Most licenses in Canada and US have 3 letters and 3 numbers (although the order may vary). Ontario has so many license plates, they had to shift to 4 letters with 3 numbers.
Switzerland is rather boring in that department. We’ve got first two letters indicating the Kanton you hail from, then a number with one two six figures. Sometimes accompanied by a ‘-U’ on the end, if it’s a car held by a company.
Germany is more interesting. One or two letters, short pause, two more letters and a number with one to four figures (at least I don’t remember one with more than four, could be wrong though. Where’s the German readers when you need them?)
And tell you what, there are interesting combinations there. I’ve spotted “SI TH”, “S EX”, “BI ER” (beer), “WE IN” (wine), “WE IB” (woman or wife, old fashioned) or the combination of “VI ER 4444″ (vier meaning four in german).
Remember when Leslie was acting assistant manager while Amber was out on maternity leave. I assume Leslie is getting the position full time with Amber on her way out.
If Amber and Mike leaving means Joe joins the main cast, I am totally okay with this.
Okay, even if he doesn’t, I’m totally okay with this! Amber’s grown as much as she’s going to and has come a damn long way. And we know she’s gonna continue to make Mike a better person. Their stories are over, there’s no need for them to linger, funny though they are.
I didn’t say that. I said their characters have been developed far enough that their primary story arcs are about over. You could tell more stories about them, but there’s very little place to go.
Nope, married people are boring and the minute a relationship is finalized, they have to leave or be broken up again. (Unless they are horribly dysfunctional and have at least two teenage kids kids, which is completely different.)
Them getting married has nothing to do with it. I simply feel that their character development has come far enough that this would be a logical endpoint to their arcs.
If you think that just because you can continue using a character past the resolution of their primary story arc that you should, then there’s a career in newspaper comics for you.
Yeah, but they were kind of the most interesting characters, and there’s still a long way to go–Mike still being how he is, and time being what really proves a relationship. Throw a kid in the mix, and you’re ready for some really high-tension situations. I dunno, it’s just…meh. I refuse to be sad that they’re leaving, because I’m too busy mourning Jason Todd. But being too busy mourning Jason Todd may also mean too busy to eat, sleep, do homework, or read shortpacked.
Still gonna read dumbing of age, though.
So I’m guessing that either we’re going to see the strip change locations, or it would be an easy way to start winding it down so Willis can focus on DoA if he so wishes.
Also, why do I suspect that Joe’s investment deal involves him getting first crack at all the new waves of Transformers? If he’s a troopbuilder, which he could afford, I pity the kid who wants to buy a Vehicon from that store.
Okay, what’s more likely: Amber and Mike are being functionally written out, or the comic is going to abandon about half a dozen characters with story arcs in progress to follow these two?
Well you definitely thought wrong. AFAIK, she is much-beloved. And Mike is such a brilliant asshole that he’s loved in the abstract.
I don’t see any reason that we wouldn’t be able to follow both stories though? Willis does story arcs following some characters and not others all the time. Actually, that’s just how all long-running narrative-driven pieces of entertainment work.
Well, because Amber’s story is functionally over. She’s developed confidence, self-sufficiency, a desire to stand up for herself and overall emotional stability. She’s gone from a shy recluse to one of the least quirky members of the cast.
And Mike? If Mike develops any further, he’ll eventually stop being funny.
Their stories are over. It’s time to move on.
(But of course, if they were to stick around, Something Positive handled a similar cast split very well. I think Willis could pull it off.)
Unless they’ve moved, the Walkertons and the Wilcoxes still live in Denver, and between them and the Warners they have the only other kids that we’ve been introduced to. A theme suggests itself.
Sad, but apparently true. Willis seems to be retiring the characters introduced in Roomies (unless they’re featured in Dumbing of Age) and as much as I like the characters they’ve experience so much character growth it’s probably for the best. It’s still got a strong cast and as long as Amber, Mike, and Donna appear every so often I’ll be satisfied. Although I really did want a crossover appearance at a ponies convention with Amber and Something Positive’s Vanessa.
Selling Yellow Stripe action figures (sold separately). Joyce’s figure grows a creepy smile at a push of a button.. what would Mike’s action figure do?
That was my thought exactly. I think Willis is going give us a spin-off comic! Unless he hands it over to some sort of hitertho unknown apprentice of his.
