Been through this, too. Art coming from a place of pain.

Well, it's completely true that clever people are kinky! Everyone knows that! ^.^

Hehe yup totally true my squirrel buddy. And whether we tell people about those kinks is up to us in the end. ^_^

I have 201 IQ and I am studying for a PhD in economics, and masters in law and political philosophy so it seems to be true.

From what I have researched there seems to be a correlation between high performance work, high intelligence, and tertiary education, and the desire to achieve the opposite in the form of loss of control, intellectual "numbness", and stability.

Wait how much time has passed her hair just magically changed back. Not complaining

This is a flashback page.

It's a flashback

Okay

Damn... almost got to tell her!

*Rolls up a newspaper and lightly taps Matt on the head* "No! Bad Matt!"

Badddddd Matt

350?
Oh my.

Yeah, I've been in a similar situation before where ABDL comes up and everyone says how gross it is. Makes me feel super awkward and gross.

People are fast to judge things they don't understand. And it's easier to just judge something than to actually learn about it.

Like Star said: When you are into something and not hurting anyone, do what you want and not let others kinkshame you.

Yeah...my folks are like this.
Anything they don't understand automatically bad.
Me wanting to be a child to escape the stress of adulthood? I don't understand it...BAD!
I hate people like that. What's worse, it's always your family that say it...just... 😡

"You can't claim something is weird or bad until you understand all sides of it"
Words I live by, and why I don't judge kinks based on front appearance

Furries life in a nut shell just a bunch of misunderstood peeps

Matt I swear mmmmmmaaaaaattttttttt iwouldhavehurthimBAD

It's not really his fault. Like I think if he for one second thought his sister was I to that stuff he would be mortified to have upset her. It's not like malicious because he doesn't know it effects someone in the room

He's still a dick for judging people like that. If I were there I'd have chewed him out even if it wasn't my fetish.

Yup same here

I'm not technically an abdl, more of a regressor (stress, etc) (also as you can likely tell I have 0 issue with abdl/babyfur/etc) but I will honestly defend people even if I don't really understand. You don't have to understand things to respect them and avoid hurting people.

Matt I swear mmmmmmaaaaaattttttttt iwouldhavehurthimBAD

This. 100% this. I was at work discussing music with a work friend and I brought up Melanie Martinez and they mentioned the ddlg / age play themes in her music and videos. I mentioned that she's gone on record that it was all a shtick her label made her do. They were said, "good those people are sick and should be burned to death. "

This person was pretty progressive & open minded so I was thoroughly shocked. Terrified. Ashamed.


Said "whatever people do in private, if everyone consents and is an adult, I don't mind or judge. "

It was a shocking reminder that not everyone who is friendly is your friend.

I mean, Star technically didn't lie

But man, booo-urns to the others for being jerks

Now I'm curious what Elly's is?

I dunno it could be anything. Even CLOWNS

clowns are scary

as someone with Cholrophobia to an extreme level I agree. I can't be near clowns without my pulse spiking and my adrenaline pumping through me like I'm in about to go into a brawl with someone who is just as trained as me and a little heavier.

The kink shame for ABDL is so freaking real, and the dialogue here on this page really hits home. It's always a moment of internal shuttering when your kink comes up and people are determined to be uncool about it. Then you're left sitting there like "hahaha sure right, those people sure are weird..."
ಠ﹏ಠ

Complete apathy can also be quite devastating. That they just don't want to talk about it. If they hate it then you can push against them. But if they are indifferent then you feel indifferent as well.

Strangly enough I had an event like this happen but it went the complete other direction. They were talking about kinks and stuff and someone mentioned abdl. Of course I got really nervous and fidgety but something I never expected happened. One person compared it to pedophilia and everyone else dismissed him on it. Telling him it was a separate thing entirely. And that those people aren't to be compared to pedos. I hadn't said much but from what was said, everyone treated the kink with respect? It was confusing but, in the end they saw it as strange but not perverse or wrong.

Thats a really lovely story. I do think people are becoming more aware and more tolerant, but thats offset by those less tolerant being louder about it :) But thanks heaps for sharing that. its important to remember that different people have different stories so this is a good example of that. That not everyones experiences are the same.

Especially the zoomer generation. I'm so jealous of the kids growing up now with so much better LGBT support, mental health services, and more understanding peers.

In fairness my parents know I'm an AB and they're fine with it oddly the group of folk who did this to me in real life were in the 18-25 age bracket at the time

God I remember I was at a point where this would cripple me.

Now, the last time I heard someone mouthing off about ABDL stuff, I knocked him so hard in the jaw he lost a tooth.

(Granted me and him and everyone present were very drunk but at least he knows better than to kink shame now)

*gives hugs to all the precious beans who felt this one in their soul*

Good God that feeling of exposing fetishes to others and getting the vibe or feeling that everyone would think you're a freak if you exposed yours to your friends. Gives me that feeling of something in your throat just reading this.

Fuckin ouch, tho

*Wants to give many hugs to Star for going though that :(* Sad Star had to lie to her best friend because of well, Matt being a jerk about AB/DLs because of the nasty stereotypes he saw >_<. I have a feeling Elly would be perfectly accepting of it though :3.

I've actually had my brother make similar comments as well about AB/DLs >_<. Then again, for awhile he was also very anti-furry. And the rest of my family are super conservative and would likely react the same way, or far worse (hell, I haven't even told them I'm asexual out of fear of their reaction to it). So yea... I would NEVER mention these kinds of things around my family. However, my best friend knows all about my interests of being a DL, a furry, a macro, as well as being asexual and is perfectly fine and quite accepting and supportive of all of it :3.

