Maybe the last silhouette in the Season 2 cast banner is another red herring. It’s not Billie, ‘recovering’ alcoholic former cheerleader, it’s Jill, newcomer with more than 6 months of screen time in a banner ad.
I think if it weren’t for Amazi-Girl they could have worked things out, but it’s probably intentional that Danny, a romantic fantasist, has his first major in-comic relationship with a literal fantasy creation.
If someone said I need to read their fanfic, my first words would have been “fanfiction of what?”
Are we talking Star Trek, Sailor Moon, Sonic the Hedgehog, Harry Potter, or Transformers? A girl needs to know what she’s getting into. Plus, at least two of those I listed are hard passes.
Hm. I’m usually happy to check out a fellow artist’s work, but if I’m introduced to someone face-to-face and their response is that they won’t talk to me _unless_ I look at their wankwork, I seek personal interaction elsewhere.
Were Amber’s Transformers always in that spot, or did she put them there because she finds it appropriate that this way it looks like a giant Dinobot is mooning the rest of the franchise?
It seems like shes shuting down emotionally after the trauma of losing Mike and possibly Ethan. She was always rather introverted but this seems like a regression if anything
Ethan was definitely pulling away from Amber pre-skip. Whether that was permanent or a ‘eventually, probably we’ll talk, but I need space right now’ remains to be seen. Either way, that was probably Not Good for Amber’s mental health. That said, she did also spend over a month with Very Personable, Very Concerned people (the Rosenthals, and I say this with affection for Joe, aren’t great with boundaries, and I definitely think Stacy would go along with the attempts to Aggressively Cheer Amber Up rather than letting her brood) who were also trying to push a new familial relationship. I can definitely see Amber being mostly functional in a few days but direly needing Introvert Recharge right now.
I say that, but I do lowkey think Amber’s hair growing out is a Depression (lack of) Haircut and not just a casual change, so I’m guessing she’s been in rocky shape for a while. It’s more a question of ‘has she slipped moderately but is still managing when not mentally exhausted’ versus ‘is this the norm’.
We also don’t know what’s happened to Amazi-Girl, the answer to which would provide a lot of answers about Amber’s current state (and state over the past few months).
The hair thing isn’t just Amber, though – every character we’ve met so far this year has longer hair. I suspect it’s more Freshman Fuck-It Hair than Depression Hair.
I’m actually kind of surprised by her hair. She was really envious of her Amazi-girl style, and everyone knows she was Amazi-girl now so I kind of expected her to finally wear the Amazi-hair. But I also think Amazi-girl is gonna return at some point. You don’t just get over DID….I assume.
Yes, and later on (I think it was when they were kidnapped) Joyce was talking about Amber’s fanfiction. (Something about using a finger where poop comes from.)
Yep. Just after Ross calls Becky and tells her to come.
And it was a Batman/Superman story, and the butt was Superman’s, so the poop issue wasn’t my biggest issue with it (though, uh, yeah, I have that issue with it), it’s…if they’re not careful, Bruce is gonna lose that finger!
Yuri’s sorting through Blaine’s things, at least what the cops haven’t taken as evidence. She finds something they missed: the flash drive Faz had in the car when they picked him up that time.
She throws it into her laptop and starts poring over its contents, hoping there’s something incriminating in there. Three hours later she’s still reading it like Joyce in the first panel of this strip.
The tag system really is wonderful on AO3. Try looking for your specific ship, either in the usual way (like say “Steve/Bucky” or “Captain America/Bucky Barnes”), or by specific ship name (“Stucky”). And then once you find the sort of fic you’re looking for, check its tags to get ideas of other variations.
The wonderful thing about the tag system is how precisely you can filter for what you are and are not looking for. So if, say, you were looking for DoA fic, but mainly say Amber/Danny fics, but absolutely not anything with Dorothy/Danny, you can track it down.