I find it interesting that even in a sentence ending with Shortpacked! it must still end with a period after the exclamation mark, in case enthusiasm were interpreted.
Can I also, a little more coherently, say how actually groundbreaking this facet of Amber’s story is? So often in life and media representations, once a woman has a child she’s out of her job, or at the very least, has enormous difficulty ballancing work life and newly changed home life (especially since maternity leave in the US is almost non-existant compared to the rest of the world), or ends up losing her job because “her performance has been slipping”. Not to mention wage discrepencies that people still justify with women needing to take “leaves of absence” due to their period, or the fact that so few women in the workforce never get promotions because managers and CEOs always say “eventually they’ll leave because they’ll have kids”.
And here Amber is, just after having her first child, and not only did she keep her job through and after labour, she’s getting a promotion where she’ll be in charge of everything.
What sad world do you live in? In *my* world a new CEO of a large Internet company announces that she is pregnant (and was indeed pregnant before she got the job) and will be taking leave to have the baby and will then, at some point, return to being CEO of that company.
While this situation isn’t, unfortunately, the norm at present, I can still point to many, many women in high tech that have NOT allowed procreation to end their careers. Hell, I’m *married* to one.
We can only hope that this is a trend and that Amber is joining it. Kudos to David for writing this into the script.
OH CRAP YOU’RE RIGHT!
Like, seriously. Will there be ramifications? Was Mike’s inebriated presence in some mysterious way intrinsically intertwined with the awesomeness of McAwesome’s? Will his absence lead to its demise?
What Pandora’s Box has Willis opened?
“Ultra Cars father, Joe”, rofl. But then, I guess he is.
Sorry to see Amber, Mike and Donna leaving the SP family. But, as sneaky, er ingenious I mean to say, as Willis is..either the strip IS winding down, or we about to see a new branch of SP storyarcs, or we are all wrong. Time will tell. Rock on.
Jesus Christ Joe has the most contented look on his face. It’s like he’s ending a motivational commercial or something.
“I’m Joe Rosenthall, and Thanks.” (smile)
I am disappointed by the Warners being written out fo the comic. Amber is one of the best written characters in webcomics and Mike is a classic all on his own.
Me and my girlfreind saw the birth of our daughter three weeks after Donna was born, I liked the comics based around being a new parent recently they were things I have experienced.
Willis I hope you arent writng them out because you think there arent any more interesting things you can do with them, because trust me it aint true!
…does this mean willis is starting another comic or just sending these 3 to be occasional characters. if he’s just moving mike to be a minor character i will be very upset
You thought you had enough David Willis with Dumbing of Age, Shortpacked!, and the reposting of Roomies! (et al)….plus the Joyce/Walky wedding that’s being drawn if you paid for it….but now, Willis is announcing a fourth comic venture (fifth?)!
Shortpacked: Denver!
Come watch Mike fuck Donna’s mother for a nickle every night. With his penis. in her FAAAAAAAACE!!!!
Amazigirl teams up with the ex-Semme agents, against a dastardly villain–Orthoguy. He fights against good. With femurs.
But Orthoguy is no ordinary villain–he’s actually the reincarnated Cheese, and he’s out for revenge against yet another Head Alien (Number 6, but who’s counting)?
At the same time, Monkey Master finds love. With Sal. In a Walmart parking lot. With a six pack of beer.
But Orthoguy is no ordinary villain–he’s actually the reincarnated Cheese, and he’s out for revenge against yet another Head Alien (Number 6, but who’s counting)?
I am! Original recipe, Anti-Head Alien, Head Alien II, Dexter, and D[SPOILER].
Well, a decent sign that Amber and Mike are going to stay on the comic is the banner image which was recently(?) updated to include Donna with Amber and Mike. Not a 100% sure thing but it certainly implies we’ll have future stories of Amber and Mike being parents.
Sorry for being slow on the uptake, but I’m not sure how this works. So Amber is NOT working for Connie, she’s going to work on a new branch of Shortpacked that Joe is funding? Is this the first instance of Galasso expanding his empire?
I believe so, though I’m not sure why it has to be in Denver. Usually the first expansion of a chain would be decently close to the original and work outward, but there’s nothing usual about Galasso.
It’s in Denver because Joe is the one investing in it, and he lives in Denver. Sure, he could invest in a store in California, but then he wouldn’t get first crack at all the new toys.