This would've hit me pretty bad a few months ago X3
I had a HUGE crisis of identity over this whole thing about two years ago. Made me re-evaluate a lot about myself, but also a lot of the folks I knew in the community. There are a lot of people in this group that become dangerous simply through spending enough years in an enabling bubble.
But honestly? People like you are an inspiration to the rest of us <3 This is a difficult topic to have to deal with, but you're eager to share what you know <3 thank you

*hugs* I think...maybe having a kink distorts your view in relation to what is kinky and what is considered normal. Ive been on FA for a decade now and so have seen a lot of stuff and learnt a lot of stuff but also realise that this has skewed my view on what would be considered normal.

I think people with kinks fall into 2 categories

1: Accepting of other peoples kinks in the whole "well i have a kink so i cant possibly think you're any weirder for having a kink too"
or
2: I have a kink that I am a bit ashamed about, so I will find someone with an even weirder kink and pile some hate on them to make me feel better about my kink. If im busy pointing and laughing at them then no one will look deeper at mine.

Yeah. I try to be as open-minded as possible, but I think it's also important to remain objective - especially as many younger people run into kink-related stuff without thinking about the potential consequences. I find that those in the #2 category tend to suffer from this, as they feel the sudden need to 'normalize' what they do in their minds by focusing on the 'other'. Happens so much in the outside world as well -_- Just shows you how ironically average kinksters can be.
As for #1, it can be difficult to decide where to draw a line, but it's important nonetheless. That isn't to say you should start criticizing people at this point, but in cases where you feel legitimately worried, it can be better to step back and ask questions. A lot of the time, it can be a valuable learning experience when handled the right way.

Oof... Kinkshaming. Brings back painful memories yeah

I actually feel that indifference is more painful. With shaming you can just go against it "Well, you're wrong!"
But if they say it's improper or pointless but shrug it off that always bothered me far more. I couldn't outright say they are wrong or that they were being mean.

I totally get what you're saying and I agree, however I do feel like the constant barrage of "you're a perv" or "ewww you're disgusting" kind of makes you think that you really are what they say you are

I feel like this goes prematurely deep. If you think about potty training and how it's achieved it low key is a nessesary brainwashing. The end result teaching people diapers are gross and anyone not a baby wearing one is weird. Most people don't see or understand the positives we know. Most only think about the negative (gross) stuff. :/

That is a little melodramatic. "Brainwashing" is more or less what raising a child means. Teaching them morals and what they should and shouldn't do.
Also using diaper improperly can be a negative like rashes or even infections. Pee in carpets is hard to wash out. Also low quality diapers tend to leave fluff everywhere.

Flash backs to what my mum said when she found my stuff when i was still living at home. My response boiled down to telling the old witch to go f**k herself with her own broom.

You just summed up 40 years of anxiety, frustration, and isolation I have felt on one page. It's beautiful.

Well at least Elly has some clue about what Star is hiding, but I'm sure they'll be firm friends. No idea what to expect from Star's family.

I know her brother probably didn’t know what he was saying but he’s still a jerk

Why were people commenting about how this was a “rough page” coming up? Do they not realize that Elly, the closest friend to Star still hasn’t voiced her opinion on AB/DL? I get the all too real world of how most people, who clearly are close minded or don’t understand fetish lifestyles, can cause fear and anxiety, but I’m really relieved that Elly hasn’t said anything. I can’t predict where the comic will go, but it’s comforting to think Elly will be far more accepting than the others Star has been around, aside from Manda, Lure etc.

Mostly it's rough because a lot of us has been in that situation. And since Elly didn't say one way or another, it's hard to tell how she feels on it and anxiety can claim she's just as judgey on it. But mostly that it's played out that way for a lot of people so it's rougher on the feels because we can directly relate to poor Star's anxiety here.

I can relate all the same. But given the artist specifically left out Elly's reaction, I think we can be hopeful. Star made her conclusions already, as we can tell from her present day feelings. She even wants to tell Elly, so I have a feeling Elly will find out and it will be a great relief for Star. If Star has no hope from Elly, then yeah the page would be really bad. I feel more people have no friend, or no outlet that is positive in this anxiety situation, so that's why I see it as hopeful.

I'm clinging to that same hope myself. I think Elly will be understanding, and just hope Star understands that soon.

Love this one

A lot of people underestimate how poignant the effects of kink shaming can be. It's a very sensitive and personal matter to individuals and to have their kink being denounced can easily feel like a direct attack on their entire being. Obviously there are some activities involving directly hurting an individual or anything involving a minor that warrant universal condemnation. However, shaming a consensual activity involving other adults, as we see here, can have negative long term effects on people. Thank you for portraying this issue so effectively.

Yup, been there, experienced that....a lot >.<

I suppose that it is really a weird kink. Pretty sure everyone I know would stop talking to me entirely if they knew I was into it. But then again, I've been called weird for caring more about someone's health over video game loot, so really, who knows what weird and normal even is in this world.

Personally, there are kinks I just don't understand the appeal off, but as long as it's not hurting themselves or anyone else, why would I care about people's private life and likes? Let them be happy with what they like. ^^

I think this page has like 5 times the normal amount of words on it

Reasons i tell no one about my deeper secrets

Had this conversation with a group of friends from a university roleplaying group, at my favourite burger bar on campus before the game.

