423

Smile
Posted on August 5, 2017 by David M Willis

423 thoughts on “Smile”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “my mere existence is supposed to offend HER–she’s stealing my shtick!”

  2. Emperor Daniel

    Someone called it??

    1. Doctor_Who

      Considering our nature as readers, it is inevitable that someone, somewhere, probably shipped this from day one.

      Wasn’t me, but someone.

      1. Emperor Daniel

        I think Yotomoe did a series of Carla x Mary way back? So there’s one.

        1. Doctor_Who

          I also seem to recall him doing Dina X Faz. Gosh, I hope that one doesn’t come true.

        2. Mr. Random

          Given Dina’s predilection towards rope, it would mean he wouldn’t be involved in a lot of storylines.

        3. Ryek Hvek

          {{{ “I, the Great Faz, approve this message.” }}}

        4. DrunkenNordmann

          Ever seen his fanart of a Faz/Dina offspring? 😀

        5. Ryek Hvek

          (will commence assuming all formed a band named Mansão Dina Faz)

    2. NotPiffany

      Someone called that Willis is messing with us?

  3. AnvilPro

    Do they think she’s a lesbian? Even if she is I think that would just make her even more hateful, not free

    1. Some Random Name

      I mean, Carla is transgender, which means Mary might be interested in her because of her… current set up (for lack of a better way to covertly say it).

      At least I think she’s transgender, it’s been a while.

      1. Ansel

        her presumed genitals

      2. Sebastian Temple

        Yes, Carla is trans.

        1. nerdyjuan

          but i thought she was trans-robot/nonhuman

        2. Rex Vivat

          You’re thinking of Ultra-Car in the Walkyverse (who doesn’t go by Carla, and got snippy at Malaya for trying that once). Here in the Dumbiverse, everyone is either human or fictional.

        3. The Other Mike

          Or both.

        4. Needfuldoer

          Carla is the DoA adaptation of Ultra Car’s humanoid chassis from the tail end of Shortpacked.

          Ultra Car’s hatchback/MPV chassis from earlier in Shortpacked became DoA’s Ultra Car, the star of a cult classic cartoon series.

        5. Needfuldoer

          Well, Ultra Car’s AI in the respective chassis at the time, anyway. You onow what I mean.

      3. Twitcher

        I’m calling it. Mary is going to use Carla’s relation to the list in order to out Carla as transgender publically. No one but Mary will give a shit, except for the staff, who will justifiably expel Mary… or attempt to, but Mary will attempt to cite “religious freedom” as her defense for ruining another student’s life. Will Mary get away with it? Can she? Find out soon!

        1. Indy

          As much as I hate Trans pain as a plot device, I would LOVE if we finally saw Mary get some actual retribution for her behavior. I know that time moves slow here, but I’m still not sure why nobody’s reported her yet, now that everything’s out in the open.

  4. Androiddreams

    Does mary is gay? The rumour come out!

    1. Emperor Daniel

      The rumor came out of the closet, too?

    2. Ana Chronistic

      IunderstoodThatReference.gif

    3. Unusually Angry Hippie

      No, Mary isn’t gay. She simply doesn’t recognize that Carla is actually female, and lacks the nuance the distinguish between gender and sexuality. So she thinks she can ‘fix’ ‘him’ through her feminine wiles. Or something equally misguided and fucked up.

      1. Adept Arcanist

        Alternatively, there might be something to do with Carla on the List (or with her not being on the list?) that Mary considers ammo?

    4. Koms

      This so reminds me of “Is Polo a gay?”

    5. Coren

      Mary is gay is the most discussed in the media in the few years ago.

    6. Kinoko

      The rumor is standardize of hoax.

  5. C.T Phipps

    Billy is realizing she wants to dump Ruth RIGHT THIS INSTANT and take up with Carla. Alas, Carla loves power tools not people.

    1. Androiddreams

      I do NOT want to read that fanfic.
      workshop safety, people!

      1. Doctor_Who

        Don’t worry, she wears goggles.

        1. Lokitsu

          Beer goggles

        2. Iforgetwhatiputhere

          Puts gloves on the tools too.

      2. Joe

        No, she *actually* loves them, in that she shows them proper care and respect and wouldn’t do anything untoward with them. That fanfic is really just Carla lovingly building a doomsday machine.

      3. Needfuldoer

        Be sure to read, understand, and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools properly will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury.

        And remember this: there is no more important safety rule than to wear these, safety glasses.

        [/norm]

        What you need is a big rheostat, to give you fine speed control.

      4. Aislashu

        http://www.happyatheist.com/SexToyReviews/Drilldo_Drill.jpg

        1. Bad Star

          I work in an adult toy boutique and yes, we actually sell these. We sell a newer model, however. Next year they’ll be coming out with a saw-zaw attachment for thrusting.

    2. TemperaryObsessor

      I thought it was Malaya who loves power tools.

  6. Yumi

    I’m with Carla, if I were in her position even the idea would be horrifying.

    1. Rosicrucian

      Well, Carla is asexual but homoromantic.

      So yes, it’s sufficiently off-putting if Mary wants something physical.

      1. Yumi

        I’m queer and allo, I just don’t want Mary so much as thinking about me that way.

        1. Rex Vivat

          Which one was allo again? Sorry, there’s just so many sexual orientations today that I just can’t keep them straight.

        2. Yumi

          Allosexual, basically meaning I experience sexual attraction; not asexual.

        3. Rex Vivat

          That… was supposed to be a joke, actually. That’s what I get for commenting at half past 4am.

        4. Yumi

          I assumed the “straight” part was a joke, but I still wasn’t sure if you knew the term.

        5. NotPiffany

          Well, I didn’t know it, so thanks.

        6. Sdrainbow

          Asking seriously –

          Are ace/allo kind of like cis/trans?

        7. Michael Chandra

          Pretty much. Of course you got people who deny asexuals terms waging war on the term, polluting the discourse resulting in others also waging war on the term. Kinda like how enough people claimed A-spec was used by people on the autistic spectrum first (hint: no) that others actually started believing it.

        8. davidbreslin101

          I’ve NEVER encountered “A-spec” in an autistic context, and I’d know…

        9. Yumi

          That’s basically how I’ve seen it used. I’m not super informed about ace discourse, though.

        10. Raibean

          Beware! There is also alloromantic.

        11. Charie Spencer

          So it has nothing to do with allosauruses? Dina isn’t involved?

        12. RIK

          Wrong webcomic. You’ll want >a href=”http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/special/allosaurus.html”>Irregular Webcomic for all your allosaurus needs.

        13. RIK

          Once more with proper tags:

          Wrong webcomic. You’ll want Irregular Webcomic for all your allosaurus needs.

        14. whitt

          “today” you have the googles.

          Please not to be condescending while asking for people to do you the service of educating you……..*shrug*

        15. Victor

          Heh heh – ALL-osexual – heh

          (Channeling my inner Beavis and Butthead.

        16. Yet Another Laura H

          I’m lesbian and lithromantic/ akoiromantic/sexual (which means I get attracted to people, but holy rusted metal nope it is a bad idea for me to get involved and my body actually knows this and goes along with the gig). “From afar” and “woman” is part of my sexuality, and the idea having someone like Mary crushing on me gives me the screaming fantods in a way that has nothing to do with the 30-year age gap.

      2. Lauralot

        Even if she weren’t asexual, it would still be off-putting considering that Mary has destroyed her property and told her she belongs in the boys’ dorm.

      3. impish

        THERE’S PLENTY OF REASON TO BE HORRIFIED

      4. GUIGUI

        “Well, Carla is asexual but homoromantic.”
        In the walkyverse. Being asexual might be due to her being originally a machine. And Walkyverse Carla could be biromantic ass well. Just because it worked out with Malaya doesn’t mean it couldn’t have worked with a male too. We don’t know if a Carla of biological origin might be asexual too.

        It’s a bit to early to assume the orientation of Carla in the dumbiverse, as she isn’t an 100% parallel to her Walkyverse version, unlike the others of the cast.

        1. Yumi

          Gonna double post because I can’t remember if two links gets your post held for moderation or if it’s more, but it’s almost 5am and everything is fake and nothing matters anyway, so

          Link 1: http://itswalky.tumblr.com/post/100430592397/are-any-of-your-characters-canonically-asexual

        2. Yumi

          Link 2: http://itswalky.tumblr.com/post/125122471272/in-dumbing-of-age-and-its-walkyshortpacked-i

        3. GUIGUI

          I was going to say that the first link was Walkyverse Carla, which didn’t contradict my point. Bt the second link clealry state that Dumbing is indeed asexual. So yes, indeed, you are right. My bad.

          I guess I could nitpick and say it doesn’t confirm dumbing Carla is Homoromantic, but that would be dumb of me. It’s clear Willis answer implied that all of Carla’s orientations are the same in dumbiverse and walkyverse.

        4. Krys Brynhildr

          Plus there was the whole “Girls are cute and I should know cause I am one”, bit early on when she found out about Ruth and Billie’s secret relationship. Which doesn’t prove anything I guess, but does kind of imply that she’s more prone to being interested in that side of things at least?

        5. Yumi

          The first one kind of does contradict your point re: homoromantic as sexualities and such are consistent across universes. It was also mainly addressing your statement, “Walkyverse Carla could be biromantic as well.”

      5. Mapflap

        I don’t think even if Carla wasn’t asexual that this wouldn’t still be a horrifying idea. I know it’s popular in fiction, but in real life people don’t tend to romanticize the people who are abusive & hateful towards them just because they suddenly find them hawt.

    2. Shiro

      S A M E

      Gross icky bigot cooties, get them AWAY

    3. QueerBitch

      I’m a slut and I’d rather cut off a limb then be with Mary

      1. Yumi

        I…probably wouldn’t cut off a limb, if i were somehow at that fork in the road.

        1. Proxiehunter

          I wouldn’t cut anything off but I wouldn’t be shocked if certain parts of me spontaneously fell off of their own accord if she got too close. Kind of like how some evil supernatural entities cause plant life in their vacinity to wither and die.

        2. Achallenger

          Didn’t specify it couldn’t be one of Mary’s limbs

  7. William Leonard Reese Jr.

    *snickers* I admit I love Billie’s gaze in panel 4. It is just the best.