I feel like this should be good news: after all, Shortpacked! is expanding! And Amber will be running her own store! Where she’ll be making money!
Usually that’s a good thing… I’m sure Ethan will tell her such next comic. After all, sometimes things have to end for others to begin. See the recent close of the Nostolgia Critic for a potential example…
Wait, I’m confused. Is Amber more loyal to Galasso than her pals? I would understand her turning Connie down ’cause she wanted to keep working and living near her friends, but Colorado is very far away. So she’ll still be doing work for Galasso, but still ends up leaving her friends. Couldn’t another Shortpacked just open elsewhere in town? San Francisco is a big place, after all. That way she could at least still be in the same city. I don’t really see this as a solution to Amber’s previous dilemma. Could someone please explain to me how it is a solution?
Well choosing Galasso over Conquest means that she isn’t in direct competition with the current store. This means that her doing a good job doesn’t risk shutting down Shortpacked and everyone else losing their jobs. So really, you can see this as being more loyal to Ethan etc. than Galasso. It just so happens that the choice also benefits Galasso.
I’m still not sure how this works out, since Mike was also working two jobs before, and now he won’t be (although I’m assuming he’ll get a job at the new SP in Colorado).
Can’t answer your question about another SP in SF, except that it would be kind of weird to have them become such side characters that live in the same town but don’t actually have any reason to be at the same SP store. It makes more sense for the sake of the story to have them completely removed from the main cast.
If this is indeed what ends up happening.
So, the purpose of having Conquest try to entice Amber away to her new store was to entice Amber to Joe’s new store in Denver? Conquest seems superfluous to this, somehow.
I wouldn’t mind a comic about parenthood. It wouldn’t have to focus on the store, or SEMME or anything like that. It could revolve around the couples and their kids. Plenty of characters in Denver to focus on too.
Aaaaand I was wrong. I thought for sure that she had accepted Connies offer. Oh well, she is still showing major growth. Amber is the Samwise Gamgee of Shortpacked!.
Wait, isn’t Robin living with Mike and Amber right now? If they’re moving, will she have to search for a new place to stay? Doesn’t Leslie have a HOUSE?
aww
Faz is less competent…
You can see by this chart that Faz is the MOST competent, especially when it comes to sexual prowess
I’m convinced…
The Graph Has Spoken(TM).
The graph said something?! Get the news team in here! We’ve got a chatty Cartesian here people, lets chase it down.
GrrArg42, every time I see your gravatar I check OOTS just to find he hasn’t updated. Stop dashing my hopes >:|
Also something about charts
I got a nickel for that chart
I got a nickle for your hopes!
I’m with ya Riku. OotS doesn’t update nearly often enough but it’s still number 1 in my daily webcom run-down.
Ditto, still: “No new OOTS”
Riku: I am the Dashing Swordsman! I will dash and swash all up and down this cache!
Yesterday, I saw a car with the licence plate “FAZ 666″… It was horrifying.
(Swedish cars have 3 letters followed by 3 numbers).
Lol
does all swedes have the same avatar or did we just happen to have the same avatar? O_O
Most licenses in Canada and US have 3 letters and 3 numbers (although the order may vary). Ontario has so many license plates, they had to shift to 4 letters with 3 numbers.
Switzerland is rather boring in that department. We’ve got first two letters indicating the Kanton you hail from, then a number with one two six figures. Sometimes accompanied by a ‘-U’ on the end, if it’s a car held by a company.
Germany is more interesting. One or two letters, short pause, two more letters and a number with one to four figures (at least I don’t remember one with more than four, could be wrong though. Where’s the German readers when you need them?)
And tell you what, there are interesting combinations there. I’ve spotted “SI TH”, “S EX”, “BI ER” (beer), “WE IN” (wine), “WE IB” (woman or wife, old fashioned) or the combination of “VI ER 4444″ (vier meaning four in german).
Don’t worry Ethan, you’ve got Leslie. Unless she’s moving too to get a fresh start and maybe get some of Joe’s harem.
Kiss…kiss now.
Remember when Leslie was acting assistant manager while Amber was out on maternity leave. I assume Leslie is getting the position full time with Amber on her way out.
When I first read this I heard Amber making a fart noise with her mouth…
As did I orange one. As did I.
I had no idea it was anything else…
Well, she’s been holding it in during the entire wedding. It was bound to come out one way or the other.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
You will always have Robin Ethan.
