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Matched, p14

July 30, 2025 by Tim


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Tarl
Tarl
27 days ago

Nope. Just nope. Emotional manipulation and controlling as hell. Would be ghosted like I was Casper’s not so friendly ghost buddy.

Merida
Merida
27 days ago
Reply to  Tarl

not sure she’d let that be an option

Eodyne
Eodyne
27 days ago
Reply to  Merida

Yeah she’s throwing a ton of “will become a stalker if you ghost” signals

Mildar
Mildar
27 days ago
Reply to  Tarl

If only somebody could see the red flags before hand. Unfortunately Ethan is not as perceptive as the whole CTRL-ALT-DEL comment section.

Someone
Someone
27 days ago
Reply to  Mildar

“The whole” is being generous considering how many horny boys went all “death by SnuSnu” or in general how many people were like “let’s give her a chance”

Ocramot
Ocramot
27 days ago
Reply to  Someone

The “giving her a chance” was at least 3 panels ago, though

Ashi
Ashi
27 days ago
Reply to  Someone

I also would wonder how many “death by SnuSnu” and “let’s give her a chance” were deliberately trying to sabotage Ethan for the funsies.

TomB
TomB
26 days ago
Reply to  Mildar

And to be fair, there’s a fair number of folks that would accept being ‘managed’ in exchange for having a partner and not being alone (and in fact, with little to do but follow the regime as it is laid out…). I’m not saying that’s a great thing or long-time forever, but I’ve seen some narcissistic people ensnare a willing victim and they get him so tight that the victim fights to stay in that situation and even stepping away from friend and even family. One of our family members (a brother-in-law of mine) stepped away from his sister, his… Read more »

Magnus
Magnus
26 days ago
Reply to  TomB

For that to be healthy, you need to *negotiate* that in *advance*.

Gonfrask
Gonfrask
27 days ago
Reply to  Tarl

Too late, she knows where Ethan works…

Daniel
Daniel
27 days ago
Reply to  Gonfrask

He can fake his death – and very convincingly too

LeHack
LeHack
27 days ago
Reply to  Daniel

Hell, maybe that’ll be how he gets out of it AND learns that he still has his powers? Would be heck of a story tie-in 😀

TomB
TomB
26 days ago
Reply to  LeHack

Canary in the mineshaft… or perhaps the rabbit in the cooking pot….

Steve
Steve
27 days ago
Reply to  Daniel

Or not very convincingly at all, if he pops right back up!

Merida
Merida
27 days ago

ew. This whole dating arc is over the top and too much ick at once

Steve
Steve
27 days ago
Reply to  Merida

Ugh, yeah, I’m a dude who’s been married over a decade, and I am finding this hard to read. Though usually when I ran into an abrasive woman it was more about anyone disagreeing with her about anything ever being literal evil to her. Not politics (though that did happen too) — one of them rejected people as having any intrinsic value over their… shoes. Like “you don’t have stylish shoes so your opinion doesn’t count.” That was an actual living, breathing human (or possibly a demon in a human skinsuit) that I once dated, but it took a while… Read more »

Esc
Esc
27 days ago
Reply to  Merida

I can’t help but wonder if she’s written so obviously because most people wouldn’t GET it otherwise.

But here I am having a hard time even believing Ethan would put up with this.

Jeff
Jeff
27 days ago

…she seems nice.

J L
J L
27 days ago
Reply to  Jeff

In a ‘probably tear out your spine if you stand up for yourself’ kind of way, sure.

Steve
Steve
26 days ago
Reply to  Jeff

Yeah – Minnesota nice (the passive aggressive variety).

Derptastic
Derptastic
27 days ago

What bothers me with this is that Ethan might be Ethan, be he’s neither sheltered nor a clueless individual. It feels a bit strange for him to be this dense about that red flag parade.

Prinny
Prinny
27 days ago
Reply to  Derptastic

When you’re being showered with affection & attraction (or what seems like it) for the first time in a long time… it’s very easy to lie to yourself, or at least simply not think straight.

Maybe after a discussion (or argument) with Lucas we’ll see Ethan giving the situation a proper think while he’s in bed trying to sleep, and realising all the red flags he’s been ignoring.

