History Webcomic / YoungerDays

''Younger Days'' is a Webcomic strip hosted on Website/DeviantArt written and illustrated by Mexican artist dcrisisbeta (real name Fernando Rangel).

Due to Deviantart's limitations on playlist scrolling[[labelnote:reason]]scrolling only works for direct links, not hotlinking, meaning pressing either of the arrow buttons can give entirely different art and artists when it should go to the next image in the playlist[[/labelnote]], we cannot link directly to [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Sam-and-Max-1-193128063 the first strip]] to start the ArchiveBinge as most other pages would. However, the playlists for the comic are sorted by year (which itself are in an archaic order anyway), and [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/gallery/71946772/younger-days can be found here]].

A post titled [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Journal-Update-ish-17-07-22-922660834 17/07/22]] has Fernando mention that keeping the strip going is still something they continue to work on, but real life priorities
(as well as taking commissions and trying not to burnout) are their priority.

* AnachronismStew: The technology level of the strip was originally firmly of the era the strip first published in; 2012-13, but later comics feature newer technology like the [=3DS XL=] alongside the original 2004-era [=DS=], as well as legacy flip phones existing alongside smartphones. There are also references to pop-culture that definitely don't fit the era either, such as the 2017 Halloween strip showcasing Ivan in a Mugman costume from ''VideoGame/Cuphead'' (the game wasn't released until 2017).

* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The strip is set at the start of 2012-2013, but features newer technology like the [=3DS XL=] alongside the [=DS=], as well as old-timey flip phones alongside smartphones.

* GrowingUpSucks: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-July-22nd-923344396 22/07/2022]] has Jowi mention that he hates change, and growing up means there's more rules to follow, which Dan doesn't exactly dispute or discourage from thinking [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-July-26th-923810269 26/07/2022]] has Dan mention that not all change is bad.

* BrickJoke: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-9th-665901792 09/02/2017]] has Mark compare Bill's "giving chocolate to someone" voice to that of a robot. On Valentimes day, [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-14th-666461529 this is Exactly how his voice comes out]] (the text is stylised as such)

Due to Deviantart's limitations on playlist scrolling[[labelnote:reason]]scrolling only works for direct links, not hotlinking, meaning pressing either of the arrow buttons can give entirely different art and artists when it should go to the next image in the playlist[[/labelnote]], we cannot link directly to [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Sam-and-Max-1-193128063 the first strip]] to start the ArchiveBinge as most other pages would. However, the playlists for the comic are sorted by year (which itself are in an archaic order anyway), and [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/gallery/71946772/younger-days can be found here]]

* {{Macguffin}}: Referenced with [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-13th-763768938 the Macguffin Muffin]].

* CoolPet: Someone in the neighborhood owns a domesticated raccoon named Bandit. After an initial JumpScare, Max is more upset he can't keep the thing himself than that it chased him home.

* AdultFear: Present even if the main cast doesn't recognize it. Currently [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-days-August-30th-761763454 there's a shadowy figure in the neighborhood that surreptitiously watching the kids.]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-5th-784268664 An innocuous comment from Jowy]] has tipped off the parental guardians to his/her presence.

* AnimalLover: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-5th-559841006 Max, so very much.]]
* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The strip is set at the start of 2012-2013, but features newer technology like the [=3DS XL=], as well as old-timey flip phones alongside smartphones.

* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler: It is eventually revealed that Dan's biological father was physically abusive to him, and that whatever he's hiding under his hoodie is the last thing his father did to him before finally getting kicked out of the house.]]
** [[spoiler: Ivan also seems to have suffered various types of abuse from his mother, who, by his own admission, never allowed him to have toys (instead wanting him to just study) and usually tossed away his gifts on mother's day, he also has a lot of scars all over his body and suffers from very frequent nightmares.]]

* ArtEvolution: From its inception to the present, Fernando has refined his characters' looks and the background details very well to move into their own style, rather than being reminiscent of Peanuts.

* BerserkButton: A surprising one given its intensity, but Dan does not like people pulling off his hood. He got so angry when Bill did it, his anger actually intimidated the bigger boy into backing down.

* BlindWithoutEm: Jowy needs his glasses, otherwise he cannot see much in front of him, [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-April-4th-600944882 best demonstrated here.]]

* BruiserWithASoftCenter: Bill in a nutshell.

* CaptainOblivious: Bill can come across as this, something he's trying to fix.

