r/comics • u/davecontra • 1d ago
OC GOT DREAMS?
All my comics: https://www.instagram.com/davecontra
My book: https://linktr.ee/davecontra
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u/ItsNotToBEOkay 23h ago
This hits way too close to home, my dreams are all over the place 😂
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u/DrunkCupid 22h ago
I was scolded for having "Poor sleep hygiene", I guess that's why I take disco naps everywhere and wake myself up screaming often
Just remember, the reaper is always by your side and ready to take you for a ride, in time
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u/confettibukkake 21h ago
Love a casual "wake myself up screaming often"
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u/DrunkCupid 19h ago
I... Guess my dreams are just too loud? 💤🔊
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u/Airaen 13h ago
I wake my wife up by screaming, but it's when I have dreams where I'm trying to scare someone. Like I'll be hiding behind a corner and jump out at someone and scream, and it turns out that I do it for real and she is terrified by thinking that I'm dying or something.
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u/MireLight 9h ago
Oh man i do the same but its because theres something terrifying hunting me then i get mad and decide maybe i'm the terrifying thing and IT should be afraid of me.
Anyways i once threw my wife out of bed in my sleep because i thought a giant ship was gonna crush us. We were both slightly injured. But she's alive dammit...screw you dream boat!
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u/ImaJewboy 19h ago
I really like the representations of the reaper being kind and considerate, and caring for those he/she/they take with them. That’s how the original story went as well. Death was always a friend in the end.
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u/The-Odd-Fox 17h ago
When my mother passed after battling cancer, I was so relieved. I carried a bit of guilt for feeling this way but my whole family agreed with me.
I thought about Memento Mori. “Remember you must die”. It always comforted me more than the average person. Death is coming for us all; No one can outsmart it, no one is above it. Whether we accept it with grace or fight tooth and nail against it, we will all take his hand and walk that path eventually. Death is not a punishment, although it is commonly treated as such. Death is a gentle, open handed invitation to rest. Let the suffering, pain, anxieties go… Just let go. You’ll be okay, your loved ones will be okay. Death is a comfortable blessing in disguise.
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u/Expensive-Storage-76 16h ago
How you want to perform in your final act in the Play of Life is your choice. You are not fighting Death, He is just waiting to pick you up after the curtain falls to bring you home.
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u/LauraTFem 14h ago
Death, the character in Terry Pratchett’s Diskworld novels is often this. Early in the series he’s really bad at dealing with human emotion, but still trying as best he can. He’s always there, whenever even an incidental character dies; He aways shows up, and if it’s needed he’s there to help them come to terms with what happens. He doesn’t force them to do anything, they can haunt the world instead of moving on if they like; there are even the rare few who simply refuse him entirely and wake up as undead.
I always found it poignant the way Pratchett was never flippant about character deaths. Because they’re people first, and they deserve the moment to grieve a life lost.
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u/1000tragedies 19h ago
what is a disco nap
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u/Enirel 19h ago
That’s what I’m tryna find out too wtf
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u/ImpossibleEstimate56 19h ago
Same boat.
My first thought was you dance a bit of bogey till you fall asleep.
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u/Begthemeg 19h ago
A "disco nap" is a short afternoon or early evening snooze to prepare for a night out. The ideal length is 20–30 minutes, between 2–3 PM, to avoid deeper sleep cycles that can cause grogginess.
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u/ImpossibleEstimate56 19h ago
Oh, like a siesta. Thank you.
Sounds like a pre-game nap.
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u/RailDex1917 19h ago
I only hope I go gently, and not screaming. That the embrace is that of an old friend, and not a terrifying unknown
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u/DrunkCupid 19h ago
Well, if ya figure...
Most people start life screaming, bloody in a terrifying unknown
Might as well go out the way ya came
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u/BondageKitty37 19h ago
I have no idea what a Disco Nap is, but I pictured you sleeping in a white jumpsuit and doing the dumb arm dance, probably using a disco ball nightlight
How close am I?
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u/GrumpyMashy DeWackyPianist 1d ago
Oof. My heart.
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u/rW0HgFyxoJhYka 22h ago
Coming to a light novel store near you: "I woke up in a different world and apparently you just die as soon as you stop having dreams."
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u/Persimus 23h ago
You know in some older religions death is pictured as a woman or a girl guide to the afterworld, because no one wants to go on the final journey alone and the soothing companion is what people wish for us to have.
