179

Pause
Posted on January 16, 2018 by David M Willis

179 thoughts on “Pause”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    nuts

    1. Barduwulf

      Balls

      1. Tacos

        Testicles

        1. Reltzik

          Scrotum Orbs.

        2. Psyme

          Dangley Bits

        3. Dibullba

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgNr1PmN3cc

        4. Makkabee

          YARBLES!

        5. Mortartarsaus

          Twig ‘N Berries

        6. Jack Spade

          Family jewels

        7. Marisa Mockery

          Target practice

        8. AGV

          Gonads

        9. Pylgrim

          Can’t believe it was not taken…

          bollocks!

        10. Charlie Spencer

          Bratwurst and potatoes.

        11. Mitsukara

          Herniated ovaries

        12. legobil

          Mr Johnson and the Juice Crew.

          For reference: https://youtu.be/0m9QUoW5KnY?t=1m50s

        13. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Meat and two veg

        14. Reltzik

          Noodle and Meatballs

        15. David DeLaney

          Rocky mountain oysters

          –Dave, with occasional special sauce

        16. Chronos

          Orb Meat

        17. Felix

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWbE-zIbFG0

        18. keithcurtis

          Mitsukara, that is brilliant and I plan to steal it and use it without crediting you, so I can be thought of as witty.

    2. MatthewTheLucky

      butts

    3. King Daniel

      bolts

      1. Passchendaele

        screws

        1. Keulen

          nails

        2. Stephen Bierce

          Fast, Precise, and RIGID

        3. Kamino Neko

          No, they’ve agreed to take a few weeks and not do that.

        4. Mitsukara

          So it’s a phillips head?

    4. AutobotDen

      Nads

    5. Remmington Steele

      goolies

    6. Erik

      Meat and two veg. (I can’t believe this wasn’t already listed)

    7. Ntrovert

      The double-nutted bolt

    8. TheGrumpybear

      Frank n’ furters

  2. wraith_ferron

    I am far more emotionally invested in webcomic characters than I should be.

    1. JetstreamGW

      I’ve read recently that, psychologically for your average person, there’s no difference between actual relationships and the feelings we have for the fictional characters we consume.

      I don’t know how true that is but… well it matches anecdotal observation pretty well, I’d say.

      1. Leorale

        How are the feelings the same?
        Like, I sometimes enjoy when fictional characters suffer in interesting ways, and I’m reasonably sure I don’t enjoy that with my real pals.

        1. Mishkiel

          Schadencreude is a thing.

        2. Eldritch Gentleman

          And this reminds me that sweet quote about English following other languages into dark alleys and mugging them for new vocabulary.

        3. geno

          That’s actually true for every language that has had a connection with other cultures. English is just really noticeable.

        4. ruhrow

          We have our own word for it, actually…epicaricacy. Not sure why we all use the German version. I actually prefer epicaricacy!

        5. Amazi-Stool

          “Own word”?
          Well of course after: “following other languages into dark alleys and mugging them for new vocabulary”, as the Eldritch Gentleman cited!

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude#Synonyms.

        6. TerribleName

          Yes. The extremely English origin word ‘epicaricacy’.

        7. Gordon Graham

          I dunno, I’ve always liked that English isn’t precious about needing to come up with its own words. Like, I had a gaggle of frenchmen staying with me for about a month, and I was astonished to notice how much french is just IN casual english.

        8. Eldritch Gentleman

          Oh I’m not complaining, I’m just amused by this is all.

        9. Terry

          Leorale, they aren’t the same as in the same emotions. What Jetstream was referencing refers to them being just as real. Many of our emotions are a result of mirror neurons that encourage us to empathize with other people. When reading, watching movies, etc., these mirror neurons activate in response to the events in the same was as they do when we hear about something happening to a loved one or even see something happening. The difference that applies when you feel good when fictional people suffer is because you are able to suspend morals when you know it is fiction, allowing you to enjoy instances of justice or simply amusing/ironic situations. But the article indicates that when you cry for a work of fiction, you are actually experiencing a form of grief/sadness.

        10. N0083rp00F

          Well with fictional characters they don’t call you in the middle of the night whining about their S.O. troubles or get snot all over your suede jacket.