    As for Mary’s changes and, highly unlikely but possible crush, I suppose stranger things HAVE happened. To find that a Pastor’s son could do such awful things might have caused the gear clutch in Mary’s head to shift gears as it were. Stranger things have happened before.

  8. Danni

    is carla six feet?

    1. Queen Anthai

      No, she’s an entire human.

      1. miados

        but she is two feet so danni is a third right.

      2. Emperor Daniel

        Beat me to the punch.

      3. lia47

        just terrible

      4. Orion Fury

        Would this joke be appropriate or not?

      5. Carms

        shiiiiiit dang

    2. Izzy

      Nah, she is on rollerblades. Though I guess she could be 6 feet. I’m 6’1″ and trans so anything is possible.

      1. Ansel

        I’m 5’3 and trans. a small boy.

        and idk I just think a ‘I’m [height] and trans’ seems like a cute thread

        1. Danni

          you too smol

        2. fishamaphone

          I’m 5’10” and trans 🙂

        3. Danni

          me too!

        4. Dusk Rain

          I’m 5’7″ and trans. :3 A medium boy. ( And/Or tallish girl but not right now. )

        5. a/snow mous/e

          Pronouns?

        6. NotPiffany

          “…but not right now?” Gender-fluid?

        7. APersonAmI

          I am 6’8″ and trans. I am told that I am tall.

        8. Yumi

          You are glorious.

        9. Danni

          TOL

      2. caesaria82

        She’s not *on* the skates. I specifically remember during one of her last appearances you could see she was just wearing sneakers and she was wearing this same outfit and was in this same hallway. Unless she magically found a way to put them on in between……..

        1. caesaria82

          Not on skates, see: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/04-the-do-list/pissier/

      3. AutobotDen

        With all the skating she does, she has amazing legs, so who gives a fuck what her height is?

    3. Van Jealous

      That would likely be due to the skates she never takes off….

      1. Kamino Neko

        She’s above average, even without them. Sal commented on it in one of their interactions.

    4. Yumi

      I headcanon her as six feet because then she’d be the same height as my mom, and that gets me closer to imagining Carla as my mom, which, what a world.

      1. Chillbro Baggins

        Isn’t Billie canonically kinda short, like 5’3″ or something? So Carla might be just slightly above average height (I’d call Ruth at 5’7″-ish and Carla at 5’10”, just from eyeballing it, I’m not gonna count pixels because this is hand-drawn), and just usually towers over everybody because of the skates, and towers over Billie when wearing sneakers because Billie is smol.

        Also I, a straight dude, have dated some people slightly more off the deep end than Joyce was at the beginning, and still would not touch Mary with somebody else’s dick on a bargepole.

        … but I wouldn’t object to a Carla/Mary Slipshine hatefuck, I guess. :p

  9. Opus the Poet

    I dunno what hit her but maybe having it hit Blaine and Toe Dad really hard would be a good idea.

    1. blergh

      And Sir, too, while we’re at it

      1. Scar Man!!!

        Yeah, seriously. The Phantom Thieves should have gone for them before Mary

  10. DarkoNeko

    …whaaaaaaaaaat

  11. Queen Anthai

    DAVID NO

  12. Samantha Johnson

    Im assuming mary was rated quite highly on the do list? But why i wasnt given the impression she was very attractive someone explain to my stupid self cause i don’t get it

    1. Emperor Daniel

      Billie thinks Mary has a crush on Carla.

      1. Orion Fury

        I had though something a bit darker at first, and only involving Mary. Well, Mary, and a certain phone wielding person…

        1. smashman42

          I’d had that thought too, and that maybe how horrible she was had been some terrible coping mechanism (diving even harder into the worst aspects of her religion), and now that Amber got him Mary is free and legit happy.

          Even if she always was a bit awful (like the anti-Joyce as far as fundies goes) that doesn’t make it okay for awful things to happen to her.

    2. caesaria82

      Maybe Joe just thinks she’s ‘doable’? I doubt he knows her well enough to know much about her personality or maybe he doesn’t care. Taste is subjective. And you unfortunately can’t look at someone and see if they’re a bigot or not right away 😉

      1. Carms

        SOMETIMES THERE ARE CLUES. like a ‘Build the Wall’ shirt or a nazi tattoo or blackface or-

        1. caesaria82

          Hah, true. I just meant in Mary’s case, but you’re absolutely right. It’s quite thoughtful, really, of these people to display their bigotry so openly. Makes staying away from them a lot easier!

  13. miados

    is she crushing on carla because in her mindset *obviously not one i agree with* “I can be a lesbian in appearance but still be straight.”

    no that can’t be it…..

    1. Beef

      isn’t that like, the opposite of what homophobic fundies do?

      1. Kamino Neko

        Yeah…doing same gender funtimes on the downlow, screaming about how it’s evil in public. (At least I assume that’s all in the public…though I guess Milo can’t be the only gay person to actually like the idea that being gay is bad…)

      2. Egg

        I once submitted it as a question in a Q&A/discussion section at a youth retreat. What gender should a trans person date. By that time I knew this was something they were just straight up bigoted, not just following the Bible, so I wasn’t too surprised when the pastor refused to answer and just said something like “you can come talk to me if you’re having issues”.

        Hah, as if. I only hope that any other queer/trans kids in the audience emphatically disbelieved him as much as I did.

        (I know it’s quite probably there were other queer/trans kids in that church. One of the “uncles” at the church was ranting about how parents of queer kids were being too supportive of LGBT+ rights.)

        1. Egg

          er, quite probable. Not quite probably. Wurdz.

  14. lia47

    god i wish. still betting she leaked the list tho

  15. Cmd1095

    hm, that could be Mary’s plan, seduce Carla and then humiliate her because Mary views Carla as male and since she’s female if she can seduce her then she proves Carla is still male or something

    This is a gross misunderstanding of how sexuality works and just blatantly assumes Carla is into guys because she’s trans, but this is MARY so… yeah its plausible

    1. Tommy Fresh

      This is eerily plausible coming from the perspective of Mary-think

      1. dn3s

        i just read about is autogynephilia the other day, and it does sound like the sort of idea that would make sense to someone like mary as an “explanation” of trans people

    2. Chillbro Baggins

      You said it better than I could’ve.

      But maybe Mary’s actually attracted to Carla, and very confused about her feelings in a brain-breaking way. Or Mary’s discovered the wonders of MDMA (drugs are bad, kids.) Not that our speculation matters, Willis has a six-month buffer, so the conclusion to this plotline is already drawn and queued for upload.

  16. Big Box

    Wait…

    Mary’s ostensibly gone nice, Ryan’s been RKO’d out of the strip, and every other character with flaws seems to be at least aware of them.

    This has to be the calm before the storm of some gigantic heel-turn, it has to be.

    1. ValdVin

      He’s been Radio-Keith-Orpheum’d right out of the strip?

      1. Kamino Neko

        … That’s what RKO stood for? I knew R had to be Radio, and Orpheum for O makes a lot of sense, but Keith is kinda random… (I guess a founder’s name?)

        1. ValdVin

          Name sources: Keith Albee Orpheum was a vaudeville circuit, and Radio was from RCA, which had a sound-on-film system (Photophone) to sell.

          A merger with another company already in film booking was made in 1928, when everyone knew the sound pictures were the future.

          Many title cards willl still go to the redundancy of “An RKO Radio Picture”.

          I am older than some people here, but I did not live thru this era.

        2. Charie Spencer

          Thanks. We watch a lot of TCM but could never figure out if the initials were from studio head we’d never heard of.

        3. Tim

          “RKO” is Randal Keith Orton’s initials. His finishing move the “RKO” is an acronym for Randy Knock Out, likely a play on the “TKO” or Technical Knock Out in boxing.

        4. ValdVin

          I (obviously) know nothing of wrestling. (I even had to look up that he’s a wrestler.)

        5. Victor

          What the fuck’s a radio picture?

        6. foamy

          Television.

        7. thejeff

          It’s a picture of a radio, what else?

    2. foamy

      My money’s on Mary play headgames.

      1. Dara

        400% headgames.

      2. Zer0

        Head Games?

    3. Foxhack

      You mean Amber’s spiraling into self-destruction?

    4. Yotomoe

      Mary takes off a mask. She was Ryan all along.

    5. Beef

      Amber thinks she’s a monster and Joyce’s mom is still a jerk

      1. Fart Captor

        Also, Leslie has had the whole day so far to potentially make bad relationship decisions

    6. Orion Fury

      Outta nowhere?

    7. Orion Fury

      Also, wouldn’t a heel turn require her to have been a face beforehand?

    8. Rex Vivat

      Have hope, we still have Malaya (now that‘s not something you hear every day).

      1. SgtWadeyWilson

        I always hope for more Malaya.

  17. Passchendaele

    pssssht, I smile all the time, I don’t even need to be happy (though that’s probably not a good thing). :p

  18. Devilish Nerd

    The donut vote is tied as of now

    1. Emperor Daniel

      And now cake is in the lead! Delicious, delicious cake!

      1. Devilish Nerd

        Dammit. Yeast deserves to “rise” up to the top

        1. Emperor Daniel

          I have a filling that cake will triumph in the end.

        2. Queen Anthai

          Go to your room and think about what you just said.

        3. Emperor Daniel

          You’re giving me time to digest the implications of my turn of phrase?

        4. Abel Undercity

          She’s just jelly.

        5. Dean

          This poll is a hole lot of nothing for me, I donut have a preference.

    2. Tacos

      Why isn’t there a third option of both doughnuts? Why limit ourselves to just one kind of doughnut when we can have both?

      1. Emperor Daniel

        The operators of this social experiment are sadistic and demand that we choose only one donut each.

        I may be misusing the word “sadistic”.

        1. Halpful

          I’m sad that there isn’t an “apple fritter” option.

        2. Orion Fury

          Fritters…Those used to be like a once a year treat for me, when the family went down to Florida for spring vacation. Now it’s a gods damned f’n impulse to always get one when I’m out and see one.

      2. lia47

        you cant have your cake and yeast it too

      3. Yumi

        I feel like there also needs to be an option for “I don’t understand,” just based on the number of times I’ve had to explain doughnut types in my life.

