We haven’t seen Ethan this lively and enthused since before the time skip! This might actually be a breakthrough for him. But is Asher going to pull a Walky on him here and induce guilt by invoking Billie? Asher should have broken up with her but he probably didn’t.
Also, I am too full of zany one-liners tonight and am pissing off the server with my quips (and the fact that it takes less than a minute to type them).
Jennifer will see and approach while doing a slow clap. “Finally! God, you really had me going with that ‘I’ll do whatever you say my queen’ crap. Good to see you being rebellious, Asher! Finally, some good relationship drama and it’s all mine…!”
i mean i think walky has admitted that ethan was good looking at some point? tho that would be hilarious if jen vents to walky/lucy and like “oh ethan? I get it, dude’s hot” “walky! >o”
Dude A saying dude B is hot does not necessarily mean that A is attracted to B; it can mean A thinks “B has plenty of what it takes to attract the ladies” (or whatever B is into).
Depends on what asher does. otherwise it’s no diff than any of his previous ‘hookups’/makeouts with random dorm students lol. Only risk is a potential std tho i’d hope at that age there wouldn’t be too many ppl that’d have it or them getting access to condoms and disease tests every month or so
When I was in college there was an absolutely massive outbreak of gonorrhea at a nearby university leading people to joke they had their own strain of it. People that young often tend to just think they’re invincible, and when people are drunk they’re less likely to use protection. Thankfully Ethan and Asher are not drunk. And hopefully they keep things all wrapped up lol.
Asher did a shitty thing that put Ethan in harm’s way, yes. But that was when these two were thirteen, and they’re half again as old as that now. Ethan’s shown that the experience, while hardly pleasant, isn’t something that’s tearing him up inside either, as seen by his interactions with Sal pre time-skip.
Yup, this just seems like sad Ethan giving way to the old horny random-hookups Ethan. He’s not about to marry the guy. Just because Amber is traumatized by something that happened when she was 13 doesn’t mean Ethan has to care almost ten years later. With Walky it took one punch, with Ethan it just takes one fuck. As for the more recent mob entanglements and violence, Ethan isn’t aware of that and maybe it won’t come up.
It didn’t happen to him last week or anything, and didn’t seem to really impact him all that much pre-timeskip.
Not to say he has nothing regarding that event that he needs help with, trauma isn’t all-or-nothing, after all, but it’s probably pretty low on the list compared to Ethan’s issues with his parents or, ya know, Mike.
I said in the previous comic that I think Amber was a bit out of line in how she was approaching this subject, in a “don’t kiss Asher” manner instead of a “there’s something you should know about Asher” manner. Him doing this to spite a friend that he’s been on the rocks with and is telling him what to do isn’t great, but its, ya know, a very teenage thing to do.
Fair point on Asher being in a relationship, but its an understandable assumption that idiot teenagers are going to make, “this guy I was flirting with and seems to want me is probably available”. I wouldn’t call that self-destructive.
………going at it full-hog, probably with tongue action, without saying anything to Asher first, though, yeah, uh, good point, that’s a good ways over the line >_>.
I definitely agree with you on how Amber should have approached it. She’s still not the best with social skills. Ethan has known her the longest though, he knew what she meant. I think this is like, _% mean-spirited spite to take out some of his angry feelings at Amber and try to hurt her, _% sheer horniness, _% genuine attraction to Asher, and _% working through grief about missing Mike right now. (Actual percentage amounts totally unclear to me, but I am guessing those are the variables). Maybe with a good bit of _% wanting to feel like trash, plus _% being turned on by a potential asshole/badass.
I, too, have that part of my brain that goes, “Yeah, sounds like that could be traumatic, I’m game.” Luckily, it’s not currently in control. Seeing that decision making in Ethan is concerning.
It is hard for me to tell, too. His body and hands give the impression of shock, but his eyes look closer to how Willis draws characters in the throws of contented lust than those of shock and I think he is getting some tongue action – which would suggest at least a few seconds had passed. I also can’t tell if his body is angled backwards because he is pulling away when hugged or if the impact of Ethan’s sudden embrace has pushed him back upon his weakened knees.
i mean other than being half drunk at a frat bro party where you’ve done it before, most ppl don’t expect someone they just met to start making out with them. Even as a sudden kiss a tongue is a bit much but i never saw the appeal of french kissing (if i had a partner that wanted to i guess i’d indulge but i’d def want them to use mouthwash beforehand)
I don’t really get the appeal of kissing in general, but I especially don’t get it when it involves someone putting their tongue in my mouth. Why would I want another tongue in my mouth? I already have one, which is the appropriate number of tongues per mouth.
As far as I understand (which isn’t farther than you can throw it), some people use the tongue as a metaphor for another body part with a hydrostatic skeleton, and then they get off on the metaphor.
It has been explained to me that the underside of the tongue has a similar mouthful to that body part, at least it does if the body is operating on a testosterone based system. If there has been a switch to an estrogen OS, the mouth feel becomes different.
I’m beginning to suspect that the sense of intimacy is yet another dimension of personal relationships orthogonal to sex andromance. Because the tongue is very personal, and such kissing can be quite an expression of intimacy if both partners find it so. It’s a sharing of privacy for both, no matter which tongue it is. But I can well understand that it doesn’t do this for everyone.
Whose relationship plan backfired? Amber’s? She’s given fair warning and has every reason to be happy with this development. Lucy? Hasn’t backfired on her yet. Walky? His hairbrained scheme actually worked. Ethan? Maybe it’s going to crash and go down in flames, but I wouldn’t put money on it.
I think Asher is already dumped. At least Jennifer made it seem like he is. She told him he’s dump him if he didn’t change the way she wanted, and then he did, and she said he was trying too hard. I’d assume the relationship was over after that. Of course Jen was coached to think rejection is flirting so ….maybe they’re still together?
It’ll be whatever is the most drama for Jennifer. So, I’m placing my bet on: Asher will react like he was dumped, and Jennifer will react like he cheated.
Indeed: if Asher does not react like he was dumped, then Jennifer will treat him as clueless (and still not make things explicit, because there’s still more juice in this lemon).
