133

Public singing
Posted on January 29, 2024 by David M Willis

133 thoughts on “Public singing”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “Why didn’t anybody TELL me my ass was this bigmethods were this bad‽”

    1. Clif

      Some people are into bad methods.

    2. Xujhan

      Sorry sir, there must have been a microconverter malfunction. I’ll try to reverse the beam.

      1. Clif

        Kit Fisto would have reversed the polarity.

        1. Mark

          Cross-circuiting to B works better.

      2. Needfuldoer

        Reroute auxiliary power through the secondary plasma conduits, randomize the polarity and frequency of the shield generator.

      3. Decidedly Orthogonal

        Someone should have put this one here, and that one there. Then routed 1.21 *G*igawatts to the flux capacitor. That will provide the necessary charge to power the oscillation overthruster the achieve the necessary speeds to operate the infinite improbability drive. But for the love of Steve, don’t confuse the sonic screwdriver with a hydro-spanner, or you’ll never get the turbo encabulator oriented properly to the trilithium positronic matrix.

        1. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Aw. I forgot how you need to re-twiki the neutrona wand. Hopefully the above instructions didn’t gargleblaster anyone’s ship.

        2. Roborat

          I think I got most of those references, but was the oscillation overthruster from Buckaroo Banzai?

        3. clif

          Yes.

        4. Roborat

          Cool, nerd cred reactivated.

    3. StClair

      “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”

    4. anon

      depends on if ruth was sarcastic or not and actually reconsidering her methods but it would be interesting to see them on a montage of like going to some amusement park, rock climbing, etc and diff series of activities til something gets to her

      tho, i wonder how much of a nightmare it would be for dorothy to get into one of those sensory deprivation tanks if she can’t be alone with her thoguhts right now

      1. Ana Chronistic

        Escape room!

        …

        Dotty figures it out in record time and wins a sticker

  2. NGPZ

    Best case scenario, they skip straight to booze.

    ’cause frankly, that’s the best thing (and ironically the least explosive thing) they have to offer Dotty at this point.

    *plays “Tequila” by The Champs on karaoke system*

    1. Sirksome

      I hope not. Jen’s sober.

      1. NGPZ

        Jennifer can (probably) abstain whilst she offers it to Dotty. I mean Ruth was able to IIRC

        1. Sirksome

          I’m not a drinker or an alcoholic so I’m not sure on the etiquette of drinking around a known alcoholic with no prior warning. Jennifer even called Dorothy out on suggesting drinking to her. Seems like it would cause problems.

        2. J.Gawain

          Alcohol is a terrible idea around alcoholics who are trying to recover in any circumstance. At best you mentally torture them for the time its available, and at worst they give in and fall into alcoholism again.

        3. thejeff

          Does Jennifer know Ruth’s drinking again?

    2. Max

      Yay! I win! That’s the song I suggested yesterday. You have exquisite taste, my good parasite.

      1. NGPZ

        ☺️?

    3. anon

      they can just get non alcoholic beer, or give dorothy a ‘lightweight’ cocktail or kombucha or something with a strong taste that’s tech not alcoholic since i imagine she doesn’t drink enough to know the diff and just have some kinda placebo effect

      1. NGPZ

        Or homemade root beer, assuming that ain’t too hard to get in Indiana

  3. Doctor_Who

    Ruth: Thank you for your constructive feedback! It is very much appreciated!

    Dorothy: …She still looks and sounds angry, though. I can’t tell if she’s being sincere or not.

    Jennifer: Figure that out and you’ll understand Ruth far more than I ever have.

  4. Sirksome

    Ruth kinda backslid post break up and it’s a bit worse than I thought.

    1. Zach

      I think that last song really hit a nerve.

      1. Archieve

        I think she chose that song because being in continued close proximity to Jennifer was already hitting her nerves and opening old wounds.

        1. Decidedly Orthogonal

          People keeps saying she chose the song. It could have been randomly selected for her.

        2. Pergola

          The song chose her!

    2. Clif

      Having given herself a reason for regrets, she’s just taking advantage of it.

      1. HueSatLight

        know regrets

  5. Doopyboop

    Careful Ruth, you’re starting to sound like your grandpa there. Though seriously speaking, clearly that’s where this is coming from for Ruth. Not that it excuses it, merely explains. It can be very hard to re-right yourself from bad or abusive habits from an abuser. Jennifer is right to keep her honest here.

    I also agree that taking Dorothy to do karaoke is a random idea but you know, at least it’s getting her out there and somewhere new so she’s not self-destructing in her room! Hooray…?

    1. Coatl

      I am still impressed that Dorothy allowed herself to be convinced to be there, we cannot guarantee that it will happen but once she sees the next ones arriving, it will be too intense.

      1. elebenty

        Feels like Halloween’s bookend is approaching.

