Your icon is in today’s comic. As you have been using it (or a variant) for a while now, I’m trying to figure out if:
A. It’s an updated variant of an image somewhere else in the comic.
B. Willis is reusing his artwork.
C. Willis is intentionally referencing and/or trolling you.
D. You are in fact a time traveler as your name might suggest.
I’m pretty sure that’s a twig on the underside of the branch.
Alfa/Polaris
Check out the rest of the tree, all of the twigs are somewhat larger and clearly colored brown. The line is black, and also not connected to the tree. It’s a bit too small to *definitively* say it’s a smile, but it seems pretty likely given context. :>
“All right,” said the Joyce; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.
Is this symbiotic? Or mutually parasitic? If it is a closed system and the entropy is low, it might be good for very long time! What are the energy needs of a psyche?
Possibly not. The two people who kidnapped her got killed. The guy who tried to rape her got hella stabbed. She’s most likely been in some therapy along with everyone else.
I hope she’s doing better
Kidnappers aside, it did seem like she was doing better with it as last semester progressed. Combined with the time skip, it’s possible that she’s either healed, or has developed some (hopefully healthy) coping mechanisms.
But you know, *time skip*, so who knows what’s going on now.
I lost honestly all interest at this point; Joyce had a gun pointed at her, roofied and she still sees good in Sarah. She still cares about her friends. And after everything; Joyce still has the time of day and care to say goodbye to Sarah when leaving. Even with a smile. At least fake a smile back.
Alfa/Polaris
Sarah’s shown Joyce open kindness and support pretty frequently. She’s snarky and sour and closed off, but she does what she can, and Joyce for her part has shown that she’s aware of how Sarah works and doesn’t mind. Some people just can’t manage certain types of expression easily, and that tends to be fine with some understanding.
KJ
this
Josh Spicer
Just because she doesn’t smile doesn’t mean it’s not obvious that she cares. Could she afford to say it out loud now and again? Sure. But Sarah knows (or should know) that Joyce cares and Joyce knows that Sarah cares.
Will M
Traumatic events are not equivocal, and no two people should be expected to respond to them the same.
Comparing someone else’s response to stressors or tragedies to another person’s is not cool. Because you are telling someone, “You aren’t good enough because you can’t deal with your problems like this other person.”
Sarah has shown amazing emotional growth in the last sixish months. She never would have even admitted to feeling left out before.
Joyce is aware of how Sarah operates, and even saying, “Get inside, you’ll be late” is a show of her caring about another person, instead of just ignoring them.
No, it’s not the fastest progress, but just because Joyce is all sunshine and rainbows through trauma doesn’t mean Sarah has to be.
If Sarah were making no progress, you would have a point. But she is, albeit slowly (and without professional help that all the characters in this damn strip need).
I think that the biggest shock that Sarah has ever experienced in her life is the realisation that Joyce’s kind and loving nature isn’t performance: It’s who she really is.
I’m so done with Sarah’s attitude. You have people who love and give a fuck about you and would worry tremendously. Stop acting as if you must be the stereotypical rigid person who doesn’t have any care for you. You literally knew these people for a long period of time. Even in comic book serialization; that’s a long time.
105 thoughts on “A goodbye”
BBCC
Best sisters ever.
clif
Goodbye. And Sarah was never seen again.
Needfuldoer
She has class with Prof. “Chuck” Cunningham.
Stephen Bierce
“I’m not from ‘America’; I’m from VIRGINIA.”
Makkabee
Unfortunately I’ve met people who unironically say that.
Ana Chronistic
Sarah: “DAMN IT I JINXED IT”
Anastasia
It’d a weird day when you aren’t first.
clif
Ana is always first. Even when she isn’t.
Xaeon
Your icon is in today’s comic. As you have been using it (or a variant) for a while now, I’m trying to figure out if:
A. It’s an updated variant of an image somewhere else in the comic.
B. Willis is reusing his artwork.
C. Willis is intentionally referencing and/or trolling you.
D. You are in fact a time traveler as your name might suggest.
egg egg
Willis does preview images frequently, so whenever Ana updates her gravatar it’s almost always something from the future. 😛
Reltzik
…. *two-hour internal debate about whether or not doing that counts as anachronistic*
Ana Chronistic
gotta admit that changing it sucks, for reasons
Nono
Oooh are we gonna see Jacob next?
Chris
Good to see Joyce being her Joycey self.
Kagimizu
Why do I get the feeling she’s smiling behind that tree branch?
StClair
I know she is.
deathjavu
She knows that if no one can see it, no one can prove she was smiling.
Tomixcomics
Im on my phone, i zoomed in, you can most definitely see it and she most definitely is.
a/snow/mous/e
I’m pretty sure that’s a twig on the underside of the branch.
Alfa/Polaris
Check out the rest of the tree, all of the twigs are somewhat larger and clearly colored brown. The line is black, and also not connected to the tree. It’s a bit too small to *definitively* say it’s a smile, but it seems pretty likely given context. :>
Reltzik
Smile confirmed.
Bicycle Bill
“All right,” said the Joyce; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.
JessWitt
Good catch, everyone!
Spookyfox
that was cute
Rainhat
Glad for the last panel and note, otherwise it’d look like there’s just no winning with her.
