Fun fact: Due to this comic’s composition, if you unfocus your eyes just right, you can merge panels 2 and 3 with panels 4 and 5 and get both skeptical Asma and come hither Joyce and Dorothy in 3d.
Like, cartoon 3d where they’re still flat but separated from their backgrounds. It’s a neat visual effect if one can pull it off.
“Stereogram”, back in the 90s there was a company selling posters like that. You can even do it with dual copies of monospaced text that hides a word or sentence in it from shifting with extra spaces. Neat stuff!
To be fair, Joyce’s post-nut realization was actually spot on. However, she’s still willing to outsource her critical thinking to Dorothy, who has her own baggage.
I do think there’s a useful way for them to discuss these issues with Asma. I absolutely am convinced that they have no idea what that is. (And it absolutely starts with a sotto voce, “So, is it okay to talk about the protest with you, and if so, do it here? We have questions, but we don’t want to impinge on you.”)
This strip in particular definitely does not help with my dislike of these two. Honestly the entire desire to “apologize to Asma” in and of itself feels kinda racist?
Like sure, Asma told them to go away and she had to risk herself to save their dumb asses. But Jocelyne also told them to leave. Robin and Leslie told them it’s unsafe. Amazi-girl fought off cops to protect them. And not ONCE did they say “oh we should apologize to those people for putting them in increased danger” Amber is currently nursing a bullet wound she got after fighting off the cops that were attacking them and Dorothy kinda just left her to it.
They only want to apologize to Asma specifically cuz she’s Muslim and they think the only thing they’re guilty of is Cultural Insensitivity. (Which don’t get it twisted. They ARE guilty of). As Joyce pointed out last strip it just feels so disingenuous. Less of a “we’ve reflected on our actions” and more of a “we want to make ourselves feel better”
Which I will try to avoid the metatextual implications of that conclusion.
Willis over the past several weeks seems to be flipping wildly between “YOUR HATE WILL FUEL JOYCE X DOROTHY FOR ANOTHER THOUSAND YEARS” and “Nooooo you can’t criticize how I implement this storyline because Jocelyne said it was cool, all the readers love Jocelyne!!!”
Li
I am curious about where you are getting that second impression?
Like did Willis say something?
Li
Also let me add:
Sincere efforts to course-correct a story can still suck and still merit criticism.
By asking where you’re getting the impression that Willis is yelling at people to shut up and not criticize their stories, I am definitely not in any way telling you not to criticize their stories.
@Fail: I guess I don’t see that second thing as being an understandable type of sniping at your comment section, as well as really going against what I’ve personally seen Willis say, so I wanted to know if you had a source for multiple reasons.
I doubt you’ll see this cuz it’s been a couple days, but I felt like this merited a response. I was conveying my amusement at the binary avenues we’ve been given in polls and the sickos vs paladins debate to talk about our feelings regarding Joyce and Dorothy’s relationship. That’s not entirely on Willis, but I think they betray some degree of annoyance at how much discourse this has all generated, especially when you zoom out and remember “this is about a bunch of college freshmen.” I’ve been reading Willis since the Shortpacked days and I can tell you straight up this wouldn’t be the first time they sniped at the comments section over story choices. However, I don’t think any of it is malicious. If you can’t fuck around with your readers a little bit, what’s even the point of writing a story?
I’m sick of this conversation with Asma already — I can’t think of a single version of subsequent strips that won’t be painful to read.
As I said yesterday — the choice to have them kiss at a protest has already happened, and I didn’t like it at the time, but at least it’s DONE. I’d rather move on to other things than keep wallowing in it or having Dorothy & Joyce apologize for it.
Would feel a lot better about this if we just got to see more Asma organically, or maybe if they hadn’t sought her out for this. Asma getting a chance to voice her opinions isn’t the worst idea, but I intensely dislike this “seek her out and apologize” approach.
255 thoughts on “Receptive”
NGPZ
AWE GAWD IM DEAD ??????
Clif
Well, now that you mention it …
Lilith Rose
The fact that that’s the FIRST place your mind went when you saw the two of them smiling at you.
Steamweed
Knowing even half the shenanigans that their floor gets up to, yeah, it’s not totally wrong.
