Unless this is the Divorce Storyline on top of everything else that’s bound to be in this chapter, I’ll take that bet.
(Remember, 1 chapter = 1 day in the DoAverse)
Sirksome
All it would take for me is one conversation between Carol and Joyce where Carol even tries to defend Ross’ actions to their daughter that he kidnapped and I would be out!
But I guess logistically it would be close to impossible to be officially divorced in a day right? Cause I’m sure Carol would fight it or something and maybe they’d try counselling and then all the legal shit. If you wanna get all boring and technical about it. Bleh.
Slartibeast Button, BIA
I don’t know how it works in that state, but in general you can separate immediately, but the legal paperwork takes at least a few months.
Regalli
There’s generally a waiting period between filing for divorce and its finalization, even if there are no contested issues. Indiana’s is sixty days. And since Joyce at least is under 21, legally there would be child support to theoretically determine. (Though since Carol doesn’t work, to our knowledge, that point is moot.)
Since there’s a hinted at time skip after this storyline, that might bump the timeline up in our world. But since we’re in mid-October and Willis probably doesn’t want to boot them all back home, it’s probably going to either zoom back in in November and then mysteriously Never Reach Finals or straight to January and spring semester beginning. One of these would allow the divorce to have potentially finalized offscreen, assuming Carol doesn’t fight it (but she probably would.) The other puts Hank in a limbo state of Divorcing, forever.
Now, will Hank FILE for it soon (and move out so Carol can donate the house to the church and they sell it to handle their sudden financial Expenses but still go bankrupt) is a different question.
Nono
I wonder if part of the reason for a timeskip would be so he doesn’t have to spend months with the cast in Halloween costumes.
Regalli
Also there’s been that cool Hooded AG costume design for FOREVER that’s never had a chance to be used. We need colder weather to make it seasonally appropriate!
Chronos
Have we even seen them in Halloween costumes yet?
King Daniel
We saw Sarah trying out a skeleton costume a few (in-comic) days ago. At this point Halloween’s still a week from now, however.
Deanatay
THAT JERK HAD BETTER NOT
I’VE WAITED SO LONG
Slartibeast Button, BIA
I’d be very surprised if Carol could sell the house just because Hank had moved out. That is just the sort of thing that gets delayed until the divorce is final, unless both parties agree on what to to do.
Some Ed
When I sold my house, it required signatures from everybody on the deed. I can’t imagine the deed just having Carol’s name, unless she’s somehow the primary breadwinner. The sort of Christian family they’re shown to be would be much more likely to have just Hank’s name on the deed, so long as it’s a single-name deed.
I don’t know how common having both names on the deed is for people in this sort of a cult. It was at least a topic that came up in my parents’ Sunday school class, with my father being the one to ask the question of why any couple wouldn’t have both names on the deed, and just about every other couple in the class suggesting at least one reason why that might not happen. That church was… not as crazy as the church these people apparently are part of.
There should also be some provisions in the laws relating to marriage and divorce to at least strongly suggest that the house disposition be a joint decision or part of the legal settlement. I do recall hearing of a case which happened in a state other than Indiana, where one party of a divorce proceeding did have just their name on the deed for the house they both lived in, and managed to unilaterally sell the house. At least in that judge’s court room, it basically cost that party more than the total proceeds from the house, as the judge fairly quickly determined that it confirmed the pattern of behavior that the other party was complaining about, and decided that alimony wouldn’t get paid either. As such, assets were split something like 90% / 10%. (Note: the asshat who sold the house was also the only one of the pair who was gainfully employed.)
As such, I’d absolutely agree, Carol’s almost certainly not going to be able to sell the house without either shenanigans or Hank’s permission. If she does manage to, it’d probably cost her more than it inconvenienced Hank and Joyce.
thejeff
I’d also be surprised if any timeskip were more than a couple of days. There are far too many plots dangling and too much character stuff that would need to be addressed offscreen.
bryy
I honestly don’t see how it CAN’T be the Divorce Storyline.
King Daniel
Well it can be a beginning to the whole divorce process (on top of everything else), but as pointed out above the full divorce process in Indiana takes at least sixty days, optimally speaking.
For reference here, Move-In Day was on 29 August and the current chapter is set on 21 October. We haven’t even hit sixty in-universe days since the beginning of the comic. It’d basically put Hank “in a limbo state of Divorcing, forever,” to quote Regalli above.
thejeff
But the emotional impact can basically be focused on the separation and the decision, even if it isn’t finalized. I doubt that’ll be today, but we’ve definitely taken a big step towards it.