    3. Shiro

      Literally tied, 128 to 128, dayum

    4. Keulan

      Cake donuts are in the lead now, and I hope it stays that way.

    5. caesaria82

      Up until now, I don’t even think I knew that cake donuts existed? I definitely don’t remember ever having one. Do they just taste like cake?

      1. Yumi

        YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT CAKE DONUTS ARE. YOU’VE PROBABLY HAD ONE.
        Think of a donut with like powdered sugar on it. That’s probably a cake donut. Think of a donut you’ve seen called an old fashioned. That’s a cake donut.
        Think of the main types of donuts that Krispy Kreme sells. That’s not a cake donut.
        Think of Batman getting out of the shower but in his full batsuit. That has nothing to do with donuts.
        Imagine him eating a donut made of a batter that contained baking powder and no yeast. That’s a cake donut.

        1. caesaria82

          Ok but do they taste different? How can I tell if the donut I’m eating is a cake or yeast donut? Presumambly cake batter makes it taste like cake? Just… donut-shaped cake? In which case I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that in my life, because to me donuts and cake taste significantly different!

        2. Yumi

          They do not taste like cake. Yeast donuts are lighter and airy– again, think the main type they sell at Krispy Keene if you’re familiar with that. In contrast, cake donuts are denser. Again, think old fashioned, powdered sugar; if you’ve had a donut where the donut itself was flavored, like it was made of chocolate batter or something, that was very likely a cake sonut.

        3. Yumi

          *Krispy Kreme

        4. Yumi

          Here is a picture:
          https://rvoshare.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/donut-article-p10.jpg

        5. caesaria82

          I understand completely now. I’ve definitely eaten cake *things* that weren’t cake, like pastries of all kinds. But probably just never a donut-shaped one 😉

        6. caesaria82

          Ok thank you, I think I get it now. So you’re saying donut shops etc are probably selling yeast donuts, right? I think I’ve *seen* like a chocolate-flavored cake donut, with powdered sugar on it, maybe on a baking show or something. I know what they are, I think. Still don’t think I’ve ever eaten one. Germany doesn’t neccesarily have a donut tradition lol. We have them now of course, everywhere, but like you said, Dunkin Donuts and whatnot and bakeries and grocery stores sell them too, but I don’t think they’re a tradionally home-made thing here and cake donuts sound easier to make at home (no deep fryer needed, I assume lol).

          Tbh generally, if a German wanst cake, we just bake a cake xD

        7. Yumi

          Ah, okay, Germany, got it.
          I do find cake donuts easier to make at home, but both are traditionally fried and both a commonly sold at donut shops.

          Again, cake donuts aren’t cake. It’s also not very common in America to make donuts at home, in my experience. Maybe in Europe there’s a preference for the more pastry-esque yeast donut, I don’t know. I am going to ask my friends who have spent more time near Germany about it.

        8. caesaria82

          It’s really too bad you can’t describe how something tstes with words lol. But I’ll tell you what, the next time I’m eating a donut I’ll pay extra special attention to the texture lol, because to me, donuts are light and fluffy and def not dense, so I will probably notice if I eat a cake donut 😉

        9. Delicious Taffy

          Caesaria82 – I misread “something” as “someone”, and was about to correct you on that.

          Just, uh… Just thought I’d let you know.

        10. Yumi

          I am sorry for showing my US-centrism before.

        11. caesaria82

          Aww no worries. I’m in the comments of a webcomic about an American college, it’s not weird to assume things^^

        12. UniqueSnowflake2

          You misspelled “Krispy Keener”.

        13. Delicious Taffy

          I was a little turned off by how prominently Krispy Keener was features in the live-action Dexter & Monkey Master movie.

          See, cuz this movie I love-

      2. Durandal_1707

        Cake donuts taste bland, while simultaneously being unappealingly dense and, since they’re donuts, fattening as hell. It’s the absolute worst of all worlds.

    6. Yumi

      Anyway, where are all these cake donut votes coming from? I suspect Russian involvement personally.

      1. Emperor Daniel

        Hey, I was born in Russia, and I voted for cake donuts! Your suspicion is partially correct!

      2. Rex Vivat

        If I wanted to eat something fluffy, I’d be eating bread.

        1. Delicious Taffy

          Is “bread” the name of your neighbor’s kitten?

        2. Clif

          “Fluffy” is the name of a near-neighbor’s doberman.

      3. Victor

        Gotta be. Cake doughnuts are disgusting.

  19. Tacos

    Oh… oh no… Is this implying what I think it is?

    1. TheStranger

      Probably.

      And possibly two additional things you haven’t even considered.

      1. Ansel

        the tiddies?

  20. Stephen Bierce

    *plays Patti LaBelle’s “New Attitude” on the hacked Muzak*

  21. Shiro

    …no, no, no, I trust Willis way more than to think he’d do a “villain is only mean to protagonist because she secretly likes her, also bigot is secretly closeted gay” storyline. Billie, put those eye sparkles away this instant.

    1. Axel

      Well, at the very least it would be more like “villain is suddenly and suspiciously nice to protagonist after developing secret crush” but in this case I think Billie’s intuition is as right about Mary as it is about Amazi-girl.

      I don’t think Mary can be this affected by positive emotions. I think she must have some horrible plan (or thinks she does) and the thought of crushing her perceived enemies is lifting her spirit.

    2. Sporky

      Yeah, I don’t think that’s it.

      Which, again, makes me wonder what the hell it IS. Honestly, I’ve been more eager to learn what’s going on with Mary than finding out the aftermath of Amber vs. Ryan. WHAT IS ITTTT

    3. caesaria82

      I actually don’t believe that’s it, either. But it’s always fun to speculate 😉

    4. C.T Phipps

      I agree because he ALREADY DID THAT PLOT. Ruth was a full on villain before the revelation of her issues. At least I thought so.

    5. Spencer

      “villain is only mean to protagonist because she secretly likes her,

      This is literally Ruth.

  22. caesaria82

    Terrifying idea to have someone like Mary be into you. Carla deserves someone so much better. Not, like, someone cutesy and sweet, she’d eat that person alive. Just someone she doesn’t hate. If she wants to date someone at all, that is.

    (hi Carla, I’m single and I love you, call me… :p)

    1. blergh

      I love that this is coming from a Mary gravitar

      1. caesaria82

        lol I don’t even notice this anymore, but haha totally xD

    2. Tommy Fresh

      Hey, I just met you/ and this is crazy/ but I’m a robot/ so Carla me maybe

      1. caesaria82

        Nah, I’m a human being (I think? Shit… android panic commence…), which Carla can also romantically be into, as per cross-universe sexuality rules. So.

        Thx for getting that song stuck in my head tho lol.

    3. Cerberus

      I’m pretty sure she’s crushing on Sal at the moment who despite being straight would personality-wise be a pretty good fit for her.

      1. caesaria82

        Ooooh #ishipit. (not as a real possibility though, because like you said, that pesky straightness^^)

        1. Delicious Taffy

          It’s weird to me that you referred to someone’s orientation as “pesky”, and nobody else has picked up on that, yet.

        2. Yumi

          Idk, probably because it was a joke that was seen to punch up, and ending with ^^ certainly made it seem more lighthearted overall.

        3. caesaria82

          For the purpose of the ship, obviously. I’d never in real life refer to someone’s sexual orientation pesky. Though my brother always jokingly introduces himself as the ‘disappointingly straight’ sibling, so maybe a weird sense of humor about this runs in the family lol.

      2. Delicious Taffy

        Wait, what?

        1. Cerberus

          Personal theory based on some of her interactions with Sal and a few blushes in panel. Might be completely off base and definitely unlikely to end in any actual relationship because yeah, Sal is straight and that’s that.

  23. Optimal Optimus

    If I had to make a guess, Mary is elated because she scored an “8” on Joe’s do-list. If that’s not it, I’m out of ideas.

    1. Beef

      Do we know what he rated her? IIRC the only hint we got was somebody saying she might be happy because she saw her rating

  24. Valerie

    Mary is gonna try to sleep with Carla so she can out her and have her kicked out of the dorm, isn’t she.

    I mean, clearly a lot of people have figured out Carla is trans already, but maybe the school needs “proof” to kick a trans girl out of the girls’ dorm. It is in Indiana, so it wouldn’t surprise me too much.

    1. foamy

      The university knows about Carla already.

      1. Needfuldoer

        And neither Carla nor Mary is the RA, so why would they care?

    2. Nonagon

      The school knows. She’s not exactly subtle about it. That’s why she’s the only one who gets a single room instead of a double.

    3. Kole

      why in the world would that get her kicked out of the dorm? Carla has a room to herself presumably because the school board already knows she’s transgender.

    4. Emperor Daniel

      Carla isn’t closeted about being trans, and her parents are very rich and own a high-tech company. It’s why she has a single room all by herself – the university can’t outright deny her a dorm room (at least, not without raising a huge stink), so giving her a single dorm apart from the others is the closest they can get to that.

    5. Yotomoe

      1. Compliment Carla
      2. Have sex with Carla
      3.????
      4. Profit?

      1. Orion Fury

        I think for some 4 is 2.

      2. Kris

        The 3. Is where she gets Carla to fall in love with her. They marry and eventually inherit Carla’s family fortune. Then after living a peaceful and happy life together for thirty years Mary divorces her and takes half her money! Mary’s running the long con!

        1. Orion Fury

          Damn it all.

    6. Axel

      I thought it was implied that Carla has her own room because the university is already aware she is trans and intentionally accommodating her? Or I guess it was just mentioned that she has her own room and I made that assumption, but either way I don’t think the school is unaware.

    7. Shiro

      I can’t remember if it’s been implied that Carla has a single room for privacy’s sake because she’s trans or if that was just audience speculation. After all, her parents are loaded, they can afford to pay for a single.

      1. Shiro

        Wow, am I late to the party

      2. Regalli

        Remember Chloe Puddinghead’s remark about the Ruttech girl as one of the problems in the hall? Yeah, they know.

        1. CrimsonStorm

          I wouldn’t link that to Carla being trans… I would assume it more has to do with her having rich/relatively famous parents. And maybe a smidgen of her being the sort of annoying person who would do things like skate indoors.