    2. RassilonTDavros

      I mean in general yes, but I don’t think Ruth’s line in the last panel is something I can picture coming out of Gramps’s mouth in a million years.

  6. Armadillo

    This really is just a complete dumpster fire, huh? Not that I expected better.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Everyone knows that karaoke only helps you work through your issues if you do it in a death metal scream, like Retsuko.

      1. Jeremiah

        And even then it barely works.

    2. Anon A Mouse

      And that is why Walky and Danny are about to, albeit inadvertently, dive in!

    3. Ellegos

      I’m sure it can only get better when both of Dorothy’s ex-es show up.

  7. Jeremiah

    Maybe Ruth is onto something. Has anyone actually see one of those so called “buildings” being build up?

    1. Clif

      Maybe they should start at the top and work their way down.

  8. Yeet

    take notes on what, exactly, dorothy? how to tell a girl you’re mad at that you want to be in a toxic post-divorce style relationship and adopt a random slightly less well socialised friend (acquaintance?) as a surrogate kid?

    1. Jeremiah

      From context I assumed she means taking notes about their singing? But also it could be taking just regular ass notes for class, because this is Dorothy we are talking about.

      1. Coatl

        I think both:

        one of her typical studies

        and the other is the type of song that is appropriate according to her (yes, she said she is not the type to sing in public, but I think deep down she wants to let go of all that weight that she carries on her shoulders)

  9. Kyrik Michalowski

    Then Dorothy solved the problems between Jennifer/Billie and Ruth, and this made her feel good about helping someone other than Joyce so that she feels better about herself.

    Then swine will be airborne, Hell will experience a drop in temperature, and you will believe it is not butter.

    1. Clif

      I’ve always believed butter was just fake margarine.

    2. Needfuldoer

      And everyone in the karaoke place applauded.

      1. jflb96

        And that karaoke machine? Albert Einstein.

  10. Tan

    Gonna be real awkward for Dorothy when Ruth and Jennifer are about to start making out.

    1. Doctor_Who

      That’s because her presidential ambitions did not teach her the etiquette to deal with such a situation.

      Do you:

      A) Give polite applause

      B) Take selfie with kissing couple, post with hashtag #KissyOke

      C) Wait to be tagged in

      D) Get back on machine, provide soundtrack via that one Katy Perry song

      1. Clif

        It’s obvious the answer is actually E) All of the above. The real question is the proper order to do them in.

      2. StClair

        D: Firework?

        1. egg egg

          Didn’t Katy Perry do the “I Kissed a Girl and I liked It” song?

  11. ESM

    “You can take turns singing and I can take notes” is a quality pun and Jennifer and Ruth both completely missed it.

  12. jeffepp

    Just make out already!

    “But, which two?”

    Yes.

    1. Taffy

      Really, there’s no reason to stop at two. Limiting ourselves to just pairs is what’s held humanity back for the past two hundred years.

      1. Clif

        Yes, but sometimes they are twisted pairs and then we don’t care.

        1. Needfuldoer

          Twisted pairs, 180 degrees out of phase with each other, reject outside interference.

      2. jflb96

        Two hundred? One of the first people who legislated against non-monogamy was Augustus Caesar.

        1. Casi

          It’s always the romans

        2. Kyrik Michalowski

          The ancient Greeks and Romans had the best attitudes when it came to sex, drinking and crazy parties.

  13. Taffy

    Quick, apply Ruth’s panel 4 dialogue to something you disagree with.

    1. Jeremiah

      I apply to you because I disagree you telling me what to do.

    2. Dday

      “Mr. Gorbachev…”

      1. Jeremiah

        I assume that’s a reference to my spelling mistakes since when I Google it shows a Russian guy.

        1. Taffy

          I wonder why it would show that

        2. David DeLaney

          WHY ARE YOU MAKING US, BY WHICH I MEAN ME, FEEL OLD

          –Dave, next you’ll tell me you have no idea what his birthmark looks like

        3. Taffy

          It’s a purple star on his left shoulder, obviously.

        4. jflb96

          No, it’s a reference to something an actor said to a pizza salesman. You’re getting there with the Russian guy, keep following that rabbit hole.

        5. HueSatLight

          When I google “Berliner” I get a jelly donut, so I assume an anthropomorphic jelly donut once said, “Ich bin ein Berliner”.

        6. Tan

          Ronald Reagan, then-President of the United States, once rather famously said in a public address, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” referring to Mikhail Gorbachev, then-leader of the Soviet Union, regarding the Berlin Wall, which at the time divided Ally-controlled West Berlin from Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the rest of Soviet-controlled East Germany.

  14. FlamestAndLight

    POV: the two biggest messes in school are trying to fix you.

    1. Clif

      That’s when you know your inadvertent plan worked.