      2. Joker Two

        I’ve never heard that there were actual studies about this, but it makes complete sense based on my own experiences.

    2. Mravac Kid

      Welcome to the wonderful world of David Willis’ comicking.

  3. Mr. Random

    Wait until you’re in your dorm room man…
    Though your roommate IS Mike….
    Third floor empty men’s room?

    1. bleepbloop

      Mike might still be busy with Ethan so Walky should have the room to himself for a while.

      1. Jack Spade

        Either that or it’ll be occupied by the time he gets back.

  4. Tacos

    I’m not sure what the difference is between bachelor and non-bachelor Walky is.

    1. CJ

      Dotty taught him not to scratch his dick in public.

    2. Needfuldoer

      Stained butt-taco t-shirts and hoodies all the time.

    3. Deanatay

      Fifty McNuggets for dinner. T-Shirts and Pajama jeans. Quiet sobs of loneliness.

      Wait, that last part is new.

  5. Passchendaele

    A few *weeks*? We don’t have that kind of time! o-o

    1. Doctor_Who

      Setting a timer for 6 years from now.

      1. Tacos

        Can’t you just travel forward in time?

        1. Doctor_Who

          That’s how I set a timer. You mean when you boil an egg, you just wait around for it to be done?

        2. Beef

          At least when I boil an egg I know I won’t have to dodge some cyborg space hippos before it’s done boiling

        3. SgtWadeyWilson

          Honestly, I’d probably boil more eggs if that started happening.

        4. Doctor_Who

          How do you work up an appetite for your egg?

        5. Amias

          thank you for living up to your display name, this is all i could have asked

      2. Erin McJ

        Yeah, I was thinking the same – how weird it is to see this reference to weeks and know that this breakup is our new reality. So much will happen in our earth years before they smooch again. We could have a new president. We could lose Hawaii.

  6. AnvilPro

    Is panel 2 the most serious Walky has ever looked? I’m happy with this result, but it’s still only pushing back serious talks they’ll need to do if Dotty ever gets to Yale

    1. thejeff

      Pushing back for real time years. If this actually goes as planned, by the time they unpause, half the readership will have forgotten they ever dated.

      It’s not going to go as planned of course.
      If nothing else it doesn’t work narratively. Dorothy isn’t going to push her relationships aside, go into full crunch mode, catch up and then go back to him. The thing she needs to learn here is not “cut out down time, schedule more and you’ll be fine”.
      My prediction is that it’s going to get worse for her without Walky around, not better and it’ll be that crisis that brings them back together, if anything does.

  7. Shiro

    That went…almost ominously well? Where’s that other shoe, and does anyone hear a whistling noise?

    1. BBCC

      Today in universe is literally the day of bad romantic decisions.

      A) Leslie/Anna, which also had some splash damage from being a dick to Mindy.

      B) Sarah trying to get Jacob with Joyce.

      C) Ethan and Mike

      D) Ruth asking Billie on a date because she’s insecure about Billie being in a new roommate and not being as in touch (Not a bad idea per se but the motivation makes me nervous as it adds potential to go really badly)

      E) THIS. Cutting out the thing that makes you happy when you’re super stressed is not going to end well, Dorothy.

      And iirc, Marcie has a model for this storyline, so this list is only gonna get longer.

      1. Durandal_1707

        Well, he was going to dump her otherwise, so this doesn’t seem so bad as an alternative.

        1. BBCC

          They can both be bad decisions. They both miss the point – Dorothy needs SOMETHING to destress or she’s gonna have either an emotional breakdown or work herself into the dirt until she hits burnout hard.

          ….Ten e-bucks says this is what happened during her Yale application.

        2. tirachokko

          ten e-bucks says there’s a third option – kind of coasting to where she thought she wanted to be, then taking a hard last-minute left turn just in front of the goal she was aiming for, into an alley she saw miles off and took a vague mental notice of, that no one thought she would ever choose to willingly go into. Then burns out.

          In other news, I did this when it came to entering college, and if anything, it winds you up tighter than you were before while somehow still being burnt out. Doubt Dorothy will wind up huddled at home in an attempt to avoid agoraphobia related anxiety attacks though. Or at least, I hope she doesn’t. It makes it worse.

        3. BBCC

          Yeah, lots of unpleasant options.