Ethan is currently a zombie with a face like an ashtray. He does not seem like fun.
Rejection is flirting for Jennifer and this is somehow learned behavior? First time I heard that last part. You mean how she was constantly ignored by her parents? Gosh, that makes sense.
Yeah, Ruth and Billie broke up several times over their relationship only for one to come back, or flat out ignore the break up, including the most recent split that actually stuck, Ruth still admitting she hypocritically still wanted Billie to find a way back to her despite completely, physically, shutting her out.
🥺 Awe sorry to hear. I know some folks who hate mustard as a condiment but like it as an ingredient in some foods in which you don’t really taste it’s intense sourness — for instance in some cheesy dishes like mac and cheese, it can be used to make cheese taste a good kinda pungent, and peppery too.
I think we are in RomCom mode, were it is typical (and acceptable?? – I’ll let you debate that last part amongst yourselves) that Willis is just playing a little fast and loose with real norms for the sake of passionate drama.
What is your favorite RomCom? I like Music and Lyrics with Hugh Grant.
…I really like “The Break-Up,” with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. I love it because the supposedly wrong ending (couple breaks up) turns out to be the happy ending all along.
not a big fan of Western Rom Com films (other than Blended, which i still wanna get around to watching), but I like this one Rom Com manga called NiseKoi where two teenagers have to pretend to date in order to prevent their mafia families from wreaking the city.
I think Willis is going to hold off on any more characters dying, at least for a while.
So don’t worry and, if anything with a truck happens it will probably be survivable.
You know, the last few weeks I’ve been wondering which couple was gonna end up having sex, Between Sal/Danny, Joyce/Joe, and Walky/Lucy. It really seemed like at least one of these relationships would take it to the next level by the end of the storyline.
Then Willis introduces Asher/Ethan in the same storyline and they’re speedrunning through it all. Bless ya Willis.
So how well is Billie/Jennifer going to react to this? I’m putting money down on a complete meltdown by Billie/Jennifer, and depending on what is said it might be one that also ruins her new social group.
I mean… technically it does, but Billie/Jennifer might find out she doesn’t want that specific type of bad boy. Maybe she’ll realize she was being an ass to Asher just because he expressed some things that Walky also likes, and that somehow made him less desirable. However knowing Billie/Jennifer, I doubt she will ever figure it out.
I don’t think she wanted Asher to be bad in ways that hurt her, just to be stereotypically cool and increase her social value. That’s why she got so mad when instead of being cool and aloof, he goofed around with Walky.
Also I’m “proud” of Ethan for making a decision? Idk if it’s a good one. I don’t even care if it is. But he’s making an active choice to DO something instead of just passively letting life happen to him, and taking that first step can make all the difference.
Might be a bit…iffier? in the real world but idk how many relationships work out with someone hitting on/making a move on someone already in a relationship (even if ethan didn’t rly know before but he is on a beeline of bad decisions so he might not care in the moment even if he’d feel bad about it when he recovers more)
Asher and Billie/Jennifer are not my concern really. I don’t care how this ends for them, and I would probably enjoy it more if it ends poorly for them. Just spare Ethan.
It would be good for Asher to stop dealing with Billie and Raidah’s crap. Time to go hang out with Booster and Amber instead. Nothing good lays down the “Billie marrying into the mob” future! And his horrible relatives would probably disown him for being gay so Raidah would have no further use for him.
Well. I would have to go out and buy a hot air popper. I assume that they still make them.
The tricky bit would be explaining to my wife why I’m suddenly buying a hot air popper. I mean I’m sure there is a completely logical reason why we need one; I’m just not sure what it is yet.
I’m curious why people think Ethan would be traumatized by finding out that Asher had an impact on that time Sal held a knife to his throat, when he’s gotten on well with Sal directly.
Yeah, Asher Did A Bad Thing… when he was flippin’ THIRTEEN. It remains shitty for Amber to hold that thing over him perpetually, disregarding any possibility that Asher changed in the last third of his entire lifetime.
Only one person in my life has kissed me without asking first, movie style, and I found the surprise element surprisingly unpleasant. The anticipation and courage building between knowing you’re gonna kiss and kissing is fun!
I recently watched “The Seven Year Itch” … seems like a real parody of misogynistic violence! But one thing I did love was when the male lead tries to do a movie-style kiss ‘very fast, and very hard,” and even announces it as such in advance using a fake French accent, and it backfires SPECTACULARLY and he feels terrible about it the next day.
I was so sad when Marilyn Monroe’s character says, “Don’t worry. That kind of thing happens to me all the time.”
Many people lean in for a long time with eye contact — like Dina and Becky’s first kiss. They’re asking nonverbally, checking in the whole time that they’re both doing this thing. That seems to work OK as long as nobody rushes this and everyone present is good at / prefers nonverbal communication.
But, I strongly prefer if the other person or I have sexily declared “I really want to kiss you” first. Or, “may I kiss you,” with bedroom eyes and in a sexy voice. So far, I have only had people react to this as extremely charming and attractive, so, I highly recommend it.
Look, I can speak the words, but asking for “bedroom eyes” and “a sexy voice” is a bit much. I don’t know how to do those. I mean, I’m already straining at the prolonged eye contact.
Conversely, someone going “Look, I’m doing the sexy thing from the movies that you must now find sexy!” can be a bit of a turn-off with how artificial and performative it all is. Am I being difficult?
That’s the thing I don’t know how to think. It’s great this generation finally have this talk about consent. Finally people agree that asking before advance is a good idea.
Well, maybe epic makeouts/sexy times then a more natural, happier sleep than he’s managed recently, having found somebody to bone who could potentially be as bad for him as Mike was..?
I think Willis was like, “This strip is named Dumbing of Age but since the semester break almost everyone’s getting wise and sensible! I don’t want to rename it. What can I do…? Walky’s more about hijinks than actually dumb. Who can be dumb so I can keep the title… Oh, Ethan! OK, what’s the dumbest thing I can make him do?”
Re: was anyone listening— they sure were at mine because one of the boys got into a huge argument about how it wasn’t sexy to have to ask and would definitely kill the mood. Ugh. (He is very wrong.)
