247

At length
Posted on December 10, 2020 by David M Willis

247 thoughts on “At length”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    that’s why I want a bearded one

    but the one I have keeps shaving it just when it gets nice

    1. Bunny

      Oh understandable! I loves me a big beard!

    2. brionl

      I stopped shaving a couple of months ago to go with my deranged psycho hairdo, and my girlfriend likes my weak scraggly beard more than I do.

    3. Demoted Oblivious

      More data supporting that what pop culture, and guys, think women want not being what women want. Up next, not being able to generalize specific preferences over populations between 2 and 3.5 billion.

      n.b. That’s between 2 and 3,500,000,000 not between 2-3.5 G

      1. Deanatay

        Heh, giga-people.

      2. Daniel M Ball

        I’ll take that bet. Most people want their partner to be alive. there you go, generalizing across the vast majority of 3.5 to 4 billion people. Now, when I say ‘partner’ I’m talking about frisky times. actual partnerships like business or bad marriages (and let’s face it, they’re all bad, only the level of denial and delusion save the few that survive) it’s not necessarily true…but for frisky times, the vast majority of people prefer a live, warm, affectionate partner.

    4. fridge_logic

      I recently made the mistake of shaving because I was tired of how my beard was tickling my partner. Their reaction was… not as hoped – I kind of look like a 13 or 30 without the beard.

      Though I did get to enjoy two full days of clean shaved snuggling with them (your skin is extra sensitive right after you shave hair you’ve had for a while).

      1. Librain

        My partner shaved their head. For a couple of days after I could blow gently at her from the other end of the couch and get a reaction to the subtle change in air currents 😀

        1. Ana Chronistic

          Airbender!

  2. Doctor_Who

    Panel 5: Joe making a Doonesbury Face.

    1. Durandal_1707

      As long as he isn’t doing… whatever that third panel was yesterday, I’m okay with it.

      1. sammyred8

        I went back to look again yesterday after reading this comment… and wtf is even happening there

        also screw you i wouldn’t have noticed anything if you hadn’t said

      2. Librain

        I assume that he has his eyes closed and just a weird black dot has appeared temporarily on his forehead.

        I would rather not be disabused of this.

  3. Jay M Ferguson

    Boom. Egoshot.

    1. Clif

      Spitroasted.

    2. Needfuldoer

      Snarkin’s a good job, mate.

  4. Nick Piers

    Boom. Gottem.

  5. DT

    The sickest burn.

    1. Demoted Oblivious

      Whisker burn?
      Side burn?
      Crash and burn?

      1. Needfuldoer

        Razor burn. (Perma-stubble avoids it.)

      2. Eldritchy

        Slap some sideburns on Joe and put him in a Super Robot.

    2. Daniel M Ball

      honest here, I can’t tell if it’s a burn, or Booster’s a flirt.

      1. Azhrei Vep

        Don’t see why it can’t be both!

  6. Proto_Eevee

    -And in one line I have completely forgotten why I didn’t like booster

    1. Clif

      Wait for it.

      1. CJ

        They‘ll probably remind you soon, but this was very well played and Joe deserved it.

  7. Nono

    I mean they’re both kinda rude here but Booster is more rude here I think?

    Joe’s feels like a dismissal, Booster is a ‘yeah, you’d be lousy in bed if we’d even get that far’, like some weird form of negging.

    1. JetstreamGW

      It’s not negging. It’s just insulting.

      1. Nono

        Booster calls him impressively built in the same sentence, so it felt like a mix.

      2. Pablo360

        it’s called “sick burns”

        1. HeySo

          That’s exactly why you shouldn’t rub stubble up against your nethers.. >.>

        2. Meagan

          Way to bring it back on topic.

    2. Bunny

      They’re mirroring Joe’s treatment of women. It could be a learning experience for Joe.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        So it is behavior that is justified as long as the target deserves it?

        1. MatthewTheLucky

          That is the definition of justified, yes.

        2. GreyICE

          In the most Old Testament sense of the word “justified”.

        3. Doongus

          Love me some Old Testament!

        4. HeySo

          Note there’s a difference in meaning between “justified” and “deserved” or “encouraged”. You seem to be interpreting them as identical. Justified just means you can, well, justify it. That is, give reasonable grounds for the action. Doesn’t necessarily mean you should do the action.

      2. BarerMender

        Oh, now I get it. Booster is standing in for “chicks” Joe wants to “nail.”

      3. Daniel M Ball

        We don’t KNOW Booster that well yet. seriously, Booster could just be flirting-ish, even communicating a sincere interest by planting seeds of doubt. We still don’t KNOW Booster very well, what Booster actually digs, how Booster goes about finding it.

        we have insufficient information to judge here.

    3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Booster is more rude because for continuing to talk to someone who has very clearly said to leave them alone.

      1. Demoted Oblivious

        While at the same time Joe is continuing to engage in verbally objectifying women in a public space. Thus he broadcasting a message in a public forum. If he shutup and stayed, fine he’d have grounds to object, but since he remains and continues (as he has every right to) Booster also continues (as he has every right to).