        4. MM

          Or her odds of getting into Yale were always pretty much random luck so long as she met the basic stats criteria, and rather than accept that, she’s convinced herself she just didn’t do enough?

        5. BBCC

          It would help if we knew her circumstances when she was rejected.

      2. Rachel

        I agree with all except Ruth/Billie – I actually really love that Ruth, who was feeling lonely and insecure, went with her gut to reach out to Billie instead of pretending everything was fine and sitting alone to bask in that insecurity. I think it’s a really healthy step forward for her!

        1. BBCC

          See, that works if she addresses it, but if she decides to go all ‘this is fine’ this is going to go south fast.

      3. Beef

        Yeah Marcie is in for some heartbreak I fear. I’m not too worried about Ruth since I just took it as her realizing that Billie being in another building meant they’d need to work harder at making time for each other but maybe I’m wrong.

        1. Clif

          [slash]Winter[/slash] Valentines day is coming.

          Be very very afraid.

        2. BBCC

          Yeah, Ruth/Billie on a date anywhere near Valentine’s makes me nervous.

    2. ProfessorDetective

      *puts on army helmet* I’m just going to be under my desk if anyone needs me.

    3. DailyBrad

      I think it went well, sure, BUT, they’re going to miss the shit out of each other. I’m sure they’ll still meet up during lunch and all that, which in some ways will only make matters worse as loneliness, and frankly, horniness pile up.

  8. Too Old To Be Cool

    Let’s see…midterms…

    …we only have to wait another eight years or so, right?

    1. JessWitt

      Give or take a few time skips.

    2. Stephen Bierce

      By my calendar, they’ll be done with Midterms at the end of 2020. So not that long, even at this rate of exposition.

  9. Shiro

    Also, is that scratching, adjusting, or, er–option three?

    1. Antonio

      ALL THREE

    2. JetstreamGW

      The sound effect is “skritch”

      1. Shiro

        Ah see, that wasn’t there originally. That’s a relief.

    3. BBCC

      Hey, that sound effect wasn’t there in the original. Your original options were either hands in pants sans sound effect or belching.

      1. King Daniel

        I still have the original image without the skritching open in another tab. Haven’t refreshed that one yet, but I opened another tab and see the skritching now.

        1. BBCC

          The original is preserved on Patreon. 😀

  10. Keulen

    A few weeks is a long time in this comic.

    1. Antonio

      They’ll see each other in 2020.

      1. Fire_daws

        *Plays “Year 2000” on the hacked Muzak*

  11. Yumi

    “See you in a few weeks” is just funny to me, because like…y’all live in the same building. You have a shared social circle. You’re in the same gender studies class.

    I get the spirit of it, but Dorothy, you’re going to see him around.

    1. Emperor Norton II

      I guess the implication is “See all of you in a few weeks.”

  12. Yumi

    Also, as someone who was honestly resisting the urge to make a Friends reference last strip, I feel personally called out by panel 1.

  13. Laladoria

    Next, Dorothy will have a friend-break-up with Joyce. Becky sees this as an opportunity to step back in as top friend. Joyce accepts this rebound. Dina becomes jealous.

    1. ProfessorDetective

      And then Dina somehow seduces Dorothy in a misguided attempt to make Beckey jealous and it all get’s really crazy.

      1. Dean

        Dorothy: “WE WERE ON A BREAK!”

  14. Magdalana

    Second panel Walky’s facial expression is disturbingly Sal-like

  15. JessWitt

    Walky can use the freetime without Dorothy for a crash course in public etiquette.

    1. Bagge

      But that’s what his relationship with Dorothy was.

      1. ValdVin

        Walky can challenge Becky to a belching rematch. (I kid, but he might.)That’s what he did the last time Sweet Bachelor Llife was temporarily his.

        1. Bagge

          And he lost miserably. He might hesitate to challenge her again.

        2. ValdVin

          First, he’s out of training. (Insert inspirational 80s training montage here.)

          Second, if he misses what he’s doing in panel 7, I’m sure he’ll get plenty of fun just in participating.

          (Insert

  16. MM

    Even with that last panel, I can’t get over how mature they’re being about this.

  17. Regalli

    Oh Dotty. This is going to kill you. (Destressing Time is important, dammit!)

