276

Rivalry
Posted on May 2, 2015 by David M Willis

276 thoughts on “Rivalry”

  1. Jen Aside

    “WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO YOU HATEFULLY HATEFUL HATING HATETHIEST”

    1. Deanatay

      “I don’t HATE you, just because you STOLE my Love-er, I mean, best friend – from me, doesn’t mean I’m BITTER or RESENTFUL… It must be YOU that hates ME, because I’m perfect and you hate perfect things!”

      1. lomie

        I’ve figured it out!!!! She wasn’t in the real world long enough to learn that the stuff in movies she was allowed to watch is mostly bull honkey, specifically where being mad at somebody “stealing” your best friend is expected!

        1. Rycan

          Kinda like someone else we know, who came from a similar background…

      2. LiaHansen

        wait… who’s saying this again?

  2. DarkoNeko

    Hummm. Backy ?

    1. DarkoNeko

      Meh, that’s what I get for typing too fast.

      Ok, rolling on. Becky gets a joke in a nearby bakery, finds new nickname.

      1. Robert

        Becky Blabbermouth?

    2. Rich

      Wait, wait, I think I get it. In the DoA universe, your Kinsey scale rating applies as a negative modifier to perception and insight skill checks. Danny misses the odd word now and then even on the easy DC. Becky fails her checks constantly. Dorothy doesn’t really have her act together better than they do, she just isn’t laboring under a check penalty.

      It’s all so clear now.

      I wonder what happens with people Kinsey would stick with an X rating? Random die roll for the penalty on each check? Dina probably qualifies as an X, and she seems pretty variable about what she does and doesn’t get right.

      1. chisci

        Carla is an X and she’s pretty much superchaotic neutral

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          Vin Diesel is XXX, think about that for a moment. 😛

        2. Rich

          Ow. My head hurts.

          But really, that usually happens when I think of Vin Diesel anyway.

      2. DarkoNeko

        For Dina it’s a stealth check every turn 😀

        1. Rich

          She gets to take 20 for free if there’s a door within 5 feet of her.

        2. DarkoNeko

          I’m fairly sure her hat adds a +5 bonus somehow.

        3. Disloyal Subject

          She has a flaw that requires her to make a check at +5 every turn she isn’t under direct observation.

  3. Mr. Random

    Intense rivalry.

    1. Kris

      Dorothy’s just down playing it to lower Becky’s guard before she pounces like a jaguar!

    2. Doctor_Who

      Dorothy doesn’t remember what happened. For her…it was Tuesday.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        … it was a Tuesday.

        1. Doctor_Who

          I honestly meant to have the rest of the quote after those ellipses, but I hit the button too soon. I just knew that someone would get it, though. Sure enough, only took 5 minutes.

        2. timemonkey

          Which is cheating since that phrase has been censored out because people kept using it.

        3. John

          Actually it was Friday.

        4. Mr. Random

          I know because I remember thinking my Friday pizza was bubbling up again as I did it.

  4. Kris

    Most people barely know who Danny is.

    1. grantimusmax

      And yet, everyone knows someone like him…

      1. -Sentinel-

        Some even ARE someone like him.

        1. StClair

          Or used to be.
          Those tend to be the ones who hate him the most.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          It all makes sense now.

    2. LeslieBean4Shizzle

      … I am suddenly filled with terror. Horrible, horrible terror that this is sitting up some sort of MeetCute between Joyce and Danny. No, no no no…
      Hopefully Willis is just messing with my mind.

      1. AgentKeen

        Yes, Danny needs to get involved with someone else that’s dated his first dude crush.

        1. Spencer

          The friendcest runs deep.

        2. Rycan

          While he’s still involved with yet another person. And none of them are crash hot on the idea of an open relationship. Because Dumbing of Age is lacking in drama.

    3. Jon Rich

      Am I the only one who finds it utterly hilarious that JOYCE, of all people, barely knows who Danny is?

      For those of you who don’t understand, it’s a reference to the first few strips of Roomies!

      1. Siddlaw

        I concur. I too found this quite humorous.

      2. -Sentinel-

        Recently I’ve been using the tags to try to establish who, among the main characters, hasn’t met who. It turns out that Walky and Amber have been in the same scene at least once, but never interacted directly.

        1. -Sentinel-

          Same goes for Ruth and Joe.

        2. DarkoNeko

          Joe values his femurs.

      3. sps48

        Roomies was before my time.

  5. poofdepoof

    :/

  6. Cephalo the Pod

    “I bought you dinner”.
    Man, that’s my favourite line in a while.

    1. fogel

      So, no one is going to make a joke about Dorothy expecting Becky to put out now or Beck insisting on it to pay her back? Not the sort of behavior I’ve come to expect here.

      1. AgentKeen

        “Yeah, but it doesn’t count unless you let me put out, too.”

        Like that?

        1. fogel

          Yes, That is quite good of the sort.

      2. DarkoNeko

        don’t go all pygmalion effect on us, plese 🙁

  7. Wonder Wig

    Walder Frey bought everyone dinner.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Sounds like a nice man. Does he cater? I have a wedding to organize.

      1. -Sentinel-

        Sure, he caters, and he even provides the musicians.

    2. Kernanator

      He sure knew how to throw a killer party.

      1. Deanatay

        As long as you like Red…

  8. Maxy

    Okay, I really am not the biggest fan of Becky right now. (Also, doesn’t her dialogue here sound a lot like something you’d hear from Deadpool?)