        That said, in this particular game I don’t think there are any winners, just losers. (source: it takes one to know one)

        1. Demoted Oblivious

          *they/theirs. Sorry Booster

        2. Nono

          Joe’s being an ass. But Booster also isn’t actually calling him out on it at all, just taking potshots at Joe’s appearance.

          If they’d said, “your objectification is creepy and I’m trying to eat, knock it off”, then I’d be more in their side. As is, it’s just two mutual butts.

        3. CJ

          You think this is not calling out Joe? It has more chance of not only shutting him up but actually making hi. Think than telling hi. Objectifying people is bad. He knows and doesn’t care.

        4. Meagan

          Seriously. This is much more likely to get the point across. And in a rather clever way.

        5. Tunasammich

          Yeah I’m definitely on team Booster here. Give Joe a taste of his own medicine

    4. tbf

      Booster gave an unsolicited critique on a hot guy behind him and Joe conceded that he’s not wrong.

      1. tbf

        s/him/them

        It’s late. Mea culpa.

      2. Tunasammich

        Was he not talking about Joe? I’m pretty sure he was. Now I’m confused I guess

        1. Tunasammich

          They! Sorry! Ugh

        2. a/snow/mous/e

          I think tbf meant “…a hot guy behind them, and Joe conceded that they’re not wrong

    5. Jamie

      Joe’s feels like a dismissal because it is one. That’s not rude when a complete stranger butts into your conversation, unsolicited, and then continues pestering when you’ve said no. As noted, what Booster’s doing *is* the kind of shitty thing people like Joe do to women. It’s not rude when a woman says no to that kind of attention, and it’s not rude when Joe says no to that kind of attention.

      Ironic, though, yes.

      1. Clif

        And the irony is not lost on Joe, though it doesn’t please him.

      2. thejeff

        What Booster’s doing is nothing like what Joe does to women. It’s marginally rude – though college norms make a difference and Booster’s not a “complete stranger, but a floormate. It’s not threatening, it’s not objectifying.

        Which Joe, talking loudly enough about women’s attributes for “complete strangers” to over hear is doing.

      3. Corneel

        Complete stranger? They were introduced by Walky.

  8. Spookyfox

    shouldn’t he be looking the other way for 11 o clock

    1. Yumi

      In a twist, this arc will actually be about Joe learning to tell time.

      1. AY

        thank you, this one made me laugh really hard

    2. Doctor_Who

      Booster totally shoulda’ said “5 o’clock” thus also a making it a pun on Joe’s permanent facial-fuzz state.

    3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      They need to stop and establish the proper common reference frame for the notional clock face.

    4. Nono

      Could be eleven o’clock from Dan’s point of view?

      1. Nono

        Could also be why Booster says six o’clock, because from Joe’s point of view it would be looking back at himself.

  9. Dave Van Domelen

    Boosted.

  10. JetstreamGW

    Pfftahahahahahah

  11. ian livs

    Right when my spouse starts shaving hers as part of her transition… I get a boyfriend with equivalent stubble. The universe just wishes me to chafe, I believe.

    (Disclaimer: we’re poly and everybody knows about everybody else. Also they were good friends since before I got together with either of them, lol. …Oh geez, we’ve all at least vaguely known each other for half our lives now, what the heck is this? I feel old)

    1. Seregiel

      I’m really sad you had to preemptively defend this. I get WHY and what a headache saver it is… but the fact you felt you’d be attacked in the forum of a very dynamic inclusive comic rather than asked questions first is… well… I’m sorry people aren’t more supportive of the way you guys express your love.

  12. Fiddler115

    Re the alt text: I believe you meant spit roasted.

    1. MaximumZero

      Nice.

  13. Switchchris

    I really like Booster, while I understand why some people dislike them, they are my kind of person, not afraid to say what some people should or need to hear.

    1. Nono

      DOES Joe need to hear that? I mean yeah he could be taken down a notch, but he’s allowed to grow his beard how he wants.

      1. tbf

        He’s allowed to grow his beard how he wants, but he also wants to grow it in a way that it attracts the most ladies.

      2. Demoted Oblivious

        The comment isn’t about critiquing Joe’s beard, it’s about Booster playing Joe’s game to objectify him and thus point out to him how his behaviour may be making others feel.

        What Booster seems not to have realized yet, is that Joe doesn’t seem to have a problem being objectified (based on his history) so from Joe’s perspective this may simply come across as a purposeless insult. I suspect this is also why Joe is cimfortable with his own behaviour. He doesn’t want to attract a romantic partner for a relationship, he wants to attract a potential fuck-buddy who will enjoy his physical attributes as much as he intends to enjoy hers. This doesn’t necessarily make what he is doing ok, because it demeans those who don’t want to be a part of this game.

        1. Nono

          Yeah I think Booster missed their mark here. If they were trying to invoke self reflection, this wouldn’t work. If they were trying to proposition Joe… well I don’t think it worked either.

        2. thejeff

          Given that Joe calls it a “rookie mistake” and then cuts himself off, I think it might have hit home.