  18. Achallenger

    Are we supposed to believe that ever stopped

  19. Bagge

    Awww, Dorothy. I sure hope this is a good idea and not a knee-jerk stress response. Either way, well handled.

    1. Regalli

      I’d be a lot more confident this was okay if she weren’t forgetting to sleep and skipping meals already. One less social obligation means one less occasion for shared meals, for one thing. Hopefully Sierra will notice and step in if that slipping up becomes a habit.

      1. Falcon

        I think that risk is much reduced with somebody like Dorothy, who is inherently an incredibly organized person. She just needs to take a few things off her plate and focus.

        1. Marisa Mockery

          This is a comic about bad decisions in college. That won’t happen.

        2. thejeff

          Exactly. Things that distract from her focus.

          Like friends. And relaxing. And exercise. And meals. And sleep.

          More scheduling. That’ll fix everything.

        3. Falcon

          More scheduling *does* fix everything (at least to do with time management). What doesn’t fix everything is packing in more into your schedule than your body and mind can take. Dorothy’s problem wasn’t her scheduled lifestyle, that’s generally a winner. Her problem is her tendency to overcommit.

        4. Joy

          …and now she’s committing to un-commit. This IS a comic about making bad decisions in college, but it’s also a comic about fixing them. She’s already done the first part.

      2. Bagge

        Dorothy: “I’M SO STRESSED I FORGOT SHOOOOOOES”
        Sierra: “Atta girl!”

  20. (((Mkvenner)))

    There is a time and a place for that.

  21. DarkoNeko

    Skirtch skritch

  22. kitty

    here is kitty’s finnish word of the day!

    paska (the finn equivalent of crap or shit)
    it can be made into many fun compound words, like paskapää (shithead) and paskarse (shitarse, also a multilingual pun). I dont think anyone but me says paskarse. i guess that was 3 words. im not sure why im doing this.

    have a nice day!

    1. TheGrammarLegionary

      I’m not sure why you’re doing it either, but I like it. Finnish is an awesome language.

    2. Kannen

      …huh

      How long have you been doing this? I haven’t been paying much attention to comments for a little while and when I finally do, one of the first things I come across is a swear word in my own (not-really-common) language 0_0

      …which is actually pretty cool.

      If you want to keep doing it, keep doing it 🙂 Have a nice day!

  23. C.T Phipps

    I’m imagining Walky as George Costanza about to get expelled.

    “Wait, masturbating in public is frowned upon?”

  24. ZerglingOne

    Til midterms are over? Hah…midterms are weaksauce compared to finals. You usually don’t also have 8 projects due during midterms.

    1. Felgraf

      And then there’s the ever fun GROUP PROJECT FINALS.
      (God I am so glad to be done not only with undergrad, but gradschool too.)

      1. ZerglingOne

        Yeah, I have never seen a midterm as anything but just another test. Finals are a completely different beast though.

        Usually cumulative. Usually a disproportionately large chunk of the grade. Many projects usually due simultaneously, often group as you mentioned.

        My penultimate semester was 3 group project heavy CS classes (Software Engineering, Networking, and Mobile Programming) as well as a Spanish class with a group final project… Add in a 1 year old daughter and my stress levels were not measurable by any known scales.

    2. Marisa Mockery

      Blegh, try being a fashion major. Midterms are tests AND several garments due. And making clothes ain’t easy….especially when you’re starting from scratch and make slopers and all that. Just uuuuugh

    3. ischemgeek

      Depends where you are. At my school, midterms were like mini-finals. The final was usually worth like 60% and the midterm was 30% and literally everything else in the course was 10%. Midterm week usually had assignments and labs, was a solid week of nothing but midterms, and unlike finals you didn’t get a couple reading days ahead of it and there was no limit on how many of them you could have in a 24h period. One semester, I had 5 midterms, all mandatory pass (i.e., courses where if you failed either midterm or final, you failed the course), on the same day.

      And because I was in STEM and a significant fraction of STEM profs are sadists, they also had 7 mandatory-pass assignments due that week.