Robert
Robert
27 days ago
Reply to  Prinny

Yeah excactly, biochemistry can be horrible. It´s a pretty great depiction of how stuff we shake our heads about in hindsight develops.

Scortch
Scortch
27 days ago
Reply to  Derptastic

Agreed. I think deep down Ethan knows better. He’s just been alone for a while and hes ignoring the very obvious red flags in exchange for what he is telling himself is affection.

Austin Mills
Austin Mills
27 days ago
Reply to  Derptastic

Also, consider Ethan’s threshold for “normal.” Remember, this is the same guy who – after breaking up with Emily – thought that the postman who replaced her was Emily in disguise and didn’t think the idea of his ex-girlfriend disguising herself as a man was weird at all; he just thought it was immature.

Someone
Someone
27 days ago
Reply to  Derptastic

Ethan is in his core a nice guy (not a “nice guy”. Which means he’s not really assertive and sure about himself.

So he’s not gonna be able to keep her at bay until it reaches a boiling point.

Skorpeyon
Skorpeyon
27 days ago
Reply to  Derptastic

This is the guy who, in an alt timeline put whitening strips on his eyes instead of his teeth right after reading a warning that told him to not do exactly that. I don’t know that it’s at all out of character for him.

Esc
Esc
27 days ago
Reply to  Derptastic

I would laugh for days if Ethan said he’s just going along with this to have sex.

Bwauder
Bwauder
27 days ago

The mood flip in P2 would set my alarms and sirens screaming.
Whatever you identify as,for anyone in Ethans position its time to run/abandon ship before you lose complete control of your life.

Oyee
Oyee
27 days ago

I agree with the “Ew, ick, run for your life” IRL, but I think this arc would hit us comment section less if we could read the whole arc in one go.

Give Tim some slack, everyone telling a story deserves to have some over the top tropes every once in a while. It’s been a while since I saw a good ‘ol old-internet-crazy-bee character type.

Robert
Robert
27 days ago

Theeere it is.

Lily
Lily
27 days ago

Personally I was for giving her a chance, since even though there is some red flags, she hadn’t actually crossed any lines. She was just very assertive. This would be crossing a line though, since it isn’t being assertive but manipulative.

MJC
MJC
27 days ago
Reply to  Lily

What are you talking about? She crossed a line the moment she spoke over Ethan to change his drink order.

Lrbearclaw
Lrbearclaw
26 days ago
Reply to  MJC

I could see an argument for it being a “test”, or her own bad date trauma manifesting so she took control first. Then after that first date mellow out a bit.

But here she not only surpassed all that, she is speed running the abuser checklist.

Helldemon
Helldemon
27 days ago
Reply to  Lily

Ya, i was thinking the same. If any of it could have been excused as maybe… not understanding(?) how manipulative it is to do the things she was doing but not technically a horrible person, this clears any doubt.

Groober
Groober
27 days ago
Reply to  Lily

Agreed, but I have a feeling your commis going to downvoted to oblivion.

Jared
Jared
27 days ago

This feels a little like Borderline Personality Disorder.

Nick
Nick
27 days ago

Okay that flag is no longer red. It’s crimson!!!

Daniel
Daniel
27 days ago

The comments section here is like a choir in a greek tragedy, warning the hero of obvious mistake

Mastacheata
Mastacheata
27 days ago
Reply to  Daniel

Analog and D-Pad: The Opera – soon on Broadway?

Tim
Tim
27 days ago
Reply to  Mastacheata

I got me my ticket

Nightdagger
Nightdagger
27 days ago

So this arc is extremely uncomfortable and I’m really not liking how oblivious Ethan is to it. Like, I know he hasn’t dated in what must feel like forever but holy hell man.

This is the polar opposite of Lucas’ dating arc.

Graeme Spence
Graeme Spence
27 days ago

I had an ex just like her.
If I was busy she would cry that I was cheating.

Kick off when I had plans with friends. I stuck by it for 6 months before I realised she was slowly isolating me from friends

The Legacy
The Legacy
27 days ago
Reply to  Graeme Spence

I’m glad you got yourself away from that! 😳

Someone
Someone
27 days ago

Not gonna lie. Hoping for a Truck transporting s load of red flags to hit her outside the shop so we can skip this horror show.

