...Only not exactly. No one can just call Dave Strider a cool kid and be done with it like so, for there is a lot more to this truculent boy than meets the eye. Supposedly, meet him in the eye and he'll flip you off in the most subtle way possible, anyway. The shocking truth that pertains to cool and all its surrounding factors, is that it is a protruding obsession. Should Dave Strider be the embodiment of cool, one can only assume his obsession with it, that has brought him thus far, is overwhelming as it is. Dave can be found in situations repeatedly in which he A) sweeps unsuspecting friends and acquaintances off their feet, B) slaps them in the face despite their intricate personality, or C) offending them like no tomorrow just to spite them for reasons of dislike/amusement. Examples for the aforesaid could stem from A = Jade Harley's constant pampering of his attitude, B = calling Tavros Nitram and his typing toolish, and C = annoying Karkat Vantas with his overall existence. He might not be the most hyper, emotionally-open teenager, but he is certainly not the most stoic and apathetic. He's found time by time expressing himself through various mediums, and his facial expressions should be enough to convince a person of his mood. His voice is most certainly loud enough to get his point across, without a doubt. The eccentricity that embeds itself in his text messages is obvious, if one has the chance to talk to him. Nevertheless, it's inevitable that one might feel intimidated by his speech, which is undoubtedly fine by him. Feeling winded? Good. Play along, and he'll absorb the positive feedback; his brain gathers all the swoons and '1S TH1S YOU's and practically tells his body to type words out accordingly, like it's all perfected in some "cool kid" manner. He might even smart-alec his way through a convo with anybody that's upset with him, shockingly. And yet, it's hard to believe that with such great cool-osity comes great responsibility, because frankly, it doesn't. Dave's just doing his thing, and if any of his decisions affect the future, past, or present, it's his own fault — fit with emotions that get in the way and people that misunderstand; and he knows it.

TG: i mean dont get me wrong i think its cool and all
TG: the semi-ironic puppet thing or whatever
TG: or semi-semi ironic
TG: man i dont even know
TG: im just starting to think some of this shit is going a little far and its kind of fucked up

What starts at the beginning of the comic as Dave continues to idolize Bro in a way which he's shrouded himself so far into the translucent irony, grows into something else. He starts to notice that maybe everything doesn't transpire on a one-way street, and cool isn't in total a hollow subject matter. While he does find himself glorifying the name of his Bro to his semi-unaware friends, he also sees that it's not necessarily what he wants. He strives for something more, to be better, to win. This all comes back to the later pages of the comic, when he admits that he's not a hero. Because the definition of hero is someone who sacrifices all for the sake of humanity, and he's just tried his whole life to simply win a dumb one-on-one battle. However, he denies himself credit. The fact that he cares about his Bro's death, and lets it affect him (Re: him laying on the ground and not getting up), shows that he's more caring than he puts out. And arguably, the true aspects of a hero lie within who they are, and not what they do.

In all of Dave's long-winded speeches to his friends, tinted with a hint of genuine feelings and aloofness, he attempts and succeeds to maintain notable attributes to his personality, such as being ironic. With irony (as expected by this metaphor), it's hard to know when he's laying his cards face-up or face-down. Dave Strider's got something underneath the caked layers of ironic attitude and cool persona, but he is not willing to unveal it right away. Most certainly not to anyone at random. Peck if one may, at the mask that holds him together, and one might find it slipping, just a bit. Should he be insensitive due to his elusiveness, note that he is not necessarily aware. People, by far, do not tend to discover that Dave's more than just an insufferable prick with a gorgeous look. Why? Because he does not let them. He would actually prefer not to, because deep down, he's a considerate boy. To stop people he loves from getting into the mess of things, cut them off at the source. Play it safe, play it cool. He'll keep to himself, he'll act seclusive. Oddly enough, music (for one thing) encourages this — he expresses himself with beats and raps and all those little Adam Young-like gadgets and gizmos; he'd purposely reach outside his boundaries that way than directly. It is said that he feels through the music, which is why he's so obsessed with rapping in everyone's face and not spilling his gut through his red courier text straight-on.

TG: no thisll be dope check it
EB: no, i have to go! bye!
TG: wait wait

However, despite the fact that Dave's nearly convinced himself he's cool, it is believed that he is — to put it straight — not quite. He can actually act like a astute dork. It's obvious through his wavering style — referencing obscure shit that nobody understands, rolling with the whole "douche kid" deal, making jokes that seem a little too forced, a little too dumb, a little too evasive. He's found himself under piles of puppet ass for pete's sake, and if a rapping white roof ninja called Bro can kick his ass by will, then Dave's still got a lot to learn in the way of the Strider.

There's (probably) a saying that every cool kid has their weakness. For Dave, the most obvious answer is death. Dave's continuous encounters with death have proved that not only does he not want to oscillate anywhere near bodies that prove to be rambunctious in his subconscious, but it's a question as to whether he doesn't exactly know how to cope or is just a bit taken aback with shock. He shares his grief in an odd manner, telling Terezi "fuck that" when told to get up after doing a literal flip off the ninja sword. He doesn't seem to want to explain any of his underlying feelings to his friends, adding to his indrawn nature.