i mean, if i were asher, might be sociopathic but i’d totally be petty and like “i’m kinda dealing with suicidal ideation by hooking up too, if we break up and i kill myself, we already have pics of us together on my social media so your son will def be known throughout the city as my last relationship before my death”
So is this a ‘you can be gay because I don’t want you to end yourself”, thing? Or are there other factors that we don’t know yet?
Because one the one hand baby steps. Maybe she can learn and grow because she does deep down love him and all that.
But my pessimistic side says that she may be reacting to some kind of outside thing that we don’t know yet. And she won’t grow and her bigotry prevents her from actually loving him.
If I were to give Naomi credit she doesn’t deserve the whole “for now” thing is a way of trying to maintain control she knows she doesn’t have over Ethan’s sexuality and that she’s already accepted it, but can’t admit it yet. She doesn’t want him to die and hopefully her conditional acceptance will lift his spirits and maybe there’s a vague hope there he will somehow become straight, but that’s assuming a lot. On face value though it doesn’t need to be more complicated than what she’s said. No ulterior motive or outside factor needed for a parent to not want their child flirting with clinical depression and suicide. Maybe she just read one of many reported sources that lgbt+ youth are more likely to harm or kill themselves.
She did say “until you’re feeling better” but i doubt she’d really realize ‘being himself’ would make him happier versus him being in an even worse state if asher breaks up with him, or somehow even dies as well (that would be pretty messed up as a queer curse, “somehow my partners keep dying” in a separate kinda story but i imagine that might not be well received given the ‘bury your gays’ tropes or so)
“Well,” he chuckles dryly, “I never said it was a hypothetical.” In that instance, Asher pops out of the closet. Before Naomi could say another word, the two were already off. Had Naomi been actually supportive, she’d cheer for her son. Instead, she cursed bitterly under her breathe.
I love how Ethan is giving her more pushback than he once could have, being more defiant. So much of his life right now isn’t healthy, but this is at least a good thing.
F-bombs and a sesquipedalian vocabulary are not necessarily mutually exclusive. I was a CPO in the US Navy—a submariner—before I went to college and earned my PhD in English, so I’m comfortable with both forms of communication. I also had a professor who was an excommunicated Jesuit priest. He understood a half-dozen dead languages and could curse in all of them.
“I know a certain Israeli who is very knowledgeable in the Gmara. From time to time he curses in the most exquisite (Talmudic) Aramaic. The Hebrew-speaking listeners turn literally green: they understand they’re being cursed, some get what is said, but none respond in kind!”
Naomi is terrible, but at least she’s not, like, Blaine or Ross terrible. Or even Linda or Clint terrible. Maybe roughly Carol terrible? Then again, she didn’t sell Ethan’s childhood home for the purpose of giving the money to a horrid church (that we know of, anyway), so… no, not even Carol terrible.
Can’t wait for Dina and Charlie to inexplicably be inside the closet with Asher when the door opens, leaving Naomi to think Ethan’s hosting some kind of orgy.
Colored my drawings from yesterday.
To reiterate, SFW but egregious Butt’s Disease. https://i.imgur.com/0cBfQJI.png
TBH not sure if this is really quite the body type Dave had in mind but we’ve barely really seen her so here ya go.
I will give Naomi this she’s better the Becky’s dad. If Toedad had come to this Epiphany himself maybe he’d still alive and so many wouldn’t be traumatized.
Naomi is welcome to stay as a recurring villain. She maintains the bar for vileness the other antagonists have set, And she gets to have good lines.
I’m not one of those people who think Mary and the like are clownish caricatures. Because I am on the internet and looked around for a minute. But they are less interesting, fictional or not.
Oh…
She’s fully of the opinion that Ethan is close to ending things.
And she is willing to allow pretty much anything.
The fact that Ethan is just completely skating past that implication… explicit implication? Is also very worrying.
inb4 she’s familiar with asher’s family/’reputation’. tho if she knew he was also involved with sal stabbed by amber that would make me think ethan’s /more/ suicidal if i was her lol
I do not like this woman, I do not thing she is a good role model to emulate, and nevertheless I shall be adding her panel 7 quote to the list of phrases I often repeat.
brotha cease this opportunity! this is the BEST!
time to put yo mamma’s newfound “”respect”” to the test! >:D
Seize?
yeah that’s what im sayin, time to watch how Ethan be playin’ this
i mean, if i were asher, might be sociopathic but i’d totally be petty and like “i’m kinda dealing with suicidal ideation by hooking up too, if we break up and i kill myself, we already have pics of us together on my social media so your son will def be known throughout the city as my last relationship before my death”
what the fuck? what would that accomplish?
*Ethan and Asher go at it*
“I was hoping you would at least have the same amount of shame as you would have fucking a GIRL in front of me”
“No.”
Oh, like she wouldn’t have been down to watch him do Joyce way back when
Dumbing of Age Book 15: As of This Very Second, It’s Cool With You for Me to Have Sex With Men
Dumbing of Age Book 15: Your Hypothetical Is Detailed In A Way That I’m Finding Portentous
(Portentous is bolded, underlined, and, quite possibly, WordArt.)
Nice.
Theres so many better words than portentous
momma KNOW our brotha’s hypothesis be ominous
he already be playin’ an’ challenging her dominance
Lepidopterists.
Canticle.
Perspicaciousness.
Astrolabe.
I really love how 110% done with his mom’s shit Ethan is here.
I mean I’ve felt that way about Ethan in general since the time skip, but this conversation in particular brings me joy.
“How hot is he?”
Opens closet door.
“Yes, OK, this time.”
Naomi isn’t great but she is kind of hilarious in a toxic way.