  15. UrsulaDavina

    Ya know it seems to me those who declare themselves ro be brutally honest care more about being brutal then being honest. Also Ruths logic is bad like super bad…

    1. Coatl

      She just wants them to bring the drinks and that’s it, the conversation is over.

      1. Clif

        Don’t mind me, I’m just in awe of the way Usula combined a critique of brutal honesty with a brutally honest critique of Ruth.

        Well done.

        1. UrsulaDavina

          Saying Ruth’s logic is super bad is being honest if i were being brutally honest I would have made a remark about Ruth’s character in the process.

  16. Dante

    Ruth normally does better than this, but uh. Doing An Activity with Jennifer was never going to end well, and the last song must’ve felt like peeling her insides raw. Not that it excuses showing Dorothy the New & Different Experience of being a divorced couple’s kid.

    The only way Danny, Walky, and Sal’s arrival could turn things around is by making this shit so stressful it can only distend into an orgy.

    1. Coatl

      Honestly, it’s hard to know what kind of chaotic outcome will manifest.

      1. Clif

        Well, I know I’m coming back tomorrow to find out.

  17. HueSatLight

    Ruth’s not wrong in panel 2. Dorothy’s trying to study her way through this, she needs to experience. I think she knows that at some level, and that’s why she’s here.
    Ruth’s persuasion skills still pretty bad though.

    1. Coatl

      Well, they “want” to help (Ruth got caught up in a mess she didn’t want but she has no choice and Jennifer just wants to take credit for being awesome).

      But we’re talking about Dorothy, if she doesn’t like something, she focuses on her studies and that’s it, but once she sees the next ones coming, maybe she’ll take a risk and sing something that really pops.

      1. DailyBrad

        Ruth both did and didn’t, I guess, given she’s tried to help Dorothy before with this and only had limited success, if any. (Not really her fault, exactly, given I think Dorothy hadn’t really hit on what was going wrong for her, she just knew she needed to unwind in SOME fashion.)

        1. Coatl

          It’s true, I had forgotten that detail and to be honest, I think Dorothy is the only person who really tolerates

    2. Bash

      What I like about it is that neither of them is wrong. Dorothy DOES need to try something different and let loose a little. But Ruth is being aggressive about it to an unhelpful degree.

  18. Francoinblanco

    The parents’ quarrel over the choice of parenting method is somehow cute, unless the quarrel is in front of the child, then it’s a little worse.

  19. NGPZ

    O shit I just realized — we’re just three days away from a new storyline 😮

    1. David DeLaney

      Karaoke Fallout Boys & Girls

    2. thejeff

      Remember that “storylines” end at midnight and sometimes scenes carry on into the next storyline.

      Seems like it would be hard to fit all the drama of sal, walky & danny showing up with whatever’s left to milk out of these 3 into just 3 strips.

    3. HueSatLight

      Everyone spends hours at karaoke and then sleeps through all their Monday classes.

  20. BBCC

    I don’t think that normally works.

  21. DailyBrad

    Jennifer’s looking really cute here. The lighting agrees with her.

    That said, I do hope Sal, Danny, and Walky showing up will kinda help things along, even if there is some truth to what Ruth said in panel 2. Sal’s not really a close person to Dorothy, but Danny and Walky are people she has and can confide in, even if she might be self-conscious being a mess in front of Walky after what happened before.

    Man, no idea how she’s going to take the Lucy breakup.

    1. Coatl

      So far, Walky has done very well in his progress and I just hope that at least this time he listens to Dorothy correctly, but she also shows interest in listening to him and I know it sounds risky, but come on, he finally showed some common sense. and he admitted that he was an idiot at the Halloween party, maybe he already shows that kind of decency here too.

      Of course, Danny could make it worse, but here is also the opportunity to talk to him, that can even make Sal really notice real progress in his brother, yes, it is intriguing what will happen tomorrow

    2. Needfuldoer

      (Ruth is still my favorite.)

      It would be fitting if this becomes a quasi-intervention for Dorothy.

    3. HueSatLight

      I’m not seeing what you’re seeing between Dorothy and Danny. At a minimum, I see courteousness. But I’m speculating there was an incident similar to the one with Walky, where during November or December when she was starting to break down, and she tried to hook up with Danny.
      Because I think she’s reacting here to something she did during the timeskip: https://www.dumbingofage.com/notinterested/
      And I don’t think she tried to hook up with Joe because of his statement here: https://www.dumbingofage.com/flavor/

  22. Drakkin the Alien

    Dang… and here i was hoping for an Aggretsuko twist… 🙂

    1. Daibhid C

      I don’t know that one; how close is it to Chubby Checker’s version?

  23. Suet

    Maybe the solution is not her singing alone.

