I was dead, they have terrible TV there. The most popular show is the Universe Channel where you just watch the universe and all the galaxies spinning around in real time. Because the universe is so big even galaxies moving at relativistic speeds look motionless.
I am not dead yet, I can dance and I can sing
I am not dead yet, I can do the Highland fling
I am not dead yet, no need to go to bed, no need to call the doctor
‘Cause I’m not yet dead!
Note to self, avoid searches for Cotard’s syndrome or imposter syndrome. There are actually two conditions called Imposter Syndrome, one where the victim thinks they don’t deserve the rewards of the life they live, and the other where they think the people in their lives have been replaced by actors in a real life Truman Show.
“They say that you should never be afraid that life will end; you should be afraid that life will begin. Danny Wilcox has learned today that sometimes, you don’t have to have died to not be alive. That all the stupid hats and ukuleles that you pick up won’t change who you are on the inside. No matter how much you want to be reborn, the fact of the matter is that your old dead self will always be the soil from which your new life grows. But the line between life and death isn’t always very clear cut. Especially not… in the Twilight Zone.”
Was there even a moment to ruin? I feel like the whole point was that Sal was actively trying to avoid a moment with Danny because she has a complex about being emotionally genuine with anyone who isn’t Marcie.
Fair, but I think Danny would break out in hives and then promptly faint at the prospect of stealing something.
And since it IS Danny, who has the subterfuge capability of a tapdancing rhinoceros wearing a neon sign, we can watch safe in the knowledge that it is NOT a ploy for Sal to hold him and give him “mouth to mouth”. Which she will.
And then the world will go deaf as a million shippers squeal with glee.
Randall is just as devastating as Willis, but instead of authorial sadism he’s the personification of all of our collective curiosity for knowledge even at the cost of our own destruction. That need-to-know even when there’s nothing good in the knowing.
There’s a Marvel mutant whose superpower is that people have no object permanence of him and they can’t commit him to memory. As soon as they’re not looking at him, people forget that he exists and every interaction they had with him. He was instrumental in saving the universe in most of big story arcs, but nobody knows. Including the reader, because of course, WE can’t commit him to memory, either.
I don’t remember seeing that guy in any of the cartoons. I think you made him up. The only way to be sure, of course, is to grab a marker or pen and start tallying up his appearances on our arms.
Hm. Looks like someone’s been pranking me. My arm already has marks in it.
Had to check back to see if Dan had interacted with anybody besides Sal since the timeskip, in case there was some tragic backstory where she got him killed and now her guilty conscious is having him haunt her like Mike did with Amber.
But he’s interacted with Joe and Walky and Booster, so unless those three were also involved, he’s probably not a Spirit. (I mean, Booster only met him after the timeskip, but maybe he can see Spirits as is there because Danny is haunting Joe, Walky, and Sal…)
Sal did that by keeping herself guarded up and Danny accidentally broke all that by:
– Buying her a gift because he wanted to do something nice for her
– Listening to Sal come clean about how she feels that anyone who does something nice for her is using it as an attempt to cash in later.
– Immediately relenting on the giving her a gift thing as he is completely sincere about being kind to Sal and now realizes it makes her uncomfortable regardless of his intent, and since his intent is to make Sal happy then he’ll be sure to engage with her only on a level she feels comfortable with and approach that on her terms, which then shows Sal he is actually completely sincere about what he’s doing because usually when Sal rejects a gift the giver gets mad at her.
– Giving Sal a scenario where any emotional intimacy between the two of them is going to be completely at her leisure and Danny’s not going to suddenly get bored and wander off because she isn’t acting on it enough.
Danny, you are not dead. Sal, on the other hand, could be dying of embarrassment any moment now. Her surprised face in the first panel is spectacular! Seems to say “No, he BUSTED me!!!” And Danny is right, that really sounded like a “In memory of the dearly departed” speech. I love them. Whether they remain a comedic couple of friends or become a real couple, I love seeing them talking and doing things together.
Looking at yesterday’s strip again, the first panels do match the “memory of the dearly departed”, but the last two about how she knows where he lives and why she waits to bump into him rather than go see him don’t.