Decidedly Orthogonal
Is this that alleged zillenial gaze/silence thing? Staring and not speaking despite it being their cue?
Patrick
FACEPALM
Pocky
misread the signlas but them signals are admittedly hard to shit to read lol
Doctor_Who
“Come back when one of you is Alice. Or, if you can somehow manage it, both.”
NGPZ
re: alt-text
“at least take me out to coffee first like WTF XD”
DJTsurugi
oh my god, they were roommates! ~<3
Clif
What?
AbacusWizard
oh no
Doopyboop
Aaw I was gonna make the joke but hover text beat me to it
Rose by Any other Name
Fun fact: Due to this comic’s composition, if you unfocus your eyes just right, you can merge panels 2 and 3 with panels 4 and 5 and get both skeptical Asma and come hither Joyce and Dorothy in 3d.
Like, cartoon 3d where they’re still flat but separated from their backgrounds. It’s a neat visual effect if one can pull it off.
Otis
“Stereogram”, back in the 90s there was a company selling posters like that. You can even do it with dual copies of monospaced text that hides a word or sentence in it from shifting with extra spaces. Neat stuff!
NGPZ
*adjusts eyes for stereogram*
holy AAAAAAAH
I know it’s spooky season but COME ON at least warn me first before letting me in on an optical illusion of creepy ass smiling white girls XD
ReFlex76
Joyce: “No no, I’m planning that for Joe!”
Dorothy: “What??!!”
Steamweed
Us Poly-Joyce shippers are awaiting this development!
nadamás
Putting more Asma in was the best idea ever.
NGPZ
you can say that again XD
Steamweed
Putting more Asma in was the best idea ever.
Achallenger
That again
Thag Simmons
She’s very good
Ty34er
Joyce is a hussy but not like THAT
Dwampre Scorrigank
…unless?
Mollyscribbles
not the worst possible response.
Amara
Well this is off to a swimmingly start. Can only go up from here?
Bryy
I’m betting Asma is going to tell them to fuck off with their post-nut realizations.
Freemage
To be fair, Joyce’s post-nut realization was actually spot on. However, she’s still willing to outsource her critical thinking to Dorothy, who has her own baggage.
I do think there’s a useful way for them to discuss these issues with Asma. I absolutely am convinced that they have no idea what that is. (And it absolutely starts with a sotto voce, “So, is it okay to talk about the protest with you, and if so, do it here? We have questions, but we don’t want to impinge on you.”)
Skyeribbon
All im hearing is that it was on your mind girl
Donovan
Asma, run while there’s still time. They’re already exhausted, they can’t catch up with you.
Nono
Asma is like: you remember my name?!
Clif
Talk about your red flag.
Dot
Hater containment thread ⬇️
Dot
Yeah Asma that’s the expression I have when I see these two lately too
Donovan
She’s just trying to reaaaad
Needfuldoer
A-yup.
Big Z
You can almost HEAR the “Oh, for FUCK’S sake.” in panel five.
Lokitsu
This ^
NGPZ
they’re basically spongebob and patrick except they’re white women XD
(am i doing this right?)
Dot
You’re doing your best buddy!
NGPZ
name ain’t buddy but thanks <3
eh, whatever
No, no, there’s no comma. You are doing your best buddy the same way Mike is doing your best buddy’s mom.
Commas are important people!
Lokitsu
Indeed. Commas are very important people.
UrsulaDavina
So Asma is Squidward in this situation?
NGPZ
ya got it
Nono
I want to say they’re Leslie and Ann but I don’t know who should be whom.
Throwatron
i could never have thought of this on my own but now that you’ve actualized it…
it’s so disturbingly close. i don’t even hate them or anything, but that comparison hits like a truck
Big Z
In this moment, we here in the hater thread are ALL Squidward.
Amós Batista
u smell /s
Yotomoe
This strip in particular definitely does not help with my dislike of these two. Honestly the entire desire to “apologize to Asma” in and of itself feels kinda racist?
Like sure, Asma told them to go away and she had to risk herself to save their dumb asses. But Jocelyne also told them to leave. Robin and Leslie told them it’s unsafe. Amazi-girl fought off cops to protect them. And not ONCE did they say “oh we should apologize to those people for putting them in increased danger” Amber is currently nursing a bullet wound she got after fighting off the cops that were attacking them and Dorothy kinda just left her to it.