          Also, Joe is pretty clearly not at all comfortable with his own behavior. We had an entire arc about that and the takeaway was very much not “Joe’s just fine”.

    2. StClair

      some call that kind of person “tactless” or simply “an asshole”.

      1. woobie

        or “Mike”.
        I hope Booster isn’t intended to fill the Mike-sized hole in the comic.

        1. Kyrik Michalowski

          If they aren’t designed to do that, it certainly feels that way at moment.

        2. Keulen

          They sure seem to be acting a lot like Mike right now.

        3. Deanatay

          …
          fffffBWHAHAHAHAaa

          Mike-sized hole! HOOHOOHOOO

    3. Marsh Maryrose

      From Gilbert & Sullivan’s Princess Ida, King Gama explaining himself:
      “Each little fault of temper and each social defect
      In my erring fellow creatures, I endeavor to correct
      To all their little weaknesses I open people’s eyes;
      And little plans to snub the self-sufficient I devise;
      I love my fellow creatures — I do all the good I can —
      Yet everybody says I’m such a disagreeable man!
      And I can’t think why!”

      1. Agemegos

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/01-this-bright-millennium/stop-2/#comment-1505052

    4. Reaver

      Dont think anyone needs to hear about how their personal facial hair choices would feel on someone elses bits…?

      1. bemisawa

        I think that’s Booster’s point though. The way Joe is objectifying and categorizing women relative to his own sexual wants is not especially different in nature from Booster’s comments, although Joe is trying to avoid doing it in a way that the women hear him, while Booster is pointedly making Joe feel how it feels to be objectified in a way which is likely unwanted. (I mean, I’m guessing? No word on Joester/Boe as far as I know, which makes it ~headcanon~!)

        So yeah, it’s kinda skeezy, but skeezy to make a point. Counterskeeze!

        1. Nono

          Joe would probably be fine with Booster had left it at ‘impressively built’, I imagine. It’s the ‘your beard is gonna chafe women’ that he probably isn’t happy about.

        2. Demoted Oblivious

          To be precise, Booster wasn’t discussing how the beard who chafe ‘some womans’ nethers, but rather Booster’s nethers.

        3. Clif

          Just as Joe’s do list was about Joe specifically doing women. Booster has an effective way of making a point.

          Now who else enjoys making people see unpleasant truths about themselves. Mike had one heck of a cosmetic surgeon, confirmed.

    5. crow

      I would avoid Booster as a real person, but I appreciate their role as a catalyst for drama and character development.

    6. Rainhat

      “Telling it like it is” people seldom tell things “like it is” when they’re pleasant or complimentary. They’re, frequently, just self-valorizing being rude undet the guise of “just saying”.

      Just saying.

  14. Joe Moose

    I don’t like any one of the three, but that is a sick burn. I bow in Booster’s general direction.

  15. Stephen Bierce

    Check Your Six and Watch Your Mach. Lose sight, lose the fight. (Fighter pilot lingo)

  16. ADLegend21

    GOT EEM!!! I love Booster oh my god.

  17. BBCC

    THAT NOISE I JUST MADE.

    I love you, Booster. Please don’t leave.

    1. Zee

      This strip is beautiful

  18. Bagge

    another great way of making people to look on you favorably is to uninvited and publicly over-analyze their insecurities, or so I heard.

    1. Demoted Oblivious

      You’re not wrong. But I don’t think Joe is insecure about his appearance. He works hard to maintain it, and he gets the kind of attention he wants from those he is trying to attract.

  19. Dr. T

    It’s a problem I have to deal with as I have to shave for work (N95 masks don’t work otherwise) but I grow stubble that can be used as coarse sandpaper in a single day, creating something for my wife to be wary of.

    1. Demoted Oblivious

      You could wax. Stubble is caused by shearing the hairs off square, so as they grow back the ends have ‘sharper’ edges. Waxing fully removes the hair, so when a new one grows the end isn’t cross-cut.

      1. Dr. T

        Waxing a beard and mustache? Do people actually do that? That sounds horrible.

  20. Lawzlo

    Danny: This burger is good.

    1. RacingTurtle

      I told Joe to eat his food. He should have listened.

    2. Wizard

      Danny is currently my favorite person in this scene. The fact that he’s not saying much helps.

      1. Clif

        Danny will start laughing. But not for another three minutes.

    3. JessWitt

      Good Burger?

  21. plasticwrap

    YA PLAYED YASELF, SON!

  22. AutobotDen

    …Savage.

  23. Kitschensyngk

    Joe…

    you just got a Booster shot.

  24. Keulen

    Booster really isn’t improving my view of them so far. Seems like they don’t appear to realize that most people don’t like having someone else randomly psychoanalyze them.

    1. Wizard

      Or realize, but don’t care.

    2. Reaver

      And don’t appear to realize when people point blank are telling them to piss off and leave them alone.

  25. plasticwrap

    Also people are shockingly hard on Booster in the comments, holy shit. It’s just their schtick, plenty of people are like this IRL, they haven’t exactly been a total asshole so far and they’ve been in the strip for all of a day on a half their time. Give it some time, they’ll do something we’ll all find positive and get what’s coming to them to boot. Who knows, maybe this is a defense strategy for a certain amount of insecurity…

    1. Nono

      Their shtick is also a terrible first impression and it doesn’t look to be getting better.