    8. Ross

      I think the school already knows? I think it was mentioned the she got a single room because of it?

    9. Foxhack

      Mary is gonna try to sleep with Carla so she can out her and have her kicked out of the dorm, isn’t she.

      There is one worse alternative. One that makes a lot of sense if you know about the big issues some politicians have with trans people and bathrooms.

      I can’t make myself type it, but I’m pretty sure people will understand what I mean.

      1. AutobotDen

        I know what you are implying. and I also know of the “incidents” of the politicians who are raising the biggest stink about it, which I am not certain is irony or just a shitty situation for the involved parties other than the politicians, though I am laaaaeaning toward the latter.

    10. Yumi

      Since Carla’s ace and Mary’s horrible, I just imagine it ending with Carla yelling, “I DO NOT WANT TO FUCK YOU, MARY!” and maybe reporting her for harassment.

      Though I really don’t see it going in that direction to begin with.

    11. Delicious Taffy

      How would those two having sex result in anyone getting kicked out? People have sex in that wing all the time, and nobody’s been removed because of it. Well, I guess you could count Billie, but that’s more because Ruth is the RA than it is because those two are shacking up.

      I mean, unless Mary then claimed Carla didn’t exactly take consent into consideration, which I’m not sure anyone would see as more than a desperate attempt at character assassination.

  25. Devilish Nerd

    Hmm.. Are you sure it’s called a smile? Maybe it’s a smirk? No, that doesn’t sound right? Smiling doesn’t sound right either though.

  26. Miguel

    Billie gave Mary a concussion, that’s good.

    1. Orion Fury

      So don’t let her fall asleep? I think Carla could handle that.

      1. Kamino Neko

        That’s actually not recommended for most cases any more.

        1. Orion Fury

          Good to know.

        2. Delicious Taffy

          This was relevant to the plot in an episode of Good Behavior, and it pissed me off to no end. I mean, the other characters seemed to imply that the person parroting the “don’t fall asleep” thing was talking out his ass, but it still showed up in an important context.

          By the way, y’all should watch Good Behavior. It’s good TV.

  27. Yotomoe

    http://imgur.com/a/FlMHv

    I know it’s not meant to be but I’m a sucker for making love not war.

    1. Sporky

      This was a risky click.

      1. SgtWadeyWilson

        …and here I was almost hoping it was a risqué click…

    2. Fart Captor

      These are not the hugs I crave!

    3. Rukduk

      I love it!

    4. AGV

      It’s so cute that it makes me naively wish for the best case scenario

    5. Swoop

      I love you, you’re the the best

  28. Foxhack

    Someone above mentioned Mary might be acting like this because she was on Joe’s list and saw she had a high rating.

    But… what if she saw Joyce’s rating and assumed it was about her because of some of the comments Joe might have made? (Church girl, etc.)

    1. Ansel

      iirc joyce’s had the word blonde and also described sarah as her roommate

      1. BBCC

        And it was in the zeroes.

        1. Orion Fury

          Negative zero, I believe. I think I remember seeing something about it being an attempt to protect her, in a still perverse sort of way.

        2. SgtWadeyWilson

          -0 would be pretty high on a top ten list though.

        3. Orion Fury

          Like Gandhi?

        4. SgtWadeyWilson

          Nope, like Bad Horse.

        5. BBCC

          Oh, that’s definitely not true. He altered her rating because she was awful on their date and didn’t edit his comments at all – they still encourage people to ‘try to hit that’ before Sarah kills her. There was no altruism involved.

  29. pjeseb

    Billie, you should probably be prepared for some Severe Disappointment.

    Like me.

    (Carla x Joyce forever)

  30. Jinxed44

    I for one want this ship.
    It would be the end game of hate f*cking.

    1. caesaria82

      There’d be presumably no fucking at all. But this hypothetical relationship would be purely based on hate and therefore 100% hilarious. (in fiction only, irl ppl who hate each other obvi shouldn’t be together lol)

    2. Fart Captor

      I’m pretty sure Carla would rather eat her own organs

    3. lia47

      if this were to happen at all I think it would have to be after one hell of a probably multiple IRL years long redemption arc for Mary, and even then I have a hard time seeing how Carla would get to that point.

  31. Orion Fury

    It is a challenge to not eat it, it’s all kinds of fancy like, what with five blends, savory sausage, spicy chicken. I’d accept it.

  32. Shiro

    Also, I was about to get up and make pizza rolls, but then the alt text reminded me mac n cheese exists, and now I am conflicted.

    1. Harry

      Shut up, Leonard. Nobody even knows what you’re talking about.

      1. Shiro

        I love the internet; I had no idea what that meant, but Google was able to immediately point me towards a relevant wiki

    2. Yumi

      Thank you for reminding me to check the hovertext. I love it when I’m able to get a reference, especially one that takes a minute and makes me want to rewatch a show.

  33. Heavensrun

    Maybe she knew Ryan, hated him, and is cheerful because he’s in the hospital? But seriously, my money’s on head-games.

    1. Ansel

      This isn’t the direction I’m leaning, but if so maybe he was in youth group with her, and was either terrible or just very disliked (possibly jealousy about the pastor’s son being seen as more pious than her? with possible added she always knew he was ‘unchristian’ and now it’s been proven? or even just an ex or something she hated who knows).

      1. Ansel

        I just wanted to add, I wasn’t raised religiously but from the friends that were I feel that everything can be traced to youth group

    2. John

      This is exactly what I was thinking. I imagined that Ryan was abusing Mary with religious justification (girlfriend = wife, must do whatever husband wants), and she was going with it on religious grounds even though she didn’t like it. Now she is free of him and the relief is making her happy.

  34. Lingo

    “It’s like she hit a realization that shifted her entire worldview.”

    So, she finally got saved?

    1. Lingo

      Theory #2: She got Scrooged! Three ghosts visited her last night, yadda yadda yadda.

      1. Lingo

        Theory #3: At this point she’s deliberately doing this solely to enjoy everyone’s baffled reactions — including us readers. She’s on to us!

        1. Lingo

          Theory #4: She’s laid out some ridiculously slap-stick trap as a way to get revenge for Carla’s own ridiculously slap-stick trap. The acting nice is just to get her guard down.

        2. Lingo

          Theory #5: Actually my first thought — she hates Billie (and Ruth) and she’s just happy Billie has to move out tomorrow.

          Theory #6: She actually did fall in love with someone, but it sure as heck isn’t Carla. Probably some church boy.

          Honestly any of these is a hell of a lot more plausible than her falling for Carla, or anything having to do with Joe or Ryan. I mean, she’s not acting like someone attracted to Carla. She’s acting nice to everyone, not just Carla.

        3. Some1

          Theory 4: she was never a bigot, she just has a dominantion fetish and secretly wanted Billie, Ruth and Carla to beat her up

        4. Kamino Neko

          Mary is the Genderswap Universe’s version of Mike, trapped in the Dumbiverse due to some weird timespace shit?

        5. Needfuldoer

          So she’s plastered right now?

      2. Rukduk

        Were they the ghosts of Blaine, Toedad, and Slash Ryan Face?

        1. Lingo

          Thank you! I couldn’t figure out the ghosts on my own.

      3. Dean

        I’m guessing that one of the ghosts was Ronald Reagan.

  35. Kris

    I guess this ship will sail…..until it crashes into an iceberg.

    1. Orion Fury

      #toosoon?

      1. SgtWadeyWilson

        NOT SOON ENOUGH!
        -person replying to “Iceberg ahead!” guy

  36. jjX

    It’s not that hard.

    “Billie is leaving. In my eyes that’s progress.”~Mary

    1. Lingo

      Exactly!

    2. pjeseb

      Does that mean Mary will revert back to her usual self when she finds out Billie’s only moving across the street?

  37. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions:

    Content Warning: Transphobic violence, sexual violence, acephobic violence

    So, I’m going to mix it up and just respond to a single line which is “That’s not even fuckin’ funny”.

    Like, to start with, I get exactly why Billie goes there in her thought process. It’s a narrative old as time and shippers gonna ship and hateshipping is a well-worn road paved by a thousand romantic comedies before. Hell, it’s part of Billie’s own love story with Ruth.

    And the way Carla describes it all in Panel 2 lends teases that possibility, describing it in a way that makes it easy to interpret that way.

    So why isn’t it “even fuckin’ funny”?

    Because Carla is trans and because she is ace.

    Like, the trans side is the most heavy part.

    Like, not to drop the mood here, but bigots often do fetishize us in weird creepy ways and there are plenty of dogged transphobes who’ve been caught out wacking it to our porn or picking up our sex workers. Sexually objectifying a hated marginalized group is a key part of a lot of specific genres of porn and certain types of codified violence.

    And that sexual desire of bigots… gets us killed, gets us targeted, gets us hunted by insecure fuckers who blame us for “turning them gay” or otherwise “confusing” their sexuality.

    Like, pretty much a couple times a month we get reports of yet another trans woman of color who’s been murdered with the man who did it usually trumpeting some variation of the trans panic defense. I very narrowly avoided getting killed once because some drunk fucker thought he was harassing two cis lesbians and thought I was tricking his boner.

    The tingly feelings of bigots is a deep source of terror for trans people because it frequently means an escalation of abuse and violence and for someone like Mary? Given her views about homosexuality? Her being attracted to Carla would be a death sentence for Carla given how much Mary would loathe her even more for “tricking her into queerness and sin”.

    And for the ace side?

    Less deadly, but still no less fun. Ace people definitely get pushed to accept the dangerous attraction of bigots because “aw, you’re so uptight, maybe a good hatefucking will loosen you up”. As if our wariness around people who are dangerous to our safety or who have actively harmed us or shown no awareness of our boundaries is a transgression equal to the person harming us.

    And that mythology of “fucking fixing hate” gets real nasty with us and carries an extra edge where it’s no longer cute teasing but a straight up demand. As if not wanting to fuck is actually responsible for making the bigots hate us. And that gets ever more amplified when we are women because women are expected to “heal” people sexually in general.

    Plus, there’s often a dismissiveness to our loves, like, we should be somehow more willing to be with a bigot or appreciate being shipped with a bigot because “it’s not like we love normally anyways”.

    So yeah, there’s a large history and weight Carla is talking about in that one line.