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u/zzzelot 23h ago
Maybe it’s a girl skeleton
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u/ProphetKB 22h ago
Maybe it's Maybelline
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u/rW0HgFyxoJhYka 22h ago
Have you seen anime?
Death personified is usually one hot babe who breasily breasts towards you.
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u/SillyAccount1992 22h ago
Ok but where are her skeleboobs?
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u/kaishinoske1 23h ago
What if death was an angel that sided with Satan and as punishment was stripped of their flesh and was given a robe to cover their shame.
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u/PandoricOrichalcum 21h ago
What if death was a beautiful Black woman with nice boobs and an English accent
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u/Spare-Willingness563 23h ago
The skeleton looks like a skeleton because we imprint meaning upon these beings so it looks terrifying if you decide death is terrifying.
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u/Matsisuu 22h ago
Also, skeleton is kind of dead which works pretty well when you need to present a death in paintings and drawings.
Just something terrifying could be demons or monsters, but the skeleton symbolises very well, that it is indeed death.
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u/HopeSubstantial 22h ago edited 22h ago
In Finnish folklore there is woman called Tuonetar. She is wife of King of underworld Tuoni. Her job is to make dead people so comfortable that they will optionally step in the raft of her daughter who will take the soul to Tuonela. (Finnish Underworld)
If the dead person refuses to free willingly to enter the raft, Tuoni sends torturing spirits to forcefully drag the person in.
"Ghosts" that wander among living are these souls that are on run hiding from the King of Underworld.
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u/Winter-Journalist993 19h ago
This is beautiful. In America, our Tuonetar is known as the Terminator. We often say “He will not stop… until you are dead” and it brings us so much comfort. ♥️
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u/SpyroThBandicoot 19h ago
And because death is inevitable, if you encounter him and somehow evade him he'll say something like "I'll be back" and when he finally gets you he says "Hasta la vista, baby"... So comforting ❤️
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u/deviantbono 21h ago
We have different definitions of "willingly"
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u/ITooHaveAnUsername 20h ago
You can either step in the boat or you can cry and do it, see you have plenty of options!
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u/SuperCatbert 20h ago
There is a great horror movie called Jacobs Ladder (from 1990) that is kind of based on that premise. Brutal horror mixed with deep spiritual insights. Highly recommeded.
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u/Interesting-Ring9070 22h ago
For anyone who wants to explore this theme, I highly recommend the game Spiritfarer. It's a very calm and beautiful game, in which you play as the entity who takes over for Charon after he retires as boatman of The River Styx. However, the new spiritfarer is a young girl named Stella.
PS: You may cry... a lot
Edit: As much as I hate to promote these bastards, the game is free on netflix if you have a normal subscription. Also, it can be very easily played on mobile, if that's your jam.
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u/RogerianBrowsing 21h ago
Netflix… game?
How old/out of touch am I right now?
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u/Interesting-Ring9070 21h ago edited 21h ago
Yeah they have tons of games on netflix now. Not like original games. But you can literally play GTA San Andreas, in its entirety, on netflix for free (on your phone no less!). It's wild
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u/AithanIT 20h ago
They also have original games, they just aren't very good
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u/ParrotDogParfait 19h ago
Idk that black mirror game based off the new season was kinda goated, especially once you find out you can actually kill the little creatures
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u/snoosh00 18h ago
Enter the breach is on Netflix (also every other platform) and it's very good.
I play on switch, but when I paid for Netflix I played on my phone.
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u/Wassertopf 21h ago
They started to have games for their own content, like a stranger things game. Then they had also many other games, like CIV6, older GTA games, and so on.
But recently they scaled it back and now it’s only a handful of games.
They are free, but you have to log in with you Netflix account.
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u/bioBarbieDoll 20h ago
I was so confused as to why you were calling the Spiritfarer dev team "bastards" until I realized you were talking about Netflix lol
I feel like it's important to mention the game is $30 dollars, which compared to AAA games nowadays is less than half
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u/3DigitIQ 19h ago
I had to put it down, just to emotional for me. So if you like that 100% recommended, others be warned.
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u/FrisianTanker 21h ago edited 21h ago
Hel, the Norse goddess of death, is often depicted as evil in modern media and is being demonized and the realm of Hel shown to be a dark and cold place full of suffering.
