        Similarly, did you know the dad in Malcolm in the Middle was secretly a meth kingpin the whole time!?

      3. Anon A Mouse

        You say that it doesn’t happen in the comments and then immediately say it happened yesterday. Yes, it got called out and shouted down but it happens, has happened, and will happen again. I’m not using it as an excuse, I identify that way.

        1. Wraithy2773

          I say that one person tried it yesterday, and then dozens of people told them that they were fucking out of line trying that sort of bullshit.

          Yes, individuals are going to be assholes, but that shit’s by far the exception in this community.

    2. a/snow/mous/e

      I’m thinking this is Willis’ way of reforming the chaotic good psychoanalyst character when Mike is a little one-dimensional. I hope this was just a bad moment for Booster and we’re not going to usually be quite so uncomfortable with their thoughtless actions.

  25. StClair

    Ruth, you can do better too.

  26. Ornithophobix

    Booster in the last few strips is what I could have been in so many rooms but chose not to be because not only is it disrespectful and arrogant, it’s a sign of immaturity rather than any insightful smarts or even well-meant kindness.

    But hey, I guess this is all artist-endorsed and baffling narrative choices will pass for Character Development from here on out.

    1. Sirksome

      I don’t think it was Booster trying to be kind or show off. For the lack of a better term I think Booster maybe fetishizes mental illness. Looking back with hindsight I think it’s being hinted at. Why are they asking Amber and then secondhandedly Ruth out for pizza? That “fascinating creature” line might be a clue. It makes more sense why they’d major in psychology. Amber and Ruth would make excellent case studies for a freshman psyche major. Like striking the lottery. Of course this is probably the darkest way to take these events. Maybe they just like girls with glasses.

      1. SuperFroakie82

        I went and looked back at their previous strips with this in mind, and maybe Booster didn’t just wish they’d roomed with Sal because they think she’s hot, but because they want to hear more of her dramatic and storied past so they can analyze her and her trauma. She certainly seems to be quite a “fascinating creature” just based on what they learn here:
        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/01-this-bright-millennium/otherside/
        Or maybe I’m just looking too deep into something that isn’t even there.

        1. Sirksome

          No! I totally get what you’re saying! I didn’t even see that! It comes off as a Sal is cooler than Walky joke but if Booster does really have an extreme fascination with people who experienced trauma or mental illness it can have that second layer to it. They would be way more interested in Sal. I guess we’ll have to wait and see on this but Booster if def seeming way more sketch than they started.

      2. Badgermole

        I know it’s fetishizing mental illness. But that’s not what you tell yourself. I told myself that I was just interested in people, or that I wanted to help them, or any number of other things. Cold-reading someone else (and how I hate that this is what passes as “psychoanalyzing”) is a power move, a deeply self-aggrandizing gesture. Glad I was never as terrible in my benighted youth as a Willis-written character.

    2. Yenklette

      “And baffling narrative choices will pass for Character Development from here on out.”

      Yeah. This. I’m gonna stick around, because I know Willis can get back on track if he’d just stop trying to do all these gimmicky plots and go back to character studies, but… gah. And the worst part is, Booster doing the whole meanspirited “cold reads” thing? That was another gimmick. Willis needed a catalyst for character growth and inexplicably chose the least-graceful, least-subtle way that would also be most-destructive to Booster’s likability when BOOSTER JUST GOT HERE AND IT IS TOO EARLY FOR US TO BE ENCOURAGED TO HATE THEM.

      1. Yenklette

        (And Willis will probably lament how there’s so much hate for Booster in the comments and maybe make a snarky implication that we’re all huge Mike stans and this is our hypocrisy showing.)

        1. Spencer

          I think your frustrations with Booster’s actions are perfectly valid (not that you need me to justify them, of course) but I don’t think it’s fair to cast an aspersion on Willis when they’ve yet to do or say anything about the last few days of strips and comments about Booster.

        2. Yenklette

          Yeah, I’m reading a lot into authorial intent, and that may not be fair. That said, I’m honestly still a bit bitter about how he handled the backlash against Leslie’s girlfriend, and that’s why I’m so suspicious now of when Willis pointedly introduces a minority character who “acts just like Mike”.