    *Addendum to note that the whole bigots being attracted to us thing is pretty pan-gender. A lot of TERFs claim as their origin story basically tales of cruising for young lesbians and then getting super angry when someone they hit on turned out to be a trans woman. Germaine Greer especially has a completely fucked up story about how her decades of anti-trans activism was caused by having a young lesbian fan she was trying to hit on at a book signing turn out to be a trans woman.

    1. Rukduk

      1. All of this.
      2. I’m sorry I wasn’t around two days ago to join in the expressing joy at you and your fiancée working things out. Step-Uncle David needed my help…fixing some documents after some truth came out about one of his clients and only medicinal marijuana being legal in Michigan, not recreational. Still felt skeevy as shit about it, but my Step-Uncle didn’t know the guy was forging a doctor’s diagnosis and suggestion, and I don’t want him getting in trouble. So, yeah. Bad headspace for a good couple of days because of that.
      3. Yeah, the idea of “hate-fucking” always seemed really bad to me because it honestly felt pretty close conceptually to rape, so I never really understand why people seem to like the idea so much.

      1. Cerberus

        Oh no, that sounds like a rough situation to deal with, *supportive hugs*.

        1. Rukduk

          Thanks. It’s not that bad. All I had to do afterwards was take a couple of showers and remind myself that I’m indirectly pissing in Jeff Sessions mouth by doing this…document correction.

    2. Shiro

      Glad to see you back! I missed seeing you around here 🙂

    3. emusam

      Trans panic should be seen as a confession of the necessary mens rea to bump the associated assault or murder to a federal hate crime.

      1. Michael Chandra

        Agreed.

    4. SmokedToast

      I’m wondering if it is because she’s trans and ace but not in the way Billy’s thinking. If Mary is one of the bongo’s former victims and part of her issues ranged from internalizing it in a bad way… I don’t know a good way to put it.
      But now that she knows he’s going away, part of the tension she had is gone. And Carla is the least threatening person she knows who she’s turned on for their ‘perversion’ in her eyes because they’ve been very vocal about their ace status and Mary isn’t interested in girls.

      1. Rukduk

        There is no good way of putting it because the idea I think you’re getting at that Mary might have had in her mind is irrational, ignorant, hurtful, and hateful. Nevertheless I will attempt putting it into words. If Mary was a rape victim and internalized it badly, she may have feared and hated Carla for being AMAB because Mary thought Carla would try to sexually assault her. It’s something disgusting to type out, and if true horrible of Mary to have thought, but it is possible. And now I need to take several more showers.

        1. Tommy Fresh

          Honestly even regardless of any context of Mary’s victim status or a connection to Ryan, it’s not at all implausible given Mary’s views that she would fear Carla that way.

        2. SmokedToast

          Sort of, it’s still all of those things but I was meaning less that she lashed out at Carla because she thought she would attack her and more along the lines of the horrible thought that “‘perversion’ is why this happened to me, I was too perverted and it’s the ‘perversion’ of the world around me that let this happen”.
          After all, Ryan was a pastor boy. And up until now he had gone without punishment, which with her upbringing would have brought the fucked up thought of “God’s on his side”. So she hunkered down on being on ‘God’s side’. After all, if Ryan has his protection…
          It’s a horribly self destructive thought that I’ve known all too well and I’ve been god damned resilent in never giving that kind of thought any credit… but it’s hard sometimes even without having that kind of tramatic experience.

        3. Rukduk

          Ok, I made a wrong conclusion there. Still closely related, but not a correct conclusion about what you were thinking. Sorry about that. I ended up putting words in your mouth. But your line of reasoning makes a lot of sense, especially given how a lot of fundamentalist or evangelical or whatever you want to call them Christian sects teach a very unhealthy view of female sexuality. The fact also stands that if she was ruffied, which she most likely was given it’s part of Slashface Ryan Pastorson (yes until we get an official first and last name that is what I will call him), she probably didn’t remember much if anything, which would also be very scary and traumatic for her and lead credence to a self imposed “God’s punishing me for being impure” ideology. Now if, and it’s still a decent sized if, this were the case, she could probably shake it now and attempt to be a better person. It would take many, many IRL years for that to happen, and she’d probably never be able to heal the hurt she did to these three in particular and just the hall in general, but I’ve always called myself a cautiously cynical optimist. Cautiously cynical in that I believe the systems we’ve created are corrupt, rigged, and no longer ours. An optimist in that I believe that people can act or become good despite those systems that encourage hate and intolerance. So, here’s to my most likely soon to be crushed hope for Mary. Mazel Tov.

        4. SmokedToast

          No problem, just glad I was able to make my point more clearly. 🙂 Now that I think about it further though, the pessimist in me has me thinking it could also be the other end of that stick. That she’s not trying to be a better person to be a better person but is backpedaling due to that ideology being challenged and the fear of that ideology being wrong.

    5. BBCC

      All of this, especially for the ace part.

      = TW for ace phobic violence and murder =

      I’ve heard of at least one ace woman who was murdered after her boyfriend’s attempts to ‘fix’ her (via corrective rape) failed. I’m sure there’s others but LGBT+ murder is underreported as is and most people still don’t even know ace people are a thing.

      1. Cerberus

        Yeah, the ace side gets some nasty responses and yeah, there’s a lot of corrective rape out there and a lot of resentment that we’re somehow keeping chemistry or sexual acts from people that goes really bad.

        A lot of assholes who interpret asexuality as a personal rejection that needs to “be made right” with acts of violence.

    6. Delicious Taffy

      Who the fuck is Germain Greer? Some asshole who wrote a book, I’m guessing?

      1. Yumi

        Germaine Greer is a major feminist who was especially prominent in second waved feminism. Unfortunately she’s also, as indicated, a major TERF.
        Sometimes you learn about someone and it’s like, “Oh, you could be so cool if you weren’t terrible.”

        1. Rukduk

          Honestly, John McCain was like that for me in the 2008 election. Because, at least back then, when McCain did good by people and acted progressively it was just like getting a pure hit of hope for our country in the idea that the Republicans could be progressive. But he still has really bad ideas sometimes (noticeably on immigration back then) and Obama was the better candidate by far despite his inexperience of only one senatorial term. And now I also see him as the guy who opened Pandora’s box when he nominated Palin as VP and let the fringe crazy become the mainstream of the Republican Party married to the simmering underlayer of Dixiecrat racism and Evangelical intolerance and the over layer of big money to create the perfect storm. And then he pulled that crap with the healthcare debate vote to then vote against the final proposition just recently, all so that he could spit in Trump’s eye before he dies. I respect him as a veteran, but he contributed a lot to the current problem whether he meant to or not.

    7. Arioch

      *shudders* This is why I am generally not a big fan of people. Because someone came up with the idea of corrective rape, and other people thought it was a good idea. And, nobody rounded them up and set them all on fire or something for being evil and wrong. I’ve always said I want to write a book that will be about a Utopian future but it will have a Dystopian back story because I think that’s how we are going to get there at this point. *hug* But you are right, Mary is creeping me out and if she is crushing on Carla, it is not fucking funny. That can not end well.

    8. Elisto

      “aw, you’re so uptight, maybe a good hatefucking will loosen you up”.

      This sort of thinking is why I was finding it kind of off-putting that people in the comments over the last few days were saying Mary’s being nice so she must have had sex. I realize it’s not 100% the same thing, but it’s pretty close to me. I think women in general can face this attitude, not just those of us who are ace. You’re uptight and cold if you don’t have sex, (but then of course if you do, you’re a slut, can’t win).

      1. Wack'd

        Agreed.

      2. Cerberus

        Yeah, it’s an insidious cultural idea and one with a lot of splash damage for ace people. Cause it so often morphs into the idea that someone “who hasn’t gotten laid” is going to be irritable and nasty and bigoted and that one needs to get laid to be a good person.

        And it can lead to some nastiness if we get grumpy about things like ace-erasure or acephobia, because it doesn’t take long for the statements about us being “uptight” or “wound tight” and needing “a good lay” thanks to this cultural narrative.

        But as you note, it’s something that can end up being applied to women in general, minimizing women’s right to have views or responses to the world. I’m thinking of so many shows where it turns out the social justice-minded character or feminist character only cares about equality because they’ve been through a dry spell and once one of the sexist men in the cast bang her, suddenly she’s totally willing the main cast to be as bigoted as they like, because sexual harassment is funny.

        It’s a really unfortunate trope.

    9. davidbreslin101

      I remember reading that charming little anecdote of Greer’s, and my skin just crawling. That “hairy rapist’s hands” crack sounded like it was from some 1930s diatribe about “the lesser races”.

  38. Keulan

    Please tell me the realization is not that Mary has a crush on Carla. I like many ships, but this one can sink to the bottom of the Marianas Trench and stay there.

  39. JessWitt

    Oh c’mon Billie. Snowball’s chance in hell that would be the reason for Merry Mary.

    1. DinaWho

      Well, Billie thinks Sal is Amazigirl, so her intuition isn’t exactly the best. 😛

      1. JessWitt

        She still thinks that?! Oh Billie.

        1. DinaWho

          Unclear if she still does, but no evidence she’s changed her theory that I can recall.

  40. horrorshow88

    She’s probably happy because Billie is moving soon so Billie and Ruth will be sad. And Mary is basically happy only when others are sad.

  41. Gesc

    Eeeh, that’s reaching.

    Or bad writing. Either way, unrealistic and out of the blue in the worst possible way.

    It would be more realistic if Mary had suddenly been replaced with a better version of herself.

    1. Fart Captor

      That assumes that Billie is correct though. Remember that this is the same person who thinks Sal is Amazi-Girl.

      1. Orion Fury

        I’d make a joke about how either “She is?!?” or “No, ‘X Person’ is Amazi-Gal, but I’ve already had to deal with one ban before, rather not do so again. I like chatting with you guys and gals and whatever-other-words-exist-that-fall-into-non-binary-gender-type-things-rambling-a-bit-too-much-now-please-send-help.

        1. Shiro

          So, I mean this in a constructive, helpful spirit and not a snarky one (specifying because internet and tones, you know):

          It’s probably not a great idea to go “I’d say this, but I’ve been banned before and don’t want it to happen again”; just…don’t say it, if you think it’ll get you rebanned. I mention because I’ve seen you make this comment multiple times now, and it’s just not a good look anywhere on the internet.