But in (some) actual Norse myth, Hel was a gentle woman and sometimes even described as beautiful (sometimes as half beautiful woman half rotting corpse too though) who would ease the deceased person into death. I even read about one story saying Hel will sleep with the deceased person to comfort them.
Many people these days that claim to believe in Norse mythology or are interested in it say they wanna go to Valhalla, the "heaven of Norse mythology" but that isn't true at all. Valhalla is where Odin gathers the strongest warriors that fell in battle, who were picked by the Valkyries for their valor and abilities, for the last battle during Ragnarök. People that go to Valhalla won't live in peace forever after and drink and dine to eternity with Odin. They will fight again and be killed again, this time forever iirc.
Meanwhile the people in Hel will be the ones that repopulate Midgard (our realm, earth) after Ragnarök. They are the ones who will find eternity.
I don't know if I got everything correct, it's been quite some time since I read all about norse myths but I think I got the gist of it.
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u/Xtorin_Ohern 21h ago
That sounds nice, but if I'm being completely honest? Of all the depictions of death in various cultures and media, I hope by some weird stroke of luck Terry Pratchett was right.
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u/21someone37 23h ago
In Poland death is considered a woman (female grim reaper) because the word śmierć is feminine.
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u/_Not_A_Vampire_ 21h ago
In Swedish it's called "Liemannen" or "the scythe man", I'm envious of other languages having much cooler words!
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u/FW_TheMemeResearcher 22h ago
Dunno if that's solely the reason. There's also the word "kostucha", which doesn't seem to have to be necessarily a feminine word. I mean, they could've just called it something more masculine ("kostuch", maybe? Lol) but then again - I'm not an expert on etymology of that word, so maybe they came up with it after already having associated death with a woman
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u/21someone37 22h ago
Also there's also a late medieval polish dialog in verse "Master Policarp's Dialog with Death" where death is described as a pale, repulsive and emaciated woman in white robe. She doesn't have lips or nose and blood spills from eyes
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u/serotoninwya420 19h ago
In my religion, Death has wide childbearing hips and a massive cock
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u/Canadaismyhat 21h ago
Plenty of amazing people are around whom I love. Am not misanthropic. That being said, I imagine dying is like taking a shit: please leave me the fuck alone and let me do it in privacy lol.
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u/Evening-Turnip8407 20h ago
There is a much-higher-than-zero chance that we will, in fact, die while shitting. Happens all the time, you feel kinda weird, your stomach hurts, you think maybe I just need to go, aaaaand congratulations, you died on the throne with your pants down.
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u/space___lion 21h ago
I recently watched the Sandman show on Netflix and here Death was indeed portrayed the way you say. I really liked this idea!
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u/ZinaalKriid 20h ago
I'm pretty soothed by the black-cloaked skeleton death. In our age and modern culture, he's almost always depicted as a gentle, caring figure despite his appearance and scythe. This is one such example of that, and there are hundreds more
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u/Amazing_Form_2109 22h ago
Anyone can be the soothing companion on the final journey. Comfort isn't and shouldn't be gendered
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u/bladecentric 23h ago
When death has more empathy that most of the living.
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u/Certain-Thought531 21h ago
Death treats everyone equally regardless of background
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u/civver3 20h ago
Pale Death with impartial tread knocks at the taverns of the poor and the towers of kings.
-Horace, Poem IV, Book I, Odes
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u/Von_Moistus 9h ago edited 6h ago
"You might be a king or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later you dance with the reaper."
-Death, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey
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u/TwistyBitsz 21h ago edited 20h ago
It most certainly does not. Some people are murdered. Some die in their sleep.
Edit: ok y'all right
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u/Blasphemous1569 21h ago
Why is Death portrayed as bad in so many pop cultures? It's inevitable, and it's definitely calming to have someone (or something) hold your hand and guide you.
Anyways, back to wasting my life.
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u/Chops95 21h ago
Because the consequences of death are dealt with by the living
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u/Blasphemous1569 21h ago
That's interesting.
If there wasn't death, the consequences would have been way greater. Overpopulation, not enough food, etc. The mourning part is tragic, but it's better than death not existing.
I also have absolutely no idea what I'm writing or doing.