    1. DarkoNeko

      Dialogue ? It’s a monologue 😀

      1. Maxy

        Me on the outside: Dialogue, monologue, what’s the difference? Heh. No big, right?

        Me on the inside: *Crippling insecurity and doubt over simple mistake. Rethinking life choices.*

        1. DarkoNeko

          What ? Why ? ;_;

        2. neeks

          Jerkbrain. Gets ya every time.

        3. Rycan

          I don’t think calling Maxy’s brain a jerk is really helping…

        4. Rowen Morland

          Too late now, you’ve destroyed this person’s life 0_0

        5. DarkoNeko

          Noooooooo

    2. grantimusmax

      She says chimichanga, and I guarantee she’s the dumbyverse deadpool.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        …they would probably get along reasonably well. Hell, of it’s a Deadpool crossover we may as well throw in Pinkie Pie for maximum shenanigans.
        Heck, they’d be even better wingmen for her than Joe.

        1. Maxy

          I would watch the heck out of a Deadpool/Becky/Pinkie Pie crossover where they try to get Joe laid.

          Wait… Out of that trio, though, wouldn’t it make Becky the straight man? That… Doesn’t seem right.

  9. Vince

    I need to clean my glasses. I swear it says “Whore you” in the 4th panel.

    1. Rich

      You really need to clean your glasses. That’s the 5th panel with the “who’re” word balloon in it, not the 4th.

    2. LiaHansen

      I 8EG your pardon?

  10. magey

    Becky why don’t you like Dorothy

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      She suspects that Dotty is a rival for Joyce’s ‘love’.

      1. Kris

        Suspects? I have yet to see any proof that what Becky thinks isn’t an absolute fact.

        1. Dr. Smart

          Um Kris, you realize the burden of proof doesn’t go that way right? you can state that there is more evidence that is true, but you can not assume it is true because of a lack of evidence to the contrary. The claim needs to have evidence to support it more so then a lack of evidence to deny it.

        2. Kris

          Hey! I’m making a totally baseless claim on the internet. Things like proof or even lack there of only get in the way. 😀

        3. saki

          Who needs “proof” when you have certainty, anyways, amirite?

        4. NotRonaldo

          People get hung up on these minor facts. Truth is about more than that, truth is a feeling in your gut that you know is true! Truth is searching for anything that proves you’re right no matter how small, and holding on to that, no matter what.

        5. Rich

          The important part is ignoring all the many, many things that prove you’re wrong.

        6. fogel

          prove me wrong? wa?

        7. Deanatay

          Sorry, Doc, (s)he’s right. This is _the_ place to make totally baseless claims without evidence, your demanding it is waaay out of place here.

      2. Doctor_Who

        Becky doesn’t like Edward Cullen for the same reason…and a hundred other reasons, all of them valid.

      3. DarkoNeko

        Friendstealinghussysaywhat?

    2. Sporky

      Personal issues, honestly

  11. GoogerGeiger

    I imagine Danny saying that in a belittling way like “Yeah… I’m Danny. I’m the token idiot.”

    1. JessWitt

      Idiot = White Guy = Wonder Bread

      1. Spencer

        Wait, what?

        1. Rycan

          Racism, that’s what. This comments section gives me warm and fuzzy feelings inside from time to time.

      2. Arianod

        Wonder Bread???

        1. Deanatay

          (Sal calls Danny that, often)

        2. Arianod

          Damn! It’s true. I forgot.

        3. Opus the Poet

          Something that resembles bread but makes you wonder where the taste and nutrition went. Imitation human when applied to people.

        4. Leorale

          Where I’ve heard it, Wonderbread applied to a person means he is just so physically and culturally white. Also bland and commonplace, but in a really WASPy way, as if all the flavour had been bleached out in making him.

        5. Leorale

          But, not actually negative necessarily… It’s like the Caucasian version of a Thug (minus the negative and racist connotations) or a Superjew.

        6. snogglethorpe

          “Wonderbread” is most certainly a pejorative…

    2. grantimusmax

      #sadtrombone

      1. Someone

        Well he is book smart.

        1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          I’m not even sure if he’s that. He’s just the second most competent person in the cast when it comes to studying.

        2. DarkoNeko

          Right now he’s a better one-on-one teacher than Jason.

        3. Rich

          Not setting the bar very high there, even after that latest Slipshine.

        4. showler

          I actually get the feeling that Jason has been very successful as a one-on-one teacher, which is why his failure with Sal is bothering him so much.

        5. Rich

          If that were the case why would a single failure shake his confidence so much? And if it really was the teaching fail (and not the sex) that was bothering him, why didn’t he make further efforts to help her academically past the first session or help her find a more compatible tutor?

          He did ask Penny if he was a bad teacher, but that might not have been just due to Sal. It could mean he’s had other failures we’ve haven’t seen. And with Sal he’s also committed a gross ethics violation and (judging by him approaching her in public at that bar) he’s gotten emotionally entangled as well, so he’s a bad teacher in that sense as well.

  12. JessWitt

    I’m blanking out here but what are some one-sided rivalries in pop culture?

    1. grantimusmax

      The first that came to mind was Bugs and Daffy–which is what this strip reminded me of for some reason.

    2. Catullus

      The only one I can think of is Boris Badenov’s one-sided rivalry against Rocky and Bullwinkle.

    3. MrZombieScordo

      deadpool and wolverine, ash and gary/paul, Guy and Kakashi

      1. Majere

        More like Deadpool v. Half the people Deadpool comes in contact with. The other half are mutual rivalries.