      What puts Booster really low for me is that these kind of people rarely grow out of this behaviour for a really long time, not great for a slice of life college webcomic where time moves at a crawl.

      1. Regina phalange

        100% agreed. There’s a middle ground, and I think “that’s just how they are” is the sensitive/leftist/whatever version of “it’s just a joke man.” It’s a terrible excuse. People don’t get to be excused from being assholes because they are a special kind of representative. Booster has been either neutral or an asshole from what we’ve seen. If it’s not about their gender identity, I don’t understand why people are so invested in defending them.

        1. Nono

          Malaya and Carla are also assholes, and while I’m sure their gender identity plays a small part in their fan base, they actually do exhibit some positive aspects to their characters.

          Booster for me so far has been ‘narrative tool’ and ‘just a tool’.

        2. Demoted Oblivious

          Carla – Absolutely. (disclaimer – 100% Carla fan)

          Malaya – Uh… what “positive aspect” has she displayed? I haven’t picked up on it.

        3. Nono

          She did call Sal out on a couple issues, she regularly gets the best of Mary, and had some vulnerable moments re: gender identity.

        4. Delthor

          This is how I feel. Yeah, Carla is an asshole, but she’s an asshole with a smile on her face, is enjoying life, and is generally an asshole in ways that are annoying, not hurtful. It’s hard for me to dislike her. Especially since she does have serious, vulnerable moments.

          Malaya just feels like a grump, which isn’t appealing to me. She’s overwhelming negative, and the only time I remember her being remotely positive was in Shortpacked! I think at best, in DoA, she’s been indifferent, though it’s possible I’m forgetting something.

          Booster is more like Carla. They’ve had some kind and positive moments like their early interactions with Walky, overall acceptance of Joyce despite annoyance, and reaching out to Amber when she was upset. They’ve also expressed genuine emotion I can connect with since it’s not just grumpiness and anger. Plus lots of little likable things like having a healthy and open libido that’s also respectful and their overall playful, positive attitude in most situations.

          I think people also forget that Booster raised their hand and Ruth invited them to psychoanalyse her. Yeah, they then continued with others who didn’t ask, and here they went from friendly ice breaking to needling really fast. But there are people in the comic that committed real physical assault for no good reason, and those characters don’t get the same kind of flak for much worse things.

          They’re certainly not worse than Mike, who didn’t just point out this kind of thing, but manipulated people to harm them or turn people against each other, often in much worse ways than “Pointed out some painful emotional baggage to you once.” Things like turning Danny and Ethan against each other and trying to ruin Dorothy and Walky’s relationship.

        5. cmasta1992

          Someone saying Malaya has positive aspects is the funniest thing I’ve seen in the entire history of the Dumbiverse

        6. Nono

          She’s 80% asshole but that’s still less than Booster.

        7. Spookyfox

          malaya’s positive aspects: 1) Hot 2) Iguana 3) Roller Skates

        8. Clif

          4) Marcie.

        9. timemonkey

          Hell, she’s teaching herself sign language just to be able to talk to Marcie on equal grounds.

        10. cmasta1992

          1) Not even top five
          2) The iguana is better than her. But so is Mary
          3) Carla does it better
          4) This is not a positive

    2. GreyICE

      Everyone I’ve known like Booster has been an utterly garbage person who built themselves up by tearing others down. Their worst trait is inevitably that when someone is actually happy or proud of something they like to spoil it with a snarky comment (something even Mike would hold back from).

      If I see some evidence Booster comes with an off switch I’ll change my mind, but so far it’s been 100% garbage as soon as their mouth starts moving.

      In a way Booster is the anti-Joyce.

      1. Schpoonman

        What the you talking about? Did you forget the time that Mike followed Dorothy and Walky to their gender studies class to try to shame one or both of them into breaking up? Or when Amber was expressing worry about Danny that he turned it back on her and told her she was going to turn into her father?

        In what fucking universe is Booster a worse Mike? Your description of Booster fits him, the dead character that mostly got what he deserved.

        1. Zach

          I was totally with Mike in the second example. She was phrasing her behavior as ‘what must be done’ when she was just being mean for convenience.

          I’d say Mike’s worst attribute was thinking he knew what was best for everyone. And no, I don’t think Benevolent Mike is in any way a better Mike.
          Just creepier.

        2. thejeff

          I’m still curious how faking internet stories so he could record Walky crying and play it for his friends was in anyone’s best interest – even in the loosest interpretation that Mike could be making.

          And Mike himself realized at the end that he’d long been abusive to Amber.

        3. Zach

          The point I was trying to make is that he likely contextualize his abuse as good for others, and this should make him more reprehensible and believable. Even a little relatable.

          And Walky’s pantomime of childishness was terrible. At some point, Mike must have mercy on himself.
          For real, it was a defect in Wally that he cared so deeply about something so trivial while ignoring the real world around him. No sympathy for his tears, but I’m offended on his behalf by Mike’s harassment and invasion of privacy.