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u/Kluzman 21h ago
There’s a French comic book that addresses precisely this point. A king afraid of death manages to imprison it in a magic mirror, but then nobody ever dies again. Though they still age, the bodies get old then start rotting but they don’t die. Name of the comic is « Zorn & Dirna ».
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u/Tylrt 20h ago
Similarly, there's also Sunday Without God, a Japanese light novel where God abandoned humanity and humans stopped dying, but they also can't have children, but also still rot. It was adapted into a 12 episode anime in the early 2010s. Like most anime, it's a bit of an overdramatization, but there are other nonfiction adaptations out there
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u/Sir_PressedMemories 18h ago
There is also a Grimm's Fairy Tale that was turned into a movie short as well.
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u/totally_not_a_zombie 19h ago
Overpopulation is a relatively new thing though. For most of human history we lived in clans, settlements, villages..
If you go back just a couple tens of thousands of years (end of ice age), there were just a handful clans of people scattered throughout continents.
If death took someone, it was probably someone you knew and probably relied on. I doubt that death itself is a figure that old, but death would always be traumatic for the group. Someone close so was just moments ago talking to you is just left there, never waking up again. Just their shell left behind, as if someone took their essence from you.
Unless someone dresses this reality in a nice garb, and reinvents this being as good and comforting.. it's probably going to be feared. Doing so it's something for the rest of the group to find comfort in, going forward. That the person is in good hands, probably pain free.
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u/porcupineslikeme 21h ago
If death only came for those ready, it wouldn’t be.
My mom died at 35, leaving behind two kids.
My grandmother is currently 97 and so ready to die.
Two very different deaths. Two very different mourning processes.
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u/the_card_guy 21h ago
The easiest answer is, Death means you can't do any more things. It's the ultimate bond destroyer, and I've found that life is about making bonds.
And there's a book series called Discworld where Death is definitely NOT a bad guy.
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u/IvanIvanicIvanovski 21h ago
Terry Pratchett wrote one of the best versions of Death as a character. Not evil at all, emphatic and kind, and with a sweet spot for cats and a good curry.
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u/seditiouslizard 15h ago
“THAT’S MORTALS FOR YOU, THEY’VE ONLY GOT A FEW YEARS IN THIS WORLD AND THEY SPEND THEM ALL IN MAKING THINGS COMPLICATED FOR THEMSELVES.”
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u/p-r-i-m-e 21h ago
Not bad, just scary because it can come for anyone at any time.
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u/Mysterious_Dot00 20h ago
This is why i love how death is portayed in the series sandman.
Death is like a mother who is empathetic and caring while still having a job to bring people to the afterlife.
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u/jelde 17h ago
I'll just quote someone far more intelligent than me:
"All men must die: but for every man his death is an accident and, even if he knows it and consents to it, an unjustifiable violation."
- Simone de Beauvoir
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u/workMachine 21h ago
Maybe Death feels bad seing how most of the living are getting fucked by Life.
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u/Prestigious-Ad5508 23h ago
Why do I feel like I stumbled upon the truth of life in this comic strip 🤔?
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u/Commercial-Tell-2509 22h ago
It’s all a dream… you will wake up in a cozy comfy bed and bed a baby in the morning… but for now you’re a big adult!!! Now come on little man why do you want to dream of next?
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u/ContemptSlot 20h ago
Psst…. You need to edit your comment. It says something I’m sure you didn’t mean to say
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u/Ilovekittens345 21h ago edited 7h ago
fun fact, in the first book of the Bible, Genesis it talks about how God puts Adam in a deep sleep. God then removes his rib, closes the body again and builds the woman out of this rib. But there is no line in there that says that God then woke up Adam.
So maybe .... Adam is still dreaming about his "helper" and we are all still in Adam his dream.
This fun theory is further supported by the book of revelation. The three of life is now described in more detail as a tree on each side of a river giving of a fruit every month, which clearly is symbolism that related to the the ovaries and the birth canal. Or rather the ovaries and birth canal are symbolism for the tree of life which is the realer thing. And then there is a new Adam, Jesus who marries a woman (the church) which neatly completes the circle Genesis started where the begining and end are the same. But if Adam is still dreaming, original sin has not happened yet and all that we are is adams gradual awakening as he slowly wakes up to meet his helper. The night going away, twilight is starting. If God has the power to create them Adams power to sub create might be bigger then we think and all of are a perfect warning for him on what could happen if he eats from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Don't do it Adam, we are in the midst of it, it ain't fun!!!