    4. The Candyman

      Homer Simpson and Ned Flanders, most famously.

  13. Someone

    I think that everyone else knows Danny though, its just that Joyce has never really spent that much time with him. I”m pretty sure that he will be at the party though based on the preview panels.

    1. saki

      Dotty or Ethan or both will probably vouch for him so he can go. Especially given the conversation she just had with him, I think Dorothy will estimate Danny could use a dorm party as of right now.

      1. Someone

        Well Ethan is the one introducing him.

        1. saki

          Right, I couldn’t remember if I was actually remembering the preview or just how I imagined them running into each other at the meeting for questioning people and going to the dorm party together afterwards. ^.^”

      2. Someone

        I wonder if Joe will be there. I mean he’s a pervert but not a rapist so does Joyce trust him?

        1. saki

          Hm… good question. Well from a story-telling point of view, the dorm party seems like a good excuse to get a whole bunch of characters who might not normally cross paths in the same room. We’ll see I guess.

        2. Kelly

          wow this little thread is interesting what with the avatars…

        3. saki

          Your avatar also fits your comment perfectly. I hope we don’t break the Internet forever with this. XD

        4. Someone

          But will Gassalo be invited?! Or will he conquer the party?! just as he conquered Mama Bears Pizza!!! FOOOLS!

        5. Rich

          She had Mike punching him repeatedly on their first and only date. Betting Joe wouldn’t show up even if he was on the invite list.

        6. neeks

          He probably already has plans for the night that involve actually getting laid.

        7. Rich

          Likely, and he really hasn’t been chasing skirt inside the dorm, has he? Maybe he realizes anyone who’s lived in proximity to him will never be sleeping with him if it hasn’t already happened before they really get to know what he’s like?

        8. fogel

          Yes, but Mike was only her second choice. Her first choice was Ruthless, who couldn’t make it. Joe got off easy.

        9. Scoops

          Remember Roz is having a party tonight, too. Given the choice between Roz party and Joyce party, where is Joe going to go?

        10. Rich

          Prediction: We get a brief cut to Roz’s party, which is someplace other than Rob’s house and involves a different group of people than the ones that were there the night Joyce was attacked. Which means none of them recognize Ryan when he wanders through the POV with a “drunk” girl on his arm that he’s volunteered to take home.

          Because damn, that would be creepy and awful and juxtaposing the scene with the dorm party would be some powerful storytelling.

        11. Leorale

          Augh we would all die of frustration to see another rape attempt in progress -combined with our utter powerlessness to stop him!! Aughh injustice is realistic but we would all die.

        12. fogel

          http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lisak. Lisak’ s research should be known by everyone at colleges.

          Whether Willis shows it or not that’s way more than likely to happen. Ryan is a preditor. Odds are he’s going to rape multiple times. Odds are very slim he’s going to give a glass to his next victim to rip open his face (and shred her hand) rather than a solo cup or that her roomie will swoop in with a Louisville Slugger. As satisfying as both those things were in the story, they were not realistic. And Billie protecting her drink from roofies is good, but alcohol is the most common rape drug.

        13. Rycan

          I don’t think she trusts Joe. In fact, I think she trusts him less since the roofie incident. We’re talking about a girl who sees a threat in almost every man, remember?

        14. Bagge

          Also, does she like him? Nope, so why would she want him on her party?

        15. fogel

          Dorothy knows Joe from high school?

        16. Rycan

          Well, yes, but this is about Joyce, not Dorothy.

        17. fogel

          Yep, I caught that 🙂 I should have said that the reason I asked about Joe and Dotty was that I wonder if D could/would vouch for J

      3. saki

        … Man the phrasing in that was weird. Sorry, didn’t get much sleep, having trouble putting my thoughts into coherent words.

      4. Bagge

        Going to the party of the exgirlfriend of the guy you crush on who is also your exgirlfriend’s best friend. Yup, sounds like Danny level awkwardness.

      5. DarkoNeko

        Aaand he’ll probably meet Sal there.
        …
        oh, crap. What about Amber ? Amber helped Joyce during the ding dong bandit incident, she’s probably invited too.

        1. Rycan

          Amazi-Girl did, mostly. Relations with Amber are just barely beginning to thaw.

        2. DarkoNeko

          Oh. Joyce’ll need to invite Amazi-girl instead, then.

        3. Rich

          Which entails talking to Amber anyway, doesn’t it? To Joyce she’s Amazi-Girl’s Clark Kent – the person with the mysterious contacts that you go to see when you need to get in touch with a superhero.

          Amber’s really got to get Danny a signal watch so I can extend this metaphor and make him Jimmy Olsen. Although I suppose phones these days have kind of eliminated the actual need for such silliness.

        4. DarkoNeko

          “I can contact her throught my DS !”

        5. Bagge

          I think Dorothy is a better Jimmy Olsen. Danny of course is Lois Lane.

        6. Rich

          Danny’s kind of clingy, but he doesn’t begin to approach the levels of obsession that (super)man-hunting Silver Age Lois achieved. That gal was terrifyingly crazy.

          And Dorothy being Jimmy would make Superman his own best pal. Funny, but it seems off somehow.

          OTOH, if Danny was Lois Lane, then Ethan could be Batman to Amazi-Girl’s Superman. He’d probably appreciate that. Silver Age Bruce repeatedly tempted Lois away from Supes in one persona or another.