        3. Spencer

          I dunno, I just saw that as an amusing anecdote about how they chose to write Anna, and how that fell out in comparison to Mike who did have fans and defenders even while never showing any decency.

          And lest we forget, nobody liked Anna and she was banished to the No Appearance Baby Jail.

        4. Rectilinear Propagation

          Malaya got that same backlash Anna got when she was introduced to Shortpacked after Mike left. I can’t remember if Willis commented on it but I’m pretty sure I did.

        5. thejeff

          To be fair – Anna was always a side character to a side character’s story. There really was never going to be a big role for her even if she did turn out to be popular.

  27. Wraithy2773

    ……..I guess that’s the most in-story acknowledgement about how much of an ass Booster was being that we’re going to get? Really do hope we get more, because I’m not against them being an ass, being an ass at some point or another is a fairly common character trait in this comic, but the jump here was kinda abrupt.

    1. Anon A Mouse

      The fact that they already got away with this being the new person in school and in the social group leads me to believe they will simply be the New Mike both in universe and narratively. Shows up occasionally to drop “truth bombs” on people but won’t be as antagonistic cause they aren’t REALLY a main character. Hopefully they get a redemption arc quickly so they can die and we can get another replacement Mike.

  28. cmasta1992

    Still the most tragic thing about Ruth is that she’s a Leafs fan.

  29. Androiddreams

    After this scene booster kinda reminds me of a total ass I know? Presents themselves as a really nice person, but lacks emotional depth where empathy is concerned. Wouldn’t really want to hang out with them again

  30. Newllend(henryvolt)

    Booster the type of person who’d date somebody only because they find their mind fastening to psychologically dissect.

    Love them or hate them, this pretty gutsy considering that debut they just had.

  31. spookyfox

    yeah this aint it

  32. JenGen

    Interested in how Booster is gonna get integrated to the group. Like, Mike was a jerk but he was already friends with Amber and Ethan. Booster is just a jerk and even if they are Walky’s roommate, I can’t imagine after that little forced “therapy session” any reasonable person would want to interact with them.

    Like nobody wants to spend time with a Freshman Psych major with no a lot confidence and no filter. Really hope they actually get called out eventually.
    Felt kind of out of character for Amber to even respond and not just rush out the room and Ruth to not tell them to go to hell.

    Gotta agree with other comments, Booster is being kinda creep these past few strips.

    1. Yenklette

      The worst part is how this was Booster’s introduction. Most characters gave us a grace period before they started being awful—for all commenters bring up Amber’s or Sal’s or Billie’s or Dorothy’s or Joyce’s or Carla’s faults, they were all introduced in ways to get us to sympathize with or at least identify with them. Booster got introduced as basically a bully. This was their first major character moment and this is what Willis decided to show the audience—and then the scene got cut short without catharsis. That’s why “other characters are flawed too” is missing the point.

      1. leaf

        That’s what I like about this character. I think a lot of people were expecting them to be cool and wholesome, but the first time they get meaningful dialogue it’s just so far out of left field, that it’s super entertaining and I will be following their career with great interest.

      2. Nono

        Yeah, even Becky, one of the more polarizing characters at times, came in pretty toned down til she cut her hair.

        The only characters that probably came in full swinging were Ruth, Roz and Robin

        1. Yenklette

          Yeah, and note how they were handled. Ruth was supposed to be an antagonist, and everybody knew it—Billie literally tried to beat her up, and Joyce praised Billie for doing so. Roz was given a whole chapter dedicated to her explaining her reasons, and the next chapter showed remorse and tried to help Joyce when she found out something had gone down. Robin was already a well-loved character when she entered this comic, and even so, she was promptly challenged by multiple characters and made the butt of lots of jokes.

  33. Kernanator

    Mah god, it’s Ruth! With a steel chair!

  34. Spencer

    Thought just crossed my mind: With Amber and AG reconciling, wouldn’t it be cool for the superheroics to be de-emphasized and for AG to take on a role as Amber’s protector? That she takes the wheel for Amber during stressful and triggering situations now that Amber’s attempts at healing got shattered with Mike’s death.