You will always have Robin.
WAIT ROBIN IS THE REASON THIS NEW STORE EXISTS FUUUUUUCK SHE IS COMPETENT.
RUN ETHAN. RUN.
Robin is the reason for nearly every big event, really.
Till she leaves to be like…president or something. Keep her away from Cadburry egg cereal.
She said she was 31 last year. So she can run in 2016.
YOU STILL HAVE ROBIN! YOU ALL STILL HAVE ROBIN!
Incompetent best friend? Why not Robin?
NICE!
You know it hurts her when she mouth farts
If Amber and Mike leaving means Joe joins the main cast, I am totally okay with this.
Okay, even if he doesn’t, I’m totally okay with this! Amber’s grown as much as she’s going to and has come a damn long way. And we know she’s gonna continue to make Mike a better person. Their stories are over, there’s no need for them to linger, funny though they are.
Our glasses quota will be completely off!
NOOO! Not the sexy glasses quota! Robin, quick! Poke someone in the eye!
It’s okay! Lucy is joining the cast. She has glasses now, apparently.
She wears glasses now. Glasses are cool.
That might result in an eyepatch. Ninja Rick will be furious.
Just because they’re in a different location doesn’t mean they’re out of the cast. I’m sure they’ll still have their own story lines & stuff.
You think that there are no more stories to tell then you have a limited scope of imagination.
I didn’t say that. I said their characters have been developed far enough that their primary story arcs are about over. You could tell more stories about them, but there’s very little place to go.
Nope, married people are boring and the minute a relationship is finalized, they have to leave or be broken up again. (Unless they are horribly dysfunctional and have at least two teenage kids kids, which is completely different.)
Haven’t you ever watched television?
Well, jesus, when you put it like that…
Them getting married has nothing to do with it. I simply feel that their character development has come far enough that this would be a logical endpoint to their arcs.
If you think that just because you can continue using a character past the resolution of their primary story arc that you should, then there’s a career in newspaper comics for you.
Well, sometimes you should. A good character can have more than one primary arc in them, you know.
Yeah, but they were kind of the most interesting characters, and there’s still a long way to go–Mike still being how he is, and time being what really proves a relationship. Throw a kid in the mix, and you’re ready for some really high-tension situations. I dunno, it’s just…meh. I refuse to be sad that they’re leaving, because I’m too busy mourning Jason Todd. But being too busy mourning Jason Todd may also mean too busy to eat, sleep, do homework, or read shortpacked.
Still gonna read dumbing of age, though.
Hmmm.
Interesting.
So I’m guessing that either we’re going to see the strip change locations, or it would be an easy way to start winding it down so Willis can focus on DoA if he so wishes.
Also, why do I suspect that Joe’s investment deal involves him getting first crack at all the new waves of Transformers? If he’s a troopbuilder, which he could afford, I pity the kid who wants to buy a Vehicon from that store.
Okay, what’s more likely: Amber and Mike are being functionally written out, or the comic is going to abandon about half a dozen characters with story arcs in progress to follow these two?
Considering Amber and Mike are among the more popular characters?
Heck if I can guess what Willis is up to.
Everyone just moves to Colorado. Nothing is tying anyone to California, anyway…*sarcasm*
Amber is popular? Huh. I thought everyone in the comments section hated her.
Well you definitely thought wrong. AFAIK, she is much-beloved. And Mike is such a brilliant asshole that he’s loved in the abstract.
I don’t see any reason that we wouldn’t be able to follow both stories though? Willis does story arcs following some characters and not others all the time. Actually, that’s just how all long-running narrative-driven pieces of entertainment work.
Well, because Amber’s story is functionally over. She’s developed confidence, self-sufficiency, a desire to stand up for herself and overall emotional stability. She’s gone from a shy recluse to one of the least quirky members of the cast.
And Mike? If Mike develops any further, he’ll eventually stop being funny.
Their stories are over. It’s time to move on.
(But of course, if they were to stick around, Something Positive handled a similar cast split very well. I think Willis could pull it off.)
Actually, now that I think about it–if Amber and Mike were disappearing, why would Willis move them to a city with a built-in supporting cast?
Unless they’ve moved, the Walkertons and the Wilcoxes still live in Denver, and between them and the Warners they have the only other kids that we’ve been introduced to. A theme suggests itself.