      (why yes, my profs made assignments mandatory pass. Also put on missed class limits – if you missed more than 3 classes in the course for any reason you failed – and some of them had “attendance quizzes” at the start of class that if you failed more than a certain number of them you failed the class. Some of the syllabuses in the program I attended read less like “here’s what you will learn” and more like “here is a catalogue of ways you can fail this class. No pressure, but YOU HAVE TO BE PERFECT OR YOU WILL FAIL.”

      Fun times showing up to class hacking up a lung with an asthma flare to get told by the same profs who had their dumbass attendance policy that I should be at home in bed. You don’t say. Welp, sorry to be a distraction but I don’t know if this flare is gonna land me in hospital for a week and I don’t want to fail if it does so as long as I am physically capable of dragging my carcass out of bed and into a chair in your classroom, I will. You jackass.

      And then to add pressure to pressure, the uni also had a limit of one repeat in that program – i.e., if you failed a class twice, you couldn’t take it again unless the Dean gave you permission. I never failed a class, but I knew students who did, and that limit made it even harder on them to try to do well at a class they had trouble with the first time because they had the metaphorical Sword of Damocles hanging over them.

      1. ischemgeek

        Afterthought to be in before anyone mentions the ADA: I’m Canadian. One of the places Canada is behind the US is in disability rights. The university can offer excused absences from tests etc but nothing legally requires them to accommodate a disabled or chronically ill student in the province I went to. If the prof claims it’s necessary for the successful completion of the course, the uni will defer to them.

        My solution was to drag myself to class during flares when I should’ve been resting and thus make myself sicker, and then usually have the professor well-meaningly suggest I change my major to something less “strenuous” so I could miss class when I needed to, even though I was a straight A student, completely oblivious to the fast that I was one of the top 5 students in their class with a chronic illness and could’ve been better without making my illness worse constantly. But, yep. Asthma makes me a bad scientist.

        Ableism is setting up a system whereby chronically ill students have to make themselves sicker to succeed for literally no reason that pertains to whether they can do the work or not, and then blaming the illness rather than the asinine system for the student’s struggles, and finally deciding that if the program makes the student sicker, then the student isn’t cut out for the field, as opposed to the possibility that the program is poorly designed.

        1. BBCC

          Yeah, you might be able to make either a charter charge or a human rights complaint on the grounds of disability, but nothing like the ADA. Also, lawyer fees.

        2. ischemgeek

          … yeah I am 3 years out of school plis most Canadians think disability rights is a joke so… I will save my energy.

  25. kitty

    now for my thoughts on the comic: nice save

  26. Peter

    To be fair, “bachelor mode” does involve a lot more ball-scratching. It’s very liberating.

    1. David DeLaney

      It can also involve “no pants in dorm room” days.

      –Dave, Mike’s gonna yell about something ANYWAY, right?

  27. ValdVin

    Nobody else loves the “You drive a hard bargain” callback?

    1. BenRG

      It’s Dorothy’s facial expression that sells that quip. You can almost hear the Jessica Rabbit quote: “He makes me laugh.“

      1. ValdVin

        For someone who often gets thought of as not being easy and relaxed, when Dorothy’s with Walky her natural humor surfaces.

        BTW, “He Makes Me Laugh”, direct quote, is among the chief attributes that got me Spousal Ms ValdVin.

  28. Stoodmuffin

    If someone asked me to sum up Walky as a character, this strip would be a good character. Or the Church Mouse arch.

  29. Reltzik

    Wow. On pause for one day. It didn’t take him long to scratch that itch.

  30. newllend(henryvolt)

    Dude if you haft to do that at least do it through your pants pocket instead of straight through the trousers. You got to be more classy then that.

  31. BenRG

    Seriously, Walky, how long have you been waiting for an opening so that you’d be able to do that again?

    1. Reltzik

      His true motives for why he wanted to break up.

  32. Architex

    We here at DumbingofAge.com only scratch our balls in public in the classiest of manners.

  33. Tenchan

    No Walky! Not in public!!! And definitely not without lubricant…

    1. Reltzik

      Scratching isn’t the same as pleasur-…

      … okay, technically scratching an itch DOES count as pleasuring but…

      … but it doesn’t work as well with lube! That’s the point! … I think.

    2. Deanatay

      What? He kept it in his pants! Whaddaya want him to do, erect a privacy screen?

      Heheh, erect.

