287

Effect
Posted on March 1, 2017 by David M Willis

287 thoughts on “Effect”

  1. butts

    now KISS

    1. Pablo360

      You mean like this?

      1. Pablo360

        Oh come the fuck on, that is literally the exact same url as the comic that is literally open in another tab at this exact moment

        1. Pablo360

          Wait, nevermind, it appears to be working, my connection is the problem.

        2. Pablo360

          IGNORE ME!

        3. Clif

          Done. 😉

        4. Pablo360

          Wait, to the comment, or the hovertext?

        5. Remmington Steele

          You’ll never know …

    2. Baf

      Is that combination of comment and avatar deliberate?

      1. Pablo360

        It always is. Especially when it isn’t.

      2. butts

        Every comment I’ve ever made or ever will make is improved by this avatar.

        1. Pablo360

          If you became President and signed an executive order pertaining to the taxation of homeless shelters, that executive order would be improved by your avatar.

        2. Reltzik

          Yeah, and your last one was always the butt of jokes.

        3. Needfuldoer

          Now there’s a platform I can get behind!

        4. Charlie Spencer

          I wish people would stop assking you about it.

      3. Clif

        Does a dodecagon have 12 sides? Is Joyce a confirmed romantic?

        1. Clif

          So yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s deliberate and the comments that snuck in between just confirm it.

        2. Pablo360

          I think that’s a rhombic dodecahedron, actually.

        3. Clif

          Pretty sure a rhombic dodecahedron has 12 surfaces and 24 sides.

          It couldn’t possible be the case that auto complete suggested dodecagon and I punched it without thinking.

        4. Pablo360

          I meant his avi.

        5. Znayx

          I’m pretty okay with calling faces “sides” (though that might not be the accepted terminology)… the thing that you’re calling “sides” on the dodecahedron, Clif, is called “Edges” as far as I’ve always heard.

  2. Wack'd

    “GO ON AND KISS DE GIRL”
    “joyce i hate to break it to you but we’re…waaaaay past that
    …also maybe uh don’t do the accent? seems in bad taste”

    1. Clif

      What do you have against crab accents?

      Crabs taste great.

      1. Jess

        Dude come on. Joyce would never eat crab. Lol

    2. Larkle

      I wonder if Joyce was allowed to watch The Little Mermaid. I feel like maybe not.

      1. Emperor Daniel

        When I was younger, we were allowed to watch The Little Mermaid…but with any of the scenes involving the Sea Witch or her minions skipped over.

        1. CoMa

          … Can the story even make sense without these parts? (I’m honest, I couldn’t imagine the story without that bits – and was it to protect you from the scary parts or was it because of religion etc.? – if this is too personal of a question, feel free to ignore, I’m just very curious)

        2. Emperor Daniel

          With regards to why those bits were skipped over, it was probably a bit of both, but the whole “the villain’s a WITCH!” aspect definitely played a big factor.

  3. Ana Chronistic

    There you see her
    Standing there across the way
    She don’t got a lot to say
    But there’s something about her
    And you don’t know why
    But you’re dying to try
    You wanna kiss the girl

    Yes, you want her
    Look at her, you know you do
    Possible she wants you too
    There is one way to ask her
    It don’t take a word
    Not a single word
    Go on and KISS HER YOU FOOL

    1. Danni

      kiss the girl!

    2. nobodybasically

      Was totally going to ask if anyone else was imagining Joyce doing the last line in a Jamaican accent.

    3. foamy

      It was inevitable, really.

    4. Chris Phoenix

      Wow – am I the only one to notice that those lyrics are really non-consensual? “Don’t say a word, just walk up and kiss this woman you don’t know, to see if she wants you.”

      1. BBCC

        In their defence, in context the two are on what could easily be construed as a date.

        This song is from a musical – context matters.

      2. David M Willis

        This is what the minor key version is for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HncGtWcqyV0

        1. David M Willis

          Also apparently I am Roz and have lost my gravatar somehow.

        2. David M Willis

          fix’d

        3. Rowen Morland

          Oh, did the gravatar order get switched up by some new ones?

        4. David M Willis

          No new avatars uploaded. Gravatar was just being a butt.

        5. David M Willis

          though i should probably upload new gravatars, it’s been a while

        6. Roborat

          But she dies at the end, showing the witch lose would illustrate the point better than skipping over those scenes.

        7. Roborat

          I have no idea how this posted here, it is supposed to be a reply to Emperor Daniel.

        8. Fart Captor

          Holy crap, that is so much creepier

        9. Orion Fury

          Fa la la la la la la?

        10. Ryek Hvek

          “music” like this makes feel very very very very old ☹

        11. Keulan

          If you like that, you should definitely listen to Tom Waits’ version of Heigh Ho from Disney’s Snow White movie.

        12. Keulan

          Ah hell, I fucked it up

        13. Keulan

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71gI8xMfJO0

        14. Ryek Hvek

          I actually like Tom Waits’ stuff, when I ever think about it (listening to The Piano Has Been Drinking right now) – one song of his I don’t have the name to, bounces around kind of light and jaunty, and has a lyric something like “the band sounds like sh!t”

        15. Ryek Hvek

          Found it ~ Pasties and a G-String

        16. thejeff

          Tom Waits is pretty awesome. In many different ways, depending on what period you’re listening too.

        17. Pablo360

          The <a> tag has two inner components. href is the hyperlink, and title is the hovertext. In between the <a> and the </a> is the text you want to display.

        18. Pablo360

          Also, type &lt; to create <.

        19. Pablo360

          That is a < that isn’t part of a tag.

          Also, type &amp; to type &.

          And type &amp;amp; to type &amp;.

        20. Pablo360

          However, you don’t need to type &rt; to create >, you can just write that in naturally. You only need to break & and <.

        21. Keulan

          I know how to do it, and usually I have no problems. Still not sure how I fucked it up so bad.

        22. trlkly

          I like that series (minor key songs), but they all have a bit of same-y-ness to them. They sound too similar.

        23. showler

          I always go to the Soul II Soul version from “Simply Mad about the Mouse”.

      3. Joe Covenant

        Written by D. Trump.