    3. Spookyfox

      their first crime was being a psych major. their second crime was publicly psychoanalyzing people who didn’t fucking ask

      1. Clif

        Almost right. Mike’s first crime was planning on being a social worker. Mike’s second crime was being Mike.

        Booster’s first crime was being a psych major. Booster’s second crime is being Mike.

        The open question is, figuratively or literally.

    4. Jon

      Well sure. Maybe in the future they’ll do something to redeem themselves. But they haven’t done that yet. The only thing they HAVE done is go on a psychoanalysis rampage against *people who didn’t ask for it.*

      It’d be less egregious if they’d done it one at a time to people. But no, they’re clearly trying to prove to everyone how cool, smart, and “above it all” they can be, and their wannabe Dr. House routine got old by the second time they did it.

    5. Wishwater

      Everyone on here likes to choose a villain of the month, Booster will be forgotten the second another character does something people find mildly annoying so they can condemn them as a terrible person for it.

    6. Reaver

      I mean the people who’s “styck” irl is to be this obnoxious and don’t grasp “Go away and leave me alone”

      are also assholes so this changes nothing.

  26. DailyBrad

    Okay, so I guess Booster *was* potentially kinda into Joe in terms of looks, or just feels like fucking with him a little bit.

    And yeah, the time between clean shaven and a beard can be sandpaper city, but if Joe grew one now, he’d just look like Richard.

    1. Demoted Oblivious

      Superfluous ‘with’.

      1. Geneseepaws

        (Snort) (giggle)

      2. DailyBrad

        Heh, indeed.

        I mean, if we’re going by looks, I can’t say I necessarily fault their choice.

  27. RowenMorland

    “roasted” Like a chicken?

  28. Katerly

    I mean, stubble hurts. So point Booster

    1. Demoted Oblivious

      Some people like a little pain.

  29. Ucchan

    Boom, roasted.

  30. LiterallyJustSomeGuy

    Wait, Joe, so what does that make Joyce? Hmmmm? I’m pretty sure she’s not Dan, and you interact with her plenty!

    1. Nono

      Joe also interacts with Jacob, so…

    2. Rectilinear Propagation

      Yeah, but he’s pretending that doesn’t happen.

    3. DailyBrad

      I imagine he’s just not volunteering that kind of information to someone he doesn’t know, especially since Joyce is a tricky subject even with people he does know.

      Additionally, yeah, Joe is definitely still in that mode of protesting too much on that, especially if Joyce and Joe are talking again post-party where they laid with each other, albeit not in the Biblical sense.

  31. brasca1

    In fairness Joe is there to scope not hook up.

  32. Icalasari

    Now this is using your powers for good, Booster

  33. TomHCinMI

    Roflcopter!

  34. Robert

    I’m now wondering what it says about me that I have been perceiving Booster as female-presenting all along

    Thinking back to college years, I can attest that chafed nethers are something to avoid.

    1. Demoted Oblivious

      Are you Gynephilic? Maybe your viewing Booster as female presenting implies you find something attractive about them? I did the opposite, (I feel like they’re kind of masculine) but am self aware that I tend to see those I’m not attracted to as more masculine.

      1. DailyBrad

        I think the lips do it for some, Booster has more defined lips than most of the cis men in the comic tend to, but then again, quite a few of the cis women don’t have them, either.

      2. Fiddler115

        What exactly is the definition of gynephilic? I try to do my best to not offend, so I try to be precise with language. I believe the correct term to describe myself is gynosexual, but I’ve been led to believe that some people find that term offensive although that’s certainly not my intention.

        1. Deanatay

          gynophile – liking people who present as women
          androphile – liking people who present as men

          There may be other -phile prefixes out there in use, but I’m not aware of them.

        2. Fiddler115

          I would say I’m both a gynophile and gynosexual. I am attracted to women whether they are transgender or cisgender. But I am sexually attracted to vaginas and turned off by penises. I totally understand that genitals do not equal gender, but I also can’t make myself turned on to something that doesn’t turn me on. Is this a sexual preference or would it be better defined as a fetish? Also, I know that body dysmorphia is an issue for many transgendered women, and, in asking these questions, it is not my intent to trigger or harm anyone. I just know this is a very knowledgeable group of commenters, and if anyone can help me with my sexual ignorance, it’s y’all.

        3. Robert

          General response – I’m generally not attracted to people who I perceive as female, but often to those I perceive as feminine. I don’t think I’d reject anyone I found otherwise appealing for having a vulva instead of a phallus. Never been *in* that position. I can only think of two women I’ve been genitally intimate with, and both had penes but not vulvae.

  35. Rectilinear Propagation

    I mean, either Booster demonstrates how gross this is or Rachel materializes out of nowhere to launch into another “See, bad people can’t change” speech because Joe is right back to publicly objectifying women despite his apology last semester.