I agree, at least in this strip. She brings a different flavor than our more standard villain parents.
I’m digging the truckload of genre savvy.
He don’t care and that’s okay
And then they start making out in front of her to test her conviction. And that’s chapter 1 of Amber’s latest fic!
So is this a ‘you can be gay because I don’t want you to end yourself”, thing? Or are there other factors that we don’t know yet?
Because one the one hand baby steps. Maybe she can learn and grow because she does deep down love him and all that.
But my pessimistic side says that she may be reacting to some kind of outside thing that we don’t know yet. And she won’t grow and her bigotry prevents her from actually loving him.
Naomi’s Conditional Love is Conditional.
Let’s not over look that “Until you’re feeling better, anyway.”
If I were to give Naomi credit she doesn’t deserve the whole “for now” thing is a way of trying to maintain control she knows she doesn’t have over Ethan’s sexuality and that she’s already accepted it, but can’t admit it yet. She doesn’t want him to die and hopefully her conditional acceptance will lift his spirits and maybe there’s a vague hope there he will somehow become straight, but that’s assuming a lot. On face value though it doesn’t need to be more complicated than what she’s said. No ulterior motive or outside factor needed for a parent to not want their child flirting with clinical depression and suicide. Maybe she just read one of many reported sources that lgbt+ youth are more likely to harm or kill themselves.
She did say “until you’re feeling better” but i doubt she’d really realize ‘being himself’ would make him happier versus him being in an even worse state if asher breaks up with him, or somehow even dies as well (that would be pretty messed up as a queer curse, “somehow my partners keep dying” in a separate kinda story but i imagine that might not be well received given the ‘bury your gays’ tropes or so)
“Well,” he chuckles dryly, “I never said it was a hypothetical.” In that instance, Asher pops out of the closet. Before Naomi could say another word, the two were already off. Had Naomi been actually supportive, she’d cheer for her son. Instead, she cursed bitterly under her breathe.
Oof, minor spelling mistake.
Ghostwriting for Amber?
I love how Ethan is giving her more pushback than he once could have, being more defiant. So much of his life right now isn’t healthy, but this is at least a good thing.
Ethan is handling this better than I thought he would. Now any hypocracy is going to be much clearer than expected.
my partner…. 🙂
F-bombs and a sesquipedalian vocabulary are not necessarily mutually exclusive. I was a CPO in the US Navy—a submariner—before I went to college and earned my PhD in English, so I’m comfortable with both forms of communication. I also had a professor who was an excommunicated Jesuit priest. He understood a half-dozen dead languages and could curse in all of them.
“I know a certain Israeli who is very knowledgeable in the Gmara. From time to time he curses in the most exquisite (Talmudic) Aramaic. The Hebrew-speaking listeners turn literally green: they understand they’re being cursed, some get what is said, but none respond in kind!”
Naomi is terrible, but at least she’s not, like, Blaine or Ross terrible. Or even Linda or Clint terrible. Maybe roughly Carol terrible? Then again, she didn’t sell Ethan’s childhood home for the purpose of giving the money to a horrid church (that we know of, anyway), so… no, not even Carol terrible.
I guess in the bucket of turd parents, she managed to float to the top.
Good one.
Can’t wait for Dina and Charlie to inexplicably be inside the closet with Asher when the door opens, leaving Naomi to think Ethan’s hosting some kind of orgy.
Ethan walks up to the door and Naomi braces herself for 12 Chippendales dudes to march out like a clown car.
Son, why do you have so many details prepared for this hypothetical? Damn teenagers and their increasingly specific sarcasm.
wait, has ethan finally run out of fucks to give? this could be spectacular
Now THERE’S a book title.
Dumbing of age book # 15: I could, without incident retrieve my partner right now from his hiding space in my closet two feet behind you?
Colored my drawings from yesterday.
To reiterate, SFW but egregious Butt’s Disease.
https://i.imgur.com/0cBfQJI.png
TBH not sure if this is really quite the body type Dave had in mind but we’ve barely really seen her so here ya go.
It makes your avatar funnier 😂 may I share it on the FB fan page?
Go fer it 👍 👍
She is literally saying it isn’t okay to be both gay and happy.
Careful Ethan, this permission clearly ISN’T retroactive.
“Until you’re feeling better anyway.” then the compulsive heterosexuality is back on the menu!
I will give Naomi this she’s better the Becky’s dad. If Toedad had come to this Epiphany himself maybe he’d still alive and so many wouldn’t be traumatized.
I’m looking forward to the meeting of Naomi and Asher
Yknow, the past couple strips have given her marriage DADT vibes
“Until you’re feeling better, anyway.”
*sighs* And her potential for change is lost.
Naomi is welcome to stay as a recurring villain. She maintains the bar for vileness the other antagonists have set, And she gets to have good lines.
I’m not one of those people who think Mary and the like are clownish caricatures. Because I am on the internet and looked around for a minute. But they are less interesting, fictional or not.
OH SHIT MY LEXICAL DAWGS, WE GOT A WILD ****PORTENTIOUS****
Oh…
She’s fully of the opinion that Ethan is close to ending things.
And she is willing to allow pretty much anything.
The fact that Ethan is just completely skating past that implication… explicit implication? Is also very worrying.
I think he’s just dealing with the least upsetting part of all this first, and taking the chance to mess with her a bit.
inb4 she’s familiar with asher’s family/’reputation’. tho if she knew he was also involved with sal stabbed by amber that would make me think ethan’s /more/ suicidal if i was her lol
I do not like this woman, I do not thing she is a good role model to emulate, and nevertheless I shall be adding her panel 7 quote to the list of phrases I often repeat.