Maybe another time skip? Then maybe we could also have Blaine convicted, Mike could wake up, etc.
Geneseepaws
Blaine? Convicted?
Yeah, not gonna happen. I b’lieve the term is un-uhh, no way, nope.
Jon Rich
I’d bet he gets convicted. He’s a mob stooge, and he got national media attention, no doubt, for the whole “took six hostages and killed a guy and had it exposed on a Congresswoman’s twitter feed” thing. The mob’s not going to go to bat for a random stooge who brought down that much heat.
King Daniel
Blaine’s currently in jail for literally the only crime in Indiana which he can’t be bailed for (also, incidentally, the only one which carries the death penalty for what that’s worth). He’s almost certainly no longer in favor with the mob, and the crime was a high-profile case involving the aide to a member of Congress. What’s this path you see to him walking free?
Chris Phoenix
Epstein did not get convicted (this time), but also did not walk free.
Eldritchy
It’s entirely possible that Blaine will get the same treatment if the mob decides he might sing…
Azhrei Vep
Exactly. I’m not banking on Blaine being convicted for anything. Amber’s going to get a dead fish with a hammer in its belly delivered to her dorm within the month.
Jinx
” Amber’s going to get a dead fish with a hammer in its belly delivered to her dorm within the month.”
Eh? Is this a reference I don’t understand? (I understand the hammer. Not why it would be in a dead fish’s belly.)
Azhrei Vep
It’s a reference to The Godfather. When one of the family’s top hitters was killed, his signature bulletproof vest was delivered to them wrapped around a dead fish, because he was “Sleeping with the Fishes,” AKA lying dead at the bottom of New York Harbor.
clif
My guess is that Mike wakes up during the group visit.
Khyrin
My wild-ass guess is he wakes up from the coma with major personality changes, e.g. à la Walkyverse’s drunk!Mike, and the changes persist through the remainder of the comic.
Final chapter of the final book: Mike reveals that the changes in behavior were him making a conscious decision, and he figured he’d get less pushback if he just let everyone think it was brain damage.
Honestly, one of my happy realizations over the past few weeks was that at some point, even if it’s some point far off, Jocelyne is going to be able to tell Hank.
Bec
yeah I was thinking the exact same
Doctor_Who
I desperately want to see that story.
Actually, I mostly want Joyce to learn, she’s come so far. I think she’s just about at the point where she could cope with it, but her reaction would still be amusing.
brute
got dang i cannot wait for joyce to discover she has a sister
He Who Abides
Another sister.
Tan
I simultaneously look forward to it and also brace for it… Because yes, Joyce reliably chooses to love and accept, but that is also 18 years of inertia to break and Joyce changing her habits is something she struggles with.
infidelity
noun
1. marital disloyalty; adultery.
2. unfaithfulness; disloyalty.
3. lack of religious faith, especially Christian faith.
4. a breach of trust or a disloyal act; transgression.
I hope part of the fallout is that he moves away from La Porte, too. It does him no favours staying in a town with a toxic church who probably has its fingers deeper in the community than he’d like.
He’s a dentist, right? How easy is it for dentists to up stakes and shift their practice to another town?
Chronos
Depends if he’s signed a non-compete or not, that’s one factor. My uncle had to do that at one point, temporarily prevented him from practicing in a desired area. Other factors, I don’t know about, however.
drs
I’d imagine it’s fairly disruptive. Need to rent an office, move and set up your equipment, hire a hygienist and receptionist unless you do all that yourself, and build up a clientele so that you have actual income again… Oh, and then there’s the probably lease on the current office, and winding down patient relationships.
If you move states, then there’s getting licensed in the new state.
People do it, I found multiple ‘guides’, but it’s definitely not a casual endeavor, even compared to other “I had a wife and a house and now I’m moving out” relocations where a new employer might give you money right away.
They’re members of a church that is based out of a converted school building, presumably because that’s what they could afford. Odds of that being the only church in town are long. Odds of that being the main church in town are not as long but still up there. However, it might well be a blow to his professional practice if he changes churches at this point, as his old “friends” boycott him for being on the “wrong” side of an issue, or the whole churchs chooses to side with the one member of a marital split that is still also a member of the church. Either by itself could cause a slump in his business, but both together, and especially the separation/divorce one, and I suspect anyone who was both a patient and a fellow parishioner will be moving their business to a new dentist.
