Now it’s time to introduce the least friendly of Chris’s toys: Dirk the wooden sword. After helping to raise two boys- Chris’s father and grandfather- Dirk believes he knows what’s best for Chris. He wants to see Chris turn into a fine young man. However, Chris is a lot different than what Dirk expects a boy should be, which makes Chris feel pressured and anxious. Dirk has a tense relationship with the other toys, and especially with Softboy Pillowman.

Fun fact: Dirk is the main antagonist of the first Softboy Pillowman book. However, despite his initial hostility towards Softboy and his being the embodiment of societal pressures on Chris, Dirk is more affected by the little pillow man than he would like to admit. Their “friendship” certainly isn’t an easy one, but there’s a reason why Softboy keeps giving him a chance. We might even see this in upcoming comics…

Note: This comic was originally posted on Tumblr on March 5, 2020.