* CloudCuckoolandersMinder: To keep Jowy's self injury to a minimum, this is what Dan gets to be. Similarly, Max keeps an eye on Anne when at school.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Implied with Max's mom. [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-January-9th-425696278 9/01/2013 has Max wear multiple seatbelts to protect against her driving]], until [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-January-10th-425915111 the following day]] proves his fear to be partly justified when Sam lists all the bad driving habits the mom has. Sam then finds out for herself how reckless she is [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-January-11th-426315056 a further day later]] when she falls backwards with her legs on Max.

* EmbarrassingDampSheets: Part of the reason Max is still in diapers is because he cannot sleep without them, and because he hasn't gotten over bedwetting yet.

* {{Expy}}: Sam is one to Peppermint Patty with a similar tomboy attitude, and while Max lacks the security blanket, there is definitely a Linus Van Pelt vibe to him when he gets all introspective.
* EverybodyHatesMathematics:
** Sam in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-26th-408741668 26/08/2013]] and [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-5th-408933855 05/09/2013]], who cannot understand algebra.
** A minor arc introduced in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-20th-515224047 20/02/2015]] has Max blurt out various maths equations for people to solve. First he does it to Sam, then to [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-24th-516149837 Jowy]].
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-November-5th-492679943 05/11/2013]] has Lili's hair be all in a mess, which Fernando strongly implies in the comments that it's because she's constantly thinking about Max, [[SkewedPriorities and forgot to do her hair.]]
* TheFaceless: It is positively amazing [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-19th-476614804 how]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-May-4th-683271949 many]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-25th-668302779 ways]] Fernando has come up with to hide Dan's face from the readers, it's even taken to extremes [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-26th-668595350 in this comic]], where a leaf, a bird flying pas, and ''a cats tail'' cover his face. The closest so far to any kind of face reveal is a side profile in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-30th-409715046 this comic strip]] where they wear large bangs covering their face.

* ForgottenChildhoodFriend: Though still kids themselves, it turns out [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-June-26th-617820743 Bill and Sam are this for each other.]] When they were younger they used to pal around with each other, but then Bill moved away. When he returned, he and Sam had changed so much they didn't recognize each other and started antagonizing each other. [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-June-29th-618384565 Resolved later on]] when Max drops the bombshell to them.

* HatesWearingDresses: Sam in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-November-23rd-415510069 this strip]], and feels silly wearing one. [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-December-18th-420492313 Given her reaction to a dress Lili makes her wear later]], it may be related to frilly dresses, rather than "all dresses ever".

* LadyLooksLikeADude: Sam starting from [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-November-24th-415770408 24/11/2013]], and becomes a RunningGag [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-December-12th-419254724 from then on.]]

* MistakenAge: This happens a lot with Max. For instance, [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-March-9th-595530279 09/03/2016]] has Max pretend to be a cat person, but gets lost. However, right nearby is a daycare, and is stuck [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-March-10th-595530295 doing finger painting]] and is too shy to do anything about it. As revealed the following day, this is [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-MArch-11th-596172775 not the first time]] this has happened.

* MoralityChain / MoralityPet: Mark can be seen as this for Bill. His introduction to the comic is what got Max to go looking for Bill's better side, while its been shown he's one of the few people capable of calling Bill out when he starts going too far.
* MonsterClown: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-July-3rd-465273613 Jowy doesn't like clowns]].

* SamusIsAGirl: Invoked intentionally by Fernando. Sam is a [[GenderBlenderName gender neutral name]], she has boyish short hair, and she hardly ever dresses in girly clothes, so it’s [[ViewerGenderConfusion easy to mistake her for a boy]]. Characters in-universe are then [[http://www.deviantart.com/art/Younger-Days-November-25th-415954692 quite shocked to find out her real gender]].

* ShowerShy: A series of commissions featuring Max, Sam and an OC named Chris has them visit a Japanese Onsen, but both Max and Chris are very embarrassed and try to bail out.

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: While Jowy can come off as out there in his thought processes, many is the time he's revealed to be far more on the ball than most of the cast.

* WorthIt:[[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-May-15th-454193646 This comic has Jowy being punched by Sam]], and claims that it was worth it. The reason for said punch was because [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-May-14th-453989719 he called Sam cute with shorter hair and kissed her off-panel]] (something [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-November-26th-416002132 he'd done before]]).
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes:
** [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-May-4th-451824544 04/05/2014]] has Dan scared of a sheet bed ghost. The following day has Max show to him it's a fake, just a sheet over a balloon, [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-May-5th-452150589 but the balloon is not there anymore, freaking them both out.]]
** Lili hates bugs, [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-October-4th-564555778 as seen here.]]
* YoungerThanTheyLook: New character Ivan is introduced as Bill's new adopted brother. He's about the same size as Max but is actually a year or two older than Bill himself.