  4. DarkoNeko

    *look closer at last panel*
    AAAH A SHIPPING GHOST

    1. Deimir

      #2shippy4me

      I prefer to think of her as a shipping ninja.

  5. Sageress

    Okay, awesome! Ruth is actually being a good role model for once!

    Remember kids, if you DO have access to medication for your mental issues, TAKE THE MEDICINE.

    1. Travestyhat

      It’s almost like she’s on some kind of long road to recovery or something!

      But yes, VERY good role model.

      1. Sageress

        I was praisin her, character development n junk. I’m saying I’m proud of the old so-and-so. Despite being a Leafs fan she’s doing something good for once.

        1. Orion Fury

          Well she can’t be completely sensible, this is the internet after all.

  6. Mr. Mendo

    Joyce is going full Lumiere!

    1. Pablo360

      “Be our guest, be our guest, from the lands of the West!”

      “I’m from Canada.”

      “Hey, do you know Ryan North?”

      “That’s racist.”

      1. BBCC

        As a Canadian – who the FUCK is Ryan North?

        1. Pablo360

          The guy behind the postmodern romp known as Dinosaur Comics.

        2. Pablo360

          Excusez-moi.

        3. Pablo360

          Fuck it. Qwantz.com.

        4. BBCC

          Oh! The Squirrel Girl guy! Awesome!

        5. JessWitt

          And now he’s working on Jughead. Guy’s going places.

        6. Roborat

          And Adventure Time.

  7. Sageress

    ALSO JOYCE STOP TRYING TO PUSH AN UNSTABLE RELATIONSHIP YOU’RE DOING SO WELL OTHERWISE

    1. Bagge

      Shippers gonna ship

      1. Pablo360

        Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and sister, I ship people.

        1. Orion Fury

          I’m here to do two things, chew gum, and ship people, and I’m all outta gum.

      2. 3oranges

        I’ve seen the internet, I know what ship means! It means that once Ruth finishes packing, her stuff will take forever to get to her unless she pays to expedite it.

      3. 0kami-kun

        Appropriate avatar is appropriate.

        1. Pablo360

          What, none for me?

    2. TheAnonymousGuy

      Isn’t shipping an established couple just plain old support of a relationship?

      1. Sageress

        It’s still not one you should support!

        1. Pablo360

          I mean, it’s stable NOW.

        2. Sageress

          Not really!

          Billy got drunk EARLIER TODAY

        3. Fart Captor

          Stability does not require all of their problems being fixed forever.

          Their relationship has gotten steadily more stable (and healthy) over time. What remains to be seen whether that will continue now that they’re in the open and Ruth is getting help.

          If Billie actually shows up to her own therapy appointments, I think they’ve got a decent shot

        4. Sageress

          I’m contractually required to be skeptical until they prove me otherwise!

        5. Clif

          Which makes Billie still an alcoholic, not the relationship unstable.

        6. Sageress

          Considering the problems that occurred occurred partially because they enabled each other’s alcoholism, I’m not convinced things will go well

        7. Pablo360

          Actually, that was yesterday.

        8. thejeff

          Today has not been demonstrated, only assumed.

        9. Pablo360

          The storyline changed, that is the only sure method of determining date, fuck the sun

        10. thejeff

          I meant we only assume she’s been drinking today. No reason today should be different than any other day.

        11. Solenoid

          Joyce certainly doesn’t know that.

        12. Fart Captor

          Considering the fact that their relationship most likely saved at least one of their lives, people can damn well support it as much as they want.

          Considering how messed up and abusive it was when it began, they can also dislike it as much as they want.

          Like much of life, it’s messy, and isn’t fit neatly into a clearly black-and-white value scale.

        13. Clif

          Your Moral Relativism is no match for my Objectively Oriented Ontology.

        14. StClair

          this is giving me Dungeons and Discourse flashbacks.

        15. Pablo360

          BALTHAZAR’S BETRAYAL MAKES NO SENSE FROM A CHARACTER, NARRATIVE, OR LOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

          Sorry, what were we talking about?

        16. SamBC

          Misread as “Object Oriented Ontology”… struggled with that for a minute…

        17. Sageress

          I ain’t supportin’ no suicide pact until they give me a reason to dad-gummit.

        18. Fart Captor

          That has already ended. Only the sexy lesbians remain.

          Although not really, since both of them are bisexual.

        19. Orion Fury

          Eh, close enough?

        20. Nightsbridge

          let me try to post again. . .

          I’ll second that, with receipts!

  8. shadowcell

    oh, you sweet summer child, you haven’t *seen* the internet.

    1. Danni

      she probably had the filter on

      1. TheAnonymousGuy

        until she learned of dude smut

        1. Reltzik

          Especially once she learned of dude smut.

          God’s better at giving her strength if the filter’s on.

    2. Pablo360

      Secretly Joyce is already a pornlord

      1. Derek

        is it me or is Joyce implying they should sex? I thought she wanted lesbians to keep their sexiness to the confines of gay marriage? I seem to remember her saying the premarital hanky panky rule applies to Ethan or Becky

        1. Derek

          er, ignore that
          it was supposed to be a brand new comment

        2. Pablo360

          I think it’s you, buddy.

        3. Greenygal

          Given that it’s Joyce, I think she’s just implying that they should spend time together and say sweet things and snuggle, although she has reached the stage of her development where she would not be particularly stressed that sex was also involved.

          But yeah, if it was anyone else, I would definitely be reading that panel as “Have fun, you two, and don’t break the bed.”

      2. 0kami-kun

        Well, she’s already honed her craft of drawing highly detailed ‘anatomical examples’.

  9. Stephen Bierce

    *plays Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It” on the hacked Muzak*

    1. Keulan

      Listen girl I don’t want to see you let a good thing slip away…

  10. Jabberwocky

    Ruth’s on fluoxetine or something similar, I take it? The few days it takes for the stuff to kick in is hell

    1. Ansel

      pretty much all antidepressants take at least a week to kick in; while it doesn’t really matter I’d assume they would start her on citalopram (Celexa) or escitalopram (Cipralex) because those are like, your basic starter SSRIs.

      1. Chris Phoenix

        Depends on the antidepressant and the person. I know two people for whom Wellbutrin had a noticeable positive effect the same day they started it. One described it as “Things became three-dimensional again.”