  34. Carms

    FORESHADOWINGGGG still room for the valentine’s strip to be these two

  35. NinjaNick

    Scratching that itch?

  36. Lingo

    OK, I see how this is going to go down. Amber is going to break into Dorothy’s room tonight (as AG) and be like, “Sorry you got dumped Dotty. BTW your ex is pretty cute and he threw a toy at my head today” and Dorothy will be all “WHAAAAAAAAA” (and then Amber will laugh evilly)

  37. acher4

    This… went far better than I expected.
    Phew.

  38. Kamino Neko

    Walky and Dorothy being cute and smart? Good birthday present.

    1. Nobody

      Happy birthday, though I’m not sure what Walky does in that last panel is cute or smart

    2. adjudicus

      Happy birthday!

    3. ValdVin

      Happy Birthday, Purple Tedd Catgirl!

      (Wait, I’m not that far into the EGS archives. Is Tedd a catgirl or just a cat at this point? I know I say no spoilers but tell me just this once.)

      1. thejeff

        Ted has a transformation gun, among other things. And a love for experimenting.

      2. Kamino Neko

        This is Catgirl Tedd…it’s from the NP arc Playing With Dolls (and coloured by me).

        1. ValdVin

          I didn’t know you did your own coloring! Shive’s characters are so eager to try anything I thot the purple was his doing.

        2. Inahc

          well, tedd’s hair *is* usually purple, but, drawn in b&w most of the time 🙂

          I didn’t even notice myself until it was pointed out, and now it seems obvious the non-purple parts aren’t coloured at all. brains are weird.

        3. Kamino Neko

          Well, her bell is coloured, too, but it’s hard to tell at this size. But, yeah, most is left uncoloured.

    4. JBento

      Happy birthday.

  39. adjudicus

    Unrelated to today’s strip, but has anyone seen Emperor Norton II? He hasn’t posted in a while

    1. Geneseepaws

      I tend not to worry about folks, cause real-life, unless they say something like, “Oh,hey, I’m under massive stress about X,… Gah, it’s a killer.” And then they disappear. (Or, “Oh,hey, I’m taking a motorcycle across the USA!,” and disappear … THEN I worry.)

  40. sdrainbow

    You may be sidestepping Friends references, but you’re just opening yourself up to How I Met Your Mother in the end.

  41. RaulTsi

    *fart* whew, been holding that in a lonnnng time

  42. Keith

    (cliff claven mode) Y’know…if you can’t scratch your balls in front of her with your woman freaking out or she can’t rip a epic fart in public and no embarrass you. I’m not to sure that relationship can last. It’s a little know fact those little things don’t matter.

  43. Deanatay

    TBH, Walky is never far from Bachelor Mode. It’s kinda his default.

  44. Vampirechipmunk

    Dorothy…this is a bad plan. Do not cut out the person making you happy!!! Seriously, I had a really tough last semester–class, part time job, a full day a week spent in an elementary school classroom for experience, living with my emotionally abusive mother, and the lovely amount of homework that grad school brings. And the ONLY thing that kept me afloat was a planned afternoon once a week to cuddle with my boyfriend and watch ridiculous TV shows. Time to decompress is important, and relationships (romantic or non-romantic) where the other person honestly cares about your needs can be essential to you letting yourself do that instead of deciding to do more work instead and burning out. Which Dorothy was ALREADY heading for BEFORE this. This…cannot end well.

  45. nlips

    I really don’t think they’re good for each other. This is a good thing.

    Don’t get me wrong, they’re both good people, and seeing them together is really sweet, but I can’t see them working it out long-term. Walky idolizes her more than is healthy, and she spends way too much energy trying to uplift him when he won’t put out that kind of effort to help himself.

    I think Walky needs to have a journey of self-discovery, and adopt some actual, real changes to his life outlook. This is the sort of thing he needs to do on his own, not with Dorothy or anybody else holding his hand.

    1. chris73

      Yeah this, it never struck me as being all that plausible these two getting together, Dorothy and Jacob would be a much better together

      1. thejeff

        I think they are good together. I think they do challenge each other and support each other – even if Dorothy supporting Walky seems more obvious.

        Dorothy & Jacob would just reinforce each others existing habits. “We should schedule more study time. And some exercise.” “Yes, I was just thinking that.”
        That’s not what either of them need. Certainly not Dorothy.

