227

Ibuprofen
Posted on November 17, 2022 by David M Willis

227 thoughts on “Ibuprofen”

  1. hastur

    D’awwwww

    1. Rose by Any Other Name

      D’awww indeed.

      Also, Re Alt Text – I mean, not necessarily. My wife and I have one of ‘those’ anime pillows of one of our favorite characters. The pillow is for back/leg adjustments to avoid backpain, and the character is just for cuteness and decoration.

      1. milu

        Very cute. But would you get one with your very first romantic declaration printed on it? Never mind that this one is a goofy drawing, for most of us that would be, like, a text message

        1. Rose by Any Other Name

          I’m not even sure how one would do that with ours – it was dancing followed by a verbal statement.

          Although I suppose my wife was dressed as Tifa during the dancing part…

        2. Vinter Nacht

          … I am, at this very moment, considering getting six Anime pillows. One of an anime likeness of each of my wives (poly). And one of me and their wife for each of my wives. XD (There’s a lot of wives in that sentence)

        3. Taffy

          Six pillows, so you’ve got 3 wives, each with their own separate wife?

        4. Nova

          Well at least we know they aren’t a cat since those have 9.

        5. thejeff

          It’s like a school math problem.

          I was thinking just two wives, all shared.

          Your version doesn’t work, since each wife gets a pillow of him and their wife. That would be a total of 9 pillows.

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Sweet dreams Joyce.

  2. toby

    AWWWWW

    1. Clif

      Tomorrow is another day, but this is nice.

  3. Caro

    happy joyce = best joyce.

    1. Opus the Poet

      Agreed, Happy anyone is Best anyone. I mean it just follows yanowhattamean?

  4. The Wellerman

    Aaaaawwwwweeeee ???

    Another perfect storyline ending ?

    Sweet dreams Joyce!!! ?

    *plays “Starring Star” by Professor Shyguy on hacked muzak*

    1. Steamweed

      Damnation, doesn’t the muzak platform have ANY security? Are they still using Apache 1 or what?

      1. The Wellerman

        They didn’t account for alien parasite powers! ??

  5. Nono

    Nooo Joyce that’s a precarious position to put your glasses

    1. Blume

      They really are! Gotta make sure to put them away properly.

      1. Sirksome

        They’ll be broken within the first three months. It’s a lesson all glasses wearers must learn the hard way.

        1. EpochFlame

          amen to that

        2. Blume

          Either they’ll break, or you’ll lose them.
          Source: I’m a glasses wearer

        3. darkoneko

          most of us are

        4. drs

          Not me! Was pretty obvious not to leave glasses where bad things could happen to them!

          Joyce is modestly near-sighted, she could easily leave the glasses on her desk and still do whatever sleep-destroying stuff she wants on her phone. Failing that, put the glasses in a case in the bed.

        5. Azhrei Vep

          Hey now! Some of us learned from other people’s mistakes.

        6. Joy

          Little sisters unite! 😀 /joking

      2. Reltzik

        Eh, Joyce doesn’t really want to have those glasses anyway.

    2. Francoinblanco

      how can someone go to sleep with glasses on the bed!? in addition, let’s put an empty glass next to it, what can go wrong?
      Frustration

      1. Nono

        There’s an empty glass? All I see is the drawing.

        1. Francoinblanco

          I used exaggeration. since Joyce doesn’t mind glasses, let her put an empty glass or nails on top of it

      2. TheStranger

        I have to be super careful coming to bed because my fiancée likes to put her glasses and Kindle on my pillow. Get home after a late night at work and don’t wanna disturb her by turning on the light…uh oh.

      3. milu

        Better still, a cup of coffee! Did that once. I thought i was just about awake enough to drink my morning coffee in bed. Come to think of it, i was nicely awake by the time i was done scrubbing coffee off the bedsheets and mattress

    3. Segnosaur

      Ah, that’s what those circles are under the picture. Couldn’t quite figure it out. (Thought maybe it was part of Joe’s sketches, when he was drawing the model’s breasts and kept making them too round.)

      1. Aura

        Oh good, I’m not the only one who came to the comments section hoping someone could explain why the drawing seemed to have developed breasts XD

    4. Amós Batista

      It will took so much years to you get able to stopping rolling to much at night.