    1. Sirksome

      I actually really hope that’s the case. I do like the aesthetic and idea of Amazi-girl the vigilante, but in practice it has been exceedingly dangerous and if Amber hadn’t been capable enough to save herself and her friends when it mattered it would be seen as completely irresponsible.

    2. Bogeywoman

      Ooh, me likey. Amber has so much self-loathing it is potentially destructive for herself, her system and those around her. AG identifying that ambs needs and is /deserving/ of protection could e the first step in Amber learning to accept herself as something other than a villain.

  35. Rectilinear Propagation

    Booster appears to have room illiteracy.

    1. Lux

      I’m so conflicted on Booster. Sometimes they’re okay and sometimes they’re _really_ not okay.

  36. Yotomoe

    I feel like Booster and Carla would get on like a house on fire.

  37. C.T Phipps

    I hope Booster plays many mind-games and destroys Rachel.

    Yes, the perfect archrivalry.

  38. adam Black

    Ruths planning on breaking sobriety and no ne commented on it

    1. Rectilinear Propagation

      There’s several comments upthread about it.

  39. Council

    Oh Jesus, Booster. ‘Fascinating creature’ is such a slimy way to describe a person you are attracted to.

    1. Rotunda

      Booster may actually be speaking literally about their intellectual interest in Ruth.

      1. Nono

        There are so many, many better ways to phrase it.

  40. BenRG

    So, is Booster really interested in Amber and Ruth or are they just thinking of the term paper that they could be? I want to think that they just genuinely want to make Amber happy and I think that they’re genuinely fascinated by Ruth on a lot of levels but the final answer is something for which I think that will have to wait and see.

    However, two things are very clear to me:

    1) Amber and Amazi-Girl have obviously worked out some kind of time-share agreement on their bodyt;

    2) Ruth really, really should not be allowed to mark her 21st birthday alone.

  41. CJ

    I‘m not ready to date sober, wait for a few days triggers all kinds of alarms.. WTF happened with Ruth and Billie ?

  42. Sunny Bruv

    Wait… is Ruth actually turning 21? She’s been 20 this whole time? She started as a freshman at age 19? She had a gap year? Oh the backstory possibilities!

    1. Rectilinear Propagation

      A year off after her parents died? Or maybe she’s was just born on the wrong side of September.

      1. Heather

        Wasn’t Dorothy 19 fairly early in the comic? I mean I’m a September baby so I was 19 fairly early on in the academic year when I was first at Uni. No gap year necessary.

    2. Nono

      I think it’s possible Ruth and Rachel are in their third years. So she could have entered at 18 and is turning 21 this year.

  43. bogeywoman

    Inability to read the room and pick up social cues? Does not easily recognise boundaries? Takes Ruth asking to be psychoanalysed very literally? Above average intelligence with ability to recognise things easily missed by others? So far singularly focused on a single interest (psychology) that impacts social interactions? Having difficulty making friends?

    Bruh. Booster is hella neurodivergent.

    This explains why I was recognising so much of myself/my friends in them and their behaviour so far and why so much of the criticism of them so far kind of stings personally. It’s because they’re on the ASD spectrum too.

    1. bogeywoman

      *happy flaps*
      I’m really freaking excited now.

      Hypothesis:
      Booster is a spectrumite

      Evidence:
      01. Immediately accepts Walky’s name, says “ne’re will I err” which is interpretted by some as pretentious (I find most of my ND friends have fun with language)
      02. Asks for confirmation about their assumption that Walky’s reply was a self-protective response. I do this if I’m not sure what someone means or if I think they mean something else. I’ll say something like “you responded very quickly and didn’t look at me, does this mean you are uncomfortable with the topic and would like to talk about something else?” When Walky confirmed he does not want to talk about Mike, Booster does not judge or delve, but changes the topic to Lucy. They also recognise that X means Friend.

      Flavor: possibly misinterprets Walky’s comment about he and Danny making out with the same two girls to mean simultaneously.

      High Stakes and Formed: Again, has to confirm their interpretation that Ruth was being hyperbolic in regards to her threat of violence, and that Amber was being humorous

      Herself: Non-judgemental of Amber’s reaction to them and her plurality. They do use metaphor here, but I do too, so Im not going to count it against the theory rn

      (k so Im skipping a little bit)

      Herded, Fresher: Takes Ruth super literally when she asks for someone to psychoanalyse her. They’re high perceptive and clearly empathetic, but use their intellect to form an understanding of what she’s going through. I posit that Booster “reading” Ruth and others is how they have learned to understand what people are feeling. They lack a practical understanding of how to use this information, which is why they info-dump.