        1. Eukie

          Could be the placebo effect.

        2. fogel

          Yeah, Placebo is good stuff: it’s what they test new meds against to see if they’re any good AND it works for everything — its The Alpine Cureall!

        3. Orion Fury

          But…what if you’re allergic to placebos?

        4. Haven

          There’s a pill for that now.

        5. Orion Fury

          How convenient.

    2. trlkly

      There are some trials for instant reaction antidepressants, but none of the current drugs work instantly. They all cause a reaction in the brain, which then eventually compensates for it, creating the antidepressant effect.

      In fact, if you have a reaction even in just a few days, it’s probably the placebo effect. You’re being listened to, and you feel a bit different due to the medicine. This can allow you to have the hope you previously were too afraid to have.

      But, note, the placebo effect isn’t just “all in your mind.” The expectation means you produce endorphins, which are your body’s own natural antidepressants. Hence, even placebos technically have an antidepressant effect.

      The research I’m seeing for faster acting antidepressants is looking pretty promising. I have a feeling they may be temporarily, but, since we also have long acting antidepressants, that can be okay.

      Some of the drugs being tried are drugs that are already out but used for other things. I wouldn’t be surprised if some psychiatrists were willing to try them, but I’d guess they’d only want to use them if they absolutely had to.

      1. Raibean

        Well, I mean, there’s always benzos until they kick in, but you don’t want to take those longterm by any stretch of the imagination.

  11. JohnnyO

    I’m sure it’s referencing something else, but my first thought when I saw Joyce’s line in the last panel was the song “Tell Her I Love Her” from Urinetown: The Musical.

    1. Foxhack

      I thought it was a reference to a Stevie Wonder song.

    2. esmooria

      And I just started hearing that song from Enchanted in my head

      1. Freckled-Queen

        Here I was thinking of the little mermaid

        1. BBCC

          Probably neither. Disney movies were on her parents’ no-no list. Promoted happiness without God’s love.

  12. Danni

    would uptown girl be an appropriate song rn?

  13. Angel

    I have to say, it’s really showing how much more accepting and supportive Joyce has become of homosexuality. I’m proud of you, Joyce.

    1. Angel

      I apologize for my out of place gravatar, I can’t figure out how for the life of me to make it a DoA character.

      1. Pablo360

        Don’t choose a gravatar is how

      2. trlkly

        If you have gravatar for some other site (like, say, WordPress), then just use a different email. The easiest way is if you use Gmail, as you can just add or take away any dots (.) in your user name, or add a + and some extra letters right before the @ sign.

        So, let’s say I was trlkly@gmail.com (I’m not.), then I could use trlk.ly@gmail.com or even trlkly+doa@gmail.com, and those emails would all still work. but give me a different gravatar.

        (If all you want is one of the default gravatars, you could just use a fake email, but I don’t recommend it, since someone else may have that real email.)

        1. thejeff

          Changes in capitalization are even easier and you can do them with any email account.

        2. thejeff

          Like that. 🙂

    2. DinaWho

      Especially when you compare it to the strip the hovertext is calling back to.

  14. Emperor Daniel

    I guess Joyce ships Rubi, now.

    1. Passchendaele

      It took her a while, but she’s realized they’re the OTP, and it’s definite enough to stop the anarchy. 😛

  15. Nym

    Awww, that last panel. My heart.

  16. Fart Captor

    JOYCE STOP BEING ADORABLE I CAN’T DEAL

    1. Solenoid

      You know she’s not gonna. You know she’s not gonna. She’s determined to cheer other people on like a ray of sunshine.

    2. Bluewind

      I know! She’s being the same adorable she is with heterosexual couples too which just shows how much she has changed. A lot of people keep pointing out that Ruth and Billie don’t have the most healthy relationship and (put words here), but that has never stopped Joyce from shipping people and trying to “help”. She needs a lot more education in healthy romantic relationships, but this little strip and the few before it show that Joyce no longer views heterosexual and homosexual relationships as different things with different rules. I’m really looking forward to her learning about poly, trans, and non binary genders although I hope not all at once because I think her brain would overload and fry her circuits. XD

      Sex wise, I think mainstream porn is terrible, but I think a story of her getting exposed to anatomy might be interesting. Anything from her seeing nudity in an art class to a professional poll dancer’s artistic beauty to a positive porn with natural enjoyable sex (like something OJST might recommend) would be fun. Could you imagine her seeing a video of a cis woman going solo and the inner monolog after?

      1. BBCC

        Wasn’t it strongly implied she started being okay with googling naked men in the end of Whiteboard Ding Dong Bandit or was she looking at other stuff that made her happy? I’m asking because it looked, to me, like she was googling something sexy.

        1. Bluewind

          She did look up penises, but it’s definitely different to see one in person. I’m a little fuzzy on details and not sure what Joyce was looking up (it might have just been models in their underwear), but short of people telling her terms that she looks up and things of that nature, Joyce hasn’t seen a lot below the waste things, much less positive examples. I guess all I’m saying is I want her to embrace being a sexual creature with wants and needs just like she has embraced this. I don’t want Ryan to pop up in naughty dreams or in every strong sexual thought she has from now on like the worst jump scare ever.

          Then again, I am very tired and sick, so brain no good at da smart right now 😉

        2. BBCC

          It could have been she was looking at pretty men or something. I don’t believe we were told what she was looking at.

        3. Liliet

          She looked up specifically what penises looked like, and learned to draw them. There’s definitely a lot more she would benefit from looking up and coming to terms with, but she’s definitely educated about specifically the male bits.

      2. Cerberus

        Yeah, it’s beautiful to really take stock of how much Joyce has grown and how she’s completely through all her misgivings on the subject. She’s thinking about queer relationships the same way she would about straight ones and doing the same aggressive meddling.

        And given the sheer raw amount of the bigotry she was raised in, that’s an amazing thing for her to be this okay with everything this fast.

        1. vlademir1

          This is one of the few exceptionally rare occasions I really wish we had a thumbs up button or the like for these comments.

          Anyway, I really rather agree with that last sentence, especially as I know people who come from similar backgrounds to Joyce, are themselves gay and openly out, have been for well over a decade and still ultimately are only really intellectually ok with nonheteronormative relationships. This is, of course, really hard to watch as a friend when their emotional hangups on the topic leave them in a perpetual emotional self-harming relationship spiral.