See, my take on this was that (a) she revealed some of her neuroses to him and he’s revealing some of his in return; (b) being more awkward about being him is probably the best way to leave Sal feeling not awkward about getting him the present; (c) if he had accepted it more graciously, she may have felt all “aaargh I fell into his trap of reciprocal gift-giving!” and things would have ended on a bad note, whereas this way her recollection of this will be that Danny was a bit dorky but didn’t make a big deal out of being given a gift but does seem to like it (especially if he wears it)…
Absolutely agree. Danny’s entire character can be summed up with the phrase “He’s a little confused, but he’s got the spirit.” He’s not exactly the brightest bulb on the Hanukkah tree but he’s a genuine sweetheart.
I mean Danny is not exactly the smoothest guy. But I think that works for Sal for the reasons you outlined here. Someone who can be awkward and vulnerable helps her let her guard down.
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“I’m NOT dead…? News to me!”
” Rumors of my death have been highly exaggerated! “
*said in a disappointed tone.
“I’m dead. Bugger off.” – Wilkinson
“I ATE’NT DEAD” — Esme Weatherwax
Thank you.
I was dead, they have terrible TV there. The most popular show is the Universe Channel where you just watch the universe and all the galaxies spinning around in real time. Because the universe is so big even galaxies moving at relativistic speeds look motionless.
Sounds like you went to the medium place.
Or maybe Cincinnati, either one.
I had a horrible nightmare where all the other boys and girls went to Heaven or Hell, and I went to SOUTH END.
It’s always a relief to learn you’re not dead.
I am not dead yet, I can dance and I can sing
I am not dead yet, I can do the Highland fling
I am not dead yet, no need to go to bed, no need to call the doctor
‘Cause I’m not yet dead!
I feel happy. I feel happy.
[bonk]
Ah, thanks very much.
(I mean, Sal does seem somewhat angry and has a bit of a propensity to violence…. Danny might be in some danger.)
“Oh shut up, you’ll be stone cold dead in a moment.”
New storyline: Danny struggles with Cotard’s Syndrome.
If it’s terminal Cotard’s Syndrome, are you really wrong?
Note to self, avoid searches for Cotard’s syndrome or imposter syndrome. There are actually two conditions called Imposter Syndrome, one where the victim thinks they don’t deserve the rewards of the life they live, and the other where they think the people in their lives have been replaced by actors in a real life Truman Show.
What is it if I think that I’M the one who was replaced?
Sounds like a specialization of Cotard’s syndrome.
Sounds like a schwarzenegger movie.
First Mike and now Danny. Really upping the deaths in this comic.
Is Rod Serling going to come out with some cryptic moral?
Nonono. Serling did liminal morals. You’re thinking of John Kassir.
“They say that you should never be afraid that life will end; you should be afraid that life will begin. Danny Wilcox has learned today that sometimes, you don’t have to have died to not be alive. That all the stupid hats and ukuleles that you pick up won’t change who you are on the inside. No matter how much you want to be reborn, the fact of the matter is that your old dead self will always be the soil from which your new life grows. But the line between life and death isn’t always very clear cut. Especially not… in the Twilight Zone.”
nicely done, well written, with a carefully picked incon/avatar/Gravatar to go with. Smartly done.
R.S. would be proud.
Can’t wait for the epic battle between Imaginary Brain Mike and
Ghost DannyDanny Phantom.Nah, they team up against Ghost Toe Dad.
Will Danny Phantom say “Going Ghost ” before the Battle?
*plays “Moongrains” by Laura Shigihara on Voxola PR-76*
Sal sees dork people. Sometimes they don’t even know that they’re dorks.
Danny does, though.
Note for future reference: Check the alt text, THEN post.
At least he didn’t retitle this storyline THE SIXTH DENSE.
But who are the other five?
Billie’s got to be on the list.
Perhaps it’s simpler to ask who doesn’t qualify.
Danny should refuse to accept the hat and then steal it.
That would be hilarious, but it doesn’t sound a very Danny thing to do.
He stole a ukulele. Why not a hat?