    What’s to build up, though? What’s to tear down? They’re clearly grasping at straws

    *sings Fix You by Coldplay* *reserves Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson*

    1. Needfuldoer

      Ruth’s point is that Dorothy’s doubling down on her normal playbook has only led her into a depressive spiral. Ruth knows a thing or two about those, so she’s trying to get her to try going outside her comfort zone.

      Dorothy just wants to get out of the pit she made by digging up.

    2. anon

      she needs to magically split/clone and have a rap battle with herself 8D;

  24. Pocky

    Ah yes; destructive criticism, my favorite.

  25. Anon A Mouse

    I am absolutely giddy about the possibility of the addition of both Danny and Walky to the situation, considering both proximity to Dorothy, as well as the formers relation to Sal, followed by Walky blurting out his troubles with Lucy, leading to a Dorothy, to Danny, to Sal Jenga-like drama collapse. Pure speculation but a stopped clock is right twice a day.

    1. Steve C

      I’m just hoping that the drama doesn’t splash onto Sal and Danny’s relationship. They’re my favorite couple right now.

  26. DarkoNeko

    it’s ok, a couple people may come take you out of your misery soon. Assuming they find you and there’s only one karaoke in the area.

  27. Da Boy

    Come on Ruth, building up absolutely works, just look at Imperium’s Hive Cities!

  28. Thomas

    This seems exactly the amount of fun one can reasonably expect from a karaoke session.

    1. The Jighole Man

      karaoke seems like the kind of thing you would need a (several) drink(s) to enjoy. like, you Need to get rid of your inhibitions to enjoy singing in front of your friends.
      if you have any inhibitions at all, it’s going to feel awkward and embarrassing.
      maybe you don’t know the song, and mess up a few lines.
      maybe you start going uh and umm.
      maybe you sing too dang well, and now you’ve just revealed your power level to your friends.

      1. Holly

        Nah, I do sober karaoke, it’s great! If you go to the right place, everyone’s super accepting and supportive.

      2. Thomas

        I have attended a grand total of five karaoke sessions, three of which were decidedly not fun. I don’t have any recollection of the other two.

      3. Mark

        My real friends would know my power level.

  29. Yumi

    I want Dorothy to sing “Mr. Brightside.”

    1. Needfuldoer

      What she needs is Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes.

    2. Hof1991

      All by myself.
      When I was young
      I never needed anyone
      And makin’ love was just for fun
      Those days are gone

      Livin’ alone
      I think of all the friends I’ve known
      When I dial the telephone
      Nobody’s home

      All by myself, don’t wanna be
      All by myself anymore
      All by myself, don’t wanna live
      All by myself anymore

  30. Zaxares

    Jennifer’s not wrong here though. You’re here to try and cheer Dorothy up and help get her mind off how shitty everything is going, but trying to force her into doing an activity she doesn’t like isn’t going to help. (If anything, it could well make her feel worse.)

  31. Needfuldoer

    See, now Ruth’s pumped up and ready for Crazy on You or Heartless.

    1. Mark

      Interesting juxtaposition.

  32. ValdVin

    They’re going to duet on “? With a ?”n aren’t they?

  33. vulcanodon

    [Insert Doctor Who Toymaker “Well That’s All Right then!” meme here]

  34. HueSatLight

    This is a Nancy strip.

    1. Needfuldoer

      Sluggo Dorothy is lit

  35. Alan in DC

    “Your brain’s ass is up a creek!”

    Ruth has a lot to learn about anatomy and flow mechanics.

    1. Pergola

      That gave me a really weird picture.

  36. Rabisch

    I never would have thought that Ruth had all the qualities to become a great teacher, professor, master, mentor, every kind of inspirational figure there is, she can become them. She’ll be able to radically change the lives of those who meet her. Jennifer, as usual, doesn’t understand. But Dorothy probably, she knows now. Go and sing, Dorothy. GO!

    1. UrsulaDavina

      It’s a bad philosophy tearing everything down leaves nothing and nothing gets done unless you want to be a nihilist.

  37. Pergola

    … says the girl who painted her room dark blue.

  38. Adept

    Can you though, Ruth?

  39. Smooti

    Yeah no, Ruth was making a bit of a point there, maybe not one that Dorothy really needs the moment, and Jennifer’s up her own ass. But I should probably stop commenting the obvious, huh

    1. UrsulaDavina

      I don’t agree with Ruth’s point its its not something you tell a depressed person it shows no empathy, it undermines Dottys confidence and overall makes no sense if you tear everything down there is nothing left.

      1. Adept

        Yeah. Unfortunately Ruth has always been deeply unlikeable.

  40. Li

    Gotta compliment the art again; I especially love how subtle Jennifer’s expression is in panel 3.

  41. staszu13

    Just wondering how much of Grandpa Clint is in that last panel

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