        7. timemonkey

          Amber and Joyce don’t like each other. There’s been a slight indication of peace but it’s just that, slight.

        8. Bagge

          I think it is more that they want to dislike each other’s function, but didn’t find it in themselves to dislike each other’s person.

          Amber really doesn’t want to like the bible girl who tells Ethan to be ashamed of his sexuality, Joyce really didn’t want to like her boyfriends crazy =ex who he still had feelings for, but once they started to talk and saw more where the other came from they saw that things where more complicated. As explained by Joyce here

  14. tim gueguen

    Hmm, I wonder if this is another case, as I suspect has happened before, of Becky getting her ideas from the sitcoms she wasn’t supposed to be watching.

    1. DarkoNeko

      ..it’s possible she’s even quoting dialogues from said romcom. It’d make a lot of sense.

      1. Rich

        Sounds more like bad soap opera dialog to me.

    2. Amazistool

      as I suspect has happened before

      Suspicion confirmed!

  15. Hollister Dixon

    Poor Dorothy! She seems so heartbroken!

  16. boomwolf

    Anyone else here ever been what Danny is to this little convo? Y’know, that one guy who’s kinda just there?

    1. Someone

      I’m Danny with a dash of Walky. I’m all of Dorothy’s boyfriends!

    2. bunivasal

      “You’re invited! Because you overheard this conversation, and growing up in the 90s I learned that not inviting strangers you don’t really know or like to parties you’re throwing for yourself is technically the same as bullying them.”

      1. Someone

        Maybe not bullying, but it is kinda mean to mention a party and say the guy who is standing right there isn’t invited.

        1. John

          What I learned in the ’90s was that if you want to have a party and not invite the guy who’s right there because you don’t really like him, you should make the arrangements over IRC.

        2. DarkoNeko

          Wow, you’ve used IRC for way longer than me.

    3. Rycan

      Who, me? I’m actually a very life-like mannequin. Don’t mind me!

  17. luxlucis

    Hate is a such strong word but… really Dorothy? After this not even a little?

    1. Rich

      I think she’s still trying do decide if it’s a bizarre joke, or if she’s talking to a madwoman.

      1. Rich

        And to be fair, opening a conversation with a visitor you’ve only know for a couple of days by asking them their Kinsey rating without explanation of why you want to know is almost as weird as what Becky’s doing here.

        1. saki

          With any other person that would be inappropriate, and I don’t think Dotty would just do that with anyone. But, given how very out Becky is, Dorothy would have thought it should be fine.

        2. Rich

          If anything, I think it makes it even weirder. Dorothy’s been around during Becky’s declarative outbursts and is well aware she’s a Six. Asking her what her Kinsey rating is makes no sense to Becky out of the context of the Danny conversation she missed out on. It comes across like a pop quiz, or even challenging Becky’s own assessment.

        3. anonymsly

          She’s asking for Danny’s benefit, not her own. Dorothy already knows, but she wants Becky to establish her non-zero bona fides in order to offer her as someone for Danny to talk to.

          I personally think that while Becky would be able to impart some useful insights, the fact that she’s as absolute about her single preference as Dorothy is, her usefulness to Danny’s ‘I like both and I don’t understand’ issues will be limited.

        4. Majere

          Becky has made it pretty blatantly clear that she is a-okay discussing her sexuality with anyone in earshot.

  18. Captain Batson

    “Yeah, but it was sushi.”

  19. brumagem

    People are gonna haaaaaaate on Becky tonight, but I thought this conversation was super cute. Maybe it’s just me, but I think this type of dynamic never gets old.

    1. Maxy

      I don’t like Becky in general. Tonight was just more reason not to. (I can sympathize with her plight, but I still don’t like her. She’s been oppressed and given little liberty her whole life and now that she’s finally tasting freedom, it’s at the general detriment of a lot of other people. It’s accidental and not really her fault and she’s trying to be nice, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s really setting up Joyce to get in a LOT of trouble.)

    2. L!ghtn!ng

      Me too. It had a kind of slapstick quality that really made me smile. I’d love to see more of Becky and Dorothy’s interactions. Unfortunately I think you’re also right that there’s going to be a lot of irrational Becky-hatred so I do believe it’s time for me to get while the gettin’s good.

    3. John

      I was rather annoyed with Becky over the whole “bony poindexter” and “friendstealinghussy” things (the latter especially after Dorothy had offered to buy her dinner), but I just find her unilaterally declaring nemeses funny.

      1. Rycan

        Agreed. For me, it’s crossed over into being funny.

        1. anonymsly

          What’s crossing it over for me is how confused Dorothy is. She’s not only not participating in the psychodrama, she has no idea it’s even happening.

          Certainly I wish that Becky had even the most rudimentary ability to read people other than Joyce, but as long as Dorothy’s confused rather than in pain or being driven away, it’s funny.

    4. airyu

      Maybe it’s because I always read comments in the first hour after the comic goes up, but I have yet to see real hatred to any characters… All I’ve ever seen are people saying “I think Becky is a bit obnoxious” or “roz can be rude sometimes” followed by a bunch of commentors being like “woah look at all the hate!” And I’m just like ??? I keep looking for juicy youtube comment levels of hate on here, but all I find are polite people who politely disagree with other people. Maybe what DoA commentors consider hate is just way too light for me?

      1. Rycan

        Yet apparently it’s still enough to keep some people away. And YouTube comments are such a low bar, I think it’s actually underground.