    5. Airyu

      You guyyyys it’s fine. I got glasses when I was 7, I’m in my 30’s, and I sleep with them next to me in my loft bed. They’ve only fell on my spouse (who wfh under the loft) twice in the 4 years we’ve lived here. P good record

    6. foamy

      CRONCH

    7. Leadsynth

      As a clueless non-glasses-wearer, I’m glad you pointed out that those were glasses. I couldn’t tell what I was looking at and thought it was like, Joyce’s hand under the covers holding the drawing or something?

  6. Stephen Bierce

    Don’t Forget The Motrin City!

  7. Blume

    CAN IT GET ANY CUTER? GOSH DARN IT!

  8. shadowcell

    Dumbing of Age Book 13: If You Print That On One of Those Anime Pillows It Gets Weird

    1. MacareuxMoine

      Alt-text is not eligible* for book titles.

      *almost wrote illegible instead

      1. Opus the Poet

        Ineligible means the same thing.

  9. chuckroast

    Plankton voice: YEEEEEEEEEEEEES

  10. darkoneko

    That’s cuuuute
    (also take your actual meds too, please)

    1. The Wellerman

      Uh, I don’t think doing combo drugs is a good idea, especially in Joyce’s condition! ?

      1. Rowan

        That depends a ton on the drugs. Ibuprofen and birth control are fine to take together

        1. The Wellerman

          Yeah true. Just always a good idea to make sure.

      2. Opus the Poet

        My pre-bed cocktail is ibuprofen, gabapentin, diphenhydramine, and melatonin. If I’m tired enough I can get to sleep without them, but if I want to rest, I need them all. It took me years to get the combo and doses right, but now I’ve got it right to get the rest I need. The melatonin was the hard one to get right as I had to gradually increase the dosage to keep me asleep until I got the rest I needed. I finally stopped at 12 mg on top of the rest of the meds I take.

        Being an unkillable badass leaves some chronically painful injuries, and they like to remind me of that when I try to sleep. The one that was hardest to get right was the gabapentin because it’s the only one that isn’t OTC and only comes in one dosage, 300mg. It controls muscle twitches and nerve pains from getting half my left leg blown apart. Over two decades later it still bothers me. Gabapentin also quiets the high-pitched noise in my ears from the brain damage.

        Don’t get old, it costs too much.

    2. thejeff

      I think the emphasis on chewable is a hint that she’s putting off the struggle of swallowing the BC pills.
      Not a big deal at this point, she only got them this morning, but it’d be easy to just keep putting it off.

  11. Kestrel

    YES…. YESSSSS, ALLOW THE RELATIONSHIP THAT NEVER TOOK OFF IN IT’S WALKY TO TAKE OFF!!! I’M SO EXCITED, AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

    1. RassilonTDavros

      Calm down, it only took 25 years!

      1. Yoursmoreisburning

        The way your gravitars are staring at each other makes this thread a win.

  12. BBCC

    Ahhhhh relatable.

    And that smile <33333

  13. The Wellerman

    BTW Willis, thank you for sharing my game! ???

    1. Colineo

      What’s your game?

      1. The Wellerman

        The first DoA fan game I ever made, Joyce’s Nightmare!

        1. davidbreslin101

          Ok, that is just a little addictive.

  14. Sirksome

    That may be the nicest thing Sarah has ever said.

    1. hastur

      Agreed. That was my second thought after I finished basking in the cuteness.

    2. anon

      well, joyce’s health improving would probably be something sarah wants even if she doesn’t show it

  15. nagaisakeruman

    This makes me very happy. I am full of hope.

  16. LunarReverb

    D’oh! It’s so cute!

  17. thakoru

    I spent more time than I’d care to disclose staring at the last panel, trying to figure out why the drawing had balls.

    1. Koms

      Can’t unsee it now

    2. drs

      Those aren’t balls! They’re feet!

    3. anon

      lol maybe her glasses are there so she’ll put it on right away after waking up and the pic will be the first thign she sees assuming she doesn’t roll over on them lol

  18. EpochFlame

    awwwww

    1. EpochFlame

      rip her glasses if she rolls over, though

      1. anon

        well, the /glass/ wouldn’t break. she could tape the frames or so but other than getting scolded by others it’d prolly also come with someone like walky calling her dorkier (glasses are a lot cuter/trendier than back in the day but i never understood how ‘nerdiness’ was associated to ppl being blind, i’d still wear glasses fashion wise/like covering m yface/eyes but i’m jealous of the ppl that don’t even need middle glasses til they hit like middle age)

        1. Morleuca

          The idea was that reading and studying weakened your eyes.

        2. thejeff

          Even before that they got associated because if you didn’t read much, you wouldn’t bother with reading glasses even if you needed them.