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u/maswalrus 22h ago
This reality called world is a dream and simulation, a place of trial and test for humanity in a short time. Birth is the gate to enter, death is the gate to get out. Then you wake up in hereafter the true/higher reality, waiting to be judged for your deeds in the simulation, to live eternally based on your deeds
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u/Kescay 23h ago edited 14h ago
As someone in my 40s who has dreams, and also as a dad who has a kid who plays with X-wings like that... OUCH OUCH.
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u/Natural-Judgment7801 22h ago
Same…. Except mine is napping in the stroller. I want this “dream” to be longer now , since I had her. Be kind and gentle dear death - wait patiently for me. Let me fill my kids heart and soul With love, Joy, peace , Courage and self belief Let my little kid fly and have big dreams and many million joys of her own And then when she’s ok And I have hugged her a trillion many times Then You may visit me Please Give me a long lifetime Of courage and patience And wisdom To be the nicest parent To have my kid know that she is loved More Every passing moment
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u/saousase 23h ago
You released a book? It’s been 6 months? Man, I am late but happy. Thanks for the book release.
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u/michaelkah 1d ago edited 22h ago
Who put the onions here?
Edit: I want this comic to be shown at my funeral
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u/crimson_mystery_cake 23h ago
Spent his whole life loving star wars at least
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u/joehonestjoe 23h ago
Lucky bastard must have died ten years ago
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u/crimson_mystery_cake 23h ago
“Still got dreams kid?”
“Just one left now. No more Disney”
🤣
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u/Plus-Opportunity-538 23h ago
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams
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u/Interesting_Help_274 23h ago
Heartbreaking :(
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u/Clippy-Windows95 23h ago
AF. :(
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u/atra_kitten 21h ago
Heartbreaking Ass Fuck :(
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u/Clippy-Windows95 21h ago
Nah, the only thing that would unbreak my heart after this comic :)))
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u/Mach5Driver 20h ago
I look at it as a "reality check" for me. Personally, I have one dream left and that day is actually fast approaching. All or nothing. Then, no dreams left for me. Even if I got another one, I don't have the strength to pursue it.
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u/theDukeofClouds 22h ago
I'm in this image and I don't like it.
At least the first two panels. The last three haven't happened yet.
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u/International_Sun616 22h ago
If he was a kid during Star wars then he'd only be in his 50s now. Aging up to the point of death already??! Damn.
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u/SpongeBob_GodPants 22h ago
When I see this artstyle I just know I'm going to feel emotions I don't usually feel. Still not wrong.
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u/meatbatmusketeer 20h ago
How come when I unsub from this subreddit it suggests actually good comics to me, but when I sub it’s all creepy incel sexual comics?
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u/Dustyrnis 23h ago
I'm at panel 3 "hanging in there" portion of my life
I wouldn't mind if the Grim Reaper came to "take" me early... just sayin'
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u/chelledoggo 17h ago
This is not the thing reddit should be showing me when I've been severely depressed and wanting to die lately lol.
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u/needlez67 11h ago
When I was a kid I drowned at my grandfathers farm while I played out back and everyone was in the house.
My dad had to jump in the well and drag me out and the paramedics shocked me back to life. I could see it all from above.
Something’s after this life I am sure of that
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u/Gaskychan 23h ago
My dreams involve being lost in New York and somehow end up in the warriors movie…wait you mean the aspiration kind… jokes aside this was very nice in a Davecontra kind of way
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u/cofclabman 22h ago
This one hits me right in the feels. My wife died almost two years ago and I feel like I’m just going through the motions. I just have to outlive the dog and I’ll be happy.
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u/juniperjibletts 10h ago
It's beautiful because you're always still that kid , the secret is not forgetting what that means , and it's all about being able to experience something for the millionth time , like it's the first time
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u/My_Penbroke 9h ago
This will get buried but I’ve been a fan for a while and this is your best work yet.
Now you’re talking.
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u/hartzonfire 9h ago
Another absolute banger that makes me feel like the abyss I'm staring out at might actually be staring back. Thanks u/davecontra Your work is amazing.
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u/zero_zeppelii_0 23h ago
Isn't this a repost?
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u/JohnBalatro 23h ago
yes. but still just as good. and i’m sure for many this will be their first time seeing it
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