      Sob Story, Stop: Same as above, but now we see Booster is impulsively engaged in “reading” everyone. They don’t recognise that their input is unwanted and seen as rude or disruptive. I don’t interpret their actions as intentionally harmful at all, and they don’t seem to hold judgement for the people they’re talking about. It’s just, whoever speaks next gets read. It’s more like they got caught up in doing their *thing* because it’s their *thing* and they’re really good at it and I’m making friends with my *thing* and, oh. Oh.

      Odd: Booster either does not know they did a thing people didn’t like, or gets the feel but needs to decompress with someone who will give them honest feedback (the friends I keep close are usually super honest because I need to ask feedback and have faith that they won’t mislead me- Ruth, Amber and Dorothy would be my go-tos in Booster’s spot). They’re also implementing the theoretically sound practice of offering free food to make friends. I argue that their choice of partners also supports the hypothesis of their spectrumity: either they’re drawn to people who interest them intellectually (assuming psychology is their “special interest”), or because they recognise that these people are also neurodiverse. Apart from my girlfriend nearly ALL of my friends are either neurodiverse or queer in one way or another. Birds of a feather and all that (also, it’s just more comfortable to be around people who aren’t so judgey and normalis-ey).

      Finally, comment section: I’m not going to trawl the comment sections for this. Well, I started to and then realised that it might be perceived as attack-y on other people’s opinions, which is not my intention. But most of what has been said of Booster in the comments has been said of me and some of my ND friends. I’ve even thought that friends have behaved abhorently in the past and needed to take breaks from certain people. And that’s chill. It’s just really familiar, and imo, a lot is uncharitable. I personally challenge the idea that there is a right way to communicate and socialise. Booster has demonstrated a lot of empathy and non-judgement, been openly curious and interested in the people around them. They’re also highly literal, focused and impulsive. If other characters can recognise their pattern of communicating then they can support them to recognise or know when to stop if they overstep. If it was Amber, or Ruth or said “no” to Carla’s request, then they’ve already done this once. Booster, in turn, could be a boon to the cast in terms of helping people understand themselves and others in a new way.

      I am firmly headcanoning Booster as ASD and apologise for the rant.

      1. Wereg

        This was actually quite insightful! While I still don’t care for Booster, this makes them more understandable and a lot harder to hate. Here’s hoping you’re calling it correctly.

      2. Sunny

        I’ll keep this in mind about Booster. So far it checks out pretty well.

      3. Sam

        Yeah, someone brought it up yesterday, and I don’t think you’re wrong. Booster presents like someone with ASD who has been socialised to an extent (twins and siblings are helpful for this). They aren’t incapable of behaving appropriately in one to one settings or small groups from what we saw. But then doesn’t have the filter or tact to stop at every time when they should, because the thing with it, that not everyone gets. Is your social skills aren’t necessarily good or bad, it can be a case of you’re good in a lot of ways… but then no one has told you that doing X is weird/hurtful/wrong specifically, so you get confused as to what actually happened when people get upset with you.

        Which isn’t an excuse, it still hurt people, but it would explain the behavioural shift better than some people’s theories in my eyes. Because like, as someone likely on the spectrum myself, I know it is entirely possible to both be perceptive to emotions and behaviours (I do have a special interest in psychology which helps) but also *completely blind* to unspoken social rules that seem like common sense to other people. Like I *fully* understand that Ruth’s challenging people was self-sabotaging self-destructive behaviour… but I wouldn’t expect every 18/19 year old to be able to read through the lines like that, so I still leave room that could have been a mistake or a belief that it would help. After Roz, it puzzles me why they didn’t stop… but with less social awareness than I have, it is possible Booster wasn’t taking the hint from what they were saying that people wanted them to stop, *because they didn’t directly ask or say so*.

        1. Needfuldoer

          This, this, all of this.