Crestlinger
Crestlinger
27 days ago
Reply to  Someone

That Would be pretty funny! Isekaied to Attack on Titan.

Maz
Maz
27 days ago

YIKES. The shop is absolutely covered in all those red flags. Run and don’t look back

Imperator Ruscal
Imperator Ruscal
27 days ago
Reply to  Maz

That’s OK, Larry will take them down.

Someone
Someone
26 days ago

I don’t feel like Lamar should do Ethan’s Job

Ben Dutchman
Ben Dutchman
27 days ago

Dude, make like the flash

ears
ears
27 days ago

Good thing that happened in front of Lucas. Let’s hope he’ll be able to explain to Ethan, what Ethan himself is unable to grasp here.

MarkH
MarkH
27 days ago
Reply to  ears

You mean Larry, right?

Someone
Someone
26 days ago
Reply to  MarkH

Lenny yes

FITCamaro
FITCamaro
27 days ago

Still on the train that this is Captain “Love me or I crush your head between my thighs” Prime

GeorgeV
GeorgeV
26 days ago
Reply to  FITCamaro

Out of curiosity, have you looked at any Captain Prime appearances lately? Gender and maybe hair style are about the only thing her and Nicole have in common. They look and act nothing alike.

Blue Griffin
Blue Griffin
27 days ago

I’m actually curious how he got matched up with her. They don’t seem to mesh well. Usually a dating app tries to recommend/pair people that would seem to be compatible?

Or was this just swipe based on looks/who’s in your area?

Harinezumi
Harinezumi
27 days ago
Reply to  Blue Griffin

I would have loved to have such a dating app when I was single, but I have never seen one that went beyond basic parameters like the type of relationship one is looking for or if someone wants children. Of course, that is much harder to actually quantify…

GeorgeV
GeorgeV
27 days ago
Reply to  Blue Griffin

That kind of matching does rely on both parties being honest on their profile. I doubt there are many profiles openly going ‘abusive personality looking for victim’, they’ll put something like ‘nice and caring’ that would match with their intented target.

And the video game shared interest probably played a role.

Alcor
Alcor
26 days ago
Reply to  Blue Griffin

It’s clear she lied. She didn’t even put a picture of herself that accurately showed what she looked like, who knows what else was wrong in that profile.

GeorgeV
GeorgeV
26 days ago
Reply to  Alcor

That’s not really true, according to Ethan she actually did look exactly like her picture. Just a lot taller than he was expecting.

Technically there could have been a lie about her height somewhere , but it seems more likely that it simply didn’t come up and Ethan just assumed wrong (or missed it somewhere).

There are plenty of actual red flags, no need to make up false ones.

CTOWNS
CTOWNS
25 days ago
Reply to  Blue Griffin

Abusers don’t advert themselves as such.

Sayer
Sayer
27 days ago

This is like figuring out the entire plot of a movie in the first scene and then having to watch it anyway.

Prinny
Prinny
27 days ago
Reply to  Sayer

You say that like it’s a bad thing 😉

Ok, ok, I get why it *can* be a bad thing, but the execution matters a lot too. And I’m enjoying this arc even as we’re all yelling at Ethan just how many red flags this woman is throwing at him 😆

Eodyne
Eodyne
27 days ago

Hopefully as soon as the door closes behind Lucas is like “Dude…we gotta talk…”

Nik
Nik
27 days ago

I reiterate:

Run Ethan.
Run away now.*

*I had a friend in college who had a girlfriend like this.
Trust me psycho bitches be psycho.

naustghoul
naustghoul
27 days ago

Going for a ride on the crazy train sounds fun… until the rails come off. Then later there’s running, screaming, and general fun for people watching that do not know you.

Take. The. Hint.

Nik
Nik
27 days ago
Reply to  naustghoul

RIP Ozzy.

Robert
Robert
27 days ago
Reply to  naustghoul

Mixing some metaphors there?

Christophelus
Christophelus
27 days ago

Maybe Ethan accidentally joined a dom/sub dating site.

Esc
Esc
27 days ago
Reply to  Christophelus

This would be really funny. Like, I don’t even get what is motivating her? Even if you are a control freak why make him drink a different beer?