    2. Joyfulldreams

      I way disagree. Just because two people don’t click perfectly at first doesn’t mean they aren’t good for each other. IMHO the deciding factor for whether two people aren’t good for each other is if they aren’t willing or able to do the work necessary to maintain a healthy relationship. And from what I’ve seen they are both definitely willing to do that, as this entire plotline dictates to me honestly. The fact that they both felt and communicated this at the same time, are both cool with it and know it’s what’s best, and are still willing and maybe even hoping to get back together afterwards, is an awesome sign!

      Walky believes in Dorothy, wants to support her, she inspires him to apply himself, even if he’s having a difficult time figuring out how to actually do that right now. I don’t think he idolizes her more than what’s healthy because he knows and has stated pretty plainly what he thinks a lot of Dorothy’s flaws are, i.e. “telling her to take it easy reads to her as just telling her she can’t do something”.

      Relationships will have bumps like this! And the sign of a good pair is that they recognize the problems and are trying to communicate to work past it! It’s really adorable.

  46. Deadjolras

    I swear, everything I’m going to say it’s true and it’s why I find this storyline so amusing in a “huh, would you look at that!” sort of way.

    I have a friend who, last semester, decided to break up with her boyfriend for as long as our finals period lasted so as to focus on her studies and avoid stressing HIM out with her own stress. When she asked me what I thought about her plan, well… I didn’t know what to tell her. It sounded silly to me, but, then again, I’m not very well-versed regarding relationship matters so I just told her to do what she thought was best, follow your heart, yadda yadda yadda.

    She broke up with him. He was heartbroken but understanding, and told her he would wait for her until she was in a better place. She was a mess for about two days, crying and basically becoming more stressed than she was before. Then they got back together (and have been together ever since). So, Dorothy, the lesson here: trying to get rid of one of your few sources of happiness is just going to make you… unhappy.

  47. Puckish Rogue

    But then Dorothy wouldn’t have to worry about Jacob failing and Jacob would certainly not only understand what Dorothy wants to achieve but (unlike Walky) would be able to actively help her achieve

  48. Samantha Johnson

    I actually think dorothy and Walky are good for eachother and this will be good for them. I really hope so. I love them ealky makes dorothy happy reminds her to relax and not overthink but she cant really be available to help hin with math and be with him as much right now. Dorothy is good for Walky too. She is slowly making him want to apply himself and step up and really use his intelligence even if he hasnt quite gotten it yet and is having trouble doing that. She makes him want to mature and i think we see that here. And hopefully the tike away will let Dotty prioritize for after midterms and hopefully Wapky will use this time free of the fear that he iant measuring up to figure out how to achieve what hes capable of. Im rooting for them.
    And in so happy about ruth and Billie. Ruth made a really really healthy choicee. She reached out to billie when she felt insecure and needed time with her and moved their relationship forward in a healthy way. Please dont destory my fragile hope for my favorite couples Willis i do not want to curse your name tonthe heavens

  49. Reltzik

    So we’re not going to see these two together for about five years. Am I doing that math right?

    1. thejeff

      I would phrase it as “for a few years”.

      As a really rough estimate, one week per year. So it all depends on what “a few weeks” is.

      As I said earlier, I doubt this going to work. This isn’t going to solve Dorothy’s stress and overwork issues and I hope her crisis involves realizing she needs that side too.

  50. Jhon

    But who will tutor Walky in math now? He needs to improve his grades if he’s going to follow Dorothy to Yale…

    1. DailyBrad

      Jason’s his tutor. It isn’t off to a good start, but hopefully they’ll make a breakthrough.

      Barring that, Danny’s tutoring Sal and apparently doing a better job of it. Sal could potentially help Walky out a little or Danny could take on a second student. That could be amusing just since I don’t think we’ve ever seen Danny and Walky interact much outside of the shoe debacle.

      1. Kamino Neko

        Jason is a teacher with a very limited toolbox. His tools are not useful for either Walkerton twin. (… Stop it, you know what I meant.) And Walky’s a worse student than Sal, who had less identity wrapped up in being The One Who Doesn’t Have to Work to Pass. (Specifically, none.)

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