          Been there, done that, became very familiar with the taste of my shoes. Having to manually process all communication outside the literal words people speak sucks, but it sucks a lot less than alienating everyone.

        2. Sunny Bruv

          This is why I have faith in Willis. He took a chance when he created Ethen as a character, and he turned out very well. Dina has so far been the only ND main character and everyone loves her. It’ll be nice to see a wider spectrum of spectrum people in this comic, especially because I believe that Booster will act as a catalyst for a lot of other’s growth.

      4. Valerie

        Yeah, I said something before about them possibly being autistic. You explained it in much more detail, though! Thanks!

      5. Vulcanodon

        No need apologize, all interesting comments!

      6. Badgermole

        I too think that there isn’t one right way to communicate. But social propriety is not what bothers me about Booster. It’s more that cold-reading strangers is a very bad idea because you’re going to get it wrong. People’s psychological complexities are simply not reducible to one-line statements and I’m wary about why Willis chose to put all this in the mouth of a new character. It might be a way of fleshing out Booster as this type of person, for reasons diagnosable or otherwise — or it might be that we’re meant to take these neat pseudo-clinical assessments of the cast at face value. Which is imo a cheap way of narrative ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’.

      7. Demoted Oblivious

        That is brilliantly laid out, well written, but also personal and powerful. Thank you for sharing so much about yourself and of your theory about Booster.

  44. Heather

    ‘Fascinating creature’. Booster you’re acting like the weird employee at least three decades older than everyone else new in the office who thinks themselves charming. Guess I was completely off on the idea of them being fanon!Mike.
    Overall I understand some people’s disappointment but I think we should at least wait until the number of strips they’re in to hit triple figures to get a grip on where things are going with this character. I mean I know the floor’s reaction is a bit muted but the whole calling Ruth such a creepy line: Willis I think would be pretty aware of how THAT would come across. Overall, so far I feel it’s possible Booster might becomes someone like Danny’s parents at first: basically someone in universe who does things the comment section talk about. Because treating real people the same way some treat fictional characters is really fucked up after all. And I gotta be honest I was sort of fascinated in a morbid about when that came up.

    Boosters character arc: learning that RPF is not okay?

    1. Colineo

      Blaster isn’t fanon Mike. Booster *is* Mike. Dun dun DUN!

  45. clif

    I have to say that Willie’s use of shadows to convey emotion just keeps getting better and better.

    That final panel.

    1. Demoted Oblivious

      Indeed. The artwork around Ruth, and the variation we see between her hiding in the dark vs. having a reason to be in the light is very well.. something. Poignant? Well aligned? Compatible?

      Ruth could definitely cross-overnwith depression comics.

      I strongly identify with Ruth’s situation (less the part about a recent remantic partner). But the darkness inside is so rarely matched by that around me that I spend a lot of time in the dark. Also turning on the light can be such a bother. Sometimes I really wish I had an intoxicating vice I could sink into. Though I may be collapsing towards obesity and diabetes via eating unnecesarily and giving up physical activity.

  46. Keulen

    Booster keeps alternating between kinda making me like them a bit and making me weirded out by their behavior.

  47. Delicious Taffy

    This kid’s a fuckin’ loser.

    1. Vulcanodon

      Or we’re all about to get a hard lesson on not being too quick to judge.

  48. Acher4

    Soooo…
    “Where is Mike?” has turned into “Where is Billie?” ?
    😛

  49. Kella

    Correcting “she” to “I” when you’re not the host and people think you are, is a big plural mood.

  50. NelC

    Walky likes pizza. Just sayin’.

  51. Wereg

    Oh wow, fuck right off with that shit. At this point, I’m only reading to see what happened to Billie and find out whyyyy that entire arc seemed wasted.

    1. Michael L

      Hard same.

  52. DarkoNeko

    Rachel 1 is unimpressed

    1. BenRG

      I honestly have never seen her impressed in DoA.

  53. RedCat

    I don’t know what to think about Booster.

    1. BenRG

      Primary characteristics seem to be:
      * Nice
      * Smart
      * Socially oblivious

  54. Nenja

    Mandy got a different haircolour now, I see. She’s had red, blue, now it’s sort of orange.

    1. Needfuldoer

      It’s close to her original Walkyverse color now.