  17. Dave

    Joye has become the Shoulder Angel. She has ascended.

    1. Bagge

      She had that gig for awhile. She’s just more subtle these days
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/06-yesterday-was-thursday/hours/

  18. Passchendaele

    Joyce: YOUR LOVE, I SHIP IT.

    Or:

    “Did you seriously walk away for a few steps and turn around to say that.”

    “…nooooosayyouloveeachothercomeonyouwon’tgetanotherchanceoooooo?”

  19. Yotomoe

    I’m honestly not sure if Billie’s the biggest anymo’
    http://imgur.com/a/7OBsB

    1. Bagge

      I’m sure Billie is not too afraid of the competition.

      Actually, that train of thoughts make the last panel even more hilarious.

  20. Rukduk

    When did Joyce start taking ninja lessons from Dina? And how did she learn how to teleport?

    1. Passchendaele

      When eager, Joyce has the ability to travel anywhere when she’s offpanel. She could compete with Dina if her presence wasn’t so unsubtle. 😛

  21. Bagge

    Joyce Brown – relationship advice ninja!

  22. Valerie

    JOYCE SHIPS IT YESSSS

    1. Emperor Daniel

      We can ship it!

  23. Fart Captor

    The sheer amount of joy Joyce gets from her friends’ happiness is one of my favorite things about her. Even if she overdoes it sometimes.

  24. RogueParasol

    Joyce, you mean so well, and I support the intention and spirit of your behavior, but you might need to follow your instincts in panel 4 and butt out for a little bit. Let Ruth and Billie deal with some of their emotions before telling them how they should be acting/reacting immediately after having everyone on the floor weigh in on their lives. Give Ruth some time to breathe and express herself to Billie or vice versa without outside pressure.

  25. John

    Well, good to see Joyce’s critical system patch took properly.

    1. Bagge

      At this point she’s just happy they are down to TWO-girl Hanky Panky.

      And of course, the new patch makes perfect sense to her.

      Old doctrine: Love makes everything better (unless it’s gay because than it’s… confused or something?)

      New doctrine: Love makes everything better!

      1. Orion Fury

        Nested If_Then_Else trees tend to be messy.

  26. Derek

    is it me or is Joyce implying they should sex? I thought she wanted lesbians to keep their sexiness to the confines of gay marriage? I seem to remember her saying the premarital hanky panky rule applies to Ethan or Becky

    1. Bagge

      It IS the established protocol for situations like this
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/nina/

    2. BBCC

      I think she’s trying to nudge them along to a new emotional level or get them to be cute.

      Although, that said, neither Ruth nor Billie is a lesbian. Both are bi.

  27. Reltzik

    More seriously…

    … Ruth hasn’t gotten formal notice she’s been fired, that we know of. Nor has she gotten any notice that she’s been kicked out of her residence, or from the school.

    She’s just… quitting.

    I mean, I can get the feel of “I failed, time to pack up and leave, because failed”. And I can get a degree of fatalism about her prospects of retaining her job. And maybe I can even get that she isn’t happy in that job any more.

    But come on, at the very least, keep your room for as long as it takes to find another place in town to live and a paycheck. You don’t have to go home to Sir!

    1. BBCC

      If she loses her job, she’s out of the dorm. She’s going to need to find a new place soon if she’s fired, like she expects, so it’s probably wise to be prepared.

      1. Fart Captor

        If she were simply saying she should start looking for a new place to live, that would seem more like she was just being prudent, but this feels like she’s giving up prematurely. If/when the decision to fire her actually happens, she’ll have plenty of time to pack then.

        1. BBCC

          A fair point. Ruth’s kinda fatalistic here, isn’t she?

        2. Eukie

          She suffers from depression, and she probably knows that looking for a new place to live while living off her very meagre means/at her grandfather’s, and looking for a job/applying for a student loan while very sick will be a gruelling experience that’ll make everything hurt more.

          What Ruth actually needs is peace of mind and an opportunity to not worry about money and stuff like that while she recovers. Unfortunately, that’s probably not an option she’ll easily be able to choose.

        3. Emily

          Ruth is fatalistic more often then she’s not it generally comes with the territory of debilitating depression.

        4. Tarmaniel

          If my read on Ruth’s grandfather is correct, she’s fatalistic because saying he’s not going to take this situation well is an understatement.

          I’m guessing her grandfather had a very hard childhood, maybe a Vietnam veteran or a dirt poor immigrant that had to work 16 hours a week at multiple jobs just to survive. Probably little formal education, and has no concept of what depression actually entails. The fact that he had to endure these hardships and survived while Ruth is so “lazy” she can’t even handle the “easy” task of college and a part time job insults and enraged him. That’s why we’re getting the constant refrains of, “disappointment” and “failure” whenever he gets mentioned.

        5. Tadpole7

          You can get a similar attitude from someone a good education and a decent childhood.

          Some people with an authoritarian streak will hold others to an impossibly high standards as a means of control. While at the same time re-framing any weakness/failures on their part as strengths or as someone else’s fault.

        6. Cerberus

          Yep.

          Which, depression and being caught out and humbled can both independently do that and part of Ruth has very much wanted to quit and stop having to deal with the responsibilities of her job and balancing that with school and surviving her grandpa’s abuse.

          But then again, even though I think this is premature and everyone seems to be skipping past the part where she is let go formally, it’s probably a good thing for her to assume that it’s coming and start preparing now for transition into that.

          Cause, even if she’s not fired, I imagine that “no dating Billie” will be a major condition of her continued role as RA and I don’t think she’s in a headspace where that makes sense as a sacrifice.

        7. Reltzik

          I don’t know about “no dating Billie”. Under the scenario where Billie’s not fired, I imagine Chloe’s savvy enough to say, “Look, I know I can’t hold back the hormone tide. So we’ve found someone on another floor who hates her roommate, and Billie, you and her can switch rooms. That way, no unequal power dynamic. Just move up two floors into her room, and she’ll move down into your wait who’s that redhead?”