  19. Raen

    Uh… how much ibuprofen is that? Only I don’t think it’s an improvement if the blood is coming from her stomach.

    1. regina phalange

      Motrin tablets are 100mg per tablet, and it’s recommended to take 400 mg of motrin every four hours for menstrual cramps, but recommendation goes up to 1200mg for arthritis/severe pain.

      Not sure why you’re talking about the stomach, which is totally irrelevant to period blood. Even so, ibuprofen gets in the bloodstream and reduces the body’s ability to produce pain-signaling chemicals, no matter where the pain originates.

      1. brute

        nsaids can cause stomach bleeding if taken too much or too often

        1. Adam Black

          but that isnt how menstruation works.

        2. Taffy

          It doesn’t need to be, though?

        3. The Oracle

          You’re right. That’s how NSAIDs work. Because that’s what they were talking about. How it got mangled so badly, I have no idea.

        4. Taffy

          So I shit black a few extra times a week from eating Honey Nut Tylenol for breakfast, big deal.

        5. Cerusee

          Acetaminophen isn’t an NSAID. You should be very careful to follow the dosage recommendations for Tylenol, because if you exceed them too much, it can cause liver failure (especially if you already have a compromised liver from other things, such as heavy alcohol use, or other meds that tax the liver. Read those inserts that come with your prescription meds, folks, and watch out for contraindications!).

          I don’t wanna be a scaremonger, and it is fine to take Tylenol with a healthy liver and in the recommended doses! But it is substantially more dangerous to overuse acetaminophen than to overuse NSAIDS like ibuprofen. Bleeding from the stomach is bad, but probably won’t kill you. Liver failure will, and painfully.

        6. Taffy

          Okay, but it’s probably safe to eat a big bowlful of chopped Tylenol and almonds with milk and honey, right? My grandad ate it every morning, along with a 32oz mug of black coffee and bourbon, and he loves to the ripe old age of 40. I refuse to change my diet based on liberal fear tactics.

        7. Cerusee

          I mean that’s an excellent life expectancy for a caveman, so who am I to naysay?

      2. Sam

        My guess is Raen is referring to the severe damage that ibuprofen can do to the stomach lining if taken in excess.

      3. Segnosaur

        The other poster might have mentioned the stomach because some medications (aspirin for example) can cause a small amount of bleeding in the stomach. (I’m not sure if ibuprofin as the same effect though.)

        1. Cerusee

          Yes, ibuprofen and other NSAIDS can do that, especially in large doses (ibuprofen is actually one of the milder ones). They can also tax your kidneys if you take them in regular enough doses over a long period of time.

      4. Tioras

        1200mg a day. Not each dose.

        1. Nipottaja

          After my C-section I was given 800 mg three times a day together with 1g paracetamol, for maybe 5 days straight, after that “when needed”.

          800 mg ibuprofen is a standard prescription medication for “hurts a LOT” situations. Taking it once here and there, especially if one also takes pantoprazole to help the stomach lining to tolerate that, is not that dangerous.

    2. Adam Black

      It’s not coming from her stomach.

      I enthusiastically encourage you look up female anatomy and reproduction organs

      1. RacingTurtle

        They’re not mistaken about the location of the uterus, they’re concerned about bleeding due to ibuprofen overdose. Joyce took baby Motrin, though, so I assume she’s meant to be fine.

        1. The Oracle

          No no, I wanna see how far we can twist things in bad faith.

        2. Needfuldoer

          She shouldn’t have to worry about baby anything, once her other meds kick in.

          (Still, one can never be too careful.)

    3. anon

      i’m sure dorothy or her doctor told her what kinds of aspirin/etc was ok to take with her medication (though hopefully not too much should mess with it, it would be sucky for it to deal with)

    4. Raen

      Okay, since some of the responses aren’t recognizing this: excess of NSAIDs causes GI bleed. Apparently, 8 childrens’ Motrin is 800 mg ibuprofen, which is unlikely to cause a GI bleed in a healthy adult, but my stupid joke was not *quite* as stupid as you think.

      1. Mark

        Missing details: Childrens’ Motrin is 100mg/tablet, regular adult-strength is 200mg/caplet. So 8 is twice the everyday headache/muscle ache dose. High but maybe not very risky. Ask your doctor.

        I used to do the same thing with baby aspirin, until I eventually learned to swallow whole tablets: 8 baby aspirin is *exactly* the same dose as two adult aspirin, but tastes *way* better when chewed (imagine how I know this).