But thinking that a lot of it was suspiciously-specific-denial; as there were more than a few ABs in that group (I think everyone except the guy who brought it up, and one older friend)

I probably would have turn around smacked him in the face and then walk off to my room and locked the door and wait

Hey she has two brothers here one didn’t talk because I didn’t see a pinkish purple text bubble but there was a gray text I think the last time star used gray text was to hide who it was if we saw the color before

Star's other bro is adorable and I just wanna pick him up and give him a big ol' bear hug =3

Also, its nice to finally see him! (I cant remember if we already saw him once before as I gots the memory of a goldfish lol)

We've seen him a few times altho mainly in flashbacks so he loks different depending on which time we've seen him, so its understandable not to remember him at various points

We did

Honestly I get panic attacks over people thinking I’m a freak for it, funny thing people always give a bad wrap to abdl when generally it’s innocent in comparison to others. Even my coworkers made fun of it once so I was scared to say, even though they’re my friends too. :(

This page is just so necessary. This is what can happen when people kink shame. Sorry it happened to you. This page is wonderful. Thanks for doing it.

This is what kept me so silent about it myself, in fact the very thing that started my friends on the subject was this very comic. Someone had posted it to our facebook group as cringe, they all started making fun of it. Thats how I found this comic, lol.

Drunk mind sober heart ha! Oh well it hasn't happened to me yet tho

The one with the pink hair is Alex right?

I was in that exact same situation one time. Group had the exact same reaction. I did the exact same thing as Star too. Took me years after that to finally tell anyone.

I'm the most kinky of my brothers and I'm the most intelligent and smart!

Yeah, that stings a bit, because a lot of us had that conversation before I think. :/
I know I had, couple of times, but luckily enough not with my best friend (because he's a babyfur like me, which makes things easier).
Sorry you had to experience that as well.

ooof...been there, done that, have the T-shirt. Not the ABDL thing per se, but other things like being trans. Some people don't realize how easily "just a joke" can scare someone into never ever ever wanting to tell them anything ever. For them it's just Tuesday, but for us it can be the worst day of our lives.

Wait you got the t-shirt? How? Did I miss any form to fill out?

sorry this page confused me... how old is this flashback?? I'm just dumb

because didnt star only find out during this comic... so when was this housewarming party??

Star only find out what? This housewarming was about 4 years ago in relation to the present day of the commic, so she was 20/21 in this flashback

but didn't she only find out about her andl side at the beginning of the comic?

abdl*

I'm also so sorry this has happened to you star.. virtual hugs for you little one.

nope. Shes always had her abdl side, but basically kept it squished down deep inside her. trying to ignore it best she could. She had never acted on her feelings about it, because she always felt like a freak about it.

ohh okay but this comic is her exploring it.. thank you for that... haha I'm just dumb.. I just dont understand people's need to kink shame.. just let us do what we do in peace.. really tho I am truly sorry that this had happened but you are amazing. remember that

Thank you for explaining this.
I was confused as well because of how she make her first websearch and all after talking to Melinda.
I didn't think she already knew it was a fetish, let along her fetish.

First page she admits to having a secret meeting Manda and lure just brought that secret out

Damn it Matt! Brothers can ruin the best of moments.

I’d say oh so you like to be dominated I’d beat the crap out of him Break a arm maybe and say hmm your fetish is quite fun thank you for letting me try it 😈

Had that conversation many times... with many subject but ABDL in particular. If you say hurtful stuff you can be sure no one will open...

MATT!!

:( oof, i know that feeling about a lot of things

Yea this one hits hard, I’ve been there...an it really hurts. Like you said your not hurting anyone or yourself so what’s the harm. I’ve lost friends sadly over my kink. Jus ABDL seems to have such a stigma surrounding it that it’s so hard to be open.

Nevertheless well done on the page Star, and just everyone have a wonderful day

I Been through this as well. In school we played under an english class a board game of some sort and then got into fetish's. And there we talked about what kind of fetish there was ETC. My previous best friend i had been thinking about tell i was a furry or AB to. So i tested him by saying. Martin (Lets just call him that). If someone told u they liked to be spanked or hurted. Do u think u could still be friends with them. And he actually doubted it. He said IDK. Im not sure. And after that responds i knew i shouldnt tell him about either of the things. If a thing like being spanked could make him consider friendship with set person.

I've had both my friends and family dismiss this kink in front of me on seperate occassions. Just had to nod and sip from my drink.

First off, JERRY SPRINGERSPANIEL? REALLY STAR? XD

And since this page's comments have become a show and tell of similar experiences, I guess I'll share a somewhat recent one of my own.
My mom has some mental illnesses and isnt so much ignorant as she is uneducated and slowly losing her mind. She recently learned about chibi art from someone and was telling me how she thinks all japanese people are pedophiles because they draw themselves as babies...
It wouldnt be the first time she made this connection between abdl and pedophilia but it was definitely the most shocking. All i could respond with was "Mom... thats racist... and also completely wrong" and i just started laughing because of how ridiculous it all sounded.

very very bizarrely I was just thinking of you. Like thinking I wonder how I get in contact with you LOL

Now I know!

Also yeah Jerry Springerspaniel. I went there LOL

i hate when ppl assume the ABDL Community is like what matt said in the 6th frame, 2nd word bubble. I HATE when ppl mix up the ABDL community with "That". Pisses me TF off!

Yeah our community is weird, so what? Isnt every fetish weird? Id suggest watching "My strange addiction" youll find much "weirder" stuff than being an ABDL, trust me!