        8. Reltzik

          *Where Ruth’s not fired

        9. Cerberus

          True, very true. Or a “we’re currently looking into moving Billie onto another floor the next time someone needs a switch”, so just try not to favor her while we ease you back into the position for your second chance.

  28. Yotomoe

    Offsite I’ve thoroughly accepted the headcanon that Asma isn’t RA because She wears too heavy perfumehttp://imgur.com/a/t6cIW

    1. Bagge

      Oooooh! Nice. More Asma in the world is a very good thing.

    2. Sageress

      Hey I saw that thread too

      Asma is best girl, semi-related.

  29. Pl0x

    Go away joyce

  30. Travestyhat

    That last panel is some top-shelf Joyce Adorability.

  31. Cathy Garrett

    Does it make me a bad person that, even after this latest life-changing storyline, I still can’t stand Ruthless and still wish for her to go set a fire and die in it?

    1. Cathy Garrett

      I have to experiment to see if I can get a Gravatar other than Ethan. Nothing against Ethan, he just doesn’t represent me.

      1. Cathy Garrett

        Neither does she.

    2. BBCC

      I don’t know about that, but maybe lay off wishing a suicidal character would succeed (as your ‘set a fire and then die in it’ comment lends itself to).

    3. Fart Captor

      Hating her doesn’t make you a bad person. She did some awful things, and you’re not obligated to forgive her, even if she changes.

      Wanting her to die isn’t great though.

    4. chris73

      I don’t like Ruth either as shes a very unpleasant person but wanting her to die horribly seems a tad over the top

    5. Orion Fury

      It feels like that comment escalated quickly…

  32. Cathy Garrett

    Not so sure about that one either.

    1. Cathy Garrett

      Ah, yeah! Rockin’ Dorothy, the Atheist brainiac. Awright. /Quagmire

  33. Brute

    i’ve been dicking around on FB for like two hours now and then I read this and i tried to Like it and then i was disappointed in everything i have become but this is a good one. that is some A+ Joycing there.

  34. chris73

    All this talk of Ruth having to go home if shes out of the RA job confuses me. I mean its sounding like her options are either A. Uni or B. Home

    Is it possible for her to join the military or meet up with Becky and try to find a job or something or have I missed something?

    1. BBCC

      She can’t afford school without the perks her job gives her.

      1. chris73

        Well sure but it seems a few people on here think its either school or go home but she has other options

        1. Fart Captor

          Most would result in her life being completely upended though.

          She might be able to find a job, but one that pays enough for her to afford tuition AND housing won’t be easy to find, and multiple jobs PLUS school would be really difficult for her to manage right now.

          She could join the military and get a scholarship, but not until after she’d served, which would mean leaving college and Billie for a couple years. Which also doesn’t seem like a good idea while she’s only just started treatment for depression.

          She might apply for student aid, but she’s probably already getting all that she qualifies for.

          On top of that, there’s “Sir”. If she had to leave school, what would he do Howard? He’s an abusive, controlling asshole, so probably nothing good.

          If she ends up finding a job, but leaving school (even temporarily), Sir will definitely be disappointed. Even if she finds some other way to support herself, he might regard simply losing her RA job as a sufficient disappointment to feel the need to lash out at someone.

        2. BBCC

          The military also might not take her if they judge her not stable enough – she’s just out of the hospital for a suicide scare. That may not pass muster there.

        3. Emperor Daniel

          She’s also a Canadian citizen. Does the US military even allow foreigners to serve?

        4. chris73

          So she joins the canadian military, the point is people are acting like her options are limited to either school or home

          She has other options, some of the options not so good but you can always go back to study at a later date

        5. BBCC

          The Canadian military requires her to move back home. With what money and resources is she supposed to do this? Also the Canadian military would probably say the same thing – thanks for the offer, but take some time to sort yourself out first.

        6. chris73

          Just saying that she has more options then home with Sir or school

        7. fogel

          US military happily enlists non-citizens.

        8. StClair

          For now. :/

        9. thejeff

          Is it clear she isn’t a US citizen? She grew up in Canada, but dual citizenship is a thing and if Sir is her grandfather and a citizen, it’s quite likely one of her parents is too and thus she would be as well.

        10. BBCC

          It might be more that she won’t have an excuse to stay to her grandfather without her job and school.

          Which might not be too bad except he has Howard there.

    2. thejeff

      She could look for a job, but that’s not instant and likely isn’t going to pay enough for a place to live right off – is she going to stay in the dorms like Becky?
      I mean, you’re basically saying: “It’s not that bad, she could choose to be homeless rather than go back to Sir.” Which is true and a thing some abused kids do, but it’s not really a good choice.

      And the real stumbling block here is that she’s suicidally depressed, which makes even thinking of those other options vastly harder, much less actually thinking they could work out or putting in the enormous amount of effort it would take to achieve them. A couple days ago she could barely get out of bed.

      1. chris73

        No I’m saying her choices are not, as others here think, either school or home.

        1. thejeff

          No, but the others really aren’t good.

        2. chris73

          No they’re not good for now but it can also be only temporary as well. Some of the comments on here sound like Ruths life is basically over and that’s far from the reality.

    3. trlkly

      Her realistic options are to stay at school or to go home.

      Getting a job with no experience and no degree doesn’t give you enough to rent a place to stay. The military is not temporary (as in, she can’t quit), and is not something she could just enter right away. Plus she’s currently too ill, and it would not be a good place for her even if they weren’t.

      The only other option for her would be to find some friends to live with, but, as revealed, she doesn’t really have any friends. The only choice would be Billy, who could try to hide her like Becky, but then you have the huge problem that everyone knows who she is and that she shouldn’t be there.

      Also, remember, being homeless is illegal here. Billie’s parents got rid of the homeless people. Not that leaving a mentally ill woman on the street isn’t cruel, anyways.

      I for one hope that her therapy included setting her up to get loans or scholarships or something so she can stay at school. Treating depression means helping with the actual problems in their lives that can be solved.

      But that’s still staying at school. Her realistic options are to stay at school or to go home–even if only temporarily. And the last thing she needs while depressed is to be stuck with an abuser.

      1. chris73

        “Her realistic options are to stay at school or to go home.”

        I disagree with that strongly.