      2. Rich

        *Cough* Ryan. Blaine. *Cough*

        But some characters are slated to be hated.

        1. DarkoNeko

          Mary’s pretty caricatural as fr as villains go, so far ^^;

      3. Cerberus

        Well, the outpouring of the b-word was so strong for Roz that Willis needed to add a new filter to the commenting policy and a lot of the worst outpourings of hate for Becky tend to be deleted after a bit by Willis, so if you haven’t bumped into them, you probably have good timing and luck.

        There’s also a lot of casual homophobia, biphobia, classism, and so on that pops up over the place where people assume things that are kinda messed up stereotypes (that Danny being bi means he’s going to cheat) or are generally just a little more unfair to characters who have a marginalized identity than to other characters who are privileged along that identity axis (Roz getting more crap for a casual attitude towards sex than Joe or Becky getting more “what an a-hole” comments than Mike).

        And that can be frustrating to deal with if you share that marginalization because it’s something a marginalized person already has to deal with all the time in meatspace.

        But to follow a single note, I’m really really glad that things aren’t YouTube bad here, because YouTube comments are a cesspool of such unending hatred that it becomes straight up unreadable for most anyone who isn’t a flaming bigot along every axis of oppression and I doubt this comment thread would be remotely be worth engaging with if the comments were consistently on that level.

        1. Tenn

          I read YouTube comments as a remedy for low blood pressure.

        2. Leorale

          It appears to be an abandoned project, but Sock Puppet Theater held up YouTube hate with beautiful comedic skill. http://sockpuppettheatre.com/

        3. Airyu

          Ah, that makes a lot of sense. I read comments either right around 12 am when the comic goes up, or days after the comic’s been posted. I didn’t know DW deletes comments, but that makes sense.

    5. Majere

      I’m afraid I don’t find being rude and mean spirited to the people close to someone you like out of jealousy to be cute. I view it more as an inappropriate and borderline abusive effort to drive them off so you can have that person all to yourself because that’s usually what it is.

      1. DarkoNeko

        …that’s exactly what it is/was, actually ; since for Becky, Joyce was pretty much everything.
        Hopefully she cooled a bit down on that after the rejection.

      2. Greenygal

        What I’ve occasionally wondered about is Becky’s early scene where she tells Sarah “I know my place” and “God has given her to you now”. Did she not see Sarah as a threat (“big sister” is a different slot than “best friend”, and that’s if she could tell Sarah even cared at that point) or did she feel more insecure once Joyce rejected her romantically?

        1. Cerberus

          It seems to me at least that Dorothy stings more, because while Sarah is a strong friend, Dorothy and Joyce clearly have that strong close cuddly bestest buddies relationship that Joyce and Becky had. And it seems to me at least that Becky is having a hard time fully letting go of the thought that Joyce isn’t a little bit bi and a lot a bit in love with Dorothy (like many members of the comment threads) and sees that as a knife in the chest right in her unrequited feelings.

          Which is why I think she keeps on showing her worst self with Dorothy (and to a lesser extent Ethan while Joyce was dating him), because she can’t control her jealousy and keeps on acting inappropriately and rude because of it.

          It’s one of her deepest flaws and makes her overly possessive at times and at least dickish to people Joyce cares about.

          As for whether or not its abusive from Majere’s comment above, Becky does seem to take it hard when she thinks her jealousy actually has had negative effects on the relationships Joyce has and does offer to repair things (her reaction when she thought she had broken up Ethan and Joyce for instance), so I guess it depends on whether one considers that enough of a mitigating factor for what they see. In my experiences as someone who’s been in an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship, I’m not quite seeing the isolation tactics here and Becky seems to be doing a good job, especially right now in making sure Joyce has strong connections to people other than her and gains strength from that (remember this grabbing a bunch of Joyce’s friends for a party was Becky’s idea not Joyce’s). But fairplay if you see something different.

  20. barefootbiker

    Damn, Willis isn’t kidding.

    Danny and Joyce appear together in only 17 comics in the entire run of the strip. In only 10 of these does at least one appear to notice the other’s presence. In only two of these does one speak to the other (counting Danny’s “er, hi” to Joyce and Sarah on December 16, 2010, which perhaps shouldn’t count).

    Now I’m kind of wondering what would happen if DoA Joyce and Danny had any substantial amount of contact. Would it be a rehashed, substantially better-written version of “Roomies!”, or something entirely different?

    1. Spencer

      I was actually thinking about how early on both characters were primarily defined by seeking and being part of relationships. If they somehow did date, they’d probably be happy enough at first, but it’d never really work in the narrative because there would never be any challenge or growth from either of them. Danny would doom himself to the same mistakes he made with Dorothy, measuring his entire worth by how much he clings to his significant other and taking opportunities away from himself to achieve that, and Joyce would eat up the worst parts of Danny’s affection without realizing how toxic it is because she also defined having a relationship as one of the most important reasons to go to college.

      I guess the best way to put it is that they’d be comfortable with each other, but in the long run it would damage both of them, because neither would ever come out of the toxic views they’d been holding onto until later character development started kicking in.

      1. Rycan

        It would damage them sooner than that, actually. A psych professor described it really well once. When two people who tend to be clingy get into a relationship, it seems like the best relationship in the world. They become completely infatuated with each other, and seem like the perfect pairing. But, eventually, one of them steps outside of the echo chamber. Things just go south from there.