[Ukulele rendition of the “You wouldn’t steal a car” song]
Rereading the last strip, it really does sound like she’s talking to her memory of a lost loved one
Yes, but you have to realize she was eulogising the lost hat.
And lo, the moment is ruined.
Was there even a moment to ruin? I feel like the whole point was that Sal was actively trying to avoid a moment with Danny because she has a complex about being emotionally genuine with anyone who isn’t Marcie.
I feel like in a way, it actually kinda made the moment. Totally gets under Sal’s guard.
It was a shitty moment to begin with. Ruining it helped.
Quick, kiss him and then escape on your bike and leave him hanging for like 3 days.
This would actually be really great!
Appropriate avatar.
“You didn’t give me a kiss, ah STOLE it from you. You don’t own me.”
If you stole it from me, then I’m owed recompense. I’ll have to demand you give one back. Or I’ll have to steal one myself. It’s only fair.
Fair, but I think Danny would break out in hives and then promptly faint at the prospect of stealing something.
And since it IS Danny, who has the subterfuge capability of a tapdancing rhinoceros wearing a neon sign, we can watch safe in the knowledge that it is NOT a ploy for Sal to hold him and give him “mouth to mouth”. Which she will.
And then the world will go deaf as a million shippers squeal with glee.
The Danth Sense
I was going to go with Salth Sense, but that works too.
Geeze, 1999? It can’t have been that long ago already…
… dangit, I had one of those xkcd “this thing’s closer to the day of your birth than today” moments.
Randall is just as devastating as Willis, but instead of authorial sadism he’s the personification of all of our collective curiosity for knowledge even at the cost of our own destruction. That need-to-know even when there’s nothing good in the knowing.
I knew that.
There’s also a site called bisecting history (or sililar) that gives examples of dates far away, and then 2ce as far
It took me a second, hovertext — a hilarious second. Well played!
I mean, keep it up and she might strangle you to death….
That’s something “the kids” are into now, isn’t it?
From the high side of 70, “the kids ” can refer to anywhere from 50 somethings to teens. So probably.
I love that this confirms Sal has these moments and speaks out loud for them. She’s a pensive gal.
Dumbing of Age Book 11: So I’m Not Dead
(it will be perfect if you can somehow misleadingly give the impression that Mike is the one saying the line)
Fast forward to Brain mike saying this
Mike will always be with us, so long as there are moms and nickels.
“Ah see you.”
“You see me?”
“Ah got too much candy pop in me.”
So cute!
*Chanting* KISS KISS KISS!
We’re all just kinda mashing our hypothetical Danny and Sal action figures together down here and im living for it
Only thing left to do is to live in fear of the other shoe dropping!
This is Willis after all.
That is the perfect allegory. Yoink!
That is a great description of what my shipping of Danny and Sal would look like right now if I had action figures of them.
*grinds Danny and Sal refrigerator magnets together*
I didn’t know there was a rock concert happening tonight…
The KISS farewell tour shows no sign of ending anything soon.
its like he was made in a lab. the perfect dork.
If Danny could choose a superpower, he’d choose invisibility over flight.
Wait, I think I read that last panel wrong. He wants to be seen
To be fair, some superhero universes would give him that power for the irony factor.
There’s a Marvel mutant whose superpower is that people have no object permanence of him and they can’t commit him to memory. As soon as they’re not looking at him, people forget that he exists and every interaction they had with him. He was instrumental in saving the universe in most of big story arcs, but nobody knows. Including the reader, because of course, WE can’t commit him to memory, either.
I don’t remember seeing that guy in any of the cartoons. I think you made him up. The only way to be sure, of course, is to grab a marker or pen and start tallying up his appearances on our arms.
Hm. Looks like someone’s been pranking me. My arm already has marks in it.
Well done!
That is a solid joke.
Also makes me think of countless “Twilight Zone” episodes.
Ah yes, the Sixth Sense.
Had to check back to see if Dan had interacted with anybody besides Sal since the timeskip, in case there was some tragic backstory where she got him killed and now her guilty conscious is having him haunt her like Mike did with Amber.