Apart from the proliferation of W’s.
Don’t worry, Wack’d. I hate her! Except I’m DEFINITELY in the minority, so I guess I’m an exception that proves the rule?
Nope! you’re thinking about Malaya…everybody hates her
(because she is a bitch!)
Sad, but apparently true. Willis seems to be retiring the characters introduced in Roomies (unless they’re featured in Dumbing of Age) and as much as I like the characters they’ve experience so much character growth it’s probably for the best. It’s still got a strong cast and as long as Amber, Mike, and Donna appear every so often I’ll be satisfied. Although I really did want a crossover appearance at a ponies convention with Amber and Something Positive’s Vanessa.
Um…Amber and Mike weren’t in Roomies!.
Okay, Mike was a tiny bit.
And they’re both prominent in DoA so…
Actually, they both were. Amber was Joyce’s online friend. (Joyce?! I think it was Joyce)
No, she wasn’t. They met once in a chatroom in Joyce & Walky!, though, long after Roomies! ended.
Coming Soon “Shortpacked: Denver”
Denverpacked!?
Selling Yellow Stripe action figures (sold separately). Joyce’s figure grows a creepy smile at a push of a button.. what would Mike’s action figure do?
I think the answer presents itself. (for a nickle).
If you press Joe’s nob, he hugs.
Put him in hot water and his clothes fade to just purple boxers.
Crotch-kicks. Also, the moms of other actions figures. For a nickel.
Crotch-kicks. Also, the moms of other action figures. For a nickel.
Colorado Rocky Mountainpacked!
That was my thought exactly. I think Willis is going give us a spin-off comic! Unless he hands it over to some sort of hitertho unknown apprentice of his.
Lol hitherto unknown apprentice would be awesome
Whoa, just noticed Ninja Rick doing the “Kilroy was here” thing in the back.
You can actually see Ninja Rick, Joe is already dead. D:
It’s talk like a pirate day, Ninja Rick thinks his story is under attack, and is on the warpath.
If I understand the plan properly, does this mean Galasso is one step closer to World Domination?
Yes!
Of Course!!!!
So she took a third option, still!!! saaaasdddd!! D:
Mouth farts!
I find it interesting that even in a sentence ending with Shortpacked! it must still end with a period after the exclamation mark, in case enthusiasm were interpreted.
Lol. I always exclaim Shortpacked! and say the rest of the sentence normally.
Wait, Denver is where the It’s Walky characters are! Clearly this is a ploy by Willis to drag them all back into the Walkyverse kicking and screaming.
What be the name of Conny’s chain of toy stores?
Conpacked!? Shortquest!?
CQ Toys?
Toys We R
Sandbox Surprises?
I actually kinda like CQ Toys.
Sexpacked, a real ma and pa toy store…
Yeah, I know it probably not true, but somebody had to say it.
SADNESS
Can I also, a little more coherently, say how actually groundbreaking this facet of Amber’s story is? So often in life and media representations, once a woman has a child she’s out of her job, or at the very least, has enormous difficulty ballancing work life and newly changed home life (especially since maternity leave in the US is almost non-existant compared to the rest of the world), or ends up losing her job because “her performance has been slipping”. Not to mention wage discrepencies that people still justify with women needing to take “leaves of absence” due to their period, or the fact that so few women in the workforce never get promotions because managers and CEOs always say “eventually they’ll leave because they’ll have kids”.
And here Amber is, just after having her first child, and not only did she keep her job through and after labour, she’s getting a promotion where she’ll be in charge of everything.
Thank you, Willis.
Amen to this.
I didn’t even consider this, but bravo, Willis!
more importantly, did you get a load of her boobs in that weding dress?!
awesome!
more importantly, did you get a load of her boobs in that wedding dress?!
awesome!
What sad world do you live in? In *my* world a new CEO of a large Internet company announces that she is pregnant (and was indeed pregnant before she got the job) and will be taking leave to have the baby and will then, at some point, return to being CEO of that company.
While this situation isn’t, unfortunately, the norm at present, I can still point to many, many women in high tech that have NOT allowed procreation to end their careers. Hell, I’m *married* to one.
We can only hope that this is a trend and that Amber is joining it. Kudos to David for writing this into the script.
I think you’ve all missed the important thing here:
What is McAwesome’s going to do without Mike?!