    2. JessWitt

      The Ramona Flowers of IU. Grace and Sierra will tag team to fight her seven evil exes.

  55. malisteen

    I don’t mean to be harsh on Willis, but between mike (and in particular his relationships with amber and ethan) and now ruth/billie, this time skip seems to have the comic dropping the plot threads I was most invested in.

    1. Colineo

      Just wait until the reveal that Booster is Mike in his witness-protection disguise.

  56. Yuki

    I’m honestly waiting for that

  57. Josh Spicer

    So all the lot points seem to have just completely pushed a hard reset, with the exception of Amber’s post-Mike dealings and the whole Joyce and Becky dealing with God thing.

    And hell, even that latter one bugs me because it seems that Joyce jumped straight from a believer to atheist. Which isn’t the issue inherently, but it bugs me she couldn’t still believe while changing how she is as a person to be more understanding of the world outside religion.

    Ruth and Billie are gone for reasons made unclear and reasons I do NOT understand.

    Mike is dead, which would be okay if Booster didn’t take his place unnecessary asshole character. Booster even seems to be unaware of their assholeness. At least Mike was self-aware about it.

    Ethan is completely absentee, leaving Amber’s self-crisis to deal with itself through the power of Twitter because THAT’S always a good idea.

    The only plot point I’m still heavily invested in is Joe and Joyce and that is rarely tackled as it is.

    Can’t lie, I’m pretty disappointed with where things are going.

    1. Josh Spicer

      *didn’t take his place as the

    2. thumb

      The story arc just started.

      1. Josh Spicer

        Doesn’t mean I still can’t be disappointed in the direction we’re going.

        1. thumb

          fair

    3. Rectilinear Propagation

      Wasn’t Joyce struggling with her faith since Becky’s kidnapping? Even if a few months is still fast, I would call that jumping straight to atheism.

  58. Josh Spicer

    *all of the plot points

  59. thumb

    Booo! Want more tackling!

  60. Wishwater

    I think a lot of people are being unfair to the comic now – immediately acting like booster/amber being isolated/ Ruth and billies breakup is permanent when that might not be the case. This is the opening of a new arc for a comic that updates daily and generally in comic time moves at a slow pace. All of these arcs and characters have work to die obviously but they need time to develop – unfortunately for us that might mean several months until booster starts to change their ways, amber gets help, and Ruth and Billie can work at getting back together.
    (Although this is Willis we’re talking about so maybe I’m too hopeful)

    I also find it worrying how a character can do something slightly offputting and immediately get labelled by the comment section as the worst person ever. It’s happened to almost half the cast at this point and then is immediately forgotten when everyone can move on to their next character to be morally black and white about.

    1. Jess

      I’m glad you said it so I didn’t have to!

    2. JessWitt

      Thanks for the comment especially the last paragraph. No one in this webcomic is perfectly good and has done everything right, minus some exceptions like Dina, Lucy, and other folks. They’re working their way to being better people and they’ll lapse in behavior and manner before they get to self-actualization. Plus it wouldn’t be entertaining if they were perfect to begin with. Hopefully, Booster will recognize their mistakes and shape up, but I won’t expect smooth sailing for them right away and always.

      1. JessWitt

        Not to excuse Booster’s behavior, I mean. They’ve been rough during the dorm meeting, though I wil admit that I liked Roz and Rachel getting annoyed by them.

    3. Jhon

      ‘work to DO’ Freudian slip there?

      ( dammit autocorrect )

  61. Vulcanodon

    Booster is setting themself up for a great redemption arc. That’s how I’m gonna think of people when they’re acting like an ass now.

    And they’re gonna get Joyce thinking and asking questions and I have high hopes she’ll finally have that talk with her sister…

  62. Victor Riley

    So now Booster is going to try for damage control… it’d be better if they didn’t start analyzing everyone, and no need for damage control.

  63. hof1991

    The time skip was a reboot and the new season has a new showrunner. Same characters, but the trauma has affected the narrative. Knowing DYW, he planned this a year ago. A big arc that brought a lot of hidden things to the fore. The kids aren’t first semester, fresh from high school any more.