        2. Gesc

          Like, do we need to know? Do we really? It doesn’t make you any cooler or edgier or whatever.

          Dont brag about it, because it kinda looks like bragging on some level.

        3. Orion Fury

          I think I’ll throw a thank you up here too.

        4. Yumi

          Personally I’m a fan of, ” Guys, gals, and non-binary pals.”

        5. Gesc

          I generally go to a plain “you guys” because I worry that the more “respectful” I might try to be, the worst I’m going to sound.

          Also because brevity.

        6. Yumi

          I say “y’all” most of the time myself. But if I’m in a space/mood where I’m like, “Let’s be explicitly inclusive!” I might go with my former comment.

        7. Delicious Taffy

          “Y’all” is a fuckin’ lifesaver, though. It’s completely neutral, nobody’s left out, and it can apply to basically any amount of people. The lack of attachment to one specific demographic/subculture is like a cherry on top of an inclusion sundae.

        8. Yumi

          I mean, “lack of attachment to one specific demographic/subculture” hasn’t actually been my experience of it, but I agree that it’s a great term.

        9. Delicious Taffy

          Wait, what’s this now? In my experience, basically everyone says “y’all”, regardless of upbringing, class, or race. Maybe it’s a little more heavy in rural areas, but that’s about it.

          Is this not common outside of southern Illinois?

        10. Yumi

          I’m in Michigan, and almost no white people I interact with use “y’all unless they’re also queer. Now, I’m white, and “y’all” has been integrated into my vocabulary since I was 16, so it feels pretty natural to me by now. That doesn’t mean it feels natural for others to hear it.
          During this past school year, I student taught at a school that was 98% Black. My mentor teacher, a Black woman, would refer to the class as “y’all” and there’d be no particular reaction. I’d address or refer to the class as “y’all” and there’d be giggles or whispers about it. This wore down as the school year went on, but it was definitely interesting to notice.

        11. Delicious Taffy

          Oh, yeah. I always forget the phrase is associated with black people, for some reason. I guess that’s two particular demographics tied to “y’all”, at least.

        12. rectilinearpropagation

          “I always forget the phrase is associated with black people, for some reason.”

          I think it’s because it’s also associated with the southern United States, which is were a significant percentage of black Americans live. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb11-cn185.html

          Most Southerners say y’all > Most black people are Southerners > Most black people say y’all.

        13. Halpful

          in my first internet chat room, y’all was on the auto-kick list. :/ the leaders of that little community were not great people.

          it’s a lovely word, but that stigma really stuck. plus almost nobody uses it where I live. although I do know a guy who uses “folks”.

        14. thejeff

          I’ve always heard it associated with Southern US not with black people. It’s probably associated with blacks, not so much because most of them live in the South, but because even most Northern blacks migrated from the South in the fairly recent past – since the early/mid 20th century. The usage probably came with them.

          It used to be pretty diagnostic of Southern American heritage, but it’s been spreading more in recent years. “All y’all” is still pretty distinct though.

        15. BBCC

          I’ve started using ‘friend’ or ‘friends’ if I don’t know the genders of all involved.

        16. Yumi

          I worry about that coming off as condescending//sometimes I have to fight the urge to go, “I’m not your friend.”
          Depends on the context, though; sometimes it seems perfectly fine.

        17. BBCC

          Yeah, that’s fair. Different folks. In this context, it’s a fandom ask blog so people would have to come to me in good faith to interact at all (bad faith asks get deleted) and for lack of a better ‘friendly but not overly so’ gender neutral word.

        18. Michael Chandra

          Enby pals also sounds cute I think?

        19. Cerberus

          I love the enby short-hand. It’s adorable.

        20. Cephalo the Pod

          “Folks”?

        21. Orion Fury

          Apologies, didn’t mean to come off as a brag with that ban thing, meant as a joke for the tiring out of Amazigirl identity joke, to which I assume that itself is also tiring. And thanks for the input on gender-neutral/other terms all.

      2. Gesc

        I guess that in a way I’m addressing Billie’s idea here… and how some people seemed to even consider it plausible.

        But yeah, Billie is a terrible reference for uh, lots of stuff.

        I *am* a bit uneasy of it played it for laughs, even if it is in that comic-last-panel-required-gag sort of way.

    2. Sam

      Billie jumps to crazy conclusions and cannot be trusted as reference for reality. And even if it were true, Billie needs to put the cute eyes away because that would be creepy as hell, not cute. It is not cute when someone who you can’t stand gets a crush on you.

  42. Rukduk

    Billie please don’t let your mind run wild. There is not a chance in hell (frozen or not) of that happening after Mary’s transphobia.
    …
    My guess is Mary’s secretly been crushing on Amber, and with her worldview shaken by the revelation of Slashface Ryan Pastorson now is both really happy Amber’s back and has come to term with her own feelings.
    …

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
    I’m just pulling yer leg. Mary is just secretly hero-worshipping Amber for taking out a rapist and is really happy Amber is back. That’s my real theory.

  43. Carms

    Mary is definitely an evil twin, and this is the good twin. that makes the most sense to me at this point.

  44. Reltzik

    Okay, I get that

    1) It’s funny because it’s so messed up.

    2) It’s not funny because it’s so messed up.

    But also…

    3) None of this. explains why Mary’s being nice to EVERYONE ELSE.

    So no, we’re just getting speculation-trolled by the cast here.

  45. Pope William T Wodium

    Is she still happy about Ruth being back so that Billie has something to lose?

  46. impish

    NONONONONONONONONONO

  47. ValdVin

    “We’re allllllll wearin’ glasses!”

    Just a thought: How many individual DofA strips, with at least three female characters, have had only glasses-wearers in them?

    1. Yumi

      I really feel like this is a reference I know, but I’m stuck figuring it out.

      1. ValdVin

        It’s from here.

        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/06-yesterday-was-thursday/jammies/

        Willis has touched on how attractive he finds women who wear glasses (admission: I do too, ask my wife) and there are a lot of them in his cast.

        1. Yumi

          Thank you. I knew the person was intoxicated (I mean, the way it’s written probably helped with that), but for some reason I kept hearing it in Alison Brie’s voice, which was throwing me off.

        2. McBogue

          I’ve toyed with the idea of creating a Venn diagram covering the female cast members that wear glasses and/or have freckles.

        3. ValdVin

          Lots of freckled women in the cast, and like in real life, not all are redheads. (Freckles are another weakness of mine.) Plus Willis draws them where they exist on real people like me, the collar and the shoulders.

          Especially see the blonde and brunette examples, Dorothy and Rachel.

    2. Michael Chandra

      Huh. Now I want to write a crawler that combs through the tags and identifies possible suspects.

  48. AgentKeen

    Blehhhhhhhhhhh, I’m with Carla, that’s not funny.

    1. Krys Brynhildr

      I mean, Carla is pretty amazing, but even if Mary has somehow wrangled her various horrible beliefs into a loophole that lets her crush on Carla….

      Carla really doesn’t deserve to have to deal with Mary even if she’s being weirdly nice for Mary.

      1. Minotaur

        She doesn’t need to wrangle all that much: she doesn’t accept that Carla is a woman.

        Which may very well be one of the reasons Carla doesn’t think it’s funny, even as a thought…

  49. WingedBeast

    Personal theory time. Mary was visited by three ghosts over the weekend.

  50. BenRG

    Billie, seriously, some things aren’t funny. Do you want poor Carl to go screaming down the hall to her room and refuse to ever come out again? 😉

    1. BenRG

      Bloomin’ Ada! What’s wrong with my keyboard today! That was supposed to be ‘Carla’! Did I miss the ‘a’ somehow?

  51. Stella

    She’s obviously up to something. The last time she was this happy, she was plotting means of tormenting Carla, since she had something over Ruth. She wasn’t all smiley and sing-songs at Carla and the rest of the cast, but she might’ve seemed extra chipper around Joyce and a few others who weren’t involved in that storyline. Feeling superior to other people seems to make her happy, so maybe the plan evokes that feeling.

    So now she’s plotting against, I dunno, someone else I guess. Or she *is* plotting against Ruth still, and she’s faking cheerfulness as part of some long con.

    Like, any explanation in which she is genuinely more joyful, peaceful, or positive-spirited for a neutral-to-good reason I’d put at a distant second. On that list, things like “having a boyfriend whom we haven’t met yet” or “Getting accepted into a program / mission / vacation” (whatever suits her interests) seem marginally likely. There’s no evidence for those explanations either way, yet, but they could be a setup for something to be taken away from her later, creating more plot conflict.

    Or, I’m beginning to wonder, in all seriousness, if she’s started taking some kind of drugs. Even if her religion requires complete abstinence from drugs and alcohol (I’m unsure of her denomination’s exact rules), it’s plausible that she could have rationalized some kind of loophole.

    I’ve taken chill pills and pain pills, and let me tell you, those make me hella nice. But I wonder if, having come from a religious background where drugs and alcohol might’ve been forbidden, she’ll lose control a lot more quickly because she’d never had moderation modeled.

    So, yeah, those would be my guesses. 1. Evil schemes 2. Some nice thing like a boyfriend happened 3. literally on uppers

    I’d put “crush on Carla” or even “gleeful at Ryan’s comeuppance” way farther down on the list. Like in the 40’s or something.

  52. QueerBitch

    Even more proof that Billie and Ruth are queer is that they now see things with “gay shipping goggles”. I’m quick to ship all girls with each other too

  53. Stella

    Dude! Much better theory: she converted to a totally different religion!

    Like, WAY different, maybe Buddhism or Cao Dai or Baha’i Faith. Or Scientology or something. And she’s got that “new spirituality” high, and her new religion isn’t homophobic or transphobic. Except, now she’s going to be just as zealous and intense and judgemental as she was before, just with a different set of rules. Plus, all the rules would be weirdly appropriated and filtered through her cultural and personal worldview anyway.

    1. OnyxIdol

      In my (limited) experience, what religion someone belongs to says very little about their personality. Also, every religion has its fanatics, even buddhism.