      2. TSB

        I believe this is correct, but then ON TOP OF THAT, Joyce’s heterosexuality crisis and Danny’s bisexuality crisis would combine in the worst way. All the fun of her relationship with Ethan (we can stop being into dudes together!) with the extra special bonus of neither of them knowing what bisexuality is and good ol’ Joe hanging around, happy to yell at Danny for not having sex, AND Joyce would be dating Dorothy’s ex!

        Wow, that would be amazing, actually. I wonder if anyone would survive.

        1. Rycan

          Dina would survive. Turns out the doors in Clarke Wing are blastproof.

          What do you mean by Joyce’s ‘heterosexuality crisis’? Her PTSD?

        2. TSB

          Her guilt for feeling lust and being interested in sex.

    2. Lord Stoneheart

      I didn’t do a thorough search of the archives, but I think out of the characters listed on the cast page, the only ones Joyce has interacted less with than Danny are Carla (Joyce knows her name, and the fact that she has the other single on the floor, though I don’t believe they’ve ever talked) and Marcie (I’m pretty sure they’ve never met. Or been in the same room at the same time).

      Though interestingly enough, Danny has had two degrees of separation from Joyce in quite a few ways. He’s Dorothy’s ex, he almost engaged in “journalism” with Billie, he tutors Sal, he rooms with Joe, he’s crushing on Ethan. I think he’s had multiple conversations with Sarah as well. (For a given value of conversation).

      1. Lord Stoneheart

        Hey, I’m Ruth. Sneering Ruth I think? I’ll take it.

  21. Spencer

    Given what Becky’s learned and her motivation for setting the party, trying to bar Danny, someone neither Becky or Joyce are even remotely familiar with, makes a remarkable amount of sense.

    Granted, we know he’ll be showing up with Ethan later on, so I’m looking forward to seeing how Becky and him interact, especially given what Dorothy was trying to ask her in yesterday’s strip.

    1. chisci

      you say trying to ask her as if she didn’t make it clear she considers herself a gay supernova for whom bisexuality isn’t even in the vicinity

      [/force self to avoid terms like “gay black hole” or “gay supermassive body”]

      1. Amazistool

        Well, between supernova and black hole there is the Hypernova, a star explosion believed to be the origin of long-duration gamma-ray bursts .

        1. Rycan

          If you find yourself in a long-duration gamma-ray burst, you won’t be feeling very gay for long.

  22. Mkvenner

    Danny barely knows who he is.

    1. Someone

      given the subject matter in the previous strips, that’s actually kind of true.

  23. denn

    damn got some high ceilings in those dorms

    1. Tenn

      Are you my long-lost twin?

  24. bunivasal

    “Dotty, we’re rivals because Joyce doesn’t realize how much she wants to finger bang you! And you’re a ZERO on the Kinsey scale, so even if she did realize it, she couldn’t
    a) experiment with you
    b) have a mind-blowing sex
    c) realize how satisfying girlie-style hanky-panky is
    d) leave your Kinsey-scale 1-3 and hanky-panky me”

  25. Xain

    somehow Danny still shows up as Ethan’s plus one

  26. Archivist

    Last two panels are how everyone reacts to Danny.

    1. Rich

      Not Ethan.

    2. Rich

      Or Amber/Amazi-Girl, for that matter.

  27. Spidergirl

    Man, sometimes I remember how different this verse is from the other one. Like, I think the only time that Ethan, Danny, and Amber were on-screen together was at Amber’s wedding to Mike in the other verse.

    1. saki

      Amber married Mike? ._. I’m having trouble picturing that haha. Which verse was that? I’m kinda new to the Willis-verses, so I’ve only read DoA till now. Was planning on reading the others too, but not sure where to start. I’d happily welcome advice on that matter. 🙂

      1. Rycan

        That was kinda the reaction of all the other characters in the comic, too.

        This comic, DoA, is in its own universe, the Dumbingverse. Sounds like a great place, don’t it?

        The other main universe (actually a multiverse, but I’m getting ahead of myself) is the Walkyverse. You won’t guess who figured prominently in that one. It starts with Roomies!, continues on to It’s Walky!, then splits into Shortpacked! and Joyce and Walky.

        DoA basically came about later, with the same characters and similar backgrounds, but everything else reshuffled. It’s basically Willis jettisoning years’ worth of plot progression in order to try and come up with something better. And, so far, it’s been wildly successful. He’s finally ended Shortpacked! after a 10 year run, its predecessors are already over, and Joyce and Walky is on hiatus.

        1. Rycan

          Oh, and links to this all are on the main page of DoA. Shortpacked! gets its own website. Roomies! and It’s Walky! link to a new website that Willis is reposting comics to on a daily basis. The Joyce and Walky website is old and clunky, but it has everything on it except Shortpacked! and the parts of Joyce and Walky behind a paywall. It’s the only way you can read It’s Walky! clear to the end, until the new website finally gets to that point (it’ll take a while).

        2. fogel

          Different, not better.

        3. John

          Nah, DoA is definitely way better than Roomies!, and at least the beginning of It’s Walky!.

      2. John

        If you want to read the old continuity, I’d recommend going to itswalky.com and reading along with the rerun. It’s not complete yet, but it gets closer every day, and it’s in the right order and includes stuff that hadn’t been previously published online and the archives work and it’s got commentary from Willis mocking his younger self, none of which is true of the joyceandwalky.com site (which is, on the other hand, complete to the end, if you can navigate it).