I totally understand where you are coming from, Star. My irl son's father took ABDL to the extreme.. Like stealing baby food from my bio son and just.. went completely overboard. Then my ex husband found out about that and from that moment on, he HATED the ABDL community. He didn't want to understand it. He didn't want to even let me explain.

So.. I took a leave from the abdl community almost completely. That was almost 10 years of my life. My bio son is 13 now. For those times, I was several dark places. I was scared. I was depressed. Not knowing what to do. I longed to go back to the community but I knew no one. The South isn't welcoming to ABDLs at all. So the last year I was with my ex, I met my now mate/wifey online. He made my life hell. He was jealous. So much things.. so many emotions.. It hurt alot... like more than I can even explain in a word. When CSI showed that espiode... *shakes her head.* ....So yea.. I understand. I am still learning about the lifestyle.. the people.. the entire community. This page really.. made me think back to those days. Like what you did, Star.. you didn't know what to do.. You just 'laugh with' them while being scared on the inside....

No kidding, this was a gut punch.

I guess we can't really turn a blind eye to the habit of society as a whole to single out deviants from "normalcy" and often run rampant with the worst possible assumptions. I know I was on the other side, I know I likely made some online stranger's day worse at some point and crossing over brought both a perspective change and due regrets. Ignorance is only bliss for the ignorant, everyone else gets whacked by it and the closer it comes from the more it hurts.

"Never judge until you get all the facts"
- My Dad

Works with business and works with all facets of life, especially when I started to learn about communities and kinks

This really pushes some buttons, both good and bad. I've pretty much been miss similar scenario a couple times

Man I feel this.
Not even that long ago i was in a discord chat with some friends. Don't even remember how the conversation took that turn, but being in a call with everyone bashing a thing you're into, especially after fully acknowledging that you're into it, is beyond awkward.

Couldn't do anything but sit quietly. Try and brush it off.

Hay matt, my fist is a mental illness!

I would've blown a fucking fuse 😡 I'm an Ab because I went through so much shit as a kid, not because I'm INTO little kids, I never got to BE a little kid.

well then matt, you screwed up mate #riparoo

My ex said similar things and I was so afraid to say anything about it. Eventually one of my friends told someone who then tried to cancel me, and while she wasn’t happy with the kink she still defended me, even if it was something she’d never want to see.

Well, I can certainly see why Star feels so ashamed and is so reluctant to tell anyone. But I think I can honestly say that the only one with a mental illness is Matt.

This makes me sad ):

Ive.. kinda been there too..

Sucks hard getting smashtalked and no one knows their smash talking you..

Had that happen before. We were over my aunt's house and my mom and I saw a commercial for My Strange Addiction. It had Riley Kilo in it, and she just straight up went "Ok that is fucking weird and disgusting, who would do something like that" and my heart almost shattered right then.

About two years later...let's just say don't use the same profile name for EVERYTHING, especially when you have a Deviantart, Furaffinity, etc etc. She found everything. Found out I was a furry, ABDL etc etc. And was cool about it. Within those tow years I don't know...she may have done research or something? Probably because she found out her daughter (though not at the time) was one. So she got it...since she knew I was harboring thoughts for YEARS about who I was meant to be and everything, I'm thinking now that she did the math in her head. That it's a sort of...second chance on everything that I missed when I was little.

I'm sorry I wrote a long comment, but this hit right at home >.<

Well that hurted on a diffrent level.. I remember drawing smth more explicit around my dad and he asked if that was porn, I said no. Then he asked if I'm into bdsm

I totally nervous responded" no I could never be into that", even tho I knew I'm totally into that all. Then he just said "good bc all ppl who like that are freaks and sick"

At this moment I was so afraid to show anybody what I really liked.. I really thought I was sick. Until my ex bf showed me that all this was normal and also got me into ageplay! I'm happy I'm finally able to Express myself

Sounds like Matt was describing Stanley Thornton.

Thank you for making a page like this. I was going to share my life story and how I relate to this, but I think everyone kind of did already. You really do bring comfort to others through your art. Thank you!

There is alot of oof in this one page... but the biggest of all of it is that Elly IMMEDIATELY said it out loud.. I guess super pinky promises don't mean as much as they used to.. if Star had whispered the truth, she never could've forgiven Elly.

Also, if I'm following the text colors right.. our blue haired friend there goes silent after Matt starts talking down on ABDL stuff.. and also disappears when Star moves in to whisper to Elly?

This scenario hit like a truck with how accurate it is , damn

Hooboy, that really digs into some old mental scars. Had some similar thoughts and feelings myself before learning of the furry community. Seriously thought i was a freak of nature being into diapers and such, feeling like i was the only one who was into such a thick.

Thankfully I found out the abdl world and learned to accept that part of myself rather than hate it

aww i was worried elly was gonna be the mean one this has actually put me way more at ease. it was just her friends being jerks. honestly as a mentally ill person if someone started talking that way about abdl like that i would stand up for it. its so terrible to call something totally innocent a "mental illness" because u dont understand it

It's too early for me to get feels.

Elly you had ONE job.

While I haven't been in this exact situation, I do remember having conversations like this with an old group of friends a few years ago.
Anytime kinks/fetishes would be brought up, and the question would be thrown my way, I'd usually answer with a question along the line of: "Well, what's the weirdest one you've heard of?"
ABDL stuff pretty much never got brought up, so I kinda assumed that it was pretty niche and no one knew what it was. So it caused me to just kept it to myself, because how was I supposed to explain what it is, and especially why I like it?