        “Getting a job with no experience and no degree doesn’t give you enough to rent a place to stay.”

        Yet somehow some people manage it, also she hasn’t been kicked out yet so she has time, can she and Becky work something out together?

        “The military is not temporary (as in, she can’t quit), and is not something she could just enter right away.”

        It isn’t but there are fixed term contracts.

        “Plus she’s currently too ill, and it would not be a good place for her even if they weren’t.”

        Why would it not be a good place for her if she wasn’t ill? The military, at least in my experience, is a very good place for most people and can provide with learning opportunities as well valuable trade qualifications

        The military is not temporary (as in, she can’t quit), and is not something she could just enter right away. Plus she’s currently too ill, and it would not be a good place for her even if they weren’t.

        1. Fart Captor

          Of course she has other options if all we’re talking about is food and shelter. But of the few things Ruth seems to actually want right now, one is to finish her degree, and the other is Billie.

          Concentrating on the paths that keep one or both within reach doesn’t eliminate ALL possibilities other than keeping her RA job, but it narrows the field significantly.

          Yes, she could find another job to support herself. She might have to put her degree on hold for an indeterminate amount of time until she figures something out, but she’d probably be able to stay close enough to Billie to at least see her occasionally.

          The military is an option, of course. She’d still have to put her degree on hold, but she’d earn money and qualify for lots more financial aid when she got back. But it would immediately takes her away from Billie.

          I’m not at all sure what she could “work out” with Becky. Becky is squatting in the dorms and waiting tables. Other than putting in a good word for her with Galasso, there’s not much she could do to help, as much as she’d want to.

          Pretty much all options I can think of other than keeping her RA job (or at least some job at the U with similar perks) follow a similar pattern. They’re not hopeless, but they all put a major dent in what little stability and support Ruth currently has, and would be a major blow to most people even without the depression.

        2. chris73

          Well that’s the thing isn’t, sometimes what we want right now just isn’t possible (not saying its not important, an education certainly is) and sometimes you have to put it off until circumstances improve and that maybe school might not be the best place for Ruth

          At some point Becky will have to leave the dorm and find a place, probably easier for Ruth and Becky to find something, somewhere together then separately

          I had to spend about 3 – 3.5 months in a car a decade or so ago and it certainly wasn’t pleasant and not something I’d suggest anyone does (luckily the car was registered and warranted) but there are ways around issues

        3. thejeff

          Were you a clinically depressed alcoholic at the time? It makes a difference.

          And Ruth doesn’t have a car. 🙂

        4. chris73

          I’m not saying that’s what Ruth should do, I’m saying that Ruth has options other than School or Home

        5. thejeff

          Well, theoretically, assuming she could find a low end job like Becky has, they could split the rent on a rathole somewhere.

          The real problem with any of that is the suicidal depression and the therapy and drugs she loses as soon as she’s out of school. Lots of things are possible for an upbeat motivated kid like Becky that aren’t even an option for someone in the midst of serious depression and alcoholism. She needs help and treatment not to be booted onto the street and told to fend for herself. She’d be dead in a couple of weeks. She is suicidal.
          That crap job she doesn’t have the energy or motivation to find doesn’t come with a good mental health plan.
          If she leaves school she’s going to follow the path of least resistance, because she’s depressed and doesn’t have the spoons to do otherwise. Or the faith in herself. Which probably means back to Sir.

      2. BBCC

        I’m just going to comment Billie’s dad got rid of the homeless people in Evansville. She doesn’t live in Bloomington. She was asking where the people were sent because she thought Becky could stay (assuming it was a shelter or low cost housing, most likely).

  35. missilentmurmur

    I have this problem that I feel abnormal when other people find adorable what I find cringy af.

    1. DonDueed

      Why is that a problem? It’s not abnormal to feel abnormal sometimes. Besides, who’s to say that your reaction here is the abnormal one?

  36. BenRG

    I suspect that this strip indicates that Joyce has decided that her role in life is to be the angel on her classmates’ shoulder! What makes it sweet is that it is entirely in character. Being Joyce, it is almost certain that she is also going to be unintentionally annoying about it!

    What also is in character if Ruth’s fatalism. I wonder if she’s even thought of fighting back against the doom that she thinks is rolling down the hill towards her?

  37. Bicycle Bill

    Other than these last couple of strips where Ruth herself talks about how she will be “out of your hair soon enough” and that she should “get started packing”, do we even know for sure that she is definitely out of the RA’s position, let alone expelled from the university?  Even Chloe said that the decision hadn’t been made yet, and that she (Chloe) was not the only one involved in making said decision.

    1. BBCC

      No, we don’t know for sure. Ruth seems pretty convinced though.

    2. thejeff

      But Ruth’s depressed and fatalistic. She knows she’ll be fired and kicked out because she’s a failure and it’s what she deserves and it was going to happen as soon as anyone found out.

      She’s hardly an objective observer here.

      1. BenRG

        Exactly; I’m expecting the two threads for this chapter to be:

        1) Ruth deciding that she wants to fight for her future;

        2) Leslie publicly breaking down in class because of Robin’s behaviour then Roz (and possibly Dorothy, Walky Joe and Joyce) subsequently staging an intervention.

  38. CJ

    Well, if this happened in Germany, I don’t think they could fire her while she was officially unable to work for health reasons. Don’t know about US rules, though, decent behavior by employers doesn’t seem to be enforced much.

    And, what does Chloe really know about the things Ruth did?
    Did anyone complain to her about Ruth’s threats? Not on panel.
    Did she see Ruth being drunk or did anyone say she was? Again I don’t think so. I don’t think Ruth was drunk when they found her, just thoroughly catatonic.
    So all she knows is that Ruth has a psychological problem which she might attribut to almost anything.
    And that is there is a relationship with Billie that is against the rules, but with Bilie supporting Ruth in her illnesses, any ideas that Ruth forced Billie to anything because of power imbalance is ridiculous to the outsider (and maybe they even know that Ruth usually hates drunks because of the way her parents died).
    So, with Chloe liking Ruth and thinking highly of her work, I’d expect he to cut her the most slack possible. I’m not sure how far that goes, the though.

    1. CJ

      Ups, wrong avatar for this comment.