        1. Raen

          If you have pain bad enough to go to urgent care but not bad enough for the “good stuff,” there’s a very good chance in my experience you’ll walk out with 800 mg tablets of ibuprofen (greater than 200 is prescription only IINM), so it’s a pretty reasonable amount to take. (I feel I need to say this since there are a number of drugs for which “twice the everyday dose” is suicide.)

  20. Raeconteur

    The sound I just made was only detectable by advanced recording equipment and dogs.

  21. Morhek

    She’s going to be less happy when she wakes up and realises she crushed her glasses when she rolled over. Man, I’ve been there. If by rolling over I mean fell in a fry vat.

    1. Airyu

      I’m… Really concerned why is there a fry vat under your bed

    2. Keulen

      Why were you sleeping next to a fry vat?

      1. Taffy

        Why don’t you??

      2. Leorale

        Clearly hoping to fall in and get superpowers. Morhek has changed, transformed! into Captain Fry, with the speed and strength of an onion ring!

  22. alongcameaspider

    She’s been in a bad mood for so long it’s refreshing to see her in a good mood (at least as good a mood as she can be in while dealing with her period pains)

    1. Amós Batista

      She must already said yes to Joe, in her heart. She’s so happy she’s ignoring her pain.
      Are menstrual cramps that painful?

      1. Airyu

        For me no, but I know people for who it’s so debilitating they can barely walk. It varies wildly.

        1. Carms

          I’ve called in sick to work once because I didn’t make it past the couch, and on one other occasion made it to work but apparently it showed on my face so they sent me home.
          Other times, I forget I’m bleeding.
          Usually, it’s the kind of pain that gnaws on my mind, taking up valuable dealing-with-shit resources. Manageable, as long as only one, maybe two other things go badly.

        2. Joy

          Before taking medication for it I was bedridden whenever I got my period, but my periods were super irregular, my cycle would be anywhere from two weeks to 6 months (part of this was puberty irregularities admittedly)… Now it’s like, not so bad? I can just ignore it. Sometimes I miss a dose without it affecting me too much so long as I take my meds most of the time.

      2. Savail

        Depends. I used to get really bad ones when I was younger that would have me rolling on the floor.

        For context on my pain tolerance, my shoulder likes to slip itself partially out of socket on occasion, and I sleep through it, while my right knee enjoys randomly wrenching itself loose before slotting back into place (to the extent that there’s no cartilage left for that one)–which maybe elicits a wear or two and a few tears at most. Maybe 400mg of ibuprofen if I really want to baby myself. So yeah, they can get really bad.

        Birth control typically reduces the frequency and/or severity and/or assholitude of menstruation while also improving regularity–all of which can do wonders for making them more bearable. In contrast with poor young me, I don’t even keep track of mine anymore because it’s such a non-event with the implant.

        1. Reltzik

          You get that shoulder thing too? Do you know what it is? I’ve never met anyone else who has that, except my mom and she doesn’t know either. The best my doctor and I can guess is that it’s subluxation due to shoulder instability. (Dr. can’t be sure without seeing it, and it’s too likely to cause damage to be worth doing it just for a diagnosis.)

        2. egg egg

          Sounds like maybe Ehlers-Danlos or some variant of connective tissue issue.

          Mayo Clinic mentions this: “Overly flexible joints. Because the connective tissue that holds joints together is looser, your joints can move far past the normal range of motion. Joint pain and dislocations are common.”

          I don’t recommend googling it, because google shows a very body horror-ish photo, so here’s a link. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ehlers-danlos-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20362125

      3. Taffy

        Some people’s bodies are essentially out to get them on a monthly basis, from what I’ve experienced. A few women I know can more or less get through it with nothing more than the occasional grimace and “hold on a sec” raised finger. Just as many can hardly stand up at random intervals throughout the day, and then there’s my partner, who sometimes needs an electric heating pad and like five warm blankets just to maintain an almost-bearable pain level.

        In short, it’s a total crapshoot.

      4. Masumi

        Only thing I’ve ever taken pain medication for, and I’ve broken multiple bones.
        That being said, living in a hot climate now seems to do wonders. And I guess it just got better over time?

      5. Kilgore

        Mine are pretty mid tier most if the time I’d say but I also had one time where I actually passed out and sometimes even the slightest movement feels like I’m being clawed from the inside out. I also know people who throw up from it. And cramps are just one of many symptoms. So yes they are that painful

      6. Cerusee

        On my last period, I had cramps so intensely painful I threw up. So yes, they can be.