      1. Delicious Taffy

        What’s a Buddhist extremist gonna do, peace me to death?

        1. Anowan

          And it’s time for The Wikipedia Page Of The Day !
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_violence
          The article has issues but is still an entry point in the issue.

        2. Delicious Taffy

          Christ, you weren’t wrong, that article is a fucking mess. Thanks for letting me know that even the most peaceful of movements can be full of complete shitbags, though.

          Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.

        3. Zaxares

          See also the attacks and massacres that the Buddhists in Myanmar have perpetrated against the Rohinga Muslim minority. Stuff like that is what leads me to believe that it’s not religion that tells you to be cruel and vicious to your own people; people already have that within themselves. Far too often it’s people twisting religion to suit their own dark purposes than the other way around.

        4. Delicious Taffy

          Come to think of it, you don’t really see Buddhism in the news all that much. Islam’s the trendy one, nowadays. Maybe people just don’t want to look like they hate a religion so heavily associated with peace?

        5. vlademir1

          The issue is always about the public face of a religion or religious philosophy. For those of us who are Buddhist in the west, our public face mainly consists of the current Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy he represents and leads, and some stereotypes regarding Zen Buddhist philosophy in Japan and the specific Shaolin flavor of Chan Buddhist philosophy in China.
          For Muslims in the west, their public face unfortunately includes a lot of stereotypes about their most violent, hard line and fundamentalist subset. For Christians in the US a lot of the public face is permeated with fundamentalist evangelical views and stereotypes about Catholic priests. For atheists the public face is largely dominated with antireligious views spewed from the likes of Richard Dawkins (his writings on biology are great, his writings on and public statements regarding religion are extremely problematic).

        6. thejeff

          I’d say more that it’s kind of like a feedback loop. Religion’s an excellent tool for reinforcing and amplifying behavior. That behavior can be “Be excellent to each another” or it can be “kill anyone who is different”, it doesn’t really matter. Religion passes the message along.

        7. Eldritch Gentleman

          It Really depends on the people though and what they do with their religion. Christianity at it’s roots was a very pacifistic religion “love thy neighbour” and “turn the other cheek” kind of thing and still it was used to justify enslavement, genocide and all the other… goodies. Might be partially because it was turned from a faith into organized method of controlling the population by the Roman Empire.

        8. thejeff

          Well: To summarize the summary of the summary, people are a problem.

          But it’s not really a matter of big plans and changes by individuals, but of gradual evolution over time – the summation to millions of small adjustments that seemed reasonable and practical at the time. Offshoots going off in different directions and some finding more support than others. Nobody said “Here’s a nice little pacifistic kind of reform Judaism. I’m going to use it to control the population of the Roman Empire.” That happened, but it took centuries.

          Pretty much the same thing with all major religions. They split up, divide, fight among themselves (often literally), merge again, reform themselves and split again. Some branches do better than others. Some survive. Some wither and die. There really isn’t any such thing as “Christianity”, other than as a broad, very diverse umbrella term. Same with Islam or Buddhism. The original inspiration for a given religion often doesn’t have very much to do with the current manifestation of any given branch. Nor does the official doctrine necessarily match the actual practice.

          Sadly, as is the nature of human organizations, it is often the more aggressive that thrive – “kill the other” tends to win out over “be excellent to each other”, if we’re no very careful.

        9. Eldritch Gentleman

          This sure ties to my belief that religion is the chains we use to restrain or at least redirect are… less than nice traits.

        10. thejeff

          Any traits really. It’s good at that.

        11. CJ

          I once read somewhere – or maybe a friend who grew up in a very kosher household and was still struggling with stuff from that – that oranized religion was the basis for humankind’s spreading so wide a far, because it provided a framework for group effort and therefore things could be achieved that not any one person or family could achieve by themselves.
          So maybe we should see region as a tool for community creation and think up new ways to create communities that support the lives we want to live?

        12. thejeff

          It’s possible, I suppose. I don’t think we really have any evidence. Humanity spread wide and far a long, long time ago and we know almost nothing about the earliest religions. We can infer something from burials and carvings and other traces, but that’s about it.

          More organized religion seems to be linked to the early agricultural civilizations and there it could certainly have played that kind of role in group effort.

  54. Dana

    I guess Carla doesn’t realize she’s in a comic.

  55. Farmer_10

    Nobody’s following up on the hover-text? You guys are the opposite of Batman.

    1. Yumi

      Hey, see Harry’s comment above before saying we all Britta’d this opportunity.

      1. Farmer_10

        So there’s only three cool people in this comment section

    2. Cephalo the Pod

      See, I knew it was a reference, but I needed to read some comments to remind myself that it was from Community.

      I still don’t remember who said it and when. Jeff Winger, maybe?

      1. Farmer_10

        Four cool people

  56. Iforgetwhatiputhere

    I don’t think offering people a bite of something that clearly has your saliva on it is nice, though. I’d be more inclined to call that rude than anything else…

    1. Yumi

      I can see it as not appealing, but not as rude. Unless someone, like saw you looking at their food, deliberately licked all of it, and then offered you a bite.

    2. ValdVin

      I don’t wanna get in the donut wars here, but it’s a cake donut and she may have broken it in two, never putting her mouth on the proffered half.

      Panel one yesterday suggests she just bit out of the entire thing but it’s not a dead cert.

      At this hour i am the perfect combo of “too early awake yet tired” to actually mull this over and do the research.

    3. Cerberus

      Yay, I noted that it was assuming an intimacy that hasn’t been earned.

      Like, close friends and lovers may offer stuff they’ve bitten from to each other, because there’s a long history and trust built there where it gets less weird. But for a stranger to do it is just eeby jeebies.

      It’s like a complete stranger moving in for a hug, like no thank you, I don’t know you and that’s my personal boundary you just violated.

  57. Bagge

    Joyce was right. Love solves everything

    (That or puppy-eating, which I haven’t ruled out)

  58. Delicious Taffy

    Regarding yesterday’s comments:

    I would first like to apologise for how defensive, and even confrontational, I was during that discussion. I’m not saying I don’t stand by most of what I said, just apologising for the manner in which I expressed it.

    With that said, I asked the same question on the GitP Forum’s LGBTAI+ Questions and Discussion Thread, and was pointed in the direction of r/asktransgender and FetLife. I was asked yesterday if I’d considered checking Reddit for the sort of thing I was looking for, but forgot about it until that link came up. See, Reddit isn’t really on my radar. I never use it, I’ve been there maybe three times, all on the SleepyCabin section, and honestly forget that the site even exists in the first place. The only times I think about, for the most part, are when it’s brought up during This Week’s Big Controversy, almost always in reference to trolls or other malicious behavior, so I avoid it on the rare occasions it comes up.

    At a glance, r/asktransgender seems relatively safe, with only maybe one or two people being… less than welcoming. I’m considering it as an option, unless anyone here knows something I don’t about it, and feels like filling me in on potential sketch.

    As for FetLife, I’m not 100% sure I should have a fetish site in my browser history. Maybe it’s safe (and if anyone here can vouch for it, by all means, speak up), but my first impression is a login screen asking me to sign up for an account. And, uh… I’m not really sure if I want it tied to any of my various e-mail addresses, just in case it turns out to be sketchy. This, coming from a guy who’s gladly signed up for half a dozen Xbox modding websites, so potential hypocrisy noted.

    1. Halpful

      eh, I understand 🙂 it was like I was arguing with my past self, which is a really weird feeling.

    2. Indy

      I haven’t frequented either of those forums, but fetlife seems like…not the best source of information if you’re trying to learn about Trans things? You could check out Trans youtubers like Kat Blaque. Sorry for butting in while not really knowing the context, but there are also FAQS on sites like GLAAD.

  59. Yumi

    This has nothing to do with anything on here, but whenever I see the term “MLM” used in a way that’s clearly not about sexuality, I have to look up what the term means because all my queer ass can think is “men loving men.”

    1. Delicious Taffy

      Damn it, I saw the abbreviation first and my yaoi senses started a-tinglin’. Looks like we’re in the same boat.

    2. Opus the Poet

      As a casualty of well-disguised pyramid schemes MLM has always meant “evil” to me.

      “Multi-Level Marketing”

      1. Yumi

        Yeah, that’s what it meant in this context. Hell, in the situations where I’m confused, that’s almost always what it means. Still find myself needing to look it up.

      2. SgtWadeyWilson

        I wonder if anybody’s said Multi-Level Marketing as code for MLM.

        “Hey, after the board meeting, I have some Multi-Level Marketing ideas to pitch to you, meet me in my office.” *Wink.*
        “A private meeting, why, chairman, what will the other board members think?”
        “‘Lucky man?'”

        Somebody stop me before I use all the cliches.

  60. Remmington Steele

    See? All that fighting was flirtin!

  61. AlexDenton

    Oh my XD

  62. Tim

    Clearly Mary’s twin brother has disguised himself as his sister to get donuts. This plan is genius!

    1. SgtWadeyWilson

      Best headcanon, 100% acceptable.

  63. rectilinearpropagation

    See, I don’t think this is about Ryan either because she was way too chill in the comic where she mentions him. She’s clearly OK/happy with him being put away but she isn’t ecstatic about it either. She doesn’t seem happy enough over that to explain her cheerful demeanor. It’s possible that she was tampering it down and she’s gleeful on the inside but I doubt it.

    On the other hand, I was super wrong about Amber’s mom so maybe don’t listen to me.

    This could all be just Mary trying to rip off the prank Carla pulled on her a little while ago where she spent a few days winding her up by being aggressively cheerful in the hallway and obviously up to something. There might not even be an end game to this: just Mary taking advantage of the fact that it is off-putting to have someone who’s normally horrible to you suddenly be nice.

    Mary: If I have to be nice to people now, I’ll be so nice THEY CAN’T STAND IT!

  64. Gojira

    Oh come on now, Mary hasn’t been like that just to Carla, she was the same way with Billy.

  65. showler

    I wonder if Mary discovered that her scholarship is supported by the Rutten family?

  66. L!ghtn!ng

    Hmmm, intriguing.

  67. electriccombines

    I’m pretty much in the same boat as everyone because no-fucking-way has Mary suddenly changed world views, and I don’t fucking trust her.
    Carla has grown on me like crazy the past few chapters and I don’t like this suggestion that someone who completely invalidated her identity – and that’s an understatement – is suddenly crushing on her and is nice.
    No, screw Mary, ugh.