It looks like leaning into it, their body language will likely be more relaxed, interested and engaged, small physical contact like holding their hand will be accepted and reciprocated etc..
Tensing and leaning back can both indicate surprise and a desire to escape. Pulling out of your grip, shrinking away, looking at the nearest exit frequently = I want to leave NOW.
If you’re hanging out with someone and their feet are pointing at the door or away from you, rather than towards you, even if their upper body is directed at you, pay attention to that. People are better at masking their upper body’s reactions while they don’t think to lie with their feet.
I wasn’t talking about in a comic strip. The most you’ll see in a comic strip usually is reciprocation, leaning back in shock/surprise/lack of interest depending on person or pulling out of someone’s grip.
But for real life, there are totally non-verbal ways to tell if someone is interested and consenting, and if unsure, you should telegraph it with words or by asking.
I meant more in the context of the comic strip. Because OP was saying that’s not what enthusiastic consent looks like, but I’m not sure what they expected in this context.
Jennifer has extreme internal homophiobia? Are we reading the same comic? Or could you provide a link to the strip where this was established?
Jennifer has a strong bias towards considering herself normal. And if she experiments with girls, that is a completely normal thing to do. But since she likes boys, that proves she’s straight. Jennifer has an advanced ability to lie to herself. That’s a long way from extreme internal homophobia.
Look idk but if my friend said I shouldn’t do something and kept centering themselves *and* their own fetishization of everything I do, I’d be inclined to be reactionary about it.
What else was Ethan going to do? Let Amber’s trauma get in the way of bone-town with a guy he’s only known positively? She took the robbery way harder than he did, and he should be allowed to try to move on if he wants!
And he’s literally met the girl that held a knife to his throat and gotten along fine with her, tense though it was. Why shouldn’t he think that the guy who had a much smaller part to play in that night may also have changed for the better?
“Look idk but if my friend said I shouldn’t do something and kept centering themselves *and* their own fetishization of everything I do, I’d be inclined to be reactionary about it.”
YUP, this exactly!!
Did she purposefully leave out that Asher is in a relationship, with Jennifer? I’m not the biggest Jennifer fan, but this would be cruel, if Amber deliberately left that piece of information, out. You don’t have to like her, but you shouldn’t be putting pain and humiliation on her.
I don’t think Amber knows. Amber does not hang out with Jennifer and while they did come to at least one roller derby thing… that was for Sal. Amber likely didn’t even notice them.
I think after that scene there was a conversation with Sal about Asher not being right for Jennifer. But that might have been with Amazi-girl, and then Amber was looking at her phone afterwards. So I’m not sure how much it registered.
Yeah, pretty sure that was with Amazi-Girl. And a thing with alters is, even if both present for an event, what they remember distinctly can be different. So it is possible even if Amber was nearish or also present, she might not remember that specific thing.
I don’t know if she would be the kind to support her ideology being used in this manner, but it’s the thought that counts as much as it is the Count that thoughts.
I think Ethan has survivor’s guilt and is throwing himself at Asher in a self-destructive manner. He didn’t say “so getting with Asher will piss you off”.
Amber tried. She legitimately tried, despite how hot she would’ve found it.
Luckily for her, Ethan is in his ONLY BAD CHOICES CAN MAKE ME FEEL ALIVE phase and woke up, for the first time on the semester. He ran towards it. His inner slut (affectionate) resurfaced with every step.
And Asher was surprised, but look at those bedroom eyes. Homeboy is INTO IT.
This will be CAPITAL D DRAMA™. INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS.
I didn’t have time to reply yesterday, but regarding my comment that she’s not achieving character growth because she’s vocalizing her sexual fantasies (to someone who doesn’t want to hear about it) SLIGHTLY LESS.
it’s not demanding perfection to say she shouldn’t be sexually creepy towards someone she calls a friend. in fact, it’s the BARE MINIMUM.
I’m surprised I got more than one comment mentioning perfection. Do people really think “stop being shitty” means the same as “be perfect immediately”?
Also @cain who did a longer reply (which is appreciated)
1. She doesn’t doesn’t do it in private and that’s my entire problem with her. She literally shouted it at Ethan.
2. Ethan shut the door on her face when she mentioned this. I think that’s a pretty good indicator.
3. Amber has gotten a lot worse since the beginning of her university year. She used to say that she lives in fear of social rules. Now she’s shouting about her sexual fantasies. I’m all for sexual liberation, but there are limits. it stops at telling people that they’re the subject of sexual fantasies when they don’t want to hear about that.
Number three sounds exactly like an example of character growth to me? But I guess some people use that term in an exclusively positive way. Not that she’s not being creepy about it. I just like when characters develop in ways that aren’t always good. Sometimes people get worse, sometimes for a while.
Fair enough to be annoyed at a character for it, though.
Loading ...
FUCK THAT TRAUMA
Woooo! Hooo!
**waves flags, lets off air horns**
MAKE! BAD! CHOICES!
What if ignoring the trauma, and making poor life choices backfire and give him new trauma?
But what are the odds of that?
What if the attempt at making bad life decisions backfires and they’re actually good for each other? XD
We haven’t seen Ethan this lively and enthused since before the time skip! This might actually be a breakthrough for him. But is Asher going to pull a Walky on him here and induce guilt by invoking Billie? Asher should have broken up with her but he probably didn’t.
Or is she there in his room, and he’ll have to introduce her?
Probability approaches unity.
He’s certainly about to try.
Literally!
No, not like that!
Damn, Amber has become good at manipulating people. Maybe she has learned from her inner Mike.
You think she did this on purpose? I thought she was genuinely warning Ethan away from Asher.
I thought she was honestly doing her duty to warn him off. I think she’s surprised.
Ethan: “Fuck trauma, and fuck me!“
Noooooo
Yeeeessss
Perhaaaaps
Maaaaaaaaaybe.
I don’t know? Can you repeat the question
YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME NOW
Well done, I can always appreciate some They Might Be Giants.
YEEEEESSSSSSS
Yeeeees
Dangit, ninja’d.
Tbh, I’m fine with it.