Wow, this hit me hard because I've gone through the same thing, different fetish. I'm not into AB but I read this comic because I really love the story and art and I don't think you need to have an AB fetish to appreciate it. But yeah. This is so sad, and what a lot of people deal with unfortunately :( Makes it so hard to open up to people!

It is fascinating - i read that comic too, not being from the scene and being here out of curiousity and for the apparent quality in characterisation.

People are a mixed bag. I can count me lucky to have a hand full at my side to, well, just be there.

i mean to be fair she wasnt lying

This literally happened to me 3 days ago after talking to another friend about it... Was on Discord and the topic of fetishes came up and exactly the same thing happened. I just went silent and didn’t say a word. Messages that friend afterward feeling disowned...and shame..

You know, some friends will test the waters with comical relief. Making jokes about how soothing is weird when they are actually into it

I should have seen that warning earlier...

Aww, beautiful page as always though. ❤️

Oh i remember those conversations, around the dinner table after we've all eaten and mom was on a girls weekend getaway, odd topics would arise from my 5 siblings and i , you know it's funny, i was always called the baby of the family, guess that held true more than they intended lol

Aw man, this situation happened to me as well. Thats so flustering ;-: poor Star. <3

Beautiful as always, Twinkle.

Wow, that's really messed up. At least when I told my best friend he stood by me, the sad part is that my family didn't until many years later.

I will admit yeah on the jerry Springer show that guy was the worst of the adult babies, cause there is one thing the guy wanted and he didn't want to get a job, but their are adult babies that have jobs and loads of people who love those adult babies its not a mental illness, its a kink that allows you to get in touch with your child side, not use it as an excuse to not have a job but yeah thats the worst kind of adult baby, the adult babies that I know are awesome and they have jobs one works at a gym as a fitness teacher, one works as a ocean diver, and one more example he works as a cop and when they get home all they want to do is escape reality and get in touch with their child side so they dress up as adult babies those three and there are more of them are the best example of the adult babies cause they have real jobs but just want to relax and get in touch with their child side nothing wrong at all with that.

Unfortunately it is a situation that many of us have been put into

Ouch, poor Star, I can feel her pain through the comic, you’ve really nailed it 😅 My mom said once when I was a teen that the two kinds of people she finds the creepiest are furries and adult babies. She’s jokingly expressed disgust for these groups multiple times, and it made me feel a lot of anxiety about my interests, haha. Anyways, reading these comments and your description has been nice, it’s good to know we’re not alone!

omg

I've had that happen as well about kink discussion then when that rolls around it's sort of a flinch at least it was for me. It's really unfortunate that adult babies have a REALLY bad rep for some reason. I guess people immediately link it to pedo with a first outside glance. No idea why. At least i've noticed it's getting a lot more common lately so i've heard.

Man, furry isn't even a kink to me, but I've been in this position before. Let's just say, I'm not better off from it

Of all the stupid things out there kink-shaming has got to be near the top.

Someone else likes something you aren't interested in, don't get and/or seems 'gross'? Are they hurting anyone who doesn't want to be hurt(blasted S&M people making that conditional more complex...)? Are they trying to pressure you into joining them? No? Then so what?

There's plenty of people out there doing actually harmful stuff to focus on, someone has a kink you're not interested in you don't do it, it's really that simple.

Yeah, media kind of butchered a lot of kinks and blow it out of proportion from reality either as a joke or something to make fun of.

Ah heck, I wish I saw the description first. Had this crisis last night, cos a community I'm part of were having a uhm.. not so pleasant discussion about AB/DL (mostly DL, which is the side I am :< )

Dang is this a past memorie or a dream because i dont understand

It'll be more obvious with the next page but it's a flashback

Poor Star. Though I'm noticing that Elly didn't say anything in response about the whole AB/DL conversation so there's some hope.

Awwwwwww

Now I see. Before I just thought she was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it, but now I see there was something deeper to it. Honestly, I think most AB/DLs are afraid that people will think they’re freaks or something if anyone finds out about their secret. That’s been one of the deepest rooted fears in my mind that’s kept me from telling anyone in my family that I’m a DL.

Jerry Springerspaniel. lol Yeah, if it wasn't for the negative portrayal of ABs in media it wouldn't be so bad. *punts Matt*

But yeah, I've admitted it to people before, and their reactions were mixed. Most of them were okay with it, but others kinda vanished on me. I found its best just not to tell anyone unless they are in the same diaper boat. X3

O.K. :-l I'm feeling as nervous as Shine. Are they really gonna find out her secret hobby? If they do, I'm guessing she might get so embarraced, she'll crap her diaper.

When I'm part of these chats and I don't want to either shame or out my own tastes, my go-to weird kink is clown fetishes, for which II apologise to clown fetishists and emphasise that I always say it's weird but hurts nobody so more power to them.

Matt, you cheese puff!! Why would you be such a butt!!!

I've had this happen, with people I trusted no less. -hugs- so sorry you had to go through it too

Damn, elly, you're not supposed to say it out loud!

So true to life, clearly this is relatable for so many of us.

Way to be a dick, Matt. Ouch.

Interestingly, Trebor there could well have been having a similar internal reaction to Star. I wonder how many people that will occur to.

Now elly knows the actual crap

Urgh. That warning in the description is just right.
Trying a trusting thing to be dismissed is icky at least.