Rose is leaving too!
OH CRAP YOU’RE RIGHT!
Like, seriously. Will there be ramifications? Was Mike’s inebriated presence in some mysterious way intrinsically intertwined with the awesomeness of McAwesome’s? Will his absence lead to its demise?
What Pandora’s Box has Willis opened?
Seriously, that would be like TGWTG without the Nostalgia Critic ;D
I think you mean Spoony…..;p
Uhm…you might want to check out To Boldly Flee, then the vlog follow-up on that Vlademir1.
and you need to check The Nostolgia Chick.
The Critic is now our mutpet overlord.
“Ultra Cars father, Joe”, rofl. But then, I guess he is.
Sorry to see Amber, Mike and Donna leaving the SP family. But, as sneaky, er ingenious I mean to say, as Willis is..either the strip IS winding down, or we about to see a new branch of SP storyarcs, or we are all wrong. Time will tell. Rock on.
My guess? The second one.
What, Rock On? or ingenious?
Jesus Christ Joe has the most contented look on his face. It’s like he’s ending a motivational commercial or something.
“I’m Joe Rosenthall, and Thanks.” (smile)
JOE ROSENTHAL HERE FOR OXICLEAN!
I’m Joe Rosenthal and I approve this massage.
I’m Joe Rosenthal and I approve your mom…. for a nickel.
Oh, and of course Joe looks content. He just bought a toy store….. that will sell Transformers…. to him at cost.
Also isn’t SEMME in Denver? Is “It’s Walky!” invading “Shortpacked!”? Are we going to see more characters from the good ol’ days?
SEMME isn’t anywhere. It’s dead.
Its ex-agents still live in Denver, though, so yeah.
Hence Joe’s investment…?
Joe is investing in Shortpacked!, not Untitled Conquest Toy Store Project.
Joe is investing in a store that sells Transformers to move to his town.
Is this some elaborate ploy to have countless Community crossovers?
I am disappointed by the Warners being written out fo the comic. Amber is one of the best written characters in webcomics and Mike is a classic all on his own.
Me and my girlfreind saw the birth of our daughter three weeks after Donna was born, I liked the comics based around being a new parent recently they were things I have experienced.
Willis I hope you arent writng them out because you think there arent any more interesting things you can do with them, because trust me it aint true!
…does this mean willis is starting another comic or just sending these 3 to be occasional characters. if he’s just moving mike to be a minor character i will be very upset
Coming Soon!
You thought you had enough David Willis with Dumbing of Age, Shortpacked!, and the reposting of Roomies! (et al)….plus the Joyce/Walky wedding that’s being drawn if you paid for it….but now, Willis is announcing a fourth comic venture (fifth?)!
Shortpacked: Denver!
Come watch Mike fuck Donna’s mother for a nickle every night. With his penis. in her FAAAAAAAACE!!!!
Amazigirl teams up with the ex-Semme agents, against a dastardly villain–Orthoguy. He fights against good. With femurs.
But Orthoguy is no ordinary villain–he’s actually the reincarnated Cheese, and he’s out for revenge against yet another Head Alien (Number 6, but who’s counting)?
At the same time, Monkey Master finds love. With Sal. In a Walmart parking lot. With a six pack of beer.
I am! Original recipe, Anti-Head Alien, Head Alien II, Dexter, and D[SPOILER].
Well, a decent sign that Amber and Mike are going to stay on the comic is the banner image which was recently(?) updated to include Donna with Amber and Mike. Not a 100% sure thing but it certainly implies we’ll have future stories of Amber and Mike being parents.
Clearly you’ve never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Sorry for being slow on the uptake, but I’m not sure how this works. So Amber is NOT working for Connie, she’s going to work on a new branch of Shortpacked that Joe is funding? Is this the first instance of Galasso expanding his empire?
I believe so, though I’m not sure why it has to be in Denver. Usually the first expansion of a chain would be decently close to the original and work outward, but there’s nothing usual about Galasso.
It’s in Denver because Joe is the one investing in it, and he lives in Denver. Sure, he could invest in a store in California, but then he wouldn’t get first crack at all the new toys.
Gosh, I hope they stay in the comic frequently. It would be freaking depressing otherwise.
can’t really say i like this turn of events
please willis…don’t write amber and mike out of shortpacked!!!