Yes… Ha ha ha… YES!
xD
Ethan: “I’m full on self- destruction right now, I want all the things that are bad for me.”
Guys I’m telling you, Maximum train wreck is the way to go right now.
Ticket purchased. Popcorn at the ready.
Also, I am too full of zany one-liners tonight and am pissing off the server with my quips (and the fact that it takes less than a minute to type them).
Terrible decisions are the best decisions. No regrets for the things you know you’ll regret.
… Billie’s going to see this, isn’t she?
oh id forgotten about billie
I mean, what about Jennifer?
They’re both going to see it.
She’s there, haha, that would be the most hilarious thing.
She’s got to be in there.
It’s time…
**puts on very dated Professor Chaos costume**
… for Chaos! Bwahahahaha!!!
Jennifer will see and approach while doing a slow clap. “Finally! God, you really had me going with that ‘I’ll do whatever you say my queen’ crap. Good to see you being rebellious, Asher! Finally, some good relationship drama and it’s all mine…!”
“B-but I don’t wanna cheat on you–”
“CHEAT ON ME WITH ETHAN OR WE’RE THROUGH”
She just needs unhealthy relationship dynamics to really feel loved.
This is the weirdest way for Jennifer to find Amber relatable.
the “Billie returning to her ex” arc is ready to take off after this twist was launched, and I’m all for it
But Ruth is with Jason now.
*chanting* Throuple! Throuple! Throuple!
I mean “hot” I guess.
Jennifer: “I wish Asher woulddo something to remind me less of Walky.”
Monkey’s Paw: (curls finger)
i mean i think walky has admitted that ethan was good looking at some point? tho that would be hilarious if jen vents to walky/lucy and like “oh ethan? I get it, dude’s hot” “walky! >o”
He admitted that Jacob was hot at Joyce’s party.
I don’t remember if he said the same about Ethan, but it wouldn’t be surprising.
Dude A saying dude B is hot does not necessarily mean that A is attracted to B; it can mean A thinks “B has plenty of what it takes to attract the ladies” (or whatever B is into).
Does this count as an act of self-harm?
Depends on what asher does. otherwise it’s no diff than any of his previous ‘hookups’/makeouts with random dorm students lol. Only risk is a potential std tho i’d hope at that age there wouldn’t be too many ppl that’d have it or them getting access to condoms and disease tests every month or so
When I was in college there was an absolutely massive outbreak of gonorrhea at a nearby university leading people to joke they had their own strain of it. People that young often tend to just think they’re invincible, and when people are drunk they’re less likely to use protection. Thankfully Ethan and Asher are not drunk. And hopefully they keep things all wrapped up lol.
Only if he bottoms without proper prep time.
Yeah, self-destructive behavior and deliberately bad choices are definitely in the pantheon.
Ya know, I didn’t expect Ethan to take the crown for “Most self destructive decision” but here we are.
Grief/trauma is a helluva drug
Depends on whether Mike was killed by his own injuries or the cop finished him off.
Does Sal deciding to rob the store count?
What exactly is self-destructive about this?
Asher did a shitty thing that put Ethan in harm’s way, yes. But that was when these two were thirteen, and they’re half again as old as that now. Ethan’s shown that the experience, while hardly pleasant, isn’t something that’s tearing him up inside either, as seen by his interactions with Sal pre time-skip.
Yup, this just seems like sad Ethan giving way to the old horny random-hookups Ethan. He’s not about to marry the guy. Just because Amber is traumatized by something that happened when she was 13 doesn’t mean Ethan has to care almost ten years later. With Walky it took one punch, with Ethan it just takes one fuck. As for the more recent mob entanglements and violence, Ethan isn’t aware of that and maybe it won’t come up.
I mean Ethan is the one who was held at knife point, has he got nothing to work through after that?
It didn’t happen to him last week or anything, and didn’t seem to really impact him all that much pre-timeskip.
Not to say he has nothing regarding that event that he needs help with, trauma isn’t all-or-nothing, after all, but it’s probably pretty low on the list compared to Ethan’s issues with his parents or, ya know, Mike.
The fact that he sought Asher out PURELY out of spite towards Amber, one of his best friends.
The fact that Asher is currently in a relationship, something Ethan didn’t even bother asking before he sexually assaulted him.
And yeah, that last point, SEXUAL ASSAULT. I know this is a comic, but that’s a pretty serious crime.
I said in the previous comic that I think Amber was a bit out of line in how she was approaching this subject, in a “don’t kiss Asher” manner instead of a “there’s something you should know about Asher” manner. Him doing this to spite a friend that he’s been on the rocks with and is telling him what to do isn’t great, but its, ya know, a very teenage thing to do.
Fair point on Asher being in a relationship, but its an understandable assumption that idiot teenagers are going to make, “this guy I was flirting with and seems to want me is probably available”. I wouldn’t call that self-destructive.
………going at it full-hog, probably with tongue action, without saying anything to Asher first, though, yeah, uh, good point, that’s a good ways over the line >_>.
I definitely agree with you on how Amber should have approached it. She’s still not the best with social skills. Ethan has known her the longest though, he knew what she meant. I think this is like, _% mean-spirited spite to take out some of his angry feelings at Amber and try to hurt her, _% sheer horniness, _% genuine attraction to Asher, and _% working through grief about missing Mike right now. (Actual percentage amounts totally unclear to me, but I am guessing those are the variables). Maybe with a good bit of _% wanting to feel like trash, plus _% being turned on by a potential asshole/badass.
Dangerous sex is hot. Maybe he just wants something hot.
I, too, have that part of my brain that goes, “Yeah, sounds like that could be traumatic, I’m game.” Luckily, it’s not currently in control. Seeing that decision making in Ethan is concerning.
BUT
I want this ship to happen.
Emothan has graduated from being shaded in gray to being shaded in “i’m sure nothing will go wrong” pale terracotta
Yes, did he come to life right there? Wow, at least his blood is moving finally.
I mean… empowering? in its way.
Even if definitely not prudent.
OH YEAH!!!! 🤩🏳️🌈
*offers Kool-aid*
No thanks, already brought my own
I can’t wait until the consequences of this hits Jennifer.