I don't know what just happened. I know this situation good, but ...
When this happened? It can't be future, she can't go to the party when she throws the paci, and flashbang ... oh, ok, nothing. I just thinked she will remember (Elly) or maybe she know but don't know ... I'm solo confused xD

Just I wanted ask: Did Elly really forgot or she know about it but don't know that Star is still doing it?

And Elly said it in the last panel or think it...

This is a flash back. Elly wasn't told about the baby thing star told Elly she was into spanking. Not the baby stuff

Not getting a job is a bad thing like that but that could happen with any fetish. When it goes too far and becomes an obsession.
But also I thought Star didn't yet have the ABDL fetish at this point. Doesn't she get it later? When she was going on online it seemed like it was her first time.

Yes she does have the baby fetish she chose not to tell people because they were saying awful things about it

She never looked it up or indulged in it before meeting Manda and lure because she was trying to ignore it all

ouch. poor star. i also had something exactly like that happen. eventually I told talked to him about it because he's genuinely the best guy i know and all turned out well.

Ohhh... Yeah this prolly has to be one of the hardest-hitting pages for me so far...
Enough that I finally use this account for something and comment.

This ticks all the awful boxes that I've gone through...

Kink discussions going off the rails, and finding out that the one you're still keeping secret is the only one that your friends loathe.
I had a few late-night conversations with some irl friends online that ended with us basically trying to come up with the most unusual kinks we can find online to tell eachother about and see if they believe us/if they have an opinion/etc. I jokingly brought up ABDL and THAT was the one point where my friend went "NO. That's one I just can't stand." kind of thing... I later found out the reason is because she was... Not treated well as a child, that's all I'll say, and it kind of gave her a warped view of childish things being involved in a kink. I ended up telling her anyway because I was feeling extremely self-destructive at the time... Thankfully she was... Surprisingly understanding, though still said she can't stand it as a thing, but knew it was harmless. We... Have since lost contact since I find it super awkward to be around her now since I can't help but be paranoid that she's constantly thinking about how I'm part of something she hates.

Family finding out about ABDL and calling it disgusting...
If anyone's ever heard of the absolutely awful show called 1000 Ways to Die, I have no bloody idea why me or my family used to watch it, much less find it at all entertaining... But one night when I was in my early teens, I was watching it with Mom, and it comes on with this ABDL guy... They went the whole 9 yards, giving him an oversized bib and bonnet, making him look as physically manly as possible to contrast, and making him do stuff like "WAAAAAH. WAAAH. POOPOO" and stuff, shaking a rattle and all that. TL;DR is he caught his head between the bars of his crib accidentally and suffocated. Instead of any semblance of respect for the dead, the narrator just sorta went "that's what you get, FREAK" ... hhhh... Mom was also absolutely disgusted, saying it was "fucking disgusting" and stuff. Like any time the topic comes up, I "joined in" by saying it was weird and gross and awful and why the hell would anyone like that (which has surely been good for my mental health...) while internally dying... Not that I ever intended to tell her anyway, but still... Eugh...

My father is an awful, rude, crass, and judgemental person so I'm sure he would laugh at me and jeer and just call me disgusting and pathetic if he learned of it. My grandma's a devout catholic, I doubt she'd be pleased, and my other grandma still visibly cringes when gay couples kiss on TV (despite being accepting and understanding) so it'd probably give her an aneurism to find out about this... And after falling out of contact with all my irl friends over the years, including the only one who knows but wouldn't want to hear about it anyway, I have absolutely no support network off the net... And even the online friends who are in the community, I've almost entirely fallen out of contact with, or don't mesh that well with and as such don't talk to anymore... So... hfff...



... I was gonna write more but this is just making me feel terrible drudging up these memories... Eugh...
To this day I still feel intense shame and like something is horribly wrong with me for liking this, even after finding a partner who loves every part of me and is into basically all the same things I am, and connecting a bit with other people in the community online (but then vanishing from social media for months at a time because I can't handle it) just... hfffff... I'll probably never feel confident or safe enough to do even 1/4 of the stuff Star has done in this comic, except maybe when alone with my partner, if even that... Sorry, I was probably going somewhere with this but just turned it into a sob story ^^;;

This literally just happened to me last night... everyone took a kink quiz and I refused to show my answers because I had “age play” and Daddy/Mommy even though ABDL isn’t a kink for me. Just the questions on the quiz sounded like “Hey this feels oddly specific and I can be a little bit truthful here.”

I've come out to very few people... one of the people I came out to made a crack about "furries wearing diapers" once as a joke so I almost didn't come out to her, but when I did, she was really accepting and apologized for the joke. Sometimes people make jokes to try and fit in and don't actually mean them when it matters, and even if they do, good friends will re-evaluate their feeling when a friend shares with them.

It's a lot easier to think of ABDLs as "crazies" when you've never met one and your only exposure to them is stories about Florida Man being an ass in a diaper. Realizing that otherwise "normal" people are into it, too, can change minds.

Yes it's like most people really. You can have misconceptions about all sorts of stuff. Different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, if you've never actually personally met someone who has whatever that thing is, it's easy for people to be dismissive or buy into a narrative when it doesn't personally affect them.

Ouch, right in the feels again.

Well, I know how this feels, though it did come from my family instead of my friends. It always makes me feel awkward around them.

ALL THE FEELS

oh yes, that is soooo many peoples reaction to it too, at least in the comments section of articles and videos, they've got it completely wrong, and depending who you ask, its not always something that would be classified as a kink either.

WOW. Soooo many feels here. I have been in this same situation so many times. Leaves me feeling awkward and ashamed most of the time.