    1. GreyICE

      Or maybe neither, because in real life every objectionable thing a person does isn’t followed up by a speech about how it’s wrong and a quick moral lesson, and quite a bit of art could learn how to be better from that. Sometimes bad things aren’t punished, good things aren’t rewarded, people who say they’re going to change don’t, and people who want to change decide it’s easier to just be okay with themselves as they are.

      1. Demoted Oblivious

        I was going to object to your first sentence, then I remembered that no-one else hears the shit I say to myself in my head every minute.

      2. Rectilinear Propagation

        This feels very much like you’re trying to argue against something I’m not saying.

      3. Zee

        I regret to inform you that this is not real life

        1. GreyICE

          You almost made it to sentence two. Better luck next time.

    2. crow

      I wonder if we’re ever gonna get Rachel backstory. I want to know who hurt her.

    3. Zach

      I will acknowledge this sentiment as meaningful when someone objects to how disgusting and demeaning it is for teen girls to gossip about cute boys.

      Objectifying is such a loaded term. They are lustifying people.

      1. Clif

        To the best of my knowledge, “objectifying” means thinking of and treating someone as an object rather than a person. When teen girls gossip about cute boys it isn’t clear to me that they aren’t gossiping about them as a person rather than a sexual object.

        The ‘sin’ is not lusting after someone, the ‘sin’ is forgetting they’re a person.

        1. Zach

          I disagree that we should treat each other as people at all times.
          And if you don’t think horny teens are shallow, you are insane.

          My cashier is a person, but we don’t treat each other as such because we don’t have the emotional energy for that. I’m a chore, she’s a means to an end (groceries). We don’t owe it to each other to care more than that and, beyond the consideration of manners, and neither of us wants to.

          Is objectifying bad in this case?
          It can’t just change because OMG sex!

          I also can’t tell you how many times a woman has yelled at my for staring a hole into her cleavage only for me to tell her no, I’m not going to look at your face. Your face isn’t covered in glitter at eye level. I can’t imagine what it’s like for straight men but I wish more men would dress similarly. Most of us want a measure of the attention that Joe and Danny and giving, to be found attractive.

          TLDR: I think your reasoning breaks down when someone’s ass says ‘juicy’.

      2. thejeff

        There’s also the point that you have to specify “teen girls”. Boys doing this lasts well past the teens phase.
        And is generally backed up by societal power.

        1. Zach

          Oh no. I specified because young teen girls are unbearable. I don’t know anyone single who doesn’t do this to some extent, with the main difference in genders being that it’s considered unladylike so they don’t do it in mixed company.

          I think it might be an important part of becoming comfortable with yourself sexually to announce in a secure setting what you do and don’t like.

          I’ve had fag-hags want to hang out just for this purpose.
          Now THAT was demeaning.

        2. Seregiel

          I want to know what a “fag-hag” is but I’m also terrified of whatever Google result I might get with that combo of words…

        3. Zach

          I almost told you, but why spoil your surprise?

        4. Zach

          I don’t know your age, stay off google!
          It’s a woman who is way to excited about having a gay friend.

        5. Corneel

          For a moment I thought it was an elderly woman selling individual cigarettes.

        6. He Who Abides

          You’re British, aren’t you?

  36. GreyICE

    Can we just call Booster “Lipstick Mike” at this point?

    1. JessWitt

      What about Psych Mike?

  37. Nono

    I’m also cherrypicking for my headcanon that Joe got very interested at the prospect of an impressively built man in the area.

  38. Varangian

    1.) GET HIM, BOOSTER, GET HIS ASS

    2.) Dan. Make out with Boost. They are your destiny.

    1. Clif

      On the contrary, Booster looks someahat similar to what Amber said was her ideal man. Of course that was in another universe.

      1. StClair

        I dunno about ideal man. Ideal BATman, yes.

  39. Geneseepaws

    A hit, a palpable hit! Upon my word; Good sir, YOU! have been hit upon.
    Joe could demand satisfaction, but that is just asking for more trouble.

  40. John

    Yeah, seriously people, either shave or don’t. (This goes for legs and other bits as well as faces.) Some people don’t like kissing Wookiees. Some people like the feeling of a silky beard on their inner thighs. But no one likes to get intimate with sandpaper.

    Also, if everyone in this strip were devoured by zombies, I would not miss a one of them.

    (Well, maybe Joe a little bit, but only because he and Joyce are hilarious together.)

    1. Jay

      Joe is the only one who’s *attempted* to grow, albeit it didn’t last long and Booster has been in comic for all of 1 month but point stands

    2. Spookyfox

      joe seems like the type of person that honestly does shave everyday it just grows back immediately due to manliness?

      1. DailyBrad

        Oh yeah, I can definitely but that, before, he may have been shaving at lunch or something in addition to in the mornings. If someone has black hair, stubble can be very visible.

        That said, it’s also possible he has an electric razor and just doesn’t bother touching it up after anymore.

      2. thejeff

        He also seems like the type of person who would deliberately go for the manly stubble look.

      3. Deanatay

        Kinda like this?

    3. Madock345

      I like stubble

  41. cmasta1992

    Booster walks a tightrope. I prefer them to Mike but they’re filling into the needless asshole role a little too well. Booster feels more to me like a late night tv host doing bits rather than being toxic for toxic’s sake.