Depends on how religious he is and what his religion says. Some religions frown on divorce. Not sure what theirs believes in, other than allowing potential abusers and violent people to run free.
There’s the “you can divorce but not remarry because that would be adultery” dodge, but I suspect they often just remarry anyway. I of course can’t speak for Willis’s childhood church(es?)
Matthew 19:5-6 “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” That’s the words of some guy named Jesus, supposedly well known among fundamentalists. Yet fundamentalists have one of the highest divorce rates in America. I guess their reasoning is “my divorce is different”, just like their abortion is different, or their general misanthropy.
Oh good, I was worried that he was just straight up leaving.
(Which doesn’t make sense I realize, since he’d be leaving Joyce alone for the inevitable confrontation with her mom.)
225 thoughts on “Humble”
Ana Chronistic
“not if she sees you first!”
wait no
Doctor_Who
“Um, I hate to see you go but I love to watch – no wait, that’s wrong too.”
JetstreamGW
Is it, though? Is it really?
a/snow/mous/e
Slipshine time x3
Ana Chronistic
curry curry curry
curry curry curry
curry curry curry
curry curry curry
WILLKIE
WILLKIE
it’s for Beck it’s for Beck it’s for Beck
brionl
Cool, currycurrycurry.com is available!
Felix
Well, it was…
Psyme
Can’t stop the Faz.
Robbie
It just makes me think of the curry trio in Utena
Rose by Any Other Name
**squees because someone mentioned Utena**
Kensou
The next strip will have something silly happen to Nanami.
Opus the Poet
Squees in anime…
Utena was best girl.
Twitcher
Miki was best boy.
xmd
Update the copyright date on your tumblr you fiend
Ana Chronistic
eew, log back in to Tumbler eew
Sirksome
“Mostly for marrying her mother, but there some other things I’m sorry about too.”
synnerman
Ow, my feelings.
J
I’M MELTING.
LadyCaramel
How long do you think it’ll be before he divorces Carol?
Mra
I’m guessing a few months
Sirksome
I’m guessing a few hours!
King Daniel
Unless this is the Divorce Storyline on top of everything else that’s bound to be in this chapter, I’ll take that bet.
(Remember, 1 chapter = 1 day in the DoAverse)
Sirksome
All it would take for me is one conversation between Carol and Joyce where Carol even tries to defend Ross’ actions to their daughter that he kidnapped and I would be out!
But I guess logistically it would be close to impossible to be officially divorced in a day right? Cause I’m sure Carol would fight it or something and maybe they’d try counselling and then all the legal shit. If you wanna get all boring and technical about it. Bleh.
Slartibeast Button, BIA
I don’t know how it works in that state, but in general you can separate immediately, but the legal paperwork takes at least a few months.
Regalli
There’s generally a waiting period between filing for divorce and its finalization, even if there are no contested issues. Indiana’s is sixty days. And since Joyce at least is under 21, legally there would be child support to theoretically determine. (Though since Carol doesn’t work, to our knowledge, that point is moot.)
Since there’s a hinted at time skip after this storyline, that might bump the timeline up in our world. But since we’re in mid-October and Willis probably doesn’t want to boot them all back home, it’s probably going to either zoom back in in November and then mysteriously Never Reach Finals or straight to January and spring semester beginning. One of these would allow the divorce to have potentially finalized offscreen, assuming Carol doesn’t fight it (but she probably would.) The other puts Hank in a limbo state of Divorcing, forever.
Now, will Hank FILE for it soon (and move out so Carol can donate the house to the church and they sell it to handle their sudden financial Expenses but still go bankrupt) is a different question.
Nono
I wonder if part of the reason for a timeskip would be so he doesn’t have to spend months with the cast in Halloween costumes.
Regalli
Also there’s been that cool Hooded AG costume design for FOREVER that’s never had a chance to be used. We need colder weather to make it seasonally appropriate!
Chronos
Have we even seen them in Halloween costumes yet?
King Daniel
We saw Sarah trying out a skeleton costume a few (in-comic) days ago. At this point Halloween’s still a week from now, however.
Deanatay
THAT JERK HAD BETTER NOT
I’VE WAITED SO LONG
Slartibeast Button, BIA
I’d be very surprised if Carol could sell the house just because Hank had moved out. That is just the sort of thing that gets delayed until the divorce is final, unless both parties agree on what to to do.