Due to Deviantart's limitations on playlist scrolling[[labelnote:*]]scrolling only works for direct links, not hotlinking, meaning pressing either of the arrow buttons can give entirely different art and artists when it should go to the next image in the playlist[[/labelnote]], we cannot link directly to [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Sam-and-Max-1-193128063 the first strip]] to start the ArchiveBinge as most other pages would. However, the playlists for the comic are sorted by year (which itself are in an archaic order anyway), and [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/gallery/71946772/younger-days can be found here]]

[[Administrivia/NeedsWikiMagicLove Needs some Wiki Magic Love!]] Please contribute.

!!Younger Days provides examples of:

''Younger Days'' is a Webcomic strip hosted on Website/DeviantArt written and illustrated by Mexican artist dcrisisbeta [[OnlyOneName (real name Fernando)]].

The comic strip deliberately pays homage to the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' cartoons and strips by Charles M. Schulz, while not attempting to copy their style directly (though the artistic influence is clearly there, and strays aways from this later on).

[[folder:The main characters]]
* Max: Small for his age (9 but looks closer to 4).
* Sam: Max's cousin. Loves to tease Max, but also loves him and tries to take care of him.
* Mom: Cares very deeply for both her charges and does everything within her ability to care for them.
* Dan: Always wears a black "hoodie" which hides his face from the reader.
* Jowy: (Actually Joey but his name is always pronounced as though spelled phonetically).
* Bill: Once a bully to Max, Bill is jealous of Sam and Max because of the mother-love they get.
* Mark: Bill's best friend and some-time mediator to prevent his worst outbursts.
* Lili: Has a not-so-secret crush on Max.
* Alex: Lili's little brother, who looks amazingly like a miniature Max.
* Ivan: A new character recently added to the strip. He's Bill's new adopted brother, an extremely shy, socially awkward boy.
* Anne: Another new member to the cast, she can easily be called a free spirit who's latched onto Max and Sam as her new friends.
[[/folder]]

You can start reading from the beginning (first comic is in Spanish, the rest are in English) [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Sam-and-Max-1-193128063 over here on DeviantArt]].

* AltText: There is often an EasterEgg in the form of a cipher in the description, or in the comic itself (normally when Max has a nightmare).

* AdultFear: Present even if the main cast doesn't recognize it. Currently [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-days-August-30th-761763454 there's a shadowy figure in the neighborhood that surreptitiously watching the kids.]] An innocuous comment from Jowy has tipped off the parental guardians to his/her presence.

* BaitAndSwitch: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-January-15th-507396337 In 15/01/2015]], Jowi finds out that to score a basket in basketball, it has to go through a hoop. The reader is lead to believe he quits in the second panel, but clarifies and says he's going to get a ladder.

** Jowi got punched in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-November-26th-416002132 this strip]] attempting to kiss Sam off-panel, which happens again [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-May-15th-454193646 in this strip]] when Sam gets her haircut to be shorter after a disastrous Mothers Day cooking debacle.

* CheerfulChild: While perfectly capable of having his bad days, Max, and indeed quite a few of his costars, fulfill this trope quite admirably considering their backstories.
* ClothingDamage: Of the non-fanservice kind. Since they're kids, it is one inevitable, but [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-25th-668302779 these]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-6th-626636593 two]] take it to an art form.

** Max has what he considers one in the fact that he still wears diapers to bed. When Dan found out, Sam threatened him to keep it a secret or else, and it's the reason Max refuses to go to or have sleepovers.

* LoveDodecahedron: Centering on Sam of all people. At this point it would be easier to pick which boys aren't a bit smitten with her. (HINT: Half of them is her cousin.) Whether or not she realizes this or is ObliviousToLove is another story.
* LuminescentBlush: '''Many times''' when [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-13th-666030151 Max and Lili share the screen together]], although Lili does this [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-5th-511858107 when being asked about valentines day presents]], after she initially denies doing so, and has a more obvious one [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-15th-555176037 here]] when asked to babysit Max]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-22nd-556930878 22/08/2015]] has Jowy find a $20 note]], finds out [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-23rd-557104663 it wasn't his]], and returns [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-26th-557559398 his own $20 note to Bill]] (which it originally belonged to).
* NerdGlasses A minor arc starting in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-3rd- 408933854 03/09/2013]] has Sam realise she may need a pair. Subverted in the following days' strip, where Max reveals that [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-4th-408933853 the glasses had no glass in them.]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-5th-408933855 05/09/2013]] has her try the glasses to do Algebra puzzles, to no effect or help. [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-7th-409122480 07/09/2013]] has her try them on outside because it makes her look smarter, while [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-11-409122997 11/09/2013]] has her use them in an attempt to solve Max's sudden existential crisis.