Another great strip, Willis! Every word and drawing is just *chef’s kiss* I’m glad Booster doesn’t seem to be holding the misgendering against Joyce. I’m wondering where Walky went off to, tho. Maybe if I get back on Patreon I can find out from the bonus strip
I currently only read ShuMako fics… and in the past I read enough JohnVris fics to make a library with the printed texts. I don’t count in the intended demography of yaoi fics Amber makes of the Justice League, though I am willing to read out loud in a livestream one of her fics if it is about Booster Gold x Blue Beetle. That ship makes sense a lot, and Superman x Batman fics are as overrated as Naruto x Sasuke fics. Just because two characters argue a lot doesn’t mean they are going to become a couple, unless the author is part of the LGBT community and intended that, or the author can’t confirm a ship because of fear of losing their contracts because of homophobic corporations.
Boostle: Even characters in-universe ship it. (Bless that one panel with Milagro Reyes not being able to get a Batgirl figure to marry her Ted Beetle one, it’s a delight.)
There are certain situations where Superbats works for me, but they’re pretty much all riffing on specific fanfictiony tropes that actually appeared in their actual comics. The 2006 annual where they found out each other’s identities because they were on the same cruise, which included a scene where they had to angrily share a cabin followed by Trying to Discreetly Change once the villains show up? Classic. That one weirdass World’s Finest with the tentacle sex?… Look, nothing will make that story Less Weird, but we can all agree there is some OBJECTIVELY fanficcy shit going on when Superman and Batman have an Emotional Bonding Slumber Party that gets crashed by tentacle aliens lured in by the emotional honesty. But honestly, it’s Clark and Lois or bust for me. Not that I actively seek out DC shipfic that often, but I will casually riff on Superbats when reminded of the silly comic occurrences.
(I’m a sucker for a good Romantic Tension of Rivals romance, but the key word is ‘good.’ You have to show me that they deeply care about each other’s wellbeing, damnit, and also that these people are in fact the kind of utter weirdoes who think elaborate fights are genuinely a good way to get to know someone. Otherwise they’re just assholes sniping at each other.)
… Arguing as a proxy for flirting irritates me. Riffing off each other and getting each other’s offbeat sense of humour, encouraging each other and clearly rooting for each other? With lingering eye contact and smiles, and probably a few “what? We’re just good friends…”
Bickering as a proxy for sexual tension only works if there is also clear mutual respect and at least one of the people involved is pretty immature (see Ron/Hermione, which also works because “14 year old who is jealous and can’t see it”, “16 year old who kinda gets how they feel but doesn’t have the capacity to express it” and “18 year old who knows how they feel, shows a shared sense of values, and is supportive even if they don’t follow the logic” can be plotted on a line of growth and development that makes sense).
Does Amber ever write Transformers shipfic? We know she does make Blackarachnia and Silverbolt kiss as toys. I have a burning desire to know her thoughts on Starscream/Windblade, and also her Megatron ships. (I know she has at least one. There are too many Megatrons not to have at least one.)
I mean you could just ignore the comic for a week or so and check back in if you’re not enjoying introductions? I think it’s funny seeing how characters summarize each other, so.
Speaking as someone who’s bounced off a lot of good webcomics after seeing they’re getting on in years with hundreds of pages, the occasional soft reboot period probably helps.
I want Booster to have a different lip color every storyline they appear in. Someone here needs to visibly enjoy the variety of makeup available in the world!
Yeah and I honestly thought that was just how their lips looked until it was called out. A variety of colors would make it more obvious what the character design is attempting to convey.
Technically ASD here, parsing nonverbal communication like eye contact and body language comes naturally for most people, but for me it’s a learned, deliberate process that takes conscious attention. I had to learn stuff like that was expected and should be done, because That’s What Normal People Do and Normal People will be offended and/or get the wrong impression if I don’t.
Being “on” all the time can be exhausting. Thankfully the Internet exists, where we’re all just words on a screen. I find Amber’s introversion more than a little relatable.
Is it me or have Joyce and Dina formed a sort of détente? Maybe for Becky’s sake?
I did like the banter with Amber. It’s clear that Joyce has a good idea what level of snark containing factual information Amber would tolerate and even lightly encourage. Who would have imagined that those two would end up friends?
As I recall, Joyce and Dina’s only problem was that Joyce was a creationist. Joyce has now decided that literally everything her parents ever told her was a lie, and possibly no longer believes in God, so I suspect that’s not an issue any more.