      7. Nova

        They definitely can be even under normal circumstances, but I do think it’s likely that Joyce has some kind of disordered menstrual cycle on top of everything else, which can make period pains excruciating.

        If you want an idea how much they hurt, I encourage you to look up men and women trying tens machines designed to create similar cramping.

        1. Amós Batista

          I don’t know if I can compare pain level, but I got kidney stones in this year…

        2. Taffy

          Oh hey, I got one of those just last month! Didn’t really have a personal frame of reference for “agony” until then, like actually debilitating immobilizing levels of pain that reduced me to a screaming heap on the floor. If there’s worse than that available, I don’t want any.

        3. Nova

          That sounds awful, I hope that’s the last one you ever have to have!

        4. Nova

          I’m sure women who have had kidney stones could compare the two. I personally have never had the latter, so you have my uneducated sympathy on your pain and my suggestion to be grateful it didn’t happen on a monthly schedule.

        5. Taffy

          I’ve heard and read accounts from women who’ve given birth and had kidney stones both (hopefully not at the same time), and they’ve always given a preferable reference to the childbirth.

        6. Bathymetheus

          @Amos: I have seen a pain chart compiled by asking people who have had two or more painful conditions which was worse. Kidney stones are up there, but the worst is severe burns to most of your skin.

          I have had a kidney stone. I do NOT want to find out if burns are worse.

  23. Kyrik Michalowski

    Once Joyce feels better, she needs to apologize to Dorothy. Probably need to say it to more people, rather than just to Dorothy.

  24. EpochFlame

    I see Willis is liking his bookend panels for this storyline, compare to the first strip in this story

    1. RassilonTDavros

      Ooo, Nice catch!

    2. StClair

      Yup, I caught that without looking.

  25. RassilonTDavros

    Damn, I don’t think there’s been a storyline ending this unambiguously wholesome since 2015. It’s a nice change of pace.

  26. Suet

    Joyce saved Joe from the nothing he almost became — Mr. Brightside

    *slowly zooms in to the drawing* *fades to storyline black*

    Wait, eight tablets?

    1. Proxiehunter

      Eight tablets of [i]children’s[/i] Motrin. That should be a smaller dosage than regular Motrin, which means an adult would need to take more to get the dosage they need. It’s hard for me to find specifics of how much smaller the dosage would be because the comic says she took eight [i]chewable tablets[/i] but I’m only finding liquid.

      I assume she takes the children’s Motrin because it’s available in chewable tablets and she can’t swallow pills.

      1. Darastrix

        Motrin children’s chewables have 100mg ibuprofen per tablet.

        1. Taffy

          That’s a more or less safe amount for some people. I know plenty of folks who basically have to pour out a handful of ibuprofen just to tide them over, and it’s still not enough some days.

        2. Axel

          it was pretty normal in my household (not as a small child) to take two 500mg tablets

        3. Needfuldoer

          She should be fine unless she goes on a Children’s Motrin bender and devours every chewable in the store. 800mg of ibuprofen is kind of a lot at once, but there are 800mg ibuprofen tablets available as a prescription for adults. (You’re really not supposed to take that much unless directed by a doctor, though.)

          https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ibuprofen-oral-route/proper-use/drg-20070602

          Note: I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice. Ask a real doctor before going off-label with any over-the-counter medication. Professional moron on a closed course. Do not attempt.

      2. Suet

        Yeah, I can see why she went down the chewable route

    2. Amós Batista

      After an exam, mom have to take A LOT of Ibuprofen to ease her pain, it was a strong one.
      Doctor had said there’s not so much risk to get a higher dose. She went fine after that.

  27. Cmasta1992

    This entire week reading this comic has just been me screaming at increasingly higher pitches

  28. RassilonTDavros

    Also, on the off chance anyone here hasn’t noticed it yet, new Shortpacked! dropped a couple days ago!

    1. Vanessa

      Whoa thanks!

    2. Vicky

      WHAAAAAAAAAAT?! Holy hell, I didn’t know that was getting updates. Thank you so much!

  29. bagge

    d’awwwwwwwwww

  30. Yotomoe

    CUTE.

  31. Freezer

    And the studio audience melts.

    1. The Wellerman

      ?????? ?

  32. DailyBrad

    Being like-liked is a good feeling.

    1. Taffy

      [Insert Zelda Reference Here]

  33. Jonah Sanville

    every time i think they can’t get any cuter they DO <3

  34. Someguy

    That’s adorable, but also a terrible place to put your glasses.