But he’s interacted with Joe and Walky and Booster, so unless those three were also involved, he’s probably not a Spirit. (I mean, Booster only met him after the timeskip, but maybe he can see Spirits as is there because Danny is haunting Joe, Walky, and Sal…)
Maybe don’t advertise just how needy for attention from others you are…They probably think they’re avoiding feeding the trolls and might be right….
Sal did that by keeping herself guarded up and Danny accidentally broke all that by:
– Buying her a gift because he wanted to do something nice for her
– Listening to Sal come clean about how she feels that anyone who does something nice for her is using it as an attempt to cash in later.
– Immediately relenting on the giving her a gift thing as he is completely sincere about being kind to Sal and now realizes it makes her uncomfortable regardless of his intent, and since his intent is to make Sal happy then he’ll be sure to engage with her only on a level she feels comfortable with and approach that on her terms, which then shows Sal he is actually completely sincere about what he’s doing because usually when Sal rejects a gift the giver gets mad at her.
– Giving Sal a scenario where any emotional intimacy between the two of them is going to be completely at her leisure and Danny’s not going to suddenly get bored and wander off because she isn’t acting on it enough.
‘Haha, psyche! Turns out we’re BOTH dead!’
Turns out they were ALL killed back in winter. The rest of the comic run is them all haunting the dorms.
I can see Sal asking (in an aggravated tone) whether she actually knows anyone without huge and exotic neuroses!
The hat is dead! Long live the hat!
🎵 Now it’s over, I’m dead, and I haven’t done anything that I want 🎶
🎶 Or I’m still alive, and there’s nothing I want to do 🎵
When there’s something Dan
In your neighborhood
Who you gonna call?
SEMF-Busters!!!
Danny, you are not dead. Sal, on the other hand, could be dying of embarrassment any moment now. Her surprised face in the first panel is spectacular! Seems to say “No, he BUSTED me!!!” And Danny is right, that really sounded like a “In memory of the dearly departed” speech. I love them. Whether they remain a comedic couple of friends or become a real couple, I love seeing them talking and doing things together.
“Shit, ah was caught displayin’ an emotion that wasn’t anger!”
Looking at yesterday’s strip again, the first panels do match the “memory of the dearly departed”, but the last two about how she knows where he lives and why she waits to bump into him rather than go see him don’t.
See, my take on this was that (a) she revealed some of her neuroses to him and he’s revealing some of his in return; (b) being more awkward about being him is probably the best way to leave Sal feeling not awkward about getting him the present; (c) if he had accepted it more graciously, she may have felt all “aaargh I fell into his trap of reciprocal gift-giving!” and things would have ended on a bad note, whereas this way her recollection of this will be that Danny was a bit dorky but didn’t make a big deal out of being given a gift but does seem to like it (especially if he wears it)…
Absolutely agree. Danny’s entire character can be summed up with the phrase “He’s a little confused, but he’s got the spirit.” He’s not exactly the brightest bulb on the Hanukkah tree but he’s a genuine sweetheart.
Danny’s not the sharpest bulb in the shed, no.
I doubt Danny’s being that conscious about it, but the effect is largely right.
I mean Danny is not exactly the smoothest guy. But I think that works for Sal for the reasons you outlined here. Someone who can be awkward and vulnerable helps her let her guard down.
Danny asks the real questions
Am I dead yet?
How about now?
Now she has to teach him to improperly sit in a chair.
if Danny learns to improperly sit in a chair, it will no longer be cool.
If Danny integrates not being able to sit in a chair into his repertoire he will achieve Ultra Instinct Bisexual.
…dude ?!
Ooof, Danny’s lack of self-esteem is a gutpunch every time.
If Sal’s giving Danny a present, does that mean she thinks she owns him now?
Danny can live with that.
So… he’s NOT dead?
Or in this weather it’s “Icy dan people”.
/rimshot
Well of course you’re not dead, Danny! You’re shaded normally!
Dan-boy should take a seat in his appointed spot, and play some seriously upgraded uke.
…Danny, you good?
Nice work Sir Willis, This is a great page.