Alcor
Alcor
26 days ago
Reply to  Esc

To see if he will let her do it. If he fights back, she finds a weaker target.

Someone
Someone
26 days ago
Reply to  Christophelus

Those are red flags even in BDSM relationships. Actually.. ESPECIALLY in BDSM -relationships

J C
J C
27 days ago

I see that Lucas is as impressed with her as the rest of us.

Richard Weatherfield
Richard Weatherfield
27 days ago

Aaaaand three strikes. You’re out. This woman has some deep seated issues that will only make Ethan’s life hell for the foreseeable future. I was wary when she changed his drink order. I was concerned when she made him change his clothes to the point of going shopping for new ones. I am now a full on counselor for Camp Runthefuckaway.

Hopefully Ethan gets rid of her quickly.

Quarter
Quarter
27 days ago

I love how uncomfortable this is. I’ve been in an abusive relationship that felt a lot like this. Despite what people are saying, it never looks so scary from the inside. That’s why it works, especially if you’re emotionally vulnerable like Ethan is.

Andhaka
Andhaka
27 days ago

Ok, red flags all the way.

Is she going to flip at some point and “kill” Ethan so to finally resolve the serum thingy?

cheers

TRwolf
TRwolf
27 days ago

Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Well, here we go. This is how we find out his powers still work, a stabbing from a manipulative controlling GF, or EX GF if it makes it that far.

Vladimir
Vladimir
27 days ago

Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer / We’ll keep the red flag flying here.

Kasey
Kasey
27 days ago

I wonder if this will turn into a “me or nobody” situation where we find out the hard way if Ethan has his powers or not (with a nod towards you don’t need to be super to be a villian). I kinda hope not but Tim has hit upon sensitive topics like that in the past.

chargersfan
chargersfan
27 days ago

My guess is that Ethan eventually sees the light and breaks it off with her; she knows where he works now so she starts stalking him, eventually leading to her figuring out his alter ego.

Depending on just how bananas this girl is, she might, down the road, join or maybe take over the troll army.

Just a guess. My aplogies if this was discussed in the comment section prior; I don’t read all of them.

Terminatus Maximus
Terminatus Maximus
27 days ago
Reply to  chargersfan

Well, good thing Larry is dating a cop!

Terminatus Maximus
Terminatus Maximus
27 days ago

Can we stop this storyline? Or at least have her get raped to death by angry gorillas? I am normally a pretty chill guy but this arc doesn’t sit well with me and I find it extremely offputting, makes me almost agressive even. I mean I come here to be entertained and because I love the characters, not to be triggered!

Last edited 27 days ago by Terminatus Maximus
Jay
Jay
26 days ago

Wow, what a take. And yeah, sure. That response definitely signals “chill guy”.

So sorry to hear that this triggers you, but I like that Tim is providing a gender-flipped and not at all exaggerated representation of what is a very common lived experience for many women unfortunate enough to go on a date with any guy who listens to the advice of the Manosphere red-pill troglodytes with a podcast mic from Trust Me Bro University.

Sayer
Sayer
26 days ago
Reply to  Jay

I mean I guess this is valid, but it’s still weird to me that despite there being many men in the comments who relate directly to the situation, you’re still processing this as “a gender flipped female experience”

Jay
Jay
25 days ago
Reply to  Sayer

You’re right. Just because it does happen disproportionately more often to women than men doesn’t mean this exact scenario isn’t representative of some men’s experiences. That was a valid callout, and I appreciate it. I think that the larger issue is often the power dynamics at play. Since more often than not, men who are controlling and manipulative like this are also capable of physically dominating their partner, it becomes more dangerous than when a woman is emotionally manipulative and toxic in this way towards a man. Although, in this instance I think Nicole could physically overpower Ethan, which is… Read more »

Last edited 25 days ago by Jay
Someone
Someone
26 days ago

You know. One of the main reasons I hate the current storyline is, because i was sexually assaulted by someone like her. And like Ethan i wasn’t the kinda person with the willpower to defend myself against it.

This being said. Even Nicole appears like the nicest and sanest person in the world compared to you.