    1. Smiling Cat

      I think it would be interesting if Mary starts out acting like this as part of a cunning plan, and gradually comes to a revelation that she is actually happier like this. Weeks down the road, comic time, she confesses to Carla that she was actually planning a horrible scheme but couldn’t go through with it because she’s actually realized that it’s horrible.

      Then Carla rejects her friendship and personal growth. And Mary is heartbroken, because an important part of growth is life shitting on you.

  68. hof1991

    Like the resonance that we just (in comic time) had Rachel say that people don’t change. So is Mary changing, or is she just becoming more of what she already was? I’m still betting on more of what she already was. A little superficial politeness and purity clothes just masking that she is more certain of her correct views than ever before.

    I was talking with a pastor and his line was on the order of “after careful and extensive deliberation, we come to the conclusion that we have the fullness of the faith.” In other words, I thought about it and I’m more sure than ever that I am right, so there. I think that’s where Mary is. She is calm and happy because she is so certain she is right and others are confused and upset because they can’t shake her. Winning!

    1. dethtoll

      I’m willing to put down money this is the correct answer. Even Mary said “if evil wasn’t nice nobody would bother with it.” This is some kind of creepy new tack she’s trying on. After all, she seems to be getting her way a lot lately.

  69. Eldritch Gentleman

    Mary having a thing for Carla O_o That concept grabbed my head and is pounding my head against the floor.

  70. Heather

    MAJOR discomfort. Though I fully believe this is Billie/Ruth pulling something out of their ass- their own pairing history’s not withstanding.

    Not that I don’t think Mary in her likely ‘I’ll deliberately throw them for a loop/make them suspicious and freaked out over my actions while simultaneously not getting into trouble’ wouldn’t get a kick out of causing even further discomfort even if it wasn’t the end game plan.

  71. Arkady Svidrigailov

    The pet theory I’ve had for the past few days has been that during the time skip Mary went through some kind of life changing magical journey, the contents of which could fill out an entire trilogy of novels, which caused her to grow as a person.

    And Willis will never reveal any details of this journey to us.

  72. ValdVin

    Maybe it’s Carla’s last line overshadowing it, but I wanted to note Ruth is in Panel one.

    “One.of those things your face does…if you’re…” is flat out funny in a way befitting Ruth’s character.

    1. DinaWho

      I loved that line. It was so fitting for Ruth.

  73. Showler

    Maybe this is because the person replacing Billie is a horrible hellspawn of a person who is also Mary’s best friend?

  74. KristopherGrows

    This could be simpler than a romance angle with Mary (re Carla). There have been a lot of upsets in Mary’s tiny little world. One of her icons, Robin, has tanked her career in a vague attempt to appear nicer to homosexuals. Joe, a prototypical man’s man, is now apologizing for the ills that have come from behaving the way he did. A small, shy person Mary probably had little respect for just gutted a sexual predator she did on the steps of the place she lives. Mary’s insulated little ego may have finally taken enough hits that she is trying to become better, via the common naive first step of assuming everything about her previous self was wrong then acting out the opposite.

  75. Trolldrool

    I don’t remember who it was who said or which page, but it was in regards to Rachel’s dissapointment at Joe’s lack of progress from her perspective, or at a snail’s pace from our perspective, and how that wasn’t a bad thing. Because when people make complete 180 turns in the span of a few days, chances are they’re not being sincere and are actually plotting something far more sinister under the guise of having become a better person. I’m paraphrasing due to a faulty memory of the comment, but that’s how I see everything with Mary here. Even if she has had a revelation of some sorts after Ryan, this sudden change is too sudden and too complete to be real.

    I also think FartCaptor said recently that the only revelation she’s had from the Ryan incident is that this is currently a bad time to be her usual bigoted self and is putting up a cheerful act to look better than she actually is.

    As for her crushing on Carla. No. I don’t buy it. For one, given her narcissistic behaviour, I’m not entirely sure she’s capable of developing genuine romantic feelings for another person. Secondly, even if (hypothetically) she was, I can’t see Mary crushing on Carla for the woman she is, rather than the ‘man’ she’d want her to be.

    1. thejeff

      Theoretically, I could see someone with her set of prejudices who was actually a repressed lesbian crushing on a transwoman with the internal justification of “it’s ok because I’m really attracted to a guy”, even though it’s the girl aspect that she’s actually attracted to .
      Completely screwed up and a situation to run the hell away from, but that’s people for you.

  76. Sam

    SOMEONE’S STOLEN MARY’S TREASURE AND GIVEN HER A CHANGE OF HEART.

    EVERYONE GUESS WHAT HER TREASURE WAS.

  77. Remmington Steele

    Love is in the air!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNC0kIzM1Fo

    1. Anthill Radio

      Off topic: Your icon goes perfectly with that username! Coincidence or deliberate?

  78. PDV

    I’m guessing she is happy about one of:

    the list coming out and Joe being shamed

    herself being high on the list

    people she dislikes being low on the list

  79. dethtoll

    I’ve come to the conclusion that this comic’s overarching theme is that of redemption. There are a lot of characters, and many of them are screwed up in some way, or have screwed up. The ones that have redeeming qualities do find themselves on a path towards redemption. Joyce is obviously intended to be autobiographical — the sheltered churchmouse having to come to grips with the fact that there’s an entire world outside her upbringing and that reality doesn’t work the way she was taught. That’s a redemption arc, of a sort — the realization that your background doesn’t define you (a theme repeated with several other characters, i.e. Amber.)

    But I don’t think there’s to be any redemption with Mary. Mary is clearly intended to be the opposite of Joyce — where Joyce is ignorant but sweet and willing to learn, Mary is hateful, hostile and judgmental. She’s the villain of this story, and like the other villains (i.e. Blaine and Toedad and Ryan and Sir.) there’s no redemption coming, only comeuppance. We likely will never ever hear of any particular trauma she’s experienced because it would only undermine the fact that she’s a villain, and in fact is arguably the main villain.

    This isn’t Mary suddenly becoming a new person via some unseen leaf-turning. Other characters going through redemption arcs, we witness. We’ve seen nothing with Mary to indicate that this is anything other than Mary being ever more sure that she is completely correct in everything.

    1. dethtoll

      I think even Rachel spelled it out for us that redemption is the central theme of the comic. I think she’s wrong in her claim that redemption isn’t a real thing, ever. But in her vicious way she’s uncovered a truth about redemption, and how it’s a double edged sword when it comes to storytelling. When done right, redemption makes us feel good, makes us feel that we’ve journeyed with a character to their goal of making things right. Done wrong, it can feel hackneyed, or unearned. And then there’s the cases where redemption is the wrong choice for a storyteller to make.

      Redemption isn’t, nor shouldn’t it be, for every character. Villains exist to be villains. Their entire purpose is to oppose the protagonists. Redemption for them comes at the cost of their villainy — and forces the story to either conclude, or find another conflict, usually in the form of a replacement villain. (Especially since redemption often means death, a trope I hate.) But you run the risk of alienating the audience if you redeem the wrong character. Redeem Joe? Yeah, that’s a thing that could happen. Redeem Blaine? Get out of here.

      1. Sam

        Redemption = death is also a trope that I hate. You get +5 internets for that alone even if I also agree with everything else you just said.

      2. thejeff

        Though even that is a thing that happens. Though rarely on a timeline like this comic. People do change. Even serious abusers can.

        I know people with abusive parents who’ve made new relationships with them – usually after decades apart and often therapy on the parent’s part. It’s not easy, but it can happen.

    2. Cephalo the Pod

      See, my interpretation is that the central theme is “loss of self-righteousness/esteem”.

      I have trouble seeing a redemption arc in Billie’s story, and she’s (as far as I can tell) one of DoA’s three main protagonists alongside Joyce and Amber. But those three all start off having high confidence in (parts of) themselves. And then story goes about demolishing their personal views of themselves.

      We can see this theme repeated in secondary characters like Sarah, Roz, Joe, and Danny.

      1. Fart Captor

        I’d characterize it more as growing pains, myself.

        Danny and Joyce have both re-built themselves far better than they were before, and both Billie and Sarah have been working to change for the better as well, though they’re both having a harder time with it.

        Joe has been torn down, but clearly for the purpose of him changing for the better from it, though we’ve only seen the start of that happening.

        Billie and Amber may have struggled, and been knocked down by shitty things from their past, and mental illness, but there’s no indication from the narrative that we’re supposed to believe this is because they’re lost causes. Both of them struggle because they lack confidence in themselves.

  80. Klokwerks

    Someone has probably already commented on this, but probably the reason they’re even considering Mary having a romantic interest is, well, their own relationship. Like, remember how these two got together. They were physically assaulting each other, plus whatever the hell that bit with the uniform and Ruth barging into Billie’s room was.

    It probably seems less farfetched to them because their own courtship was so weird.

  81. Kinoko

    Reading the strip, the idea of Mary crushing on Carla just seemed like a fleeting thought running through Billie’s head that would be dismissed outright soon enough. (Not that I don’t think it would be possible, just not very in character for Mary.) So I thought for sure the comments section would be more speculation of what Mary’s actually up to.

    Nope. Commenters completely distracted with speculation of hypothetical crush. It makes sense to me that Billie’s brain would go there, but did everyone else really have to? :V

    1. Kinoko

      Because seriously, Carla deserves so much better than even the THOUGHT of Mary crushing on her.

    2. Yumi

      I think plenty of people are with you and are still speculating. However, this just offers a new area to speculate in, even if not seriously.
      Honestly, enough theories about Mary’s apparent shift have been thrown around anyway.

  82. Mouse

    Either she’s the one who dropped the list and is enjoying Joe’s suffering, or she did something to mess with somebody and she’s savoring a big bomb drop.

  83. Kinoko

    You know? I’m calling it. Mary’s happy because she also put in for a room transfer and will now be rooming with Billie, thereby leaving this dorm and gaining further ability to make Billie’s life hell outside Ruth’s jurisdiction.

    …I really hope I’m wrong.

    1. Kinoko

      …I meant to write this on today’s strip.

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