Some Ed
When I sold my house, it required signatures from everybody on the deed. I can’t imagine the deed just having Carol’s name, unless she’s somehow the primary breadwinner. The sort of Christian family they’re shown to be would be much more likely to have just Hank’s name on the deed, so long as it’s a single-name deed.
I don’t know how common having both names on the deed is for people in this sort of a cult. It was at least a topic that came up in my parents’ Sunday school class, with my father being the one to ask the question of why any couple wouldn’t have both names on the deed, and just about every other couple in the class suggesting at least one reason why that might not happen. That church was… not as crazy as the church these people apparently are part of.
There should also be some provisions in the laws relating to marriage and divorce to at least strongly suggest that the house disposition be a joint decision or part of the legal settlement. I do recall hearing of a case which happened in a state other than Indiana, where one party of a divorce proceeding did have just their name on the deed for the house they both lived in, and managed to unilaterally sell the house. At least in that judge’s court room, it basically cost that party more than the total proceeds from the house, as the judge fairly quickly determined that it confirmed the pattern of behavior that the other party was complaining about, and decided that alimony wouldn’t get paid either. As such, assets were split something like 90% / 10%. (Note: the asshat who sold the house was also the only one of the pair who was gainfully employed.)
As such, I’d absolutely agree, Carol’s almost certainly not going to be able to sell the house without either shenanigans or Hank’s permission. If she does manage to, it’d probably cost her more than it inconvenienced Hank and Joyce.
thejeff
I’d also be surprised if any timeskip were more than a couple of days. There are far too many plots dangling and too much character stuff that would need to be addressed offscreen.
bryy
I honestly don’t see how it CAN’T be the Divorce Storyline.
King Daniel
Well it can be a beginning to the whole divorce process (on top of everything else), but as pointed out above the full divorce process in Indiana takes at least sixty days, optimally speaking.
For reference here, Move-In Day was on 29 August and the current chapter is set on 21 October. We haven’t even hit sixty in-universe days since the beginning of the comic. It’d basically put Hank “in a limbo state of Divorcing, forever,” to quote Regalli above.
thejeff
But the emotional impact can basically be focused on the separation and the decision, even if it isn’t finalized. I doubt that’ll be today, but we’ve definitely taken a big step towards it.
chris2315
So we should be reading about it in 2090, got it.
Doctor_Who
Maybe another time skip? Then maybe we could also have Blaine convicted, Mike could wake up, etc.
Geneseepaws
Blaine? Convicted?
Yeah, not gonna happen. I b’lieve the term is un-uhh, no way, nope.
Jon Rich
I’d bet he gets convicted. He’s a mob stooge, and he got national media attention, no doubt, for the whole “took six hostages and killed a guy and had it exposed on a Congresswoman’s twitter feed” thing. The mob’s not going to go to bat for a random stooge who brought down that much heat.
King Daniel
Blaine’s currently in jail for literally the only crime in Indiana which he can’t be bailed for (also, incidentally, the only one which carries the death penalty for what that’s worth). He’s almost certainly no longer in favor with the mob, and the crime was a high-profile case involving the aide to a member of Congress. What’s this path you see to him walking free?
Chris Phoenix
Epstein did not get convicted (this time), but also did not walk free.
Eldritchy
It’s entirely possible that Blaine will get the same treatment if the mob decides he might sing…
Azhrei Vep
Exactly. I’m not banking on Blaine being convicted for anything. Amber’s going to get a dead fish with a hammer in its belly delivered to her dorm within the month.
Jinx
” Amber’s going to get a dead fish with a hammer in its belly delivered to her dorm within the month.”
Eh? Is this a reference I don’t understand? (I understand the hammer. Not why it would be in a dead fish’s belly.)
Azhrei Vep
It’s a reference to The Godfather. When one of the family’s top hitters was killed, his signature bulletproof vest was delivered to them wrapped around a dead fish, because he was “Sleeping with the Fishes,” AKA lying dead at the bottom of New York Harbor.
clif
My guess is that Mike wakes up during the group visit.
Khyrin
My wild-ass guess is he wakes up from the coma with major personality changes, e.g. à la Walkyverse’s drunk!Mike, and the changes persist through the remainder of the comic.