    But just barely.

    1. MW

      I feel almost exactly the opposite. Mike at least felt like he was directing his energies with a purpose, even if he was unnecessarily cruel at times (most times). Booster, meanwhile, seems to revel more in the cruelty than Mike did, at least thus far.

  42. Katherine

    Booster’s my fav

  43. Arianod

    Don’t tell me that Booster is actually hitting on Joe.

    1. DailyBrad

      After them asking Ruth out after reading her like he did, it could seriously go either way.

  44. BenRG

    I think that Booster was attempting to show Joe how it feels to be objectified and judged by physical appearance. Either that or they were hitting on Joe.

    1. Queezle

      The thing is, if not for the RA Meeting disaster and his assholery there, I would probably appreciate what he is doing now. But he has already shown that he does not care who on the other end of his shtick is.

      1. Spencer

        Booster goes by They/Them pronouns.

        1. Queezle

          you are absolutely right I should have prove read my comment before posting thanks for correcting me

    2. eskimolos

      Everyone misgendering Booster in their criticism of them are really outing themselves tbh.

      1. uniquepassive

        I would say you didn’t read the criticism then? It seems like they’re saying Booster has a point now, but they were too much of an asshole previously to get any kudos for this moment.

      2. He Who Abides

        Sometimes people need practice to get pronouns right.

        Citation – while I’m better with it now, I had some trouble with using proper pronouns about an old friend after we got reintroduced in-person last year, because she’d been homeschooled during her transition process.

      3. Queezle

        You are right I should not have misgendered them. Normally I proof read my comments to avoid mistakes but I did not do it this time. It was not maliciousness it was a combination being sleep deprived and struggling with pronoun usage because I myself care so little for pronouns and gender when it applies to me.

        1. Demoted Oblivious

          I’ve made the mistake a couple of times for the same reason. Sloppy, tired, but not intentionally malicious. I will just try better next time.

          On the topic of gender identity, I’m in a discussion outside of this forum and am seeking some references about the scientific and medical professions perspective of the biological factors of gender identity. Given the community, I thought here would be a good place to reach out and see if anyone knows any studies. I’ve got some from my google scholar-fu, but am keen to see what else is out there. Anybody have any links?

          (Apologies, I’ll likely repost this request after midnight, to maybe have a bit more time -on the wall-. Hope that doesn’t bother people)

  45. Dana

    It’ll be interesting to see if Booster gets some backstory that puts their assholery in some context. They’re playing a Mike role, it seems, but Mike was kind of unable to get enough character development as a side character with such extreme history in the other continuity.

    1. DailyBrad

      I imagine we’ll get more on them, though I think Booster may also be a commentary on how a lot of psych majors can behave.

  46. Acher4

    Love the last panel.
    😆

    1. DailyBrad

      Very cartoony “I just ran off the cliff, didn’t I?”

      1. JessWitt

        *meep meep*

  47. Sirksome

    Is Booster trying to make friends and just really bad at it. I mean they were eating lunch alone till Joe and Danny showed up. Maybe Booster don’t have no peeps to hang with and I totally get why.

    1. BenRG

      This is a guess but, given that Booster was driven out of their previous dorm by their dorm-mate persistently misgendering that, I think that they’ve developed a bit of a cynical view of people. They’ve decided to make it their mission to point out people’s personality problems to them from the start, just to make it clear that they don’t find these ‘quirks’ endearing.

      FWIW, I got the impression that they were genuinely trying to be helpful with Joyce and Walky.

  48. Bryy

    IT BEGINS.

  49. eskimolos

    All y’all sticking up for Joe are fukken G R O S S. No, this is the least acceptable behavior, that he feels -completely- entitled to engage in. I really hope whatever snide comments Booster has can get it through to him that reducing humans to the parts that please or displease Joe is super shitty and should not be done.

  50. DarkoNeko

    holy shiiit ;D

  51. Zaxares

    He’s got you there, Joe. 😉

    1. Zaxares

      Whoops, that should be “They’ve got you there, Joe.”

  52. Sombrero

    Oooooh, first punch in the face. Everybody but Joe saw it coming.

  53. uniquepassive

    “No offense, but I try not to interact at length with people who aren’t either Dan or chicks I’m tryin’ to nail.”
    Says the man interacting at length with Joyce via text.

    1. BenRG

      Let’s put it this way: It is impossible to understate the amount of denial Joe has about his relationship with Joyce and how desperately he’s trying to avoid it becoming ever more meaningful and important.

    2. ValdVin

      I spent way too long thinking about the same thing on this panel before getting to the punchline.

  54. Jake'm

    That last face is a good’un.

    Impressed with how Booster said all that with a straw in their mouth – masterful!

  55. Anon A Mouse

    Look, Joe’s being creepy but lord do people think this is unusual behavior? Next time you are out and you see someone you think is “attractive” think about what you found attractive? Their legs? Their hair? That Joe says these things out loud to his friend, who is there for the same purpose, is not inherently bad and is basically slut-shaming. He has long since shown he acknowledges people as people in the general sense (he fears his dad will hurt his new stepmom) but also, he wants to have sex a lot and it’s been shown he’s never coerced anyone into it, all of his partners have been consensual.