  35. it's early

    I think Joyce is about to learn about Dorothy leaving. Perfect way to kill Joyce’s mood and thus wreck her ship, while moving the camera frame onto her relationship with Dorothy.

  36. RacingTurtle

    This is the cutest freaking thing

  37. Huehuetotl

    She can get new glasses. I hope she doesn’t crumple the drawing.

  38. NinjaNick

    So cute.

  39. Amós Batista

    Danny, he isn’t bad at drawing after all.
    His second drawing is so decent Joyce decided to keep it to herself.

    1. Kyrik Michalowski

      Joe.

      1. poofdepoof

        Amos is writing this to Danny about Joe

  40. Needfuldoer

    d’aww…

    (Don’t leave your glasses on the mattress next to you. They’ll get squashed eventually, and Murphy says on the night before an important lecture.)

    (And also learn to swallow pills so you don’t have to take half a package of children’s medicine.)

    1. Taffy

      But children’s medicine is yummier. Ever try chewing some adult headache pills? Yuck central.

      1. Needfuldoer

        You guys taste your meds? Learning to swallow pills is a friggin’ game-changer. Can’t taste them if they go right down!

        (Seriously, 200mg ibuprofen are tiny.)

        1. Taffy

          In my defense, I was incredibly high when I decided to chew the pills. Before that, the last pill I chewed was a Zoloft when I was 8. Frankly, the Tylenol tasted better. Although I do feel weird just swallowing something without tasting it, sometimes.

        2. The Oracle

          FWIW, I refuse to swallow if I can avoid it. Feels weird in a weird way.

        3. Needfuldoer

          Have you tried using applesauce as a pill vehicle? That might help since it’s something you’re ‘supposed to’ swallow without chewing.

        4. eh, whatever

          Not everybody drinks something as solid as applesauce.

        5. The Oracle

          I’ve tried all kinds of stuff. It’s the physical act of swallowing, in and of itself, that makes me feel weird. The only time it doesn’t is when I have something long and hard delivering whatever I need to swallow, like a soda bottle or one of those tubes with the little M&M candies. Couldn’t tell you why that might be, but there it is.

        6. Cerusee

          This not being able to swallow pills business seems like a really frustrating problem to have, so in deference to that, I’m not gonna make the joke.

        7. The Oracle

          Oh, it’s not just pills. It’s literally anything. Sorry, could have been clearer on that.

        8. Roborat

          Not gonna lie, when I read “something long and hard delivering what I need to swallow”, my brain went in a whole other direction.

        9. Needfuldoer

          Pfft

          (Sorry.)

        10. Needfuldoer

          Dagnabbitdammit!

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-10/04-is-a-song-forever/replace/

        11. Cerusee

          ?

        12. Tan

          What generally works for me is to have water in my mouth first, drop the pill into the water already in my mouth, then swallow while drinking more water.

        13. Needfuldoer

          The ol’ water sandwich works for me every time.

        14. Mark

          You are not wrong. I have actually ground up aspirin tablets and added water to make them swallow-able, rather than gag on the whole tablets. Once. Now I know what “bitter” means.

      2. Francoinblanco

        I’d say it’s Max Payne to chew painkillers

        1. Taffy

          I have a vague memory of that game being on the PS2 shelf at a lot of pawn shops and used game stores, but no further knowledge. Does Maxwell Paynethorpe do that in his game?

        2. Francoinblanco

          in this game, the character was restoring his health with painkillers. It was captured in the mechanics of the game and the story. The main character was shot at close range, swallowed a handful of painkillers and continued to take revenge.

        3. Nova

          Please tell me his actual name is Maxwell Paynethorpe.

        4. Needfuldoer

          MAX PAYNE

          MINIMUM PAIN

        5. Colineo

          DAMNIT JOYCE! There’s a children’s medication shortage!

  41. Keulen

    This is very cute, but I’m also worried that Joyce might break her glasses if she rolls over in her sleep.

  42. Axel

    Oh I just said I was hoping for this <3

  43. TDKnave

    Wait, she sleeps with her glasses resting on her blanket? What barbarism is this? Get you a case, girl!

  44. Reltzik

    That’s sweet, but I’m surprised by just how little time it took after Joe admitted feels for Joyce to end up in bed with him.

    1. Needfuldoer

      And herself!

      Wait, does that make it a three-way?