        It’s a completely different continuity, and none of it is necessary for understanding DoA, but DoA sometimes has bonus funny and irony for those of us who are familiar with the characters of old. I have a suspicion that knowing about Joyce and Danny’s Roomies! relationship is going to make the next few weeks of DoA extra-funny.

      3. saki

        Rycan; John: Thanks a lot to both of you for the explanations and tips! ^^ I look forward to reading more about these characters, and seeing them in different contexts. 🙂

      4. DarkoNeko

        aah damn, that’s a huge Shortpacked spoil there. you should hop on http://shortpacked.com before it get worse ><

  28. Rich

    This conversation started with Dorothy asking her point blank to clarify her sexual orientation was without bothering to explain why she wanted to know. Becky wasn’t in the room for the part with Danny. That question was completely out of the blue for her, and kind of an odd thing to ask someone you don’t really know that well.

    Is it possible Becky is just jerking Dorothy around with some nonsense in response? It’s the kind of smartass thing I’d do in that circumstance.

    1. John

      I’m pretty sure Becky just considers “how gay are you?” to be an opportunity to brag.

    2. Rycan

      I think everyone with in a five-mile radius knows that Becky is VERY comfortable with her sexuality.

      Exaggeration aside, Dorothy probably knows already by this point. And her perceived enmity with Dorothy goes clear back to when they were first introduced, what, yesterday?

      1. Rycan

        Yesterday in-comic, that is.

        1. Dr. Smart

          I think it was the day before yesterday that they got introduced, but the bony pointdexter line was yesterday XD

      2. Amazistool

        In comic we have seen she got enough clues that Becky is a non-zero on the Kinsey-scale, but may have been unsure (up until yesterday’s comic) if it is a definite 6 or lower.

    3. Majere

      If this wasn’t the dynamic of every interaction they had your theory would be more credible but as it is I’m pretty sure Becky is just a jealous ass with no self control.

  29. Adam Black

    Anybody else , now read Beckys head-voice with a New Jersey accent ?

    just me?

    1. AgentKeen

      Mobster-ish maybe?

      “I don’ like youse, youse don’ like me. But let’s make a deal…”

    2. hof1991

      I hear this as either Chico Marx (Why a duck?) or Daffy Duck. Wacky sidekick without a firm grasp on reality.

  30. Em

    God dammit Becky.

  31. Nena

    Ah, Becky. You need to learn some social skills ASAP.

  32. fogel

    DAMN you Willis! That’s the classic pushers trick: the first taste is free, but after that it’s going to cost you. And it’s not fair! I never knew that Sal could smile like that!

    1. DarkoNeko

      If you mean This taste, I fully agree.

      1. fogel

        Yes, the “taste” of Sal and Jason’s Slipshine. Instead of too cool Sal with a constant cig, Sal is smiling and bantering and teasing and Jason never had a chance. (Except that he wouldn’t quid pro quo post facto…) Their relationship could be going to become very interesting, not to say engaging.

      2. fogel

        Wait. Am I the only one who got to see the 2 page preview of Head of the Class on Slipshine, which now seems to have disappeared?? I was wondering why the Cheese it hadn’t lit up the comments!! People!! The first 2 pages are AWESOME. I know, this is me saying so, but it’s true. I think I’m actually going to subscribe later today.

        1. Rich

          They’re still previewed on tumbler.

        2. fogel

          I am totes confused here. Rich, do you mean the close ups of Sal and . Jason’s faces posted on David’s Nothing But Babies Tumbler, which Darkonecko put a link to? Because that is a thing, but there is also a two PAGE preview at Slipshine and its awesome, some of Willis’ best work. It shows a side of Sal that I haven’t seen before (pretty sure: I do miss tons and forget more) And the fact that no one but me has said anything about it is making me wonder …. things. Or stuff. Or both.
          http://slipshine.tumblr.com/post/117834905926/enjoy-these-two-pages-from-david-williss-new

        3. DarkoNeko

          Oh my !

    2. fogel

      So, like, Satan thy name is Willis (vade retro and all that). I should be saying, again, that a TA sexing with a student in their section is 100% totes taboo for many many reasons. Lots of them. Reasons. As Jason seems to know. Poor dumb lucky bastard. Bad Jason.

  33. AgentKeen

    I mean, Joyce would only notice Danny in some weird bizarro world.

    1. Someone

      a strange world where Head Alien and Monkey Master are real, and theres a talking car, and everyone has superpowers!…well not everyone

      1. Rycan

        In such a world, if anyone were to have superpowers, surely it would be Galasso, no?

      2. Hoboturtle

        And for some reason in a toy store, no one will acknowledge that their employees fought against alien invaders

        1. DarkoNeko

          Soggy may rule.

        2. Rich

          Dab dab dab

  34. Bagge

    Ah, Becky. It’s big of you to bury the hatchet. But it seems you have been to subtle in communicating you feelings. Maybe dial it up a bit?

    I love how Danny is all “Sure, whatever”.

  35. Captain Napalm

    “I don’t like you, you don’t like me…”
    “I like you.”
    is basically my favorite gag ever

    1. Julez

      I have been the Dorothy side of similar conversations before. It is very confusing.

      1. Daisy

        I find it pretty upsetting but I think Dotty is level-headed enough to roll with it, her self-esteem is pretty solid. If she’s used to Danny, she can handle Becky.

  36. Rycan

    These three all appear to be using English, yet they are completely incapable of communicating with each other effectively. Well, there may be hope for Becky and Danny understanding each other, but not much.