* NoLastNameGiven: Almost none of the characters have a last name, with exzception to Anne; whose last name (Momona) was explicitly said in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-January-26th-663271588 26/01/2017]] by the teacher when joining Max's class. Double points for Sam's Mom who insists Max refers to her as such and is thus an intentional invocation of NoNameGiven in-universe.

** Even though it has long since become its own thing, the artstyle of the strip in it's early days was very reminiscent of Peanuts, [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-21st-409385153 and an early comic]] has Snoopy and his flying shed on Max's shirt]] simply names [[WritingAroundTrademarks WWI Flying Dog]]. The first HalloweenEpisode [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-October-31st-410614826 in 2013]] even had a reference to the classic "Charlie brown only gets a rock" gag when the kids go trick-or-treating, and [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-October-16th-712310903 18/10/2017]] references "The Great Pumpkin".

** [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-14th-738442500 2018]] has Sam being heckled by Dan and Jowi, Lili and Max giving each other presents, while bill looks from behind the bushes.

* AltText: There is often an EasterEgg in the form of a cipher in the description, or in the comic itself.

* EmbarrassingOldPhoto: Many times in the series, https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-January-1st-594925764 01/01/2016]] is a good example where Sam is laughing at a baby photo of Mom holding Max on New Years.

* GoofyPrintUnderwear: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-March-29th-442416810 29/03/2014]] has Jowy wear star-printed underwear. Does the same thing in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-January-4th-658134262 04/01/2017]], much to his mothers annoyance, because [[ViolationOfCommonSense Russian kids walk around in the snow in briefs.]]
* Max wears star-printed underwear in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-January-10th-724797685 10/01/2018]]
* [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-23rd-760718713 23/08/2018]] has Ivan wear the traditional heart-shaped example, something Riku points out.

* Maguffin: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-13th-763768938 The Maguffin Muffin]]

[[Administrivia/NeedsWikiMagicLove Needs some serious Wiki Love!]] Please contribute!

* AdultFear: Present even if the main cast doesn't recognize it. Currently there's a shadowy figure in the neighborhood that surreptitiously watching the kids. An innocuous comment from Jowy has tipped off the parental guardians to his/her presence.

* TheFaceless: It is positively amazing [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-19th-476614804 how many]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-25th-668302779 ways]] Fernando has come up with to hide Dan's face from the readers, it's even taken to extremes [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-26th-668595350 in this comic]], where a leaf, a bird flying pas, and ''a cats tail'' cover his face. The closest so far to any kind of face reveal is a side profile in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-30th-409715046 this comic strip]] where they wear large bangs covering their face.

** And now energy drinks get added to the list, with Max doing... something at the Mall that caused him to be banned there after drinking a free sample of one.

** Even though it has long since become its own thing, the artstyle of the strip in it's early days was very reminiscent of Peanuts, [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-21st-409385153 and an early comic]] has Snoopy and his flying shed on Max's shirt]] simply names [[WritingAroundTrademarks WWI Flying Dog]]. The first HalloweenEpisode [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-October-31st-410614826 in 2013]] even had a reference to the classic "Charlie brown only gets a rock" gag when the kids go trick-or-treating.

** [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-14th-433952301 14/02/2014]] has Max buy Sam a CD for valentines day. More as a family love than out of the ''other'' kind of love.
** [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-14th-514007229 14/02/2015]] has both Max and Lili buy gifts for one another.

* CloudCuckoolander: Jowy has shades of this, though new character Anne may outdo even him.
* CloudCuckoolandersMinder: To keep Jowy's self injury to a minimum, this is what Dan gets to be.

* TheFaceless: It is positively amazing [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-19th-476614804 how many ways Fernando has come up with to hide Dan's face from the readers.]] The closest so far to any kind of face reveal is a side profile in [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-September-30th-409715046 this comic strip]] where they wear large bangs covering their face.

* GoofyPrintUnderwear: [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-March-29th-442416810 29/03/2014]] has Jowy wear star-printed underwear.

* LuminescentBlush: '''Many times''' when Max and Lili share the screen together, although Lili does this [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-February-5th-511858107 when being asked about valentines day presents]], after she initially denies doing so, and has a more obvious one [[https://www.deviantart.com/dcrisisbeta/art/Younger-Days-August-15th-555176037 here]] when asked to babysit Max]].

* NoLastNameGiven: None of the characters have a last name, or at least not ones revealed in the comic. Double points for Sam's Mom who insists Max refers to her as such and is thus an intentional invocation of NoNameGiven in-universe.