I think that’s on-point Mobcat. They likely ARE warming, though not to the point where Booster/Joyce fanfics are likely to be a ‘thing’ with effective accurate predictions, but Booster does not appear to be an asshole, and therefore seems vulnerable to the wiles of she with the triangle grin. (and Joyce’s compulsive, sincere niceness. what kind of defense IS there from that sort of thing?)
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Booster and Amber will get along Slipshiningly then
And Miss Masterbator one floor down from the advert. Kinda want to meet her.
n.b. world clock says it’s 12:01 EDT
Too late. She died over the time skip.
That’s hilarious
A salty new catchphrase for you clif :D. I wonder if we’ll see any more of Poochie.
I’ve been kinda hoping we’ll eventually see her in an actual DoA strip, even as a random background character.
Maybe the last silhouette in the Season 2 cast banner is another red herring. It’s not Billie, ‘recovering’ alcoholic former cheerleader, it’s Jill, newcomer with more than 6 months of screen time in a banner ad.
i mean they’d be a step up from Danny for sure
Everyone that isn’t villanous is a step up from Danny as long as Willis continues to make Danny unlikable just because of Willi’s writing regrets.
I still think they were really cute and good together.
I think if it weren’t for Amazi-Girl they could have worked things out, but it’s probably intentional that Danny, a romantic fantasist, has his first major in-comic relationship with a literal fantasy creation.
I will say, I was amused by how game Booster is.
If someone said I need to read their fanfic, my first words would have been “fanfiction of what?”
Are we talking Star Trek, Sailor Moon, Sonic the Hedgehog, Harry Potter, or Transformers? A girl needs to know what she’s getting into. Plus, at least two of those I listed are hard passes.
I’m going to guess Star Trek and……Transformer? But then I’m thinking Deanna Troi from The Next Generation is pretty hot so I’m probably wrong.
No love for MLP fanfiction?
Hence link, so they can browse
(alternately, asking for Zelda Link/Sidon slash)
SidLink is my OTP
Link is a genderfluid icon with a ten foot shark boyfriend and you can’t convince me otherwise.
There’s at least one doujinshi that agrees with you. There’s more but they haven’t been translated yet, so I can’t say anything about them.
Don’t you mean Constantine?
Teen Titans, Frozen, DC Heroes, and Kim Possible.
Probably not Harry Potter. She wants to be original, and all possible permutations of that fandom have already been done.
Just a guess. (Yes, tongue firmly in cheek.)
Original? Stucky?
Hm. I’m usually happy to check out a fellow artist’s work, but if I’m introduced to someone face-to-face and their response is that they won’t talk to me _unless_ I look at their wankwork, I seek personal interaction elsewhere.
Amber GIVES PRIORITY to fanfic commenters
Distinction without difference.
idk, I prioritise DMs but I will chase other responses when I have the spoons for it
which isn’t as often but you can see from days when I post more often than just “FIRST”*
*(reminder: I do so to THWART “FIRST” comments)
Were Amber’s Transformers always in that spot, or did she put them there because she finds it appropriate that this way it looks like a giant Dinobot is mooning the rest of the franchise?
She moved it. The giant plushie originally blocked our view of the Transformers.
Dina took out the bed and moved her dinosaur back out of the way.
Booster and Amber are both very relatable.
Booster was worried they might have to read something G-rated.
‘Oh God, not another coffee shop AU.’
Hey, give it a chance. That one has fully sentient (and horny) artificial intelligence.
I’d say I worry that Amber has just become more of a reclusive during the skip but honestly I can’t really tell.
It seems like shes shuting down emotionally after the trauma of losing Mike and possibly Ethan. She was always rather introverted but this seems like a regression if anything
Ethan was definitely pulling away from Amber pre-skip. Whether that was permanent or a ‘eventually, probably we’ll talk, but I need space right now’ remains to be seen. Either way, that was probably Not Good for Amber’s mental health. That said, she did also spend over a month with Very Personable, Very Concerned people (the Rosenthals, and I say this with affection for Joe, aren’t great with boundaries, and I definitely think Stacy would go along with the attempts to Aggressively Cheer Amber Up rather than letting her brood) who were also trying to push a new familial relationship. I can definitely see Amber being mostly functional in a few days but direly needing Introvert Recharge right now.