The last panel seems like Asher’s not quite sure about this
It is hard for me to tell, too. His body and hands give the impression of shock, but his eyes look closer to how Willis draws characters in the throws of contented lust than those of shock and I think he is getting some tongue action – which would suggest at least a few seconds had passed. I also can’t tell if his body is angled backwards because he is pulling away when hugged or if the impact of Ethan’s sudden embrace has pushed him back upon his weakened knees.
i mean other than being half drunk at a frat bro party where you’ve done it before, most ppl don’t expect someone they just met to start making out with them. Even as a sudden kiss a tongue is a bit much but i never saw the appeal of french kissing (if i had a partner that wanted to i guess i’d indulge but i’d def want them to use mouthwash beforehand)
I don’t really get the appeal of kissing in general, but I especially don’t get it when it involves someone putting their tongue in my mouth. Why would I want another tongue in my mouth? I already have one, which is the appropriate number of tongues per mouth.
As far as I understand (which isn’t farther than you can throw it), some people use the tongue as a metaphor for another body part with a hydrostatic skeleton, and then they get off on the metaphor.
It has been explained to me that the underside of the tongue has a similar mouthful to that body part, at least it does if the body is operating on a testosterone based system. If there has been a switch to an estrogen OS, the mouth feel becomes different.
I’m beginning to suspect that the sense of intimacy is yet another dimension of personal relationships orthogonal to sex andromance. Because the tongue is very personal, and such kissing can be quite an expression of intimacy if both partners find it so. It’s a sharing of privacy for both, no matter which tongue it is. But I can well understand that it doesn’t do this for everyone.
…I mean, its hard to tell, given that Ethan’s kinda in the way, but that looks like a bedroom eye in the final panel, not a shocked eye.
We’ll see tomorrow, most likely!
That is, unless we cut back to Sal and Danny for a bit >_>.
Fingers crossed, I think Asher looks into it too!
Dorothy should have tried this method instead!
So is the running theme just having relationship plans that immediately back fire? Cause this is like the third time it’s happened.
Whose relationship plan backfired? Amber’s? She’s given fair warning and has every reason to be happy with this development. Lucy? Hasn’t backfired on her yet. Walky? His hairbrained scheme actually worked. Ethan? Maybe it’s going to crash and go down in flames, but I wouldn’t put money on it.
Jacobs
This is not where I expected this to go!
But tbh I’m into it. Asher dump Jennifer already and just mess around with Ethan that sounds like fun.
Didn’t Jennifer already dump Asher? I’m confused.
Is anyone Jennifer has had sex with, ever REALLY dumped?
I think Jennifer and Asher themselves are unsure on this point.
Good point, a lot of people would have already thought they were dumped already, but Billie is the queen of mood swings.
I think Asher is already dumped. At least Jennifer made it seem like he is. She told him he’s dump him if he didn’t change the way she wanted, and then he did, and she said he was trying too hard. I’d assume the relationship was over after that. Of course Jen was coached to think rejection is flirting so ….maybe they’re still together?
It’ll be whatever is the most drama for Jennifer. So, I’m placing my bet on: Asher will react like he was dumped, and Jennifer will react like he cheated.
Indeed: if Asher does not react like he was dumped, then Jennifer will treat him as clueless (and still not make things explicit, because there’s still more juice in this lemon).
Ethan is currently a zombie with a face like an ashtray. He does not seem like fun.
Rejection is flirting for Jennifer and this is somehow learned behavior? First time I heard that last part. You mean how she was constantly ignored by her parents? Gosh, that makes sense.
Probably referring to Ruth’s repeated unsuccessful attempts to de-couple from Billie, with following relapses.
Yeah, Ruth and Billie broke up several times over their relationship only for one to come back, or flat out ignore the break up, including the most recent split that actually stuck, Ruth still admitting she hypocritically still wanted Billie to find a way back to her despite completely, physically, shutting her out.
So Billie/Jennifer is probably expecting Asher to come crawling back to her yet again. And expecting to kick him again.
Ummm… I think these days you’re supposed to ask permission first. Asher looks excited but also very surprised.
That, and *Plays “Shut up and kiss me” on the hacked gramophone.*
Perhaps it he approached slowly and it just skipped to the kissing part. Or maybe it comic hyperbole to really sell the gay. I dunno.
Either way I’m McLovin it (and perhaps a bit high already from the weed lasagna i made, lots of cheddar, real good)
Yum, sounds delish!
😋😊 Cannabis-infused roux + onion + milk + a little mustard = a white sauce that tastes a lot like a fancy cheese apparently
You had me until the mustard… I hate mustard so much.
🥺 Awe sorry to hear. I know some folks who hate mustard as a condiment but like it as an ingredient in some foods in which you don’t really taste it’s intense sourness — for instance in some cheesy dishes like mac and cheese, it can be used to make cheese taste a good kinda pungent, and peppery too.
I think we are in RomCom mode, were it is typical (and acceptable?? – I’ll let you debate that last part amongst yourselves) that Willis is just playing a little fast and loose with real norms for the sake of passionate drama.
What is your favorite RomCom? I like Music and Lyrics with Hugh Grant.
Good question! I dunno.
…I really like “The Break-Up,” with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. I love it because the supposedly wrong ending (couple breaks up) turns out to be the happy ending all along.
…Anyone else? Favorite rom-com?
My fave is “While You Were Sleeping”.
not a big fan of Western Rom Com films (other than Blended, which i still wanna get around to watching), but I like this one Rom Com manga called NiseKoi where two teenagers have to pretend to date in order to prevent their mafia families from wreaking the city.
Bird on a Wire
Well this is just a car crash waiting to happen.
…oh fuck one of them is gonna die saving the other from a truck aren’t they
I think Willis is going to hold off on any more characters dying, at least for a while.
So don’t worry and, if anything with a truck happens it will probably be survivable.
I read that as car wash and it made me wonder what new euphemism I was missing.
This is when we find out that he’s completely straight
That’s what I’m thinking.
You know, the last few weeks I’ve been wondering which couple was gonna end up having sex, Between Sal/Danny, Joyce/Joe, and Walky/Lucy. It really seemed like at least one of these relationships would take it to the next level by the end of the storyline.