  45. Dot

    Girl put those glasses somewhere else

  46. BowlerHatGuy

    Buckle up buttercup. Things are about to get crazy

  47. BowlerHatGuy

    So i just binge-read the entife dumbing of age comic, like all 12 years of it, in the last couple weeks.

    I feel like i missed some things.

    Did Mike die of his injuries or was he killed by a crooked cop? It was brought up in comic that mike knew too much, knew which cops were dirty. And amber said something about not wantijg to leave mike alone in the hospital.

    And fhen i think we find out mike died via a phone call that amber recieved?

    I know that comic was published years ago, but i just read it last week. 8f anyone could point to a comic where this information came out, i would be grateful.

    1. miri

      Mike died of his injuries. Ethan was in the room with him when he died. This was disclosed in This Was Halloween and was part of the reason Amber was so angry at Walky.

      1. BowlerHatGuy

        Thanks. I remember the halloween party scene with Walky saying Mike was still alive. I guess i missed the part that ethan said he was there in the room. I really have to figure out the archives. I can only see so many pages of a book, and then i have to revert back.to reading one comic at a time, which is agonizingly slow on my phone.

        That also explains a bit more why ethan has gone goth. Being in the room would be pretty hard on someone.

        1. Needfuldoer

          That was just insensitive denial on Walky’s part.

    2. BOOSTER SHOT

      Mike died of his injuries. Ethan was there at the hospital when it happened, and both Mike’s parents where there too. It seems implied to me that Ethan was literally in the room when it happened, and he texts Amber about it. However, I don’t remember if that was explicitly stated, and whether the possibility still remains of a flashback showing someone sneaking in and finishing off Mike.

      Still, I doubt it, because finding this out would give Amazi-Girl an excuse – she didn’t fail Mike by failing to grab him as he fell, Amber failed Mike by not being at the hospital. I don’t think these two character arcs, which have been slowly uniting, are going to diverge so sharply at this point. Especially with how Amber is slowly starting to deal with what happened and allowing herself to experience the emotions.

      1. BowlerHatGuy

        Thanks for answering. One mystery solved.

        I hope there isnt a flashback that shows some cop sneaking in and messing with mike, causing his death. Amber needs serious help. Her split personality is pretty severe. I hope she can heal. That kinda flashback would just set back any progress shes made.

  48. the cute

    I KNEW IT! SHE KEPT THE DRAWING!

    This is too cute.

    1. Bicycle Bill

      Why not?  It’s one of the things she’d drag out when the kids ask her “Mommy, how did you and Daddy meet?”

      1. Tan

        I mean the first thing would be a photo of Mike. “This is the boy that punched Daddy repeatedly in the face on our first date. He was the worst of us, but also a hero.”

  49. Alaric

    Awww

  50. Bicycle Bill

    Voted ‘yes’ on the Joyce + Joe poll…   I could see them as a dating pair for maybe a semester or so, but I don’t think it’s anything that would go much beyond that.

  51. Alaric

    Well over half the time, I find that none of the options on the poll apply to me. I definitely care, but I want to see whatever happens or doesn’t happen with Joyce and Joe to unfold organically, decided by the characters, circumstances, and world they live in. I want to be surprised, and I want it to feel real when it happens or doesn’t happen.

    1. egg egg

      See, that’s the neat thing! Willis has already written the upcoming storylines, so the poll results are just to get the community interacting more. Annnnnnd maybe help Willis decide what character to doodle in the upcoming books.

      1. Alaric

        Sure. But it would be fun to be able to vote in the polls more often, and in a case like this, I can’t really choose an answer.

      2. Alaric

        And rereading what I said, I can see how it could easily be misread is indicating that I thought the votes somehow influenced the story. That’s not what I meant. I was just trying to explain why I don’t feel like any of the three options given are ones I can vote for.

        1. Bicycle Bill

          I used to post to a bulletin board on which the users would sometime create polls.  It was an in-house joke that at least one of the options would be “Boobies” — since boobies are always a viable answer.

  52. Acher4

    This must be one of the best heartwarming chapter endings of DoA.
    I feel we all needed this. Especially Joyce.
    😀 <3 <3

  53. JohnnyO

    Feelings girl, feelings girl

  54. Roushi

    I was going to joke about how long I’ve waited for Joe/Joyce, but then I realized it was literally twenty years and I’m not sure how to feel about that.

  55. Segnosaur

    Side point… I noticed that Sarah got tagged in this comic, even though you never actually see her (just her voice bubble).

    I’m just trying to think if there were any other comics that followed that convention? (Usually if a person is tagged, you can at least see SOMETHING of them… even if its just part of a body in a single frame.)