This is just so real and it hits those feeling right on

damn this is how it feels when you see videos reviewing the kink on the internet

I feel you here on so many levels. I use my fursona name as a gamertag and username on various other sites like Reddit, so of course that means if someone gets "curious" all they have to do is Google it and they'll find my FurAffinity, F-list, Livejournal, etc. and learn anything they want about my kinks since everything's publicly available. This has led to trolls openly calling me a freak and sicko to attack me during debates, but also to people that barely met me asking me publicly during voice chat calls with my friends "SO YOU'RE A FURRY AND THAT MEANS YOU WANT TO BANG ANIMALS HUH YOU SICKO!?!?!". Then I get to defend my kinks to people who don't know me, who have no business knowing my sexual interests because they're not my romantic partners, and really didn't want to know in the first place. Of course, having bad examples like the guy your characters reference in this comic don't help either.

Yeah.. with situations like this... at least when everyone's feelings come our before you out yourself like that it is a good thing. But maaaaan it still hurts.

Have so experienced this. At work. Amoung friends. N I did exactly what star did.

Here's the thing. I know exactly what this is like. My fetish is a bit tamer, (feet) but I've had similar discussions. It...it hurts. And honestly? I don't understand ABDL. I just...I can't really see it from the other side, but this comic has really helped me understand it a lot more. Now ...I don't think I'd be able to stand it irl yet, just....might not be my thing, but fantasy it's..I dunno, it's different I guess? Anyway. This is a fantastic comic, and I love it and all the characters. Especially bob.

Kudos to you for being better than the drawerbrains!

I've had this happen multiple times..

It happens, you can either do the Lina Inverse thing and fight for truth and justice in the situation correcting Jerry Springerspaniel show impressions or the Hellfire and Damnation sermons of your families nearest pulpit or sit there with your grape juice let people show themselves up and use that on them later.

You don't have to live in a permanent state of war with the ill-informed of which in so far as most of stuff around "furries", "age regression", "little or Middles", "abdl" goes it is cos few people with been with people who have been in that space although as I am sure most of you will get actually they've been with people who are just not overtly 'being' it.

Most folks pre-judge to an extent and that moves into deep routed prejudices for a number so a person need not do anything people hold them to be like to be one the receiving end of abuse, or discrimination.

So long as it doesn't get in the way with everyday functioning, kink is fine and the nature of some obsessions sometimes cause more difficulties such as person I knew who could never hold down a job as their interest in buses was such they'd walk off the job to note the vehicle make and chassis type!

I know this feeling all too well *gives you warm hugs*

This makes a lot more sense. Elly just isn't the type to shoot down Star over something like that.

You know how to hit the feels. Cuz I've been there more than once and it never ended well.

Star don't you know that Alcohol and secrets do not mix!

I been through this before myself. And as a result not my family or my closest non-computer friends i have not ever told about my kinks. The hardest part is when they say you can tell em anything, but then you hear what they have to say about certain things you might be into without knowing you are one.

That’s probably what I would do in this situation just try not to react to it and then dodge and evade if I was asked about it

Went through something similar with my current boyfriend. He said something to the extent that he couldn't understand why. I eventually told him that this was my thing and he seems to be fine with it. I still worry about what he really thinks of it

God that hits far far too close to home... people are afraid of what they don’t understand so it hurts when people make fun of something like that.

Oh honey 😔

I still see this occasionally. Even met another adult baby who got defensive after hearing me talk about the guy showing up in Jerry Springer. Maybe I should watch it so I know the context for myself, but I got the impression he wasn't going about it right- a dramatized talk show where fights break out seems like not the best place to talk about ones fetish in the first place, but maybe I missed something? Also the guy didn't know I was AB as well so that probably made him more defensive too.

I think he had a couple of different shows for ABs, the one show had the freaky guy, but also a woman, who went in disguise. She is IRL incontinent, but also a high powered lawyer in Hollywood, IIRC. I've forgotten her name though. She was rather intelligent, well spoken, and very well educated.

She was the complete opposite of the flaky dude 'Heidi, I think was the name he used.

Yeahhhh, I’ve definitely been in that position...

I’m worried about the gray text bubble in particular. Just from room positioning alone, it seems to be coming from Alex’s side of the room, and if that’s the case, I feel like hearing him say that would hit Star even harder.

Then again, that doesn’t necessarily mean it was Alex! I’m just going from assumptions :)

Evwn though I haven't been in a situation like this, in totally understand that is must have been real hard for anyone experiencing this.

Also Jerry Springerspaniel made laugh😅

Ah yes, the bane of all fetishists - trashy daytime TV.

GOD literally just happened to me... me and my friends were having beers in the back of my friends yard. The topic arose and people were opening up about tane stuff and some who were more uh, stereotypical guys, admitted to some things like sucking a dick with a plastic back through a glory hole. Nobody knew he'd do something like that, and in his opinion it was a huge thing to admit sooo whatever I had couldnt possibly be as bad...
I kinda kept putting it off and deflecting around to the next person, no one had anything shocking really.
Then everyone looks at me and is like "All right your turn, if you dont speak up now were just gonna assume it's something REALLY weird like adult baby or something."
I almost wanted to cry there. I also dont like lying so I just said I was too uncomfortable... which I mean, I shouldn't be. These are my good friends.
Ugh what a rough night after that..

Damn that really sucks, I’m sorry man

It would have been hilarious if you did the Owen Wilson "Wow" and just said "Nice guess" with a straight face.