Then Willis introduces Asher/Ethan in the same storyline and they’re speedrunning through it all. Bless ya Willis.
Should we do it? Should we do the correct thing?
HAHAHAHA! NEVER!! LET’S MAKE BAD DECISIONS!!!
Plays “Let’s misbehave!” and “Ain’t misbehaving” simultaneously, on the passing car stereo.
So how well is Billie/Jennifer going to react to this? I’m putting money down on a complete meltdown by Billie/Jennifer, and depending on what is said it might be one that also ruins her new social group.
I mean does this count on his score for being a bad boy though?
I mean… technically it does, but Billie/Jennifer might find out she doesn’t want that specific type of bad boy. Maybe she’ll realize she was being an ass to Asher just because he expressed some things that Walky also likes, and that somehow made him less desirable. However knowing Billie/Jennifer, I doubt she will ever figure it out.
I don’t think she wanted Asher to be bad in ways that hurt her, just to be stereotypically cool and increase her social value. That’s why she got so mad when instead of being cool and aloof, he goofed around with Walky.
I think Jennifer was already on the not wanting to date Asher much longer step so maybe this settles it?
God I love this comic.
Me too!
Yee it’s dumb sometimes but also hella gay and raw and I love it. 😋
*plays “Dance Like An Idiot” by Lemon Demon on hacked muzak*
Also I’m “proud” of Ethan for making a decision? Idk if it’s a good one. I don’t even care if it is. But he’s making an active choice to DO something instead of just passively letting life happen to him, and taking that first step can make all the difference.
I was just thinking something similar.
Yes! So nice to see him running around, excited to do something!
*metal guitar riffs* Fuck yeeeeeeeeeaaaah
That’ll show you……world?
You are all now hearing Looney Tunes/Flintstones sound effects when you see Ethan running in the 3rd panel.
You’re welcome.
it took a second but then looooooooooooooool
YABBA DABBA DOOOOO AAAAAAAAAAAAAH~<3
OMG, ETHAN IS RUNNING
… Honestly, I actually hope they work out.
Might be a bit…iffier? in the real world but idk how many relationships work out with someone hitting on/making a move on someone already in a relationship (even if ethan didn’t rly know before but he is on a beeline of bad decisions so he might not care in the moment even if he’d feel bad about it when he recovers more)
Be great for Jen to walk in at this time or already be in his room lol.
But even if i liked someone i would def be put off at them kissing me out of nowhere versus hugging XD; at least go ‘wanna make out’ or so
Also also, I just really appreciate that Ethan was like “a bad decision, you say?” And went RUNNING TOWARDS IT.
makes me wonder if amber wanted it to happen…she seemed fine with telling booster to not get in the way
or if anything, be better to let booster know the situation and let them handle it rather than amber directly telling ethan to not do it
Amber did want it to happen. That’s why she regrets that she had to inform him that it was a terrible idea
Thus insuring it would happen. A very Mike move, though maybe not a DOA Mike move.
I don’t think she anticipated his reaction, but she may not be entirely displeased with it.
(I mean, once she learns about … whatever develops from this.)
Oh riiiight Ethan’s been on a willfully self-destructive kick
Welp, this is gonna explode in like sixteen different ways. I’m here for it.
What are the other 14?
Sorry.
I wish this would end well for Ethan, at least.
Asher and Billie/Jennifer are not my concern really. I don’t care how this ends for them, and I would probably enjoy it more if it ends poorly for them. Just spare Ethan.
It would be good for Asher to stop dealing with Billie and Raidah’s crap. Time to go hang out with Booster and Amber instead. Nothing good lays down the “Billie marrying into the mob” future! And his horrible relatives would probably disown him for being gay so Raidah would have no further use for him.
… Well, at least he’s making an informed decision to do this as opposed to doing it, finding out later, and then being traumatized?
Anyway. *Gets popcorn*
I suppose knowing that the choices, and actively choosing one you believe to be bad for you, is a form of control over your life.
Poor life choices: They suck, but you already knew that.
Also can I have some popcorn? I didn’t bring any.
Of course! Here’s the bowl.
Thank you Regalli for making me smile. 😊
No popcorn; just the bowl
PLS POPCORN?
NO BOWL!
ONLY POPCORN
Just pop it straight into my mouth! (That’s how I used to eat pop corn as a kid… just eat it straight from the hot air popper.)
Wow! I’m extremely envious I never thought of that.
Never too late!
Well. I would have to go out and buy a hot air popper. I assume that they still make them.
The tricky bit would be explaining to my wife why I’m suddenly buying a hot air popper. I mean I’m sure there is a completely logical reason why we need one; I’m just not sure what it is yet.
Oh, yeah, Target sells them, for one.
See, e.g.:
https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=popcorn+poppers&sortBy=PriceLow
Just filter out the microwave stuff and look only for hot air electric poppers.
And… I mean, who DOESN’T need a hot air popcorn popper!? Talk about a healthy treat! Just check out this powerhouse of low-cal nutrition!
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=76&contentid=19034-1
🍿🥤😋
I’m curious why people think Ethan would be traumatized by finding out that Asher had an impact on that time Sal held a knife to his throat, when he’s gotten on well with Sal directly.
Yeah, Asher Did A Bad Thing… when he was flippin’ THIRTEEN. It remains shitty for Amber to hold that thing over him perpetually, disregarding any possibility that Asher changed in the last third of his entire lifetime.
CONSENT ETHAN THAT IS A THING
People don’t usually ask for permission to kiss someone. Usually there is time to pull away or stop the kiss if you don’t want it to happen.
Only one person in my life has kissed me without asking first, movie style, and I found the surprise element surprisingly unpleasant. The anticipation and courage building between knowing you’re gonna kiss and kissing is fun!
I recently watched “The Seven Year Itch” … seems like a real parody of misogynistic violence! But one thing I did love was when the male lead tries to do a movie-style kiss ‘very fast, and very hard,” and even announces it as such in advance using a fake French accent, and it backfires SPECTACULARLY and he feels terrible about it the next day.