You need to be a certain kind of fucked up to demand someone to be raped to death. Even more so if you thought it was some sort of joke (which I’m sure it wasn’t)

The Legacy
The Legacy
26 days ago
Reply to  Someone

I’m sorry that happened to you. 🥺 It’s scary to see that more than one guy in this comments section has said the same thing about their own personal experiences about being S.A.’d by a woman. It’s good that the MeToo movement happened because a lot of women get S.A.’d, but I also know that a lot of men hold an incredible amount of shame and don’t really talk about it if it happens to them. This storyline is a little uncomfortable for me too, but I also think this needs to play out because it doesn’t get talked about… Read more »

Someone
Someone
25 days ago
Reply to  The Legacy

Usually when something like this is shown in Comics or movies it’s also mostly shown in the same way it’s shown here or in invincible. The woman being somehow stronger and physically overpowering the man. Or it’s being played for laughs like in “Kill the Boss” where Sandra Bullocks character drugs and then assaults the guy. Reality can be a lot more brutal. Regardless of gender. Humans have 4 ways how we react in a dangerous situation. Fight Flight Freeze Fawn And if we’re scared, we chose the solution which we think allows us to survive it the best way.… Read more »

Tim
Tim
26 days ago

“Did I say I’m not into this? I already explained my confusion. Would you like to know what I did have planned? Perhaps you’d be interested in that? Maybe we can make time to do your thing AND my thing? No? Not interested in a plan that isn’t yours? Okay then, sounds like you made the decision for us. Imagine that. Enjoy your meal”

Giggity Goo
Giggity Goo
26 days ago

Ah… Ethan’s finally showing some concern over the plans she’s making without consulting him or considering his actual life. Granted, it’s concern over the entire wrong aspects of it… but… progress? For everyone (including myself) who was debating if she’s secretly actually Deathblood… I feel like even Deathblood would be like “yeah…. that’s a definite red flag.” I’m now leaning more into the camp of her going full aggro when he cuts it off and we find out that he CAN respawn. And she goes to jail. And also, that would out his identity as it would be Ethan respawning,… Read more »

Sayer
Sayer
26 days ago
Reply to  Giggity Goo

Guh! Obviously she’s Zeke! :eyeroll:

will scott
will scott
26 days ago

her breaking ethan is what will prove he still immortal i can see it.

Sweetos
Sweetos
26 days ago

This is fun, I can see Ethan totally getting married here.

Demotis
Demotis
26 days ago

She is going to break him.

Concerned
Concerned
26 days ago

Sorry, but as much of a fan of CAD as I am, I’m noping out of this arc. This is triggering my PTSD – I was in a toxic relationship very similar to this which became emotionally abusive and involved a lot of gaslighting and DARVO. It is hitting FAR too close to home. If Tim is watching, I’d strongly appreciate an idea of how long this arc will be continuing so that I know when I can resume reading.

Kif
Kif
26 days ago

Yes, we all agree she’s a toxic pile of red flags. BUT am I the only one who still wants to see the story unfold? Ethan is a fictional character, zero harm comes from exploring letting the scenario play out and exploring the consequences. And it might even help people in the audience learn how to recognize the signs, and to avoid getting in that situation, or to recognize that they are in that situation, or even how not to become a Nicole. Let’s face it, Lilah is still a long way out, and a healthy relationship with someone else… Read more »

Robert 'CockRoach' Archer
Robert 'CockRoach' Archer
26 days ago
Reply to  Kif

No you’re not the only one, I’m here for the story both the good and bad.

Qstknight
Qstknight
26 days ago

I’m thinking dude looks like a lady….

Bogdan
Bogdan
26 days ago

If she’s such a red flag, you could at least draw her butt better.

Jack
Jack
25 days ago

I don’t think it’s the case, but wouldn’t it be interesting if Tim made it so over the top to force people who are like this to finally understand how toxic it is?

ZFTX
ZFTX
25 days ago

From henceforth, Lucas shall be known by the name Larry!

Phire
Phire
23 days ago

Okay, I was iffy before but this is the point I’ve already ducked out of seeing someone the moment they became controlling to that degree.

Shona-SoF
Shona-SoF
23 days ago

Noooope. Not a chance. I like free will.

The Masked Platypus
The Masked Platypus
20 days ago

Still want to love her.
Still can’t