  37. ThatGuy

    Way to drop the ball before its even in the court, Becky!

    <3

  38. Cheryl

    hawkward comedie lawwss!!!

  39. Majere

    So we’re back to Becky being an asshat. Great.

  40. Arianod

    Gotta love the non-dialogue going on here ^^

  41. Nono

    WHY WON’T YOU LIKE ME?!
    Chapter 1: My First Period.

    1. Crumplepunch

      I got it!

  42. Charles Phipps

    It’s kind of interesting that Becky really doesn’t want Joyce making new friends. Which, in other words, means that BECKY IS SAL AND DOT IS MALAYA!

  43. Jeff Dee

    Soo…. Becky is the replacement Robin because Robin is a Senator n this universe? I miss Robin… and Mike… and Shortpacked.

    1. Rycan

      Never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. Becky’s close to being just as energetic, too.

    2. Amazistool

      But with that Gravatar – are you really sure that the Walkyverse is the better ‘verse?

      And why do you miss Mike? In this ‘verse, he is no superhero fighting the aliens to the death – in other words: He is just pure condensed Mikeness!

      1. Jeff Dee

        My gravitar was chosen at random and I never said Waklyverse was better. I didn’t read roomies and It’s Walky, just Shortpacked. I know Mike is basically the same as he was n Shortpacked, we just don’t see him as much. And I just wish we had more Shortpacked, I miss the interaction between the with the original crew : Ninja Rick, Robin, Amber, Mike, Ethan and Faz. Just realized I miss Faz too.

  44. A5PECT

    I think a lot of Becky-hate stems from certain people treating the concepts of “a likable character” and “a good person” as mutually inclusive within the context of a fictional narrative.

    There’s nothing wrong with that. Just remember on the other side of the coin, there are people that don’t mind if a character is abrasive, unpleasant, or a downright asshole IF they can do so in an amusing way, and ESPECIALLY if they manage to also be a catalyst for plot development.

    1. DarkoNeko

      So basically, you like Mike.

      1. fogel

        So you think that Mike is an abrasive, unpleasant, AMUSING asswhole?

    2. lekoppa

      I don’t know. I think it’s entirely possible for a person to be an asshole in some circumstances without being a “bad” person. People are complicated. I can see how some people would hate her as a person but love her as a plot device- but that doesn’t account for all Becky fans. Personally, I do like her as a person! I don’t approve of her attitude entirely, or anything- but I like her and empathise with her. She has some growing to do, is all. Who doesn’t?

  45. DarkoNeko

    We’re not tonight yet, Becky.

  46. Questionor

    Even if Joyce did know Danny, wouldn’t being Joe’s roommate and best friend make him evil by association? Similarly, him being Dorothy’s ex based on Joyce’s limited relationship knowledge? And she’d never invite him around if she knew both of those things.

  47. someguywithakatana

    Joyce… Joyce has no idea who Danny is… That’s…. that’s bizarre…

    1. someguywithakatana

      Oh hey! I’m Amber now. You leave the comments section for a while and look what happens

    2. Rich

      And Galasso runs a pizza parlor. After that, I can get used to anything.

  48. Creature SH

    Hey, for some reason, whenever I open this page, I get a login prompt for Slipshine along with it.

    Using Opera 29.0 in Windows 7.

  49. Hoboturtle

    Becky, you might want to quit while you’re behind

  50. Cerberus

    Becky is so jelly, she needs to be on a peanut-butter sandwich.

    1. Itama

      I imagine she’d prefer jelly and more jelly. doesn’t seem to like peanuts.

  51. Crumplepunch

    President Keener courts the gay vote.

  52. Spork

    Is Becky breaking the fourth wall?! Also, guess Joyce was righ when she said her pastor said she was the best socialized

    1. Rich

      I’m afraid to know what the worst socialized kid in the group was like.

  53. Bleeters

    So I take it this is Dorothy passing on another night of studying.

    I can’t tell if she’s genuinely re-prioritising her life or if this is all going to be a bait and switch and she’s totally going to get an offer and leave.

    1. DarkoNeko

      uh, now that you mention it.
      I’m strting to really fear the backslash from the next test… but Dumbiverse days are pretty long so we wouldn’t see that before a long while..

    2. Bagge

      It was just yesterday she made the big decision to spend more time with Joyce even if that cost her some study hours. She is just following up on that decision.

      But yes – between Joyce and Walky she spends more time socializing and less time studying than the original plan. It’s a conscious choice but I think she will stress about it down the line.

    3. Someone

      I suspect her leaving will be a part of the finale.

  54. Pinja

    Don’t force me to choose between you Becky, you can’t win

  55. Furie

    I’m totally getting a Whirl feel from this strip.

  56. Vangeln

    Now kiss!

  57. Amazistool

    How did Becky not notice Danny until the fourth panel?
    He was in her direct line of sight in yesterday’s comic!

    Is Danny channeling his inner Dina?

    1. Bagge

      Becky is not the most…. aware person. She’s too busy being rad.

      1. Zatar

        Also it IS Danny.

      2. Rowen Morland

        Could Becky be in King Radical’s gang? What would that be like?

  58. Björn

    Dorothy looks really nice in that shirt.

  59. Focal Malice

    Why is Becky making me not like her a little.

  60. fogel

    I suppose you’ll claim that in that in that world Gallasso can bring Jesus back to life.

    1. fogel

      HM. Lost, this comment is

  61. Kater

    This is my favorite strip

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