I was so sad when Marilyn Monroe’s character says, “Don’t worry. That kind of thing happens to me all the time.”
It’s great to ask!
Many people lean in for a long time with eye contact — like Dina and Becky’s first kiss. They’re asking nonverbally, checking in the whole time that they’re both doing this thing. That seems to work OK as long as nobody rushes this and everyone present is good at / prefers nonverbal communication.
But, I strongly prefer if the other person or I have sexily declared “I really want to kiss you” first. Or, “may I kiss you,” with bedroom eyes and in a sexy voice. So far, I have only had people react to this as extremely charming and attractive, so, I highly recommend it.
Look, I can speak the words, but asking for “bedroom eyes” and “a sexy voice” is a bit much. I don’t know how to do those. I mean, I’m already straining at the prolonged eye contact.
Conversely, someone going “Look, I’m doing the sexy thing from the movies that you must now find sexy!” can be a bit of a turn-off with how artificial and performative it all is. Am I being difficult?
No, not difficult at all. You do what is comfortable for you! 🙂
That’s the thing I don’t know how to think. It’s great this generation finally have this talk about consent. Finally people agree that asking before advance is a good idea.
What scene is your Dora avatar from? I recognize it but just can’t quite remember.
I’ll find it today, hold on.
Here. Dora, the real magick girl
Are we sure Ethan isn’t a vampire? It would explain a lot.
Is he watching Asher in his sleep?
Their* sleep
Unless you mean that Ethan has some sort of somnial Panopticon by which he observes Booster mid-slumber, which would be a cool vampire power indeed
Oops, totally misread your comment lmao I’m tired my bad
Eh, as long as he’s informed.
Ethan slightly leaving the frame of the second panel kinda makes it look like he’s ascending, floating upwards (toward terrible decisions).
“oh wait… I should have used REVERSE psychology.”
“Hey, Ethan… it’d be a great idea to go try and bone that half-redeemed villain-in-training.”
She should have used, or she did use?
Me when I decide to draw a miscellaneous ship.
“these 2 characters exist, therefore they should bang” 👍
Man, hot kiss but I wish Ethan was in his healthy stage than looking like he needs 3 straight days of sleep.
Well, maybe epic makeouts/sexy times then a more natural, happier sleep than he’s managed recently, having found somebody to bone who could potentially be as bad for him as Mike was..?
To be fair, some of the best and longest natural sleeps I’ve had was after, er, ending a dry spell.
BAD DECISIONS! GETCHER BAD DECISIONS HYAH!
God DAMN, Willis!
It’s traditional to shake your fist.
My fist is only shaking from how tightly it’s clutching my pearls at the drama of it all
That will work.
my toxic trait has been wanting to see ethan get some no matter what. i’ll allow this.
perfect icon is perfect xD
And this is when Asher says he doesn’t like Ethan that way…
Nah, I doubt it. It may come up that he’s sort of still in a relationship with someone else.
I think Willis was like, “This strip is named Dumbing of Age but since the semester break almost everyone’s getting wise and sensible! I don’t want to rename it. What can I do…? Walky’s more about hijinks than actually dumb. Who can be dumb so I can keep the title… Oh, Ethan! OK, what’s the dumbest thing I can make him do?”
There is….a lot to unpack here.
No, that’s lesbians, and no, that’s second date. ^_^
Such a perfect joke! +1
Well I didn’t expect it to happen THAT quickly. Jennifer’s gonna be so p-i-double-s-d.
That’s not what enthusiastic consent looks like! Weren’t you listening at orientation?!?
Ask if the person wants tea before shoving it down their throat. (Tea and consent video is the best.)
Was anyone listening?
Re: was anyone listening— they sure were at mine because one of the boys got into a huge argument about how it wasn’t sexy to have to ask and would definitely kill the mood. Ugh. (He is very wrong.)
What does enthusiastic consent look like for a kiss? Real question.
It looks like leaning into it, their body language will likely be more relaxed, interested and engaged, small physical contact like holding their hand will be accepted and reciprocated etc..
Tensing and leaning back can both indicate surprise and a desire to escape. Pulling out of your grip, shrinking away, looking at the nearest exit frequently = I want to leave NOW.
If you’re hanging out with someone and their feet are pointing at the door or away from you, rather than towards you, even if their upper body is directed at you, pay attention to that. People are better at masking their upper body’s reactions while they don’t think to lie with their feet.
I think that level of detail might be a bit much for a panel-by-panel comic.
I wasn’t talking about in a comic strip. The most you’ll see in a comic strip usually is reciprocation, leaning back in shock/surprise/lack of interest depending on person or pulling out of someone’s grip.
But for real life, there are totally non-verbal ways to tell if someone is interested and consenting, and if unsure, you should telegraph it with words or by asking.
Verbal is great! If you’re not close enough that you can ask then you’re not close enough to actually do. Consent is SEXY.
I meant more in the context of the comic strip. Because OP was saying that’s not what enthusiastic consent looks like, but I’m not sure what they expected in this context.
Ethan just running head fast, on ice, towards the ‘best’ decisions.
Hot though 😛
Is this where we find out Asher is not in fact gay, or even bi, and Ethan ends up getting stabbed? *dashes off to check Patreon*
Is Asher even into guys? Because this would be a super awakened time to discover he’s straight.
Willis has given a huge hint some pages before. Asher was clearly attracted to him
Starting from here. Asher’s is bi.
And Jennifer, who has extreme internal homophobia, is gonna throw a fit.
There’s good news tho.
The more comically disastrous the aftermath, the more grist for my gamemaking mill 😛 🎮
I don’t know if it’s so much homophobia as “I’m not WEIRD”.
And there can be a lot of complex reasons for that. Especially for a biracial youth who basically coasted on money-bought popularity.
Jennifer has extreme internal homophiobia? Are we reading the same comic? Or could you provide a link to the strip where this was established?
Jennifer has a strong bias towards considering herself normal. And if she experiments with girls, that is a completely normal thing to do. But since she likes boys, that proves she’s straight. Jennifer has an advanced ability to lie to herself. That’s a long way from extreme internal homophobia.
You know what will be funny? Asher and Ethan having sex before everyone.