    Expect fewer poop and fart jokes. In his life, DYW came through a reawakening like Joyce and the whole tenor of his life changed. Things he trusted turned out to be false. Family disappointed him. He had to reinvent himself. We are now getting to that phase of his life reflected in comics. Might well be less humorous.

    Still, Booster walking into a dorm meeting and firing off at people they doesn’t know at all is trolling IRL. Not a good look.

  64. C.T Phipps

    Am I alone hoping Ruth finds someone else? I know they’re shipped as endgame but I feel like Ruth would work better with MJ than Billie’s Gwen Stacy.

    1. Delicious Taffy

      Well, I hadn’t considered this but now I agree.

  65. Rabisch

    Poor Ruth. She looks so lonely in the last panel.

  66. Rani

    Advice for future arcs: Booster as unusually astute social observer is cool. Booster as all-loving foil of the incredibly screwed up and toxic cast of DoA is cool. Booster as loud-mouth troll is…well, not cool, but if you’re going for that replacement Mike plot line I can’t fault you.

    Booster as floor psychologist ala Dr Maruki-pretty cool.

    All of these things at once + “fascinating creature”: TOO MUCH.

  67. Yumi

    So, I’m currently in a day program group therapy thing, and today a new person joined the group and as we went around introducing ourselves, she just…did cold reads of each person? And it was so weird and yet also not the first time in my life something like that has happened.

    So yeah. Something about life imitates art.

  68. bcb

    Now tell us where Billie is!

  69. Varangian

    Hahahahahaaaaahahahahahahahahaaahahahaha oh Jesus

    What a beautiful, dark spice to Ruth’s arc.

    I tip my hat, Willis.

    Also dang, Boost, you pivot emotional states on a dime, don’tcha? I kind of love it. Learn to use that cold reading power more for “Elementary” stuff, though, less for “Sherlock”.

    …Finally, Amber, you’re doing better than I thought. One day at a time.

  70. nightshade

    did i miss something happening between ruth and billie?

    1. Jake'm

      We all did – something happened during the time skip that meant Ruth and Billie are split up, or implied to be, at any rate.

  71. Kater

    I’m on board with Booster as a character. They’re a fun shit stirrer and I’m excited but…

    “Fascinating creature” gave me so many douche chills.

    1. Needfuldoer

      Yeah, that’s a Joe-esque line.

      Ruth is an interesting person, there’s 1,001 better ways to phrase it, and twice as many better times to broach the subject.

      Something tells me “tact” isn’t in Booster’s skill set.

  72. Elf Royalty

    i am so sorry but it’s wild to me that people are ragging on booster because they haven’t had the same ‘not a total asshole grace period’ as ‘other characters’ when billie’s introduction was that she’s an alcoholic drunk driver and a huge bongo, ruth physically threatened (and acted upon those threats towards) people, joe was massively misogynistic and predatory, walky was kind of misogynistic and an ass, mike was mike, joyce was at her absolute worst in terms of how she treated others (like having joe punched, being lightly racist, etc), sarah was a known misanthrope… all in their introductions. ethan, becky, dina, jacob, and lucy are the only characters I can (currently) think of that didn’t make an ass of themselves early on.

    … also, walky did say that ruth might “bodyslam somebody and date them,” so i’m not sure how out of line booster is being here, especially considering the precedent walky’s little tour set (wherein everyone’s traumas and personalities were succinctly summarized with pretty minimal blowback all things considered)

    so like i’m not really sure i’m super comfortable with laying booster out as a bad character just because they psychoanalyzed some people, offered a girl pizza, and made (what seems to be) a joking pass at the person they were informed is available and maybe into that.

    1. Kella

      Yeah, I agree. And no one has pointed out that it was *Rachel* who started psychoanalyzing Ruth, unsolicited. Ruth *asked* for other people to do it more, Booster took her at her word. Thus far, Booster’s sin seems to be that they said emotionally charged but not mean things to people that they didn’t ask to hear. That’s… pretty mild in comparison to plenty of things Mike did in the past.

      I don’t know what’s up with the “fascinating creature” comment but Booster is clearly an odd ball and they may have unusual motivations for what they do.

  73. goggleman64

    I hope when we next see Billie, she’s got two popped collars.

  74. woobie

    Folding chair is sad about the Leafs poster.

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