    1. Taffy

      Pretty sure Dinobot has been tagged just for being mentioned.

  56. goggleman64

    Awwwwwww

    Also the glasses make it look like the paper has lil’ feet

  57. Adept

    I’m getting anxiety from the idea of somebody sleeping with their glasses like that. (I’ve been living with glasses since I was six.)

    It’s quite realistic, of couse. Joyce only got hers as an adult, and people are utter dumbasses with their glasses and shades all the time.

    1. Cerusee

      I’ve been wearing glasses since I was in third grade, I’m essentially non-functional for any tasks requiring vision without them, they do not leave my face when I’m awake unless I’m cleaning them or taking a shower, and I STILL occasionally misplace them overnight. Did it just last night! I’m mostly in the habit of putting them into a protective case, at night, which helps, but if I forget to do it before I go to bed, it’s anyone’s guess where I’ll find them in the morning.

      1. Daibhid C

        Same. Also, I sometimes fall asleep reading in bed, which generally results in waking up to find either that I’m no longer wearing my glasses, which are amongst the bedclothes somewhere, or I’m very much still wearing them to the point of having them painfully embedded in my skull.

        1. Daibhid C

          My old glasses are kept in my bedside table for emergencies, and the emergency is always “looking for my current glasses”.

        2. Cerusee

          Samesies!

        3. Alaric

          I do that too. I call them my “glasses finding glasses”.

  58. Opus the Poet

    Eight children’s 50mg equals 2 adult tablets, which is the dose I take every night before bed so I can sleep until I’m rested.

  59. Cerusee

    Everyone’s ragging on Joyce for leaving her glasses there, but I think it’s actually pretty meaningful that she put them where she did! Those glasses are a symbol of capital-C Change in Joyce’s life, a literal alteration of how she sees herself, and one of the things she specifically cited when she was teasingly asking Joe what he liked about her! They’re a change that she strenuously resisted at first, and is obviously still adjusting to, even though she’s also committed to wearing them.

    And Joe…Joe likes Joyce’s glasses just fine. When he drew a picture of her, the part he worked the hardest on was her eyes, and he was careful to include those glasses! Because what Joe likes the most about Joyce is *the way she can change*, and Joe sees and accepts every part of New, Gradually Improving Joyce. Willis put those glasses right there for a reason.

    1. Cerusee

      Also: once again, AWWWW. She’s telling Sarah she’s in bed early because she’s still in so much physical pain…

      …but she’s *smiling*. Because she’s happy.

    2. Johan

      That and both things are right there for when she wakes up

    3. nicoleandmaggie

      Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Excellent analysis. It makes it all even sweeter.

  60. Rabisch

    This is reality cute. I wonder if Joyce would be still reality embarrassed having fewer dreams, this time with Joe.

  61. buddy

    can’t wait til tomorrow’s strip where joyce rolled over in her sleep and broke her glasses

    1. Rabisch

      Glasses are actually pretty strong and roll over them can ruin them a bit, but not broke them. The thing I’m worried more is Joe’s drawing. That could be ruined seriously.

      1. Cerusee

        The worst I’ve ever done to glasses by sleeping on them was bend the frames just enough that they didn’t quiiiiiiiite sit right in my nose. It’s annoying, but every eye doctor’s office I’ve ever been to will adjust them for free.

  62. Ymbrael

    Yeah, I definitely get Joyce here. Especially after anything stressful or new and exciting I just want to

    1. Ymbrael

      * dream all day

      Still getting used to HTML tags X.X

  63. Hinoron

    …
    OH! Those are her glasses!
    For a moment their, I thought Joe had added a couple more spherical bewbs to the bottom of the picture just to stay on-brand.

    1. Hinoron

      “there”. (sigh)

  64. Gash

    Man she totally gonna roll over those glasses and turn em into cosmic dust, i got glassxiety just thinking about it

    1. The Wellerman

      that a reference to the Breaking Bad song? 😀

  65. Rocketboy1313

    Oh, those are her glasses.
    For a second there I thought Joe had drawn weird boobs on the bottom of the page.

  66. Ty34er

    Did a bit of a Google. Chewable Motrin has a dose of 3 chewables tablets for a child between 72-95 pounds. If we double everything, 6 tablets is probably best. If we use mg, the adult version says no more than 6 caps in 24 hours, which is 1200 mg. For going to bed, she is probably in the clear.

  67. Josh Spicer

    OH WE SAILIN NOW

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