As everybody is expecting Joyce and Joe, and there’s teo more couples on the row, these two guys kind of get on “first place”, right?
🍿
I mean Dina and Becky already beat them.
Uh…. Ethan….. acknowledging that you are using Asher as a Mike Surrogate is really shitty.
God damn, just diving straight into it, I see.
Look idk but if my friend said I shouldn’t do something and kept centering themselves *and* their own fetishization of everything I do, I’d be inclined to be reactionary about it.
What else was Ethan going to do? Let Amber’s trauma get in the way of bone-town with a guy he’s only known positively? She took the robbery way harder than he did, and he should be allowed to try to move on if he wants!
And he’s literally met the girl that held a knife to his throat and gotten along fine with her, tense though it was. Why shouldn’t he think that the guy who had a much smaller part to play in that night may also have changed for the better?
I think Amber has trouble understanding that the robbery was never a big deal for Ethan. She warned Ethan because she thought he would be upset.
“Look idk but if my friend said I shouldn’t do something and kept centering themselves *and* their own fetishization of everything I do, I’d be inclined to be reactionary about it.”
YUP, this exactly!!
Asher: wow! That was sudden, to what do i owe this pleasure?
Ethan: my best friend’s advice 👍
Amber’s cooch: no! noooooooo!!!!!
Amber, looking down, grinning viciously: oooh, yes
Ethan is such a good friend to do this for Amber.
Amber is such a good friend to do this for Ethan.
Amber is Ethan.
Oh man that second panel, that’s the face of a man who is ready to make so many terrible decisions.
Run, don’t walk
Looooool go get him, tiger.
I wonder if Asher will dump Jennifer right after this hookup.
Maybe Jennie is still pouting, maybe she’s right behind Asher at this moment, which would be hilarious (for me. Poor Ethan)
They only met once but Asher already told Ethan where he lived during that conv eh ? 😀
Well, when they walked back from class…
Or more seriously, stuff happens between panels. Ethan could have asked the RA or anyone who lived there.
There are so many missing panels of Ethan running from building to building, knocking on doors.
Fuck it, what could go wrong? This is a positive development.
Did she purposefully leave out that Asher is in a relationship, with Jennifer? I’m not the biggest Jennifer fan, but this would be cruel, if Amber deliberately left that piece of information, out. You don’t have to like her, but you shouldn’t be putting pain and humiliation on her.
Kinda seems like that’s more Asher’s responsibility than Amber’s.
Does Amber know about that? I think it may have come up with Sal but I’m not sure if she remembers.
I don’t think Amber knows. Amber does not hang out with Jennifer and while they did come to at least one roller derby thing… that was for Sal. Amber likely didn’t even notice them.
I think after that scene there was a conversation with Sal about Asher not being right for Jennifer. But that might have been with Amazi-girl, and then Amber was looking at her phone afterwards. So I’m not sure how much it registered.
Yeah, pretty sure that was with Amazi-Girl. And a thing with alters is, even if both present for an event, what they remember distinctly can be different. So it is possible even if Amber was nearish or also present, she might not remember that specific thing.
I mean, it’s totally reasonable for her to expect him to ask before just kissing someone
Amber doesn’t know what to do, now that the depressive self-destruction is on the other foot.
Film it for views?
Jennifer/Ruth is BACK ON THE TABLE, baybay!
On one hand; I very much still expect some crazy stuff to happen when the other shoe drops with Asher and his crime related background. . .
But on the other hand; Jennifer kinda could use some more knocks against heir new found ego.
Take chances, get messy, MAKE MISTAKES!!
miss frizzle?
I don’t know if she would be the kind to support her ideology being used in this manner, but it’s the thought that counts as much as it is the Count that thoughts.
As Charles said, don’t choose a partner ( or hookup) to please or displease someone else. This is not gonna end well.
I think Ethan has survivor’s guilt and is throwing himself at Asher in a self-destructive manner. He didn’t say “so getting with Asher will piss you off”.
You know, I used to like Ethan.
Yaknow – I can remember when he was an empathetic character who got a lot of screen time.
Jesus fucking Christ, Ethan, GO TO THERAPY!!!
I don’t think having sex with his therapist would help the situation.
Unironically love this
Oh boy, 🎵0 to 63.5🎵
Amber tried. She legitimately tried, despite how hot she would’ve found it.
Luckily for her, Ethan is in his ONLY BAD CHOICES CAN MAKE ME FEEL ALIVE phase and woke up, for the first time on the semester. He ran towards it. His inner slut (affectionate) resurfaced with every step.
And Asher was surprised, but look at those bedroom eyes. Homeboy is INTO IT.
This will be CAPITAL D DRAMA™. INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS.
Well… uuuh… good news for her cooch I guess?
I didn’t have time to reply yesterday, but regarding my comment that she’s not achieving character growth because she’s vocalizing her sexual fantasies (to someone who doesn’t want to hear about it) SLIGHTLY LESS.
it’s not demanding perfection to say she shouldn’t be sexually creepy towards someone she calls a friend. in fact, it’s the BARE MINIMUM.
I’m surprised I got more than one comment mentioning perfection. Do people really think “stop being shitty” means the same as “be perfect immediately”?
Also @cain who did a longer reply (which is appreciated)
1. She doesn’t doesn’t do it in private and that’s my entire problem with her. She literally shouted it at Ethan.
2. Ethan shut the door on her face when she mentioned this. I think that’s a pretty good indicator.
3. Amber has gotten a lot worse since the beginning of her university year. She used to say that she lives in fear of social rules. Now she’s shouting about her sexual fantasies. I’m all for sexual liberation, but there are limits. it stops at telling people that they’re the subject of sexual fantasies when they don’t want to hear about that.
Number three sounds exactly like an example of character growth to me? But I guess some people use that term in an exclusively positive way. Not that she’s not being creepy about it. I just like when characters develop in ways that aren’t always good. Sometimes people get worse, sometimes for a while.
Fair enough to be annoyed at a character for it, though.
welcome to Garbage U
Ethan just sprinting across to get himself some man loving is cracking me up
that is the fastest ethan has moved since the timeskip