But I guess it's unfair. My friends and some of my family knows. So I'm already over that bridge.
The ones who care too much don't really matter.
The other ones will lose focus on it as you do other things.
Because they know that's not ALL I'm about.

I remember when the furry fandom was more "weird" and shunned like that.
Now there's like tails in hot topic or whatever.
Same with "nerds"
I find it best to try to lead as a good example of someone who doesn't live up to the horror stories they might have heard.

Well I just got someone to delete photos of my diapered butt and now I’m a much happier person. I was tricked and wasn’t thinking this was years ago but now we all good

i can relate. my online friends were sharing their BDSM test result meanwhile I was too much of a pussy to do so as no one else there was into the weird shit I am into.

Tbh i think i know what he is refferencing in this page. There was a short documentary about one slob who openly admitted to it i believe. Have stumbled upon it a couple years back and was honestly disgusted by the way the media spamed this guy on the therm ab/dl.

I’m getting my new phone tomorrow I think it ether Wednesday or Thursday I don’t remember I hope I can remember my furaffinity password

Well yeah, that's because clever people are extra curious. XP

its the same as furries to my horrible horrible family they would disown me if they new how im bisexual and a furrie and tbdl there christian

She failed both tests couldn't keep a secret and when brought up in a conversation very quick to judge

I wouldn't of told her told her either

to be fair I would probably try it again when she was more sober

This page hits home hard. I've definitely had this happen... especially when I was so ready to tell someone. Just made me clam right up.

Alex has pink hair tips? Did that come before or after Star's pink tips?
Also, I might say that his hair is a bit long for that family.

Is Alex trans?

I could easily see why that would cause friction between his father and maybe mother as well.

Go back through the pages there is a page will explain

I am very open about kink and all my friends know that I have kinks, except for ABDL I don't talk about that unless they accidentally find out or I trust them not to kink shame. I was talking to a friend a while back and he opened up to me about his kinks and I wanted to do the same until he said that he thinks ABDL was weird and that he didn't get it. I had to take an abrupt turn and talk about bondage and being a turbo sub in the bedroom lol

What I hope happens is that Ely remembers this, then puts 2 and 2 together after seeing Bob and maybe the pacifier.

Yeah, every time I'm in this environment where everyone wants to discuss kinks, I know I can never come clean. I'll always be holding these cards close to my chest. U_U

Every part of this hurts, especially when you get outed without any control over it......... others knowing about my kinks has brought nothing but pain; i over share and eventually fuck it up anyway lol

Can’t wait to see what happens next

It’s been great watching this comic get better and better keep up the great work

This pisses me off like read this when it first came out and this page made me really depressed for the week I can't wait for the next page hopefully it'll be more cheery to a extent

This really hits home on such a way. My mom found out when I was living with and She freaked out and said it was nasty and a perversion w.w she sent me to counseling for it but the counselor was understanding and actually validated my feelings. My mom still knows I am part of the lifestyle but it is something we don't talk about because she doesn't agree with it and probably never will. As for the shaming and all that it sucks. I've been there too many times and have had to cut ties with people who I thought were good friends but ended up trying to hurt me or take advantage of me. u.u

Damn it, Matt.

Okay, so this whole thing reminds me of the show "1000 Ways to Die", in which one of the deaths was a guy who was into the ABDL scene. The show went SO overboard with his behavior that it came off as disturbing, (which for someone like me, that's really saying something.) He ended up biting the dust when he tried to reach out for something outside his old-style crib, his head in between the bars, and had caused the latch to release, dropping the crib wall, slamming hard onto his neck and snapping it. I've never forgotten that moment because of just how uncomfortable I was. Not because of the death, but for the moments prior. This was also before I told my mother about this, so it was especially weird how they portrayed the guy. Nowadays, I think back and go, "Hee-yeah-no. This is just overacting absurdity and Hollywood misrepresentation," but it can still fuck me up. (Sorry for the curse. I rarely drop the F-bomb online, but it's one of those things that can't be expressed any other way by either being too weak or not accurate enough.)

It's just public kinkshaming far as I see it.

Sucks to see such kinkshaming being open and out on display. Like there are people who wanna fucking leach and do nothing of all walks of life.

You think this is what he saw?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsJ.....A&amp;t=3s

Whose speech bubble is the gray one????

Oof, I remember way back when when that used to be a thing that everyone thought. If you’re an ADBL then you’re a pedo. It made sense to a degree if you looked at it through an outsiders perspective on why the thought that. But we luckily live in a different time now where ABDL is more understood, and we don’t get associate with pedos. There is a difference between getting off to being a baby and getting off to actual babies. Pedos are sick and it is something I’ll never understand.

Finally got to this part of the comic... So an incident like this happened? I'd leave the party/conversation prompto...

I know that feeling, poor star 😟 when I was living with my parents, something came up that was kind of related on the news one night (I think it was this person who was getting a vaccination and was holding a teddy bear for comfort) and then my dad just groaned and said "jeze some people just can't grow up" and my mum hummed in agreement and then my dad started talking about how he saw this thing the other day where people have fetishes for being a baby and stuff like that and my mum looked disgusted. Let's just say I considered myself royally screwed. Who knows though? I'm pretty sure my mum found my pacifier because I was an idiot and accidentally left it out one time but she hasn't said anything about it to this day so I've stopped worrying about it, hey maybe she didn't notice it ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ (more like I hope she didn't 😅)

I think every abdl has had this exact moment happen to them