They only want to apologize to Asma specifically cuz she’s Muslim and they think the only thing they’re guilty of is Cultural Insensitivity. (Which don’t get it twisted. They ARE guilty of). As Joyce pointed out last strip it just feels so disingenuous. Less of a “we’ve reflected on our actions” and more of a “we want to make ourselves feel better”
Which I will try to avoid the metatextual implications of that conclusion.
Fail Earnhardt
Willis over the past several weeks seems to be flipping wildly between “YOUR HATE WILL FUEL JOYCE X DOROTHY FOR ANOTHER THOUSAND YEARS” and “Nooooo you can’t criticize how I implement this storyline because Jocelyne said it was cool, all the readers love Jocelyne!!!”
Li
I am curious about where you are getting that second impression?
Like did Willis say something?
Li
Also let me add:
Sincere efforts to course-correct a story can still suck and still merit criticism.
By asking where you’re getting the impression that Willis is yelling at people to shut up and not criticize their stories, I am definitely not in any way telling you not to criticize their stories.
NGPZ
I wouldn’t bother replying to them like this Li,
this kinda pot-shoting, coming right in with accusations is just about a surefire sign that these remarks are not being made in good faith (-_-)
which isn’t to say, you aren’t right about this in general
Li
Okay. Well, you’re both entitled to feel that way about it, but I was in fact asking in good faith.
NGPZ
no no no I was referring to their remarks not being made in good faith, not yours!
sorry for the miscommunication
NGPZ
like really Fail’s idea that Willis be like “oh no they hate this new pairing but Jocelyne loves it and the readers love Jocelyne”?
it don’t make no sense at all, right up there with DoA reddit’s theory that Taffy is actually Willis’s alt account XD
Li
Ohhh, okay. Phew.
(Miscommunication, especially coming across as disingenuous or manipulative when I’m just trying to be clear, is one of my nightmares sob.)
NGPZ
awe ?
Li
@Fail: I guess I don’t see that second thing as being an understandable type of sniping at your comment section, as well as really going against what I’ve personally seen Willis say, so I wanted to know if you had a source for multiple reasons.
Fail Earnhardt
I doubt you’ll see this cuz it’s been a couple days, but I felt like this merited a response. I was conveying my amusement at the binary avenues we’ve been given in polls and the sickos vs paladins debate to talk about our feelings regarding Joyce and Dorothy’s relationship. That’s not entirely on Willis, but I think they betray some degree of annoyance at how much discourse this has all generated, especially when you zoom out and remember “this is about a bunch of college freshmen.” I’ve been reading Willis since the Shortpacked days and I can tell you straight up this wouldn’t be the first time they sniped at the comments section over story choices. However, I don’t think any of it is malicious. If you can’t fuck around with your readers a little bit, what’s even the point of writing a story?
NGPZ
Yeah it’s still a racist thing to do
Asma aint the arbiter of Muslims affected by the issue overseas, anymore than Jesse Jackson is the emperor of black people
Mr D phone posting
Wait you’re telling me Jesse Jackson isn’t the emperor of black people anymore? What happened? Did he get voted out? Did he abdicate?
Clif
I think at 84 your forced to retire.
Donovan
It is absoulutely NOT the best look right now
Reflex76
It’s been firmly established there were no bullets, Amber was stabbed.
Gotthammer
I think what we’re seeing is that Doylist critique can’t always be met with a Watsonian response.
Kyle
Perfectly said.
Jon
I’m sick of this conversation with Asma already — I can’t think of a single version of subsequent strips that won’t be painful to read.
As I said yesterday — the choice to have them kiss at a protest has already happened, and I didn’t like it at the time, but at least it’s DONE. I’d rather move on to other things than keep wallowing in it or having Dorothy & Joyce apologize for it.
Would feel a lot better about this if we just got to see more Asma organically, or maybe if they hadn’t sought her out for this. Asma getting a chance to voice her opinions isn’t the worst idea, but I intensely dislike this “seek her out and apologize” approach.
Yotomoe