I say that, but I do lowkey think Amber’s hair growing out is a Depression (lack of) Haircut and not just a casual change, so I’m guessing she’s been in rocky shape for a while. It’s more a question of ‘has she slipped moderately but is still managing when not mentally exhausted’ versus ‘is this the norm’.
We also don’t know what’s happened to Amazi-Girl, the answer to which would provide a lot of answers about Amber’s current state (and state over the past few months).
The hair thing isn’t just Amber, though – every character we’ve met so far this year has longer hair. I suspect it’s more Freshman Fuck-It Hair than Depression Hair.
I’m actually kind of surprised by her hair. She was really envious of her Amazi-girl style, and everyone knows she was Amazi-girl now so I kind of expected her to finally wear the Amazi-hair. But I also think Amazi-girl is gonna return at some point. You don’t just get over DID….I assume.
Her friend circle knows. The general public does not. Making herself look more like AG is probably a bad idea.
So, back to killing spiders?
As long as it is not the Spiders from Mars.
I am liking Booster more and more, though yesterday’s comics made me realize Malaya is my representative as agender, I appreciate this enby.
The best part of this is that this implies Joyce has read Amber’s fanfiction.
Nothing implied about it, when she tried to “Meet Cute” Walky and Amber she sat down and was reading some on her computer.
There was a very fancy of the rendition of the word “Literature”.
Yep, it was this strip.
Yes, and later on (I think it was when they were kidnapped) Joyce was talking about Amber’s fanfiction. (Something about using a finger where poop comes from.)
Yep. Just after Ross calls Becky and tells her to come.
And it was a Batman/Superman story, and the butt was Superman’s, so the poop issue wasn’t my biggest issue with it (though, uh, yeah, I have that issue with it), it’s…if they’re not careful, Bruce is gonna lose that finger!
worst cheese slicer ever.
Scooter knows what’s up.
Until we learn who Booster’s twin is, Scooter will make a fine placeholder name.
Scooter and Booster. Yes
Catch a ride!
If Borderland’s Scooter is Booster’s twin, then Moxxi is their mom.
Explains the on-point makeup, they learned from the best.
I was thinking Scooter the Muppet, myself. Like the 2011 Muppets movie.
Aw, Scooter…He was kind of a sexist ass, but I’ll miss him, anyway…
The scene from the end of Dr. Strangelove but it’s Scooter.
Oh fuck I’m a monster.
I’m so sorry please nuke this from orbit.
Relax. You could have called them Hooter.
Or Pooter.
Or Scooty-Puff Jr.
(Scooty-Puff Jr. suuuuuuuuuuuuucks!)
Well, where did the stolen USB go? More portable (and hopefully without bugs)
Is there a reason it matters where it went?
Faz has it.
Those fanfics have to be read. Pity if not.
Yuri’s sorting through Blaine’s things, at least what the cops haven’t taken as evidence. She finds something they missed: the flash drive Faz had in the car when they picked him up that time.
She throws it into her laptop and starts poring over its contents, hoping there’s something incriminating in there. Three hours later she’s still reading it like Joyce in the first panel of this strip.
She later approaches Amber and encourages her to pursue a minor in Literature.
*plays “Read A Book” on the hacked Muzak*
So is Amber on AO3 and Amazi-Girl on fanfiction.net or is it the other way around?
Any tips on getting into AO3? I keep trying to just peak around but it’s easier to find the ships I like on Fanfic.net
The tag system really is wonderful on AO3. Try looking for your specific ship, either in the usual way (like say “Steve/Bucky” or “Captain America/Bucky Barnes”), or by specific ship name (“Stucky”). And then once you find the sort of fic you’re looking for, check its tags to get ideas of other variations.
The wonderful thing about the tag system is how precisely you can filter for what you are and are not looking for. So if, say, you were looking for DoA fic, but mainly say Amber/Danny fics, but absolutely not anything with Dorothy/Danny, you can track it down.
I like Amber’s style, she gets some people to read her writings and she conveniently filters out people who won’t.