Oh god, please don’t have Mike and Amber go or go into one the for pay comics. I can’t afford it. ;_;
I think Willis said he wasn’t gonna try that again.
Damn you! Damn you all, you gods damned competent bastards!
Where IS Ultracar, anyways?
And where is Shortpacked! Prime located, geographically-wise?
San Francisco.
Boobies!
And suddenly, the next comic becomes clear.
I feel like this should be good news: after all, Shortpacked! is expanding! And Amber will be running her own store! Where she’ll be making money!
Usually that’s a good thing… I’m sure Ethan will tell her such next comic. After all, sometimes things have to end for others to begin. See the recent close of the Nostolgia Critic for a potential example…
I wonder why Amber keeps dreading telling Ethan this stuff. He’s clearly going to be happy for her.
I like that the wording suggests that Donna will be helping to run the new Shortpacked!
Oh man, Amber is my favorite character. If you seriosuly put her on a bus I will…I will..I will… keep reading, but be sadface.
Wait, I’m confused. Is Amber more loyal to Galasso than her pals? I would understand her turning Connie down ’cause she wanted to keep working and living near her friends, but Colorado is very far away. So she’ll still be doing work for Galasso, but still ends up leaving her friends. Couldn’t another Shortpacked just open elsewhere in town? San Francisco is a big place, after all. That way she could at least still be in the same city. I don’t really see this as a solution to Amber’s previous dilemma. Could someone please explain to me how it is a solution?
Well choosing Galasso over Conquest means that she isn’t in direct competition with the current store. This means that her doing a good job doesn’t risk shutting down Shortpacked and everyone else losing their jobs. So really, you can see this as being more loyal to Ethan etc. than Galasso. It just so happens that the choice also benefits Galasso.
I’m still not sure how this works out, since Mike was also working two jobs before, and now he won’t be (although I’m assuming he’ll get a job at the new SP in Colorado).
Can’t answer your question about another SP in SF, except that it would be kind of weird to have them become such side characters that live in the same town but don’t actually have any reason to be at the same SP store. It makes more sense for the sake of the story to have them completely removed from the main cast.
If this is indeed what ends up happening.
Ah, OK, I can see the point now in your first paragraph. Thanks for the clarity!
I don’t like where this story is going, not one bit! Well, unless it means we’re getting a Mike and Amber! spin-off
Wait, does this mean my least favorite character (and Mike) might be leaving the comic? Or is Status Quo going to crap on my dreams?
Ah, this is the reaction I was expecting.
What’s wrong with Donna? What kind of man hates a baby that much?
THEYY SMELL!
So in the Walkyverse once you marry and have a kid (not necessarily in that order) you get put on a bus to Denver…
Just pray that a large lion is not waiting at the bus stop with you.
Oh my god, Denver? It all makes sense now.
So, the purpose of having Conquest try to entice Amber away to her new store was to entice Amber to Joe’s new store in Denver? Conquest seems superfluous to this, somehow.
Ken got laid, so I’m sure he’s happy with her involvement.
Maaaaaan, if Shortpacked were real, I could totally apply there and finally have a job! Shitty job, but still.
I am another hoping for a spin off. And with it being Denver, maybe the aliens, or some other aliens show up and SEMME gets reactivated?
I (and others, apparently) smell spin-off!
I wouldn’t mind a comic about parenthood. It wouldn’t have to focus on the store, or SEMME or anything like that. It could revolve around the couples and their kids. Plenty of characters in Denver to focus on too.
I read this strip for the comments afterwards…
Few can rival Robin for incompetence.
This is so babies it’s a maternity ward.
Aaaaand I was wrong. I thought for sure that she had accepted Connies offer. Oh well, she is still showing major growth. Amber is the Samwise Gamgee of Shortpacked!.
Wait, isn’t Robin living with Mike and Amber right now? If they’re moving, will she have to search for a new place to stay? Doesn’t Leslie have a HOUSE?
#teamrobin will never give up hope!
Sadly they were shot down on their way to their new store over the Sea of Japan by the Vietcong.
Don’t ask why they passed over the Sea of Japan or why the Vietcong shot them down.
Denver is awesome. That is all.
Mike and Amber are leaving, it won’t be long now until Ninja Rick is the only one left. Killing Spiders.
I kept wondering why Amber & Mike weren’t in the page banner.
They’re my two favorite characters. If this sucked any harder, I’d punch a baby.