    1. Zee

      Wha
      It’s. It’s slutshaming to call him out for blatantly objectifying women in the room loud enough that others can hear him? There’s a difference between thinking in your head that someone’s body is attractive then moving on, and staking out a place to verbally reduce people to their parts and declare that you are horny for them. Like, you can sleep around without just being publicly objectifying like this. Jesus christ I’ve seen some bad takes in the comments before but that one is up there…

      1. Anon A Mouse

        Yea, I don’t consider what Joe is doing at this particular moment any worse than other characters have done (Marcie liked Malaya cause of her ass, even though she was kindof a bongo to her best friend). It’s creepy, yeah, but he’s shown he looks beyond it when it comes to actual relationships and none of his partners seemed to have minded.

        1. thejeff

          What actual relationships?

          Roz gave up on having sex with him because of his rating women. Penny had her own damn problems. Malaya, well Malaya was all messed up.

          Beyond that his whole thing is that he avoids actual relationships because he’s afraid he’ll be like his dad and cheat and hurt them. If he doesn’t get close he won’t be able to. Joyce blew that out of the water by forcing him to realize this very kind of objectification did hurt people, but he seems to have gone back to the old ways.

        2. Anon A Mouse

          So has Amber and to a degree Jennifer. Growth doesn’t seem like a huge part of this particular chapter.

        3. thejeff

          I’m not sure at this point where Amber stands – we’ve seen nothing of AG, for example. Jennifer has made a pretty drastic change, for unclear reasons.

          Joe seems to have just gone back to where he was at the start – though he’s at least dropped the actual list.

    2. thejeff

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/04-the-do-list/object/

    3. CJ

      Unusual? Maybe. Creepy? Definitely.
      You think being creepy is something to do and not be called out for? What a strange though.

  56. DSL

    Ask others about themselves, they’ll generally react favorably.
    Open conversationally with some variation of “I’ve got you figured out,” — not so much.
    Boo, Booster.

  57. Reltzik

    … you know, I didn’t think much about Booster not dissecting Dorothy at the floor meeting until I took a closer look at Panel 2.

    1. Clif

      Nice catch. It could have been accidental, but …

      Or maybe Dorothy was just smart enough not to say anything once Booster got started.

      1. thejeff

        It’s been called out in comic twice now. It’s not accidental.

  58. Alan in DC

    That sounds like some 1930s Appalachian exclamation: “Well, doesn’t that just chafe your nethers?”

  59. Dave Stell

    Kinda assuming something here… isn’t this more of a flirt than a roast?

    1. Rectilinear Propagation

      It’s more complimentary sounding than ‘rotisserie’.

      Also, Joe did just say he only talks to people if he’s trying to have sex with them so…maybe?

  60. SeasideSun

    Booster is a bit of a jerk and I love them. Good character

  61. Rabisch

    This looks like the beginning of a beautiful, long life friendship!

  62. thumb

    Okay, that one was solid. That second panel makes me thing more about my belief that Booster is simply bad at socialising. That was probably a party trick they did as a kid which made people like them. And they probably don’t understand why it’s not as charming when you do it to everyone. The 12485th time.

    You know, “When Masking Goes Wrong!”

    1. JessWitt

      Good lord, Booster would’ve been the most precocious kid.

  63. FacelessDeviant

    They’re gonna do it, aren’t they?

  64. Merle

    Facial hair is just a curse overall. Wish it were under conscious control or something.

    1. JessWitt

      Agreed. I hate having facial hair because it’s so patchy and makes me look like a kid pretending to be an adult.

      Also, wearing a mask over my cleanly shaven face scratches my chin. That could just be the way I shave and/or having sensitive skin.

      1. thejeff

        Doesn’t scratch my chin, but stubble shreds the inside of the mask and the little fibers irritate my nose.

        Conscious control over facial hair (or hair in general) would be great. Go right to the length I like it and stay there.

  65. Falcon

    One could wonder if Booster is implying they’d consider sleeping with Joe if he shaved.

  66. foducool

    booster got no chill lmfao

  67. Heather

    Unlike a lot of people in the dorm in that meeting that got hit I honestly feel Joe needs this. Just apprehensive about Booster once again galloping past the finish line and taking out one of the judges as they leap over the table into the screaming crowd.

    Also to be frank, Booster was kind of creepy when it came to Ruth so I’m kind of wondering if this is eventually all pot-kettle-black.

  68. Reltzik

    Anyone want to place odds on whether we will see Joe clean-shaven by sometime tomorrow (comic time)?

  69. Spencer

    Wait did the Willis family get a puppy

  70. Rainhat

    It’s interesting Booster said asking about people usually made.people look on you favorably… because they didn’t
     ask anything. Everything in this conversation was a declarative statement. Maybe being asked once at the meeting Beetljuiced everyone, forever.

  71. Dracke

    I miss Mike

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