Final chapter of the final book: Mike reveals that the changes in behavior were him making a conscious decision, and he figured he’d get less pushback if he just let everyone think it was brain damage.
Lux
Hopefully soon. He deserves better. So does Jocelyne.
Blackdrazon
Honestly, one of my happy realizations over the past few weeks was that at some point, even if it’s some point far off, Jocelyne is going to be able to tell Hank.
Bec
yeah I was thinking the exact same
Doctor_Who
I desperately want to see that story.
Actually, I mostly want Joyce to learn, she’s come so far. I think she’s just about at the point where she could cope with it, but her reaction would still be amusing.
brute
got dang i cannot wait for joyce to discover she has a sister
He Who Abides
Another sister.
Tan
I simultaneously look forward to it and also brace for it… Because yes, Joyce reliably chooses to love and accept, but that is also 18 years of inertia to break and Joyce changing her habits is something she struggles with.
NinjaMaid
Depends if they’re the type of Christians who believe in divorce for reasons other than infidelity.
SuperZero
I have good news!
infidelity
noun
1. marital disloyalty; adultery.
2. unfaithfulness; disloyalty.
3. lack of religious faith, especially Christian faith.
4. a breach of trust or a disloyal act; transgression.
She’s done most all of that.
Zee
I don’t think Hank gives a shit anymore. Carol will for sure fight it tho
Nono
I hope part of the fallout is that he moves away from La Porte, too. It does him no favours staying in a town with a toxic church who probably has its fingers deeper in the community than he’d like.
Agemegos
He’s a dentist, right? How easy is it for dentists to up stakes and shift their practice to another town?
Chronos
Depends if he’s signed a non-compete or not, that’s one factor. My uncle had to do that at one point, temporarily prevented him from practicing in a desired area. Other factors, I don’t know about, however.
drs
I’d imagine it’s fairly disruptive. Need to rent an office, move and set up your equipment, hire a hygienist and receptionist unless you do all that yourself, and build up a clientele so that you have actual income again… Oh, and then there’s the probably lease on the current office, and winding down patient relationships.
If you move states, then there’s getting licensed in the new state.
People do it, I found multiple ‘guides’, but it’s definitely not a casual endeavor, even compared to other “I had a wife and a house and now I’m moving out” relocations where a new employer might give you money right away.
SeanR
They’re members of a church that is based out of a converted school building, presumably because that’s what they could afford. Odds of that being the only church in town are long. Odds of that being the main church in town are not as long but still up there. However, it might well be a blow to his professional practice if he changes churches at this point, as his old “friends” boycott him for being on the “wrong” side of an issue, or the whole churchs chooses to side with the one member of a marital split that is still also a member of the church. Either by itself could cause a slump in his business, but both together, and especially the separation/divorce one, and I suspect anyone who was both a patient and a fellow parishioner will be moving their business to a new dentist.
All-Purpose Guru
Depends on how religious he is and what his religion says. Some religions frown on divorce. Not sure what theirs believes in, other than allowing potential abusers and violent people to run free.
ktbear
I don’t know how fundamentalist Christianity works but are they even allowed to get divorced?
drs
Signs point to “yes, or at leas they do divorce, a lot” https://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm
There’s the “you can divorce but not remarry because that would be adultery” dodge, but I suspect they often just remarry anyway. I of course can’t speak for Willis’s childhood church(es?)
Jungle Dwayne
Matthew 19:5-6 “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” That’s the words of some guy named Jesus, supposedly well known among fundamentalists. Yet fundamentalists have one of the highest divorce rates in America. I guess their reasoning is “my divorce is different”, just like their abortion is different, or their general misanthropy.
FGarber
Nonononon. The question is how long until he is _Not_Married_ to Carol. Didn’t you listen to Joyce at the start of this arc?
Dafydd
“When”, not “if”.
Is he afraid she won’t forgive him, or does he feel she shouldn’t?
Mra
I think he just knows she is avoiding talking to her family right now
Kamino Neko
And, while he’s sad about that, he knows that they’ve earned it – Carol more than him, but he took too long to stand up to her.
Rectilinear Propagation
Oh good, I was worried that he was just straight up leaving.
(Which doesn’t make sense I realize, since he’d be leaving Joyce alone for the inevitable confrontation with her mom.)
JetstreamGW
I think he’s acknowledging that Joyce is very likely to be hanging out with Dorothy, and will be avoiding Hank and Linda.