    2. Emperor Daniel

      Depending on what medical tests they decided to run on her, they could very easily have discovered her (underage, no less) alcoholism. As I understand it, alcohol tends to stay in the bloodstream in detectable amounts for between a few days to a week or two after partaking.

      1. CoMa

        I agree – the alcoholism should be obvious to the hospital she stayed in, but the question is: Would anything else concerning her condition besides “a psychological problem” even be forwarded to the college/her employer? I mean, what about medical confidentiality?
        Unless Ruth talked with Chloe off-panel about her condition, it’s not that unlikely to assume that Chloe does not actually know about the alcoholism (I believe bottles and everything were taken out of Ruths room as she and Billie tried to detox? So no bottles left over as proof)

        1. CoMa

          Okay, don’t know how I overlooked BBCC’s comment below me, but even if Chloe knew about her alcoholism, I’d still like to throw “medical confidentiality” into the room with regards to what Chloe might know and definitely know, etc.

        2. BBCC

          They might’ve let the school know because she’s underage or if they thought it had something to do with her depression, maybe?

        3. CoMa

          Ah- yes, that could be true. Thanks, I forgot that you’re still considered underage under 21 in the US (as in my country it’s 18)

        4. BBCC

          Yeah, here it’s 18-19, depending on province. But the States say 21 and she’s only 20.

        5. thejeff

          Even so, the doctors shouldn’t inform an employer. Possibly a parent. Maybe. And only if she was actually a minor, not just not old enough to drink.

          Especially someone being treated for mental health issues shouldn’t have to worry about an employer learning secrets. That’s not how you get patients to be open and honest.

          In this case, I suspect it’s more likely that Ruth told Chloe herself. She’d pretty much moved into “confess everything and let it destroy me” mode.

        6. BBCC

          If she were 17, I could see them informing the school for loco parentis reasons. But she’s not.

          Maybe she told her on the way to the hospital, just to see if she’d taken anything? Or maybe the school has something in their insurance plan (IU offers insurance) that they’d get to see what it was used for or ask questions about what was going on?

        7. thejeff

          Or she just told Chloe, like she told her she slapped a sharpie dick onto Mary.

        8. BBCC

          Possible. She didn’t tell her when Chloe visited, but maybe on the way to the hospital.

    3. BBCC

      Ruth told her she slapped a picture of a dick into somebody’s face, which requires slapping them hard enough the ink stays on their face.

      We know Chloe knows she got drunk regularly, because she asked Ruth why she did it.

      And that’s not the only reason the relationship isn’t allowed – it’s also a conflict of interests, opens the door for potential blackmail for the RA, and the RA can show favouritism. It’s not just because they can be forced into things. The conflict of interests is enough of a reason to say ‘don’t you dare’ to their employees, but the rest add to the skeezyness factor.

    4. Bicycle Bill

      I’m not sure if i posted it before (when all this started to hit the fan) but I once came to work boiled as an owl, was unable to perform my duties, and literally passed out at my desk.  I too was taken to hospital and went though the 72-hour de-tox procedure; I was then told by management while there was going to be some form of disciplinary action (a period of suspension w/o pay), if I voluntarily agreed to go through the 30-day in-patient alcohol addiction program my job would still be there waiting for me once all was said and done.  I’m thinking that even as a student RA, Ruth is still in some way considered to be an employee of Residence Life/Housing Office or whatever they call it at IU and may be eligible for a similar arrangement.

    5. Freckled-Queen

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-7/01-glower-vacuum/decision-2/ Chloe knows about the alcohol, clear from their conversation here

  39. CJ

    Well…

  40. JessWitt

    Ruthdemption is imminent.

  41. BenRG

    Joyce is… well, the word ‘perky’ comes to mind. I don’t know how well the dry run of the shower shoes went but she’s in what is, even fore her, an anomalously positive mood!

    I also think it is very, very sweet that she very obviously doesn’t want Ruth to go. I suspect that Ruth will be very surprised to learn that:

    1) Almost everyone knew that she and Billie were in a relationship and (with the exception of Mary) no-one cared;

    2) No-one wants her to leave (again, with the exception of Mary).

    Ruth is going to learn that maybe, just maybe, she isn’t a hated, worthless monster after all.

    1. DonDueed

      Wouldn’t that be a wet run of the shower shoes?

      1. Orion Fury

        The Goddess known as Carla would either approve or strike you down for that.

        Maybe both.

        1. Sunny

          You could always use “deity”, that’s gender-neutral afaik.

        2. Orion Fury

          Good point, thanks.

        3. thejeff

          Carla is canonically known as a Goddess.
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/todo/

  42. Sam

    I like how Ruth actually knows Billie and Joyce share the same morning class. I also like that she noticed it was odd for Joyce to say she’d see Billie much much later and actually has concerned eyebrows about it.

    1. DonDueed

      From the last panel, we can assume that Joyce’s “much later” comment was a hint to Billie that she should stay with Ruth instead of going to the class they share. (Maybe that was obvious to most of you commenters but it didn’t dawn on me immediately.)

      1. Sam

        I thought it was Joyce exiting because she made things awkward and Billie has kind of been a rage monster towards everyone recently at the slightest openings. And that she only made the last comment because Billie didn’t react with the expected aggression and Ruth was still acting depressive.

        That is a plausible line of thought too though.

        1. trlkly

          Nah, the last line indicates what she was doing. She’s way too perky here to actually be scared. Joyce does not hide emotions well.

    2. Joe Covenant

      I think Joyce was trying to ‘lie’…
      In order to Ninja them a few moments later…?

  43. L!ghtn!ng

    Oh Joyce, you old matchmaker, you!

  44. Sam

    Hahahaha, I didnt even notice Joyce in the 1st glance at the last panel.

  45. Doopyboop

    ‘Happy drugs’ is cringey but aaw… this strip is sad and cute at the same time.

  46. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions:

    Panel 1: Ah, yes, the month long wait when you first start anti-depressants. “Give it a month to kick in and see if it’s working”. If you’re lucky, it’s a miserable wait, if not, you get some nasty side effects and have to start over on a different anti-depressant.