Now if only I could learn to filter out people I want to talk to.
I can’t have the luxury of filtering people. People barely comment on my fics.
I recommend more hot chocolate.
Another great strip, Willis! Every word and drawing is just *chef’s kiss* I’m glad Booster doesn’t seem to be holding the misgendering against Joyce. I’m wondering where Walky went off to, tho. Maybe if I get back on Patreon I can find out from the bonus strip
I wonder if Joyce kept reading Amber’s fanfiction after the one where Batman and Superman were VERY good friends
She’s sexually repressed, and also possibly deeply closeted queer (on a “I don’t wanna think about it”), so Hell yes.
I currently only read ShuMako fics… and in the past I read enough JohnVris fics to make a library with the printed texts. I don’t count in the intended demography of yaoi fics Amber makes of the Justice League, though I am willing to read out loud in a livestream one of her fics if it is about Booster Gold x Blue Beetle. That ship makes sense a lot, and Superman x Batman fics are as overrated as Naruto x Sasuke fics. Just because two characters argue a lot doesn’t mean they are going to become a couple, unless the author is part of the LGBT community and intended that, or the author can’t confirm a ship because of fear of losing their contracts because of homophobic corporations.
Boostle: Even characters in-universe ship it. (Bless that one panel with Milagro Reyes not being able to get a Batgirl figure to marry her Ted Beetle one, it’s a delight.)
There are certain situations where Superbats works for me, but they’re pretty much all riffing on specific fanfictiony tropes that actually appeared in their actual comics. The 2006 annual where they found out each other’s identities because they were on the same cruise, which included a scene where they had to angrily share a cabin followed by Trying to Discreetly Change once the villains show up? Classic. That one weirdass World’s Finest with the tentacle sex?… Look, nothing will make that story Less Weird, but we can all agree there is some OBJECTIVELY fanficcy shit going on when Superman and Batman have an Emotional Bonding Slumber Party that gets crashed by tentacle aliens lured in by the emotional honesty. But honestly, it’s Clark and Lois or bust for me. Not that I actively seek out DC shipfic that often, but I will casually riff on Superbats when reminded of the silly comic occurrences.
(I’m a sucker for a good Romantic Tension of Rivals romance, but the key word is ‘good.’ You have to show me that they deeply care about each other’s wellbeing, damnit, and also that these people are in fact the kind of utter weirdoes who think elaborate fights are genuinely a good way to get to know someone. Otherwise they’re just assholes sniping at each other.)
… Arguing as a proxy for flirting irritates me. Riffing off each other and getting each other’s offbeat sense of humour, encouraging each other and clearly rooting for each other? With lingering eye contact and smiles, and probably a few “what? We’re just good friends…”
Bickering as a proxy for sexual tension only works if there is also clear mutual respect and at least one of the people involved is pretty immature (see Ron/Hermione, which also works because “14 year old who is jealous and can’t see it”, “16 year old who kinda gets how they feel but doesn’t have the capacity to express it” and “18 year old who knows how they feel, shows a shared sense of values, and is supportive even if they don’t follow the logic” can be plotted on a line of growth and development that makes sense).
Joyce: “I warn you, they’re very filthy.”
Booster: “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Does Amber ever write Transformers shipfic? We know she does make Blackarachnia and Silverbolt kiss as toys. I have a burning desire to know her thoughts on Starscream/Windblade, and also her Megatron ships. (I know she has at least one. There are too many Megatrons not to have at least one.)
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/06-strange-beerfellows/kiss/
Also, is that a tablet Dina has a dinosaur sticker on the back of, or a Switch? Either way it is a great sticker.
Yeah, I remember a strip where there was a joke about a fanfic she made where energon was somehow used as lube.
Excellent. My questions about Megatron ships stand.
It was a Megatron x Rung ship, proving that Amber’s taste in OTPs is the actual worst.
This is the worst thing Amber’s ever done.
(/s, but like. REALLY, Amber?)
I still haven’t forgiven Roberts for not pairing Rodimus and Drift.
This is getting real boring. We already know all these characters, and for new readers, that’s what the cast page is for.