Anastasia
Oh ♥️ she’s a happy big sis
Stephen Bierce
It used to be your town
It used to be my town too
You never know till it all falls down
That somebody loves you…
Jordan
This is so cute.
Jeff Harris
Joyce is growing on Sarah (and vice-versa). Love to see that.
Geneseepaws
Is this symbiotic? Or mutually parasitic? If it is a closed system and the entropy is low, it might be good for very long time! What are the energy needs of a psyche?
Slartibeast Button, BIA
Digressing, does Joyce still issues with being outside alone?
Katerly
Possibly not. The two people who kidnapped her got killed. The guy who tried to rape her got hella stabbed. She’s most likely been in some therapy along with everyone else.
I hope she’s doing better
Demoted Oblivious
Kidnappers aside, it did seem like she was doing better with it as last semester progressed. Combined with the time skip, it’s possible that she’s either healed, or has developed some (hopefully healthy) coping mechanisms.
But you know, *time skip*, so who knows what’s going on now.
“It was rhetorical. Put your hand down Booster!”
Cmasta1992
This is super cute
So what fucked up thing are we headed for that we needed a quick breather
Jamie
Math class.
Delicious Taffy
Dear god
Reltzik
I’m sure we can integrate a breather into math class.
drs
I beg to differ, sir or madam.
Reltzik
I’m not wrong, but I approve of your differential tone.
clif
Besides, I’m sure we can limit ourselves and converge smoothly to a set of calm and stable states.
Reltzik
I’m sure we can squeeze ourselves into that, yes. But if we jump in too eagerly, we might end up in the l’hospital.
clif
Not as a rule.
Roborat
This comment thread sure went off on a tangent.
Deanatay
Okay, but just a little one…
Falcon
Meth class?
Keulen
Mike comes back as a zombie to attempt to eat everyone’s brains? And remind them that he banged their moms when he was alive?
clif
I’ll take one of your universe, please.
Segnosaur
Why would he have needed to be alive for that?
Don’t be bigoted towards the metabolically challenged.
woobie
Sarah’s my favorite.
Bagge
Stupid Joyce caring and supporting makes it really hard for Sarah to be grumpy about not being cared for or supported.
BenRG
You’ve got to wonder just how little love Sarah has had in her life that Joyce is just so continually surprising to her.
AnnoyingFixation
I lost honestly all interest at this point; Joyce had a gun pointed at her, roofied and she still sees good in Sarah. She still cares about her friends. And after everything; Joyce still has the time of day and care to say goodbye to Sarah when leaving. Even with a smile. At least fake a smile back.
Alfa/Polaris
Sarah’s shown Joyce open kindness and support pretty frequently. She’s snarky and sour and closed off, but she does what she can, and Joyce for her part has shown that she’s aware of how Sarah works and doesn’t mind. Some people just can’t manage certain types of expression easily, and that tends to be fine with some understanding.
KJ
this
Josh Spicer
Just because she doesn’t smile doesn’t mean it’s not obvious that she cares. Could she afford to say it out loud now and again? Sure. But Sarah knows (or should know) that Joyce cares and Joyce knows that Sarah cares.
Will M
Traumatic events are not equivocal, and no two people should be expected to respond to them the same.
Comparing someone else’s response to stressors or tragedies to another person’s is not cool. Because you are telling someone, “You aren’t good enough because you can’t deal with your problems like this other person.”
Sarah has shown amazing emotional growth in the last sixish months. She never would have even admitted to feeling left out before.
Joyce is aware of how Sarah operates, and even saying, “Get inside, you’ll be late” is a show of her caring about another person, instead of just ignoring them.
No, it’s not the fastest progress, but just because Joyce is all sunshine and rainbows through trauma doesn’t mean Sarah has to be.
If Sarah were making no progress, you would have a point. But she is, albeit slowly (and without professional help that all the characters in this damn strip need).
Desslock
I hate people. I also hate the I love people.
Arianod
We thought you were dead!
chris2315
It’s not like I wanted a goodbye or anything, baka!
Deanatay
Tsundarah.
Pagemistress
Aw, what a cute strip to come out on my birthday! Thanks David, Sarah, and Joyce!
Hazel
Happy Birthday random DoA reader!
Carla's #2 Fan
Happy birthday! I agree that this is wonderfully cute!
Abbe_Faria
Her heart grew three sizes that day. Then immediately shrank six, imploding into a black hole from which no love could escape. The End. -SAO Abridged
Zor
Gotta love SAO Abridged
StClair
That’s what happens when you exceed the Chandrasekhar limit. *nods sadly*
clif
You’re confusing density with size. If you don’t exceed the Chandrasekhar limit, you are destined to become a white dwarf.
Deanatay
So, a short, white Sarah? Would Joyce call her ‘little sister’, then?
NinjaNick
Cuteness overload!
BenRG
I think that the biggest shock that Sarah has ever experienced in her life is the realisation that Joyce’s kind and loving nature isn’t performance: It’s who she really is.
AnnoyingFixation
I’m so done with Sarah’s attitude. You have people who love and give a fuck about you and would worry tremendously. Stop acting as if you must be the stereotypical rigid person who doesn’t have any care for you. You literally knew these people for a long period of time. Even in comic book serialization; that’s a long time.