    It’s all worth it in the long run (oh dear Bob is it worth it and I wouldn’t stop taking my anti-depressants for all the tea in the world), but in the short-term it feels awful. Because you feel so close, you’re taking the important steps to take care of yourself, and you’re just stuck waiting for that to finally click.

    Panel 2: Oh Joyce and her completely unrealistic idea of how anti-depressants work (which makes sense given the religion she belongs to tends to be pretty down on mental health in general (there’s no problem that can’t be solved with Jesus)).

    No, Ruth won’t be different. But she’ll likely be able to think, to access emotions besides rage, be able to cope with life a helluva lot better than she’s doing now.

    Will that appear different from the outside? Probably. After all, she’s already appearing different on the outside just from the therapy and deciding that she wants to live and acknowledging and apologizing for the ways in which she’s hurt other people in the past.

    Is being functional again, being able to be yourself without punching through a sea of monsters, “different”? Probably not in the way Joyce means it. But probably to Ruth in every way that matters most to her.

    Panel 3: And Joyce’s illusions of everything being magically better get dashed a bit, including the likelihood that Ruth returns and is awesome now and everything goes back to normal. Because consequences linger. The stuff that got her in trouble as an RA are still there and she is definitely at high risk of losing her job or not being able to accept the conditions they would set for her to return to her job.

    And she still has the same stresses and traumas that precipitated her mental health crisis and she’ll be waiting for a bit for medicine to catch up and hopefully help. Real life recovery and rebuilding of one’s life are a lot more in-depth affairs than the sitcom version Joyce grew up with where all you need to do is praise Jesus or have a good heart-to-heart and then everything is all better forever.

    1. Orion Fury

      Wait, consequences linger? Hymnal lied to me!

      Also, I’ve found that one thing, one sliver of hope, can be useful at times like this, but ymmv.

      1. Cerberus

        Oh, no, the hope is key and honestly, being on the medication, knowing that one of them will work at some point, is a hell of a boost to keep going when you’ve reached rock bottom on your ability to cope.

        But the past is the past and can’t be changed. However, the future is there and can be carved into something so much better and meaningful.

  47. Cerberus

    Panel 4: Joyce trying to hint hint Billie into taking the time to be there for her girlfriend who’s going to have a stressful day is very adorable, though I would hope that it would come with an offer to smuggle her out notes if she was to do that.

    Panel 5: And while I’m definitely not one to ever encourage skipping classes (cause teacher), it’s probably a good idea for Billie to do so. Ruth is out of a lot of coping resources at the hospital and today is going to be high stress and given that she’s sort of accepted that she’s likely being fired, she’s going to be more prone to making rash decisions and trying to kickstart her recovery as fast as possible.

    Plus, well, there’s a lot to talk about with regards to their relationship. They got together through abuse and bullying and the original structure of their relationship was a toxic suicide pact based on both of them feeling that they were poison that could only harm others.

    If they’re going to build something healthy, it will be necessary for them to earnestly talk out what that looks like and that is likely going to include Billie requesting some help for her own demons or setting some boundaries on how much emotional support work she can give Ruth during this rough time. Especially so Billie can work through her demons with regards to thinking that if Ruth gets better, she’ll ruin and destroy her again.

    Panel 6: And of course Ruth is going to resist that. School is important to her and she doesn’t like Billie trying to sacrifice her academic success to “care for her” even if she’s in a really bad place emotionally. But that last line is also worrying.

    Yeah, she might have a low chance of retaining her job in a way that is acceptable to her, but she has a roof for now and I guarantee Chloe is not so cruel as to kick her out anytime soon or without a transition period to get to safe alternative housing (or even offer an alternative dorm room for a regular fee for housing).

    So her packing feels like she’s jumping the gun and trying to make rash decisions of rebirth without thinking through the practicality of survival and making sure she has alternate student employment and a residence or has talked through options with Chloe as she might have options for students in medical crisis that doesn’t require jumping into the crazy housing market around campus that Marcie is dealing with.

    And that’s why, this time, it might be better for Billie to stay behind and for them to have a real heart-to-heart.

    Also, I love Joyce’s cute little meddling in the background. Many people have pointed out the arc of growth this concludes, where she is now 100% treating ships between women the same as she would between a woman and a man without hesitation, which yes, 100% agree on that.

    But it’s also that extra encouragement. Billie’s face in these panels have been disquietingly neutral and it’s clear she’s dwelling on a lot and her and Ruth’s relationship was toxic in a lot of ways, but if she’s going to go forward, being more open about the shape and structure of her feelings for Ruth will go a long way.

    And that’s something Billie struggles with a lot. She was raised to keep all her feelings bottled inside in order to play happy families and it’s given her one hell of a drinking problem. If healthy Ruth and Billie is going to succeed, Billie is going to need to be able to push past that and share all the stuff she shared with Dorothy and carve out a place where she can be messy and emotional.

  48. Orion Fury

    Regardless of if it fits, it ships?

  49. emithecheme

    So this part of Ruth’s arc is hitting really close to home right now. Someone who I thought was my best friend is an alcoholic whose illness has gotten worse over the past year. And every day he drinks more and more and he has become more angry and more violent. He’s started to resemble Ruth at her worst at this point. But at the same time he as a person was intoxicating to be friends with. I mistook his anger for passion and his emotional turntables for complexity when most of our relationship was him using me to get alcohol for him.

    And its hard. Being friends with him was like walking on eggshells – say one wrong thing or do one thing he doesn’t like and all of a sudden you’re the antichrist and he hates you completely. There is no inbetween. And I finally pushed an issue that I cared about that he disagreed with me on. And now I’m a “conga… disgrace…. and need to just leave”. And its hard because he doesn’t give a fuck about me is what I realized. He never did. And unlike Ruth. I don’t think he’s ever going to get the help he needs because he keeps on turning more and more people away while the few who won’t leave are just like him – angry and drunk all the time.

  50. Schpoonman

    I love how Joyce’s mouth and eyes are all fully open wide, like whispering is the most she can contain herself, she can’t even try to be stealthy about it.

  51. chris73

    Ok Joyce you’ve done good but now’s the time to slip away and let Ruth and Billie have some alone time

  52. Joey245

    So…is Ruth really leaving the comic? Cause she’s up there with Joyce and Dina in terms of favorite characters here, and I hate to see her go.

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