I mean you could just ignore the comic for a week or so and check back in if you’re not enjoying introductions? I think it’s funny seeing how characters summarize each other, so.
Speaking as someone who’s bounced off a lot of good webcomics after seeing they’re getting on in years with hundreds of pages, the occasional soft reboot period probably helps.
I’m glad you know who Booster is, but I, for one, do not know anything about them.
I am beginning to like you, Booster.
Joyce, the issue with Amber’s fanfic isn’t that they’re filthy.
I mean, they are.
It’s not even that they, like most filthy fanfic, demonstrates a complete lack of knowledge of genitals that are not immediately attached to you.
Although they almost certainly do.
It’s that they are occasionally so… just, wrong, that even freakin’ Mike had to note it.
She taught Mike what “Vore” is! Mike! Run away people, run away!
Wait, no, I’m wrong, she taught him what “Guro” means. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/busy/
…
That might be worse.
It’s definitely worse. Vore is just what you do to your breakfast in the morning.
Booster takes one for the team
Coincidentally, that’s also the title of one of Amber’s fanfics. It’s surprisingly about baking.
Yeah that’s about my reaction to fanfiction that interests me.
“Oh you write fanfiction? And it’s filthy you say? Tell me more fellow writer.”
You can always gauge someone by the smut they write.
“Tony/Steve? Really? This is practically vanilla.”
Booster immediately sees straight through the paper-thin facade of the Julia Gray stories.
I’m liking Booster more and more.
I want Booster to have a different lip color every storyline they appear in. Someone here needs to visibly enjoy the variety of makeup available in the world!
Yeah and I honestly thought that was just how their lips looked until it was called out. A variety of colors would make it more obvious what the character design is attempting to convey.
I relate to Dina on not being good at eye contact. In fact I rarely ever make eye contact with people.
Technically ASD here, parsing nonverbal communication like eye contact and body language comes naturally for most people, but for me it’s a learned, deliberate process that takes conscious attention. I had to learn stuff like that was expected and should be done, because That’s What Normal People Do and Normal People will be offended and/or get the wrong impression if I don’t.
Being “on” all the time can be exhausting. Thankfully the Internet exists, where we’re all just words on a screen. I find Amber’s introversion more than a little relatable.
Is it me or have Joyce and Dina formed a sort of détente? Maybe for Becky’s sake?
I did like the banter with Amber. It’s clear that Joyce has a good idea what level of snark containing factual information Amber would tolerate and even lightly encourage. Who would have imagined that those two would end up friends?
As I recall, Joyce and Dina’s only problem was that Joyce was a creationist. Joyce has now decided that literally everything her parents ever told her was a lie, and possibly no longer believes in God, so I suspect that’s not an issue any more.
“I warn you, they’re very filthy. I know this because I keep rereading them, especially her Clover/Alex and Black Arachnia/Airazor ones.”
-Joyce, in her head right now
I wonder how Joyce’s fanfiction are going.
Actually, they’re original stories. This confirms that she is the SI of Willis’s creative site.
I don’t know, I’m getting the sense that Booster and Joyce are warming up to each other…
I think that’s on-point Mobcat. They likely ARE warming, though not to the point where Booster/Joyce fanfics are likely to be a ‘thing’ with effective accurate predictions, but Booster does not appear to be an asshole, and therefore seems vulnerable to the wiles of she with the triangle grin. (and Joyce’s compulsive, sincere niceness. what kind of defense IS there from that sort of thing?)
I mean, in comparison to Walky, a conversation with nearly anyone would be warming up.
I’m getting the feeling that Booster might be Ace/aro, and thus perfect for Joyce.
Wanting to read “filthy” fanfic seems not-ace.
Ace/demi here, and my bookmarks all over adultfanfiction disagree strongly with you.
As long as she’s more talended than Marigold
I recall that not being a high bar to clear…
Nah, Marigold’s fanfics are entertaining, if not in the way she intended.
Wait, how did he know the dinosaur roommate was Dina and not Amber?
I saw that raised finger and honestly thought she was going to say, “One second, killing spiders.”
Ugh, did I forget the link?
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/02-uphill-from-here/amber/