I died once.
on November 13, 2020 at 1:01 amChapter: This Man-- This Manhattan
Location: The Warners' house
I keep forgetting that Amber literally blackmailed Mike into this relationship. It’s one of those things I’d THINK years down the line would result in me going wow dang david what were you thinking, but actually it still feels about perfect, really. On-brand. I stand by it.
These two garbage people.
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… You know, given that, it really does make every single other relationship either of them have had in DoA seem like less of a trashfire in comparison. (I also forget that, but then I picked up the comic after they were engaged and Amber was pregnant, so you know. It was a stable trainwreck.)
It’s one of those things that just flies by a little better in something zany like shortpacked. it wouldn’t work in DOA.
It’s part of why Robin is much more likable in Shortpacked! despite probably being a worse person objectively. Her behavior is funny in a world where over-the-top shenanigans can happen, people can get hurt and then a week later everything’s back to normal. In Dumbing of Age, where silliness doesn’t magically make consequences go away, she can actually hurt people.
I mean, Robin managed to hurt people longterm several notable times during Shortpacked!.
People liked her anyway because she felt bad about it and took steps to correct her behavior… eventually.
Not to mention the media’s attitude about her shenanigans (and her response to it). Robin didn’t care that much about their opinion, and the media was pretty casual about her shenanigans:
“Ex-congresswoman DeSanto punch a teenage pop star in the face, pretty chill in comparison to everything else she had done if you ask me.”
Pity they didn’t have a roof.
I remember it made me really go ‘wait, what?’ back when it first went down but as it played out I bought into it fully. It just works. They’re both trash, but somehow they made it work together.
I always figured that Mike was letting himself be blackmailed. Because Mike.
Spoiler?
I think he says as much in a future shortpacked strip
It’s in this very storyline! It’s another person that says it though
Yeah nah, young love is full of silly mistakes and things that in ten years make you go ‘oh geez, I was an idiot back then. A necessary time of idiocy, but still.’.
Amber/Mike was the original S.S. Garbage Scow.
Now imagine the roles are reversed.
Hmmm… Yep, still pretty awful.
And all at once, Mike reveals to Amber his single greatest fear.
I mean, a lot of stories in Shortpacked fall apart and/or become super messed up when viewed under any sort of serious lens, so don’t beat yourself up about it.